texts:
which sentence do you prefer?

Alex invited the new visitors inside the house and led them to his parents’ office.

Alex invited the new visitors into the house and led them to his parents’ office.


texts: What is the correct term for a must-answer-correctly question in a test?

texts: In some tests a question is critical, ie. answering that question incorrectly makes you fail the whole test, even if that's your only wrong answer. I tried serching for 'sudden death question' but it does not seem to be the right term. So is there a name for such all-losing questions?


texts: How do you convert a " x × y^z " expression into a readable/sayable number?

texts: I read an article explaining that the mass of earth is 6 × 10^24 kg, but this expression means nothing to me since I can't convert it into a number as I do not know what ^ is supposed to mean. How would I read or speak it?


texts: When should I use: I did, had done or have done?

texts:
Please explain when I should use:

I did vs. I had done or
I had done vs. I have done?

Sometimes I tend to get confused about which one to use. Thanks.


texts: Word for something that used to be popular but not anymore

texts:
I'm looking for a word that simply means something that used to be popular but is no longer.

I do not want the word to denote that it is not as good as it once was

ex:

Obsolete: no longer in use or no longer useful

Whether or not it is still very important, just that the popular attention has shift away, is up for the context.

The closest thing I could find was:

It's so yesterday: something that is out of fashion

But that's slang and (for me, at least) gives a small implication that it's not as good as whatever is the new thing now.

Edit: I found:

Old-School: used, usually approvingly, to refer to someone or something that is old-fashioned or traditional

However, I'm not sure if 'old-school' could be used for some political thought/opinion.

Are there any other single-word adjectives that could describe this?

Sample Sentence:

  When I showed my dad a trending music video, he took one look at it and said "My goodness, this is so ______! It's so nice to see this kind of music video again - it really takes me back to my younger days."

Edit:

I've realized that my example give off a positive connotation, so 'old-school' would be closer than any other word I've found - but I'm looking  for a word with a neutral connotation as to why it's no longer popular.


texts: What is said to check on a planned date?

texts:
When you have preplanned a date for something with a friend or a group of people and you want to ask if they are still committed to it and it's sort of a reminder
 Are on date? That doesn't seem right. Plus I'm unsure if date is good enough to be used since its usually used in romantic situations.

So if I planned to go witha ccouple of friends for a barbecue on Saturday, maybe I'd ask them on a Friday if they're on date/still fixed on it and up for it?
What is said?

  1: Are you on our planned date for Saturday.
  2: Yeah I am.


texts:
I have a problem with my landline phone connection. So I have been registering complaints and the customer support team would come and fix the problem and every time they leave the same problem comes back and I am unable to make any call and again I register the complaint and again the problem is not resolved and the cycle continues.
I have been trying to put or explain the same thing in spoken English but I find it difficult.
for example. I tried - they will come, fix the problem, and again its malfunctions,they will come again, fix the problem, and again its malfunctions, and it goes on like this - so is there any way to avoid this repetition of the same sentence and convey the cyclical nature of the issue in natural English.


texts:
Is there a single word for ready again ? Could it be re-ready?

Example:

I have multiple statuses:
- not ready
- ready
- error
- re-ready?

Example:
 First document is unsigned, then signed, after some manipulation it gets ready status. But if something happens to it after being ready( some error) it gets manipulated in some way and must inform user that document has gone through all that signing process and already had status ready, but then some error happened and is now "ready again"


texts: "User has uploaded files to your contest" or "User has uploaded files for your contest"?

texts: I want to show this text on the email that'll be sent to the contest creator. It will be performed whenever a user submits a file to the content.


texts: Service will be 'unavailable Saturday' vs '...unavailable on Saturday'

texts:
I want to perfect this system message the most I can and am over-thinking the use of the proper words.

Is it better to say "Email will be unavailable Saturday 12/29 from 5 PM to 9 PM" or "Email will be unavailable on Saturday 12/29 from 5 PM to 9 PM."

Our client chose the message so I don't want to alter it too much which would make him think his English was bad, but I wish to use the proper way of letting the users know WHEN Email will be unavailable.

So is it 'unavailable Saturday 12/29' or 'unavailable on Saturday 12/29'?


texts: Is this compound noun compose of a group of many things plural or singular?

texts:
In the following sentence, I'm not sure whether the noun should be considered plural or singular?

  A grid pattern of streets (Main, Elm, First) are shown.

Or:

  A grid pattern of streets (Main, Elm, First) is shown.

The grid is clearly singular, but streets is plural.  I'm thinking it should be singular because the grid contains the streets, but am not sure.  Which one is correct?


texts: How to introduce an idea before stating it?

texts:
This one always gets me. How do I introduce an idea and then state it in the same sentence? Does it simply require a colon?

  That's because we have one goal: for you to consider your website a
  success.


texts:
I often see that in nicknames, the initial An- is omitted.

  Anthony → Tony
    Android → Droid
    Andrew → Drew
    Annabelle → Bella

Is my understanding correct? Are there restrictions on when this applies?
If so, why is An- omitted? Is it a morpheme meaning something?
What other regular rules are there in creating English nicknames?


texts: What is another word for "tip" (as in 'tipping money')?

texts:
I've written:

We recommend tipping directly to the person you want to receive the tip.

I don't want to use the word 'tip' at the end of the sentence as I used it earlier on. Is there an alternative word?


texts: If this is really accepted usage, can somebody explain its logic to me?

texts:
I guess it's just me, but this kind of sentence:

"All the elephant trainers have not been informed of this decision."

...seems misleading to me; what is meant (which can be deduced from the context) is:

"Not all the elephant trainers have been informed of this direction."

So why isn't the (to me) clearer way of stating it used? From my perspective, the first statement:

"All the elephant trainers have not been informed of this decision."

...is logically saying that none of the elephant trainers have been informed. After all, by beginning with, "All the elephant trainers" that is what is being discussed: the entirety of them. Now, what about them? They have not been informed about the decision.

It seems ambiguous at best to me, whereas the second statement:

"Not all the elephant trainers have been informed of this direction."

...makes it clear that there are at least some elephant trainers who have not been informed, and implies that some have.] been.

If the first, and common, way of expressing this thought is truly correct, can somebody explain to me how to understand it?


texts: What is the keyword used to designate a semantic field specific to a certain period of time?

texts:
When the words 'bowler hat, shilling, bobby...' appear in a text, they tend to show that it is from a certain time period.   What's the word used to describe this sort of giveaway?
It's kind of similar to semantic field but surely there's a key word more specific to this concept?


texts: Use of present tense in a subordinate clause within a sentence that uses future tense

texts:
Is the use of tenses correct in the following sentence ?

"One of the key components will be the XXX that replaces the existing YYY."

In particular, the use of the present tense in the subordinate clause whereas the main clause uses the future. It seems correct to me because the present expresses something that is true already now.


texts:
There are a lot of questions concerning the correct use if login, log in, etc.

When speaking directly to an use I would say

  You can always change this permission by logging in in the internal download area [...]

because after the "logging in" I naturally would do a very short pause before continuing with an emphasis on "in the internal download area".

However when I wrote it down on the site I'm developing, I didn't like it. The double "in" seems wrong o to me but I don't know how to express that in better way. Could anyone help me here? What about "by logging into the internal"?


texts:
Where should I place the adverb?

Potentially, it could be moved back to where it was.
It could be potentially moved back to where it was.
It could potentially be moved back to where it was.

Should it directly precede the verb "moved"? Or ahead of "be moved"? Or in front of the whole statement?


texts: Is there an equivalent term for 'verbatim' in the context of images?

texts: When reproducing an excerpt from a text identically (and properly referenced), we are quoting it 'verbatim'. Is there an equivalent term in English that refers to reproducing an image faithfully? I would like to use a construction along the lines of: 'His reluctance to quote his own artwork [MISSING WORD]...'


texts: (About dangling modifiers) How to correct this sentence

texts:
Eating the hot dog, mustard dropped onto my blouse.
My correction: (by locating the implied subject)

With me eating the hot dog, mustard dropped onto my blouse.
I eating the hot dog, mustard dropped onto my blouse.

Are these two sentences grammatically correct? I know they sound very strange and non-native.
Ps: The second sentence was wrong and I corrected it.


texts: In 1395, why was "her" used instead of "their"?

texts:
Why was "her" used here?

Wycliffe Bible
Mk.1:20

In accordance with studylight.org:

"...brother, in a boot makynge nettis. 20 And anoon he clepide hem; and thei leften Zebedee, her fadir, in the boot with hiryd seruauntis, and thei suweden hym. And thei entriden"

I think, that "their" should be used instead.


texts: Is "Whom did you give the book?" ungrammatical?

texts:
You gave him the book.                         (1)

Based on the sentence (1),
it seems to me that the following form of question is possible:

  Whom did you give the book?                  (2)

instead of

  To whom did you give the book?         (3)

since him is an object of the verb "give".

I know (2) is rare. But, is (2) ungrammatical?


texts:
Can anyone explain what reductio ad Hitlerum means in simple English with examples?

I tried reading the Wikipedia article but it didn't help.


texts: Where does "Do you want the bill grabbing?" come from?

texts:
I heard this phrase at a restaurant the other day - in Sheffield, England. The waitress said first, "Do you want anything else getting?", and then after that, "Do you want the bill grabbing?"

This sounds like a very strange form of the passive to me, as if it's using the progressive -ing instead of the passive participle -ed. I guess the standard sentence would be "Do you want the bill to be grabbed" if you wanted to coerce it into the passive, although "Do you want me to grab the bill" sounds far more natural.

Where does this phrasing comes from? Does it belong to a particular Northern dialect? I've never heard it in Sheffield or anywhere else before. Also, what's going on syntactically in this sentence?


texts: What word do you use to refer to a "paper" given by a store as credit?

texts:
What I mean is this. I was in Brazil recently and I purchased a product there. Arriving at the hotel I did not like the product and returned it the next day. The store did not offer refunds. Instead they gave me a small paper with the store logo saying I have X amount as a credit if I want to buy something in the future.

