texts:
I came across the word "pratfall" in this journalistic piece:
eHuffington Post: Donald, you are not in Manhattan anymore

  But the first pratfall ― cancelling the vote on the bill after insisting it would go forward ― is not a good sign.

At first I thought it might be a typo for "pitfall," or an example of journalistic license based on the derogatory slang word prat, but was surprised that to find that the term, while modern, seems to be established. A Google search yields this:

Can anyone shed light on the origin of this word? If it is derived from "prat," then what is its origin?

I have asked another question relating to the same paragraph from which this was taken.


texts: Is it an oxymoron when SOME definitions of a word with SOME qualifier sounds silly?

texts:
Viz: Is 'peaceful demonstration' an oxymoron?

The OP suggests that Jumbo Shrimp is an oxymoron because Shrimp can be used to denote a small person. My take on this is that Jumbo means large in one definition and Shrimp is a crustacean in another definition so Jumbo Shrimp is just a large version of a crustacean and does not always mean Large Small thing

I cannot think of another good example where a qualifier to one definition of a word is an oxymoron and to another is not.


texts: If you can't use “he”, “she” or “they” in a sentence, what do you use?

texts:
I was waiting for a plane to take off last week, when we had to taxi back to the terminal building to disembark a sick passenger. We weren't told whether the passenger was male or female.

I was thinking about how to tell people about it, but realised I couldn't say that 'He' or 'She' disembarked, because I didn't know the sex. I couldn't say 'They' because I knew there was only one and I couldn't say 'It', because it wasn't an object. Without saying 'The sick passenger' disembarked, what word could I use?


texts: Does "God willing" have a religious connotation to it? What are some other phrases that mean the same thing but don't have this connotation?


texts:
Is the following sentence acceptable?

The method of invariantly embedding linear orders into ultrapowers is used to find 20 pairwise nonhomeomorphic contonua in BR, under the assumption that the Continuum Hypothesis fails.


texts: "Demands on your time" vs. "demands for your time"

texts:
I am attempting to acknowledge that someone is extremely busy with various things needing his attention. However, I am uncertain of the phrase for this.

Is it:

  I acknowledge that you have many demands on your time and thus may not have got round to doing this yet.

or

  I acknowledge that you have many demands for your time and thus may not have got round to doing this yet.

and does it make a significant difference?


texts:
Often in sports I hear of the "professionals" and the "weekend warriors" (people who otherwise have non-sports related jobs and work hard on the weekends to train themselves to participate).

I can't tell if this phrase is meant to be derogatory.  Is it meant to mean "these people are warriors who, on top of everything, also train for their sport", or is it meant to mean "these people are just adding an interesting hobby on the weekends and aren't real contenders in this sport"?


texts: “It is happy for me to ....” and “It is glad for me to....”

texts:
Okay, so my students in Japan keep using

  “it is happy for me to…”  “…it is glad for me to…”

I know it is incorrect and the words happy and glad can be changed with others to make some sentences work, i.e. “it is interesting for me to…” I know glad and happy are emotions and state of being that need human or animal subjects, i.e. “I am happy for you”.

Also I know that ‘happy feelings’, ‘happy memories’, ‘happy birthday’ are all a different form of the adjective usage. I need help with, what is exactly the issue with “it is happy for me to…”? I can't think of anything other than it is not right, and I feel weird about it.
So please help!

Edit: Native speaker, MA in Linguistics, living in Japan long enough to forget English. Posted here only after the other native speakers failed to answer as well.


texts: Generic Term for Derivative of a Conceptual System

texts:
What is the generic term for a noun that forms part of the main vocabulary of a conceptual system?

For example:

A number is a derivative of arithmetic.
A word is a derivative of language.
An atom is a derivative of chemistry.
A border is a derivative of map.

I'm looking for the most appropriate replacement for the word 'derivative' above. Preferably a single word!


texts: Thanks & Thank you followed by a comma or a period as a complimentary closing?

texts:
If we use the words "Thanks" or "Thank you" (on a line by itself) at the end of a correspondence -- in the absence of a complimentary closing (such as "Sincerely,") -- do we follow "Thanks" and "Thank you" with a comma or a period?

Example:

Hi Joe,

Body of text ...

Thank you,

Mike

Example 2:

Hi Joe,

Body of text ...

Thanks,

Mike


texts: I'm looking for a word that that describes how someone might be giving and the other person is just taking and not giving nothing back


texts: Does "see you this weekend" in email express "will write another email this weekend"?

texts: Perhaps people will think that I'll physically visit them?


texts: What's the truth about the subjunctive and conditional statements, anyway?

texts:
I have generally (I would say always, but I'm not sure I always thought this) supposed that in English, uses of the subjunctive are quite limited. They include desires, judgments, etc. ("I desire that she go"), general propositions ("the very idea that he marry her"), assorted hypotheticals involving to be ("If I were mad"), and some archaic expressions that you can find in Shakespeare.

Now, in pursuing a question for someone, I find myself confronted with the possibility that many ordinary conditionals in English are in fact subjunctive-carriers. Some sources omit mention of the subjunctive; some state that it's only the "type two" conditional that takes the subjunctive ("If I got up early every morning..."); and some seem to imply that just about every conditional statement is really a subjunctive one.

My first point of concession is that, on some inspection, this so called second type might really be a subjunctive after all; if the protasis "if I were" is subjunctive, then "if I liked" must be as well.

But after this point, it gets quite murky. Do you really mean to say that a standard pluperfect conditional construction, such as "If I had gone along, I would have had fun" really contains the subjunctive mood in one or both pieces?

Now that I think about it, the indicative mood doesn't seem quite right, and surely there must be some mood happening, but the subjunctive? One thing that I am quite sure of is that in this kind of conditional, there is nothing about it that would ever differentiate it from indicative anyway: "If I had gone along" and "I had gone along" have no difference in inflection.

Does that mean that the subjunctive is imputed simply by virtue of uncertainty or doubt? That would mean that the most simple type of conditional, a present-future conditional, is subjunctive also: "If I fail, you'll hate me". The thing is, the more I inspect these fragments, the more conceivable it becomes; aren't we really saying "given that I fail", which has the look of a subjunctive to it?

However, this is where I hesitate. If mere doubt is the condition to require the subjunctive mood, that would mean that "I'm not sure if he is rich" is subjunctive, when we know that it is not, and that to try to employ it ("I'm not sure if he be rich") makes us sound like a pirate.

Maybe I have the sound of French teachers too much in my ear, telling me that the subjunctive is rarely used in English in comparison with the far more robust French equivalent. Can someone please sort this out?


texts:
I really know that for the levels of studying English language, we had always said that "for" is a coordinator. However, I would like to know what for serves in this sentence

For God so loved the world.

Is it still a coordinator or any word class?


texts: 'strong chance' or 'strong possibility'?

texts:
'there is a strong chance that our team will win.'

or

'there is a strong possibility that our team will win.'?

i think the latter seems more suitable.

thoughts?


texts:
Is it mandatory that 'never again' is not separated in a sentence?

Do I have to write "I will never again do anything like that." or may I also put it "I will never do anything like that again."?

If you may separate the two words, is there a rule when to separate them?


texts:
I was discussing this last night with my girl friend...

How do you describe the taste of an onion?

Specifically the growing "spicy" sensation after taking a bite.

I'm just talking about the standard yellow onion.


texts: Which native English speakers are linguistically the most "germanic"?

texts:
English is a Germanic language. Another significant Germanic language is of course German.

Which native English speakers are the closest to German basing on the following criteria?

accent-wise (South Africa?)
German words and phrases (US? e.g. "to schlep" for "to carry")
grammar-wise (US again? e.g. slang "If I would" for "If I was")


texts: {To verb 1 + verb 2} or {to verb 1 + **to** verb 2}?

texts:
How to have two "to + verbs"? Is it to verb 1 + verb 2 or to verb 1 + to verb 2?

Lead a team to integrate two systems and increase the accuracy of report.
Lead a team to integrate two systems and to increase the accuracy of report.

Thanks!


texts:
The following sentences are from Agatha Christie:

  She had at one time been their housemaid. Such a nice girl, Mrs. Hargraves always said–thoroughly to be relied upon to turn the mattresses every day―exept Friday, of course.

Why if a girl (housemaid) is a very nice girl, is she relied upon to turn the mattresses?
Are mattresses private?
Does this expression ("turn the mattresses") have some implication or connotation?


texts: Which of the following two sentences is correct and/or better?

texts:
Which one?

  "Why, being only a child, have you come to a place so far away like Greece...?"

Versus...

  "Why have you, being only a child, come to a place so far away like Greece...?"

...Or maybe some other phrasing (that is and/or sounds better to you) ?


texts:
What’s the difference between the following sentences?

There are some apples to pick up.
There are some apples to be picked up.


texts: How do you use the expression “to come out in front” (as in "to gain an advantage")?

texts:
The usage of the expression "to come out in front", in the sense of gaining an advantage, or succeed in an endeavor (in spite of all odds?), isn't very clear to me. As far as I can tell people use it most often when talking about finances, as in “We sold the house and managed to come out in front financially”, but I've
also encountered phrases like "how women can come out in front" and similar.

I searched TheFreeDictionary, Wordnik, Google and there's no official definition. Is it a colloquial expression?

I guess I'm confused as to whether I should use it abstractly and in the context of some sort of deal, or as a valid substitute for "to win/triumph/succeed".

For example, in a capsule description of a The Simpsons episode from the SNPP fansite the writer comments at the end

  "This is  the only episode where the family actually comes out in front financially at
  the end of the show."

Am I using it correctly if I use it like this?

"The police fought the gangs and eventually managed to come out in front."

"I didn't study for the test but came out in front anyway."

"The politician came out in front thanks to minority voters."

