texts: What does “-bot” of “Obama-bot”, “GOP-bot” mean?

texts:
I came across the following sentence of the Time magazine’s article (March 22) dealing with the gaffe made by Mitt Romney’s adviser Eric Fehrnstrom who compared the frequent changes of Romney’s rhetric to an Etch A Sketch as follows:

  It’s the type of meme that both conservatives and liberals gleefully participated in, because it’s a much more light-hearted way to make the same argument about Romney — that he has no “core,” as Rick Santorum would say — without describing him as some sort of a pink-slip happy Steve Carell or ruthless preprogrammed GOP-bot.

I also saw “Obama-bots” in the following quote from colesville.patch.com:

  Does an extra $40 per paycheck (every two weeks) make a difference to you? ... Obama bots in the Senate killed the one year extension. The two month extension was a compromise agreed upon by the Senate GOP, Senate Dems and approved by Speaker Boehner.

I don’t find the entry of bot in English Japanese dictionaries at hand.  Cambridge online dictionary defines bot as

  a computer program that automatically searches the internet for particular products, compares their prices, and often gives customers' opinions of their quality

and Oxford Dictionary defines it as

  the larva of the botfly, which is an internal parasite of horses.
  Australian/NZ informal: a person who persistently borrows or cadges from others.

However, neither seems to apply to Obama-bots or GOP-bots.
Is bot an abbreviation of a certain word? Is “Proper noun + bot” a new usage? What does it mean?


texts: Which on is correct? “Closed your account by/to 30/11/2020”

texts:
I've closed your account by 30/11/2020
I've closed your account to 30/11/2020


texts:
Is there a word that means "expressed using words", as opposed to an idea that is expressed through pictures? I first thought of "articulate" or "explicit" but those aren't quite right.
(For context, I'm writing a paper that attempts to compare visual art, literature, and music and the differences in how they express their ideas.)


texts:
The story of Narcissus from Ovid's Metamorphoses was the name giver for the term narcissism, which means "unhealthy and/or excessive self-love".

The definition of an eponym on Wikipedia is:
An eponym is a person, place, or thing for whom or for which something is named, or believed to be named.

So, my question is: Is narcissism an eponym?


texts: List of people including non-restrictive appositive

texts:
I'm editing a book with this sentence:
'Viroj, his wife, Pranom, Joan and I were duly ushered into an audience room at Chitralada Palace.'
Viroj's wife is Pranom so Pranom is set off with commas as a non-restrictive appositive (Viroj has only one wife). Thus there are four people going to the palace. However, if you do not know that Viroj's wife is Pranom, then you could read the sentence as there being five people going to the palace.
Should I separate the names with semi-colons as so:
'Viroj; his wife, Pranom; Joan; and I were duly ushered into an audience room at Chitralada Palace.'
It looks a little odd to me but I believe it is correct?


texts: Concise form of "remove from the list" and "add to the list" in the same sentence

texts:
I a technical correspondence, I wanted to express the fact that there are two outcomes of "onclick" event:

  Also, "onclick" event removes the group in question from the list "excluded_groups" or adds it to the list.

However, the above sentence looks too long to me. Is the following sentence grammatically and stylistically correct: (note that there is no "from" after "remove", or anywhere else in the sentence)

  Also, "onclick" event removes or adds the group in question to the list "excluded_groups".


texts: Wanderwort origins and the Indus Valley Civilization?

texts:
I have noticed that there seem to be many words that have travelled the globe due to trade, such as the word orange or rice, which have plausible origins in proto-Dravidian. Meanwhile, it is hypothesized that the language (if it is a language, which some people argue against) recorded in the Indus script is a Dravidian one. All this makes me wonder if these numerous possibly-Dravidian Wanderworts are indicative of the Indus Valley Civilization's success in trade.

This page of Wikipedia lists 7 English words with possible Dravidian origins, notably:

Orange, through Old French orenge, Medieval Latin orenge and Italian arancia from Arabic نارنج naranj, via Persian نارنگ narang and Sanskrit नारङ्ग naranga-s meaning "an orange tree", derived from proto-Dravidian.
Rice, via Old French ris and Italian riso from Latin oriza, which is from Greek ὄρυζα oryza, through an Indo-Iranian tongue finally from Sanskrit व्रीहिस् vrihi-s "rice", derived from proto-Dravidian.
Sugar, through Old French sucre, Italian zucchero, Medieval Latin succarum, Arabic: سكر sukkar and Persian: شکر shakar ultimately from Sanskrit शर्करा sharkara which means "ground or candied sugar" (originally "grit" or "gravel"), from proto-Dravidian.

So, is it likely that the Dravidian language that these words came from is the language of the Indus Valley Civilization? Is this a poor, uninformed idea? or, alternatively, am I late to the party and this is already intuitively obvious to historians? What are your thoughts?


texts: Are "zugzwang", "catch-22" and "catch-33" synonyms?

texts:
Are these words synonyms?

zugzwang — a situation where one player is put at a disadvantage because he has to make a move when he would prefer to pass and make no move
catch-22 — a logical paradox arising from a situation in which an individual needs something that can only be acquired by not being in that very situation
catch-33 — the fifth full-length studio album by Swedish metal band Meshuggah


texts: Could the word "Gobbledygook" be considered gobbledygook itself?

texts: Words which are gobbledygook are words which are large, not meaningful, not comprehensible to a large portion of the target audience, or a combination of these. Suppose I was speaking to a crowd of people, most of which not understanding what the word meant, and mentioned gobbledygook. Considering the word "gobbledygook" is a large word that may seem to be gibberish and is not known by my target audience, would it be considered gobbledygook itself?


texts: "Lodged a complaint to the Authorities" or "Lodged a complaint with the Authorities"

texts:
I have a question regarding the usage of the words to and with in the sentence "He lodged a complaint to/with the Authorities".

Which is correct?

Note: Lodge in this context is "to present (a complaint, appeal, claim, etc.) formally to the proper authorities".

I have been told that, in the said sentence, with is correct and not to.

But, I am confused as to why with is correct and used more often than to, especially since the definition of with is "accompanied by (another person or thing)", while to is defined as "identifying the recipient or intended recipient of something".

How could someone lodge a complaint with the Authorities? In my mind, with denotes that a person is lodging a complaint together with the Authorities.

Could someone explain this to me?


texts: Word/phrase for "across the spectrum" but for a vertical spectrum, e.g. a hierarchy

texts:
I want to say something like:

  This has implications up and down the biological hierarchy.

But "up and down" isn't very satisfying. "Across the hierarchy" is the right feel, but the wrong orientation.

The biological hierarchy I'm referring to here goes something like cell -> organism -> group -> population -> species.

Edit:
I should have said before that, ideally, I would like it to suggest that the implications are being pushed up or down from somewhere in the middle of the hierarchy, if that makes sense. For example, some organism-level experiment or observation affects what we know about the cells within (down the hierarchy), and the species of the organism (up the hierarchy). Suggestions like 'spanning' and 'at all levels of', then, are definitely helpful, but not perfect. (Thanks!)


texts:
Which of the following is grammatical?

  To see my stuff at your grocery is a great source of pride!
  Seeing my stuff at your grocery is a great source of pride!

The verb "to see" is the subject, so I suppose that using "to see" is the right way... but it sounds so strange to me.


texts: Is it okay to use the Present Perfect tense twice in the same sentence?

texts:
I wonder if it is grammatically fine to use two have/has been in the same sentence?

Example:

  After you have been informed that your paper has been accepted…


texts: Bullet points where there is an 'or' before the final point.

texts:
I would typically write a bullet point list that is all part of one sentence with:

no capitals
no punctuation at the end of each point
a grammatical structure that is consistent
a full-stop after the terminal point.

However, I've come across situations where the list is an 'or' list, instead of an 'and' one.

For example, when writing such a list, I would not use:

capitals
end-line punctuation [OR]
incorrect grammatical structure.

How and where should I structure it so the 'or' is apparent? The 'and' is usually implied in such a list, but without punctuation at the end of each line, the 'or' can get lost.

Thoughts? Thanks!


texts: Word for someone that pays more for the same thing?

texts:
Consider the following scenario:

In a given store, there are two shirts available for sale, shirt (A) and shirt (B).

Both are exactly the same, except shirt (B) is twice as the price.

Is there a word for someone who is willing to pay the premium for (B) even though it's exactly the same as (A).

I initially thought of the word over-priced, but that has more to do with the object itself.

Can anyone suggest a word that describes a person who willingly pays more for the same quality, or the ACT of paying more for the same quality?


texts: Wasn't Mrs. short for mistress? Why do we read Mrs. as missus(or sometimes missis) instead of mistress?


texts: Is there a single term to cover 'meat, fish and poultry'?

texts:
I have been searching online for a term that covers 'meat, fish & poultry' but have had no luck. Just wondering if anyone knows of a term?

Context:

If I was to sell a curry for example but offered meat, fish or poultry, how could I say, select the meat or what meat would you like. I have thought about 'select contents' but not sure if that's right or 'select filling'.

Thanks in advance


texts: "Using future continuous where future simple is perfectly fine "

texts:
I am aware of the general meaning of "future continuous ". But sometimes I see to use "future  continuous in a different way where "future simple is perfectly fine ". I am giving a couple of examples :

1) The Tigers have produced a number of impressive
performances in recent times, including a Test win on
home soil against England. With that in mind, Khawaja
says Australia will not be taking their next opponents
lightly.

What if I write '"With that in mind, Khawaja
says Australia will not take their next opponents
lightly "?  What will be the difference?

2) Australia have not played a Test in Bangladesh since
2006 when former fast bowler Jason Gillespie scored a
memorable double-century in what turned out to be his
final Test. And he had some advice for the Australian
team who will be visiting this time around, light-heartedly
asking them to watch the footage of his terrific innings.

What if I write " And he had some advice for the Australian
team who will  visit this time around.....?  what will  be the difference?  Please help me out, Native speakers.


texts: What’s a possible one-word replacement for “applicable in every situation”?

texts: I just want to ask what word can be put in replacement to the bolded phrase in: “This formula is not applicable in every situation and may vary.”


texts:
What is the origin of the different pronunciation of words like park, yard,
cartoon, margarine in American and British English?

