texts: Name of writing style which avoids both first/second/third person

texts:
What is the name of the style of writing, often seen in technical manuals and documentation, which avoids using the first, second or third person.

For example, if I were writing a manual on making a cup of tea, I would avoid both of the following

  I tend to pour the water first, then remove the teabag and add milk.

and

  You should pour the water first, then you should remove the teabag and add the milk.

In favour of the style:

  The water should be poured over the teabag, removed, and then the milk should be added.

I am trying to write guidelines on using a specific writing style, but I do not know what to call this style of writing.

*For tea purists, I know it should be drunk without milk, as nature intended!


texts: I am confused about finite and and non-finite verbs

texts:
I was practising grammar and I had a problem in understanding finite and non-finite verbs. Basically, we can say that if a verb indicates past or present tense, it indicates number and person, we can say that it is finite but how about the verbs in the sentence "The goods have been stolen."
Why is the modal have is a finite and been and stolen are non-finite.
Thanks a lot!


texts: Where, if any, should commas be appropriately placed in a sentence using the phrase "and from there"?

texts:
For instance, if the sentence was something along the lines of:

"I wanted to take the train to your place and from there Uber to the venue."

Would that be fine as is, or is there a comma or two that I'm missing? Does it make a difference if this sentence was lengthier? Thanks!


texts: Adjective for: Sporadic Nature of Human Thought

texts:
Context:
Disclaimer in an intro to a reported list of selected items.
Goal:
To convey that the selection "process" of items to include from the whole was somewhat subject to the sporadic nature of human thought, mood, experience, etc. as opposed to the methodical consistency of a computer program.

"The selection of entries for this report was [admittedly] _____________, though the data..."

Space is crucial, so a single adj. is preferred, but an adjectival phrase or even suggested rewrites are welcome if they better express the intended idea.


texts:
Some my friends usually use "Hi alls!" for greeting a group of people.

I don't think it's right, we cannot use "all" with "s" suffix.

We are from Vietnam and are not native English speakers. Is this right in native English standard?

Is "Hi alls" wrong?


texts:
Whenever I hear my boss asking a colleague through the phone whether he or she is available to talk, his question is " Can talk?"

I feel it's quite annoying and something not correct, but please correct me if I'm wrong, and advise what the correct way to ask whether someone is available to talk is?

Thanks, guys.


texts: Use of [sic] when correcting factual errors in reprinted work

texts:
I have had to write a review of an interview, as the article's author has not given me permission to fully reprint it (I did ask, they didn't respond). I have instead quoted from the article and written my own related padding around it.

However, the original article contains a factual error. The published sentence reads 'This person joined the club in 2000.' when the person who joined tells me that it was 2003, not 2000. As this person is a client, I want to respond to their wishes and publish true information about them. On the other hand, it is bad form to simply retroactively change dates and times when the original has already been published.

Would the correct course of action be 'joined in 2000 [sic: the person has stated this is meant to read 2003]', '... 2000 [/Person has now corrected this to read 2003./]' or '... 2000 [sic]' with a footnote that says 'Original article contained incorrect date. Person joined the club in 2003.'

Any help is appreciated as I'm not sure what works best. It is magazine copy rather than academic so referencing and formatting aren't paramount but I'd like to follow best practice.


texts:
Should there be a comma before "and" in the sentence below? The reason why I ask is because I think that the sentence below has committed a comma splice, but I am not completely sure. Can someone please explain to me why there is a comma in front of "and".

  Birmingham lighted a runaway fuse, and as fast as the headlines could record them, demonstrations exploded all over the country...


texts: Do you use the word 'readers' when talking about a play?

texts:
I'm writing a literature analysis essay on a play and was wondering which word I would use to describe the people viewing/reading the play.

I'm used to the word reader(s) as I have wrote essays for stories and novels but was unsure if this needed to be swapped for a word like viewer when writing about a play.


texts:
I read this transcript from PBS Brief but Spectacular video clip:

  In 1970, the population of the U.S. was 88 percent white. By 2010,
  that had dropped to 75 percent white, and it's estimated that, by
  2050, that number be 47 percent. So, for the first time, we will be a
  collective majority. No single ethnicity or culture will be in
  majority in this country. And that's already true for the population
  under 18.

(emphasis mine)
NPR - Dana Mortenson

First, I'm not sure if by "we will be" she means as a group, white people will be a collective majority or as a nation we will be a collective majority. Secondly, I have no idea of what collective majority even means.


texts: Looking for the media equivalent of "televised"

texts:
If you say "an event has been televised", it means that the event has been recorded for or transmitted by television.

Media covers not only television, but also radio, newspapers and the Internet.

What is the equivalent of "televised" for the more generic term of media?

The best I can think of is "an event has been media-ised". Is there a better (or more correct) word for this?


texts: Difference between mandatory and obligatory

texts: I wish to know the difference between these words. I only know few examples of them being used in speech for now: Mandatory circumcision and Obligatory military service. In my native language, we use same word in both cases so I can't seem to be able to tell the diffrence.


texts: You quench your thirst. What do you do with your hunger?

texts: What is the equivalent of "quench" when speaking of hunger?  Is it appropriate to say you quenched your hunger?


texts: What does the phrase to have one's clock wiped mean?

texts:
Example: "That war has raged, since 1987, 20 years after the Satan got its clocked wiped"

It's a quote from a facebook post. What was intended is most probably "got its clock wiped" and it is merely a typo. Does such a phrase exist? What is its meaning?

Thank you.


texts: How to use term describe `out of scope` job, but it is a company tasks

texts:
I am writing the scope of work(SOW). I divided into 2 parts.

in scope
out of scope

By nature of startup. I am hired to do on a specific tasks by contract, but in the up front job. I have a chance to do out of scope task as well. This is good for developing my skillsets and I take it as a part of growing up.

Question:

What is the best fit in writing instead of using out of scope job?
On top of my head is ad hoc assignments, but I feels it is wired.


texts: Should I capitalize the starting sentence after a greeting that ends in a comma (e.g. "Hello,")?

texts:
Should I open the starting sentence after comma in adressing "Hi," ("Hello,") with capital letter?

  Hi, Xxxl,  Dear Xxx L,
  let me ...

vs.

  Dear Xxx L,
    Let me ...

In Russian it is not though it is more than frequently being goofed.

Related question:

Comma place: “Hello Mr. Black,…” vs “Hello, Mr. Black…”


texts: "Twice (adj.)-er" vs. "two times (adj.)-er" vs. "twice/two times as (adj.) as"

texts:
Suppose we are comparing a particular characteristic (that takes comparative -er) of two items, A and B. Compared to B, A displays double that characteristic. There are multiple ways we can express this:

  1) A is two times as (adj.) as B.

  2) A is twice as (adj.) as B.

  3) A is two times (adj.)-er than B.

  4) A is twice (adj.)-er than B.

My "American English ear" hears that last one as...troublesome. Yet a Google search turns up examples of this construction (e.g. "twice larger", "twice longer").

Is this construction valid in any (or all?) varieties of English?


texts: A figure of speech to illustrate the irreversibility of an action

texts:
I'm looking for a good figure of speech to suggest that something is irreversible.

It would be used in the following context:  "I'm sorry, dear, but you said you hate her loud and clear, and there is nothing you can do about it now.  _______________________________.

I thought of "once said can't be taken back" or "there are three things that cannot be taken back, the spoken word..." but these are not figures of speech.


texts: A word or expression to describe the set of words that are all related by a common root?

texts:
For example, the English words just (adj.), justify (verb), justification (noun), and justly (adverb) are all clearly a part of the same "family" although they each will have a separate dictionary entry because they are each different parts of speech.

How would I describe this "family" of words?  I want to say...

The word just is a __________ of justification.

OR

I always thought cognate was the correct word as you can tell from my ELU thread answer here: Technical term for a noun version of an adjective.  But, apparently, the word applies to the case where you are comparing words from different languages.  If so, what is the best term for words from the same language?


texts: What is the difference between "we" and "one"?

texts:
After a bit of back-and-forth looking over nosisms and the use of "one", I wonder at what purpose is truly served in choosing one over another. For example:

  What one finds, in the end, is peace.

As opposed to:

  What we find, in the end, is peace.

Is it considered more aloof on the write's part to use one instead of a more inclusive "we"? This is assuming that one(we) is(are) not attempting  to patronize the person(s) being spoken to. Is there anything akin to a definitive ruling on this, or is it simply style?


texts:
Is there a single word or acronym for Unit Price ?
I would prefer a word over acronym.

I will be using the word to represent a data column in a database.


texts:
Apparently some parts of the US routinely pronounce the name of our island state as 'Hawaya.'
At first, I thought this was just incorrect, but apparently it's a regional usage. Where do they call it Hawaya?


texts: What does it mean to be someone's season?

texts:
I've just arrived in the States and bumped into a TV program named "Bachelor in Paradise" where every participant was described as "somebody's season".

I've been searching on the Internet, but I couldn't find anything related or that could give me a clue.

What does it mean? Why is so difficult to find the meaning?


texts: It the phrase "They identify themselves as Pacifist, but the EU as an arrogant power" grammatical?

texts:
Is this phrase grammatical?

  They identify themselves as Pacifist, but the EU as an arrogant power.

Is a verb necessary in the second part of the sentence?


texts: What is the difference between "linger" and "loiter"?

texts: What is the difference between linger and loiter?


texts:
My friend told me: "I am going to sell my bicycle when I buy a car tomorrow". He bought a car last Monday and sold his bicycle on the same day. Now, how can I convert this to an indirect speech statement:

1- My friend told me that he was going to sell his bicycle when he would buy a car the next day.

2- My friend told me that he was going to sell his bicycle when he bought a car the next day.

3- My friend told me that he was going to sell his bicycle when he buys a car the next day.

My friend has already sold his bicycle and has bought a car. Which one is correct? and if they all are correct which one seems more natural?

