texts: What do you call the additional money you pay when you buy a store or restaurant in return for many cutomers and nice facilities?

texts:
In Korea, it is customary for prospective buyers to pay the extra money to the owner of any business establishment when they want to buy it. The more customers and nicer facilities any store or shop has, the more money the buyer has to pay in order to buy it as a premium money.

For example, there is a store which costs 100,000 dollars to build. For the first year, its business is slow. Several years later, the store gets to have so many customers and its business is really good. The owner wants to sell his store at a great profit when someone wants to buy it.

What do you call "the additional money" which the buyer has to pay in addition to the original cost "100,000" dollars?


texts: Why the use of 'clock' in the following sentence?

texts:
"Bob clocked Joe right in the nose."
In this sentence, "clocked" indicates that Bob punched Joe directly in Joe's nose.

How did 'clock' come to be used in such a way? Is it colloquial/vernacular to a specific region?


texts:
"Divides one thing entire to many objects; Like perspectives, which rightly gazed upon show nothing but confusion..." - William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard the Second

I read plenty of Shakespeare in high school, especially in drama. I have a lot of difficulty making sense of things he says, such as the above.

Is Shakespeare proper English?  Would this have been clear, easily understood material back in his day?  In other words, have all the changes in the English language over time made the material difficult to comprehend?  Is the material subjective poetry?


texts: What is the difference between "check something" and "check on something"

texts:
For example if in answer to the question, "what time does the shop close?" a tourist information officer might say, "I'll check on that for you."

Why wouldn't they say, "I'll check that for you."?


texts: Why is it a “Dangling participle,” not independent, disconnected, isolated or alike participle?

texts:
When you open an English grammar book written in Japanese, you’d be puzzled or even chuckle to find Japanese translation of dangling participle – 懸垂分詞, which literally means ‘chinning exercise’ or ‘chin-up’ particle. It shows ‘Lying in my bed, everything seemed so different’ as an example.

I don’t know who put ‘chin-up participle’ to dangling particle as its Japanese counterpart. At least it was named this way by an English language scholar(s) at the dawn of civilization and enlightment in Meiji era (1868 – 1911).

However, I feel somewhat foreign about the naming of ‘dangling participle’ per se in comparison with present / past participle. Why was it defined as “Dangling participle”?

Yes, it’s a custom, consensus, and it's the rule that you can not argue about. But I feel same awkwardness as I feel with ‘chinning exercise participle.” I thought there would have been easier and more understandable choices of the terminology than Dangling, for instances, independent, disconnected, isolated, bipolar, parallel participle, you can name it.

What was the origin of “Dangling participle,” and why was it named this way?


texts:
Two questions here.

1) A (high quality and honest) citizen journalist wrote a report on JAN 30,

"Yesterday Police announced they were investigating the death as a suicide. The wife of the victim is a member of Lost Voices."

Does this imply that (one or more of these are true?)

The wife currently is a member (as of JAN 30) -- option A
The wife was a member yesterday (as of JAN 29) -- option B

2) Another reporter wrote,

"Yesterday Police announced they were investigating the death as a suicide. The wife of the victim was a member of Lost Voices."

Does this imply that (one or more of these are true?)

The wife was a member yesterday (as of JAN 29) -- option A
The wife currently is a member (as of JAN 30) -- option B
The wife currently is not a member (as of JAN 30) -- option C

Context: the news reporting site uses two related guides:

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/WN:NA (never assume)

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/WN:SG#Verb_tense (what verb tense to use in articles)

Context #2:

We are having a dispute about this, and one of the reports shares these links

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/grammar/verb_tenses/verb_tense_consistency.html

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/grammar/verb_tenses/active_verb_tenses.html

And mentions 'habitual actions' which may be relevant to the question.

Please share your independent advice about this. Thanks you in advance.


texts:
I’d like ask about the sentence from The Cardboard Box by Conan Doyle.

  I saw a deal of my sister-in-law, Sarah. She was a fine tall woman,
  black and quick and fierce, with a proud way of carrying her head,

I don’t know how to interpret the word “black” in the above.
Is this word about her appearance? Or her disposition? I don’t think this Sarah is ethnically black, since such things never mentioned throughout the story, nor about her two sisters too for that matter.
So it meant Sarah’s eyes or hair was black, maybe? But you often use “dark” in such a case, don’t you?
If it’s about her personality, I found in a dictionary black can mean “bad, malicious, sour”, is this the case here?  I don’t know.
Could someone tell me? Thanks.


texts:
When reading some relatively unrelated article, I came across this phrase:

  This childish game of "Nuh-uh/Yuh-huh!" went on while the user sat there dumbfounded and helpless, watching the icon for their .XYZ files flicker back and forth between the two programs, both of whom egotistically believed they were doing the user a "favor" by insisting on being the program that runs .XYZ files.

Looking into the English Wikipedia, I could not find any references, so I tried googling the term, finding a lot of videos and this:

  Edit wars [on wikipedia] can be reduced to childish "Yuh, huh!" "Nuh uh!" battles.

So it looks like it is some kind of pointless game, but what exactly does it consist of?


texts:
Joe said, "You're awesome."

"Why thank you," Mel replied.

Should there be a comma after "Why"?


texts: What do you call the phenomenon where you suddenly feel that a word's spelling is wrong?

texts:
First of all, does this actually happen to others? Hopefully it does.

In my case at least, the most commonplace words suddenly seem to be spelled wrong.

The most common examples are why, while, when etc. I develop this sudden feeling that the word why is in fact spelled wrong.

Is this a thing? Please point out if the question is off topic though.


texts: Is there a word for the opposing ends of a tangible scale, as there are "obverse" and "reverse" to describe the physical sides of a coin-like object

texts:
I feel that obverse and reverse are too "Geometric" to properly describe more complex ideas in society where something is not in reality in a completely opposite position in relation to another.

For example we use left wing and right wing politics to simplify politics based upon the seating of Republicans and Royalists in the first French First Republic's Assembly, but today a Conservative is not the opposite of a Reformist- there are stages in between and one cannot state that they are completely separated and are not on the same side.

Am I just over complicating this?


texts:
In some paintings or photographs the eyes of the subject seem to follow you, no matter from which corner of the room you look at them.

What is the technical term for these photos or paintings?

  No matter where he stood, the eyes of Jesus on the cross seemed to follow him with ____________.


texts: What's the origin of "I'm down with it"?

texts: I understand it's an expression of agreement. What exactly does it mean and where did it originate from?


texts: Equivalent of "see in a new light" for hearing?

texts: Is there an equivalent of the idiom "see in a new light" for hearing rather than sight? For example, suppose the thing you are talking about is a piece of music. It seems a bit inappropriate to describe "seeing it a new light", as the sense involved is hearing, not sight.


texts: When ending a list with "etc.", should there be a comma before "etc."?

texts:
When listing items and ending the list with "etc", should there be a comma before "etc."? E.g.

  red, green, blue, etc.

or

  red, green, blue etc.

Related question, though this one involves the word "and", so I am no sure if the answer applies to this question or not: Should I put a comma before the last item in a list?


texts: Does sentence(s) with semicolon count for one sentence?

texts:
I am just wondering if I merge two sentences using a semicolon, then are they become one sentence or they are still two sentences but more closely connected?

For example, is the following sentence(s) count for one sentence?

  He knows how important attending lectures is; however, he still missed today's lecture.

Edit

As some comments pointed out, the question seems kind of pointless without any context.

I am doing my logic course homework, which requires me to translate English into logical expression. We usually count each sentence as one premise or conclusion. I encountered one problem containing a semicolon so I am not sure whether I should divide them into two premises or just leave it as one.

I guess it's better to ask my professor.


texts: Present perfect tense and Past tense in a single sentence

texts:
I'm wondering whether consistency of tenses should apply in the following sentence:

I've attended events like Coachella and I always felt physically awful.

Should "I've" be replaced with "I" to be consistent with "I always felt"? I read that using "I have" means emphasizing the life experience itself (attending events) which should be the case for the sentence.

But if "I always" would be replaced with "I've always", it would mean that the subject still feels that way until now, which wouldn't make sense since the attending of events already happened in the past.

Thank you!


texts: Softened pronunciation of consonants, such as "t" or "s" followed by "y"

texts:
I noticed a certain softening of consonants in certain words/consecutive words and I haven't been able to find any resource on this matter yet. Some examples:

letter "t" is not sharp at all, it seems to be close to close to "tsh" or "ť "

  tram ("t"), but you ("t y")

similarly to "s" being similar to "ge" in "garage" ("ž")

  is your ("s y")

This is a subjective thing, maybe I'm hearing it wrong, feel free to state that; or maybe it's local, used in only some areas, but it seems rather frequent

Is it true that these consonants are "soft" in some way, and can you describe the phenomenon or is there an online resource describing these specific pronunciations?


texts: If you called someone named "Shelly" "Shels" for short, would you spell it "Shels" or "Shells?"

texts:
Or Kelly -- "Kels" or "Kells?"

Is there a rule for this?

If it's just a judgement call, I'm inclined to go with one "l" as both "Shells" and "Kells" have potentially confusing homonyms.

I'm talking about in fiction dialog, not real life...

  "I don't know," Shelly said.

  "I'm telling you, Shels [or Shells?]," Monica replied, "There's nothing to worry about."


texts: why is present tense used with before instead of past tense in this sentence?

texts:
A: And then just before the killer gets the girl and stabs her with this giants knife, the power went out and the TV went off. It was freaky.
B: Wow. That's terrifying. Was the power out for long?
A: Just for a few seconds. When everything came back on, the image on the screen was of the girl's dead body.
before the killer gets the girl and stabs her with this giants knife Why is present tense used instead of past tense? I think A watched movie in the past so past tense should be used after 'before' in this sentence.
The night before he was to leave, he was unable to sleep.
He didn't mention anything about an appointment before he left.
He ate it up before he could say knife.
I tried to find other sentences in dictionary to compare with this sentence but they made me more confused. why is present tense used after BEFORE even though A already watched the scene that killer stabs her?


texts:
I want to know a word which can be used to indicate that a particular object is ordered 'in large numbers'. The terms like numerous and many do not reflect my stress on numbers.   Can anyone suggest a better word?