In other words, why doesn’t British English generally pronounce the r in such words? Or vice-versa: why does American English generally pronounce the r in the same words?


texts:
I have a sentence:

  "If you haven't paid for the trip yet, please do so before Friday
  afternoon"

.

Does it have the same meaning with

  "You have until the end of the school week to pay for the trip"?

In my opinion, they have a slight difference because "before Friday afternoon" means earlier Friday afternoon (maybe morning Friday is the deadline), and "until the end of the school week" means up to the end of Friday afternoon. Am I correct?


texts: How to write correctly in a heading the genus and species name of a microorganism?

texts:
I have a question regarding how to write correctly the name of a microorganism in the title of my thesis when using letters in uppercase:

Option A:

  ...BLAH...BLAH... ESCHERICHIA COLI ...BLAH...BLAH... .

Option B:

  ...BLAH...BLAH... Escherichia coli ...BLAH...BLAH... .

I guess option B is the most correct in this case. Is that right?

I've searched for an answer to this question and I've found this link that says that one should never capitalise names of organisms in titles or headings. I asked two worldwide recognised microbiologists: Alan Bull and Michel Goodfellow and they told me that a correct way of writing names of organisms in headings is as in option B: that's the norm and scientifically correct. In my thesis title, I decided to go for option B.


texts: "X support for Y" or "Y support for X" for "X supports Y"?

texts:
Please see the following two sentences:

JSON support for MySQL has been developed.
MySQL support for JSON has been developed.

Which one of this is correct?

Background: MySQL is a database software. At some point, the MySQL database software was improved to support JSON as a data format. Now MySQL supports JSON. I am unable to decide which grammatical consruct is correct or more appropriate to describe this situation: "JSON support for MySQL" or "MySQL support for JSON".

In general, if X supports Y, do we say "X support for Y is present" or "Y support for X is present"?

On reading https://english.stackexchange.com/a/60073/18396 carefully, it appears that if X supports Y, then we should say "support for Y". This implies that "X support for Y" or "MySQL support for JSON" is correct.

Am I right?


texts: Is it necessary to describe a girl or a boy as "young"?

texts: Is it necessary to describe a girl or a boy as "young"; e.g., the young girl wore a ribbon? By using the noun "girl" or "boy", is it not assumed that s/he is young?


texts:
Is there 50 sheep in the field? or Are there 50 sheep in the field?

Somehow, I think both are correct. But, I do not know for sure, which is why I am asking.

Thank you for any help, anyone


texts: Usage of the verb "to drench" and the phrase "to be "

texts:
I found myself in difficulty explaining the difference between using the verb drench as in:

  'I drenched the cake with lemon juice'

and

  'I am drenched from the heavy rain'.

Is drenched in this phrase an adjective?


texts: What's the difference between "drivel" and "nonsense"?


texts: Replacing the periods/dots with spaces in abbreviations

texts:
In Swedish, it's common to replace the periods with spaces when using an abbreviation. Is this valid in English? Personally, I think this approach is easier to use and looks better in text (and all problems with multiple periods magically disappear). Of course, it doesn't work in all situations, but still.
Some examples to further illustrate my question:

That's a car, i e you can drive it.
There are many things you cannot do, e g carry a gun on a public street.
What is that? It's a p v t!

I made the last one up, by the way, if someone didn't notice.


texts:
When sending letters home our school uses 'Dear Parent' as the salutation.  The person in charge of proof-reading our outgoing correspondence insists that the sign-off should be 'Yours sincerely'.  I was always taught that 'Yours faithfully' should be used when the addressee is not mentioned by name. Does any of this matter, and if so, who is correct?
Thanks English experts,
Yours faithfully?
Brotherwarren


texts: What is the name of the condition when I temporarily cannot speak because of shouting too much?

texts:
What is that condition called in English when I can't say anything, "lose my voice", due to shouting a lot?

I think it is related to my vocal chords. The usual treatment prescribed is just to stay silent for a period of one or two weeks.


texts: Things you stick your face through for photos

texts: What is the name of those things where you put your face in a hole and someone takes a picture so it looks like you're something else? E.g. a cardboard/wooden stand with a picture of a pirate and a mermaid with the faces cut out, and you and your friend put your faces through the hole so in the photo you look like a pirate and a mermaid?


texts: The English equivalent of the Arabic: “Something is innocent of you”

texts:
It is used when someone claims to be something, and the other person nullifies his claim. It's like saying they are a liar and that particular thing doesn't have anything to do with him or her.

For example:

  A: I am the custodian of democracy.
  B: Democracy is innocent of you.
  (Democracy has nothing to do with you, you're lying.)

and

  A: I am a patriot.
  B: Patriotism is innocent of you.

Is there an English equivalent that expresses this idea?


texts:
I saw the following sentences in today's Washington Post and another article found in a web site.
What does 'McKinley moment' mean? I don't find this word in any of English Japanese dictionaries at hand. What's the origin of this word? Is this a word often used?

-If any good can come of the horror in Tucson, it will be that this becomes a McKinley moment for Sarah Palin and her chief spokesman, Glenn Beck.

-And that was before the McKinley moment. While Republican congressional leaders joined President Obama in Monday morning's moment of silence, Beck mocked it as an Obama photo-op. His show was on commercial break during ...


texts:
Why do we call snail mail "snail mail"?

So by default mail will refer to email?


texts: He is on his 4th wife.  Is it proper to say, "This is my Uncle Archie's current wife."


texts: Is [tʃw] a valid pronunciation of the consonant blend 'tw'?

texts:
I came across this conundrum years ago in my phonetics class in university.

Although the consonant blend 'tr' is pronounced [tʃɹ] as in 'tree' [tʃɹi:] in American English, I was taught that 'tw' is always pronounced [tw] as in 'tweet' [twi:t]. However, I view my own (native) pronunciation similarly to [tʃw].

Am I taking this out of nowhere? It concerns me as I'm beginning to teach phonics myself and I want to make sure I'm not teaching an incorrect pronunciation.

My one guess would be possibly that as a child I combined /w/ and /ɹ/ as a child, and the 'tr' change carried through even after I separated /w/ and /ɹ/.
For reference, I'm a young adult, born and raised in the American South.


texts: Why doesn't US English drop the "o" from "subpoena"?

texts:
US English usually drops the o from the diphthong oe (or œ).
So for example the o in the UK English manoeuvre, diarrhoea, oesophagus are all usually dropped in US English.
Why then isn't the o in subpoena also dropped in US English?
Perhaps this is just purely a historical accident. But is there perhaps any "logical" reason for this?

Google Ngrams suggests that there was a brief moment in the 1950s when subpena may have overtaken subpoena, but since then subpena has died out:


texts: What meaning of "character" is implied when we say that a person has bad character?

texts:
What does the word character represent in these kinds of sentences? What qualities of the person do we refer to when we say this?

Does it refer to the general nature and disposition of the person?


texts: What is meant by the act of omission and commission and when we imply this phrase?


texts: Name for siblings born on the same date but several years apart?

texts: Me and my sister were both born on December 5th, but she was born in 1990 and I was born in 1999. Is there a term/name for this occurrence?


texts: Adjective for a person who is constantly full of wonder/awe

texts:
I'm sure you've met someone like this; a person whose understanding of nature, structure and the universe leaves them constantly awed by the complexity of practically everything.

I'm looking for a word (English or borrowed) that describes a person with that constant elation of someone who has lived half a life in a small flat in a dull city but is suddenly taken on an all expenses paid round-the-world tour.

Awe and Wonder are nouns that I think convey this meaning, but the naïve verb equivalents (awful & wonderful) don't fit the bill.

Any ideas?

@sumelic makes an excellent clarification point: I'm specifically looking for a word that implies "I would expect them to be awestruck often in the future" whether or not they are presently.


texts:
I was applying for a job in Ireland and I got this reply from this lady saying:

Ok! But if you get the job & take it- You will be in Ireland! A lot of if & buts!

I did not understand what a lot of ifs and buts means?


texts:
I find the following two phrases perfectly correct:

A list of books
A list of names

However, when an uncountable noun follows "a list of", it somehow sounds awkward to me:

A list of equipment
A list of information

Are these two phrases perfectly okay?
Or Should they be modified like the following?

A list of pieces/items of equipment
A list of pieces/items of information


texts: Would 'There are 300,000 dollars in my bank account' be correct usage?

texts:
Would using there are instead of there is be acceptable in utterances that talk about quantity? For example,

  There are 300,000 dollars in my account.
  There are 20 gallons of petrol in my tank.


texts: Why is -o- used to connect demographic entities?

texts:
Consider Indo-China, Indo-US, Indo-European, Afro-American, Sino-American.
Why is O used to connect the two areas ?


texts: Word for someone who has accepted something

texts:
I was programming away today when I needed a variable name, the variable holds people who have accepted something.

So my question is, is "Acceptee" a word? And if not what is the acceptable word?


texts: Word for "having a lot of irregular bumps"?

texts: I'm looking for a word to describe the bark of a tree or the inner walls of an intestine — specifically, their random and irregular patterns of bumps. Any suggestions?


texts: Why doesn't the prefix 'in-' mean the same in "invaluable" and "infamous" as it does in "insufficient" and "incompetent"?

texts: Looking at a Prefix/Suffix chart confirms that the prefix "in-" is supposed to mean 'not' or 'without', just wondering why the exception only occurs for certain words. I don't know if it's an origin thing, as infamous originated in Latin, but so did insufficient, and I can't find a concrete orgin of invaluable.


texts:
Is it correct to use the phrase "Dreaming on another love"?

I am aware that the most often used phrase would be "Dreaming of another love", however I wonder if one can say "Dreaming on a star" or "Dreaming on a world" Can one also say "Dreaming on another love"?

I am writing a song & this would be of great help.

Thank you


texts:
The US emergency telephone number 911 seems to be almost always pronounced as

  nine one one

whereas the Porsche model is typically pronounced as

  nine eleven

One reason I can think of for preferring "nine one one" for the phone number is that there is no "eleven" key on a phone. On the other hand, "0800" is often pronounced "o eight hundred".

