texts: Is it necessary to use "The" on product name "The Last Words"?

texts:
EDIT:
The company that I work is developing a game and we are deciding the best name of the game. The final one was "Last Words" but we were not sure if we have to use the "The Last Words" or just "Last Words".

The doubt is:
Is using just "Last Words" grammatically incorrect? Do you guys see any problem of using only "Last Words"?

Without "the" seems cleaner and simpler.

Thanks for all help!


texts: Word for someone who keeps a group in good shape?

texts:
Is there a word that can mean a person who keeps a group in good shape? For instance, this person (also a member of the group) makes sure group members are turning in their work on time, and emails group members to make sure everything is done properly. I don't feel like the words 'facilitator' and 'coordinator' work because it's not an official role, just a role this person kind of ends up acting as.

  Example: I ended up acting as a ______ to help keep our group in tiptop shape.


texts: Do things use apostrophe for indicating possessive?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is using the possessive 's correct in “the car's antenna”?

If someone owns something I would say: Mom's car.

But if the owner is not a person, does it actually own it according to English rules or common usage? Which phrase is right?

  The house windows.
  The house's windows.
  The windows of the house. (Or something like that.)

(Feel free to modify this question so it would be clear for other people.)


texts: What is a layman's alternative to the IT word "datetime"?

texts:
I have a spreadsheet with several columns. And one must contain the date and time. But I don't know what to write as the header.

In programming terms, it is a "datetime". But I suspect this would just look odd to a layman. What is the best alternative word or phrase to use.


texts: Which way is correct "The item that is to be found" or "The item to be found"?

texts: I'm trying to say that the item will be found in the near future, but has not been found yet. Which way of saying is correct in this context?


texts:
English is my second language so there are a lot of new things to me. I just came across several sentences containing the phrases "play dead", "play sick" and "play cute" so I wonder if the verb "play" can go with an adjective.
Is there any structure like that? Please explain specifically.
Thanks. I really appreciate your answer.


texts: Noun for something that reverse engineers something else?

texts:
I'm writing a web application that can reverse engineer something. I'm thinking of describing it as a "reverse engineerer" but engineerer is, to my knowledge, not a word. What word/phrase could I replace "reverse engineerer" with?

Example:

"MyApp, an [xyz] reverse engineerer."


texts: What is the literary device where a word holds two meanings in a phrase?

texts:
For example,

He showed the strength of his arms and his heart when he pushed the fallen horse out of the mud slide.


texts: What is the correct verb for 'driving' a ferry?

texts: The captain of a ferry appears to steer or drive it. What is the correct verb for this?


texts: Is there a way to locate something relative to a grave?

texts:
In Persian, objects can be located in respect to a grave. For instance, and these are words that I've made up myself just to give you an idea of what I'm looking for:

Upper head region: Any place above the position of the head of the corpse.

Under feet region: The region after the feet of the corpse.

These are probably very vague definition, so please check the image that has been attached.

Edit: A sample sentence, in response to @mike65535:

Normally, the mourning ceremony begins with the crowd gathering in the "upper head" of the grave and performing religious rites, and then moving towards the "lower feet" for the family of the deceased to bid farewell.

Edit 2: In Persian, the words are بالا سر (read Bala Sar) and پایین پا (read Payeen pa)

Edit: Spelling


texts:
You can say, "I have a question."

You can say, "I have had a question for a long time." Right?

But what about, "I have had had a question ..."? Optional side question: how do you punctuate the previous sentence? Is "have had had" grammatically correct? If so, what does it mean? Also, is it then correct to use "have had had had had had had," and does each use with a different number of hads mean something different? Do these tenses have a name? Would you only use these tenses in unique time travel scenarios?

"I have had had a question," sounds weird but not necessarily wrong. "Having had had a question, I asked it," sounds okay. Or something like "Having had been a person..."

EDIT

So it seems that "Having" in "having had had" does not necessarily have anything to do with the tense? It still seems grammatically correct and not completely unusual to say "having had had" or even "having have had" for that matter.

Bob: I had had a question, but I never got a chance to ask it.
Bill: Having had had a question that was never asked, I understand how you feel.

I also found a few (very few) examples of "having have" by googling. I don't know if they're grammatically correct, but here's some:

"24.6% reported having have been injured due to excessive consumption of alcohol."

"When I got up to clear the table, only having have eaten a third of the fish—which was shockingly filling—I noticed that..."

If these uses of "having have" are okay, then doesn't that mean that "having" at the beginning of such a sentence is different than "have" when used in the present perfect.

But sometimes, doesn't "Having" in similar-looking sentences have something to do with tense?


texts: What is this wordy and complicated sentence structure?

texts:
This sentence is ridiculously complicated. What made it so?

Until last week, I would have said that your best hope for being more than a bodiless brain in a chemical stew was the fact that no scientist was yet capable of sustaining a viable brain in a jar.

Source
I kind of know what it means ...
"If you want to be more than a highly-developed brain in a jar, then your hope is dashed because it's not even possible to sustain life in a jar in the first place... at least that's what I would have said... until last week."
Am I right?


texts: “Oh boy, do I love it!” What kind of grammatical structure is this?

texts:
I think I’ve heard some people express their enthusiasm/strong emotion by starting a sentence with a verb as in a question form.

How common is this and for what kind of sentence will it be awkward to speak like this?
In other words, is it acceptable only when the sentence starts with “do” or any other auxiliary verb?

Is there a name for this structure?


texts: "Delinquent" to describe something non-monetary

texts:
Can delinquent be used to describe something like a school assignment?

  You still have some delinquent assignments.

Or does the word only apply to monetary matters?


texts:
My point here is trying to explain why the message issued is not correct according to the operations allowed ahead.
However, I'm in doubt about the bold part, is it grammaticaly correct or is there another way to put it ?

  We should change the message content, so that, its content be not so strict.


texts:
Not a native English speaker.
I noticed for a long time now some speakers use a second sentence consisting of a single word, "not", as a way to entirely negate the former sentence and generally in a humorous way.
For example: "I like your shirt. Not."
Is this correct English or just something people understand even though it is not grammatically correct?
I am asking this because in my native language, French, there is no way to negate this easily. I could translate "or not" (by "ou pas") but not just "not".
Any details about this separate "not", historical or linguistic will be appreciated.


texts: Do native English speakers use the word 'notif' to mean ‘notification’ or ‘alert’?

texts:
This question is quite subjective as it probably depends on where you live. I was wondering whether the shortened version of notification — “notif.” — was used in spoken language. In French we tend to use this exact same shortening when we talk about social media “alerts”.

If you do use “notif.”, how familiar do you consider it?


texts: Is there a British English equivalent for the expression "X has nothing on Y?"

texts: I'm American and I'm writing a short story, one of the characters of which is British. I'm trying not to go overboard in my attempt to replicate British English in this character's speech, but I'm stumped about how to casually express the sentiment that one thing cannot compare to another. I want to say "they've got nothing on me," but I'm not sure this is idiomatically British. It sounds American to my ear. Is there an equivalent, or is this expression actually used in (some form of) British English; or should I just use "cannot compare to?"


texts: "Between a mother and daughter" vs. "between a mother and a daughter"

texts:
What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences?

  The relationship between a mother and daughter.
  The relationship between a mother and a daughter.

I know both are correct, but do they differ in meaning?  If so, how? What does it  mean when the article is placed before daughter?


texts: "Even though none of you have yet to believe it" — grammatical?

texts:
Is the following sentence from the TV series American Horror Story correct, formal grammar?

  We are powerful. Even though none of you have yet to believe it.

In my understanding, it would be "Even though none of you have not yet believed it", which is a double negative.

I have never seen "have yet to" used in negatives.


texts:
It's a pretty simple question, but just to clarify, I am talking about the expression used by itself, not just in a sentence.

So not:

  — Have you seen Ted?
  — Yes! He flew through here as if his pants were on fire!

But rather:

  — Why are you denying it? You clearly like her...
  — Me, like her? As if.


texts: Is technical copywriting jargon or style?

texts:
I became confused by comments to my answer insisting that Technical writing is jargon using incorrect English words.

I also looked through definitions of "prepend" in internet, all with inserted derogatory remarks, even in IT-specialized dictionaries,  like 'jargon' and:

prepend is not an English word. It was created to sound like the opposite of "append," which means to add to the end. The correct English word is "prefix;
Although it sounds correct, prepend is not an English word. It was created to sound like the opposite of "append," which means to add to the end. The correct English word is "prefix;" for example,

Is Technical Writing jargon or writing-style and the branch of correctly used English?
Would I better avoid to refer to it as  English at all while copywriting (or copylefting) in it?

Update:
If I write using the words which are not English WORDS, do I write in English?

Update2:

I've read many definitions of copywriting but basically it is to poularize a product or a point of view to a most general (including illiterate) reader. The term Copywriting "refers to writing in the sense of creating non-technical material".  Where is here a "jargon is nearly impossible for the average person to decipher", given by all answers, I wonder?

Update3:
Some of jargon definitions:

Jargon (JAR´gen) - Meaningless use of words
The technical language of a particular group that is inappropriate in most formal writing since it is frequently not understandable by those outside the group

What is unclear in "prepend" and to whom?
Why isn't busyness letter or step-by-step instructions a formal writing?

Update4:
Jargon is not necessarily incorrect words. I can speak a few jargons with completely correct words engagement which will be clear only to representatives of certain groups. It is the matter of enagaging accent, distinctiveness, allusions, metaphors, rare citations or facts and idioms

Should it be be understood that insulting obscenities known to everybody are not jargon and full members of "correct" English printed in all dictionaries, exposable in printed books, screened popular movies?  but understandable "technical" ubiquitous words are out?

  Jargon, when referring to computers,
  is the usage of words by a particular
  group, profession, or culture,
  especially when the words and phrases
  are not understood or used by other
  people. For instance, words like
  Adware and Spyware are considered
  Jargon. Many computer related
  acronyms, such as CPU (another name
  for computer processor) and RAM
  (another name for memory), are also
  considered Jargon terms

Do you know anybody who:
  - who does NOT know the words RAM or CPU?
  - who knows, without consulting with dictionaries, all "correct" words of a language?

