texts: What does the phrase “it’s like Groundhog Day every day” mean, and where does it originate?

texts:
Some background first: I was reading about the futility that has become the Cleveland Cavaliers’ NBA season after Lebron James’s departure in the newspaper of the Plains Dealer, when I came across this sentence quoting Antwan Jamison:

  “It’s like Groundhog Day every day,” Jamison admitted of their epic losing streak.

What does this mean? Yes, I’ve read up on and know what Groundhog Day literally is: a holiday that celebrates a quaint folk tradition of determining the seasons.  But I would have thought that a metaphor or an idiom involving the day would give an indeterminate or anticipatory impression, while Jamison’s construction here makes it seem like its usage is uniformly negative.

So I was wondering, does anyone know if there's something interesting in the history of this holiday that would explain this particular negative usage? How was the phrase coined?

I’d also be interested in knowing whether this is a common term in certain areas of the country, as I’ve never heard it before, and the demographics of the sort of people who use this phrase.


texts: “John Doe”, “Jane Doe” - Why are they used many times?

texts:
I posted a question ( https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/92215/john-doe-jane-doe-why-are-they-used-many-times ) and they told me to post that question here. So I'm doing it.

I received answer that John doe is used as anyonymous person (victim in most cases) as placeholder for name.

Is there reason why it's "John Doe"?


texts: I knew I would have died/ I knew I would die

texts:
I'm writing a story and my character is referring to the knowledge she always had that she would eventually die under the rain. Of course she's not dead at the moment of saying the sentence, but she may be about to die. She feels sure about dying, but she is actually not going to.

How should I phrase this sentence? and what rules do apply in this case?


texts:
Do you have any examples of nouns that are formed by adding -al to a verb?
I can think of one example (rental), but would like to have a few more. Thank you for your help!


texts: In this thread How does the phrase "used to" work, grammatically? the construct "used to" is discussed but there is no mention of its pronunciation.  Here (Canada) the "used" in this phrase is generally rendered "yoost", an exact rhyme with "roost", and I think that is pretty universal.  At first I thought that was simply a consequence of the phonemic context but that is certainly not the case because entirely similar phonemic situations might arise when those same words are (ahem) used to say something like "those words are used to indicate a certain tense", where the word would be rendered "yoozed".  As far as I can tell, it is the same word, being used in a different sense.  I suppose one simply has to get (ahem) used to it ...


texts:
Let's say I want to distribute written agenda this week to people who will attend a meeting scheduled the next week and I say:

  I circulate the agenda to the attendees of the meeting held next week
  I circulate the agenda to the attendance of the meeting held next week.

1) seems fine to me, but how about 2)?

For example, M-W dictionary defines this word as the persons attending.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/%20attendance

By this definition, it seems you can use the sentence 2), but you might find this a bit awkward (or maybe not). If so, I would like to know why it is.


texts: "to like the idea of being able to avoid having to understand something"

texts:
Consider this text:

  JavaScript contains weird parts and some people like the idea of being able
  to avoid having to understand those parts.

It contains the construct

  to like the idea of being able to avoid having to understand something

Is this construct grammatically correct? It seems fine to me but I'm not a native speaker so I can't tell for sure.

Also, does it sound weird? If yes, how would you say it instead?

Update:

I just noticed that I forgot to provide some context. Sorry about that.

So the idea is that there is this other programming language called "CoffeeScript". Some people choose to write in CoffeeScript instead of JavaScript because that means that they don't have to understand JavaScript and its weird parts. (CoffeeScript doesn't contain weird parts.)

So they like the idea of being able to avoid having to understand JavaScript by writing in CoffeeScript instead.


texts: What does the word "live"mean in this context?

texts:
I can't understand the exact meaning of the word "live" here. Does it refer to live perfomances, that means that Queen didn't use phonogram or it means "full of life, energy or activity"? http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/live

Queen is significant in the sense that they are one of the major bands that manage to bring a theatrical element to rock music in mainstream consciousness. Despite that, however, they never felt too cheesy or unnecessarily flashy. They were also consistent live and rarely ever messed up any of their performances musically.


texts:
I mostly have exposure to American English online. I am currently writing out a resume and need some help.

In Australia, in general, we write programme to mean a schedule or community programme. However with computer studies I'm inclined to write program to mean a computer program rather than the proverbial programme.

What is the correct spelling?


texts: Word to describe books that are "stories" rather than analytical?

texts:
Sometimes I get into conversations with teen cousins telling them I read books in my spare time. But I don't like reading "stories" with plots, but books about businessmen, investing, computer programming, self help etc.

I'm not sure what the right word is to delineate between these two formats. When these cousins tell me "you should read XYZ" I say "I don't like fiction" then their responses are "but it's not fiction, it's a true story" but what I mean is I don't like reading about cover-to-cover books with plots, characters and story arcs (for those of you that care, I have a reading disability similar to autism). Isn't there a word that explicitly encompasses all types of stories, true or otherwise?

The only word I can think of is "narrative" but that still seems a bit generic.


texts: Use of unencumbered in describing personality

texts:
I am looking for a word to use to describe a person who is, in a nutshell free from many of life's burdens most other people are subject to.  Someone not carrying a proverbial load, weight, baggage.  Someone unencumbered?  Unencumbered with financial worries, bills, emotional baggage, the Jones effect, opinion of others etc.

Is unencumbered a good word or is there a better one?


texts:
Would it be appropriate to refer to women as 'gentlewomen' instead of 'ladies,' when one uses the term 'gentlemen', in order to parallel or match the terms appropriately?

May I use the term 'gentlewomen' instead of 'ladies,' where 'gentlemen'is being used to refer to the men?


texts: Which is correct - 'did with the egg' or 'with the egg did'?

texts:
I'm writing a story, which takes place in a past. Can you tell me which option is correct?

When I was wondering what
1)did with the egg
2)with the egg did
someone pushed me.

I've chosen 1) but I'm not sure.


texts: Is it good to leave things out on the pitch?

texts:
Started re-watching The West Wing recently, and came across the phrase "leave it all out on the field":

  Everyone's walking around here like we're finished. We have 365 more days… For both of us, sir, this is our last game. Let's leave it all out on the field.

  — 365 Days (Season 6, Episode 12)

It stood out to me because it's a complete reversal of phrase I was used to — "leave nothing out on the pitch". Since then, I've seen both versions crop up in UK media coverage:

Coverage of Ireland's win over Italy in the European Championships:

  Ireland had been determined to leave nothing on the pitch, and they did not.

  — The Guardian

And then preview of the next game a few days later:

  “We’re going to leave it all out on the pitch and hopefully get that bit of luck to help us over the line.”

  — Daily Star (quoting Shane Long)

So how did we end up with two sporting metaphors meaning the same thing phrased as exact opposites? Is there originally a US-UK distinction in usage? And which one came first?


texts: In a database of artworks when the date that the artwork was made it not exactly known the term circa (ca.), active, late, or early are placed in front of a date.  Would you call these terms 'date qualifiers'?


texts: Is there a classification for adjectives that are hard to be used negatively?

texts:
I came across this interesting excerpt from the autobiography of the author of the Dynamic Programming method:

“[the word dynamic] has a very interesting property as an adjective, and that is it's impossible to use the word dynamic in a pejorative sense. [...] Thus, I thought dynamic programming was a good name. It was something not even a Congressman could object to.” - Richard Bellman

And I wondered if there is a linguistic way to formalize such concept and if I could find a small list of such adjectives.
I don't believe it's really impossible to use it in a pejorative sense: "the legislation on this topic is too dynamic". But it's a scenario that I had to search a subject that is specifically meant to not be dynamic, so the "pejorativeness" comes from the antithesis. Adjectives like "fast" and "strong" can still be used pejoratively on objects that are meant to be somewhat fast or strong, like a car going too fast or a pepper that is too strong.

EDIT: I guess something that is normally dynamic can be too dynamic too. "The variables in this chaotic system are too dynamic" or something like it. So maybe only affordance adjectives are really in this category?

I believe "agile" is another of such adjectives, and to use it negatively hard because it's about the ability to be quick. I wonder if such affordance adjectives are consistently positive adjectives.
Does this make sense as a definition?


texts:
Interestingly, only 38% of couples bother to get married these days.
  Interestingly enough, only 38% of couples bother to get married these days.

What is the difference between the meanings of 1 and 2? Does "enough" add more emphasis to the sentence? We can mention other examples: ironically vs. ironically enough; etc.


texts: Is there a word or term for always saying you're going to do something, but then not doing it?

texts: For example, my SO always talks about getting all of these tattoos, but then never does. Or, I talk about how I want to go on all of these world-travelling adventures, but then never do. Looking for more than "lacking follow-through."


texts: Difference btw "Meanwhile", "in the meanwhile", "meantime", "in the meantime"

texts:
I've gone through the dictionary definitions but I'm honestly still confused. Is there any distinction at all between them?
Can someone please use an example to explain the four words and how they differ, if they do differ?


texts: the meaning of a word from a TOEFL reading passage?

texts:
"While rock between two consistent strata might in one place be shale and in another sandstone, the fossils in that shale or sandstone were always the same."

I have trouble understanding the meaning of the word "consistent" here. Does it mean the two strata were firm and stuck together? Or does it mean the strata were the same ones in different places? Really need your help and thanks a lot!


texts: A word or a feeling that describes specifically when ONLY meeting new people?


texts:
When I write a research paper, I often use hyphenation in order to avoid ambiguity. For example, consider the phrase

  fractionally Pareto optimal allocation

A person who does not know these terms may read the phrase in at least two ways: "optimal allocation that are fractionally Pareto" or "allocations that are fractionally Pareto optimal".

Since the second meaning is correct, I write

  fractionally-Pareto-optimal allocation

But, I am then criticized by the language editor for using too many hyphens.

Is it common to use hyphens in such a way in order to avoid ambiguity? If not, how else can I void ambiguity?


texts:
The meaning of "in the offing" I guess is "something that is likely to happen in the (distant) future"

Is there any phrase that describes something that is likely to happen soon?


texts: Is there a word to describe the kind of sentence where one uses one's own point to prove one's point?

texts:
These sentences sound illogical.  Their arguments can fall to pieces easily.