Application of the back-shifting rule results in the second option. However it doesn't sound very natural.


texts: Is there a one-word term for a person who won the auction? Top bidder comes to my mind, but it's actually two words.


texts:
Suppose there is a Department of English (note: the name is not English Department) at Abc University. I want to know the correct use of capital letters in these sentences:

  The Department of English at Abc University is really old.
  The English Department of Abc University is really old.
  The English department of Abc University is really old.

I know 1. is correct, but I am not sure about 2 and 3. I am also confused about the appropriateness of the usage of of in 2 and 3.

Any help is appreciated.


texts: How different “being ready” is from “being prepared”?

texts:
There was the following passage in the New York Times’ (June 17) article that came under the title, “Experts on aging, dying as they lived.":

  “They told us where we could find copies of their wills and health
  directives, explaining that these documents clarified their wishes and
  we would not have to bear the full weight of making end-of-life
  decisions for them. As a teenager I hated these discussions. - - They
  were reassuring me about scenarios that I did not want to think about.
  I could not have known how grateful I would be now. My parents were
  prepared, but that is not the same as being ready.”
  http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/experts-on-aging-dying-as-they-lived/?

COD defines ready as “in a suitable state for an activity or situation: fully prepared,” and OALD defines it as fully prepared for what you are going to do.

Is the difference between “being prepared” and “being ready” only whether it is “fully,” or not? Are there any significant psychological / mental attributes to “being ready” other than addition of “fully”?


texts: How can I refer to today/the past when talking in future perspective?

texts:
In particular, I am confused as to which of these two sentence is correct:

Your grandchildren will ask how 2020 is like
Your grandchildren will ask how 2020 was like

The sentence is spoken now (2020), but from the future, 2020 is the past.
Any help is appreciated!


texts:
Is any inversion of the usual syntactic word order considered anastrophe/hyperbaton?
Sometimes we come across inversions in ordinary writing that need not be necessarily literary in tone— can we apply these labels to writings in such cases too?


texts: Does "cut" meaning "an audio recording" derive from cutting tape or from the grooves (cuts) in vinyl records (or other)?

texts:
This is prompted by another question and the ensuing comment discussion:

"Went for the deep cut"

This question is about the word "cut" meaning a track on a record; an audio recording.  The OED gives this definition:

  A gramophone record or recording.

It seems like the natural assumption would be that the "cut" refers to the groove in the record, because in contemporary speech a "cut" usually refers to a single track on a larger "album."

However, the earliest attested use in the OED uses "cut" as a verb and a noun in the same sentence, making it sound like the noun "cut" derived from the act of cutting, as in cutting tape for a reel-to-reel recording device.

  A recording artist cuts a master and the recording executive may reject the cut.

1949 -  Music Libr. Assoc. Notes Dec. 42

Is there any evidence or arguments in favor of an etymology of this modern sense of the word "cut" based on either the groove theory or the tape-cutting theory, or is there an alternative explanation?


texts: Using property name in plural instead of its units

texts:
Consider describing an object and referring to some of its properties, that has a unit (eg. weight in kilograms). Is it correct to describe the property not by saying what unit is it in, but using just the name of this property?

As in

  This car has five hundred torques

instead of

  This car has five hundred pound-feet of torque

I hear it quite a lot, watching TopGear and on the internet. Is it common and/or correct to omit the unit? Or is it only used when talking about car-related properties?


texts: The connection between roosters and genitalia

texts:
It is a known fact that the same word (same spelling and pronunciation) is used to describe both a rooster and a part of male genitalia (I am not sure how vulgar it would be of me to use the word here, so I will not, just in case).

I always assumed that this is because at some point in history someone thought that there is some similarity between the two, and decided to use name of one for the other. (In my native language, we have exactly that situation, but with a generic word for a bird instead of specific species.) However, it came up today in a discussion with a native English speaker that he believed these were merely homonyms, and there was no relation between meanings.

Hence, I would like to know - what is the relation between the two meanings of the obvious word? Does using the same word for the both the organ and the bird involve a (humorous?) comparison of one to the other?


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct and can be used for Women's Day?

texts:
Let women rise and use their strength to contribute to the world.

I need to use this sentence for a Women's Day social media design. But there are two doubts:

Should it be women or woman?
Let women rise and use their strength

In 2nd doubt, one may feel that I want to say "Let women rise and take benefit from their strength and use it. But what I actually mean to say is:

Let us allow her to RISE AND USE THEIR STRENGTH i.e., let her do both things.

So can it be fixed or is it already understood?


texts: What is a good word to mean the inverse of debounce

texts:
The word debounce can be used in a metaphorical sense to take a series of signals, take action on the first one and then ignore any subsequent ones within a certain period of time.

What I'm looking for is something of the inverse of that. A word that would describe the situation where you take in a series of signals, but only act on the last one when no more signals come in within a certain period of time. 'Throttle' seems like a possibility... but it also seems not quite right.

Any suggestion?


texts: "hope...to win the approval" - help identify parts of speech

texts:
I'm confused by this sentence:

  "Lakesha hopes to win the approval of her mother by switching her major from fine arts to med."

I think that in this case hope is intransitive, and I think the part "to win....mother" is working as an adverbial infinitive phrase. Is it the object?


texts: Synonym for "final" or antonym for "draft"

texts:
I'm hitting a problem where we're using forms of the word final with three different meanings:

Final evaluation, as opposed to midterm evaluation
Final version, as opposed to draft version
Finalizing (where an administrator reviews a final version of a final evaluation and approves it for viewing by the evaluatee)

Where this becomes really confusing is when I want to tell the evaluator that he needs to save his evaluation as a final version, not a draft version, before it will be submitted for finalization. (If it matters, this is a change from how it worked previously: they used to have to keep the evaluations as drafts, and the administrator would do both the saving-as-final-version and finalizing. Yes, it was even more confusing.)

Usage 1 is a term of art, so I kind of have to stick with it. For usage 3, I can come up with sorta-acceptable substitutes like review or approval. But I'm totally stuck on usage 2. I can't find any antonyms for this meaning of draft, and none of the synonyms for final seem unambiguous enough to use on a submit button. (The buttons currently say "Save Final" and "Save Draft".) Help?

Context: this is part of an online evaluation system, i.e. html forms in a web browser. The process, roughly:

At the end of the semester (or trimester or quarter), the teacher is notified that final evaluations are due. This use of "final" is an established term of art which I can't change.
The teacher fills out the evaluation form. If he can't finish in one sitting, he can save a draft and come back to it later.
After the teacher is satisfied with his evaluation, he saves a non-draft version. This is where I'm looking for a word that isn't "final".
At some point after most of the finals have been submitted, an administrator reviews them, possibly changes some final grades (mostly situations where a student didn't complete something that is outside of the teacher's purview), then finalizes them. This part could also use some better vocabulary.
After step 4 has been completed, and not at any point before, the evaluated student can look at her final evaluation to see how she did.


texts:
It's the 21st century, why don't we have world peace?
  It's 2013, where's my flying car?

Is there a name for this kind of bad argument?


texts: What does 'agency' mean in "The fastest way to lose good people is to give them responsibility without agency."

texts:
What does 'agency' mean here? I've looked up the meaning of 'agency' in dictionaries but none of them seems a good explanation of what it means in this sentence.
Could someone explain what this sentence means in other words?

Thanks!!


texts:
This quote comes from an article published online at USA Today, but it strikes me as odd and not correct. Am I right, or do I misunderstand the sentence?

  Obama stopped short of saying how high up the Iranian government officials who were aware of the plot or suggesting how the administration might respond.

It seems to me there should be another verb with regards to the Iranian government officials. Is that the issue?


texts: Examples of competing genericized trademarks

texts: I suppose everyone is at least implicitly aware of the concept of a genericized trademark. Are there any examples of competing genericized trademarks? Especially with respect to region. For example, if everyone in, say, Michigan, called facial tissues "Quilted Northerns" instead of "Kleenex."


texts:
In the book The Quantum Universe: Everything That Can Happen Does Happen by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw, on page 104 there seems to be a pun of authors:

Generally speaking, frequency is the fundamental quantity that describes standing waves, and this sentence is probably a pun.

No matter how many times I read this I can't understand what the actual "pun" is. Is it because these particular waves are called "standing," whereas the word "frequency" implies something happening?


texts: What do you call "one hundredth of a second"?

texts:
As in:

  He broke the world record of 14.05

I tried searching Wikipedia and ended up with centisecond. It sounds so scientific. What is it called in colloquial English?


texts: "no younger than I am" or "no more young than I am"?

texts:
"No _____er" or "No more _______" or both?

I've come across this construction "He is no more (adjective) than I am" more than once, and there are at least two forums on the Internet where the subject  is discussed. Several explanations have been offered but there seems to be no consensus. Some say they mean the same while others find a semantic difference.

My question is: are they both grammatically correct?  Do they mean exactly the same?  Likewise, would it be grammatical to say "It's no more cold in Greenland than in Alaska", or "She is no more pretty than you are."

EDIT - From the comments and one answer I've got so far, I feel compelled to explain: I'm perfecly aware of how we form the comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives.  What I'm asking here is whether some colloquialisms are acceptable, such as "A more silly comment I cannot imagine" to emphasize the idea attached to the positive degree, or "a more healthy-looking baby", or if there is any subtlety in "he is no more young than I am" as compared to "no younger".


texts:
I would like to know what "lines around the block" means.

