texts: are "sort", "type" and "kind" always exchangeable?

texts:
Cambridge dictionary has an article on "sort, type and kind" and explains that they all "generally" mean the same thing.

Based on their definitions (Merriam-Webster), indeed, they all mean more or less "a group united by common trait".

However, to the ear of native English speakers, are they unequivocally identical and exchangeable?

Jazz isn’t the sort of music I can listen to for very long.
Jazz isn't the kind of music I can listen to for very long.
Jazz isn't the type of music I can listen to for very long.

The most popular type of music in the US is not Jazz.
The most popular kind of music in the US is not Jazz.
The most popular sort of music in the US is not Jazz.

There are many kinds of birds coming to feed in my garden at the moment.
There are many types of birds coming to feed in my garden at the moment.
There are many sorts of birds coming to feed in my garden at the moment.


texts: How is "caballito blanco" expressed in English?

texts:
Imagine the situation in which a small child participates in a game with teens or adults.  Perhaps the child doesn't know or can't follow all the rules strictly.  Or in sports, this child has physical limitations compared to the older, bigger, more coordinated participants.  The child ends up playing a special role in the game.  In Spanish this is called caballito blanco, palomita blanca, cascarón de huevo, etc., depending on the country and region.  The person in this role is permitted to follow the rules of the game more loosely.  The term can be used more generally, also, to refer to anyone who's given extra leeway for some reason or other.

What's the term for this in English?

Bonus question: How did the term originate?

This question was inspired by https://spanish.stackexchange.com/q/22950/9385.

Edit:

I wonder if this would work:

wild card

  My son sometimes used to beat me at Fish Eat Fish because he played so unpredictably.  He was a total wild card.

OR:

stand-in


texts: What is a word for mystery stories where the reader has no idea about what happened?

texts:
I am searching for ESL high level English mystery but instead found really obvious stories where the crime is just stated

LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER by ROALD DAHL

http://ww2.college-em.qc.ca/prof/epritchard/m/texts/mystwrdfm.html

What sort of term should I looking for mystery stories where its unclear if a crime happened and even what is going on i.e. really mysterious? (they have to be free too)
Mystery don't need crimes.

Such as most of Jonathan Creek- certainly some murders turn out to be something else and others involve virtually no crime at all and some Biggles stories such Biggles and the Dark Intruder- the crime is not clear until really late in the book.


texts:
I'm wondering what is difference between these both?

  She has been banned

and

  She is banned


texts:
for the question 16, I don't know either using "How was your break?" or "What's going on".
And Q20,"what about you?" and "what are you up to?" seem able to use?
Could someone explain their usages?


texts: The usage of "in future" vs "in the future"

texts: To refer to the future, can I use "in future" or do I have to use always the phrase "in the future"? Thank you.


texts: perfect tense: question on "unspecified time"

texts:
What kind of time descriptor can be regarded as an "unspecified time"? (So it can be used along with the perfect tense)

For example, it's correct to say:

  I have seen that movie six times in the last month.

Can I say "I have seen that movie six times in May" instead?

There's a quiz on the English exam paper:

  In 1492, Columbus _ on one of the Bahama Islands, but he mistook it for an island off India.

  A. lands
  B. landed
  C. has landed
  D. had landed

I felt that it's little weird to choose C, so I chose B.
But I wonder if C is also grammatically right.


texts: Is there a word that means "to rotate into the correct position"?

texts: Say you have a rocket in the incorrect orientation, and it moves into the correct orientation, what is a word instead of moves that describes what the rocket did?


texts: What is the time average American male spends ‘on hold’?

texts:
In the Time magazine’s article (May 8) titled, "Five lessons about work you won’t learn in school," there was the following amusing statement:

“Over the course of a lifetime, the average Americans male spends roughly five months complaining about his boss. This is approximately the same amount of time we spend on hold, and more than twice as long as we spend having sex.”

I was interested in the fact that average American males spend time complaining their boss more than twice as long as having sex. But I’m more interested in knowing the meaning of ‘on hold’ in the line, ‘This is approximately the same amount of time we spend on hold.” ‘On hold’ of time for what?

Kenkyusha’s Readers English Japanese Dictionary at hand defines ‘on hold’ as an idiom
meaning ‘stand ready, or pending.’ If so, what is the exact time or thing they spend ‘on hold’ i.e., ‘stand ready for’ in their lifetime?


texts: What does it mean to say "For all [name] says..."?

texts:
What precisely does the first few words of this sentence mean?

  For all Clark says, mental items that have Euler circles as their content could mean what they do by some naturalistic theory of content, just as we suppose that mental representations of natural objects do.

Would it have the same exact meaning if it said:

  Clark is saying mental items that have Euler circles as their content could mean what they do by some naturalistic theory of content, just as we suppose that mental representations of natural objects do.

(quotation from "Defending the Bounds of Cognition" by Fred Adams and Ken Aizawa)


texts:
When comparing two musical instruments to see which one is easier to play, is it correct to say that we compare them by "ease of play" or "ease of playing"? Which one would be best?

And in order to express the way a musician plays (in the physical sense, not referring to a performance), would we talk about "musician's play", "musician's playing", or something else?


texts: What is the concept of "using an adjective instead of adjective+noun" called?

texts:
In "Medical team", Medical is an adjective. In "Legal team", legal is similar. But in some situations, some people use only "Medical" or "Legal" , eg "Get approval from Legal team" becomes "Get approval from Legal". What is this usage called ? How old is this type of usage ?

There are cases where this usage does not work, eg "Secret service" cannot be shortened to "Secret".
What are the general "rules" of where this shortening works and where it does not ?


texts:
When I hit "reply" to an email message, unless I edit it out, the message I am replying to is contained in the new message.  After some back and forth, a long "tail" accumulates.  I am preparing an archive of email correspondence.  I need to explain that I removed signatures and "tails."  I don't know how to explain this thing I call a "tail."  In my draft I am calling it "prior messages," which doesn't seem terribly clear.  Is there a term for this?  Or can you help me make one up that will be self-explanatory?

  The enclosed archive of email correspondence includes all messages and headers but no prior messages or signatures.


texts: Distinguishing lowercase proper nouns in paragraphs

texts:
I'm writing a case study about a client whose name is completely lowercase. How do I differentiate the client's name from the rest of the text, making it clear to the reader that it's a proper noun? Italics? Quotation marks?

I'm following the Chicago Manual of Style in my writing, so if it offers any guidance on this topic, I'd prefer to follow that.

EDIT: To clarify, the client is a company, not a single person.


texts: I'm searching for slang terms for standard mailboxes like the image.


texts:
On Russian Language and Usage SE someone asked if speaking Russian is enough for travelling to Georgia, and I answered

  I do not speak Georgian, so I used only Russian in Georgia, and I was fine. So will you.

Does this sound OK? "So will you be" sounds even more awkward.

I can't quite understand what the main problem is: the elision of the main verb in future when it was last used in the past, or the fact that it's to be, or the fact that the verb is to be fine and eliding both be and fine makes it awkward.

So, my questions are:  Is the example sentence grammatical? Is it idiomatic? If not, what makes it wrong/awkward?


texts: What does "barren" mean when used to describe cages?

texts:
This question has troubled me for a while. I have looked at all the online dictionaries/forums/other resources for an explanation, in vein.

I have encountered several articles on animal rights describing battery cages as "barren".

For example, on Wikipedia's battery cage page,

  Battery cages are the predominant form of housing for laying hens worldwide. They reduce aggression and cannibalism among hens, but are barren, restrict movement, prevent many natural behaviors, and increase rates of osteoporosis.

  "It is clear that because of its small size and its barrenness, the battery cage as used at present has inherent severe disadvantages for the welfare of hens".

  A recent review of welfare in battery cages made the point that such welfare issues are problems of management, unlike the issues of behavioral deprivation, which are inherent in a system that keeps hens in such cramped and barren conditions.

Another article is titled "Barren, Cramped Battery Cages"

This really confuses me. It can't mean infertile, fruitless, and unable to bear children, as in "barren land" and "barren person", because it would be pointless to have laying hens in such cages.

None of the online dictionaries I have consulted lists any definition that seems relevant in this context.

For example, here is Merriam Webster's entry.

I did find only one site that has a rare definition of this word, "lifeless". But battery cages can't be lifeless either. However, a whole bunch of animal rights writers have used this word to describe cage conditions.


texts: Is there a word for wanting more but when getting it, it’s not enough?

texts: I am reading American Psycho and trying to compare it with Edgar Allan Poe short stories in which I have to make a question for it Long story short both characters want something (the satisfaction of killing others) but when they get it (killing them) they don’t feel satisfied... I’ve never done this before but yah


texts: I don't understand what a character says in a TV programme

texts:
I'm a non-native English speaker and English is my second language. I've been watching an episode of one of my favourite children's TV programmes for a minute and I already don't understand what one of the characters' voice actor says. Could somebody click the link and tell me what the character says.
I guess it's probably because the character mumbles and pushing the words together at the same, but still I want to know what he says.
Thank you so much in advance!

The TV programme is called Monster By Mistake.
The link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch1-m2gXuSM
The time is 01:39
The phrase starts: ''Oh, boy...


texts: Why is it a unicorn instead of an unicorn. Unicorn starts with a vowel and so shouldn't it be an?


texts: "Assign a variable to a value" or the other way round?

texts:
I was wondering which of these phrases is/are correct:

assign a variable to a value
assign a value to a variable

I'd say the second is correct, but I'm not a native speaker. A quick Google search reveals thousands of results such as "assign a variable to the file content", but another search returns a lot of results for the other word order ("assign a value to HTML input field").

Which of these two phrases is correct? Or are both correct?


texts:
The usage of the term  vicarious meaning:

  experienced as a result of watching, listening to, or reading about the activities of other people, rather than by doing the activities yourself:
  She took a vicarious pleasure in her friend's achievements.
  (Cambridge Dictionary)

appears to have developed only in the English language. Its origin is from Latin vicar/vicarious which were used mainly in religious political contexts:

Vicar (from Etymonline):

  The original notion is of "earthly representative of God or Christ;" but also used in sense of "person acting as parish priest in place of a real parson" (early 14c.).

vicarious:

  1630s, "taking the place of another from Latin vicarius "that supplies a place; substituted, delegated," from vicis ".

the contemporary usage appears to be:

  from 1690s as "done or experienced in place of another" (usually in reference to punishment, often of Christ); from 1929 as "experienced imaginatively through another."

