texts: I don't know how to put the meaning into sentences?

texts:
When I search the meaning of a word in a book, I can understand it, but sometime it's hard, because some words have different meanings. So after reading and finding the meaning I understand it, but when I try to use it in my own sentence it doesn't make sense.

I don't know to explain it but, how do I understand the many meanings of big words?


texts: Is there a term for a recipe inside a recipe?

texts:
Many recipes often have a "sub-recipe" inside of them. Such as a cake recipe having a separate section for the icing. Other recipes will have a sub-recipe for the sauce. Is there a formal cooking term for this?

According to Google a "sub recipe" is for making submarine sandwiches and a "mini recipe" is for small sized versions of things like cupcakes.


texts: How do I refer to multiple people with the same name

texts:
My daughter now has her own bedroom.  She doesn't want her sister to come in.  She has made a sign.

  "No Paiges Allowed!"

What is the correct apostrophy use on "Paiges" when I want to refer to multiple people of the same name?

EDIT: Follow up question: what if it was "No Chrisss Allowed!"?


texts:
What is the origin of the term "my bag"? As in,

  That's just not my bag.

I know what it means. Essentially, for the example above, it would mean "That's not my sort of thing."

I know it's been around a while, since 60s hero Austin Powers was always saying it. So I'm guessing it's 60s slang, that's still hanging on today.

But why a "bag"? Did "bag" get used to mean a generic thing in other context? Is it short for something, or rhyming slang. Any ideas?


texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct? If both are correct, what is
the difference in meaning between these two sentences?

A majority of voters approved changes to Russia’s Constitution that would allow president Vladimir Putin to hold power until 2036.

A majority of voters approved changes to Russia’s Constitution that will allow president Vladimir Putin to hold power until 2036.

I know that because the sentence is in the past tense, we should use would.
But considering that the Constitution is still allowing this, and will
allow it for some time in the future, can’t we use will?


texts:
Can a comma be placed before as well?

  People aren’t just struggling with the snow near their homes, it’s affecting their daily travels as well.


texts:
what is the meaning of the following phrase?

once too often

like he did it once too often

Thanks in anticipation.


texts: I think there's something wrong with the tense in this sentence.

texts:
The sentence:

  Two of the three crew members are killed, one of whom dies later in
  hospital.

There are initially three people, and two of them are dead. Let's call them A and B. Let's say B dies later. Then the sequence of event goes like this.

Plane crashes -> A dies -> B dies in the hospital.

To describe this sequence of events, I would say:

  Two of the three crew members were killed; one of whom have died later
  in hospital.

because there's a need to differentiate the time of each death, but I'm not too sure if I have achieved it correctly. I would argue that the first sentence is wrong because the later clause indicates the present, which clearly does not make sense.


texts: Is the use of 'has' appropriate with first person singular?

texts:
We have been learning since childhood that

  Has can only be used with third person singular

but I have seen and heard people using has otherwise. For example, the other day I was reading that article in which the author wrote 'I has no other choice' (which according to grammar rules should be 'I have no other choice').

Is this appropriate use?

If yes, then does it indicate some kind of emphasis or Is it used to give weight to sentence?


texts: Is it proper to express the answer to a fill-in-the-blank as 'blank-filling word'?

texts: I have come up with a term on my own to describe the word that fills a fill-in-the-blank. I have named it a 'blank-filling word'. Can this be used? Is it proper to use this? I understand that it isn't an established phrase yet. But, will other people get it when they come across it?


texts:
I was given this essay:

**

  ENUMERATE MAJOR BARRIERS TO QUALITATIVE EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

**

I have two questions:

How do you enumerate the points
By 'BARRIERS TO QUALITATIVE EDUCATION' to they mean barriers to education itself or barriers to the quality of education?

Thanks


texts: is "Apple is good." grammatically correct?

texts:
Apple is good. (Here Apple is referred to as a kind of fruit, not a company.)
The subject is without "the" and "an", nor is it in plural form. Is this correct? What does it mean when a noun is used like this? Thanks.


texts: Is there supposed to be a comma after could to indicate a pause. I am a bit confused.


texts: What term is most appropriate when describing the infinite space of possibilities created through inductive reasoning?

texts:
In arguments contrasting the differences between deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning, it is often pointed out that deductive reasoning is, by definition, bounded by the terms described in the problem through narrowing application of boolean logic. This contrasts with inductive reasoning, which is by definition unbounded through widening application of probabilistic analysis and inclusion of emergent properties.

In describing the infinite nature of the solution space provided by inductive reasoning, I have generalized this into the phrase "inductive space." However, according to Google, this phrasing is pure jargon and suffers overlap into other knowledge domains that may cause the listener severe confusion.

I am leery to ask this question on other StackExchange sites (especially http://math.stackexchange.com), because this is actually a question of language instead of a mathematical problem and because I would greatly prefer a term applicable to a wider audience than mathematicians. So, I will ask here. To prevent confusion and maximize the odds that the correct definition is understood, what English term or phrase would be most appropriate here?


texts:
I teach freshmen English in inner-city Baltimore, and I often get the following:

Teacher : Did you complete the homework?
Student : I had been done that!

I have not been able to give a straight answer as to why this student response is odd for formal English. My students are very interested in the breakdown of English, formal or colloquial.
What is the breakdown of "I had been done that"? Is this grammatically correct?
Addendum
Most of my students are African American (mostly low-income) and speak in their community dialect, and we emphasize balancing that with Standard English (SE). The question is coming from a grammatical standpoint. To clarify, we are also diagramming sentences, which helps to see the underlying structure of sentences. My students are curious as to how you structure "had been done that" and why it's not standard English.
link


texts: What’s a word for someone who dislikes language change?

texts:
A couple of weeks ago I came across a word meaning someone who dislikes language change. Despite my joy at learning that English has a word for this, I can’t for the life of me remember what the word actually is.

I’ve Googled many variants, tried reverse dictionary, and am now crawling through a list of more than 1200 words ending in ‑ist.

Does anyone know a word (ending in ‑ist) that means a person who dislikes changes to language?


texts: How should one properly construct compound nationalities?

texts:
Chinese American or American Chinese? Indian Briton or British Indian?

In practice, I've come across both forms and I would love to know whether this is a matter of personal preference or whether there are, in fact, clear-cut rules to be followed.

I personally feel the ethnicity should precede the nationality, i.e. Chinese American and not American Chinese when referring to an American citizen of Chinese origin. In other words, when I say "Chinese American" I am referring to an American citizen who is ethnically Chinese. When I say "American Chinese" I mean a Chinese citizen who is ethnically American (a rarity, I grant you).

However, as mentioned, I have come across texts where the construct "American Chinese" refers to ethnic Chinese who are American citizens. Such a construct just strikes me as wrong but I have never been able to find any real evidence to back up my opinion on this matter.

Is my interpretation correct or does the matter just come down to preference?


texts: Is it okay to write/enforce "Parent(s)" instead of "Parent" &/or "Parents", w/ the s in paren, to explicitly specify I do not say if 1 or 2 parents?

texts:
Options:

A) Parent(s) / Parent[s] / Parent{s}

B) Parents

C) Parent

I think the question title is my entire question, I do not mean to be rude just clear (just I am being pretty powerfully judged/moderated/corrected for using the "Parent(s)" spelling), is that enough explanation?
I am bothered/liable if I say Parent because that implies one parent or a single parent, while Parents can make it seem/sound like it was both parents involved, whilst Parent(s) meaning either parent/parents equally gives the veneer of the only grammatical security and objectivity I can speak for explicitly.
Speaking with your voice, you might seem to have to specify a full sentence to explain and describe clearly and unequivocally what you mean, but with text I thought there could be greater security (and necessary brevity).
For legal reasons (for example, there are a lot of reasons a kid and or adult may/might want to officially not say who, for control, to strangers, about family, there are heavy/triggering/medical side effects, to directionally talking about your mother or father pointedly on the record, even a hint of "mom"/"dad" can lead to severe medical/legal determinations that only activate upon nameable mention, often irreversible authoratative determinations only require saying/hinting "mom" or "dad" in English), I do not want to describe which parent or if both parents were involved. Besides, I wish to not explain a full sentence (often repeating that I am not specifying which parent to be clear again, to not let people misread me) every time, while still accounting to use my "200 character count" letters wisely which can be an extremely serious factor, though not as costly as telling you which parent(s) I mean.
Is this/that a grammar err legal question? I want to make clear I am not specifying, and that the parent(s) are unspecified, in grammatical number by wording with parenthesis to mean unspecified clearly, in writing.
(Related/Disclaimer: https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/56985/how-to-talk-about-your-family-parents-without-saying-if-its-your-mother-or-fath is what I mean by liability, thus how/can I defend usage/meaning/imporance/validity of "parent(s)", hypothetically, realistically, theoretically, backed by [Standard] English rules?)


texts: When is it correct to use "scissors" as a singular noun?

texts:
In the Oxford dictionary website, the following example for scissors is given:

  A small suture scissors was used to "fish" for the deeply embedded
  hair.

However I find weird that it treats scissors as singular, being a plural noun.  Shouldn't it be Small suture scissors were used...?

Why is it correct to treat scissors as singular in that case (assuming it's indeed correct)?

Please note that I'm only interested in the use of the noun scissors, the ones that are used to cut, not any other meaning of the word. Thank you!


texts:
Which of the following is  correct?

I become lazy and unproductive.

Or

I became lazy and unproductive.


texts: Hyphenate 'part-time' / 'full-time' as an adverb?

texts:
Would we hyphenate 'part-time' / 'full-time' as an adverb?

1. Joe worked part-time as a waiter and full-time as a computer programmer. (Can we omit the hyphens in these adverbial uses?)

2. Mike said, "Joe is part-time." (Meaning Joe is a part-time associate. Should we keep the hyphen in this construction?)

