texts:
my name is Reza, I'm not a native English speaker. I'm wondering if this form of negative sentences is true in English? Because I see in novels, but this way is not explained in grammar books.

I saw not a single person. (instead of I did not see a single person.)

It seemed not to grasp its new surroundings.

It was a soft and gentle kiss, one not meant to lead beyond itself.

Try not to get so worked up about things.

Naoko was taking great care as she spoke not to touch on certain things.


texts: The origin of the terms ' Attributive and Predicative Adjectives'

texts: At present l am reviewing classification of adjectives: attributives and predicatives. I want to know who coined them, and when grammarians began using them. By the way, l have searched in vain for their origin.


texts: Is it ever okay to pluralize the noun "support"? When talking about several support systems, for example, is it okay to say that people "need supports"? If not, why not? Thank you!


texts:
Like some  family cooks, I often prepare more than is necessary to feed a hungry family; however, I hate throwing away food, and always try to re-serve creatively the following day.
Today, I was talking to my wife about how sometimes leftovers  are better than ________, as they soak in the sauces and absorb more flavor.
I described them to her as "first-serve", but that sounds like a Tennis term.
I looked up antonyms for "leftovers", and got nothing.
Is there a word or phrase to describe the meal served before the leftovers?


texts: When/why was "so" dropped in "whomsoever"?

texts:
My association with the words

  whomsoever
  whosoever

has been through the Bible, more modern day they have become

  whomever
  whoever

As an example, John 13:20

  He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me. (King James Version)
  he who receives whomever I send receives Me (New American Standard)

The New American Standard version is a more "modern" translation.

When and why did the "so" disappear?
I have tried searching, but can find when/why the change occurred.


texts: Word for "the distilled embodiment of a contentious issue"

texts: I'm thinking of something like the recent FBI–Apple case, which focuses in on the precise point of departure between the two sides of an issue.  It would be used like: "the case has become a ____ of the issue".  I believe the word I've heard before is some kind of a metaphor like "litmus test" or "touchstone", but emphasizes how it cuts to the heart of the issue instead of being a simple test for a larger issue.


texts: "disqualify from" or "disqualify of" or "disqualify as"?

texts:
If Jim do such a thing, then he is no more a trustworthy person.

I want to rephrase what is meant by the above sentence with the verb "disqualify".

Doing such a thing disqualifies Jim from being/of being/as a trustworthy person.

Which one is correct. Indeed, none of them is satisfactory as they look weird. So other suggestion for the verb "disqualify" are appreciated as well.


texts: Why do we use the singular in a comparative sentence?

texts:
In a comparative sentence, like the one below, we use the singular form in the second clause:

  Rebecca is the most beautiful girl in the school. She is more beautiful than any other girl

and not:

  *[...] She is more beautiful than any other girls.

Why do we use the singular and not the plural? Why is the second example not acceptable?


texts: Word for a cycle where the cause is made worse by the effect

texts: What is the word for a cycle where the cause is made worse by the effect? A very simple example is a decline in fish leads to a decline in coral reef health which then leads to a further decline in fish and so on.


texts: We are physicists and we are arguing over the use of "a" and "an"

texts:
Here is the situation. I am in an office full of physicists and one physicist is writing his PhD Thesis. Fundamentally, he wants to know whether he should type "an SV" or "a SV" into the computer.

SV is an acronym for "Secondary Vertex", so it is clear to us that "a secondary vertex" is correct.

So the argument is over whether

a or an "sounds better"

and additionally

is SV a new, alternative word which means the same thing as "secondary vertex" (just as one can use "roll", "bap", "barm" interchangeably in the phrase "bacon roll" to mean some bread which is probably also buttered into which one has inserted some grilled, or otherwise cooked using another method, bacon causing the butter to melt into a delicious snack most suited for eating at lunchtime.
or is SV an object which is to be expanded by the readed using a previously defined definition (should one read "SV" as "secondary vertex"?)

So, he should type "a secondary vertex", but is it "an SV" or "a SV". My vote is for the former as it "sounds better". (Or at least that is my opinion.)

Finally, we also consider "an STFC" or "an SRVTLVF" to be "better sounding", however "a TRVTLVF" seems to be "better sounding". We have discovered that it doesn't seem to matter what the letters of an acronym following a first "S" letter are, the "better sounding" choice is still "an" rather than "a".

Is there a rule about whether "a" or "an" should be used for acronyms?


texts: Order of adjectives in "free weekly two-hour scientific meetings"

texts: What is the correct order of these four adjectives in the phrase "free weekly two-hour scientific meetings"? I'm not exactly sure where to put 'two-hour'.


texts:
In class today the word 'friendliness' was split up into three morphemes rather than my prefered two.

I don't understand why 'li' has claim to be a morpheme rather than 'liness', which seems to be very productive.


texts:
For example:

  Detective Jones

I think the D in Detective Jones should always be capitalized, because I believe that is the norm.

But what if, after introducing Detective Jones, I later refer to him as The Detective. For example:

  Detective Jones asked me a few question, which I answered. After
  listening carefully and taking notes, the Detective then came back to
  me with some more questions.

I think you would capitalize the D, because "the Detective" is being used as a shorthand for "Detective Jones". But it looks a little odd, so I am not sure.


texts:
As an ESL teacher, I was teaching my students some verbal idioms. I did not encounter any problems explaining to them the definition of each until we reached make up, think up vs come up with. I find that in certain context, they are interchangeable and in some they are not. When they are not, I have problems explaining to my students the reasons. I would really appreciate if someone can point me to the right direction.

think up an idea

come up with an idea

but we can't say make up an idea

think up an excuse

make up an excuse

come up with an excuse (seems to sound right, but I am not 100% sure. Can anyone help to confirm?)

come up with a solution

but think up a solution doesn't sound right

I have looked up in multiple dictionaries and most of them define think up with invent. I was guessing maybe think up is for inventions of original and only original ideas while come up with is for whether the idea is original or not. And is make up only for stories and excuses?


texts: "A challenge to X" vs. "a challenge for X"

texts:
Nile countries are facing tremendous challenges for food security,...

Should I use "a challenge for" or "a challenge to" in the above sentence?


texts:
On this page, it is claimed that the usage of "towards" was dominant (I guess both in Britain and America) compared to "toward" until the 19th century when Americans moved toward toward.  (Edit: a Google Books Ngram count is cited for this.)
Is there any research explaining why this is the case?  E.g., was it primarily caused by non-English immigrants, or did a large fraction of immigrants from England for some reason already use "toward"?  Or was it something less organic and more planned like the effort to simplify spellings around this time period (e.g., colour --> color, but this case seems to be more than just a simplified spelling as the pronunciation is different), or just a general "f**k you England, we'll make our language better than yours" attitude?


texts: "will" vs "shall" in the movie Pride and Prejudice

texts:
This extract from the film script of Pride and Prejudice (1995) and the meaning of some sentences are a bit vague for me.

Why does Kitty use will in the first sentence and shall in the second?
Is the extra implication of shall "to make her do"?
Why does Lydia say "... you would tell her?" Why is would used here?

KITTY: Lydia has torn up my bonnet and made it up new and says she will wear it to church.  Tell her she shall not!
LYDIA: I shall wear it, I beg you would tell her so, for it's all my own work.


texts:
I don't know the meaning of the phrase in this sentence

  We are seldom exposed only to a single contaminant in the
  environment-but more often than not to a cocktail of chemical
  mixture.

How to understand 'more often than not'?


texts: Other than “to be”, what verbs in English change in the subjunctive past tense?

texts:
I recently found out that the reason we say ”if I were...” and not “if I was...” (though some argue both are correct) is because “to be” is irregular in the subjunctive past. Are there any other verbs that are irregular like this?
Edit: By irregular, I mean different words for simple past and subjunctive past tense.


texts:
I'm filling an employment application, so I want to know what is the most formal way to refer to my education block.

Personal information.
-Name:
-Age:
-Address:
-Phone:

Introduction & Goals.
<Description>

Professional Experience
-Actual Job
<Description>
-Last Job
<Description>

[Education or Schooling]
-Bachelor's Degree
<Description>
-High Scool
<Description>

In my research down the internet, I can see that Education is the most used, but I want you to help me if it's the most formal.


texts: Can I use zero article before an acronym term?

texts:
I am writing a technical report describing how a machine system works. We call the system BLK-Engine, where BLK is the acronym of a long term. When we describe how it works, should I say: "BLK-Engine moves the piston from left to right" or "the BLK-Engine moves the piston from left to right"?
There are also some descriptions like "When a signal arrives, a BLK-Engine moves". Can I say "When a signal arrives, BLK-Engine moves"?
Update:
I think my question can be expressed more precisely as: can we name something as we name a person and use a zero article for it? For example, if I name the engine we developed "BLK-Engine", can we just call it by name instead of adding a "the".


texts: What is the difference between Seventh Heaven and Cloud Nine?

texts: Just as the question asks, what is the difference between Seventh Heaven and Cloud Nine? I know that both mean extreme pleasure or joy, but I'm wondering if they have different meanings when used in the same context.


texts: Can I use commas here to avoid confusion?

texts:
When you turn on the radio while the house is quiet , or you use the radio in your car, you have several choices of music to listen to. (The bold-faced comma, first one)

Ok from the content, it is obvious that "you use the radio in you car" is an alternative to "when you turn the radio while the house is quiet", but grammatical I am not sure if anyone would confuse it as another case of "while", like "when you turn on the radio while you use the radio in your car".

Is it absolutely necessary to repeat when after  or?


texts: What is a word for "cannot-be-wrong" attitude?

texts:
When speaking with someone recently I was continuously taken aback by how he could not concede even the slightest detail in my argument (which was not unreasonable), and it happened another time previously. Both times had to do with me pointing out 'error' in his action.

He very much exhibits that 'I cannot be wrong' attitude.