Related question:

Does English have taboo-ed (unprintable) obscenities? [closed]

Update:
The origin of confusion is that the foreign words "jargon" and "slang" make part of Russian and in Russian (as far as I know it, since I am not a linguist) "jargon" covers insulting dialects while "slang" is just peculiar/eqxuisite dialects.

Update:
May I ask to start delete/edit my question, so distorting its sense, after answer to question acceptance?


texts:
Will it be okay if I write or say like this:

  I thank you.

When I saw someone write "I thank you", I said that usage is a bit awkward and rarely used.

I just want to know your opinion.


texts:
Being an L2 English speaker, quite often I get into funny - and sometimes embarrassing - situations. It usually happens when I say something pragmatically inappropriate for a situation. For example, once I was on campus (in the US) taking care of some paperwork. So I was patiently waiting in line, being helped already. So a guy shows up and asks me if I am in line. And then - a terrible faux pas. I say, "I'm being served." You can imagine - those office clerks were almost rolling on the floor.

So here are my questions:

Is "be served" used in British English now? What about "help", as in They are helping me? Any difference?
In American English, when - if at all- is it appropriate to use "Are you being served?" or "I'm being served." At a restaurant maybe?


texts: Which is the appropriate preposition of the word "Alternative "?


texts: What does "guy" refers to in case of anchorage of a steel structure to a wall ? *"..in addition to tie-ins, a series of guys shall be installed.."


texts: Word to describe a person who is on a journey to find the meaning of life

texts:
John quit his job to go off in the world to find the truth in the world and meaning of life. He was not planning to get a job or be at one place but instead use his life savings to fund his journey. When his friend asked him what he should tell others when asked what he is doing, he replied. "Tell them I'm a [...]"

What is a noun that describes someone who seeking out truth or meaning of life as their primary or sole life purpose?


texts:
I want to say that I can't help to do something because I have some personal needs.

Is this a correct sentence?

  I can't help you by personal circumstances


texts:
I'm aware that in America the word "dirt" is a synonym/replacement for earth/soil/peat/turf.etc whereas in the UK "dirt" would typically refer to uncleanliness, detritus, and granular rubbish (i.e. too small to pick up by hand). You wouldn't say your garden was full of dirt in the UK.

What word do Americans use to refer to the type of granular rubbish that is typically referred to by the UK use of the word "dirt", unless "dirt" fills both uses in America? After all, "dirty" seems to mean the same thing, either side of the Atlantic.


texts: What do you call the impressive short sentences catalogs and magazine use to write product descriptions?

texts:
A couple of years ago I heard a word descriptive of short and impressive sentences that are used in catalogs and websites for product descriptions.
I don't remember that specific word. Do you have any idea what it might be?

I need it for use in place of the words short description.


texts: Using "logical" as an adjective to mean "abstracted"

texts:
I recently came across the following sentence in some documentation for a programming API:

  Angular animations are defined as logical states and transitions
  between states.

https://angular.io/docs/ts/latest/guide/animations.html

What is the definition of "logical" in this context? I have seen the word "logical" used as an adjective this way before, and I sort of gather from the context that using "logical" like this is meant to describe the noun that follows as an abstraction. For example, the "states" in the example sentence are just conceptual states. Is this correct? Is there a definition out there that clarifies this?


texts: Is there any authoritative source from where we can find out if a phrase or figure of speech is American English or British English?

texts:
For example the figure of speech " One swallow doesn't make a summer" is British English. Similarly the figure of speech 'All hat and no cattle" is American English.

Is there any source from where we can find out if the phrase or figure of speech is American or British?


texts:
The following sentence, and in particular the bold part, has no entry in google. Does it sound natural to native speakers?

  The work in this thesis is organised around three research themes of
  current interest in mathematics.


texts: Is there a non-religious word for someone who takes suffering onto themselves for a particular cause?

texts:
I am looking for a word like martyr, but without any religious implications.

Also, the idea is that the person doesn't kill themselves, but instead just takes on a great deal of suffering for the good of the cause.


texts: Looking for the right word to express my "skin in game" when talking about someone else

texts: For everyone who has a loved one in the fight, prayers are going out for each and everyone! Lord, keep them ALL safe and bring them home! This man is my __________ in the fight.


texts: Use of the plural with list, and when item count is 0

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “user accounts” or “users account”?

I keep asking myself which form is the most correct when listing items on a website:

"Article list"
or "Articles list"?

Also, when nothing was found, do you say:

"No items were found"
or "No item was found"
or more simply "No item(s?) found?


texts: What are the origins of using the abbreviation "v." for "very"?

texts:
Looking to figure out where the abbreviation "v." originates from.

I know "v." was heavily used in "Bridget Jones Diary," but that movie came out over a decade ago and was British.

What are the origins?
Why are Americans suddenly adopting this usage?


texts: A word for "taking some foods from pot and putting it in to the plate"

texts:
What word should you use to ask someone to "take foods from the pot and put it into the plate"?

You may say stuff like "take some food" but it does not exactly mean the act of "taking food from the pot and putting it into the plate". Is there a word for that in English?


texts:
What is the meaning of the English phrase "obtain to"? I came across this in newspapers today.

  From the extradition hearing kicked off for last December, and has focused largely on a series of loans from IDBI Bank to Kingfisher Airlines-from the way in which these were obtained to how- in the words of the prosecution- Mr.XYZ allegedly sought to "squirrel away" the money


texts: Looking for a positive way to describe "no-nonsense" or "no-frills"

texts:
I was looking up the term "no-nonsense and got the following synonyms:

  earnest, grave, humorless, no-nonsense, po-faced [British], sedate, severe, sober, sobersided, solemn, staid, uncomic, unsmiling, weighty

Words like sedate, grave, and humorless all make no-nonsense sound like a negative word, but I don't think that has to be the case. Same story with no-frills:

  austere, spartan, stark

Again, these make no-frills sound like a bad thing. Austere and spartan are rarely used in a complimentary sense.

But I don't think that has to be the case! I know that a no-nonsense car is going to deliver something that's simple and effective. A no-frills car would get me from point A to point B without trying to upsell me on crazy features and trendy marketing.

So, is there a word to describe something that is 'no-nonsense' or 'no-frills' that would put it in a positive light?


texts: What are words like "excellent, good, great, perfect" called?

texts:
Is there a specific term for these kinds of words that describe the quality of a particular act or object?  Besides adjective?

Examples:

Perfect
Excellent
Great
Good
Bad
Poor
Terrible
Horrible


texts:
Which of the above is correct?

I am in a dilemma which one is correct. I have an inkling that has is right.


texts:
In The Fairy Tale of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton, the author was talking about a prince returning to his castle through the forest, saying:

“The moon had risen in strengthening silver, and the sky showed in stripes of bright, nocturnal blue between the black stripes of the pines about the castle. Flowers of some wide and feathery sort—for he had never noticed such things before—were at once luminous and discoloured by the moonshine, and seemed indescribably fantastic as they clustered, as if crawling about the roots of the trees.

What's the meaning of for here?


texts: What do we call the light disturbance around a lamp?

texts:
When a lamp or other luminous object is very bright, we cannot see clearly the things close to it. What we see is a whitish region that surrounds it. What do we call this? (Is it a perception or a phenomenon?)

This picture features a lamp in the centre; half the image consists of the white region surrounding the lamp.


texts: Is there a real difference between wait and await?

texts: In the context of the discussion in this blog post and comments on using await as a keyword for a potentially asynchronous operation in C#5, I wondered if there is any real difference between await and wait? Already as a dictionary definition, but also in common usage.


texts: Say, if the president went to a party and doesn't remember the name of the person he's talking to, his assistant whispers into his ear: "That's the prime minister of the UK, Mr. President, she did this and this and this." Is there a name for that person?


texts: What parts of speech are the words "pick up" when used as a verb

texts:
I'm aware of the difference between "pick up" and "pickup" but what grammatical purpose do the individual words serve when separated? How would you distinguish between them or classify them if you were parsing them one word at a time?
The words function as a single verb but "pick" functions as a verb by itself. I presume you would say that "up" modifies its' meaning.

The context is that I'm writing a parser to mimic the functionality of text based games like Zork. If you have any thoughts on the subject, advice, or stumbling blocks to tell me about I would love to hear from you.


texts:
I understood why you sent me the story.

I have to reply to the above statement.

Is it okay to reply to it as follows:

  What have you understood?

If my reply is wrong, could you suggest a correct one?


texts: Question about possessive (adj/pron) with additional party

texts:
I'm wondering about possessive adj/pronoun and apostrophe S in sentences where you add on additional "possessors". Could anyone give me feedback about whether the following sentences are correct, particularly the parts in bold:

My parents’ ability to turn every discussion into an argument is well known, as is mine/my and my brother’s irritation with it.

I feel like the adjective MY is the logical choice, but somehow MINE sounds more natural to me. Any thoughts?

We're just going over the details for our friends’, Jim and Jane's, surprise engagement party.

Is the above correct? It shouldn't be Jim's and Jane's, right? I know I could rewrite the sentence, but prefer it this way and am curious about the answer anyway.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!


texts: Gay and straight are to sexual orientation as transgender and cisgender are to ______?

texts:
Gay and straight are to sexual orientation as transgender and cisgender are to ______

What word would fit best in the blank here? Some options that don’t quite seem to fit:

Gender orientation: Doesn't seem to have widespread adoption or a well-defined meaning.
Gender identity: It would seem more appropriate to say something like “my gender identity is female” rather than “my gender identity is cisgender”. The categories don’t align.
Gender expression: This refers only to the outwardly visible aspects of gender, not to how a person actually identifies.


texts: What role does "as" play in the sentence?

texts:
What role does "as" play in the following sentence?