Example sentence: "Why was this spoon not ordered (suggested word)?"


texts: Should one use the definite article before a job title followed by a name?

texts:
A banner one might spot in Minsk, Belarus these days reads,

Warm greetings to President of the Republic of India Pranab Mukherjee

My question is more specific than this one and this one. Neither has "President of <country>" and a name following a job title in a single sentence.
Is it necessary to put the definite article between "to" and "President"?


texts: Let's say you're cross-referencing two tables of information and you find a value that is not the same in both tables, but appears like it should be. How would you express the quality of this find? It's only an error if you assume that the values should be the same, but based on your limited context it may turn out that they are supposed to be different. It's a possible error or inconsistency. How would you express that?


texts:
I'm helping a colleague edit his paper before submission. He is a native French speaker and I am having trouble saying why "the" isn't necessary in "the threads" or in particular "the shared memory," other than it sounds wrong to me.

Perhaps it's because in this case there is only one "shared memory" in the system, so it would be like saying "I am driving through the Chicago?"

  Within  a  thread  block,  the  threads  are  divided  into warps of
  32  threads. These warps can synchronize, using barriers, in order to
  communicate through the shared memory.


texts: I am used to ... that people are trustworthy

texts:
I am wondering how to correctly express following situation in English.

  I am used to the fact that people are trustworthy.

... this sentence is surely correct, but I want to omit "the fact that" and following crosses my mind:

I am used to meeting trustworthy people.
I am used to that people are trustworthy.
I am used to people being trustworthy.
I am used to trustworthy people.

What possibilities are here, pls, and what is (in)correct?

I am asking because "the fact that" is in my eyes just a helper for us, who cannot use English on higher level. It allows to use a noun instead of some more complex grammatical structure.


texts: Can the em dash replace both the semicolon and comma in these?

texts:
Can the em dash replace the comma and semicolon in these sentences? For example, instead of "The original sign did not have terminal punctuation; thus, the full stop goes outside the quotes to end the sentence", can we do this? (See below.)

The original sign did not have terminal punctuation – thus the full stop goes outside the quotes to end the sentence.
The original sign did not have terminal punctuation – hence the full stop goes outside the quotes to end the sentence.
The original sign did not have terminal punctuation – therefore the full stop goes outside the quotes to end the sentence.
The original sign did not have terminal punctuation – as a result the full stop goes outside the quotes to end the sentence.
The original sign did not have terminal punctuation – consequently the full stop goes outside the quotes to end the sentence.


texts: Why is there confusion between depreciated and deprecated?

texts:
For at least a year and half, I read "deprecated" as "depreciated", even when writing it down myself, I would spell it as "depreciated", even though pretty much every time I read it, it was spelt correctly (the intended meaning, was the meaning of "deprecated").

(When I finally spoke the word in conversation, obviously in the wrong context, and got told I should use deprecated, I was somewhat freaked out, especially after reading the same material I previously had, only to find it had all magically changed.)

I see from Stack Overflow I'm not the only one: https://stackoverflow.com/search?q=depreciated

Can depreciated have a similar meaning to deprecated in any circumstances? (And why after reading it spelt correctly so many times, or just after the first, would I say it in my head and write it down incorrectly?)

Secondly, what is the difference between deprecated and obsolete?


texts:
I wonder if it is possible to use the noun "dysfunction" as a verb.

It is certainly a noun, but in general use it seems to mean something far more awful and much less technical than "malfunction".  It might be useful, in certain instances, to use it as a verb, at least colloquially, in order to emphasize just how badly something is malfunctioning.  Has anyone seen this?

E.g., a graduate thesis in family psychology discussing common causes for the breakdown of a family unit:

  This tends to cause a family to dysfunction and create animosity among siblings and spouses.


texts: Which is the best usage? "To whom it may concern" or "To whomever it may concern"?


texts: Word for superficial (but unmerited) appearance of substance/character

texts: What is a word for someone or something that superficially seems to have a lot of substance/character but is actually shallow/empty? I can't help but think I've heard a word like this before. "Glib" comes close but seems to speak more to words rather than character.


texts:
There is a common, seemingly incorrect usage of the word by in certain communities in the U.S., mainly Jewish communities in the New York area. For example,

  I was by my friend over the weekend.

By is used as a preposition instead of at. It seems to be of Yiddish influence. Though nearby is correct, by alone doesn't seem to be.

Is this true? Can someone account for the difference between by and nearby?


texts:
What are the possible meanings and implications of the following sentences:

He could come yesterday.
He could not come yesterday.
He could have come yesterday.
He could not have come yesterday.


texts: Word for the number being added-to OR subtracted-from another number

texts:
In division, we have a dividend and a divisor.

According to this page, we also have

minuend and subtrahend
augend and addend
multiplicand and multiplier

which are rarely used because order doesn't matter for the latter two.

Is there a term for the "second" number in any arithmetic operation? It would be a word that could mean "subtrahend," or "addend," or "multiplier" interchangeably. Something like "mathematicaloperationend."


texts: Omitting the helping verb when using the present perfect continuous tense after "as well as"

texts:
How can we omit the subject and/or helping verb after "as well as" with the present perfect continuous tense? Example:

  I have completed this project as well as been working on another one.
  I have completed this project as well as have been working on another one.


texts:
I want a word for "to make scary" or "to make something scary."  I don't want a word for scaring someone.  Here are examples:

They _________ their house for Halloween.

The staff _________ the haunted house.

The owners had _________ the area, which caused the kids to be frightened.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “I'm well” vs. “I'm good” vs. “I'm doing well”, etc
  What is the difference between “good” and “well”
  “Goes good with” or “goes well with”

Is there a list of expressions or idioms in which well and good are used interchangeably like this one? Or an explanation as to which should be used and when?

  I did well/good

  I feel well/good

  I am doing well/good

  I will be good/well

  I feel good/well about you

  I think good/well of you

  I do well/good

I know that generally well is used to describe a verb and good is used to describe a noun. Can I use bad in all these examples?


texts: What is the term which encompasses accents, umlauts, etc?

texts:
Is there a term that covers grave and acute accents, umlauts, cedillas, tildes and all other characters that can be added to normal letters.

I have come across the word diacritics. But this seems to include things like commas and apostrophes.


texts: "I thought it was important that he say it in his own voice." – That he say it?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When should I use the subjunctive mood?

I have often come across constructions such as the one highlighted below and wondered how to explain the grouping of a third person singular subject with a plural verb.

  I thought it was important that he say it in his own voice.

My question is about the subject-verb agreement. If I'm not mistaken, the above sentence has two clauses: 1) I thought it was important 2) that he say it in his own voice

How does the subject in the second clause, he, agree with the plural verb say? Shouldn't it be says since he is the third person singular?

  Another example can be:

  Personally, I'd recommend that he speak in public as soon as possible.

I am curious to know how these constructions are not rare despite seeming ungrammatical.


texts:
What is wrong with this sentence.

  'Keep moving please. If everyone was to stand there, how would the rest of the people manage to get past?'


texts: Which is more correct: T-shirt or t-shirt?

texts:
Can we use small letter, while writing: T-shirt?
What is correct and why: T-shirt or t-shirt?

Thank you.


texts: Is there a word for a characterizing feature?

texts: By characterizing feature, I'm referring to an attribute of something that uniquely identifies it. Is there a single word that describes such a feature?  Characterizing and distinguishing come to my mind, but I feel as if there are a lot more terms for this that I'm missing.


texts:
The idiomatic expression "caught flat-footed" originated in sports at the beginning of the 20th century according the following source:

  caught unprepared, taken by surprise, as in The reporter's question caught the President flat-footed. This usage comes from one or another sport in which a player should be on his or her toes, ready to act. [c. 1900 ]

(AHD)

Etymonline indicates "baseball" as the sport in which the expression was first used and agrees that it is from the early 1900c:

  Meaning "unprepared" is from 1912, U.S. baseball slang, on notion of "not on one's toes.

(Etymonline)

while the following source, together with others, suggest that the idiomatic expression is much older (early 18th century)  and was originally used during horse races:

Caught flat-footed

  This phrase traces back to the reign of Queen Anne, where it was applied to horses left at the line after the start of the race. Later, this term was used to describe a runner not on his toes and left at the mark when the foot race began, and eventually generalized to mean anyone
  asleep at the switch.

(Word And Phrase Origins)

Questions:

Is there evidence (I couldn't find any) that flat-footed meant unprepared as early as the 18th century?
Was baseball the sport in which the later usage of the expression was first used, making it an AmE Idiom?


texts: What does “I’m a lip speaker rather than lip reader” mean?

texts:
There was a heated argument going on in the British House of Common over the question whether the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn really uttered the word “stupid woman” at Prime Minister, Theresa May during heated discussions on the handling of post-Brexit prosedures. The Speaker of House of Common, John Bercow frequently intervened in the argument by repeating the phrase, “I’m not a lip reader, I’m a lip speaker.” I saw Mr. Bercow repeated this phrase more than a half dozen of times in Youtube.

Of course, you must move your lips when you speak up. However, what does it mean when he says “I emphasis lip speakers rather than lip readers”?

From The Guardian: 2018/12/19 Jeremy Corbyn tells Commons he did not call May a 'stupid woman' - as it happened

  John Bercow: Having heard the allegation against the leader of the opposition and having watched the footage it is easy to see why the leader of the opposition’s words might be construed as ‘stupid woman’.
  That was also the opinion of lip speakers - and I emphasis [sic] lip speakers rather than lip readers - whose advice was sought and obtained at short notice.

Does it mean Mr.Bercow trusts Mr.Corbyn's denial of making an offensive remark than lip readers' reading?


texts:
Is there a word that means “a parent who has exactly one child”?