"When the player comes out in front, he's rewarded with 1000 experience points and can progress to another level."


texts: "However" vs. "but" — which is more formal?

texts:
I realize there are questions on the correct usage of "but" and "however". In this case, I am concerned with correctness in a formal context.

I have heard it said that however should be used in formal mail communications instead of but because the word "but" has a negative connotation. Which should I use in, say, an email to a client?

Examples:

  We understand the issue you have pointed out, but we cannot consider it as a defect in the application since the current behavior was requested by your team.
  We understand the issue you have pointed out. However, we cannot consider it as a defect in the application since the current behavior was requested by your team.


texts:
In the third conditional it is correct to say "I would have attended if
 I had known he was giving a lecture." (past progressive)  Why can't I say  "I would have attended if I had know he gave a lecture." (past simple)?


texts: Does the word 'Integral' relate in some way to the mathematical term?

texts:
The word integral in mathematics is a function that expresses the area under the graph of its derivative.

In English integral can mean necessary or essential.

Do either of these terms derive from the other? They do not seem to be related but perhaps there is a historical similarity?


texts:
I'm wondering what contribution the word "through" makes to the following sentence:

The trend continued [through] to April.

How does the above differ from the following?

The trend continued to April.
The trend continued until April.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Word that means "didn't consider the consequences"

texts: Title.  I'm looking for a word or expression that means that someone didn't think about the consequences of an action but still executed said action.


texts: Are "steer away from" and "steer clear of" interchangable?

texts:
"‘Steer clear of Strait Steet,’ he advised wryly, turning away, ‘otherwise you may be wrong. "

  "I purposely steer away from‘political messages."

These are two sample sentences in I found in BNC. "Steer away from" can be used in boat-steering. "Steer clear of" is more used as a verb phrase to mean "keep away from".

But the two cases I gave, the former phrase just was used the way the latter was to be used. And the latter used the way the former used. So does this justify me treating them as being interchangeable?


texts:
In the book The Wealth of Nations, (Adam Smith, 1776), the words an yearly are used. Why was this an exception to the indefinite article rules?

Chapter VI, Book I:

  At the rate of ten per cent therefore, the undertaker of the one will expect an yearly profit of about one hundred pounds only...


texts: What's the correct punctuation for the following phrase?

texts:
Suppose I am discussing two books, one authored by John Smith and James Wilson, the other authored by Anthony Jones. In comparing the two books, I wish to say:

  'The disagreement between Jones and Smith and Wilson is not something that will addressed in this article'.

The problem with the above is that it is unclear that Smith and Wilson should be grouped together as co-authors. Alternately, I could say:

  'The disagreement between Jones, and Smith and Wilson, is not something that will be addressed in this article'.

The problem with the above is that the punctuation seems a little awkward. Is there a better way to express what I'm trying to say, or should I stick with the second version?


texts: "Moments of best friends" or "Moments with best friends"

texts:
Best moments of best friends.

I wanted to name a picture with this which was taken with my friends.
Or will it be more correct if I say Best moments with best friends.

And this sentence:

  Cassy and Cal resting outside with me, in an evening.

or will it be more correct to say

Cassy and Cal resting outside with me, in the evening.

But I'm not referring to today's evening. It was an evening long time ago.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How to answer to 'Is this John?' on phone?

When I get a call from some sales agents/shops and they ask, 'Am I speaking with Akpa?' should I just say 'Yes,' or 'yes, speaking '...or what?


texts: What does the term "Wouldn't blink twice" mean in context and what is it's meaning literally?

texts:
I did not find any results to my liking on google or on English SE.

What does the term "wouldn't blink twice" mean when used in a sentence as follow:

"If I saw [person's name] walking down the street I wouldn't blink twice." or

"If [person's name] walked in late today I wouldn't blink twice."

Also, (bonus?)

What does the term mean literally?  I'm not sure how it means what it sounds like it does contextually.  Is there history on it's origin?

I don't want to make more questions about the same phrase, sounded like a waste.

Thank you all!


texts: Apart from the intensity of the feeling, is there any other difference between "surprised" and "astonished"?

texts:
EDITED

  Surprise (verb)

  Cause (someone) to feel mild astonishment or shock.
  Capture, attack, or discover suddenly and unexpectedly.
  http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/surprise

  Astonhish (verb)

  Surprise or impress (someone) greatly
  http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/astonish ("off-topic". To me, it is surprising that the same dictionary should use "surprise" to explain "astonish", and vice-versa.)

In the following passage, from an old issue of The English Teaching Journal, "surprised" and "astonished" are said to have a difference in meaning, other than the intensity of the feeling.

  The university professor slipped his arm round the waist of the housemaid just as his wife entered the room.  "Really, George", she exclaimed, "I'm surprised at you!"  "To the contrary, my dear," he replied, "it is we who are surprised.  You are astonished."

This was published about forty-five years ago, even though the anecdote seems to antedate it by over a century, as referenced by @Erik Kowal in his comment below. In addition, I've been told such use of "surprise" is outdated. All this said, here is my question: Is this use of "surprise" (catching somebody "red-handed") still current usage?


texts: Word that indicates that "lower is better", such as scoring in golf

texts:
Is there a word that could be used in an instance where you want to indicate that a lower number is better than a positive number?

For instance, In golf, scores are _______. to indicate that a low score is a positive thing.


texts: Is the verb "be" needed in each phrase joined with "or" or "and"?

texts:
Is the second "is" required in the following statement:

  An error will be thrown if index is equal to or is greater than limit.


texts: What words or idioms are there for "beneficial constructive distraction that would establish or facilitate balance"?

texts:
What words are there for

  beneficial constructive distraction from a task that would improve the results or establish or facilitate balance among various tasks (all being a "distraction" in that sense)

As in work-life balance that would not manifest until some extraneous "distraction" occurs that would improve the result?

I would like to avoid philosophical or psychological discussions of whether it can be the case. But there's such an assumption underlying the quoted expression---namely that giving sole attention to only one thing without another one, a few, or many, things, is detrimental to your success at that one thing.

What I am looking for is either a single substantive (if existent) or an idiom, preferably, more or less commonplace, with regard to the substantive "distraction".

Edit: I am grateful for the answers given so far. I failed to mention that I am looking, among other, particularly for words/idioms that are acceptable in rather formal context like corporate letters, job application letters, scientific documents.

Please take a look at the comments to the answers so far for an exemplary specification of why I would like to avoid negative connotations. It is basically due to the perception of the addressee--the message should not communicate that the person is tired or "burned out", i.e., wants to use their free time rather than working time, for an additional activity.


texts: Is there a term for the combination of sexism and ageism?

texts:
For example, calling Clinton "Grandma" though Trump is older,
 higher unemployment in Britain of women 50-64 seeking work than men,
men seen as desirable at the same age women are seen as desperate, gender gap in media roles for same age.

This can be described as "prejudice", but what I seek is a way to pinpoint this particular toxic combination.


texts:
Here is the paragraph from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita-

  My task proved simpler than either of us had anticipated. Save for the correction of obvious solecisms and a careful suppression of a few tenacious details that despite “H.H.”‘s own efforts still subsisted in his text as signposts and tombstones (indicative of places or persons that taste would conceal and compassion spare), this remarkable memoir is presented intact. Its author’s bizarre cognomen is his own invention; and, of course, this mask—through which two hypnotic eyes seem to glow—had to remain unlifted in accordance with its wearer’s wish. While “Haze” only rhymes with the heroine’s real surname, her first name is too closely interwound with the inmost fiber of the book to allow one to alter it; nor (as the reader will perceive for himself) is there any practical necessity to do so. References to “H.H.” ’s crime may be looked up by the inquisitive in the daily papers for September-October 1952; its cause and purpose would have continued to come under my reading lamp.

Please explain the phrase in bold.

I don't understand the "would have continued to come" part.


texts:
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?

He is one of those who prefer studying over traveling.

He is one of those who prefers studying over traveling.

Should the verb after the "one of..." clause agree with the subject in number? Or should it just be plural?


texts: A single word meaning “absolute control over something”

texts:
I'm looking for a single word meaning “absolute control over something”. For example, the government having absolute control over money. →

  The government has [a] ________ over money.

I thought of “stranglehold”, but I'd prefer something without the mild negative connotation. Even “monopoly” tends to give a slightly different meaning.

Any suggestions?


texts: what is the origin of the phrase "labor force"

texts: I am interested in the perspective based on a conversation that I had with a friend who alluded to the origin being related to he idea of forcing the people to work and then being altered to be more palatable like a force of nature


texts:
Carbonated water doesn't seem to be as popular in the US as in Europe as far as I know (correct me if I am wrong) but I suppose some people in the US drink it.

What is the most common American term for "carbonated water"? I've run across the following:
"two cents plain,"
"club soda," and
"Seltzer water."
I also heard that the British term "sparkling" has gained popularity.


texts: Comma or colon after a word like "Remember" followed by a sentence addressed directly to reader?

texts:
In these sentences:

  Take the time to buckle your seatbelt. Remember, it's better to be
  safe than sorry.

Should Remember be followed by a comma or a colon?


texts: Term for belief in the existence of souls

texts: In English, is there a term that would describe: "the belief souls exist?"


texts: Why is the plural of "aircraft" not "aircrafts"?

texts:
I came along this sentence:

  Today, we have used a large number of assets, comprising of 34 aircraft, 40 ships, hundreds of men, thousands of man-hours has been deployed

I consulted dictionaries and forum threads that explained that aircraft, just like sheep, builds its plural without an -s.

For sheep, however, that can be explained by its evolution from an old word. Not so for aircraft, which is a relatively new word with no such legacy. I found it stated that it is simply a concatenation of air and craft.

I found this post about the possible increasing usage of aircrafts (probably among non-native speakers), but it didn't explain the etymology and I found nothing else to explain it.