  "God exists because The Bible says so, and The Bible is the word of God."
  "Whatever is less dense than water will float, because such objects won't sink in water.
  "If you don't believe me, ask Mary.  I vouch for her integrity."

Is there a word to describe such reasoning?


texts: Proper comma usage for multiple city/country pairs

texts:
I want to write a sentence with three city/county pairs.  I normally use a comma between a city/country like so:

  I live in Sydney, Australia.

But what is proper when describing three places?  I want to separate the city/country with a comma and then another comma between each pair, but it looks wrong.

  I have lived in Sydney, Australia, Tokyo, Japan and Paris, France.


texts: Is "there is no longer enough resources" correct?

texts:
Is "there is no longer enough natural resources to support economic growth" correct?

Should it be There are no longer enough natural resources as verb should agree with noun "resources" which is plural.


texts: Word for a "waypoint" but along a time dimension?

texts:
I want to be able to say 'After the process has begun, there are these time waypoints of 10 seconds, 30 seconds and 70 seconds from the start where I want this action to be performed.'

I suppose I could say milestones, or times. But I was rather hoping for something better than this. I can't use the term events because in the context I'm in that's already a reserved word.

There was another question I found already that was sort of like this, but I couldn't find the answer I wanted and it is now closed. Yet another question concerned a word for a time period, or interval, but I want a word for a marker from an absolute point in time (zero) rather than a relative distance.


texts: tenses: what's the difference between the following sentences

texts:
I am reading a novel named Thirteen Reasons Why. And there is a sentence (And that's when I realized how hard I had been crying) in a paragraph as follows:

When someone finally did answer, I sucked in the tears that wet my lips and told them that on the corner of Tanglewood and South...
  But she cut me off. She told me to calm down. And that's when I realized how hard I had been crying. How much I was struggling to catch one good breath.

So my question is: If I change the tense of the sentence "And that's when I realized how hard I had been crying" in this context to "And that's when I realized how hard I WAS crying," Will it make sense and what the difference between this two sentences?

Thank you very much for your time and help!


texts: What is meant by "obfuscate by pretending"?

texts:
I came accross the following sentence:

"Politicians obfuscate by pretending that the world would be the same if it weren't for the Cold War."

What is the meaning of obfuscate by pretending and how does it relate to the rest of the sentence?

The way I understood it: politicans are aware that the world would not be the same if it weren't for the Cold War, but are (due to unknown or suspected reasons) not willing to admit this and therefore pretend otherwise.


texts: "is" vs. "are" after a group of items grouped using "or"

texts:
Do not use X if A, B, or C is sufficient.
Do not use X if A, B, or C are sufficient.

X, A, B, and C are nouns. The reader have a choice to use A, B, or C (the exact choice depends on the external circumstances; e.g., use A if sunny, use B if rainy, use C if cloudy) or X. X is the all-purpose and very powerful solution. However, using X is overhead and generally it should be avoided.
Which sentence should I use?


texts: Is there a word that means - of or related to books?

texts:
I am expecting a word like bovine (of or related to cattle) and sartorial (relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress).
My intention is to to use it like:

Goodreads helps me to fulfil my ___ needs.
My _____ needs have not yet been met this month.


texts: Word for a command in a business-to-business transaction

texts:
Consider two companies already being in business; having some sort of contract. Now company A officially orders company B to do something. (E.g. destroy some documents, which company B stores for company A)

What is a good word for this command?

Command does not seem fitting in a business context. Request might be better, but feels a bit weak, because company B has to comply under the existing contract. Order—I feel—does mean something different in a business context (as opposed to in a military context). An order can be placed, e.g. and then some delivery of goods is expected, but maybe my own experience as a consumer is simply too narrow?

I would prefer one short word if possible. Usage in a sentence would be, e.g.:

  Your command has been submitted successfully.

Destruction order would be another possibility (though not as short as I would like). There I really can not say if it fits.


texts: got confused with the structure of this sentence

texts:
I've been reading this movie review.
Here is the link from the
NewYorker.
The part which confuses me is

This fact renders him essentially neutered in the presence of Tony and his family and friends, as if removing from the story any racist questions of menacing black male sexuality of the sort that are planted early in the tale and then never explored or challenged.

When the author writes "as if removing from"，what is removed from what？Does it mean "the story is removed from any racist questions"？
As to "……then never explored or challenged"，which part is the subject of those verbs？


texts: What is the most appropriate for formal usage "a day/per day/daily"?

texts:
I was thinking which of these three possibilities is the most appropriate for a formal letter?

E.g. when an employer want to say to his employee:

1) "You need to respond to at least 100 messages a day."

2) "You need to respond to at least 100 messages per day."

3) "You need to respond to at least 100 messages daily."

Which is the most appropriate and mostly used in formal letters?


texts: What's the difference between 'part of' and 'a part of '？

texts:
I usually see these sentences containing 'part of' or 'a part of' ,like

1.An apartment or compartment is part of a larger whole.

2.He spends at least a part of his time in reading.

What's the difference beween them, and how to use them in different conditions? Thanks a lot.


texts: what exactly does "useful fiction(s)" mean?

texts:
We used to use this phrase a fair amount in undergrad and I thought it was associated with some great thinker (like "thick description" / Geertz). But I don't think it is. What exactly does it mean? Maybe it just means what it says and has no technical / explicit meaning.
I / we used it in the context of an unvalidated fact that seemed to justify a policy or behavior but it was pretty vague (hence the question).
Correct Meaning / Origin
While the gist is inherent in the phrase, its meaning and origin is derived from Bertrand Russel's critique of Frege's theory of classes (search for useful fiction here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logicism )


texts:
What is the military term for fighting the enemy without permission?

'Insubordinate conduct' is the term given to disobeying orders but this is too general as it can mean failing to carry out an order to do something.

What I'm looking for is a term that has similar connotations as 'vigilantism' but in a military context. Similar connotations meaning trying to take affairs into one's own hands - but in this case in a military context.

I thought of militancy but that word is usually used to describe people who fight against their own authority / government - not against the common enemy ......


texts: Roaming and Coming in William Shakespeare's O Mistress Mine

texts:
William Shakespeare's O Mistress Mine, Feste's song from Twelfth Night, seems to have the rhyming scheme AABCCB. However, the first two lines are problematic for that scheme with modern pronunciation:
O Mistress mine, where are you roaming? / O, stay and hear! Your true love's coming,
How is roaming and coming supposed to be pronounced? I suppose the rhyme is intended there!? Recently recording a version I did, I sang with a pronunciation like roaming / "combing" (which may make the song a bit amusing). Should it be "roming" / coming instead? I note that others just ignore the rhyme altogether and sing with modern pronunciation, e.g., David McCoul's Roger Quilter version.


texts:
How do South Africans pronounce "apartheid"?  Is there a British/U.S. divide on this?  Does it depend on whether your primary language is Afrikaans or not -- or is that irrelevant?
Does the last syllable rhyme with "paid" or "side"?
I checked some dictionaries with "listen" buttons, but that didn't help me figure out what the authentic pronunciation is.  One of them specified one version as U.S. and one version as British, but the layout on the page made it confusing to figure out which was which.
I thought the S. African pronunciation was "paid," but then I heard a Trevor Noah interview on Fresh Air and he said "side."  (But maybe he was just adopting the prevalent U.S. pronunciation....)
On Edwin's suggestion, I listened to four versions at Oxford Learners:

UK: side

US: side

UK: paid

US: paid

(Here I'm just notating the vowel sound, not the final consonant, which I don't care about.)
Primary question: Why are there two versions, and which one is more authentically South African?
Secondary question 1: What factors, if any, of the language panorama of South Africa might have been involved in the derivation of these two variants?
Secondary question 2: Can I use the term "etymology" for pronunciation, or is it only for meanings?


texts: What is the difference in connotation between "relentless" and "ruthless?"

texts:
My understanding is that both words refer to a hard-charging "take no prisoners" approach to an issue.Relentless is defined as, "showing or promising no abatement of severity, activity, strength or pace," and ruthless as "having no pity."

My further understanding is that "relentless" is more "honorable" than "ruthless." Examples:

  In a "relentless" pursuit of her career, she stabbed people in the belly.
  In a "ruthless" pursuit of his career, he stabbed people in the back.

Is this the correct distinction? Are the words more similar than this? Or do I have the wrong connotation for one or both words?

Edit1: A commenter defined ruthless as "having no pity", and relentless was "showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace" or "oppressively constant; incessant" (respectively) using dictionary definitions. which corresponds with my own research. IMHO, the two definitions are synonymous. If that's not the case, I am genuinely confused. My understanding of the difference between the two is the "honorable" part cited in the previous paragraph. Is this, indeed, the case?

Edit2: In answer to the commenter's later comment, I believe that a person who is single-mindedly "relentless" also "shows no pity" (his definition of ruthless). That may be wrong of course, but that's part of the basis of my question.

Edit3: This source considers the two words synonyms.


texts: exchanging initial consonants: name that spooneristic practice

texts:
Recently I came across the expression "dain-bramaged".  I assume that there are other seemingly flippant instances of the exchange of initial consonants of words, but is there a general term for such a practice?

Edit:  Please note, this refers specifically to (a) initial consonants only, and not to whole syllables, and (b) intentional, not accidental or ignorant, exchange of consonants.

Second edit:  By popular (and quite reasonable) demand, I am emphasizing that, yes, these are spoonerims.  So what I'm looking for is a name for the paricular activity of deliberately creating a spoonerism by changing only initial consonants or consonant groups, and changing only that.


texts: "Scheduled to September" vs. "scheduled in September"

texts:
She is qualified to attend the test being scheduled [to/in] September.

Which is right?


texts: "Eye of the Needle" Joke in Supply-Side Jesus

texts:
"It is easier for a rich man to enter heaven seated comfortably on the back of a camel than it is for a poor man to pass through the eye of a needle," is a funny inversion of "Matthew 19:24" from Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them."