EDIT: I am asking for purposes of creating a computing construct.  But if there were an answer that is clearly correct for another domain, I’d be delighted to use it.


texts:
For some reason, Cambridge Dictionary has chosen “upcycling” as word of the year 2019, about which  they  say:

The number of times upcycling has been looked up on the Cambridge Dictionary website has risen by 181% since December of 2011, when it was first added to the online dictionary, and searches have doubled in the last year alone.

The term appears to have been in use  well before the year 2011, for instance   www.logophilialimited.com suggests the following earliest usage:

Recycling in many cases means “downcycling” — in particular cases, however, it can also mean “upcycling”.
—James Mason, “Design for Manufacturability,” American Society for Mechanical Engineers, March 1, 1994

But even earlier usages appear to be available from Google Books such as:

Whether we should have a upcycling kind of product that comes in at the lower end of the scale, with a lower brightness; or whether we should remain at the 80 or 81 brightness in terms of satisfying the market. So, it's a real concern from a ...
From: Wastepaper I, Demand in the 90's
Miller Freeman, 1990 - Recycling industry

Can anyone pin down the earliest available usage  of the “term of the year”? Was the term actually coined in the ‘80s?


texts: I am surprised that he did/should do/should have done it

texts:
1 What is the difference between these:

I am surprised that he did it yesterday.
I am surprised that he should do it yesterday.
I am surprised that he should have done it yesterday.


texts:
"The irate customer asked for the chef."

The irate customer asked something. (Noun phrase?)

Since you can fill in something in place of 'for the chef,' does that mean it is a direct object and an adverb at the same time?


texts: Some Texans speak with slurring "s" sounds, sometimes making a soft rasp or even a "sh" sound? example "Shtudent" instead of "student". Is this traditional or a new affectation?


texts:
The definition for "go-to" that I'm interested in is: "Denoting a person or thing that may be relied on or is regularly sought out in a particular situation." (Source: Google's definition) I want a more formal word for this, but I couldn't find synonyms in any of the online dictionaries that had "go-to".

Example sentence:
Jet skis are the go-to watercraft for exhilarating beach entertainment.

What would be a more formal substitute for "go-to" in situations like that? "principal" perhaps? But I feel like "go-to" has a different connotation than "principal".


texts: Does this sentence make sense grammatically?

texts:
Humans on Mars has always been a favorite subject of sci-fi.

Or would it be...

Humans on Mars have always been a favorite subject of sci-fi.

Thank you!


texts: Do words that act as nouns and adjectives in the same form constitute a particular part of speech class?

texts:
I'm looking for words similar to female, that can act as nouns and adjectives, but a) can so so only without changing form, and b) are unable to act as other parts of speech.

Is there a class or category for this sort of words?

P.S. I've used the Moby Part-Of-Speech database to filter a corpus of total 233,357 words to a list of just 5,423 words that are both nouns and adjectives (presumably, in the same form)...so (@Ricky) it's not quite "a hell of a list," but still one to reckon with. ;) For future reference, here's my list: https://pastebin.com/fG5gUeHP


texts: "How big of a problem" vs. "how big a problem"

texts:
Quite a few phrases in English are constructed like so:

  How [adjective] a [noun]...?

This is the question form of the construction, which is often answered with the negative:

  Not that [adjective] a [noun].

or the positive:

  Quite [adjective] a [noun].

However, from time to time I'll hear the word 'of' inserted before the 'a', e.g.:

  Not that [adjective] of a [noun].

This usually sounds wrong to me, with the exception of the case where the adjective 'much' is used.  So, this sounds fine to my ear:

  Not that much of a problem.

whereas this doesn't:

  Not that loud of a noise.

Why is it that 'much' should be used with 'of', and other adjectives not?  Is it because 'much' is seen as measuring a quantity (of something), whereas other adjectives that may be used in this construction are seen as measuring the quality of a whole thing?


texts: Does "influx" require that whatever is coming in have come from somewhere else?

texts:
I recently encountered a usage of the word "influx" that I found questionable:

  The mayor promised to investigate the influx of crime to the area.

My first thought was that the writer should have used "increase," because all of the crimes referred to in the article were local people doing bad things to other local people.

Definitions of influx that I read in various sources (Merriam-Webster, Oxford Living Dictionary, and others), all refer to the arrival of (usually large) groups of people, or sometimes water coming in to an area.

The question that arose when I thought more about the word "influx" was whether it can be used in a situation where something arises out of nowhere, or from something like a chemical reaction (rather than a place), or does whatever/whoever is arriving have to come from somewhere? My ear/brain/gut all agree that the arriving water/people have to come from somewhere, but I can't say why.

An example of the usage where something arises not from another place could be:

  The chemical reaction caused an influx of toxic gases.

It sounds odd, but I can't say why, and I'm hoping someone else can.


texts:
China has long prevented many American internet giants from providing
  services within its borders, and it has placed tight strictures on how
  other American technology firms can operate. The enormous commercial
  potential of the Chinese market made it hard for the companies to put
  up much of a fight as Beijing declared, in effect, that their business
  interests were subservient to China’s national security interests.

First line is clear to me, but the second line creates confusion. From "The enormous commercial potential of the Chinese market made it hard for the companies to put up much of a fight as Beijing declared", I understand that there is a lot of business potential for US companies in China and thus they didn't object much to the restrictions imposed by Chinese government. After this I am completely lost. I can't understand second line as a whole.

Can anyone please explain me this? Can we replace "in effect" with any other term? What does "in effect" mean exactly in this context?


texts:
Is it grammatically correct to start a sentence with "Not a +noun"?
For example, "Not a woman held a presidential cabinet position in the US until 1933, when Frances Perkins became secretary of labor." Is this sentence grammatically correct? WOuld native speakers prefer to say "No woman held a presidential cabinet position in the US until 1933, when Frances Perkins became secretary of labor."
If both are acceptable, what are the differences?
Thank you.


texts:
I would like to know if the following sentence is correctly written. The reason I am asking is that I write in British English so do not put a comma before 'and' (that comes before the last item) in a list. However, in examples such as the one below, each list item is a word-pair separated by 'and'. In this case, do I need to add a comma before the second last 'and' (the last 'and' is a part of the list)? Also, do I need to add a comma before 'products'?
This is why we need fruits and vegetables, toiletries and cleaning agents, and groceries and baked products at our new home.


texts:
I cannot see any difference between these two sentences. I assume both express the same but what is the difference? I thought that "used to" is used to describe an action that was happening in the past...but should "live" be considered as an action?

  I used to live in Prague 5 years ago.
  I lived in Prague 5 years ago.


texts:
What does "ct" stand for in the following product advertised by Wallmart:

"Buy:ANY ONE (1) Dulcolax® Tablets 25ct+, Dulcolax® Suppositories 4ct+, Dulcolax Pink"

http://wm6.walmart.com/MediaOMP/2014/BoehringerIngelheim/01_BOE_67418_DulcolaxBate/images/Dulcolax_2015_Walmart_rebate_form.pdf


texts:
Hello fellow stackexchangers!
My student submitted a movie review where she wrote the film had made a 'contrast impression' on her. I corrected it to 'contrasting', but now I'm wondering: can one even say that? In my native tongue, we say something like 'twofold' or 'double', but 'twofold impression' is impossible, right?
P.S. - I did not bother with context as I thought it would be pretty obvious what she meant: she goes on to write "On the one hand, I am fascinated by the themes..." bla bla, "On the other, the way they were presented made me just want to say WHAAAT?" - so basically yes, it's the way Barmar here understood it: I liked this but hated this.


texts: What is the name of the behavior that makes you believe more in something when it contradicts your beliefs?

texts:
What is the name of a common human behavior that makes you believe more in one thing when you are contradicted?

I read an article a while ago about this behavior saying that people naturally (or instinctively) tend to pay more attention to details that are the opposite beliefs of the ones with which he agrees.

A good example for that is a fanatic religious person, that the more you try to convince someone that his beliefs are wrong, the more he gets convinced that you are talking bullshit.

I am pretty sure there is a name for that, does anybody know?


texts:
Is there a collective term for the senior administration of a university (dean and upwards)?

I am looking for something specific to the U.S., though not specific to a particular system (such as regents for the University of California).


texts: Are analogies and metaphors both forms of comparison, with analogies being analytical thinking and metaphors being creative or lateral thinking?

texts: Apologies for this one (I know it's been discussed quite a lot) but I've read quite a few of the responses on the difference between an analogy and a metaphor and just wanted to make sure I was on the right track. Is it correct to say that both are forms of a comparison with the analogy being more along the line of analytical thinking and a metaphor more creative along the lines of lateral thinking? Sort of like the diagram below (not too literary so like diagrams!)


texts:
I've been searching Google but the corpus does not really help this time. Are all the examples below correct and idiomatic? I will appreciate it if you support your answers with rules and not just native speaker intuitions:

  The best way to aquire knowledge is reading.

  The best way to acquire knowledge is to read.

  The best way to acquire knowledge is by reading.


texts: word for a correction or change made retroactively

texts:
What's a noun that means a correction/amendment/addition made to a text after the text has been "finalised"

JK Rowling's many ______s posted on twitter


texts: will you come and follow me IF I BUT CALL your name: what's the meaning?

texts:
I'm translating an English hymn to Italian, but I'm not sure about the meaning of the structure

  If + subject + but + verb

Is the sense "should (or would) call your name?" (uncertainty, possibility etc.)

or is it "everything except calling your name?" (exception etc.)

I'm an Italian native speaker and this is quite difficult for me.


texts:
I have encountered a problem while converting  "This is impossible to do this" in passive voice.  What can be its passive form
Can you say "This is impossible to be done" ?? Or " it can not be done" is more correct .
Please help.


texts:
When I have two items and they are the same, we can say that they possess "equality".

Let's say I have three or four items and they are all the same. What do we call the quality that they possess? Can we say the three items possess "equality" too? What are the other words for this quality?

For example, I have four athletes and they are all equal in strength. What do we call the equality among their strengths?

Thank you!


texts:
What's the difference in meaning of the two sentences below?