3. Joe is a part-timer. (Meaning that Joe is an associate who works part time. Should we keep the hyphen in "part-timer"?)


texts:
I am writing an essay, and I need to find a formal word that means the same thing as chickens out. The context in which I use it is "Eckels chickens out of hunting the dinosaur and he runs back to the time machine."

I am using in the context that the person can do go through with the thing they were doing because of fear.
Is there any single word in the English language that means the same thing?

A few words are fine, but a single word is better.

Thanks!


texts:
I was wondering whether it classes as lying if you tell something that you believe is a lie but is actually true.
Here is an example. Let's say that you have to be 6ft to ride a roller-coaster. You think you are under 6ft and say that you are tall enough but, in fact, you are tall enough. In this example, you haven't given a false statement but you have given what you thought was a false statement as your intention was to lie about your height.
Is there a certain word or phrase for this?


texts: Is "rumored" a verb or an adjective (a participle adjective)?

texts:
According to a dictionary, rumor can function as a noun or a verb.  I can see rumor being a noun, but am having difficulty accepting it as a verb.

The dictionary gives the example sentence, John is rumored to be next in line for a promotion.

In this sentence I would argue that rumored is functioning as an adjective, not a verb as the dictionary suggests.

Are there any clear examples of using rumor as a verb?

The only example I came across was For years people have been rumoring the CEO's imminent retirement.


texts: What word can I use to imply that one has almost 'travelled in time' to see past results?

texts:
I have a set of sales data. This data has information for orders confirmed on or before "x" date. But there is also a date for the delivery of the goods.

We are targeted each month not on orders placed, but orders delivered. So we are interested in, lets say for 15/08/2019, orders placed by that time that will be delivered in that month.

At the top of my document, I would like something like "Effective Date: dd/mm/yyyy".
This date will show data as it would have appeared at that time, unaffected by anything that has happened since. In this sense, it is almost like looking back in time to see what results would have been shown at that time.
The final result for that month is irrelevant, what is displayed is how the month appeared to be going at that moment in time.

So, I'm looking for a better term than "effective date" that implies that the user inputting the data is looking back in time. Almost like a "date of focus", but more time-travel-y.
Effective isn't wrong, but just doesn't feel like enough.

I have tried looking up some terms but can't get the right word.
If this makes any sense whatsoever, your help would be much appreciated!


texts: What’s the meaning of the line “The conclusions of the Second Vatican Council of 1962 -65 were given too liberal a reading by many Catholics?”

texts:
Though it must be a plain statement for native English speakers, the captioned line in the Time magazine’s (February 25 – though a pretty belated subject) article titled “The Second Act” - http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2136322,00.html - puzzled me:

  “Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada, has worked in South America and is
  now ensconced in Rome as head of the extremely influential
  Congregation of Bishops, --. The Pope (Benedict) also made him
  president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Like
  Benedict, Ouellet believes that the conclusions of the Second Vatican
  Council of 1962--65 were given too liberal a reading by many
  Catholics. However, he keeps a very low profile and is not
  particularly magnetic.

What does “The conclusions of the Second Vatican Council were given too liberal a reading by many Catholics” mean? Is this a clear-cut sentence to all Anglophones?

Is it mandatory to place the article (a) immediate before the noun / gerund (reading) as “too liberal a reading (by many Catholics)? If I take this line as “The conclusions of the Second Vatican Council were interpreted in a too liberal way by many Catholics,” am I making an egregious mistake?


texts: Grammaticality of "I have already asked from him"

texts:
In response to a question, I have to answer.

An example:

  A: Hello B, can I go?
  B: Ask C first.
  A: I have already asked from C.

Is this grammatical?


texts: "Can I bum a cigarette?" - "I’m an athlete"

texts:
A: Can I bum a cigarette?

  B: I'm an athlete.

I would like to know what the term for this type of answer is. To be honest, I came across it while reading an article online the other day, but it has completely fallen out of my head. The implication is that a person who asks a question, does not receive a yes or no answer for their question.

Here are some examples:

  A: Can I bum a cigarette?
  B: I’m an athlete (meaning—since I am an athlete, I'm watching my health, so do not smoke and consequently I do not have any cigarettes)

  A: Do you want me to buy you an ice cream?
  B: I'm lactose intolerant (ice cream has milk which might give B some GI distress)

  A: Are you coming with us to the pool?
  B: I cannot swim (I am not coming with you guys because I cannot swim)

As you can see from the examples above, all the answers are formulated in a different way. It is more like providing additional information regarding the question that is being asked.


texts: What is the difference between "special" and "especial"?

texts: I can decide accurately which to use in a given context, but I can't make out the actual difference in definition between "special" and "especial". I have searched two authoritative dictionaries to no avail.


texts: Is “snitty” a popular American English term? What is its origin?

texts:
I came to know the word, “snitty” for the first time from the remark of Mr. William Barr during his testimony on his way of handling of Mueller Report in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Washington Post (May 2nd) reports under the headline, ”Pelosi escalates attacks on Trump, compares him to Nixon, as Barr’s defiance angers Democrats”:

  Barr dismissed Mueller’s letter as a bit “snitty” and said he believed
  it had probably been written by a staff member.”

Neither of online Oxford or Cambridge English Dictionary carries the word, “snitty.”
But Longman Dictionary explains its meaning as “annoyed or rude to somebody because you are annoyed, together with an example, “I get snitty about bad service in restaurants.”

Google Ngram shows the word came into use around 1970, and that its currency made a rapid rise from zero up to 0.0000001853 level in 2000.

What is the exact meaning of the word, "snitty"? Is it just a slang, or "serviceable" English word as being publicly used by a man of dignity in an official situation? What is the origin of this word?


texts:
I put together a document with my findings in order to help whomever keeps working on this.

I understand that "whomever" should be used as an object, whereas "whoever" as a subject. But in the sentence above it seems to be acting as both: object for help ("help whomever") and subject for keep ("whomever keeps"). In this case, is the sentence above correct?
Also, would it be correct to use "whoever"? Argument would be the same, that it's used both as subject and object.


texts:
I have a question, which of the following would you say is the correct one?

Mario texted me today saying you had told him that I had come to Greece
Mario texted me today saying you told him I had come to Greece

Thanks!


texts:
Why is the most common date format in the US like mm/dd/yyyy, whereas in Europe (including the UK) it's more common to have dd/mm/yyyy?

Looking around, I found that the US form is actually the more traditional Anglo-Saxon way, but the British adapted to using the European form in the early 20th Century.

But I couldn't find a definitive discussion of the history of the different formats. Is it just conventional, or is there an official 'British date standard' (like with metric and imperial, for example).


texts: Is there a term for words which are insults but not vulgar?

texts:
Sometimes, when I explain a new word to a friend who doesn't speak English well, I know that the word has to be used carefully, because it is not appropriate in all contexts, or can be offensive if used in the wrong way (or used at all). And I try to convey to the friend a feeling of what is dangerous about a word, so they will not use it inappropriately. Interestingly, languages (and cultures) have different reasons why a word can be dangerous, but today I am thinking of words which are insulting. For insults, I know broadly three sub-categories:

Words which are OK in their primary meaning, but insulting when applied to a human.

That cow from Accounting lost my receipt.

Words which are specifically meant as an insult, but are not dirty. A conservative grandmother won't let her grandchild apply the word to another person, but won't be appalled at the child knowing the word.

That nitwit from Accounting lost my receipt.

Words which are not just insults, but also vulgar, and considered taboo in some situations.

That bitch from accounting lost my receipt.

What I am looking for is for a term for the second category above. And it should not be just an umbrella term which also includes one or both of the two other categories, but one which makes it clear which one is meant. Just like

"Bitch" is a curse word.

makes it clear that "bitch" is not in category 1 or 2, I am asking if there is a term which could be used in the sentence

"Nitwit" is a _____ word.

would not only make it clear that nitwit is an insult, but also that it is not in category 1 or 3.
I am aware that there are many descriptive ways to express that, for example "non-curse insult", but I have a nagging feeling that I have encountered a single-word term that is specific to that exact category, and have forgotten it. After talking to some people, I am starting to doubt if this term exists, but if it does, I hope the community here will find it.
I am not sure that the term is used in a noun phrase with "word", so maybe the example should simply be "Nitwit is a ____".


texts:
What are synonyms for taking cover?

Is there a word that means "running to shelter or refuge to save myself from incoming pain or trouble"?

I want to use it in these contexts:

  Taking cover time.

  Time to take cover.


texts: "Climbed up over ..." vs. "climbed over ..."

texts:
I found that climbed up over is used in the following sentence of the 'excerpt' “The Amber Spyglass” in The New York Times.

  “Ama and her daemon climbed up over the rock shelves and around the
  little cataracts, past the whirlpools and through the spectrum-tinted
  spray, until her hair and her eyelids and his squirrel fur were beaded
  all over with a million tiny pearls of moisture.”

As climbed up over does not have many hits in Google nGRAM, I am wondering, why should we prefer climbed over? To be clear, what is the grammatical rule that we should consider to choice between climbed up over and climbed over?

See the following nGRAM:


texts: What is this grammatical rule that applies here?

texts:
So I was doing an elementary level of English language test, and I stumbled upon the following question.

  Go past the library, and bus station is opposite _____ the cathedral.

Available answers to this are: a) of b) - (blank) c) from d) to

I answered d) but the woman checking the test said it was supposed to be b) or in other words left blank.

Why is that and whats the rule behind it?


texts:
See a raccoon and pungent isn't what you think. But if you put the animal close to your nose, you'll find . . .

Just a reworded example. Is there a tense shift here? One that shouldn't exist? Does the tense shift get removed if you write:

  See a raccoon and pungent isn't what you think. But put the animal close to your nose and you find


texts: Is this line from The Merchant of Venice metaphorical?

texts:
From "The Merchant of Venice", Act IV:

  The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
  It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Can we consider that a metaphor?


texts: Why are plural pronouns used for a singular third person?

texts:
My initial concept was:

  One should finish one's meal.
  When a user logs in to his/her email...
  A person bought a cake for his/her work.

