texts: How could the Hungarian idiom "cataract-smith" be best translated into English?

texts:
There is a Hungarian idiom "cataract-smith" (hályogkovács) which means a person who is instinctively very good at a complex task, without formal learning, being successful either because of being good at self-learning or having a good instinct. However, if someone tried to teach that person in a formal way, it would actually hinder, not help. This last issue is also an important part of the idiom.

The source is a story of a common village blacksmith from the 19th century, who, despite never having studied medicine, was very good at operating on cataracts. He got so famous among the common village folk that they went to him instead of real doctors for eye surgeries. Once some famous eye-surgeon heard about his story and was curious to test him (or, in a different version, there was a patient in a condition even the most experienced surgeon didn't see any chance for a successful operation). So, the smith came up to the patient, witnessed by experienced eye surgeons, he took out a rusty pocket knife, and removed a very difficult cataract (regarded as impossible by the doctors) very easily in just a few quick hand movements.

One of the doctors was horrified by this, and got angry how careless the blacksmith was, and started to explain how delicate the eye is, showed pictures of the interior of the eye, showed where the nerves are, explained how sensitive they are, how just the slightest mistake can make the patient permanently blind, showed what kind of fine, delicate scalpels the real doctors are working with (instead of a dull, rusty pocket knife), and scolded him for how reckless he was. The blacksmith, who've never seen such magnified images of the interior of the eye before, was mesmerized by it. He then tried to proceed with the other eye of the patient, which had a very mild cataract, so simple even a beginner surgeon could easily remove it, but his hands were trembling so much he didn't dare starting the operation, and he never touched a cataract ever again.

Edit: I've been thinking about its more common usage today, and it usually implies doing a risky job without any formal training, and succeeding while others are doubting success.


texts: Correct abbreviation for “byte” and “bit”

texts:
What is the correct abbreviation for the word “byte”?  What about the word “bit”?

For example, isn't it common to see in printed media that  “Kb”, “Mb” and “Gb” are used in place of “KB”, “MB” and “GB”, respectively?

Is the usage different, depending on the medium?  Has this changed over time?

Although I don't specifically recall encountering this very-very recently, a quick Google easily reveals a example from about a decade ago, circa 1998/1999:

http://archive.arstechnica.com/paedia/celeron_oc_faq3.html

If you are going to use a 100 MHz bus speed, you should plan on getting PC-100 SDRAM memory.  Many people have reported successfully using their old PC-66 memory, however, if you do try it and have problems overclocking, memory would be a likely suspect.  You should also plan on starting with a minimum of 64 Mb.  It's best to get 64 or 128 Mb DIMM modules since the number of memory sockets is usually only 3, or 4 at the most.   Two 32 Mb DIMM modules will limit your ability to upgrade memory in the future.


texts:
I saw some sentences that start with this phrase: "And the day came when ... "
For example, the following sentence form The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield

  At last the day came when everyone except the Kelveys had seen the doll's house.

What does it mean?


texts: "What f**k do I give?" as a rhetorical question. a viable construction?

texts:
We all know and love the "I don't/couldn't give a f**k/shit/rat's ass" phrase. It helps a lot and relieves much tension. But would the rhetorical question form "What f**k do I give" be technically correct? I came up with this one time relying on my intuition with English. I've googled it and I saw that it indeed sees use, some apparently native speakers do use it in sentences.

Example of usage:

  Jimmy: Hey, dad! I got an A on my math test.
  Dad: Ok, Jimmy. But you need to answer to yourself a very important question.
  Jimmy: What's that, dad?
  Dad: What f**k do I give? The game's on and I'm watching. Now get the f**k outta here before I smack you.

Sorry for my morbid sense of humor, I hope it helped to get the point across :D


texts:
Not only was it raining all day at the wedding but also the band was late.

Not only will they paint the outside of the house but also the inside.


texts: Refer to a number which comes after every 5 numbers

texts:
I want to refer to a number which comes after every 5 numbers, (eg. 5, 10, 15, 20 .. ). How can I say it it in a proper sentence?
Thanks.


texts:
I am reading the book A Voyage for Madman by Peter Nichols. There are some maps on some pages. On those maps, I see the acronym "SFM" and have no idea what it means.

I looked SFM up on Google and I found lots of stuff about Source Film Maker, which is a software. I don't think this is what it means here...

I also looked on AcronymFinder and I found lots of results. None of them seems to fit the context.

What does this mean?


texts: Is there a single word for "accidentally getting a liquid into eye"?

texts: I want to say that I accidentally got paint in my eye in a more formal sounding manner with a single word. Is there a word I can use to express this in a sentence like "Paint ....ed into my eye." to mean "it accidentally entered into/touched"?


texts: What adjective can describe someone who counts his chickens before they're hatched?

texts: For example, someone who writes "I chose to study biology and chemistry at school because I am going to become a doctor after graduating."


texts: Correct usage of lbs. as in "pounds" of weight

texts:
What is the correct way to say:
"All items over 5 lbs. are excluded."
I'm specifically asking about "lbs." or is it "lb."?  American English if it matters.

Also is "5lbs." ever correct?  Or is it "5 lbs."?


texts: Does "throw a leg over" means "riding a horse" or "sexual intercourse"?

texts:
Now anyone reading this article - http://mentalfloss.com/article/31841/why-new-york-city-called-big-apple and especially this line from that: "The Big Apple. The dream of every lad that ever threw a leg over a thoroughbred and the goal of all horsemen. There's only one Big Apple. That's New York." can say that it talking about a boy or lad that ever rode a horse, then why is it using the Idiom "throw a leg over" which when googled, shows to mean "to have sex with" ?

While we're at it, is there a website or reference link that has the detailed meaning and usage information on such idioms(especially US English Idioms and Proverbs) which give an indication of something, but when used in different contexts(and situations), means a variety of different and un-related things or situations ?

Expecting(if possible) a brief explanation with history when such Idioms may have started to divert their meaning in different direction than what they used to mean when used in British-English.


texts: An alternative, more concise phrase for "due to even something as insignificant as"

texts:
I'm looking to improve on the wording of the following phrase shown in bold. While it conveys the correct meaning, "due to even something as insignificant as" seems unnecessarily wordy so I was hoping for an alternative phrase to represent the same idea. I'm also open to suggestions to rephrase the entire sentence.

  Additionally, real estate assets in the same vicinity may be viewed
  differently due to even something as insignificant as home decor.


texts:
I am looking for a word describing water flowing fast and aggressively like white water. Is there a single word describing that kind of flow?

The main thing it should convey is the fast and wild flow of the water.


texts: Longest English word without a vowel sound

texts:
I am not an English student, by discipline I am physicist, so am asking this question in innocence.

I searched Google for the longest word without a vowel sound and I got these results:

  The longest common word without any of the five vowels is RHYTHMS,
  but there are longer  rare words: SYMPHYSY, NYMPHLY, GYPSYRY, GYPSYFY

However, English students don't agree: they say there is an \i-sound\ and \schwa\ in the word RHYTHM.

I am confused: what should I believe, the internet or my English university students?


texts: What is the origin of the 'do' construction?

texts:
Modern English seems to require this verb in several circumstances, where most other European languages don't seem to need it. (See? I just used it.)

For example, in questions: "Do you have a dog?" Whereas, "Have you a dog?" would be normal in other languages or in the English of days gone by.

Another example: "I do not know him." Again, "I know him not," could be used, but sounds stilted nowadays.

So, where did this 'do' come from?


texts: Different conditional clauses — "if you saw", "if you were to see", "if you had seen"

texts:
Given the following sentences, what is the difference between the conditional clauses in them?

  If you saw a lion in a thick forest, what would you do?
  If you were to see a lion in a thick forest, what would you do?

I'm asking this simple thing because it's confusing me, since there is no such thing in my native language (it's quite different from English).

I can understand this one (it may be a different question):

  If you had seen a lion in a thick forest, what would have you done?

but it's a bit confusing me. In my native language, it's always formulated as follows:

  If you would have seen a lion in a thick forest, what would have you done?

Does this make any difference in English?


texts: How would you punctuate something like this?

texts:
She took a step away from me.  Then a second.  And a third.

Are periods acceptable here?


texts: 'Mental illness' or 'Mental disorder' or 'Mental condition'?

texts:
I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, and when talking about it, and other mental conditions like depression, bi-polar, schizophrenia, I'm wondering what term to use.

Is there perhaps a distinction between mental conditions that are disruptive and mental conditions that just are (and require managing)?

Eg. Someone might argue 'I have depression and this requires curing' (much like cancer requires curing). Someone else might argue 'I have ADHD, and this is just a part of my personality'.

Can someone help shine some light on the distinction between these terms?


texts: What does radio mean when said by sport coaches?

texts:
I have heard this word commonly used when sports coaches are calling a group to come in. An example of radio by a sports coach is:

  Radio, come in guys.

So what does it really mean? I live in Australia, so wondering as well if there are any other people around the world uses this term?

I have not heard any other people other than sports coaches say this.


texts:
Is this sentence from Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace a run on sentence?  My guess is not, but I am not sure.

  “(She) says that she's finding it especially hard to take when these earnest ravaged folks at the lectern say they're 'Here But For the Grace of God,' except that's not the strange thing she says, because when Gately nods hard and starts to interject about 'It was the same for--' and wants to launch into a fairly standard Boston AA agnostic-soothing riff about the 'God' in the slogan being just shorthand for a totally subjective and up-to-you 'Higher Power' and AA being merely spiritual instead of dogmatically religious, a sort of benign anarchy of subjective spirit, Joelle cuts off his interjection and says that but that her trouble with it is that 'But For the Grace of God' is a subjunctive, a counterfactual, she says, and can make sense only when introducing a conditional clause, like e.g. 'But For the Grace of God I would have died on Molly Notkin's bathroom floor,' so that an indicative transposition like `I'm here But For the Grace of God' is, she says, literally senseless, and regardless of whether she hears it or not it's meaningless, and that the foamy enthusiasm with which these folks can say what in fact means nothing at all makes her want to put her head in a Radarange at the thought that Substances have brought her to the sort of pass where this is the sort of language she has to have Blind Faith in.”


texts:
When I looked it up in the dictionary, two versions of pronunciation for word "have" was listed. hǽv and həv.

hǽv is the one that I am most familiar with. But this həv with the schwa sound... when is it used?