  Fifty years ago this week, Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" opened to mixed reviews and hundreds of audience walkouts at its premiere. That weekend, though, the general public weighed in with lines around the block. By the end of 1968, the 2 1/2-hour science fiction epic ended up being the year's biggest box office hit. Critic Bob Mondello saw "2001" when it first came out and remembers what made it one of the most argued over and most influential blockbusters ever made.What Made '2001, A Space Odyssey' Such An Influential Film

I looked for 'around the block' and the dictionary says:

  around the block: Very experienced. The phrase can be used in two ways. In its nonpejorative sense, you might say, “After all her residencies and years at the hospital, she's been around the block in emergency medicine.” On the other hand, to say of a woman that she's been around the block more than a few times suggests that she's of what used to be called “easy virtue.”Free Dictionary

I am still not sure what "lines around the block" means.
please help me.
Thank you.


texts: How long has the singular noun 'archive', as opposed to 'archives', been in current use?

texts: My question arises through the fact that, when Michel Foucault introduced 'archive' as a singular noun in his 1969 Archaeology of Knowledge, he was more or less inventing a new word. 'Archif' and 'archive' (both n. m.) were used in Old French only, and Foucault's noun is a neologism, rather than a retrologism, in that's a feminine noun. Can anyone tell me what the singular/plural situation for English 'archive(s)' was around that time? PS In France today, there are still some major dictionaries that don't recognise the singular form.


texts:
I was reading an article:

  While Bitcoin's power lies in its ability to transfer fast and
  securely through software, the rest of the financial world does not
  operate like that (contrary to popular opinion). Money is surprisingly
  analog in many ways, and scarily digital in others.

Is analog actually the opposite of digital?

What other better alternatives are there?


texts: Is is right using expressions like "before her coming here" in place of "before she came here"

texts:
I often use expression like these

  I came to this place before him getting here (rather than using before
  he got here).
  We were having a lot of fun before before her getting here (instead
  of before she got here).

I did not see a lot of results on the web for expressions like these, so I am wondering whether it is right or not?


texts: Which verb and preposition collocates with the word 'solidarity' in this context?

texts:
When solidarity exists among members of a group based on ideology and that solidarity gives birth to their allegiance to each other and their allegiance against those who oppose them what verb and preposition collocates with it?

For example: 'The Nazis never (verb) solidarity (preposition) the allies: they were two opposing ideologies.'

A lot of the time 'show solidarity with' is used, but that is usually used to suggest that another group shows a temporary solidarity with another group that is bound permanently by solidarity.

So we might say, 'The British people showed solidarity with the victims of the Haiti earthquake.'

I want the collocation that is used to express the fundamental and permanent solidarity that is an integral part of being a member of a particular group/people/movement, etc.


texts:
Is it possible to say that "someone does something as he or she can" to express that he or she is doing it with full enthusiasm or is this just badly translated German?

Edit: Unusual language wouldn't be a problem in this case.


texts: Why "in" and "of" are deleted in this paragraph?

texts:
A number of armorials of other countries have sections devoted to
  Spanish arms, especially those French armorials arranged by marches;
  Aragonese arms are prominent, not surprisingly in view of the cultural
  and political links that existed between Aragón and southern France. (Collins, W. T., Spanish Armorials, Coat of Arms, No. 161, Spring 1993.)

I am understanding the paragraph in this way:

  A number of armorials of other countries have sections devoted to
  Spanish arms, especially [in] those [of] French armorials arranged by marches [,] Aragonese arms are prominent [;] not surprisingly in view of the cultural
  and political links that existed between Aragón and southern France.

Is my percept from the context correct ever? If it is correct, why "in" and "of" are deleted?


texts:
First I must mention that I am not a native English speaker.

I am trying to describe a sense of delight and being elated after listening to music.
Eventually I came up with "floating with tunes and joy" as I was looking to add a visual/picturesque aspect to it - as it is intended for children.

Does it convey the meaning I want? Is it proper English?
Is there a common way to phrase and describe such feelings?

Thanks in advance


texts: Huge concentrations of + singular or plural noun?

texts:
I'm reading George Orwell's You and the Atomic Bomb, and I'm wondering why he says 'huge concentrations of industrial plant'. I expected 'industrial plants'.

Here's the sentence:

  The one thing that might reverse it is the discovery of a weapon — or, to put it more broadly, of a method of fighting — not dependent on huge concentrations of industrial plant.

Thanks!


texts:
I was alway get confused when I read something like this:

  "Because the attacker controls her end on the SSL tunnel, she can send anything she likes to the server..."

My instant reaction is to go back some paragraphs to check if I lost any reference to "the attacker" being female. Needless to say, most times there is no reference. I've seen phrases written like this everywhere, from newspapers and books to blogs.

So if I want to refer to a previous gender-neutral noun, should I always use a feminine pronoun? Is this a gramatical rule? Or does this belong in the realm of style?


texts: "I'm putting you on notice." Proper phrase?

texts:
I'm trying to construct a phrase that has the meaning of informing someone they are deficient and hereby directed to correct the deficiency. They type of thing a supervisor would say to a chronic screw-up after a particularly significant mistake. Not a dismissal or reprimand, but a declaration of intent toward such, or worse, without immediate correction.

I've zeroed in on "I'm putting you on ______" or "Consider yourself on ______" as phrases I've heard used for this situation, but can't decide if 'notice' is what belongs there as it has an awkward feel to me. I've considered reworking the structure to "I'm giving you notice..." which gets roughly the same message across while feeling a bit less awkward, but I keep returning to the initial structure as the base of what I'm looking for.

Is "I'm putting you on notice"/"Consider yourself on notice" the common phrase for expressing this situation or is it some other very close variant that I'm grasping at and just missing?


texts: I am just trying to find a word that describes a friend who means as much to me as my family does. I have searched google but have not found such a word.


texts:
I've got a document I'm reading, written by a co-worker. I know the co-worker in question grew up in the same Oklahoma town I did, although a slightly different part, and 15 years later. So while we both speak essentially the same dialect, there could be some nuances of dialect we have different.
Anyway, this document is otherwise very well-written, except for one thing that is just bugging the heck out of me: He uses the word "ran" instead of "run" in past participles. This isn't a one-off. It was bothering me enough that I decided to "fix" it, and so far I'm about halfway through and have fixed more than a dozen occurrences.
Clearly this is no accident, but rather how he feels the word is properly used. It also occurs to me that I've occasionally heard other people around here make this same "mistake" in conversation. So I'm wondering if there is some dialect, or perhaps generational thing going on here. If that's the case, perhaps I shouldn't be presuming to "fix" it.
Here's a couple of examples:

...the target architecture required for the element to be ran.
If not defined, the element will be ran regardless of system architecture.
...element is always ran.


texts: Is it correct to use "are you" instead of "if you're"?

texts:
As an example:

  This is a good read, are you interested in more related topics.

What are these type of sentences called? Does it follow the same grammar as:

  Should you require more information please do not hesitate to contact me.


texts: Usage of "wouldn't work" vs "didn't work" when talking about past experience / observation

texts:
Today at the airport someone said, "You can do that by pressing this button". The other person replied, "I tried that, but it wouldn't work".

It seems that they meant "it didn't work".
Is "it wouldn't work" correct in this context (and why?),
and how does it differ from "it didn't work" (if at all)?


texts: Is "smackerel" made up by Winnie-the-Pooh?

texts:
That silly old bear is often talking about having, or downright having, a "smackerel" of honey.

Is this word made up for the Winnie-the-Pooh universe, or a "real" word? Is it similar to some previous word?


texts: Is the sentence 'That a teddy bear from 1996 is not an antique.' correct?

texts:
I encountered the sentence "That a teddy bear from 1996 is not an antique." It is from a text book. There is an audio file of it as well. Here is the script:

  A: What is it exactly?

  B: I have a picture of it. Here. [He shows a picture of the thing he
  thought he lost.]

  B: It's uh... it's a teddy bear. Right. Ok, thank you officer.

  A: What did he say?

  B: That a teddy bear from 1996 is not an antique.

  A: Well, this is just awful! What could've happened?

My question is the following. Is "That a teddy bear from 1996 is not an antique"  a grammatical sentence?

Why are 'that' and 'a' put together?


texts: Can present tense be used without an adverb like "usually" or "always" when describing a habit?

texts:
I understand we use the present tense when we describe habits.

"My dog always sleeps under the bed."
"It usually sits on the sofa."

Does it make sense if I leave 'always' and 'usually' out? as in the sentences below, without any background information?

"My dog sleeps under the bed."
"It sits on the sofa."

Are they complete sentences? or grammatically correct?


texts: What does the colloquial "b" mean? Is it a gangland expression?

texts:
If you watch The Wire, you'll notice that Stringer calls Avon "B" quite often.

What does it mean? Is it short for "buddy"? When and where did people start using this expression?


texts: What is the English counterpart to the Japanese ‘Insei’ – rule by a retired emperor/leader?

texts:
There was a following statement in Time magazine’s article (February 25) titled “Second Act” dealing with the step-down of the former Pope Benedict XVI:

  The new Pope will be indebted to Benedict XVI. -- and even though he
  won't be in the Sistine Chapel when the voting takes place, Benedict
  is bound to influence the outcome. This sort of informal influence has
  proved powerful in other cultures--particularly premodern Japan, where
  retired shoguns and Emperors continued to make pivotal decisions.
  Thus, just by watching from the sidelines, Ratzinger will be subtly
  able to champion his conservative theological and social policies--an
  über-Pope of sorts.

This statement is true. Actually many incumbent Emperors were just nominal and powerless in Japan during the Middle Ages and controlled by retired emperors behind the curtain.

We call this “informal influence“ of the retired ruler or leader including chairman of a company ‘Insei – 院政 in Japanese, and ‘Readers English Japanese Dictionary’ at hand translates ‘Insei’ to ‘rule by a retired emperor – insei.”

Although Readers Dictionary shows the word “Insei,” as if it is already adopted to English language like 'Mikado' or ‘Shogun,’ I doubt its currency as an English word.

With that said, what is the English counterpart of “Insei” in shorter form, say two words, than “rule by a cloistered emperor”?


texts:
Could it be a typo for "and one by one they will be turned off"? CNN:

  Many of the existing space telescopes, Hubble included, are nearing the end of their lifetimes, and one by one they will turn off. Without the James Webb Space Telescope, our eyes on the universe would be closed for the foreseeable future.


texts:
When is it okay to use 'not' when posing a question?
I believe that the person asking would include the 'not 'when he believes the implied to be true.
For example:
"Are you going to the store?
"Are you not going to the store?"