Cavalry counters Infantry.
Infantry is countered by Cavalry.

Can I read it like:
Cavalry attacks Infantry.
Infantry is attacked by Cavalry.
?


texts:
I've been coming across the verb "diligence" more and more in internal documents (either as "to diligence" or "diligencing"). I was under the impression that this word could only be used as a noun. I found an interesting article about using diligence as a verb, but it's quite old (2009). I have not found any dictionary or style guides that support the use of the word "diligence" as a verb. Does anyone have any reliable sources to share that would support this use? Is it perhaps considered an acceptable expression in business jargon? The context is investment funds, if that helps.

Thanks!


texts: Persisting tense backshifting in the "i'd rather" hypothetical

texts:
Today I was discussing something with my boss and I said the following sentence:

  I'd rather we experimented with things we haven't tried yet

I said that as a response to an idea of reusing an old piece of tech for our next project. I'm wondering whether this is correct considering the past tense in "experimented". Should I have continued on with that tense in the rest of my sentence? Like so:

  I'd rather we experimented with things we hadn't tried yet


texts: What is the difference between "onetime" and "one time"?

texts:
I was reading a book that had a sentence containing this:

  ...onetime commissioner of New York...


texts: Pronunciation of Mid-Word American English T + D

texts:
I'm a native speaker of American English but have a very muddy sounding voice that I'm trying to improve.  In my pronunciation the mid-word t/d sound, as in buddy, sweater, or under, is particularly bad.  It's kind of hard to explain how I pronounce it.  Maybe a little like a mild Indian accent?

How do you (people with amazingly good pronunciation;)) pronounce that sound?  I'm specifically looking for the standard American English pronunciation.  I know the tip of the tongue is supposed to make contact with the alveolar ridge, but the books I've been using don't explain those locations very precisely.  How far behind the teeth should the tongue be placed?  Does the "tongue tip" refer to the top or bottom part of the end of the tongue, or the endmost point on neither top nor bottom?  Does it change depending on the surrounding sounds?


texts: What does the phrase "fence building" mean?

texts:
What does the English phrase "fence building" mean?

Ex. usage: "You're gonna have to do some fence building.", which, from the context I heard it in (relationships between friends), seems to have the sense that of "repairing wrongs one has done to another." Is that correct?


texts: What is the difference between deep space and outer space?

texts:
Outer space is frequently defined as the area outside the atmosphere of Earth (or another planetary or stellar body).

Deep space is defined as either a synonym for outer space (Google's definition) or space beyond the limits of the solar system or space well outside the earth's atmosphere

So, my question:  is there a standard definition of these terms?  That is, does any official body (NASA, etc.) use these terms to mean something specific?  Or are they merely synonyms with rather wide definitions?


texts: Mathematical distinction in "Relation between edges" VS "Relationship between edges"?

texts: This question on the distinctions between relation and relationship is general and not about mathematics. So with respect to mathematics such as graph theory: I am confused when people use the terms relation and relationships interchangeably. For example, why do some authors use relationship in the context of Euler's formula relating, faces and vertices  (eg) while other authors use the term relation? What is the difference between relation and relationship in Mathematics such as graph theory? Which alternative should I choose to use more? In which context?


texts: Grammar: It takes time to be proficient in a language once you start learning

texts:
Is it a correct way to say it?

  It takes time to be proficient in a language once you start learning.

Or does it sound awkward?

What about this:

  It takes time to be proficient in a language once starting to learn it.

If none of these sounds natural, what would be the natural way to say it? Assuming that you guys understand what I'm trying to say here.


texts:
My father uses this phrase WAY TOO MUCH!

Any suggestions to a more "engaging" way to view life?

Thanks


texts: Is 'read' the only word that has the same conjugation with different pronunciation?

texts: The past and present tenses of "read" are spelt the same but have different pronunciation. This question is related to the post Why are the past and present tenses of "read" spelt the same?.


texts: How to refer to a previous number by "that much"?

texts:
Sentence:

  Using cross-validation, it was shown that modeling at a penalty
  value of 1.25 did achieve the highest performance. This indicates that
  a penalty value that much could mitigate the negative effect of
  collinearity on model performance.

or

  ...as that much...

or

  ...this much...

Which one is more correct? Is there a better expression to give the same meaning?


texts: What's the origin of the phrase "bubble gum and shoe strings"

texts: I'm not entirely sure if the idiom should be "bubble gum and shoe strings" or "bubble gum and matchsticks"; however from the context it looks like it refers to a cheaply done repair job, which may be related to "a shoe string budget".


texts: single word for extensive computer user, not geek nor nerd

texts:
I am looking for a word describing person who uses computer a lot, it might be a programmer, a gamer but also an accountant or any other person who works in the office and spends most of the day in front of computer screen.

Geek or nerd doesn't fit for me, because it's hard to say that 50 years old accountant who happens to spend 8 hrs/day using a computer could be called a nerd, right?

It might be informal, I need it for a game/app title.


texts: Adages for telling the essential from the trivial

texts:
What are some of the idioms, adages, expressions or slangs for saying someone being incapable of distinguishing the essential from the trivial?
This is close to this question but not exactly.


texts:
I am curious about whether sentences whose structure resembling that of those following sentences are still considered fine and commonly used.

  1 . If you are planning to avoid rainy days would you be on a trip, then check the weather forecast.
  2 . Even If he intended to run in the corridor should he be not caught, he still deserves punishment.
  3 . If you'd been with me had all the others been against me, then I must have been happy.

Do those would, should, had make sense to you? Do they seem like conditionals?

Lastly, as I just made up all these sentences they may have some errors.


texts: "Mellisa is smart like John" or "Mellisa is smart like John is"?

texts:
I have many times read the first sentence. But it seems that the "like" is comparing "Mellisa's being smart" with John. Though we intend to compare "Mellisa's smartness" with "John's smartness".

Which of the sentences would be technically right?


texts: What is the proper way to mark a letter stressed in a name?

texts: I have a friend named Chloe (pronounced Clo-ee). She writes her name using an accent mark over the e.  A friend of ours thinks that the accent mark means unstressed, so that her name is pronounced Clo-eh.  Does the accent mark mean stressed or unstressed? I've seen other names that use a double dot over the e to mark something as stressed, like in the name Zoe.


texts: Expressing your thoughts with "you" when speaking to someone

texts:
I've never thought about it but now that I  think of it..

In this conversation for example :

Person A : thanks for coming.

Person B : no problem.We fishermen have all the time on our hands right now. There're so few fish these days, you would think the sea was dead.

To who refers the " you would think " ?  The conversation partner (A) ? But that is just what B think why would (A) think that ?

People always use "you" instead of "I" when speaking their minds to someone even if they're talking about themselves. Why?

" A: Why do you you go that place?

B: that place is the best place in the world YOU don't get bored there there's always something to do."
Why not I don't get bored?


texts:
I'm struggling to wrap my brain around this and would appreciate some advice please.

Are there situations where it is appropriate to use Who immediately after Whom?

Here's my example from a story I'm writing (the text is from a faux historian)

  While one can understand the actions of a lonely few – some of whom
  who perhaps did make good their escape...

When I try it with just the whom it sounds wrong. I'm unsure if I'm just getting super confused with tenses here but this is the second time I've tried to word a sentence like this and its annoying me that I can't get it right. Previously I just ended up reworking it to avoid the issue altogether, but I feel it should be possible to construct in this way.

In my head if I was saying this as an aside in conversation right now, I might say:

  some of them who perhaps did make good on their escape...

So is it ok to substitute them with whom?

Suggestions gratefully received!


texts: What is the name of the ambiguity in the phrase "I want to visit clubs with attractive women"?

texts:
I want to visit clubs with attractive women.

This phrase can be interpreted in two ways:

I want to visit clubs myself, but the clubs I visit should have
attractive women.
I want to take attractive women to clubs; the clubs themselves may
or may not already have attractive women.

Is there a name for this ambiguity? It seems fairly common. I want to
say "dangling participle", but I'm pretty sure that's wrong.

Is this the equivalent of Grouch Marx's "I shot an elephant in my pajamas... how he got into my pajamas, I'll never know"?


texts: Word for someone who expects something to go wrong

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes someone who expects something to go wrong out of scepticism and doubt and disagrees ardently.

e.g. "I'm thinking that taking this route could be faster"

"It's not going to be faster(without knowing for sure)"


texts: What is an appropriate expression/idiom for "adding argument/point to a discussion"

texts:
I am searching for an expression/idiom describing a situation of adding an argument or a valid point to a heated discussion.

For example: I have read an article about something that relates to a bigger subject being disputed nowadays and I want to share it on twitter, facebook, etc. saying

  ... this article _____  to a debate/discussion about ...


texts:
In an interview, what is the correct way to introduce yourself?

Some use "myself" and their name, and some use "I'm ___."

I'm confused about what I use.

Please guide me.


texts: The sentence with the most prepositions at its end -- does it really work?

texts:
What did you bring that book that I don't want to be read to from out of about 'Down Under' up for?

I was wondering whether this sentence is actually correct and if it is, whether someone could explain which preposition points to what in that sentence.


texts: Word to describe wanting to be able to feel emotion?

texts:
How would you describe someone who has become apathetic in all (or most) areas of life, but views the apathy as a weakness and wishes to overcome it (in order to feel and have passion for life again)?

Context:

  She felt out of touch with life.  A certain apathy overtook her as she turned away from the window, but as she took a deep breath something in her mind clicked and she realized that this weakness, this cursed darkness had the ability to recede.  How could she explain this feeling to her friends who had never experienced this before?  It was as if she felt a certain kind of [WORD GOES HERE], and she needed someone to talk to to make sure she was right about herself.


texts: "There were people there that I didn't even know who were"

texts:
That was about the only title I could think of that accurately describes the problem.

The situation is whenever you go somewhere and there are people/things there that you don't know. Instead of saying something like "I went there and there were people that I didn't know" or "I didn't know anybody who was there", some people try to combine the sentences "There were people there that I didn't know" and "I didn't even know who they were" for emphasis. The only thing wrong with that is that we run into a problem:

"There were people there that I didn't even know who they were."