In brazil this is called "vale".

Is there such thing in the US or other english based country? How do you call that?


texts: List of adjectives joined by "or": Should the final noun be singular or plural?

texts:
For example, should it be:
A) Ask the Science, Math, or Art teachers.
or
B) Ask the Science, Math, or Art teacher.
?


texts: How does this sound for native english speakers?

texts:
I left out the "I" ("I helped ...") in my last message which is quite common in colloquial german. (Ich habe heute eingekauft => Habe heute eingekauft). But reading this again, I think it might sound like a passive aggressive insult that she did not help in the office. What do you think? I did not mean that at all.

She didn't reply to this message - for more than 2 weeks now ... :/

  Me: How did your start to the home office season go? :)

  She: It was good fortunately. What about u?

  Me: Good to hear! Helped our ppl in the office today, so it is still
  pending. The overall situation is new for all of us, what do you think
  about it?


texts:
How to convert verbs to  nouns, and nouns to adjectives?

I was told that if I put an -ing to the end of a verb, the verb could become an adjective or a noun. For example:

  read → reading
  interest → interesting
  talk → talking

But I also find that not all the nouns related to verbs are formed by adding -ing to them.

I am confused about these nouns, like decision and suggestion.
Why can one not use deciding, suggesting instead?


texts:
I've come across several different ways of using the conjunction whether.

First, the terse version:

  "Jon was deciding whether to go outside."

That sentence sounds incomplete to me, because it's missing the "or part" (implied by context). When I read it out loud, I think to myself that the sentence should have been written like this:

  "Jon was deciding whether to go outside or not."

But I keep seeing it used in both ways. I've also seen it used like this (similar to the above):

  "Jon was deciding whether to go outside, or stay inside."

Like this, in the middle of the sentence:

  "Jon was deciding whether or not to go outside."

That sentence structure doesn't sound right to me.

And, lastly, like this:

  "Jon was deciding whether to go outside, or if he should
  stay inside."

This is the most comfortable to read to me, but it feels a bit too verbose.

Are all the above sentences grammatically correct, and do they all have the same meaning?


texts: Trying to find a word similar to apex but ending with -muth

texts:
I'm trying to find a word that I've heard of that ends with -muth and has a meaning similar to apex or the very high point of something. I could have sworn that I've heard this word before. It is possible that it doesn't mean what I thought it means but I would like to know what it is regardless.

I looked up synonyms for apex here but the word I'm thinking of doesn't show up.


texts: Difference between "ability" and "capability"

texts: What is the difference in usage between ability and capability?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When is “less” appropriate vs. “fewer”?

Which is more correct "fewer than hundred people" or "less than hundred people"? According to my grammar book, "few' is used for number where as "less" is used to imply quantity,so I think "fewer than hundred people" is more correct but Google ngrams speaks otherwise.

Which is more correct?


texts:
Imagine someone creates a piece of art, but nobody notices it. Like a great book, which nobody reads because nobody knows that it exists.

What are some powerful words or metaphors for this condition?


texts: Do mutiny and mutation have a common root?

texts:
These words sound similar and the meaning is close, too - in both cases something is changing.
Etymology I found implies they are not connected to each other, but I'm still curious.


texts: What tense to use when reporting something which has never been true or never happened?

texts:
The report said that years ago city planners had planned to build a facility that turns salt water into fresh water, but financial woes made that impossible.

In this sentence should turned be used instead of turns?


texts: Are the phrases "in total" and "in toto" interchangeable, or is "in total" a corruption of "in toto"?


texts: A better word for invigilator, a person overseeing an exam

texts:
I'm issuing a written final exam to a student in Nepal. In setting this up I need to communicate to a non native speaking person in the abroad administration, in a clear and precise manner, that a person overseeing the examination procedure needs to be available for the duration of the exam.

I (we) have previously used invigilator.  I find myself very uncomfortable with this word.

TFD suggests that this is a word only used in the commonwealth. Proctor (US/TFD) also seems to me rather uncommon or unclear.

What would be an easy to understand phrase or word to describe this need?


texts: Introductory phrases and restrictive clauses

texts:
Do I need to put a comma after an introductory phrase inside a restrictive clause?

Example:

She realized that because Paul took the money, he was an accessory to her crime.

She realized that because Paul took the money he was an accessory to her crime.

Which one is correct?


texts: What's an appropriate way to express nostalgia in first person

texts:
Would saying it like this be okay?

  Feeling a bit nostalgia. Can't wait for another trip to Cali.

Or would nostalgic be a bit more acceptable?


texts: "This fine-looking, commanding man had become a shadow of his former self.", I don't know how to underatand this sentence. Help me please

texts:
"This fine-looking, commanding man had become a shadow of his former self."

"a shadow of his former self" means he was not like what he once had been, right?

Then, I am wondering if "this fine-looking, commanding man" was fine-looking and commanding and his former self had been much worse before, or he had been handsome and imposing but then lost almost all his merits? What happened to this man first? Was his "former self" good or bad?

How can I paraphrase this sentence?


texts: Can one say, "John Doe for World Cup," meaning "I vote for John Doe to have a place in the national team"?

texts:
Or, in the same manner, "John Smith for Olympics" meaning any place in a team, crew, etc?

I know that it's common practice to say "John Doe for president," but here "president" is a profession/title, while "World cup" and "Olympics" aren't.


texts: something like dawn, twilight, purgatory


texts: Is it proper to use "too"/"as well" in a negated sentence?

texts:
The word either is what's usually used in such a case, but can we use too or as well too?
Example for the difference:
• It's better not to translate the first word, but it's bad not to translate the second too/as well.
• It's better not to translate the first word, but it's bad not to translate the second either.


texts: "What questions [is/are] your data team hoping to answer?"

texts:
Over at stats.stackexchange we are having a minor kerfuffle over whether a title is using incorrect grammar. It has been edited and re-edited several times. It would be great to get some arbitration and a clear explanation.

The original title was "What questions is your data team hoping to answer?" which was edited to "What questions are your data team hoping to answer?", then edited back. See the question here.


texts: What is the word for making a point by saying nothing?

texts: Instead of commenting on what he regarded as a ridiculous proposal he conveyed his disapproval by saying nothing at all.  This is an example of xxxxxx.


texts: What do you call someone who's involved in a project (non-leading role)

texts:
We currently have two roles for our project, namely:

project manager
`someone who is involved', ie. regular worker/employee

but I'm not really satisfied with worker. What do you usually call someone who works on a project within a team?


texts:
"I will have done it" or "I will have it done"? What's the difference? I found that future perfect sentence structure is:

Subject + will have + 3rd form of verb or past participle + object

(http://www.studyandexam.com/future-perfect-tense.html) but I often hear "I will have it done". Which one is the correct form? Maybe both?


texts:
Here is a phrase about supermarkets in Belgium:

  The idea for brewing with bread came when 31-year-old Frenchman
  Sebastien Morvan talked to a friend about food waste, specifically the
  bread thrown away because supermarkets, eager to offer fresh bread to
  shoppers all day, baked until late afternoon.

My question is: what does this *until * mean? Does it include "late afternoon" or not? Can we say that the process of baking ends around 5-6 pm?

(I need to understand it because I am translating it into Russian and we don't have the notion of "late afternoon", so I have to figure out the time :))

Thanks in advance!

/source: The Manitoba Co-operator, April 23, 2015/


texts: Looking for a word similar to metaphor or symbol or allegory

texts: A person is traveling dangerously fast on a rainy night with low visibility - traveling with reckless abandon in an already dangerous situation. What is the word that describes the literary sense in which this person is traveling towards (not spatially towards) an ambulance?


texts:
I know "Might" and "Might not" means the lack of certainty, but is there an implied probability in the use of these terms?

In other words, does "I might be coming" imply that "It is extremely likely I will be coming" or is it a case of "It is likely that I will be coming" or moving down even lower "It is feasible that I will be coming" ?

Is the situation identical with the use of "Might not" ? When someone says, "I might not be coming" what approximate probability level are we talking about regarding their "not coming"?

I realize this is a basic question -- sorry about that; Just was not sure about the usage.


texts: Multiple meanings of the word 'chapter'?

texts:
What is the etymology and history of the word `chapter' in connection to the different things it refers to? I found after a while that chapter, collinsDictionary, uses it to mean not only the segment in a book/story, but also:

convocation, council, congress, assembly, convention, synod, conclave • " The Archbishop thanked the Dean and Chapter of Westminster for inviting him to the Abbey. "
branch, part, department, section, wing, subdivision, subsection • " the Brisbane-based chapter of Hell's Angels"

I found this to be surprising. What are some famous uses for 'chapter' outside of it referring to a book segment?


texts: Are words like "freaking" and "flippin'" adverbs or adjectives when used like this?

texts:
As far as I understand it a present participle used like the one in the example ould be functionally an adjective

  The barking dog.

I am wondering about intensifying words like "freaking" or "flipping" or "god damn"

  Take the flippin' train.

To me, they don't convey very much about the noun but rather something about the speakers thoughts that go beyond the statement. As such they feel just the same as their adverb-instances

  Just freaking go.

Seeing that "freaking" does not have the usual "-ly" ending, I have the following questions.

