texts: What's the subordinate clause type for these two that-clause sentences below?

texts:
I am always confused about what type of subordinate clause "that" can connect. So there are two sentence below:

So far the torpedo has proved a damp squib, with observers arguing that Europe has not gained any leverage to press its demands.
Afflictions has take place in Syrian on June 3th that his job to negotiate political settlement and establish transitional governing body would be pointless.

I am curious what the sub-clause type after "that" for above two sentences? Because each main clause doesn't miss any grammatical ingredient, so I thought these that-clause are appositive clause.


texts:
I'm preparing for my English grammar exam, and I faced this question

The weather is going to be hot ........ September
a. on
b. at
c. in
d. by

I'm not sure whether the answer is c or d


texts:
I'm looking for a synonym (single-word or short phrase) for the word lifehack. I read Wikipedia article, and checked few online dictionaries. I could not find any synonym.
The word is informal and it means:

  A strategy or technique adopted in order to manage one’s time and
  daily activities in a more efficient way

I understand that the word origin is by extension from the computing sense of hack, meaning to manipulate a computer program in a skilful and often creative manner . The word was coined in 2004.

If there is no other current synonym, how native speakers used to refer to the meaning above, before 2004?


texts: Which one is correct: "Materializes as" or "Materializes into"

texts:
I am confused about how to use the verb "materializes". Consider the following sentence:

"Being a blacksmith is great because all the effort you put into your profession materializes as actual physical objects that you can marvel at."

Is it correct to say "materializes as"? Or is it more appropriate to say "materializes into"? They both sound correct to me in this context, which is why I am unsure about which one to use.


texts:
Consider these sentences, please:

Looking at her now you’d never guess she had been so upset.

Can I use "has been" or "was" in place of "had been" in the sentence above?

I’d never have guessed that they were married.

Are they still married or is the sentence talking about them being married in the past? Can I use "had been" in place of "were" in sentence 2)?


texts: Using commas with apostrophes for three or more plural possessive nouns

texts:
Is it

  teachers', students', and administrators' experiences

or

  teachers,' students,' and administrators' experiences

? I think it is the first example with apostrophe, then comma?


texts: Are "blindman" and "blind man" both correct?

texts:
Which is the correct spelling: blindman or blind man? Both are frequently used on the web, but blindman is marked as incorrect on the Internet and by Microsoft Word, and it is not found in most dictionaries.

Example:

  There is a blindman/blind man in the street.

The Free Dictionary has the following definitions

  blindman: Word not found in the Dictionary and Encyclopedia. thefreedictionary

  blindman
  plural blindmen
  chiefly British
  M-W


texts: Is the solution of the Maine Legislature to the Oxford Comma Case.....clunky?

texts:
The Oxford Comma Case (Oakhurst Dairy in Portland, ME vs its drivers) has been settled for five million dollars. According to The New York Times

  The relatively small-scale dispute gained international notoriety last
  year when the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  ruled that [a] missing comma created enough uncertainty to side with
  the drivers, granting those who love the Oxford comma a chance to run
  a victory lap across the internet.

Maine law requires time-and-a-half pay for each hour worked after 40 hours, but the law at the time the suit was filed listed several exemptions, as follows:

  The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing,
  storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:

  (1) Agricultural produce;

  (2) Meat and fish products; and

  (3) Perishable foods

  The court ruled that it was not clear whether the law exempted the
  distribution of the three categories that followed, or if it exempted
  packing for the shipment or distribution of them.

Thus, the drivers lucked out, but the Maine legislature amended the law to read:

  The canning; processing; preserving; freezing; drying; marketing;
  storing; packing for shipment; or distributing of:

  (1) Agricultural produce;

  (2) Meat and fish products; and

  (3) Perishable foods

It is true that the law is now as unambiguous as a law can be, but could this not have been accomplished by merely inserting the Oxford Comma?  The lawyer for the drivers said: That comma would have sunk our ship.

Is not the solution arrived at by the Maine Legislature ..... unnecessarily clunky?


texts:
Having recently got involved in an inconclusive argument on the subject the other day, I'd like to know which of these names is best when describing the hat worn in the Middle East.

Merriam-Webster defines a fez as a

  brimless cone-shaped flat-crowned hat that usually has a tassel, is usually made of red felt, and is worn especially by men in eastern Mediterranean countries

and defines a tarboosh as a

  red hat similar to the fez worn especially by Muslim men

but this doesn't get us very far. Does it matter what this hat is called, and if it does, what is the preferred term?


texts: Opposite gender name for "keep" and "kept women"?

texts: When a married man keeps a another unmarried women for sex, she is called a "keep" or "kept women," right? In the same way, a married women may keep an unmarried man to have sex with him. I want to know the exact name for that man.


texts: What is the likely definition of a women's "'health' west" from 1891?

texts: In an 1891 newspaper advertisement (published in Manitoba, Canada) there is a reference to "wool 'health' wests in girls and ladies" which on first glance looks like a spelling error but is repeated in other ads in the same year. Unfortunately, this is a very difficult combination of simple words to search for, does anyone have a reference for a definition of this garment term?


texts: What is the most polite way of saying "I called you but you didn't answer"?

texts:
We try to reach people on their phones but sometimes they don't answer.
Later while addressing them an email or while speaking to them if we want to inform them about the call then what is the best way of putting the message making sure that they don't feel we are arrogant or accusing?

Thanks!


texts: How to resolve the ambiguity of "two day classes"

texts:
Two day classes will take place this week.

Here, "day classes" is a compound. I don't want it to sound like it's just one class that goes on for two days.


texts: Meaning of "classes meet at their regular times"

texts:
Classes meet at their regular times, and we're able to attend as many (or as few) as we want. — Source

Does classes in this sentence refer to groups of students or different lessons such as art class, math class etc.?

If classes means different lessons, is the word meet used correctly since usually people instead of things are put before meet?

Is "Meetings met at their regular time" correct?


texts: What is non-derogatory way of saying "people here are obsessed with sports"?

texts: Saying obsessed or being crazy about something seems a little negative and derogatory. How am I supposed to say it in a positive way.


texts: "seedy bar" or "shady bar" to describe a bar with criminals in it

texts: I looked this up on google but I have not found a good answer. "Seedy bar" is used to describe a dirty bar with no high standards afaik, but is it better to use "shady bar" if you want to describe that there a lots of shady people with criminal lifestyles in it?


texts: How does "to subsist in" come to mean "to be attributed to"?

texts:
What's the logical derivation behind this definition of subsist [Definition 2.1]

  Be attributable to:
  the effect of genetic maldevelopment may subsist in chromosomal mutation

In that link, the etymology is listed as:

  mid 16th century (in the sense 'continue to exist'): from Latin subsistere 'stand firm',
   from sub- 'from below' + sistere 'set, stand'.

How does this etymology lead to the meaning "to be attributed to" ?


texts:
I have two sentences that differ only by one word.

The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.
The sound of it drones. It's like a stuck record. The ear wants some variety

The first sentence sounds much more vivid to me. I can imagine a person demanding something. I see a man grabbing another by the collar, pinning him against the wall, and demanding money.

I can't see someone wanting something in that same way. It's just not as visual of a verb.

I'm trying to pull some sort of rule out of this example that will help me improve my writing, but i can't figure out what the rule would be.

Both of these are verbs, and both of them are action verbs. So if I were trying to explain it to someone, how would I phrase a principle that would help them pick a more vivid verb when writing a sentence?

Thanks!


texts: Word or phrase for "it won't change anything, but we'll protest anyways"

texts:
There exists a phrase or device, somewhat akin to the parables of Paul Bunyan or John Henry, when your efforts at protest are futile against a struggle, but you are compelled to struggle against it anyways -- usually because it's a seemingly noble cause.

Would anyone have a suggestion as to how to phrase this device? Or is there a widely known idiom for it? I'd suppose the single word "futile" might accurately describe this situation, but that's not what I'm looking for.


texts: Best reply for is was a pleasure meeting you

texts:
if some one send to me: it was a real pleasure meeting you, what is the best to reply with?
The pleasure was really mine/us or it was a pleasure too?


texts: How to know which word in British English ends with '-ise' or '-ize' (e.g. organise and realize)? I am an editor and this has been a constant matter of confusion for me.


texts:
I have a reference website with quotations from movies, tv-shows and anime.

Now the optimal way would be using a title like "Movie Quotes, TV Quotes and Anime Quotes" but since there's a character limit I need something shorter.

I thought of these:
Quotes in Movies, TV and Anime
Quotes from Movies, TV and Anime

Now what I'm wondering is if there's any difference in terms of meaning between 'in' and 'from' in this context? Which one is better suited for my purpose?

From : —used as a function word to indicate the source
 In : used to indicate inclusion within space, a place, or limits


texts: Parenthetical plural for "an assertion"/"assertions"

texts:
I am trying to rewrite two sentences like the following into a single sentence using a parenthetical plural:

  1: The rule will add an assertion.
  2: The rule will add  assertions.

Combining them, the sentence I want would have the form of:

  The rule will add an() assertion(s).

I don't know what to put in first parenthesis. Am I allowed to leave it blank?  Or should I write 'any' in the first parenthesis?  or how else should I write it?


texts: When should I use the term 'paperworks'?

texts:
I keep seeing words like these.
Another example is:

  Stuffs

Is this valid? People use it like this...

  There are so many things I have to sell. I have books, bags, clothes and other stuffs.


texts: I was writing a document in Microsoft Word, and it flagged "less resources" as being ungrammatical and suggested "fewer resources".  I did some research, and it appears that "fewer resources" seems to be used more often, and one commenter on another English usage site said this was correct.  But this seems odd to me.  I try to be diligent about using "fewer" with countable nouns; a phrase like "The software has less bugs than it did last week" just grates on me.  But even though "resources" is a plural and thus looks like a countable noun, it doesn't seem as though it should be, logically.  If I were to write a business analysis that said "Plan A requires fewer resources than Plan B", would that mean that, say, Plan A would require only 15 resources while Plan B might require 17?  This doesn't make sense.  But is it possible for a noun such as this to be considered countable, grammatically, even though it makes no sense to use it with an actual count?


texts: "Brazilian's army's ammo supply": is it right to use apostrophes on two consecutive nouns like this?

texts: Would it be right to write "Brazilian's army's ammo supply is low."? Two consecutive apostrophes looks weird.


texts: Could you elaborate [S + V + O + Adj + To inf. + O] structure?

texts:
I want to find more detailed explanation about the following pattern. For me, this grammatical structure sounds special.