My first assumption was that həv is used when hǽv is reduced - for instance, when people start talking fast. Word "can" is an example of that. The reduced form of  kǽn is kən.

So is həv (and also həd) the reduced form?

Thank you.


texts:
I just wrote this:

  In addition, I have been learned concerning microbial toxins by Microbiology course. At the same time, Physiology and Biochemistry courses helped me to understand how toxins could cause disturbance in normal cellular functionings

In the first sentence, I've used passive form. Is this correct or should I change it to "I have learned"?
Do you think "cause disturbance in normal cellular functionings" sounds natural or I should change it?


texts: 'In so far as' and 'As far as' --Are the two conjunctions synonyms?

texts: 'In so far as' and 'As far as'   -- Are the two conjunctions synonyms?  I was searching in Net, but I could not find the answer. They seem to be similar in meaning. Can anyone please explain, with an example, if they are different?


texts:
Does in the following quote "to abstract" mean "to extract" ? And does the sentence containing it mean:

A graphic representation of data that is extracted from computers that exist in contemporary human societies?

Context:

  Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions
  of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught
  mathematical concepts... A graphic representation of data abstracted
  from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable
  complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind,
  clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding...

  William Gibson, Neuromancer


texts:
I have been asked to list the expected out-of-pocket expenses for attending an approaching conference. I have sources of expenses such as travel, accommodation and food.

So one of my subtitles in the list is "Food Expenses" but I think I could do a better job for describing this item of the list.

"Dietary Expenses"? No. I do not think so.

Any help appreciated. Thank you.


texts: "Should I" vs. "Shall I" vs. "Do I" in AE

texts:
In colloquial prose, is there some difference to saying "Should I/we", Shall I/we", "Do I/we" to ask someone's advice?

E.g.

  Should I call the police?

Sounds like I'm asking someone (or myself) if I would be well advised to call the police.

  Should we call the police?

Sounds like I'm asking someone (or a third party) if we would be well advised to call the police.

  Shall I/we call the police?

Sounds like I'm asking someone to decide on whether I/we should call the police.

  Do I/we call the police?

Sounds like I'm asking someone if it's necessary I/we call the police (e.g. in case something in the neighborhood doesn't look or feel right to me/us)

Am I right on these ones or are there some other differences I didn't notice?


texts: Which word can honestly portray a non-native's language abilities

texts:
I have often been intrigued by the following questions in various documents across the Indian sub-continent:

  Ability to read, speak, and write - Yes.

  Fluency level- Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.

What would be the most appropriate statement (or word) to qualify how well a person speaks a foreign language? It would also have to include the following skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

I am proficient in three languages.
I speak two languages- one fluently other not so
I can converse in two languages
I know two languages
I have studied three languages
I have learned two foreign languages


texts: Word for someone who has plastic surgery, breast augmentation, etc.?

texts:
She's a ______ beauty.
My beauty is natural, hers is _________.


texts: Is there any difference between the following two sentences?

texts:
I read the first sentence on likes.com. I wonder if there is any difference  between the following two sentences:

We all have them, but your chin could be telling you more than you know about you and everybody else.

We all have them, but your chin could tell you more than you know about you and everybody else.


texts:
When I was at school I was told that a quote should end with a comma.  For example:

  "The car is on the road," said Tom.
  "No it isn't," replied Dick.
  "He's right — it's over there!" said Harry.

However, I've recently been advised that this is not correct, and that the preceding text should read:

  "The car is on the road." said Tom.
  "No it isn't." replied Dick.
  "He's right — it's over there!" said Harry.

I'm specifically interested in British English — can anyone tell me if either/both of these are correct?

EDIT

From the answers below, it seems like this depends on what follows.  For example:

  "The car is on the road," said Tom

But

  Tom said, "The car is on the road."

Is this correct?


texts: Does the term 'heroine' retain its legitimacy in a world of gender equality?

texts:
Though heroine is a legitimate word with an  adequate pedigree,

  Heroine (n.)
  1650s, from Latin heroine, heroina (plural heroinae) "a female hero, a demigoddess" (such as Medea), from Greek heroine, fem. of heros (see hero (n.1)). As "principal female character" in a drama or poem, from 1715.

the term hero originally applied to both male and female progeny resulting from the conjugal union of an immortal and a mortal. Such offspring were considered demigods, and their cult was one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion.

In time, hero and heroine would come to refer to mere mortals who, in the face of danger and adversity, or from a position of weakness, displayed great courage and the willingness to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of humanity. This later definition, while originally referring to martial courage or excellence, also evolved, and was eventually extended to moral excellence in general.

My question, then, is this:

Given the fact that hero originally referred to 1) phylogenetic status (demigod-ness), and then 2) to personal characteristics (courage, bravery, self-sacrifice, etc.) without reference to gender (which had no bearing whatsoever), in this modern world of enlightened sensibilities, especially with respect to issues of gender equality (I’m getting to it!), should we continue to make a gender distinction between persons who possess heroic qualities? Does such a distinction retain any legitimacy?

(I’d like to include a “shout-out” to medica for supplying me with this, my first EL&U question.)


texts: "Give the real temperature" vs. "give real temperature"

texts:
I would like to know if I should use the second the in the following sentence.

  The thermometer does not give the real temperature.
  The thermometer does not give real temperature.

And I would like to know if there's a criterion, a rule to know when I should use *the or if I'm abusing it.


texts: Single word to indicate a nonsense poem, a poem with invented words?

texts:
Is there any English single word that can be used to indicate a poem with invented words, like Jabberwocky? I am looking for a single word rather than a two-word expression like "nonsense poem", "nonsense verse". Also, it doesn't have to indicate necessarily a Limerick.

(Of course, should this word not exist, please feel free to invent one …)

EDIT: I have found that in Italian this is called "metasemantic poetry" which is not a single word but it sounds ok to me. However, apparently this expression is not used in English.


texts:
I'm studying the etymology of vocabulary to memorize vocabulary efficiently and be able to inference its composition. Take 'autocracy' as an example, it is composed of 2 words: 'auto' and 'cracy'. I can inference its meaning of 'government by single or small people and with unlimited power'.

But some words can not simply be composed by obvious words, like 'didactic'. I can only get its history and 'PIE root' information:

  "fitted or intended for instruction; pertaining to instruction,"
  1650s, from French didactique, from Latinized form of Greek didaktikos
  "apt at teaching," from didaktos "taught," past participle of
  didaskein "teach," from PIE *dens- "to learn" (source also of Sanskrit
  dasra- "effecting miracles"). Related: Didactical; didactically.

When I search for the PIE 'dens', I just can not find anything about this root.
And the second question is, what is the relationship between 'dens' and 'didactic'?
I can hardly associate them to inference the meaning of 'didactic', although the root 'dens' and 'didactic' have similar 'teach' meanings.

So, is there any referable site that can get the meaning of PIE roots?
And, why the 'dens' have relationships with the 'didactic'?


texts:
I have found the following sentence in "The Catcher in the Rye".

  If there's one thing I hate, it's the movies.

As far as I know one should use zero article before plural generics.
Why does the hero use "the" before "movies"? Is this just a mistake?

Are there cases when one can use "the" before a plural generic?


texts: Is "maker" less professional than "manufacturer"?

texts:
To me as a non-native, maker sounds much less professional than manufacturer or supplier. I.e. an average "piston maker" would probably be much smaller than an average "piston manufacturer" or "piston supplier".

Is this actually true? Can I use "piston maker" in a professional context to refer to a company with 5000 employees?


texts:
Consider the following phrases:

The car was imported from Detroit.
The car was exported from Detroit.
The car was imported to Detroit.
The car was exported to Detroit.

Are these all semantically correct? Do (1 & 2) and (3 & 4) both mean the same thing?

When using import/export, I often wonder whether or not there are subtle differences in the meanings between the two aforementioned pairs of sentences, and whether or not they are all accepted usage combinations of import/export and to/from. Instinctively, I think that one should always say 'import from' and 'export to' (1 & 4), and avoid using the structure of (2 & 3), but perhaps this is misguided.

Any clarification or scholarly references to the accepted preposition usage with import/export would be very helpful.


texts: "Respect, where has it gone?" vs "Respect. Where has it gone?"

texts:
We are using the following topic for a speech contest and there is a question as to punctuation

  Respect, where has it gone?

or

  Respect. Where has it gone?


texts: What is term for a 'person who doesn't have own decision'?

texts: What is the English word/term for a 'Person who doesn't have own decision' & do things only for others?


texts: How can I form a question for "It recurs every n days"?

texts:
It recurs every n days.

I want to form a question to which the answer is 'n'.  How can I form the question?


texts: Difference between promptness and promptitude

texts:
Seeing this EL&U question: 'saying thanks to someone answering your email ASAP who is important for you', the first word that came to my mind was promptitude which, as the definition states, can convey both punctuality and non-delay-ness(immediate-ness)

So I thought this would be a good answer for said question

  thank you for your promptitude

But after googling the subject (to see if this is an american expression as required by the OP), I stumbled upon the word promptness which seems to convey the same meanings of punctuality and non-delay-ness(and to be a lot more popular than my first frenchy choice).  So, I thought that one could equally/better propose

  thank you for your promptness

Now, I have no problem recognizing promptness as an equally/more valid word for the same usage. But, at the same time, my problem lies precisely there: it is too much an equally valid word for the same usage, because when I went hunting for small nuances between the two words(because someone on EL&U/ELL once said that synonyms usually denote of different connotations) I couldn't find any.. I am further appalled by the fact that they stem from the same root.