However, in the recent (8-10) years, I have been seeing more and more references like these:

  One should finish their meal.
  When a user logs in to their email...
  A person bought a cake for their work.

Which of the two approaches above is correct? Do they have to do something with the difference between British and American English?


texts: Simple explanation of the many functional uses of 'should'?

texts:
[User John Lawler]: So how many named special cases of each modal verb are there, in toto? There's
  1. subjunctive should, and
  2. mandative should, and
  3. putative should, at least;
  and I s[up]pose 4. Should we? is suggestive should, and
  5. Shouldn't we? is tag **should**, and I can think of a lot more.

I ask about only operative uses of this modal verb including literary and formal usage,  but please omit anything obsolete. I'm trying to classify them and learn the formal terms describing each.
Are there any apt others in addition to the ones above? (I added the enumeration below)

1. What's 'subjunctive should'?  Whenever should is conjugated in the subjunctive mood?
5. What's a tag **should** ?
6. Where does  should/would  feature? What's it called? This should is detailed in  point 3 under 'Usage Notes' on page  1 of 2 or the last para herein or "should like to" vs. "would like to".


texts: When is usage still subsequent in a very long document?

texts:
We are supposed to spell out a military rank when used before a soldier's name, e.g.,

Master Sergeant John Doe.

In subsequent usage, we are supposed to abbreviate the title to

Master Sgt. John Doe

Style guides differ on the exact abbreviation with some preferring MSgt)
My question concerns the definition of subsequent. If you are writing a novel or any lengthy document, should you avoid abbreviating titles entirely or only abbreviate when the title appears several times in the same few pages?


texts: what is the meaning of time this---His success was down to being in the right place at the right time

texts: what is the meaning of this---His success was down to being in the right place at the right time


texts: What's the term when you say something like "90% chance this is not true", but you actually don't know the percentage?

texts:
What's the term when you say something like "90% chance this is not true". But you actually don't know the percentage?

Is it "figure of speech"?


texts:
what to call the point at which all paths meet?

they often become major trade hubs, or busy bustling cities, because it's a huge intersection, a crossroads but on a greater scale.

  If you control the _______ you control the world.

I realise I was most likely searching for an idiom, a historical town or so that has come into common usage and now means what I describe above.


texts:
Can I say:

  Many issues can be blamed for this ...


texts: Can we interchange phrases " What's the date today?" and "what day is it today?"

texts:
Can we interchange the sentences " What's the date today?" and "what day is it today?"

In grammar is it correct to use these sentences interchangeably?

For example "What's the day today?" and "what date is it today?"


texts: Origin of "guy" as an interjection substituting for "gosh" or "golly"?

texts:
Is anyone familiar with, or know the origin of, the use of "guy" as an interjection at the beginning of a sentence, as a substitute for "gosh!" or "golly!" (or "God"?) ?

For example:

  "Guy, Holl, that's the most heartrending story I ever heard."

(YouTube: How to Frame a Figg)

(This includes closed-captioning which reproduces the phrase exactly as I have given it here.)

  "Well guy, grandpa, I got a job."

(YouTube: The Munsters: Season 2, Episode 6, 'Happy 100th Anniversary')

  "Guy, Chief, that legend's 200 years old!"

(YouTube: The Munsters:  Season 2, Episode 18, 'Big Heap Herman')

I had never encountered this usage before, so I consulted a half-dozen standard dictionaries of the English language; two slang dictionaries (including the most recent edition of Partridge); two books on word origins; and two books specifically on interjections.

These examples are from between 1965–1971; to me, this implies some sort of period slang, which may only have had a brief vogue.
The fact that major production companies were involved in making the material suggests that the writers employed language that they felt was common enough that it would be recognized by most of their intended audience — which in all cases consisted of native English-speaking Americans.
That neither I, nor several other Americans I've asked can remember ever encountering this particular usage before suggests that the popularity of this usage was short-lived, and possibly also regional.


texts: What does "I have got a witness 'set up' down the road? "mean?

texts:
set up
The context is a detective telling another detective about the case in an episode of Wandavision.
I specifically want to know what does "set up" mean here?


texts: What do you call someone who's obsessed with the latest equipment/gear/products?

texts:
"Hypebeast" is not the word I am looking for, as I would associate a "hypebeast" as someone obsessed with frivolous possessions like overpriced brand-name clothing and fashion in general.

I need a more generalized word/phrase that would describe somebody who cares about the latest technologies, equipment, products, etc.  Thanks in advance.


texts: Does "invertebrate" have a figurative meaning?

texts:
In Oxford Dictionary of English I looked up the word "invertebrate" and I only saw its zoological meaning:

  noun
  An animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusc, annelid, coelenterate, etc. The invertebrates constitute an artificial division of the animal kingdom, comprising 95 per cent of animal species and about thirty different phyla.
  adjective
  Denoting an invertebrate or relating to the invertebrates as a group.

But elsewhere I have seen sentences like this:

  They don't like him because he is invertebrate.

where "invertebrate" is said to mean "weak-minded".
And this:

  Seeing her baby, she became invertebrate instantly.

where it is said to mean "softened".

So, does "invertebrate" really have these figurative meanings? And if so, is it universally accepted or just used in informal occasions?


texts: What's the meaning of "The risk of A and the allocation of B should be assessed for determining C"

texts:
In the following paragraph, I have no clue what the last sentence means.
I guess the sentence structure is like the below, but still I don't get the meaning of the sentence.
The risk of A and the allocation of B should be assessed for determining C.
= In order to determine C, the risk of A and the allocation of B should be assessed.
I made a similar sentence like the below one and it doesn't make any sense at all.
the risk of having too frequent sex should be assessed for determining whether sex partners are accepting risk.

For example, a person offering her apartment on Airbnb may check that
the platform offers some level of vouching and background checks to
ensure the trustworthiness of the guest, but she may not think to
inquire into the property- damage insurance coverage. The apartment
provider may neglect the possibility that even well- meaning,
trustworthy guests may inadvertently create damage. Moreover, both the
provider and the renter of the apartment may altogether ignore the
effects of their transactions on third parties. In this example, the
risk of inadequately protecting the consumer and the allocation of
liability on the housing provider should be assessed for determining
whether the parties are knowingly allocating – and accepting–risk.

Thank you in advance.


texts:
Are these right?

such amounts of money
such a lot of money
such an amount of money
such lots
such lots of people


texts: How to write compound possessives with "or"

texts:
When a compound possessive is formed with "and," I think the rule is that both terms become possessive when there are multiple separate objects that are owned, as in "John's and Dave's cars" (John's car and Dave's car). Only the last term becomes possessive when you're talking about a shared object, as in "John and Dave's house" (one house where John and Dave both live).
Is there a similar rule with "or"? Like is there a difference between saying "That house on the left is either John or Dave's house" versus saying "That house on the left is either John's or Dave's house"?


texts: Counterpart of "presidency" for a prime minister, as a one word?

texts: "Angela Merkel's presidency unraveled all of sudden." would be correct, if she were President. But she's the Prime Minister. How can this sentence be corrected, using a neat, appropriate expression (not necessarily one word, if not available.)


texts:
Is the punctuation in this phrase correct?
...like two, li'l, sweet "peas in a pod"!


texts:
There is a song "Something That I Want" (ending theme from Tangled). It has the following lines:

She's a girl with the best intentions.
He's a man of his own invention.

What is the meaning of the second line? Is there are some kind of idiom?


texts:
"But we'll get a classification and teletype it to Washington some time tonight. If it don't click, you'll be in for a day on the steel picture racks downstairs."

A conversation between police officer and Philip Marlow the detective at the police
headquarters. The police says he is sending a fingerprints of dead person to further
investigation to Washington (the novel was written in 1938,  'Red Wind' by Chandler).

Thank you.


texts: What is an adjective or concept that describes a combination of ability and diligence?

texts:
Is there an adjective that describes someone who has both a high degree of natural ability and diligence, as opposed to someone who is naturally able but not very hard working or vice-versa?

I thought of adjectives such as 'competent' or 'capable', but I am wondering if there is another one that captures this sense of having both attributes better?


texts: Do Idioms such as “all the more” function as adjectives or adverbs?

texts:
All the more reason to value these beautiful little creatures and their habitat, right? (From TOEFL)

In the sentence above, I think "all the more" is functioning as an adjective. In Merriam-Webster dictionary, this expression is categorized as an idiom without indicating whether it is an adjective or adverb. For the example given by Webster, "The fact that they'd written the play themselves made it all the more impressive", I feel like "all the more" is used as an adverb modifying adjective impressive.
So, in effect, what grammatical part does the idiom "all the more" play?


texts: How the phrase "take the pain of gain" might be understood and paraphrased here?

texts:
In the following sentence:

"I had to stay short [position in stocks] and take the pain of gain no matter what."

my comment is added in the brackets  []

1) What does the pain of gain mean at all?

2) What does take the pain of gain mean?

3) How is it possible to paraphrase the sentence to preserve its meaning.


texts: In which dialects has "right" been used as an adverb meaning "very"?

texts:
I, as an American English speaker, have the intuition that "right" could mean "very" in some British or Australian dialects. However, I could not find much information outside of a couple of dictionary entries that simply list it as dialectical or archaic usage.

For example, the entry from the free online Oxford Dictionary does indeed identify this usage of "right" as archaic and dialectical usage, though the entry in Merriam Webster's online dictionary provides this usage with no qualifiers. Meanwhile, the entry in dictionary.com provides no indication of that usage whatsoever.


texts:
When President Obama said-- lyingly-- that “if you like your plan, you
  can keep your plan,” his party ultimately paid for it. A reasonably
  competent Democratic Party, with something like the A.H.C.A. to run
  against, should be able to make Republicans pay dearly in their turn.

(From a recent New York Times opinion column by Ross Douthat)

I have a decent vocabulary, but lyingly is a word I've not read or heard much, until recently. I'm interested in having a better feel for how this adverb is used and has been used in the past.

