texts: Can you use "has" instead of "contains"?

texts:
If I say:

The new ipad has a 4.5" lcd screen and a microUSB slot.

instead of:

The new ipad contains a 4.5" lcd screen and a microUSB slot.

Is it better or worse? Is "contains" necessary, am I losing some meaning by simply putting a broader "has".


texts: Is the use of the phrase "left as an exercise for the reader" appropriate for technical documents?

texts:
I'm updating a technical document, and the phrase "left as an exercise for the reader" is used twice. However, that phrase is something that just irks me, so I'm thinking about removing it and revising those sentences.

One of the instances is this quotation:

  ...a precise account of the principles and practices is left as an exercise for the reader.

So I have two questions:

Is this phrase one that can be considered appropriate for technical writing?
Is there a better way to phrase this idea in a technical document? If so, what is it?


texts: Do you know another word for the most commonly used?

texts:
I'm presenting many histograms that show the most commonly used cars, then the most commony used refrigerators, and the most commonly used shoes. The problem is that I don't want to repeat the expression "most commonly used".

Do you have other expressions? Thanks!


texts: What is the difference between words like "historic" and "historical," and "instructive" and "instructional?"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why is it “geometric” but “theoretical”?

They're all adjectives, so how do you know when to use one over the other? Does it matter? I think it does...


texts: My daughter wrote a short story at school and wrote ''said the woman'' the teacher corrected this and wrote '' the woman said'' Is it not correct either way?


texts:
I'm wondering whether the phrase "reside in a remote location" may sound impersonal in a personal narrative.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: What do you mean by 'spark somebody up'?

texts: I have searched throughout the internet to find the real meaning but was at loss.


texts: "give my money back" or "give me my money back"

texts:
could you help me understand this?
source : "common mistakes at CAE"
page 9, question 5
"Are these sentences right or wrong? Correct those which are wrong."
4 - "I complained about the service and they agreed to have my money back"
==============
So I thought the answer should be " ... and they agreed to give my money back"
but the answer key says : "... and they agreed to give me my money back"
_
I tried searching on the web, but both appears to be right.
When there's no back , the subject that will receive the money is explicit
so... are both right? should I "always" use the structure "give + subject + object" or ""give + object + 'to' subject" ?
Thanks a lot and sorry any mistakes.


texts: Is it correct to say "collect puzzle (jigsaw)"?

texts:
Fun fact: there is no word for "Jigsaw puzzle" in Russian, so the English word "Пазл" is used. "Собирать" means collect (berries) or assemble (from parts). "Collect puzzle" seems like a direct translation from "Собирать пазл".

I feel that a better way to say it in English would be "Solve the Jigsaw puzzle", but I want to know if "collect puzzle" is also acceptable.


texts: Grammar of "so goes" in "And so goes an unusually heated example"

texts:
Would you explain the grammar of "so goes an unusually heated..." in the sentence below?

  "Impossible!" the first one shouts. Voices rise. And so goes
  an unusually heated example of what some people call the mommy
  wars.

This is America, "Issues of Economics, Fairness Shape Debate on Working Mothers"


texts: "Burning the candle at both ends" to mean being unfaithful in a relationship

texts:
I'm familiar with the idiom "burning the candle at both ends" to mean "to have expended oneself, in particular by staying up very very late". With this idiom I usually think of someone who has either been up all night finishing some important work, or conversely enjoying a social life that keeps them awake until the early hours. However, the other day my Gran used the expression to mean being unfaithful in a relationship, as in:

He's been burning the candle at both ends you know? Oh yes, and if his wife finds out there'll be hell to pay!

I thought it quite a funny way to describe someone cheating, but mainly wrote it off as one of those odd things my Gran says. However, Googling the idiom and the word "unfaithful" I actually found a connection. I found a paper about extramarital sex and marriage disruption with the idiom in its title, as well what looks like an advice blog which warns "Burning the candle at both ends is dangerous." with reference to the act of cheating.
I dug a bit further into the origin and usage of the phrase, but I couldn't find anything which gives a definition including infidelity. The original definition seems to have been more about wasting money, candles being expensive and burning them at both ends being a way to use them faster and waste them. Over time this then morphed into the current well-known meaning, that by "burning the candle at both ends" you were rapidly spending yourself rather than rapidly spending money, and consequently you're now exhausted.
Does anyone know when the idiom "burning the candle at both ends" came to include a meaning of being unfaithful in a relationship? Or is this a natural expansion of the primary meaning of the idiom and isn't a special case?
I have found further uses of the phrase specifically relating to having and affair/cheating here, here, and here. I admit it's not a very common phrase for this sort of behaviour, but it does seem to be in use.


texts: "A life full of adventures is…" OR "are waiting for us"?

texts:
Life is singular but the noun adventures is plural, so which sentence is correct?

  Life full of adventures are waiting for us.
  Life full of adventures is waiting for us.


texts:
Which one is the correct way to report a past episode?

They wanted that Joe must not be around when they go shopping.
They wanted that Joe must not be around when they went shopping.


texts: In mathematics, quadratic means "involving the second and no higher power of an unknown quantity or variable". But the prefix quad- usually describes something that has to do with four, such as quad-core processor and quadrilateral. Why does "quadratic" describe second power when "quad" means "four"?


texts: What syntactic function does 'us' have here?

texts:
We (subject) need (verb) you (object) to meet (infinitive) us (object?) at the library (prepositional phrase) at 7 (prepositional phrase) tonight (adverb).

What type of object is "us"?


texts: Any idioms to express calling or visiting a company to get information, pretending to be customer?

texts: What expression can you use to describe someone who  visits a company pretending to be  their customer, only to get  some information.


texts:
What is I need your breeze referring to?
It's part of a song:
I know I'm not supposed to look at you the way I look at you
I know I'm not supposed to look at you the way I look at you
I wear my shades all day long and I sing it in a folk song tune
You're not supposed to show, no you're not supposed to know the truth
'Cause boy, I need your breeze more than I need your keys
(LikeLikeLike by Sophie Hunger)


texts: Translation for the spanish term "clave de sol mayor"

texts:
I'm looking for a translation of "clave de sol mayor"

My attempts: G MAJOR SCALE and MAJOR SCALE BASED ON G


texts: What is a term that means "to force into a particular form"?

texts:
I'm looking for a term that describes "forcing into a particular form", "forcing into looking like something else", or even "forcefully fitting into a category"

Ex:

"We (word) the function/statement/etc. into this particular form so that we can make statements about it using what we already know"


texts: Did a dam create a pond or does a dam create a pond?

texts:
In a manuscript I am working on I have the following sentence:

  Woodland Pond is created by an earth dam.

An editor changed this to:

  Woodland pond was created by an earth dam.

My rationale for using the present tense is that although the dam was constructed in the past, the pond is currently being created by the dam.

Which is correct?


texts: "a crossroad" vs. "a crossroads" vs. "crossroads"

texts:
When do we use crossroad (singular), when do we use crossroads (singular) and when do we use crossroads (plural)?

Or can we use each of them for the same thing?

1)

Is this a crossroad or a crossroads or are this crossroads?

2)

Is this a crossroad or a crossroads or are this crossroads?

3)

Is this a crossroad or a crossroads or are these crossroads? (Edit)

4)

Is this a crossroad or a crossroads or are these crossroads?

Would be very interested in an answer.


texts:
I have this character who after committing a murder, gets up slowly and walk away.
I want to say that he does the getting up and walking away part in a dream like state of mind (unwittingly or not exactly knowing what he is doing)

Can someone suggest me how to do explain this?


texts: What's the word for 'reading multiple books from different perspectives to form your opinion'?

texts: I remember reading a word that means reading multiple books to form your opinion on a subject, but I forgot the word.


texts:
I have a situation trying to figure it out the correct usage of it vs it's. I've watched a tutorial about this subject but not so sure how to apply the last example in my phrase.

... She is a lovely girl. Born an artist, is an individual driven by emotions. OR ... She is a lovely girl.Born an artist, it's an individual driven by emotions.

in order to be clear for me, we also have the he version:

... He is a good guy. Born an artist, is an individual driven by emotions. OR ... He is a good guy.Born an artist, it's an individual driven by emotions.

I am confused because in my case, I have comma but no conjunction words like but, end, etc.
Thank you,


texts: Is "out of" instead of "from" colloquial, always okay or simply wrong?

texts:
Here an example sentence written by a pupil of mine:

  Through the British Empire, which resulted out of Britain's urge to build up its economy, Britain was connected to a lot of different countries

The sentence clearly has several issues, I am solely interested in one here. I would only use "result from", am a native British English speaker. My pupil has one American, one German parent and lives in Germany, would "result out of" be acceptable in written, academic American English? Can it be said at all?
Thanks
Naomi


texts:
Is there a (short) phrase or idiom meaning that someone had extremely bad luck?

In the context of a sports match: as you would have a "perfect game" or the even more specific "perfect hand" (when playing cards); that would mean having such good luck that you couldn't possibly lose. I'm looking for a phrase with the opposite meaning: having such bad luck that the players can't possibly win, no matter what they do.

I'm looking for something with a stronger implication than just "a bad luck streak". For example, similar in meaning to "a terrible game" or "a disaster/debacle", but which also implies that it was based solely on chance, not on the players doing something wrong (the way "terrible" implies).

Is there a way to convey this meaning in a single phrase, without an additional clause or sentence explaining it? Either a general-purpose or sports-related term would do


texts: Is it necessary to use the comma in the following sentence?

texts:
Do I have to use the comma before the WHEN CLAUSE in the following sentence?
"We were swimming in the lake, when suddenly a crocodile attacked us."


texts:
I happened to tell a co-worker today "I'm sorry to say this, but I think you are being rude by asking me to do XYZ despite me telling you repeatedly that I'm not going to be able to do it".

I understand this wasn't a polite way to put it, but I was very angry, and many softer means of conveying the message had failed earlier.