However, I'm wondering if there is an additional layer to the joke, as saying something is easier than doing something impossible (passing through the eye of the needle) says next to the nothing about the likelihood of the thing itself (a rich person passing into heaven). Is this meant to be a comment on double-speak and hucksterism, or am I just being thick?


texts: What are the grammatical phrases in this sentence?

texts:
I'm analyzing this sentence and scanning it for prepositional, appositive and verbal phrases. In the sentence so far as I can tell there is only one prepositional and no appositive and no verbals (infinitive, gerund, participial). However, a few things do confuse me.

  He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.

From what I can tell, the 'among creatures' is a prepositional phrase with 'among' being the preposition. No appositives, but I feel like a sentence like this with such an interesting structure should have more than just a single prepositional phrase.

Am I missing something here? What other phrases exist here?


texts: How to say this using catch-phrases: "Test A requires a lot of tissue samples, whereas test B doesn't."?

texts:
I am about to prepare a talk that would compare two tests in the medical field. The old test requires 5 different sites of the organ to be sampled in order to have a result. The other test (which is the newly proposed) requires only one and gives more meaningful results. If I were to say this in bullets how can I express this idea in short?  The nearest thing came to my mind is:

Test A is sample-demanding while test B is not.

OR

Test B is five times more tissue-sparing than test A.

I am not sure which one sounds correct, or is there any better way to say it?

Note:
I am surprised to find one of the answers disappearing. The answer that disappeared was the correct answer and I cannot accept any other answer unless the same one who disappeared comes back to accept his answer.


texts:
Is there really no word / phobia for a 'fear of becoming fat'?

All I can find are things like 'Pocrescophobia' and 'Obesophobia', which don't even show up in any dictionaries from what I can tell.

Do phobias normally not show up in dictionaries?


texts: Looking for a word that describes a way of thinking

texts:
I'm looking for 1 word preferably that sums up this ideology.

I believe that bad things that happen to you are not necessarily bad, in fact using the yin and yang theory or you can't have ups without downs and vice versa.

For example: being grateful that you grew up poor because you will appreciate your riches when you get them, or in extreme cases deaths of close relatives, even your parents, can be good because it can make you a stronger individual and more motivated to succeed for them.


texts:
What do coffee flights and six-seat bar mean in the following post?

The Orange County Register is now reporting that 39-year-old Duggan plans to open a slow bar adjacent to Portola, offering coffee flights and food pairings. “There are three other concepts like this that I know of in the country,” Duggan told the paper.
Here’s a description from Register reporter Nancy Luna:

Taking the craft coffee craze up a notch, Duggan plans to launch a “slow bar” called Theorem later this month. The six-seat slow service coffee bar, adjacent to Portola, will sell creative cocktails where coffee is the main component.

[emphasis added]

http://dailycoffeenews.com/2012/08/13/oc-coffee-company-portola-to-open-six-seat-slow-bar/


texts:
In the What If? post Yoda, the author writes:

  Yoda’s greatest display of raw power in the original trilogy came when he lifted Luke’s X-Wing from the swamp.

What does raw power mean? I cannot find any useful example of this phrase in Google. I think it's similar to potential energy in physics context, but I'm not sure about that.

According to Macmillan Dictionary a raw emotion or quality is strong and natural, but not controlled or developed. So I think the same can be applied to power. However, Yoda is known to be a master, so his power cannot be uncontrolled or undeveloped, though I admit that I haven't watched the whole series.


texts:
The clip-clopping of the businessman's footsteps against the linoleum floor echoed down the hallway.

Is there a better word I can substitute for "clip-clopping" here?


texts: "count noun" or "non-count noun" -- how to know the difference?

texts:
The book English Grammar: Understanding The Basics makes the following declaration:

  If you can use many with a noun (when it is pluralized), it’s a count
  noun. If you can use much with a noun, it’s a noncount noun.

and elsewhere, it says:

  If you can use fewer with a noun (when it is pluralized), it’s a count noun. If you can use less with a noun, it’s a noncount noun.

Consider this example: "I have less high schools in my area than in your area." According to the grammar rules above, high schools is a noncount noun but, far as I know, it is a count noun.


texts:
I saw a movie, and a character called her mom "a raging bitch" while writing an email.
How bad is the swear word "bitch"? Is it even okay to call your mom "bitch"..?


texts:
What is the adverb form of event? As an example:

Aggregate these pictures by their semantics: aggregate semantically.
Aggregate these pictures by the events they may belong to: aggregate ________.

What word or phrase can fill in the blank?
EDIT: To provide some context: By event I mean by instance of birthday party/political rally/sports event/tech conference etc. in a large, unstructured collection of photos belonging to one of these.


texts: Where does "If I can do it, you can do it!" come from?

texts:
I first heard this in "Don King's Prizefighter for Wii", where he says, if I'm transcribing correctly:

  If I can do it, you can do it!

  The heart would say, in America anybody can do it!

Trying to Google this first sentence I'm getting so many hits that I've no idea where to start looking.

My native language is German, and the corresponding translation of this sentence is rarely used in German. And when I find it used in German, it might well have been translated from English.

So I'm curious whether it might come from a single source?


texts:
I am looking for a word that can replace idioms like daily or monthly, but has the same meaning, and it's generic.

By example, if I want to describe my pocket money, I can say I have a daily amount, or a monthly amount of money.

But how I can say I have a "Time span" amount of money, in a way that sounds intuitive?

Another example: Daily counter, hourly counter -> replaced by a "generic time-based" counter


texts:
I have the sentence:

  The figure grew steadily since its six-month ___________.

So I'm looking for a word to complete the thought, given that this statistic/figure has been in existence for six months. I had thought of "inception" or "half-life" but these choices seemed to be kind of stretching it.

Question

What is an appropriate word choice for my example sentence? Need to sound formal/professional, but not necessarily high-syllable.


texts: What's the meaning of 'sorry lot' in Albert Einstein's quote?

texts:
I just came across this quote by Albert Einstein when I was leafing through the book 'Super Cooperators: Altruism, Evolution, and Why We Need Each Other To Succeed':

  If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for
  reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed

What does 'sorry lot' mean here?

I'm thinking sorry might mean pathetic/sad/loser and lot means group. Am I right?


texts: Singular or plural for multiple subjects?

texts:
Which is more correct to say:

Five and four are eight
Five and four is eight

My Logic teacher has sent this to us to figure out.  What is written above is all the information we were given.  I know that in terms of math neither is correct.

I have tried to disregard that the words are numbers and think about in in a different way.  I do not know the rules for the correct use of are and is in the English language.  If you can help that would be great.


texts: Is there a difference between `moist` and `moisty`?

texts: Could the extra y appended to "moist" result in an adjective with a significantly different meaning?


texts:
I'm building a platform where people can store and manage their physical music collection, like vinyl records, cd's and so on (it's called www.melodystack.com for whoever might be interested, it's not finished yet though).

People can keep track of how many times they played their albums (like here: https://gyazo.com/f62fa72b50f7d7eae229cf878b4bf7d9).

However, I tried to find the right word for this, like "views" with Youtube videos. As English not being  my primary language, I couldn't find the right word. I used "turn", but everybody who uses the system asks me "What does turn mean/do?" and when I ask them for a better word they don't know either. What would be a better word to use rather than "turn"?


texts: Does “The father regretted to tell his children something embarrassing” make sense?

texts:
I came across this question in a test:

  The father regretted _____ his children how he regretted _____ hard when he was young.
  A. to tell; not to study
  B. telling; not studying
  C. to tell; not studying
  D. telling; not to study

I know it’s either B or C and I’m inclined towards B. But can “regretted to tell” mean telling something embarrassing here?


texts:
Here, I want the word that denotes a cut in a packet of a shampoo. The cut doesn't necessarily be made by those who purchase such shampoos, but by the manufacturers of a particular company. Such cuts are made in packets of shampoos, so that the people who purchase can easily tear them for the use, without even the need of any scissors.

I don't think that the word "cut" would work here, as it usually denotes making an opening, incision, or wound in (something) with a sharp-edged tool or object.

  In this image, you can see a [cut] on the upper right side of the packet.


texts: A word for a complex problem that needs to be approached form different angles at the same time

texts:
For example:

There is a problem A.
To solve A x, y and z are needed.
But you can't have x without y, the lack of y is problematic for z, without which x is impossible.

Looking for a word that would describe this and would be more colorful than 'complex'.

Thank you!


texts: "Thousand Dollars Worth" or "Thousand Dollars' Worth". Is this a Possessive?

texts:
I was writing the following sentence:

  Five thousand dollars worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.

Apart from the other questionable syntax in this over-stylized sentence, what occurred to me, courtesy of Microsoft auto correct, was that "thousand dollars" may need to be in possessive form, though it's not immediately occurring to me why this would be. So which is correct:

  Five thousand dollars worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.

or

  Five thousand dollars' worth of equipment does not a professional photographer make.


texts:
Which one is correct to say:

I'm sorry for disturbing.
I'm sorry for the disturbance", and why?

Is it mandatory to use gerund after prepositions or we can use it in its original noun form?

Thank you in advance.


texts: Differentiating comma/period use in mid-dialogue

texts:
Best shown by example:

(From Haruki Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle)

"But I still felt bad," she went on. "So I dragged myself all the way to your house later--like an idiot.
"Don't worry," I said, "she's not cuckoo. Different people have different tastes."

Now you see how in (1), the line is interrupted by "she went on", which is delineated by a period and the dialogue continues with a capitalization. And in (2), "I said" is concluded with a comma, and the dialogue continues with no capitalization. I can't understand the difference. Is there a rule regarding this, or is it a stylistic choice depending how you want the sentence to sound in the reader's head?

It isn't as simple as 'in the first example, "But I still felt bad" is a complete sentence, whereas in the second example "Don't worry" is only the beginning of a longer sentence.'