I've looked it up in Oxford Living Dictionary and don't feel very enlightened, though I understand its basic meaning: in a deliberately untruthful manner, mendaciously. i also understand that It is formed by adding -ly to the participial adjective, lying and that this in turn is derived from the verb, to lie.

My question is threefold:

Can you give me examples of other current usage and past usage of lyingly that might give me insight?
How, if at all, has the meaning and usage of lyingly changed over time?
Do you have any evidence that lyingly might be popular right now in the U.S. due to Trump's habits of promulgating "alternative facts"?


texts: Similarity between future perfect and future perfect continuous

texts: I had an assignment given before some days. I tried to do it and got some answers right, but it was not satisfactory. Can you tell me the similarity between future perfect and future perfect continuous? It is preferable if you give me some examples.


texts: Is there a word for a statement which is false but comfortable to believe in?

texts: Example statement: 'life is fair'. Is there a more specific term other than fallacy? Maybe a subset of fallacy that also indicates comfort in believing it.


texts: In the following sentence, how many places with passive voice are there?

texts:
Consider the sentence:

The matter reported by the news is prohibited by the law.

"is prohibited" is passive voice here, but what about "reported by the news"? Is it passive voice too?
I'm thinking if the phrase "the matter reported by the news" is a shortened version of "The matter, which is reported by the news". The latter is passive voice I suppose.


texts: "a change in ..." vs "a change to ...", any difference?

texts:
Is there any difference between "a change in something" and "a change to something"?

Is that like the former one is a more objective description while the latter one emphasizes the result of a certain action by someone?


texts:
I read the following definition for accusative absolute, but the many syntactical terms (based on Latin) confound me: accusative and nominative absolute.

  a construction in English, especially colloquial English, consisting of a pronoun in the accusative case joined with a predicate that does not include a finite verb and otherwise identical with the nominative absolute (as him being my friend in “him being my friend, I granted his request”)

I first heard this at 54:31 in this Youtube video.


texts:
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language says  this (Page 1119):

Temporal contrasts
The main contrast may be a matter of time, expressed by tense:
[38] i It is better than [it was].
ii It wasn't as good as [it is now].
Note, however, that where contrastive present time is associated with the comparative clause the present tense normally needs reinforcing with a temporal modifier: it would be unusual to drop now from [ii].

I don't understand why 'now' is required in [ii].
Why is this sentence unusual?

It wasn't as good as it is.


texts: Equivalent word for 'Unfriend' on Social media sites?

texts:
I understand that 'Unfriend' is not a valid English word.
But, is there an equivalent word for the act of 'Unfriending' someone, like on Facebook?

'Not being on talking terms' is something a friend suggested.
I am looking for one word here.

from @Hugo :
Because social media "friends" are sometimes just acquaintances and not necessarily actual friends (and sometimes not even acquaintances), a good answer will also apply to this weaker relationship.


texts:
What is the correct (or at least preferred) way of formatting dates in a résumé whenever you don't need to specify a day?

For example, I am using the format “May 2011”, but I don’t know whether I should use “May, 2011” or “May ’11” (although this one doesn’t seem too appropriate for a résumé).


texts: Is “knife-in-one’s-teeth (woman)” frequently used English? Can we use it for a man as well?

texts:
I saw the word “knife-in-her-teeth daughter” in Maureen Dawd’s article, titled “Darth Vader Vents” in New York Times (August 27). The article deals with former Vice president Dick Cheney’s new memoir, “In My Time,” and Maureen introduces the book;

  “His knife-in-her-teeth daughter, Elizabeth Cheney, helped write the book. The second most famous Liz & Dick combo do such an excellent job of cherry-picking the facts, it makes the cherry-picking on the Iraq war intelligence seem picayune.”

As I was unfamiliar with the phrase, “knife-in-one’s teeth,” I checked the definition of it on Cambridge and Merriam-Webster online dictionaries, without finding entry of the phrase on neither of them (though there was a difinition of 'kick in the teeth').

Although I can guess it means “bellicose” or “defiant,” from the nuance of the word, I wonder if “knife-in-one’s teeth” is popular English phrase or not. I also have a feeling that it's better applied to woman than man, because man is considered to be bellicose creature from the beginning.


texts: What do you call the part of a quantity that isn't the unit (e.g. the "5" in "5 inches")?

texts:
I am thinking "value" is close, but I also want to use the word "value" for the whole thing.

  A value of 5 inches...

in which case the "value" should be broken into the "___" and the "unit".

An example sentence:

  In my software, to represent the different distances unambiguously, I store the unit along with the ___.


texts: A man who doesnt Advertise himself- Single Word

texts: What do you call a person who doesn't want to advertise himself? He may be somebody special but doesn't like to talk about his achievement or advertise himself. What is the Adjective that describes such a trait?


texts:
Temperature was very low, but now...?

Temperature has risen in a half as much again

Temperature has risen in one and a half times

Temperature has risen by half

Or... I don't know.


texts:
In the word laugh, it is pronounced "aff".
In the word naught, it is pronounced "aw".

Are there any other ways to pronounce "augh"?
Bonus points for etymology explaining from where these pronunciations come.


texts: Present Simple or Past Simple with "today"?

texts:
Which of the following is correct?

  She doesn't go to school today because she is ill.
  She didn't go to school today because she is ill.

These are the only choices given.


texts:
Is there a word for not having your/ or a race's opinion being taken into account? More of a discrimination/racism type of word.

For example.

"Discrimination can be demonstrated through insulting, marginalizing, or [word] a race."

Help is greatly appreciated, even the closest word related to this is fine.


texts:
I was prompted to this question by the question on Skeptics SE regarding sex and stretching of vaginas.

A general google search on etymology of "loose woman" did not turn up any reasonable answers for the etymology of the phrase.

What, then, is the etymology of the phrase, and does it have anything to do with the perceived "loosening" of the vagina after too much sex (implying promiscuity)?


texts:
What is the opposite of a simulacrum, in the sense of an image, effigy or representation?

I am looking for a word to describe the original flesh and blood person represented by a statue.


texts:
Reading an English textbook and learning stuff, they mention that that "other" is used only with plural or uncountable nouns.
But what about this?

  There is no other way..no other option. Car ends up on its side, No
  other car involved!

Especially the last one, how could I say that without the "other" word?


texts: Explain the structure of this sentence: “Segway will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy."

texts:
Dean Kamen, the inventor of Segway, ever said:

Segway will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy.

It seems to me that the structure of this sentence is “Segway will be (something1) to the car what the car was (something2) to the horse and buggy."
So: what stands for something2 and what the car was to the horse and buggy stands for something1.
Am I correct?


texts: What's the passive form of "A lives (or resides) in B"?

texts:
I could easily say "Currently, there are six people living in that manor", but how do I turn it into passive sentence so that the manor becomes the subject?

I was trying to make a sentence about a group of five people renting an apartment house together.


texts: what are the figurative meanings of "the light switch goes off"?

texts: This is part of a CNN news article I need to translate. I am not quite sure about what situation the phrase describes. Here is the part the expression comes from: "When did the light switch go off for you to say, oh, my goodness, things have really drastically changed and I'm in trouble if I don't change with them?"


texts: "People" or "peoples" when referring to an indigenous population?

texts:
Let's say we are talking about the indigenous pukapuka who live in Pluto.

What is correct: "the pukapuka people" or "the pukapuka peoples"?

I've read somewhere the usage of "peoples" in this context, and it has surprised me.


texts: One word for things that would be nice to have, but not required to have?

texts:
Something a bit professional sounding?

In a scenario where there was also a bunch of Requirements, this situation could be easily solved by labelling one as Required and this specific bunch of things as Optional. But in an independent context, where no requirements exist to provide contextual flavor, what can be a concise way of referring to a bunch of things that would be great if you could have / have access to, but they're not things you need to have / have access to.

Perhaps the word which fits -  Required : Optional :: Requirements : ????

ETA: Though I'm also hoping for a better word than optional which also conveys the extra / positive nature of 'it would be really good to have this, even if it's not a requirement'.


texts:
In Wren and Martin, there are examples given in which "who" introduces a co-ordinate clause which thus can't be an adjective clause.How's this possible.

E.g

1)I met Mr. Joshi, who thereupon shook hands with me.

In this sentence isn't the clause "who thereupon.....me" telling us more about Mr. Joshi ?

2)He relaeased the bird, which at once flew away.

The same case here ? How it's a co-ordinate clause and not adjective clause ?

But look at this "This is the boy who broke the window". It's written in the book that here "who broke the window" is an adjective clause.Isn't same as the above two examples ?


texts: Is this correct "Users failed to assign"?

texts: As a user of a platform, you can mass assign users to the team. If there will be some problems with assigning, then you will get an email with the list of users who failed to assign. Is it correct to name email subject "Users failed to assign"? And the text "Some users failed to assign to the team"


texts: What's another word for traffic in a rural preindustrial or medieval environment?

texts:
What's another word for traffic in a rural preindustrial or medieval type environment?

Traffic just feels so modern to me, cars and trucks, and doesn't seem to fit in a time and place where there are no automobiles.

What would a better word to describe the traffic of horses and wagons, or something along those lines?


texts:
Can the word inlet be used for mountains, too? I'm looking for a word that describes valleys that reach into the mountain, but don't go across it.

Here is a picture that tries to describe what I'm looking for.

I found this picture with a coulee. Is that a good word?

I'm not specifically looking for steep valleys or canyons, but rather for soft valleys.

EDIT: Thanks a lot for the input. I think I'm going with “a valley that reaches into the mountain but doesn't cross it”. I think notch is also good, but isn't as easy to understand for non-native speakers, which are my targeted readers.  Seems like notch isn't what I want either. Maybe combe?


texts: Why some questions are written in this funny way?

texts:
There, I did it myself. Instead of asking "Why are some questions written in this funny way?", I produced what strikes me as bad English ever so often: Questions that are formed by starting out with "Why" (or other interrogative words), followed by what seems to be a normal subject-verb-object sentence. A few examples are quickly drawn from some other SE sites (missing question marks included), but this seems to be quite common all across the board:

“Why we need SELinux?”
“Why ATM and MPLS are at level 2.5”
“Why Turn Collate Off”
“Why BitTorrent uploads simultaneously?”
“Why the letters in keyboards are arranged like this?”