Windows makes it easier for you to install the program.
You may find it difficult to locate the bug.

  Subject + Verb + Object + Adjective + To Infinitive +
  Object

Please elaborate as complete as you can how to use this structure.


texts: What part of speech is "unless" in the following sentence?

texts:
Unless disciplined, a dog becomes a household pest.

Is the use of unless in this sentence correct? It sounds to my naive ear to be fine, but I always think of unless as a conjunction, which does not seem to be the case here. I looked up unless in an online dictionary and discovered that it can additionally be used as a preposition in the sense of "except for", but again that would not seem to apply to this sentence as disciplined is an adjective.  Since the sentence is taken from Strunk and White and sounds right to my ear, I am sure it is correct, so my main interest is to discover what the underlying construction is here.


texts: Is the initial sound in the word RHS a vowel sound?

texts: In order to specify whether a or an, I need to know whether the articulation is with [ar] like vowel sound or [r] like consonant sound. So is RHS a vowel or a consonant sounding in the initial? So a RHS or an RHS?


texts: What does the expression "brikking it" mean?

texts: I have a British friend, and we text each other sometimes. Yesterday she sent me a message with the expression "brikking it". Could someone explain it to me?


texts: Why is the singular of "year" used in phrases like "72-year-old" and "20-year jail sentence"?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Pluralization rule for “five-year-old children”, “20 pound note”, “10 mile run”

  72-year-old Giselle Gilbert was taken to hospital.
  He was given a 20-year jail sentence.

Why is the singular of year used in these sentences?


texts: What verbs best describe something appearing and disappearing alternately?

texts: I'm trying to describe the sight of houses on the mountain appearing and disappearing alternately because of the fog. What verbs best describe that?


texts: Does "for" change anything when coupled with "except"?

texts:
All the regions, except (except for) region B, are experiencing high average waiting times.

In the highlighted part of the sentence above, does including (or omitting) for change anything? If it isn't needed, why do many writers include it?


texts: What is the word or term used to describe when a simple job is made unnecessarily difficult?

texts:
As when someone at work makes the job more difficult than it needs to be just because of the way they are and their attitude towards the work, and not just for them but for others too.
Hello - thank you all for your efforts.  It occurs to me that it might be better to put this question to the workplace section as I'm looking for a situation-specific term that an employment expert might use.


texts: What is the word when you feel embarrassed because something is very lame?

texts:
I was watching Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip in which there are a a lot of lame scenes (for example when they sing Conga as an answer to their owners words), and I felt really embarrassed. Or the same happened in Smurfs when the smurfs are standing up against Gargamel and sing their "war song". (Check it out on youtube.) I exampled children's movies, but I feel this in case of a lot of badly written movies/books.
I wouldn't call it cringe or second hand embarrassement, because I don't feel embarrassement for anybody (being humiliated), I feel embarrassed because what I watch is very lame.
Thank you for helping me! :)


texts: What is the correct name for the places where net filaments cross?

texts:
E.g., fishing/cargo nets are made of monofilaments that cross and constitute the net: what are the names of those intersections? I'm wondering whether 'nodes' or 'links' could work.

I'm trying to say that a certain phenomenon is dispersed throughout a net-like structure, where no single _____ is responsible for the occurrence, but rather, all of them together (the same way no single 'node' of a net catches fish, but all of them together).


texts: "A classmate and I was" vs "A classmate and I were"

texts:
I'm writing a resume right now targeted towards a specific company. My girlfriend (a classmate) and I were (see, I don't know if that's the right word, hence this question!) the first from our school to be awarded a scholarship from this company.

Is it more correct to say:

  Awarded such and such scholarship in 2011. A classmate and I were the first students from my college to be awarded this scholarship.

Or:

  Awarded such and such scholarship in 2011. A classmate and I was the first students from my college to be awarded this scholarship.

The first seems much more correct when spoken, but the rule I've been taught is to take the other person out and use the words that make sense about just you.


texts: What's the generic word for weekly/monthly etc. service?

texts:
My guesses are: recurring or cyclic order/service.

In what cases would you use one or the other?

Context:
A customer can book a one-time service or choose an interval. I'd like to name a service that is not one-time but repeats every week/month etc.


texts: What is the word for a person who never listens to other people's opinions and ideas?

texts: There is one person I know who never accepts other people's opinions and ideas, even if those opinions and ideas are worthwhile. What single word might describe such an attitude?


texts: Words with pronunciations more complex than spelling

texts:
The word mischievous is sometimes pronounced with a long e sound between the v and the last vowel (mis-chee-vee-us), although this is controversial.

Is there a name for this type of word, where the pronunciation is made more complex than the spelling indicates?


texts: A gift that you give to someone that is actually more a gift to yourself?

texts:
Is there a word that describes a gift that you give to someone that is actually more a gift to yourself?

For example, gifting your partner tickets to a show for an artist that you like more than they do. Or gifting your kid a smartphone so that you can get a hold of them or keep track of them as you wish.


texts: All the usage examples for impromptu I could find in a couple of dictionaries involve actions (impromptu speech, wedding, etc.) Is this a general rule, or can I talk about an "impromptu field hospital"?


texts:
Which one is correct?

  (1) Do not unplug the charger. Just leave it in.

  (2) Do not unplug the charger. Just leave it on.

  (3) Do not unplug the charger. Just keep it on.

Thanks!


texts: Where did this snowclone, of the Wiltshire snowclones, actually come from?

texts:
I've been watching Citation Needed again, and I came across this bit from Episode 1x03:

TOM: And today we are talking about Stephania Folini.
GARY: Of course! Stephania Folini, of the Wiltshire Folinis...

This isn't the last time this snowclone, of the Wiltshire snowclones, was used in the Technical Difficulties' career - Episode 1x09 has the Wiltshire Yamalo-Nenets - and I'm sure it wasn't the first time either, although I don't feel like trawling through their Reverse Trivia podcast right now to make sure.
Now I know what and where Wiltshire is (it's a county in England), but I want to know why Wiltshire? Is it a Monty Python bit? Some other British comedian? Did the Technical Difficulties make it up whole cloth?
For the record, I've also heard it without reference to Wiltshire. In Episode 5x05 of Leverage (the one with the cheerleaders), Sophie pretends to be "Amber von Cleve, of the Cleveland von Cleves" and "Debra Scott, of the Scotsdale Scotts" to  two different Congresspersons. Sophie Deveraux (and her actor) being English probably had something to do with that, now that I think of it.


texts: When does a locational distinction change its suffix and capitialization in a proper name?

texts:
I am trying to capitalize Western Canada or western Canada properly and am wanting a definition for when the "ern" is added as a suffix to a locational distinction of a proper noun.  I believe the capitalization is related to the suffix and am grouping two questions.

After researching on the internet I have found a trend that areas of discrete area become capitalized along with their proper noun

East New York
West Hollywood
East London (Britain)
East Los Angeles

Some locations have "ern" added to their locational modifier.

Web Examples (from government sites):

eastern Canada (http://www.thunderbay.ca/Living/About_Thunder_Bay/city_profile.htm
Western Canada (http://www.wd-deo.gc.ca/eng/243.asp)

All the examples listed contain discrete areas.  The "ern" suffix is used for larger areas, but I am unable to determine when an area becomes large enough.


texts: English terms for a female wolf and a female owl?

texts:
In the English language, what are the right terms for a female wolf and a female owl; perhaps "she wolf"  and "owl hen"?

Are there distinct or separate words in English used for feminine?  I checked in Wikipedia +other websites but found only "she-wolf" and "owl-hen".


texts: What words would complete this thought on religion?

texts:
...by the color of his skin or the _____ of his _____.

What words would go in the blanks to mean his religion, while still using of his in the phrase to maintain the flow?

God of his faith or substance of his creed are possible examples, although neither sits right with me.

Can someone suggest something a bit more articulate?


texts: Meaning of " He still wandered on, out of the little high valley, over its edge, and down the slopes beyond"

texts:
What does this phrase:

  "He still wandered on, out of the little high valley, over its edge,
  and down the slopes beyond"

mean exactly? The doubt is about the path defined. It's clear that he was walking without a defined destination, then:

he passed the little valley? He avoided the little high valley?
climbed to its edge?


texts: Does 'soi-disant' have a close English equivalent?

texts: I considered 'self-proclaimed' but that, I believe, suggests an element of self-promotion (the proclamation aspect) whereas soi-disant, at least as I think of it, is more about self-presentation and in some contexts self-deceit.


texts:
I was watching a video about the most frequent mistakes Brazilians make speaking English and the first mistake was saying "Do you want to try?" instead of "Do you want to try it?".

I'm a native speaker of American English, and I feel that if you're eating food or doing an activity and you say to someone standing there "Do you want to try?" that it's correct. However, I'm not very strong grammatically, so I'm curious if there's something technically wrong with that.


texts: What is the word or term for the item being parodied?

texts:
I'm writing a paper about a book that is a parody of another work.  Is there a word, similar to debtee to debtor, that will work in this situation?

Specifically, Lord of the Flies (Golding, 1954) as a parody of The Coral Island (Ballantyne, 1857).

The sentence is, "This is perhaps that reason that it has stood the test of over fifty years time, that it, unlike its (parodee?)..."


texts: Does "Bounce" have a negative sense when you want someone to leave?

texts:
I hear sometimes that when someone want other people to leave, they say Bounce. And I recently heard that someone said "I'll bounce" when they wanted to leave (nobody asked them to).