I first thought to call this arrogance or pride but he is not overbearing like arrogance demands and he does not show excessive self esteem that pride demands.

What is a word that can accurately describe this attitude?


texts: What does "bad girls go backstage" mean?

texts:
(sorry for my poor English)

I saw this phrase somewhere but I don't know what this means..

  Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go backstage

What means 'bad girls go backstage'?

Maybe.. it's when good girls try to be good, but bad girls become famous?
 Am I right?


texts: What is the meaning of this sentence? „This is the ante room of ante rooms“

texts:
What is the meaning of this sentence?

  This is the ante room of ante rooms.

It was used in the document "Inside the Vatican".


texts: Idiom for "very little, compared to real value"?

texts:
Norwegian has an idiom that means roughly "small change compared to the real cost or value", which would translate literally as "buttons and scraps".

Is there a similar idiom in English?

Some usage examples translated from Norwegian:

"We cannot accept that our part of the country would be left with [buttons and scraps] while valuable resources disappear before our eyes" (Local politician in a discussion on oil.)
"Offered [buttons and scraps] - that's why we're going on strike" (Newspaper headline)
"Unless they are in the porn or games business, media companies must accept that their future income from internet content will remain [buttons and scraps]" (Newspaper opinion piece)

If you are on the buying end the English idiom "for a song" ("I got it for a song") is pretty much the same, but I don't think it can be used in contexts like above.

Is there an idiom that can?


texts: Are "Network Planning" and "Networks Planning" different?

texts:
Does the 's' in 'Networks' imply a different meaning, or are the two interchangeable?
Thanks!


texts:
Can I split noble into nob + the suffix -le?

-le is found in other adjectives such as little, brittle, fickle

nob is found in noble, nobleman, nobleness, nobler, noblesse, noblest, nobly. But pretty much all of these contain 'noble', so maybe noble is the root morpheme?

Note: 'nob' on its own is apparently a slang word for a rich person. So it carries a similar meaning as a noun. Except it's British and informal?

Thanks!


texts: What is the meaning of the first known English passage with the word "computer"?

texts:
The Oxford English Dictionary gives this as its earliest citation for the word "computer":

  1613   ‘R. B.’ Yong Mans Gleanings 1, I haue read the
  truest computer of Times, and the best Arithmetician that euer
  breathed, and he reduceth thy dayes into a short number.

I understand that a computer used to be a human being who performed calculations. What I would like to know is whether the author was referring to a human computer or to God.

Here is the context for the quotation:

  OF THE MORTALITIE OF MAN.

  What art thou (O Man) and from whence hadst thou thy beginning? What
  matter art thou made of, that thou promisest to thy selfe length of
  daies: or to thy posterity continuance. I haue read the truest
  computer of Times, and the best Arithmetician that euer breathed, and
  he reduceth thy dayes into a short number: The daies of Man are
  threescore and ten. That reuerend Patriarch Iacob, (though he had
  liued a long and prosperous time) yet he confesseth his daies to be
  few and euill: the life of Man (saith the Prophet) is as the grasse
  that soone withereth: it is as swift as a Dromedarie, continuing not,
  but passing from this pilgrimage of earth, aimeth at the centre, to
  which all flesh is limitted, this earthly mansion from whence we had
  our Beginning; Homo abhumo natus. Man is borne of the earth, from
  whence he had his birth, and shall conclude the date and period of his
  daies.

Did the author mean for the "computer" to be understood as a human statistician or as God?


texts: "Neither . . . nor" vs. "nor . . . neither"

texts:
In my native language we have a neither-nor-like structure which can be used either
as:

  I neither like thing A and nor thing B.

or as:

  I nor like thing A and neither thing B.

Is it possible to do that in English?


texts: Is this the correct usage of a vulgar and offensive phrase?

texts:
There is a funny LICENSE and in this license used an expression:
    You just DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO as long as you NEVER LEAVE A
TRACE TO TRACK THE AUTHOR of the original product.

Is an author right with do what the fuck? Maybe is it more correct to use do whatever the fuck?
Thank in advance and sorry for obscene words.


texts:
While I was reading a quiz, I found the following choice question:
She never (do - does - did) her homework at school.

Since my native language is not English and I am still in the very beginning way to studying English, I found that "never" can be used in Present Simple Tense as well as Past Simple Tense and other tenses, but I am still unsure whether this one can be a multiple choice question or there is a matter of preference here. I really couldn't make my mind up.

Could you, please, help, friends?

Thanks in Advance,
Yusuf Ali


texts:
I know that both facade and façade are valid in British English. Is that also true for American English? Or should facade be used when writing something for American customers?

This is something that gets used in a Luminaire catalog, and I just stumbled over the French ç in the American version.


texts:
I have a feeling that I am overlooking a common word, but which word should I use to say that "I will make myself available for you tomorrow" or convey similar thoughts?

The word is not "avail" (which has a meaning similar to "benefit"; "avail of" means "to make use of"). So, I would like the word that describes the process of putting an object into a state where someone may avail himself of that object.


texts: “A similar hat to Jane” vs “A hat similar to Jane’s”

texts:
Of late I have noticed British people using the following sort of construct:

  John and Jane make such a cute couple because John always wears a similar hat to Jane.

To my ear, that is ungrammatical, or at least nonsensical, because John seems to have mistaken his wife for a hat!  John’s hat cannot be similar to Jane;  it can only be similar to Jane’s hat.

For me, that sentence must therefore be recast as this:

  John and Jane make such a cute couple because John always wears a hat similar to Jane’s.

That way the hat is no longer similar to her, merely to hers.

Is the former formulation actually grammatical, or is it a common mistake or simple carelessness?  Doesn’t it confuse people? Is it fit for formal writing?  How long has this been going on?

To the American ear, it sounds really messed up, like it is making a wrong comparison.  It’s like they have forgotten about the possessive case, which is the only one that makes sense here.

Edit

Here are actual “similar X to Y”  instances by British authors, where one would expect to find “Y’s” or “that/those of Y” instead:

In consultation, our members observed that other people with a similar disability to Mr Malcolm — perhaps with varying degrees of severity — would have been able to understand the sub-letting regulations.  Great Britain. Parliament House of Commons. Work and Pensions Committee – 2009
Dave had a similar accent to dumper truck man, so that’s who I thought it was.  Explaining Colours to a Blind Man,
David Hooper
Believe it or not she was also Afrikaans with a similar accent to Anna, and, like Anna, she was not exactly a beauty. Paget's Progress: A Tale of High Adventure and Low Salaries, Dick Paget
Auroville’s two or three thousand inhabitants, most of whom live in similar style to André, come from all over the world, as a brief glance at its telephone book made clear . . . In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India, by Edward Luce

But I still don’t understand it, nor do I know its history. When did the possessive go away, and why?  Shouldn’t those all have a possessive there?


texts: What is a single word describing this type of statement?

texts:
Scenario: A gang from the west of the USA wants to kill gang members from the east of the USA. The gang from the west meet a gang member from the east and ask:

'Where are you from?'

The gang member from the east replies:

'From the west.'

But he intends to mean 'the western world' so he said something intending a different meaning than that of the meaning in the minds of those he was addressing, thus fooling them, and saving himself.

Is there a term for this type of linguistic/semantic strategy?

Note: no offense to people from the USA


texts: Should a period be used with a measurement that is a compound term, e.g., ft-lb?


texts: What is the correct present continuous form of "thunder" and "lightning"?

texts:
While describing monsoon conditions, what is the correct way to describe the ongoing action of thunder and lightning flashes?

  It is thundering

  It is lightning

Are the above sentences correct?


texts: idiom for proceeding slowly and with difficulty

texts:
Is there an idiom I could use if I wanted to say that
someone is doing something with a lot difficulty and slowly?
I cannot think of anything.
Thanks
Edit from comment:
For example: You have learnt a lot of things and you will sail through the exams. Your lazy friends on the contrary will slog their way through it.
Is there an expression I can use instead of slog to convey a similar meaning?


texts: "you must act like THE MORE aggressive predator" is the use of "the more" correct in this sentence. thank you


texts:
As an adjective, what is the adjectival use case for "anarchist" vs. "anarchistic"? E.g., in

  The cynic Diogenes of Sinope and Crates of Thebes are both supposed to have advocated [for anarchist/anarchistic] forms of society, although little remains of their writings.

and also used in the construction "display anarchistic tendencies/traits."

Is there any reason to use one versus the other?


texts: Questions about punctuation and capitalizaton of letters (mail), forms, sections, exhibits, etc

texts: According to the Chicago Manual of Style, you shouldn't capitalize chapters, so would this include exhibits, sections, boxes (box A), and parts (part I), too? Also, would you put the names of forms, letters (as in letters you mail), exhibits, sections, checklists, etc., in quotation marks? It's very hard to find answers to these questions. =/ Concrete examples (besides ones above): Exhibit B-12, Payroll Authorization Form, Labor Relations letter, section B, Wage Decision Checklist, Verification of Wages section.


texts: "One of the courses I took that year was x" where "x" is a unique identifier

texts:
I have a vague feeling that there is something wrong with this sentence I wrote: "One of the courses I took that year was John Doe's Introduction to Literature." I feel that the following sentences are OK:

"One of the courses I took that year had very difficult exams."

"One of the courses I took that year was taught by John Doe."

"One of the courses I took that year was titled Introduction to Literature."

But the first sentence I gave doesn't sound right. I thought the reason for this might be that when you say something like "One of the courses was x." and "x" defines the course uniquely (like "John Doe's Introduction to Literature" does),  there is no way there could be two such courses, and thus "one of them was ..." is bad usage. But I'm not sure this is a valid reason to reject this usage, and I don't know whether this explanation really captures the reason behind my feeling that this usage is wrong, or at least, not ideal.

So my question is: Do you think this usage is indeed less than ideal, and if so, do you think the reason I gave is the right one? (I'm a non-native speaker of English.)


texts: Does "towed out the hangar" violate any grammar rules?

texts:
"The plane was towed out of the hangar."