The reason I say it is not that simple is that both examples could have been either one sentence or two. "Don't worry" could easily be its own sentence, just as "But I still felt bad" could be the comma'd opening clause of a longer sentence.

So does that make it a stylistic choice?


texts: What is an English word for a regular alcohol drinking after work? What is an English word for an alcoholic who drinks after work?


texts: Should not there be "anything" instead of "nothing" in this sentence?

texts:
I read this in "Word by Word" by Kory Samper:

  You toil onward with steady plodding, losing yourself to everything but the goal of capturing and documenting this language. Up is down, bad is good and the smallest words will be your downfall. You'd rather do nothing else.

What is the last highlighted part supposed to mean? Is there any pun intended? And shouldn't there be "anything" instead of "nothing" which would imply that you are so tired of the work that you'd anything except that?


texts: "I like it a tick better" - proper English?

texts:
There's a German expression, "einen Tick besser", which means "just a little bit better".

Does that same expression exist in English? I just wrote this comment on a Stack Overflow question:

  I like his solution a tick better since it avoids any nesting.

Is that proper English or does it sound weird?


texts: "I feel myself unhappy" vs "I feel unhappy"

texts:
I feel myself unhappy.

The above sentence strikes me as somewhat peculiar.

What is the difference between "I feel myself unhappy" and "I feel unhappy"?


texts: Can code be 'factored'? Is this the correct word?

texts:
Within software development 'refactoring' is a common term.  I am reviewing a document containing the phrase "How much code change it requires will depend on how well the code is factored."

Is the use of the term factored valid here? I would have though it should be something like structured.


texts: Does the word "ragbag" have strong negative connotations?

texts:
I'm not a native speaker. I've checked with urbandictionary site which showed a few quite negative interpretations. But I also saw several (relatively)neutral usages which seemed to me absolutely appropriate for even formal contexts. What do you think?

I mean, from what I see, it always has at least some minor negative connotation, sure. Question is how strong those connotations usually are? When applied to an object or a thing, is this just a synonym to "mishmash" or is it something worse? (again, not a native speaker)

Some decent examples that I've seen on the wordhippo:

  This wasn't a ragbag of promises and emollient phrases designed to patch up a political problem, as some previous ones have been.

or

  This is a ragbag of delights and compromises, as all such compilations are.

But I rather not paste here examples from urbandictionary :)


texts: English tools for non-English-speaking people

texts:
Could you recommend your reference English tools useful to improve your English every day?

I constantly use:

Wordreference for translations
Google with double quotes to test if my sentences are kinda correct
Howjsay for English pronunciation


texts:
What is the meaning and function of the word "of" in the following sentence:

  The Americans of all nations at any time upon the earth have probably
  the fullest poetical nature.

I think it is very stylistic, and here I am not sure what the writer means. Does he mean the Americans "among" all nations?


texts: Is it normal to use "yes" begin a negative answer?

texts:
Multiple times I've read dialogs like this example:

— This conjecture hasn't been proved.
— Yes it has been proved in 2003.

This seems odd to me: the answerer first says "yes", but proceeds to contradict his own beginning. I'd suppose the answer should rather have been something like "No, it has been proved in 2003.", meaning "You're wrong, it has been proved in 2003."
Is it actually normal usage of "yes" in English?


texts: Origin of “I’ve heard of [x] but this is ridiculous!”

texts:
I heard this on a David Frost show from the 60s. It’s got me wondering who was the first comedian to use this joke form.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ButThisIsRidiculous


texts: "Is someone covering/going to cover this event?"

texts:
Which one of the following is better or more correct?

  Is someone covering this event?

  Is someone going to cover this event?


texts: I'm looking for a single word, kind of like loneliness, but without the negative/saddening meaning for describing the act of being alone but preferring it, doing it by a conscious choice.


texts: "proficient " What is the correct usage?

texts: Which preposition is correct in the phrase "proficient in/at/with English"?


texts: Is there any rhyme or reason to why we pronounce -on endings in two different ways?  Sometimes -on sounds like a short o as in marathon, hexagon, and neutron.  But more often, the o sounds like a schwa as in carbon, watermelon, and abandon.  Is it just a matter of what language the word was derived from?


texts: What does "white knight" mean in this context?

texts:
The term "white knight" has been well documented in places such as Wikipedia or various online dictionaries. But none of those definitions seem to encapsulate the meaning from this quote:

[White knights] are renowned for beating around the bush and not saying what they actually think instead they cover their real thoughts with stupid compliments. [White knights] also notice things that your typical man would not (see below)
Typical white knightish sentence to a girl: You look fantastic did you get your hair done?
Typical non white knightish sentence to a girl: I'm hungry/horny

The above portion has a handful of various grammatical oddities but their use of White Knight does not fit the definition from the dictionary:

white knight —

a hero who comes to the rescue.

a beleaguered champion who fights for a cause.

a company that comes to the rescue of another, as to prevent a takeover.

What does noticing new hairdos have to do with rescuing people?


texts: Term for the kind of tools that haven't significantly changed over history

texts:
I’m looking for a term for the kind of tools
that haven’t significantly changed over history.
These kind of items first uses usually date from humanity's early days, haven't changed much in form or function across the times and are still widely used.

It may be used in this way:

  Needles are an example of a _______ tool.

Note: If I recall correctly, the age of the item isn't the point, and the unchanging characteristic (or little change across large periods) of the objects is far more important in the definition of this word.

Like spoons that have preserved its basic shape and function for milennia even if they are ergonomic now and the materials they are built with aren't the rocks in your yard any more.

I heard the word in a history class something like 12 years ago,
so my definition may be a bit off.


texts:
What's the difference between these two questions:

  Why they chose football?

and

  Why did they choose football?


texts: Grammar: Participle clause after preposition

texts:
I have been studying the book named Grammar and Vocabulary for Advanced by Martin Hewings and Simon Haines. There is a exercise sentence like this "With the wind reaching hurricane force, ships have been advised to head for land."
As I cannot rewrite the sentence, I'm confused. Could you rewrite the sentence above and clarify it for me please?
Thank you!


texts: Origin of “ish kabibble” as an interjection i.e. 'What, me worry?'

texts:
In New York in the mid-70s, my ethnic German bride-to-be  introduced me to an expression :

“ish kabibble”

At the moment, I thought it kind of catchy, and have used it ever since in milder WTF  moments. It seemed to imply...

"No way! That affects me how?

Easy to find on Wikipedia, GoogleBooks, and Ngrams, but not much help.
Wikipedia suggests that it comes from a “mock” Yiddish   expression coined  by Merwyn Brogue, who adopted the stage name after a song he composed.
Ngrams indicates that the expression originated in a novelty song, but by that time it was already associated with

What? Me worry?

The origin of Merwyn Bogue's stage name, Ish Kabibble, can be traced back to the 1913 novelty song "Isch ga-bibble" and this 1915 cartoon postcard, which displays a spelling (Ish Ka Bibble) almost identical to that used by Bogue. Between the song and the card, in 1914, Harry Hershfield introduced his character Abie Kabibble in his comic strip Abie the Agent.

It is possible that Bogue (b. 1908) grew up hearing the song, but is that all? Where did he hear it, and was it already an established phrase?


texts:
The Longman Pronunciation Dictionary and OED accept /n/ as a secondary pronunciation /ˈdæmnɪŋ/ for the form damning (unlike for, say, condemning).
Is the latter used for the adjective, similarly to the appearance of /n/ in say damnable?


texts: Tuques and dialects - What do you call a knitted cap in your region/dialect?

texts:
In Canadian English the word tuque refers to a knitted cap for use in cold weather.

I'd like to know what such an item is commonly called in other dialects and regions since most people are utterly bamboozled when I say "tuque". So sound off and tell me what you call this!


texts: What is the difference between "rotation around / along" an axis?

texts:
Is there any difference between the expressions:

rotate the vector around an axis
rotate the vector along an axis ?

Hint: The context is a sphere with vectors located on it, each originating in the the centre of the sphere.

Thanks.


texts: What is the etymology of the term "Cockpit"?

texts:
I have always been intrigued by the word cockpit and have wondered where it originated.

I have heard that it originated in the times of cock fights; is this true? If it is, how did the word evolve from having its original cockfighting meaning to being the name for the portion of an airplane or vehicle where the pilot and copilot sit?


texts: Do I need a comma before "particularly"?

texts:
Do I need a comma before "particularly" in the case below? Thank you very much for your help!

  Vitamin D has properties against metabolic, neoplastic, and immune disorders particularly breast cancer, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.


texts:
I have seen this sentence on the NYTimes, My Grandmother’s Favorite Scammer.

But this shallow perspective on aging infantilizes the elderly and neglects to preserve their dignity. They are people who have “consumed more salt than we have of rice,” as the saying goes. They deserve better.

Is there a grammar mistake in the sentence that "consumed more salt than we have of rice"?


texts:
Is it correct to say "This verb cannot be used in this sentence. You can look it up in some dictionary"

I'm interested in "dictionary", should we say "dictionary"or "dictionaries" since we have "some" before it?

Thanks


texts: North American joke: “What do you call Halloween boner?'”

texts:
I searched everywhere to find out what this joke means:

  "What do you call a Halloween boner?"
  "Petrified wood!"

Wood is probably slang for boner. Maybe erectile dysfunction, but I still don't understand anything here.

English is not my mother tongue.


texts:
I was alone.
  I have been alone.

Does the second sentence  mean that my being "alone" has stopped now, and I am not alone in the present moment?

What is semantic difference between them? I know one is simple past and latter is present perfect. I think it has to do something with time.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  A special use of “should”?

I have received an email which was starting wih this:

  Should you have any questions, please call at this number...

So could somebody explain the grammar form of "should" here and why it is preferred over "if".


texts: Is the word 'unpack' a valid grammatical term?

texts:
I have seen the word 'unpack' used to describe the analysing of syntax and semantic expressions.
The OED does not list this usage of the word 'unpack'.
Is this a valid technical term in the examination of language ?
If so, what exactly should it convey and when was it first used in this sense ?


texts: How to differentiate between 'loose' and 'lose'

texts:
Does anyone have a good way of remembering when to choose lose instead of loose?