So, what is the explanation for the plural of aircraft not being aircrafts? Does it come from craft used as a mass noun? If so, what would be the meaning conveyed by that?


texts: Correct formatting of quote which includes a description of speaker and where quote was spoken

texts:
I am trying to begin a paper with a quote but the person is really only known to people within a certain background so I want to include more information than: person + where quote was spoken.

Just taking a random guess I put together this:

  "yada yada yada"

  -- Some Guy

  - significance detail.

  Quote from: textbook-written-by-Some-Guy.

Is this the correct format? This is really the only quote I'll have and I'd rather not tax the reader at the start of a paper by referring them immediately to the works cited page to find out the significance of said person.

I feel the need to explain who said person is because I am applying to graduate school, and the person should be recognizable to those in my field, but I do not know if the graduate admissions person reviewing it will realize this significance and instead start my statement of intent with a sense of confusion.


texts: Is it me or does Grammarly have it wrong: “Your” vs “You're”

texts:
My friend and I are having a debate whether the following is wrong

  your saying Grammarly is wrong and your smarter.

since it's the wrong your.

But Grammarly seems to not pick up on it, is it wrong? Surely it'd be You're since Your is possessive.


texts: I've always thought that the words parishioner and congregant meant the same thing and could be used interchangeably within the context of someone who attends a place of worship. Are there any differences in meaning between these two words or appropriate usage for each?


texts:
I try to translate this phrase into another language, and I am confused. Is this an idiomatic expression which refers to enthusiasm or abundance?
This is the name of a chapter in a book that I am working on: "The seething breeding glioma"

I also see these sentences when I google it:

  It's a seething breeding ground for art thieves

  Latin American countries as a seething breeding ground of violence
  have been widespread


texts: Where does the phrase "peachy keen" come from? From m-w.com, I see that it originated in the 1950, but the phrase doesn't even make sense to me. Why is my peach keen?


texts: "Which" or "what" or ... when referring to a main clause?

texts:
There are many answered questions that address the usage of "which" and "what" on this site—many of them marked as duplicates—and there is even a specific tag for this topic. But I could not find any answer for the following question:

Should I use "which" or "what" or something else if I want to express

  A does B which/what causes C.

Therein, "which/what" (the "which" or the "what") should not refer to B but to the act of A doing B (i.e. the predicate of the main clause).

For example see these alternatives:

  Bob writes on the blackboard which causes a screeching noise.
  Bob writes on the blackboard what causes a screeching noise.

Please note: The noise is caused by the writing not by the blackboard.

Side question: Would the use of a comma be appropriate here?

There is a closely related question, "Do we use “which” or “that” when referring to the preceding main clause as a whole?", that aims on "which" versus "that" as the alternatives and is answered in favor of "which". But maybe "what" would be the better choice here.


texts: How to succinctly describe a group composed of those for whom a given condition is false and those for whom the state of the condition is not known?

texts:
For example, if I'm talking about height, and I want to split the world into two groups based on whether or not I have seen that they are taller than me.
The first group is composed of only the people who are taller than me whom I have also seen.
The second group is composed of everyone I haven't seen — regardless of their height — as well as people whom I have seen who are also shorter than me.
Is there an easy way to express the second group composed of both negatives and unknowns?


texts:
The violence pit pro-Russian separatists against Ukrainian forces and those who support the government in Kiev.

A friend of mine says pit is used as a past tense verb in this sentence. What is the present tense form of pit?


texts: Comma after an introductory phrase used at start

texts:
Which of the following is/are correct?

  Throughout the United States a large number of young people enter college every year.
  Throughout the United States, a large number of young people enter college every year.

In other words, could we omit a comma in such case? And how could the sentence be rephrased?


texts: Use of present tense instead of past tense

texts:
I have noticed people increasingly using the present tense when talk about the past.

"I am going to the park when a dog jumps on me."
vs
"I was going to the park when a dog jumped on me."

I find it irritating for some reason but am I wrong?


texts: "[Is/are] X and Y the reason[s] you did Z?"

texts:
Is the violence and the abuse the reason you ran away home?
  Are the violence and the abuse the reasons you ran away from home?
  Is the violence and the abuse the reasons you ran away home?
  Are the violence and the abuse the reason you ran away from home?

Just going from the sound of it, I would probably say #1.  But from a grammatical point of view I feel compelled to go with 2.  Would I be correct?


texts: All Right vs Alright when starting to speak

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is it "alright" or "allright"?

When giving a speech or presentation it's common to hear the speaker (including myself when I present) start out by saying "All right". "All right, let's get started.".

My questions are

In this scenario, which is correct, "All right" or "Alright"? I suppose when listening to a speaker you wouldn't notice the difference.
Follow up: Do they have different meanings based on context or is Alright a conjunction?
Why do we use this phrase to actually get started? Is it to break the silence or is it a nice way to get the attention of the audience?
Is it appropriate to use when writing? This would be more in the context of blogs, educational articles, tutorials, etc.


texts: Reduced relative clause or the parallel one?

texts:
Found this question in a book:

The Oldest repertory theater still existing ______ founded in 1680.
a) the Comedie-Francaise in Paris, it was
b) is the Comedie-Francaise in Paris, was
c) which is the Comedie-Francaise in Paris,
d) the Comedie-Francaise in Paris, was

The right answer seems to be B from simple punctuation perspective (if there is no comma - we definitely need "is"); however, the relative clause concerns me.

As I understand, we can reduce nonrestrictive relative clause only if it has some form of "to be", but "was" should be removed as well then, or can I leave it?

Another option could be that "was founded in 1680" is a restrictive clause, but it's the only one "the Comedie-Francaise" theater historically.

My last option is just a parallel clause:

  The Oldest repertory theater still existing is the Comedie-Francaise
  in Paris. The Oldest repertory theater still existing was founded in
  1680.

Any suggestions?


texts: The effect is twice as big for females as it is for males. -formality

texts:
The effect is twice as big for females as it is so for males.
The effect is twice as big for females as it is for males.
The effect is twice as big for females as for males.

I am struggling to select the best sentence for an academic essay, a formal piece of writing. Can I omit it is (so), or would to do so be too informal? If I select one of the other options, should I include so? http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/common-verbs/do

Do so is more formal than do on its own


texts: Why do people leave out the "r" on the word your?

texts:
I have noticed that a common error in typed documents (Including my own) is that often the letter "r" is left off the word your.

Does anybody have any idea why?

I do note that sometimes when proofing a sentence I've just typed I notice this, and typing it has been recent enough that I can "play back" what I've just done in my head and I find I am pretty sure I have actually left the "r" out rather than it being a keyboard mis-strike...


texts: How to use "supposed to", in particular while writing official letter to ask for leave

texts: How do we use supposed to? In particular, should I use this while writing an official letter to ask for leave?


texts: What is the difference between 'In' and 'During'?

texts:
How different are the following two sentences:

I am not allowed to sleep during the day.
I am not allowed to sleep in the day.


texts: Why are some words not capitalized in titles?

texts:
I understand the how, but the why escapes me completely.  After a decent amount of searching on the internet I can only find people talking about how to capitalize a title (or more importantly which words to not capitalize).  Even the style guides have been mute about why they are asking us to use such a convoluted set of rules.

Is there some typographical or grammatical reason for some words to not have intial caps in a title (other than the arbitrary "because that is what is done")?


texts:
Oxford Dictionaries define the nouns as

intention
A thing intended; an aim or plan
purpose
The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists

So which sentence sounds more natural to a native speaker?

  I studied physics with the intention of becoming a physicist, but I recently felt no vocation to it.

Or

  I studied physics for the purpose of becoming a physicist, but I recently felt no vocation to it.


texts: Do disjointed nouns (eg in lists) need articles?

texts:
The list items are really just titles. Do they need articles?

The meeting

Discussing problems
An unforgettable present

The audience

Targeting right audiences


texts:
Which of the following two are correct?

Melodies floating in relaxing atmosphere.
Melodies floating on relaxing atmosphere.

My gut feeling says that it should be 1, but I am just a bit confused.

Thanks.


texts: Difference between the meaning of "noun which verb" and "noun verb ing"

texts:
For example:
What is the difference between the meaning of "Health centers which conduct free medical check-ups..." and "Health centers conducting free medical check-ups..."?
Thank you in advance.


texts: Why does Mozilla Public License use "it" meaning "contributor"?

texts:
I'm used to "they" as a way to indicate a person resumptive (non-specific). Also, I'm used to the fact that "it" is used only for inanimate objects, when "contributor" is animate.

My only assumption is that "contributor" means "entity" in this license.

Quotes from MPL (most notably section 2.5):

  1.1. “Contributor”

  means each individual or legal entity that creates, contributes to the creation of, or owns Covered Software.

  2.1. Grants

  Each Contributor hereby grants You a world-wide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license:

  under intellectual property rights (other than patent or trademark) Licensable by such Contributor to use, reproduce, make available, modify, display, perform, distribute, and otherwise exploit its Contributions, either on an unmodified basis, with Modifications, or as part of a Larger Work; and
  under Patent Claims of such Contributor to make, use, sell, offer for sale, have made, import, and otherwise transfer either its Contributions or its Contributor Version.

  2.3. Limitations on Grant Scope

  The licenses granted in this Section 2 are the only rights granted under this License. No additional rights or licenses will be implied from the distribution or licensing of Covered Software under this License. Notwithstanding Section 2.1(b) above, no patent license is granted by a Contributor:

  for any code that a Contributor has removed from Covered Software; or
  for infringements caused by: (i) Your and any other third party’s modifications of Covered Software, or (ii) the combination of its Contributions with other software (except as part of its Contributor Version); or
  under Patent Claims infringed by Covered Software in the absence of its Contributions.

  This License does not grant any rights in the trademarks, service marks, or logos of any Contributor (except as may be necessary to comply with the notice requirements in Section 3.4).