"The plane was towed out the hangar."

I found myself writing that second sentence because it's shorter and seems to flow better. Does it violate any grammar rules? I can't explain my suspicions that well. It trips some grammar alarm in me. The removal of a preposition is something to be wary of I guess.

BTW, it's the narrator saying that in exposition, so I can't pass it off as colloquial speech.

And curiously, how would you diagram both sentences? The first one has two prepositions in a row.


texts: Is it redundant to say "the plot of the story"?

texts:
I'm writing a paper about title cards and title sequences in movies and at one point I say

  These title cards were also used throughout silent films as they were essential to carrying the plot of the story by displaying dialogue and signifying changes in setting.

Is this redundant?


texts: "Should never have been" or "should have never been"?

texts:
Example:

Methamphetamine should have never been created.

or

Methamphetamine should never have been created.

Which one is correct?
This seems like it should have a simple answer, but either way sounds good to my ear.
Is there an official rule?
EDIT: This is not the same as asking the difference between 'was never' and 'never was.' 'Was' is the past tense form of the infinitive verb 'to be.' In this case, the word 'have' is part of the verb itself. This question essentially involves whether the word 'never' could be added as part of the verb. To clarify and expand the question, it could in fact be said in three different ways:

should have never been
should never have been
never should have been


texts: which preposition is correct ? "to" or "for" ? and Why?

texts:
I would like to know why we must use the preposition "to" instead of "for" in the following sentence
Thanks

Is there a loophole "to" some of these requirements?


texts: What is the male equivalent of "mistress" in formal English?

texts:
The mistress definition, Oxford dictionary

  a woman having an extramarital sexual relationship, esp. with a married man

I am looking for the male equivalent of 'mistress' as defined above. Some sources on the net come up with 'master' and 'mastress'. But I could not find both words in dictionary as male equivalent of mistress.

So, any male equivalents of mistress in formal English?


texts:
The sentence: "The 'Contact us' link in the navigation bar ... to an error page" (When you click it you get an error page)

Does it directs to / points to / refers to /  leads to / ... may be there is more. Which to use? And also can I say 'A link opens an error page' ?.
Thank you :)


texts: what does "glancing about him for support" mean?

texts:
Poppy brought a book. When everyone had been introduced she took the
end chair and began to read with her hands round her face like blinkers.
‘This is the last time I let you do this,’ said Philip.
‘Do what?’
‘Read in company.’
‘But it’s boring!’
‘It’s rude.’
Poppy smiled and shrugged. Athena stood by the door and watched.
Philip, glancing about him for support, caught her eye.

Does the sentence in bold mean:

philip was glancing about him to find somewhere to lean his back or to make more room for himself?

philip was looking at others to be approved by them?

Source: The children's Bach by Helen Garner.


texts: How exactly was the long S used and why did people stop using it?

texts: I have seen examples of the long S being used in old documents,for example in a picture of a medieval document about Muskets in which the word Musket was written as Muſket.


texts: Ending a sentence then beginning a sentence with the same word. Quotation marks?

texts:
If you end a sentence, then begin the next sentence with the same word, but you wish to write more about that word in the next sentence, do you need to put that word in quotation marks in the next sentence?

Example:

Heavy machinery makes up the vast bulk of your vehicle's mass. "Mass," which alone, creates a significant hazard at high speeds.

or:

Heavy machinery makes up the vast bulk of your vehicle's mass. Mass, which alone, creates a significant hazard at high speeds.


texts: Is there a word for surnames that originated from a profession?

texts: Surnames like Cook and Smith originally arose from the professions of those respective names. Is there a term for this type of surname?


texts: The meaning of "ecological withdrawals" in the following context?

texts:
What is the meaning of "ecological withdrawals" in the following context?

  This groundbreaking text provides students with an overview and assessment of green criminology as well as a call to action. Green Criminology draws attention to the ways in which the political-economic organization of capitalism causes ecological destruction and disorganization. Focusing on real-world issues of green crime and environmental justice, chapters examine ecological withdrawals, ecological additions, toxic towns, wildlife poaching and trafficking, environmental laws, and nongovernmental environmental organizations. The book also presents an unintimidating introduction to research from the physical sciences on issues such as climate change, pollution levels, and the ecological footprint of humans, providing a truly interdisciplinary foundation for green criminological analysis. Source

According to New Oxford Thesaurus Dictionary, there are two main senses for withdrawal.

  1

  REMOVAL, taking away; abolition, cancellation, discontinuation,
  ending, stopping, termination, elimination.
  -opposite(s): INTRODUCTION.

  as in :
     the withdrawal of state subsidies

  2

  DEPARTURE, pull-out, exit, exodus, evacuation, retirement, retreat,
  disengagement.

  as in:
  the withdrawal of the troops

But in the mentioned context I cannot understand it with any of these senses.


texts:
In the sentence:

  The author was greatly in love with Annabel Lee and described their love for each other as greater than anyone elses’.

Does the apostrophe go before or after the s in else?

I'm always confused by the rules of using possession with plurals, so I looked online for a bit about the rules. From what I understand, you add the apostrophe after the s if the s makes the word plural, but before the s if it doesn't. In this case, elses refers to others in love, but MS Word says it's incorrect. Is it though?


texts: Is “balanced literacy” a generic term, or elementary education specific?

texts:
“The Room for Debate Section” of New York Times (July 3rd) deals with “the Right Approach to Reading Instruction,” and throws the question;

  “The student-led approach to reading and writing known as "Balanced literacy" is making a comeback in New York City schools. But critics
  say students need closer instruction from teachers and more work on "Core Knowledge"  focusing on systematic phonics and facts. What is the right approach to improving student
  literacy?"
  http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/07/02/the-right-approach-to-reading-instruction?ref=opinion

According to  E. D. Hirsch, Jr. professor emeritus of education and humanities at the University of Virginia, “balanced literacy” in primary school includes some phonetics, children’s literature writing, and is the opposite concept to “core knowledge” approach focusing on systematic phonics and coherent content

I understand that “balanced literacy” simply means balanced (unbiased) knowledge, sophistication, education, or culture of individual (more likely of grown-ups) as a generic term. Is it education specific, particularly of elementary education?


texts: Term or expression which best describes a problem that goes away when an expert attempts to diagnose it?

texts:
There is a phenomenon which I've seen happen across many circumstances.  Generally, it goes something like this:

The complainant has a recurring observable problem.
The complainant contacts an expert who may be capable of solving that problem.
When the complainant attempts to reproduce the problem while the expert is present, the problem is no longer apparent.  The expert never witnesses the problem.
The problem may or may not occur again after the expert goes away.

I'm wondering if there is a term or expression that best describes this phenomenon.

I'm also curious if this is the correct forum for such a question, because the answer I'm looking for doesn't necessarily have to be in English.  For example, it could be something like schadenfreude, which may or may not have a simple English counterpart (although in that case, Wikipedia suggests the expression Roman holiday).


texts: With "amount" will you use singular or plural?

texts:
I am confused about this grammatical question:

large amount of data and the fact that it will exponentially grow
large amount of data and the fact that they will exponentially grow

(the semantic is that the number of data will increase).

Which of the two forms is the correct one?


texts:
I'm Japanese studying English. Am I interpreting each sentences below correctly?

She will claim she'll be cheated on. (She will say "I'm cheated on now.")
She will claim she is cheated on. (She will say "I was cheated on.")
She will claim she was cheated on. (She will say  "I was cheated on a long time ago")


texts: What is the term for a countable noun that is normally used as an uncountable noun?

texts:
There are many questions on this site (EL&U) about countable and uncountable nouns, including one about uncountable nouns that can sometimes be used as if they were countable nouns. This question is about its opposite.

There are nouns such as excess for which the plural form excesses is also in use, albeit with a significantly narrowed meaning in this particular case. That excess is a countable noun is further supported by the phrase "there is an excess of ..." sounding more natural than "there is excess of ...".

Now, although excess is a countable noun, it isn't actually countable beyond having one of them - you can have an excess of wheat, but you can't have two excesses of wheat, for example. Contrast this with a truly uncountable noun such as water, where the construct two waters could be read as an elided form of two bodies of water or two glasses of water.

Other related words such as abundance and, less universally, shortage also have this property, as does extent, to an extent.

Is there a more compact term than the phrase itself for seemingly countable nouns that are normally used as if they are uncountable nouns?

Sample sentence: "[Semi-countable] nouns are restricted to the singular."

Update The construct "a/an [xyz] of ..." is often used with collective nouns, e.g. a disguising of tailors. A strange property of collective nouns is that the chosen word (like disguising in my example, or better still, like the amble in an amble of walkers") need only to be suggestive of some property of the group described, and doesn't even need to be nouns at all when not used as a collective noun. I wouldn't normally consider the phrase "an abundance of wheat" to be a collective noun, but perhaps that is at least a step towards an appropriate label.


texts:
Could anybody, please, enlighten me as to what "off" means in the following excerpts taken from the script for the TV show "Breaking Bad"? (I've also come across the same use of "off" in other scripts).

"Our two scary Cousins glare at Heisenberg. Off them,
wrathful and unblinking, their lips moving in silent
prayer... and us thinking ”Oh shit. THIS can’t be good...”

He stands chest-high, frantically splashing water at the last
few lumps of cash still BURNING poolside. Off our hero...

PAMELA
Alright. I usually open with “So
sorry you’re here...”
(off Sky’s sad smile)
Where would you like to begin?

PAMELA
And it’s not an apartment, it’s a
house that you live in?
(off Skyler’s nod)
Do you own outright, or is there a
mortgage, or do you

SKYLER
Okay. I will think about that.
**Off the two of them shaking hand**s -- friendly, but strained

Off Walt, staring at him... then lowering his head in assent:

Off her, frustrated and grieving and not allowed by
circumstance to even explain herself to her son...