Yes, the question:

Am I wrong in :

assuming that promptitude & promptness have no distinct connotations (in this context particularly)?
thinking that perfect synonyms are something of a rarity?
thinking that same-root perfect synonyms are something of a rarity?
a combination of 1., 2., 3. and some other speculation of mine?

Why? (added for the charmingly joking nature of EL&Uers)

Edit

After receiving some comments and one answer I have to add:

Again, I have no problem recognizing promptness as an equally/more valid word for the same usage.

But it seems to me that we have these two words from the same root that mean the same thing. How come? Is it just because one is becoming obsolete and that's how words die - another one comes and slowly but steadily takes its place? or is it something different?


texts:
What is a the adjective that describes someone who is afraid to speak up?

For example: As a young child, I was __, but as I grew up, I transformed into a courageous and determined woman.


texts: Possible verbs to describe an actual ownwership of position, rather than less direct employment

texts:
What are the possible verbs to describe a relationship between a company and a position (job), when I want to stress the fact that the company is the real, actual party which requires the work to be done, rather than a third part middleman which supplies workers as a commodity?

For example in the sentence:

  I would like all my personal data to be deleted from every data
  storage  maintained by the company that XXXXXs the position for which
  I applied.


texts:
From this New Yorker article:

  But Holder’s decision suggests (though it does not guarantee) that marijuana arrests will be heading downward. To the extent that they do, that will be a step forward for racial equality. Ending discriminatory enforcement—which is what happened in New York and around the country—is a positive step for everyone.

What does this "which" refer to?


texts:
While reading the novel "One night at call center", I came across this:

  He's such a loser who steals credit of others.
  Viroom, we must teach a lesson to this credit stealer.

Now, I just want to know the synonym or a word to call people who steal credit of others, as in if a person A has done a task, but person B poses to the world that it was done by him and takes the credit instead.


texts: What is the difference between "I learned everything" and "Everything I learned"?

texts:
What is the difference between the following terms?

  Everything I ate
  I ate everything

or

  Everything I did
  I did everything


texts: Which phrase attributed to the “cat-o'-nine tails” is the most credible?

texts:
In one of many online articles professing the origin of well-known and popular English sayings, I was particularly struck by the one related to "Cat got your tongue". The author writes

Origin: The English Navy used to use a whip made with multiple rope endings called a ‘cat’o’-nine-tails’. After whipping a victim, they’d joke “cat got your tongue?” Others believe the expression comes from the Ancient Egyptian method of cutting out the tongues of blasphemers and serving them to cats for dinner.

Despite the article being only posted earlier today (October 1, 2020), the story didn't ring true to my ears. In fact, a simple Google search revealed the following
Phrase Finder rejects the source, and adds

The expression [cat got your tongue] sounds as though it might be old but isn't especially so. I can find no instances of it in print until the mid 19th century, as in this example from the Wisconsin newspaper The Racine Democrat, December 1859 […]
The early examples of the expression in print all come from the USA, which reinforces the falsity of the Egyptian or Royal Navy origins.

The Science Museum Group website states that the 18th century weapon used to punish sailors is in fact the origin of the equally popular sayings, “Not enough room to swing a cat” and “Letting the cat out of the bag”; the latter referring to the bag in which the whip was kept.
Wikipedia claims the custom of treating cuts and lacerations with brine, caused by the flogging instrument, created the following phrase

After the flogging was completed, the sailor's lacerated back was frequently rinsed with brine or seawater, which was thought to serve as a crude antiseptic (although it is now known that seawater contains significant microbial components). Although the purpose was to control infection, it caused the sailor to endure additional pain, and gave rise to the expression "rubbing salt into his wounds"

World Wide Words' post argues that the saying “no room to swing a cat" was already familiar to the English well before the whipping instrument was first documented in literature.

It’s clear that even by 1665 the expression was idiomatic. This makes it very unlikely that it should derive from cat-o’nine-tails, since the first mention of that term for the punishment device is in William Congreve’s play Love for Love of 1695.

However, the following three sources: 1, 2 and 3 all attribute the origin of “cat got your tongue" with the infamous instrument of punishment. There is also an article that says the nine ‘tails’ represent the nine lives of a cat.
It seems clear that the cat-'o-nine-tails, which was made with nine log lines (the knots in the rope helped sailors to measure a ship's speed) is credited to have created numerous English phrases and  expressions but not one of the reference actually confirms with certainty that it is the source of any of the phrases listed above.
Questions

Is there an earlier instance than 1695 of cat-o'nine-tails?
Which of the above expressions, or even a different one, can be safely  attributed to the whip used by the Royal Navy?

References:
What type of cat do you swing? EL&U
The Cat Out of The Bag EL&U
not enough room to swing a cat Wiktionary
History of the cat-o’-nine-tails word histories
Cat got your tongue? Phrase Finder
Cat got your tongue? Grammarphobia


texts: The difference between "on time" and "in time"

texts:
I'm so confused while using "on time" and "in time" in sentences.
I wanted to know if I have understood the meanings correctly.
Does "on time" means exactly at the specific time that was planned?
And does "in time" means sooner than the specific time that was planned?

So if your flight was at 3.00 and you arrived at 3.00
You will say; I arrived on time.
And if you arrived at 2:55
You say; I arrived in time.
Have I understood it correctly?


texts:
I want to use 'audience' in the following sentence. In what form should I use it? Is it a singular or plural noun?

  How the audience demotivate players in the NBA.

  How the audience demotivates players in the NBA.


texts: What is the term used for a phrase that could have more than one meaning such as "This battery is free of charge"?


texts: What does "He would miss the paycheck…" mean?

texts:
He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire.

I really don't understand the sentence especially the use of but.  Why not thus, therfore or so?

And as for the verb "would", does it mean "used to V" or something else?

Could you help me understand the sentence?


texts:
Is lives correct?  I want to use life.

We may never know why we were born, and why certain people come into our life - lives.


texts: Why is the past tense of "mind" not "mound?"

texts: I have never understood this.  It works this way for find/found, grind/ground, and others.  Why is it not mind/mound?


texts: Is there a word to describe this linguistic error?

texts:
Francis Galton originally used the term "regression to mediocrity" to refer to the phenomenon that children of very tall parents were on average less tall. More generally, the heights of children over multiple generations would regress toward the mean, or average, height of the population.

Today, "regression" is used to describe a particular statistical model in which data is distributed around a mean.

Galton writes,

  The mean regression ... is easily ascertained

intending to mean something like

  It is easy to ascertain the mean amount of regression

but a careless reader could instead understand

  It is easy to ascertain this thing called a "mean regression"

of which the contemporary meaning of regression is a natural extension. A phenomenon ("regression") was described with a statistical model, but the name of the phenomenon came to be used to refer to the model itself.

I'm struggling to think of a less esoteric example, although I feel like there should be more of these. Is there a name for this kind of error? Are there more familiar examples of it, ideally ones that don't rely on somewhat archaic language?


texts:
Here is the phrase from Wikipedia:

  CFO Peter Klein has said that Microsoft has no alternate plan should its current mobile strategy fail.

Another example:

  Should Microsoft’s tablet and phone efforts continue to inspire little interest among the buying public, don’t expect a radical shift in strategy.

What does the word should mean in this context? The same as if or in case?

Why is this verb placed before the subject?

I tried to search in dictionaries, but this specific case wasn’t properly explained.


texts: I am writing a paper where I will use the title Reduction by half. This is supposed to describe a method which reduces something by half, but I am not sure if Reduction by Half is the right way to do this. Any ideas? Does Reduction by Half sound weird?


texts: What role does the hyphen serve in this context?

texts:
What role does the hyphen (it's not confused with an em dash) serve in these two contexts, and how to successfully replicate the conditions (to use it in any sentence I wish to).

You take your obligation to deliver an package very seriously - an ethic for which I am grateful.
But - you have a way of exceeding expectations, don't you?

I've searched a few sites, even this, but it's difficult when you have no firm grasp on the subject. If you realize where the quotes are from, please shh - embarrasing (also, is it correct to use a hyphen here, I have no idea).


texts: How to use properly such generic person pronouns as one, people, you, we, and they

texts:
When writing about a general topic in emails, essays, business correspondence or whatever, I often wonder which  generic person pronoun to use. My quick Google search for sample sentences using such pronouns as one, people, you etc. returned a lot of examples, but I haven't been able to figure out any rules or general tendency in them.
Is there any common ground of understanding among native English speakers when to use "one", "people", "you" etc?
The following are just some sample sentences I checked during my Google search.

One cannot choose the period of history in which one lives.

PEOPLE OFTEN CAN'T JUDGE HOW THEY IMPRESS OTHERS

You will never know the particular virus that gets you.

We Have a Cheap, Effective Way to Keep Ourselves Safer From
COVID-19.

When people think “librarian,” they say, “Oh, must be
kind of dull.”


texts: What's the difference between "intervene" and "interfere"?

texts: What is the difference between intervene and interfere? I think some example would really be helpful here.


texts: Meaning of “the artist that perishable tissue has to think” and “with these”

texts:
Please help me understand the following paragraph better.

  When standing before certain men the philosopher regrets that thinkers are but perishable tissue, the artist that perishable tissue has to think. Thus to deplore, each from his point of view, the mutually destructive interdependence of spirit and flesh would have been instinctive with these in critically observing Yeobright.

From The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy.

What does he mean by "the artist that perishable tissue has to think"?
Who is he referring to when he says "with these"
Why does the artist regret that perishable tissue has to think?


texts: "Doctor Pérez did some surgery on my knee"?

texts:
What is the natural way to say in English that a certain doctor did some surgery on — for instance — my knee? In Spanish we say "El doctor Pérez me operó la rodilla". Is the following grammatical?

  Doctor Pérez did some surgery on my knee.


texts: Does word order matter when using names?

texts:
Does word order matter when mentioning names?