Is there a logical or historical reason for the different pronunciations?


texts:
In an episode of Space: 1999, Barbara Bain says a word that sounds like "messagerie" or "mesadry".  In any case I'm not familiar with it.  Could someone identify it for me?  It's at 42:59 in this video:

https://youtu.be/P7d4-DOK_6I?t=42m59s


texts: Would it ever be correct to say "a technology"?

texts: As in "a user's interaction with a technology"? - when technology means a technological device such as a phone, rather than the branch or application of technology.


texts: "Southernmost point in" vs. "southernmost point of"

texts:
Which of the following is correct? Or are they both wrong?

  The southernmost point in Ohio.
  The southernmost point of Ohio.


texts: Way to differentiate between at this precise moment, and at the time being?

texts:
I came across this problem last Sunday when talking to my brother and mother. We were in the car, my brother in the back seat, and me and Mother in the front...

  Bro. : "So, Mom, what are you reading at the moment?"
  Me : Um... She's driving?
  Mom(didn't hear me) : "I'm reading Agatha Christie. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd."

In this conversation, my Mom understood my brother to mean the book she is reading, but hasn't finished, while I understood it as "right now." Is there another way of phrasing it concisely without having to resort to something like:

  "So, Mom, what are you reading at present, not at this exact moment, but the book that you haven't finish yet?"

Ideas please?


texts: What does "collar" mean in the following context?

texts:
The following snippet is from Maurice by E.M.Forster,

  In the first dream he felt very cross. He was playing football against a nondescript whose existence he resented. He made an effort and the nondescript turned into George, that garden boy. But he had to be careful or it would reappear. George headed down the field towards him, naked and jumping over the wood-stacks. "I shall go mad if he turns wrong now," said Maurice, and just as they collared this happened, and a brutal disappoint-ment woke him up.

From the verb meaning given in the oxford dictionary, it shows 'put a collar on/seize;apprehend'. It does not fit in the context here, methinks. So can it mean something like "crash/clash with each other"?


texts: Were to find synonymous for very + adjective?

texts:
As an exercise, I am going thorough I paper I wrote and trying to replace all (or most) adjectives in the form of "very + adjective" with a word. I feel that if done good this would greatly improve my writing.

For example "very small " -> "negligible" . Of course the correct substitution depends on the context.

My point is, where can I find a list of appropriate words?

Searching for "synonimous small" for example does not work, because I want the "very" to be emphasized.

Thank you!


texts:
I have a question about using articles.

I have always problems with understanding this topic.

The question is following :

Do we need to use an article before adjective, that have the similar meaning as an article.

For example

Google is default start page in the Google Chrome browser.
 or
 Google is a/the default start page in the Google Chrome browser.

So for me it sounds like default doesn't require an article. And there are other examples like custom...

Could you please explain this. And let me know if I've made any mistakes.


texts: Is there a word/phrase for when you ask for assistance/advice and they just do the entire task for you?

texts:
Say I'm cooking and I ask a family member for advice or support. Instead of only answering the question or playing an assistive role, they just step in and do all the cooking for me. What would you call that category of unhelpful/undesired help? If that's too narrow for a single word, perhaps as a more broad description, what would you call it when someone just solves a person's problem instead of helping the person learn to solve the problem themselves?
In a sense, the opposite of the sentiment in the "teach a man to fish" proverb that people commonly (incorrectly) attribute to the Bible.
A word I considered is "enabling". In certain contexts helping someone in a way that ultimately harms them might be called "enabling", but that doesn't quite feel like the right word here. Maybe I'm being too picky.
An example usage might be: "I was cooking and asked my dad if I had the temperature right, but he ended up cooking the entire meal instead. I really wish he would help instead of XXX."


texts: "there are still a few administrative i's to dot and t's to cross"

texts:
We're very excited for the forthcoming launch of Technology
  Entrepreneurship. We're sorry not to have gotten in touch lately -
  we've been busy generating lots of content, and the system is working
  really well. Unfortunately, there are still a few administrative i's
  to dot and t's to cross. We're still hopeful that we'll go live very
  soon - we hope not more than a few weeks late.

What do "i's" and "t's" mean in that sentence respectively?


texts: Need to clarify use of "its" and "their"

texts:
I am having a debate at work regarding the correct choice:

  No investor has ever lost its capital.

or

  No investor has ever lost their capital.

It seems to sound awkward to say "its capital" as opposed to "their capital".  We are referring to a single investor (in a context where all investors are institutional entities).


texts: what is the meaning of "the family dynamic" and "Textbook Case"?

texts:
I encountered the terms  “the family dynamic” and “Textbook Case” in the play The Pain and the Itch  by Bruce Norris. I want to know what they mean.  At page 58:

  Clay: Kelly was abused.
  Carol: Oh, Kelly! Ohhhhh.
  Kelly: True.
  Carol: I didn't know that! Oh, how awful.
  Kelly: The family dynamic. Yeah. Textbook case.
  Carol: Ohh, how horrible. I hope that's not true!
  Clay: It is true. It absolutely is.
  Carol: Ohh, ..."


texts:
Is the comma placement after word "others' in the sentence below correct?

He came to experience chronic pain, balance difficulties and among others, sensitivity to light.

Thank you


texts: Looking for phrase or word to describe when people think things are high class but they actually are not

texts:
I feel like I see this often, people attach certain items to their ideal of high class or posh, even if those things are not.  I have worked in some fine dining restaurants and its equal parts amusing and frustrating when someone excitedly asks if there is shrimp or steak on the menu, as those things are their pinnacle of fancy in their own minds but in reality can be found at any dirty diner down the street.

Also would be interested to know if there is a word for a low class person who attains specific things and tries to live the high class life through them when the rest of their lives clearly is not.  For example, somebody who cant pay their bills because they have to drive a BMW to their job at McDonalds.

Nobody is perfect and I think many people do things like this from time to time, I was just curious if there are specific words or phrases to describe this.  Thanks!


texts: How to determine the number of the noun phrase 'a world of + plural noun'?

texts:
a (or the) world of

is defined in Oxford as follows:

  A very great deal of.

  ‘there's a world of difference between being alone and being lonely’

  ‘a bit of country air will do her the world of good’

I think the world of should be treated differently, so I'd like to focus on a world of.

Although the Oxford Dictionary says a world of means 'a very great deal of' and the phrase should be singular in that meaning, I've seen a world of followed by a plural noun. And when it's followed by a plural noun, I think it often means 'a great number of'.

The problem is, there is conflicting evidence as to whether a world of followed by a plural noun is singular or plural:

  And with the collapse of those ''walls'', a world of opportunities is opening before us.
  (SADCC at Ten, Address to the Tenth Anniversary Summit, Gaborone, Botswana. 24 August 1990. Published in The Missing Headlines: Selected Speeches, by Emeka Anyaoku)
  You've not yet developed notions of what you can and can't do (or what you should or shouldn't have done), and a world of opportunities is opening before you. (Confined Minds, by Raychelle Meyers, p. 25)
  A world of opportunities are out there for you. (The Strength of a Woman: Transformed for Greater Impact, by Claudia L. Roach)

Since 'a world of' here means 'a lot of', I'd think the plural treatment is more frequent, but the opposite seems to be the case. There seem to be more instances of the singular treatment.

So should 'a world of opportunities' be treated as singular?

How about this case?

  This morning saw Jay-Z release his surprise new album ‘4:44‘ across all streaming services except Spotify – and a world of fans take note of the freestyle rap by his daughter Blue Ivy Carter. Check out the best reactions and the lyrics below. ("Fans react to Blue Ivy’s freestyle rap on Jay-Z’s ‘4:44’", by Andrew Trendell, NME Music News)

Here, too, 'a world of fans' I think means 'a lot of fans', but is followed by a plural form 'take'.
Do you think this is incorrect? Or should it be treated differently?
I for one think the plural treatment is correct, because it's the individual fans who take note, not the world itself.

EDIT

This question is not solved by an earlier question, "Is “an ocean of flowers” singular or plural?", where only two answers are provided and no answer is selected.

Moreover, the answer with most votes (2 votes) in that question seems to approve the plural treatment of 'an ocean of flowers', whereas my research about 'a world of opportunities' suggests that the singular treatment is more often than the plural treatment.

Most importantly, the earlier question and answers do not address cases where "an ocean of" is followed by a plural noun denoting people, which is raised as an important point in this question.


texts:
What is the active form of

  ‘I love being given presents’?

I came up with ‘I love people giving me present’. But then I can’t change this into a passive.


texts: He considers that X is Y. vs He thinks that X is Y

texts:
The following verb in sentence 1 strikes me as strange when it has the same meaning as in sentences 2 and 3 below.

He considers that blue cheese is delicious.
He thinks that blue cheese is delicious.
He believes that blue cheese is delicious.

Is sentence 1 acceptable? Is it maybe acceptable in British English but not in American English?


texts: Why is it grammatically incorrect to say 'I watch much television' although it is an uncountable noun (in this context)?

texts: In the grammatically correct sentence, 'I watch a lot of television', the noun 'television' is an uncountable noun. However, it is grammatically incorrect to say 'I watch much television' with the quantifier 'much' for uncountable nouns. My students threw me off with this question and I was unable to answer it. Why is this the case?


texts:
What is the expression that sounds like "cousined to them" meaning accepted or gotten used to?

For example,

  The city councilors passed the building code but the planning
  department was set in its way and it was some time before they
  cousined to the new regulations.

I can't remember the exact spelling.


texts: Does "inanimate object" mean an object that is "not alive" or an object that is "not moving" or both?

texts:
I recently became confused by the term "inanimate object", because "inanimate" can have two meanings (from Merriam Webster)

  1 : not animate:

  a : not endowed with life or spirit

  b : lacking consciousness or power of motion

I am thus unsure if "inanimate object" refers to not alive, not moving, or both.

In other words, it seems obvious that a table (not moving, not alive) is an inanimate object.  However, what about these edge cases:

1) Is a drone (moving, not alive) an inanimate object?

2) Is a tree (not moving, alive) an inanimate object?


texts: Can a dependent clause have no subject but have a predicate?

texts:
I'm a bit confused by this example:

While fishing in the lagoon, he caught two fishes.

Is it a complex sentence? If yes, why is "while fishing in the lagoon" considered an independent clause when it seems to lack a subject?


texts:
Mmm, this cake is delicious.

Does this sound have a name, or does it belong to a category of sounds that has one?