I often find myself mistakenly using loose in emails and such when I really mean lose (which, in my mind, should be pronounced loss).


texts: Should the first word after a dash used as self-interruption be capitalized?

texts:
When writing dialogue, a dash can be used to denote interruption.  For example:

“Hello, can I ask you about—”
“No.”

If a character is interrupting themself, should the first word of the interruption be capitalized?  In other words, should the word oh be capitalized in the following quote?

“Have you seen — oh my God, you’re him!”


texts: Correct word for area inside and outside a property?

texts:
My native language is Swedish. And I work as a webdeveloper. And at the moment I am working on a real estate website written in English.

A word that describes the area inside a property. For this I think the word "Living Area" is best (but please correct me if I am wrong). But what about a word that descibes the total area outside of the property (like, garden etc etc)?

Edit: I am looking for the word in US-EN.


texts:
I think both are correct but is that true and what is the difference between them (if there is any)?

This is an example where you can see that...
This is an example in which you can see that...

or in a question

Can you give an example where A is the opposite to B?
Can you give an example in which A is the opposite to B?


texts: Why is it ‘a thousand and one’ when government employees ask questions on possible government shutdown?

texts:
In today’s Washington Post article titled “For federal workers, anxiety over a possible shutdown", I found a strange quote of number—‘a thousand and one questions.’ I understand it’s simply an exaggerated form of ‘a lot of questions.’

However, I’m curious to know why it is 1,001, not ‘hundreds’ or ‘numerous’ or even in round number? Is it simply a trope? Is ‘big number plus one’ well-accepted usage? Can I say ‘a hundred and one’ or ‘ten thousands one question’ when I have many questions?

The number, ‘a thousand and one’, is quoted in the following sentence:

  The government could shut down in a week if Congress can’t reach a budget deal. And the Obama administration hasn’t told workers what a shutdown would look like — who will be asked to come to work and who will be told to stay home. Rank-and-file federal workers have a thousand and one questions. Kane, Energy’s human resources chief, is fielding many of them.


texts: How do you indicate an endless repetition?

texts:
Observe the following sentence:

  "What stops a murderer from killing another innocent soul, and then another, and then another, etc.?"

Perhaps a better way of articulating this is with an ellipses?

  "What stops a murderer from killing another innocent soul (and then another, and then another...)?"

"Et cetera" is used to express "and other things", or "and so forth". This meaning is not exactly what is trying to be evoked in the above example. The meaning needed is closer to "and more of the same thing" rather than "and other similar things." "Et al." is similar to "et cetera" and thus also inappropriate.

Is there a better way of expressing a theoretical relentless repetition of something, besides using "et cetera" or an ellipses?

Please feel free to re-phrase the above example to better communicate this idea.


texts: How to correctly name these percentages?

texts:
I've been researching some stuff about a certain game's probability systems and there are many cases when.... I can't really put it into words, so here's an example:

  15% + 60% = 75%

15% is the base percentage, and it is often called so in the description text. The 60% in its own context is also called a percentage (but never with the base word). And the formula for the total chance is:

  Resulting Percentage = (Base + X) * Multiplier

Without X being explicitly called anything comprehensible.

What should the X thing be called?


texts:
I'll be placing a short introduction on a web site and the introduction includes a sentence similar to this:

  I'm – among many other things – a hobbyist coder.

I'm unsure about the position of "among many other things". Other scenarios I can think of

  Among many other things, I'm a hobbyist coder.

  I'm a hobbyist coder, among many other things.

Which one should I be using? Or is there a better way to put it?

"Many" in "among many other things" is optional.


texts:
The business was registered officially.
or
The business was officially registered.

Where to place the word 'officially'?


texts: What does this sentence mean? (Context: S. Fitzgerald's novel Tender is the Night)

texts:
The following is from S. Fitzgerald's novel Tender is the Night:

  No friendship worth the name was ever destroyed in an hour without some painful flesh being torn -- so Franz let himself believe with ever-increasing conviction that Dick traveled intellectually and emotionally at such a rate of speed that the vibrations jarred him -- this was a contrast that had previously been considered a virtue in their relationship. So, for the shoddiness of needs, are shoes made out of last year's hide. Yet it was May before Franz found an opportunity to insert the first wedge.

What does the italicized sentence mean?


texts: How to describe a "noise" which is intentional and not annoying?

texts:
The word "noise" inherently has a negative meaning: an uncertainty in measurements, or an assortment of annoying background sounds.

What word or term can be used when a "noise" is intentionally produced, for example, the running of an engine, the sounds of a marketplace, or the sound of the wind and birds, etc. to provide a specific mood.


texts: What is the make or break difference between "version" and "variant?"

texts:
Consider a car.

I was thinking that we say "this car is variant of model-x" at times.

Then we also say "this car is a different version of model-x."

How do I tell why "version" or "variant" were used where they were?

Instinctively, I think "variant" at most should mean a color change, different leather or added alloys whereas "version"  should mean like a higher capacity engine, carbon fibre roof or facelift.

So too much variation may be called a different version. Help me out.


texts:
Today in my mathematics class my lecturer used a phrase I am very familiar with, and I suspect many others may be familiar with too.  However, when thinking about how one would write a particular word in this phrase I became perplexed, and am wondering if anyone else knows how to write it.

The phrase is:

"We'll do the final few steps in a one-ner."

The final word is written as it is pronounced.  Are others familiar with this word, and does anyone know how it would be written? I doubt it's in the dictionary (I've checked under multiple potential spellings), but it seems to be a common word (I am Scottish, so perhaps this is a regional question).


texts: What are meant by “August pick, October pick, and January pick” in the Presidential running mate selection?

texts:
There were words, ‘August pick, October pick, and January pick” in the article titled
“Biden’s Brief - Obama picked his running-mate to help him govern,” appearing in New Yorker magazine October 20 issue. The article deals with the character and political records of Joe Biden who made a name in the recent vice presidential debate by making for President Obama’s lethargic representation in the preceding presidential debate.

The words appear in the following statement:

  In 2004, when John Kerry was conducting his search for a running mate,
  he divided his options into three groups, based on the electoral
  calendar. “Kerry said you can pick either a Mr. August, a Mr.
  October, or a Mr. January,” David Wade, who was Kerry’s press
  secretary at the time and is now serving in that role for Biden, told
  me. “In a perfect world, you have someone who is all three.”

  By Kerry’s logic, Sarah Palin, the Alaska governor, whom John McCain
  named as his running mate, was an August pick. An October pick
  tends to be political—someone with strong, even strident campaign
  skills, Kerry’s choice—John Edwards—may have fallen into that
  category.”

As I’m totally ignorant of political affairs in U.S., I have no idea about what August, October, and January pick mean, though I understand Mr. August, Mr. October, and Mr. January mean respectively those who are picked up as the presidential running-mate according to the political calendar.

Are they political jargons, or just an application of greengrocery terms? What do they mean?


texts: Which verb describes the most hate for something/someone?

texts:
I'm curious to know which word describes the most (maximum or most extreme) hate for something. For example let's say I really hate the educational system or american politics.

I can say:

I hate the educational system.
I detest the educational system.
I loathe the educational system.

So, which verb describes the most hate for something?


texts: What word or phrase describes pulling a fish out of water?

texts: What would be the fishing word or phrase that describes pulling a fish out of water?


texts: "I need him to get washed" — what is wrong?

texts:
I said that sentence, implying that a small boy from the next door is kinda stinky. But now I do not know if it is correct to say that.

  I need him to get washed.

Google 0 hits.


texts: What's the most accurate term for phrases such as "storm in a teacup" and "making mountains out of molehills"?

texts:
Are phrases such as "storm in a teacup" and "making mountains out of molehills" best described by one of these terms:

anecdote
proverb
saying
expression
metaphor

If not, which term is the right term? If more than one term applies (I know expression and saying are pretty general), which is the narrowest term that covers them?


texts: A Question on Shakespeare's use of conditionals

texts:
The following is a big question, but I am really confused by the use of conditional in this Shakespearean excerpt.

From The Taming of the Shrew, Act I, Scene I:

  142   I am agreed; and would I had given him the best

  143 horse in Padua to begin his wooing that would

  144   thoroughly woo her, wed her and bed her and rid the

  145   house of her!

Can someone help me parse out this conditional sentence? It seems that the modern English equivalent would be "I would give the best horse to him who could woo her if I found this chosen man who can do so successfully."

If my reading is correct, here is my doubt: Shakespeare uses
A) would I had given as if he means it as the dependent clause whereas we, in MoE, usually change the word order this way in the dependent clause, as in: "Had I known of the matter, I . . ." Is there something I don't understand?

B) Since the time reference is the future, why would . . . had in the first place? Shouldn't it be "I would"?

D) would . . . had? Was this an 16th century equivalent to would . . . have?


texts: What is a word for the following manner?

texts: What do you call someone who excessively swears?


texts:
It seems to me that ‘cupboard’ in the 21st century is usually a closet or cabinet; a piece of furniture usually with shelves for storing food, crockery, and utensils. But early in the 20th century, ‘cupboard’ was in most cases a recess with a door and shelves for storage of not only of cups and saucers, but also daily things such as a small chair. Now isn’t this called a ‘storage room’?
If I am right in my definition of this word, in what decades of the 20th century did this change or transition of lexical meaning occurred?
I was much surprised to find the unfamiliar usage of 'cupboard' in these stage directions, which are from Belinda, a play written by A. A. Milne in 1922.

(Takes up a vase from a chair in cupboard arid shakes it as if draining it.)
Baxter (meeting Belinda coming out of the cupboard)
Belinda (bundling him into the cupboard and closing the door). Hush.


texts: Are there any particular words to describe gates like theses ones?


texts: A Single Word for "Finding or Knowledge of Vulnerability or Weakness / Finding the Weak Spot"

texts:
Looking for a word that would describe an individual's ability to find a weak spot in someone or a system, like one would find a weak spot in a knight's armor or an animal's hide.