I'm not a native English speaker. In retrospect, could this point have been made in a better way, without me being as rude and wild?


texts: Is "I am at the doctor's" a correct usage?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Store names & possessive

Is the following sentence a correct usage to tell someone that I'm in the clinic to see the doctor right now

  I'm at the doctor's


texts:
Microsoft Word is telling me that is isn't.

If it isn't, what is a suitable alternative?


texts: My business emails of late have all contained '@Carol' when I am referred to in a string of emails/topic. What does this mean and how am I to refer to this in future?


texts: Is "The mall is constructing" grammatically correct?

texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct: "The mall is constructing".?

I know that we use "The mall is being constructed" in passive, but I want to know that can I write "The mall is constructing". Is this sentence grammatically correct?


texts: Literal meaning of "to give a run for someone's money"

texts:
According to the Free Dictionary, the figurative meaning of to give a run for someone's money is "to be as good as someone."

But what's the literal meaning of the sentence?


texts: How to form a noun of a verb in the English language

texts:
My teacher teaches me that if one puts an - ing to the end of a verb you will get the gerund of the verb which has the function as a noun. Example:

  mix-mixing,
  understand-understanding.

But there is also another form noun to the relative verb. Example:

  mix-mixture.

Both mixture and mixing have the noun meaning.

I want to  know does every verb have another noun besides gerund.  What is the difference between them? Can they be used instead of each other?


texts:
In an article I tried to understand (the german understanding) of:

  (...) we’re outside the part of C where the standard Dirichlet series actually converges. But lo’ we can ask what’s the Ramanujan summation (...)

Here the interjection lo' got my interest. I found, for instance lo and behold in leo.org and thus I think I understand the meaning here, too.

But is there some root of that interjection (semantic, etymological,...)? I mean, the author has added an apostrophe so something should be behind it; Leo.org does not help here.


texts:
When writing a letter, or other form of written work, what is the appropriate way to put emphasis on a word or phrase?

When would one use bold?

When would one use italics?

When would one use an underline?

Do they all mean the same, and their usage is simply a matter of preference?

Edit

I would like to know the definition for each of the above, and why you would use one over the other, specifically in writing a letter or other such document.

For example:

This question is not a duplicate.

This question is not a duplicate.

This question is not a duplicate.
(I can't use the HTML tag for underline in HTML 5...)


texts: What is the meaning of the preposition "back" in the following sentence?

texts: We learned how to test-drive the repository back in Section x.x, Creating and Reading Records, on page xxx.


texts:
I've already asked question about this word on English stack exchange What is synonyme of "scale"?
But I guess there is some other meaning of it.

What does it mean in this case?

  In a lot of cases, the bigger a company gets the harder it is to actually find a way to contact support. Maybe remarkable support just doesn’t scale. But does it have to be this difficult to find an email address?

From http://blog.statuspage.io/customer-service-email

I tried to find an appropriate definition in the FreeDictionary and Cambridge dictionary, but it didn't help. Perhaps "doesn't scale" means "is not highly appreciated"?


texts: what is the meaning of "untelegraphed" and "98% mark" here?

texts:
Of the remaining three reveals, one was entirely tangential and inconsequential to the story, completely untelegraphed, happens around the 98% mark, and left me with a “Huh. Well… that’s nice, I suppose.” reaction.

from https://mattgemmell.com/review-origin-by-dan-brown/


texts:
I wanted to use the phrase "God forbid" the other day, but really wanted to avoid the religious connotations that may come along with it. I was stumped while thinking of a replacement or variation.

I like the way the phrase "flows" or "feels" when interjected like this:

  You could do X if, God forbid, Y doesn't happen.

I know "heaven forbid" is common, but that's the type of thing I'm trying to avoid. Are there any similar phrases that could be used in such a way, or even a good replacement word for "God/heaven" which would work here and still sound natural?


texts: What is the meaning of the following text?

texts:
Would you please tell me what the meaning of the bold part is? Does "growth" refers to population? Then, how population growth can be due to population ageing?

  Only Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of India and South Asia are expected to see further rapid increases in population in the coming decades, with the growth elsewhere mainly due to rapid population ageing. Source


texts: "He rolled his toilet things into his housewife"

texts:
From C.S. Forester's Hornblower and the Hotspur:

  [The naval captain] rolled his toilet things into his housewife and tied the tapes.

ODO does provide a second definition for housewife which clarifies this usage:

  /ˈhʌzɪf/ a small case for needles, thread, and other small sewing items.

Besides its curious pronunciation, I'd like to know how housewife came to mean the above. Any other related information will also be much appreciated.


texts: "Seemed to have [...]ed": is this structure grammatical?

texts:
I came across the following sentences:

Defying expectations and maybe logic, people seemed to have combined the countercultural sixties and the achieving eighties into one social ethos.
I seemed to have broken the pattern, but all the time a classroom was waiting for me.
Its personality, at the moment when I was about to leave it, seemed to have detached itself from its inhabitants and all the human memories associated with it, and to have become endowed with a friendly charm of its own.

As usual, these sentences in The New York Times appear; and they appear together numerous others where the same structure occurs: seemed to have [...]ed.

Can someone clarify if this structure is grammatical?

Or should we reword the above sentences replacing the words "to have combined", "to have broken" and "to have detached" with, respectively, "to combine", "to break" and "to detach"?


texts: Is "can’t help but" considered to be a confused mix of the expressions "can but" and "can’t help"? If not, what is the difference between "can help but" and "can’t help but"?


texts: "X had him thinking" or "X made him think"

texts:
I'm proofreading a novel and the author keeps overusing the word 'had' where he could use a more descriptive word and then adding '-ing' to the verb. It's not grammatically incorrect, but it's a digression from his usual style which is otherwise pretty good and it sticks out whenever he does it.

What I want to ask is how can I properly explain to him WHY he should find another form for these instances? At present all I can say is that it's jarring to read and that he could find better variations.

I'm versed in essential grammar, but I'm unsure how to properly describe the form of verb he's using and why it doesn't work that well.

Some more examples:

"The connection had the clamps outside retracting." (IMO should be "The connection caused the clamps outside to retract")
"A quick turn on the spot had him avoiding the impact." (IMO should be "A quick turn on the spot enabled him to avoid the impact")
"His comment had alarm bells ringing in her head." (IMO should be "Alarm bells rang in her head at his comment.")

Is the verb a gerund in these examples? Gerunds have always eluded me and I'm patchy in that area. If this is what I'm dealing with here, I'd like to understand them properly so I can explain things to him. If it's something else, I appreciate any/all advice.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I need to translate "Suave na nave?" from Portuguese to English. This means something like "Are you cool?", in short speaking, it asks how are you, specifically if you are "cool".

It can be directly translated as "Are you smooth on the trip?` where trip means a vehicle, and inside this vehicle you are cool, probably wearing good clothes, wearing sunglasses and listening to music.

So far I’ve got "Smooth?" and "Is everything up with you?" but I need to keep the strength and the impact of the speech.

Any better way?


texts: Difference between "cross with you" and "angry with you"

texts:
Can anyone tell me what the difference is between 'I'm cross with you' and 'I'm angry with you'?

I have the feeling that being cross with someone (by the way, can you be cross 'at'? or is one always cross 'with'?) is more used in Britain than in the US. Is that correct?


texts: Is the usage of this ‘to permit this’ ungrammatical in this sentence from the Economist?

texts:
In the January 23rd 2021 edition of the Economist, the editors write in
their Leader (opinion piece) article titled “The marathon of covid-19 vaccination”:

Lockdowns impose a burden on freedom and a heavy financial cost. Pressure
will therefore mount for vaccinated people to be able to move around
freely, even if at first they will be too few in number to make much
difference to the economy. If governments ignore calls for “vaccine
passports” to permit this, the vaccinated are likely to change their
behaviour regardless. Some businesses may introduce informal systems.

I think the portion in bold should instead have been written this way:

If governments ignore calls for “vaccine passports” to be permitted, ...

I say this because there is an example sentence about the word "call" in
the Oxford Advanced Dictionary Eighth Edition like this:

... calls for the minister to resign.

In this sentence, the minister is the subject to the verb ‘resign’.
So I think the first sentence may be wrong. But I'm not sure.
I would be grateful if you could help me.


texts: Is 'deuce' (tennis) a corruption of the French phrase 'à deux de jeu'?

texts:
The scoring system of tennis is somewhat arcane and the origins are not well understood. It is likely tennis derives from game played in medieval France in which a clock face was used to keep score. Points in the games were incremented in multiples of fifteen (the 'forty' call is thought simply to be short for 'forty-five', and sixty, the top score, was never called as the game ended when this score was reached). Other peculiarities of tennis scoring include the term 'deuce' and 'love'.

Is 'deuce' a corruption of the French phrase 'à deux de jeu' meaning 'two points away from the (end of the) game'?


texts: English equivalent of Polish saying "You let a boor into office and he will drink ink"

texts:
I'm looking for English equivalent of Polish saying "Wpuścić chłopa do biura to atrament wypije" literally meaning "You let a boor into the office and he will drink ink".

Explanation
This saying is commonly used to describe uneducated, ignorant or even aggressive person that has no idea what he's doing, or is doing something that is commonly punished by society. That person is also unaware of the consequences of his activity or pretends to be, and even if you make him realize that, he will ignore it. You can also say that it is highly predictable that if you let him into some space/give him some tool he will do the most idiotic thing one could imagine.

Example
 - We're not allowing students to use lasers since the last accident when one of them looked straight into the beam without protective glasses and damaged his eye.
 - My God, you let a boor into the office and he will drink ink.


texts: What is the name of a person who likes high quality items?

texts: What is the name of a person who likes high quality items, not necessarily the most expensive, but the best for the money perhaps.


texts: What word describes this verbal slip-up?

texts:
I just overheard my officemate, while she was on a conference call, say "My muke was mited", and I've said before "We need some more print for the inker".

These aren't quite spoonerisms, as far as I can see. Is there another word which describes this type of speech error?


texts:
"A little heat might get things cookin'." I heard this in a movie. Is it correct? Shouldn't it be, "A little heat might get things cooked?" What's the difference?