Is the first use really an adjective?
Are intensifying words categorized totally disregarding their semantic function?
What are they?
What are they in combination with verbs?
If adverb, why not "-ly".


texts: What is it called? VS What is it spelled?

texts:
I am writing a post about the difference between what vs how, but then got stuck with how to explain this.
We say 'what is it called?', not 'how is it called?' when we are asking the way to call something.
But, we say 'how is it spelled?', not 'what is it spelled?' when we are asking the way to spell something.
Is there a good way to explain this?
Is it because, in 'what is it called?', we are asking about the name of the object, and not necessarily the way to call it? I think if I write this, that will confuse my readers even more because they can also think that the name of the object is also the way we call it.


texts: Is there a collective name for the table/bench/chair configuration used by contestants on such as family TV game shows?


texts: Why is the present participle always regular?

texts:
Most rules of the English language have some irregularity [citation needed].
Forming the present participle isn't one of them: take the infinitive, and add the suffix -ing (in speech. In writing, it's a bit more complicated due to the irregularities of English orthography in general - but those irregularities are themselves regular, if that makes sense).
Why is this? Even "to be", the most irregular verb in English (with a whopping eight distinct forms, almost every one irregular), has a regular present participle.


texts:
I was checking out the definition of either in dictionary, here is what I found:

one or the other of two things (any of the things will be fine)
one and the other of two things (either side of the road)

so, the word "either" can basically mean both any or both, is that right?
Let's say I want to say:

Either of these options will do (any of the two options will do)

Can it also mean both of the options will do?


texts:
I cannot find the phrase "yet alone" in any online dictionaries.
What does the phrase "yet alone" mean in the following sentences:

The fact that small rural communities are often shot through with feuds and vendettas is conveniently forgotten, yet alone the fact that cities are shot through with eavesdropping and general nosiness: sometimes I wish that cities were a bit more alienated!

But this kind of linearization of intent, classically associated
with those who want to configure a centre that thinks radical practices (Colectivo Situaciones 2005), too often elides the complex, emergent world in which we live, in which it is by no means clear that everyone could or should suddenly reach a point of clarity and unanimity about means and ends, yet alone a state of compassion.

Taken from Nigel Thrift, Non-Representational Theory: Space, Politics, Affect (2008).
Is it a mistaken alternative for the phrase "let alone"?


texts: Is it grammatical correct to say: "x-year-ago ex-something"?

texts:
Example sentence:

  She's my one-year-ago ex-girlfriend.

Is this grammatical? If not, what's a better option?


texts: I'm looking for a word meaning of or related to neutrinos, in the way that "proton" has "protonic", "electron" has "electronic", etc.


texts: What is the meaning of these lines from Bram Stoker's Dracula?

texts:
The Bride maidens rejoice the eyes that wait the coming of the bride. But when the bride draweth nigh, then the maidens shine not to the eyes that are filled.

The above lines are uttered by the zoophagous patient Reinfield.

If one were to guess that Dracula is the Bride and the Bride maidens are all the people other than Reinfield, ?


texts:
I meet this sentence in the first page of one book:

  To Keith - always part of what I do.
    S.B.

What's the meaning of "always part of what I do"?


texts: Can the words 'basic' and 'basically' be pronounced with [z] instead of [s]?

texts: In dictionaries, I have only found the version with [s] but I heard Ryan Stiles on Whose Line Is It Anyway? pronounce "basically" with a [z].


texts: "extension" or "relaxation" of last date?

texts:
Sometimes, there are deadlines for events and sometimes they are extended. In case of such an event, is it correct to say "extension" of last date? But, how can a date itself be extended? I guess relaxed is a more appropriate word.

Please suggest..

Also, if "relax" is the proper word, then should it be -

  relaxation "of" last date?

Is "of" correct here?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why do we use the object instead of the subject pronoun in constructions like “stupid me”?

Is this correct:

  Idealistic me decided otherwise.

Word thinks that I should use:

  Idealistic I decided otherwise.

but it just doesn't sound right.


texts: "Unicorn": what other words have this "cornus" etymology?

texts: "Unicorn" comes from the French and late Latin, with the "cornus" part meaning "horn". I am wondering what other English words share this root. I could think of "rhinoceros". Can you think of something (or multiple somethings) else?


texts: If I were to write an intro for a protagonist in say, a game, would I say he/she is the "protagonist of [title]" or the "protagonist in [title]"? Or does it matter?


texts:
I see the word "ridden" used in the following ways:

In this case, it seems synonymous with "Being full of":

  Ridden with guilt, the man killed himself

In the following passage from "The Thing on the Doorstep" by H.P. Lovecraft, it forms an adjective with a noun:

  I will not change souls with that bullet-ridden lich in the madhouse!

I would like to use it as a verb in the following way:

  “Not so invisible now, are you?” I laughed as bloody gashes ____ the invisible man.

Of course, words such as "covered" works just fine, but I was just curious if there is a way to use a form of "ridden" for this situation. I know the past-participle of "ride" is "ridden", but it does not seem appropriate for this situation.


texts:
Teenagers. All the literature tells you one thing and one thing only – that  whatever they are doing, give them a break, cut them some slack, it's normal.

  From the novel, Apple Tree Yard

I'm curious about the origins of to cut some slack. I know slacks are American English for trousers or pants, and a slacker is a lazy person. But what is a slack and how does one "cut" it?


texts: Word for someone who hates getting in trouble

texts: What is a single word to describe someone who hates getting in trouble?


texts:
What are some good terms for a collection of lines. My actual use-case involves networked collections of lines of thought, but I'm interested in hearing mathematical/scientific terms.

Differently put, as the title states, I'm looking for creative alternatives to the term web.


texts:
When several things that are successive go in a series, they are called a homologous series i.e. In Chemistry, there is the homologous series of hydrocarbons e.g. alkanes.

I am trying to state that butane is next in the homologous series for alkanes, so it comes up something like this:

  "Butane is the next __ in the series."

What is the word that would fit in the blank?


texts: Name, Conditions, and Pluralization of "Conscience' sake"

texts:
In some versions of the Bible, 1 Cor. 10:25 contains the phrase conscience' sake with no s following the possessive apostrophe of conscience, which does not end with s, as in:

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience' sake;

I have three questions:

Does this unique event have a name?
When (or with what other words) does it happen? Is it because both conscience ends and sake begins with an s sound?
Is there a distinct pluralized form, i.e. a phrase meaning only "for the sake of several/many consciences"? (A Google search suggested conscience's' sake.)


texts: Is there a name for this type of markup in writing?

texts:
In writing there are often little inline snippets to add to the meaning of the sentence - for example:

There are many problems here, e.g. too fat; too stupid; smells bad.
The elephant is a pachyderm, i.e., a large animal with thick skin and nails on feet resembling hooves
I like coffee (I am addicted).
"I swear I never seen any one so prity [sic] as Miss Daisy!"

The bold part of the examples are what I am interested in.  I may not have used these all correctly, but what I'm interested in is whether or not there is a general name for these type of linguistic enhancements?  Or are they all specific to themselves and thus do not necessarily belong in one set?
Note: I don't know that the tags I used for this question are necessarily the best.  Feel free to edit them if you can think of better ones.


texts: what do you call someone who marries for citizenship?

texts: A gold digger is someone who marries for money. Is there a term for someone who marries for citizenship (and then divorces as soon as they get the citizenship)?


texts: What is the word I'm looking for? Similar to "aligns closely"

texts:
Apologies if the title is a little ambiguous (it is a hard one to write).

I was going to write something like:

  Here at company name, we love that chalet chef course closely aligns/corresponds with how company name runs.

or

  Here at company name, we love that Course name is relevant and specific to the company name holiday experience.

"Closely" isn't the right word as what I'm trying to say is it aligns exactly with the holiday company's chalet experience (however 'exactly' isn't the right word either). Do you think option B would work?

Any ideas?


texts: Word or phrase for a scam-like enterprise based on ignorance

texts:
I've noticed a spate of schemes to raise money on Kickstarter, Indiegogo and through more traditional avenues that involve claims that are essentially physically impossible. A rudimentary due diligence investigation by an expert in the field would debunk the project very quickly. Examples include solar cells a few inches in diameter with a mains receptacle, a device for charging your cell phone based on coffee or beer mug temperature difference, and a keychain scanner that purports to be able to detect nutritional content and trace compounds in foods. In some cases the principals may actually be scammers, but in others they are marketers who can claim ignorance of engineering or science (yet are marketing a tech product that does not have anything close to a working prototype). They could even be experts in some facet of the required technology, but ignore other essential parts.

Is there a pithy term for such operators?

Scammer or rip-off artist do not not quite seem appropriate because they imply an intent rather than ignorance (or willful ignorance).

If no such term exists, a coined term would be most useful.


texts:
I'm looking for a word that indicates something has been sampled (i.e, scientifically analyzed, measured, collected, etc.) multiple times within a span of time. Specifically, I want it to reflect "having many samples given the amount of time".

Words that don't quite work:

"Well studied" and "repeatedly sampled" don't stress this latter criterion of temporal constraint.
"Finely sampled" also doesn't sound quite right (and doesn't make clear that number of samples vs scope of sampling is being emphasized).

"Heavily sampled" is closer, but sounds cruder and less "scientific"

"Densely" is a strange way to refer to degree/amount/continuousness of effort.
Both "laboriously" and "tediously" seem to emphasize the difficulty (not the positive capturing of more info).

Tediously is better and obviously is used a lot in scientific writing to emphasize "completeness," but again is not what I'm looking for.


texts: 'Starting with the' or 'starting the' & 'from at least OR at least from'

texts:
Which one would be correct,
a. We will be starting with the interview process on 5th October OR
b. We will be starting the interview process on 5th October

2
a. You should get coins at least from... OR
b. You should get coins from at least

I also want to know the logic/reasoning behind the correct answer. I am getting confused a lot these days in such cases. Is there any book that I can read and start understanding what's correct and what's not?


texts:
I know that document is an uncountable noun.

But I see some people write

  A lot of documents were found.

Which is correct?


texts: Which would be correct: "outputs" or "puts out"?

texts:
Which word should I use in the following context? Is the required before data?

  Any algorithm first reads data, processes (the) data and finally [outputs|puts out] the processed data.


texts:
I'm reading a grammar book. The book has a section to determine the right subject and verb. In an example they use

  From the ceiling hung the chandelier.

Well, the verb is hung, and the subject is chandelier. But I'm a little bit confused about the usage of the verb hung in this sentence. Shouldn't it be

  The chandelier is hung from the ceiling.

From my Oxford dictionary, hang means to suspend or be suspended from above with the lower part not attached.