This later usage appears to be English specific as it didn't develop in other languages like French, Spanish, Italian or  German, where it is still used only in relation to the position of religious or political figures.

Question:

Where does this usage originate from? Etymonline suggestion refers to a possible analogy with the punishment of Christ, actually a very common topic in many countries.

Can this usage be traced back to religious or political contexts specific only to the English history?


texts: Is it wrong to use "last" instead of "latter" to address the second element in a list of two?

texts:
I am reviewing an academic paper written by somebody else.

At some point in this work the second element in a list of two elements is addressed as "the last". I immediately reached for the red pen to change it into "the latter", but then the doubt came: is there any rule prohibiting the use of "last" instead of "latter" when addressing the second in a list of two elements?

I am not looking for guidelines regarding the use of former/latter/foremost/hindmost/..., there is plenty of resources already answering this kind of questions (see here, or here), I just would not like to correct something that is not wrong in the first place. Ideally a reference to a grammar that explains why using "last" in this circumstance is wrong would make for a perfect answer.


texts: Analogy in and of itself (not metaphor or simile)

texts:
In the accepted answer to: The difference between an analogy and a metaphor? an insightful conclusion was reached that the analogy is what is expressed and the metaphor/simile are how it is expressed. I think for most cases this is a perfect rule of thumb.

For the purposes of this post, I want to pose the question, that under very specific circumstances we can have an analogy itself only. In other words, an analogy without a metaphor or a simile. This may need certain assumptions about the clarity of the analogy. Take this analogy for example:

  You cannot have a rainbow without rain, and you cannot have success
  without hard work.

The above example doesn't fit as a simile. I'm not sure if its fair to consider it a metaphor either, it doesn't seem to fit the spirit of most metaphors I've seen: "speak daggers", "time is money" … While "rainbow" and "success" are being compared, it lacks the figurative dimension, and so, to me at least, it seems to be a stretch to call it a metaphor. Maybe it's simply a comparison.

Question: What is the best classification for my above example? Is it conventional to argue an analogy can be expressed on its own, as I have speculated? Or does this example fall into the category of metaphor after all?

Another noteworthy example:

  Time travel felt as if I was in a runaway carriage.

Edit I just noticed there was an "as" in that line. It could be substituted with "similar to" to escape the simile jurisdiction.

A better one yet:

  Imposing a tarrif won't address the root problem of why we have such a
  big trade deficit, by the same logic: putting a bandage over a skin
  cancer growth won't change your prognosis.

No obvious simile hallmarks: "like" or "as" (maybe like/as are not mandated for similes?) Also, doesn't strike me as a metaphor. It seems like analogy is the best term for it, but maybe that's just me.


texts: Why can I write the same word twice in a row and still be grammatically correct?

texts: A sentence such as "I'd had an ice cream" is correct, and but when there is no apostrophe it becomes "I had had an ice cream"... Is this ok to write?


texts:
A little background; am writing a pain diary web-api; I am trying to find the best way to describe the main body of text within a diary entry, or is the main body itself the entry?

Assuming 'entry' is the correct word to describe a set of information that pertains to a point in time. Each 'entry' contains:

Date
Time
Pain level
Medication taken
?Description/text/entry?

This last field will be an overall description of how you are feeling, what hurts, the type of pain for each area, etc. What would be the correct name for this field?

Thanks,

Brett

Note this isn't about naming a variable, the variable name itself is irrelevant. But rather how to present the concept to a user, or describe the field for help text.


texts: Would it be correct to use the words "pain and lamentation" in the same sentence?  Thanks in advance.


texts: Ok, not really. But I was wondering what the appropriate word is for that; "Genocide" applies to murdering all people of a certain race, while "Omnicide" means ending all life. What is the correct word for wanting to kill all members of a certain species? (Does it matter if it's humans, or would eliminating the dodos also use the same word?)


texts: When perfect tenses are not used after 'after'?

texts:
After I left school, I went to America.
After I had left school, I went to America.

The first sentence has been taken from Practical English Usage by Swan.

In clauses with after, we often use present and past perfect tenses to show that one thing is completed before another starts.
According to this rule, second example stated above is correct. Do you think that the first one is also correct? If both are correct, what are the differences between them?


texts: There was another sentence that I wasn't sure about: "Rather, O blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death." Is it okay to say "give you me"? Does that phrase mean give me something that is from you?


texts:
I am reading a book The Business of the 21st Century and came across the word "built" used as a noun.

  Building genuine wealth is as much about
  the builder as it is about the built.

It is written exactly in that format -- "builder" and "built" are italic.

I cannot find a noun form of the word "built". Can anyone explain this?


texts: What do you call the inner leaves of a tree?

texts: Like, there are leaves on the outside, and leaves on the inside which are usually protected from the elements.


texts:
Is there a difference between

  I didn't use to do that

and

  I used to not to do that

For example,

  I don't use to read books when I was a child.

Would both be correct? Is the second even correct grammatically?


texts:
Hello and happy new year !
Sorry for my english, I'm french and not very fluent in english. I tried to do my best and progress.
I'm currently searching the english for "deuxième".
In french, they are two words "Second" and "Deuxième". Here is an explication of differences between these two words.
Deuxième is used when it exists a third object, and second is used when there is only two objects. Here is an example with tires of moto and car.

Le second pneu de ma moto est également crevé
My second(?) bike tire is now punctured too

Le deuxième pneu de ma voiture est également crevé
My second(?) car tire is now punctured too

Could you help me, please ?
Thanks a lot,


texts: Is it rude to say 'You're actually cute for a person'?

texts:
You're actually cute for a person

elitedaily says it is rude to say so.

Well, I never heard someone say it.

When someone says that you are pretty, or that you are cute, is it rude or is it a compliment?


texts:
Does anyone know of a near-comprehensive list of grammar rules? (Specifically those which a poor writer of English might violate.)

The most amusing candidate I've found was http://www.listsofnote.com/2012/01/fumblerules-of-grammar.html but that doesn't count ;)


texts: When to put a comma after an ellipsis in dialogue

texts:
Having read a style guide recently, I was under the impression that you don't add commas after the ellipsis when the ellipsis indications pauses or thoughts trailing off, followed by "he says" or the like.

E.g.

"If only I had known..." she whispered.
"If I'd known, I would have never..." he says, his voice going quiet.

However, I've recently seen several novels which stick a comma after the ellipsis.
E.g.

"If only I had known...," she whispered.

"If I'd known, I would have never...," he says, his voice going quiet.

Does anyone have an opinion about which is correct?

I also have a question about spaces before the ellipsis. I see books with and without the space and have heard different opinions on the subject.

Is this correct:

"If only I had known..."

Or should it have been:

"If only I had known ..."

Thank you for any advice.


texts:
Should I use make or makes in the following sentence?

  I’m confident that my expertise in this field makes me the candidate best suited for this position.


texts: Is there a single word for someone who does not eat onions? I remember having heard this word somewhere but do not remember it now.


texts: What did Old English writing (letters and formatting) typically look like?

texts:
I am wondering if there is a specific kind of writing that people would typically associate with Old English language. Are there well-known manuscripts that typically represent the kind of writing (letters, formatting, etc.) that would be used at the time and in the regions where Old English spread?

As a related question, are there any specific typefaces that people would typically associate with the Old English language? Are there typefaces designed from Old English manuscripts, or that convey this distinctive look, if it exists?


texts: Ways of expressing the lack of ability to refrain from doing something

texts:
What are the ways of expressing the lack of ability to refrain from doing something? The only one I've found is help + ...ing. For example:

  She can't help singing along when she hears this tune.

Obviously She can't not sing is incorrect, and She is not able not to sing sounds clumsy.

Q1: Are there other ways to express the same idea?

Q2: Does the following sentence sound natural? If not, how would you rephrase it?

  John can't help spoiling whatever he lays his hands on. (= It's an
  inherent quality of John to  spoil everything (possibly involuntarily)
  that he touches)

P.S. Couldn't figure out how to tag this question properly. Feel free to retag and remove this line.


texts: My professor used the word authentification in a lecture. I have always used authentication. Is it a real word or is authentication the correct term?


texts: What's the meaning of "No law less than ourselves owning" in this Whitman's poem?

texts:
I come across a poem of Whitman named "WE TWO BOYS TOGETHER CLINGING
", finding it hard to understand the expression "No law less than ourselves owning". The whole thing is as follows:

  We two boys together clinging,
  One the other never leaving,
  Up and down the roads going, North and South.
  excursions making,
  Power enjoying, elbows stretching, fingers clutching,
  Arm'd and fearless, eating, drinking, sleeping, loving,
  No law less than ourselves owning, sailing, soldiering,
  thieving, threatening,
  Misers, menials, priests alarming, air breathing, water
  drinking, on the turf or the sea-beach dancing,
  Cities wrenching, ease scorning, statutes mocking,
  feebleness chasing,
  Fulfilling our foray.

Both the syntax and the word "own" perplex me. Any hint? (Comments and interpretations about the poem itself are welcome, too!)
Thanks in advance!


texts: Please indicate to me which of the following is/are correct

texts:
Which one is correct?

The water level in the well is high enough to reach.

The water level in the well is high enough to be reached.

I have searched on internet but couldn't find the answer.


texts:
What is the tersest way for a speaker to request from the listener to refrain from making any inferences from a statement of fact?

Suppose as part of a narrative, I want to say something happened (e.g. "I stubbed my toe on the bench").

At the same time, I don't want the listener to jump to any conclusions based on that statement. For example, that: my toe is in pain, or I'm upset, or the bench was in a bad spot or had been moved.