"There were people there that I didn't even know who were."

The first sentence has an unnecessary "they" and the second one removes it but it sounds awkward.

What's the best way to say this?


texts: Why is 'real' and 'really' interchanged?

texts:
I thought 'real' was an adjective and 'really' was an adverb?

Is it not improper usage to say things like, "I think the cake is real good" ?

Or to have a [news] websites called http://www.realclearpolitics.com/, which I suppose could be correct, though my brain does't process it right away. I'm inclined to think it is attempting to say really clear politics and not real, clear politics

Is this heavy usage and interchangeability of 'real' and 'really' something of the twitter era?


texts: Single word request for rituals in India

texts: In India, rituals will take place after 16 days of anyone's death. Can anyone please inform a single word for that rituals happening in India?.


texts: Meaning of "and everyone, but everyone, was calling"

texts:
I recently took a year or so out to return to school. This is something I recommend for all sorts of reasons. One benefit is the new perspective you gain afterwards when you revisit a once-familiar world. I came back to consulting and found that most of my old clients and contacts had taken the plunge and migrated to Git (I follow suit in this edition). And everyone, but everyone, was calling their development methodology agile. However, of my first four new clients, three asked me to help evaluate hastily-built and inflexible codebases.

How does but everyone fit in?


texts: Where did this saying come from? " he/she wanted to know all the ins and outs of a cows backside"

texts: This saying was in common use in our family. It was often said to me when I was asking too many questions. " For goodness sake you always want to know the ins and outs of a cows backside".


texts:
Friends of mine were travelling in the UK by bus once, when suddenly the bus stopped and all passengers had to get out. The driver told them that there were "snow windows" and so they couldn't proceed to Glasgow. When they said "but there's no SNOW" - all they got back was "but there are snow windows". However, no one could translate or paraphrase to them what "snow windows" are. Back home they tried to look it up in several different dictionaries, but no success. I wasn't able to find anything about it using Google either.

So what kind of weather condition are "snow windows"?


texts: Term for adjectives attached after names

texts: What is the term for adjectives attached after names? For example, there is terrible in Ivan the Terrible. Are these counted as post-positive adjectives?


texts: Is "adorable" used to describe an adult?

texts: I've heard adorable sometimes used for kids. Is it ever used to describe an adult?


texts:
I want to write a recommendation for a friend in LinkedIn, and I want to emphasise that he was a real hard worker.

So, does "he has a get-go attitude" means that someone is a "go-getter"?


texts:
I know from verious other discussions that 'can not' and 'cannot' are basically both correct but 'cannot' is being used more often. Nonetheless what happens if I have a 'not only...but also' construction like in  the following sentence:

"Heat pumps cannot only be used for space heating but also for space cooling."

Is it also correct to use 'cannot' in this context?
I'd appreciate every comment.


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "faith" and "blind faith"?

texts:
To use the term blind faith, is to use
  an adjective needlessly.

I had heard the above quote from a positivist friend some time ago. Also, the dictionaries define "faith" as a "belief that is not based on proof" or an "unreasoned belief".

So my question is: Is "faith" by definition "blind"? If no, what is the difference between mere "faith" and "blind faith"?


texts: "On the third attempt" vs. "in the third attempt"

texts:
For talking about attempting something:

  He succeeded __ the third attempt.

According to Google, the preposition of choice is "on".  Would "in" cause outrage?


texts:
Are

Pass the files to the concerned person

and

Pass the files to the person concerned

the same?

I was told the first one means "worried person."


texts: What do I call the horizontal part of a piece of equipment in a cleanroom on which tweezers are placed?

texts:
I'm translating a Russian document about a vial filling/stoppering/crimping line located in a cleanroom environment. Now and then the instruction says that the operator should "place tweezers" or "place settling plates" on the filling (or crimping) machine's stanina (станина). This is a Russian word that has a bevy of possible translations into English, according to Multitran. The basic definition of "stanina" is "the non-moving part of a machine". This is quite vague, and thus hard to translate.

I asked the authors for a photo of this "stanina" on which they place their tweezers for later using them to grab stray vials. The photo is attached below. It's basically a flat portion of a machine. A laminar flow hood is overhanging it somewhere above. In my draft version I'm using the term frame for it, like "place the tweezers on the frame of the machine in the two specified points, for further use".


texts: What does “force oneself ” mean in the sentence,“Dickens has been forcing himself. Bleak House was forced; Little Dorrit was labored”?

texts:
I saw the phrase, “force himself” in the following sentence of Time (Jan 30) article titled “Charles in Charge.”:

  Critics found these novels dreary and diffuse. Henry James, reviewing Our Mutual Friend for the Nation in 1865, wrote, "For the last 10 years it has seemed to us that Mr. Dickens has been unmistakably forcing himself. Bleak House was forced; Little Dorrit was labored; the present work is dug out as with a spade and pickaxe." But Dickens wasn't writing for the critics. His deft touch with comedy and pathos kept his loyal readers happy.

I think I can understand ‘force oneself,’ but I can’t understand (1) what Dickens has been ‘forcing himself’ to do, and (2) what Bleak House was a ‘forced’ work mean - Does it mean he was compelled to write though he didn't wish to write it? - , and (3) what ‘dug out as with a spade and pickaxe’ mean in the context of “forcing and forced”?

Would you be kind enough to enlighten me?


texts:
It is a core scientific principle to only change one of the parameters in an experiment at a time, and keep all others constant, as opposed to picking random parameters (i.e. typically being unable to control the parameters) and performing a factor analysis afterwards.

Is there a short term or phrase to express this concept? I was hoping to find the term in the Wikipedia pages about the Scientific Method or experiments, but both articles seem to deal in loftier terms.


texts: adjective describing middle distance (neither near nor far)

texts: Is there an adjective that is somewhere between near and far?


texts: Word or phrase describing relationship based on care/responsibility

texts:
I want to know if there's a more succint way of saying the following:

The adult who the infant is under the care of

As an example, I am writing acceptance criteria for my software application:

  Requests for the check-in status of an infant-on-lap will return the
  check-in status for the adult who the infant is under the care of.

Any help appreciated.


texts: Idiom for being stubborn about an opinion

texts:
Is there an idiom for the action when someone holds tightly onto his opinion?
Like you keep to try convincing that person again and again but he keeps that opinion?

I made some research but I couldn't find anything.


texts:
Is this phrase correct? For teachers, updating becomes key.
Thanks


texts:
All Things Is/Are Ephemeral

I know that are is meant to be the verb connecting the two fragments together, but why...? (Gut instinct)


texts: A word (or two) for people who explore for the joy of learning

texts:
I'm making a card game, and I need a title for a card which describes people who travel and explore for the joy of learning and sharing that knowledge - a combination of scientists and explorers.

I'd like a name for them that doesn't sound too pretentious or contrived, but gets the point across.

Any ideas?


texts: Phrase for "Lowering the points/grade on exam"

texts:
Assume that you had an exam.
The teacher returned the exam and gave you negative points on several questions.
This "lowering of the grade of the exam" seems unjustified to you.
Which expression exists for saying "unjustifiably lowered the grade on several sub-questions" ?


texts:
I have an accepted paper in which the editor asked for possible corrections (if any) before the publication.
In a part of the paper I have used the word "multipurposeness", and the editor commented on it: "Please check clarity the word 'multipurposeness'."
(My full sentence in the paper is: In this paper, mutipurposeness refers to simultaneous achieving of copyright protection and content authentication)
What does the editor's comment mean? Does it mean I should check if the word "multipuposeness" exist?
What should I do? I have checked and found it in Wiktionary Is it an acceptable reference? Even more, should I give a reference as his response?


texts:
The other day I sighed after finishing a wonderful piece of chocolate cake. My friend asked why I sighed. Rather puzzled, I explained that the piece of cake she had given me was amazingly delicious and that my sigh was happy, satisfied sigh. She replied back that she always thinks of a sigh as having a negative connotation.

I told her that to me a sigh can be negative but it can also be positive meaning contentment after having completed something enjoyable (or even a task that was difficult and one sighs as a pleased sense of accomplishment). She disagreed and said that I was incorrect because a sigh is not usually associated with something positive.

When we looked up the official definition via several dictionaries, she looks to be correct about the word sigh being used with negative connotations (as in expressing relief, exasperation, disgust, etc.).

I'd be curious to hear as to whether anyone else thinks it's acceptable to use the word sigh to express a positive feeling.


texts: Looking for an expression similar to 'resort to doing something' but without a negative connotation

texts:
From Cambridge Dictionary the definition of 'resort to' is:

to do something that you do not want to do because you cannot find any other way of achieving something

I had to resort to violence/threats to get my money.

I am looking for a similar expression, but without the idea of being forced to a certain path by the circumstances.
The idea I want to express is:

After a careful examination, we ??? to the new technique

What expression can I use? Is turn to correct?


texts: How did 'intimate' semantically shift to mean 'suggest indirectly'?

texts:
intimate (v.) [...]
      "suggest indirectly," 1530s, back-formation from intimation, or else from Late Latin intimatus, past participle of intimare. [...]

  intimate (adj.) [...]
      1630s, "closely acquainted, very familiar," from Late Latin intimatus, past participle of intimare "make known, announce, impress," from Latin intimus "inmost" (adj.), "close friend" (n.), superlative of in "in" (see in- (2)).

  intimare = [...] II. Transf. [...] B. To announce, publish, make known, intimate

What semantic notions underlie "suggest indirectly" to "closely acquainted, very familiar"? Please see the titled question.

The former ("suggest indirectly") obviously connotes indirectness. In contrast, the latter connotes connoted bareness and forthrightness.
The quote below also judges this semantic drift  as a reversal in meaning. But I don't understand its last sentence: how might've  '“intimate” exerted a moderating influence on the verb over time'?