Is there a verb that means "to say Mmm"?

I'm searching for either a word or phrase that doesn't include actually writing "Mmm".


texts:
The "Extra Examples" section in the entry of DARE in the Oxford Learner's dict. shows I hardly dared breathe.
Dare here forms its past as a (semi)modal verb, yet the position in the sentence of the adverb, hardly, is not the cannonical one after a modal and before the next main verb. Why is it so?
OED: DARE and HARDLY


texts:
I watched Ace Ventura - Pet Detective and didn't understand past continuous usage in the scene which can be watched here: ''https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuhPPOXnyKo'' (0:42).

''I wouldn't want somebody tracing my steps, pointing out all the mistakes I was making''

One thing I know this sentence is reduced ''I wouldn't want somebody tracing my steps, pointing out all the mistakes I was making (e.g., if I were you)''

But why ''was making''?

I believe it doesn't refer to the past since context refer to present.

Thank you for helping me out.


texts:
I have heard someone say in a conversation, "Well, my point being,,,". As an English learner, I was puzzled but assumed that it was roughly the same as saying "My point is that..." or "Here's my point:"

Even if my guess was right, the phrase strikes me as a bit odd. Can anyone elaborate on the meaning/usage/gramatical explanation of this phrase?


texts: Difficult and rare words/expressions that never show up in vocabulary lists

texts:
I've come quite far in my studies of the English language; ask me what "eleemosynary," "perspicacious" or "rambunctious" means and I'll give you an instant definition. But I'm still not on a native level, because there are certain words and expressions that slip past the radars of vocabulary lists. Right now, I'm reading Mark Twain, and he might use expressions such as:

"Well, I lay that if get hold of you--" which is a very mysterious way of using "lay" that I don't fully understand.

"Look at your hands. And look at your mouth. What is that truck?" Truck, in this case supposedly means some worthless rubbish. Never heard it before.

Most of the words I'm annoyed by are either very short, unconventional usages of common words or phrasal verbs. Where can I learn this part of the English language? How did Mark Twain learn it? Is it just a matter of reading a lot and attempting to infer it from the context?


texts:
I'm a native speaker of French, and even though I think I have a rather good level in English, I always try to keep an open mind. (I learned English by absorbing from a lot of sources: TV, movies, video games, etc.) The problem with an open mind is that people always try to stuff things inside.

Recently I was writing some documentation for a tool we sell, and on two specifics instances, a colleague corrected what I wrote by changing a big part of the sentence. When I asked what motivated the edits, he answered that he found my sentences too "written" (i guess they didn't roll off the tongue? or that they were not really elegant). I'm ready to admit my english may be a bit stilted at times, but here i'm not really sure it's the case.

Specifically, would you say that his is a valid point? Here are the two edits in question, first my version then his.

In our example we would for example check the cache statistics with the powershell commandline for AppFabric, but you can use whichever tool you’re most comfortable with
In our example we would for example check the cache statistics with the powershell commandline for AppFabric, but feel free to use the tool you fancy

This information is not readily available without knowing the ins and outs of every part of the program you’re using
This information is not easily accessible without knowing the ins and outs of every part of the program you’re using

But to use my question as a launching pad towards something less specific, how can i find out if a turn of phrase is pleasant/good/valid? In this particular case i resorted to a simple google fight; it worked (kind of) for the "readily available" vs "easily accessible" which seemed to support my phrasing but this solution breaks down quickly when you don't have a readymade saying versus another. Are there other metrics than the "gut feeling" me and my colleague are resorting to?


texts: "close behind" as in "time closes behind everyone and everything"

texts:
What does "close behind" mean in this sentence:

"So life comes to an end and time closes behind everyone and everything."

"life comes to an end" and "time closes behind everyone and everything" are in a parallel and should mean the same? But I still cannot figure our the metaphor. Thanks!

More context:

So life comes to an end and time closes behind everyone and everything.
My ex-husband understood that and tried to escape by running away from it. I reminded him of time, being younger than he was, so he ran away from me too.


texts: Adjective for a person who enjoys taking care of their appearance

texts:
After a brief search over StackExchange I've decided to ask my own question.

I'm looking for a word to describe someone who enjoys grooming themselves or taking care of their appearance, but without the negative connotations of words like 'vain' or 'self-conscious'.

I've thought about some options already that I'm not very happy with:

Vain and self-conscious feel derogative, coquettish feels sexual or romantic and seems to describe the way someone behaves towards someone else, pretty/handsome or good looking seem to describe the way someone appears and not the way someone behaves.

Stylish and fashionable are close ones, but they seem to focus too much on clothing, and I'm talking more about grooming: combed hair, manicured nails, clean-shaven (especially a man), maybe with some makeup on (especially a woman), etc...

The context of what I'm trying to write would be something like this:

  A woman who is the perfect blend of practical and ____.

Vain? Stylish? Fashionable? I'm not convinced... help!

Any suggestions?


texts: Does capitalization change the meaning of the word coke? Does Coke mean the soda and coke mean the drug? Is there a grammar term that denotes this behavior? Or is there no rule and it's simply the context that defines the definition?


texts: What does "you'll know me again" mean in British English?

texts:
I'm reading The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones, and someone says to a stranger who is helping him, "You'll know me again, young lady." What does that mean?
I think it must be a British English idiom, because Google says that "you'll know me again" is also used in Salome and the Head and Bleak House. But I don't know those works well enough to triangulate a meaning.


texts: When quoting a lyric or line of poetry in running prose, should the original capitalisation be preserved?


texts:
I have a confusion about the usage of plural forms of uncountable & abstract nouns.

I come across both usages like:

Their last hopes remain elusive
Their last hope remains elusive

Is it okay to use plural forms of non-count & abstract noun?


texts: Word/phrase/allusion for spreading false intel to catch a mole

texts:
If I want to find the leak in my agency, I tell twenty people twenty stories and wait to see which emerges.

If I want to find out who's selling my contact info to spammers, I give every company a different email of mine and check which one gets the spam.

If I want to know who's blackmailing people, I tell each suspect about a different potential victim and watch to see who gets blackmailed next.

How can I refer to this strategy without explaining it?


texts: Looking for a word or phrase that conveys the modification of something in a certain way

texts:
We have a piece of software that takes client provided data and processes it. A lot of times our client's data will fail because the data in a particular field is either too long or missing altogether. We're creating a system that will truncate the field value if it's too long or infer the value if it's missing. The data may still fail validation at some later point but we don't want the data to fail because it's too long or missing. This will be done before anything else is done to that data.

I'm trying to think of a name for the new system that will represent what we're doing. I don't want to name it something like "ModifyField" because we modify the data for other reasons as well.

To be more specific, I'm looking for something that can serve as a method or class name in the code.


texts: The urban are urbanised, the urbane are ?

texts:
The two words 'urban' and 'urbane' are of related meaning; according to etymology one the child of the other.

But how do we form verbs from these separate adjectives?

We can speak of 'urban' Lancashire, or the 'urbanisation of India', and it is clear what we mean.

Now an 'urbane' individual is a courteous, well-mannered person, given to a sophisticated and well-educated approach to life. But if we want to speak about a process by which, let's say, a tribe of nomads, take on education, settled life, and public institutions, albeit in a non-urban society, how would we describe the process? It couldn't be 'urbanisation' because that involves building towns and cities.


texts:
For example,

Sim allowed his feet to be placed on the floor*, and when his daughter held out her arms, he leaned his weight into them.

Or would the sentence read as

Sim allowed his feet to be placed on the floor *and when his daughter held out her arms, he leaned his weight into them.

I think "Sim allowed his feet to be placed on the floor" and "he leaned his weight into them" are both independent clauses, but I don't know if "and when his daughter held out her arms" is independent or dependent. I think it's dependent but I want to be certain.


texts:
What I intended to write full out was:

  We have moved away from obsoleted
  technologies and technologies being
  deprecated.

What I actually wrote feels slightly awkward but I justified leaving it as such because it is concise, sits on my ear in an interesting way and is almost a bit poetic in its simplicity. However what I'm wondering is the validity of the statement:

  We have moved away from obsoleted and
  technologies being deprecated.


texts:
What is the difference between become and be become?

For example,

  I become deaf.
  I am become deaf.


texts: “Act as a decoy” vs. “act as _ decoy”: The Case of the Vanishing Article

texts:
A quote from The Economist:

  This was also the young woman—she was 19 or 20 then—who could turn her
  aircraft over and dive full-throttle through raking German
  searchlights, swerving and dancing, acting as a decoy for a second
  plane that would glide in silently behind her to drop its payload of
  bombs. That done, the second plane would act as decoy while she glided
  in to drop bombs herself.

Please explain why in the second mention the indefinite article is omitted. Decoy is not a mass noun. Is this idiomatic usage?


texts: How should "sensei" be formatted when used alone? Capitalising when addressing someone - using their job title, rank or role in place of a name

texts:
Example sentence:

  Thank you, sensei.

Should it be Sensei, sensei, or sensei?

I searched on Google books and I found many versions. (One problem, though, is that I can't see the italics.)


texts: How to choose between singular/plural verb in multiple sentences

texts:
From my personal standpoint; following trends, trying to understand even little bits of what’s happening around you and the world, reaching out to people, putting yourself in their shoes is crucial in a data-driven time like this and requires creative and brand new strategies.
In this paragraph, should I use the singular or plural form of the verb?


texts: Does the sentence of “Don’t you …”? have a connotation of accusation?

texts:
“Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?” said Harry.
Lucius Malfoy rounded on him.
“How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?” he said.
“Because you gave it to her,” said Harry. “In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?”
(Harry Potter 2, p336, US edition)

Some people say that negative question has a connotation of accusation, but I’m not sure.
I’d be happy if you could explain the following points.

Is Harry accusing Lucius Malfoy?
What is the radical difference between “Do you want to know” and “Don’t you want to know”?


texts: Correct/best words to describe "Training Day" and its common components

texts:
I work in a clinic on a military base that closes for a half day once a month for something we call Training Day. The two main parts of training day are (1) Squadron Commander's Call and (2) Flight Level Training.