How can I state a fact with this proviso efficiently?


texts: What's the word for something that is 'good', but 'bad' at the same time?

texts:
What is the word that describes an act that was meant to be an act of kindness/helpful, but ironically has not been helpful at all.

I know the word, but it's totally gone out of my head, and I cannot for the life of me remember it.

A few examples:

  Hanging out the washing for someone trying to do them a favour, but hanging it incorrectly so it's not going to dry that well.

  Doing the dishes for Mum after she's cooked you tea, but you put something non dish washer safe in the dish washer.

  Mowing the lawns for your Grandma, but the mower was too short and has now killed the grass.

  You told your wife you'd do the washing for her, which she was so thankful for, but you put the towels in with the clothes, and she
  wasn't too happy about that.

I KNOW there is a word, but I just am absolutely stumped. Any help?!


texts: A comma or a dash is suggested to use in this sentence?

texts:
"This travel app is a series of guides covering the cultural and alternative side of a city, the side that is almost never covered in conventional guides."

Please advise if I need to use a dash or a comma.  Thank you.


texts: Is there a word to describe the portion of one's total funds that may be spent as opposed to the portion which must be held on to?


texts: Using "be" as it is, Whats difference between I be ving, I am ving

texts:
I've seen sometimes this structure, "I be doing that" or " We be balling" What is the difference with " ı am doing that", " We are balling"
You can correct my mistakes.


texts: As a non native speaker, I thought that the words world weary referred to someone who carries the world on his/her shoulder or someone who wears/puts on the world. Then I noticed that the word weary has a different meaning. Is there any relationship between wear and weary in this context? Is there anyone who is able to explain the etymology of this phrase?


texts:
I used to think those are random events but someone over at physics.stackexchange.com insists that randomness means something else so I am at a loss here. Can someone help me out?

What do you call an event that happens without a cause?


texts: Abbreviation similar to i.e. and e.g. for "abstract principle illustrated by the previous"?

texts:
Pointing out the abstract principle based on an example is very common usage.

Suppose we have these to work with:

Elephant < Mammal < Organism

Elephant is an example (subset) of Mammal.

Mammal is an example (subset) of Organism.

Usages illustrated based on the above:

i.e. - "id est" - "it is"

  Here is a mammal (i.e. warm-blooded, milk-producing)

e.g. - "exempli gratia" - "for example"

  Here is a mammal (e.g. elephant)

what I am thinking of

  Here is a mammal (_._. organism)

I am looking for something that conveys the last scenario. As you can see,

e.g. refers to subsets / examples of a principle / one level more concrete.

What I am thinking of would be a the opposite of e.g.
A superset / generalized principle derived from example(s) / one level more abstract.


texts: A word for someone who "does justice" to their (nick)name

texts:
I'm looking for an expression (preferably a single word) that denotes someone whose name or title fits them ironically too well. Names and nicknames are usually figurative, but I'm looking for idioms that I can use to make some word play in situations where they could be taken literally.

A few examples of what I want:

  John the Headhunter took the meaning of person who does justice to their name too far. Literal murder is not part of his job description.
  Mary "Smoking Hot" Smith, ironically doing justice to her name, did not manage to leave the building in time and was swallowed by the flames.
  Joe "Please Don't Call Me Joe 'Joe Miller' Miller" Miller, as expected of a someone with that nickname, quit the interview after feeling improperly addressed.
  This is actually a real person.


texts: Until and past tenses - are both correct or not?

texts:
I have a problem with these two sentences:

"You promised you would take care of her until she had grown up"

"You promised you would take care of her until she grew up"

Which of them is the correct?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
One of the tasks that we have to do on PTE exam is to paraphrase a writtent text. I have prepared a template for myslef which is
While the impacts of N and N such as N and N are important, the effects of N and N such as N and N are significant, and the influences of N and N such as N and N are remarkable.
Now, my questions is, when using this template as there is a coordinating conjunction of " and" should all the noun phrases be in the same structure, namely both gerund, infiniting, adj+noun and so forth? Or there is no need for that?
Example :
While the impacts of making money and modern approaches
Such as Different books and collections of assignments


texts: What do you call a “cropped image” on a website?

texts: Is there a particular name for this "picture of a baby seal in the comments section of facebook" of this image? I know there is "photo comment" but it doesn't point out that it is a cropped picture from the original.


texts:
Having multiple theories is not necessarily a good state of the world.

(naively, one might have thought that abundance of theories is good; but in fact, multiple theories means it is not clear which one is appropriate for a given case)

Is there a single word or phrase that could replace the " good state of the world" in the sentence above?


texts: Non-specific Collective Noun for a Group of a Few Things

texts:
I want a non-specific collective noun that simply means: a group of a few things, i.e., can't be applied to two things, and does show a bias in favor of the smallness of the group.
So these are out:

herd, army, etc. (specific)
duo (two things only)
group (two or more, biasless)
collection (three or more, biasless)
bunch (more than a few)


texts:
What is the etymology of the phrase "end up", and of the meaning of "wind up" that means essentially the same thing?

To clarify, I mean the specific meaning of "wind up" that means the same as "end up"

Like, you would say "[something] ends up [somewhere]" , and in at least some dialects you could say "[something] winds up [somewhere]" with the same meaning, and same with "[someone] ends up [doing something]".

In Merriam-Webster, this sense is (intransitive verb) 1.b: "to arrive in a place, situation, or condition at the end or as a result of a course of action  " - and while "end up" has no dictionary entry, I've always thought of it as the "less unusual" way of saying the same thing.


texts: A word that means cast aside and taken back repeatedly

texts:
I need a word that defines that which is commonly tossed aside to be grabbed back again, like a notebook. I'm trying to use a word that defines this implicit nature in an object: something that is not that important, but at the same time is when you need to jot something down.

  Once a _____ notebook on which employers, directors, engineers, and visitors jotted down interesting events of the achievements of that time, has become the sacred book of The Company.


texts:
I've got some examples with the phrase "let loose":

In this competition, dogs are let loose to chase a jack rabbit over desert
terrain.
Ellen was laughing like a child let loose in a sweet shop

These two examples are from Oxford Dictionary.

I was uptight, wanna let loose
I was dreaming of bigger things in
Wanna leave my own life behind.

This one is from Imagine Dragons' song "Thunder".
So, the question is next: why can we not to use "be" in the last two examples? I thought, "let loose" is like an adjective.


texts: When/Where/how did "sorrowing" become a verb?

texts:
What is the
etymology or history of the verb "sorrowing"? My 1993 edition of The New Shorter OED doesn't have a year and says "it is the act of..."


texts: Of course we all know that when a personal pronoun is the object of a verb or a preposition, it must be an objective pronoun.  My question here is about the choice of a nominative pronoun in the slogan of the solidarity movement for gender equality "He for She".  It sounds ungrammatical to me and I wonder why it was preferred. Can anyone explain?


texts: What does "hard angles" mean when describing a person's character?

texts:
I'm reading this novel, and there's a passage I don't quite understand.
It describes a heroine's character, and goes as below:]

  She is a smart, gorgeous chameleon, all heart and hard angles.

Specifically, I can't figure out what "all heart and hard angles" mean.
Can someone please help me?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?

Can you give me an easy description of the differences in meaning between clause, phrase, and sentence?


texts: How would an ascent and descent action be described?

texts:
My brother was watching a TV Show called The Flash this morning and it called my attention when The Flash runs to save a man who was about to fall off the building, he goes up there and brings him down. Check this image out:

It's hard to spot him due to the bad quality, but in this pic, he is already running to save the man, and that is the building. So, how would this action be described?

He is running up the building?

He is running towards up the building?

He is running upwards the building?

He is running over the building?

And also in the descent, after he has grabbed the guy and is on his way down, how would it be described?

He is running down the building?


texts: What does "looked every day of it" mean?

texts:
She was in her late fifties and looked every day of it.

In this instance, what does looked every day of it mean?


texts:
Which is version is correct?

filename or file name helped me a little, but didn't answer my questions, please see below.

program <filename> - where <filename> is the file name you want to process

program <filename> - where <filename> is the name of the file you want to process

As I know, "file" becomes like an adjective in this case.

Is it normal to use the short version in technical documentation (end-user);
Is it correct to the and a articles with the short versions. the name of a file == a file name and the name of the file == the file name?
Is it correct to use a compound form, like "application executable file name" ("the name of the executable file of the application")?


texts:
I am struggling to parse no matter what. (There are a couple questions on the site about the phrase no matter what but they revolve around how to use it.)
Is matter here a verb? Is it a noun?
If it is a verb, why does it not take an auxiliary verb?
No matter appears in NOAD as its own unit:

no matter

[ with clause ] regardless of: no matter what the government calls them, they are cuts.

it is of no importance: “No matter, I'll go myself.”

In the briefer phrase no matter (e.g. "If you don't want to go, no matter, we will stay put") it reads easily enough as a noun: there is no problem or nothing to consider.

matter, n
• an affair or situation under consideration
• a reason for distress or a problem (NOAD)

The what brings confusion, whether it is final or introduces the rest of a clause ("No matter what" vs. "No matter what comes next"). In "I won't believe you, no matter what you say" it doesn't really make sense to make matter a noun.
Perhaps a useless exercise, we can expand it with potential synonyms:

I won't believe you, no problem what you say.
I won't believe you, no reason for distress what you say.
I won't believe you, no substance what you say.
I won't believe you, no consideration what you say.

I leave #4 unstruck because it makes the most sense but, I find, not enough. This exercise is perhaps unhelpful because maybe another synonym could be used, or a perhaps a preposition could save the day, but I hope it serves my point.
So is matter a verb?

matter, v
be of importance; have significance (NOAD)

Before trying to defend matter's role as a verb we already see it functioning quite strangely: generally English requires an auxiliary verb for negating verbs. Is this my reason for confusion?
When what introduces the rest of a clause this more or less solves the matter:
⇒ "I won't believe you; it doesn't matter what you say"
but it remains murky when there is nothing to follow to the what:
⇒ "I won't believe you; it doesn't matter what
by no means provides the same sense of disregard and, besides, there isn't really a subject.


texts: When was "fo' sho'" first used in print, television, or music? Or, better yet, when was it standard southern slang?

texts:
I can only seem to find Urban Dictionary, et al. references, so I'm turning here for an answer. I know that "fo" ("for") and "sho" ("sure") are common southern dialect replacements, but a debate recently took hold in a social group of mine. When was it "a thing."