  Interestingly, “intimate” is also a verb, but it followed completely different route into English from that of “intimate” as a noun or adjective. (It’s also usually pronounced differently, with a long “a” in the third syllable.) While “to intimate” today means “to suggest indirectly or imply,” its source was the Latin “intimare,” meaning “to announce,”
  and in English “to intimate” originally meant “to make known, notify formally, announce” or even “to declare” in the case of war. That’s quite a reversal for “to intimate.” It’s possible that the cuddly adjective “intimate” exerted a moderating influence on the verb over time, and “to intimate” became less about shouting things in public and more about slyly suggesting them in the privacy of one’s own parlor.


texts: Why does "public" refer to the government?

texts:
I'm a non-English native and was quite surprised with the meaning of "public" refering to "belonging to government" or "provided by government", etc.
In my past experience "public" was sort of an alias for "what you show to everyone / post on your SNS page" - or otherwise isn't kept in secret (which could be described as "private" things).
So previously I faced both "public" and "private" in a context related to one single person in question: to describe things they display to everyone (public appearance) or keep in secret (private life).
Most of all I was confused by using "public" term referring to governmental companies that do not provide any services to people and just produce some stuff, like smelting factories or other heavy industry - I mean, no way people from outside could use it in their daily life directly. Still, it belongs to the government and thus is being referred to as "public company". This blew my mind completely and that's why I'm here.
I tried to do some research to figure out the origins of this new meaning, but it seems like it is too basic and fundamental in English, so I managed to find only discussions of various "public affairs" or services and how they work.
So I would appreciate it if somebody could provide links or a detailed explanation of the origin of this meaning for the "public" adjective. Or maybe a historical background? Since I'm not sure which term comes first: 'government' or 'public'.
I would appreciate it as well if you provide additional explanation of possible differences between "belonging to the government" and "public", since I'm still not sure if they're 100% synonymous.


texts:
I want to know the meaning of the phrase "on the same day as one another".

The complete sentence where the phrase appears is

  The orchids and roses were delivered on the same day as one another.


texts:
Which one is correct — "Thank you Jim" or "Thanks Jim"?

If I start an email with the sentence "Thank you Jim" in Outlook, it shows grammar error while if I begin with "Thanks Jim" it doesn't.


texts: "Effected a change in" vs. "Effected a change on"?

texts:
The sentence is:

The longer seasons effected a change in/on the ecosystems around the lake.

Which is the correct usage?


texts:
Is there a linguistic term for words which are semantically meaningless in English? For example, suppose we have the sentence:

  Although he already has a car, he bought a new one.

Here, although would be a semantically meaningless word (doesn't really contain any information at all).

Also, are there any books/papers with a lexicon of such words?

EDIT:

As some people in the comments pointed out although is not meaningless: it informs you that the speaker did not expect the subject to buy a new car.

What I am trying to say is that I am looking for some class of words that contain so little information that if you drop them in a sentence, the sentence will not lose its meaning (or at least the amount of losing information is almost zero).

For example, the phrase he already has a car informs us that the subject has a car, and the phrase he bought a new one informs us that the subject bought a new one.

The word although contains almost no information and if we drop it, the sentence will barely lose meaning. But if we drop any other word (except for the determiners "a"), the sentence will lose meaning.


texts: How are "needs to be washed," "needs washing," and the regional variant "needs washed" to be distinguished"?

texts:
I'm from Central Pennsylvania, and apparently, we have a strange language construct in this area. I was recently talking about how "my car needs washed" to a friend from NJ, and she told me that my sentence was grammatically incorrect.

I realize she's right, and I realize my options are "my car needs to be washed" or "my car needs washing". But I'm not clear on the precise rule being invoked.


texts: How did "strike" get its baseball meaning?

texts:
Strike as an English word (meaning to hit) is certainly older than strike as a baseball term (meaning not to hit), so what puzzles me is that the word adopted for the action is the exact opposite of the action.

Etymonline indicates that the first use is in the mid-19th century, but gives no indication of how it came to be used.

Can anyone shed any light on why such an ill-suited word was chosen for the action of not striking the ball? If it is is actually an appropriate word for this, why is it?

(Additionally, to be stricken by something, usually an illness I believe, means to be afflicted by it, and seems to be a metaphor for being hit by an disease.)

Edit: Interesting things to consider
In the context of the American court systemref (and probably elsewhere), strike is used to mean "remove". Similarly, this is strike text.


texts: "throw out/away" vs. "toss (out)" vs. "pitch (out/away)" for "dispose of; discard; get rid of as worthless or useless" in AmEng

texts:
What's the difference between "throw out/away," "toss out," and "pitch (out/away)" to mean, "get rid of as worthless or unnecessary"? Can these be used just about interchangeably?
THROW AWAY

Also, throw out or toss out. Dispose of, discard, as in This coat is too good to throw away, or Did you throw out the rest of the milk? or She tossed out all his old letters. [First half of 1500s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer

TOSS/TOSS OUT

toss
To get rid of :  throw away
Merriam-Webster
toss out
(US) To put (something that is no longer useful or wanted) in a trash can, garbage can, etc. :  to throw (something) out It's time to toss out those bananas. Did you toss the newspapers out already?
Merriam-Webster

PITCH, PITCH OUT, and PITCH AWAY

pitch
[+ object] : to throw or toss (something)
Passersby on the street pitched coins into her open guitar case as she played.
They were pitching horseshoes.
She pitched the empty box into the garbage.
Merriam-Webster Learners Dictionary
To discard by throwing: pitched my worn-out sneakers.
The American Heritage® Dictionary
To put aside or discard by or as if by throwing pitched the trash into the bin
Merriam-Webster
pitch something out
To throw something away; to discard something. This cottage cheese is so old, I'm going to pitch it out. They pitched out the bad food.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
pitch something away
To toss or throw something away. He pitched the broken stick away, and looked around for something stronger. He pitched away the stick.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs


texts: Which is correct to say, "Go easy on the onion" or "Go easy on the onions" when you order at a fast-food restaurant?


texts: Article usage with the word Inspiration, and similar

texts:
I'm trying to explain to someone why there's no article in this sentence:

  I'm always looking for inspiration

What is the rule that applies here?
And is there a recorded set of similar words that are normally used without articles?

Thanks


texts: What is a succinct positive name for a busybody ( non impacted stakeholder )?

texts:
I am looking for a word that does not have a negative connotation and is a succinct general term for a: non user, but vocal, stakeholder.

Arbitrary example:

Say a new road was going to be built through an area. What would you call a person who is not directly impacted (lives in a different area) but would make a submission (for / against) its construction? e.g., "It will give the elderly better access to X resource", "It will harm Y bird's migration path."


texts: I have come accross an unusual to me form of sentence from "The curious Savage": "You’ve got me in such a state, I can’t think. I haven’t a brain in my head, anyhow—you’ve said so time and again.". What dows "you've said so time and again" mean? Does it mean "You've said it once and now you are saying it again"?


texts: Non-verbal lyrics in songs - is there a nice name for these?

texts:
Often in songs the lyrics will be "na na na", "doo doo doo" etc in a particular section or part.  Is there a name for these sorts of sounds?  I've seen "non-lexical vocables" which, while being accurate, is a bit of a mouthful.  It feels like there should be a snappier name, so if you were talking about the lyrics you could say for example

"oh and during the <insert nice name for the la-la-las bit here> section, the backing vocals shouldn't be too loud"

Hopefully this makes sense...thanks, Max


texts:
A 16-year-old girl.
  She is 16 years old.

I've read somewhere that the reason the year in the first example is singular is that it functions as an adjective, and adjectives can't be plural.

Looking at the second example, doesn't the years also function as an adjective? If so, why is it in plural form?


texts:
I am talking about this break: stop proceedings in order to have a pause or vacation.

Why are they called that?


texts: I have heard many historians use the word denominator. I know its significance in maths but when and why is the word used in other contexts? And what are its synonyms in those contexts?


texts: Passive form of "John is painting his room"

texts:
When we want to change a statement from active to passive, in the present continuous, we have to change the verb that is continuous from the active verb to the continuous for of be and the past participle of the active verb.

E.g. if we start with is painting then we have to change it to is being painted by.

However I'm not sure how to change the subject and the object. If we start with:

  John is painting his room.

Is the passive construction:

  His room is being painted by John.

Something seems wrong when comparing the two sentences, but I'm not sure what. Does his in the passive construction refer to the same person as in the active?


texts: Singularity and Plurality of The Terms "God," "god," and "gods"

texts:
I've been studying some of the books of the English versions of the Bible, and have discovered how their uses of the terms, "God," "god," and "gods" should seem slightly perplexing to English readers of the Bible.

I Googled “singularity plurality definition,” and stumbled upon another question and answer dialogue here, which seemed to correlate perfectly with my question.  Indeed, rock, and rocks, is similar to the Biblical, “One and only God,” vs. “God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit,” except that each member of rocks, is completely separate from every other rock, in every case.  But every member of “God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit,” is each understood as exactly one person, but still exactly one “God,” individually OR collectively.  “Rocks,” collectively are never one “rock.”  A granite rock, a basalt rock, and other rocks are indeed rock, but all these rocks are never “one rock.”

Example: John the Apostle quotes Jesus (John 10:34) as having said,

  I say, 'you are gods.'

Jesus was quoting Asaph, who arguably was speaking on God's behalf, in the 82nd Psalm, “gods,” here, is obviously plural.

The English language accepts god(s), as used here, as either singular or plural.  But, "God," which conveys an idea, not a thing, is strictly singular.  Usually, capitalization has nothing to do with the meaning of a term, excepting when the term indicates a name.  But "God," isn't really a name, but an idea.  Jehovah, is a name, as well as Jesus, but “God,” is an idea, as is “rock (when generalizing all the classes of rock).”

Is the literary use of god, and the terms derived from god, in the standard versions of the English Bible, a breach of English grammar?
an exception in English grammar? OR
unrelated/irrelevant to English grammar?