I am looking for alternative terms for: (a) Training Day as a whole; (1) Commander's Call, which happens in the auditorium; and (2) Flight Level Training, which happens in the classroom.  The terms should not be military specific, and they should convey the frequency, structure, size, purpose and content and value of the events and ways to add professional weight to them.

The words conference, convention, meeting, lecture, speech, lesson, presentation, briefing, seminar, workshop and training all come to mind, but they are not quite right.  Moreover, some of the things we usually label "briefings" seem more like "workshops" or "seminars"

(1) Squadron Commander's Call: The squadron to which I belong (Laboratory, Radiology, Logistic and Records Personnel) meets in the clinic auditorium for between 30 minutes and 2 hours. Our Commander and/or First Sergeant speaks, there is a small promotion ceremony and recognition for squadron and/or individual achievements and mission objectives and upcoming events are reviewed.  There is usually a speech about one or more work related subjects. Occasionally there will be second speaker, who might be a guest, who talks on a topic that affects all squadrons, for example a mental health professional speaking about depression awareness. Sometimes the guest speaker has the squadron participate by answering questions or taking part in a short activity such as a safety skit

Examples of how I've used this term in a sentence include:

  Airman Smith was coined at Commanders call yesterday!

  Go ahead and check that patient in, they said patients shouldn't be
  waiting for more than 10 minutes at the last commanders call.

  We learned about ways to manage stress during commander's call.

(2) Flight Level Training:  The entire Laboratory team plus the flight commander and the flight chief meet in the conference room. There are power point presentations, a required safety brief, an infection control brief, and a presentation by a student on their research.  A department head may want to talk about changes in test procedure, a team member may present on a topic of their choice,  or our flight leadership may have been instructed to present on specific topic. Some of these are formal presentations with questions held to the end, and some are informal, with lively discussions. Presentations vary from several minutes to 30 minutes. At the end of the meeting, the flight chief presents a certificate to the "Student of the Month" and an "Employee of the Month".  We do not have one name for this part of training day but we've called it "small group discussions," "flight specific training," "flight level training," or even just "training day".

I am also looking for terms or words that will convey, in a resume or during an appraisal, that I am more knowledgeable in certain areas such as teamwork, or leadership than peers who do not attend training days. I am keeping a brief log of training and teamwork sessions.  Is it adequate to say: "I have participated in 12 teamwork lessons this year." Or should I be more specific and say: "I attended 12 lessons about many medical subjects, including Zika Virus, Diabetes, Cholesterol testing, Liver diseases and Alzheimer's disease." Or possibly, "I am able to properly respond to an infection control situation because I attended 12 Infection control trainings this year."


texts: Can an adjective modify a verb? How to identify word preposition modifies?

texts:
No one in that family can sit still for five minutes.

Answer in textbook

I've having a bit of trouble parsing the sentence.

What form does 'still' take in this sentence? Dictionary says 'still' used in this fashion is an adjective. But what (noun/pronoun?) is it modifying?
I would have thought the prepositional phrase "for five minutes" answered "to what extent" of the word 'still' but in the picture it is connected to the verb. Why?


texts: is it "likely become" or "likely to become"?

texts: I have recently encountered both while reading articles, can anyone clarify which one is correct?


texts:
"whitened", "blackened", and "reddened"; but "yellowed", "grayed", and "blued".

Is there some rule or is it just one of those things?

"Greened" makes sense; no one is going to say "greenened".

"Pinked" or "pinkened"?

"Purpled" or "empurpled"?

First person to not make an Arrested Development joke gets a +1 from me.


texts: Pronunciation of the words "clothes" and "February" in American English

texts: What is the correct pronunciation of the words "clothes" and "February" in the American English? A lot of people pronounce "clothes" as /kloʊz/, dropping the 'th', as for "February", I hear that the first 'r' is often dropped. Are these variants correct?


texts: Can alumnus be used for both men and women?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Can you call someone who chooses to quit his/her study in college as alumnus?

Is it correct or acceptable to use alumnus for both genders?


texts: Predicative elements in the sentence structure

texts:
I am interested in the analysis of the following sentence:

  It is an original, gripping, and disturbing tale of pervasive class
  tension, oppression, and helplessness, a black comedy that at times
  evolves into a tense thriller and at others shows hints of horror.

Could "the black comedy" phrase be regarded as a reduced non-restrictive relative clause whose antecedent is tale?  Or, maybe as a "delayed appositive modifier", specifying the subject "It"?


texts:
is it correct the use of "unlike which" in a sentence such as

  "..., therefore a is superficially identical to b (unlike
  which, a can be paraphrased with ..."

meaning despite the similarity, a can be paraphrased with X, but b cannot.

Otherwise, can alternative wording would be just as concise?


texts:
It was the most gut-retching thing I have ever heard.

Wrenching sounds like it would make sense, but so does retching.


texts: Does “walk back” have a meaning of ‘deny’ or 'keep distance from somebody / something.' as an idiom?

texts:
I came across the phrase walked back from time.com:

  a State Department spokesperson had walked back his (John Kerry’s) comments in the Time magazine’s (August 2) article titled, “Oops: John Kerry gaffes, Washington backpedals.”

The article deals with Secretary of States’ remarks about the drone campaign in Pakistan on a press interview:

  “I think the program will end as we have eliminated most of the threat
  and continue to eliminate it,” Kerry said. “I think the President has
  a very real timeline, and we hope it’s going to be very, very soon.”
  Was Kerry announcing a dramatic policy shift? Nope. Within hours a
  State Department spokesperson had walked back his comments, saying:
  “This was in no way indicating a change in policy…. I have no exact
  timeline to provide.”

As I wasn’t quite familiar with the case of using walk back in such a context as denying or distancing one’s comments, I checked Cambridge, Oxford, and Merriam-Webster online English Dictionary. None of them shows walk back as an idiom, though they show call back, look back, talk back, walkout, walk through, walk up, and so on.

I’m puzzled about the expression “walk back his comment,” because I understand ‘walk’ is an intransitive verb that doesn't take objective noun (here, his comments). Is this a grammatically correct expression? Though the word 'backpedal' in the headline gave me a hint, what does ‘a spokesperson had walked back his comments’ exactly mean?

Is walk back an idiom in this case, and used very often in such a way as walk back one’s comment / idea / policy / promise / stand / connection, or person?


texts:
I have the following sentence:

  So, in a word, my goal is to eat Kentucky Fried Chicken.

I have read elsewhere that using the phrase "in a word" here is not best practice - because I have an entire clause after it.

What would be an alternative way to say what I'm trying to get across? I am trying to say that if I had to write it down or describe it, then this is my goal.

Thanks in advance!


texts: Is the word 'group' singular or plural in sentence: "My group of tenth-graders is/are so well behaved?"

texts:
I have read similar questions on this forum and as per best of my knowledge it should be considered plural because it's referring to every student of class.

I read this sentence in my grammar book: "My group of tenth-graders is so well behaved?"

But my instincts says the word "is" should not be used. I'm confused now. Please confirm whether I'm right or wrong.


texts: "To work for" vs. "to work in" vs. "to work at"

texts:
Is the preposition in universal in conjunction with the verb ‘to work’ and can it be used with any organizations and businesses?

For example:

  He works as a cook in a local hotel near here.
  He works in an office in Chicago.
  She works in a big company.
  She works in the emergency unit at the hospital.
  She works in a shoe repair shop.
  After leaving school, he worked in a restaurant for a year. military hospital.
  His sister works in a bank.
  She works in a shoe factory.
  He works in a steel plant.
  She works in a gift store on weekends.
  Ann works in a research institute.

When should the prepositions at and for be used? For example:

  Barbara works at a travel agency.
  She works at the local supermarket.
  Now he works for a bank.
  I work for a small non-profit organization.

I’ve never heard:

  She works for a shoe factory.

But with a law firm it’s OK:

  She works for a law firm.

Why?


texts: How do you differentiate the use of "When I asked..." and "When I have asked..."

texts:
This might be a very basic question for native speakers of English, but I'd really appreciate if you could help me to understand the difference between "When I asked" and "When I have asked...".
In the example passage below, the author uses "When I have asked..." but I somehow feel "When I asked" is more natural.

In my opinion, true friendship is devoid of self-interest. When I have asked my friends to do something for me, I have hardly ever done so just for my own benefit or in order to make any material gain. I am satisfied just to observe that we enjoy each other's company and that they are happy to associate with me.

I'd really appreciate it if you could explain the difference and possibly provide some example sentences that can show the difference in the usage.
Thank you for your time, in advance.
HK


texts: A question about the the usage of verb+ing in a sentence

texts:
City people’s sufferings will worsen further in the upcoming days as indiscriminate road digging and channel grabbing continue giving rise to fears of severe waterlogging in the coming monsoon.

What is the parts of speech of 'giving' here? Is it adjective? And is it present perfect form?
Can I make it like this?

  City people’s sufferings will worsen further in the upcoming days as indiscriminate road digging and channel grabbing continue.

Is a comma is needed here?

  City people’s sufferings will worsen further in the upcoming days as indiscriminate road digging and channel grabbing continue, giving rise to fears of severe waterlogging in the coming monsoon.

Does this sentence below represent the same form of structure of verb+ing?

  It caused her great pain leaving the only option to abandon her duty.


texts: Did the word "evolution" exist before Darwinism?

texts:
I was talking about evolution with my friends and one of them said:

  The word "evolution" joined the English vocabulary after Darwin used it. The word itself is pretty new, therefore.

Is that true or did the word have a very long origin before Darwin?


texts: One word for things which are different for different people, or exclusive to the person to which they belong?

texts:
What is an English words which describes that something is different for different people, or in other words, it's kind of exclusive to the person they belong to.

For example I want to say that there is nothing like "the-best-sleeping-duration". Sleep requirements vary with people. Different people have different sleep requirements.

Likewise, I want to say that there is nothing like the best method to study. Different methods are best-suited for different people. It's kind of subjective.


texts:
Is it because that the protest element is so strong?
Because that the house is old, it can get cold in winter.

What's the purpose of using that in these sentences? Is this a unusual construction I'm missing?


texts: Why is "A Nation Divided" in this headline instead of "A Divided Nation"?

texts: I wonder why "A Nation Divided" is in this headline instead of "A Divided Nation". To me, from how I am taught, isn't an adjective supposed to go before the noun? I am not a native speaker.


texts:
I'm looking for a word for an intense look to replace "gaze" in the following context.