  2.5. Representation

  Each Contributor represents that the Contributor believes its Contributions are its original creation(s) or it has sufficient rights to grant the rights to its Contributions conveyed by this License.


texts: What does “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear” as a metaphor of “the distance between the preacher and the President”?

texts:
There was the following statement in the article written by Michel Norris in Time magazine (August 26 issue) under the title “One Dream.”

  “Trayvon Martin case, Obama said, “I think it’s important to recognize
  that the African-American community is looking at this issue through a
  set of experiences and history that doesn’t go away.” With that
  statement, the distance between the preacher and the President was
  much like an image in an automobile’s side view mirror: Objects in
  mirror are closer than they appear.”

I don’t get a clear idea of the latter half of the above statement. I know objects in the side mirror are closer than they appear from my driving experience. But what does the analogy of an image in the mirror with “the distance” between Dr. King and President Obama account for?

Is there the distance (of equality claim / stance) between Dr. King and President Obama? If there is, what is the distance between them in short?

Does it mean the racial segregation issue was much immediate and pressing for Dr. King that time than to President Obama today, i.e., President Obama can look segregation issues more 'objectively' than Dr. King did in the time stage of 1963?

Could you parse the meaning of the last line following “With that statement ...”?


texts: “She ran… , her nose pressed against the glass” Are the actions simultaneous or consecutive?

texts:
She ran towards the display, her nose pressed against the glass.

My friend and I don't understand the same thing when reading this sentence, and neither of us can explain why.

To me, it doesn't make sense. The meaning I get is: She ran towards the display with her nose pressed against the glass.

My friend says it's one action after the other, basically: She ran towards the display, and pressed her nose against the glass.

Does anybody know which one of us is right? And why?
What does this sentence mean, grammatically?

I have some wild theories of my own, with independent and dependent clauses, and different subjects, and... yeah, wild theories...


texts: "I was struggling to establish and [to] follow"

texts:
I am learning English. I found this sentence in a book.

  At the time, I was struggling to establish myself as a writer and to follow my path...

Is it grammatically correct to use the to-infinitive and.


texts: Why is the passive voice more prevalent in English than in other European languages?

texts:
Although the active voice is predominant in the English language the ‘ideal’ proportion of recommended passive sentences is still regarded as between 5% and 10%(source1) ( source2). Which is substantially more than in languages like Spanish and, though I couldn't find numerical data to compare the percentage use of the passive voice, experience of writing in Spanish and memories of Spanish teachers accustomed to bilingual students warning about overusing the passive voice "like in English",
as well as these language learning sites expressing that the passive is not as common in Spanish, Italian and German as it is in English, provide me with some confirmation.

As such, what intrinsic difference does English have that would allow more sentences  to make sense in the passive voice than the languages mentioned above? Sources would be appreciated.

P.S. It's still gramatically correct in all the languages mentioned above to use the pasive voice to whatever degree, but many more sentences in this voice would be discouraged as they'd simply not make much sense or be very hard to understand (particullarly in conversations).


texts: What literary term is applicable to "awful majesty?"

texts: What would "awful majesty" be considered? I believe there is a literary term for this kind of contradictory statement – perhaps irony? Or is there another word for it?


texts: Who changed the way vacumn was spelled 40 years ago?

texts:
I noticed Robin Michael, who is on this site, stated she learned to spell vacumn as did I in school around 40 years ago. I always scored the highest in my English class and won spelling bees back then. I seriously want to know when it was changed.

  However it is possible that when I was at school I was taught the wrong spelling. Furthermore it is possible that the wrong spelling was quite widely used. So, it is not just a simple mistake, like two 'c's instead of two 'u's. (R.M)


texts: Word that means to "get something good but loses something else good in return"

texts: I was at the optical store getting a new pair of glasses and lens. Since I have a somewhat high prescription, when selecting the features for the lenses I asked the clerk whether there is an option where the lenses can be made thinner than the regular lenses with the same prescription and she said yes, those are the high-index lenses and they cost a little bit more. Then I asked her since these lenses are thinner thus better, will it lose quality in other areas such as clarity, impact resistance, etc.. I feel the way I asked this is somewhat wordy and I wonder if there's an expression that means what I'm trying to say. An expression that describes the fact of getting something that improves its quality, but will in turn cause the lost of quality in something else sort of like a balance, I guess similar to the word sacrifice? But using sacrifice doesn't seem that correct in this context.


texts:
Should the cardinal directions be capitalized when used as an adjective? For example,

  They sailed throughout the eastern Baltic.


texts: How can I say "Something which want to do but it impossible to happen" in the most formal way?

texts:
Consider this situation:
You sent an application for a job, then the company boss sends you an email, and tells you if you are in town, he likes to meet you in person.
Is it correct to say?
"It could have been a great pleasure to meet you, but unfortunately I am currently in Russia."
I'm not sure what tense I should use, and I'm pretty sure the above sentence is incorrect. At the same time, I want it as much as possible in a formal and polite way.


texts: make someone do vs. get someone doing/to do

texts:
I saw some questions about the causative "get" and understood "get someone to do" and "get someone doing" are almost interchangeable.
However, I wan't able to find an answer about the difference between the causatives "make" and "get."
So let me ask you about the difference.

I find lines in the lyrics of "Russ - Psycho Pt. 2."
Here is the lines:

  "She got me going psycho
  She got me going down
  Down, down
  Got me living on a tightrope
  She got me going down"

Why is "she got me going psycho" used, not "she made me going psycho"?
What's the difference between "make" and "get"?

Thank you.


texts:
Is it correct to form a question like

  At what degree latitude is Earth's equator located?

Can we actually define the 'location' of equator, it being merely an imaginary line, which runs across Earth's surface? (Although, I have found many results online where such a usage is made, I am confused.)
So if the question statement is incorrect, please help rephrase it.


texts: Idiom- someone looks and acts as if they're innocent?

texts:
Often people will pretend that they are totally innocent just to get other people to be claimed as guilty. They will not take accountability for something that occurred or their mistakes. How do you tell if they are this kind of person based off of the way they are talking or using their English?

Second part, What is an idiom that could be used to describe this kind of person? I am writing a story with a character like so in it.

Here's my assumption of what that idiom would be:

He's Just a blind seeker.

I'm not sure if that's accurate or even a real official idiom.


texts: Meaning of "...would not be coming to America, ... be risking the most important national security arrangement that Israel has if it wasn't for..."

texts:
In the end, Prime Minister Netanyahu would not be coming to America,
  he would not be risking the most important national security
  arrangement that Israel has if it wasn't for the fact that he believed in his heart that Iran's and the United States` nuclear negotiating is
  going to end up being an existential threat to his country. —CNN Student News

I read this sentence several times, but I can't grasp the meaning of it. The structure is too complicated. Could you help me understand this sentence?

My guess: In the end, Prime Minister will come to America nevertheless the visit can risk the most important national security arrangement (which is, I guess, the amicable relationship between the U.S and Israel), because the negotiation can be a serious threat to his country and he wants to stop it.


texts: Can you please explain what is the difference between " Beware" and "Be Aware" ?


texts: What is a colloquial and figurative expression for the pieces of luggage you carry when travelling light

texts:
I am looking for a figurative or graphic expression to describe the minimal luggage content, fast to pack, or that you always have with you, without which you would feel less safe when travelling. The  expression should be concise too.

When I take a plane, and since luggage in the  cargo area can get lost, I generally have a toothbrush and underwear. With those, I am not afraid of spending an unplanned night in an hotel in a unknown town.

I would say in my language that I have my "pants and brush", as a short for "a second pair of underpants, socks and a toothbrush", but this does not seem colloquial in English.

In other words, is there a colloquial figurative expression for what one carries when travelling light?


texts: Origin of gerrymandering phrase regarding politicians picking voters

texts: Recently, I had a project involving studying the history of redistricting and gerrymandering. In my studies, I came across what appears to be a particularly common aphorism in redistricting academia. It generally takes the approximate form of “gerrymandering means that it’s not the voters picking their representatives; it’s the representatives picking their voters!” I was curious as to when and where this phrase originated, due to its ubiquity in its particular niche. However, I was unable to find any research dating the phrase, and a somewhat exhaustive Google search (done by moving the latest search point further into the past) turned up as the oldest source I could find a FairVote article from early 2001 that says that with at-large elections, “[p]oliticians are not permitted to choose the voters, and the evils of gerrymandering are conveniently avoided...” However, this answer is not definitive by any means, and I would like a more definitive answer than “Google says so”. So, can anyone help me find the origin of this quote? Anything would be helpful.


texts: What is an English adjective that means "able to learn new things quickly"?

texts:
What is an English adjective to describe the following skill: "able to learn new things quickly"?

For example:

  Billy is very _________, as he learns new skills more quickly than an average person.


texts: Is there a difference between 'unknowingly' and 'unintentionally'?

texts:
Sorry, it was unknowingly.
Sorry, it was unintentionally.


texts:
Is there a single word in the English language that defines an individual that hates racists?

I've always used "anti-racist" or "anti-racism" or "anti-hate" but there must be a single word in the English language that descibes the situation I'm referring to better, right?  ...Without resorting to hyphenation?


texts:
Take for instance these two sentences:

[...] to confirm to clients that they are eating food free from contaminants and disease-causing bacteria, but also to identify the properties of the dishes.
[...] to confirm to clients that they are eating food free from contaminants and disease-causing bacteria, but to also identify the properties of the dishes.

Which of the above sentences is using correct grammar?


texts:
We organize multi-day events, and we want to write a sentence that informs people of when these events will take place.

Suppose one of these events is taking place on Jan/29, Jan/30, Jan/31, Feb/4 and Feb/5 and on each day, it will start at 2PM and end at 5PM.

Note the variations of , and and.