So my question is: Bounce always has a negative sense or it depends on the context?


texts: why is "schizophrenia" pronounced with a t sound?

texts:
One of the ways the word "schizophrenia" is pronounced is ˈskɪt.sə.ˈfri.ni.ə/

My question is where does the t sound in ˈskɪt come from as I can not see any reason for it?


texts: How do you call youtube music videos composed cut scenes of speech of a public figure?

texts: For example this kind of video. The author cut the speech scenes, as short as a vowel and as long as a phrase, to combine them to make a brand new music videos.


texts:
I'd like to learn what "too big a lick" means in the following.

  Thus to Sumner, who called at the White House twice on July 4 "to urge the reconsecration of the day by a decree of emancipation," the President said that a general order was "too big a lick," though Sumner believed he was not "disinclined" to issue a proclamation covering eastern Virginia.

Source: Lincoln by David Herbert Donald, p. 364


texts:
Hello i have question help me please

The children were so frightened they dared not [?].
=> Moving / to move / move ?

Why is the answer "Move" without "to" ?

I have searched and found a site which explain when we use base verb but there is not "dare" in the list.

Extended question : When to use verb, base verb or gerund ?


texts: Working independently where you should work collaboratively

texts: What phrase or word is used to describe someone, specifically in a vocational context,  who is making decisions without first discussing it with a superior or other members of the team?


texts: English idiom, for checking thoroughly before executing, please!

texts:
in my language we have " measure 7 times, cut once"
meaning one better check, think and plan thoroughly before making any decision or excuting any action.
is there any English equivalent? Thank you in advance!


texts: How do you feel about the use of the first indefinite article in: "A computer is a very useful tool"?

texts:
Is it ungrammatical?
Unacceptable?
Would you say a phrase like this? and if so, in what context? Do you need a clear context to say it?

Thank you for your help!


texts: Can a word function as a relative adverb and a relative pronoun simultaneously?

texts:
For example in a sentence like "This is the place where he was murdered", is where functioning as both a relative adverb and a relative pronoun?

Here where acts as pronoun as it refers back to its antecedent and also as relative adverb (according to Wren and Martin) but what i want to know is

Do they always work in this way?
A lot of places I have seen that simply say that the word where modifies noun, a lot of grammar books say but How? Like it isn't adding something to the meaning of verb (was assaulted). Instead of telling me that this is a relative adverb I want an explanation or is it something that just needs to be classified as what renowned grammarians have classified because I haven't quite come up with any reason that proves it. One reason I could come up with was that where modifies the verb by relating a clause (this is the place) with it.


texts: Total number of paints or number of each paint

texts:
If I say

We have a total of 10 paints in the following categories "
10 Matt and egg shell paints

Does that list make sense or does it read as if I have 10 Matt paints and 10 egg shell paints totaling 20 paints (the actual list is about 100 paints broken into categories).


texts: Can the verb "wish + that clause" express open possibility?

texts:
We often use "wish + that clause" to express a past/present counterfactual statement or a future unlikely event (i.e. remote possibility):

I wish I hadn't quit my job. (But I quit my job.)
I wish I had two million dollars. (But I don't.)
I wish I wouldn't have to work tomorrow. (But I have to. I will be working tomorrow.)

My question is, is it possible to use wish + that clause to express open possibilities for the future?
Note: Open possibility/condition means the fulfillment of the event is not determined but there is a chance of it happening, as opposed to remote possibility/condition, where the speaker knows that the chance of occurrence is remote/unlikely.
For example:

(?) I wish the weather would be nice this weekend. [future time reference]
(Intended gloss: I really don't know
what the weather will be like this weekend, and I haven't checked the
weather forecast, but I hope it will be nice.)

I tried to find the answer from the web and in a few grammar books. The only answers I got so far are negative. But the sentence above, about the weather, seems rather natural to me. I even found this example sentence from a grammar book, but the book doesn't say whether it carries the connotation of unlikelihood:

I wish the weather would get better. I am tired of being inside all
the time.

To me, that sentence simply expresses the hope that the weather will clear up, i.e. an open possibility.


texts: What is the correct term for a set of options?

texts:
Note that I am not talking about a set of choices, but options.

To expatiate more, I mean to say: That there set(or group/class etc) that contains subsets that have therein options, where a choice must be made, and when all the subsets of options have been decided upon, the result is a set of choices.

It's best that I provide a general, visual example:

Breakfast_choice:[apple, cereal, whatever]; Lunch_choice:[Fish, Sandwich, whatever];
Dinner_choice:[Rice, Curry, unicorns]

Say I chose for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: Apple, Fish, and unicorns respectively. Thus my choices are: [Apple, Fish, unicorns]

So, what I basically want is a name for a group of choices. Of course, I could just call them 'choices' but then if I did that there's no way to distinguish between the choices groups as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, i.e they'd 'spill' into eachother.

I also may call them the 'set of choices', but I don't want to sound as if it's a set of choices that have already been made, which is why am hesitant in using the word.


texts: What is the difference between "It is raining" and "'It is raining' is true?"

texts:
"It is raining."

"'It is raining' is true."

Does "is true" make any difference? Thanks.

This link gives context to this question and testify that I'm not a nut (yet).


texts:
The idiom "the die is cast" is well known. The simple past tense version of this in the indicative mood should be, "the die was cast." In the novel, The Godless, by Ben Peek, I came across the sentence, "He knew there was something wrong with this, a gut-level reaction, but he knew that the die were cast now." Unless I am missing something, this sentence is in the indicative mood.

I then did an online search and found several books that used "the die were cast" in the indicative mood, so this doesn't appear to be a typo. Examples included Colombia and the United States: Hegemony and Interdependence, by Stephen J. Randall; Perspectives on the Nuremberg Trial by Guénaël Mettraux; A Stubble-Jumper in Striped Pants: Memoirs of a Prairie Diplomat, by Earl G. Drake; Writing History in Renaissance Italy, by Gary Ianziti; etc. I understand "the die were cast" is correct if it’s being used in the subjunctive mood in a clause like, "if the die were cast," or, “as though the die were cast,” but that is not the case in any of the cited examples.

My question: Is the use of "the die were cast" in the indicative mood an idiom, or a regionalism? If it is, does anyone know its etymology in the specific form of "the die were cast" when being used in the indicative mood (I am interested in knowing how a singular noun came to be the subject of a plural verb)?


texts:
When responding to questions about multiple subjects, people will simply answer the questions in that order, adding 'respectively' to the end to make it clear which response applies to which subject. I think this is mostly when asking about two people / subjects, but I've heard three and four occasionally.
For example:

How old are Jason and Tommy?
They're 21 and 23, respectively.

However, what if you misspeak, and accidentally say them in the opposite order? Aside from simply correcting yourself, is there a word you can use that would work, while keeping the rest of the sentence the same? As in:

They're 23 and 21, [insert word here].


texts: Envy vs jealousy - has the meaning changed?

texts:
When I was at school (in the 80's) I learnt that jealousy and envy meant different things: you are jealous if you think someone will take what you have, you are envious if you want what they have.

In general usage now they appear to mean the same thing, to the point where envy is rarely used while 'jelly' and 'well jel' have become slang (clearly derived from jealous) meaning to covet what someone else has.

However, I think a statement like "she had a jealous boyfriend" will still be clearly understood to mean that the boyfriend is excessively possessive of his current girlfriend rather than that that boyfriend is chasing after other girls.

Has the meaning of jealousy changed in current usage?


texts:
Uniqueness and unicity can be synonyms when they are used to describe something that is “unique”, meaning something that is distinct from all other things.

Are these terms interchangeable, or do they carry slightly different meanings?


texts: A Semi-Independent Chapter (of an organization)

texts: I have a chapter of an organization that would like to position itself as less strongly affiliated with the parent organization. They want to be under the umbrella but not as consolidated as full chapters are. Less guidance, less on message, less formality. Guesses on what they should call themselves? I'm looking for something like a semi-independent chapter.


texts: I need the exact definition and difference between "one of very many" and "one of several". They do not seem to express different amounts!


texts: Word for people who ask to be treated but never accept when offered

texts:
I'd like to apologize in advance if I don't make sense. I'm not a native English speaker.

Anyway, here's the background: Back home, it is common that your friends ask you for a treat for every little thing, just another reason to celebrate. By treat, I mean treating someone to food and drink/hosting a (dinner) party just for a person or two. However, there are a few people who ONLY ASK for a treat but never really accept it. And that is not the end of the story, they then complain that we never treat them.

I know its not a very common scenario, but I'd like to know if there's a word for such people or such a behavior?

For example, I'd like to use it in such a sentence:

  Just invite him. He'll not join us anyway, he is a _________.


texts: What is the origin of the idiom "tight fit" meaning a good joke?

texts:
I've recently been studying etymology and I received a book titled Flappers 2 Rappers: A Study of American Youth Slang written by Dr. Thomas Dalzell. Dr. Dalzell's research goes as far back as the 1850s and one of his entries of that decade is "tight fit" meaning a good joke.

According to http://www.etymonline.com/ the word "killing" meaning extremely funny dates even further back to the 1840s. I understand why a killing is something very funny because when one laughs too hard it causes stomach muscle spasms and shortness of breath, almost restricting the lungs from getting air.

I haven't the least notion why a "tight fit" is a good joke. Any thoughts?


texts: What is the answer? <--What's the subject?

texts:
This might seem like a simple question, but I'm not sure it definitely is.

What is the Subject, in its most likely reading, of the question:

  What is the answer?

Is it the noun phrase (NP) What, or is it the noun phrase the answer?

How can we tell? In other words what evidence do we have?

I reserve the right as stipulated in the guidance to ask questions that I know the answer to. I ask the question because a good answer would be useful to point to in other answers and because I think the question of evidence is interesting enough in its own right


texts: Should I use "is" or "are" with "any of X"?

texts:
Please log a CIP if ANY of the following is required to make the change:

Please log a CIP if ANY of the following are required to make the change:

I believe it should be are; but am I right?


texts: What does "which" mean in this sentence?

texts:
This sentence is from a transcript of a podcast:

  The researchers say that even mammals that breed year round—which should offer protection against seasonal shifts—may still feel the impact of climate change.

I don't understand what the word "which" means here. Does it refer to the "mammals"? If it does, I am confused by the whole sentence — what's the connection between the middle part of the sentence and the rest?


texts: How can I express "expire" in active tense?

texts:
I want to say that I make something "expire".