I look at Adaneene with resignation; I shouldn't have expected anything different, but instead of looking at me with blood-lust, she's looking into the woods around us.
She bares her teeth, clenches her hands, looks in four distinct directions. She's seen our backup.
Her gaze returns to Mac and I.

Now, I did use a reverse dictionary and thesaurus (http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml?s=Intense%20look) ; typed in "intense look" and a ton of words came up. The only words that were semi-applicable were the top three, "stare, gaze, and glare."
But, stare is not the right word because this character is not staring, she merely looking, or perhaps "observing keenly" or "noticing" would better describe what she is doing. But, I need a noun, and "keen observation" and "notice" would not fit at all.
Gaze is not the connotation I'm looking for.
Glare implies anger, which is not the case here.
So, is there a word I can use which would fit into this context?


texts: "Will have already" vs "Will already have" - which is correct?

texts:
An exchange student just asked me this, and I have no idea despite being a native speaker.  Does anyone know which is correct, and why?  Or are both technically correct?

I will already have studied that.
I will have already studied that.

My gut feeling is that the second is incorrect because it is a split infinitive, but is that even an infinitive?


texts: Where to place ''recently'' in a sentence?

texts:
I believe both of the following placings of the word ''recently'' is correct, but how can I be sure that it is 100% correct without having to think whether it's correct:

  I recently bought the exact same car.
  I bought the exact same car recently.

Are there any rules for the placing?


texts:
I am looking for a phrase of the same structure and meaning as 'muscle in on'.
It is used to describe the action of using your influence to intervene in something so as to gain an advantage for yourself

Does anyone know what it is? It seems to be Australian English.


texts:
In the big-budget game Warcraft III, the following is written on a pedestal:

  Whomsoever takes up this blade shall wield power eternal.

Is it correct to use whomsoever as a subject, as in this sentence?


texts:
What exactly is the functionality of else (as in "something else")?

Does it always modify an action?

Does it also sometimes qualify a noun?

Most common dictionaries seem content with defining else as an adverb, implying (and exemplifying) that it is modifying the action. (Cambridge, Oxford, MacMillan, ldoce, …)

OTOH, some others are charitable enough to treat else as an adjective (at least in some instances).

At least one resource calls it a determiner as well (in BrE). (Collins) Here it is listed primarily as an adjective instead.

Is else as in "… something else …" an adverb, an adjective, a determiner, or something else?


texts: What’s the verb for discontinuing a call on a mobile phone?

texts:
What is the correct term for stopping a conversation on a mobile phone?

In the old days we used to put the phone down when we were done talking. Do we now put the mobile down instead of putting the phone down, or do now we turn it off or switch it off even though the mobile phone is still working after the call is over?


texts:
I'm not a native English speaker and I have trouble understanding this sentence from The Daily Telegraph. Does mounting interest mean paying the interest and then the actual loan?

  The burden of mounting interest and starting to repay loans can be a daunting prospect once your degree is awarded.


texts: What's the meaning of "on somebody's account"?

texts:
I looked up "on somebody's account" in the Longman dictionary. The following is an excerpt from it:

  on somebody’s account
      if you do something on someone’s account, you do it because you think they want you to
  Please don’t change your plans on my account.

I'm still confused about it. Does the example sentence mean "please don't change your plans for me" or "it's none of my business that you change your plan"?


texts: Correct Preposition in the Phrase "Someone's back was turned ___ someone else"

texts:
I'm curious about which preposition to use in the bolded sentence:

  Crawford’s back was turned to the supervisor. He didn’t even bother to turn around to face the red-haired male to have a face-to-face conversation.

Should I use "Crawford's back was turned on the supervisor" or "Crawford's back was turned to the supervisor"? The first example doesn't sound right and I need a little help.


texts: What's an idiom for missing the obvious?

texts: A friend posted a photo of her daughters examining something tiny in the road.  Up ahead of them is an enormous chasm where the road has been destroyed and washed out.  They're absorbed in something minuscule while ignoring the most obvious point of interest. What idiom would describe this?


texts: He is "a responsible policeman and father" or "a responsible policeman and a responsible father"

texts:
In the following sentence, is it correct to just use one 'a' before the two nouns 'policeman' and 'father'?

  He is a responsible policeman and father.

Or do I need to put it as 'He is a responsible policeman and a responsible father'?


texts: In sports, what is the difference between a coach and a trainer?

texts:
Recently I seen in my gym in basketball court "Rules for Coaches and Trainers..."
What is the difference between Coaches and Trainers in sport context? Why they specifically named separately in the rules?

here it's interesting topic regarding link between train and coach to transportation context Are the dual transportation and learning meanings of both "coach" and "train" just a coincidence?


texts: What's the English cognate with German "Stick" and Dutch "stik"?

texts:
Is there an English cognate with German Stick (as in Stickstoff) and Dutch stik (as in stikstof)?

What's the absolutely literal calque of Stickstoff/stikstof meaning nitrogen?


texts: Is “suite” pronounced like “suit” in any native English-speaking countries?

texts:
The word suite is pronounced the same  as  sweet  in  British  and  American  English. Surprisingly, even some  educated Indians  mispronounce  it  almost  similar  to   suit. Even name  boards  appear  in Indian  languages with  words  indicating  the  mispronunciation. One  Indian  professor  of  English himself  revealed  that  his  students  corrected  his pronunciation. I  am  talking  about  hotel  suites.

You  may  wear  your  suit  in the  suite
You  may  eat   your  sweet  in  the  suite

Is  suite  pronounced  as  suit  in any  native  English-speaking  country  or  is  it  limited to  India  alone?
Here is a link which shows how suit and suite are confusing to pronounce:
Suite vs. Suit: Frequently Mispronounced Words


texts:
Here's an example:

  BizComm is miles ahead of industry when it comes to artificial intelligence - a subject James will speak to later in the presentation.

I find this phrase jarring. The following seems to flow better:

  BizComm is miles ahead of industry when it comes to artificial intelligence - a subject James will speak on later in the presentation.

Thoughts and comments? Is it even grammatically correct?


texts: "I guess Americans are hated a lot of places." What's wrong with this sentence exactly?

texts:
From Cat's Cradle (Vonnegut).

  "The highest possible form of treason," said Minton, "is to say that Americans aren't loved wherever they go, whatever they do. Claire tried to make the point the American foreign policy should recognize hate rather than imagine love."

  "I guess Americans are hated a lot of places."

  "People are hated a lot of places. Claire pointed out in her letter...."

How would you describe the grammar in this sentence? Is there a zero copula equivalent for prepositions?


texts:
Looking up 'expect' will bring up discussions of whether it should be followed by the infinitive or a present participle, and the infinitive is the winner.

But what about when using a modal verb, like 'will'

(1) "I expect he will be at the party."

This doesn't sound so wrong. Most examples of 'expect' put it with an object after, followed by an infinitive:

(2) "I expect him to be at the party."

But we're saying something quite different in (2), methinks - almost as though you have either inside knowledge about his intentions to go the party (the expectation of it), or even with a power/hierarchy distance, like a teacher expecting a student (because they were told to, and if they didn't there would be repercussions) to be at the party.

(1) just seems to be a guess, so 'expect' could easily be replaced with 'think':

(3) "I think he will be at the party."

Still, (1) sounds more certain than (3), but not as certain as (2).

Isn't (1) still OK, even if it doesn't follow the 'standard' usage of expect being followed by an infinitive?


texts: What is the meaning of "valence" in this sentence?

texts:
From a New York times article about a summer program for poor students:

  The valence among Vinay, Arshdeep and MD, and the 80 or so other
  mentors and their mentees forms the backbone of a new summer program
  called Practice Makes Perfect.

(source: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/mentoring-students-to-prevent-the-summer-slide/?hp&_r=0)

According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, the (most relevant) definition of valence is

  the degree of attractiveness an individual, activity, or thing
  possesses as a behavioral goal

I don't see how that fits with how it's used in this sentence. What does valence mean here?


texts:
There's a heated thread currently brewing over on MSE:

  How can an older question be marked as a duplicate of a newer one?

In that thread, I made the argument that the culture and mechanics of StackExchange certainly make [the situation described above] possible.

In response, the OP raised a linguistic question:

  Really, so you think that a question asked years before hand can be a dup? You obviously do not know what duplicate means, I suggest buying a dictionary.

Now, my question is, leaving aside StackExchange  specific details, can a duplicate antedate the thing that it is a copy of?

Merriam-Webster defines duplicate thus:

  1:  consisting of or existing in two corresponding or identical parts or examples
  - duplicate invoices
  2:  being the same as another
   - duplicate copies.

Which does seem to suggest, especially sense 2, that duplicate simply means copy, and and if you have two identical objects, each qualifies as a legitimate duplicate of the other. No sense of chronological preference is mentioned, nor priority of "the original".

So, in general English usage and pragmatics, can a duplicate antedate its twin? Are there any useful quotes or corpora analyses which can establish usage one way or another?

NB: This is an question of English and its answers or resolutions have absolutely no bearing on StackExchange, its protocols, or its proper use. Deciding those things is what MSE is for, not ELU.  Do not argue about or even bring up StackExchange rules here, in answers or in comments. Mods: please delete any MSE content on sight.


texts: Alternate way to say "own company" & "family-owned company"

texts:
I am applying for a new job; I currently work in my family-owned F&B firm. Now, in the job portal, there is a column where I have to mention my current company. I don't want to give the name of my firm as it is not well-known and also, it is not in the same domain as the job I am applying for.

I have currently put down "Own F&B establishment" in the column. But the "own" part seems kind of odd to me. Is there any other word or phrase that I can use instead, which would indicate I am not just working there, but am a stakeholder.


texts: "Space" as a synonym for industry, sector or business segment

texts:
When, and from where, did "space", as a synonym for industry, sector, or business segment, enter the language? For example, one wouldn't expect to read "His family made a fortune in the buggy whip space", but sentences such as "Is this a game-changer, in a negative way, for other IPOs in the social media space?" are common.