  January 29th, 30th, 31st, February 4th and 5th, from 2PM to 5PM

or

  January 29th, 30th and 31st, February 4th and 5th, from 2PM to 5PM

or

  January 29th, 30th and 31st and February 4th and 5th, from 2PM to 5PM

or

  January 29th, 30th and 31st, and February 4th and 5th, from 2PM to 5PM

or

  Any better example you can come up with :D

What is the best way, in English, to put all that information in a sentence? Are there differences from BrE and AmE for this situation?


texts:
In this article from Salon, the headline reads:

  The fall of “Divergent”: The final film will bow on TV — here’s why it matters

Farther along in the text of the article, we get the sense that this use of the word bow means debut or premiere.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary also includes this among the definitions, and shows the pronunciation parallels that of the gestures of bending, or the the pointy end of a boat.

This seems to be increasing in texts from about 2014 on, possibly mainly from US sources.

How and when did this expression come about?  Is this usage meant to suggest the bending gesture, and if so, why?

I bow to anyone who can help me ;-)


texts: A word for when a word is used incorrectly (grammatically) but can still be parsed in a grammatically correct way?

texts:
Does such a word exist?

An example:

Do good.

Supposing that my intention in saying "Do good!" was actually "Do well (on your test)!", the sentence still parses correctly as "Do good (deeds)!"

I will attempt to think of more examples and update this if/when I do.

This seems related to a pun in some way, but I was unable to find information about it. (Without knowing the word to begin with, I find it very difficult to navigate wikipedia when looking for "pun-related" words. I.e. It took me forever to find tom swifty and paraprosdokian.)


texts:
The given sentence is-

'As no one knows the truth as fully as him, no one but him can provide the testimony.'

As far as the highlighted part is concerned, I improved it as-

'As no one knows the truth as fully as he does, no one but he alone can provide the testimony.'

What's is wrong in the above sentence? I am struck.


texts:
Prompted by the answers to my EL&U question, Pinpointing its origins is not a “piece of cake”, I endeavoured to find out who was right. Did the idiom begin life in the US, in a poem written by Ogden Nash, or was it coined by the British RAF around 1938-1940?

For over two hours I tried to find the precise poem where Ogden Nash allegedly wrote the line

  Her picture's in the papers now,
  And life's a piece of cake

It should be in his 1935 book, The Primrose Path, the OED and Phrase Finder claim it is the first time the idiom, a piece of cake, appeared in print.

Well, you would think it would be easy as pie to unearth the doggerel in its entirety. We are, after all, on the Internet but you would be sorely mistaken. Try as I did, I did not find the line that preceded or followed the cited verse. I Googled, scoured the net, and followed promising leads all of which lead to nothing.

I tried via Internet Archive but no preview is available, I have since registered and I am currently on their waiting list

I used Google Books to search the exact phrase, but that too failed miserably. Here are the screenshots that show my failed attempts:

Entering "cake" in the search box pulls up two results, both of which are unrelated to the idiom "a piece of cake".

To give users an idea of Ogden's poetry, here is the only verse I found online that was published in The Primrose Path, it is about a pig.

  Sigmund Freud

  Who’s afreud of the big bad dream?
  Things are never what they seem;
  Daddy’s bowler, Auntie’s thimbles,
  Actually are shocking symbols.
  Still, I think, a pig’s a pig –
  Ah, there, symbol-minded Sig!

Source: http://www.porkopolis.org/pig_poet/ogden-nash/

I searched for "pig" in the Google Books search box, and a snippet appeared, although it says “Daddy's Derby, Auntie's thimbles.” Yet, I cannot find the verse or the title of the prose that proves Nash first used the idiom, a piece of cake, and not the RAF. It is baffling that Ogden's poem, used as supporting evidence by innumerable sources, is unfindable.

Simple Question

Has anyone got the book? Can anyone find the light verse where Nash wrote  "piece of cake"?


texts: which is correct "a ear" or "an ear", conversely "a year" or "an year"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Which is correct- “A Year” or “An Year”?
  Use of “a” versus “an”

A(n) ear vs. a(n) year in speaking is very confusing, please clarify.


texts: "I beg leave to assure you" — letter by John Marshall

texts:
Richmond May 1st [17]99 (Source of Letter)
Dear Sir
You may possibly have seen a paragraph in a late publication, stating that several important offices in the gift of the Executive, & among others that of secretary of State, had been attainable by me. Few of the unpleasant occurrences produc’d by my declaration as a candidate for congress (& they have been very abundant) have given me more real chagrin than this. To make a parade of profferd offices is a vanity which I trust I do not possess, but to boast of one never in my power woud argue a littleness of mind at which I ought to blush.
I know not how the author may have acquird his information, but I beg leave to assure you that he never receivd it directly nor indirectly from me. I had no previous knowledge that such a publication was designd, or I woud certainly have suppressd so much of it as relates to this subject.

Under Idioms, this page from the Oxford Dictionary says:

beg leave to do something (formal) = to ask somebody for permission to do something

Could someone please explicate and elucidate beg leave? I can't grasp how one would ask person X for permission to assure person X of something (particularly in this context). Wouldn't one just assure person X directly of whatever thing it is?


texts:
What is the meaning of "idiot-proof", as in:

  Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to
  build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying
  to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.


texts: What is the origin of "when the chips are down"?

texts:
I can understand from context that "when the chips are down" means "when things go really badly."

But where does the expression come from? Does it have anything to do with casino chips, and being on a bad run?


texts: Why is the verb "dust" used in opposite forms?

texts:
When I dust my dresser, I am removing something from the dresser.
When I dust a cake, I am adding something to the cake.
How did this happen?  I've heard of words taking different meanings during the transition between British English and American English.  I understand how sanction came to mean multiple things.  Some words that are auto-antonyms are clear through context, but consider these:

I dusted the dresser with my Swiffer.
I dusted the dresser with a bag of cocaine confetti.


texts: What is the origin of the phrase “frank and fearless”?

texts:
The phrase “frank and fearless” is commonly used in Australia to describe the way public servants should advise the politicians they work for. This is said to be an aspect of the Westminster tradition. For example, in 2015, hosting a discussion with various senior public servants on the subject of “Frank and fearless in the Westminster system,”  broadcaster Peter Mares said:

  ... the principles on giving advice that are laid down in the Public Service Commission Guidelines [include] the principle that advice should be forthright and direct and should not withhold or gloss over important known facts or bad news ... [there is] a long running and sometimes contentious debate about whether this Westminster tradition of frank and fearless advice is under threat or in decline ...

What is the origin of this phrase? Is it particularly Australian, or is it also commonly used in the United Kingdom and other countries that use the Westminster system of government?


texts: I thought 'bout seein' everything and then…

texts:
Oprah: I thought 'bout seein' everything and then... I saw a pregnant man.
   YouTube

It sounds very much like Oprah Winifrey, the iconic show woman and world-famous TV host, is parodying African American Vernacular speech (AAVE). I love hearing the intonation, the dramatic pause, and rise and fall in her speech as she gently mocks the stupor of people when they first heard about Thomas Beatie, the first man to become pregnant.

My question is focussed on the statement. Is this construction accurate? Now, I might be wrong in transcribing this piece but I've listened carefully several times, and it's the reason why I stopped watching the video because I'm not sure if it really is AAVE. I'm aware that Black English has its own unique grammar, tenses, and "rules"; it's not slang or lazy speech, it's a proper dialect, one which I will never be really familiar with because I'm not exposed to that kind of talking; however, I do find it fascinating.

I understand Oprah's opening line, ‘I thought I had seen everything until I saw a pregnant man’ but when I checked online, Google did not find a single result for the "I thought (a)bout seeing everything"

Is this a typical AAVE sentence? If not, what would it be?
If it is genuine, what is the grammar behind this construction?


texts: "Bob decides to do his speech about ..." - does this mean Bob only has a single speech?

texts:
"Bob decides to do his speech about the use of narcotics by teenagers."

Does this mean that Bob only has a single speech? Or does it mean that Bob has more than one speech, but only one of them is about narcotic use in teens?  Or does it just mean that Bob has an unknown quantity of speeches, and that this speech is his and not written by someone else?


texts: What's an American synonym for the British expression "come up trumps"?

texts:
Webster: British, informal
:to do or provide what is necessary in order to succeed ( especially when unexpected)
Ex: The team turned up trumps in the final game and won the championship.

I've been looking everywhere but no luck. Best I could come up with is " come through", but that's still a way off.


texts: The Guy Next Door Shoveling Snow Or The Guy Shoveling Snow?

texts:
I give an example below: I was thankful for

"I was thankful for the guy next door shoveling snow from my driveway."

My question is that why "shoveling" is placed after 'the next door', it should be placed after 'the guy' as the adjective phrase is placed closer to the subject/ noun it modifies?

Source


texts: Proper expression to know the opening hours

texts:
"When does your shop opens and closes?"

what would be the proper English for this expression?


texts:
Sometimes, there are little things that we would like to write to somebody, but they seem too little to deserve an entire new email.
So we wait for a more important communication to "piggyback" it and add this little piece of additional information.
In speech, I would introduce the minor topic with "While I'm here". Is there an equivalent idiom for written communication? Or does "while I'm here" still work, even if my literal location hasn't changed?
Example:
To: landlord

Good morning,
The technician came and he said the repair will be £350. You might prefer to contact him directly for details.
[While I'm here], I should mention that a couple of letters arrived  for you yesterday, but they are most likely spam.
...


texts: Single word for a very small amount of time

texts:
In French, if I want to quantify a very small amount of time (but not fixed: it can be 5 ms or 0.1 ms) I can use a pouième. Is there an equivalent in English?

I'm not looking for an expression but for a standalone word.

EDIT : In fact, I need to create a c++ class which will measure time and be equal to a 1/600s. In French, pouième is a cute word which can means a very small but undefined amount of time. The issue is that I must write english code and that's why I would like to find a standalone equivalent.


texts: How to punctuate "and my personal favorite" in a list?

texts:
I can think of three ways:

  There were many mottoes on the flyer: "Make love, not war", "Periods
  sucks, commas rule", and my personal favorite: "Save water, drink
  beer".