The closest I can think of is "invalidate", but I would like to use a variation of this specific word.

Is there any way to express an active tense of this verb?

Context: a piece of information has expired and I mark it "obsolete" or "deprecated". What have I done to that piece of information? I have _____ it.


texts: "... slowing gaining strength"—What part of speech is "slowing" in the phrases below?

texts:
I thought the authors misused the word 'slowing', because it seems that 'slowly' as an adverb should be used. However, there are multiple examples using slowing + gaining + something(noun). Really appreciate if you can help explain the use of 'slowing' in these examples.

Offering a more optimistic view, several Federal Reserve officials gave separate speeches yesterday arguing that the economy was slowing gaining strength.
-The New York Times

... the season standings by finishing no lower than second 10 times.Hamilton chased Rosberg for 23 laps, steadily keeping up the pressure and slowing gaining on him. Hamilton finally made his move on lap 24, squeezing inside Rosberg's — Los Angeles Times

... on February 13, the JTWC upgraded Feliska into a tropical storm as it turned north.While slowing gaining strength, Feliska turned east. By 0000 UTC February 16, MFR declared that Feliska attained peak intensity. …
-Wikipedia


texts: Term for increasing military presence at sea

texts:
What term expresses an increase of troops or other military units in a standoff between two armies, when no actual fighting has yet occurred?  Specifically, I'm looking for something in the context of a naval battle.

For land-based tactics, I've heard massing of troops, but what is a better term for a conflict at sea?

EDIT: Ideally, I'm looking for a verb:

  The warships were VERB-ing


texts: Can "this", "that" and their plurals be used as substantive adjectives in formal writing?

texts:
For example:

  Stein’s avant-garde collection challenges the reader to think of
  ordinary, everyday objects and concepts in ways that they hadn’t
  before. This is in direct contrast to...

I was told that in this case, "this" should be followed by a noun, as it is an adjective. I know that "this" can be substantive, but is that just informally, or is it acceptable in formal writing?


texts:
I have a question about the usage of  for here. Can I replace it with by without changing the meaning? The full sentence is as follows:

  Yet we must here leave aside the explanation of the nature of free thought existing for itself, and remark rather that for the attainment of the union in and for itself of faith and thought a long period of time has been necessary [...]

The context is Hegel's thoughts on free thought and its interaction with faith and thought again, which is weird.


texts: Meaning of "dead sage" in the mentioned context?

texts:
What does "dead sage" mean in the following context?

  Since then I have lived to see state after state extirpate its wolves. I have watched the face of many a newly wolfless mountain, and seen the south-facing slopes wrinkle with a maze of new deer trails. I have seen every edible bush and seedling browsed, first to anaemic desuetude, and then to death. I have seen every edible tree defoliated to the height of a saddlehorn. Such a mountain looks as if someone had given God a new pruning shears, and forbidden Him all other exercise. In the end the starved bones of the hoped-for deer herd, dead of its own too-much, bleach with the bones of the dead sage, or molder under the high-lined junipers.

ُThinking Like a Mountain


texts:
I tried hard to find if we have the noun utilisability in dictionaries but it does not exist. But, when goolging, I found some articles that contain this word.

I know that we have the verb to use and the corresponding noun is usability. I am just wondering if utilisability exists.


texts: "in America in the 21st century" or "in the 21st century in America"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  The Royal Order of Adverbs

Which of the following sentence is correct?

  – No child should grow up in poverty in America in the 21st century.

   – No child should grow up in poverty in the 21st century in America.


texts: "an hour and a half" or "one and a half hours"

texts:
Are both "an hour and a half" and "one and a half hours" correct? If so, is either more appropriate in different contexts?

Example context:

  "The Superbowl starts in less than one and a half hours."

  "The Superbowl starts in less than an hour and a half."


texts:
This is from an article in a recent issue of Time magazine:
"Barbara Bush has said on several occasions that she suspects Americans are tired of Bushes even as she asserts that Jeb would be the best imaginable President."

Shouldn't it be "the Bushes"?
I've never seen a family name pluralized without "the" before.

Many thanks in advance for your help.


texts: Is there a term for an animal that died of a disease?

texts:
In Russian animals that died of a disease can be translated as fallen animals e.g. fallen sheep.

Is there a similar term in English?


texts: Is it really incorrect to start a sentence with "and"?

texts: I know it's wrong, but I do it all the time or else my sentences would go on forever.


texts:
What is the subject in the following sentence?

  Who hit the ball through Mr. Brown's window?

How can we tell what the subject is in a sentence like this in terms of the grammar?


texts:
Earlier today, I read a sentence that said:

  This medication can even cure HIV.

The context was very simple, the medication has many uses to the point it could cure a currently incurable disease, however, shouldn't it be rewritten as "this medication can cure even HIV" to stress the fact that it is capable of doing that? I looked up "even" in the dictionary and most use it straight after the word "can", is that the only grammatically correct use?


texts:
In Longman Dictionary, under 'asleep at the wheel/switch', it says that

asleep at the wheel/switch:
not paying attention to a situation, so that something bad happens

• Several publishers were asleep at the switch, and missed the book’s potential.

Then.. can I use “wheel” instead of “switch”? Are they actually the same?

Several publishers were asleep at the (switch), and missed the book’s potential.
Several publishers were asleep at the (wheel), and missed the book’s potential. *Not literal


texts: What does "tempered water" exactly mean in Apple's latest Earth Day commerical called "Can a building breathe"

texts:
The commercial is about Apple's new naturally ventilated building called "Apple Park". It says "We run chilled water tubing through that concrete mass, and then we use outside air to be our dominant cooling system, and you're using very little energy to get the tempered water to do this. So it's a breathing building."

I've searched on the internet for the meaning of "tempered water" and some of them say "tempered water" means "Water in the temperature range from 85°F (29°C) to 110°F (43°C)". So it's like mild hot water. Then why can it help cool the air?


texts: Is there a word in English for the Portuguese term "saudades"?

texts:
The word "saudades" was the the centerpiece of the closing ceremonies of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

It describes a feeling of melancholy or nostalgia not easily translated to English. Its definition in the Houaiss Dictionary of  the Portuguese Language (Dicionário Houaiss da Língua Portuguesa, Lisbon, 2003) can be translated as:

  saudade A more or less melancholic feeling of incompleteness linked by memory to being deprived of the presence of someone or something, of being separated from a place or thing, or to the absence of certain experiences or pleasures one experienced and considered as desirable by the person in question (often plural) <s. for/of a friend who is now living far way> <s. for/of a dead relative> <saudades for/of the Algarve> <s. for/of eating papaya> <s. of/for the beach> <saudades for/of the homeland> <s. for/of the good times>

One NBC commentator "wish(ed) there was some word in English" to convey its meaning.


texts: In statistics' confusion matrix, why does 'recall' have that name?

texts:
There are a number of words used very frequently to describe properties of a confusion matrix (or contingency table).

Among them there is the word 'recall', this is to describe:

  tp
 ―――――
 tp+tf

which means, the rate of your predicted positive instance out of the real true instance number (the true positives plus false negatives).

But this was given the name recall, which has confused me a lot.

After some digging within Cambridge Dictionary, I found that 'recall' sounds to me like you have your memory back and then you think of something you might have forgotten. Another is to describe how you want something you already sent out back.

So why can recall the word be used to describe the confusion matrix rate? When (and by who) was the first use of 'recall' in this way?


texts:
This statement is from many 12-step recovery programs (primarily Alcoholics Anonymous):

"Step 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”

I suspect it is future perfect; can anyone clarify this for me?


texts:
I was answering a question on ELL and I came across a question of my own, namely whether there are objects in passive sentences. In this case the sentence was,

  Bobby was ran [sic] over by Billy's car.

Is car the object in that sentence like I thought? Or if there is an object, is it something else?


texts: What is the correct word for charges we pay at Gym?

texts:
As the question states, what should be the correct word for the money we pay at the Gym.

What I think:

It can't be fees, as we paid that  at school/colleges.

It can't be payment, as we are not purchasing something.

It can't be rent, as we don't partially own the thing.

So, what would be the correct thing?


texts: What does “run on a ticket with somebody” mean? Is it a well-received English idiom?

texts:
I found the phrase, “run on a ticket with a man” in the today’s (December 9) Washington Post article titled, “Gingrich run could bring up bad memories for former colleagues.”
The article begins with the following sentence:

“If former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is the Republican presidential nominee, many members of Congress will run on a ticket with a man they worked with two decades ago. Judging by some of their public comments, not all of them would necessarily welcome the idea.”

As I’m uncertain of the meaning of “run on a ticket with a man,” I consulted OED, Cambridge, and M-W online dictionary.

Only Cambridge Dictionary registered ‘run on sth.’ as the idiom accompanied with the explanation; ‘If a machine runs on a particular type of power, it uses that power to work; e.g. Some calculators run on solar power,
though I don’t think this definition is applicable to the usage of the phrase in the above quote.

Neither OED nor M-E registers “run on ticket” nor “run on something.”

However, GoogleNgram shows the usage trend of “run on a ticket.” The phrase emerged in
circ.1870, and its usage has been dwindling after peaking around 1930.

What does "run on a ticket with somebody” mean? Is it a well-received English idiom?


texts: Scientific term for “Characteristic time”

texts:
What term is commonly used in scientific vocabulary for "characteristic time", i.e. for typical time of some process?

We suppose process is not periodical, and "period" does not fit that well.

Usage example:
"characteristic time" of continental drift
Which may refer to time around 150 million years which is enough to completely change visual view of continents.


texts: Suppose I do something that might be seen as an immediate waste of time, because I think it will save more time in the long-term, be it preventing problems, by solving them faster, or by making future tasks faster (an option neither of two idioms I'm about to discuss addresses). I'm looking for an idiom, if one exists, that would describe this priority. "A stitch in time saves nine" doesn't work, as it refers to immediately addressing an existing problem, rather than shoring up against future problems (e.g. with research or by securing something). "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is closer, but neither the ounce nor the pound is specifically a cost of time. I'm looking for a phrase that explicitly concerns investing time to save more time later.


texts:
The birds' nests are high up, safe/secure from predators.
  These elephants are relatively secure/safe from poachers.
  Make sure you keep these documents safe/secure.
  Keep your credit cards in a safe/secure place.
  I always feel safe/secure when I'm around my big dog.