For an example sentence, "In a demonstration of ______, the native Americans knew where to strike the bison with their arrows where even bullets could fail to bring the beast down."

I can't seem to find a word that quite describes such a trait after some searches online.


texts: the comparative ... , the comparative ... and predication

texts:
I know people have asked about the correlative comparative construction, but none of the previous posts concerns its specific analysis.
How would you analyze the boldfaced part of #2 below?

The more you buy, the greater the discounts you receive.

The more you buy, the greater discounts you receive.

In #1, "greater" stands in a predicative relation to "the discounts you receive"; it's paraphrasable as "The discounts you receive are (the) greater the more you buy.
The copular verb "are" can be treated as omitted in #1.
Does the same predicative relation hold in #2? What about an alternative analysis whereby "greater discounts" stands in a verb-object relation to "receive"? In this connection, consider #3:

The longer you work, the more money you earn.

Which kind of relation holds in #3? A predicative or verb-object relation?


texts:
It is acceptable to use "responsible" as a noun?

For example, "He urged the responsibles to take action" (the responsible people/employees)

The dictionaries I consulted don't list responsible as noun but I occsionally see it used this way. It's also convenient when space is limited. But maybe it is confusing to some people.


texts: What is the difference between "no different" and ''not different"

texts:
What is the difference between the two following phrase

I'm no different than any of you

I'm not different than any of you


texts: Correct term for a person working two jobs secretly

texts:
I'm trying to establish what it would be called when a person works two or more jobs in secret.  What is the word for what the person is doing?

EG: John's main employer found out that he is ______ for other companies on his off-time.  He is now in serious trouble.


texts: 'to dither' as synonym for 'to hesitate'?

texts:
The verb to dither means to hesitate about what to do because you are unable to decide

The verb to hesitate means to be slow to speak or act because you feel uncertain or nervous

The usage of to dither in comparision to to hesitate is very seldom.

Moreover looking up to dither with google search, give this results:

sense of weakness
not in control of the hesitation
pejorative

It seems to me as it is colloquial and informal.

In my understanding, the verb to dither emphasizes the inability to decide, whereas to hesitate just emphasizes a break to think about it.

Is it correct, that to dither is informal and colloquial?
When I want to emphasize the inability, do I use

to dither
to hesitate

or another synonym? Which one is the best?


texts: Do I use 'do' or 'does' in this sentence: 'How do the imagery and/or metaphors used evoke suggestion?'

texts: I'm not sure which verb to use in this sentence - do or does? Your thoughts appreciated! I think the  problem is that the verb refers to a singular and plural noun.


texts: "Whom" or "who" and replies to such questions

texts:
Which is the most natural way to ask the question below? Are the replies correct? (Words in parentheses show that they are optional.)

  Whose are these notebooks? - (Of) our students./These notebooks are of
  our students./These notebooks belong to our students./These are the
  notebooks of our students.

  Whom do these notebooks belong to? - (To) our students.

  To whom do these notebooks belong? - (To) our students.

  Who do the notebooks belong to? - (To) our students.

As far as I know, to whom is a very formal expression. What about the rest?

What about the following question? Is to optional in the three replies?

  To whom are you talking? - (To) our students.

  Whom are you talking to? - (To) our students.

  Who are you talking to? - (To) our students.


texts: What do you call those little explosions you see in barbecues and bonfires?

texts: I'm not talking about the one caused by grease, but the one that occurs spontaneously. A little puff that sends thousands of sparks around.


texts: What is the the origin of the expression "chop chop"?

texts:
The phrase, as I have always heard it, is used to direct someone toward completing a task quickly, or with urgency.

  "Go get that object from over there, chop chop."

Have been looking for an answer to this question for years, hoping someone here has some insight.


texts: Word for stealing someone's business by competition

texts:
For example, if you have a barbershop, and I start giving away free haircuts, you are going to be peeved. Not just dumping, but a sense of "Hey, that's my job!" Or if I would feel I have the right to do business in a location and you horn in on my good hunting grounds.

Sample sentence:
Sanctioned suicide supporter asks "HOW IS MY ATTEMPT TO KILL MYSELF ANYBODY’S BUSINESS?" and wiseacre responds "You see, killing is my business. You're xxxing my yyy."


texts: Capitalization in "the University has 1000s of students. "

texts:
The University of London is huge. The University/university has 1000s of students.

Is it correct to leave out the capital u in the second sentence?


texts:
For example, in the sentence

  I went to town and did some shopping.

Can we safely assume this means I went to town in order to do some shopping?

In other words, did the person go to town in order to go shopping or is that unknown?


texts:
Please help. What part of speech is "last" in the sentence:

She was last across the finish line.

Thank you!


texts: Is "pejorative" used correctly in "no pejorative bone in his body"?

texts:
He doesn't have a pejorative bone in his body.

This is meant to describe a timid, non-confrontational person. Is pejorative being used correctly here, in a figurative sense?


texts: What is the commonly accepted pronunciation of FAQ?

texts:
I hear FAQ(s) pronounced like a word in "FACK(s)", while I go letter by letter. In usage, what is more common?

(Similar to SQL vs Sequel)


texts: The phrase "be opposed to something" has the same meaning of "oppose something". How can it be possible?

texts: The phrase oppose something means "to disagree with something and try to prevent it from happening", which makes me think X is opposed means X is what someone disagrees with and tries to prevent from happening. But be opposed to something has the same meaning as oppose something. How can it be possible?


texts:
I bought a globe that can turn and has a small lamp inside. Whenever that lamp is on you can see the state borders on the globe, when that inner light is off, you can only see the continents without country names and borders.

There are three buttons on the globe's stand:

Button 1: If you push on this button, the globe will start turning;

Button 2: If you push on this one, the globe will stop turning;

Button 3: Pressing this button will turn on/off the lamp (=light) inside the globe;

Here is the question:

Which captions in English would you choose for each one of those three buttons?


texts: Meaning of "I think so" or "I guess so" in answer to "Don't you think..."

texts:
When I asked someone,

  "Don't you think he is nice?"

and the person answered

  "I think so" (or "I guess so")

did the person mean "I think he is nice" or "I don't think he is nice"?

Thank you!!


texts:
I'm writing an essay for college applications in which I have to create a class. My idea is a class about the origin, change, and regional dialects of the English language. As an example, one would study how in America, one would say "microwave", one would say "nuke." Watch "Regional Dialect Challenge" on YouTube for more examples what the course would offer.

I have several questions:

"The Etymology of Colloquialism" — is this a proper name for the class? Or should it be more along the lines of "Etymology and Colloquialism"?
The Wikipedia/dictionary definitions of words are often over-complicated understandings. For clarification, are these the correct definitions:

Etymology: the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history. ('gay' meant happy, then changed to describe homosexuals)

Colloquialism: a word or phrase that is used mostly in informal speech : a colloquial expression (regonal dialects? or words used in informal speech [bunny, kitty, a "hang-up"])

If any advice, clarification, or alterations to my thoughts could be made, it would be greatly appreciated!


texts: When is it proper to abbreviate first to 1st?

texts:
When is it proper to use 1st instead of first?

For example, is the correct sentence acceptable?

  Can you give more detail about why you 1st got involved?

I tried finding some authoritative source on that but failed.


texts: "So you like ducks" what does this mean?

texts:
Here is the conversation:

A: I like software testing “QA”, it's my language
B: so you like ducks

Does A mean that B is like a sitting duck https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/like+a+sitting+duck or is it something else? Is it insulting or positive or negative?


texts: How to use the expression "lo and behold"

texts: How should this expression be used, and what is its origin?


texts: Can the non-restrictive clause NOT be next to the noun it modifies?

texts:
The idea was borrowed from finance companies' high-efficiency routine of aligning business processes to achieve optimal growth, which abused the local laws to limit competition.
  The idea was borrowed from finance companies' high-efficiency routine, which abused the local laws to limit competition, of aligning business processes to achieve optimal growth.

In this sentence the clause "which abused the local laws to limit competition" is supposed to describe "high-efficiency routine."

Are both usages correct?

I am not sure about the second sentence because it uses the descriptive clause "which abused the local laws to limit competition" before the restrictive clause "of aligning business processes to achieve optimal growth"


texts: Is there a word to describe someone's willingness to commit horrific acts?

texts:
Example: "It used to be hard for him to take the life of an innocent, but over time his [ability to commit horrific acts] strengthened"
Is there a word that specifically refers to the measurement of someone's ability to commit a horrific act without hesitation, mostly because they believe it to be necessary?
An example of a horrific act would be murdering an innocent for the purpose of a sacrificial rite because his cult demands it of him. Is there a word that describes his measure to do so?
Some words I've considered are "disregard" and "callousness" but neither seems to quite fit.


texts: „Boxer Joe Foster had fought over 100 opponents when he retired in 1994.” Why someone used Past Perfect in this senence?


texts: How do Torontonians pronounce the name of their hometown?

texts:
Toronto - The capital and largest city of Ontario, Canada, in the southern part of the province on Lake Ontario.

[tə-ˈrän-(ˌ)tō, -ˈrän-tə] — Merriam-Webster
[tuh-ron-toh] — Reference.com
[təˈrän(t)ō] — Oxford Dictionaries

  Context: The 2012 Oscar winning movie “Argo”.   Decades ago, when the Iranian revolution was reaching a boiling point and the American embassy in Tehran was invaded, six Americans escaped and found shelter at  the Canadian ambassy. To get out of Iran more or less safely they received new identities as Canadian teachers.   At this point, they were told they would be asked where they came from, at the airport, and were warned that Torontonians don’t pronounce the name of their city the same way most English speaking people do.

I've searched several dictionaries and have only found the usual pronunciation.


texts: "Degree of Proximity" or "Proximity of Blood" or "Relation Proximity"?

texts:
I'm translating a civil record to English, which has a table of information about a family registry. One of the titles is "Degree of Proximity", however I'm not sure which of the expressions suits the best in this context.

The items below that title in the column are: "himself, wife, son, daughter".