  There were many mottoes on the flyer: "Make love, not war", "Periods
  sucks, commas rule", and my personal favorite, "Save water, drink
  beer".

  There were many mottoes on the flyer: "Make love, not war", "Periods
  sucks, commas rule"; and my personal favorite, "Save water, drink
  beer".

  There were many mottoes on the flyer: "Make love, not war", "Periods
  sucks, commas rule"--and my personal favorite, "Save water, drink
  beer".

How is this usually presented in written text?


texts:
I was under the impression that the word presumptuous means

  rude in a pushy way, or asking too much because one thinks of oneself as an important being.

I read the dictionary.com and Merriam Webster definitions, and it looks like it matches my understanding, but Merriam Webster example has the following sentence:

  The presumptuous doctor didn't even bother to explain to me the treatment that I would be receiving.

This to me sounds more like conceit than presumptuous because the doctor isn't asking something from the patient. Is my understanding of the word correct? Or is it a term that can be used simply as arrogant?


texts:
Which of these is grammatically correct??
“Whomever’s application is denied will wish to re-register next year.”
“Whoever’s application is denied will wish to re-register next year.”
The first half of the sentence makes “whomever” appropriate, but then the second half leans toward use of “whoever”.
Your thoughts would be appreciated!


texts:
The word "due" is a funny little thing.   The etymology is that the Latin debere produced the Anglo-French dever which has the participle form deu.   In effect, English borrows (or has stolen) this participle without regard to the rest of the French verb.*

This answer to an ELL question states that the construction "due to" is best understood as a compound preposition.   I am not sure whether that is the case, and, even if it is, that doesn't directly address how best to understand the word "due" on its own.

Since it comes from a participle, it would be easy to assume that it remains a participle.   However, we're all familiar with the phrase etymological fallacy.   It might well have started its career in English as a defective verb with only a single participle form, but that wouldn't count as evidence that it remains so.

My question is simple:   To what grammatical category or categories should I assign the word "due".   I don't think I'm confused about the word's use or its semantics.   I am only trying to determine whether there is a better way to regard this word's grammatical form and function in English than to simply retain a label that happens to make sense in reference to its origin.

My reason for asking is also simple.   The phrase in question in the ELL posting is "compared to the DART model".   Immediately following is "due to the imprecise modeling".   My initial reaction was "aha, those are both participial phrases".   I only checked the derivation of "due" after having that reaction and realizing that the base form of the verb seems to be missing.

I intend to post my own answer to this question so that the merits of each may be regarded separately.   If my question seems incomplete, consider my attempted answer as a supplement.

_______________

* Some regard for the root exists.   English also obtained the verb "to debit" from Latin, although I couldn't say whether the verb debere or the noun debitum deserves more credit.   I mention this only because it does not matter.   Whatever "due" is, it is not a synonym for the participle "debited".


texts: Fill in the gap question of Chinese college entrance exam

texts:
The following text has been taken from the Chinese college entrance exam:

Two weeks earlier, my son, Ben, had got in touch. He'd moved to England with his mum when he was three and it had been 13 years since I'd last seen him. So imagine my [blank] when he emailed me saying he wanted to come visit me. I was [blank]!

The options for the first blank were:

  A) Delight

  B) Relief

  C) Anger

  D) Worry

The options for the second blank were:

  A) Scared

  B) Shocked

  C) Thrilled

  D) Ashamed

The correct answer for the first blank is A) Delight and the second blank is C) Thrilled.

I also agree with both, but on the first blank I believe that B) Relief should also be possible, if the second blank was C) thrilled, because (I assume) a father will probably worry, feel some pain, feel a bit distressed or of course miss his son, if he hasn't seen him in 13 years.

I mean, you could also choose D) Worry and A) Scared, since that also pairs with each other, correct? (Just like how you pair A) Delight and C) Thrilled with each other)


texts: Should I put a comma between this list of 2 facts?

texts:
Let A denote the phrase

  A: John showed that x is a positive number,

and let B be the phrase

  B: Kim showed that x is a multiple of 2.

I want to say that a fact follows from A and B. My current attempt is

  C: It follows from the fact(s) that (i) John showed that x is a positive number and (ii) Kim showed that x is a multiple of 2 that (conclusion).

1) Is it poor etiquette (say, for an academic paper) to use (i) and (ii), and should there be a comma before and? Without (i) and (ii), a comma seems appropriate to separate the facts, but unnecessary since it is a list of length 2. Should I include s in facts? I think so, but it sounds awkward.

2) I'm open to other ways of expressing C.


texts:
Can I say:

  Who you are is not important, with whom you cooperate is important.

I want to know if it is correct in grammar. Is there other better way to express this idea?


texts: How to say refer to that section of this other document?

texts:
When writing a document, how to say "please refer to a specific section of another document" in a single word or using an acronyms?

For instance, I am writing a document (doc2) which is an extension of another document (doc1).

At some point I want to say please see section 3.1 of doc2.


texts: Catch Back (as Catch Again, to represent recurrence)

texts:
Is it correct to say "Catch Back" with the intention to express recurrence?
For example, assume I once felt joyful but then that feeling faded.
If now I'm somehow feeling happy again, could I say:
"I'm catching back the spirit/vibe" ?
Note that this is to represent - probably in a figurative sense - that I'm in possession of something I once had.
I've been searching for this one but couldn't find any useful information. I know that 'Back' can be used as an adverb holding quite different meanings, still, I don't know if there's a rule that may limit its use as an adverb.
Thanks in advance!


texts: What does "To die quietly of old age would be to go there on foot" mean?

texts:
I have seen "To die quietly of old age would be to go there on foot" {a translation to English from the original} and can't get the exactly meaning of them.

I know what's the meaning of 'To die quietly of old age' but not the meaning of the full sentence.


texts:
What some other punctuation I can use instead of "em dash"?
▪I said I would help you, and I will—because, as far as I'm concerned, a promise made is a promise kept.


texts:
This golf ball can provide higher ball speeds and optimal spin rates
  to maximize performance through the bag.

I searched dictionaries, but couldn't find any relevant result. Can anybody help me figure out what it means?


texts: Altitude, longitude, latitude, and probably multitude

texts:
It seems that latitude, longitude, and altitude should be composed of two constituents, since they all describe a geographical attribute, and all end with "tude".

However searching their etymology in Google does'nt give information about tude part.

So, what is tude in forming a word (morphology)?
Also is multitude is made of something similar?


texts:
These series, however, are only one particularly obvious example; throughout practically the whole of chemistry, even in the various nitrogen oxides and oxygen acids of phosphorus or sulfur, one can see how "quantity changes into quality", and this allegedly confused, hazy Hegelian notion appears in so to speak corporeal form in things and process.

What does 'corporeal form'  mean?
What do these pronouns substitute?
Does "quantity changes into quality" only apply to physic objects?


texts: Is "premises" referring to a single property considered a plural noun?

texts:
Our church is installing a security system, and we are creating notification signs for the entrances.  We want to use the word "premises" on the sign.

I realize that the etymology of this word shows that it is the plural of "premise."  However, in practical use, is the word singular or plural?

Which wording should I use?

This premises is under video surveillance.
These premises are under video surveillance.

To me, the singular use makes more sense.

This question is not a duplicate of Is "premises" always plural? because that question is about the use of "premises" vs. "premise."  My question deals with whether or not to treat the word "premises" as singular or plural.


texts: "New" is to "novelty" as "archaic" is to...?

texts: Is there a noun form of the word "archaic"? The closest word I can think of is "old-fashionedness" but it seems rather clumsy.


texts: Usage of the definite article with a named entity

texts:
It must be a dead easy question.
Working on a web-site, I have an internal entity, which called, for example, Place. Every place has a unique name.

I want to make a message when a user wants to delete a place. The message says "Are you sure you want to delete _ place 'PlaceName' ". The question is - should I add the definite article before the "place" word?

I failed to find any suitable grammar rule for this case. Also, there is a similar question there, but it has an inverse order of words, what I consider as a crucial difference in this case.

So, is the article required and what a grammar rule should I apply here?


texts: Is this sentence using Subjunctive Mood?

texts:
Here is the sentence I'm confused about:

  If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were
  standing on my shoulders.

  (Hal Abelson, MIT Professor)

My difficulty is to understand the verb were. I know we can't use are because that is not the truth. However, why were?


texts:
Relevant: 'Each' with plural or singular verb and What should I use between “triple” vs. “all”?

The answers in the linked question don't quite help me. Specifically, what happens with this case:

My three pens are green.
Each of my three pens are green.
Each of my three pens is green.

Part of the confusion seems to stem from the inclusion of "three":

My pens are green.
Each of my pens are green.
Each pen is green.

There doesn't seem to be a way to rewrite the last example with "three":

Each three pen is green.

The more common application would be:

All three pens are green.

But in the event that I want to say, "Each of my three pens are green" which is correct?
And, in the event that the correct sentence is "each of my three pens is green" why does prepending "each of" to the beginning of "my three pens are green" change the verb?


texts: I am looking for one word to summarise a way of being

texts:
Is there a word that describes the following:

  living congruently with the example one wants to set for others to
  follow.


texts: Should a pilcrow disambiguate the beginning of one paragraph?

texts:
The correct usage of the pilcrow sign "¶" (as I understand) is to begin a paragraph, or to indicate a paragraph on a page that is not laid out with ordinary paragraph line-breaks.

I'm writing a technical report and it happens that a page break coincides with a new paragraph, opening with a word that cannot be capitalized. The second page unfortunately appears to continue the preceding paragraph.

If I put a pilcrow sign in the text at the top left of the page, will readers understand that a new paragraph is beginning or will they just be confused?

Bonus question: Would it be helpful to put the sign in front of any uncapitalized paragraph following a table, diagram, or such?