Then the question of how to properly answer it.
"Yes, I am going to the store"
"No, I am going to the store."

and if they arent going...
"No, I am not."
"Yes, I am not."

I wonder if this is a French rule and therefore confusing to English speakers; where 'Si' is used instead of 'Oui'.

Anyways, your thoughts?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Capitalisation of nouns in English (historically)

After reading a recipe from 1747, I noticed that all of the nouns are capitalized. Is that a normal thing for that era? It's when things like "Fresh Butter" is in capitals that I started to wonder.


texts: Struggling to understand a sentence in _The Moon and Sixpence_

texts:
I am struggling to understand the following sentence in the third paragraph in Chapter 1 of The Moon and Sixpence:

  And when such as had come in contact with Strickland in the past, writers who had known him in London, painters who had met him in the cafes of Montmartre, discovered to their amazement that where they had seen but an unsuccessful artist, like another, authentic genius had rubbed shoulders with them there began to appear in the magazines of France and America a succession of articles, the reminiscences of one, the appreciation of another, which added to Strickland's notoriety, and fed without satisfying the curiosity of the public.

You can find this sentence here.

I began to feel confused when seeing this part:

  ..., authentic genius had rubbed shoulders with them there began to appear in the magazines...

Initially, it looks to me wrong that "had rubbed" and "began" appear in the same sentence because they are both verbs that are used as predicates.

However, after looking closer, it then looks like the real subject of this part of the whole sentence is the very long "where": where they had seen but an unsuccessful artist, like another, authentic genius had rubbed shoulders with them there.

Is my break-down of this part correct?

But even if I'm correct above, I'm still confused why there are two "had done" parts: had seen and had rubbed. I think there must be two parallel subjects. The first subject seems to be "they" which refers to all those famous writers or painters; the second one seems to be "authentic genius". Am I right?? But why is there not an "and" to connect them?


texts: Etymology of 'examination-in-chief' : What does 'in-chief' mean?

texts:
[ ODO: ] examination-in-chief  [mass noun] {Law}
  The questioning of a witness by the party which has called that witness to give evidence, in support of the case being made. Compare with cross-examine.

  [ OED: ]  a. Formal interrogation, esp. of a witness, or an accused person. examination-in-chief, that made by the party calling the witness.

OED does not explain the semantics of (the prepositional phrase) in-chief.
How did 'in-chief' compound with examination (whose etymology I know) to produce the meaning above? I also know the etymology of the noun chief.


texts:
What's a word that means "common element"?

Cars and Bikes share the common element that they are both wheeled vehicles.


texts: Is there a Latinate, plural noun for "illicit possessions"?

texts:
While composing this comment on an earlier question, I got hung up after "clandestine storage".

I felt myself grasping for a single word, styled after errata, desiderata, stigmata, etc, which means "illicit or illegal goods or possessions".

This is a strict single-word-request: does there exist a single, plural, Latinate (meaning ending in -ata or otherwise sounding official or bureaucratic) which means "stuff you shouldn't have"?

Something that would fit into this blank:

  In the wake of the bust, the police confiscated the rival gangs' ________, including three kilograms of cocaine,  a trunk full of marijuana, six fully automatic assault rifles, a bandolier of grenades, ten assorted illegal stiletto knives, and several lewd pictures of kittens.


texts: Will usage of "Dear" while addressing in mail, sound informal?

texts: I see many people using "Dear" while addressing people in email. But, I feel "Dear" is more intimate word in English and should be used with only relations. How does the word "Dear" is used at all places irrespective of relationships?


texts: Articles in a list with an article before

texts:
If you have an article in a list (in this case, the), but an article (in this case, a) precedes the list, like so:

You can power a command block by using a:

button
lever
redstone torch
redstone block
powered comparator
the magical nonexistent one-time block
etc.

Would you use the word the in the list correctly, although there is already an article before the list?
This can also be written like so:

You can power a command block by using a button, lever, redstone torch, redstone block, powered comparator, the magical nonexistent one-time block, etc.

And you can also just take out everything else, like so:

You can power a command block by using a the magical nonexistent one-time block.

These both are examples of more confusion.


texts: Circular pattern - preposition before angle for two members only

texts:
I'm trying to describe that holes are placed in a circular pattern. When there are for example 6 holes in a circle I write:  6x hole every 60 deg.

But how to describe when there are only two holes? "Every" seems inappropriate to me.

It's for a drawing, so it has to be short as possible.

Thank you for advice.


texts: Why do we say “been to” instead of “been in”?

texts:
Why is the particle "to" sometimes used in sentences with been?

For example, the following sentences are grammatically correct

Dad is in the garden.
A: “Where's Dad?”
B: ”He's in the garden”
A: “How long has he been there?”
B: “He's been in the garden for about an hour.”

If the location is a foreign country and we use the past participle of the verb go, the preposition changes. Note that the preposition reverts back to in when it is clear that "dad" is not back from Australia.

Dad is visiting Australia
C: “Where is your dad?”
D: “He's gone to Australia”
C: “How long has he been there?”
D: “He's been in Australia since December 20”

But if someone asks whether he has ever visited Australia,
the preposition used with been must be to.

Has your dad ever been to Australia? (= Has he ever visited Australia?)
Yes, he's been to Australia twice. (= He's visited Australia twice)
Is he in Australia now?
Yes, he's been away for about a week.

RETURN HOME

5: Where has he been?
6: He's been to Australia for Christmas.

Question: Why is the preposition "to", instead of "in", for sentences 1, 2 and 6 above?


texts: Can I use "exempli gratia" (short for e.g.) in place of "for example?" If so, do I need to add any words to it to completely replace the phrase "for example?"


texts: I would like to know if I can use score and metric interchangeably. I'm a software engineer, and I'm creating a product that will store conversion metrics (the level of conversion of a site's visitor), and read scores (word count, adverb percentage, sentiment of the text). Therefore, my product database has a conversion_metrics and a read_scores table. I would like to know if I can use conversion_scores or read_metrics. I unconscious named them, without much thinking, and now I got me thinking about it.


texts:
Forgive any naivety. I have come from SO to SE to ask a question.

I am looking for a font, where the hole in a character ie O, A, P, Q. Can be used to insert an image. I do not need a recommendation for a font. But what I am asking for is the word used to explain this area. Can someone please provide me with the specific word that explains the whitespace within these particular letters.


texts: Can "mongrel" be used to refer to people?

texts:
I'm translating a fantasy novel into English. In the story there are a bunch of races. Among them, there are mixed-race people. "Pure races" mock mixed-race people and usually refer to them as 'mongrels'. Now, taking into consideration that this word is also used to describe dogs that live on the streets, would it be awkward for humans?
I picked this word intentionally to bring a bad connotation to mind; I want the reader to feel how prejudiced the races are. The original word is "mestiço" in Portuguese.


texts: Is there a word to describe a plausible but incorrect explanation?

texts:
I'm thinking of something where somebody (with no malicious intention) offers a very plausible and scientific-sounding explanation (not a theory but something presented as a series of facts) such that nobody would even question it because it makes total sense. It is accepted as truth. However, if one actually did an experiment to test the explanation it is easily falsified, showing the explanation to be incorrect and that other factors must be responsible for the observed phenomenon.

Is there a word to describe such an explanation?


texts: Demonstrative Pronouns: This/That – Advanced Usage

texts:
When you learn about demonstrative pronouns, it seems like a really simple concept. This/these for nearby (physically, or with regards to time), that/those for distant things. Anywhere you go, online language sites, or Youtube, this is where the story ends mostly. But it seems to miss out on the trickier usage of demonstrative pronouns. I can't figure this out:

Here's a sentence:

  Next week may change the rest of your life. And I don't say that/this lightly.

What would you pick? This, or that?

I picked "this", and it was incorrect, apparently. "That" seems to be correct, as in:

  And I don't say that lightly.

What's the rule here, are we still talking demonstrative pronoun, near/distant?

Same as in this:

  Check out this/that Youtube video: (LINK). What do you think of this/that?

The near/distant trick, either in time of physical distance, doesn't really help. Suggestions?

Now, this answer offers some guidance:

  For a concept or idea introduced a few sentences before, I think the
  key thing is whether it was introduced by you or the person you're
  talking to. If you introduced it, you're "holding" the idea - use
  "this". If they introduced it, they're "holding" it - use "that"."

But really, how does it apply here? Do I hold up my previous sentence? I think so – so this should be correct, am I wrong?

Disclaimer: I'm not a native speaker, but my literary agent is (a seasoned writer). He suggested this was incorrect, and that is correct.


texts:
I've come across a comment in “it seems” vs. “it seems that” and I am uncertain as to what type of word allows raising.

  It's not necessary (though it's almost always possible) for any complement clause (no matter what it expresses), except when the complement clause comes at the beginning of the sentence. (BTW, the clause "The word that is not necessary to be there" is ungrammatical, since necessary does not allow A-Raising.) – John Lawler Jul 27 '14 at 17:58


texts:
If you are referring to a member of the peerage, I know you would capitalize Lord Matlock or the Earl of Matlock. If I am calling him the Earl and it is directly in reference to him, without the surname, would the "e" in Earl be capitalized? I know the you would not do so if referring to a group of men by that titled.

I am wondering the same with Colonel. If I refer to Colonel Fitzwilliam it is capitalized. If I refer to "the colonel" directly referencing him would the "c" be capitalized. Would it be capitalized if I address him as Colonel, but don't use his name?


texts: A word for someone who loves looking at handwriting - not studies it but purely for pleasure . .

texts: A word for someone who loves looking at handwriting - not studies it but purely for pleasure.


texts: Is there an established adjectival form of (Donald) Trump?

texts:
We are now one year and a half into President Trump’s mandate and his name has international resonance every day, often more times a day. I wonder if an adjectival form has or is becoming more common than others to refer to his “style” and/or “appearance”

The Press uses terms like:

Trumpian as in the following article:

  A women's movement grows in 'the most Trumpian place in America (PBS News)

or Trumpist as from the following piece:

  When Trumpist rhetoric crashes into European reality (Financial Times)

and Trumpesque as from the article:

  The Donald brings 'Trumpesque flair' to Rio with plans to erect five $2.6B towers over city slums (Mailonline)

Is any of the above terms, or possibly others that I failed  to mention, being more commonly used than others to refer to Trump? Unluckily Google Books is not of much help here.
Are the above terms actually synonyms and as such interchangeable?


texts: What is the origin of the saying “Chop chop suey suey”?

texts: My dad has always said “chop chop suey suey” whenever he wants something done quickly, but I want to know where that saying started?


texts: "I want to be much than more" vs. "much then more"

texts:
The doubt came after listening to Fireal from Deftones. I'm not sure of the meaning, or should I say the point the singer wants to make.