The two slices are carefully mated. Off come the crusts,
sliced with a sharp knife.

Off come their Canali suits.

Off these strange events...

MARIE
He must have! Why not just say
it?! --
Off Marie, left stewing now

Off Jesse, maybe just now beginning to see the light...


texts: Repeating "to" in a list of verbs connected by "and"

texts:
"This group’s main duties are to carry out information systems audits in Colombian banks and to make research and develop new regulations on information technologies and systems in the banking sector."

Should I put a "to" behind "develop"? Or are any other commas needed?


texts: Why isn’t “running late” a phrasal verb?

texts:
Can someone tell me why 'running late' is not a phrasal verb? Running is a verb and late is an adjective, so wouldn't they together make a phrasal verb?

Thank you.


texts: "Easy to explain, here is an example for you:"

texts:
Here I present you two scenarios of mine:

This can be explained very easily, with this example:
example here

and

This can be explained very easily:
example here

On the first situation, I am telling I am about to give you an example, while on the second situation, I don't. Yet, the two points make it quite clear already. Which situation is more correct?
You see, on the first situation, the "with this example" part looks a bit too useless, however, without it, it looks a bit incomplete.


texts:
We have three apples all total.
  All total, we have 75 bananas.
  How many cucumbers do we have all total?

I have heard many sentences like this. I always wonder, is this grammatically correct?


texts:
Does anyone know what would be an appropriate antonym for gem-like?

That is, a word for something that is not valuable, not beautiful, brilliant, or clear, and may be soft, where a gem is hard.

Edit:  We can say gem-like to mean someone with attractive qualities.  I was looking for an opposite along that line.


texts: The most amazing thing (was/were) the people who

texts:
Which one is correct?
The way I see it, the subject is 'the thing' which is singular thus it should carry 'was', no matter what follows. However, there seems to be a lot of people who use 'were' instead.
Is 'the people' the subject in this sentence?


texts: "If the family wasn't killed, maybe he'd never have left." Why is past simple "wasn't" used here?

texts:
It's another time when I come across this sort of conditional and can't understand why there is a past simple in the "if" clause. Shouldn't there be a past perfect (hadn't been killed)? Here's the sentence:

But if the family wasn't killed, maybe he'd never have left.

Star Wars context: As probably most of you know, Luke's "parents" were killed by stormtroopers in A New Hope. In one of the recent Darth Vader comics, he goes to a place where that happened.
Here is the picture:

The dialogue in this scene goes like this:

Panel 1: I guess it's an irony. If the boy was here when the jackboot came down, the Empire would still have a Death Star...
Panel 2: ...But if the family wasn't killed, maybe he'd never have left.
Panel 3: Revenge is one hell of a motivator.


texts:
I've seen a BrE textbook stating that only one is correct ("give").
But I don't believe that to be true. Are both correct?
Do they have different usage?
Are there differences between AmE and BrE in this regard? Thanks!
"make an apology"
"give an apology"


texts: Is a sentence beginning with "Different from" not so good?

texts:
I saw one topic on the wordreference forum discussing whether a sentence could begin with "Different from" (see the post). The example sentences in that post are

  A: Different from Drug A, Drug B can also be administered orally.
  B: Unlike Drug A, Drug B can also be administered orally.

It is said that in a textbook (see the pdf, however, it's written in Japanese), sentence A is considered to be a "not so good" expression.

So, is this assertion true? In addition, I think although sentence A is not so good, it is grammatically right, because the verb of the sentence is be---am I right?

Thank you.

EDIT 1

To state the question more precisely, I am concerned with the correctness of this form:

Adj phrase, Subject + Be + ...

For a simple example,

  Similar to me, he is tall.

I don't know why but, I think the sentence above sounds OK (at least more OK than a sentence starting with "Different from") ... Is there any explanation in the formal grammar?

EDIT 2

Still, I am a little confused about the difference between my example and the detached predicative supplement. In Angela Downing's book English Grammar: A University Course, Second Edition, on page 482, it says:

  Detached predicatives ... are a type of supplementive unit, that is, a unit used non-restrictively ... Syntactically, they are not integrated into the unit which they modify. They are thus free as regards position, though in practice they are usually found in initial rather than final or medial positions. They provide an economical means of adding contextual information which fills out the reader's perception of the person or thing referred to. They are common in certain written genres and generally absent from conversation.

The corresponding example sentence in this grammar book is

  Angry and tearful, Susan walked out.

It seems this sentence is short for "Being angry and tearful, Susan walked out." So, though it sounds a little like a pedant, the sentence

  (Being) Different from Drug A, Drug B can also be administered orally.

might be grammatically right ...


texts: Word for the period of graduate study prior to fieldwork, comprehensive exams, dissertation writing?

texts:
I've forgotten the word commonly used to refer to the period during which a graduate student (doctoral candidate in particular) takes courses. Is it coursework? The sentence is:

Following my _____, I hope to conduct fieldwork in order to gather data relevant to my dissertation.


texts: What is a word that means someone who is involved in the arts without implying a specific type of art?

texts:
Is there a word that encompasses artist, poets, architects, dancers, musicians?

The correct word to use is surely "Artist" but in my context that word is confusing as it connotes someone involved in the visual arts making it unacceptable for me.

Is there a word that covers creative pursuits?


texts: A word for: "previous generations that no longer exist"

texts:
I am searching for the most concise and well-sounding way to say

  my foremost inspiration is the photos of previous (deceased) generations.

I cannot find a suitable word or succinct expression to describe something belonging to previous generations that have died out. I also don't want to sound negative by implying the death of previous people.

Moreover, is there a better way of saying: it inspires me? Should I say: I am inspired by?


texts: use of "personal" when referring to a collective body

texts: in a document can it be stated that "The Board of Directors Board of Directors wishes to honor -------- and to express its sincere personal appreciation and gratitude for his excellent service, dedication and …


texts: How should I understand "all the more reason to"?

texts:
The following sentence is from a commencement speech.

  All the more reason to be grateful, this and every day, that we live
  in America, where the talents God gave us may be used in freedom.

I don't understand the phrase "all the more reason to" even after I looked it up on thefreedictionary.com, which returns the entry:

  all the more reason for (doing something) and all the more reason to (do something)
  with even better reason or cause for doing something. (Can be included in a number of grammatical constructions.)

I don't quite understand the explanation: what does "with even better reason" mean?

Can anybody say something more about this phrase?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Using verb tenses correctly

This is a quote from The Great Gatsby:

  She smiled slowly and, walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom, looking him flush in the eye!

Why do these four verbs have different tenses: smiled, walking, shook, looking?


texts: Origin of the word Waddy and how it came to mean "unappealing, unattractive."

texts:
From the first decade of the 20th century and up till the 1940s, the word waddy was a popular word meaning unappealing and unattractive. Can anyone help me better understand this word and it's origin? The only reference I could find for waddy on the internet I've copied below:

http://hubpages.com/hub/College-Slang-From-the-1900s-That-Still-Sounds-Fresh


texts: 'Automobile' vs 'car': How are these two words different?

texts:
My layman's impression is that when people say 'automobile', they mean exactly the same thing as a 'car', except they're trying to be more formal.

Is that right? Or are there other differences?


texts: Using commas and pronouns correctly in "Not only because, but also" construct

texts:
Firstly, I know that there are plenty of questions concerning "not only, but also" construct on StackExchange. However, none of them could give me an explanation for what I am trying to figure out...
How much complementary information is required when we are constructing a sentence with "not only because,.. but also"? What I mean by that is, do we need to use the same pronoun in both parts of the sentence, do we need a comma after the first principle clause?

1.) X theories are one of the most decisive for the Y industries (,) not only because they help us develop an understanding of Z, but also propose schemes for...
2.) X theories are one of the most decisive for the Y industries (,) not only because they help us develop an understanding of Z, but also (because they) propose schemes for...
3.) X theories are one of the most decisive for the Y industries (,) not only because they help us develop an understanding of Z, but also (they) propose schemes for...
4.) X theories are one of the most decisive for the Y industries because they not only help us develop an understanding of Z, but also (because they) propose schemes for...

Are all of these alternatives grammatically correct and technically identical? Or, is there any difference in the meanings from the idiomatic point of view?


texts:
This is taken from a book called "A Brief History of the Future: The origins of the internet", page 10, by John Naughton

  Later, driving home in the dark, I asked, "Da, is Mr Clarke very rich?" He replied laconically "Well, he doesn't want for a bob or two anyway," and I finally understood why my father had never obtained his license.

What does he doesn't want for a bob or two anyway mean?


texts: In writing dates, when should "last" or "on" be used?

texts: Please enlighten me about the difference in using "last" and "on" when writing dates.  For example, which one would be correct: "I attended the meeting on December 14, 2014." Or, "I attended the meeting last December 14, 2014." I can't find any resource for answers. Thank you in advance.


texts: Is "alienesque" a redundant form of "alien" as a adjective?

texts:
I googled and tried to search words like gigantesque, alienesque, and animalesque so that I could know whether they are informal or redundant forms of giant, alien, and animal, respectively. But not even a single dictionary had references to such words.

See the pattern (the words include the suffix -esque):

gigantesque > giant
alienesque > alien
animalesque > animal

All of these pairs are of adjectives; what's the difference? Are the words suffixed with -esque not redundant?


texts: Better names for single component and composite component

texts:
We are developing an equipment system which basically tracks every single component used in bigger structures for a certain industry. We are distinguishing between single components and composite components.

So for example, a firetruck in our system is composed of other components, e.g water pump, ladder etc.

Any suggestions to better names for these two types of components?