Thank you.


texts: How did the word "humor", which originally represented bodily fluids, end up representing funny things?

texts: The etymology of humor shows it represented bodily fluids. It is understood that there was a belief in the ancient time, when each type of bodily fluids were attributed to particular state of mind. But it is not clear how it ended up representing something funny.


texts: When expressing a class of things, should I use a singular or a plural form?

texts:
When referring to a class of things, especially countable things, I am always confused about singular noun and plural nouns. For example:

  Dogs are the most lovely animal in the world.

and

  The most lovely animal in the world is dogs.

I know both sentences are grammatical correct because verbs only need to agree with the subject. However, those sentences sound awkward because of mixing singular noun and plural nouns.

So what is the best way to refer a class of countable things?


texts:
It was just mentioned in one of NPR word games as one of the choices that might be a word. The contestant, after some hesitation, picked this as one that is an actual meaning: Mandles is "candles for men"

But I googled it and found many uses.

In The Sting Man: Inside Abscam by Robert W. Greene it characterizes something one would put in soup:

  I guess chicken soup with mandles is his favorite dish; he makes it himself for us.

In The MageStaff by Rob McShane it is used for something that might be candles:

  The gurbs in the ground, the mandles in the trees and bushes and all the other myriad of life that should have teemed around them.

In Animal Biography, Or, Authentic Anecdotes of the Lives, Manners ..., Volume 3 it is used in relation to animals:

  Their mandles are thick and horny, and the tail is articulated, and not (as in the Scorpion) armed.

Then it is used as a variant of "sandals" in somethijng that might be an LGBT slang Queer Popular Culture: Literature, Media, Film, and Television
 edited by Thomas Peel:

  “Is it her hair? Is it her jog bra? Is it her mandles [a slang, masculine rendering of sandals]?”

It is also something that is sold by a dozen Publications, Issue 30
 By Spalding Club, Aberdeen:

  6 dozen liveray mandles at ...

There is also something in medicine that is called "mandles paint".


texts: "Tall, Dark, and Handsome" Character Archetype?

texts: I'm looking a singular word that implies the archetype of "tall dark and handsome". The origin of the word would also help-- I've seen a lot of responses, here and on Google, referencing "The Story of Hester Malpas," but that's not what I'm thinking of. I was once told there was a word that meant that, and it was derived from the first use of the character type, and now I'm totally blanking on it the night before an essay on a character that totally embodies that.


texts: What does this text from The Haunted House by Charles Dickens mean?

texts:
"Who is--or who was--the hooded woman with the owl? Do you know?"
"Well!" said Ikey, holding up his cap with one hand while he scratched his head with the other, "they say, in general, that she was murdered, and the howl he 'ooted the while."
This very concise summary of the facts was all I could learn, except that a young man, as hearty and likely a young man as ever I see, had been took with fits and held down in 'em, after seeing the hooded woman. Also, that a personage, dimly described as "a hold chap, a sort of one-eyed tramp, answering to the name of Joby, unless you challenged him as Greenwood, and then he said, 'Why not? and even if so, mind your own business,'" had encountered the hooded woman, a matter of five or six times. But, I was not materially assisted by these witnesses: inasmuch as the first was in California, and the last was, as Ikey said (and he was confirmed by the landlord), Anywheres.
The Haunted House, Charles Dickens


texts: "There is no rule" vs. "there isn't rule"

texts:
What are the differences between the two sentences below:

There is no rule.
There isn't rule.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When to use & instead of “and”

Is there a rule as to when to use "and" as opposed to using "&"?

eg. Andy and Steve's duties were to grade, guide & proctor exams, homework & projects


texts: Is it ever acceptable for a period to come after a quote at the end of a sentence?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is it correct to use “punctuation outside of the quotations”, or “inside?”

I've heard that you should always place ending punctuation inside of quotes, no matter what.

Are there any cases where it is appropriate for a sentence to end with ".?


texts:
As in a guaranteed thing. For example, "Bill has twice the sales of anyone else on the floor so the sales competition is pretty well sewn up."

I've tried to think of various metaphors it could be employing but the only thing that seems to make sense is if it came from an older related saying where the literal meaning was more obvious.


texts: "Solutions Engineer" or "Solution Engineer" for job role title

texts: I keep seeing different terms "Solutions Engineer" or "Solution Engineer" in job role descriptions. I'm not a native English speaker, but to me, "Solutions Engineer" (plural) somehow looks 'better' as you usually work on multiple and not one solution. What's your take on this, what would you prefer?


texts: How did Spanish "Sevilla" become English "Seville"?

texts:
In Spanish, the name of this city is spelled Sevilla and pronounced /seˈβiʎa/, but in English it is spelled Seville and pronounced /sɛˈvɪl/.

Having never heard of Sevilla/Seville until I went to Spain for four months, I only ever heard the Spanish pronunciation. Personally, when I started hearing English speakers say "Seville" in the States and in England I couldn't help but wince and thought it was wrong (everybody I knew in Spain, both English- and Spanish-speaking, pronounced it the Spanish way). To me, it sounded like people pronouncing the the l's in quesadilla. But now people call me pretentious for saying it the Spanish way (yet it's not pretentious to say quesadilla properly...), and I've since come to learn Seville is standard English. How did these pronunciations come to be? Did the English one come about just through mispronunciation of the Spanish?


texts: A word for a statement that doesn't need to be said

texts:
I need a word with this definition:

"Something said or written that is so implied or self-evident that making the statement is completely unnecessary."

The closest word I can come up with is truism.


texts: "Report" in simple present where it apparently should be either in progressive or simple past

texts:
I was going through a piece of news at B.B.C at this link, when I came across this line:

Israeli media report that the document did not include any references to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

I was wondering why the verb "report" has been used in the simple present tense whereas it should, seemingly, be either in the progressive or simple past. As, they want to tell us that the media has done so or that it is doing so.
Now, here came to my mind two possibilites:
1: Vivid narrative. But, the context doesn't seem to present this sentence with any sensation. So, I am considering it a less probable candidate.
2: Being the verb whose progressive form is not used, like "see", "feel". But, I am not sure of this.
Needless to mention that the second form of the verb is postfixed with "ed" so there is no question of it being the second form.
Thus, am I right in any of these two possibilites or there is a third candidate which has eluded and evaded my mind?
Your enlightning reply would be highly regarded!


texts:
Can we use "topmost" instead of "peak" ?
For example:
 "The peak force of the lever is 10 N."
 "The topmost force of the lever is 10 N."


texts: Should "an" be used before words beginning with "h"?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “A historic…” or “An historic…”?

Should an be used before words beginning with 'h'?  What about when the 'h' is silent and is followed by a vowel?


texts:
What’s the difference in meaning and usage between the two? I feel that overcrowded is redundant, yet it yields more results than crowded on googlengram.

Google Books crowded vs overcrowded.


texts:
Is this sentence wrong?

Spicy food have reduced the risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

If it is wrong then please explain why it is wrong?
Is food Plural or Singular ?


texts: What adjective would mean "both former and still present", but not "original"?

texts:
The pop group “Kitties'” original lineup went as follows: Linda, Mary and Amanda. However, Amanda soon left the group and Jenny replaced her.

They decided that their first performance in a new lineup would be like this: Linda and Mary would sing first and then, 5 minutes later, Jenny would join them.

Imagine you are watching that performance and you don't know the singers' names, but you do know them by their faces and you are aware of their recent lineup change.

However, YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF WHAT THEIR ORIGINAL LINEUP WAS. Simply put, you only saw Linda, Mary and Amanda performing together several times before, but you don't know whether
those three have been in the group from the very beginning or they have also replaced some other members who went before them.

Now imagine, you are writing a report about that performance:

  The two previous-lineup singers
  were singing first. Then, about 5
  minutes later, the new member of their
  group joined them. It was really a
  nice performance.

Here is my question: is there any single adjective in English that I could substitute for "previous-lineup" in my quote above?

I tried using just "previous", but that would seem to mean that those two singers are now gone, too (along with Amanda).

The adjective "former" seems to bring the same meaning.

The word "original" would not work either due to the reason I have already stated above.

Perhaps, "old" would fit the bill, but the problem is... the girls are quite young and you don't want to describe them using this word as even if you don't mean to imply their age that could still cause some undesirable and sensitive associations.

So, what adjective you would use here?


texts:
I was wondering. I was reading in one forum about the dark L someone said about how you can also have a dark L in an unstressed syllable so a word like only (ˈoʊnli)  will actually have dark L.
Can someone enlighten me a little.bit.more about this please?
However, a word like maleficent wouldn't have a Dark L, it'll have a Light L, since the Letter L  Is the stressed in the word.
I need a little help about unstressed L's being a Dark L.


texts:
What is the difference between "no" and "not"?
We know that "no" and "not" have the same meaning.
I'm studying English. I hope to get help.
Sorry for my language.


texts:
I often hear people (and myself) say that something is "siloed off from" something else, meaning that is is isolated (or, in software, sandboxed) and allowed to work without affecting something else.

However, I don't see this definition reflected on Wiktionary or Merriam-Webster. Is this a real phrase, or are these people using the term erroneously?


texts: Is listen-hear parallel with read-understand?

texts:
I'm trying to speak about the nature of music; I want to say that the very nature of the medium of sound, a kind of universal language, makes it impossible not to interpret what is presented to us. (The laws of physics make music from different cultures ultimately very similar.)

How might I express this with some interesting parallelism? I tried using the read-understand pair, but I'm not sure if this makes my  meaning obvious enough. I feel like there's some word that I can't think of that would make this analogy (or another) work.

  It is possible to read and not understand, but impossible to listen and not hear.


texts:
Question is pretty self-explanatory. Either way, a date on a calendar is a date. When it becomes unexpected, it sounds right to me to say an unexpected date instead of a unexpected date. Same for when using expected.

Which one is it?


texts:
I am looking for a word that combines happiness and bewilderment.