  When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written.


texts: Are the haters un-American or do the haters hate un-American (actions)?

texts:
@JudgeJeanine: "@realDonaldTrump is bringing America back in front of our eyes and it's time for the un-American haters to get on board."

I know what she intended. To invite anyone who disagrees with her  (un-American(s) and haters of America) to join her. However, isn’t there another interpretation?

Broccoli haters aren’t haters who are broccoli. They hate that which is broccoli.

Therefore, un-American haters wouldn’t be haters who are un-American. Rather, they’d hate that which is Un-American; that which is not characteristic of or consistent with American customs, principles, or traditions.


texts: More issues with the predicate nominative

texts:
In comparison to German, English is very "situational" with its predicate nominative (see this question).
Suppose the rule is that the predicate nominative is only ever applied for sentences like the following:

It was I, who did that.

then it would be very logical if it were

"Who was that."
"That was I."

Is this spoken by anyone?
Is this considered correct by the ardent defenders of the predicate nominative?
If the answers are "No." wouldn't it make sense to say that there is no such thing in the heart of the English language after all?


texts: Why are "connection" and "connexion" both used in the same work?

texts:
This question, Google Ngrams, Wikipedia, and several dictionaries all say that connexion is an alternate, obsolete spelling of connection.

I am reading a several-hundred page treatise (Milton S. Terry, 1890, Biblical Hermeneutics), wherein the author uses both forms, favoring connexion considerably. The instances of connexion (84) are listed here, and the instances of connection (9) are listed here. I think what I am reading is the author's 500-page condensation of the work linked.

My question is this: Why is connection used at all?

Does it really mean something different? It appears to be used synonymously. Is it merely an instance of non-standardized spelling (as with the diaries of Lewis and Clark, where a word can spelt multiple ways in a very short space)? This would be the only instance of this that I have found so far. Is there a different explanation that I haven't yet considered?


texts: Word to describe the movement of a galloping horse's head

texts:
I am looking for a word, an adjective, to substitute for 'back and forth' to describe the exerted forward reach then recoil action of a horse's head in a gallop.

'Reciprocate' and 'oscillate' are both problematic - one is precise, machine-like controlled, the other determined organically by gravity, or robotically like a metronome. 'Annuent' is an antiquated word for 'nod', as in a human head nod of assent (based on annuent muscles in head/neck) and fits nicely ... but is unconventional... e.g. "The annuent up-down motion of the horses' heads towards the finish post, ended when the camera froze the inside horse a nose in front".

Any thoughts on a better one?


texts: Is it a splice comma if an interjection-phrase is involved?

texts:
It's certainly poor style, if not actually wrong, to join independent clauses with a comma when a semicolon or other punctuation would have sufficed. But interjections are usually offset from other clauses by commas, as in:

Dang, what do we do now?

It seems to me that this naturally applies to certain longer phrases, such as:

I don't know, what do we do?

In which "I don't know" functions as a single interjectory unit. According to usual style, that comma ought to be replaced, but to replace it subtly changes the pacing of the sentence, doesn't it? So, does a comma used in this fashion count as a splice or not?

Valid examples:

I'm sorry, who are you?
What the heck, you only live once.
You're welcome, it was my pleasure.

Invalid examples:

I'm sorry about that, what can I do?
What the heck is going on, these zombies are ruining my earlier example.
You are of course very welcome, I'd be happy to lend you my shotgun.


texts: Translating the Phrase from 20th to the 18th century

texts: Needing to write a novel that is set in the 1800's finding the correct phrases and words used back then is challenging. I just want to know where I can find the correct phrases and words for the novel. Is there a website that can help or a 1800 dictionary.


texts: A word for believing that oneself if good enough, being self-satisfied?

texts:
I am after a single word (or maybe two), for when one is satisfied within themself, is confident and feels as though they are good enough, not doubting their ability in any way.

  I am _________. I don't need external validation.

However, I need a word that does not have an overly negative connotation, like 'arrogant', and also isn't comparative, like 'superior'.


texts:
I want to know why we use phrasal verbs?
I saw many phrasal verbs that have similar meaning with a verb.
why do we use them when there are verbs?


texts:
I wanted to use the word "Premonition" in a sentence, but when I checked the meaning I got "A feeling of evil to come", which was far from what I wanted to convey.

So I checked synonyms like "boding", "foreboding", "forewarning", "Presentiment", and so on. All had ominous connotations or a negativity or a sense of evil attached to the meaning.

So here I am, asking if there is a positive word for premonition, without negative implications.

UPDATE: "Hunch" is the word I select as matching my requirements, from all the answers I got.


texts:
I was wondering on where the origins of the word tar to mean thank you came from. I have reached tar and have come up with this definition

  Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation.

How does this relate to being thankful?


texts: What does the meaning of "down to a level"?

texts:
I see this in here :  http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/fa469462-1a32-11e3-93e8-00144feab7de.html#axzz2eXhIUa4M

  “It’s very much the next frontier,” said Renée James, Intel’s president. “It takes us down to a level we haven’t been at before.” After reacting late to the touchscreen mobile device markets, “we are very committed to not missing the next one,” she added.

And I want to know what' the meaning.
Thank you.


texts:
In the recent episode of the "Grey's Anatomy" (S13E05), Meredith (one of the female characters) says to a fellow doctor:

  Don't say that to Baily, because she's full-on Team Biddy.

I want to know what does Team Biddy mean?


texts: How would you write informal language like this?

texts:
"What are you, a saint?"
or
"What are you?  A saint?"

Or is there a better way of punctuating this?


texts: Ending a sentence in the past tense with 'soon'

texts:
I was marking some exams for my Japanese high school students, and one of the test problems is:

Arrange the following words into a sentence:

walk / started / they / soon / to

Without fail, all ~300 students wrote:

They started to walk soon

...which definitely sounds wrong to me. I believe the correct response is:

They soon started to walk

However, for the life of me, I can't figure out why the position of soon makes such a big difference in this example. Does anyone have any ideas?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “between” vs “among”

I want to use the following line item under a job in a restaurant

Alternated between various job roles to meet the needs of a busy fine dining    restaurant

Is this correct? Or should it be among instead of between. Can you use alternate with among? "


texts: Phrase request: apparently useless information that could be useful

texts:
I'm currently working on some answers on other stackexchange sites ( specifically Ask Ubuntu and Unix & Linux ), where I'm utilizing a few command-line utilities or shell programming constructs which at first sight might be overlooked as having no effect or are not useful. However, with a few example cases and relevant context, it becomes apparent such commands/constructs can have a value. So I am looking for a phrase or expression that would allow me to succinctly and positively put in the title/heading of an answer what I expressed in the previous sentences.

I have come accross Does 'all but useless' mean useless or useful?, however "all but useless" seems to be more negative and "all but" seems to serve as negation of "useless" in absolute form. By contrast, I am trying to convey that a construct might be useful in certain cases/context.


texts: From where I was sitting ... talk out of school ... getting pretty chummy with the money

texts:
From the film Bad Teacher 2011:

  Amy Squirrel: Umm...I happened to be pedalling past the 7th Grade car wash this Saturday.
  Wally: Kill it! Can we talk about this later?
  Amy Squirrel: Later we'll all die said the gator to the fly.
  Wally: Fuckk!! What? - Just go.
  Amy Squirrel Now, I don't want to speak out of school but ..from where I was sitting, I think ... It seemed like Miss Halsey was getting pretty chummy with the money.
  Wally: Are you accusing Elizabeth of embezzling from the 7th grade car wash?

What does Amy Squirrel mean by "Now, I don't want to speak out of school
but ..from where I was sitting, I think ... It seemed like Miss Halsey was getting pretty chummy with the money"?
especially (from where i was sitting ) and ( I don't want to speak out of school)


texts: Are omissions like "he has a Facebook [account]" an ellipsis of the modern age, or has this always been going on?

texts:
Some English speakers omit "account" in conversational speech when referring to their membership in an online service. For example:

"Here's a link to my Tumblr."
"I took a break for a while, but I have a Facebook again."

In both cases the word "account" seems to be elided, and "a Tumblr" or "a Facebook" is used as a stand-in to mean "an account or presence with that online service".

The nearest similar example I can think of that comes to mind is something like "I own a Chevy", where it is understood that you mean a car (rather than, say, a Chevrolet-branded tire, or engine, et cetera). The omission feels more natural here, whereas some people bristle at the above examples with online services.

Are there recurring historical examples where a similar effect has occurred with other entities, or is this otherwise a feature of the modern age? Is there a name for this kind of abbreviation effect?


texts: Regions and reasons for the usage of "sleep" as "go to sleep"

texts:
This question is very closely linked to this english.SE question, which discusses the usage of "sleep" as a verb meaning "go to sleep" and inspired by this ell.SE question, in which the accepted answer clearly does not recognize the existence of this interpretation.

The usage of the word "sleep" as a verb signifying "go to sleep" is clearly not commonplace (and is not noted in the online M-W nor the American Heritage dictionaries), but is prevalent in certain regions, I pose the following two questions:

If this is a familiar usage of "sleep", in what region do you find this usage of "sleep" common?, and
For those familiar with this manner of grammatical construct, or other similarly amorphous words, what do you imagine might have been its origin? (The linked english.SE question notes that this is a construct used in the Northeast U.S. and Australia; being from the Northeast myself, I can also confirm that it is used there).

As noted in the linked english.SE question, the usage of "sleep" as "go to sleep" in a phrase such as

  I usually sleep around midnight.

instead of the more technically accurate

  I usually go to sleep around midnight.

seems to be rather regional and the possible result of "contamination from another language". I know of at least one construction in a foreign language that resembles this, namely from Spanish:

  Dormí a las ocho.

translates to

  I went to sleep at eight.