Having grown up in south Texas until the year 2000, and having heard people say it my entire youth, I'm fairly confident in it being before then. My friend, on the other hand, is adamant that the expression is dated 2000s and on.

Does anyone know where I might be able to go to get a reasonably reliable answer?


texts: Sentence structure : comma + adjective problem

texts:
These make up the entire content of the mind, and Herbart saw them not as static but dynamic elements, able to move and interact with one another.

I could not understand exactly how the "able to move and interact with one another" part can appear without a relative pronoun. It seems that the part modifies or tells more about the previous clause.

Does a comma function just as a relative pronoun? Also, if there's an omission between the comma and "able to move ~," what is it? I would like to know the grammar structure of the above sentence. Thank you in advance.


texts:
One day, I came across this sentence:

  This chance was too tempting a chance to resist.

Even though this sounded perfectly natural to me, as I tried to get the full meaning out of it, I found it a little strange. What I thought right to say is this:

  This chance was a chance too tempting to resist.

If you look at the sentence 1 closely, it seems to mean that the "too tempting a chance" had to be resisted by me.  Like as in "it is something to resist", which means this something should be resisted by you. It seems that "to resist" is a simple adjective prepositional phrase that modifies a whole complete noun phrase "too tempting a chance". The meaning it conveys, to me, is "too tempting a chance I am to (or should) resist."

The sentence 2 means "a chance that was too tempting to resist", which means that the chance was hard to resist, for it was too tempting.

The reason this sentence 1 seems, to me, to mean the different thing from the sentence 2 is the apartness of the "to resist" from "too tempting". When they are separated with a noun "a chance" in between them, as in sentence 1, it seems that they lose their usual characteristic of describing that "too...adjective...to...do something", and just work as separate adjectives: "to resist" explains the whole noun clause "too tempting a chance", not just "too tempting". So something like this:

  It was ([too tempting a chance] to resist), not this chance was ([too tempting] a chance [to resist]).

But then again, I'm not native, and my brain gets confused a lot.

So my question is, does sentence 1 actually mean the same thing as the sentence 2 (most logical explanation as to the meaning of the sentence 1), or does it mean what I meant in my analysis? And if it does mean the same thing as sentence 2, how can it work like that even when they are separated with another noun in between them?


texts: Is there a neat word or phrase that summarizes the opposite of "one size fits all"? "One size does not fit all" is not an option. What am looking for is something that means "different sizes for anybody, for every occasion etc.".


texts: Word for someone who is jovial, but malicious?

texts:
I'm working on designing characters for a game, and the main group of villains consists of characters that have a two-word epithet in the form "The ___" where the word in the blank describes their personality or what they do (i.e. "The Languid," "The Reminder," etc.)

One of these characters acts like a trickster/jester, but in an uncanny and rather malicious way. (Think Batman's Joker or The Legend of Zelda's Happy Mask Salesman). Is there a word to describe this type of person? Basically I'm looking for a noun or adjective that includes meanings or connotations of "strange," "unpredictable," and "malicious."

Some near misses include "uncanny," "fickle," and "capricious." The latter of which comes closest, in my opinion, but doesn't quite encapsulate the connotation of malice or foreboding.


texts: "Academic Audit Committee submits report to the Vice Chancellor" - What does it convey? Does it mean the committee has submitted its report or will submit its report?


texts: What do you call a place where a crime is about to happen?

texts:
When you say crime scene you refer a place where a  crime happened. How to refer to a place where a crime is about to happen?

Example sentence:

  The police wanted to stop the guy before he reached the ______ with his gun.


texts: "Sally's and Mike's bikes" or "Sally and Mike's bikes"?

texts:
The title really says it all. When there are two subjects in the possessive, what do we do?

If "Sally's and Mike's bikes" is correct, isn't this ambiguous? (As the phrase could either be referring to the bikes that are owned by both Sally and Mike, or to one bike that is owned by Sally and one that is owned by Mike.) Furthermore, doesn't the sentence "My mother's and father's marriage seems awkward, clunky, and badly thought out" seem awkward, clunky, and badly thought out?

If "Sally and Mike's bikes" is correct, isn't this also ambiguous? (As the phrase could refer to either the bikes that are owned by both Sally, and Mike, or to Sally and the bike that is owned by Mike.) And the sentence "Joe Biden and the President's daughters get along famously," as much as some slash political fanfiction authors may protest, seems far more likely to be saying that Joe gets along with Sasha and Malia than that Joe and Barack have secretly eloped and have had multiple children, who get along with each other well. But if this sentence is incorrect, how would you refer to these clandestine daughters? ("Joe Biden's and the President's daughters" seems to refer to two different sets of daughters.)

Finally, does this get even more complicated when you add pronouns into the mix? ("My and her house" is a repulsive sentence. How can we rephrase it without losing information? (Which "Our house" would certainly do.)


texts: Between two instances of a repeating event - "inter" or "intra"?

texts:
There is an annual event which some friends and I attend, let's call it "foodcon" for ease.

I am thinking about hosting a small and informal "social catch up" for a circle of close friends from that event, for a weekend, held about midway between the main foodcon annual events each year... but would that be "inter-food" or "intra-food" if I wanted to style it that kind of way?

Foodcons would be different events, which sounds like it should be "inter", but it's also the same (repeat/ongoing) event, which would make it "intra" (between 2 foodcons). Hint?


texts: Any equivalent to this Persian proverb "The yellow dog is the jackal's brother"?

texts:
Suppose you have a new boss and your former boss was a vicious and dictator one. Now you are visiting the new boss for the first time. He seems to be a nice person to you, but one of your colleagues who has worked with him before, after hearing your opinion about the new boss, would reply mockingly or sarcastically:

  "Don't be fooled by his appearance! he is not better than the former boss, actually they are both as bad as each other!".

We Iranians have a proverb that implies "none of these two people is better than the other, both of them are bad/ evil/ vicious". it literally says:

  "The yellow dog is the jackal's brother."

Its etymology is like this:

Once there was a mischievous jackal living in a village, he annoyed people so much that they explelled him from there. But he entered  again, in disguise and as a yellow dog. Since people had a good opinion about dogs accepted him and called him "the Jackal's brother" (because he looked like the jackal). This time the jackal continued his vicious actions in secret so the people couldn't find out the truth; but in a rainy day, the yellow color was washed off the jackal's body and the people found out the truth, so they said "Oh, look! the yellow dog or 'the jackal's brother' is the jackal himself!".

Is there any idiom, expression or proverb than can be used for comparing two bad, vicious or evil people that would imply "but this one is not less vicious than the other, both of them are bad"?

I have found "They are two of a kind". Can I use it as an equivalent for that Persian proverb (with a negative connotation)?

PS:

1- In this proverb, "the yellow dog" is the symbol for a bad person, and "the jackal" is the symbol for a worse one. Althogh one of them seems better than the other, in practice both of them are horrible and act vicious. So to the people,  there is no difference between them in practice.

2- We use this proverb when comparing two vicous or bad politicians too. For example; if the new president fails to fulfill what he had promised in his campaigns about improving the situation of human rights and freedom of speech, and just acts like the former tyrant president, then unhappy people would say:

  " It is clear that this one isn't different with that former president. Actually, they are as bad as each other, as the proverb goes "the yellow dog is the jackal's brother", so we shouldn't be optimistic about any improvements in the human rights in the country in this person's presidency either."

3- Here are two other examples, that @Josh61 has  found in some websites, and a literal translation of that proverb is used in those papers:

Yellow Dog and his brother The Jackal

Analysis: For Iran, 'The Yellow Dog Is The Brother Of The Jackal'


texts:
I was watching an episode of Psych today, where they made a grammar joke that referenced a term I hadn't heard before.

The quote in question that apparently splits an infinitive is:

  (Karen Vick) Well, why don't you tell me how to properly say this: if you share any official information about this case with your father or let him anywhere near any new evidence, then the two of you will have to find another police department to work for and I will personally see to it that each of you is charged with obstruction of justice.

Apart from maybe adding a couple of commas, this seems correct to me.

I don't remember learning about infinitives in grade school. Can someone point out where the infinitive was split? I like being grammatically correct, so knowing that I may have been violating this for years makes me want to educate myself on the matter.


texts: "Sixty tray, all day" — what does that mean?

texts:
I've stumbled upon a very peculiar phrase in a comic I'm currently reading; here's the screenshot.

As can be seen, just before exiting the train some gangsta guy quips "Sixty tray, all day" to a young woman.

What does he mean, exactly?

As far as my poor knowledge of the gangsta slang permits, I suppose that "tray" has something to do with "three" — but then again, what's a "sixty-three"? Is it a quantity of something, or a sexual position, or a widely-known chapter of some penal code? I'm at my wit's end.

Trying to google the phrase in search of context leads me nowhere, for all exact quotes refer to the comic itself.


texts: "In addition to" synonyms specific to scientific writing?

texts:
I'm tired of using the same expression in scientific academic papers over and over again...

But I can't find any formal equivalent synonyms to "In addition to" besides additionally to...

Do you have any nice suggestions?

Does beyond fits in this type of writing?

Example phrase:

Beyond having similar osmosis potential to polymer sponges, it is desirable that the covering material possesses the ability of being dispersed by the environment while being continuously replaced by the structure beneath

I've came across some synonyms too:

as well as - aside from - besides - including

But do they fit in a scientific academic writing tone?

I'm just not familiarized in seeing it on google scholar papers for example...

It's just my impression then? Can I use them with no problems? Any of them fit well in my example phrase?