  Once I am ready with basic groundwork, I will discuss it with Travis, Nick and you.
  Once I am ready with basic groundwork, I will discuss it with Travis, you and Nick.


texts:
I am looking for a good synonym for the word attribute that can be used in these sentences:

The item's attributes are...
Colour is a type of attribute.
Weight is a type of attribute.
The item's colour (attribute) is red.
What are the items that have that attribute?

I'd rather not use the word "property" instead and I'd prefer a word shorter than "characteristic".

The audience for the word is software developers, they are used to properties and attributes, however the word "attribute" is reserved and both "attribute" and "property" usually refer to specific things.

"Feature" and "quality" have very different meanings in the software world. Also, most programmers would complain about the length of "characteristics".

"Trait" seems like a good option, however, I'll have to check how many of my co-workers will understand the meaning.


texts: Should I use support or supports with data?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is “data” considered singular or plural?

Which one the following is right grammar

"Limited data support the use of ..."
or

"Limited data supports the use of ..."


texts:
When somebody speaks bad English it is called Butler English in India. The phrase Butler English seems to have originated in Madras presidency in the British Rule. The butlers or the maid servants used to talk to their British masters in a certain way which later turned into Butler English. Now the word lost its professional connotation and is used when somebody speaks imperfect English in India.

This post is not a duplicate of Kitchen language but it may supplement it.

I would like to know whether bad English is called Butler English, Bearer English or Kitchen English anywhere in native English speaking countries or anywhere in the world.


texts: What does 'hypocrite' have to to with 'critic'?

texts:
I looked at the origins of

  hy·poc·ri·sy   1175–1225; Middle English ipocrisie  < Old French  < Late Latin hypocrisis  < Greek hypókrisis
  play acting, equivalent to hypokrī́ ( nesthai ) to play a part,
  explain ( hypo- hypo-  + krī́nein  to distinguish, separate) + -sis
  -sis; h-  (reintroduced in 16th century) < Latin  and Greek

and

  crit·ic   1575–85;  < Latin criticus  < Greek kritikós  skilled in judging (adj.), critic (noun),
  equivalent to krī́t ( ēs ) judge, umpire ( krī́ ( nein ) to separate,
  decide + -tēs  agent suffix) + -ikos -ic

and saw that they both have same word 'krī́' but I can't make the connection.

A critic separates and judges i.e. Looking at the source-code by dividing it into smaller pieces and looking through each part carefully.

But then what does a hypocrite do? Separate less than is needed? I must be missing some other Greek terms that give the entire word its meaning...


texts:
What's the difference between these two phrases?

  their systems’ security posture
  their systems security posture

Is there any difference in the meaning? If not, when we use either of them?


texts:
I am writing a scientific document and I need to talk about a device that has not yet been built, but when it is, it will be the most powerful of its kind. So, how do I refer to it?

My current sentence:

  This is the device, the most powerful telescope ever built.

Since it has not been built, is this sentence correct?

I was thinking:

  This is the device, the most powerful telescope ever to be built.


texts: Is there a word that means "over-enunciate the k sound"?

texts: I am trying to say the word week but focus on the k sound at the end and really emphasize it. I tend to do this naturally in my everyday speech. It kinda sounds like an odd throat sound when I do it. Is there a name for this?


texts: In English, is saying "It is normal for me to not want 'blank'" correct, or would it be "It is normal for me not to want 'blank'"?


texts: What is the aural version of periphery for vision?

texts:
What is the aural version of periphery when used in the context of one's vision?

For example:

  I can see it in my periphery

...is to...

  I can hear it in my _______?

I prefer a more specific word rather than a phrase like corner of my ear, for example.

I guess I'm looking for a word that describes unintentional eavesdropping - hearing something in the background that you're not actively listening to. When I say periphery, I am not referring to the the degree at the which the sound is entering my ear. I'm referring to the distance away from the sound combined with the loudness of the sound. If it's at the outer limits (periphery), I'm barely going to hear it.


texts: How can "running down the plane" be interpreted in this SOAD song?

texts:
In the lyrics of a System Of A Down song called Roulette the following part can be found:

  Left a message, but it ain't a bit of use
  I have some pictures, the wild might be the deuce
  Today you saw, you saw me, you explained
  Playing the show and running down the plane

To have some context: the song itself seems to be about a complicated relationship and some messed up feelings.

I get what he is trying to say with the first three sentences...
But what does the last one sentence mean? Especially running down the plane?


texts: Grammar–are there any PoS patterns that are incorrect/to be avoided?

texts:
I don't know if there are any patterns/rules for "grammatical don'ts" that pertain to Parts of Speech.

For the sake of clarity, I refer to things such as:
1) Noun Noun Noun
2) Verb Noun Adverb
3) Determiner Adjective Determiner
etc.

Are there patterns that are not permitted, considered poorly constructed, etc?

I'm playing around with word patterns, and found just how lacking I am in knowledge of my own language. (Yes, I've searched here and Google–but I'm shocked at my inability to find anything relevant.)

Just a quick update... I'm more than willing to move onwards from the "standard" PoS (8? : N V AV ADJ DT etc.) to some of the subclassifications (Comparative Adjective, Linking Verbs etc.)–anything that gives more definition and classification is better than where I currently stand (or fall).
So if it can be pointed out that 'some types of Verb' can follow 'some types of Adjective', then I'll be happy with that, especially if the types are provided!


texts: Can "eventually" be used for the German "eventuell"?

texts:
I have a German friend who keeps saying things like, "would you eventually like to do X" and "X is eventually not a big problem."  I eventually (hehe) started correcting her, saying we don't use the word "eventually" in this way, but there is something nagging in my mind that there is maybe a similar word in English that we do use.

In the sense above, "eventuell" means "perhaps", "possible", "possibly".  Is there word with similar etymology to "eventually" that is used in this way, or can "eventually" actually be used to refer to possibility, rather than chronology?


texts: Origin and status of "hosed", meaning "broken"

texts:
Are the etymology and status of hosed known, and if so, what are they?  For this question, "hosed" is used as at onlineslangdictionary or at urbandictionary. (That is, with meaning broken, messed up, worn out, rather than its probably-older "put hose on" or "attached hose" past-participle meanings.)

My question about the status of the word is whether it indubitably is slang, vs. being a "proper dictionary word".
I've always supposed it should be the latter, and imagined that dictionary compilers have left it out by mistake.

Note 1: as a plus, the onlineslangdictionary site tabulates votes on frequency of use and sense of vulgarity of words, and tabulates hundreds of recent tweets containing 'hosed'; perhaps as a minus, it gives a needlessly wordy definition: "utterly and undoubtedly affixiated in a troublesome situation".

Note 2: ngrams.googlelabs.com shows frequency of use of 'hosed' tripling between 1930 and 1940.

Update 1: Among answers given so far, the "police brutality [by] use of water via fire hoses" and/or "being beaten with a rubber hose" explanations seem less compelling than (i) the explanation stemming from hose as "transparent metaphor for the penis" (supported by specialised slang dictionary references) or (ii) the explanation based on SCTV / Mackenzie Brothers / Great White North reference and Wikipedia hoser entry.  If it becomes more clear in a few days I'll checkmark an answer. - jiw


texts:
On my website, I allow the user to create an account, when account has been created through an online form, which sentence below make the most sense to use?

  Registration Successful

or

  Registered Successfully


texts:
Which expression is more customary? Are their situations where one would be favored over the other?
Edit:
Sorry for making the question unclear. My motivation for this question came from reading economics and finance related articles online.
As an example, there seem to be two ways of expression:

The S&P 500 Index has risen slightly to the 2700s from the 2400s a year ago.
The S&P 500 Index has risen from the 2400s a year ago to the 2700s.

My examples are not good, but I hope they illustrate my idea.
Of course, discussions on such a difference in style of expression can be extended more generally.


texts:
I should place parentheses after a space or without any spacing? Which one of below sentences is right?

  We adopted DM (Data Mining) in this lecture.
  We adopted DM(Data Mining) in this lecture.


texts: What term refers to those who adhere to scientism?

texts:
What do you call to a person who places dogmatic faith in the methods of science?

What is the agent noun (eg biologist for biology) corresponding to scientism? Here scientist would be confusing.

I'm looking for what I intuitively want to call "scientist", but that means the opposite of what I'm looking for.


texts: Understanding sentence (until far more recently than the 3.5bn years ago)

texts:
Could you please explain the highlighted part of the sentence below? Thanks!
Researchers hope rocks collected here will confirm that volcanic activity on the Moon continued until far more recently than the 3.5bn years ago that is the estimate derived from studies of currently available samples.
Source: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2020/11/21/china-plans-to-bring-back-the-first-moon-rocks-for-40-years


texts: Are there any ways to make attributive nouns as non-restrictive?

texts:
I want to use nouns functioning as adjectives as non-restrictive, but I don't know how it can be used as non-restrictive.
For example:
When it comes to adjectives or appositives, I can use them moved into the place after head nouns, adding commas between them as non-restrictive.
But, when it comes to nouns, I cannot use conventional ways. (ex. 'apple juice' not into 'juice, apple') So, how can I make nouns modifiers non-restrictive?


texts:
I'm looking for a synonym of "factor". "Factor" as a cause of something.

Example:

  X happened due to technical and social factors.


texts: Is is correct to use ' we refer to your mail trailing below

texts: Is it correct to use 'we refer to your mail trailing below' or is below redundant here or optional.


texts: Can I change company's name in quote from before the name was legally changed?

texts: So in one of my reports I am quoting an executive who talks about the company "Company X" at a time when it was still called "Company X." This was a few months ago, and the company's name has since been changed to "Company Z." Can I change the company name to the current name in the executive's quoted sentence?


texts: What's a good word to describe adults who are not yet parents?

texts: Just read this in Emma Donoghue's book "Room". Is there a word for adults who are not parents?


texts: Is the word 'mistake' a concrete or abstract noun?

texts:
According to Answers.com:

The word mistake is an abstract noun, a word for an error in action or judgement.