I do have the impression that the actual article beneath such a question is often written in quite good English, so the writer is not necessarily a beginner of the language.

Therefore my question, mainly aimed at the native speakers of English: Is this considered to be good style? Or do you find it sloppy? What's your impression when you read such a construct?


texts: Can subject–auxiliary inversion in conditionals be used with non-auxiliary (arbitrary) verbs?

texts:
Can I say something like

  Come you there, I'll get you.

?

Or should I only say something like

  Should you come there, I'll get you.

?

I understand that it looks like I must use an auxiliary verb in a subject-auxiliary inversion kind of by definition :) But I'm just not sure if I absolutely need it.


texts: What does "set" mean in "The NFL could be set to ban helmets"?

texts:
What does "set" mean in the following:

  The NFL could be set to ban helmets.

I don't even know if it is verb or noun.

PS I not a native English speaker.

Thank you.


texts: Is usage of "in more detail" at the beginning of a sentence awkward?

texts:
Is usage of "in more detail" as an equivalent of "to explain in more detail" at the beginning of a sentence awkward? (see example below)

  In this chapter we present the evaluation setup. In more detail, we define the dataset and the location and time models. We then introduce...

if it is not idiomatic, what is the correct equivalent that can be used?


texts: Does "to surmise" have a different connotation than its denotation?

texts:
I've always read "to surmise" to mean something to make a conjecture based on disparate pieces of evidence. I've read it closer to "to conclude" than "to guess".

The dictionary, however, seems to disagree with me. Have I always been reading this verb incorrectly?


texts: Reference request: the pronunciation of Law French?

texts:
Would anyone happen to know of a systematic account of the English pronunciation of legal and parliamentary terms and phrases of Anglo-Norman French origin, or more generally, of Law French? When it comes to loans from Latin, even Wikipedia has a very detailed account of their traditional pronunciation and its development, but I've been unable to find anything analogous for terminology originating from Law French.

My question is intimately related to this earlier one on the archaic nature of Legal English, though unless I've missed something, nothing in that thread seemed to really touch on Law French in any detail at all.

EDIT: At the very least, is there anything more to the story than "just" taking these archaic French words and phrases and applying, according to their spelling, an ad hoc mixture of general English pronunciation and the odd bit of modern French pronunciation?


texts: Are there any cases where "Why don't you" is offensive?

texts:
"Why don't you" is a commonly used expression to suggest something to others.
However, when it gets directly translated into my language, Korean, it can be a little rude and offensive, depending on the context.

For example, for a question "May I ask you where the QWERTY center is?", answering "Why don't you go to the information desk?" feels as if it was "There's where you can ask there, so do not ask me!".

So I became curious; are there any cases where "Why don't you" is offensive, in common English?


texts: "That sounds great" vs "It sounds great"

texts:
Is there any difference between two sentences?

For example, let's say a friend of mine says:

  How about going to the movies?

I would say:

  That sounds great.

or

  It sounds great.

Which one is better ?

Could anyone tell the differenct to me?


texts: whats is the complement and adjunct in these sentences?

texts:
I am very confused about the difference between complement and adjunct.... Is there any genius who can identify the complement and adjunct in the below paragraphs?

Many of us spend an enormous amount of time and energy engaged in work—eight, ten, even twelve hours a day isn't at all uncommon. And whether we work for a giant corporation, a smaller company, or on Wall Street—or, whether we are self-employed,work for the government, or in retail—or for that matter any other industry or business, there's no doubt about it: work can be, and usually is, stressful.
One of the nice by-products of learning not to sweat the small stuff so much is that, eventually, you begin to see more and more of what you have deal with on a daily basis as "small stuff". Whereas before you may have treated practically everything as if it were a really big deal, you may get better at differentiating between the truly significant and that which is far more benign.


texts: Decent way to say "I would have gone to say XXX if you didn't mention YYY'"

texts:
I need help from a native speaker on this question A hypothetical scenario is as below:

A friend comes to you and says, "Coffee?". However, before he asked me, I was thinking of saying "Have a coffee break?" to him.

I might compose a response like the following; but are there more decent ways?

"Oh great! I'd have asked you to have a cup of coffee if you didn't ask!"


texts: What's the difference between England, Britain, and the United Kingdom?

texts: I'm a little confused over which regions of the world these terms are really referring to.  Also, when is it appropriate to refer to someone as British vs. English?


texts:
Writing out an interview with two Americans, in US English. It's an interview with 'brothers and sisters in the field' of medicine, semi-scientific, slightly formal but in a friendly kind of way. So in my native Dutch, I'd use first names, as in:

John: "Yes, but..."
Mary: "What..."

I have this hunch that in US English, this is considered not done, even though in everyday life they would John & Mary all the time. So it would  have to be:

Smith: "Yeah, well..."
Jones: "What he..."

Is my hunch wrong?

Edit: The not done bit implies that I want to avoid offending interviewees and readers. Perhaps I should have asked for the 'most neutral form', but I didn't think of the problem like that, at first.


texts: plural subject with uncountable noun "impetus"

texts:
"Free education and health care are among the other impetus".
Here the subject is plural, and I want to use it with impetus. However, impetus is uncountable. What is the correct form of that sentence?


texts: spread of the quotative "be like" outside North America

texts:
I thought that the quotative "be like" was limited to American English, but was surprised to hear a 60-something New Zealand woman using it repeatedly recently. What is the status in world English?

(I am referring to "be like" to introduce a quotation or internal monologue, as is discussed in e.g. this paper:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/455910
)


texts: Difference between "log in", "authenticate" and "sign in"?

texts:
I didn't find the difference between them by  googling

Edit:
Thx litterally, authenticate, means prove its identity, which is a just a subprocess of global access authorization
btw I forgot to mention "Sign In", that's another confusing term for me ;)

Edit 2
other useful answers: https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/1080/using-sign-in-vs-using-log-in


texts: Is there any difference between "monthly average" and "average per month"?

texts: I have trouble understanding if I should use "monthly average" or "average per month" when asking someone to calculate monthly average of a variable, e.g. heating expenses. Is there any difference, if this payment happens every month or quarterly, and I want to know average per month?


texts: What does the word "rich" mean in the reactionary sarcastic phrase "That's rich!"?

texts:
What does the word "rich" mean in the reactionary sarcastic phrase "That's rich!" (Google shows 67M hits).

I take it to mean "rich" as in "rich in irony". What it is the source of the phrase and how long has it been used?

EDIT:

It looks like it is rich as in a rich source of entertainment or delight.


texts: What would you call one parent who acts as both the mother and father to a child?

texts:
I was just wondering if there was a word for when a parent has to act as a mother and father to a child either because the parent is single and the other parent is absent from the child's life.
Thank you!


texts: Difference between 'to the left' and 'on the left'

texts:
I have encountered these expressions today, when I was describing a photo.
People are lining up in the picture. I wanted to explain someone who is standing next to the person on the far left. And I started to wonder if there is any difference between 'the person second on the left' and 'the person second to the left'.


texts: Meaning of lonely in a particular context

texts:
My friend is_____ child. It must be boring not having brothers and sisters.

a. a lonely

b. an only

To me, both are correct.
The context support both lonely and an only.

My friend is a lonely child. It must be boring not having brothers and sisters.

She is lonely because she hasn't got any siblings.

Lonely means unhappy because you are alone or do not have anyone to talk to.
So, the one who hasn't got any siblings can also be lonely, not only an only.

A lonely old man. ( when people usually leave)

Won't you be lonely as well as an only when you do not have siblings?
Please tell me whether I can use BOTH or not.


texts: What do you call a person who doesn't like/hates traveling?

texts:
Example:

  Speaker A: Should we invite Mark to the trip?

  Speaker B: Nah, he's a [...]


texts:
His lack of the ghost of a notion what any one else was feeling that
  annoyed her, had always annoyed her; and now at his age, how silly!

The above was quoted from Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.

Does this mean that she was annoyed because he lacks the sense in what makes her annoyed?


texts: Verb for removing someone's incorrect belief or notion?

texts:
I'm trying to recall a specific (and interesting) verb, which I'm 90% sure exists.
The verb means, roughly, to make someone aware of something, to open their eyes. But it's used in a particular way: in the sense of relieving someone of their prior, mistaken views (perhaps by revealing some new evidence, or pointing out something they simply hadn't considered before).
Examples:

"She _______ him of [some notion he held] by pointing out [something]."

"Seeing the reality of how they lived _________ me of any [conservative/socialist/whatever] leanings I might have held."


texts:
Classial? Classical? None of these are the answer. What am I supposed to say?

I want to say, "A [insert the right word here] divide," but cannot


texts:
Which phrase is more suitable to convey one's inability to do something — "not able to" or "unable to"? For example,

  not able to join the meeting
  unable to join the meeting


texts: What is the term for a word which has the meaning changed to its opposite?

texts:
This question was originally posted here:
What is the term for a word that has come to mean the opposite of its orignal meaning?

I don't think it should have been marked as a duplicate: the "duplicate" question was asking about auto-antonyms/contronyms; however, this question refers to words that no longer hold their original meaning (I'm almost sure, necessarily via misuse). Whereas contronyms can mean two, opposite things, the type of words we're asking about no longer hold two meanings; they just mean one thing opposite to what they originally meant.

[This question might be better for meta. In which case, I'd appreciate if somebody with the requisite points posts it there].

I came across this question while wondering about the verb "Nonplus," or specifically about the passive participle, "Nonplussed." I've (mis)used the word, intending to mean "not at all affected or surprised," and have been understood, although it means the exact opposite.

So I'm re-opening this question!