But the answers in that question, as well as the ell.SE question that I linked, are not particularly illustrative of what I'm asking. I'm very curious as to how common a usage this is and how it might have arisen.


texts: Is it grammatically correct to convey information in this way when translating information from a table into prose?

texts: All three companies were offered discount in 2020 (Company A, 10%; Company B, 12%; Company C, 10%).


texts:
what is different between highly recommended for those and highly recommended for these?

and I am also wondering if I can use 'highly recommended for those' only as a sentence.
for example, if I wanna sell a product and wanna recommend this product to some specific group of people to buy it, like some people who are tired and who eat lots of fast foods.
in that situation, can I use this phrase/sentence 'highly recommended for those' and explain what kind of people I recommend in the second sentence?


texts: Is the sentence "are you done your soup?" proper English?

texts:
My mother in law is Scottish and has lived in Canada for the last 45 years.  She will often omit the word "with."  When asking my child if he is ready to get out of the bathtub she will say "Henry, are you done your bath?" or before clearing his plate she will say "are you done your dinner?"  She has excellent vocabulary and grammar, so this struck me as very odd.

Is this usage proper?  If so, where is this usage common?


texts:
"Garden Leave" is a fairly common British term.

According to wikipedia:

  Garden leave describes the practice whereby an employee who is leaving
  a job (having resigned or otherwise had his or her employment
  terminated) is instructed to stay away from work during the notice
  period, while still remaining on the payroll.

The article goes on to state a brief explanation of its origin...

  The term originated in the British Civil Service where employees had
  the right to request special leave for exceptional purposes.

and that it came into common usage in 1986 (although ngrams suggests a little earlier)...

  The term came to widespread public attention in 1986 when it was used
  in the BBC sitcom Yes, Prime Minister, episode "One Of Us".

... but fails to  fully explain its name. What does special leave have to do with gardens?

Is it because the employee has been "kicked out of the house" and must wait in the garden  like a dog?

Or perhaps it is because an employee not allowed in work is expected to go home and sit in their garden?


texts: What's collective term for clients, customers, students, donors or anyone who has a beneficial relationship with an organization?

texts:
My clients offer services that can be used by different types of organizations: schools, nonprofits, corporations, individuals, restaurants, etc. If I want to talk to all of their ____ simultaneously in a marketing comm., how could I address them?

What is the hypernym that encapsulates all these different types of organisations?


texts: "For no other reason than" vs. "for no other reason that" vs. "for no other reason than that"

texts:
I am looking for a comprehensive analysis of these three constructions:

  ... for no other reason than X.
  ... for no other reason that X.
  ... for no other reason than that X.

Which is used when? Is this a question of register, dialect, style? How does the usage depend on what X is? Which of the constructions is the oldest, and what is the linguistic reasoning behind the other two variations coming about and happily co-existing — reanalysis, corruption, eggcorning?

I searched the Language Log, but to no avail. Google is of no real help, either — it returns few promising results, which upon closer examination turn out to be unrelated to the question at hand.


texts: How should an author cite a page and line number range that spans across multiple pages?

texts:
Authors are occasionally required to cite to a reference by page and line number.  For example, many adjudicatory boards require briefs to cite to references by paragraph number, if possible, and otherwise by page and line number.

The citation might read:  “(Source at 5, lines 10–14)”  However, what should it look like when the cited passage ends on a subsequent page?  (Source at 5, line 20 through 6, line 2) ??  (Source at 5f., lines 20–2) ??  (Source at p. 5, l. 20–p. 6, l. 2) ??  These all look awful; there must be a better answer.

Does your answer change if the page numbers and line number are similar?  Page 20, line 20 through page 22, line 24?

If you are able to cite to a style guide, that is preferred.  I tend to favor Chicago Manual of Style ("CMoS"), although almost any commonly used style guide should work.  I did not find the answer in CMoS.


texts: Difference between "been to" and "been in"

texts:
In the following two examples, what is the difference between the usage of been to and been in? They seem like they have the same meaning but I’m not sure.

  -Have you ever been to Florida?
  -Yes, I’ve been to Florida many times.

  -Have you ever been in Florida?
  -Yes, I’ve been in Florida many times.


texts: Is "to kill time" the proper expression to describe slowing down a game?

texts:
In soccer, it is common for players to feign injuries or slow down in order to get to the end of the game without allowing the other team to score. In this context, is the expression

  to kill time

appropriate, or is there a more specific expression? In German, we distinguish between passing the time while waiting for something to start (Zeit vertreiben) and actively "wasting" time to hinder an opponent (Zeit schinden).


texts: What word sounds similar to "magnanimous" but means "impressively large"?

texts:
A friend of mine often uses the word "magnanimous" to mean "large and impressive in a positive way". Examples: "Look at this magnanimous snow!" "He had a magnanimous, bushy eyebrows."

I understand this to be incorrect usage of the word. Is there a similar-sounding word, preferably with the "magnus" root, which has the meaning my friend is looking for?


texts: phrase request-Talking in completely irrelevant terms to cover up one's lack of knowledge

texts:
Imagine the following scenario:

Charlie walks into a chess club, where Alice and Bob are playing a casual chess game.

Alice: Hi Charlie, do you think I should move the rook or the bishop?

Charlie: According to the Heideggerian phenomenology, chess is a process of Seinsvergessenheit which involves an individual's Existenzialien. (Blah Blah Blah) therefore there is no such a thing as 'should' and the concept of 'move' is also undefined. Also, there is no difference between a rook and a bishop.

We will suppose here that Charlie does NOT know the strategies of chess game (or any philosophy at all) and is talking in terms of philosophy (which I, personally, I admit, am not acquainted with but nonetheless genuinely respect) only to cover up his lack of knowledge. (The Heidegger stuff is just some random nonsense I put up as an example of what might be involved in this tirade.)

What is a word that can be used to describe Charlie's action in this scenario?

Thank you for your consideration.


texts: Why do Southerners pronounce "naked" differently?

texts:
I was watching a TV show and this guy from Tennessee pronounces naked as /'nekɪd/, without the diphthong /eɪ/ in the first syllable, and instead pronounced as a single /e/ vowel.

Dictionary pronunciation of naked: /'neɪkɪd/
Source: American and British

It so strange to me and I had never heard this form of pronunciation before.
Where else is this dialect spoken?
How did this form of dialect form from the standard variety of American English?


texts: what´s the difference between I don´t mind and I don´t care

texts:
I am looking for the difference meaning between 'I don´t care' and 'I don´t mind'

Thank you


texts: Appropriate comma usage when demonstrating two different words that describe something

texts:
I'm writing a research paper on the Quakers, a religious group that arose in the 1600's. Anyways, I was writing a sentence and I can't figure out the correct comma usage:

  The “Inward Light” was believed by Quakers to be the inner apprehension, or fear, of God.

Should I have a second comma before "of God"?
Or should I write it like this:

  The “Inward Light” was believed by Quakers to be the inner apprehension, or fear of God.

I am not trying to define apprehension as the "fear of God", but rather  trying to show the reader that may not understand the word apprehension in the context a less formal synonym, "fear". Thanks for the help.


texts: If "propriety" is from the French for "property", why is it now about proper comportment?

texts:
I was trying to reverse-translate a quote I mistakenly believed to be originally in French that I saw in English, so as to find the source. (It turned out to be from Jeremy Bentham.) In the process, I had to look up the French for property (having forgotten the exact word), and discovered that the direct translation would be the feminine noun propriété.

Now, this looks suspiciously similar to the English propriety, and a quick search for the etymology of propriety suggests that it indeed is from the French propriété. Wiktionary lists some obsolete uses that are in spirit to the various meanings of property. For example:

  The particular character or essence of someone or something; individuality.  [14th-19th c.] . . .
  A piece of land owned by someone; someone's property. [from 15th c.]

Moreover, the Etymonline site gives some potential dates for when use of propriety might have shifted more to its current sense of proper character that seems distinct from the any of the meanings of property.

This is all good and well, but why might have such a shift in usage come up in the first place?


texts: What's the single word for "if not for intervening circumstances"

texts:
The sentence I'm trying to make is,

She would have done [this] without interceding circumstances;

or,

[this] is what she would have done if not for intervening circumstances.

The circumstances were forced on her, and outside her control.
What I'm using now ("If not for external/intervening circumstances") works, but the sentence feels clumsy. Is there a single word that work for this situation?


texts:
I've been using an idiom ambiguously: "That's small dice."

Does this refer to unfavorable outcomes in games of
chance? (equivalent to "chump
change", like "those are small dice"?). See also "no dice", which has origins in craps.
Or rather, is the idiom a reference to diced food? (equivalent to "overly scrupulous"?)

Example usage.

Sorry if this seems like small dice, but I've double booked Wednesday evenings...
Also one time she accidentally tripped me in capture the flag, but that's small dice compared...(weird expression... small dice, what does that even mean?)... [sic] to this one time, we were on a bus going to a music contest for my orchestra, and some of the other people in orchestra dared her to call me "sexy".
http://armorgames.com/community/thread/8027776/the-rant-thread


texts:
Recently, I read an article about so-called toxic behavior on reddit, posted on a website named "idibon". I thought idi- was a reference to idiotic, e.g. the website Wikipediocracy, which is presumably a variant on idiocracy, or idiotic governance. However, I found that "idibon" is actually a text analysis company. The idi- in Idibon refers to language, e.g. "idiom" or "idiomatic".

This is my question: Is there any etymological relationship between any of these three, idi- prefixed words,

idiotic
idiomatic
idiopathic

and if so, what is it? Are they cognates? Is the resemblance coincidental?


texts: Idiom or Synonym for Someone who looks/feels like you could trust them, like they are someone reliable?

texts:
I'm writing a character description, and the person I'm describing looks and/or feels like someone you can trust, like someone who would be honest with you, someone innocent, maybe even pure. Even if you just met them.
You just have the feeling like anything they say or do is with honest and good intentions and in case something they said or did come out as a lie, as something wrong you still feel the same somehow.
It would take something big to change your mind or else you would just think that they didn't mean it like that.

And it doesn't matter if the really didn't mean it or not.
I do not mean someone who pretends to be trustable, in this case you don't know if they are what they seem to be or not. So please keep that in mind.

I knew a word, description, idiom or synonym that just fit, but I can't seem to remember. Please help?