What's the difference between safe and secure in these examples?


texts: ”…you think of (or) about tomato ketchup”?

texts:
Please help me find the correct answer

  When you think about Heinz, you may probably think ______ tomato ketchup.

In the blank space, is the correct preposition about or of?


texts: Correct usage of "rated" and "specified"?

texts:
When writing about technical subjects, how do we use the adjectives rated and specified correctly?

As an example, suppose I am writing about a rechargeable battery, and I would like to express that its capacity is 2500 mAh. My problem is that I am not sure which word should be used after rated or specified:

The battery is specified with 2500 mAh (might be the natural solution for German native speakers like me, but does not really sound correct)
The battery is specified at 2500 mAh (didn't find such an example, but might be not completely wrong)
The battery is rated as 2500 mAh (found such an example on Linguee, but still sounds slightly odd)
The battery is rated at 2500 mAh (also used in an example I have read, eventually sounds correct to me)
The battery is rated 2500 mAh (the solution I eventually would use after having read some dictionary entries)

What would be the correct wording?


texts: Terminology: what do you call two words that rhyme but whose endings aren't spelled the same?

texts:
Examples:

Buzz/Does/Was
Too/Blue/Grew/Flu/Through/Threw

I overheard a claim that this phenomenon is only present in English and Japanese. I'm not well versed in enough other languages to know whether this true, and I find it unlikely to be so. When I attempted to search for examples, I discovered that I don't know what this is called, or if it even has a name.

So, is there a name for groups of words with these relationships?

Bonus points: do you know of other languages in which this phenomenon exists?


texts:
The words "high" and "low" generally refer to magnitude or vertical distance. How did these words come to be associated with pitch?

We can draw comparison to high ("large") or low ("small") frequency, but it would seem to me that the terminology of music should rather predate the terminology of wave physics by some hundreds of years. (The terminology for, say, choral music was well-developed as at least as far back as the 15th century and one should imagine that the fundamentals of pitch terminology are a good deal older, while wave physics was in its infancy as late as the 18th century?)

In fact, the closest synonyms for both vertical distance ("tall", "short") and magnitude ("big", "small") to me intuitively represent pitches in the opposite direction from "high/low" - i.e. a "short" or "small" note would be a "high" one because of e.g. the length of the string or size of the pipe, bar, or drum producing the pitch.

To make matters even more confusing, the latin bassus (the derivative of the English "base" - meaning e.g. "foundation", or "of low value" and obviously "bass" meaning "low-pitched") also means "short", and the latin altus meaning "high" (which I assume is the source of "high" meaning "high-pitched" in English) also means "deep"!

Is there an accepted etymology for how "high" and "low" came to be used for pitch rather than "big/small", "long/short", "shallow/deep", etc?

Is there a fundamental connection between high pitches and "up" (and between low pitches and "down")?

Perhaps more relevantly (and certainly more answerably!), is this consistent outside of English and the romance languages?


texts:
I am writing a software manual. Can I use the phrase

  You will be prompted with a dialog.

I found some uses of this form and it, for me, means that I will be shown the dialog, a bit like You will encounter a dialog. That last bit sounds more like Jurassic Park though, so I don't really like it for some dialog in a software.

Most examples I found however were more assignments to do something like:

  You will be prompted to enter a number.

Is prompted with valid and does it mean what I think it means?


texts: What exactly are the differences between "diligent", "assiduous" and "sedulous"?

texts:
From OALD:

sedulous (formal) showing great care and effort in your work
synonym: diligent
assiduous (formal) working very hard and taking great care that everything is done as well as it can be
synonym: diligent
diligent (formal) showing care and effort in your work or duties

These definitions look alike. What they have in common is that these words mean to take care and to put effort into your work.
All words are formal. None of these seems to be a proper term in a specific field, e.g. medical, law.
I also looked at Merriam-Webster to get more details. This adds the connotation of steady and earnest to diligent and unremitting attention and persistent application to assiduous. But in the end, these additional information are again describing an equal thing, i.e., continuously doing your work. The entry on sedulous doesn't add any more content; it refers to diligent and again describes the word with perseverance.
From this point (checking dictionaries only), I don't see any difference at all. I continued with a corpora search.
From COCA:
Diligent is most used in combination with work, effort, research, study but also student, people.

She's a diligent student.
His diligent research identified the value of ...

Assiduous is also most used with work, effort, research but not with student, people. Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary entry on assiduous lists student as example though.

He's assiduous in his work.
With assiduous attention to detail ...

Sedulous is most used, um, to little results. BNC has even less content. Merriam-Webster's example is, once again, a student.
So, diligent is used most often, followed by assiduous and sedulous is quite rare.
All words are formal. All words seem to be usable as an attribute to a person (e.g., student) but also specifying the intense care and effort on work, e.g., a research.
I don't see any significant difference in these words, besides frequency. When is a student diligent, assiduous or sedulous? And when is a research diligent, assiduous or sedulous? Or simply: What are the subtle distinctions which aren't represented by dictionaries?


texts:
Should it be 30 day free trial or 30 days free trial?

I believe it should be 30 day free trial but I can't find the grammar rule to back this up. I am trying to explain it to someone who is not a native English speaker.


texts:
Original:
"These two peers would later become an advantageous support system for me personally, assisting as I struggled with the structural engineering portion of my internship project at the lab."
Suggested Revision:
"These two peers became an advantageous support system for me personally and assisted me as I struggled with the structural engineering portion of my internship project at the lab."
I'm confused because "assisting" doesn't necessarily mean present-tense, yet, aside from "become" to "became", it's the only tense-shift in the sentence. I could say "She was assisting me yesterday" and that's still correct.
I also don't understand why adding "and" and "me" is necessary? The comma appends the descriptor of the clause. I also specified that "I" (me) was being helped earlier in the sentence.
Update:
This sentence seeks to convey the simultaneity described in an adverbial participle clause; in helping me with the structural engineering portion of my project they simultaneously became a support system for me. Surrounding sentences describe how peers (organization members) provided support to one another in a myriad of ways. I'm trying to evince and contextualize an instance of collective support, on a more personal scale. "All of the peers in the lab supported one another. Peer 1 & 2 (I identify these two peers in a separate sentence preceding the one in subject) stood out to me the most. These two peers were special because they assisted me personally when my project hit an on-going roadblock (This is the sentence we're revising).
I tried to incorporate some of the other feedback offered in the comments and came up with this:
"These two peers later became a support system for me personally, assisting when I struggled with the structural engineering portion of my internship project at the lab."
I don't revisit this particular instance in the essay again, so I removed "would". I retained "later" because I think it helps to clarify the more personal modality of support in this sentence. Is it appropriate to use the comma and forego the "and", as illustrated in the above version? If this isn't appropriate, could I replace the comma with a "by"?


texts: difference between more than and rather than

texts:
I like more apples than oranges.
I like apples rather than oranges.

Could anyone tell me the shades of meaning?


texts:
Is there a verb that more or less means "to piece together clues"?  I'm looking for something like "detectivize," which, unfortunately, isn't a word.

The closest I came up with is "investigate," but this is far from my intended meaning.


texts: "Paintings on walls and ceilings" and "painting of portraits, landscapes"

texts:
I am creating a portfolio of painter's works and I need to categorize them.

There will be two global categories:

Paintings on canvas
Painting on walls and ceilings

The paintings on canvas divide into "Portraits", "Landscapes", and so on.

How should I call paintings of walls and ceilings in English?

Maybe there is some precise word? I haven't found it, using translators from Russian.


texts: What is the rule of using semicolons in this sentence?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is it proper usage to replace a comma in a list with a semi-colon in this situation (see details)?

  Transglobal historians are muscling up with their magnum opuses; publishers are bellowing for more books; more TV tie-ins; more exhibitions.

From The Sunday Times: A picture of what was lost, 11 November 2012


texts:
I would like to write a general sentence followed by a colon and three coordinate sentences in detail separated by commas.

For example:

I had a bad day: my phone was stolen, my leg was broken, and my girlfriend broke up with me.

I don't think it is grammatically correct but how should I correct it with similar sentence structure, or how do I correctly express my idea in this way? Thanks.


texts:
Is there a word in English that denotes money set aside (or money given to the mother/father/parents) at the birth of a child designated for the upkeep of the child or as a gift to the adult the child is to become?

When you query the Google News corpus pre-trained model (3 million 300-dimension word vectors) using python here,

import gensim

model = gensim.models.KeyedVectors.load_word2vec_format('GoogleNews-vectors-negative300.bin',
                                                        binary=True)

# What word is to child as dowry/"bride price" is to marriage?
# "dowry - marriage + child" looks like:
model.most_similar_cosmul(positive=['dowry', 'child'], negative=['marriage'])

you get this as an output:

[('toddler', 0.8820212483406067),
 ('infant', 0.8791450262069702),
 ('childs', 0.8452366590499878),
 ('chld', 0.8431567549705505),
 ('chid', 0.8396517038345337),
 ('newborn', 0.836097776889801),
 ('children', 0.8355128765106201),
 ('anganwadi_worker', 0.8350832462310791),
 ('chilren', 0.8305007219314575),
 ('Child', 0.8303987383842468)]


texts: Past Perfect Tense Used Instead of Past Simple in 'The Kite Runner'

texts:
I'm currently reading 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini, and notice that in some place in the book, i can't really comprehend the use of past perfect tense instead of simple past tense. Consider this paragraph:

  "Yes." It was the shortcut to school. I remembered the day Hassan and I crossed it and the soldiers had teased Hassan about his mother. Hassan had cried in the cinema later, and I had put an arm around him.

I don't really understand why past perfect tense is used (had teased, had cried, had put) instead of past simple. Does the paragraph means anything else if I put it like this:

  "Yes." It was the shortcut to school. I remembered the day Hassan and I crossed it and the soldiers teased Hassan about his mother. Hassan cried in the cinema later, and I put an arm around him.