Obviously, the chandelier can't suspend itself. So there is a need to use the passive voice and omit the subject. In this case, the subject is not the chandelier, but the person who suspended. Or may be I'm missing something?


texts:
If two objects in close proximity create an area of shade which is contiguous, would you call this a shadow or shadows? For example, which of the following sentences are correct, assuming that multiple palm trees create a contiguous shaded area:

  The crowd gathered in the palm trees' shadow.

or

  The crowd gathered in the palm trees' shadows.

My intuition is that it is the former (assuming the palm trees create one contiguous shaded area). If that's correct, when would you use shadows? When the shaded areas become non-contiguous? When the two objects are grouped separately?

If I'm wrong, what is the rule? Does the numerosity of "shadow" have to follow the numerosity of the objects which create the shade? Consider a case where at first I see a shaded area without knowing what is casting the shade. I would obviously just call it a "shadow." But if I then learn that there are multiple distinct objects creating the shade, would I then have to say "shadows?" That would be awkward.

I'm not interested in the figurative usage of the word "shadows," nor any usage where "shadows" does not mean multiple "dark areas or shapes produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface."


texts:
I do know what "as good as it gets" means (in my language, we say "it will not get any better").

However, I do not understand the grammar here:
Firstly, does the "get" mean a change of state here?
Secondly, why the present tense? It can get better in the future, can't it?

Could I say "as stupid as he gets?" What would that mean?

EDIT: I have found this one: I was expecting there to be more people at this dance party, and I was hoping there would be more nice ladies/gentlemen for me to meet. Is this as good as it WILL get?
If this is a permanent concept, why that person use a future tense?


texts: Is there an idiom or saying for an act that on the surface appears extending the olive branch but in reality it means to abscond responsibility

texts:
A couple of us have been trying figure this out.

Two parties have a conflict in a form of a proven betrayal that has come to an impasse so both remained conflicted. Then one party extends what appears to be an olive branch along the lines of "you have your view, I have mine. Let's just look forward". This is done with the knowledge that the other party will not be civil unless the conditions of the impasse are lifted allowing for the party that attempted to appease, albeit insincerely, to say 'I have tried but its the other person not wanting to be friends so I wash my hands of this problem.'

My friends and I have used 'Clear the air', 'Bury the hatchet', 'Sweep it under the rug' but it doesn't meet all the criteria stated. Does anyone know.


texts: when my son sleeps VERSUS while my son sleeps

texts:
Do you agree that

1) I often read when my son sleeps.

2) I often read while my son sleeps.

mean different things?

Do you find 1) wrong?


texts: Why is “definitely” so frequently typoed?

texts:
Definitely seems to be one of the most frequently typoed words in written English on the Internet, enough to bring somebody to create d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y.com.

Simon Google says, in a completely unscientific manner:

defini tely ×105,000,000 (43.4%)
defina tely ×  80,000,000 (33.0%)
define t ly ×  21,900,000 (  9.0%)
defina t ly ×  18,300,000 (  7.6%)
defi ant ly ×  15,900,000 (  6.6%)¹
definant ly ×       858,000 (    .4%)
definent ly ×       217,000 (    .1%)

Why is this the case? What are the reasons behind these misspellings? Are those mistakes limited to the Internet, or are they also present in handwritten English as well?

1Defiantly actually is a word, so that obviously skews the numbers.


texts: What is the origin of the pronunciation of 'Plymouth'?

texts:
It has always confused how my American relatives pronounce the name of their city (Plymouth Meeting) as something like 'Plymeth Meeting'.

For me, it seems that the natural way would be something that sounds more like saying the words Ply and Mouth separately.

What is the history of this pronunciation in particular? Can it be explained by any more general principles about the relationship between the pronunciation and the spelling of proper nouns and place names?


texts:
Which word fits in best - due diligence or Analysis'

I am working with my colleague regarding some requirement and then we got a confirmation about it. Now I wanted to drop a mail to my Colleague to start working after he is sure about it.

Please perform any (Analysis/ Due Diligence) if required , before we proceed.


texts: (When) should I use the countable or uncountable Life?

texts:
The problem came up when I wanted to make some corrections to one’s paper.

… when someone is successful in their lives, …

Which I thought it should be life.
Here are some examples from dictionaries which made me more baffled when I wanted to understand whether to use the countable life or not. (Some of the sentences are actually the same)

To give someone more control over their own life or situation.
The idea that women should take control over their own lives or situations.

And:

We shouldn’t make moral judgements about the way people live their lives.
The way people live their life.

And:

Every aspects of their private life.
Every aspect of their private lives has been laid bare.
Millions have bought the book to spice up their sex lives.
Things that people use in their ordinary life.
They sacrificed their personal goals for their family life.

One may argue that it doesn’t matter if it is plural or not, it is uncountable nevertheless. Is that the case?
It would be great if someone could provide a detailed answer.


texts: Singular or plural verb when pluralisation is used in parentheses

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When a sentence uses an optional plural, should the rest of the sentence treat it as singular or plural?

Which is correct?

  Buy an apple from the vendor(s) that are selling fruit.

  Buy an apple from the vendor(s) that is selling fruit.

On the one hand, the content of the parentheses is supposed to be an aside, or in this case, a possible substitution for the word vendor. In that case, which verb should I use, singular or plural?


texts: The usage of apostrophes - is the sentence "Save message file parameters to database" correct?

texts: A little confused - here is the sentence: Save message file parameters to database. Is it correct? Or should I add an apostrophe after message word?


texts: We can use the words copperware and silverware to express the copper and silver products, but why is there no goldware to express the golden products?


texts:
I was reading my dictionary and I came across this phrase: "Before you can say Jack Robinson", meaning almost instantaneously to be used as follows:

  Before you can say Jack Robinson, I took the money and ran away.

I tried searching it in Wikipedia but it simply says that it's a mythical person. It doesn't help much. It provides some hypothesis but no solid evidence.

So, who is Jack Robinson?


texts: How and why have some words changed to a complete opposite?

texts: One example that comes to mind is terrific which originally denoted something quite terrorising while now it has positive connotations... How and why did these changes occur?


texts:
"Chookas" is an Australian (?) word, used in the theatre to wish people luck, much like "break a leg".

Wikipedia points to the Behind Ballet blog, which explains:

  I have been told that the use of ‘chookas’ to wish a performer good luck is uniquely Australian. It seems to have come into use during the early days of J.C. Williamson’s dominance of the theatre scene in Australia. In the early 1900s chicken was regarded as a treat (even in my experience ‘chicken in the basket’ was the most expensive dish on a menu). As most shows paid fees depending on the box-office take, a full house meant that the performers would be able to afford a chicken meal. The cry ‘chook it is’ was shortened to ‘chookas’, and eventually used by performers to wish each other a successful show regardless of the number of people in the auditorium.

That smells of a folk etymology to me. Is there any evidence for this?


texts:
In the sci.math newsgroup ca. 23 Mar 2013, in thread Subject: Re: math formulae?, I saw the following:

  > >"Is the tournment liken to a bridge tournment?  The problem is vague.
   > > As there are 100 diffenent bigender pairs, 10 rounds would be
   >  > inadequate.

  > I can’t compare euchre to bridge, as I don’t know how the latter is
   > played. In this particular euchre tournament, there are to be 5 tables,
   > each seating 2 bigender pairs per round ...

Anyway, does anyone know what a big-ender pair is?  Also, it seems
to me to be incorrect to leave out the hyphen as those newsgroup
posters did.  For example, the wikipedia article on
Endianness consistently
hyphenates big-endian, little-endian, etc.


texts: Can PhD be written as PH.D in a name card?

texts:
I came across a name card from an academic staff, with title after the name written as PH.D

Is this proper?

WW


texts: What do you call a person who is against incest? I have tried asking Google numerous times, each time coming out empty handed. There seems to be lots of difficulty looking up that specific word. I'm doing a school research assignment on attraction and I wanted a more sufficient word to use instead of a sentence. (ex:" people who are against incest").Basically ,I wanted one word to shorten that. And if you are wondering, some people are actually okay with incest, so instead of putting an "all" on that tidbit I've decided to put a "some".


texts: What is meaning of "bad pitch" and "grab him and stuff under a mattress..." in the first episode of Rick&Morty?

texts:
I started watching Rick and Morty with English subtitles but English is not my first language, and I have a problem in understanding the exact meaning of some dialog;This Dialog is between Jerry and his wife about Beth Father:

  Jerry: Whoa! What is this on the floor? Some kind of literature for a
  really nice-looking nursing home. Hey, honey, crazy idea bad pitch
  let's put your dad here. Let's put your dad in a nursing home.

  Beth: I am not putting my father in a home! He just came back into my
  life, and you want to grab him and stuff him under a mattress like
  last month's Victoria's Secret?

  Jerry: I told you I was ordering you something for Valentine's Day.

I have three questions about it.

Jerry Says, "Crazy idea bad pitch"; I found bad pitch refers to a player's mistake in baseball, but I can't understand the reason it comes after crazy ideas. What is the relation between the "crazy idea" and "bad pitch"?
In Beth's reply, She says "grab him and stuff him under a mattress,"
I know the general meaning of Sentences, But I can't understand the                 meaning of staff hear (Because in some translations, the translator translates staff as a noun! But I think the staff is not a noun (because she doesn't say grab him and his stuff ), So I believe stuff is a verb like a grab, and it refers to Beth's father. Am I correct? What is the meaning of staff in this sentence?
Finally, I am not sure about "under a mattress like last month's Victoria's Secret? ". I guess Beth refers to something that happened before that she found Victoria Secret's product under a mattress, and Jerry had an excuse about it. Is my guess correct?


texts:
Can I add "such as " in front of the clause like this:

  Despite the fact that cognition may affect many different facets of ecology  in wild animals, such as, dominance, sexual selection and dispersal, the pathways via which cognition is translated into reproductive success are poorly understood.


texts: "Straight man" is to "womanizer" as gay man is to _______

texts:
I'm trying to find a word for a gay man, regardless of gender presentation, who tries to seduce lots of guys. Could be pejorative or favorable. Promiscuous and philanderer could work but they're not specific to gay men.