Further examples, as requested:

Psalm 82:1, 6--https://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+82&version=NIV

Exodus 20:1-3--https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+20%3A1-3&version=NIV

@Benjamin Harman: So primarily, Benjamin, why when "god," appears in the Bible is it understood as meaning, "a god;" and "gods," as a quantity of gods; but "God," capital-G, always directly related to "god," but always meaning The (Biblical) Deity; and never appearing in plural form?  Does this pattern occur in other examples of English literature,  or is this pattern exclusive by the Bible?  What kind of exception is it?  Grammatical?  Literary?  Respect to Antiquity?  Reverence to the Biblical God?


texts: Words at beginning of sentences with first letter displayed within brackets?

texts:
I've been reading The Deer Slayer, and I can't help but notice that some words at the beginning of sentences display their first letter within square brackets. Here are some examples:

  [W]hen five or six had discharged their bullets into the trees, he could not refrain from expressing his contempt at their want of hand and eye.

  [T]hen he turned and showed the astonished Hurons the noble brow, fine person, and eagle eye of a young warrior, in the paint and panoply of a Delaware.

  [T]hat pale-face is my friend. My heart was heavy when I missed him . . .

(The brackets and their contents are included in the book).

I considered that maybe this was the use of dialect, but it doesn't seem likely or sound natural. What is the reason for this?


texts: Is there an english proverb/idiom/phrase for this translation?

texts:
English is my second language and I was wondering if there is a proverb/idiom/phrase for this proverb/idiom in my language which directly translates to:

"Only who suffers can understand that suffering"


texts: What is/are the part(s) of "out of" in the phrase "move out of the way"?

texts: In the phrase “move out of the way”, what is the part of speech of the word “out”? of the word “of”?


texts: What is the origin of the phrase, "the bottom line"?

texts: All my life I've heard "the bottom line" meaning that which is most important or profitable, but what is its origin?


texts:
Sorry for the pun, but I couldn't resist.  Is there an easy to speak and explain acronym or word for non-solid state drives?  Or what, if any, is the antonym of solid-state?

Addendum:
After reading the wikipedia article on HDDs linked to by @FumbleFingers I think that it is the proper mechanical analogue for SSD.  The essence of my question now is there a single word antonym for solid-state?


texts: What does the phrase "something is red hot" mean?

texts:
Recently read when I read an IT paper, I encountered a phrase, "Red Hot". what does it mean?

Below is the full sentence :

  The DevOps space is red hot, but as many enterprise are quiclky beginning to learn, it's no easy, so it's critical to ensure that your environment is prepared.

Thanks for helping me


texts:
Which is correct?

"You were always looking out for me. You always do."

or

"You were always looking out for me. You always are."


texts:
I have a question.
I downloaded a template from Internet. "James" created it (author: James).
I edited this template and do fundamental change.
Now I want add my name to the info box.
What should I write there? (for example I should write "Original design by James, Edited by ME")


texts: Repeating the noun when we referring to it multiple times using different adjectives

texts:
Is it necessary to repeat the noun when we referring to it multiple times using different adjectives?

Here are 3 variations to compare.

The first one looks correct from grammatical point of view, but very cumbersome and ugly.
The third one is short and nice, but I'm not sure such phrasing is correct.
The second one is somewhat between.

Variation 1:

  There are two types of hypervisors:

  type-1 hypervisors (also known as native or bare-metal hypervisors), which have better performance, and
  type-2 hypervisors (also known as hosted hypervisors), which are easier to use.

Variation 2:

  There are two types of hypervisors:

  type-1 hypervisors (also known as native or bare-metal ones), which have better performance, and
  type-2 hypervisors (also known as hosted ones), which are easier to use.

Variation 3:

  There are two types of hypervisors:

  type-1 hypervisors (also known as native or bare-metal), which have better performance, and
  type-2 hypervisors (also known as hosted), which are easier to use.


texts: Word or phrase for when you're hungry but nothing sounds good to eat

texts:
So I'd guess almost everyone knows this feeling: you're hungry but nothing sounds good to eat.  I don't think there is a commonly known word or phrase, but anyone know of a word or phrase that has been coined to describe such a situation?

P.S. I'm gonna try to get this one going... "I'm feeling picky."
Just thought I'd do my research first :)


texts:
Who is ____________ , Sara or Janet?

This is a confusing question because I'm not sure which is correct:

tallest
taller
the tallest

Seem to all work fine. Which one is considered "best"?


texts: Difference between "I am going to" vs. " I was going to"

texts:
I am new here in the United States and I'm just confused how the natives speak.

I just want to know the meaning of these statements.

Sentence 1:
Ann said that she was going to Las Vegas with here boss, and the whole office was talking about it.

Sentence 2:
I was just notified that I am going to be transferred in Mongolia. We'll see about that! I am going to talk to the boss.

What is the difference between the two?

For sentence 1, Is Ann still going to Las Vegas with her boss? When "was going to" is used, does it change the fact the Ann is going to Las Vegas? If I change was going to to am going to, Will it make any difference, will it make sense?

About the sentence 2, Why is "am going to" used? Will it change the meaning of the sentence if I change it to "was going to?"..


texts: Can a colon be used after a helping verb like "is"?

texts:
I'm writing an answer to a science question and I'm not sure if I need a semicolon in the sentence.

  The problem for the experiment is; How do homing pigeons find their way home?


texts: a parallelism issue - the most interesting garment

texts:
Is there a parallelism issue with the following sentence?

  Prizes will be given to the best dressed, the worst dressed, and the most “interesting” garment.

Is it natural to interpret "the most interesting garment" as the person who is most interestingly dressed?


texts: I see/hear many instances where the preposition "at" is omitted when a question starts with "What time ... ?" For example, I hear people say "What time are you guys meeting?" as opposed to "What time are you guys meeting at?" or "What time did you wake up?" as opposed to "What time did you wake up at?" Is it OK to assume that this "at" is optional, or am I just hearing it wrong?


texts: "I have completed my master degree and am a doctoral student"

texts:
Do I have to worry about verb agreement in the following sentence?

  I have completed my master degree and am a doctoral student


texts:
I read this sentence:

  Did that ever hit home!

None of these definitions hits home. It's neither a question (in which it would perfectly match) nor a negative sentence. And it does not mean "at any time", and it's not constantly, because it refers to a single event in the past when something shocked him.


texts: How to handle a single quote STARTING a quotation?

texts:
I've done some research, both on this SE and off, but I can't find an answer to my unique problem. So I apologize in advance if this is a duplicate and I just missed something.

I'm dealing with a situation in my writing where a speaker begins a quotation with a single quote. Having a quotation start with three quotes looks strange, not to mention that Word won't let me do it (the single quote faces the wrong way), so I've been wondering if there is a different way to write it, or perhaps a rule to follow about it.

This is the sentence I'm trying to write:

  "'Discuss things with her' is hardly what he means."

The speaker is quoting a different speaker, as denoted by the single quotes. I could rearrange the sentence to avoid the problem, but I would prefer not to, as I think it sounds best this way.

How do I handle single quotes starting a quotation?

Note: I did search this SE for this question. There are a lot of questions about single quotes IN quotations and ENDING quotations, but I was unable to find anything about them STARTING quotations. That's the specific problem I'm faced with.


texts:
I am currently writing papers on the immigration pattern in the US throughout history. I came across a problem that I have never been taught before (I am a ESL speaker) about the plurality of the people of a certain nation.

Would the plural of the people German nationality "the Germans" or "the German"? Is the "s" necessary to turn it into a plural noun? I have this question because I know that the plural of the people of Chinese nationality is "the Chinese" but not "the Chineses."

Is there any rule to this? If so, what would be the plural form for the people of Irish nationality or Indian nationality?


texts: Any adjective synonymous to the following description

texts:
Is there an adjective meaning living your life as you want to etc saying, doing, behaving  and don't care what other people think about you? It can be formal or informal

I know the slang word "based" but it's very informal. urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Based


texts:
I found this phrase in the Clean Code book:

  Pragmatic Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt said this a different way.

Is this phrase correct? From what I know, one should write:

  Pragmatic Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt said this in a different way.


texts: Using 'lack thereof' on a negative to refer to the lack of a positive

texts:
The sentence I'm writing is:

The fitness industry makes a lot of money from misinformation, or the lack thereof.

What I really want to say is:

The fitness industry makes a lot of money from misinformation, or the lack of correct information.

Is there a better way to phrase what I want to say? I feel that using lack thereof on misinformation (the negative) refers to the absence of misinformation (which I actually mean to be present), instead of the absence of correct information (the positive).


texts: What is the difference between "calling" and "vocation"?

texts:
In Robert Green's book Mastery, I encountered the word "vocation" many times. Green says:

  The   word    “vocation”  comes   from    the Latin   meaning to    call  or  to be called.

What is the difference between "vocation" and "calling"? Do native English speakers often use the word "vocation"?


texts: Use of 'it' and 'that' in affirmative replies

texts:
Could you please explain the reason for the difference in use between "it" and "that?"

Example:

  A.  Is your name Jim?  B. Yes, it is.

We can't say "Yes, that is". Why not?

  B.  Is your name Jim?  B. Yes, that's right, it is.

We can't say "Yes, it's right".  Why not?


texts: Idiom request for describing someone who is writhing in great pain

texts:
How do you describe someone who twist their body from side to side and bend it in reaction to a great pain? Like the men in the pictures below.

We Iranians have an expression that says:

  to twist about/ around  like a snake because of pain/ agony

Like in:

"After the car accident, the driver was twisting around like a snake because of pain, but there was no one to help him."

Is there any idiom or expression with the same connotation in English too?


texts: Different positions of using 'be' in the phrase 'would be' in a sentence

texts:
I am reading a book by Gavin Esler and in one part he writes this sentence.

If you excised these twenty or so words from the speeches of David Cameron, Tony Blair, or most political or business leaders, there would in many cases be little left.

What I want to highlight is this part,

there would in many cases be little left.

As we see, the word 'be' is added in latter half of the sentence. Whereas, the common usages I have seen, would have rather put this as,

there would be in many cases, little left.