Edit: This question is about comprehensibility, not about aesthetics. I'm asking whether the punctuation is so obscure that it might do more harm than good. (There's a close vote.)


texts: Comma before a coordinating conjunction in compound-complex sentences?

texts:
As far as I know, it’s a rule that a comma is needed before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses. But the use of a comma before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses in a compound-complex sentence seems to change the meaning of the whole sentence. Please compare the four sentences below.

I swim every day and my friend plays tennis five times a week because exercise is good.
I swim every day, and my friend plays tennis five times a week because exercise is good.
I always feel fresh but John always feels somber whenever it rains.
I always feel fresh, but John always feels somber whenever it rains.

I think that in 1. and 3. the context of the subordinate clause applies to both independent clauses, but in 2. and 4. it seems to apply to the independent clause that is adjacent to it.

Therefore, if we want the context of the subordinate clause to apply to both independent clauses, the rule that a comma is to be used before a coordinative conjunction that joins two independent clauses should be exempted in these cases. I have tried to find reliable references that state such exemption, but I rarely found one. The two references that I found (which were from small websites) said that a comma is not needed in such sentences with such context. I cannot find more references to confirm this opinion, so I’d like to ask for more opinions here regarding this.

N.B. I’ve checked the previous posts but couldn’t find the one that exactly addresses this question. The one that I found similar is “Comma before conjunctions in predicates containing two coordinate clauses”. But that one is about comma before conjunctions in predicates not comma before conjunctions that join independent clauses.


texts: "Vaccine Advisor" vs. "Vaccination Advisor"

texts:
I am making an Android application which will serve info about diseases which can be prevented by immunization. All in all it's an app targeted at travelers so it can help them protect themselves and educate them.

Now my dilemma is whether I should use

Vaccine Advisor or
Vaccination Advisor

The first option sounds like everythng is about the vaccines themselves and not about the process of immunization. What do you think — which one would be correct?


texts: Citing a book where no formatting of text is possible

texts: In forums such as this, where it's not possible to format the title of a question, is there an appropriate way to refer to a title of a book? For example, in this question I enclose the title of a textbook in quotes. Is that okay?


texts: What does “in the gods for a pound” means?

texts:
First thing I went to was the Götz Friedrich Ring at Covent Garden
  (pictured left), in the gods for a pound.

I found the phrase in this article: http://www.theartsdesk.com/classical-music/qa-special-pianist-barry-douglas


texts:
Which is correct:

1) Your debut in the World Junior Figure Skating Championship.

Or

2) Your debut at the World Junior Figure Skating Championship.

Thanks for your help!


texts: Is "Soft Reshape" right in specific case?

texts:
I am a programmer and my native language is not English. And we have interesting question with naming.

We have a command for our software that we call "reshape".

This name is used widely in math and some people use "reshape" as a noun (1, 2) even though English dictionary says that "reshape" is a verb.

So. the question is this.

There are two types of "reshape" (in terms of how it operates) and we want to call them something like "soft reshape" and "hard reshape".

I am wondering if a new command named "soft reshape" sounds OK to native English speakers who already understand what "reshape" command is.

Thanks you!


texts: Is "deers" correct when referring to different species?

texts:
The plural of deer is deer, but if you are referring to different species of deer, would it be correct to say "deers"?

Considering that the plural of fish is fish, but when referring to different species one would use fishes. Does this rule apply for other animals such as deer and sheep when referring to multiple species/breeds?

If not, any explanation as to why the difference would be appreciated.


texts:
As a developer, I am writing a commit message to rollback an update. In my message I want to describe what I am doing which is the opposite of an update. I am looking for something like the word downgrade for upgrade.

If you wonder what is the difference between update and upgrade, check this link. What’s The Difference Between Update And Upgrade?.

The word downdate quite exist (at least on the Urban Dictionary) but it means a bad update.


texts: Phrase for a test to make sure nothing happens

texts:
I'm sure I've heard this phrase said before, but I can't seem to remember it or find it by searching.

A positive test is one where you make sure something specific happens - I hit a button and make sure it makes a noise, which is what I expect.

A negative test is one where you make sure something specific doesn't happen - I hit a button again and make sure that it doesn't explode, which it used to before the most recent round of changes.

But there's a term for a kind of test to make sure that absolutely nothing happens at all - perhaps that the button is completely disconnected, or that after changing a setting in software no changes are allowed to be made in a certain area. What's the name of that kind of test?


texts:
Is there a single word for something that is subject to a decoration? Is it something like "decoree"?

EDIT: I want to give an explanation what I need this word for. I am currently developing a software that among other things renders text. Just think of something like LaTeX. Everything that is visible on screen is called a Box. These boxes can be "decorated" by adding accents, over- or underlines etc. Now I need variable names for the box that is decorated as well as the "subject" of the decoration. Because I have loads of these boxes, box is too ambiguous. I thought of "decoree" just as we call a program being debugged the debuggee. As I am not a native speaker, I was just wondering if there's a word that describes what I mean and doesn't sound weird to a native speaker who later reads my code.


texts: I think that in the phrase, "the Cabinet conferred with the president," Cabinet is an example of a metonym. The answer book for a sample test I'm taking says it's a synecdoche. I thought I had finally figured out the difference. Help!


texts: One word for limited or piecemeal benefit

texts:
I'm writing a paper on data strategy for large corporates. In this paper I define 4 levels of maturity on the path to a Google-like nirvana state where corporate, client, user, and other data is managed strategically to deliver true business benefit.

My four levels are:

Data Debt Despondency (or Doldrums)
MIS Mediocrity
BI limited benefit
Data Exemplar/Luminary/Doyen (not sure about this name yet.)

For completeness, MIS = Management Information Services and BI = Business Intelligence - both jargon for types of software solution designed to extract business benefit from data.

I like the alliterative nature of the first two names, and so I'd like to follow that example for the 3rd and 4th levels too, if I can.

My question is, can someone suggest 1 word that means "limited benefit"? Bonus points if it starts with a B and double bonus points if you can also suggest a nice alliterative name for the 4th, nirvana level.


texts: Word for a sudden phrase completing/changing a memory

texts:
Every so often I'll hear a phrase that forms part of a song or phrase that I know. Suddenly I can hear the song playing in my head or my mind finishes off the phrase. What is the correct phrase/word for this sort of unconscious surfacing of memories that then intermingle with what I'm currently hearing?

For instance I might hear someone say: Treacle Pudding

The words are unrelated, but the intonation reminds me of the Goldfinger theme tune, so my head tries to finish of the song with the words Tracle Pudding in place of Goldfinger

Another example is I'll hear the words, with the wrong intonation, but my brain still picks up the phrase of song lyrics and it plays out in my head.

This has nothing to do with smells, sight or any other input.


texts: Pronunciation of Gala in different circumstances

texts:
It is my understanding that Gala can be properly pronounced three different ways (sorry I don't know IPA):
 - noun: like GAY-la meaning a party (hopefuly with GAity)
 - adjective: GAL-uh, describing a type of event (on the CALendar)
 - other: GAH-luh, like the kind of apple (from Latin mala: apple)

Is this the usual way to pronounce it?

EDIT: Looking around for sources, I see a video saying "Americans" say it the 3rd way, and a video declaring that British people say it the 1st way (or as someone noted: GAR-la with the usually silent R that they like to make explicit). I grew up with three pronunciations and three meanings.

A source says that it is derived: From French gala or Italian gala, both from Medieval Latin, Latinized form of Frankish wala (“good, well”). (Latin would pronounce that WAH-luh.) So, that would support the 3rd pronunciation, which is also the least used in my experience. How could the original pronunciation come to be forgotten?


texts:
Which is the correct usage?

He is reaching the mountains.
He is reaching to the mountains.

We usually say, he is driving to reach the mountains. I am just wondering, if "reaching to" is also correct in my above sentence.


texts:
How would a native speaker deal with this sentence

  I have seen him fight for his employees, I have seen him fight for his
  company, and now I am seeing him fight for our country.

Is that childish? Is that an attempt to sound like a common citizen?
Is that grammatically correct at all?
Or maybe that one has a meaning available only to a native speaker?


texts: Question about addressing someone as president

texts:
Do you still call someone president even if they are retired? What about if they were impeached? What about in Richard Nixon's situation where he abdicated to avoid impeachment. Do you still call them president even if they formally resign their office of presidency?

EDIT: abdicate, not acquitted.


texts:
What does the phrase Admiration at their novelty means respect for your success mean?

Context:

In your affairs, create suspense.  Admiration at their novelty means respect for your success.  It's neither useful nor pleasurable to show all your cards. -Baltasar Gracian


texts: Confusion between Grammar mistake and spelling mistake

texts:
I am preparing for Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academics for further study.I score less in spelling and I know that this forum is for English Language not for any 'test regarding English language proficiency'.
so I want to ask question in the context of rules of English Langauge that 'she drew in a quick breathe' here breathe is incorrect as breath must used. So breathe is spelling mistake or grammar mistake ?
Similarly, if I write 'He licked the car' instead of 'He liked the car' So licked is spelling mistake or grammar mistake?


texts:
"Every day we live together adds to the security of my confidence that we can never any more wish to be separated than that we can ever imagine a regret that we were ever joined."
It's from Mark Twain's love letter to his wife(https://lettersofnote.com/2013/12/17/always-yours/).
The bolded part is very confusing to me. How can I interpret this?


texts: Is this expression "he is a man who unified many different kinds of culture" correct?

texts:
There is a man. He used to live in many different country learn different kind of philosophy like Western and Eastern philosophy. He also used to live with very poor people and with very rich people as well. I call him

he is a man who unified many different kinds of culture

Is it ok to say like that.
Or can we say:

he is a man who synthesized many different kinds of culture
he is a man who has many different kinds of culture in him
he is a man of different kinds of culture
he is a man with different kinds of culture


texts: Is there a word like extracurricular but for work instead of school?