Example: Andrew was such a _____ that he even flirted with guys he knew were straight.

Related:

"Man" is to "womanizer" as "woman" is to what?

What is a word for a man who has a lot of sexual relationships?


texts: Phrase to tell, that you have written a fast note

texts:
I am choosing a title for my essay, which is about a man, who wrote a fast idea on a napkin and lost in a pocket of his jacket. Then he dies in a car accident and ten years later his son finds an old jacket, finds a napkin and implements father's idea.

My candidate is a "Napkin note", but it seems too hackneyed. How to put in a phrase, that a man has written a fast note?


texts: Is the structure "X, whom I've had the pleasure of being the mentor of" proper?

texts:
John is the mentor of Anna. John introduces Anna as:

"Anna, whom I've had the pleasure of being the mentor of".

Would the following be more correct?

"Anna, of whom I've had the pleasure of being the mentor"


texts: What is an appointment with friends called?

texts:
Suppose that my wife and I talk to another couple and set a time to go to the beach with them and spend some with that couple over there. What is this arrangement and its time called? Can it be called an appointment? For example how would you say that the other couple want to postpone this arrangement and the set time?

They called and want to postpone the appointment / rendezvous/ catch-up / arrangement / meeting.
They cancelled the appointment / rendezvous / ... .

I know that most of these option are fine. But I don't know which ones are actually used by native speakers and will appreciate some usage examples in the case of time and place arrangements with friends.


texts:
Is "cowardly" both an adjective and an adverb?

Question inspired by this awkward error message from Homebrew.

  Error: Cowardly refusing to 'sudo brew install'

Surely there is another way to say so.


texts:
A guy said that he will give them 20 bucks if they wash his car. So they asked him that question to make it clear. But I am confused by their reply:

  Is that 20 bucks for each of us or both of us?

The guy said "Both."

Then how much are they going to get?
Total 20 bucks or 40 bucks?


texts:
What is the difference between velocity and speed?
In meteorological data I found them used like this:

wind velocity: speed including direction
wind speed: just plain speed


texts:
What’s the meaning of ‘ever’ in this sentence?

“Now, yer mum an’ dad were as good a witch an’ wizard as I ever knew.”


texts:
Which one is correct? (Or is neither?)

This field can contain 30 characters, fewer is recommended.
This field can contain 30 characters, fewer are recommended.


texts: What are some good books on punctuation? Ideally, such a book should treat punctuation in both American English and British English. I have seen so many different rules in different books that I am confused what really is correct when it comes to punctuation.


texts: I’ve often heard the expression Greater Good and have always come across the very same question about it: why the comparative form instead of the superlative form?


texts: Synonyms for "old" with positive connotations (and some conditions)

texts:
I want to describe a project for categorizing 'old' things, as well as antedating things that may not be very old*. I'm looking for a word to describe their age.

First, I would like a positive or at least neutral connotation. "Antedate" is good in this sense, "old" not so much. (But I don't want to restrict the scope to just things that are known at the present but for which older uses are found, but also to include categorizing existing old things and discovering previously-unknown old things.)

Second, the term should not imply great antiquity. The things under consideration are a type of mathematical object and most will be fairly recent (19th or 20th century), though a few will be older.

Finally the term should not be overly obscure. Perhaps there is a common word which I have overlooked; if not, at least it should be a word with some currency.

At the moment I'm leaning toward "historical" which is not great but may suffice.  Can you find a better word?

* That is, for something known to date back to N, find a use of it from year M where M < N. "Fibonacci's identity was actually first studied by Diophantus 900 years earlier."


texts:
-proof, used as the suffix to a noun, basically means that the object you are describing is resistant to the noun.

The specific example that led me to look for this was emailing our support team about a process we do that is not robust and highly prone to human error. I wanted the opposite of "idiot-proof", but couldn't think of it.


texts: What were Red Admiral and White Admiral butterflies called before 1627?

texts: The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and White Admiral (Limenitis camilla) butterfly species cannot have had those common names before 1627, when the English Navy (the predecessor of the Royal Navy) was first divided into red, white and blue squadrons and admirals began to be referred to by the colour of their squadron. Those butterflies could be found in England before that date, so what were they called?


texts:
This question is about the usage of one of the ___.

An example is in the following excerpt:
Two brothers leave a club. The club manager decides that one of the remaining midfielders can play as either a midfielder or as a defender.

In this case, would one of the remaining midfielders refer to a specific, particular individual, or would it refer to any individual? Or would it perhaps, be too vague to ascertain?


texts: Word for the action of hammering when a hammer is not used?

texts:
Example: While using Mortar and Pestle, the action is same as hammering but there is no hammer.

What is this action called?


texts:
Context

Zimmermann dreamed of changing the world. And he would. Only not quite in the way he intended.


texts: Number vs. no. vs. # in scientific papers?

texts:
This is kinda an extension to: this question.
I am writing a scientific paper and have a numbered list. Now, when I want to refer to that list I want to say something like: "This issue is closely related to item number 12."
As a non-native I'm not sure whether that sounds 'normal' or if it would be easier to read with "no. 12" or "#12" or option number(?) three, just "item 12".


texts: question about inverting adjectives(fronting)

texts: Can the sentence 'Fast and convenient are the laundry rooms on the second floor' also be used as 'Fast and convenient the laundry rooms are on the second floor'? I wanted to ask if this sentence structure is allowed when inverting adjectives to the front of a sentence.


texts: How to understand the structure 'of ..., is...'

texts:
The flowing sentence is picked from The Critique of Pure Reason
But how to understand the structure 'of ..., is...'

  Of far more importance than all that has been above said, is the
  consideration that certain of our cognitions rise completely above the
  sphere of all possible experience


texts: How to include a question in a declarative sentence?

texts:
Over the years I have gotten used to the following sentences formation:

  I know that this is the website but how do I specify for what I am
  paying?

Instead of:

  I know that this is the website but how do I specify for what am I
  paying?

I want to ask which of the following is correct and is it possible for them both to be correct, one being more formal or something?

I also want to ask what the general rule for such cases is?


texts: Would 'sitting in a queue' be incorrect English?

texts:
Usually, to avoid any ambiguities, I'd say 'waiting in the queue', however I came across 'sitting in a queue' and wanted to know whether it's correct or incorrect English.

Is it used? And if yes, in what context/s?

Thanks


texts: "What {is/are} the meaning and connotations of this phrase?" Which is correct here, "is" or "are"?

texts:
Consider the question:

What is/are the meaning and connotations of this phrase?

Clearly you would say:

What is the meaning of this phrase?
What are connotations of this phrase?

and obviously you could just restructure the sentence to avoid the ambiguity:

What is the meaning of this phrase, and what are it's connotations?

But supposing you want to use the original phrase, which form of the verb is correct? Is there a correct form?


texts:
Can before and aforementioned be used in a similar way to above?

Context: Say I'm writing a report, and would like to reference an earlier bit. If that earlier bit is in close proximity or follows immediately before, I might use "From above, we can see...". In this case, can I use "From before/aforementioned", especially if that earlier bit is at a certain distance away? Other examples are "As seen from above/before, ...", "... when applying [technical term], from before." -- [technical term] defined above.

I know that this isn't common and comes off as rather technical, I'm alright with that. My concern is whether using it as such is grammatically correct.

Thanks!


texts: Can we use 'what' as a relative pronoun in formal english?

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?

  A stone what rolls gathers no moss.


texts:
Just wondering if this had its origins in a "questionable' time and should be avoided. For example, if it were used during a time of predjudice against Chinese laborers, or used to refer to their behavior, then it might be said to have questionable origins.

Even if those roots are unknown to most people, like the word 'gypped' it could have prejudicial undertones.


texts: Can one use 'man' like one can use 'woman' as an adjective?

texts:
As a consciously feminist act so that women are not reduced to their reproductive capacities, the word 'woman', which is generally accepted and used chiefly as a noun, is used in place of the word 'female', and 'woman' is used as an adjective to refer to women who are artists, philosophers, etcetera --- for example in these two sentences:

'Yes, she was one of the very first women philosophers of her generation'.

'She helped womankind so much by employing her skills and talents as a titanic woman theologian as which we all know her today, and as which she will certainly be remembered forevermore'.

Whilst reading Plato's Republic, I noticed that Plato used the word 'man' and 'woman' as adjectives to modify the noun 'guard' when he was speaking of how women and men ought to be trained in the same things such as education so that they can become the greatest Guardians in the State which he is thinking up.

But whilst using 'woman' as an adjective doesn't irk me too much, using 'man' as an adjective sounds too... silly. However, I will not use 'woman' as an adjective if I am not going to use 'man' as an adjective because I want to use the words in a way that suggests equality between women and men. I think using 'woman' as an adjective and not using 'man' as an adjective would be very sexist towards men.


texts:
Is it commonly considered erroneous to place "much" after "and", when talking about myself?

My phrasing:

  well experienced with content management systems, and much interested in E-commerce.

Commentators phrasing:

  well experienced with content management systems, and very interested in E-commerce.

I am not sure who's more accurate than both of us, in regards to what's common and accepted in English.


texts: How to refer to sections of an S-shaped curve?

texts:
Suppose that I have an S-shaped curve. What term do I use to refer to each of these three separate sections of the curve:

the upper section, which starts from the top end to the leftmost bend,
the middle section, which starts from the leftmost bend to the rightmost bend, and
the lower section, which starts from the rightmost bend to the bottom end?

Are upper tail and lower tail acceptable to refer to 1 and 3? What to call 2?


texts:
I'm writing an introduction part for my research paper. I wrote a sentence that follows:

"The main concern of this study is to find out whether there is a relationship between gender and success and interest for different disciplines taught in the FLE department of METU"

In the sentence, I want to mean "gender" as being one part and "success and interest" being the other part. If I use two ands like this, it creates an ambiguity. How can I rewrite this?


texts:
Is the following correct, or is there more to it?