Wikipedia has an entry for Proximity of blood, and Google returns only 306,000 results for "degree of proximity" within the double quotes, which is not many.

What's the appropriate title I should use here?


texts:
On my website, I will have an error message that says:

* Please Choose an Option

Should an be upper or lower case?


texts: What's an antonym for the noun "critic"?

texts: I need an antonym (a noun) for the word "Critic", ie. a noun for someone who praises.


texts: "Place your hand around the neck of the bottle, so that your hand is flush to the top". From WikiHow.


texts: What does "party-speak" mean in this sentence?

texts:
Does the author mean that their apologies were "too polite"?

  China’s rabidly nationalist netizens have even called for a boycott of Marriott. But more than losing business, foreign operators in China fear running foul of sweeping new cyber- and national-security laws. Among much else, these prohibit anything deemed to “damage national unity”. The apologies issued by some operators were party-speak. Marriott said, “We absolutely will not support any separatist organisation that will undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Delta airlines apologised for hurting the feelings of the Chinese people. Zara, a European fashion chain, even promised a “self-examination”.

18 Jan 2018 issue of The Economist "Banyan: China is getting tough on Taiwan"


texts: a or the - in the sentence: or maybe i'm just copy pasting from the website i've just came across

texts:
I'm having trouble understanding what will sound more correct in the sentence when i'm describing some software functionality to a user and i'm what i could be doing with it.

Would it be "A website i just came across" or "THE website i've just came across" in the following sentence:

  I start typing or maybe i'm copy pasting from the website i've just came across.


texts: Correct use of is/are in a list of pronouns

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Using “are/is” after a list with “and/or”

My company's website recently received an E-mail stating there was a grammatical error in our greeting message. The sentence in question is as follows: "If you, a family member, or a friend is physically or mentally disabled, unable to work, and needs help navigating through the Social Security disability system, we are here to help you!"  If you were only paying attention to the last item in the list then "is" would be okay, but since it's mixed in with "you" it gets a bit confusing.


texts: How do you fix the passive voice in this sentence

texts:
I wrote this sentence:

Because of his low weight, Gabe was still being nurtured instead of being named.

And Word underlined the bold part saying I was using passive voice and I don't know how to fix it.

Passive voice is not part of the assignment, but I need two prepositional phrases.


texts: What's an item called that was required to progress in a video game, but now isn't?

texts:
This question was inspired by an Arqade question: How do I save a Destiny warp drive?.

The premise is this:

In order to progress to mission 3 (or 4 etc.) you must complete the second mission. The item you acquired in mission one ( a derelict space ship) led you to mission two wherein you had to find a second item, the warp drive, in order to "leave orbit". This warp drive must be handed over at the end of your second mission, but it's no longer needed because your reward, a new shipcraft, has already one fitted.

The person asking the question on Arqade wondered how to save this item, to avoid losing it, but this is pointless, the fact that the mission was completed is what will give you the ability to progress forward, not that you picked up this item.

Thus, this warp drive is sort of orthogonal to the game. It is an item like any other dummy item added to the end of a mission which in turn you can turn in when you get back to The Tower for some kind of reward. In this regard it is currency, nothing else. "You give me that wrap drive, I give you this ship":

The subsequent ability of the player to "leave orbit" and play on other planets comes from eventually completing enough missions so that missions on the moon becomes available. Even if this warp drive was removed from the game completely the player would be able to do this, once this mission (to recover the warp drive) was completed.

Is there a term for these kind of items?

Items that seem to drive the story forward but are sort of unnecessary, added more like a plot prop to hold in your hands than anything else?
Items given to the player to bring them somewhere, when the real goal was to get the player to that location; the item was just to give them purpose.

Perhaps that is my word; purpose. Or is there a better one?


texts: Interjection said to a fisherman/angler for good luck

texts:
In some other languages, there are interjections said to a fisherman (especially to an angler) for good luck, other than "good luck!" itself.

Is there any in English too?

I suppose, "good luck" is a common expression for this but I thought there might be a special expression for this occasion as well.

I recently read about "Tight lines!" also but never heard it before. Do you know anything about this expression?


texts:
I always thought that "encapture" is a word meaning "to capture". However, spellchecking softwares flag this term and a quick Google search shows that this term is not listed in any dictionary except Wiktionary:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/encapture

The only instance that I found of its usage in a credible text is a poem by Kavanagh called Canal Bank Walks:

  Leafy-with-love banks and the green waters of the canal
  Pouring redemption for me, that I do
  The will of God, wallow in the habitual, the banal,
  Grow with nature again as before I grew.
  The bright stick trapped, the breeze adding a third
  Party to the couple kissing on an old seat,
  And a bird gathering materials for the nest for the Word
  Eloquently new and abandoned to its delirious beat.
  O unworn world enrapture me, encapture me in a web
  Of fabulous grass and eternal voices by a beech,
  Feed the gaping need of my senses, give me ad lib
  To pray unselfconsciously with overflowing speech
  For this soul needs to be honoured with a new dress woven
  From green and blue things and arguments that cannot be proven

So is it correct to use this term? By "correct" I mean whether I can use it in normal sentences. The reason I cited this poem is because this is the only example I found where "encapture" has been used in a credible text. But I've also seen it being used numerous times in verbal casual communications. I'm a non-native speaker, and have heard other people use it so I always assumed it's a legit word.


texts:
Is it correct to say: I'm smart working due to covid-19 lockdown.
Or is it more correct to say: I'm working remotely due to covid-19 lockdown.


texts: I usually use " My team has this task to do" , but I was wondering if I am misusing has, because "People are" and the team is people.


texts:
Is there a single word that means "unhappy about one's appearance"?

E.g., Anne of Green Gables was very unhappy about her hair and never missed an opportunity to try to dye it.


texts: An Idiom/phrase/adjective for an imaginary place where everything is perfect

texts:
A place where unrealistic and impossible things can happen.

Is there an idiom/expression/phrase that connotes to such a stretch of the imagination?


texts: What is it called when one person calls another something they metaphorically resemble?

texts:
What name or word would be given for the examples below, metaphor?

A mother calls her child cat, or tiger
The wife calls her husband "Hey Baby".
You're my moon.
A very muscular person might be called "He's solid".

Basically there's extreme likeness to the other object and the person gets called by that name.

But this one turned into a weird argument; I have a black friend and he loves to be in the dark. He likes having lights turned off, so I said to him "... Yeah dark guy." But this is only following the above examples as well.


texts: Does the idiom/phrase "place is your swamp" exist or is it worded differently?

texts:
So I was talking a bit with a person and a joke came up about collecting treasure in the desert and how there's only sand, and so I stated "I mean, if your into collecting sand then the desert is your swamp."
If I were to say what this phrase means, then I'd define it as "a place where you belong due to its affinity to your liking and your requirements" or more specifically "a place where you would like to be because it has what you need.")
And he was so confused by this, so I looked it up and could not find anything. Is this an actual phrase people use or is there a different phrase that basically has the same meaning in a sentence but is worded differently?
That aside, any other information regarding this phrase/idiom, any tips regarding the way I wrote or anything I did wrong are much appreciated, thank you for your help.


texts:
The taxonomy of ox, like cow, bull, calf, steer, bullock, cattle, etc.
is all odd to me, using different words for the same animal. (The same can be said to sheep.)
I'm looking for similar odd-looking taxonomy in English, which is even unscientific.
Any example? (other than "sheep")


texts:
I've noticed "At this stage" preceding delivery of the negative to the reader. What's the reason for this?

"At this stage, unfortunately (for you), we won't be proceeding further with your application."

"At this stage, your application has been declined."

"At this stage, travel arrangements will be at your expense."

This is used when there are no other stages.

Why do people use this adverbial phrase? do you think it helps the reader to deal with emotional pain?


texts: Can I say that the 'to-infinitive which is part of predicative is an object?

texts: The infinitive as object as in "He asked me to come in." & the to-infinitive as part of predicative as in 'The house of Jane was not easy to find' both act as noun. Both of these 'to come & to find' are these object?


texts: Description for a verbal tic that is vernacular among young people in the U.S

texts:
Among teenagers in the U.S., there is currently popular a colloquial way of wrapping up a story:

bla bla, bla bla (various sentences), so yeah.

The "so yeah" signals that the person is done talking.
I need a term or a phrase to describe this, but more succinctly than I just did.
What follows is optional reading:
(Reason I need this: there is a transcript of hearing, with many typos.  In this case, the transcript did not have a typo.  But I am responding to a document in which the author assumed "yeah" was actually a typo, and turned it into "year" in her block quote.  From there, she went on to spin a whole argument based this faulty interpretation.  I was present when the young person was speaking, know him quite well, and am 100% certain he said "yeah," not "year."  My reader will believe me -- that's not a problem -- but space is an issue in what I'm writing.)
Edit:
I made a mistake.  It wasn't "so yeah," it was "and yeah."
Edit #2: the argument the author spun, and her version of the testimony:

The student himself agreed that the transfer to School #2 disrupted his school year and negatively impacted his educational performance:
"They're not synched, and so I either have to relearn something or I miss something completely because they weren't taught at -- like, it wasn't taught yet at School #1, but it was already taught at School #2, so I miss a unit, and year."


texts:
There are some places where men and women are segregated — for example public toilets and public swimming pool changing areas.

By this I mean, for example, that there are "Men's toilets" and "Ladies' toilets".

However, in some more cosmopolitan swimming baths, and other places, there are such things as unisex changing areas, or unisex toilets.

From my understanding uni- implies one, as in universe, unilateral or unicycle.

However when it comes to unisex, this means both sexes, so applies to two things.

How does uni- mean one in unisex? Does it mean one?


texts:
After doing many research and find more than one result, I would like to know how exactly the R sound is pronounced in American English.

On this video, the woman describes two ways. Firstly, the incorrect one, done by many of her students, in which they curl their tongue backwards:

http://youtu.be/Jq_yIbrD01c?t=35s

Then (at 0:57) she describes the correct way, in which the tongue has to raise in the middle, and stays lower at the tip.