Thankful,
Aina


texts:
I am fishing for an explanation.
The term 'Pom' for an Englishman is used in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The common explanation is that it is derived from 'pomegranate' - saying the British have red cheeks or 'Prisoner of Her Majesty'.
Neither of these are satisfactory as 'Pom' only applies to the English, not the British in general or other red-faced immigrants who turn up. The 'prisoners theory falls flat because the term only came into use long after the transportation to Oz period.
Every Englishman who turned up at the end of the 19th century, when the term came into use, had with him a dog of small breed called a Pomeranian, pom-pom or toy-pom.
I can find no reference to this as being the origin of the term 'Pom'. Has anybody read of a theory like this?


texts: "Where have I parked my car" or "where did I park my car"

texts:
I'm sometimes confused about the difference between present perfect and simple past sentences such as the ones in the title. In what kind of situation  do you guys say "Where have I parked my car" or " Where did I park my car?"

Thanks in advance.


texts: Prepositional phrase and main clause subject agreement

texts:
I know it would be ungrammatical to say:

After standing up, his cheeks were covered in tears.

Because the subject for "after standing up" should be "he", while the subject in the main clause is "his cheeks".
However, I was wondering if it would also be ungrammatical to say:

This effect could be achieved by refraining from sadness.

I suppose the subject of the sentence is "this effect", but that of the prepositional phrase "by refraining from sadness" should be something like "one" or "you"?
As a contrast, it is perfect grammatical to say (copied the example from dictionaries):

He learned English by listening to the radio.

It would be great if you could let me know your thoughts on the second sentence. Thanks a lot!


texts:
What's the difference between "have" and "have got" to express possession?

examples:

I have a pen.
I have got a pen.


texts: Prepositions with the verb "ask": "ask questions from," "ask a question to"

texts: "What questions do they ask a communication trainer?" or "What questions do they ask from a communication trainer?" Also, I know "She asked me a question" is what's generally used but just have a little doubt about, "She asked a question to me" Is it correct to use 'to' as a preposition here?


texts: Is it okay to use the word "letter" instead of "e-mail" regarding to e-mail correspondence?

texts:
Could you please advise is it okay to use the word "letter" instead of "e-mail" regarding to e-mail correspondence?

For example, is it okay to use the word "letter" in the following phrase if we are talking about e-mail correspondence: "thank you for your letter".

Best wishes,
Anton


texts:
I have heard this phrase in "True Detective". What's the background?
(It was used by police detective, 2nd episode, the dialog in a car.)

update:

Because of the discussion, I found that scene and have listened it exactly with headphones. The exact phrase (32:46) - "She do not look like"

The meaning of the question remains. Using 3rd person + "do".


texts:
On a Physics specification, it says:

  6.7 Know how to use two permanent magnets to produce a uniform magnetic field pattern.

Isn't it "produce an uniform magnetic field", or is the existing "produce a uniform magnetic field pattern" correct?


texts: Comma usage in serial list with isolated speech word thrown in

texts:
Consider the sentence:

  I like listening to hip hop, hard rock, and[,] ironically[,] classical music.

What is the proper way to punctuate "ironically" in that sentence? I put [] around where I am curious if there should be additional commas or maybe even semi-colon.

Thanks.


texts: What does an italic "a" immediately before a year stand for?

texts:
Some citations in the OED have an italic a before the year to indicate the year is uncertain, for example:

  a1556   N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) iii. iv. sig. E.iijv,   By gosse and for thy sake I defye hir in deede.

What does the a stand for in a1556? In this case, the book was believed to have been published in 1556, or shortly thereafter, but not known for sure.

I don't think it's "about" because it's italic so possibly Latin, and italic c is also used for circa in other citations ("c1315").


texts: Can I switch from "man's" to "yours" in this paragraph?

texts:
Locke thinks that property right is naturally attached to man's labor.
  That is, the products of your interaction with the natural world
  naturally belongs to you.(self-made)

In the first sentence I use "man's", in the second I switch to "your" and "you", I doubt that "you" may make the sentence a particular statement pointing to one particular subject, thus making the whole paragraph sound like not a theoritical writing, but a cathartic expression.


texts: Two past perfect verbs from an Arthur Conan Doyle story

texts:
I had come to these conclusions before ever I had entered his room.

Why are there two past perfect verbs in this entene? Is it the same as saying:

  I had come to these conclusions before ever I entered his room.

or

  I came to these conclusions before ever I had entered his room.


texts:
In this below article what 'He had a "tongue" of hair on the top of his head' means?

Even though he was going bald, he knew that he needed to cut his hair every two weeks.

He had a "tongue" of hair on the top of his head. His hair was thinning at the crown

thank you


texts: Idiom for the impossibility of using the same tool/method for different tasks

texts:
I'm looking for an idiom (if there is one) which captures the following meaning: trying to do two things with the same tool will never work, since every task requires its own tool.

It is similar to "if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail", but this has the emphasis of over-reliance on one tool. Rather, I'm looking for something that expresses the futility of trying to find a single solution for two different problems.


texts: Any difference between "a change of heart" and "a change of mind"?

texts:
What does "a change of heart" mean in the following newspaper article?
Is there any difference between "a change of heart" and "a change of mind?"

  Mr. Comey’s willingness to discuss the threat in public was something of a change of heart. As F.B.I. director, he supervised counterintelligence investigations into computer break-ins that harvested emails from the State Department and the White House, and that penetrated deep into the computer systems of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Source: New York Times


texts: I've been reading some old encyclopedias (-ae?), and found 'chirurgy'. When did its usage become supplanted by the modern 'surgery'?


texts: A question about the use of "everywhere" in the sentence

texts:
Recently I've stumbled upon this sentence on the internet:

  Home is everywhere your heart is.

Somehow it doesn't seem right to me. If I had to convey the same meaning, I would write something like this:

  Home is wherever your heart is.

Or this:

  Home is everywhere where your heart is.

Could you please clarify whether I'm right or not.


texts: "Take attention away"... is it a common phrase in English?

texts:
Is the expression take attention away something that sounds okay in English? I'm a Portuguese speaker, so tirar atenção is a normal expression, so I don't know to what extent I'm writing a natural English expression or just letting Portuguese influence my foreign language knowledge. Let me give you an example:

"The pursuit of photorealism often takes attention away from other aspects of game design."

Does this sound natural, or would there be any other way to convey the same meaning?


texts: What do we call a person who sells potable water?

texts: Back in the days in the Middle East, people use to get their drinking water from certain type of street vendors. Those vendors knew certain spots in rivers, where water is clean; they fill a big leather backpack and wander the streets selling water to customers. What can we call such vendors? Is there an English term?


texts: Do both ascertain and determine mean the same here?

texts:
The challenge facing public health officials is to anticipate an outbreak of disease and then ----- that school children are immunized.

Both words have to be in present tense, obviously. But determine here will sound odd. I knew people used "determined" as in "I determined that next year would be my lucky year". Most of time, determine is followed by "whether".

But here ascertain makes more sense and would mean to make sure.


texts:
How is the opposite of compound phrases of the form "adjective noun" constructed?
Is "opposite of [adjective] [noun]" the same as "[opposite of adjective] [opposite of noun]", the same as "[adjective] [opposite of noun]" or the same as "[opposite of adjective] [noun]".

E.g., what the opposite of "short woman"? "short man", "tall woman" or "tall man"?


texts: How can I practice differentiating between the /æ/ and /ɛ/ sounds in English phonology?

texts:
For a non-native English speaker like me, it's always been hard to sound /æ/ and /ɛ/ differently. For example, "salary" and "celery" are two words that I tend to pronounce identically.
Is it OK to go on like this or should I practice to get it right?


texts:
As a result of a web search of items in the Huddersfield, England, area the following words "Wembers all food before use..." created uncertainty. Is this an example of a typographic error or does "wembers" have a local meaning?

See examples in the 9th Huddersfield Crosland Hill Scout Group document "Backwoods Cooking".


texts: How to express a situation where someone puts others in a situation where others have to solve the problem

texts:
Is there any proverb to express a situation where someone put others, without asking approval in advance, in a situation where others have to solve the problem?

He knows if he seeks for permission, then he will certainly be refused. So what he did was create a messy situation in the first place, and then ask for permission.
That is what is happening now with the migrant crisis. The migrants illegally smuggled themselves to Europe and then ask for approval, but not the other way around.


texts:
Ever since you got that Ivy League scholarship, you’ve been hooked on
  their teat. You think you’re one of them because you go on their ski
  vacations and their yachts. The Man snaps his fingers, you jump up and
  bite for him.

The speaker is angry that his best friend gave the speaker the back.
Both hispanic and 'them' means white people.

And I can't understand that 'The Man snaps his fingers, you jump up and bite for him'.
In this dialogue, 'The man' means 'the owner of a dog' and 'you' means 'a dog'?
I guess it means 'You are like a dog to them'.

But I'm not sure.
Help me understand this dialogue perfectly!

(My native language is not English. Please be kind to me. :-))


texts:
What is the meaning of the word "scale" in both cases?

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/scale I couldn't find the appropriate meaning in the dictionary.

“For any new table reservations product, no matter how good it is, it’s very hard to get businesses to adopt the product at scale for two reasons. First, it is hard to scale a sales team without massive funding.


texts: What is the meaning of "objectively better" in this sentence

texts:
I read a sentence in Word by Word by Kory Stamper which was:

  If you ask a modern adherent to this rule why, exactly, you aren't supposed to end a sentence with a preposition, they merely goggle at you as if you had just asked why you aren't supposed to lick electrical sockets. Because it is objectively better not to, that's why.

The fact that the "objectively better" part is italicised as well as answer both the above mentioned questions makes me think that the author is making a pun here. Regarding the latter question, I think the word "objective" means "based on experience and facts" and regarding the former question, I think it somewhat relates to the "objective case" we learn in grammar.  But I am still not sure. Am I right?


texts:
Is it correct to say, "What kind of patents are being issued in these sophisticated times?" It seems like it should be What kind of patents is being issued..., but that sounds wrong.  What kind of patent is being issued... is correct and sounds right, but loses a little bit of the original meaning.