Is this correct?
Then, why does it act like concrete nouns such as 'car' when it comes to countability?
Both 'mistake' and 'car' are countable, unless they follow "by".

a. I made three mistakes today. vs. I went there by mistake.
b. I saw three cars today. vs. I went there by car.

Does this prove that 'mistake' is also a concrete noun?
Or is 'mistake' still an abstract noun, despite this similarity in countability?


texts: What do you call a person, who needs to stay active in order to feel comfortable?

texts:
There are some people, who always need to do something. They can't just sit and relax. If they are on the job, they constantly try to change something (e. g. propose new approaches to existing tasks). If they go on vacation, they visit all possible places.

These people are mentally healthy, even though sometimes you may suspect them having ADHD or being in a maniac phase of manic-depressive disorder.

Note that most of the time their active nature is beneficial (stuff is get done, innovation happens), but can also have negative consequences (e. g. they may bully everyone to start a project at work, which doesn't make sense economically).

Also, they are very active not because they have to, but because it seems to be part of their nature.

What do you call such people?

In Russian there is an idiom of people having an awl in the anus (шило в попе), which makes it hard for those guys and gals to sit still. I'm looking for something similar in English.


texts:
I've heard "very nature" as in:

  It's the very nature of our relationship.

and "very essence"  as in:

  It's the very essence of my being.

but can one use "very consequence"?

As in:

  It's the very consequence of my existence.

More generally, what nouns can one use after "very"? Is it all idiomatic or are there rules which govern the phrasing?


texts: How to say it: Fleeing from responsibility

texts:
Is it common in English to use the following idiom: "He flees from responsibility"?

Or is there some more common form of saying this?


texts: Is my usage of “provided” and “but” grammatically errorless in this paragraph?

texts: To conclude, I believe the adversities early marriage and pregnancy bring about, overshadow the rewards of it. This is, however, provided that a delayed action is not a result of mere procrastination or laziness, but a consequence of a justifiable and thorough preparation for a bright future.


texts: meaning of the phrase 'fix the broken glass'

texts:
Can the phrase

  fix the broken glass

mean to fix the situation?


texts: I am writing a introduction for myself in my website. I want to make it formal because it will be kind of "live cv". Is "bookworm" too informal? What should I say instead?


texts:
It's said that a sentence must always contain a subject and a verb but I have read somewhere that the word "No" itself is a complete sentence. How?
Also a sentence always has at least one clause and clauses are s+v combo, So how "No" acts as both sentence and a clause?


texts: What is a term to describe something that is not necessary to begin with, but becomes so as a result of a non necessary choice?

texts: So basically, you have three different types of 'things' (for lack of a better term): You have that which is necessary, that which is contingent (you have a choice), and that which is necessary but only because it must be so after a contingent choice has been made. So it's necessary, but not to begin with, and is necessary in a very different way. I guess you could call that which was necessary to begin with, necessarily necessary, and that which is necessary by choice, not necessarily necessary. But of course, am sure there's a better word, or at least term, to describe this phenomenon.


texts: What is the word for act of monotonously demanding for something (many be a toy) repeatedly?

texts:
What is the word for act of "demanding for something (many be a toy) repeatedly along with a monotonous sound (not very loudly and not crying)"?

I guess 'whine', 'whimper', or, 'solicit' would not be applicable.

Is that 'nagging'?


texts: Using the present tense or past tense for a fact

texts:
I know that we should use the present tense when talking about facts. However, in some instances I cannot decide which tense to use.
For example,
"The analysis assumes that a and b are independent of y."
"The analysis assumed that a and b are (were?) independent of y."
It is a fact that the analysis makes that assumption, yet the analysis was done in an earlier chapter.
Another example:
"He built the house in 1800." Passive: The house was built in 1800.
"He builds the house in 1800." Passive: The house is built in 1800.
Even right now in 2020, the fact remains that the house was built in 1800, so which tense is correct?
Can anyone help?


texts: Is there a difference between "treble" and "triple"?

texts:
I've been reading The Economist lately and noticed that the magazine uses both trebled and tripled. According to my dictionary, "treble" means "threefold; triple". Is there a subtle difference, not captured by the dictionary entry?

Some examples, "trebled":

  The Economist’s  index of non-oil commodity prices has trebled in the past decade.
  The number of companies from Brazil, India, China or Russia on the Financial
  Times 500 list trebled in 2006-08 from 20 to 62.
  That number has more than trebled since 1999.

"Tripled":

  In the ten years to 2010, internet users in the developed economies just about tripled.
  Intercepts of Chinese planes almost tripled last year, to 96 (see chart).
  Many of the 20 leading economic performers in the OECD doubled or tripled their education spending in real terms between 1970 and 1994, yet outcomes in many countries stagnated—or went backwards.


texts: Use of the definite article, and different meanings

texts:
1)Study of the methods evaluating evacuation time of passengers from a burning bus

2)Study of the methods evaluating evacuation time of the passengers from a burning bus

I'd like to imply that the passengers are from the burning bus, which was mentioned as "a burning bus"


texts: Looking for a word in English to use in conjunction with "ordinality"

texts:
The purpose is to convey the concept of ordinality derived from the center of an array.

As a reference, I'm using "negative ordinality" to describe uses such as countdowns ("T minus ten, T minus nine," etc.) and "Left of Launch" strategies which are focused on steps prior to an event.)

What I am intending to convey are series which take forms such as [-1,+1], [-1,0,+1], [-2,-1,+1,+2], [-2,-1,0,+1,+2], etc.

"Center ordinality" doesn't have the nice ring of "negative ordinality", nor does it have the descriptive clarity, which would likely lead to ambiguity.

Do we have a word in English that means "from the center"?


texts: I have heard this expression so many times 'steaming pile of mediocrity'


texts: "Let's go somewhere" vs "let's go anywhere"?

texts:
Are these two sentences grammatically correct and do they carry the same meaning? My textbook suggests 1 as the correct form but 2 sounds ok as well to me.

Let's go somewhere warm and sunny.
Let's go anywhere warm and sunny.


texts:
Can anyone explain what the difference between status and state is when I talk about the condition or situation of an object?

Here's what I got from Longman English Dictionary.

  status: a situation at a particular time, especially in an argument,
  discussion etc.

  state: the physical or mental condition that someone or something is
  in

For example, how do you interpret these two sentences:

  What is the current status of this project?
  What is the current state of this project?


texts:
I have written: "They knew me from having seen me through the window, and from inquiring about me from John and Angel."
Should that be "to John", or even "of John," ?


texts: Is there a word that means "Refinement of knowledge over time"?

texts:
I am looking for a simple way to describe the occurrence when someone comes up with an idea based on observations (the world is flat and the middle of the universe), and then refines it over time and ultimately to a more accurate scientific truth (it is round, and part of a bigger universe)

My inline example above is just an example... I'm more interested in a word that either describes the process of refining such an idea, or a person who pursues such an endeavor.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
Which is more appropriate/correct?

  Thank God for His grace and mercy on […].
  Thanks God for His grace and mercy on […].

The person is expressing his/her thankfulness to God. Thank God seems better, but it sounds a bit like lucky.

I could rephrase it as "Thanks be to God for […]." which is the intended meaning. I am just  looking for the correct short way to say that.


texts: Is it ok to start a sentence with the word "and"? Some of my students are challenging that using "and" at the beginning of a sentence is incorrect.


texts:
Are these entirely interchangeable? Or is there sometimes reason to use one but not the other? (Other than, as one website says, to use 'eo ipso' rather than 'ipso facto' if you really want to be pretentious and obscure.)

Wiktionary says: 'eo ipso' = Through or by that very act or quality; thereby.
'ipso facto' = By that very fact itself.

I came across 'eo ipso' in this sentence:

  It is one thing to say that I know what is good for X, while he
  himself does not; and even to ignore his wishes for its - and his -
  sake; and a very different one to say that he has eo ipso chosen it,
  not indeed consciously, not as he seems in everyday life, but in his
  role as a rational self which his empirical self may not know - the
  'real' self which discerns the good, and cannot help choosing it once
  it is revealed.


texts: A site where human bones have been discovered

texts:
Is there a shorter way of saying "other sites where human bones have been discovered"? I mean a site that is not a burial site, e.g a person has an heart attack, falls down on the ground and dies but nobody finds the body (and therefore it is not buried) and it just decomposes and a couple of hundred years later somebody finds his remains.

English is not my native language.


texts:
How do I structurally split up an argument into multiple paragraphs? Let's say I'm using two texts as evidence for one argument, and I want to devote one paragraph to each text.

What would the introductory and concluding sentences of my body paragraphs look like? How would I connect the first paragraph to the second?

Note: I need to follow MLA 7 format, if that makes a difference.


texts:
Actually, I'm asking for an another way to say "it takes + (time) + to + (verb)".

For example, is "It is 1 hour to go to the hospital" correct or the "it takes + (time) + to + (verb)" construction is the only way to make a sentence in this sense?


texts:
$1 with tax
$1, with tax

What is the difference in meaning due to the comma?  I take the first to be the total is $1 and the second is $1 plus tax.


texts: when to use younger than and younger to?

texts:
Which one is correct?
She is younger than me.
Or
She is younger to me.

My teacher said, some adjectives like ' senior, junior, superior, inferior, major, minor, interior, posterior, younger, elder, prefer' are not followed by 'than' instead 'to'.
So, are these adjectives correct to be used with 'to'?


texts: Which of these possible titles best matches the subject of this passage?

texts:
This text is mentioned in one exam that took place 3 days ago.

Passage:

  The debate over the balance between privacy and security continues to
  rage. On the one hand, the desire for privacy is nearly universal and
  many people regard personal information as personal property to be
  divulged only by choice or when required for a greater good. On the
  other hand, criminal and terrorist activity on the internet continues
  to increase, and national security and public safety are often seen as
  legitimate reasons for government to intervene to collect personal
  information. The collection, without permission, of personal
  information by commercial enterprises for profit-related activities
  adds a further layer of complexity.