Say, A and B are long forgotten friends. After a long time B sends A very very good news. A is looking for a short message, a word that expresses his happiness and bewilderment in response to the news.

What would be the word combining these two — happiness and bewilderment?


texts: The function of Prepositional Phrase in a sentence

texts: I wish to know the function of the prepositional phrase (adverbial?) that modifies the intransitive verb in the following sentence. "I THINK OF HIM"


texts:
Dog-sit (verb): look after a dog or dogs while their owner is away, usually staying at the owner's home in order to do so.

Example: She asked me to dog-sit while she went away.

I searched many dictionaries I had access to (e.g. Collins, Lexico, Cambridge, Merriam Webster etc.) but none of them has given its origin. Can you help me find its origin?


texts: I noticed a few days ago that a CNN International anchorwoman (don't know her name) is pronouncing president Obama's name as "Obamar", with an "R" sound at the end.  This is similar to certain people pronouncing the word "idea" as "idear".  Is there a name for this pronunciation idiosyncracy?  Is such pronunciation acceptable from an anchor at an international news organization?


texts:
Blame is a verb which is applied to a person without that person's choice, so can they use a verb like 'abstain' in terms of blame if abstain implies they are choosing a relationship to that blame?

I don't believe you can 'abstain from blame' - if so, is blame a verb that can cancel out other verbs?

If a person chooses not to accept blame, is that the same as abstaining from it?


texts: What tense and sentence structure is used?

texts:
Below line is an excerpt from The Hindu newspaper.

  Many have been quick to conclude that it was his strong anti-Russia position that led to Rex Tillerson's dismissal as U.S. Secretary of state by President Donald Trump on March 13.

What tense is used here? if it is present perfect continuous, then the verb conclude is not in present participle form. Why so?
What type of sentence structure is applied here?


texts:
I'm looking for a word or phrase like "deus ex machina," but to describe misfortune rather than resolution.  It needs to communicate that the situation "came from out of nowhere," and/or feels "tacked-on" without any prior build-up.

Any ideas?

Edit: For example:

  The ___ in the book really annoyed me.  The main character died of an illness at the end, even though nothing of the sort was hinted at in any previous plot arcs.


texts: How do you conjugate Early Modern English verbs (other than present tense)?

texts:
I was wondering how one might conjugate verbs in early modern English in various tenses. I am aware of the fact that for second person and third person singular specifically, the verb endings are -est and -eth respectively, but once you move away from simple present tense, it seems to get a bit trickier.

I recall reading somewhere that if you want to make a verb past simple, you add did between the noun and the verb. For example,

  He ?dideth walk to the store.

As opposed to the modern English,

  He walked to the store.

And as opposed to how I might say it:

  He ?walkedeth to the store.

Unfortunately, I haven’t learned quite as much of English as others may, but I know enough to suspect that “He dideth walk to the store” might be a different tense entirely from “He walkedeth to the store”, at least in modern English.

I am an aspiring and amateur writer, and there is a character that speaks entirely in Early Modern English, and so the answer to this would be quite helpful.


texts: "It's taking me forever" vs "It has been taking me forever"

texts: If you are writing a long report, which one sounds more natural: "Oh, this report is so long, it's taking me forever" or "Oh, this report is so long, it has been taking me forever"?


texts: Going back and forth in time gramatically?

texts:
The sentence(s):

The ice breaks beneath them, and they are stuck in their car while it is being filled with ice-cold water. Dawn’s mother had tried to convince Sam, Dawn’s father, not to go on the trip as she suspected it would be dangerous. Sam simply shrugged off her concerns. Should Dawn’s mother have acted differently? Moreover, is it fair that Dawn’s mother may blame herself for the accident?

My question is whether it is correct for me to write "Suspected" instead of "suspects", "shrugged" instead of "shruggs" and "had tried" instead of "tries", the thing is: the story goes back and forth in time, should the words then be in past tense or present tense? It sounds wrong when they are in present tense, I am not quite sure...


texts: Less cliché way to express "perfect occasion"in a cover letter

texts:
In the context of a cover letter, what is a less cliché way to express the following phrase?

  this job will be the perfect occasion for me to ...


texts: Term for Perfectionist with poor priorities

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Idiom: People caring about minor stuff while something terrible is happening

Someone who is obsessing over details of a project, trying to get them perfect, while fundamental basic components or steps are left undone and by the wayside.

Is there an adjective or a name for this kind of behaviour?


texts: Please Help Me to Understand This Sentence

texts: Development engineers will embrace the emphasis on early demonstrations and ability to assess and evaluate performance tradeoff in subsequent releases


texts:
Is there any difference between the following or are they same?
i) I am of course doing this for my kids.
ii) I am doing this for my kids of course.


texts:
My English teacher told me that some native speakers omit the /t/ sound in some words, for example, writ't'en, Bri't'ain, impor't'ant. That means before pronouncing the /t/, there is a sudden pause and then go for /ː(ə)nt/.Is that true?
Thank you so much :)

[maybe there is no such a thing. But when I listen to BBC radio, someone says "Britain", I can hardly hear /t/ when they say that word. Why they pronounce that way?]


texts: What is the difference between words "notability" and "significance"?

texts: I've seen somewhere that "notable" is related to a person or a concrete thing, while "significant" is related to a sign or a symbol. Is it correct?


texts: Word or phrase describing preference for written language over spoken language

texts:
What is a word or phrase describing the prioritization of or preference for written language over spoken language?

Example 1:

  They have a [insert word/phrase here]. They continue to write their language exclusively using a millennia-old literary form that has long diverged from their spoken language.

Example 2:

  Ali learned to write fluently in a dozen languages, but he did not bother to learn how to pronounce most of the words he writes. He has a [insert word/phrase here].

My first guess was "graphological bias," but that doesn't seem correct, as Google phrase match search returns only two results for that phrase.


texts: 'When you say you 'did XYZ', could you tell me more?' - What tense is this?

texts:
As a poor example:
Person A: 'I really liked cats when I was a child.'
Person B: 'When you say you "liked cats", could you tell me more?'
Person A: 'Blah blah.'

I'm really wondering about the tense of 'when you say' here. Should it be 'When you said'? Is there a name for this type of construction or how the verb 'say' is acting here? I'm falling flat on my face trying to find out. I ran it through a parts of speech tagger and got 'say' as singular present, but that isn't specific enough for me to find usage examples like this.

I understand it'd be 'said' if it was something like 'when you said that, what did you mean?' But how about when the conversation is currently happening?


texts: Which word to use between two streets when describing an intersection, and or at?

texts:
I would normally write an intersection like:

A St. and B St.

but I've noticed many people also write

A St. at B St.

I've tried googling every way I can think of phrasing this and I can't find anything.

Which is correct? If both are correct, then what determines which form someone usually uses(e.g. country, age, etc)?


texts: How do you native speakers pronounce @ in an email address?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How does one pronounce the '@' symbol?

Do you just pronounce it as "at"?


texts:
A recent article in the New York Times discussed the decision by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to eliminate the use of small metal buttons to signify that you have paid admission.

The entrances are fairly open, and guards glance over the crowd to make sure you have the badge of a patron. All buttons on a given day are the same color. The color changes the next day so that one cannot return and enter without paying.

According to the Times,

  the colors are changed daily in random order.

The Compact ODO defines order as

  the arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method

It defines random to mean

  made, done, happening, or chosen without method or conscious decision

Is this a mistake, a deliberate oxymoron, or is there a straightforward logical meaning to this phrase?


texts: Latin expression/abbreviation meaning "similar to"

texts:
I recall seeing an expression with this same meaning in a linguistics paper.

For instance:

  This adjective declines like an e-stem noun.

  (1)- [The abbreviation I am looking for] e-stem.

This will be useful to write a footnote laconically.

Thanks in advance.


texts: "Are any classes taught on..." or "Is any class taught on..."

texts:
Should I say: "Are any classes taught on Wednesdays?"

Or should I instead say "Is any class taught on Wednesdays?"

Which one is correct/more appropriate?


texts:
May I ask which of the two is correct:

1) If your design is location-centric, please specify the location.
2) If your design is location-specific, please specify the location.

Thank you.


texts: Why are some initialisms sometimes spelled with a slash? E.g. O/S for Operating System

texts: I've only ever seen this practice used to refer to "Operating System" with "O/S", but according to The Free Dictionary there are a few more. Why is the slash in the middle sometimes used? Isn't "OS" or "O.S." more appropriate?


texts: Capitalizing the names of different animal breeds?

texts: I've already looked around for an answer to this question, but many answers contradict each other. What I'd like to know is whether or not different animal breeds are capitalized in professional writing. If I'm writing about my dog, Loki, would I say that he's a "samoyed" or a "Samoyed" pup?


texts: We were just thinking that that is a concept that really ought to have a word.  "Wastefully rich"; for example, smoking a $100 bill as a cigarette.


texts: When there are several appendices, what is that part of a book called?

texts:
If a book has one appendix, it is The Appendix. Now consider a book with three appendices (or, if you like, appendixes), named Appendix A, Appendix B, and Appendix C. The part of the book, which is formed by these, is called

still The Appendix, because it is that part of the book, composed of the "chapters" Appendix A, Appendix B, and Appendix C.
now The Appendices (or, if you like, The appendixes), because there are three of them and that calls for a plural.
something else (what)?


texts: What do I call the subject and object of a subscription?

texts:
Alice is subscribed to Bob's posts.

Alice is a ____?

Bob is a ____?

And also a similar question:

Charlie follows David on Twitter.

Charlie is a follower.

David is a ____?


texts: Pluralizing keywords in programming languages

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Marking plural of code words

In the language that I'm currently working in one of the keywords is try. I'm writing an error message:

  No implementation for global level try statements.

It's too long in my source and so I would very much like to reduce it to

  No implementation for global level try's.

Anybody using my code should understand it very easily as my code is entirely about dynamically determining what exception handling is in place and the try keyword is one of the cornerstones of exception handling in the given language.