Thanks


texts: Can we use **In which** or/and **By which** at the beginning of the sentence

texts:
I am wondering if it is accepted to use In which or/and By which or any other similar phrase at the beginning of the sentence and then use a comma.
For example:

""Thus, only the hardware-based solutions have been taken into consideration. In which, the revolutionary hardware technologies’ advances are being exploited"

I tried to find something and I found it used without any comma at all in the middle of a sentence like this or after a comma like this.


texts: Step on a crack, break your mother’s back

texts:
I came across this piece:

  The old saying “step on a crack, break your mother’s back” may not
  apply to sidewalks for much longer now that MIT researchers have
  figured out why concrete breaks down. As a result of the discovery,
  structures like buildings, bridges, and yes, sidewalks, could last for
  hundreds of years longer than they currently do. A nuclear waste
  container built to last 100 years could, for example, last 16,000
  years.

  According to MIT professor Franz-Josef Ulm, creep (the process that
  create cracks) is created when calcium-silicate-hydrates (CSH)
  rearrange at the nano scale. When mixed with water, CSH particles
  change in density from 64% to 74%. By adding silica fumes–a waste
  product from aluminum production–to concrete, overall density can
  increase to 87%. That’s a change that could eventually lead to
  longer-lasting, lighter structures.

  If Ulm’s theories are put it into practice, the concrete industry and
  the planet could benefit immensely. 5 to 8% of all manmade CO2 comes
  from manmade concrete construction, so any reduction in the need to
  produce more of the stuff would slow global warming. And with twenty
  billion tons of concrete churned out annually, there’s plenty of room
  to cut down on production.

Anybody know what does “step on a crack, break your mother’s back” mean in the context above? If it is an idiom, as I think, what are the origin and contexts wherein we could use it?


texts: Is it we "held a wake" or "we waked for his life"?

texts:
Can wake be used as a verb and a noun.

I've seen wake used as a noun such as an event or period. "The wake will be on this date", "we will arrange a wake to show our thankfulness for having this person in our life", etc.

I have never seen it used as a verb but have been told it can be.

So is it correct to say "we will wake on this day", "we have waked by doing this", "we wake for those we have lost"?

Edit.

Another question about how wake is used. In my last example could it be "we wake those we have lost" without the "for"?


texts:
To give effect to something or to carry/bring/put something into effect is to make it begin doing what it was intended to do.

Are these verb phrases ('to give effect...', to + verb + into + effect) containing 'effect' prolix and tortuous? Why not simply use 'to effect'? They transpire  to suggest that there may be differences?


texts:
What is the difference between "scarce" and "rare"?

And how to say the following?

  diamond is (rare, scarce)

My English teacher has said that there is a difference between the two words, later, I asked him for more explanation but I couldn't fully understand. He said that rare is to describe the valuable thing, for example --> ‘rare pearl’, and scarce for the thing being elusive and can't be easily obtained as there is not enough amount of it.


texts:
My question might seem to be stupid enough, it's basic grammar, I believe; however, I'm at my wits' end. Should we use Past perfect or Past Simple in the following sentence:

  He promised/ had promised to turn up at 4, but appeared at 9?


texts: The usage of the title "Mr." along with other titles

texts:
Could I put "Mr." along other title?

  Mr. DR. Alan Smith

Somebody may explain the usage of title Mr. before the name


texts: Can the word 'fertility' be used in reference to whether you choose to have children or not?

texts:
The term fertility is commonly defined in reference to one's ability to reproduce.
In demographics the term 'fertility rate' is used to describe the number of children mating pairs actually have - regardless of their ability to conceive or lack thereof.
ie. When we say that country X has a lower fertility rate than country Y we usually don't mean that people in country X are less able to have children - usually we mean that people in country X choose to have less children.
Can we then - use the term fertility to describe an individual's choice about whether they have children. The common usage would be in discussions of birth control and abortion.
For example:

A woman's right to abortion is not just about her autonomy to her body, but the right for her to control her fertility.
Some men's rights activists would argue that men too should have post-conception control of their fertility.


texts:
Word for 'so simple you'd think it's obvious but it's not' .. for example I learned today that people who are easily distracted are more like to become addicted.

Is there a word for that?


texts: How do we say km2 in words? Do we use km exponent  by two, square kilometer, kilometer squared or something else?


texts: Adjective which means both "Specific" and "General" simultaneously

texts:
I need an adjective which means both "Specific" and "General" simultaneously!

As the explanation,  the "adjective" is supposed to be used in scientific domain.
The adjective would describes a "model" representing a group of data instances so that the model is:

1) "specific" enough to distinguish the group from other groups.

2) "general" enough to capture all shared commonalities of its included instances.

So, the model is a "??????" model!

As an example for the word that I mean:

Consider we have resume (list of abilities) of 5 people (call theme A-E) like this:

A,B:[Programming, Speaking Dutch Language, Playing Guitar]

C:[Programming, Team Working, Speaking Dutch Language]

E,F:[Team Working, Speaking Dutch Language].

The A, B and C form the group X together and C, D and E form another group, say Y. We want to find a ``specific'' list of abilities for group X which contain common abilities of its members. So, a "general" and "specific" list would contain "Programming" but not "Dutch Language". Since "Dutch language" although is a share ability among A,B and C, it is a share ability between the members group Y.
The adjective that I need should describe the [Programming] as the list of abilities (as the model of) group X, which is just describe the group X (not other group) -specified- and also describe share property of its members -generalised-.

I hope this example would help!


texts: Term for how the Landlord makes sure he's covered

texts:
When a landlord rents a property, he can insure himself in one of two ways:

Security Deposit - an item or amount of money that is in the possession of the landlord and can be used to cover damages or failure to pay rent
Guarantor - a person or body that accepts the responsibility to pay if the tenant is not able

What word can be used to group these terms together?

I am trying to find a good name for a tab in which the user can define whether the Contract uses one (or both) of these methods.

So far I have financial protection. Any other suggestions?


texts: what you call a person living in a safe house

texts:
What would you call the person that lives in a safe house, to save them from a much worse situation, say a person seeking freedom, escaping violence. The text I am translating refers to the African Americans who were offered a place in Underground Railroad safe houses during the period of slavery in the US.

I'm looking for a generic word (not the official "freedom seekers" or similar) - something that has to do with them being "protected" (a synonym for "protectee")
The sample sentence is:

  The comforter on the bed has star and moon patterns...  Mother didn’t make it herself...  it was a gift from one of her poor protectees when we arrived here. It was a gift from Mrs Dillard, as thanks for the help she’d received.


texts: The meaning of "biting economic sanctions"

texts:
The full sentence from the Economist is "China is reluctant to impose biting economic sanctions on the authorities in Pyongang,....."

I'm not sure "bite the sanctions" means cancel punishment or stop permission?


texts:
I'm writing a research paper and I have this doubt:

My sentence:  The first western infected arrived in the US for treatment in August 2, 2014.

The online corrector marks as wrong the preposition "in August", although before months this is the right preposition...

I've tried to change the sentence into: "In August2, 2014, the first..." and it reports me the same mistake...

Could anyone tell me what is the problem that is in these sentences, I'm really lost int he woods....

Thank you in advance!


texts: Do I need to repeat the "are" in this sentence?

texts:
Example 1: Recent interdisciplinary studies advance the argument that emotions are social phenomena but not separable from bodily response.

Example 2: Recent interdisciplinary studies advance the argument that emotions are social phenomena but are not separable from bodily response.

Do I have to have the "are" to make this sentence correct? It sounds wrong to me to not have it, but I know I technically don't have to repeat the verb, right? For example, I can say: I am happy but tired. I don't need to say: I am happy but I am tired.


texts: Whether an omitted "that" should be replaced with a comma in certain situations

texts:
Consider a sentence like this:

"I'm just letting you know that the meeting is at 6 tonight."

It would be pretty common to omit "that" in this sentence:

"I'm just letting you know the meeting is at 6 tonight."

It has come to my attention that some people think that this manipulation requires the introduction of a comma, like so:

"I'm just letting you know, the meeting is at 6 tonight."

My intuition suggests the comma is not necessary and may even be incorrect according to some obscure rule of thumb, but I don't really know. What are the thoughts on this?


texts: What is the correct adjective that describes the temporal proximity between the two events?

texts:
I'm trying to find the best adjective to describe the temporal proximity between the two events: the creation of two WiFi networks.

Currently I'm using almost concurrent to describe the proximity:

  But it is not possible to prevent all the almost-concurrent requests because some of them are asynchronous."*

But it sounds not very good to me.


texts: Is there a word for someone who somewhat delights in their illnesses/medications?

texts:
For example, a couple of years ago I talked to this woman who had lupus, and she would often tell stories of the all the gnarly surgeries and medications she had to take to control her disease.  I rather got the impression at the time she enjoyed the attention it brought her; not necessarily in a totally overbearing way, but more subtle.

Similarly, just today at the barber's, I overheard another woman talking to a hairdresser about some disease she had, which required her to take "experimental vaccines" and "all sorts of red and blue pills"; she informed the guy that although she looked outwardly normal, she was felt terrible, and was sick all the time from the medication.   She gave an "I'm chugging through it" half-smile as she talked.

Note that this isn't Munchausen's, which is the first word to come many people's minds — neither of them ever gave me the impression they weren't truly sick.  It's more they had an enthusiasm for being ill and sharing that news that most people don't have. Is there a good word for this kind of person?


texts: Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous

texts:
In British English, which of the two sentences is more acceptable? And please tell me the difference if there is any. Many thanks!

I have played football for two years now
I have been playing football for two years.


texts: Is waterfall a place or a fall of water?

texts:
The Cambridge Dictionary defines 'waterfall' in this way: water, especially from a river or stream, dropping from a higher to a lower point, sometimes from a great height.

However, the Collins Dictionary defines 'waterfall' as a place where water flows over the edge of a steep, high cliff in hills or mountains, and falls into a pool below.

Also, the Wikipedia sources say that a waterfall is a place where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops in the course of a stream or river.


texts:
"Do we send her home to a house that hasn't been disinfected - because disinfecting teams aren't functioning."