This is the context:

  Life before I would shine down unshy
  It comes from the first one
  While I watch you
  I want to be much than more
  While I watch you

Lyrics aren't present on the or the disc itself so while researching on the internet I've found some sites where the lyric is shown as "I want to be much, then more". But most of them say "...much than more". So I guess that's the right one (my ears are not trained enough to actually get it right from the get-go by just listening to it).

What do you get from "I want to be much than more"?

On the other hand, if you do believe "much than more" is wrong and the right one has to be "much then more" please say so. English is clearly not "my" language, so feel free to teach me a thing or two.


texts: line between the numerator and the denominator

texts:
What would you call the line in a fraction? It is a horizontal line that is between the numerator and the denominator.

Suggestions:

vinculum
solidus
fraction line
fraction bar
fraction stroke
*shilling stroke

I admit that sometimes it can have a shape of a slash, so it doesn't have to be horizontal.


texts: Difference between "place" and "position"

texts: Can these words be used interchangeably when referring to a point in the world?


texts: What is a "belligerent demands" of something?

texts:
The following is an excerpt from an article in the New York Times, which is the same one in a previous question:

  No poet of our day has such a well-earned reputation for difficulty as the Englishman Geoffrey Hill, and there are few whose moral vision is so imperiously unsparing. Of late, however, the almost belligerent demands of Hill's severe and densely forbidding poetry have taken an improbable turn: part of what's become daunting about his work is simply keeping up with it all.

How can a demand be belligerent? Is it a metaphor? Does "the almost belligerent demands of Hill's ... poetry" imply that the readers like his poetry very much as if they will fight each other to buy it?


texts: How to punctuate an example indicated by "say"

texts:
I'm wondering how commas should be placed around the word "say" and the following clause in a sentence like this:

  If you have, say, a bucket, that you would like to fill with water, then ...

This is how I speak the sentence, with minor beaks at ever comma. But it looks odd in text. I've seen others use punctuation in other seemingly random configurations, including with no commas at all, which looks even worse.

One of the reasons I can't work it out is that the bucket here appears to be acting like the subject, and a separate clause (although one that can't be removed without breaking the sentence).

Is there a "best" choice of punctuation for a sentence like this? And is there a name for this kind of built-in-example-clause-thingy?


texts: Word for compendium of sad (short) stories?

texts:
Is there a word in the English language that describes a series of unrelated, or only loosely-related stories that are all sad or meant to evoke sad, fearful, "negative" emotions?

Sort of like an "anthology/compendium of sad stories"?

Example: "She had written an X, a collection of unrelated sad stories."


texts: Use of "would" (conditional) in 'If you go to the jungles in Africa, you would see a lot of animals.'

texts:
Can one use "would" as the conditional in this sentence?

Example: If you go to the jungles in Africa, you would see a lot of animals.


texts:
Dictionaries provide the following-

  surely/ˈʃʊəli,ˈʃɔːli/ adverb, used to emphasize the speaker's firm
  belief that what they are saying is true and often their surprise that
  there is any doubt of this.

  certainly/ˈsəːt(ə)nli,-tɪn-/ adverb, used to emphasize the speaker's
  belief that what is said is true.

Are there any usage nuances?


texts: What is the first date of documented usage and attribution of the term "white race" and/or "white races"?

texts:
From my own independent research into the origin of the terms, "white" and "race", and specifically the terms "white race" or "white races" as applied to natural persons, the earliest primary source that I have been able to locate so far is in An Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races by Arthur de Gobineau (1853-1855)

  The white races are, further, distinguished by an extraordinary
  attachment to life. They know better how to use it, and so, as it
  would seem, set a greater price on it; both in their own persons and
  those of others, they are more sparing of life. When they are cruel,
  they are conscious of their cruelty; it is very doubtful whether such
  a consciousness exists in the negro. At the same time, they have
  discovered reasons why they should surrender this busy life of theirs,
  that is so precious to them. The principal motive is honour, which
  under various names has played an enormous part in the ideas of the
  race from the beginning. I need hardly add that the word honour,
  together with all the civilizing influences connoted by it, is unknown
  to both the yellow and the black man… It would not have been all gain.
  The superiority of the white race would have been clearly shown, but
  it would have been bought at the price of certain advantages which
  have followed the mixture of blood.

Citing primary sources, what is the first documented date and attribution for the term "white race" and/or "white races" as applied to one or more natural person?


texts: Need native expressions for "something happened but no one wants to undertake the responsibility"

texts: Are there native expressions in oral and formal writing English about something happened - mostly negative incidents or events, but those, who should be responsible for it , don't want to undertake its responsibility or involve themselves in this.


texts: "Please finish this by May 15" — can I still do it today?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Does “notified by [date]” include the end date?

Today is May 15. I have an email in my inbox that says

  Please respond by May 15.

My question is: what does 'by' mean in this context? Is it synonymous to 'no later than'? Or should I have done this on May 14 at the latest?


texts: What's the large version of the word "cookie"?

texts:
So the word "cookie" derives from the Dutch "koekje" and points to a specific kind of small, one-person sized sweet baked good. But in Dutch the word "koekje" is the small-word version of the word "koek", which can refer to a much larger block of sweets.

For example, I made one yesterday which weighs around 1kg. It doesn't seem to be a cake or pie or any kind of pastry, as it's just a large, tough, crispy block of chocolate and grains.

So what would I call the whole thing in English?


texts:
This is a hard one to look up. Where (and when!) did the expression "who da man" start?

My guess is it started either in written form after the popularization of the internet (because that would jibe with it being intentionally misspelled) or in imitation of some popular icon (who?).

Do you have any idea how one would look such a thing up?


texts: A word that means a bad copy of lots of other things

texts:
Used in this context...

I don't like The Cleveland show because it is ****

It's a term we use in animation to say that we don't like this programme or idea because it is too similar to other ones out there.


texts: A word that means "without sinister motivation" in an altruistic sense of sorts

texts:
Heard someone say or read somewhere something along the lines of "to live in the altruistic and (?) service of others", where (?) was some word similar to "unmotivated" but in that it implied that there was no ulterior motive in the person's actions, that is, the action was not motivated by temporal or self-serving interests.

(?) = (not motivated by ulterior motives)

Is there a word for this, or am I just crazy?


texts: "An High Priest of Good Things to Come" -- why "An"?

texts:
I am watching a video of one of the Apostles of the Mormon Church, Elder Holland, which is entitled:

  "An High Priest of Good Things to Come"

The video contains this line:

  "Speaking of Jesus’ “more excellent ministry” and why He is “the mediator of a better covenant” filled with “better promises,” this author—presumably the Apostle Paul—tells us that through His mediation and Atonement, Christ became “an high priest of good things to come.”"

Can anyone tell me why he is using the phrase "an high priest" instead of the more conventional "a high priest"? Although the text is a translation from the original language, the address was a mass address intended for members of the general laity, rather than purely biblical scholars. Thus it seems that the a is likely to have been deliberately left in, in order to evoke some sense of the word an to an English speaking audience which is not present in the word a, and therefore retain more of the intentionality of the original text...

Could anyone offer an explanation as to what an is doing in this text, in an English Language sense, which a would not have been appropriate for, or would in some way have been detrimental to the message of (or could be considered to be detrimental to the message of)?

Statement of Non-Duplicate Status

I'm after a specific answer for this passage, not just general rules for an and a. I would also like something a little more than "it sounds nicer", which isn't really an answer; preferably something which broaches any subtle differences in meaning between the two words, and the manner in which the sense of passage would be different if it were to utilise a instead of an.

(Link to video for reference: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1999/10/an-high-priest-of-good-things-to-come?lang=eng)


texts: Want the meaning of the above sentence in US english langauge


texts:
If we want to assess a person's English proficiency, is it idiomatic to say?:

-His English hasn't attained junior secondary level(s).

I'm not sure, because:

attain might not be an idiomatic verb in this situation.
instinct tells me level should be in the plural but sense tells me a person's English can't attain many levels logically at the same time.
the whole sentence might not be idiomatic

Could you help me?


texts:
What semantic verbs are used with there besides the verb to be?

I'm looking for the cases when there is used as a formal subject.
For example in:

There came a knock
There comes a point in life


texts: What is the difference between "X is needed" and "X is necessary"?

texts:
Do the following two sentences mean the same?

  A: If you improve the quality of your data, less data is needed to achieve an error rate of 30%.

  B: If you improve the quality of your data, less data is necessary to achieve an error rate of 30%.

What are the differences of those two words (especially in the two senteces above)?


texts:
I see this expression a lot these days and I have searched about it and didn't find an answer.
Some examples:
We are getting prepared
We are getting married
We are getting better


texts:
It is indeed very striking how similar ideas are on which the founders of modern theory in evolutionary biology and economics based their main thoughts.

I have completely no idea on the structure of the above sentence. Can anyone please explain and tell me the name of the sort in grammar? I first thought the "on which ..." part was a relative clause modifying "idea", but I get puzzled by "their main thoughts". Thanks in advance.


texts: Verb for looking for meaning where there is none

texts:
I vaguely remember using a verb that meant "to look for meaning in something that lacks meaning or has none".