Update to clarify some good points brought up in the comments to the initial post:

I'm referring to words whose actual meanings over time have changed to their initial meaning's opposites, not those whose connotations have switched from positive to negative or vice versa (as with "condescension," as Phil mentioned, or "innovation").

Another comment asked if there was an example of a word that lost its old meaning entirely. I think I found one: "hussy," according to this article, used to mean the mistress of a household, or housewife, which, to my mind, is an antonym for what it now means.
A better example is the phrase "hoity-toity." See this link for more on Michael Quinion's blog. I would post more links, specifically, to issues 802, 803, 851, and 852 of his Newsletter for mentions of "hoi polloi," whose misuse to mean the upper classes is becoming more prevalent, but I don't have enough points to post more than two links...


texts: What is the noun of Warn, warning someone

texts: I'm wondering if it right to write : "I'm just a warner to you" and is there any (more) popular word to use referring to warning? Thank you!


texts: Sharp difference between almost similar meanings

texts: What is the difference between "Speculation" & "Propaganda"?


texts: On verb/subject agreement in an inverted sentence

texts:
I would like to know general grammatical rules on verb-subject agreement in inverted sentences like the following one:

At stake is much more than just the fortunes of the president.

Although much more can be considered singular, the fortunes of the president is plural.
On balance, the subject much more than just the fortunes of the president does not seem to agree with the singular verb is, does it? Or, is the subject much more than just the fortunes of the president singular?
Anyway, I guess the proximity of much more to the verb has made it the singular is.
Could you please tell me the grammatical rationale behind the sentence as well as general rules of thumb in similar ones?


texts:
Consider the following passages:

A litter made of two rifles and two field jackets would suffice for now. That was good news; another bit was that the EPW was a lieutenant, a regimental REMF attached to a battalion quartered in town. --Rangers Lead the Way By Thomas H. Taylor, Robert J. Martin
He had a couple of thousand dollars on him that would suffice for the time being, until he could find some kind of legal employment. He got out ofthe car, and walked a block. --The Maze By Kahn Morris

Now, how are these expressions different? Could we use them interchangeably? Oxford Dictionary of English has the following definitions for them,

for now until a later time: that's all the news there is for now;
for the time being for the present; until some other arrangement is made.


texts: Dictionary of English word syllables and stresses

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Where can I obtain an English dictionary with structured data?

Does anybody know of a downloadable dictionary of English words with their syllables AND stress patterns? I want to do some analysis of rhythms in texts but haven't been able to find such a database. For instance, I'd want to be able to feed my script a line and have it tell me if it is iambic or not.


texts:
I made a comment and received the following reply:

  Ha ha! Go get some life you stupid.

I know that this is some kind of insult. But what does "get some life" exactly mean?


texts: Can I use "Firstly" while writing email? Is this a correct word to use in communication?

texts:
I had a problem while writing emails where I want to tell few things in order.
I had used "Firstly" in the email but I am not very sure is it a correct way to talk or write.


texts: Question building in English vs. in French

texts:
Question about language grammar etymology.
In French the question «Do you love?» can be written as «Aimez-vous?» in German — «Mögen Sie?», but in English — «Do you love?». Why should we use the verb «to do» in order to form the question? Why, according to the English grammar, it is not possible to build the question only with words inversion, e.g. «Love you?» like in French or German?

In other words, why English which has quite a common Latin/Roman base with French and German has such different question building form.

Thanks.


texts: Can a sentence starting with "While, ..." be grammatically correct?

texts:
I have a colleague who often writes sentences in the form "While, [these circumstances would make X seem unlikely to be the case], [these other circumstances show that X is in fact the case].

For example: "While, it looks warm outside, there is actually a cold breeze so it is not warm at all."

Or take this real life example: "While, the Ports Access Regime does not expressly stipulate that access can be provided on different terms and conditions, the mechanisms in the Regime support the commercial negotiation of individual access arrangements, and access on different terms and conditions is not precluded."

Surely that is incorrect? One gets rid of the comma following the "While," in all cases, correct?


texts: English Morpho-Syntactic Parsing (Shakespeare)

texts:
Could anybody give me a hand with the morpho-syntactic parsing of the following lines from Shakespeare?

  From fairest creatures we desire increase,
  That thereby beauty’s rose might never die,
  But as the riper should by time decease,
  His tender heir might bear his memory:


texts: Are there any rhymes for the words purple, orange and silver? One of the apps on my phone says that nothing in the English dictionary rhymes with these words, and I'd like to know if this is really true.


texts:
I came across a sentence, which I am utterly incapable of understanding.
I can , at the first place , not  understand meaning of  verb " dispatch " here .
Why has the writer used this verb with  'as'?
Has the writer used " had a brisk way of dispatching " as an idiom ?
My reason for this is that we have an idiom " have a way of doing sth ".

  Whether the world is made of matter, spirit or green
  cheese is not a question over which Marx lost much sleep. He
  was disdainful of such large metaphysical abstractions, and
  had a brisk way of dispatching them as idly speculative. As
  one of the most formidable minds of modernity, Marx was
  notably allergic to fancy ideas.

The text is from a book by Terry Egelton


texts: Linguistic name for verbs like 'want', 'expect', 'beg',

texts:
In linguistics, there is this certain group or class of verbs that can be used as We <VERB> you to come.

Verbs like to expect and to want are in this class:

We expect you to come.
We want you to come.

but most verbs aren't:

*We eat you to come.
*We type you to come.
*We grow you to come.

Does anyone know the name for this class of verbs?


texts: What "of" should I replace with Saxon genitives? Avoiding too many "of"

texts:
I'm trying to write a short scientific article and ended up with this sentence:

Now we show the result of the analysis of the sequences of events with the data from the study.

As you can see there are too many "of" and I think native English speakers don't like it.

How would you write it instead?

I could try to say
the result of the events sequences analysis with the data from the study.

But it sounds strange.

I know there are some general rules but coming from a different language it's not always easy to apply them.
I can't see any "possession" here.

PS:  I could even use another "of" instead of "from"
I could even use another "of"

the result of the analysis of the sequences of events with the data of the study.


texts: What do you call something that everyone says will happen but never does?

texts:
Is there a term for something that lots of people say is going to happen, but it never happens (at least in the immediate future)?

For example, say everyone says "the tech bubble's going to burst" - yet it's 3 or 4 years until it does.

Is there a generic term or phrase for this concept?

I don't think this always has to be an alarming situation. It could be something like "Xbox prices are going to go up", but they never do. More like a prediction that never happens.


texts: Is it an Essex dialect or something else?

texts:
Being not a native English-speaker and not familiar with the dialects of the English language, especially the British ones, I'm wondering about an interesting fact for a long time. A British music group, The Prodigy, has released a single Breathe, and there is a lyrics line in the song: "Come play my game". Knowing the English language, I'd read this as [kʌm pleɪ maɪ ɡeɪm], but it's pronounced by the vocalist like [kɒm plaɪ mɔɪ gaɪm] (or something very similar). Another their single Firestarter features lyrics "I'm the pain you tasted" is sang like [aɪm ðə paɪn jə taɪstɪd].

I know that the band is from Essex and the Essex dialect exists, but I really couldn't find much information on it and I'm not really sure if it's true. I've also came across a mention that it also might be relevant to "the Southern English dialect spoken by chavs in London" (found at a non-English lingvo-forum), and I don't know if it's true as well.

What dialect such pronunciation is characteristic of?


texts: Is this correct grammar with the semi-colon

texts:
This sentence is from my essay. Is the semi-colon correct?

  His most famous residence is the Kaufmann Residence; esteemed for its use of organic architecture with Japanese architectural components to create harmony with the residence and nature.


texts:
Is it correct to turn the sentence "He'll be her sixth husband" into a question like this:Which successive/consecutive husband will he be?
Best wishes,
Boguslaw


texts: What could be an appropriate word in between long-lived event and short-lived event?

texts: I am wondering a word to express the moderated values between long-lived and short-lived events. For example, I would like to describe heat wave durations. My durations are 1hr, 2hr, 3hr, .., 10hr. I expressed the durations of heat waves > 8hrs as long-lived events and 1-4hrs as short-lived events. I can't find a appropiated word to express 5-7hr events. Though moderated events sounds nice, but it is missing the live portion.


texts:
In my initial post I may have not made my issue clear enough, so...

Say out loud the sentence, "There are three ways to spell the word two."

Obviously there is only one way to spell that specific word, but it has several homophones.  When writing the sentence, what spelling would you replace TWO with?  I know it can be rephrased to make it easy, but I want the spelling for this specific example.


texts: Do native speakers actually "feel" the difference between the following sentences?

texts:
[A] Haven’t they sold many tickets?

  [B] Haven’t they sold a lot of tickets?

According to the Cambridge dictionary, there's a difference in meaning here.

  When we use much and many in negative questions, we are usually
  expecting that a large quantity of something isn’t there. When we use
  a lot of and lots of in negative questions, we are usually expecting a
  large quantity of something.

Is this distinction clear to native speakers? Do they actually use it and understand it the way it's described?

I'm having a bit of a hard time trying to understand it myself.

Why does using many/much show that we expect there's a small quantity of something?

Why does using a lot of show that we expect a large quantity of something?


texts: What is the difference between a "singular noun" and a "plural noun treated as singular"?

texts:
I'd always thought that words like "physics" and "mathematics" were singular: after all, we say "physics is the study of…" etc. But apparently, according to the the comments on this question about "news", each of these words is actually a "plural noun [usually treated as singular]":

(highlighting/ellipsis added by me)
(NOAD = New Oxford American Dictionary)

One, Is this categorization valid? That is, is it correct to say, as the NOAD does, that these words are indeed plural (but treated as singular), rather than to say that they are singular? The accepted answer on that question, by user RegDwigнt, has a different analysis that speaks in terms of “news” being "uncountable", "used with singular verbs", and "etymologically, it used to be a plural form", and thereby carefully avoids addressing this issue, of whether these nouns are indeed plural-treated-as-singular. So my question remains.