The question is:

Which of the following best encapsulates the ideas in this passage?

1) what new risks are generated by Big Data and Internet of Things.

2) should our right to privacy be secondary to the need to protect national security.

3) the future of data protection in the EU-political, legal and technical implementation of the right to be forgotten.

4) the current cyber-threat landscape and national/international responses.

I think (4) is the answer, but short-solution that given after exam says (2) is correct option.

  Can anyone could describe which of them is better? why?


texts: Colloquial meaning of 'exponential decrease'

texts:
I often have a hard time figuring out exactly what is meant when exponential/ly is used outside of mathematics. This is especially true for exponential decrease.

Take the sentence:

  The number of fish in the lake has decreased exponentially over the past couple of years

Mathematically this would mean a while ago the decrease was rapid, but rate of decrease has decreased (e−x, left figure), which is a good thing (assuming we want fish in the lake). However I believe that the intent of the sentence is the number of fish in the lake is decreasing at an increasing rate (−ex, right figure).

Is it true that decreased exponentially often means negative exponential increase when used outside of mathematics? And if so what are good ways of clearly specifying which kind of decrease you are talking about.


texts: "Veered off topic" or "veered off the topic"?

texts:
What's the correct or at least most used alternative? Example:

  He didn't know how to reply. Better veer off (the) topic.

A native English speaker told me to remove the "the" but I also found instances on Google where they include the "off."


texts: Never pre-positive adjectives and intransitive prepositions

texts:
The accepted response to an earlier question concerning words like alone, asleep and alive places such words in the category of adjectives that simply don't occur in front of the nouns or noun phrases that they modify -- a category labeled as never-attributive adjectives.

There are other words that easily modify noun phrases which precede them, such as here and there.   These words fall under the category of intransitive prepositions.

There are strong similarities between how the two categories presented are placed and used.   They both work well in post-positive, predicative and supplemental positions.   They both seem able to modify verbs as well as nouns.   In some cases (alive and asleep, for example), the so-called never-attributive adjectives derive from fused prepositional phrases.

Is there a useful distinction here?   Is there something about never-attributive adjectives that isn't true of intransitive prepositions?

Edit:  Since examples were requested . . . .

Something that's called a restricted adjective:

  Alone, that man can get the job done. -- supplemental placement
  That man alone can get the job done.  -- post-positive to a noun phrase
  That man can get the job done alone.  -- post-positive to a finite verb and its two arguments
  Let him work alone. -- post-positive to a non-finite verb
  You should keep him alone.  -- predicative argument

Note that supplemental and post-positive to the verb positions carry similar semantics, quite distinct from those of the placement post-positive to the noun.

Something that's called an intransitive preposition:

  Here, this man can get the job done. -- supplemental placement
  This man here can get the job done.  -- post-positive to a noun phrase
  This man can get the job done here.  -- post-positive to a finite verb and its two arguments
  Let him work here.  -- post-positive to a non-finite verb
  You should keep him here.  -- predicative argument

Ditto.

And, just for giggles, how about an obvious adjective?

  ? Happy, this man can get the job done. -- supplemental placement
  ? This man happy can get the job done.  -- post-positive to a noun phrase
  ? This man can get the job done happy.  -- post-positive to a finite verb and its two arguments
    Let him work happy.  -- post-positive to a non-finite verb
    You should keep him happy.  -- predicative argument

Note that, if "let him work happy" and "let him work happily" carry the same semantics, it seems possible that "happy" isn't an adjective there.

Further giggles, a transitive prepositional phrase:

  In the dark, this man can get the job done. -- supplemental placement
  This man in the dark can get the job done.  -- post-positive to a noun phrase
  This man can get the job done in the dark.  -- post-positive to a finite verb and its two arguments
  Let him work in the dark.  -- post-positive to a non-finite verb
  You should keep him in the dark.  -- predicative argument

This man isn't me.   Don't keep me alone and in the dark.   Where is the difference that I can't see?

Later edit:

I do see a difference, but if it's a difference that helps identify prepositions then it suggests that I've presented the labels backwards:  I'm very alone and very in the dark, but I'm not very here even when I am very much here.


texts:
Which one is correct?

No two speaker speaks the same language.
No two speakers speak the same language.


texts: What is the best word for this context: May or Should?

texts:
•   This Quotation is a confidential document provided strictly for the party to whom it is addressed and may neither be used for any purpose other than as intended nor shared with any other party

•   This Quotation is a confidential document provided strictly for the party to whom it is addressed and should neither be used for any purpose other than as intended nor shared with any other party


texts: In which vowel do the diphthongs [aʊ] and [aɪ] start?

texts:
Surfing the web, I found the following explanations on how to produce the diphthongs [aʊ] and [aɪ]:

"/aʊ/ as in all the words of "How now brown cow!". The starting position is the vowel sound /æ/ as in "at" "bad" or "rat" with tongue front but also low (i.e. mouth open). To make the diphthong the journey for your tongue from front low (mouth very open) to back high (small tight mouth aperture) is a very long excursion. Your jaw will move a lot too."

"/aɪ/ as in sky, buy, cry, tie. The starting position is /æ/, the same sound as in "cat". To make the diphthong you need a big jaw movement, moving the tongue from front open to and front close."

Are these the correct ways to produce these two diphthongs in American English?

The explanation that says that /aʊ/ starts in /æ/ makes sense to me because that's what I hear, but I'm not sure about the second one. I don't think /aɪ/ starts in /æ/.

Could you please tell me in which vowel these two diphthongs start?


texts: What to call a book that does not get a lot of readers?

texts: Some books do not get a lot of readers; they are not read by many. Sometimes because they are not that good, sometimes because they are not advertised enough, or perhaps for other reasons, they are kind of isolated in the world of readers. What to call such books?


texts: Word for someone who's slowly turning out-of-date, especially in thinking or ideas

texts:
There's a verb забронзоветь in Russian formed from word "bronze" with the following meanings when applied to a person:

to get a shade of bronze (like become a hero to become worthy of a bronze monument)
to stop self-educating, progressing intellectually
to become an idol, with shade of losing the actuality, freshness, start moving into past

Maybe English has sort of common and accepted word for this?

Note: I am looking for a term to be applied to a great, known person, like politician, philosopher or other researcher, added to all the meaning.


texts: What do you call a member of a staff at a university?

texts:
A faculty may consist of professors; then, what does a staff consist of?

For example, I want to know which noun can refer to a member of the staff in this cs.toronto.edu staff list, with job titles like

Administrative & Financial Assistant
Administrative & Financial Assistant - AI
Administrative HR Assistant
Financial Assistant
Financial Officer
Graduate Assistant
Graduate Program Administrator
Graduate Program Assistant
Technical Staff - CDF Supervisor
Technical Staff - CSLab
Undergraduate Assistant

and many more.


texts: Because of in the beginning of a sentence

texts:
Is this sentence right?

" I eventually go to that restaurant. Because of the prices I can't afford to go there very often"

Can I start a sentence using "Because of"??

Thanks


texts: Word for someone who thinks very highly of themselves but is not self-centered, self-righteous, narcissistic, egocentric, etc

texts: Is there a word to describe someone who thinks very highly of themselves but is not self-centered, self-righteous, narcissistic, egocentric, etc?


texts: "Out-of-this-world experiences" vs. "out of this world experiences"

texts:
I was wondering if the hyphenated version should be used?

The context is:

  Introducing the World Cup box from McDonald's: the meal filled with out of this world experiences.


texts: I just want to ask if when would be the exact time to use have a good day? Because someone told me that the appropriate time would be in morning. Is that correct?


texts: What is the origin of the term "nose bleed" section?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What's the reason for calling cheap seats at the theatre nosebleed seats?

When referring to the section of the stadium farthest from the stage/field, it is not uncommon to call it the "nose bleed section."  Where does this term come from?


texts:
The most famous video sharing website YouTube has generated a neologism youtuber. Curiously the term, which has become very popular in recent years, is not yet present in dictionaries apart from few  sources:

One who spends so much time browsing youtube videos that they have metaphorically root in the manner of a potato or other root vegetable. A couch potato of the new millennium.

(February  2009 - Urban Dictionary)
YouTuber:

(Internet) A user of the video sharing website "You Tube".

(yourdictionary.com)
Actually I have often seen the term used, with a different meaning, to refer to users who are active producers of their own videos which are regularly posted on the website. Some of them are considered stars within the community.
The 20 Most Popular YouTubers In The World:

YouTube has exploded since it first launched in 2005, becoming the de-facto launchpad for the next generation of celebrities.

We did the math and found YouTube's 20 biggest independent stars based on total all-time views

(uk.businessinsider.com)
The two definitions appear to contrast, the first one refers to a 'spectator' while the second one refers to a 'performer'.
Questions:
Which is the current  definition of 'youtuber'? Was is initially used for viewers while now it is just used for performers? Or is the term too recent and still evolving that  no clear definition is possible?
Edit: As pointed out by some users the UD definition may be inappropriate, but I think it is worth considering since it is a term mainly used by young people.


texts: Proper Usage of the Word "Explained" in Context

texts:
What would be the proper utilization of the word "explained" in the following context?

Joe was explained that he was being charged with a crime.
or
The officer explained to Joe that he was being charged with a crime.

Which option would be more appropriate or sound more formal?


texts:
I am a software developer. I would like to use an adjective to name a set of items where each item has its own unique identifier (ID). The name should not necessary stress that the items are unique, but it has to stress that all the items have IDs.

The result would look like [adjective] set.

The words i would rather not use are:

Identified
Unique
Indexed

Any better variants?
Thank you in advance!


texts: Antonym of "confirm" that refers to facts and not opinion

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
What is the opposite of the word confirm?

In some cases, the antonym of confirm would be deny.

I confirm that the rumors are true.
I deny that the rumors are true.

However, in a scientific sense, that doesn't make sense to me.