Please, enlighten me.

Thank you.


texts: Should the names of different sorting algorithms be " sort" or "sort"?

texts:
Should the names of different sorting algorithms be <qualifier> sort or <qualifier>sort?

The titles of Wikipedia articles of these sorting algorithms are not consistent with respect to this.  See the listing.  From English grammar (correction: orthography) point of view, which is better?


texts: Can I say "providing that I'm a newcomer?"

texts: I would like know if its grammatically correct to say 'Where am I supposed to submit my homework providing that I am a newcomer?'(= that I'm new, I don't know where to submit the homework) Or can I use 'providing the fact' or 'due to the fact that' instead of saying "providing that" in the above sentence?


texts:
A sentence from here:

  Do not accept any inputs that violate these rules, or convert the inputs to safe values.

Does this sentence prohibit conversion? Or does it encourage to do?
Note: I found this one, but I am wondering if the comma before "or" has some effect.


texts:
The word "metamorphoses"[n] is defined according to Longman dictionary as

  a process in which something changes completely into something very
  different. [SYN transformation]

Another definition from Merriam-Webster

  change of physical form, structure, or substance especially by
  supernatural means

Even though the word in the aforementioned dictionary has another definition, but it seems to me the meaning of this word is strictly related to the biological morph. My question is is it feasible to use this word interchangeably with transform?  For example, can I say

  Some students have metamorphosed their major from mathematics to
  engineering.


texts:
As I understand, the phrase above can mean to invite someone to somewhere, then to give someone a lift/to provide transportation for someone. Do I get it right? As I am not a native speaker of English and do not live in an English-speaking country, I have questions about how often this phrase is used in this sense? Perhaps it is not so usual to say that this way when you give invitation tickets to someone and offer to give a ride at the same time?  Is this phrase rarely (often) said when referring to children or inanimate nouns like books, tablets, etc. or the handicapped?

The example below:

  Mr Hopewell, Director of Client Relations Department, was given four invitation cards to the charity party "Save Panda", and he took three colleagues to this "green" event.


texts:
Do these two expressions mean the same or are they used in different contexts? I wrote "Since then" in an essay for my English teacher but she wrote me "from then on" instead. I wanted to say that two children have lived alone since the moment when their parents died, so I wrote

  Since then, the two children lived alone...

And my teacher corrected it to

  From then on, the two children lived alone...

Thanks in advance!


texts: Can you outfish, out-fish, or out fish someone?

texts:
I don't even know what to Google in order to find the answer to this question.

I'm trying to determine the proper grammar for outdoing someone in a particular area.  For instance, in the previous sentence, I comfortably used the word "outdo" as a single word with no hyphen, and the dictionary supports this.  However, what about fishing better than someone?  Wiktionary believes that "outfish" is a word, but Microsoft Word and other dictionaries disagree.  Since in English, unlike in German and other languages, we don't typically mash words together to get a single valid word (at least not without a hyphen), my question is as follows.

Which of the following is the correct way to express fishing better than someone: outfish, out-fish, or out fish?


texts: members get to train their ability/abilities to

texts:
"Members get to train their ability to..."

"Members get to train their abilities to..."

The first one sounds more "natural", but how am I supposed to explain this in terms of agreement?

By the way how can I learn more about the intricacies of this sort of grammar items? I don't want to rely on my instincts every time. Thx


texts:
I'm having difficulty coming up with a valid antonym for gravitas.

Online searches return results like superficiality, cheerfulness, frivolity, facetiousness etc. which don't work for me. They seem to be opposites of gravitas as it is understood by the person who has it.

As in, "We need to undertake this project with gravitas", "he carried himself with gravitas".

This is taken to mean seriousness.

There's another sense of the word, as the quality of a person having gravitas. In this case, the things they say and do are given significance because of
 gravitas.

What if what someone has to say is automatically disregarded because of... the opposite of gravitas.

What would that word be?


texts: Using *if* AND *whether* in the same phrase

texts: I am wondering if one could use if and whether in the same phrase or whether it is better to use two identical conjunctions.


texts: What is the correct verb form for a list of tasks/responsibilities in CV?

texts:
In my CV I have short lists of responsibilities/tasks that I was assigned in my past jobs. Should I use the -ing form of a verb in such lists or rather the infinitive?
For example:

Accountant at XYZ
Tasks:

Prepare project meetings
Calculate big meaningful numbers

or

Accountant at XYZ
Tasks:

Preparing project meetings
Calculating big meaningful numbers


texts:
Given the following sentences:

  I have even started using them in normal writing.
  People can understand your writing better.

Are using and writing gerunds, verbs, or some other part of speech?

Context:

I am prefixing the words in some phrases with abbreviations. Some of the words are giving me trouble in classification. (The message is supposed to be an implicit proof of why adding prefixes to table names in a database is terrible. But I'd like to get it right.)

Here's the full set of sentences for your amusement. However, please restrict your comments to the stated question, for the most part.

  com-Don't ver-Listen prep-To adj-Those adj-Other nou-People.
  pro-You aux-Should adv-Always ver-Use nou-Prefixes prep-With pro-Your adj-Table nou-Names.
  pro-I aux-Have adv-Even ver-Started ver-Using pro-Them prep-In adj-Normal nou-Writing.
  com-See adv-How adj-Effective pr-It ver-Is?
  nou-People aux-Can ver-Understand pro-Your nou-Writing adv-Better!

(where com means command verb)

This question is part of 3 related questions:

Adjectives vs. determinatives
Nouns vs. nouns used as adjectives
This question

It originally came from this closed question


texts: Tense Nuances for a Completed Action with Present Result

texts:
Would you please tell me which one is correct/incorrect and why?

  Ali came into the sitting room. It was empty, but the television was still on. Someone ________ it.

  ❶) had been watched
  ❷) watched
  ❸) was watching
  ❹) had watched

I think ‘had watched’ is the most correct out of those options or it is the one which is not completely wrong.


texts: What do you call nature words ending in -land? For example, moorland, wetland, marshland, woodland...You get the picture. Is there a name for such things? And is there one for a place that is surrounded by water/made up of shores of lakes/rivers/streams besides wetland?


texts: Meaning of "kick out the last jam of the set"

texts:
I can't clearly get this phrase. Is it related to the "kick out the jams"? Or "jam" means the song/jazz improvisation, so what does "kick out" mean in that case?

The context is "they are kicking out the last jam of their set".


texts: Older ways to say "Dear" when writing a letter

texts:
"Dear" has become a polite introductory word from the 15c.
I would like to know of older, archaic words that were, perhaps, used in its stead or alongside it.
From the old letters I reviewed I found several related words: dear, deore and various other different archaic spelling, dearest, beloved(and other more friendly words) and title specific words such as, but not limited to, your highness and your honorable.

Do you know of another word that is not related to dear and is not dependent of the title that was used? Especially words that might have been used prior to the period since when "dear" has become a convention.
If you do know of a word,please tell me how you came about knowing the word or how you find it.


texts: Can the word "dialogue" be used when two characters have short interaction, but only one is talking?

texts:
When I was writing this question on Movies & TV SE I was really tempted to use the word dialogue to describe the interaction between two characters. However the problem is that in the described scene one character says only one short sentence and the other doesn't say anything.

Dialogue (in a book, play or film) is defined as:

  a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play,
  or film

This means that this kind of interaction shouldn't be called a dialogue. However it's not a monologue either.

Can the word dialogue be used to describe a short interaction between characters with only one of them talking?


texts:
What is the etymology of the expression "so far, so good"?
Why is the meaning of "so far" in that phrase different from the meaning it has in "it's so far"?


texts:
What is the best word for a situation when two friend end their friendship because of a dispute? (Verb, Noun,...)
I couldn't find anything online about friendship, any help would be appreciated!


texts: What is the correct usage of the tilde symbol with negative numbers?

texts:
The tilde symbol (~) is used in academic texts in place of about or approximately.

Generally, it is placed immediately before the number (eg. AUD ~2.4 million), which works for positive numbers, where the positive symbol is not shown. However, when dealing with a negative number, the negative symbol is shown (eg. -3.7).

If this were an approximate value, would the tilde be placed before or after the negative symbol (~-3.7) or -~3.7)?


texts:
The Harrap's New Shorter French and English Dictionary Ed. 1985, defines one of the senses of "knob" as an AmE equivalent for "knoll", i.e. a small, rounded hill or eminence; hillock.

Sadly enough, it doesn't say if this so-called Americanism was to some extent more commonly used back in the 80s than its shared synonym, nor if it ever caught on in AmE in that sense.

And so, I wish you could tell if "knob" for "knoll" has any currency at all in AmE today. Or does it sound unequivocally archaic to your ears?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Knob?s=t
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/knoll?s=t

E.g.

  The knoll upon which Jacksland stood overlooked the river, just a grassy knob that felt peaceful and untouched... source


texts: the meaning of “accounting for designs ” and trim

texts:
Supplier shall maintain records, including but not limited to, accounting for designs, labels, trims, packing materials and hangtags,

context:used to produce a clothing record.

What are the meanings of "accounting for designs" and "trims" in this sentence?

According to the dictionary, accounting means bookkeeper, but this is not the right meaning in this context. Trim means repair. This too is not right meaning here.

I am still confused about the meaning.


texts:
Indian elephants are the main contributors to the biogas production,
  but other vegetarian animals, like giraffes and rhinoceroses, help as
  well.

What is the name of usage of this word "like" called, and is it possible to alternate this word with another word like "as" or "for example"?


texts: Did the word "idiocracy" exist prior to the release of the movie of the same title, or is it a neologism coined by its screenwriters?


texts: Word for something being both beautiful and terrible at the same time

texts: I want to know a word that describes the phenomenon of something being both beautiful and terrible at the same time, like a tsunami or the eye of a tornado.


texts:
I have an idiom that is used in a sentence; which is correct?

  You are asked to copy this letter word by word.
  You are asked to copy this letter word for word.