Two, If so, what makes these words plural? Is it the fact that they end in s? (Surely "bus" is not plural?) Is it history? (Were they used as plural at some time? How far back in history does one go to decide whether a noun is singular or plural?) Is it the fact that they don't have any distinct forms treated as plural?

Most importantly, why do we even have a grammatical category of "plural nouns treated as singular"? What purpose does it serve, and how are such nouns functionally distinguishable from nouns that are actually singular? When/if the reason is history, is there a rationale for saying "plural nouns treated as singular" rather than "singular nouns that were formerly plural"?

Edit: My question isn't just about "-ics" words, but all words in the category "plural nouns treated as singular" (assuming that the category isn't just -ics words).

Edit 2: The image and part "One" of the question were added later; previously I took for granted that the categorization was valid.


texts: Difference between 'eat soup hot' and 'eat hot soup'

texts:
Can anyone explain the difference between the following sentences?

I eat most kinds of soup hot.
I eat most kinds of hot soup.

Earlier today, one of my non-English speaking friends asked me the difference between these sentences, and I couldn't explain it to him. Now, I don't speak English as my mother tongue either, but I've studied it for a long time and I understand the difference.

The first sentence means that no matter what kind of soup I eat, I mostly make it hot (boil it or microwave it or whatever) and then eat it.

The second one means I eat soup that is hot. It's like if there are 100 kinds of hot soup, I eat and probably enjoy 99 of them.

Unless I'm wrong, that is the difference. But what kind of grammar is used here? The placement of the word 'hot' is the only difference and that changes the meanings of those sentences. Can anyone explain this using grammar?


texts: Word or phrase for one who tries to benefit from everything someone else does

texts:
I am trying to find a good word or phrase to describe someone who (or the act of someone which) tries to benefit from everything someone else has or does.

The context is, on a personal level.

For example, a friend, parent or someone else tries to be included in all of the good things that come out of your hard work.

A more concrete example may be "My friend Sam is always pushing to drive my new car, stay at my new house, go out when I get paid knowing I'll pick up the tab, inviting herself and her child to any of my interesting outings for the child's benefit. Sam is ______".

I do want to make the distinction that this should not be strictly related to money. It's just one person who uses someone else's advantageous situation to benefit, at every possible opportunity. The word/phrase I am looking for should describe either that person or their act.


texts: Is it correct to use a tilde (~) in a paper as punctuation meaning “sort of identical to”?

texts:
In a paper I am writing, I have a sentence like this:

Another category of common sounds found across many languages are the palato-alveolar consonants (~sibilants). These include…

The meaning I want to convey is that palato-alveolar consonants are very related to sibilants, so I add the word “sibilants” in parentheses for laymen who may not be familiar with the term “palato-alveolar consonants”. However, I do not want to just say

palato-alveolar consonants (sibilants)

because they are not totally identical.
Is the usage of the tilde in this case acceptable in my paper? If not, are there any other ways I can convey this information?


texts: what does "pave the path for sth/sb" actually means? and if possible, please provide some alternatives with the same meaning as well.


texts: What does "call somebody's bluff" mean (in the context)?

texts:
I can't understand the meaning of this expression in the context.

‘Granddad was saying he was good for nothing, every badness was possible with him, but he didn’t drink and never had, so at least there was that one thing, one thing only that could nearly be seen as a good thing. My father called his dead bluff. I walked him home from his last session. I haven’t a bob left now, he said, and if we went over this minute to my father’s grave and dug him up, he’d be face down inside in the coffin.’
(Donal Ryan ‘The Spinning Heart’).

So, as I get it the grandfather said that the only thing the father will not do is to become a drunkard, and in order to spite him, the father drank out the farm, and by doing so, he called the grandfather’s dead bluff.
I've read various definitions of the expression ‘to call somebody’s bluff’, but still nothing makes sense to me.
How can I paraphrase this sentence?
Can it mean something like:

My dad accepted the challenge of his dad.

Or:

My dad fooled his dad.

Or something completely different?


texts: Sidenote, side-note, Side Note or Side note

texts:
So I've thought of a name for something, but cannot decide on how I should write it. In School, I vaguely remember someone saying "when you want to say something as one word, when it's really two words, then you hyphenate them", which leads me to believe I should be writing it like "Side-note". But How should you really write it, when it is going to be the name of something?

Are Sidenote, Side-note, and Side Note all correct? Which version should I use?


texts:
When writing a mathematical text one often wants to express that a certain object has a certain property, i.e.:

"Object A has property X."

Since this formulation gets boring if used too many times, I would like to know of some alternative formulations.

For instance I understand one could say:

"Object A enjoys property X."

Would the following be correct?

"Object A carries property X."

Are there any other possible variations?


texts: What's word means someone who VOLUNTARILY isolates themself from society?

texts:
I know there are words like outcast, pariah, ostracized, leper, etc. to describe someone who is shunned by society. I’m looking for a word to describe someone who rejects society and lives detached from society.

Furthermore, I thought of hermit but there are religious connotations to the word and while I am aware that it can be used to describe what I said I would prefer a word with a more neutral connotation. Also, I don’t want to limit myself to just a noun for this. Adjectives or verbs that can be used to describe voluntary detachment from society work as well.


texts: How can I interpret “talk somebody out of” in “He talked the mutawwa out of beheading or lashing me”?

texts:
I read the following sentence in Maureen Dowd’s article titled The Saudi Ambassador of Sangfroid in today’s (October 22) New York Times:

  “When I was walking around a luxury mall in Riyadh with Jubeir, the robed, bearded religious police bore down on us, pointing at me and scolding in Arabic. They say they can see the outline of your body,” Jubeir translated. It took a surprisingly long time, given his stature as a top adviser to the future King Abdullah, but he talked the mutawwa out of beheading or lashing me."

It seemed to me that the usage of out of in the sentence “He talked the mutawwa out of beheading or lashing me” is very different from the out of in the sense of from, without, apart that I got used to.

Does out of here mean not to (do)? Or, should I take it as talk someone out of (doing) in the sense of discuss with (persuade) someone thoroughly for him not to do? Is "talk somebody out of" a very popular usage?


texts: A better way of saying collecting donations

texts:
I'm trying to find the nicest and most respectful way of saying: "collecting donations".
After research, I've seen: "obtaining donations" or "collecting donations", or "getting donations".

In addition to being respectful, I am trying to convey that we collect these donations after cultivating them. Thank you.


texts: Meaning of "trapezium" in "trapezium of zoonotic ogres"

texts:
What is meant by the following quote and especially by 'trapezium'? I can't find any other meaning of trapezium here except the mathematical one and I can't apply that here. Please help.

  India 2025 will be the theatre of pandemics, a trapezium of zoonotic ogres caused by the leviathan of callous living.

Source: Imagining an ageless Hindoostan... ten years from now


texts: Expound and simplify the "semantic progression" behind "must" (the modal)

texts:
I don't understand the "semantic progression" suggested below by Ayto. The steps in the "semantic progression" feel farfetched and unconnected to me.  Can someone please fill in, and elaborate, the steps?

must

English has three words must. By far the
commonest is of course the verb, ‘have to’ [OE],
which originated in Old English as the past tense
of the now obsolete mūt ‘may, must’. It has
relatives in German muss and Dutch moet, but its
ultimate origins are not known for certain (there
may be some distant link with Germanic ‘measure’-words, such as English mete,
suggesting a semantic progression from

[1.] an original ‘time measured out for doing something’, through
[2.] ‘have time to do something’,
[3.] ‘be able to do something’, and
[4.] ‘be allowed to do something’ to
[5.] ‘have to do something’).

Word Origins (2005 2e) by John Ayto. p 343 Left column.
The following are my attempts to explain the etymological steps involved:
1 → 2. If you've measured out time for doing something, then you definitely have time to do something. Correct?
2 → 3. Just because you have time to do something, doesn't mean you are able to do something. Theoretically wealthy retirees have time to learn Algebraic Geometry, but perhaps they're innumerate, senile, and incapable of learning the math.
3 → 4. Just because you're able to do something, doesn't mean you're allowed to do something. Most physicians know how to assist patients with euthanasia, but medically assisted suicide is illegal in many countries.
4 → 5. Just because you're allowed to do something, doesn't mean you HAVE to do it! Every adult is allowed to reproduce 20 kids, but you don't HAVE to!


texts: What does the word "En masse" mean in the following context?

texts:
I need someone to help me to define the meaning of the word "en masse" in the following context:

the initial aim of internment during the later conflict was to identify and intern those who posed a particular threat to the safety or defence of the country. As the war progressed, however, this policy changed and Japanese residents were interned en masse "

Which of the following interpretations is correct?

the initial aim of internment during the later conflict was to identify and intern those who posed a particular threat to the safety or defence of the country. As the war progressed, however, this policy changed and Japanese residents were interned together

the initial aim of internment during the later conflict was to identify and intern those who posed a particular threat to the safety or defence of the country. As the war progressed, however, this policy changed and all Japanese residents were interned


texts: Word for "collection of information used to make a decision"

texts:
I'm looking for a word that puts a portfolio, kit, packet, etc., in the context of being used for decision-making.

Examples of how this word may be used:

A mailer to inform voters about propositions they may vote on
A franchise kit, but using this word instead of "kit"


texts:
My friend asked me to the beach with this sentence:

  The beach is waiting for your happy being.

Is the sentence he used correct?


texts: Is it gramatically a good start to say "It is definitely not unheard that people say"?

texts:
I was reading an answer to a question in this site which started with this phrase:

  It is definitely not unheard that people say ...