By careful observation, I have confirmed that the earth orbits the sun.
By careful observation, I have denied that the earth orbits the sun.

The use of deny here seems to imply that I'm talking about my opinion on the subject, as opposed to me having established a scientific fact.


texts: What did Bannon mean when he said that Rice "operationalized" the NSC?

texts:
According to several news sources, Stephen K. Bannon said in a statement today that "Susan Rice operationalized the NSC [National Security Council] during the last administration" and that he "was put on to ensure that it was de-operationalized”.

The New York Times article dryly remarks that "Mr. Bannon did not explain what he meant by “operationalized” or how his presence on the committee had ensured it would not be."

Merriam-Webster's defines "operationalize" as "to make operational". Operational has several meanings, of which two appear to deserve consideration in this context:

of, engaged in, or connected with execution of military or naval operations in campaign or battle;
ready for or in condition to undertake a destined function.

It is probably not bad if the National Security Council is in a condition to undertake its actual destined function, and part of this function is certainly "connected" to military operations; so this cannot be what Bannon wanted to revert.

Did Bannon want to suggest that Rice made the NSC ready to perform some other function, i.e. a hidden agenda? Or did he use the word in a completely non-standard fashion? Is the word en vogue in the alt-right movement?


texts: Indicating someone is deceased in a list of names

texts:
I have a list of several names. Some listed individuals are deceased.

Question: What are the ways to indicate that these particular individuals passed away?

The most obvious way is to indicated "(deceased)" after the person's name. I know that one can also use a dagger (†) or refer to the person as "the late Mr./Ms. Doe". I then learned in References to deceased persons that one can use "RIP" as suffix as well.
However, for some reasons, these solutions are not satisfactory to me. I am thus looking for other solutions.
 (I know that the Latin locution obiit is used in some countries on parish registers. Could it be used here?)

  Police reported that following individuals were seen at the Oakbridge train station:

  Edward George Armstrong (deceased),
  William Henry Blore†,
  the late Emily Caroline Brent,
  Vera Elizabeth Claythorne, RIP
  Philip Lombard,
  John Gordon Macarthur,
  Anthony James Marston,
  Lawrence John Wargrave,
  Ethel Rogers, and
  Thomas Rogers.


texts:
What is "Used" role in this sentence?
The polymers used have for the most part been derived from ... .


texts:
An excerpt:

  "Here you will find the truly erudite waxing literary on a recently
  published novel or book."

'erudite' means learned, pedantic, bookish. The meaning of the sentence is clear in that the context is being referred to as a place to find good and insightful text (or whatever related literature). What purpose is the adjective 'waxing' serving here?


texts:
In the following two sentences, the second one sounds more natural to me.

I slept well at the hotel, although it was an unfamiliar place. (awkward?)
I slept well at the hotel, even though it was an unfamiliar place. (more natural, right?)

However, if I change the order, they both seem fine:

Although it was an unfamiliar place, I slept well at the hotel.
Even though it was an unfamiliar place, I slept well at the hotel.

Are all four sentences fine? I think just "1" seems awkward. Is there some reason why the position of although is awkward (or less common) there?

Thanks!


texts:
Could someone tell me what Prepositional complement is?
The text that brought this issue up says:

  ... a possessive is used as Prepositional complement.

They give an example:

what business is it of hers?

So is anybody able to explain what a "Prepositional complement" is in English grammar?


texts:
I have gone through lots of posts on the internet, but couldn't find any convincing answer for the correct usage of the semicolon in sentences.

Also, I'd like to know why we can't use a full stop everywhere instead of a semicolon, or vice versa.


texts: what is a term for "not caring for something that isn't beneficial to you"?

texts:
I am currently writing a paper on the hunger games and I have a thesis stating there is a lot of "Indifference towards other who aren't beneficial" in the novel

I would like to narrow down this thesis or find a term fitting its description


texts: Is there a word for near the tip of an object?

texts: I am designing a device with two similar components close to its tip, see below. I need some descriptors to tell the two components apart. What would be the best words to describe the positions? Something to distinguish closer-to-the-tip and slightly-further-to-the-tip.


texts: Singular/plural forms of subjects with “respectively”

texts:
Consider the following sentences:

The schema of the A and B buffer are called C and D, respectively.
The schemas of the A and B buffer are called C and D, respectively.
The schemas of the A and B buffers are called C and D, respectively.

The question is whether schema and buffer should be singular or plural. My guess is that all three are correct. One can think of the first and second sentences as reductions of the following one:

  The schema of the A buffer and the schema B buffer are called C and D, respectively.

From this perspective, the first and second sentences simply contains ellipses, enabling one to avoid unnecessary repetitions of words.

I would be grateful if somebody could confirm the above reasoning. Thank you!

Regards,
Ivan


texts: Is 'e.g.,' or 'e.g.' correct?. In some published papers, I either see 'e.g.,' or 'e.g.' used in some sentences or phrases. Can someone justify and comment?


texts:
I cannot understand why we cannot use "even though" instead of "even so" or vice versa.

For example :

  I know her English isn't very good, but even so I can understand her.
  ( original sentence)

If we can rewrite it with "even though", does it mean different thing?

  Even though her English isn't very good, I can understand her. (my sentence)

Some other examples:

  The evidence was only circumstantial. Even so, he was convicted and
  spent ten years in prison for a crime that he perhaps did not commit. (original)

  Even though the evidence was only circumstantial, he was convicted and
  spent ten years in prison for a crime that he perhaps did not commit.

  She is loud and unfriendly. Even so, I like her. (original)

  Even though she is loud and unfriendly, I like her.


texts: What might 'unhooped oceans' mean in this passage of Melville?

texts:
I came across the word in question in the following passage from Moby-Dick:

Now, to any one not fully acquainted with the ways of the leviathans, it might seem an absurdly hopeless task thus to seek out one solitary creature in the unhooped oceans of this planet. But not so did it seem to Ahab, who knew the sets of all tides and currents; and thereby calculating the driftings of the sperm whale’s food; [...]

Methinks it means borderless, yet not being quite sure about it I looked up the word in more than one dictionary. Sadly, none of the dictionaries I consulted describes any other meaning than the word's literal meaning (i.e. not containing hoops). What do y'all think?


texts: What is one word for a person who is emotionally bipolar and can't hide his emotions at all?

texts:
He is sad, he bursts into tears and when happy his heart knows no bounds. He is that transparent person when it comes to emotions. An open book!! I am looking for a word for it, if it exists.

Thanks


texts: Under what conditions is the word Britisher offensive?

texts:
I have often heard individuals from the Indian subcontinent refer to the pre-independance British colonial rulers as "Britishers." I have never heard the word in another context.

It seems that today, to call someone from the UK a Britisher might be offensive. Is this true?

Is it offensive to refer to the colonial rulers as Britishers?

More importantly, what is the etymology of this name?


texts: A word to describe a product that has been iterated over many times?

texts:
Let's take a product like the iPhone. It has seen many enhancements and update rounds. From the initial prototype to the current version. What word would there be to describe such a product?

I'm thinking of something like "polished" but without the connotation of something necessarily clean. Just something having seen effort put into it. Any ideas?


texts: Why do Wh question words in English so consistently map to Q words in Latin?

texts:
Who, Quis
What, Quid
When, Quando
Where, Quo
How, Quomodo
Why, Cur

There's one exception on each side, but otherwise this pattern is pretty consistent. Is there a linguistic or etymological reason for this?


texts: How did 'unless' evolve to mean 'if not'?

texts:
[Etymonline:] mid-15c., earlier onlesse, from on lesse (than) "on a less condition (than); see less. The first syllable originally on, but the negative connotation and the lack of stress changed it to un-. ...

OED (3rd edn, 2017):

  [†A.] 2. Forming a conjunctional phrase introducing a case in which an exception to a preceding (or following) statement will or may exist: except if, if..not.

1. How did on a less condition (than) shift to onlesse, and then if not?

2. What and where is the 'negative  connotation'?


texts:
What is the correct phrasing:

  transition into

vs

  transition to

Can you explain why?

Here’s the context:

  In partnering with us, businesses can transition to/into a digital publication etc.


texts: Are these three 'stormy' sentences synonyms?

texts:
Are ”there’s a storm coming” and ”there’s a storm approaching” a synonym of ”there’s a storm brewing”?

If they are, which one sounds more natural and you use frequently?


texts: What is the difference between being taken into custody vs being detained?

texts:
In an environment where word choice matters (news, journals etc) what would be recommended for each usage:
Does being taken into custody lend its usage to the surrounding context to fit its roll or does it lean to one side, detain or arrest, more than the other?

I looked up in the dictionary:

Detain: (HOLD), apprehend, arrest, take into custody, put into custody, take(in), seize, confine, keep back, delay, jail, etc

(Take into) custody: put under arrest, apprehend, arrest, seize, , incarceration, remand, detention, etc

It also seems that both words have similar synonyms.

In an example I found in the paper:

  A Kurdish journalist, Arin Sheikhums, 30, said he had visited three camps where Arab, Asian and European "war prisoners" were being held. He said he had seen as many as  100 women and children who had been taken into custody to be turned over to their home countries, including Russia, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan. In at least one of the camps, a large number of the prisoners were suspected fighters from Tunisia, a United States official said.

In this news article it feels like the women and children have been taken against their will and are going to be deported. In this case it feels less like arrest and more like detaining.

If it were an article about people commiting crimes and being arrested would the criminals have been taken into custody be synonymous with arrested or synonymous with detained? Or would this, in this case, be used when someone might become arrested but because of lacking information said person is being detained.


texts: What do you call someone who studies calendars?

texts:
I was looking for a word that describes someone who is an expert in or studies calendars, and I couldn't find anything.