Is there something magic about what kind that allows it to be plural, or do people just misuse it a lot?


texts: Dickens (a tale of two city, chapter 1): what do "they were awake" and "was to be atheistical and traitorous" refer to?

texts:
But that Woodman and that Farmer, though they work unceasingly, work silently, and no one heard them as they went about with muffled tread: the rather, forasmuch as to entertain any suspicion that they were awake, was to be atheistical and traitorous.

In the last sentence of the passage above, "...that they were awake", who were awake and awakened from what?

In "...,was to be atheistical and traitorous", who was atheistical and traitorous?
Thank you!


texts: What is the correct phrasal verb for "integration by parts"?

texts:
When speaking in conversation, or writing up a paper, and applying the said technique on a function, is it correct to say "partially integrate"?

e.g.

"We partially integrate X..."

versus

"We integrate X by parts..."


texts: Which tense should this be? "are to" vs "were to"

texts:
I've been doing some exercises lately when one thing struck me:

  Miss Baiocci would, I am sure, be a real asset to your organisation, knowing as she does a great deal about the way a company such as yours operates. [...] If it were not clear that she is determined to move away from this area, we would try everything we could to keep her here. Assuming we are to lose her, I would be happy to know that she was being taken on by a company with a reputation such as you enjoy.

The "are". It is in accordance with the answer. The thing is, I thought it should have been:

  Assuming we were to lose her, I would be happy to know that she was being taken on by a company with a reputation such as you enjoy.

I thought it was obvious at first glance that this is the Type II Conditional.

Which version is correct?

Thank you!

From Grammar and Vocabulary for Cambridge Advanced and Proficiency by Richard Side and Guy Wellman


texts: After the word 'needed' or 'needs' is the phrase 'to be' required or optional?

texts: My students (and some younger colleagues) are increasingly stating (verbal) and writing phrases as such:  "The operating system needed updated."  or "The application needs fixed."  I was of the understanding that the phrase 'to be' was required between the words needs or needed and the following verb.


texts: Word for a situation where you are dissatisfied because you chose something other than what you actually wanted

texts:
Situation:

When you can have the thing you want, but you choose a close second, now you are left dissatisfied with the action or object.

Another way of thinking about it is, dissatisfaction caused by choosing something other than what you actually wanted.

Examples:

I wanted a salad, but I chose a taco pizza, now I am feeling unsatisfied with my lunch.

I wanted to paint a blue flower, but instead, I chose to paint a purple flower, now I am unhappy with they way my painting looks.

Possible word:

Sublimate (divert or modify an instinctual impulse into a culturally higher or socially more acceptable activity).

-- This word feels lacking and inadequate for the complexity of the situation.


texts: Where does the phrase "hold down the fort" come from?

texts: When someone speaks of "holding down the fort," it basically means keeping an eye on things temporarily while the person in charge is away.  The expression seems rather nonsensical, though; a fort is a large, solid building constructed as a stronghold.  A person in an actual fort might need to hold up the fort (or its walls) if it came under attack, but you don't hold down an inanimate object that is too heavy for the wind to blow away.  So where does the term originate?


texts:
While I was reading a paper, I found "mechanistically-motivated."

  We use our models to suggest mechanistically-motivated ways of
  comparing models.

Because English is my second language, I don't get what the meaning is.

I hope someone can explain it.


texts: When i quote you from him you do not listen but when i quote you from Einstein you listen

texts:
Feeling great to join this network. I appreciate it.
I have a question:  is it better to use the word quote or cite in such situation talking with a hypocrite person?

  "When I quote you from him you do not listen but when I quote you from
  Einstein you listen."

or

  "When I cite you from him you do not listen but when I cite you from
  Einstein you listen."

I want the more natural sounding, as English isn't my first language. I saw cite word is also used instead of quote word as synonym.

Thank you. :)


texts: Why is the indefinite article used in "as a last resort"?

texts: Someone asked me this question today and I didn't really know how to answer the question.  When something is last, the definite article should precede it because there's only one last place.


texts: What is the opposite of the word "confirm"?

texts: I am looking at the following usage in particular: "I want to confirm this theory."


texts: When someone falls and tries to stand up again. In one word?

texts:
In movies we see the protagonist character fight but sometimes our hero can't... he falls down every time... but never loses hope.. and tries to stand up again...

In one word what it's called?


texts: Are These Sentences Equivalent or is One More Appropriate than the Others? (Present Progressive Tense)

texts:
These all seem equally "valid" to me:
"I have recently been reading some research papers about..."
"I recently have been reading some research papers about..."
"I have been recently reading some research papers about..."
"Recently, I have been reading some research papers about..."

Are these all equivalent or is one more "appropriate" than the other, and why?
Thanks!


texts: Noticed your mail late or noticed your mail belatedly

texts:
A colleague send me a mail 2 days ago. I didn't notice it until today. How do I respond:-
(1) I noticed your mail late.
or
(2) I noticed your mail belatedly.


texts:
is this format of question correct and what is the alternative style?
For what this instrument is used?
Thanks in advance.


texts: What languages are "British" and "English/Irish"?

texts:
Found this question on a job application:

and in text format:

What is your main language?
British
English/Irish
Sign language

I've never seen quite a language combination before. Sign, obviously, poses no issues. I'm not sure what language British refers to; some lazy attempt to retaliate against those who say they speak American? English/Irish makes even less sense, especially when compared to British. Irish should be a layman's term for Gaelic, but when it's slashed together with English what does that mean?
Any ideas?


texts:
Are the verb suffixes -eth and -est always present tense?

Wondering if these suffixes imply present action.


texts:
Which one should I use for this statement

  An historian can change the past

or

  A historian can change the past

?


texts: Difference between nouns "strip" and "stripe"

texts: Is there a specific difference between the nouns "strip" and "stripe", especially in the context of "a strip(e) of paper"? Are both equivalent or do they carry specific meanings?


texts: What does "first thing" mean in "You can change it back first thing tomorrow."?

texts:
What does "first thing" mean in the following paragraph?

  "I'm Steve from IT. We're running network tests for the rest of the
  day. I need you to reset your password to 'test123'. You can change it
  back first thing tomorrow. Thanks!"


texts: Is there a name for how the Irish use so, so?

texts:
There is an Irish English structural usage of the word so, that is I think unique to Ireland.

  Are we going to the cinema, so?
  Where is the dog, so?

The word so is unneeded and seems to mean 'then'.  My wife, who is Scottish, used to want to wait for the rest of the sentence but it never came!

Is there a name for this structure?


texts:
I was trying to convey my opinion about a person I knew, when I faced this question. I had to describe a person who cared only about himself: his personal well-being, wealth, luxury, happiness are his only priorities in life. He does not really care for his family members, or spare some time or thought to alleviate their problems.

What adjective is best suited to describe such a person? My instantaneous choice was along the lines of self-important or egotistic, but these adjectives intend “thinking highly of oneself ”, which is not what I meant.

Nouns describing such a person are also welcome. I am looking for a word as little disparaging as possible.


texts: One word for the feeling of comfort talking to a friend

texts:
I feel very comfortable and frank while sharing my personal stuff like issues/likes/dislikes/experiences to one of my friends. Being with that one friend is comfortable.

How do I describe this feeling in one word?
What word would be appropriate (except for comfortable and frank) if I were to tell that friend that:

  "I feel very ___________ talking to you!"

I wanted to express my this feeling to my friend.

Edit: So to be exact, my question is how should I put this in more better words:-

  "I feel very comfortable with you!"


texts: What is the difference between "I don't know" and "I wouldn't know"?

texts:
I have seen both these sentences used but don't see any obvious difference.
Could you please explain in what situations one is preferable to the other.


texts: does fascinating have a positive connotation?

texts: I just wanted to know because I am curious I was just wondering does it have a negative connotation or a positive connotation or both or just a negative connotation.


texts:
English is not my native language and I don’t fully understand what does the expression "force your heart" mean.

I have seen it in the Rudyard Kipling’s poem If:

  If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew


texts: Is a range of numbers 'extended' to a higher upper limit, or is it 'expanded' to a higher upper limit?

texts: For example, is the range of numbers from 1–3 extended to 1–7, or is it expanded to 1–7?


texts: Pickup truck run on boards, under boards are gravel driveway

texts:
From "The pros and cons of delaying college" by Anemona Hartocollis in The New York Times, October 25, 2016:

  The gravel driveway to the farm is marked by stars and stripes painted on boards, like a Jasper Johns painting, with a baby’s footprints where the stars should be. Its whimsy hints at the affectionate family life inside. In the kitchen, the grocery list on the chalkboard shows requisitions, in different handwriting, for “man soap” and “sanity.” Well-seasoned cast iron pans hang on the wall, and in a freewheeling spirit, nobody minds that the bathroom has no door.

Pieces of boards are printed with Stars and Stripes, and cars run on the boards. Why will the gravel driveway be paved with boards? Pickup trucks will be difficult to run on, won't they? What is the size of each board? It fails to come to my mind how it looks like. Is it a typical one for Kansas farms? I have never been American farm nor America. I prefer a picture of it to understand it better.


texts: Is "of all manner" as grammatically correct as "all manner of"?

texts:
I think the sentence I'm working on feels better lyrically if I say:

"strangers of all manners."

As opposed to:

"all manner of strangers."

At the very least I think it might be a bit awkward when read as a part of the larger piece, but from a grammatical perspective, is it even proper? Is "manners" used in this way (basically as a full blown substition for "types")?


texts:
Assuming that I told you 2 days ago, "I promise I will call you tomorrow".
But I didn't. So now I have to apologize you.
Then I say "I promised I would call you the next day." is it correct?


texts: Best word for a task or deed completed without or before one realizes he/she has even endeavored to do it?

texts:
What word best describes the experience of starting something, and ending up, before you know it, far deeper into it than you had ever intended, or far more embroiled, involved, or even having finished or done it irreversibly.  An example might be, say, opening a book out of curiosity, and finding yourself, the next thing you know, dumbfounded to have finished the whole book, almost as if it had happened by some driving involuntary osmosis or in a blackout.