"I forgot his name" — I knew his name, but I forgot it.

"I forget his name" — I keep forgetting his name. Where using "forget" basically means that you tried to remember this information before as well, but you couldn't then either.


texts: Can singular verbs be used with a plural possessive?

texts:
Is this correct?:

The group of students does their work well.

The group, the subject, I consider singular. When it comes to the possessive, though, I feel like it would be wrong to refer to a group of people as "it." Would it be correct to use "their?"

Isn't there some sort of rule against referring to a group of individual people as it?

And what about this sentence:

The family returns to their house. The collective noun, family, is singular, so would it be "its" or "their?"

@Peter Shor - Thank you, but in the situation where the sentence cannot be paraphrased in another way and it must be written formally, which would be used? (this was a question on an English grammar assessment). In other words, if the possessive was the only thing that could be altered, which is more correct?


texts:
Is it correct to put a full stop after signing emails. For example should it be

Regards,
Cristiano

or

Regards,
Cristiano.


texts: How would one correctly place punctuation marks in this sentence?

texts:
Moth-like, the people buzzed about: walking, driving, directing— each
  to their own light.

I'm not sure whether each comma, colon, dash and hyphen are used correctly here. Please help!

Also, this is my first question here (or at least, I think so— I have the memory of a goldfish with Alzheimer's) so please be gentle!


texts:
Is it formal to use "what," "who," "how" in a non-question sentence? Are there any alternatives?

Example:

  We are dealing with a case of a negative externality of consumption, which results in the oversupply and overconsumption of diesel than what is socially optimal.

Is there a natural way of rephrasing the sentence so as to omit the word "what?"

Or is including the word "what" perfectly acceptable and formal?

Another example:

  The invention of the assembly line is a revolution in how we manufacture goods.

Perhaps reorganize the sentence by replacing "how" with "method"?


texts: idiomatic phrases for *the threat to go to the police*

texts:
Let's imagine a situation. One dog's master set  his pit bull on his neighbour. This dog bared teeth and did not allow the neighbour to get into his car. The dog frightened this man to death. The man threatened that he would go to the police and write a complaint [letter] about this event or that he would fill in a specific blank in the police station. What are idiomatic phrases that you would use, speaking about police? What would you say to this abuser who trains his dog in such a way?

Note, the situation is not so serious that you want call police immediately. You threaten that you'll make a complaint about this event in the police station when you'll get off work, say, tonight.


texts: A word or phrase to define a person declared guilty by society but found not guilty in a court of law

texts:
Is there a word or phrase to define an individual who is declared guilty by a large section of society because of a crime that he may or may not have committed,but is found not guilty in a court of law ?

For example, back in the 90s, in the O.J.Simpson criminal trial, several opinion polls showed that a significant number of people thought O.J Simpson was guilty of the crime he was accused of. However, the Los Angeles County Superior Court found him to be not guilty. So according to most people he was guilty but according to the Court he was not guilty.

So what word or phrase can be used to describe an individual like O.J Simpson who is guilty according to a sizeable section of the society but is pronounced not guilty by court ?

I went through several books on Criminology but could not find such a word. Apart from that I also checked several media reports that covered the trial, but did not come across any such word.

I'm especially interested in a word. In case such a word doesn't exist, a phrase will do.


texts: the self-fulfilling prophecy that we're cooked

texts:
May I ask what it means: "we can dispatch, once and for all..."

  If the American public and politicians can face real threats and overcome unfounded fears, we can solve humanity’s most pressing challenge and leave our grandchildren a bright future of climate stability and abundant energy. We can dispatch, once and for all, the self-fulfilling prophecy that we’re cooked.


texts: Word meaning 'to reduce its influence' or 'to deal with' in regards to an argument.

texts:
I'm writing

  Point three is actually really interesting, but to[reduce its influence] I'll point out that [counter arguement].

What I'm getting at here, is that I'm not claiming to completely refute the argument, I just want to dismiss it as 'no big deal'.


texts: Is the prefix "pre-" meaningless in the terms "pre-heated" and "pre-board"?

texts:
This question poses a paradox of meaning. The general question is whether, if two sentences (x and y) can be used in the same situation, with the same literal meaning, and x and y only differ in that x has morphological affixes that y doesn't, aren't the surplus affixes "meaningless" by the alternation test?

Take this example:

I put the chicken inside a preheated oven.

Wouldn't it make more sense to say:

I put the chicken inside a heated oven.

There is only two states an oven can possibly be in—heated or unheated.

Another example: Does first-class board the plane, or pre-board the plane?  What does that mean—to get on before you get on?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say that my hairs are long?

texts: From high school, my English teacher always emphasized on English words which are read the same in their singular and plural form. One of them being hair, yet most people still say hairs for hair. Please help


texts: English word meaning single line of details on an invoice

texts: An invoice consists of a header (customer, addres, date) and details (a list of purchased products). I am looking for a single English word meaning a single element from the list of purchased products on an invoice. "invoice_line" or "invoice_position" are not good because they are two words. "line", "position" or "element" are very general and can mean anything, not related to invoice. I'd like a person who sees this single word to have an idea what it means without also seeing the word "invoice".


texts: Does the word "pirate" use the /aɪɚ/ phoneme, or the /aɪɹ/ phoneme?

texts:
I'm making a list of all of the graphemes can be used to make the phoneme /aɪɚ/ in General American.

-ire as in fire, wire, desire, sapphire, etc.
-yre as in lyre, pyre, tyre, etc.

I have questions about a grapheme that is close, but I think doesn't quite map onto the /aɪɚ/ phoneme:

I don't think the word "pirate" is pronounced with the final "ɚ" sound in "aɪɚ".  Wiktionary gives the pronunciation for pirate as /ˈpaɪ̯(ə)ɹət/.  Is /aɪ̯(ə)ɹ/ the same thing as /aɪɹ/, similar to how "ir" is used in spiral (/ˈspaɪɹəl/) and virus (/ˈvaɪɹəs/)? If they are indeed the same, then does the "-ir" grapheme in pirate map onto /aɪɹ/, similar to the "-ir" grapheme in virus?

Just want to confirm that the /aɪɚ/ phoneme from "fire" is separate from the /aɪɹ/ phoneme from "virus"?


texts: What's a word that can mean both "good" and "bad"?

texts:
I've recently read about a word that was defined both as "shockingly good" and "shockingly bad", but I can't seem to recall the word. Does anyone know what it is? As far as I can recall, it was a slang word.

Edit: I hate to answer my own question, but I just found the word again, it's egregious, defined here.


texts: Is it wrong to make words by adding “-ful” to an existing noun?

texts:
There arises many cases when we want to use the words like “helpful”, “deceitful” etc. So, I was thinking if I could make up a word by adding “-ful” as a suffix to it, that is convert a noun to adjective by adding “-ful” at the end? For example, if someone says something good and I replied like this :
“Those are very knowledge-ful words”
Is my formation of “knowledge-ful” from “knowledge” correct?


texts: eligibility criterion for an -ing form to serve as a deverbal adjective

texts:
a dog which is barking can be rephrased as a barking dog; I am wondering whether  a patient who is coughing can be rephrased as a coughing patient?

similarly, can we rephrase something (such as a dog, a train, etc.) which is running as a running dog/ train, etc.?

the -ing form of some verbs can serve as a deverbal adjective, while that of others cannot. I am wondering what the eligibility criterion should be for an -ing form to function as a deverbal adjective so as to serve as a premodifier for a noun?


texts: What do you call someone who thinks everyone is incompetent (doesn't know anything)?

texts:
I'm looking for a way to describe someone who thinks everyone is incompetent (that is, doesn't know anything) and always has to explain every minute (small) detail because his perception of the person's competence is that it's very low (thinking the person is not that smart).

If this person were here, he'd probably end this post with...

  P.S. To answer the question go to the bottom of the page, type in the answer, and then hit submit. I should be able to see it relatively quickly.

How would you describe somebody like that?


texts: Word to describe gossip/chit chat about film and film stars

texts:
I need a word to describe people who constantly gossip about film and film stars.

For eg. They were discussing trivial matters like ____ about film and film stars

Please feel to free to change the structure of the sentence if needed.


texts:
This is the only similar spelling mix-up in English that gets me every freakin' time. I can never remember which is which. One is a mathematical notion; the other is a nice thing to say.

Does anyone know of any clever mnemonics for complement / compliment to get this one straight?


texts: As in, a word signifying 'a little' - used in common vernacular in England, and possibly elsewhere.


texts: Someone who wants to have important friends?

texts: Is there a word for a person who acts a certain way to become friends with others of a higher or more important social status? Someone who will act falsely to impress others for their own gain (i.e to then show off about it to "lesser" people, in a "look who i'm friends with" style)?


texts:
Which of the following choices makes this sentence is grammatically correct? or is there a better approach?

  It's unclear whether he/him or I/me is/are first in line.


texts:
Yesterday I read Modern English:A Practical Reference Guide written by Marcella Frank, and she gives a paradigm about tenses on page 50. The page shows tenses in active voice and passive voice; she said these four tenses are exceedingly rare:

shall/will be being offered
has/have been being offered
had been being offered
shall/will have been being offered

Why are these tense so rare? Are they normally replaced by other tenses?


texts: Is it correct to say peg location instead of peg's location?

texts: So I was reading "Solitaire" rules and a few times it was written "peg location", isn't it correct to say "peg's location"? Also why do people say "game score" instead of "game's score"


texts: What is the verb form of "conjunction" in the logical sense?

texts:
In logic and computer programming, a conjunction of two logical statements is said to be true if and only if both statements are themselves true. For instance:

"The sky is blue" and "the grass is green"

is a conjunction of two logical statements. Note that a conjunction in this context is not the same as a grammatical conjunction.