I feel it is incorrect or at least not a very nice phrase. Since I'm not a native English speaker, I was wondering what is wrong with this phrase (if there is any)? Can we say it uses a double negative and also a strong affirmative word "definitely" in one sentence?


texts: What's a good word to describe someone who makes messes

texts: Preferably a word that is not specific to the mess being one of disorganization. Someone who spills things, for example, should be included.


texts:
I know that this word is used to describe a variation of an emerald, although many dictionaries do not include this word.
One that does is Merriam-Webster:

  Middle English smaragde, from Latin smaragdus, from Greek smaragdos, of Semitic origin; akin to Akkadian barraqtu gemstone

What is the etymology of this word smaragd? Is the word emerald directly related to it? There is a superficial resemblance between the two words.


texts:
How to syllabify may be certain in many words. But some words have several ways, I think.  For example, "extra" can be divided into "ek" + "stra" and "eks" + "tra".
Does this mean that people remember a word in several different ways? Or do people usually have a fixed manner individually to utter a word which can be divided in several ways, with more easiness?


texts: How do you tell when you're reading a poor translation?

texts:
John Ciardi, in his foreword to his translation of Dante's Divine Comedy, observes that any translation is, at best, a failure. He means it is impossible to convey the depth and levels of meaning of the original into another language. That point conceded, however, translations must be made and used. If there were texts in Finnish one needed to understand by next week, it is absurd to suppose that one should (or could) acquire mastery of that language in the time allotted. The fact is, there is important information in many languages that one may wish to know, and it is further absurd to suppose one can acquire anything like a thorough understanding of all those languages.

In many cases, a bad translation is obvious. In the English version of a flyer promoting a Japanese amusement-park ride, for example, park-goers were promised that they would be "brandished and inverted." In such cases the bad translation announces itself in strident tones, and one doesn't have to be John Ciardi to realize that a re-translation of the translation will be required in order to piece together the actual meaning.

But what about translations that do not set off grammatical or usage alarms, yet may still be poor renderings of the meaning of the original? Are there other, perhaps subtler clues you would look for that would make you question whether the translator has done the job well or poorly?


texts: An adverb describing "changing between A and B repeatedly and subsequently"

texts:
I'm looking for an adverb for describing "changing between A and B repeatedly and subsequently". (I'm not sure I used the word "subsequently" correctly.)

For example, Amy and Bob needs to press the button in this order

  ... => Amy presses => Bob presses => Amy presses => Bob presses => ...

So we can say that "Amy and Bob presses the button _____".


texts:
Consider the sentence:

  I answered the question as a novice, without conferring with Sir Thomas More or Sir Francis Bacon.

Is the with optional?  Could the sentence also be written as:

  I answered the question as a novice, without conferring Sir Thomas More or Sir Francis Bacon.


texts:
If I'm talking about someone's voice is raspyness or raspy-ness correct?

The raspyness of Cobain’s voice adds another layer of complexity to the song.
The raspy-ness of Cobain’s voice adds another layer of complexity to the song.

Spelling checker doesn't like raspyness, but raspy-ness doesn't look quite right.


texts:
There is a question already dealing with the difference between elevation and altitude:
Which to use: "altitude" or "elevation" in regards to height above sea level?

The difference between the terms is clear, from the first answer I quote:

  "Altitude is typically only used to describe the height of an aircraft in flight.
  It is a  barometric measurement expressed relative to the height of a runway or mean sea level in a given location or region (taking into account current local atmospheric conditions), or  to an arbitrary standard datum (to eliminate the effect of localised variations in air pressure).

  Elevation is usually used to describe the height of the ground, or a feature fixed to the ground.
  It is a geometric measurement expressed relative to the mean sea level datum established for the region by the national mapping agency."

So a church somewhere in the landscape has a certain elevation and when I fly with my balloon to New Mexico I would use the term altitude.
Also atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude.

The situation however, is less clear cut when I talk about the weather up in the mountains. Should I say "it is -12 °C at 2000 meters of elevation" or should I rather use the term altitude here? Temperature is measured by a weather station with a sensor positioned on a post above the ground level. I tend to think that I should refer to temperature as being related to elevation as here, the atmosphere is so close to the land surface. But what is correct?


texts: How to use WHEN on the following occasion?

texts:
When I lived in there, I got to know John

When I was living in there, I got to know John.

While I was living in there, I got to know John.

While I lived in there, I got to know John.

I have been long confused by the usage of when and while,
and I'm not sure whether the four sentences are totally correct.
Please explain in detail, thanks!


texts:
So there is this girl I really like. Should I tell her that I feel about her or that I feel for her?

What is the difference between using for or about in this context or when would you use for and when would you use about?


texts: What does "only" modify when used at the start of the sentence?

texts:
In Only a few people donate to this charity., what does the word only modify?

Does it modify people or donate? Something else?


texts: What's the word for a design at the side of a page?

texts:
Printed pages have headers and footers at the top and bottom. But there are often designs or graphics that run from the top of the page to the bottom, such as the stripes in this simple example:

Is there a professional word for this kind of element? Or even just a simple one?

A sample sentence would be:

  How can I insert a ________ into my document?


texts: What would you call a person who possesses a certificate?

texts: I am building for a client online certification application. Person will complete a short training (few slides) and after that the person will get the certificate proving completion of the "course". How to call that person (preferably one word)?


texts:
Let me go. / Let me do it. / Let me see, try, etc.

Q1. Which meaning are these more close to? "Allow me to go, do, see?" or "I'll go, do, see, etc?" There are two reasons I doubt this:

As far as I've seen, most of these LET-ME imperatives didn't seem to ask for some permission.
As for Let's, it is actually Let us, but it's not necessarily asking for someone to allow.

Q2. To see LET-imperatives of other perspectives, third and second-person ones, like

Let the sun rise.
Let's do this.

These let don't necessarily mean "allow someone to do" but actually work as kind of "auxiliary verbs." Why and from when did this happen?


texts:
Are " How to do?" and "What to do?" grammatically correct?

For example:
A - I left your book in the school today.
B - How to do ? OR What to do?


texts: "For educational purpose" or "for educational purposes"?

texts:
When I was writing this:

The university is for educational purpose.

everything was fine. But when I wrote this:

The universities are for educational purpose.

The Grammarly said it's a mistake and "purpose" should be replaced by "purposes", but I don't understand. Does it have something to do with "universities"?
Thanks for your time.


texts: Word or phrase for clicking and ignoring

texts: I am looking for a word or phrase that is used to describe when people using mobile applications (or desktop applications or websites) do not fully read some prompt/warning/error message and simply click the ok/ignore button.


texts: Is the word "staffroom" as common in the US schools as in the UK?

texts: I know that the word "staffroom" is a common word used in the UK schools for "a room in a school that is for the use of the teachers when they are not teaching". But is it the same in American English? No alternatives?


texts: Word for biased interpretation of the law?

texts:
When a law is misinterpreted and enforced by a "power class" in a social hierarchy, and the stated justification has no basis even in the laws to which to the justification makes reference, is there a word to describe such abuse of a legal system in this way?

This commonly arises when a corrupt ruling elite (such a junta) tries to tip the balance of justice to benefit them and their interests more than other groups without eschewing the appearance of legitimacy afforded by pretending to operate within that society's legal system. While adopting the pretence of consensus sanction for arbitrary actions benefits the junta momentarily, to legitimise things such as curfews and executions, the spurious reference to a part of the law which on clearer inspection has no bearing, or only tenuous bearing, to the case in hand, eventually comes to light and erodes the junta's legitimacy.


texts: A term for "Groceries, toiletries & Conveniences" everyday products

texts:
Is there a common term that covers both groceries & conveniences. Products that one would purchase either at supermarkets or corner stores?

Is there a venue type that would describe supermarkets, corner stores, bakeries... in one?

This word would not necessarily other shopping products like clothes, electronics, medication, furniture.


texts: Present perfect or past perfect with Already

texts:
Look at the sentence :
• When we got to the theater, the play (already start)
how should I write it properly?
• When we got to the theater, the play already has started.
Or
•When we got to the theater, the play had already started.


texts: Is there a term for a word whose presence achieves the effect opposite to the one intended?

texts:
Specifically where the intent is to interest, excite or entice the reader. Such words often come across as 'not-quite superlatives', or create the impression that lawyers have been involved in wording the sentence.

For example:

  In this great game, you'll get to play in a major cup final

Here the words 'great' and 'major', despite having positive connotations, actually serve to undermine the pitch.

Closest I've managed to get is 'damning with faint praise', but that doesn't capture the necessary element of own-foot-shooting.


texts: Do "I saw a dream" and "I had a dream" meant the same thing?

texts:
Which of these two is more appropriate:

I saw a dream.
I had a dream.

Is there any difference between them?


texts: What is a term for the family unit led by an aunt or uncle?

texts:
I need this word rather frequently in conversation and it bothers me that I don't know it. This word is the name of the family unit belonging to an uncle or aunt, or both. Similarly, the word for the family unit that I belong to is my immediate family.

Here is some context/an example:

I'm visiting my grandparents and _____ in Honolulu.

I realize that I can say "uncle's family" but that seems a bit tedious (not that much though). Most of my desire to know this word is now curiosity.

So please, calm my curiosity and possibly that of others; any and every comment is appreciated!


texts: correct usage of word related and relating

texts:
which sentence is correct ?
1.one of the most contentious issues has been the one related to caste-based reservations in education and employment.
2.one of the most contentious issues has been the one relating to caste-based reservations in education and employment.


texts: Is 'own' appropriate for an email address?

texts:
I recently used "I own some.email@gmail.com", and a friend said this was incorrect. I can see logically how this is true, you wouldn't use own in the context of an account identifier in any other circumstances (e.g. "I own 07700 123456"), but I can't think of a better word. Here's the full context:

  I own some.email@gmail.com from a project waaaay back. I get interesting emails occasionally, where someone has decided to test their product with that email address, not realising it's real and that I'm checking it.


texts: What is the past participle of the verb to get?

texts:
I get often confused with the verb to get in the past tenses. I see gotten, got, etc. Could someone kindly clarify with some few examples?

Shall I say:

I have got

or

I have gotten


texts:
I was watching an episode of Seinfeld today and quite humorously Elaine recalled a time that she 'had to' drop a class because of a guy who would go "ahh" after every sip of coffee.

Is there a name for that breathy "ahh" that's sort of like a relaxed sigh?