I can't remember what the specific word is, but I do remember using it to suggest my English teacher's career was a pointless waste. She was not happy. :)


texts: Is there a way to express "knowing just enough to be dangerous" succintly?

texts:
Every sector has them: the employee who has had very little formal training about a certain program, device or concept, but has done research into it himself and figured out just enough to have a negative impact on the normal operations.

I'm talking about something like a manager who knows just enough about Outlook to make a software extension to regularly delete some unneeded contacts, but not enough to realize that this extension will remove those contacts from the contact managing server as well. Or a soccer mom who knows that they can refill their oil under the hood, but can't tell their oil tank from their wiper fluid canister.

I'm looking for a way to express this in as little words as possible, preferably a single word, but 2 or 3 words will also be fine. I'm specifically looking for an adjective, something you can say about a person like "He's X" or "That X man".


texts: Word for something that is either very easy or impossible

texts:
If projects, people or problems are polarized so that they are either very easy or impossible, is there an appropriate word to describe the polarization towards the two extremes?

For example, if I succeed it will never be difficult but very easy and still I don't often succeed and it's unrelated to how much effort I make.

More precise, I'm practicing solving problems and I either answer correctly with almost no effort or it is impossible when it is not easy.

Similarly, there are projects, people, relations and arrangements that are either easy or impossible and even you try very hard and work very hard it is still impossible if it is not very easy.

The best word I can think of is "polarization" but it is not a common word to use about what I typically mean here.


texts: Usage of "figure" to indicate the number

texts:
Is "figure" used correctly in the following sentence?

  In terms of postgraduates, further study and part-time work remain the
  most prevalent options, with the figures of 2725 and 2535 respectively.

I don't think its correct yet I don't know how to make it better.


texts: What is the English word for something hidden for a long time?

texts:
I am looking for English word for something that has been hidden for a long time and was difficult to find and finally found.

Something that really took a time and strength to come to the surface.

A word that is applicable to person, thing or any living or non-living material.


texts: Where does the expression, "Go scrape mold on yourself" come from? And what does it mean?

texts:
My grandfather is from Ireland, and he frequently used this phrase.

I understood it to be an insult, to mean basically "screw you"

I love the phrasing, but have no idea where it comes from. Is anyone else aware of this phrase and knows where it comes from? Or is this a unique saying from my grandfather?


texts: How to distinguish the adjective clause and the apposition clause?

texts:
Have you ever been in the situation where you lost your keys and mobiles.

This is an adjective clause sentence. I am so confused as to what’s the difference between the adj. clause and the apposition clause.

In my opinion, in the situation is equal to where you lost your keys and mobiles. And if I modify the where to that, “Have you ever been in the situation that you lost your keys and mobiles.”. Would this sentence be a apposition clause? Is my expression wrong or correct?


texts:
I have a question on this sentence

"It is a profitable thing, if one is wise,
 to seem foolish."
-Aeschylus

What role does to seem play in this sentence.

I think it is an infinitive. But does it act as verb, adverb, direct object, subect?,noun?


texts: What adjective is/will be used to describe the scope of all things within a solar system?

texts:
For example: when we look up news stories online, or tune in on TV, we are being given news reports that fall within a spacial scope.

Local news: City and surrounding county.
Regional news: "Pacific Northwest" for example.
National news: Nation
Global news: Also known as "World News"

Bring that scope out even further and you've got the gist of my question. If we were, for example, to colonize the Moon, Mars, or even asteroids in the future, what would that particular scope of news be called?

Here's my ideas and why I'm still conflicted about whether they are proper or not:

Intrastellar: "stellar" technically meaning "star" and "intra" meaning "within." I certainly hope we aren't receiving news from within our star in the future(ouch). But, of course, it could  be adopted to mean "within our solar system." Does that sound right to you?

Furthermore, this word, having the prefix of "inter," would more be in line with inter-municipal, inter-regional, international and interstellar.

Interterrestrial: Again, we are trying to include all space and celestial bodies within the bounds of our solar system, including asteroids and space stations. "Terrestrial" hints at planetary bodies only.

Solar:  Again, it refers directly to the actual Sun itself, but do you think it could grow to be side-by-side with local, national, global, etc. with regard to describing things that exist or occur within the bounds of the solar system?

Unless, of course, "solar" refers only to our star, the Sun. It may not be able to refer to the confines of another star's system.

Systemic: now it just sounds like we're talking about a disease.

I simply cannot think of an adjective that properly denotes all things within a solar system, but no more specific than that, without directly referring to our Sun only.


texts: Correct preposition after the word encouragement

texts:
I am writing a paper and I am not quite sure about the correct preposition that comes after the word encouragement.

  "Consequently, there was always encouragement towards, for, to any
  kind of art forms in the house."

Thank you all in advance.


texts: the auxiliary “need” (in affirmative sentences?)

texts:
I remember being told the modal “need” is used only in interrogative and negative sentences and was for quite a long time more idiomatic than the normal forms, but is there anything wrong with the following examples, in which “need” can seemingly be replaced with “must”?

All you need do is ask.
He wonders if he need go.
In order to pass the course you need pass the exam.

Is the only crime here some awkwardness, or are these ungrammatical?
Thank you!


texts: I have a bad feeling about this. [from "Star Wars"]

texts:
This is a famous line from Star Wars:

  (1) I have a bad feeling about this.

In that sentence, what exactly does the prepositional phrase 'about this' post-modify?

In other words, is it an adjective phrase or an adverb phrase?

EDIT

For those of you who argue that it's an adjective phrase and fail to provide any rebuttal to the argument that it can also be an adverb phrase, I present this sentence:

  (2) I feel bad about this.

Which I think can mean the same thing as (1).

Now, in (2), the prepositional phrase "about this" clearly functions as an adverb phrase. If so, how could you possibly argue that the same prepositional phrase cannot be construed as functioning as an adverb phrase in (1) as well?


texts: The usage of '-ing' and '-in' in writing

texts:
Can someone explain to me why sometimes V-ing like going is abbreviated into goin' or because into 'cause.

I don't understand when or how to use it in writing, especially in a novel (in dialogue). Often I see those in dialogue.


texts: A friend will get married and she made a banner with "Save the date" expression, expecting her friends to memorize/annotate the marriage date. The sentence doesn't feels right to me, but I could not think in any other option. What sentence could be more appropriated for this case?


texts: What property do "heterogeneous" and "homogeneous" describe?

texts:
Long and short describe the length property.
Big and small describe the size property.

What property do heterogeneous and homogeneous generally describe (not limited to chemistry)?


texts:
I live in Israel, and at the 12th of August I need to travel to some place in Russia.
My travel goes through Turkey, as the place I am traveling to costs more and takes longer if I travel through Moscow.
Now Israel is at war, and Turkey goes against Israel and the news says:

Please avoid non-essential traveling to Turkey

What does that mean?
Real message translation:

Warning: Avoid non-essential travel to Turkey
The face of violent protests in Turkey against Israeli Foreign Ministry called avoid unnecessary visits and take precautions. Diplomats were evacuated close


texts: What meaning does the sentence in bold convey?

texts:
It requires no design or desire on the part of an actor to act his part, whereto he is led by the tenor of his prior propensities (of past lives); as a potter’s wheel is propelled by the pristine momentum, without requiring the application of continued force for its whirling motion. So O sinless Rama! mind our actions to be under the direction of our previous impressions, and not under the exertion of our present efforts.
Should Rama act in accordance with his previous impressions or the exertions of his present efforts?
From verse 7.1.9 of Yoga Vasistha.
English translation by Vihari-Lala Mitra (1891)


texts: Where does the slang adjective “peng” come from?

texts: I read on Cambridge Dictionaries’ About words blog that peng is a British slang adjective meaning pretty, very attractive. I am told by a coworker that it is of Caribbean origin, but have no more information. Can someone confirm this origin, and maybe provide some more information (e.g., what root it ultimately comes from)?


texts:
When should we write "the" after "through"? For example, should we say "through internet" or "through the internet"?
Thank you very much!


texts: Dropping the '-ly' in adverbs used in a negative response to a question

texts: Two British gangsters riding in London traffic. One says: 'Have you seen him?' Other says: 'Not recent. One says: 'do you still go there?' Other says: 'Not regular.' Is this a colloquialism, idiom or just plain bad grammar.


texts: How does the prefix 'hyper-' explain 'hyperopia' (farsightedness)?

texts:
[ Etymonline : ]
      "very acute vision," 1861, Modern Latin, from hyper- "over, exceedingly, to excess" + Greek ops "eye" (see eye (n.)), Latin with abstract noun ending. [...]

To what does the prefix 'hyper-' refer exactly? My 2 conjectures for the referent of 'hyper-': 1.  'far' in 'farsightedness'. 2. the excessively backward focal point. Though not an ocular expert, I do understand, and so ask not about, the basic medical explanation. Please tell me if I included too many pictures of hyperopia from Google:


texts: A word that means an event runs for a consecutive period

texts:
I got a calendaring app and a terminology question.

An event that occurs just once, is a one-off

If it occurs every second Monday, and/or 4th Friday of month it is regular

If it happens on a random series of odd days, it is irregular

But if it starts on 12-jan and runs every weekday until 3-mar and never happens again (like a museum exhibiton), it is what-non-technical-one-word?


texts: What does the phrase "for want of means" mean?

texts:
I came across this phrase in the following passage:

  Two instances of such forays have been particularly noted by scholars. In his essay “Of the Affection of Fathers to Their Children,” Montaigne, sharply criticising aged parents who expect their grown children to be grateful to them and who cling avidly to their possessions, gives powerful voice to the resentment of the young: “It is mere injustice to see an old, crazed, sinew-shrunken, and nigh-dead father sitting alone in a chimney-corner to enjoy so many goods as would suffice for the preferment and entertainment of many children, and in the meanwhile, for want of means, to suffer them to lose their best days and years without thrusting them into public service and knowledge of men.”

Can someone please explain me what it means in the context of this passage and its usage in general?

Link to the original article


texts:
Is it car-rear? Or, is it carry-er?