Could we pretend for the duration that I'm not being overly picky?
Is this pluralization correct or at least acceptable? Both "tries" and "trys" look very wrong to me.
Are there general rules pertaining to pluralizing keywords and other identifiers from programming languages. A quick google search and more extensive search of this site didn't quite do it. I did find this question. The selected answer assumes the presence of markup (not available in my case) and the other answer sidesteps the issue by avoiding pluralizing the words in question. Are there any new insights to be had?

An answer to (3) would answer (2) of course and so I would be happy with just that. If it's not available though, I would appeciate input on (2).


texts: Through a Glass, Clearly / A Scanner Darkly / In a Mirror, Darkly / etc

texts:
I've seen a pattern in a couple of titles.

Asimov has a book called "Through a Glass, Clearly".
Philip Dick wrote "A Scanner Darkly".
Star Trek has the episode "In a Mirror, Darkly"
Agatha Christy wrote the story "In a Glass, Darkly"

Curiously, 3 of the 4 are sci-fi. Any reason for the commonality of phrasing? Does it have some sort of meaning? Anyone know how it originated? Is it used in spoken English?


texts:
Names, often, are related to places or regions like

Mahmud of Ghazni
Christopher of Bavaria

My questions are:

Are such names always related to people from political backgrounds (Kings, Ministers, Feudal Lords etc.)?
Against conventions for general names, is it correct to prefix such names with 'The'?
Is it correct to simply write 'The' + First_Name and ignore the location, as in, 'The Mahmud' instead of 'The Mahmud of Ghazni'.


texts: The use of the phrasal verb "pay off" in context

texts:
Tell me please if it is apt to use the phrasal verb in the following conext.

  The tablet was expensive, but I don't regret buying it, because it is paying off.

What I mean is that the tablet proved to be very useful and it benefits me. By the pronoun it I am referring to the tablet, not to the action of buying. If I referred to buying, would the pronoun this be more appropriate? For example:

  The tablet was expensive, but I don't regret buying it, because this is paying off.


texts:
"All assets could be pledged except for pledges over a going concern (gages sur fonds de commerce), Luxembourg law doesn't provide for an all assets security."

Could someone explain this sentence？
What does “over” mean here?
Thank you.


texts: Allegedly/Presumably/Supposedly - what's the difference?

texts:
I am not a native speaker, and I'm having a hard time consciously understanding the difference between "allegedly", "presumably" and "supposedly" (There are many others!). From what I've heard: "allegedly" is used when someone in particular made an allegation (does that include oneself?), "presumably" is used when there is a great level of uncertainty and "supposedly" is for when you are making assumptions that are not based on anything in particular.

Can someone explain the proper differences to me as if I'm 5 years old?


texts: Opt for, to be up for (and to be down for)

texts:
What's the difference between I opt for the party and I'm up for the party? And, to make it more complex, I'm down for the party.

But I'm especially interested in the first two.


texts:
I recently came across the word 'mochup'.

I am unsure if this is simply a spelling mistake of the term 'mock-up', or if it is a technical neologism with a slightly different meaning. Searching on google for 'mochup definition' returns many results, but none seem to offer an actual definition as far as I can see.


texts:
I would like to know which of the options below is correct:

'It is mine and John's favourite'
'It is my and John's favourite'

Or if both are incorrect, what would be the correct way to phrase this?


texts: Use of capitals and full stops in bullet points

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Capitalization for a bullet list

Let's say I have a bullet point list e.g:

Point 1.
Point 2.
Point 3.

Notice I have put a capital letter for the starting letter of every bullet point and a full stop at the end. Is this the correct way to do it?

If not, what is the correct way to do it?

Do I put a capital letter and no full stop, or, the other way around, a full stop and no capital letter? Alternatively, do I not put a capital letter or a full stop? Is it only necessary to put a capital letter on the first bullet point and full stop on the last bullet point?

For reference, I'm from the UK so British-English grammar would apply.


texts:
My question is: I know box office can be used for a theatre or a concert. But can I use it for a place as long as a ticket is sold here, for instance, can I say the box office of MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art), amusement park, etc.?

I also know the phrase ticket office, which one is more appropriate in the case MoMA, amusement park, etc.? Are there any differences between box office and ticket office?


texts:
At the supermarket:

Correct
"Which flavor icecream should we get?"

Incorrect
"Which flavor of shampoo should I get?

What word could I use to talk about a particular choice among a collection of different... well... "flavors"?


texts:
Imagine this scenario:

  Someone claims to have been blessed with unspecified special powers by
  God or something similar (a self-proclaimed prophet, a fortune-teller,
  a psychic) . A row of people forms before their door who believe that
  person might help them. What do you call these people?

The word beggar, due to its connotations, seems unsuitable
in this case as it wouldn't properly describe those who seeks
more spiritual help, or people who just want a consultation,
or those who are willing to pay for the service.

The terms help-seeker or person-in-need both seem too clumsy to me.

There is a single-word term in my language derived from the verb
prosit which is used for all actions where the word ", please"
is expressed or implied. Depending on the circumstance it could
be translated as to beg, to ask for something, or to implore.

No matter how I approach it I'm failing to strike the right chord
here.


texts: Is it 'James and his family know' or 'James and his family knows'?

texts: When joining multiple nouns that refer to someone, how does one properly address the lot? I have a feeling it's the first.


texts:
I am looking for a word to describe a location (an x,y coordinate) and an orientation (north, south etc).

Is there such a word?


texts: What is a word for getting an award in a competition or being one of the top three?

texts: I am writing about a competition I won in which I got third place. I want to say that I am the first out of my school to get an award in this competition, with a third place award but that sounds a little bulky. What would be a short phrase or word to describe this. I am thinking maybe I can say "I placed in the competition" but I am not sure that will work.


texts: Another way to say "I have started to lose hope"

texts:
I have the idea of being on the verge of losing hope, and I am interested to put it in following structure: "My hopes for achieving something are getting (or growing) weaker every second."

I have googled this sentence but apparently this is not common wording for conveying the idea. Is there a similar way to say this?


texts: English idiom equivalent to "Sugar to your mouth"?

texts:
In my native language, we have an expression :-

sugar to your mouth.

It is used to express a wish or hope that what the speaker is saying may come true.
Is there a similar expression in either American or British English?


texts: Confusion about fragments and complete sentences

texts:
Can someone explain to me how in the first sentence below, the second part is a fragment, while in the second question, the last part is a complete sentence?

Jason went to the store and bought onions. Not realizing at the time that he needed ginger as well.

As summer vacation comes closer, I find myself planning a trip to the Caribbean. To think about this makes me happy.

I'm confused because as I understand it, fragments are incomplete sentences, that cannot stay alone. So, I don't understand how, "To think about this makes me happy" make sense alone, but "Not realizing at the time that he needed ginger as well" doesn't. At least, these are exampled my teacher put out...


texts:
For a male, if you are enumerating your sexual conquests, you might refer to it as your priapic conquests:

  The pirates joined on deck and exchanged stories on their own priapic conquests.

Is there a lesbian equivalent of this phrase? Something like:

  The lesbians joked about their "priapic conquests" (i.e., all the women they had slept with) while they were sizing up their next opponent.


texts: What is the story behind the phrase 'as it were'? Where did it come from?

texts:
This is a question my High School English teacher could not answer 20-odd years ago and every time I encounter it, it bugs me. I only know what it means in terms of other phrases such as 'per se'.

I have a general idea what it means, but I can't really wrap my head around it. 'As it were' when exactly?

Does anyone know the origin?


texts: Position of 'both' or 'equally' in regard to prepositions (to both reassure OR both to reassure)

texts:
1) This helps both to reassure existing users and (to) attract new users.

  2) This helps to both reassure existing users and (to) attract new users.

I'm pretty sure the second one is a correct phrase. However, I tend to instinctively use the first one and I'm not 100% sure whether that is also correct usage. A variant of this question would replace 'both' with 'equally'.

EDIT: Third variant:

  3) This both helps to reassure existing users and (to) attract new users.


texts: Word for "a cluster of couches around a coffee table"

texts: Is there a word for a cluster of couches around a coffee table, as seen in nightclubs and hotel lobbies? Something like this:


texts: Someone who is adept/multi-talented in related activities

texts:
Is there a word for someone who is skilled at several talents in the arts, e.g. painting, sculpting, playing musical instruments and reading poetry. I am looking for a word that is analogous to polyglot when referring to someone who is fluent in several languages (spoken or e.g. using several programming languages). The word, if such exists, should be primarily associated with artistic activities, rather than a generalist term like multi-talented.

Thanks to @Zbyněk Dráb below, perhaps you could rephrase my question as:

polyglot is to linguists as polymath is to scientists as what(?) is to artists?


texts:
The following sentence is from here. It’s too long, and I don’t fully understand it. Can anyone help me parse it?

  Simple examples are likely to have far more overhead than the work
  done making the performance of the concurrent example far worse than
  just writing it single threaded and also the code more confusing.


texts:
I'm not a native English speaker but I've recently moved to the US. I've been noticing that when people say "I'm going to" (or I'm gonna), a lot of people here always pronounce it like "I muh-nuh", so apparently this is a normal thing to say where I live, but I had never heard it before.

How common is it? Is that how you're actually supposed to pronounce it, and as a non-native speaker, do you think it's a good idea to learn to use it and talk that way, or I shouldn't imitate this at all?

Thank you in advance.


texts: When is correct to capitalise these words?

texts:
At the beginning of sentence is a given.

Here are some examples for each word. Should any be capitalised? If not, is there any situations where they should?

The word "government"

The government raised taxes.
Thatcher was in government for a long time.
The UK is having problems with its coalition government?

The word "organisation"

The organisation needs to make 10% savings.
I would like to work for an organisation like Google.


texts: Using the word 'former' in this context?

texts:
I'm writing a document about my study progress. I'm about to refer to the tutor I had last year for a certain school subject that I didn't pass. So I have to write about catching up and handing in the work.