In the sentence above, does "a house" mean any house or her house?
I find it confusing because the sentence used "home", which is an adverb and implies "her house".  But, at the same time, it used the indefinite article "a" before "house", which implies the "house" is not a particular house but any house that has not been disinfected. If the "house" were her house, I though using "the house, has not been disinfected" would be more appropriate because we know what particular house the sentence refers to.

Is my reasoning wrong?


texts: Word for problem listening/speaking and not reading/writing english

texts:
Suppose I have problems

listening and understanding English esp. of non-Indian accent
speaking English fluently

How should I tell someone about it using very few words instead of typing a long sentence?


texts: Does "complement the deficiencies" make sense?

texts:
I would like to construct this sentence: "Our strengths complement each others' deficiencies".

Does that make sense?


texts:
Not sure if my question is considered redundant to another one that was asked of if "please kindly" generally is a redundant expression.

I am curious if
"please disregard my message" is polite enough or
if "please kindly disregard my message" is necessary.

Or if "please kindly disregard my message" is actually a redundant expression, as there is no kindly or unkindly way of disregarding a message.


texts: Shift to "must" for negation of "have to"?

texts:
According to englishpage.com, if have to or must expresses certainty, the negative form uses must not. Example:

  That has to be Jerry. They said he was tall with bright red hair.
  => That must not be Jerry. They said he has blond hair, not red hair.

I learned that must not expresses prohibition (and this case is also listed there) and I've never encountered an exception so far. So, it sounded funny to me and I asked a native English speaker. She's of the opinion that this usage of must not is not right, but she's only sure about British English.

Is this usage of must not just wrong?
Or is it correct for a certain variation of English? American English, for instance?
Or was it correct in former times and nowadays considered archaic?

EDIT:
Many, if not all, answers state that the proper use is can't. This, however, is not my question. Furthermore, some answers elaborated on the proper meaning of must not in the sense of "not allowed to do". This isn't my question either. I must be aware (no pun intended) of the proper meaning of must not, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed this 'error'.

I don't know nothing about the author of that page but, in dubio pro reo, I assume that they know what they talk about.


texts: Which is correct: "where she went" or "where did she go"?

texts:
My friend asked me about my colleague and I replied him that "I don't know where she went". Then he replied that I must say like "I don't know where did she go".

Is there any mistake in the former sentence?


texts: Obscured, obfuscated, what is the best word to use to ensure all sensitive info has been removed

texts:
How do I say all sensitive information has been obscured, what is the correct word?

For context this is data that contains encrypted passwords. While these are difficult to get meaningful info from, there is still enough information to get a password from this given enough time and effort.

What I refer to is the password field replaced with "******" No information left.


texts: A word for when you speak ill of something and it turns out the person you are speaking to likes that thing

texts: Is there a word describing the phenomenon of when you insult or speak badly of something but it turns out the person you are speaking to likes or owns or is related to that thing? E.G. you say "The new model of XYZ looks terrible" and the person you are speaking to says "Oh... I've just gotten one."


texts:
Can "there" be used with the verb "to result"? For example, in a mathematical text:

There results an isomorphism between pushouts in the category A.


texts: Why the increase in usage of the word "quarantine" between around 1880 and 1930?

texts:
I was thinking today that the word "quarantine", since 2020, has probably seen an increase in usage unprecedented since the advent of the printing press. Hastening to Google Ngrams to verify my theory, I discovered to my dismay that this tool requires an end date between 1500 and 2019. Perhaps another year will suffice to confirm my theory; however, in the meantime, another question arose from the graph I did obtain:

Why did the word "quarantine" see such a spike in usage between around 1880 and 1930? Were there any changes in its usage around that time, or any important events in the English-speaking world which might have led to the word's relevance increasing? I thought about the Spanish flu pandemic, but the increase in usage of "quarantine" began decades before that.


texts:
I'm looking for a word that combines "Sneak" with "Steal", like:

To sneak and steal

It would be best if it were archaic, but I'd love to hear all possibilities of course. Thank you!

EDIT:

Thanks for the replies so far. I looked up synonyms of steal on google before asking this question, but I missed the obvious second definition.

I will probably just use a synonym of steal, then.


texts: "A variety of X is" vs. "a variety of X are"

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct?

  A variety of dishes are being prepared.
  A variety of dishes is being prepared.

I believe that both can be used, though I'd stick with the plural use of the verb. What do you think?


texts: When do we use "elder" "older" and "eldest"?

texts: I'd appreciate it if someone explained everything regarding those three adjectives. They confuse me.


texts: What do you call a person with 'polar' views or preferences

texts:
Emotionally judging things as being 'good' or 'bad'. Not in the moral sense, rather as inducing either a strongly positive or negative emotional response.

It's not 'narrow-minded' or 'prejudiced' or 'intolerant', since the person may be very open to new experiences, but most of them are either 'great' or 'horrible' afterwards with little middle ground.


texts: I am having difficulty describing the sound of grinding metal as it pertains to opening a car door that has been severely damaged in an accident.


texts: A sentence structure that confuses me: "as... so..."

texts:
Here is a sentence from the soccer magazine World Soccer about the 2010 World Cup draw:

As the dust settled after the World Cup draw in Cape Town so the various managers tried to assess the task ahead - either warning against complacency over what might appear an "easy" draw or promising confidence and optimism against the seemingly tougher tasks.

I've never seen such sentence structure as "as...so..." Does the sentence mean that the managers were trying to assess the task in a manner of the settling dust? Shouldn't there be a comma before the word "so?"

Plus, what does the word "task" mean in that sentence? Another sentence that uses the word follows the above sentence:

An immediate defiant reaction to the task produced by the draw - undertaken by FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke and Oscar-winning South African actress Charlize Theron - came from South Africa manager Carlos Alberto Parreira.

Thanks in advance. I've always been reliant on StackExchanging people's expertise in English to improve my English.


texts: Which one is right: "water dripping down from my knees" or "water dripping down my knees"?

texts:
Which sentence is the right one?

  "water dripping down from my knees"

or

  "water dripping down my knees"

Is the word "from" necessary in this sentence?


texts: Good term for the consulting firm employees that don't do the actual consulting?

texts:
I work for a consulting firm made up of employees that generally work in one of two types of roles. Some employees visit the client and do the work that makes us profitable, while other employees work at the firm's headquarters and ensure that those first employees have jobs lined up, that they're happy and fulfilled, that they're paid on time, that their computers work, etc. etc.

Everyone in the first role is known as a "consultant." For the latter role, the internal/administrative folks, we're struggling to come up with a term that makes sense. This issue matters more and more as my firm places a greater emphasis on security and therefore needs consistent terms for groups and access levels and related communication/documentation.

We used to label the latter role as "headquarters workers" (note, not real name), but our headquarters has space for consultants to work too, so "headquarters worker" has gotten confusing for those with a mostly-permanent residence here. Similarly, we're very open to telecommuting, so many "headquarters workers" may very rarely actually work at the headquarters.

Final twist: no one at the company likes calling the administrative workers "corporate workers." They certainly are corporate, but the word is generally despised.

Any suggestions?

Example phrase: At my firm, employees are either consultants or _________s; the consultants do the actual consulting, and the _________s support them.

Bonus phrase: For the Quarterly Review communication, let's open up access to _________s for now, then add consultants when we're ready to publish.


texts:
The phrase "no pun intended" is often added after someone made a pun or something that could be considered a pun. If this should be taken literally (i.e. it really was unintentional), then I'm not sure what exactly the reasons are for adding this phrase or if you should even add it at all.

I guess the intention could be to avoid that a statement will be viewed as a joke because of the pun. This seems reasonable when used verbally. You realise what you just said was a pun and try to clear it up. When written, it seems unnecessary though. You could just rephrase the sentence and get rid of the pun if it isn't appropriate or too confusing in the context.

At other times it seems that the purpose of the phrase is to get the readers attention to the pun you just made. If that's the case why does it seem to be so well accepted? Isn't it the same as saying "hey guys, I made a joke, please laugh!?", which would be considered lame? I believe it would be more witty to just let it pass and let the more clever readers figure it out on their own. Some people are even more direct and just add "pun intended" or a sarcastic interjection like "(ha!)" for obviously intended but bad puns.

So it seems there are multiple reasons to use "no pun intended". What is the general reception of the phrase, should I always assume it was intentional and how do I tell if it really wasn't? Should I use it if I want to make a pun or only to prevent confusion when there is a double meaning?


texts:
Is below sentence gramatically correct:

Injustice and misinformation are rising everywhere.

Or should I use 'is' instead of 'are'. Why?


texts:
I'm usually perplexed on whether it is the better usage of "case history". The following sentences shown three different way to handle this phrase:

a) In discussing the case's history, you assert that the hospital "remained neutral." [→]

b) How he flees to the police as a man seeking asylum and how the doors of his addled subconscious are finally opened by the patient gnomes in the Palais de Justice, make up the bulk of M. Simenon's frightening case-history. Readers who are upset by Gallic frankness should back away from that case-history at all costs. [→]

c) Presented as the case history of a standard homosexual, this novel adds little that is new to a groaning shelf. Mr. Vidal's approach is coldly clinical: there is no real attempt to involve the reader's emotions. [→]

Anybody know which is the better choice: "case history", "case's history" or "case-history"? Or are there differences in meaning?


texts: Is there a word for when a statement is technically true but misleading?

texts:
The statement that inspired the question was "Newton was wrong [about the laws that govern movement]". Although some exceptions have been found to Newton's laws since he discovered them and thus the statement is true, the laws are still taught and used, making the statement misleading.

Another example would be "I've never lost at chess" when the speaker has never played a game of chess.


texts: Where there are two or more people named, this data protection statement applies to each person separately

texts: This expression is in a statement of a bank. What make me confused is the function of the where clause. Where here I think, precedes a adverbial clause, but seem not like a adverbial clause of place, more like a adverbial clause of condition.


texts: Which is the suitable preposition for a perspective?

texts:
Consider several well known phenomena. I would like to describe these phenomena from a different point of view.