Thanks in advance!


texts: A word to convey "to make something relevant'

texts: Is there a word that could convey the meaning of 'to make something relevant'? I am talking in the context of adapting and utilising certain art theories (contemporary art and postmodernism, mainly) which originated in Western sphere and were gradually adapted and utilisied here in Indonesia. By relevance, I also imply the framing and contextualisation.


texts: What does "to the prejudice of discipline" mean?

texts:
I am reading a book and I came across a phrase I don't understand:

  A newspaper office seems to attract every conceivable sort of person, to the prejudice of discipline.

I don't know what to make of "to the prejudice of discipline".  Can someone please explain?

Please search the text of the book for the context.


texts:
My baby has a t-shirt with "I dig my auntie" on it.
What does this mean?


texts: I think I underdstand the sentence just couldnt really figure what "scope" really means here. Thanks.


texts:
What would be the word for the vibe someone gives off... their mood.

He has a sour __.

Part of me wants to put attitude but I'm not talking about the attitude or the vibe really... I'm talking about the mood which he has as a person... almost his character.... like his inclination is to act this way. I know the word I just can't think of it... it starts with a "d" or an "e" I think...


texts:
I have noticed that prepositions often vary from the names of some organisations to others.
For example,

"New Routes volunteer organisation"
"The volunteer organisation of New Routes"

Which one would be correct? When is it necessary to write 'of'? Would it be possible just to write the name of organisations and later its kind as in the first sentence?

Many thanks and kind regards


texts:
Can you please clarify the relation and differences between these nouns?

For example, is it proper to use "persons" instead of "people"? Are they the same? As I believe that "people" is plural, how come there exists the plural of the plural (=peoples)? Does it have any usage?


texts:
What part of speech is the word 'informed' in this sentence?

The kids are much better informed than I was at their age.


texts: Should I capitalize the word "on" in this title?

texts: Should it be "Alive on Arrival" or "Alive On Arrival"?


texts:
I have been thinking of this sentence:

  All these factors culminated in my choosing [some life decision].

Is the usage of my choosing correct?


texts: What's a verb that means "to say something in a singing way"

texts: Imagine a dentist telling a small child to "open wide." He might "sing" it rather than say it, maybe by drawing out "wide" into two syllables, the first having a higher pitch than the second. You probably know what I mean. Is there a good, single verb for this? I could just write "'Open wide,' he sang", but it's not ideal.


texts: Is the proper phrasing "SMS" or "SMS Message"?

texts:
I know that "SMS" stands for "Short Messaging Service." But,

  The term SMS is used as a synonym for all types of short text messaging as
  well as the user activity itself in many parts of the world

(Source: Wikipedia). Therefore, should I used the phrase "SMS" or "SMS Message"? This doesn't seem to be as straightforward as the obviously wrong (yet widely used) "ATM Machine" and "PIN Number."


texts: Is there a word that encompasses both collaboration and individual help/assistance

texts: I'm making a web widget that will include social media functionality (Twitter, Facebook, etc..) and also a personal chat with sales.  I'm looking for a word (idea, concept, jargon) or some kind of universal image/icon that unambiguously communicates this succinctly.  Sorry, if this seems lame.


texts: Transcription and pronunciation of the 'un-' prefix in General American English

texts:
What's the correct transcription and pronunciation of the 'un-' prefix in General American English?
Cambridge Online dictionary provides the following transcription: /ʌn/

It's the same in words with this prefix: /ʌnˈdu/.
Why do they use the /ʌ/ and not the /ə/ (schwa)? It's the /ə/ sound that typically occurs in unstressed syllables.
Thank you.


texts: Using the word "summer" as a verb with "I" as subject

texts:
As per online Dictionary summer means

  noun

  the warmest season of the year, in the northern hemisphere from June to August and in the southern hemisphere from December to February.
  Eg: "this plant flowers in late summer"

  verb

  spend the summer in a particular place.
  Eg: "well over 100 birds summered there in 1976"

I want to use summer as a verb, not in the past tense as given in the above-highlighted example, but in the future tense with I as the subject: I plan to summer in Australia this December. Is that possible?

None of the example sentences in Oxford use even the simple present tense, let alone the future like this. Is this a special verb which can only be used as a past participle?


texts:
At a certain point of this article I read;

  Sometimes [Lucas] would to say to Richard, ‘you can't do that’

It sounds awkward for me to see a modal verb followed by "to". Of course, when you're talking mistakes occur, but now I'm puzzled. Is that a mistake or is "would to" grammatically correct?

source: Return of the Jedi cast reunited after 30 years


texts: How do I say thanks to someone who sends me a message from my site?

texts: I'm building my own website.  I have a form that a visitor can request my CV, and I've added a label showing this line of text: "Thanks for your concern, I'll send you my CV soon." Is this sentence proper? I read on other websites that concern is much used to express empathy or worry. If this is the case, what is the best wording for my situation?


texts: What is the ¬ symbol called on a British Windows keyboard?

texts: What is the ¬ symbol on a British Windows keyboard called? You get to it by pressing Shift and the key left of the '1'.


texts: generic reference, specific reference, and "particular reference"?

texts:
Webs are beautiful. (I'm sure it is a generic reference.)

The web is beautiful. (I'm sure it is a specific reference.)

The Web is beautiful. (This web refers to the World Wide Web, a specific web in the world. It differs from the specific reference, where the web is only known in the context of the speaker and not for the reader.

In other words, the web should be some specific web, but for the reader, nobody knows which exact web it refers to.

Is this called "particular reference" or is there another name for it?)


texts: What is the use of classical metaphors in literal situations called?

texts:
For instance:

Gravity keeps you down-to-earth!

This was the only example I could say off the top of my head. However, I've seen this done a couple of times.
It's a kind of play on the word down-to-earth—words and phrases that are usually intended as a metaphor being used so literally.
What is this phenomenon called?


texts: What is the word to describe someone whom you are gossiping about

texts:
I was writing another question on Workplace Interview when i realised that I did not know a term / word to describe someone whom you are gossiping about

What is a word / term to describe someone whom you are gossiping about ???


texts: A word to represent 'non-friend' relationship

texts:
In Chinese, there's a word to explain a state of relationship, '路人' originally means people on road, when something happened, '路人' is kinda character that won't join the trouble itself, but watching it.

But now, '路人' has a meaning of 'not friend', you may know him, or he know about you, but you won't have deep relationship, they just walk by your life, but not close to you. is there an English word to represent it?

looks like it's not 'acquaintance' because they may be stranger of each other.

some example of '路人'

侯门一入深如海，从此萧郎是路人。

After entering the aristocratic mansion, it was deep as sea, the one true love is _____(passerby?).

description: she can no longer find love because she became a slave.

他就是个路人，我都不认识他。

he's just a ____(randomer?), I don't know him.

description: someone is trying to clarify the relationship

路人局别太认真了。

don't be too serious when playing with ____(random teammates?).

description: game matching system sometimes gives you bad player.

为什么很多人分手后都成了路人?

why many people choose to be like ____(stranger?) after breaking up?

description: they choose to forget each other instead of continuing to be friends.

一堆不明真相的路人在那瞎起哄。

A bunch of _____(bystanders?) who doesn’t know the truth are squatting there.

description: a little bit derogatory.


texts: Word for a person or code which puts emphasis on self-improvement

texts:
I'm looking for a word which describes a person or ethical/religious code or whatever which emphasises self-improvement. That is, that the point of it is to fix one's flaws and vices and whatnot.

I've found two words which are close but not exactly what I mean - ascetic might work except that suggests a real strictness about it, whilst virtuous might be something to strive towards, and not the actual belief in wanting to become one.


texts: A word to mean "reinterpreted, re-stipulated and/or restated"

texts:
The Bible's Old Testament (OT) Sacrificial rituals/practices were "reinterpreted, re-stipulated and/or restated" in the Bible's New Testament (NT) account of Lord Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross.

I'm trying to find a better word/phrase (preferable word as opposed to phrase) than "reinterpreted, re-stipulated and/or restated".
Could someone please suggest an appropriate word/phrase that can be a substitute?

Update: The Bible's Old Testament (OT) Sacrificial rituals/practices transfigured, though with same objective, into the
Bible's New Testament (NT) account of Lord Jesus Christ's sacrificial
death on the cross.

Does the updated version seem more suitable?


texts: what does the sentence "You wouldn't know a hospital corner if it bit you on the arse" mean?

texts:
The conversation goes something like this:

  Woman: I'll change the bed sheets.

  Man: No, I'll do it!

  Woman: I can make a bed!

  Man : You wouldn't know a hospital corner if it bit you on the arse.


texts: How to pluralize "State of the Union" without an additional noun?

texts:
I've read the following sentence on Facebook tonight:

  I may have inadvertently convinced a co-worker to vote for Trump with the statement, "Can you imagine his state-of-the-unions?"

Is it State-of-the-Unions or States-of-the-Union?

Far better would be State-of-the-Union addresses, but now my curiosity is piqued.


texts: Can I use "Week start" as alternative of "Week starts on"

texts:
I want to use "Week start" for the same purpose as in Google Calendar settings:

It sounds clear for English-speaking people? Or it would be better to use "Week starts on"?


texts: What is the collective term for policy, standard and guideline?

texts: I know they are distinct, but if wanted to refer to them as a single entity in the distance how would I do that?


texts:
This is an excerpt from newspaper.
Without a overhang of heavy handed security.
Why does the author use a and not an?


texts: SWR for "just now", "from my hand", lost an object?

texts:
I've been trying to think of a good word for this for years.
Of course, you can misplace or lose something along the lines of "I've lost my car keys". They could be anywhere in the house right?  Maybe your cousin moved them when she borrowed it yesterday! Or you can lose your wallet - it could be at any of the shops you were at today.  You can lose your title deeds, meaning they could be packed away anywhere, or maybe someone accidentally threw them away in the last year, haven't seen them for a year, where the heck are those title deeds?
But there's a particular type of misplaced or lost where you...
"just had it in your damn hand"
right then!  I just had it in my hand - where is it?  I was walking out the door with the iPad in my hand, and now it's gone?  It was right here, I had it in my hand!
In my household, I have been trying to think of a SWR for this for so long, we made one up (it's the "quick-loss") and I have started saying that. "I just quick-lost the blah blah, I was bringing it right to you and now it's gone!"
I feel that the word "lost" doesn't really apply well; nor does misplaced, really.
Is there any clear term that makes the point you just literally had it in your hand and now don't know where it is, you were purposefully holding it and in your stream of consciousness don't even understand why you're not still holding it, don't know what happened to it between now and a few beats ago - any ideas?


texts: What is the origin of the use of "Lorem ipsum ..." as a placeholder in web design?

texts:
The Wikipedia article pretty much sums up the meaning of this gobbledegook, a mangling of 1st century Latin, but fails to explain WHY variations on this particular filler are used as placeholders on many web site templates.