In product manuals, one often sees things like:

"These values are anded together". However, "anded" doesn't seem like a proper English term, and it seems like there should be a verb for the act of combining two logical statements with a conjunction. Other logical operators like "xor" certainly use "xored" or "xor'd", but "anded" seems less acceptable somehow.

Is there a nice English word for this operation? Some thoughts:

"conjoined" doesn't seem sufficiently precise, because we're not just sticking the logical statements together, we're combining them with a particular operator (i.e. the clauses could still be conjoined with a disjunction operator instead).
"conjuncted" might be appropriate, but I can't find anyone using it on the net, and I've never seen it used before in manuals and the like.


texts: "Sheer meat", akin to German "schieres Fleisch"?

texts:
The other day I heard the word sheer describing a transparent gown (which some consider inappropriate for a royal engagement photo session).

Until then I only knew sheer in the sense of "being free from an adulterant: pure, unmixed" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheer), probably because it matches the meaning of German schier. That German word is, as an adjective,  usually used in certain connections these days. In particular it is used for lean meat, which would be "schieres Fleisch".

"Sheer meat" sounds totally idiomatic to me, but perhaps only because I'm listening with German ears.

Googling the connection proved inconclusive. If the term exists, it's not used very often. So, does it? Is it perhaps a professional term?


texts: Is there a word for "active activities?"

texts:
What can I use as the opposite of "passive activities"? "Active activities" sounds too complicated due to the repetition. For example,

  I enjoy active activities such as sport, dancing or laser tag.


texts: Why is the past participle used to describe actions occurring in the present?

texts:
Something I don't understand: why is the past participle used for describing actions in the present notwithstanding the name?

There are two forms of participle in English – present participle and past participle.
So, if one thinks logically, the present participle should be used to describe actions in the present (a 'grammatical present tense' as well as a real present reference), and the past participle for the past.
But we use the past participle in some cases for describing actions in the present.

For example; Chopsticks are used in China.

We used past participle (used), but the reference is present. So shouldn't we use the present participle instead of the past participle here – it would seem to be more logical because the grammatical tense is present (present simple) and real tense is also present (that's what I think, though I'm not sure).

My question stems from a consideration of my native language (Russian).
In Russian we have also parts of speech known as participles. But we separate them into active voice participle and passive voice participle. And then we further separate active and passive voice participle into past and present participle. And next we use the most suitable participle. So we don't have this problem in Russian.

For example: The window was broken. (In my language, "broken" appears as the passive participle in the past)

Another: The computer is used for calculating. (In my language, "used" is the passive participle in the present, but it is past participle in English ... why? We use the present tense for 'computer is' (We use the computer regularly) so logically, we should here use the present participle.

I have one idea about it, but I'm not sure whether it's a sound analysis.

I've found that there is what is called a passive participle in English and it has the same form as the past participle, so if we're using correct terminology we would class this usage as utilising the  passive participle  and not the past participle.

We always use the passive participle in English when we use the passive voice. It is merely that the passive participle and the past participle always have the the same form in English.


texts: Which tense do I use when giving multiple verbs?

texts:
I'm trying to say that we will test a product and make sure it works, but I don't know if I should say:
"After we finish testing and making sure it works..."
or
"After we finish testing and make sure it works..."
In the first example, "making" and "testing" are the same tense, so it makes sense. But in the second, "make" and "finish" are the same tense, and that also sounds right. Which one is correct? Or are they both correct?


texts: In a game of slot machines, can you call a payline you bet on "a wagered payline"? I am not sure if it is the payline that is wagered, or my money are wagered on (upon?) this payline.


texts: Etymology of the phrase "Dependency injection" in computer science

texts: It's my understanding that this used to be simply referred to as "reference passing" but later became formalized into a pattern that implemented a design principle and acquired the new name.  Can you shed some light on the meaning and history?


texts: How to punctuate a sentence that begins with a list, then explains it?

texts:
I want to know what to do when a list and the clause that introduces it are reversed. For example:

  The wrinkles around his eyes, the deep lines that marked his brow, the gray streak at his temples[?] everything he saw in his reflection told the story of a long life he didn't remember living.

My first inclination was to use an em dash, but I couldn't find any specific rules concerning this particular usage. Since the list isn't an independent clause, I'm fairly certain it wouldn't be a colon; still, I can't shake the nagging feeling that there's a better way to punctuate it.

I'd be grateful for any help you can give me!


texts: Is "Girls will be girls" the counterpart of "Boys will be boys"?

texts:
It seems that "Boys will be boys" is a well established idiom and, according to Cambridge Idioms Dictionary, 2nd ed, as it is written on The Free Dictionary, it is "something that you say which means it is not surprising when boys or men behave in a noisy, rude, or unpleasant way."

However, searching on Google Books I found plenty of books whose titles contain the phrase "Girls will be girls" and I found, too, a film named "Girls will be girls".

So I began to wonder if "Girls will be girls" is a phrase that begins to take on an idiomatic meaning in English. Is it so?

If yes, in what circumstances do Americans or Brits use it? And, what do they want to say when they use it?


texts:
In the background is a white wall
or
in the background there is a white wall?


texts: Is the gerund and (present) participle form always the same (spelling)?

texts:
Are the participle and gerund form of a verb always technically the same and in all tenses (in the sense of spelling) or do deviations exist?
Reason is because I'm building a database and need to know if I need to store these in separate fields or if I can deduce their grammatical context from code.


texts: Is there a term for an animal with 4 arms and 2 legs?

texts: I have an Adoptable business, and I've started creating anthropomorphic animals with 4 arms, 2 legs. Is there a term for this type of animal?


texts: What is an adjective that means 'inciting violence?'

texts:
I'm looking for a word that could be used to describe a street preacher who is intentionally riling up a crowd to get people to attack a specific individual, based on a mix of xenophobia and religious fervor. I've found words like 'odious' and of course 'xenophobic' to indicate hatred, but I'm looking for something that is specific to inciting violence.

Sample sentence: The _____ preacher held Cade's gaze only for a moment.


texts: What are the parts of speech and grammatical roles in the sentence “I don’t know very much”?

texts:
In the sentence:

  I don't know very much.

What parts of speech do the words know very much play?

I is clearly the subject, and don’t is a verb/adverb contraction.

Is know an adverb to do?

Very seems like an adjective, but then what is much?


texts: Where does the intrusive R come from in “warsh”?

texts: My grandmother, who grew up in western Pennsylvania, pronounced wash and Washington with an intrusive R: “warsh” and “Warshington.” Where does the intrusive R come from in that dialect? It doesn’t seem to be produced by the same mechanism that changes law and order to “lawr and order” in non-rhotic dialects (plus, my grandmother’s dialect was rhotic, if I recall correctly).


texts: Interview, taking, giving, being interviewed

texts:
So what is correct to use in the context of the interview?

(If one is an interviewee)

I am taking an interview.
I am giving an interview.
I am being interviewed.
(If one is an interviewer)

I am taking an interview.
I am giving an interview.
I am interviewing.

I am more concerned about the "taking" and "giving" part....


texts: What is the correct possessive genitive for "media"?

texts:
I hope I've used the right terms in the title; I'm not a native speaker.

The singular of media is of course medium. So when talking about one medium's content, the genitive s and apostrophe are easy enough to use.

Late edit for clarification: I mean media as in recording media. A CD, a cassette, a book are all media. The correct singular, I guess, is medium, although media seems to have become acceptable as well.

How about three media? The three medias' content? The media's content? I guess I could use the latin genitive, but that would probably be wrong and make me sound like a smartass.

Or even Media'?

Or just cop out and say mediums'? That doesn't sound better to my ear, and I'm also talking about information containers,not seers.


texts: What does "too profound to be understood" mean?

texts:
I was going to use it in a book but wanted to know what everyone's thoughts.

What does "too profound to be understood" mean to you?

What does the phrase insinuate and are the other implications? I have found it is within 169 google books of which 94 are in the 21st century. Many of the places it is found are within Chinese-English translations of books.

Here are some examples:
"He was just trying to say that the deepest truths are always profound. They have no hierarchy. They are always one, good, and beautiful in ways in which these features cannot be disentangled. Of course, this is too profound to be understood"
"It may be that the saints, and even the elders, find such verses hard to comprehend, but that is because your eyes are clouded and you already have the concept that these matters are too profound to be understood."


texts: What does "beacon of European sophistication" mean in this context?

texts:
Please help me to find the meaning of this context:

  Argentina, which for many years portrayed itself as a beacon of European sophistication in a continent of New World backwardness,now is a poor country.


texts: What is a word for when someone tries to hide their fear?

texts: I am looking for a word to describe it when a person who is afraid hides their fear. Going by this online dictionary, BRAVADO is close. However, I'm looking for something with a more positive connotation, like where the intention is not to impress others or the person isn't being brash or thoughtlessly endangering themselves.


texts: Word for requiring re-reading of a phrase

texts:
What is the word that describes the type of sentences that usually requires people to re-read the sentence so it makes sense?

Example: "The old house the young man"

The above example seems like, at first read, "the old house" and "the young man" as two separate nouns (with an adjective in front).

However, it can be parsed as "The old people house (gave lodging to) the young man"


texts:
What is the difference between stack, pile or heap of something, let it be for example paper?

CS+IT people might tend to use the word heap, because there is a widely known datastructure by that name. So they might say "heap of papers".

On the other hand I've heard "pile of papers", "pile of paper".

Additionally Google Translate (I know it's not an authority, yet) suggests using "stack of papers".

Are all of them proper but describe different sets/arragement/anything of paper?
What are meanings, differences, which are proper?

In the Free Dictionary, I find cyclic definitions for
stack,
pile,
heap:

  stack → An orderly pile, especially one arranged in layers. See Synonyms at heap.
  stacking → To arrange in a stack; pile.
  pile → A quantity of objects stacked or thrown together in a heap. See Synonyms at heap.
  piling → To form a heap or pile.
  heap → To put or throw in a pile.