Do I allow a different perspective on these phenomena, of the phenomena, at all phenomena in focus, or should I use a different proposition?


texts: Subjunctive Mood with the Type 3 Conditional or "could with the perfect infinitive" expressing ability, theoretical possibility, etc. in the past

texts:
From NBC news’s ‘Breakthrough finding’ reveals why certain Covid-19 patients die:

"Before Covid, their condition was silent," Bastard said. "Most of them hadn't gotten sick before."
Bastard said he now wonders whether autoantibodies against interferon also increase the risk from other viruses, such as influenza. Among patients in his study, "some of them had gotten flu in the past, and we're looking to see if the autoantibodies could have had an effect on flu."

I have two questions.

Does "could have had" in "...we're looking to see if the autoantibodies could have had an effect on flu" simply imply that they (a group of researchers) were looking to see if the autoantibodies had had an effect on flu and does "could" with the perfect infinitive" just express ability or theoretical possibility as a modal construction in the Indicative Mood? And therefore it is not a Conditional clause but an Object clause?
If so, where may the grammar rules (patterns) laying down non-conditional usage of "could" with the perfect infinitive be met?
(because having sought out much on these issue I got stumped to find out that it is being widely propagated throughout Grammar books that using such constructions is narrowed almost only to the Subjunctive Mood with the Type 3 conditional)


texts:
Is there a word for the situation where you have a conversation with someone and later on you think back on it and wish you would have said something that you didn't say?

I think German actually has a word for this and I would accept that.


texts: "sit back and relax" vs. "kick back and relax"?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why 'kick back' can mean 'get relaxed'?

I have seen so many times "Sit back and relax" while installing softwares. I understand that it means it will take a while to install.

Today I saw "Kick back and relax" while installing the following software. What does it mean? Is this slang?

Image:


texts: Is there a term for a disease that is spread ONLY from person to person?

texts:
I'm looking for a term to describe a disease that is spread ONLY from person to person, not from animal to person (zoonosis):

  Zoonosis: any disease of animals communicable to humans (Dictionary.com)

My first thought was infectious disease, but this has too broad a definition; it encompasses both zoonotic diseases and (for lack of a better term) non-zoonotic diseases:

  Infectious disease: a disease resulting from the presence and activity of a pathogenic microbial agent. (Dictionary.com)

Communicable disease likewise refers to any disease spread to humans, whether it is spread by another human or by an animal:

  Communicable disease: a disease that is transmitted through direct contact with an infected individual or indirectly through a vector. Also called contagious disease. (Dictionary.com)

Is there any term (preferably a scientific/medical term, but a layman's term would suffice) for a disease which is spread ONLY from person to person, and not from animal to person? I would like to use a term that describes what such a disease is, rather than skirting the issue by describing what it is not (e.g., non-zoonotic disease or non-vector-borne disease).


texts:
While proofreading an essay I suggested this sentence:
"His persona does not finally overcome grief."
be changed to:
"His persona does ultimately not overcome grief."

Is there any difference between the two at all? The suggestion was based on a feeling only.


texts: How to pronunce th+s like in paths or months?

texts: I always feel it's kind of hard to pronunce them both, can either of them be dropped or reduced?


texts:
Does this sentence make sense?

x: Let the sky clear out a bit before you go to work.

Let’s say it was pouring and the wife doesn’t want her husband to just yet because it can be dangerous. Would you say “let it clear out” or let it clear off”?


texts:
I hope you have the answer for my question. What is correct:

1) He was joking but I didn't know that he was.

2) He was joking but I didn't know that he did.


texts: Word for giving preference to the oldest child

texts:
Is there a word that refers to a system or social approach of giving the oldest child the most advantage/attention/rights. E.g.
"Why do they get to sit in the front seat"
"Because they're the oldest"
"That argument doesn't work. We don't practice ______."

I'm not looking for primogeniture, as the word I'm looking for has more to do with day to day activities than inheritance.


texts: A good that has been renamed to be sold at a higher price

texts:
According to Wikipedia:

The name "Chilean Seabass" was invented by a fish wholesaler named Lee Lantz in 1977. He was looking for a name that would make [the toothfish] attractive to the American market. He considered "Pacific sea bass" and "South American sea bass" before settling on "Chilean sea bass".[3] In 1994, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted "Chilean Seabass" as an "alternative market name" for Patagonian toothfish,[3] and in 2013 for Antarctic toothfish.

I imagine there is a word or phrase that isn't as formal as "alternative market name" for the process of taking an unappealing product, giving it a fancy name and jacking up the price, but nothing comes to mind.


texts: Something related to a person not people in general

texts:
What is the word or phrase for something related to one person not people in general. For example:

  This issue is very ???, it doesn't apply to other customers/people/users, so we skip it.


texts: Why do English men's names almost always stress the first syllable?

texts:
While looking at names of American Presidents I noticed that English men’s names almost always stress the first syllable.   Barack Obama is unusual in that he’s only the second President (after Ulysses Grant) whose name does not have a stress on the first syllable.  I then looked at all the Vice Presidents, and it’s the same – every one of them has a first-syllable stressed name.

Looking at first ladies’ names the story is different.  Taking the search away from Presidents and just looking at first names in general, what I found was that there’s an overall trend that while women’s names may be stressed on either the first or second syllables with about equal frequency, men’s names are almost universally stressed on the first.

This is not the case in every language, or even in just in western languages.  Take a name like “Louis”.  Pronounced in French, the word is stressed on the second syllable, but the same name in English is stressed on the first, and there are countless examples of this if you compare English names to French, Spanish, Italian, etc.  It may be a trend with Germanic languages.  German men’s names tend to stress the first syllable as well.

My question is – why?  Where does this trend come from?  Has it always been this way?  Is there some reason why only men’s names have this common trend and not women’s?


texts: What are exchanges like "How are you," "I'm fine," and "See you later" called?

texts:
Some verbal/written exchanges convey almost no meaning but are part of the protocol of conversation.  For example, somebody greets you with "How are you?" and they're not usually not listening for actual information, just for you to say, "Fine," or similar.  Or when you go through any sort of service transaction, it seems like half a dozen "thank yous" are exchanged between both parties.

Is there a term or phrase describing the phrases we use for maintaining the facade of politeness?


texts:
In the context of knowledge of something, the phrase "to catch up" is apparently being used in both active and passive ways. For example:

I have to catch up on the latest news.
Can you catch me up on the latest news?

To me, this seems not logical if I think about catching up requiring some effort on the part of the person that is not up to date. Instead, I would prefer

Can you help me catch up on the latest news.

To me, the usage gets more confusing if catching up refers to physical distance, for example, a cyclist who wants to catch up with another. For me,

Rider A was caught up by rider B

would mean that A was in front but than B caught up with him, rather than B helped A catch up with other riders in front.
My question is:
What is the meaning of the cycling example for native speakers?
PS: updated in response to comments. It seems that I was not actually talking about "passive voice". Apologies to @TRomano for the changes after their answer.


texts:
A question on another site asks, I have a laptop ... Now I am trying to install Windows 7 and it shows a message saying "Driver not found".

Whereupon a commenter asks,  What is the "it" that shows the message?

I would think that was an existential it, which cannot be attributed to anything in particular. In any case, if I had structured the question myself, I would probably have intended so.

Q: Is this a case of an existential it?

[Edit-1] Clarification
This question is not about the subject of the example. The question relates to English language, grammar and esp., the concept of the existential it. Please see also the tags for an idea.


texts:
What's the difference between queen and queencess? Does it have something to do with princess? And more generally what does it mean?

I have heard this phrase several times in my neighborhood.


texts: Effect of negative statement after the conjuction 'and'

texts:
I just read the following statement,

100% Administrator Trust

Administrators have and will never have access to any unencrypted data.

I am sure that author wanted to imply that (1) Administrators do not have access to any unencrypted data, and (2) Administrators will never have access to any unencrypted data.

However, it is not clear to me how the negation after the conjunction implies also to the part before the conjunction. Is this a correct formulation given the implied meaning and if yes, why?


texts: What's the difference between "cut out of" and "cut out from"?

texts:
For example: This piece was cut out of/from the red fabric.

I see on the internet that people use both versions, but can't quite get the difference... or maybe I can use them interchangeably?


texts: What word describes the ability or capacity of oneself on a given day

texts:
I am looking for a word that describes one's ability to accomplish a task on the present day, as in a athlete's daily fitness, which is what google translate offered me when I tried to translate the word that we have for this in Swedish (which is dagsform).

In other words, I am looking for a word or phrase that describes a particular person's ability on the current day that is broad enough to relate to any given task.

An example of a sentence could be I am sorry for coming up short, my [insert word] is not at its best.


texts: "I found that, on average, there are...." or "I found, on average, that there are..."?

texts: So if you couldn't figure out the question from the title, does the subordinating conjunction (the word "that") precede or succeed the extra information between the commas?


texts: made of VS made from (not duplicate, tricky one)

texts:
Here I would like to ask a question about the usage of made of and made from.

I know the issue has been discussed on this forum many times before, but this time I would like to ask a tricky question that is not similar to the previous ones that have been discussed so far.

As we know, made of means that the materials do not change during the process of making, while made from means that they change into something different.
For example,

Chairs are made of wood. (If you break the chairs, the scraps are still wood.)
Paper is made from wood. (There is no wood in the paper)

However, here comes my question. There are occasions when the materials are not combined, sewed, or stuck together. The manufacturers turn them into different things by simply changing their shapes.

Although you can still break them into pieces and find that they are still the same material, but you should not use "made of" but "made from" because they are neither units that are combined together (like bricks) nor the basic material that is normally used (like steel or wood).