How the variation of placement of 'be' matters and is there any context, reason of this variation.

Please excuse my ignorance of the 'proper words' used in grammar discussions, I can barely identify and distinguish them now.

Cheers,


texts: "from where it was stopped" vs "from where it has stopped"

texts:
This question is about the usage of was and has.

Which sentence is correct?

The match will resume from where it was stopped.
The match will resume from where it has stopped.

What is the difference between was and has in this scenario?


texts: 'Chop my tongue off now', when you regret saying something badly and it hurt the person badly too. It's usually said directly after you've just after realising belatedly how hurtful or wrong it was.


texts: A quote by Disraeli, can you interpret and explain its meaning?

texts:
"Talk to women, talk to women as much as you can. This is the best school. This is the way to gain fluency, because you need not care what you say, and had better not be sensible. They, too, will rally you on many points, and as they are women you will not be offended. Nothing is of so much importance and of so much use to a young man entering life as to be well criticised by women."

Sensible means to be reasonable, thoughtful, cautious, practical. Or of a statement or course of action) chosen in accordance with wisdom or prudence; likely to be of benefit.

Would it mean that if acting foolish and idiotic in a thoughtful way (on purpose), you'll be able to understand the boundaries and gain the fluency required in speaking to women. In a sense, what you learn and the experiences gained from acting foolish will prove invaluable long-term.

Am I correct? Can someone pass their thoughts?


texts: What do you call someone who is conducting surveillance

texts:
I initially assumed surveillor, but apparently that isn't a word. Is there a word for such a person that derives from surveillance? Meaning it starts with the root "survei-"

  His job is to conduct surveillance at the mall. He is a _____.


texts: Difference between wreath, garland, and laurel

texts:
Dictionary definitions:

wreath
an arrangement of flowers, leaves, or stems fastened in a ring and used for decoration or for laying on a grave.
garland
a wreath of flowers and leaves, worn on the head or hung as a decoration.
laurel
the foliage of the bay tree woven into a wreath or crown and worn on the head as an emblem of victory or mark of honor in classical times.

The definitions sound very similar to me. When is it appropriate to use each word (and when is it not)?


texts: Is there a better word than "helpee" to describe a person who receives help?

texts:
When I help someone, I am the helper, and he is the helpee. But surely there is a better word than this?

I guess you could say "recipient of help" or "beneficiary", but I don't really like either of these.

Edit: Thanks for all the great answers... I think everyone has added something useful - felt I should mark someone as correct, even though I feel I still haven't found the perfect word.


texts: Didn't notify police/ didn't notify the police, which is right?

texts: I used to think that when people didn't use 'the' it was because English wasn't  their first language but I know for a fact that the person who said this one is. Is there a rule for that? People sometimes drop the 'a' too for some reason


texts:
A total of 9,866 post offices will be turned into e-centres by next year.

Is the above sentence is right? Should it be will have been turned into e- centres? So far as I know by next year/by any time refers to future perfect.


texts:
What's the proper way to hyphenate the expression "right mouse click".

I'm writing documentation for some software I wrote.

"Please right mouse click on ...".


texts:
In a sentence reading peri- and post-stimulus is the first hyphen necessary?

If not, what alternative structure should be used?


texts: Is the word "I'm" pronounced like /əm/, instead of /aɪm/, when it is unstressed?

texts: Is the word "I'm" pronounced like /ʌm/ or /əm/, instead of /aɪm/, when it is unstressed?


texts:
I have never used doubt or suspect properly before. Now I understand that they seem to bear quite the opposite meanings in a sentence.

For example,

  Everybody believes him, but I suspect he is lying

means

  I doubt he is telling the truth.

Such pairs of words can be really challenging for non-native speakers to distinguish. What's worse, misuses of them could result in communication disasters.

Why is this pair of words so confusing? Are there any more example pairs of this nature?


texts:
I had a confusion between Infinitive form of the verb and the base form of the verb. But this LINK explains the difference between infinitive and base form of the verb.

  Base form:
      be, have, hold, sleep, dream

  Infinitive form:
      to be, to have, to hold, to sleep, to dream

Can we write all helping verbs in infinitive form which are mentioned below:

be (including am, is, are, was, were, been)
have, has had
do, does, did
can
could
may
might
will
would
shall
should
must

I know these exists to be, to do, to have, but do others?


texts: 'remit' {verb} : How does 'send back' mean 'to forward'?

texts:
remit {verb} [with object] = 2. Send (money) in payment or as a gift
  [Synonyms:] send, dispatch,  forward, transmit, convey;
  ...

  [Etymonline]: late 14c., "to forgive, pardon," from Latin remittere "send back, slacken, let go back, abate," from re- "back" (see re-) + mittere "to send" (see mission). Meaning "allow to remain unpaid" is from mid-15c. Meaning "send money (to someone)" first recorded 1630s. Related: Remitted; remitting.

I wish to delve into the definition, which I already understand and so ask NOT about. I heed the Etymological Fallacy. What are right ways of interpreting or rationalizing this meaning, to intuit or naturalise it, and to help me remember?

How can one synonym be to forward, because this is the opposite direction of the prefix re- "back"? what happened to this prefix? ODO simply defines this word as send, not send back.


texts: Question about putting an adverb before a verb

texts:
I need to mention here that I red in an educational book that we normally or perhaps always put adjective before a noun. We do not say: A day beautiful, we say: a beautiful day.

Wondeting if it is possible to put an adjective after a noun and an adverb before a verb as an  inversion.
She beautifully drives
A day beautiful is today
As my teacher one day told me that everything is possible in English just as the speaker or writer pleases!


texts: What is the origin of the term "toots" to refer to a woman?

texts:
When speaking to my female friends (who know me well enough to not take offense), I frequently use the term toots to refer to them.  These are friends who know that I'm using it ironically as part of my enjoyment of using antiquated terminology (especially to sound like a 1930s gangster).  In other words, I don't wish to engage in a debate on whether or not I'm a misogynist.  (Let me be clear, I'm a misanthrope, not a misogynist. ;P)

A few dictionary searches have shown that it is likely a shortening of the word tootsie, but a search on that does not shed any light on the origins.  It merely suggests that the origin is obscure (and perhaps related to an obscure usage meaning a worthless person).

The usage for the word meaning the sound a horn makes has a clear origins in 16th century Germanic usages.

Can anyone point out a credible source of the origins of the usage above?


texts:
Ambient: relating to the immediate surroundings of something.
  "the liquid is stored at below ambient temperature".

Cited from Oxford Dictionaries.

As far as I know 'ambient' is an adjective that refers to the surrounding, e.g. ambient lighting of the room gave rise to a gloomy mood ; ambient temperature/sounds etc. So what does ambient mean in the dictionary's example sentence?


texts:
How to correctly punctuate this?

  He said "she is pretty".

Is a comma a must after 'said'? Do we need to make 's' in 'she' capitalized?


texts:
I'm reading "The Demolished Man" by Alfred Bester, and came across a sentence I could not understand (in bold):

  "No you don't, Mr. Powell." Mary burst into laughter. "So that's it. You want me for a chaperone. Victorian word, isn't? So are you, Linc. Positively atavistic."
  "I brand that as a lie. In toffy circles I'm known as the most progressive---"
  "And what's that image? Oh. Knights of the Round Table. Sir Galahad Powell. And there's something underneath that. I---" Suddenly she stopped laughing and turned pale.

What is the meaning of that sentence? Best I could find, toffy is another spelling for toffee, but then what are toffy circles?


texts: Where does the phrase 'Crazy as a Coconut' originate from?

texts:
I recently overheard someone referring to another person as being 'Crazy as a coconut'. I hadn't heard this phrase before so later on I started researching. My initial thought was that he had made up himself as I didn't find many results. I did however see this phrase used as lyrics in a song by a band called 'The Avalanches' titled 'Frontier Psychiatrist'.
I see someone else had raised question on Answers.com and received an obscene response but hoping someone here might provide a more helpful response as to its origination.


texts:
What's the difference between an "attributive and a compound noun"? Some English  sites say it's all but thee same and some sites say they're different.

Compound : In a compound noun all the  words in the compound form one noun and one idea. It's a permanent union.

Attributive :  they can modify more than one noun.they are flexible, temporary pairings that aren't prone to closing up.

According to a website :

1)Steel bridge - attributive

2)Teacup - compound

With their meanings I can't differentiate (1) and (2).


texts:
This has me a bit confused. At first I wanted to say begin, but then I started to think that "the evening news" could also be replaced by "it", so the correct form would be "begins".

The evening news ____ at 6:00. (begin/begins)

Which is correct? Could both options be correct?


texts: Would 'Storm clouds gathering' be considered as an example of personification?

texts: I came across this phrase in school and I became quite confused with whether it should be seen as a personification or not. It may be a collocation but does that mean it can't be a personification? 'Gathering' to me usually entails the getting together of people/ animals (animate) so if it is placed next to something that is inanimate (Storm clouds), do we automatically classify it as a personification?


texts: When a dagger is used to indicate a note, must it come after an asterisk?

texts:
The typographical symbol dagger (†) has several meanings. Possibly its most common use is as a footnote marker.

According to You Have a Point There: A Guide to Punctuation and Its Allies (Partridge, 1953), when it is used for this purpose, it must be used for second footnotes only; the first footnote should be indicated by an asterisk (*), the third a double dagger (‡) and further footnotes other symbols or numbers.

Where does Patridge's rule fall on a scale of one to ten, where one is "this is just one guy's random opinion" and ten is "this is a widely accepted rule of English and any deviation from it is unarguably incorrect"?

This question was inspired by this Meta Stack Overflow question about the use of daggers on Stack Exchange site FAQ pages.


texts: what is an alternative word or phrase for 'to check for'

texts: How would one express the concept of checking details in one document against another for verification or error?


texts: Is there any adverb or phrase to introduce a supporting quotation?

texts: I'm quoting from another writer to support my ideas. But I need an expression like "as according to" so as to introduce the quotation. I'd rather not use "as according to" since I've already used it twice.