The word is very commonly used among Japanese with the same meaning, and we say it like carry-er, which I suppose is wrong.


texts: auxiliaries before homogeneous members of the sentence

texts:
Is it possible to omit the second auxiliary in this sentence:

"She has followed our advice and (has) started..."

P.S. I have always thought it is as the verbs to follow and to start refer to one and the same subject and hence are homogeneous members of the sentence. Am I right?


texts: Which word is a better use if 2 numbers were mixed up what do we say inverted or interchanged exp 256 instesad of 265


texts:
Example:

To compare the calculations, we plot the following graphs.
To make a comparison with the calculations, we plot the following graphs.

Which one is better and clearer?


texts: Any words to describe someone who ignores anyone 'mean' to them?

texts: I'm looking for words to describe a person like Mma Ramotswe from No.1 Ladies Detective Agency for my blog - http://aroundtheworldinbooks.weebly.com/. Thanks to anyone who answers!


texts: The usage of "from" and "for" in "from the scarcity of other markets for the surplus..."

texts:
I read this sentence from Thomas De Qincey's Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (p. 10):
Here I might have stayed with great comfort for many weeks, for provisions were cheap at B---, from the scarcity of other markets for the surplus produce of a wide agricultural district.
I think I understand the general meaning of this sentence. It says this inn resides in a productive district, and products in other markets are scarce. So the products are cheap here. Or am I right?
I don't understand the usage of "from" and "for" in the sentence. The phrase in boldface is confusing to me.
Any explanation is appreciated!


texts:
We use the phrase 'from the page 100'. It means like from the end, without any details and say the most important thing straight away. It is not like 'I'll cut to the chase' or 'in short' or 'make a long story short'.
Because it can be used in these contexts:
- come to me from the page 100.
- from the page 100, I did it.
Etc.

It's kind of more flexible than the phrases in english.  I'm asking for if there is anything as flexible and quick. When it said in arabic, it's said quick, the aforementioned english ones seem too long for me.


texts:
Which version is correct?

Move all switches into their default positions.
Put all switches into their default positions.
Switch all switches into their default positions.
Bring all switches into their default positions.


texts: "Correct" way to describe "looking at someone with new eyes" or similar?

texts:
I'm not a native English-speaker, so I'm not sure how to "correctly" phrase the following...

When you learn something new about a person, than makes you look at him "with new eyes" - and perhaps re-evaluate his previous actions (or rather your interpretation of them... a revelation that "tilts your world".

I have a few suggestions myself, but I don't know which one(s) - if any - would be "correct" English:

Seeing NN with new eyes.
Seeing NN with different eyes.
Seeing NN in a new light.
Seeing NN in a different light.
Seeing NN with open (or perhaps "opened") eyes.
...any other that springs to mind?

PS: I would prefer something with "eyes" - unless that would be totally non-English...


texts: Does this sentence make sense? If not, how can it be improved?

texts:
The consensus on whether studying individually is more effective than studying within a group has not been reached yet.

Although it seems okay for me, I think the sentence above can be improved but I don't know how.


texts: What is the word for perpetuating a wrong way of doing things?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes an action where people unintentionally persist with a certain way of doing things or continue to accept a certain practice even though they are aware it should change. Because they continue with it (whatever it is), those who are unaware (or even know!) of the "right" way are given the impression that it is "ok" to carry on with what they do.

An example:

A group of friends gather together for a meal. The "right" thing to do would be to split the bill equally. However, there would be occasions when one person gives a treat (pays the entire bill). Each friend takes turn except for one person. No one brings up the topic but everyone else knows that they should not keep quiet about it. Because they don't address this concern, the friend who does not treat the others continues to think that it is "okay" for him/her to keep doing it since no one says anything.

I have better examples but the topics are more sensitive so I tried to choose a gentler situation.

The word for this is right in the back of my mind but just does not appear! Would anyone be able to soothe the itch in my head for me? :D

EDIT: Sentence Example.
The friends who don't address this issue ___ the idea that it is okay for that one person to not give a treat when it is his/her turn to do so.


texts: Is there a word for people who are addicted to mechanical things?

texts:
"mechanical things" includes mechanical watch, mechanical computer, automaton.
People of this type have one or more of the characters below:

Feel extremely satisfied when watching very complicated and precise mechanical internal structure working, like an inspection view of the inside of automaton or analytical engine. (this is the most important one)
Strongly prefer mechanical products over electronic ones in daily life, e.g. mechanical watch vs digital watch, hand crank charger vs common charger.
Make or teardown mechanical gadgets as a hobby.
Attracted by steampunk creations (like authors of this site).

For disambiguation, characters below are not considered as meeting the definition:

Addicted to mechanical keyboards.
DIY generalist, or woodworkers.


texts: Word or phrase to describe the lack of something - especially action

texts:
Is there a word or phrase in the English language that describes "something that should be done, but is not being done?"
examples:

The absence of help when an old lady obviously needs it. Is there a general term for the help that should be there?
There is a piece of garbage on the floor/road. Is there a general term for the cleaning that should be done?
There is a beautiful flower that should be seen. Is there a general term for the viewing that is not happening.
There is a murderous monster on the loose, but no one is doing anything about it. Is there a general term for the missing action?

Is there a general term/phrase that could describe all examples above?


texts: What does "to revive the 2-for-1 model" mean?

texts:
What does "find a clever way to revive the 2-for-1 model pitched by the Clintons so long ago" mean in the following quote from The Washington Post of today?

The author, Michelle Cottle, wrote that Obama’s

  Ivy League degrees, career success and general aura as an
  ass-kicking, do-it-all superwoman had some women fantasizing that she
  would, if not find a clever way to revive the 2-for-1 model pitched by
  the Clintons so long ago, at least lean in and speak out on a variety
  of tough issues. It was not to be.


texts: Grammatical correctness of the following sentence

texts:
I came across this sentence while preparing for the IELTS writing exam:

  There are a number of causes of people not doing physical activities.

That causes of should be followed by a noun or gerund. So does people not doing physical activities act as a gerund here?

Could somebody please help me understand it grammatically?


texts: What does "set change" mean? And how is it different from the plain word "change"

texts:
For example, "a degree can be defined as a 'set change' in temperature measured against a given scale"
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degree_(temperature)


texts: Alternative to "grandfather" in an organizational context

texts:
In organizations sometimes we refer to the manager of a manager as the "grandfather".

For example "candidates for senior level positions must go through a grandfather's interview" meaning those candidates must be interviewed by the hiring manager's manager.

Is there another way of saying this that is more neutral with respect to gender and isn't awkward "manager's manager" or weird "grand-boss"?

I've thought "Überboss" or "grand-manager" or something, but these seem a little too contrived.


texts: In which case are items written in a different order than they are read aloud?

texts: When talking about money, people often write "$1", but read this as "one dollar", rather than "dollar one". (Same with "£1" and "one pound"). Are there any other situations, besides currency, in which items are written in a different order in which they are spoken or read aloud?


texts: Use of encl. at the bottom of a cover letter where the body of the text already explains this

texts:
I am submitting a grant request. The package will include four copies of the grant request, an executive summary, and a cover letter. The cover letter is very short and says in part "I have included four copies of the grant request for convenience of dissemination."

A friend suggested I add the encl. abbreviation at the bottom of my cover letter, but my logic tells me it's redundant and superfluous and may be of incorrect form in this situation since I state in the cover letter that the package contains enclosed documents. If the cover letter did not contain any reference to enclosed materials, I would have no dilemma and would add the encl. at the bottom.

I would like to hear opinion about whether to add encl. at the bottom of my cover letter.


texts: What's the person who sits in the counter and makes payments in a restaurant called?

texts: A clerk is a receptionist in a hotel. What is a person who specifically is responsible of receiving payments in a restaurant called? I'm looking for something better than Salesclerk.


texts: What punctuation to use when quotation ends in a question mark?

texts:
I would like to write "In "[article name]," [author] states such and such." However, in this particular instance, [article name] ends in a question mark. How should I punctuate this?

"In "Can Pigs Fly," Bacon states..."
"In "Can Pigs Fly?" Bacon states..."
"In "Can Pigs Fly?," Bacon states..."

Or something else?

Thank you!


texts: A word for what I thought collimate meant

texts:
I incorrectly used the word 'collimate' to describe the formation of columns. In reality the word shares no root with column. Is there a word that describes the formation of columns or rows or lines of objects?

In short, is there a word for what I thought collimate meant?


texts: What do you call a person who installs window panes?

texts:
When building a house, the person who puts up the framing is the builder, the person who wires the electrics is the electrician, the person who does the plumbing is the plumber.

Who fixes and installs windows?

The glass man?


texts: "Directory" for the main board in an airport, etc., informing people on arrivals/departures, floors/levels to certain stores, etc

texts:
In AE, is it appropriate to designate as a "directory" the main information board found in the concourse or front room of a public place such as a passenger station, an airport, a shopping mall, an hospital, a movie theater, etc. -- and assisting people in finding various information like arrivals and departures, tracks, gates, levels/floors to certain sections/offices/departments, etc.?
Or, is there another name (or other names) by it?

If indeed it is, why then can't I seem to find one single dictionary online in which "directory" is defined as such?

If I hadn't already come across this term used in that specific sense, there would be no authoritative source online to state it as fact.


texts: I am composing a sentence like: 'Some people think we are this, some think we are that...'. Then I want to say that we are neither this nor that.  Can I write it in short like this: 'But we are neither.'? Or should I alway add nor after neither, even in this case?


texts: Using the present tense to write about future events as future events

texts:
I'm an undergraduate student. Today, I was writing an email to my department's undergrad adviser to request a meeting to discuss what I will study next year. When I began to write the email, I wrote

  Dear Dr. X,

  Next year I complete the final year of my program.

When I read it aloud, it sounds right. However, I'm writing about an event in the future, and so I believe that I should have written

  Dear Dr. X,

  Next year I will complete the final year of my program.

However, the use of will seems to make the sentence more presumptuous.