  ....Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure....

Pretty good, philosophically speaking, if you ask me. But what in the name of Shakespearean eloquence has it got to do with modern Web Design?


texts:
“A car rammed into counter-protesters during a violent white nationalist rally,” for example, is a sentence that may legitimately be criticized for neglecting to point out that someone was at the wheel of said car; in this case, though, the avoidance of explicit agency is a moral failure, not a grammatical one.”

Could anyone help me understand the meaning of “agency” in this paragraph? I did check it in a dictionary but still I have no idea.


texts: Origin of the phrase "Mustard on the beat"?

texts:
I have realized that in many rap songs by many different artists use the phrase, "mustard on the beat" at the begging of their rap.

Where did this originate? Why do many different DJs and rappers use this?

In my research, I have found this:

From Wiki

Dijon Isaiah McFarlane (born June 5, 1990), professionally known as DJ Mustard...Almost all of his productions begin or end with the tag "Mustard on the beat, hoe!"

But where and why do other rappers, such as 2-Chainz, Kid Ink, and YG just to name a few, use this phrase? What's significant about it's origin?


texts:
There is this sentence in a book named Shoe Dog which has confused me a lot. In what sense is the word born used here?

  I'd met other accountants who knew numbers, who had  a way with numbers, but Hayes was to the numbers born.


texts: "User interaction" in the context of the USK

texts:
I was looking at the USK recommendation for a game that my children want to have. The game is Roblox. It has the rating USK12 due to

violence
digital purchases
user interaction

I don't understand the term "user interaction" here. Every game needs to have user interaction, otherwise it wouldn't be a game, right?

So IMHO it has to be a special kind of user interaction. But what kind of user interaction could that be?


texts: How to express my first name in initial(s) when its composed of two separate parts

texts:
First of all, I'm Korean, and we don't have a middle name.

Except for a very few odd cases, our names are composed of one letter surname, and two letters first name.

For example, former UN secretary general was Korean, and his name is
Ban (family name), and Ki-Moon (first name)

I don't know how he presented himself in initialized form, but would it be possible for me to present myself in documents (such as in academic references) like this:

Ban, K.M.

or would that kind of initials only apply to middle names, and would therefore mislead people to thinking that I have a middle name?


texts: Afraid/shy/uncomfortable when going to meet someone so instead you create an excuse to avoid meeting/seeing them

texts:
This word was on my mind earlier, been trying to remember it but can't. It is used when someone is uncomfortable of meeting someone else; they fear something and overthink. So they try to avoid meeting or seeing people.

It would  be used in a sentence like:

  I can understand you are [the word here], but...


texts: Negative word for someone whose voice pitch varies too much? (opposite of monotone)

texts:
The closest word I can come up with is "dynamic", but that has positive connotations.  I'm looking for a word for someone whose voice is dynamic to the extreme--overly varied intonation.

The best I can come up with is pitchy, but that is more appropriate for singing.

There is also affected, but that's overly broad--I think of a put on accent when I hear that as much as overly variable tone.


texts: Should enclosing commas be treated as parentheses?

texts:
I just read the following in Dan Ariely's book Predictably Irrational,

  [...] Zoe, and the other kids to whom I offered the same deal, was
  completely blinded by [...] p. 57

To me it would have seemed more natural to have written 'were completely blinded'. On the other hand, commas are often used in place of parentheses, in which case the following would, presumably, be incorrect,

  Zoe (and the other kids to whom I offered the same deal) were completely blinded by [...]

Should 'was' or 'were' be used in the sentence separated with commas?


texts: material vs materials. Which is correct?

texts: When you talk about a collection of snippets and facts for an article, do you say "material" or "materials"?


texts: Better alternatives to the phrases "feel cold" and "feel hot"

texts:
The phrase "feel cold" doesn't sound correct to me. I am trying to describe "cold" as a general entity,  like "sadness" is to "sad". So what word should I use for "cold" and "hot"? "coldness" and "warmth" are not good alternative as they have wrong interpretation after the word "feel", as "warmth" is a feeling used by many to describe softness or love or some other feeling, But I mean the word "warmth" literally (to the feeling of hot or cold environment) what words should I choose in this case?

  Our climate is monitored 24/7, so you won’t have to ever feel cold or hot never again.

Does this sound logical? Maybe I am wrong and this is okay, but to me, it just doesn't sound right.


texts:
what are the appropriate beginnings of the presentation when the chair of the meeting introduces the speaker? It should consist of a greeting and thanks for the introduction.

Good morning, everyone and thank you for your introduction.

is strange. The first part of the sentence is for all, and the second part is only for the chair of the meeting.

Thank you for the introduction and good morning everyone.

is weird because the greeting should come first.
Do you have any ideas for an optimal first sentence? Thank you


texts: Would False Façade be considered an oxymoron such as Act Natural

texts: I'm using the term False Façade, would this be considered an oxymoron such as Act Natural?


texts:
I think you set the bar of expectations too high for this product.

  I think you set the bar of expectations for this product too high.

Do both work, or is one of those worded wrong?


texts: Trying to know the place before the jaunt

texts:
Here is the the situation: whenever I plan going out on a vacation to a beach or hill-station, I inquire about the weather, I search for accommodations, I call people who have been there and do other stuff to ensure I get the best out of it.

What am I doing here? What is the process called?


texts: Phrase for "Sharing the same feelings for each other"

texts: Can anybody help me with a good idiom or phrase which means "Sharing the same feelings for each other?


texts:
Can I use the word 'quiet' as a verb in BrE (as opposed to N. American)? If I can, how is it conjugated?

The phrase I am looking to write is, "I wish to quiet my mind".

Should it be 'quieten'? That sounds incorrect.

Many thanks


texts: Reading mathematical expressions like 4x: four ex or four exes?

texts:
When I read out (as a teacher at the board) an algebraic expression where a variable is multiplied by a cardinal greater than 1, eg 4x, shall I use the variable name in the plural or in the singular?

Additionally, is the verb ‘equal’ in the plural or in the singular in such cases?

Which one is a correct reading of, say, 4x + 5y = 6:
• ‘four ex plus five wye equals six’, or
• ‘four exes plus five wyes equal six’?

Thank you in advance.


texts: Is it grammatically possible to begin a sentence with "but" ?


texts: What is the difference between "sheer" and "utter" in the sense of enphasis if there is any whatsoever?

texts:
English is not my first language.

I don’t know the difference between sheer and utter used for emphasis.

For example, instead “That’s utter nonsense” can I say “That’s sheer nonsense” instead?


texts: Would sir like something for the weekend?

texts: "Something for the weekend" is a euphemism heard in barber shops, when the above phrase is used to enquire of a customer whether he would like a packet of condoms. Does anyone know how this phrase came about?


texts: She, as well as I (am/is/are?) tired of the work

texts:
As I was riding the train with a Japanese colleague, she took notice of this English question posted on one of the ads (about a medicine for stomachaches. Yes, I'm confused as well):

  She, as well as I (?) tired of the work.

I believe the selections for the answer are the following:

  is, are, am, have

I thought the answer is am or is, but I'm not sure because I haven't seen this sentence structure used before. I know that the subject-verb agreement when using the word and will compound the subjects, but I'm not so sure with as well as.

I hope someone can explain this thoroughly, as well as point me to the correct answer.

EDIT: I haven't seen the question on the trains again, but I've looked into it thinking the question was part of TOEIC. I've seen this link (it's in Japanese, and I'm not yet capable of reading it), so please check it out. The formatting there is a lot more weird (no commas?), but I saw the fourth item there.


texts: "Were you seen by him" vs. "were you be seen by him"

texts:
I am confused about which of the two is grammatically correct:

  Were you seen by him, he would have been surprised.
  Were you be seen by him, he would have been surprised.


texts: Difference between inconclusive and non-conclusive (nonconclusive)

texts:
Is there any difference in usage between inconclusive and non-conclusive (nonconclusive)?

inconclusive is more popular in research compared to non-conclusive, using PubMed search, 20,872 and 260 respectively. (nonconclusive gives 117 hits).

Thesaurus doesn't list them as synonyms.


texts: What does the phrase by Sloterdijk mean?

texts: "A session of a carnival club" - what's that? What kind of club is it? Any synonyms? Descroptions? Examples? Anything?


texts: Simpler and more common way of asking "Where could he/she had gone?"

texts:
I'm not a native English speaker, and I though asking "Where could he/she had gone?" was very common. But when I searched that phrase in Google I got only 6 results.

Is there a more simpler, more common way of asking that question?


texts:
I was recently invited to a "farewell reception," a gathering to celebrate a couple who are soon leaving the community. And it occurred to me that "farewell reception" is an oxymoron.

Is "reception" used correctly here. Is there a better word?


texts: Word for solely being after a certificate or a degree?

texts:
Is there a term for doing something (studying, going to a university, ...) only for the offered degree or diploma? (And, for example, not caring about learning)

For example, a term to fit here:

  Nowadays, [...] is a serious problem in the academic community. For the majority of students, the sole purpose of going to the university is to get a degree.


texts: Term for buzzing or hissing sound often created by vibration

texts:
Specifically, I am referring to the hissing, buzzing, S-like, or fuzzy sound that is created when electronic speakers play sounds or music near their volume or frequency limits.