Which is correct?


texts: Is there an antonym for the word dislocation?

texts:
For my PhD research I am writing about the metaphorical displacement of people (as in "they drove me out of their group", "he was snatched away before his time"). Essentially there are a variety of synonyms I use going from dislocation, to delocalization, deportation, forced migration, and exile (though exile is a bit different).

The one I use most often is delocalization. So here is my question

Is delocalization an understandable term?
Does it have an antonym? That antonym would have to mean something as 'the attachment of people to a  place.' I have been using the word localization so far, but somehow I feel might be more about locating something or someone, rather than attaching oneself to a location.


texts: Is using "and/or" recommended for formal writing, or is it frowned upon?

texts: Is using "and/or" allowed in formal writing? If not, is there general way to represent the OR binary operator with as little space as possible in written English?


texts: "The larger of A and B" or "the larger of A or B"

texts:
I was wondering which one is more correct between "the larger of A and B" and "the larger of A or B".

I use the former, but I saw in IRS instruction for Form 1040:

  In most cases, your federal income tax will be less if you take the larger of your itemized deductions or standard deduction.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How to use “you know”

Why is "you know" most commonly used in spoken English. Or to phrase it differently, why do native speakers use this expression a lot in spoken English? Is it a good way of speaking? Does it have to do anything with a particular country, culture, etc?


texts: Formal word or phrase for "under the radar"

texts:
I want to find a formal substitute for "under the radar." Consider this sentence:

  In the beginning, it's normal for companies to _______________.

The best I could think of would be "unnoticed." However, I'm hoping there is a phrase that doesn't involve a negative prefix like "un".


texts: Difference between 'get at' and 'get on at'

texts:
E.g.

'My boss is always getting on at me even if I haven't done anything wrong.'
'Her parents keep getting at her for skipping classes.'

I'm wondering whether these phrasal verbs have exactly the same meaning or they imply something slightly different.


texts: How to properly use the "second" ordinal number with the "second" time unit?

texts:
What I'm trying to say:

"Look carefully at the second second of the video."

This might be grammatically correct but it's weird to use. What are some better ways to say it?

Context:

The sentence is a comment on a website.
The video is around ten seconds.
The time should be precise.
The video doesn't have a time info as it plays if the viewer is not a power user.


texts:
Sometimes I see sentences like "At [company name] excellent customer service is in our DNA". Obviously the writer isn't literally referring to DNA, but using it as a metaphor.

When did DNA as a metaphor came into use? Did we have another understanding of it at that time? (The understanding that [almost] everything of ourselves is determines by our DNA.)


texts: Meaning of the word "FOR" used at the beginning of a sentence

texts:
I have encountered the word "for" many times. But, even if I use the dictionary, I can not understand the meaning of this word used at the beginning of a sentence.

Here is an example:  It would be an excellent match. For he was rich and she was handsome.

Does it always mean because?

Thank you.


texts:
It's ironical that Linux, the most secure OS, is commonly used to hack other machines.

Is that sentence correct, with respect to the irony part?


texts:
I have always understood the phrase ____-gate to refer to a controversy or conflict. For example, deflate-gate was the hubbub around whether the Patriots intentionally deflated balls during the AFC Championship. The original, Watergate, was a scandal under the Nixon administration.

However, I hear references to people being pro-gamergate or anti-gamergate. This seems to imply that gamergate is not a description of a controversy or conflict, but rather, of only one side of some conflict.

Under my understanding, it wouldn't make sense to call somebody pro-watergate, or anti-watergate. You'd have to say pro-Nixon or anti-Nixon.

Is gamergate used in a non-standard way as compared to other -gates? If so, how did this come about?

Edit: Twice now, I've been presented with a banner saying "This question may already have an answer here:
Why do we use the suffix “‑gate” when referring to a scandal? [closed] 3 answers" It gives me an option: "No, my question is different. I will edit to explain how." So, I'm editing to explain how my question is different.

I am not asking why we use the suffix "-gate" when referring to a scandal. I give the etymology of that use in my question, so there is no way you could construe my question as asking why we use the suffix "-gate" when referring to a scandal. I'm asking: given that we use the suffix "-gate" when referring to a scandal, is the use of terms like "pro-gamergate" non-standard as compared to previous uses? The answerer and a few commenters got exactly what I was asking. This question generated an answer different than the type of answer the other "duplicate" answer generated. Those other questions were not sufficient to address this novel sense of the "-gate" suffix.


texts: Looking for a word that means "to be gullible to your own ideas"

texts: I thought the word i was looking for was "naive", but when i looked up the definition it didn't seem right. Is it right? Regardless, what are some words that define this?


texts:
If I was...
If I were...

When is it correct to use "If I was" vs. "If I were" in standard English?


texts: Why "inspector general", and not "general inspector", like German "Generalinspektor"?

texts:
I would expect the term "inspector general" to be "general inspector" instead.

In part, that may be because I know the German variant as "Generalinspekteur" of "Generalinspektor".

But I'm pretty sure it would be like this without knowing the German word, just from general language intuition.

So, why does the order of words make sense?

It would be interesting how it came to be like that - but that would not answer it alone.
(An answer to Is it common to use the borrowed noun-adjective form for borrowed French phrases? indicates it may be a method distinguish titles from general desrciptions.)


texts: What are the subjects, objects, complements and gerunds in this sentence?

texts:
As with most great avant artists, it’s easier to describe how Arca makes you feel than what it is, exactly, she makes.

Just wanted clarification on a few things. What is the first part of the sentence considered in terms of grammar?

as with most great avant artists

I thought it was a subject complement at first, but I'm not sure. The subject of the first main clause already has a complement, I think, in the phrase 'easier to describe' which qualifies the verb 'be' (of the subject 'it'). Am I correct in thinking this? And am I also correct to consider 'makes you feel' as the complement of the object 'Arca', or is 'how Arca makes you feel' an entire gerund phrase, as another noun could be substituted? How do I demarcate these things here - and in future?
And in the second clause (if it is a second clause, and not just another complement full of non-finite verbs)

than what it is, exactly, she makes

Am I correct to think 'it' is the subject, 'what' the adverb, 'is' the main verb, and 'makes' a gerund?
Sorry if that reads a bit convoluted - it's quite a few questions at once. I guess what I'm asking for is general syntactic analysis of the sentence - any help would be much appreciated.


texts: have or has following "something and something"

texts:
My work experience and education have provided me with an extensive background in business.

Do i use have/has here?


texts: Is the "king" in "King Arthur" a proper adjective?

texts: Is the King in King Arthur a proper adjective? I know it would be a title, but are titles proper adjectives?


texts: What is the difference between "to seek" and "to seek out"?

texts: I have used both "seek" and "seek out" more or less interchangeably, but is there any structural or logical difference between the two?


texts:
Consider the two sentences below

  It is of crucial importance that we make more use of technology if we are to make progress.

and

  It is crucially important that we make more use of technology if we are to make progress.

What is the grammatical role of "of" in the the first sentence?
What is difference between the two sentences in meaning and emphasizing?


texts:
My teacher gave me a worksheet today.

I found a sentence saying:

  The main character and the novelist, who serves as the narrator, share a vital experience.

This I found confusing, because the way I would say what the sentence is intended to say is:

  The main character, also the novelist, who serves as the narrator, shares a vital experience.

Or I would just change serves to serve.

But my teacher insisted on saying that there is nothing wrong with the sentence's grammar.

WHY?


texts: Why is a meal's main course referred to as "entree"?

texts: How did it come to be that the main course of a meal is referred to as "entree", where that french word has always meant "appetizer"? Did someone translate it incorrectly it ages ago, and we haven't caught on yet, or is there another reason?


texts: Punctuating dialogue interrupted by speaker?

texts:
When a speaker briefly interrupts their own dialogue, then resumes in the same paragraph, how do you punctuate the interruption?
I know that, when it doesn't halt speech (i.e. dashes outside quotes), you use lower case and no full stop.  Like so:

"Well I heard"—her voice dropped to a whisper—"that she stole it."

But what if speech is halted (i.e. dashes inside quotes)?
Which of these is right?:

"It's good, but—" He took another bite. "—it could use more salt."
"It's good, but—" he took another bite "—it could use more salt."

[Please no examples where the interruption is by another person, or there's a paragraph break. That's a slightly different situation (with lots of answers already) and not helpful.]
[ETA: It's been pointed out that "it could use more salt" could be considered a separate sentence, thus avoiding the issue. As I'm specifically looking for the right punctuation (capital and full stop? yes/no?) for an interrupted full sentence (and not just this sentence in particular), please pretend that it can't.]


texts: What is the etymology of 'pimp' in English?

texts: What is the original meaning of pimp in English, as shown in the image below?


texts: Use of aux. "be" with "got" for passive?

texts:
Someone got full marks in the exam.

Is it possible to change its voice to passive using got as follows?

  Full marks were got by someone.

Why or why not?


texts: Which does ‘rising’ here mean, to stand up or to get angry?

texts:
Harry was sitting up on a bed in the hospital wing at school, surrounded by his visitors. Fudge, one of them, started to insult Harry. Did Mrs. Weasley want to prevent him from getting angry or from standing up and leaving his bed? (Psychologycally or physically?)

”Insane,” whispered Fudge, still backing away. “Mad …”
And then there was silence. Madam Pomfrey was standing frozen at the foot of Harry’s bed, her hands over her mouth. Mrs. Weasley was still standing over Harry, her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from rising. Bill, Ron, and Hermione were staring at Fudge. (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [US Version]: p.709)


texts: For word pronunciation that have 2 consonants standing next to each other and at the end, Do we have to fully aspirate both of them?

texts:
I am confused about this question for long time but no internet resource explains about this.

Ok, when we have a consonant followed by an vowel in a pronunciation then for sure we have to fully aspirate the sound of that consonant. For example, in has /hæz/, we will fully aspirate /z/. That is meaningful. No problem right.

Now, when we have 2 consonants standing next to each other and at the end of a pronunciation, then my question is:

  Should we fully aspirate both of these 2 consonants?