UPDATE: Thanks for answers so far. I don't believe any of them answer the question as to the etymological derivation and date of entry into the language of this meaning of the term.


texts: Hypernym for pencil, pen, marker, crayon, paint brush, etc?

texts:
I'm writing rules for a board game. It's similar to dots and boxes, and I would like to have a nice general word or phrase to refer to what the players use to mark their moves on the board or paper, since one could conceivably use anything to do it, like a pen, pencil, crayon or even a paint brush if they wanted to use one.

The best I could think of was drawing implement, but that sounds too technical, and I'm trying to shoot for the lowest reading level I can.

I also thought about drawing tool, marking tool or maybe even just marker? What do you think?


texts: What is the distinction between terms 'where', 'while', 'whereas' and 'whenever'?

texts:
It seems all of these four words can denote 'at the same time' or 'if and only if', but do the meanings of them identical?

Update:
e.g.

Day comes where the sun rises.
Day comes whereas the sun rises.
Day comes while the sun rises.
Day comes whenever the sun rises.

Update:
e.g.

An integer is even where it is divisible by 2.
An integer is even whereas it is divisible by 2.
An integer is even while it is divisible by 2.
An integer is even whenever it is divisible by 2.


texts: Is the adjective common between "form" and "colour"?

texts:
In the sentence: "The Bayeux Tapestry of 1068 shows designs in colour but not of heraldic form."

Is "heraldic" common between "form" and "colour"? I mean is the adjective "heraldic" joint to both words "form" and "colour"? hence:

"The Bayeux Tapestry of 1068 shows designs in [heraldic] colour but not of heraldic form."


texts: What is the preposition category of "along"?

texts:
Most place prepositions have an instance for each of the informal preposition categories - I'll refer to them as active and passive, since I'm not familiar with the actual terms.  I'm using active here to refer to prepositions which signify movement, and passive to refer to those which signify a state of staying.  For example: the active into and the passive in, the active up and the passive above/upon.
Sentences:

I am going into the house.
He is in the house.

It is obvious from these examples that the two forms of the "in" preposition have different meanings - one active and one passive.
You can do the same for every place preposition, though some, like between, are the same word when either active or passive.  So there is a between meaning something is between, and a between meaning something is going between.
Sentences:

I am going between the two big trees.
He is between the house and the stable.

It is obvious that in both cases the preposition remains the same, though one is active and one passive.
Basically, to find the two forms, you pick a place preposition (say into), determine whether it refers to going or just to being ("He is going into the house" - sounds right; "He is into the house" - sounds terrible; so "into" is active), then search for the form you didn't pick (passive, so what sounds right with "He is [prep] the house"? - in - "He is in the house" sounds right, so in is the passive form of into), and there you have your two forms (into - active; in - passive).
What I'm trying to figure out is where along fits in.  Is it active, and if so, what is a passive counterpart?


texts: A word to describe our lack of concern with the world as children

texts:
A word to describe our inability to see beyond ourselves, something to do with our innocence that doesn't allow us to see it.

Here is what I am writing:

  You may have of heard of the saying, “I guess that’s when the reality really hit me.”, but you never truly understand this until you come to say it for yourself. We have come so far into our complacency in this society as to believe that we live in a “colorblind” society. I take this back to our ____ minds...


texts: The Cliché of Using the Phrase "[Subject], and You" in Article Titles

texts:
I've noticed articles or news stories often use the phrase "[Subject], and You" in titles. I assume the intention here is creating a personal connection with the readers regarding a topic.

For example, there's an article named:

Identity Theft, Credit Reports, and You

In my opinion, it probably has a similar meaning to the following alternative titles:

How Identity Theft and Credit Reports are Relevant to You
How Identity Theft and Credit Reports Affect You Personally
Why Should You Care About Identity Theft and Credit Reports

However, I found the phrase "[Subject], and You" is widely used for almost everything in news and technical writings, no matter how technical the subject is, and sometimes regardless of whether the article is trying to make this subject in question personal or not.

Examples include:

Jobs, robots, capitalism, inequality and you
High-Fidelity Digital Music, Tidal, and You
The Black Swan and You
Diffie-Hellman, discrete logs, the NSA, and you
Steampunk, Progress, and You
NoSQL, Heroku, and You
Unicode, Perl 6, and You

Clearly, the phrase "[Subject], and You" is a cliché in titles. And to me, some usages of this cliché may be intentional, possibly for humorous effects when combining them with a bunch of word salad or technical jargon.

My question is: What is the origin, history and evolution of this cliché? How long has the phrase been used in English? Can you cite relevant linguistic and etymological references and sources? I tried to search it online but found it's not easy to find titles with an incomplete phrase.
Thanks!


texts: Do I play a game "in" hard mode or "on" hard mode?

texts:
I would like to use a contracted form of "play a game with the difficulty set to hard".
Which of these options would be more appropriate?:

Play a game in hard mode

Play a game on hard mode

Maybe this is similar to cooking pasta "alla bolognese", or cooking pasta in a bolognese manner.


texts:
In the following I think I should use "generically". But I am not quite sure. Please confirm

  In this light, we present a formal framework to systematically investigate the feasibility of generic stealthy attacks considering


texts:
I recently got a book about epistemology and I cannot make heads or tails of what this definition means:

CAUSAL: <cat> denotes cats = cats, cause, under appropriate conditions, mental tokenings of <cat>.

Can anyone please translate this to simpler English?


texts:
I find trouble to distinguish when to employ -ing or infinitive in certain cases. Have a look at the examples I came across on a book:
- Discover the secret to getting through to anyone.
- 7 steps to living at your full potential.

Based on that, I wonder if it's correct to say: discover the secret to GET, and 7 steps to LIVE. Why to use -ing after the preposition "to" in such cases? I know some verbs have the ing- form such as: look forward, dedicate, commit; but I've never seen "to getting" or "to living" after a noun as "secret" ot "steps".

I'm grateful in advance!


texts: Does “snatch something over” or “snatch something away” sound native?

texts:
I’ve learnt that you can say things like:

  She snatched the biscuit out of his hand. (snatch ... out of)
  She snatched a biscuit from the plate. (snatch ... from)

But how does it sound if I say something like:

  She walked up and snatched that biscuit over/away.

Is it correct grammar? Does it make sense to native speakers?


texts: Is it grammatical to have a continued description?

texts:
I told him, “Sure I would,” and left.

Not sure what the technical term for this is, but I see it basically as the equivalent of continued dialogue. Can I do this?


texts: Looking for a phrasal verb to say the hidden reason behind of several issues

texts:
I'm not even sure whether there is existence of such phrasal verb in English or not. But probably native speakers can help me out with this.

All of your friend's problems are due to his recent divorce.

All of your friend's problems _____ [back/down] to his recent divorce.

Note: I guess I saw a phrasal verb with exactly this meaning but unfortunately can't remember it. Back/ down are just two guesses for the possibly preposition part.


texts: ETcetera pronounced as EXetera ? Correct?

texts:
I keep hearing everyone at my work (Native speakers) saying e-X-etera. They said my pronunciation of the word as e-T-cetera was incorrect. I got into a big argument, they thought I was mad.

Is there some unknown rule as to why "etcetera" should be pronounces as "exetera"?


texts: Does "coming down" mean "traveling south"?

texts:
In the context of traveling, I have heard of and used the phrase "coming down" when referring to a journey from one place to another place that is further south. Perhaps, it's because I have always related the "down" part to "from north to south".
For example:

  My cousin in New York is coming down to visit me (in Atlanta) next
  week.

Recently, a friend of mine used the phrase to refer to any journey regardless of the direction of travel.
For example:

  She is coming down from Miami to join us in Atlanta.

Is the phrase used only to refer to traveling south? Or is it not related to the direction?


texts:
In the novel Dracula I came upon this sentence:

  "The captain swore polyglot, very polyglot, polyglot with bloom and
  blood, but he could do nothing."

Judging by the dictionary definition of polyglot I think it must be related to using multiple languages. But I really can't understand what it means in this context. Nor indeed what the whole sentence must mean.


texts:
As I understand, when referring to a single concept, one would use "ham and cheese is", but "fruit and nuts are".

Now, can one have a single firework, or is/are fireworks simultaneously singular and plural?


texts:
What is the difference between sparsely and thinly?
Can these words be interchangeable?
May I use thinly furnished or thinly populated as well as sparsely furnished and thinly populated.


texts: Subject of 'asking' in: 'sent a letter asking'

texts:
In the sentence ...

  The client sent me a letter asking if we could change the information for them.

... what is the semantic/syntactic subject of the verb asking? Are there any tests we can do to verify the syntactic subject?


texts:
Are the following sentences grammatically correct?

I will soon have a new secretary work for me on the weekends.
I will soon have a new secretary working for me on the weekends.
I will soon have a new secretary to work for me on the weekends.


texts: Why does the suffix -ful sometimes mean "evoking," and is there a pattern among the words for which this is true?

texts: The suffix -ful usually means characterized by or in full measure as in hateful and spoonful. But an animal's pitiful cry is not full of, or characterized by, pity, and the fearful symmetry  of Blake's tyger is not full of fear. These meanings run counter to what one might naively think. How did this come about? I understand that the suffixes -ful and -ous are part of the battle between words that come through French and those that don't. Sometimes the meanings of prefixes and suffixes change dramatically at the hands of the French.  Para- usually means beside, but in words through the French, like parachute, paraph and parasol, it means against. Does this have any bearing on my question? I see the meanings of piteous and pitiful are frightfully close.


texts: A vehicle's ignition works with a switch. But when describing the action of activating the ignition but not engaging the starter, which is more correct: "Turn on the ignition" (because we traditionally turn a key to achieve this) or "Switch on the ignition" (because it is operated by means of an electric switch)?


texts: How should I write "Eastern order" last names in English?

texts:
The "Eastern order" of last names (i.e. Surname Forename) is used in many countries and cultures.  When writing the name of someone whose name would be in Eastern order in their culture, what is the rule? Should I "convert" the name to "Western order" (i.e. Forename Surname) or leave it as is?

I ask because I am very, very confused by common practice. For example, the leader of China appears to be universally referred to as Xi (Surname) Jinping (Forename), but the leader of Japan is almost universally referred to as Shinzo (Forename) Abe (Surname).  Similarly, I see the press refer to the leader of South Korea as Moon (Surname) Jae-in (Forename), but the leader of Hungary as Viktor (Forename) Orbán (Surname).