I recall having learned a term for this at some point in the recent past, but cannot remember it despite significant time spent searching online.  If I recall correctly, this is a sound produced within the speaker, not just sound caused by the speaker vibrating adjacent objects.


texts: "Never mind" in American English and British English

texts: Reading some forum pages about the meaning of the phrase never mind, I realized that there's a difference in usage of it, between American and British English. What's the difference in meaning of this phrase in American English and British English?


texts: Word for the situation wherein you lose interest in life due to boredom

texts: Do we have any word to describe the situation wherein you lose interest in life not due to tragedies but boredom and you want to quit life because nothing mundane or spiritual brings joy to you?


texts:
Is there a word for people incapable of thinking?

  That is the way it is done since ever. Some offer simplifications: they are, though, for people incapable of thinking.

Is there a word to express that equivalently (or close to equivalently)?  The sentence should look like something like this, with ADJECTIVE standing in for the desired word (however, variations will also be considered):

  [. . .] they are, though, for ADJECTIVE people.

To clarify, the wanted meaning surely wants to “attack” or to “strike” the addressees but without degenerating into vulgar insults, thus maintaining its fine and elegant form.


texts: What does 'for such actions as ...' mean?

texts:
Anyone can help to explain the meaning of for such actions as ... please? It's from the following context.

  Even when automatic archiving is enabled, you can use manual archiving for such actions as rearchiving an inactive group of filled redo log members to another location.

The upper text is from Oracle documentation. If it's too technical, please check the following example, which was found in American Corpus.

  Last year, the company unveiled the Jawbone Icon as the first Bluetooth headset with downloadable apps for such actions as voice dialing


texts:
Is the Online Etymology Dictionary saying resolute also (historically) means morally lax, as some kind of autoantonym?

resolute (adj.)
early 15c., "dissolved, of loose structure," also
"morally lax," from Latin resolutus, past participle of resolvere
"untie, unfasten, loose, loosen" ...


texts:
I have a colleague who insists on inserting "The" into the following sentence ---

"If you're familiar with Johnson City's hip, comfortable The Ellis Hotel, you'll love the new Autograph Collection by Marriot."

The rationale for inserting "The" is that the hotel is persnickety about their name, and my colleague insists on deferring to the hotel's preferred style.

I maintain that the geographic identifier --- "Johnson City's" --- functions as a definite article, thereby making "The" redundant and grammatically incorrect.  I.e., we would never write, "If you're familiar with the hip, comfortable The Ellis Hotel, you'll love . . ."

Is this in fact ungrammatical ? Or is it merely bad writing ?

If the former, what specific rule has been violated ?


texts:
I know the vast majority of people say "Don't take yourself too seriously", as found correct by basically every native speaker I've asked about this (often accompanied by incredulous looks).
What confuses me is whether it makes sense for serious to be an adverb here as that would make it modify the verb. It would be an appeal for me to less seriously do something instead of how I'm currently behaving, which is doing it in a serious manner.
Isn't the true appeal behind the sentence to think of myself as a less serious person, i.e. (not take) (myself serious) instead of (less seriously) (take myself), similar to constructs like "deem appropriate", "hold responsible" and "consider capable"?

(This once used "take sick" as a phrase for comparison but it's been pointed out in the comments as a bad example.)


texts: Do we need to add "a": In (a) modern society characterized?

texts:
In a dictionary, I found the following phrase: "in modern society"

But when I used it in the following way and get the check from website "grammarly.com", it said I needed to add "a" before modern. Why do we need to add "a" when I used characterized after society?

  In modern society characterized by a swift lifestyle, people have
  experienced ever-increasing complex lives.


texts: Are there any other cases where it is okay to infer the subject?

texts: Attempting to research when the subject being inferred is okay. Only example I've been able to find is imperative sentences. Are there any other cases that it is okay to infer the subject?


texts: Idiom for two people having two drastically different appraisals of an event

texts:
What's an idiom for "two people have two drastically different appraisals of an event they were a part of"?

For example, two people on a date. One thinks it was great and hopes for another, and the other thinks it was terrible.


texts: Indicate my translation in in-text citation

texts:
I hope I'm not repeating this question although I could not find something relevant on this website.

I am looking for a way to indicate that a passage from a book is my translation. I'm using in-text citation and the text is part of a footnote. It goes like: "citation" (Author date, page). How could I indicate that the text in the citation is my translation?

I have found several solutions online, yet they either require a footnote (my quotation is part of a footnote already!) or they are too 'pompous' such as "Translated quotation that appeared in the paper:" which breaks the flow of my text. I would prefer something discreet; something like (Author date, page my translation) if possible.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you in advance


texts:
Not being a native speaker of English, one of those words that tripped me up is “cocoa”. Besides having its vowels inverted from “cacao”; it also is pronounced exactly the same as “coco”, whereas “cacao” isn't pronounced “caca” and “boa” isn't pronounced “bo”. So why is the “a” in “cocoa” silent?

Phonetic spelling from a dictionary:

  cocoa |ˈkōkō|
  noun
  1 a chocolate powder ...

  coco |ˈkōkō|
  noun ( pl. -cos)
  1 [usu. as adj. ] coconut : coco matting ...

  cacao |kəˈkou; kəˈkāō|
  noun ( pl. -os)
  1 beanlike seeds from which cocoa ...

  boa |ˈbōə|
  noun
  1 a constrictor snake ...


texts: Masters or Master's (for my specific situation)

texts:
I'm going to apply for the statistics graduate school at UCSB. So is it okay to say I am the "Applicant for UCSB Statistics Master"? Or any suggestions about other forms, like "UCSB Masters Applicant" or "UCSB Master's Applicant"? (I can't distinguish which version is correct here!)

I have to be very cautious because it's the header of my personal statement like this picture is showing:

Well, thanks for all the comments. By your guidance I see the standard form should be "Applicant for Masters Degree in Statistics at UCSB", but it is a little bit prolix using at the header. What if I omit the information about Statistics? Namely, is "Applicant for Masters at UCSB" or "UCSB Masters Application" okay?


texts: what's the meaning of " a moment without an hour"?

texts:
I read a poem of Adam Zagajewski titled Vita Contemplativa, translated in English, and came across the verse

  "a moment without an hour"

Does it mean "in a very short time"?
Could anyone kindly help me with this?


texts: What is a word for completely fascinated? I want to convey the same meaning but using only one word if possible. Using two big words for this seems like an overkill.


texts:
I have rewritten a sentence like the one below several times, and I could not seem to put the prepositional phrases in an order that sounded correct to me. Is there a better way to construct this particular sentence? Are there any solid rules for ordering several prepositional phrases?

  I have an interview on Friday with Joe Smith at ACME Inc for an Editor
  II position.


texts:
Is there any difference in the level of formality, frequency of usage, etc?
Example sentences:

Never assume anything.
Never make any assumptions.


texts: Origin of the expression "to do someone in"

texts:
I've seen the expression "to do someone in" for the first time today and from what I found, it means "to kill someone." Where does it come from?

The trailing "in" implies something following and makes the expression sound incomplete.


texts: "on the one hand" without the other hand

texts:
I've been wondering if it would look strange if I didn't include both "pairs" of this idiom, e.g.:

  In recent times a significant increase of popularity of teaching
  English as a foreign language in kindergartens is observed. However,
  it may be surrounded by many doubts, the main reasons being the great
  demand for this type of activities from parents, and at the same time
  the lack of specific, clear guidelines governing the teaching of
  English, which could be of help to those responsible for introduction
  of such classes into kindergartens.

I know it's possible (and indeed used) the other way around but I am not sure in this case.


texts:
I have gone through several websites and what I have concluded regarding the difference between marked with and marked by is that the former refers to actual markings, while the latter can signify some abstract concept. Yet this difference seems superficial when I think about it for long.

Which looks more appropriate of the two?

The politician's speech was marked with scorn for the rival party.
The politician's speech was marked by scorn for the rival party.


texts: What rules govern the ordering of phrases in a sentence?

texts:
When writing a sentence, I sometimes get stuck with the order of prepositional phrases if there happen to be a couple of them in a series. I cannot seem to place them next to the part they intend to modify, which ruins the sentence. I googled this particular problem and watched a few YouTube tutorials, which, unfortunately, has confused the matter further. I want to keep it simple and find out whether there's a way to get it right.

Another problem I have with them is that I sometimes cannot decide whether they should be punctuated or not, to make things clear.

Just to give you a small example

  There was a great interview... 1) of Mary about her book 2) in NYT 3)
  by John

I cannot put these phrases into their correct order, and punctuate if or where  necessary.

Please help.
Thanks.


texts:
"He feels more than he is" is correct  to say that someone thinks he is better than he actually is?
I don't know if that is correct, if it is not, which other short way to say it could work?


texts:
"I'm British"
I told the police I was British
I told the police I am British

In the following situation "was" sounds more natural.
Then the police arrived... I told them I was British and they let me go.
In the following situation "am" sounds more natural (not sure why, just a hunch)

Why didn't you tell us you were British?!!!!
I told you I am British!

Am I right or wrong?


texts: Is it correct to say "I kindly request you to..."?

texts:
Isn't kindness already implied when you say "I request you to..."?

When I say "I humbly request you to...", the word humbly helps me to label the state of my behavior during the request.

On the other hand, what value does the word kindly add to the request?


texts: Is 'synchronization' a state or a process?

texts:
I am writing a text on the process of synchronizing events. To describe this process I would have intuitively used the word "synchronization". However, the internet got me confused about the meaning of synchronization.

When googling 'synchronization' I found that the Oxford dictionary states as first meaning

  "The operation or activity of two or more things at the same time or rate."

and as specification it states

  "Adjustment of a clock or watch [...]"

Wikipedia states

  "Synchronization is the coordination of events to operate a system in unison."

Finally, WikiDiff states

  "[...] synchronization is the state or property of being synchronized [...]"

I would consider the Oxford dictionary to be a credible source. However, the first definition seems to hint at synchronization being a state in which two (or more) things occur (repeatedly) at the same (points in) time, whereas the second definition (adjustment of clocks) indicates that synchronization is the process of synchronizing events. The phrasing of Wikipedia is a tiny bit vague, but does read more like synchronization was a process. Whereas WikiDiff clearly defines synchronization as a state.