texts: I want to reference activities that are outside of my profession, and I've been using the word "extracurriculars" to describe them, but it occurs to me that curriculum is academic, not professional. What's the best substitute?


texts: What is the difference between ‘In you come’, ‘Come on in’, and ‘Do come in’?

texts:
Bagman suddenly spotted Harry, got up quickly, and bounded forward.
“Ah, here he is! Champion number four! In you come, Harry, in you come … nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment –“
(p303, Harry Potter 4, US edition)

I’d like to know the meaning of 'in you come' by comparing and contrasting it with two other expressions 'come on in' and 'do come in'. These three expressions are vaguely mixed in my mind. I know they are emphasizing 'come in', but are they equal in every way?  If there's any difference, when should they be used?


texts: Antecedents of the relative clauses include both people and things

texts:
Can "that" be used when antecedents of the defining or non-defining relative clauses include both people and things?
For examples: John, do you remember the woman and her dog that were killed in the park last year?


texts: A word describes the person whose homeland/origins cannot be assurely identified

texts: I am looking for adjective describes the person whose origins cannot be identified based on his appearance features, accent, background ... etc. Some people has typical appearance features of middle Africans, Scandinavian, Chinese, Latin and so forth. I am aware that there is no strict line defines whether persons is coming from this area or that (e.g. a Scandinavian looking could be from USA). But generally speaking, if you met someone and you could not locate his/her origins due to overlapping and confusing features, what word can describe that person? I am looking for something more specific than (mixed).


texts: Is there a word or phrase for nodding/agreeing with your eyes only, not head?

texts:
When you say someone has nodded in agreement it is meant that they are lowering and raising their head to signify their agreeance without needing to say anything.

There is a more subtle version of this, quite common in film, where Character A  is asked a question and Character B responds by essentially blinking in agreement or by nodding with their eyes/eyelids. They do not move their head, and they may say something, but usually when they don't it used to deliberately not make it 100% clear to the audience what Character B's intentions are. I can't think of a specific example but I have seen it especially in high tension situations when a group of characters are trying to determine what side of the fence each person is, or during interrogation scenes.

Example 1 (bold part is what needs replacing):

After the meeting, Paul walks straight up to John, deliberately menacing.

"So I hear that you're going to fire Tom?" demands Paul.

John nods with his eyes, wary of the attention from the other colleagues in the room.

"Was that a yes then?"

John nods with his eyes again, "We should talk about this privately, Paul. So we don't disturb the other workers."

"You really are a coward John!"

Example 2 (bold part is what needs replacing):

"Paul, were you or were you not at the suspects house 2 nights ago?" asks Officer John.

Paul nods with his eyes.

"Was that a yes? Please verbally confirm for the audio recording."

Paul again nods with his eyes, answering John but not letting his answer be recorded.

"Dammit, you answer me Paul!"


texts: What are some ways to switch conversation topics?

texts:
Currently, when I'm in the middle of a topic and I have something else that I'd like to bring up I'll say

unrelated, but... or sometimes apropos of nothing

Are there any other good ways to bring in a new topic?


texts: Can a person be "responsible" to another person?

texts: I came across this statement in a policy/guideline text: "He/she is responsible to the MD for maintaining the accuracy of this Guidelines. The Guidelines shall be adopted annually by the MD even if no amendments are made."  ´...responsible to the MD...´ was used to emphasize the person´s responsibility. Is this proper use of the verb "responsible"?


texts: (In)formal equivalent for "Sword of Damocles" concept

texts:
What are the formal and informal equivalents (idiom or word) for the situation which Sword of Damocles could describe that?
From Cambridge Dictionary, Sword of Damocles means:

If you have a sword of Damocles hanging over you/your head, something bad seems very likely to happen to you.
E.g. The threat of a cut in funding is hanging over the Opera House like a sword of Damocles.


texts: Can we continue saying "that" after "resulted in"?

texts:
I am applying for an Internship for which I am writing a cover letter. I mentioned in it that I had an exit-interview in some other internship. I want to say that the result of that exit-interview was that I exceeded the specifications.

I say it in the following way:

  I had an exit interview to
  prove my knowledge which resulted in that I have exceeded the program’s specifications.

Is that a correct sentence?


texts: Use of second "the" in "The Art of the Deal"?

texts:
I don't know, but I always feel the use of the second the in Trump's book title "The Art of the Deal" is weird. It sounds like it's referring to a specific deal that he made. We wouldn't say "The Art of the War", or "The Art of the Movement", the second the totally changed the meaning of the title. So my question is:

Is that title correct?


texts: Australian hypocorism and the origin of "selfie"

texts:
According to the "blog.oxforddictionaries.com" the word of the year 2013 was
selfie. It took more than a decade to this neologism to enter the Oxford Dictionary. Its origin in fact dates back at least to 2002:,

  Research shows the word selfie in use by 2002. The earliest known usage is found in an Australian online forum post:

  2002 ABC Online (forum posting) 13 Sept.
  *“Um, drunk at a mates 21st, I tripped ofer [sic] and landed lip first (with front teeth coming a very close second) on a set of steps. I had a hole about 1cm long right through my bottom lip. And sorry about the focus, it was a selfie.”

Its origin appears to be closely connected  to the Australian tendency to use the suffix -ie as explained in the following piece:

  It makes sense, to etymologists, that selfie may have originated in Australia, where –ie has long been a suffix in slangy nicknames:  barbie for barbecue, mozzie for mosquito, tinnie for a can of beer, even Aussie for Australian. In fact, this nickname-like vocabulary has a technical descriptor, ‘hypocoristics’, which stems from the Greek hypokorizesthai meaning “to use child-talk”.
  However, in a rather anti-climactic interview with Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Hopey – there we go again, hypocoristics –went on to claim that selfie was common slang at the time, used to describe a picture of yourself. It is thus very likely that there was no single moment when the word was ‘created’ and that it travelled orally around the Australian continent before Hopey left his message online.
  Whatever the truth behind his morphological moment in the spotlight, though, one fact remains a fair bet: that the Australian tendency towards hypocorism is the real hero of the story.

(www.oxbridgeediting.co.uk)

The suffix -ie a variant of -y is defined as:

  a noun-forming suffix with a variety of functions in contemporary English, added to monosyllabic bases to create words that are almost always informal. Its origin  appears to be a from informal Scottish usage.

Dictionary.com

Questions:

Is hypocorism, among  English dialects, mainly an Australian usage?
Is there any evidence that selfie may have a different regional origin?


texts: Is it very wrong to say "can you pass the salt?" expecting people to pass the salt?

texts:
It makes sense to just pass the salt when someone says, "can you pass the salt?", but how grammatically incorrect is that?

Are we supposed to just answer yes for that question?

This happens in various situations. For instance, even teachers say "can you find the odd one out?
1 1 1 2 1 1 "
So, should one just say "yes" or should they say "2" ?

I apologise if the question is lame.


texts: using both Past Simple and Past Perfect in the same paragraph

texts:
Is there a rule about consistency within a paragraph, of using past tense and past participle in alternate sentences?
In my writing class, I notice some writers mix the two freely.  Since I see this usage so often, I tend to see them as equivalent.  Example:

"Jane sat down on the park bench.  She had come to meet with her friend.  She ate her lunch sandwich slowly, enjoying the sunshine.  She had brought the sandwich in a brown paper bag.  She carefully refolded the bag and put it in her pocket."


texts: Are you not hot ? And Are you hot? How to answer?

texts:
If I am cold.

Then for the question:
Q: Are you hot?

Answer: No, I am cold.

Q: Are you not hot?

Answer: yes, I am cold.

Is this correct? Or should I say NO for both ?


texts: Are both these sentences grammatically correct?

texts:
I have recently found the following. I do know the first sentence is wrong.

(1) "I am not a fan of him."
Meaning : I am not his fan.
(2) I am not a fan of his.
Meaning : I am not one of his fans.

But this is controversial.
Are they correct?
Some people say YES YES YES; others say NO NO NO.
Please clarify it.


texts:
Like materialise is to turn something into real. Is there a word to mean turn something into money?

e.g. Please don't give me any medal, I would rather want you to [the word] it.

Bet there is no moneilise?


texts: What is correct to say: "next time" or "the next time"?

texts:
The next time I will meet you
Next time I will meet you.

I think both are correct, but do both sentences indicate different meaning?


texts: Which one is correct: "He is the taller of the two" or "He is taller of the two"

texts:
He is the taller of the two.
He is taller of the two.

Which one is correct and why?


texts: Where did the word "duffle" (as in "duffle bag") come from, and how did it come to be associated with a bag?


texts: "for physics envy" = for envy of physicists

texts:
My grammar QA doesn't let the following quote 'pass' (italized phrase ):

  "The illusion of objectivity gains in strength through distance. Biologists, psychologists and social scientists are notorious for physics envy, seeing physics as far more objective and precise than their own rather messy fields, where there is so much uncertainty."

its from "The Science Delusion" by Rupert Sheldrake.

It seems it says that say social scientists envy physicists because physics science they regard as much more precise and objective than their own science. However I doubt whether it can be correctly expressed as 'for physics envy' unless it's kinda idiomatic expression what I haven't find in the dictionaries I use.


texts: How do you say x in x language? What's the English/Spanish word for x?

texts:
Is it correct to ask "how do you say 'tower' in Spanish?" or should we actually ask "what's the Spanish word for 'tower'?" Some people say that if I ask "how do you say..." the answer would be softly, loudly etc., as if how was functioning as an adverb of manner and that was its only function. So, the correct question would be "what's the Spanish word for..."

What do you think? is there any grammar rule that could help me understand the difference between these two questions?


texts: Is it common practice to shorten names with an "N"

texts:
Game of thrones : Eddard becomes Ned.
Wuthering heights : Ellen becomes Nelly.

It this common practice, or 2 isolated co-incidents? If it is common practice, is there a convention followed, stating when "N" is used, and when some other letter?