For example, in books /bʊks/, should we fully aspirate /k/ and then fully aspirate /s/. So, to pronounce /bʊks/, we will make 3 sounds:

-fully aspirate /bʊ/

-fully aspirate /k/

-fully aspirate /s/

Note: fully aspirate means fully pronounce (a sound) with an exhalation of breath. For example, when you fully aspirate /k/  (see video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhS65K59ogA, the lady made the /k/ sound in the time of 0:24)

Or

  Should we fully aspirate the last consonant only and the before consonant should be in the starting position and your tongue will make the sound of the last consonant from that starting position?

For example, in books /bʊks/, when we finish the sound /bʊk/ the back of the tongue will touch the soft palate and at that point of time we won't release the tongue to make the sound /k/ but release the tongue to the /s/ position to make the /s/ sound.

I believe that if we make the sound like that then it will be different from when people won't put their tongue at the /k/ position but after /bʊ/ they will make /s/ immediately and it will sound like /bʊs/

Ok, to make my question clearer, I recorded my voice so that you can imagine what I am asking about:

This voice shows the /bʊks/ with aspirate of both  /k/ and /s/. See https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9o9iLQ2SktLUHpmcnF2TFRCRTg/view?usp=sharing

This voice shows the /bʊks/ with aspirate of /s/ only. See https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9o9iLQ2SktLQVNMc0ZZSUhVaXM/view?usp=sharing

I think this is a very interesting question!


texts: Is there a word to describe period types?

texts:
For example, what would be a generic term to categorize these words: daily, monthly, yearly, bimonthly, quarterly etc.

The word should mean "type of period between reoccurring events". One type is "daily", the other type is "monthly", etc. To summarize: I need a word that these examples are instances of.


texts:
Yesterday, while searching the Internet for Indonesian sailing ships, I came across the Wikipedia article for the pinisi. No pronunciation is given in that article, and I was unable to find anything in Merriam-Webster or Wiktionary or by Googling "pinisi pronunciation".
My guess would be that it is pronounced /pɪˈnisi/ or /pəˈnisi/, but I'd like to know for sure. How should the word "pinisi" be pronounced in English?
(Since this word appears to be used like an English word in the English Wikipedia article linked above, I believe that this question is on-topic for this site, but since I haven't yet been able to find its pronunciation in any English dictionaries, I could be mistaken.)


texts: What is the meaning of "blinkers on and a case of Red Bull"?

texts:
One of my developer wrote to me in chat,

  please tell LK that you need your blinkers on and a case of Red Bull.

(Here LK is the name of my senior.)

What does "need blinkers on and a case of Red Bull" mean?


texts: Is she speaking proper Cockney (or whatever it is she's imitating)?

texts:
At one point in Witness for the Prosecution, Marlene Dietrich's character is at some pains impersonating a guttersnipe. I've been told that the actress spent quite some time working on her accent for this scene. The acting part is well-nigh impeccable (as usual with Dietrich). It's the accent I'm not so sure about. It does sound like a plausible imitation, but is it a little off? And if so, how? Please enlighten me.

This clip contains the scene. Dietrich she starts talking at the 2:27 mark:

https://youtu.be/sjkWibjhpIo


texts: Phrase for describing something with many pros and cons

texts: What's an appropriate phrase or idiom to describe something (e.g. a concept, tool, device, etc.) with many pros and cons. In fact, both parties have rational facts about their opinion and they are right.


texts:
As I learned from Wiktionary site, there are exists these Latin phrases:

et alii - And others; used of men or boys, or groups of mixed gender; masculine plural
et aliae - And others; used of women or girls; feminine plural
et alios - And others; used of people, unless exclusively of female gender
et alia - And others; used of things; neuter plural.

Also, a note (actually, a quote) about et alii and it's alternatives:

  Alii is masculine, so it can be used for men, or groups of men and women; the feminine, et aliae, is appropriate when the "others" are all female; but as with many loanwords, interlingual use (such as in reference lists) is often invariable. Et alia is neuter plural and thus in Latin text is properly used only for inanimate, genderless objects, but some use it as a gender-neutral alternative.

  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases_(E)#et_alii

My actual question is about et alios. As non-native English speaker, I can't understand the definition mentioned above ("used of people, unless exclusively of female gender"). What does it actually mean?

Edit:

"I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's about the meaning of a phrase in Latin, not English." - Mark Beadles

@Mark Beadles I'm actually want to understand the meaning of English phrase: "used of people, unless exclusively of female gender". This "unless exclusively" is something what I can't understand. – jsv


texts:
"Widespread dumping of antibiotics in rivers has made the country a hotspot for anti-microbial resistance. "
What does it mean by "a hotspot for anti-microbial resistance"?


texts: What do you call it when you can't smell something?

texts:
The man who cannot see is blind.

The man who cannot hear is deaf.

The man who cannot talk is mute.

What is the man who cannot smell?


texts:
I was feeling in a good mood the other day, and the expression happy as Larry sprang to mind (the alternative, like a pig in shit, being perhaps a little coarse). I was wondering about the origin of the phrase. Phrases.org here has two suggestions, about a Australian boxer Larry Foley, and it being derived from larrikins (hooliganism), which is presumably amusing to the perpetrator.

Are either of these correct? Does anyone have any other suggestions?


texts: Is it appropriate to use a colon in this situation?

texts:
For example:

I did a quick search and found the following, but I am still confused:
List item 1
List item 2
etc.

Is it appropriate to still use the colon after adding the statement , but I am still confused? The colon doesn't feel as if it fits so well after the statement is added.

Should but I am still confused be moved elsewhere (such as into parentheses)?

I feel as though this reads better:

I did a quick search and found the following (but I am still confused):
List item 1
List item 2
etc.

Are they both correct? Is one preferable over the other? Or is there a better solution outside of these two options?


texts: What are some interesting phrases which suggest that you are extremely busy?

texts:
If I want to say

  I’m extremely busy, I have no time, since I have my exams next month.

What are some interesting replacements for the bold text, both colloquial and written?

e.g. I am busy as a bee


texts: Does vacillation imply intention or a mind? Can non-intelligent things vacillate?

texts:
A friend and I are arguing about this.

Does vacillation imply a mind? Can a non-intelligent thing vacillate? In the context of video games my friend mentioned that his ping was vacillating. I argued that oscillate would be more appropriate in that context. Was his use of vacillate correct there?

I've only ever heard vacillate refer to a person unable to settle on a decision or course of action.


texts:
It came from an episode of Big Bang Theory; when Penny gets hurt, and asks Sheldon to be more comforting, he starts the conversation with "there, there."

What does that mean?


texts:
My understanding is that rules governing punctuation and quotation marks are partly governed by what country you're writing in. For example, in American English, we always place periods inside quotation marks. However, is this still true when the quotation marks only include one word at the end of a sentence? Is the following example correct?

  It's an oil-extraction method known as "fracking."

It feels off to me but if periods must always go inside quotation marks my guess is that it's correct.


texts: "would they ... or they would ...?" or "would they ... or would they ...?"

texts:
I don't know how to ask a conditional question using "or" between two questions:

"If they deliver the load to recovery facilities as a mixed load, would they be charged according to the mixed load fees or would they be charged less if the facility sort their load?"

Thank you for your help


texts:
About usage of "but", I am confused with this sentence:

  You have no choice but to perform the back-test yourself.

"But" is the preposition in this sentence. Why is the use of infinitive? Can I change the verb (perform) to -ing form (gerund) as follows?

  You have no choice but performing the back-test yourself.


texts: Is the formation "[s]he" overly distracting?

texts: Does the use of "[s]he" as a gender-neutral pronoun prompt eye-rolling in the reader or is it generally accepted? I know it cannot be pronounced, but it seems to me a helpful contraction in written speech. Of course the sentence can be restructured, one can use formations such as "he or she," etc. but are such machinations necessary?


texts:
What do we call a person who constantly demotivates others?

For context: someone who thinks he is so brilliant in English, keeps discouraging me about the questions/answers I post.


texts: It has been done, but it shouldn't have - is this ok?

texts:
Correct (but weird) would be "It has been done, but it shouldn't have been done"

First I shortened it to:
"It has been done, but it shouldn't have" - my intuition is saying it should be okay. But a colleague planted a seed of doubt, by asking, if it shouldn't rather go:
"It has been done, but it shouldn't have been"

Is my version ok? Or should it be like "It has been done, but it shouldn't"?

I think I base my intuition on the phrase when you receive an unexpected gift you can say "aaah, you shouldn't have!"

(if you can also point to a resource, where this grammar thing is covered, maybe some murphy's grammar in use page or sth, that would be great)


texts: Do lexicographers have a formal term for Insta-cant

texts: With twitter and social media, it is possible for new cant to appear suddenly and spread widely in weeks or days, often via internet-memes, only to fall out of use just as quickly. Do lexicographers have a formal term for this insta-cant that distinguishes it from old-school slang?


texts: If you say something must occur within one year "of" something else, does the use of the word "of" mean the thing can occur within one year before or following something else? Or is "of" the same as "following"


texts: What does “you you’re writing about” means in the following content?

texts:
Yes. I wrote from the point of view of someone who was sad. But when
  you’re taking on a part, it’s usually you you’re writing about. Your
  psychiatrist would say it’s you.


texts: How to define a numbering system clearly and succintly

texts:
I'm attempting to write a definition of an ordering scheme, and can't find the correct wording.

The ordering should allow for different types of numbering systems, such as:
Item1, Item1a, Item2, Item3, Item4a, Item4b, etc.
Item01, Item02, Item03, etc
Item0100a, Item0101, etc

I don't believe this is called numeric sequencing, b/c letter suffixes are allowed.  Can anyone help with the proper phrasing of this?

I'd like to write something like "Lists are sequenced numerically, with an optional letter suffix".  However, that seems so wordy and awkward.  Any help would be appreciated


texts: What is the difference between "Hydrophobia" and "Aquaphobia"?

texts:
Both seem to represent an irrational fear of water. My own research suggests that hydrophobia is often used as a medical term to describe a mental state-change (warning, not a pleasant video) associated with rabies, but it certainly doesn't seem to be used exclusively for that purpose.

What is the fundamental difference between "hydrophobia" and "aquaphobia"? Can they be used interchangeably?