Are there different rules for different countries? If so, what are the specific rules for each of the many countries and cultures that use Eastern name order?  What is the best practice in writing?


texts: Do you use a or an before acronyms / initialisms

texts:
Whether to use ‘a’ or ‘an’ before acronyms/initialisms
Do you use "a" or "an" before acronyms / initialisms?
I think I understand the issues and principles as expressed by various contributors on this question.  But here’s an interesting one: is it equally correct to write ‘an SSSI’ and ‘a SSSI’?  The former would be articulated as ‘an es es es I’ and the latter ‘a triple S I’.
If the latter is equally acceptable are there any similar cases?
Thank you.


texts:
I am trying to describe someone who is an hardcore devotee to her native religion and traditions. Originally, I used "an uncompromising devotee" but after some research, I stumbled on the adjective "brassbound". Unfortunately, my 2 dictionaries don't give much details on the circumstances where this word can be employed. So, do any of you know if I can say "a brassbound devotee"?

Thank you for the help!


texts: What state-of-being would you be in if you are insulted on someone else's behalf?

texts:
Suppose someone says something like this:

  Mexicans are great at mowing lawns!

Let's also suppose that you, the listener, are not Mexican, however you find the statement insulting to Mexicans and therefore feel insulted on their behalf. What is a word that would describe the state of being that you are in?


texts: Direct and Indirect Objects with the verbs: Give, Buy, and Bring

texts:
Both these phrases are correct,

  Give me it
  Buy me them

so why are these sentences wrong?

  Give John it
  Buy John them

In these sentences, "me/John" are both indirect objects, and the sentence format is same. So, why are former sentences correct and latter ones wrong?

Also, Do it for me is correct but Do me it is wrong.

What is the reason for this?


texts: What's the idiom for creating an ever more complex solution to a problem?

texts:
It means to take a (flawed) existing solution/explanation to a problem and modify it in ever more convoluted ways to make it work when the current version fails.

It comes from pre-Newtonian times when there were people working on a theory of orbital mechanics, thinking that orbits were circular rather than elliptical, and every time someone made an observation of some moon that the theory didn't handle, they bolted on a bit more math to try and account for that observation.

It was "working on circles" or "calculating orbits" or something like that.


texts:
Usually we say like :
I came in the morning, We are going in the evening, It happened at night etc.

If something happens around 12.00 PM, then we can also say: I had lunch at noon.

But I have heard people say: I am going in the afternoon. Actually afternoon means some time after 12.00 PM. So why not "I am going after noon." ?

Hope you got my logic.


texts: "One can do his homework in the library"

texts:
One can do his homework in the library.
One can do one's homework in the library.

Nowadays, are these structures part of colloquial English? The use of one as a pronoun is still in use or is it considered formal if not old-fashioned? In this case how can we render colloquially the same idea?


texts: What would the job title be for someone who organizes parties?

texts:
I'm currently searching for the right term for someone who

Organizes or
Promotes

Parties, "Clubbings", Events or similar.

I understand that there's a difference between someone who promotes a party and someone who makes the organization, but maybe there's some common word as the vast majority of those people are one person companies.


texts: What's another term for "team of employees"

texts: What's a term other than "team" for a group of employees who work well together?


texts:
It's such a nice day today!

I'm interested in the usage of the indefinite article. I know this sentence is correct. We use an indefinite article in exclamations with countable nouns.

But the question is: If it's NOT an exclamation, what do we use? Let's say:

I went for a walk because it was such a wonderful day.
I went for a walk because it was a such wonderful day.
I went for a walk because it was such wonderful day.

Which variant is correct?


texts: A term or an expression for problem-solving related strategy

texts:
Is there a term/expression to describe a strategy or tactic of solving biggest problem first with an expected knock-on (domino-like) effect for smaller associated problems?
Similar to Pareto (80-20) principle, but looking for something more specific and descriptive/adjectival.


texts: Term for referring to someone with mediocre words to describe their greatness

texts:
What is the term for describing the following sort of phrases used to humoristically, and almost affectionately, describe someone who is obviously well known to be superb in their field?

  Referring to a famous accomplished sports star: I guess you could say
  he's pretty good at throwing a ball.

  Referring to a supermodel: Yeah, she's not too hard on the eyes.

  Referring to a genius moviemaker: He's got some skills at spinning a
  tale.

These, as opposed to saying something straightforward such as:

  Referring to a famous accomplished sports star: He's an amazing
  athlete and throws like no other.

  Referring to a supermodel: Her beauty is unmatched in the world of
  modeling.

  Referring to a genius moviemaker: The movies he's produced set the
  standard in the industry.


texts: What's the meaning of "to wave someone on"?

texts:
Please explain to me what "to wave someone on" as in the below situation means. I cannot find the explanation on other dictionaries. Thanks a lot!

"Did you hear me?" Hazel demanded. "We're in a lot of danger"
The policeman stepped back from the car. "I said, you better get on home."
"You're not from around here, are you?" she asked him. "I mean you weren't born here."
He looked back at her, uncertainty in his face for the first time. Then his eyes hardened and he waved them on.


texts: What is the word for doing something extra to make up for breaking a promise

texts:
What is the word for when someone does something extra to make up for breaking a promise
Like you tell someone you will be at their house at noon and need to leave at 5 and you don't get there till 1 so you stay till 7
Or you promise your partner you will be with them for a date night at a specific time and you blow them off for your friends so you make a new date night with your partner and the next date night you dress up extra fancy and get the check and tell them you love them and you are sorry and ask them what else they need to make up for the mistake you made
Reconciliation doesn't sound right to me
Make amends doesn't sound right
I remember using a different word for this but I can't figure out what it was and the thesaurus isn't helping me


texts: Can we use "setting" to mean "the end" of something?

texts:
"Setting" can be used to talk about the end of the day when the sun goes down, as in "In Ramadan, fasters must abstain from eating and drinking from the break of dawn until the setting of the sun." Now can we use it metaphorically to mean the end of something else (such as an agreement or a friendship, you know, something literary maybe)? And if not, what are some of the alternatives?

Thank you


texts: Proper punctuation for the statement "That is what makes you you."

texts: What would be the proper punctuation for the statement "That is what makes you you."?


texts:
I was reading a book, "Ancient accounts of India and China" which, I think, was published in the middle of 1856, and I see "S" was replaced by the "ʃ" symbol (in small letter s, it looks more like "f'). Or perhaps it is not ʃ.

Very curious about the reason behinds it, but can't find any info from google search.


texts:
Even if most Americans would take ‘pescatarian’ to be some odd Calvinist sect, according to Merriam-Webster it is a noun which means “one whose diet includes fish but no other meat” and its derivation is “probably from Italian pesce fish (from Latin piscis) + English vegetarian”.

Questions
 1.  It is clear that some people will understand the  term simply by recognising its roots; however, is there a well-established word — having an analogous meaning — that sounds less awkward than pescatarian? I'm looking for a word that is commonly understood among Anglophones, not only those who belong to strict circles and follow dietary ‘experimentalism’ culture?

2. Can anyone give more precise information or any reference about its origin?

3. Is there some reason as to whether one would prefer spelling it as ‘pescetarian’ rather than ‘pescatarian’?


texts: Word request for an academic paper/article that is 'hidden', 'difficult to find'

texts: I have come across an article that seems to have been published in a book that is only available online with restricted access, and the paper is not reproduced e.g. on the arXiv. I am writing on a related topic, and wanted to refer to this paper in a sentence: "the [hidden/elusive/difficult to find/ etc] paper ... by ...". Clearly though, those words aren't really applicable here.


texts: My best guess is "man putting his hand on his head" but I know there's something less gothic than that.


texts: How to ask a question to confirm a negative situation?

texts:
For example, I want to make sure that Tom was not in Professor X's class.  However, I can't ask:

  Wasn't Tom in Professor X's class last semester?

Because that means I think Tom WAS in Professor X's class.

Of course I can say:

  Tom wasn't in Professor X's class, was he?

But I would like to know if there's a more concise way to ask the question.


texts: I am doing a paper on native Americans totem animals and how the native Americans give animal characteristics to the human and was wondering what is the scientific word for this?


texts: Meaning of "It was a shortcut for her. She entered at ease within its complexity, at home in song and in feeling."

texts:
I'm not a native speaker and I've been watching a documentary about Marilyn Monroe, where this monologue appeared.

  She searched everywhere, in life and books. She liked poetry. It was a shortcut
  for her. She entered at ease within its complexity, at home in song and in feeling.

Could anyone please explain to me, how can I understand the part in bold letters? Does it mean that poetry was an alternative route for searching meaning of life? And how can I understand the "at home in song and in feeling" part?


texts: Difference in male vs female use of the English language

texts:
Is there a somewhat reliable (like, for example 70% success rate) way to determine whether a paragraph in the English language was written by a man or a woman (adult male/female)? Any credible references to the study, and perhaps a how-to?

If this is possible, what about the general case of generally telling the difference between the writing style of a male and female person (the scope is increased to any English speaker that are 10 years or older).

Of course, professional writers may be excluded as they're probably good enough so that they can deliberately pick a writing style to suit the occasion.


texts: cross-condition meaning in medical section text?

texts:
I read this article:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5362694/
author says "Walraven and colleagues [11] developed the “LACE” index, a cross-conditions tool that predicts early death or unplanned readmission after discharge from hospital"
what does mean by cross-condition is simplest term?


texts:
When talking about a year long interval I can say "annual" to mean "yearly". For example, "the annual yield is", "the interest rate is 25% per annum", or "the annualized interest rate is 25%" if the original rate given is daily/overnight rate.

Is there a similar Latin-based word for other periods, especially for a single day? I can say "per diem" where I would say "per annum", but what about other use cases?

"If you invest $10000 in our payday lending company, you can expect ??? gains of $15" or "Short on cash? Borrow from us! Our ???ized interest rate is only 1%!"

I know there are "diurnal" and "nocturnal", but they usually mean "day" and "night" as in "when the sun is up" and "when the sun is down".


texts: What word that describes the point when an event takes place?

texts:
An event (random event) takes place once it reaches that "certain point"...
It's something like, climax or maybe the top, so what's that called?
And thank you!