I'm not sure if the word 'former' can be used here, since I've got no tutor right now. Does former immediatly mean that you have to have a current one, like it's a previous one? Or is it ok to use it in the sense of this WAS my tutor, and I don't have one right now.


texts: Generic foreign words with specific English meanings

texts:
There are many words in English that are borrowed from other languages, but acquire a much more specific meaning along the way.

For example, salsa in Spanish simply means "sauce", and could be equally well applied to Hollandaise sauce or soy sauce.  But in (US) English, salsa always refers to a particular style of spicy sauce, usually based on tomatoes, onions and chili peppers, that is common in (pseudo-)Mexican cuisine.

Likewise, raisin is French for "grape", but in English always means a dried grape.

(Actually, most of the examples that come to my mind involve food.)

Does this phenomenon have a name?  Where could I read more about it?
Are there examples of this happening to English words borrowed by other languages?


texts: What do you call something that is hung like a painting, but it is actually made by carving?

texts:
The usual word for something artistic that is hung is a painting; this covers the usual situation. But what I want to refer to is a hung wood piece. It has writings carved on it, and is painted.

Is there a word to describe any kind of work of art in a hung frame, rather than the usual (painting, drawing, picture)?

I found some pictures that would go through the category I'm looking for,
like this or this.


texts: "put X down to" vs. "put down X to": subjects of verbs with two particles

texts:
I expect I would have to put down many coats to do the job. (SOURCE)

One factor to distinguish phrasal verbs from prepositional verbs is particle movement. Phrasal verbs can place the particle before or after direct object, whereas the preposition in prepositional verbs must precede the noun. (Biber et al. 1999)

So, I'm confused when analyzing the fragment "put down many coats to" because I'm not able to distinguish whether "put ... " is a phrasal verb or a prepositional verb. The confusion arises when I read in the Oxford Dictionary of English, under 'put' → 'phrasal verb', the form "put something down to" is correct.

So, the above sentence would be rewritten as follows :

  I expect I would have to put many coats down to do the job.

Am I right? If not, how do I correctly distinguish phrasal verbs from prepositional verbs in the cases, like this one, where there are two particles (in this case 'down' and 'to')?


texts: How do I correctly punctuate the phrase "that is" in the context of an explanation?

texts:
I find myself wanting to use the phrase "that is" or "that's to say" but often can't figure out what sort of punctuation I use with it. I think it's an explanatory phrase, but I'm not sure.

  I mean, it happens all the time, that is, birds eating and ants crawling about, but I felt connected to those beings if for just a moment.

Another alternative that doesn't feel right to me at all:

  I mean, it happens all the time. That is, birds eating and ants crawling about, but I felt connected to those beings if for just a moment.

Likewise, I think I might be able to justify an em dash, but I'm always nervous about using them for lack of proper understanding.

  I mean, it happens all the time–that is, birds eating and ants crawling about–but I felt connected to those beings if for just a moment.

Can someone provide a good example of how to use that phrase?


texts: Is "in the first place better used to emphasize one fact than combined with “in the second place" to introduce a series of facts?

texts:
I used to think that "in the first place" is to emphasizs something. When we see it in the middle of a paragraph, we won't expect "in the second place".

But I then saw several cases of "in the first place....in the second place" used to organize sentences. Are they good to show up together to introduce a series of reasons or facts?


texts: While receiving a phone call, the man on the other end of the call was looking for another woman. When finished asking for her, he said: "Are you she?" I've always heard "Are you her" and this was a first for me. "Are you she?"... is it proper English?


texts: Etymological link between "shall" and "will"?

texts:
"X shall happen" means "X is (strongly) expected to happen" ("X wird geschehen") or "X is hoped for to happen" ("X soll geschehen")

German "Ich will, dass X geschieht" means "I want X to happen" (different from "I hope for X to happen").

English "X will happen" means "X is (strongly) expected to happen".

My question is:

  Is there an etymological link between shall (sollen/werden) und
  will (wollen/werden)?


texts: A word to describe someone with the same taste/likes

texts: Is there a word to describe someone who has the same taste/likes as you? For example, I like dogs. How can I describe all the members in a FB group that's dedicated to sharing cute dog images/videos? The closest phrase I can think of is "interest group", but that seems to have a very specific meaning and usage.


texts:
I'm reading an English translation of Notes from the Underground by Dostoevsky and I came across the sentence

  They express the consciousness that you have no enemy to punish, but
  that you have pain; the consciousness that in spite of all possible
  Wagenheims you are in complete slavery to your teeth...

I can't find any other uses of 'Wagenheims' online. It looks like it could be from German in which case it might mean something like 'ventures homewards', according to google translate, but it is not clear that this makes sense.


texts:
Every man chased three deer going to the forest while eating oranges.
Every man chased three deer going to the forest, while eating oranges.
Does the comma greatly alter the meaning of the second sentence when compared with the first sentence?


texts: He is one of the boys who "play" or "plays" football?

texts:
Which one is correct?

  He is one of the boys who play football.
  He is one of the boys who plays football.

Please state the reason as well.


texts: Is it correct to say: 'I wish I would (not) do something!'?

texts:
If the verb 'wish' and the verb that follows it do not have the same subjects, you can either say

  I wish you didn't chew gum in class!

or

  I wish you wouldn't chew gum in class!

if you want to emphasise the fact that the action you wish for depends on someone's good will.

Now, if the subjects of 'wish' and of the following verb are the same, can you still say

  I wish I wouldn't chew gum in class!

?


texts: What do you call a person who makes the best statements in your/a group?

texts:
He says the best things, makes the smartest statements, gives the most useful information, you definitely want to listen to him when he starts talking, overall, he always says the best things and makes the best statement. In my context, it's a "he" that I'm talking about, but the word doesn't need to be gender specific.
For instance, David, who is our best sayer (?), said, "...".
So I'm thinking something like Sayer, but Sayer isn't actually a word--my criteria is usually Oxford Dictionaries. A compound word would be fine, but not a phrase.
Edit: To be clear, I am looking for a noun.


texts: How to use foreign words in English writing

texts:
Nonna is a word that means grandmother in Italian. If I italicize in the beginning like this: "Nine years ago, nonna (Italian grandmother), ..." then I don't have to continue italicizing the word however I'm confused about how to address this character in the future.

Since nonna means grandmother, do I use the word the same way I would use grandmother? For example, would i say "my nonna" as opposed to "nonna" even though I call her nonna? In other words, I say "nonna" to address my grandmother, as if 'nonna' is her name.


texts:
Is it correct to use of twice in the following sentence?

  The problem of absence of remote facilities is addressed in the article...

What is the best way of writing this sentence?


texts: Any phrase or idiom for a person who tries to copy a professional's act without any of the skills needed

texts: A person who tries to copy a professional and skillful person's act, without possessing any skills or experience needed


texts: Correct use of comma in "Hamburgers first, the rest second"

texts: A slogan for a hamburger bar I saw was "Hamburgers first, the rest second" meaning that they (hamburgers) are considered above all else. Is this a comma splice and should there be second comma "Hamburgers first, the rest, second"?


texts: What's the meaning of "exposure " in this context?

texts:
From a reading test on IELTS PTE Online titled "Allergy Testing,

A person does not become allergic to a particular substance until after the first exposure. However, in some cases, even trace amounts of a substance, such as peanuts or seafood in a mother's breast milk, can cause an allergic reaction in a subsequent exposure.

Does this "exposure" mean

[uncountable] exposure (to something) the state of being in a place or situation where there is no protection from something harmful or unpleasant
Source: Oxford Learner's Dictionaries

If it is, why before the second "exposure" has "a"? Because according to the Longman Dictionary, it is an uncountable noun.


texts: what do you call a person who wants others to be the way they think?

texts: What do you call that person who wants others to behave like them?


texts:
I'm trying to find a word or short phrase that would describe chasing something that doesn't exist.
My restriction is that it can't be referencing something that would only make sense in our world (things like "chasing the white whale" as it's a reference to Moby Dick)
I'm writing a book that does not take place on earth. So referencing our literature, specific places on earth, or specific cultures on earth don't really work well with the setting.
I'll be taking a look at worldbuilding.stackexchange.com as well, but for reference for those who comment or come back to view this question.
The world the story takes place in is similar to earth in regards to atmosphere, environments, and natural phenomenon. Things like "chasing the rainbow" would work.
As for context in how I'm trying to use this. Two people are having a tense conversation. Person 1 is attempting to convince Person 2 to join a group that has made person 1 very idealistic promises. Person 2's reply is “You paint a pretty picture, but it’s one drenched in the blood and death of every nation. You use to be so smart, so tactful, now you’re nothing but a fool chasing after a _______________.”


texts: what is a word or a phrase to convey -" no more?

texts:
What is a word or a phrase to say when we had too much of something weird.

Example- An enthusiastic friend takes me to a play and its puzzling and rather unimpressive to me and I want to yell-

  No More, Please No More!


texts: Why are numbers sometimes spelled out and then numerals specified as well?

texts:
I'm referring to the peculiar habit I sometimes see in formal documents, where a number is given numerically after it's spelled out. It seems quite redundant:

  I need five (5) kumquats, stat!

(Though it isn't always in a legal context, might it be related to this answer on this question?)


texts: Does “can be” have an alternative that is not in the passive voice?

texts:
I have been experimenting with different forms of grammar recently, and have enabled Verbose Grammar Checks in Microsoft Word to alert me when I am unknowingly using the passive voice.

I wanted to find an alternative to can be that is not in the passive voice. If possible can you alter the following sentence, to avoid the passive voice:

  C♯ can be compiled natively.


texts:
I came across the following passage of text in one of the original Thomas the Tank Engine stories, and realised there was a phrase in there that I didn't understand.

"Be careful with the coaches, James" said Edward, "they don't like
being bumped. Trucks are silly and noisy; they need to be bumped and
taught to behave, but coaches get cross and will pay you out."
James the Red Engine, Rev W. Awdry (1948)

So what does "pay you out" mean?


texts: Word similar to patented but not legally patented?

texts: What is a word similar to "patented" but without the legal connotation? It is something that only you or your company offers. May be a methodology rather than a product.


texts: Use of comma and its effect on the meaning

texts:
I have two sentences with a difference in the meaning because of the comma’s usage, but I don’t remember what was the meaning of each! Please help me to know the meaning of each. Thank you!