But then in this link it says that both ways are right:

http://pronuncian.com/Lessons/Default.aspx?Lesson=16

I would like to know if americans really only use the one described as "correct" by the woman or if they sometimes mix, or if some americans use the suposedly incorrect version...
I even watched another video teaching the "incorrect way" as the right way! (can't post because it limits 2 links... its called "Q&A: How do you pronounce the "R" sound--the American R")

Off:
I'm so confused. That woman made me feel really bad for my R, she said it's an OK r sound, but doesn't have the quality of a correct R sound.


texts:
Can I use "when" + future tense in this case?

  I'm not sure when it will be released.


texts: English word for someone who often and unwarrantedly imposes on others

texts:
What is an English adjective for someone who figuratively and metaphorically "takes a lot of room", that is, takes more, or asks more, than their share of things? For example, someone who goes on a trip and takes a lot more luggage than others even though there is limited space, or a roommate who asks you to take care of some of their chores even though they don't reciprocate as often?
We have a word in Portuguese (folgado) which literally translates into something like "slacky" or "loose" (folga means "slack" in Portuguese) or "spacious" but I could never find a good English translation.
"Taking one's sweet time" communicates a similar idea although folgado is more general since it is not necessarily about time. "Imposing on someone" is also related.
This question is related but seems to be focused on money and resources, so again my meaning is more general.
Update: Formal alternatives are definitely helpful, but additionally I was looking for something on the informal and even slangish side of things. English seems to have a lot of formal alternatives (mentioned in the various answers) like inconsiderate or self-serving, but I've always struggled to find a more relaxed, between-friends way of expressing that frustration.


texts: Why don't Yen and Yuan add an 's' in the plural form?

texts:
One says 10 Dollars or 10 Euros, but 10 Yen or 10 Yuan.
Why?


texts: Is it right to call a job which has begun to bore you a "plain" job?

texts:
What is the best english adjective to identify a job in which you always do the same things over and over and so eventually get bored from it?

I read somewhere the sentence "I have a plain job", "I am doing a plain work"...do these sentences mean what I am searching for?

Or is there another better adjective? I don't like "boring" because it already identifies your final state, after you have experience in the job. Maybe at the start you found it amazing because it is something new...so I think "boring" is not the best word.

edit: maybe "static" would do?


texts: What do you call an object that "compares"?

texts:
What do you call an object that compares between two or more items?

Context:
I'm developing a program that will compare the market performance of two products in terms of sales, revenue, profit etc.


texts: "How large is your hard-drive" vs "How big is your hard-drive?"

texts:
When referring to a hard-drive's capacity (In GigaBytes), is it correct to use any of the following:

How large is your hard-drive?
How big is your hard-drive?

Or is there any better way for terming it?

I know it is safe to say "How many GigaBytes does your hard-drive have?"  or "What is the capacity of your hard-drive?" but from the former two, is any correct?


texts: The phrase 'sluttish time' is used by Shakespeare in one of his sonnets. Can it be termed as a transferred epithet as the word 'sluttish' here seems to be an epithet(adjective) or is it essentially a metaphor?


texts:
I'm looking for word or phrase which would describe the action of writing over letter or shape in order to practice fine motor skills and writing of that particular letter.
E.g. you get outline of the letter "A" and you write into it to practice writing of it. The outline is used as kind of guide.

I was thinking of using verb "outline the letter", but that would imply to go around the letter and not to write into it.

Thanks


texts:
Consider these two sentences:

One week is too little to observe a measurable weight loss.
One week is too less to observe a measurable weight loss.

When I uttered (2) in casual speech, my friend corrected it to (1). I agreed: (1) sounded better. But is (2) grammatically incorrect?

Does thinking of "One week" as an uncountable quantity (time period) make a difference?


texts:
"Our existence is based solely on the ever-fleeting present"

What does it mean?


texts: Can you use the word "transient" as a verb?

texts:
I want to explain how data on a server is only there for a short period of time. So I'd like to use the following sentence:

  The data transients the server.

Is this usage correct?

EDIT #1:
The actual sentence I used: "System that client data transients." I guess a better way to state this would be "System that client data transverses." This sounds awkward to me.

EDIT #2:

I discussed with my workmates and everyone agrees that: "the data makes a transitory pass through the server" is the best way to explain the situation.


texts:
Please help me solve this.

Why would him saying, "She is ugly," offend John?

or

Why would he saying, "She is ugly," offend John?


texts: Use of the article in “a better mechanic than [a] clerk”

texts:
These are a few examples in wren and martin English Grammar book  related to the articles. Kindly explain the difference between these two sentences:

He is a better mechanic than clerk.
He is a better mechanic than a clerk (would make).

He would make a better statesman than a philosopher. (Would make) {what does would make in the bracket imply?


texts: What is a word for something being simultaneously known and permissible?

texts:
Given the following sentence: "The issue is known and we are okay with it." As in, it is still recognized as an issue, but perhaps it's noncritical.

Is there a way to combine both those two cases into a sentence that follows "The issue is [new word]."?


texts: Expression for telling someone to stop being deluded/lying to themselves?

texts:
When someone is self-deluded and you would like to use an expression to tell them to basically look in the mirror and see the truth, what would this expression be?

This person is the type to be extremely narrow minded and only see things their way, even when this is not correct or realistic. This person therefore lies to themselves and lives in a deluded sense. Always thinking that they are right and others are wrong, never wanting to see things for what they are because they don't want to have to admit that they're wrong.


texts: A word to describe an independent man/woman, believes in their thoughts and opinions?

texts: Looking for a word or phrase to describe a man/woman, who has his/her own thoughts and opinions and isn’t afraid to put them across into conversation even when their opinion is outnumbered..?


texts: Do you capitalize a quoted word at the beginning of a sentence?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Should I change the structure of a sentence/add filler words to make sure that the sentence always starts with a capital letter?

As a concrete example, imagine that I'm talking about prepositions, and I want to say that the word "with" is okay to use.  I gather that when quoting a word, I can use either quotation marks or italic font, but I'm confused about capitalization at the beginning of the sentence.  For example:

  with is always okay.
  With is always okay.
  "with" is always okay.
  "With" is always okay.

Which is correct?

I'm guessing #2 and #4, with the capitals, but my logical side does not like the capital letter getting inside the quotation, since it is not really part of it.


texts:
This is related to Can I start a sentence with "i.e."? so I'll use his sentence as an example.

I agree that it should be a parenthetical statement, not a separate sentence (which is was the solution to the previous answer)... But what if it is artificially segregated? Imagine you send this text message:

  How do we handle the case when the list is empty?

And THEN you decide you wish to add an example, so you send another text:

  I.e., if the filter matched no entries?

What is the correct capitalization? "i.e. If", "i.e. if", "I.E. If", "I.e. If", "I.e. if", etc?


texts:
Is there a collective name for pieces of metal that hold wood together?

For example nails, screws, pins, clips ie the metal pieces that would hold together a wooden structure?


texts: Appropriate preposition to go with "concerned"

texts:
He is deeply concerned for vulnerable children.

Is this correct? Or is there a better preposition to use instead of for? What exactly does this phrase mean?

What about "He is deeply concerned with vulnerable children"?


texts: 'Lodge a complaint' vs 'file a complaint'

texts:
Is there any difference between lodge a complaint and file a complaint?

I found two relevant senses for these words in the Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary:

  lodge: to make formal statement about something to a public organisation or authority

and

  file: to present something so that it can be officially recorded and dealt with

So, when can I used lodge, and when can I use file? Are they really interchangeable?


texts: Of all the ways I could come up with to pronounce the word "busy", "bizzy" would be very low on my list.  At least "bussy" or "boosy".  Why "bizzy"?


texts:
Since the Social Media is pivotal to building and maintaining interpersonal relationships - hence, central to human existence - it becomes imperative to investigate the current trend in language use on this principal communication media.

I want to know if this sentence is grammatical and unambiguous. Thank you.


texts: Could anyone explain the meaning and rhetoric of the following four-letter word?

texts:
Late in the third quarter of a March game between the Utah Jazz and
the New Orleans Pelicans, Rudy Gobert, the Jazz’s 7-foot-1 center,
caught a pass and slammed down a dunk as the Pelicans’ Josh Hart leapt
to contest the shot.
As the two National Basketball Association players jogged back down
the court, television viewers could see Mr. Gobert bark out something
to Mr. Hart.
Trash talk? Sort of.
“As I was running back on defense, I told him that would be a nice Top
Shot Moment right there,” Mr. Gobert said in an interview. Mr. Hart
said he had responded with a four-letter word that was not suitable to
be printed.

This is the first sentences of a New York Times article about NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, that features NBA, the American professional basketball league.
The four-letter word mentioned in the last sentence appears to me the f-word. But the use of the indefinite article a indicates a somewhat unsure and unspecific status of that word in question, perhaps creating some humorous effects with the following words that was not suitable to be printed, compared with the case when the expression the four-letter word, with the definite article the, bluntly and unambiguously indicates the one possible word, or the f-word.
Is this understanding correct?
Although this might be a no-brainer for native speakers, this kind of technique employed by a professional writer is difficult for non-natives to comprehend with certainty and confidence.
I deeply appreciate any explanation or suggestion.


texts: What to call this type of temporary arrangement on the road?

texts: When I walked on the road, I happened to pass a pool of mud. Somebody had already set some blocks of stones and bricks on the mud from one end to other end in order to pass it. I could pass it by treading on the blocks of stones. What do you call such a temporary arrangement to walk on?


texts: Dear E/editor and R/reviewers? The correct form of capitalization

texts:
I am writing a "response to reviewers' letter" for answering the reviewer's comments on my paper.
I want to know which one is correct to start my letter:
Dear Editor and reviewers;
Dear Editor and Reviewers;
Dear editor and reviewers;
(I have googled and found some records that wrote: "Dear Editor-in-chief", "Dear Editor-in-Chief", "Dear editor", and "Dear Editor".
But still I don't know which letters should be capital in "dear editor and reviewers", and why?