Example sentence with blank for desired word:  Having opened the tome with the intent of reading only the first paragraph, she found herself, in what seemed like hardly an hour, staring at it's back cover almost as an alcoholic might awaken from a blackout to an empty liquor cabinet, and wondering at the _________ way some deeds are done in life, almost as if they are done to you.


texts:
Just curious: Which words are often used in everyday English?

I came across the Wikipedia article about List of German expressions in English.
There are listed thousands of words. I was surprised about the mass and that almost every word that I checked has its entry in Oxford Dictionary; but though, I can barely think of that all these words are known by native English, let alone frequently used.

One example of which I know that it is used is zeitgeist, at least the Guardian has a rubric zeitgeist.


texts:
I'm a native Arabic speaker -Egyptian- we don't have the V & P sounds natively, I'm fully capable of pronouncing the V sound & telling the difference between it & the F sound perfectly, but I struggle with P, I don't know if I'm pronouncing it as B or not & I struggle with telling the difference between the two even though I know it, both are a bobbing sound caused by the release of air build up, with the difference being that the B one is voiced, this is the exact difference between F & V with the V being voiced, but they both feel so short and exactly the same, for example Pat vs Bat, isn't the a kind of voiced, all I hear is the bob sound followed by a voiced a then the T sound, I feel that the bob is stronger in P, is this the only difference or am I missing something?
Is there any words in which the difference is more prominent, & is there a way to pronounce P correctly even if I can't tell the difference?
by the way I can in most cases guess correctly if a word -even if it's the first time hearing it- is written with P or B but I can't pinpoint the difference in hearing


texts: Is it acceptable to use the noun "swing" for both a short round trip and an extensive circular tour in AmE?

texts:
I remember once coming across, while browsing some bilingual dictionary, the noun "swing" pointed up as an AmE equivalent for "circuit".
But, sadly enough, what the bilingual dictionary didn't say was if this usage had any currency at all in modern day AE -- and if it was to some extent more common than the term "circuit", as well as appropriate to use for both a short round trip and an extensive circular tour.
In addition, how does a swing differ from a circuit and from a round trip?
You might want to consider the following sources for this.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swing (head to Definition 6b by the bottom of the page)
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Swing?s=t (head to BOP also)
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circuit
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/circuit?s=t

The prince and princess, winding up a seven-day swing throughout the US...
source


texts: what is a word for sacrificing or giving up something as an act of remorse?

texts:
I am seeking potential options for words that can be used to sacrifices that we make as an act of remorse.

For e.g :

i. Giving up game night/TV on account of securing less marks in the last exams

ii. Sacrificing your favorite toy because you hurt your friend


texts: Are "literally" and "metaphorically" synonymous?

texts: I sometimes hear people speak and they sometimes say "literally" or "metaphorically"... are these words synonymous?


texts: "Right tol loor rul!" Meaning - Dickens, Dombey and Son

texts:
In Dickens's book Dombey and Son, at the start of Chapter 2, Mr. Chick says the following to his wife Louisa Chick right after she made an observation of the death of her sister-in-law:

Don’t you over-exert yourself, Loo,’ said Mr Chick, ‘or you’ll be laid up with spasms, I see. Right tol loor rul! Bless my soul, I forgot! We’re here one day and gone the next!

I guess he could be obscuring his own words as soon as he realizes it is not something he should say, but if that is the case then I cannot figure out what he is supposed to be saying (which might also be that he suddenly starts whistling a song, which is his characteristic behavior). Otherwise, I have no clue.
Can somebody explain what is going on here?


texts:
I'm looking for an idiom for “producing multiple (near) identical instances of something in rapid succession”. Ideally it would be colloquial and/or humorous. Do you know any?

Edit: Its intended use is to illustrate in a succinct manner the purpose of some piece of computer software that produces many documents, similar to a mass mailing. In German, we have e.g. “vom Fließband” and “am laufenden Band”, both referring to a conveyor belt in a factory.

Edit 2: I'm thinking about something advertising-like, it would be something like “[product name] – [it gives you] [special type of document] [idiom for ‘many of them in rapid succession’]”

Edit 3: I found cookie-cutter, which seems nice, but I think its main use is perjorative


texts: Hyphenation: is it a "no-obligation quote" or a "no obligation quote"?

texts:
Should you give someone a "free, no-obligation quote" or a "free, no obligation quote"?
I'm unable to find concrete examples on any authoritative source either way.


texts: 'Closest Healing' or another phrase for a book title?

texts:
I have written a book and will publish it.

I have suffered a lot from a disease over a decade, but after I prayed to God in fasting I found its healing was very close, not far from me.

Therefore, I am going to publish the book to help patients not to be suffered as me but to find true healing that is nearby.

I just can consider its title such as "The Closest Healing" or "The Nearest Healing."
I neither know what others are available nor know which is better among the two above.
As English is my second language, I cannot figure out their nuances.
Which one is better, or other word?

I like to use Healing than cure or remedy as its concept contains Whole Person Healing.

Please help me to find out a good English title.
Thank you.


texts: Is there a word or phrase for the feeling you get after looking at a word for too long?

texts:
Sometimes after looking at a word for a while, I become convinced that it can't possibly be spelled correctly.  Even after looking it up, sounding it out, and realizing that there's simply no other way to spell the word, it still looks wrong.

Is there a shorthand way to describe this feeling so that people will know what I mean without the long explanation?


texts: I haven't watched it vs I didn't watch it

texts:
My friends sent an old video to a chat group.

One said: Dude, It's a really old video.

(I didn't watch this video until my friend sent it to the group.)

What should I use?

I haven't watched it until now
I didn't watch it until now.


texts: Why does a good gardener have a green thumb and not a green finger or hand?

texts:
Why is a gardener's thumb singled out for especial greenness?

Where did that idiom come from?


texts:
I always thought that intense has a positive meaning, meaning something that has no tensions, therefore an intense activity is actually a fun activity. So, what does intense exactly mean? A few days ago I was having a sub for breakfast and my colleague said to me "that's intense". I'm really confused now, what did she mean?

And if intense has a negative meaning, then is tense positive? Tense is not an adjective, is it?


texts:
I'm searching the verb ends with "do".

I found out "undo","redo","overdo","underdo","outdo",and "do".

Are there other Verbs end with "-do"?

I think they follow the irregular conjugation like "-do".

Is there some exceptions of this rule?

Or did I find all range of "-do" Verbs?


texts: Another word for the opposite of "prefer" in the sense of "decreasing the preference for (but not dismissing it)"

texts:
I'm looking for another word to use as the opposite of prefer. The searches I looked up show this has been asked before, but not quite in the context I was looking for.

Here is the context, and I apologize for going technical:

                    +------+
                    |      |
       +------------+  R2  +---------------------+
       |            |      |                     |
       |            +------+                     |
       |                                         |
+------+            +------+                  +--v---+
|      |            |      |                  |      |
|  R1  +------------+  R3  +------------------>  R5  |
|      |            |      |                  |      |
+------+            +------+                  +---^--+
       |                                          |
       |            +------+                      |
       |            |      |                      |
       +------------+  R4  +----------------------+
                    |      |
                    +------+

  R1 has three paths to get to R5.  One through R2, one through R3, and another through R4.  All three paths are viable, but some paths might be more preferred than the others.

  There are configurations changes we can make to have R1 prefer paths through R2.  And there are configuration changes we can make to have R1 de-prefer paths through R4.

Specifically, I am looking for a substitute for de-prefer in the text above. Similar to de-prioritize, or dis-prefer, but I don't think either of those words do it quite justice or work for simple conversational English.

In either case, the path through R4 is never "negated", it is always a viable path, but only when the paths through R2/R3 are not available.

The very specific context is I am trying to provide instructions to students who will be applying the configuration changes discussed above. The best I could get so far is:

  In case xyz, de-prefer the path through R4

But again, I don't think that sounds right.


texts: What is the difference between "a" and "per" in "miles an/per hour?

texts:
1.The train runs 60 miles an hour.
2.The train runs 60 miles per hour.
What is the differen between the two sentences.


texts: How reliable is to be + past participle to identify passive voice?

texts:
I am trying to write a software that can identify simple variants of passive voice in an english sentence.

I found multiple resources that state that to be + a past participle is an indication that the sentence is in passive voice.

My question is, is this a reliable rule?
Are there any false positives, i.e. are there sentences that contain a construct of to be + past participle that are not in passive voice?


texts: What is an action (in one word) that makes you say "goodbye"?

texts:
Is there some verb that represents an action of "saying goodbye" ?
Example:

When you meet someone, you say hello.
When you ____ (with) someone, you say goodbye.

When a pair does this it is called "break up".


texts: The verb form of "Is entered in the race"

texts:
[I'm not much of an expert in English usage, just an armchair boffin, so I hope I'm not out of line asking what may be a dumb question, to the regulars here...]
I am trying to figure out the form of the verb entered in a passage such as:

"Did John make the cut?"
"Yes, he is entered in the race as the eighth man."

Obviously, John was entered into the race in the past but it isn't past participle ("he has been entered"; "he was entered") and it certainly isn't past tense ("he entered"). In fact, in this usage, it is essentially an adjective.
Is this a form that I am not familiar with or is it just bad English (albeit in somewhat common use)?


texts: Does this open compound noun require a hyphen when used as an adjective?

texts:
A friend of mine works at a restaurant that sells tortilla soup; however, I think the soup tastes like hot dogs. There are thus three ways to write this: hot dog soup, hot-dog soup, hotdog soup.

Only the open compound form of hot dog soup appeals to me aesthetically, and, for the most part, native speakers know what a hot dog is and will draw the connection. But what if the soup in question were actually a hot dog-soup/dogsoup?

What is the "best" way to write hot dog soup? Why?


texts: What's the origin of the saying "know your onions"?

texts:
In French, there's the expression occupez-vous de vos oignons which means  "mind your own business" in English but can be literally translated as "take care of your onions".