This makes me even more confused.


texts: Can "very" be used as a multiplier? For instance: A house, a big house, a very big house, a very very big house meaning a bigger house than a very big house and so on.


texts:
What is the symonym of the word dissing here?

But be wary of simplistic, baby-out-with-the-bathwater answers.
 Achieving Inbox Zero is not about “dissing” email, or melodramatically
 declaring “email bankruptcy.”

According to different sources the word "dissing" means "To show disrespect to, often by insult or criticism". I wonder if there is any other, more appropriate meaning.


texts: Criticizing someone of lower income who buys/lives like someone of higher income?

texts:
I have a friend who criticizes people who lives at the place she lives at who make a lower income than her. I thought it would be snob or ignorant, but I feel like those definitions are lacking/vague.

Ex: "This girl who only makes 120K a year does not deserve to be living here. It's almost 1/9th of their income. She should be spending her money on cheaper things"


texts: Determine the type of the past tense used in the given sentence

texts:
Which tense is used in the following sentence?

The repair shop was already closed?

According to me, it is not past simple, as the structure of past simple is subject + second form of main verb + object, and in the given statement there are two verbs, was and closed, both are in their second verb form.


texts: What is it called when a group of people forms a shape together?

texts:
There are great performances where a group of people, whether small or large, forms a shape or different shapes together; and you can usually see the shape from bird's eye view. It is usually like a dance performance and the performers sometimes mimic the motion of real-life events or living beings; or form the shape of a still object.

The following image is an example from a bank ad where a group of white-dressed people forms a heart shape and also mimics the rhythm of the heart:

Here is the video of the bank ad where you can see the other shapes that they form:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_fYJL40Ork

Another form of this art is performed behind a screen where a back light is used to project shadows of the bodies of the performers on to the screen to form seemingly impossible images.

The following image is an example from the performance of the group named Attraction when they performed on the show Britain's Got Talent. The elephant shape is formed by a group of people.

Here is a video where you can watch a performance of them on Britain' Got Talent: (start from 1:20 to skip the bibble-babble):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvvkJrKKYF8

There are words like collaboration and teamwork but they are too general and don't indicate any form of art. I tried searching with keywords like human, shape, group, dance but couldn't find anything that fits.

I think there might be a general term for this kind of art or formation. (although, there might be specific terms for the examples that I gave; but in the end, it is the same logic from different viewpoints.)


texts: Is "specificity" the correct noun for the state or the possibility of being specified?

texts:
The motivation of this question is the following: there are entities in a computer program which can either be explicitly specified, or else they can be "inferred", that is, deduced automatically from other parts of the program without the programmer having to write them down. I need a noun to express that.

Is "specificity" the right noun for the state or the possibility of being specified? The online dictionaries I have consulted seem to give a slightly different meaning: being clear or exact, being narrowly circumscribed instead of general. But that's not quite the meaning I need to convey.

I guess "specifiedness" would be the correct word, but it doesn't seem to exist in dictionaries. "specifiability" does exist, but puts too much emphasis on the potential of being specified, while I want to talk about the current specified or inferred status of the entities in my program. Like: "what's the specifiedness of entities X and Y? —X is specified, while Y is inferred."


texts: With the strong assumption that a word like "right" is a homonym, do words such as Conviction, Commitment, Dissipation fit as homonyms also? Or is there some core to the varied definitions and usages of words like the latter three that puts them an a different category.


texts: Is there any specific word for showing dislike facial expression?

texts: Sometimes women twist their faces to express their dislikeness. Is there any specific word for showing such facial expression?


texts: Word of "let's split ourselves into teams"

texts:
"Let's X to play football"

can I replace X with a verb (or phrase)?

I was thinking of teamup (or is it team-up?) but I think it is used when we are already split and we want to be one team.


texts:
I just tried to instinctively write "more fickle" because fickle is polysyllabic and would, by tradition, get the "more" comparative form vs the "er" comparative form.  But MS Word dinged me as wrong.  This didn't phase me since Word is frequently wrong, but after a quick double check, it turns out that the comparative form of fickle is indeed "fickler".  Which just sounds hideous to my ear.

After much research, I've come up blank as to why this word seems to be an exception to the rule. Does anyone have any insight into why "fickler" is even a word and why "more fickle" is seemingly incorrect?


texts: Is there a rule for using commas with multiple adjectives?

texts:
Do these sentences take commas as coordinate adjectives?

She had long black hair.
She had long straight brown hair. (does this take a comma after "long"?)


texts: "unless he is invited" vs. "if he is not invited"

texts:
Mr. Dev will not go to the wedding reception "without being called."

if he is not invited.
till he is invited.
unless he is invited.
no improvement

I am confused why the answer is only #3 , I feel #1 to be correct as well.

Please help me understand why #3 is the correct answer but not #1.


texts: "Let's get it over (with)" — do I need the "with"?

texts:
I'm trying to understand why there is this "with". I can say "Let's get this done". So, why "Let's get this over with?"

I would really appreciate if someone could explain that a bit.


texts: correct use and best definition of “as in”

texts:
I am translating an English text, which has the following sentence:

  The operative word is “protect”. As in protecting our religion.

First I would think that “as in” is a set phrase. But there is no definition that I was able to find after quite some searching.

So I would tend to think that then the meaning is literally “like in the phrase...”

Is that correct? Anybody can point me to a definition? Thanks in advance.


texts: Has the killer monopolised the serial actions?

texts:
Serial is an adjective so often associated with the word killer that its  usage in a different context may sound sinister.
Can serial be used properly to describe other activities such as:

a serial entrepreneur

a serial piano player
or alternatively what would be a more appropriate adjective to describe activities carried out in regular succession?


texts: Term for same root word but words with different meaning

texts: Some words have the same etymology, root, but mean different things, such as mysterious and mystical.  What are some other pairs (or more) that fall into this category, and what exactly is this category called?


texts: Why do Indians use "refer (object)" instead of "refer to (object)"?

texts:
I've noticed this being done by all my offshore Indian colleagues. They say and write things like, "Please refer attachment" or "Refer the documentation page", instead of "Please refer to the attachment" or  "Refer to the page" etc.

Is there an explanation for that? And what do you call a verb that is used in conjunction with a preposition like this (listen to, think of, refer to)?


texts:
Is there a term for a milestone number of days since an event, just as an anniversary is a milestone (in increments of years)?

I want to say “100 day-versary” or something like that.


texts:
The British discontinued the usage of "gotten" around 300 years ago while the Americans retained its use. "Have gotten" in AmE is therefore preferably to "have got". What is then the difference between have gotten/have got and have got?

  In American English, the past participle of “get” in its literal sense
  of “receive” or “become” is usually “gotten”. In the sense of “must”
  or “have”, the past participle is always “got”.

  https://jakubmarian.com/got-vs-gotten-in-english/

But I don't understand the distinction between gotten / got (especially since  Americans use have gotten for how the British say "have got"--where in British English the past participle of "get" is only "got".)

Take these for example:

  I have never gotten a gift. (= I have never received a gift.)
  I’ve gotten interested in chess. (= I’ve become interested in chess.)

  She’s got five children. (= She has five children)
  I’ve got to go now. (= I must go now.)

If we take the definition of "got" as in to mean "must" or "have", then I would disagree with number 3 as surely you can have five children as you would in number 1? As in to possess or not to possess "a gift". Although, I admit it would be weird to say that you own a child "I have gotten 5 children" (as in to be in possession or ownership of them), but would surely be accepted, although controversial, if the person had just "adopted" five children? There is no distinction in BrE as there would be in AmE, take these for example:

  I have got five children
  I have got five presents

Would British people consider number 6's use of "got" in the sense of to have or possess as colloquial or incorrect, as would Americans?

My question is not the difference between the usage in American English but highlights that there is no difference in British English. I'm looking for guidance particularly which version would be "correct"--the American or British version, namely example 6) I have got five presents or I have gotten five presents. And again, would British people consider example 6, colloquial or incorrect?

  In UK English, "have got" is the only grammatical possibility. In US
  English, there is no situation where you could grammatically
  substitute one for the other without changing the meaning. So there is
  a difference, although it blurs when you combine US and UK English.

  – Peter Shor

  Oct 28 '11 at 13:31

  @ Difference between "I have got" and "I have gotten" (SE)


texts:
It's worth visiting London.
London is worth visiting.
Visiting London is worth it.
It's worth it to visit London.

Are all these sentences grammatically correct? Do they have the same meaning? Which of them sounds most natural to you?

Thanks so much!


texts: A word for "not needing directions in order to solve an issue"?

texts:
Is there a word to describe the ability to be able to complete tasks without necessarily needing instructions, i.e. finding it out yourself.

It's for a personal profile in a CV.


texts: "Had a seafood dinner" or "had seafood dinner"?

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  I had a seafood dinner last night.
  I had seafood dinner last night.


texts: Is "Cost savings" a singular term or plural terms?

texts:
Can I use Cost savings in the following sentence as a singular term?

  Cost savings is often seen with these program.


texts: "Would you like some coffee?" "Thank you!" - In this context, does "thank you" mean "yes, please" or "no, thank you"?

texts:
The OED defines "thank you" as
  a polite expression used when acknowledging a gift, service, or compliment, or accepting or refusing an offer. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/thank-you

I've heard native speakers in similar contexts, where one of them answered "thank you" and it was understood for what it was: "yes, please". I would be confused, though.


texts:
I would like to know what is the meaning of the term store-testing as seen in the commercial ad below.

Is there a verb "to store-test"? What does it mean?

It seems merriam-webster does not have this word "store-test"


texts:
I'm watching the GOP debate, and I'm noticing that some candidates are picking on Hillary.

Is there a verb for an act where a person castigates someone else in hopes of making that person his or her personal rival or enemy?


texts: "I had a choice between something AND/OR something else"

texts:
I have been scratching my head over this, as both sound like they could be correct, I just can't figure out which one is more so:

  I had a choice between apples and oranges.

Or

  I had a choice between apples or oranges.

I feel like the first is probably correct, but is the second wrong, or just not preferred?