Following another line of reasoning, nominalized verbs ending in "-ation" often indicate processes (e.g. colonization, incubation, consultation, ...). Using this approach it makes sense to assume synchronization to be the process of two or more (naturally asynchronous) events reaching a synchronous state. But then there are exceptions to this rule, like "appreciation", which can be the process of appreciating something, but may also be used as a noun describing the manifestation of said process (e.g. "the appreciation I received for my actions was overwhelming").

So, my question is, what is the correct/most common/conventional usage of the word synchronization - process or state? Or is it not well-defined and I am free to specify my definition in the context of say an article?

As additional information, if it matters, I am writing a text in the context of dynamical systems. I read through the relevant Wikipedia pages (assuming to find the conventional interpretation of synchronization there), but it seems they carefully avoided to specify what exactly synchronization means and used other words, when explicitly talking about processes or states. In academic papers, people are found to be using either meaning but I would like to see if there is a correct/satisfying answer to the question from the point of English language, before choosing my own terminology.

I welcome official/widely accepted sources, but also useful reasoning. Thank you very much for your help.


texts:
I want to say that in the past I decided something that I will do in the future:

  Already in my bachelor years I decided that I want work at [. . .] after my master.

Is want here correct, or should it be written in another tense?


texts: Is there a word that means unstoppably powerful, but also fast?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that means something that is powerful, unstoppable, but also fast. "Juggernaut" covers the first part, but it implies enormous size and sluggish inertia. I feel like there's a word that fits the idea, but I can't come up with it.

It's intended to be the name of vessel, so it doesn't have to be any particular part of speech.


texts: What was the difference between "that" and "which" one hundred years ago?

texts:
I understand that today "that" opens restrictive clauses and "which" does not open one. However, I have seen "which" used in older works where follows a clearly restrictive clause.

For instance,

“That is a question which Mr. Darcy only can answer.”

"The disasters which befel Jones on his departure for Coventry; ..."

What was then the difference between the two words?


texts: Should it be "there is a total of 378 vehicles" or "there are a total of 378 vehicles"?

texts:
I'm not sure if the subject is the total (in which case it would be "there is") or the vehicles (in which case it would be "there are").

I suppose another option would be to remove "total of" from the sentence, but assuming that "total of" is left in, I'd like to know what the proper wording would be.


texts: When is it appropriate to describe a person as an invalid versus handicap versus disabled? My friend broke his leg and could hardly do anything physical. I guess invalid would be the most appropriate because he was not born with, is temporary and is severely debilitating. For completeness sake is it ever acceptable or preferable to call someone a cripple or lame?


texts:
"The roots could be any arbitrary distance apart."
"The roots could be an arbitrary distance apart."

Using "any" is more redundant as I could take out "arbitrary" and it would still make sense (although it wouldn't quite convey the meaning I want), but it flows better than "an". Hence, would it be better to use "any" for the sake of flow or "an" for the sake of non-redundancy?


texts: How does "make" work in "What kind of person makes a good friend?"

texts:
What kind of person makes a good friend?

I have seen this kind of sentence several times; never understood why it is normal in English. It means that there are people with specific traits of character who can be good friends, OK. But why "make"? It seems to be a sentence, where person can create a friend for somebody and not out of himself, but out of somebody else.


texts: Word for phrases that are examples of what they describe

texts: Is there a word (or phrase) for phrases that are examples of what they describe? For example, "You the verb" to tell someone they forgot a verb in an online posting, or "spacesmakethingseasiertoread".


texts: Alternative way to phrase ‘will have to have had’

texts:
I'm sending a letter to a tenant who is moving out of our factory at a snails pace and I'm basically demanding (in a nice way) she and all her stock, furniture etc be moved by a certain date.  I have this:

  This simply means, you will have to have completed the clearance of all your possessions by Monday 8th August.

It's hurting my head, my brain is frozen and I cannot find an alternative.


texts:
Is there some word that I could use in place of precipitation when I don't know if it's raining, snowing, or hailing outside? Saying "there is probably precipitation right now" (in place of something more certain about the state of the precipitation like "I think it's raining right now") sounds stiff.

For instance, if I walk into a building while it's raining or snowing and ten minutes later someone asks about the weather (which is liable to change, especially during early winter), what could I say?


texts:
Why aren't you allowed to say "I have been knowing her for ten years" or "It has been broadcasting for many years"?
But you are allowed to say "I have been waiting for an hour".


texts: What's up with the pronunciation of "awry"?

texts: I was just watching a show where someone said "awry". I have noted this numerous times before and wondered, but now I just have to understand: Why is it pronounced as "aww-rye" [low tone on the aww] instead of "aww-ree" [high tone on the aww]?


texts: "And" vs. "or" when specifying a collection

texts:
If I am looking for one or more of A/B/C, but nothing else, and I want to tell that to somebody, do I say "I am only looking for A, B, and C" or "I am only looking for A, B, or C"?

An example with some context:

  I would like some definitive information about frumblebumps. I am only looking
  for articles, links, [and | or] first-hand accounts.

Does the "and" version imply that I am looking for all three and will not accept a partial set? Does the "or" version imply an exclusive or?

If "and" is the appropriate word, then how do I differentiate that from the case where I am looking for all three items as a set? If "or" is the appropriate word, then how do I differentiate that from the case where I am looking for exactly one of the items?


texts: Dismissing all of a person's arguments because of one fallacy

texts:
Is there a term for dismissing all of a person's arguments because one of them contains a fallacy (despite the rest not being dependent on that fallacious argument)?

It's not fallacy fallacy because it's not concluding the opposite because of a fallacious argument, it's just dismissing valid arguments because the person who put them forward also made fallacious arguments.


texts: Magnificent / Splendid / fabulous / sumptuous / marvelous

texts:
Many time my mind stops working when it comes to the usage and comprehension of English synonyms. Indeed, the vastness in English language make me puzzled for the proper use of the word in sentence. The reason is that one word has lot of synonyms and used based on condition.

In this time I can't distinguish the usage of following words :

Magnificent, Splendid, fabulous, sumptuous, marvelous

I am able to grab the meaning of these words through dictionary. Almost all dictionaries define these words as extremely, impressive, excellent.
I'm really puzzled to what extent we can use these words.

For instance, I supposed that

magnificent is appropriate to scenarios, splendid (formal word of fabulous) is used in appearance, character

Am I right ? I found many times these words are used interchangeably.

For ex : which is correct in following sentence

magnificent/awesome/splendid/fabulous book, job, dinner, day ?

please help regarding exact usage of these words adding more examples


texts: He had caught a glimpse of the apparently illimitable (vs. unlimited?) vistas of knowledge

texts:
"He had caught a glimpse of the apparently illimitable vistas of knowledge." (Jack London's Martin Eden.)

(Emphasis mine)

Both unlimited (limitless or without bounds; unrestricted) and illimitable (Impervious to limitation, without limit.) appear to be the same. I prefer illimitable simply by connotation (unlimited suggests space and the unknown to me).

Do you think London's choice is simply a matter of illimitable being in use at the time?


texts:
I've a function that takes one or more arguments and I want to say the way to pass parameters.
For instance: you can pass (maybe give?) a number and a string to that function.

What is the right verb to say what I want to say?

Thanks in advance!

Wilk


texts:
I know it's correct to say "in school", but is it also ok to say "on school"?

My mother tongue is german and if I translate it 1:1 it's "on school" and not "in school".


texts: not sure if "as" in the sentence's context i have written can be approved

texts:
I was wondering if someone could lend me a hand with the following-

The customer service gave me your number as the driver making deliveries.

In the above sentence, what is 'as ...' referring to? The customer service [people] or 'you'? I can't figure out if the sentence is correct


texts:
I remember a term for someone who has difficulty remembering faces. I was reading several years ago, Alice Through the Looking Glass, and my friend told me that Humpty Dumpty had that disorder(he told me he had read it off somewhere, so I believed there is such a term):

  “The face is what one goes by, generally,” Alice remarked in a thoughtful tone.
      “That’s just what I complain of,” said Humpty Dumpty. “Your face is the same as everybody has—the two eyes, so      ” (marking their places in the air with his thumb) “nose in the middle, mouth under. It’s always the same. Now if you had the two eyes on the same side of the nose, for instance—or the mouth at the top—that would be some help.

Is there really a term for it?


texts: What are good alternatives to "hit the ground running"

texts:
I'm looking for an alternative to "hit the ground running" which is not quite so colloquial/informal. For context, it's about a two-day hands-on computer course. I want to create a similar sense of full-on practical experience.

(I'm attempting to convey that the course hits the ground running with material in the short 2-day time frame)


texts: "Positives changes on the cards" — meaning?

texts:
Positives changes on the cards in Nigeria.

What does it mean? Is this correct usage?

Usually I have read "positive". I think it makes a lot of difference whether we use "positives" or  "positive" in this sentence.


texts: A word for someone trying to make people underestimate him

texts: If someone is trying to make people underestimate him for some purpose, what would be a word for this kind of person or action?


texts:
When we open an issue, we write a small report with the testing results. At the end, we note which of the environments the issue was tested in.

I'm not sure if we should use

Tested *in* environment 1

or

Tested *on* environment 2

Which one should we use?

EDIT: These environments are not "physical" environments, they are more like different configurations in which the software could be tested. So when I say "tested in/on environment 1" does not mean I'm doing it in a particular place.

Thank you very much


texts:
What is the semantic difference between apostrophe and single quote?

I see people use both of them interchangeably, but people never create two words to denote one concept. There should be a difference.


texts: I'm looking for a word that defines a situation commonly used in TV/film writing

texts:
Is there a definition, or a set of categories that describe situations in tv shows, movies, etc.

Example,

When the protagonist is a social underdog and his love interest is that of the "unreachable popular girl" persona who is dating the jock- the antagonist.
It seems to happen in many scenes throughout many movies, that the protagonist interacts with the antagonist in a way that shows the protagonist is in fact, suave, down-to-earth, and funny - while the antagonist becomes embarrassed, or looks like a fool in front of his girlfriend.