Know your onions however means to be knowledgeable about a subject - a meaning which is clearly distinct from the French saying.

But what's its origin? I'd really love to know.


texts:
PTP-SD is a type of algorithm.

PTP stands for "probabilistic tree pruning"
SD stands for "sphere decoding"

PTP-SD is a type of algorithm that uses PTP with SD.

My question is about the use of the hyphen here. In the paper I am currently editing, the author has written the following:

"Increasing radii algorithm (IRA) [10] and probabilistic tree pruning with sphere decoding (PTP-SD) [11] reduces the complexity by adopting the different radii in each layer instead of fixed radii used in the literature."

In such examples, the spelled out form contains no hyphen. Is this okay? Should there be one? If so, where should it go? Why should only the abbreviation contain a hyphen but not the spelled out form?


texts: What adjective would you use for "not readable color"?

texts:
Imagine you received an email, which looks like this:

I guess there's an adjective to express that either the background or the font color should be changed, because it's really hard to read. My assumption is that this adjective matches the pattern eye*ing (like eyebreaking)


texts:
1970s - The seventies; 1980s - The eighties; 1990s - The nineties.

What do you call year 2000 and 2010?

If someone who is older says a joke that was funny in eighties. I mostly hear right after: "You won't get it, it's a nineties thing."

But what if I make a pun over 20 years, that is funny now, but won't be in future? What do I say?
"You won't get it, it's __ thing."


texts: Negative sentence, "not contain more than" or "contain no more than"?

texts:
Between the following couple of sentences, which one is right? Or better ask, which one is more right if both are right.

A: A keyword can not contain more than three words.
B: A keyword can contain no more than three words.

I'm an English learner, thus it ain't my mother tongue. So please feel free to teach me everything you think is needed. If there are any differences in meanings, mention it. If there is any preference to use each sentence (or other sentences you may suggest), tell my why.


texts: One of my friends recently argued with me regarding the correctness of the follow statement

texts:
Mohit and Sid being cunning.

I want to know if the above sentence is grammatically correct.

PS: Mohit and Sid are the names of 2 people.


texts: I am trying to write a document that describes the frequency with which we perform a task.  It is usually done daily, however I don't want to be tied to having to do it daily.  Is there a more professional word I can use to mean near-daily?


texts:
I'm looking for a single word, or a succinct phrase to describe an artist that achieves greatness after a lot of hard work and repeated failures, rather than someone who was naturally talented.

The closest equivalent I could think of was Journeyman, but that doesn't have the connotations of achieving greatness. Is there a better word to describe such an artist?


texts:
What is the rule regarding using the with superlatives? For example:

  John is the fastest among his friends.
  John is fastest among his friends.

Both appear to be correct.   I have seen both formats in a variety of places.


texts: Did or didn't the "jury-" prefix (jury-rigged, jury-mast) derive from "injury?"

texts:
OED has an interesting definition of jury-mast

  a. Naut. A temporary mast put up in place of one that has been broken or carried away.

The etymology provided is brief and leaves an open question:

  Origin unknown. Apparently either a corruption of some earlier name, or a jocular appellation invented by sailors. For the suggestion that it may have been short for injury-mast, no supporting evidence has been found.

The earliest cited use in OED of jury-mast is from 1616.

This use of jury- as a prefix indicating that something is made as a makeshift replacement for something broken extends to the more commonly used modern term jury-rigged.  An early use of this variant is from 1788:

  1788   T. Newte Tour Eng. & Scotl. 116   The ships to be jury rigged: that is, to have smaller masts, yards, and rigging, than would be required for actual service.

The topic of jury-rigging has been discussed here: "jury-rigged", or "jerry-rigged," but the posts make no mention of the "injury" connection.

Given that OED hasn't found a definitive answer, can anyone find evidence for or against the suggestion that the prefix "jury-" is related to "injury?"


texts:
Is it correct to use "actual self" in the following context:

  As she was dead long time ago, her descendants could not have possibly
  seen her actual self.


texts:
How can I use bourgeoisie properly in this day and age?

I understand that at one time it meant part of the wealthy "middle class". Back then the middle class owned the means to production (merchants for example). However the social and economic order was totally different.

In Italy, the middle class was somewhere between vassels and peasants. In France, before the revolutions, the bourgeoisie was part of the rural Third Estate, the lowest estate, which was made of commoners.

Yet today, I hear it being used to refer to more of an "upper class" sort of folk. So I'm very confused as to how I should interpret the word. I'm not sure if it should even be used today, as it's original context has changed so much.


texts:
I'm reading  Women by Charles Bukowski and stumbled upon the following dialog:

  Dee Dee was standing next to me. "Please tell her," she said, "to give me until September."

  "Forget her," Lydia said. "To hell with her. You come up here and see me."

  "I can't drop everything just because you phone. Besides," I said, "I'm giving Dee Dee until September."

  "September?"

  "Yes."

A little bit of context: the conversation is being held over the phone between the narrator and his ex-girlfriend Lydia who's trying to get him back. Dee Dee is the narrator's current date.

What do the characters exactly mean by saying to give Dee Dee until September?


texts: How common is the term "boondoggle"? And what is its origin?

texts:
Even for a country well accustomed to foreign policy boondoggles,
  it was an impressive body count. Eighty Americans, eight Brits, eight
  Germans — no French because they'd been boycotting Western diplomatic
  functions in Cairo.
  The Brethren By John Grisham

I can safely say I have never come across boondoggle before, I guessed it meant complicated, esoteric maneuvers of sorts. Dictionary.com says: a project funded by the federal government out of political favoritism that is of no real value to the community or the nation.

Online Etymology Dictionary provides further information

  boondoggle (n.) 1935, American English, of uncertain origin, popularized during the
  New Deal as a contemptuous word for make-work projects for the
  unemployed. Said to have been a pioneer word for "gadget;" it also was
  by 1932 a Boy Scout term for a kind of woven braid.

If boondoggle was originally a name for a gadget could dongle be derived from it?  Which Dictionary.com defines: Also called wireless adapter. A word that was coined in 1985 or thereabouts.
Could boondoggle be considered a blend word composed of boon + doggle?

The only definitions I found for doggle was an affectionate term for a small dog and a child's marble. Nevertheless, it does sound like a name for a knot and an easy one to master but perhaps I'm influenced by doddle, a BrEng term meaning a very easy task.

Or a nonce word?

  A nonce word is a lexeme created for a single occasion to solve an
  immediate problem of communication. The term is used because
  such a word is created "for the nonce" and is thus "an invented or
  accidental linguistic form, used only once"
  Wikipedia

But if John Grisham used it in his 2000 novel, I am inclined to believe it must be a well-established term in American English. One that many Americans must be familiar with.

So how would linguists define the word boondoggle?
And I would also like to know how common is boondoggle and whether it is used outside of politics.


texts: What does the phrase "old Charlottes" refer to?

texts:
I'm reading the novel Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian at the moment. It has the following passage in it:

'… it seemed to me there was an unnatural proportion of Lord Mayor's men among them. No old Charlottes, I suppose?'
'Yes, sir, we have one — the fellow with no hair and a red handkerchief round his neck. He was a foretopman, but he seems quite dazed and stupid still.'
'A sad business,' said Jack shaking his head.

The conversation is between a ship's Captain and his second in command, discussing some new recruits they've just brought onboard. The Captain appears skeptical about the men they've been given. I'm assuming that Lord Mayor's men was slang for a criminal element, or otherwise undesirable sailor, but I can't fathom what old Charlottes might refer to. Possibly a survivor of a tragic event around the book's setting (early 1800s)?
I've obviously Googled around to no avail, and I've checked the OED, but I can't find anything illuminating.


texts: Is the use of ”comfort” ok in this text?

texts:
I received a letter today from my opticians and my roommate claims one of its  sentences is not grammatical.

  When you collect your spectacles, an Optical Advisor will check their fit and comfort, and show you how to care for them.

He says that the word comfort doesn’t belong, as something can be comfortable, but it cannot have comfort.  Is this true?


texts:
Newbie here.

If I wanted to spell out the sounds short vowels make, would these be accurate?
a - ah,
e - eh,
i - ee,
o - ou,
u - uh


texts:
There is a claim at this link to another stackexchange question that the usual form is "On rare occasions, whether it be a Tuesday or no, I will go to the supermarket." as opposed to "whether it be a Tuesday or not".

I thought it would be the opposite so I'd like to see it resolved here, please.  Is the usual form geographically specific?


texts: What form of "to be" to use with "former/latter"?

texts:
Consider this:

  Universities and polytechnics are actively encouraged by the government of this country. The former are to provide academic education based on research, and the latter are to provide higher-level vocational education and promote applied research emphasising close contact with business.

Is "are" correct, or should it say "is," since "former" and "latter" aren't plural nouns?


texts:
When someone is not under the influence of alcohol, you call them sober. Is there a similar word for not under the influence of mind-altering drugs?

An example usage would be:

  I am one of the few who listens to Radiohead or Dave Matthews while ________.


texts: What language technique is "I am gone though I am here"

texts: I am writing an essay about Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing' and I was wondering what language technique is used in "I am gone though I am here". Is it a juxtaposition, oxymoron or what?


texts:
Is there a difference between writing:

A case study of / on / in [a field or topic].

?


texts: Is "Do the data..." gramatically correct?

texts:
For example, in these websites:

Do the data exist to make college rating systems work?
Specialization and the Volume of Trade: Do the Data Obey the Laws?
Immigration: What do the data tell us?

In all of these cases, replacing "Do" with "Does" makes it sound more natural, but is "Do" correct?


texts: In mathematics, we use polar coordinates, I do not understand the reason of using the word "polar" here. What is the pole here? What does it have to do with the coordinates?


texts:
I'm a bit confused about this. Which expression is correct?

  You can't just do that.

or

  You just can't do that.

I'm trying to say:

  You can't just bash an ideology because of what someone has said/done.