  My sister, Grace, lives in Toronto.
  My sister Grace lives in Toronto.


texts:
A new colleague of mine, a native English speaker with whom I have only communicated via text, used "Best!" at the end of a chat message.

Does this signify anything to the extent of "this conversation is over"? Is it rude to end a message like this without a lead-in?

Does the usage of "Best!" allow any educated guess at what particular brand of English said colleague speaks (British, US-American, Australian, and so on)?


texts:
To retrofit is to take a new item and make it work with something old.

What is the word to take an old item and make it work with something new?

For example, someone could retrofit a new character by modding an old game. Retrofitting an old character into a new game doesn't sound correct, since you're doing the exact opposite of retrofitting. What word am I looking for?


texts:
In conclusion, security is the precondition of political freedom and political freedom is the prerequisite for economic freedom.

Do precondition and prerequisite mean the same in the above? Is there a difference?


texts:
While reading a text, I ran into a sentence that left me confused:

  The purpose of its publication is to offer homeless people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income, that is, "to help them to help themselves" by hiring them as vendors of the magazine.

In the sentence, does the word 'legitimate' mean 'allowed according to rules or laws' or 'reasonable'? I think it means 'allowed according to rules or laws' here however, when I consult the guide it says differently.


texts: Equal, is equal to, equals, are equal to

texts:
Which is correct?

Given 240 kph (240 kilometres per hour) = 149 mph (149 miles per hour)

How does one say this?

  -240 kph equal 149 mph.
  -240 kph equals 149 mph.
  -240 kph is equal to 149 mph.
  -240 kph are equal to 149 mph.

Is 240 kph singular or plural (kilometre or kilometres)?
Or 240 kph is a separate kind of thing?


texts:
It's common enough for a type of magic to be described in fantasy as *-mancy: Arithmancy in Harry Potter, Astromancy in Warhammer 40k, etc. that picking a Greek or Latin root and adding -mancy is generally understandable as a magical discipline - dendromancy would be some type of magic related to trees, just as necromancy is death magic

The suffix -ology, to me at least, carries connotations of a more mundane, scientific approach to the study of the field.

Are there other suffixes that carry magical connotations?


texts: Suppose I think that puppies are cute (which I do) and someone thinks otherwise (how dare they?), i. e. puppies are not cute. Is the latter the opposing opinion or the opposite opinion? If both adjectives fit, is there any difference between the two collocations?


texts: A question about sentence-structure and relative clause

texts:
Here is the sentence.

  According to economic signaling theory, consumers may perceive the frequency with which an unfamiliar brand is advertised as a cue that the brand is of high quality.

I have been perplexed by the structure of this sentence and the usage of which.

Here is my thought.
The main structure is

Consumers(Subject) perceive(Verb) the frequency(Object) as a cue(Complement).

Here is my question.

What the role of 'which' in the sentence. Is it a relative pronoun?
Why there is a preposition(with) preceding 'which'? What is the role of 'with' in the sentence? Could I change 'with' to other preposition?
Also, what is the role of the word that in the sentence 'that the brand is of high quality'.

Thank you!


texts: Keep shares/stocks for a short time and sell them

texts: I am looking for some vocabulary that describes the practice of buying and keeping stocks/shares for a short time and selling them to gain quick proft. It could be a compound noun. I am not sure.


texts:
Why vin in vine sounds similar to vice, but vin in vineyard is similar to that in the name Vincent?

I would expect since both vine and vineyard are related to grape in some way, they probably should share the root. As a result their pronunciation should be similar. What is the history behind the difference?


texts:
I recently read a long list of English proverbs and strongly felt that a considerable number of them have a double meaning, despite that the explanations of the proverbs provide only one meaning for each proverb.

I am curious as to whether native English speakers see double meanings of English proverbs as I do and, if not, whether my perception is due to insufficient understanding of usage and flavors of English words or due to my ways of thinking shaped by the culture of my country.

Let me show you a few specific examples of how I see double meanings in English proverbs.

Proverb 1: The labourer is worthy of his wages.

Standard interpretation: Workers should or deserve to be paid for their time and effort.
Alternative interpretation: The worthiness of a labourer can be judged by how much he is paid. If he were more valuable than that, he would be able to better sell his time and effort on the job market.

Proverb 2: The Devil take the hindmost.

Standard interpretation: Each person must work independently toward their own success, as in competitive situations.
Alternative interpretation: It is not good for the society to help those who lag behind, for they are unworthy. So may the Devil take them.

Proverb 3: Only fools and horses work.

Standard interpretation: One should find an easy way to make money, like an invention or a creative business idea, instead of resorting to hard graft.
Alternative interpretation: Smart people are able to exploit others.

Proverb 4: Cheaters never win and winners never cheat.

Standard interpretation: Cheaters will ultimately pay a price for their deception and will not prosper in the long run.
Alternative interpretation: If someone was caught cheating, he did not win, and if someone won, he was not caught cheating.

My question is this: Are my alternative interpretations permitted by the English language? In other words, is it possible for native speakers to interpret these proverbs as I did, or are there some factors that exclude my alternative interpretations?


texts: The meaning of inference conditional form

texts:
I'm studying conditional forms, and as I understood most of the time the if clause did not happen, for example in If I had prepared for the interview, I wouldn't be so nervous, so it means that I did not prepare for the interview.
In Summit 2 book there is a note as:

To express inference in conditional sentences, different combinations of tenses can be used:
If you don't know the answer to this question, you didn't do your homework.

My problem is in the meaning, does it mean that you know the answer or not, or it is unknown? Why?


texts: The thing you have to measure because you can't measure what you really want

texts:
I've been wracking my brain for the term for this all week. I'm almost certain there is a single word for the quantity that you make in an experiment, where you can't (easily) measure what you really want.

For example:

When measuring the specific heat of an object using a calorimeter, we are taking temperature data, instead of directly measuring the specific heat. The temperature is called the .....

Not "indicator", "stand-in". Might begin with "pseudo", but don't remember.

Thanks in advance!


texts: Colons after a single word (e.g. "Example:")

texts:
Everywhere I look, I seem to be finding examples of colons being used after a single word.

"Examples:
The dog is brown.
The cat is white."

"Recommended: Take this twice a week.
Not recommended: Take this twice a day."

"Rule:
Start at 5
Add 7 each time"

My understanding is that a colon should be used only after a full sentence, and that following a colon you can have a sentence fragment. I'm not convinced that this could be justified as inverting the construction, but I'm happy to be told otherwise...

What I'm really looking for is a reference that justifies this usage or shows it to be wrong so I have a concrete rule to follow before huge amounts of material get written wrongly. I've tried every grammar/punctuation book I can find in my office, as well as multiple google searches, and even on pages listing the uses of colons (e.g. this page) this layout is used, but not covered as a rule! Is this just something that is so commonly used by people that it's become accepted?


texts: Do you prefix every e-mail in a chain with a greeting?

texts:
Clearly, norms on etiquette dictates that you should prefix an e-mail to someone with "Dear Alice" or "Hi Alice" or something. But when engaging in an e-mail conversation chain, should I prefix EVERY message with a greeting? It feels kind of silly. Can I get away with skipping the greeting?

To elaborate, if an e-mail conversation has the purpose of emulating a 'real' conversation, then it seems that the repeated greetings would be skipped. That's what feels silly - a real conversation would involve ONE pair of greetings. If an e-mail conversation is meant to emulate an exchange of letters, then multiple greetings feels less arbitrary, but I feel that e-mail has more in common with a conversation than it has with sending letters.


texts: Is the word "entertainment" appropriate with reference to a movie or book about WWI?

texts:
I am writing an essay and I need a word for a movie and a book.

Background info: they're both about World War I, but show different aspects.

Is the word, entertainment, appropriate?


texts:
Does it make sense to say an insalubrious relationship between two countries?
If not, what would be a better replacement?

hey this is my first post on this website..
I'm a non-native english speaker..
THANKS a lot!


texts: Need to learn correct plural and singular

texts:
There are a certain type of toxic people. They're those who won't give you any reason to expect anything from them. But you will still want to expect from them. They're the elusive ones, thousand lights years ahead. And they're precious. You'll find their company enjoyable. Term 'enjoyable' doesn't stand out here. Let's go with 'overwhelming'. 'Overwhelming' in a good way. They are like the Mirror of erised. You can see your desperate desires through them. And none of what you see through them will ever be real.

Is it correct to write there are a certain type of toxic people?


texts: Comma after literature reference citation?

texts:
Sorry, I am a German engineer, so my English language skills are quite poor :D. I am writing a scientific paper and I have several sentences as the following example

In [1] the definition proposed in [2] has been expanded by ...

The numbers [1] and [2] appear exactly like that in the final manuscript and are literature references, e.g.,

[1] Last name, First name (2016): Very interesting new paper, Journal 1.

[2] Last name, First name (2000): Very interesting old paper, Journal 2.

My problem is that I don't know if I have to put a comma after the literature reference [1] in the sentence above, i.e.,

In [1], the definition proposed in [2] has been expanded by ...

My "feelings" tell me that [1] is crucial information which can not be taken out of the sentence, since then

The definition proposed in [2] has been expanded by ...

gives information which can not be found. For this reason I would NOT put a comma after [1] but that's only a "feeling" of a German engineer, so not very reliable :D. What is correct in this case?


texts:
In order not to sound repetitive, I opted to use the word like as a synonym for such as in the following sentence:

  Second, since fuel prices have been significantly increasing, people opt for cheaper forms of urban transportation. Those options usually include the public ones - such as subways, buses, or trains - or alternative systems - like cycling, and skateboarding.

However, I've read at some websites that the word like might change the meaning of a sentence. They say that while the expression such as implies inclusion, the word like implies a comparison.