For more context, I am looking for the word you would call someone who knows how to calculate the number of days between a date in the distant past, when different calendars were used, and a date in the modern calendar.  I thought historian, but I'm not sure that's adequate.


texts:
Can I say "flack" means being criticized?
Subway gets flack these days, but it's been the most consistent and dominating sub chain for 20 years for a reason.


texts: What does "plenty of bite to them" mean in this context?

texts:
I guess "bite" could mean criticism, but if you read the rest of the paragraph it doesn't feel that way.

  Of course, these tongue-in-cheek projects still have plenty of bite to them. Gmail’s Twitter account announced that 100,000 interventions were sent in the site’s first 24 hours, and that ‘Gmail Man’ video could help salespeople rekindle Gmail privacy fears that have largely died down over the last several years.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/battle-of-the-goofy-email-campaigns/2011/07/28/gIQABRG4fI_story.html


texts: Use of "skill" and "competence/competency" in specific scenario

texts:
To me, skills are something related to mechanical performance. Someone is very skilled at playing football, for instance.

Competence/competency on the other hand is more related to knowledge. Something that is not mechanical.

What is the correct use in this very specific scenario?

Suppose you have the Stackoverflow site (asking questions and answering them). Which word would we use if we wanted to describe individuals with the highest reputation in specific tag? Like C# (as in C# language). Do these users have competence/competency or skills?

We could say He's very skilled in C# language, but in a differently formulated sentence, it would be better to say His competencies are (in) C# language, software algorithms and ... Or would it be better if we used skills? My gut feeling says the former is better. But is it really? And why?

And while we're talking about it, why not also define the difference between competence and competency?

Edit

I would also like to add the third term that could be used in this specific Stackoverflow scenario. Proficiencies.
I suppose this term could be used only for those users with gold/silver badged tags (similar to what users have here if you don't know Stackoverflow). Or describing users with top reputation in general without explicitly listing their top ranking tags.

In such scenario we could also talk about experts with expertise (is there even plural of this word?).


texts: What word means “the people in one's life”?

texts: I am looking for the closest single word which refers only to those people who are directly connected to a person's life. Most specifically, this the meaning of the word should include co-workers, classmates, friend, and family members, but should not include strangers.


texts: punctuating more than one sentence within em dashes and parentheses midsentence

texts:
I cannot recast the following sentence. Is it punctuated correctly, i.e., the ending period, midsentence, before the second em dash?

The department's philosophy -- When in doubt, let them out. They'll be back. -- has not proved to be successful.

Alternative with parentheses:

The department's philosophy (When in doubt, let them out. They'll be back.) has not proved to be successful.

Do both work? If not, what tweaks need to be made without altering the structure of the sentence?

And which is preferred -- the em dashes or the parentheses? Unsure whether the philosophy should be inside quotation marks here.

Thank you.


texts: What is a term meaning to look into the past in a rose tinted view

texts:
I'm looking for a term that refers to when people have a tendency to look at past events through a rose tinted view, not because it was necessarily better but simply because it is a past event. The word isn't nostalgia or reminisce. It's a common tendency for people to ignore whatever possible hardships the past event had or ignore that it could possibly even be the exact same scenario as the present.
An example is during presidency where its not unusual for people to say the previous presidency was a better time.
I've seen the word before somewhere but can't remember how or where it was used.
A similar question was posted but the answers don't fit the bill as well as the OP asking for discontent in the present while I'm focused on the unrealistic rose tinted view of the past.
An exact match of the meaning I'm looking for is found in the term Rosy Retrospection but I'm looking for a one word variant.


texts:
I am looking for a specific word to describe people who are active on social media apps: FB, Whatsapp, etc.

The nearest word that I found while searching online is netizen. Cambridge Dictionary describes it as:

  a person who uses the internet

But, it does not fit the idea I want to represent:

  ______ are human beings without four limbs. They demand and demand, but can't act in real life.


texts:
I've always been confused where I would place a comma when introducing someone by name then detailing their place of work. For example:

  The visiting professor is Dr. John Smith of the University of Chicago.

Would commas be needed in this instance and if so, where would I place them?


texts: So a guy is making false claims about me online. Can I call it a shenanigan? Would that situation be considered a shenanigan?


texts:
Got into an argument with someone I know about this. I think "shouldn't of" is incorrect and comes from people typing the phrase the way they're used to pronouncing it.

He believes both are correct. Thoughts guys?


texts:
Does the word "inscription" ever mean "establishment" or something along those lines? I'm having difficulty understanding the following sentence, if "inscription" is to be taken literally:

  The play's (Oedipus at Colonus) explicit inscription of hero cult is one of the ways in which the gap between the worlds of the play and the audience may be bridged.

Let me add, that there is no mention of a proper inscription anywhere in the text.

Many thanks.
K.


texts:
I found a word 'cool toy' in the following sentence in today's New York Times article:
'Spending money on tablet computers may seem an extravagance, but some educators say they are more than just a cool toy.'
What does 'cool toy' mean? What are typical items of cool toy, for instance? Are they electronic toys?


texts: I've heard that a verb usually follows the 'infinitive' but how does one define an 'infinitive'?


texts: "submission" vs "submitting": which is better in this sentence?

texts:
Both submission and submitting mean the same thing:
"...the action of presenting a proposal <....> for consideration or judgment."

I tried to figure out a difference in meaning but did not manage to find one.

Which is better to use when I am speaking about an act of sending some e-documents to the office admins?

a) An employee sends the documents, and if the submitting is successful, then the task is complete.
b) An employee sends the documents, and if the submission is successful, then the task is complete.

Not only can I not choose the correct option, I can't even understand what is the difference in meaning.
Could you please help?


texts: What is a proper antonym of "achievement"

texts:
What word best describes the opposite of "achievement"?

It can have more than one interpretation:

met achievement that is not desirable
unmet desirable achievement

I'm interested in all you throw at me.

Thanks. (I'm not native speaker.)

(And misachievement doesn't really exist.)


texts: What is the term for following a number, ie: ten (10) with the numeric version for clarity

texts:
I see this a fair bit in journal papers, and wanted to know if there is a specific reason and/or term for this: having the spelled/lexical version of a number followed by the literal/logical representation. An example would be:

  A fifty (50) caliber round can penetrate conventional armor.

Why is "fifty" trailed by "50", and what is the purpose? I can imagine this in translation documents or multilingual documents, but I'm confused why this is common practise in various papers, instruction manuals, etc.

Thanks!


texts:
I have two questions regarding  the ''as ~ as" comparison structure.

She has as much confidence as anybody I have ever known.

Does this mean A or B? Is this a grammatically correct sentence?

A. She has more confidence than anybody I have ever known.
B. She has the same level of confidence as anybody I have ever known.

She is as confident as ever.

Does it mean A or B? Is this grammatically correct?

A. She is more confident than ever.
B. She is as confident as usual.

Thanks for your help!!


texts:
Picture this: there is a gas at high pressure in a pipe. There is a hole in the pipe, and the gas is leaking from that hole at high speed.

How can I express that concisely?

I can think about: "The gas is buzzing and fuzzing, leaking from the pipe"
But does buzzing and fuzzing expresses correctly this idea?

Thanks!


texts:
I work at a large financial services company in Germany where we have rather formal ways. We have a manager who frequently uses the expression "good stuff" to comment on progress and results of anything from minor tasks to large significant projects. He does this both in bilateral situations and in large meetings.

He's a native speaker of English and I'm not, but each time I hear the expression I feel like it's completely inappropriate in our business context.

How informal is "good stuff" exactly?


texts: There is a word for someone or something that has been transplanted or moved to a society/environment/area that is unnatural to them. For example, if you were black and moved to an all-white city. I believe the word starts with an "s" if I remember correctly. Anybody know?


texts: In the old name Dreadnought, is nought an adverb or a noun?

texts:
The name Dreadnought, a class of naval ship, originates from the eponymous HMS Dreadnought. Wikipedia indicates that

  Dreadnought's name, and the class of battleships named after her,
  means "a fearless person"

Its reference for this is

  'Dreadnought' in Google Dictionary and Merriam-Webster dictionaries

However, when I google "Dreadnought", Google's dictionary tells me

  noun: dreadnought; plural noun: dreadnoughts

  (historical) a type of battleship introduced in the early 20th century, larger and faster than its predecessors and equipped entirely with large-caliber guns.
  (archaic) a heavy overcoat for stormy weather.

Similarly, Merriam-Webster tells me

  dreadnought, noun

  1 : a warm garment of thick cloth also : the cloth

  2 [ Dreadnought, British battleship ] a : battleship

  b : one that is among the largest or most powerful of its kind

It seems to me that the word is composed of two somewhat archaic words, dread and nought. I believe that in this usage, dread means fear, and nought is one variant spelling of the noun naught, meaning nothing. So one might "update" the word to fears-nothing.

However I wonder if that's correct — naught, nought, and not are all homophones, and historically, English spelling hasn't been exactly standardized. The term could be "updated" as Does not fear, from the more archaic Fears not, where not is the adverb.

Which is a more modern form of the word Dreadnought? What more accurately represents the original meaning? Fears-nothing, that the ship fears no other ship in the water? Or Does not fear, that the ship does not fear any other ship?


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For example, "let's get to the meat of the problem"?

When could I use this phrase?

Does this mean "let's get to the most important part of the problem"?


texts: When to add "the" before a noun followed with a clause

texts:
E.g.

"Although they work in most cases, they cannot handle cases when a comment or script is broken by the cutting"

Should I put "the" between "handle" and "cases"?


texts: took the 12.15 train OR caught the 12.15 train

texts:
Please help me to understand these complicated verbs 'to take' an 'to catch'.

I know the difference from the related topics, google e.g.
"If you want to go over to Sixth Ave., you'd better take the crosstown bus. You can catch it at Broadway...."

BUT I can't see the difference between

'they caught the 12.15 train from Oxford'

'they took the 12.15 train from Oxford'

which one is more idiomatic in terms of BrE or AmE?

p.s. please do not write that it is duplicate because it's impossible to find answer to my question. They are very useful, I've read them for many times, but I can't see clearly the difference in my examples above.