I suspect that the first version is written subjunctively*. However, to the best of my knowledge, subjunctivesque constructions that resemble the first version are typically imperatives, and typically follow that. For example, 'It is required that she arrive before noon tomorrow.'

Is the first version grammatical. If so, why is it so; if not, why is not grammatical?

(Note: I asked this question in order to learn about English. I did not intend to ask for advice on what I should write in this email. Accordingly, I would prefer a answer that explicates the relevant grammatical, or linguistic, principles. Thank you.)


texts:
What's a word that means "we fix things without you noticing"?

In a business context, an example would be where a company's technology works in the background so if their API changes or the site changes, work continues as we fix the problem or integration.


texts:
I have been confused for so long about the plural and singular forms of "people". I want to put an end to this confusion.

What is the difference between these following expressions, and is it correct to use these expressions in both their singular and plural forms?

"The German people are not warlike"
"The German people is not warlike"

(As in "The German people is no warlike nation. It is a soldierly one, which means it does not want a war but does not fear it....")

"People are funny"
"People is funny"

Here I suppose that "people is" referring to a population/community: "the German people is not warlike" = "the German population is not warlike" and "People is funny" = "population is funny".

Is this correct? If it is correct, then what does "people are" mean?


texts: Word for someone who overly nurtures their online image

texts:
I have a friend who sometimes removes comments from his Facebook posts that are slightly off-topic or detracting from the point of his post where the post is intended to boost his reputation and kudos in a certain topic.

It's not egotistical or egocentric or really narcissistic as it can be seen as a valid thing to do, but it's in contrast to what others do, and allow conversations to flow freely and even go off-topic and don't remove any comments unless of course they are offensive or insulting.

So, what would be the word to call this person, someone who is overly self-conscious about and overly nurtures and maintains their online presence/image/persona?


texts: Where you think he lives. / How old you think she is

texts:
I want to know the following process is possible.
.
A-1. Do you think ~ + Where does he live?
A-2. => Where do you think he lives?
A-3. => where you think he lives. [Indirect question order.]
A-4. => This is where you think he lives.
Is it right?
.
B-1. Do you think ~ + How old is she?
B-2 => How old do you think she is?
C-3 => how old you think she is [Indirect questions order.]
C-4 => thirty-five is how old you think she is.
Is it right?


texts:
I am in favour of compromises and I am glad that Gabriel also is.

Is it okay here to end the sentence with "also is"? Is there a better/more proper way to express this?


texts: What is the verb form of the word "intelligible"?

texts:
Google lists the etymology of the words "intelligible" and "unintelligible" as coming from "intelligent". This makes sense to a degree as the word refers to speech that can be interpreted intelligently to produce meaning.

I must ask, however, what the verb form would be to "ascertain the intelligibility of something"? Surely it isn't "intellige" or "intel". Does such a form exist? Should it?


texts: Is a snake's venom poisonous (or venomous)?

texts:
This is a question more concerning the word poisonous and venomous than poison vs. venom.

I'm wondering about the following, specifically the last sentence:

Don't eat the plant, it is poisonous.
The plant has dripped poison onto you. Be careful, the liquid is poisonous.
The snake is venomous.
The snake has been milked to help us create an antidote. Be careful, the contents of the jar are poisonous (or should it be venomous?).

Can you use poisonous and venomous to describe both the creature/plant AND the substance it produces?


texts: predicative complement vs predicative adjunct

texts:
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Page 250) has this passage:

Here, Od is Direct Object, and Oi is Indirect Object.
It seems that CGEL is saying that almost raw in [i-ii] and fiendishly hungry in [iii] are all predicative adjuncts, not predicative complements.
In [i] and [iii], I agree that almost raw and fiendishly hungry are adjuncts. But is almost raw an adjunct in [ii] too?
If it is, how about this?

He served her steak almost raw.

Here, is almost raw an adjunct too?


texts: What's it means "yes validate just the what"

texts:
I asked my mentor
"Do I need to validate the filed if it's type is required？”
And he answered
"Yes validate just the what"
What's that means？ It it means yes I should validate it？ Or there's other meaning? And what is the actual meaning of "just the what"?
English is my second language and I'm not vary good at it, could anyone help me out？ I appreciate it.


texts: Nullifidan, heresiarch, latitudinarian-- Is there some database where I can find other obscure words describing "types" of people?

texts:
I only come across these really obscure words while reading. I really love the weight they carry. Do you know of any place where I can find more words of the same family? If not, do you know any other words like this? Please don't say any words for specific phobias. I find those incredibly uninteresting :I
Thanks friends


texts: "Copies of documents" vs. "copy of documents"

texts:
What is the grammatical difference between "copies of documents" and "copy of documents"?

Same applies to other nouns. Also, an example will be very much appreciated.


texts: What single noun denotes a person who is interested in something?

texts:
'Follower', 'disciple' and so on sound too strong. I want to describe a person with a more casual interest in something. Perhaps similar to what 'amateur' used to mean, before it picked up the sense of being crap at something. So say someone speaks fluent Chinese but they study Japanese on the side out of interest, I might say about them:

  They're a Chinese speaker, and Japanese [interested-in-er]


texts: Which is correct: “to scrape” or “to scraped”?

texts:
When playing he tripped which caused him to _____ the skin away from his knee.
scrape or scraped, I am confusing about tense.


texts: Is there a word meaning a problem that has to be solved in order to work on another problem?

texts: I work in the computer trade and frequently find that when I'm assigned a problem to solve, it invariably happens that other problems need solving before I can work on the real issue. Is there a word for these on-the-way problems?


texts:
Quite a simple question (I hope).

Which is the correct way to write this within a sentence*:

Open Source
Open-Source
Open source
Open-source
open source
open-source
some other way?

(*By within a sentence, I mean there is at least one word before the usage meaning that no beginning-of-sentence capital is required)


texts: Name a group of frequently used items or things

texts: What name would you give to a grouping of items or things that you use frequently? I am preferrably looking for a one word answer please.


texts: Clare, who I work with, is organising the London marathon this year

texts:
I have read a rule of relative clause reductions, and it states,

2. We can use participles when reducing the sentence.

a) Present Participle "V-ing" (simultaneous)

  1) We stood on the bridge which connects the two halves of the city.

    //the relative clause is a defining clause.

  a) We stood on the bridge connecting the two halves of the city.

    //omitting by replacing them with present participle

Since the example has stated only about a sentence that contains a defining clause, that makes me curious whether we can also omit the pronouns with or without the to be verb in the non-defining relative clauses of the sentences below,

  2) Clare, who works with me, is organising  the London marathon this year.

  3) Clare, who is working with me, is organising the London marathon this year.

into this sentence:

  b) Clare, working with me, is organising the London marathon this year.

If so, why?


texts: Is "imbedded" a valid spelling of the word "embedded"?

texts:
I have seen this used on our marketing materials:

  The technology imbedded in this solution will help improve productivity.

I was going to flag it as a spelling error, however Googling provided some references to it being a proper usage.

My instinct is that it is wrong however, can anyone shed any light?


texts: What is the word for the kind of thing that legal laws can apply to?

texts:
I know this question title is awkward, so let me explain by example:

  The word "law" means different things in different contexts. You have
  the "laws of natural science" (e.g. the law of energy conservation) versus the "laws of __" (e.g. shoplifting is against the law).

I have trouble filling in the blank. States? Nations? Jurisdictions? Am I on the right track at all by thinking about governmental jargon?


texts: What does "to take/catch someone off stride" mean in AE?

texts:
I guess it might originate from ball game terminology, and mean pretty much the same as "catch/take someone off balance". But, sad to say, I just can't seem to find an authoritative source online that cites this allegation as fact.
And so, I thought some of you might be familiar with this expression, and be able to tell me if it has any currency at all in AE today.
Consider the following sourced examples:

I hope you'll excuse me, but your question caught me off stride. source
What caught me off stride is that he contacted me by phone. source
I must admit your reference to a "White Replublican" took me off stride. source
Mr. Bush, forced onto the defensive by a controversy that seems to have caught him off-stride. source
I think it kinda caught him off stride a little. source
That caught her off stride and then she crackled: "Oh, I did, I did!" source


texts: Is there any difference in "doing / having / making a guest spot"?

texts:
Examples:

Jackson was a fan of the show and called creator Matt Groening one night offering to do a guest spot.

Who should have a guest spot on TV shows?

That guy will make a guest spot on our show tonight.


texts: Difference between “operator” and "statement" in programming

texts:
To describe the same language units in computer programs I came across words such as: "operator" and "statement". Also my dictionary gives these words as synonyms.

Question: what is the difference and what is better to use in programming? Or is it not important? Thanks in advance!


texts:
The dictionary definition of "hemline" is

The level of the lower edge of a garment such as a skirt, dress, or coat.

Which implies that yes hemlines can be applied to trousers, but I have never seen it used that way before. Apparently, neither has Google - if I search for trousers hemline the top results contain trousers and hem (but not hemline).
Can hemline be applied to trousers?


texts: Differentiate between "instant" and "at your convenience" messaging

texts:
Consider two cases of people sending messages to each other:

Case 1: Two people are online and both are free. They are doing nothing other than chatting with each other, so both of them are replying within a few seconds. After chatting for some time they go away for the whole day.

Case 2: Person 1 messaged Person 2. Routinely Person 2 checked his messages, saw a message from person 1, and then replied to it. And this process keeps repeating all day. So each other is replying after anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours of getting message, at his convenience.

How can I differentiate between these cases? How can I say I like case 1 instead of case 2? Are there some words that can I use instead of typing this long description?


texts: Is it rude to ask questions ending with 'or not'?

texts:
I'm not a native speaking English person.
I asked questions like this "You want a drink of water, or not?"
"You want to have a pizza, or not?'

Then I was criticized by a native English speaker who claimed these questions are rude. Are they?
And I was supposed to start them with "Do you...?".  Do I have to use "Do you" every time I ask a question?

Best regards,
P.