(https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/like-versus-such-as)

Do you think I've conveyed my ideia successfully, or should I opt for another synonym?

Please let me know if there is any other grammar, vocabulary, or meaning mistake.

Thanks in advance.


texts: When to use "is" and "was" for thing that has happened?

texts:
I've found some sentences that seem odd for me such as, "She is married" instead of "She was married" or "This transaction is approved" instead of "This transaction was approved"

I want to know which one is correct? (from those example) and Are there any rules for "is/am/are" and "was/were" in this case?


texts: English words mockingly derived from French?

texts:
According to Wikipedia, up to 30% of English words come from French, and I'm interested in a special subset of them. Not "loan words", but words that seem potentially derived in jest.

For example, "hoosegow" seems to be a tongue-in-cheek corruption of the Spanish "jusgado".

Three possible examples of cheerful manglings of "Frank-ase" are:

"Mush" (verb) from marchons.
"Alley-oop" from  allez hop.
"Crawdad" from écrevisse + ¿dad? (I was told "dad" was mocking "dey at".)

I've seen Western old-timers obviously relishing the use of those words around their Creole acquaintances. And, thousands of French words made it into English, with less alteration, both before and since these two examples.

So, two questions:

What are some more of these words?  Or better yet a good source of them? (My Google-fu has failed me.)
Any evidence to support or disprove the conjecture that these word-hijackings are mocking highfalutin French usage?


texts: Latin plurals when talking about fallacies

texts:
I have read multiple questions on this site on Latin plurals, and I’ve learned that you can use both English plurals and Latin plurals with words which originate from Latin (e.g. referendum - referenda/referendums). I however have a somewhat different question:

An example - When reading a text full of fallacies, like for example the argument from ignorance - argumentum ad ignorantiam, you often need to use plural forms to show that a text is ridden with them. How do you pluralize these types of Latin “word groups”?

If I extrapolate the rules which I have read from the other questions on the site, it would be (taking the argument from ignorance for example) both argumentum ad ignorantiams (or something similar) and argumenta ad ignorantias (argumentum is neutral, so the plural is argumenta, and ignorantiam is feminine accusative because of the preposition ad, so it becomes feminine accusative plural which is -as). However, the first form just seems totally wrong. Is this still legitimate? Or would the only option in these cases be correct Latin plurals?

P.S. I know you all probably think “why don’t you just say arguments from ignorance”, but I feel this could come in useful in other cases, for example in legal terminology.


texts: In the phrase "none of us is promised tomorrow", should it be is or are?


texts:
Please consider the following constructions:
1. It's time to launch it
2. It's time for launching it
3. It's time for being taught this lesson
4. It's time to be taught this lesson
Which one(s) is/are not idiomatic or even wrong?


texts: Definition of "worst point one percent"?

texts:
What does "worst point one" in this sentence mean?

  Stories about the worst point one percent of immigrants.


texts: Difference between Functional and Functioning

texts:
What shall I use in this sentence?  functional or functioning?
" The train that goes from my house to the university is ____, so I won't have any difficulty in going to the university today".
And please explain the reason for your answer.


texts: We need to label our shopping basket/cart on our Hotel & Tour Booking website. People can add products (rooms or tours) to their basket, and reserve after reviewing. What should this be called: a Shopping Basket or a Shopping Cart?


texts: What rhetorical device is "she wears mink all day and fox all night" using?

texts:
What rhetorical device is the following statement using?

  She wears mink all day and fox all night.

It's not a pun, it's not a syllepsis. Is there a word for false-puns of this sort?


texts: What term means "covering a wall entirely"?

texts:
The term "relief mural" describes a mural which uses a relief-technique. I need a term, preferably one used in fine arts, which places emphasis on the fact that the piece is a relief, but with the scale and properties of a mural, e.g. "(term) relief". Here is a sample sentence:

  The sculptor made the (term) relief.

I could not find any adjective form of "mural" and "wall-covering relief" sounds too unprofessional.

Is there an adjective or similar term used in fine arts which describes the property of covering a wall?


texts: What grammatical classification would one place a word created by ending a famous person's name with -ing?

texts:
I've been struggling with a grammar issue that I don't seem to be able to find information on online.

If one were to create a word from a well-known person's name with the suffix -ing - in order to describe a behaviour that this person is most known for - what would one call this?

For example:

Person: Juno

Known for: shock-value antics

Example sentence: Anna was Junoing as if gasps were just as essential as the air she breathed.

How would the word 'Junoing' be classified, grammatically?

It has been suggested to me that it would be a gerund. However, seeing as gerunds are formed from verbs+ing - with 'Juno' being a noun and not a verb - would this be correct?


texts:
I am trying to understand the difference between adjectives that end in ‑ly compared with adjectives that do not end end in ‑ly.
For example (the ones I would have chosen are bold):

A tactical position / a tactically position
A tactical good position / a tactically good position (good in terms of the tactical aspect)
Real food / really food
Real good food / really good food

Some forms I have never heard of, like for example the adjective especial or a version of ugly without the ‑ly at the end.
Is the rule to append ‑ly only when the adjective refers to another adjective?
However, why does then one say this:

I really like it.

instead of this?

*I real like it.

There’s no other adjective there. This disagrees with the rule I stated beforehand.
This question might be a duplicate since it’s pretty fundamental, although I didn’t find it.


texts: How do the tenses and aspects in English correspond temporally to one another?

texts:
Non-native speakers often get confused about what the various tenses
and aspects mean in English. With input from some of the folk here I've
put together a diagram that I hope will provide some clarity on the
matter.

I offer it as the first answer to this question. Consider it a living
document. Input is welcome, and good suggestions will be
incorporated into the diagram.

Nota bene: What this is not is a discussion of whether there are
more than two tenses in English. We have a dedicated question for
that, to which this
question is not intended to supply arguments one way or the other.
Here, the aim is to provide an overview of what constructions
English-speaking people use for conveying information about actions
referring to past, present, and future, and to provide it first and
foremost to precisely the people who are likely to use "tense" as a
catch-all term in their search, rather than to linguists who know better.

Breaking News There is now an excellent ELU blog article titled
How We Talk About Future
Situations.
It is highly recommended reading.


texts: Is the question form of a statement truly implicit?

texts:
We have statements, and we have questions. A request made in the form of a statement has a question equivalent. But is that question equivalent implicit, or is it simply a rewording of the statement form?
Take the following:

  "Please tell me why I sound like a sissy."

This has the question form of:

  "Why do I sound like a sissy?"

Is that question form implied within the statement form? I would argue it is not.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/ defines imply as:

  "to express (something) in an indirect way : to suggest (something) without saying or showing it plainly"

This definition can be interpreted to mean:

  Something implied must be identified with knowledge outside of what is only directly stated but based on what is stated - one must add context to what is stated.

That may be stretching it a bit, but if one does not use any logic or outside knowledge to examine the meaning of provided information, other than that needed to identify the direct meaning directly present, one cannot identify anything that is implied.

Here's an example: in the statement form of the quote I provided, one could say that it is implied that the individual requesting the information wants to know said information. It is implied because it is not directly stated in any of the words that the individual requesting actually wants to know; it is suggested, but not directly stated. For all we know, the individual is requesting for someone else. The reason I say that the question form is not implied is because we need no more information (other than the "why do", but that is simply part of forming a question) than what is presented in the statement. We have all the information needed to form a question out of what is provided, but we do not have enough information to state with absolute certainty that the individual requesting the information is the one who actually wants to know said information.

Based on this, I would say that the question form of a statement is not implicit. Am I correct?


texts: Is there a word for a person who give insult/criticism but unable to accept them

texts:
As the title says, here's a scenario :-

Person A does something foolish

B : Haha, what an idiot you are! (said jokingly)

A : Haha (Happily accept the insult)

Some minutes later, Person B does something foolish

A : Haha, what an idiot you are! (said jokingly)

B : (Triggered) Shut up, don't call me that!

NOTE : Both A and B are friends, not stranger or enemies


texts: Is using "I don't know that" instead of "I don't know if" grammatically correct?

texts:
When asked whether he recognized equal rights of atheists, George H. W. Bush said1:

  No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor
  should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.

I would understand if he had used another verb:

  No, I don't think/believe that atheists should be considered...

I would also understand if he had chosen another conjunction:

  No, I don't know if atheists should be considered...

Is the original quoted sentence grammatically correct? Is it common to use know in the sense of think? Or is this some dialect-specific meaning? Could you please give some more examples of this usage of know?

1 Wikipedia source


texts:
I'm typing up a spreadsheet that organises a television series's storyline, and the columns are supposed to be in the following format:

.

Is there an ordinal indicator I can put there where it says [Ordinal] that, rather than referring to numeric ordinals, actually refers to alphabetic ordinals?

After all, I'm sure I could still use the Numero sign, although a) it'd look weird in my opinion with letters instead of numerals, and b) I've already used it in Column A, so I'd prefer, if possible, to use another symbol altogether.

EDIT: When I find myself in this position, I typically use the Greek lowercase letter Alpha (α). However, I'm not entirely sure if this generally is used outside of my own personal documents.


texts: Where does the expression “at a crack” come from?

texts:
The phrase at a crack is sometimes used to mean at one time. For example §§:

  Companies that have had generations of employees growing up under a no-layoff policy are now dumping 10,000 people onto the street at a crack.

What's the history of at a crack?


texts:
I realize that "kinda" is an informal form of "kind of". However, would "kinda" be appropriate in fiction or dialogue? Or would it be more acceptable to stick to "kind of"? This is for a fiction novel from first person view.

Additionally, I found that when I write, I tend to use "kinda" for more informal sentences ("it was kinda freaky") and "kind of" for more serious sentences, I would use "kind of" ("I kind of knew how they felt"). Is this acceptable or would it be preferable to use "kinda" or "kind of" consistently?


texts: Is the phrase "There are many hungers it is better to deny than to feed" correct?

texts: The "it is" seems out of place to me. I'd rather have it written as "There are many hungers that/which are better to deny than to feed".