For example,

The blanket is made of animal skin. (There are different pieces of animal skin sewed together. If you tear down any one of them, it's a piece of animal skin.)
The blanket is made from animal skin. (The blanket is made from a whole piece of animal skin. You can't see other pieces; therefore, it was "made from" animal skin.
The doll is made of the wood we found on the beach. (The doll consists of different pieces of wood.)
The doll is made from the wood we found on the beach. (The doll was originally a whole piece of wood.)
The drumhead is made from animal skin. (It's a whole piece of animal hide. You can't break it into smaller units. The piece of animal skin cannot be seen anymore if you tear the drumhead into fragments.)
The drumhead is made of animal skin. (It's composed of many pieces of animal skin. The pieces of skin are still obvious.)

Have I distinguished between them correctly?


texts: What is "from which" doing in "A living hell from which Rupert, thank God, rescued me"?

texts:
I got this line from the film About Time when the female character is describing the first meeting with her boyfriend Rupert at a party:

  A living hell from which Rupert, thank God, rescued me.

I can understand what she meant, which is that the party was a living hell and Rupert rescued her. But I’m pretty unsure sure about the part from which.

Does it just mean he rescued her from the living hell, or does it mean something else?

If she had said:

  Rupert rescued me from the living hell.

I would have completely gotten the meaning, but that from which puzzles me.


texts: "Second-order approaches". What does this mean?

texts:
I'm currently reading a scientific paper, in which the words "second-order approaches" are supposed to inform me about a certain solution to a problem. However, I don't have the slightest clue on what these words mean.

English is not my mother tongue, so it may be something very obvious. I've never seen it before so I'm not sure what it implies.

I'd be very happy to know what it means.


texts: 'Before he enter on the execution of his office [...]'

texts:
This is the pretext of the oath of office of the President of the United States.
I wondered why they use the structure 'he' plus infinitive and not 'he' plus -s as it is usually used. I've already figured out that it could be a usage of the subjunctive mood, but I don't know why it should be used in this situation.


texts:
In the first chapter of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, Lady Betram and Mrs Norris present to Sir Thomas their idea of adopting Fanny's daughter. This will provide some relief for the Price's unmanageable burden and give the girl some opportunity she would not otherwise have.

Sir Thomas is circumspect:

  He thought of his own four children, of his two sons, of cousins in love, etc

Is “cousins in love” a typo for “cousins in law” or was this phrase common in the early 19th century?


texts:
Then there was the Mad Russian, who made her laugh and behaved
  impossibly badly and proposed to her daily. Some other shorter-lived
  liaisons, now forgotten. Then Henry.
  — William Nicholson, Secret Intensity Of Everyday Life

In the context, the narrator says the word liaison without rendering any moral viewpoint. Though many dictionaries contain moral defects in the word, Longman Advanced American Dictionary says liaison means “a sexual relationship between two people who are not married” without any further moral angles, and Merriam-Webster says it means “a close bond or connection”.

Can we use the word liaison casually, like in the example?


texts: Can adjectives starting with a- precede the noun?

texts:
The prefix a- holds many entries in the dictionary. I am considered with one of them:

a- prefix
to; toward: aside | ashore.
• in a specified state or manner: asleep | aloud.
• in the process of (an activity): a-hunting.
• on: afoot.
• in: nowadays.

To my native ear it seems adjectives formed in such a way cannot precede the noun they describe. A few Google Ngram searches cannot prove or deny this sense, but they do indicate that these adjectives are much more likely to follow than to precede the noun.
This sense could just be because I am more accustomed to this prefix forming adverbs instead of adjectives.
Can adjectives formed with the a- prefix (in a specified state or manner) precede the adjective they describe? If not, what is the rule?


texts: How to describe a shop selling handmade designer goods in one or two words?

texts:
I need to find a word which will mean the following: a shop which sells handmade designer goods like knitwear (made by both crochet and knitting needles), embroidery, beadworks, clothes.

Thank you a lot!


texts: Why does Tom Hanks pronounce "stupid" as "st-you-pid" in "The Bonfire of the Vanities"?

texts:
This may or may not related to my previous question. In this movie (which is based on another one of Tom Wolfe's novels, The Bonfire of the Vanities), Tom Hanks plays the lead character who is an Ivy League graduate. He doesn't make much of an effort to imitate any of the Harvard, Yale, or Princeton speech patterns and tones, but he does insist on pronouncing the word "stupid" as "styoopid." Why? Where do they speak like that?

He's not trying to copy or parody the so-called Mid-Atlantic accent: one, it was already out of vogue in the 1990's, and, two, that's not how Mid-Atlantic sounds, anyway. What is he doing? What point is he trying to get across?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say "time is ahead of me"

texts:
Just wanted to ask if it sounds natural to say "time is ahead of me".
What I want to express is how time will defeat me, and my disappointment at that.


texts:
In my travels around northern England I have found myself in Wincolmlee in the fair city of Kingston-upon-Hull, and also near Wincomblee in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. These places are both on the riverside in less salubrious parts of their respective cities. I wonder if there is a common origin for the names. This source here has the (Hull) Wincolmlee as meaning:-

  a field in the corner of an island

Is this the correct origin of the word? Are there any other places similarly named?


texts: How is it we can omit 'what' from 'What the f--k are you doing?' but not 'how/who' from 'How/who the f--k are you doing?'

texts:
What is the difference between What (the) from  How (the), Who (the), and other question words so that we can omit not only What but also What the from such sentences as

  (What the) frick/hell/fuck are you doing?'

but not How (the) from

  How the frick/hell/fuck are you doing?

and not When (the) or Why (the) from

  When/Why the fuck are you doing that?

Attestation to the omission of What and What the is easy to find.

  The hell (The fuck) are you doing?1

Cf The fuck are you talking about? in The Fuse, #8:

and

  Hell/Fuck are you doing?2

But I as a native speaker I judge that removing How the and who the from the corresponding questions cannot be done without those sentences becoming ungrammatical. In other words

(The)  fuck are you doing?

can stand for

What the fuck are you doing? but not

How the fuck are you doing?

Who the fuck are you doing?

In addition, it seems to me When and where cannot be removed from When/where the fuck are you doing that? Nor Why from Why the fuck are you doing that?

(I have read Lawler's usage of the hell, but he doesn't touch on omitting 'what' in 'What (in)(the) hell are you doing?, just that either but not both 'in' or 'the' can be omitted.)

1 Attested to by common usage such as here, here, here. In addition, the Urban Dictionary confirms that 'The fuck?' is short for 'What the fuck?' and says the corresponding thing  about 'The hell?'

2 The even shorter 'the-less' versions are attested by common usage as seen here for example.


texts: The difference between per person and each person

texts:
What's the difference between the two?

'It costs $50 per person'
'It costs $50 each person'


texts: Grammatical function of "According to..."

texts:
What is the function of the phrase "according to" in sentences like "According to my neighbor, it will rain tomorrow"?
It seems like the phrase "according to my neighbor" is modifying the entire clause "it will rain tomorrow." Is there a name for this type of phrase?


texts: Can 'postsynaptic' be written as 'post-synaptic'?

texts:
Under the heading "Excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials" in this article on Khan Academy, the word 'postsynaptic' is written with and without a hyphen. Does this imply that both ways of writing 'postsynaptic' and 'post-synaptic' are correct?
Sorry if I'm being too nitpicky here, I'm really just wondering. Maybe it has to do something with the word in front of it.
Edit
I completely missed the other 7 occurences of 'post-synaptic' in the article, but I still don't understand whether it means something different.


texts:
A year after my father told us that story, we gathered one evening to hear him read aloud from Isaiah, a prophecy about Immanuel. He sat on our mustard-colored sofa, a large Bible open in his lap. Mother was next to him. The rest of us were strewn across the shaggy brown carpet.

That doesn't make sense if it is a passive sentence, I mean no one actually strew them, right? Then, what does it mean?


texts: What is the word when people come up with the same idea independently

texts:
Suppose Darwin and Wallace independently come up with a similar idea. It's like the idea has entered the social consciousness at that time.  What is the word for this called? Kind of the tipping point where everyone catches on and starts doing similar stuff independently.

Okay thanks guys for your answers, I am a huge fan of the site and I've been a long time lurker, this worked out well. :)


texts: How can I determine the proper stressing of words?

texts:
I am working on a sonnet.  This pretty much mandates the use of iambic pentameter and therefore requires that I have a good grip on emphasis.

However, I'm not exactly sure how to properly research words for emphasis.  I was attempting to comprehend Merriam-Webster's Pronunciation Guide, but that just further confused me.

Merriam-Webster has a system for indicating the stressing of syllables; almost every page has a set of symbols delimited by backslashes, describing the word's emphasis.

I was wondering if anyone experienced in the emphasis and or word pronunciation could help me understand this notation with an example or two.


texts: What İs The Grammatical Logic of Continuative Perfect

texts:
What is the origin and logic behind the perfect aspect which is used for actions started in the past and ongoing at present time or past states which is still valid at present time.

My question isn't about the progressive aspect.I am especially wondering the grammatical logic of using "been" (with the -ing form of a lexical verb) or another state verb in the past participle form to describe unfinished actions which started in the past and continue up to the present (or past situations still true).

Examples are:

I have been working here since 1990.

I have been here for a long time.

I have known him for five years.

I have loved her since we met.

I have wanted to go to London for all my life.


texts:
I shall make my final decision after/afterwards I have discussed the problem with my family.

As I found out, it means the same thing, but I have this sentence which confuses me.
Can you help me understand the difference between them?


texts: What is the proper tense for "listen" in this sentence?

texts:
I am trying to describe the following:
I listen to a particular podcast.  By this I mean that I regularly listen to the podcast when episodes come out.
There was a guest on a particular episode of that podcast.  In this case I might say "I listened to the guest on the podcast".  No worries yet.
But now, what is the correct tense here:
"There was a guest on a podcast I listen to".  By this I mean that the guest was on a specific episode of a podcast I listen to regularly.
Is it right to say "listen", which is present tense, even though the rest of the sentence appears to be in past tense?