texts: Single vs double quotation marks for nickname?

texts:
I am trying to conform to the British practice (specifically Oxford Style Guide) and I am a little confused which to use to mark a nickname:

Andrew 'Andy' Johnson

Andrew "Andy" Johnson

I know following the rules I should use single inverted commas, however the first one looks a tad weird to me. I have seen the latter option a lot on newspapers and business cards but not the former.

I am going to use that for email signatures and names on business cards.


texts:
In Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition (2003), the first definition of combustible is "capable of combustion," the first definition of combustion is "an act or instance of burning," the only definition of flammable is "capable of being easily ignited and of burning quickly," and the only definition of flammability is "ability to support combustion; esp : a high capacity for combustion."
On the strength of these definitions, I would have expected the terms combustible and flammable to be largely or entirely interchangeable. But in the course of an (as yet unsuccessful) online search for historical examples in which people mistakenly caused fires because they misunderstood the term inflammable to mean "not capable of bursting into flames," I came across this passage in "Hazard Connotation of Fire Safety Terms," in Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 54th Annual Meeting- 2010 (link to .pdf copy of article):

Prior research suggests that people misunderstand the meanings of the words Combustible and Flammable (Main, Frantz, & Rhoades, 1993). According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Combustible substances are those with a flash point of 100 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Substances classified as Flammable have flash point temperatures between 20 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Thus from the standard/regulatory definitions, Flammable presents a greater fire hazard than Combustible. However, research by Main et al. (1993) suggests that people are more likely to believe that Combustible connotes greater hazard than Flammable.

The NFPA's definitions specify that Flammable substances can ignite at lower temperatures than Combustible substances can, and thus are a greater fire hazard. My questions are:

Do the NFPA's technical definitions of Flammable substances and Combustible substances reflect a fundamental difference in meaning of the everyday words flammable and combustible, or did the NFPA just arbitrarily assign different flash-point levels to the two terms in its standards?

Do other English-speaking countries share the NFPA's understanding of Flammable and Combustible, or is this a U.S.-only thing?

In the United States, how widespread is public awareness of the distinction between Flammable and Combustible?


texts:
I am reading news from BBC and I don't understand "...  and there was an upbeat, if determined, mood..." in the article.

The whole paragraph is as the following.

"The crowd was diverse - with people of different ethnicities, and families with children - and there was an upbeat, if determined, mood. Music was being played and food, water and hand sanitiser handed out, as protesters chanted "George Floyd", "Breonna Taylor" - who also died in police custody, in March - and "No justice, no peace"."


texts:
Is there a difference between following sentences:

  XXX has been evaluated by Y1,Y2 and Y3?
  XXX has been evaluated by using Y1,Y2 and Y3?
  XXX has been evaluated using Y1,Y2 and Y3

I cannot decide if adding a "using" here makes meaning clear or it is redundant for this type of sentence. I added third one as @FumbleFingers suggested. I would like to learn "is there a subtle difference between these usages?".


texts: Is it correct to say "one out of *a* possible four"?

texts:
I am curious if it is correct to say "one out of a possible four".

This is what I found in a publication:

  Discrete level (one out of a possible
  four), corresponding to a range of
  safety integrity values, where safety
  integrity level 4 has the highest
  level of safety integrity and safety
  integrity level 1 has the lowest.


texts: Possessive form (of) with compound nouns

texts:
This is a main difference between the personality of good people and bad
  people.

Is the sentence comparing personality of good people and personality of bad people? or comparing personality of good people and bad people?

How to avoid ambiguity when using of with compound nouns?


texts:
When we describe historical events, like events related to the Roman empires, Persian empires, etc., what is the best way to describe peoples' thought with a connection to the present?

People might have thought the same back in those days, but you know it's not always correct.
People had thought the same back in those days, but you know it's not always correct.
People thought the same back in those days, but you know it's not always correct.


texts: Problem with staying or problem about staying?

texts:
Which is correct?

Do you have any problem with my staying here?
Do you have any problem about my staying here?


texts:
1- I'm writing a story and one of my characters wears a bonnet. I searched the internet for some examples but then, I found other names like: A double-D / A cap / A beanie / A bonnet. Now I’m confused which one is more correct.

2- How do we call the three parts of the bonnet?


texts: "On the first of every month" vs. "every first of the month"

texts:
What is the difference between the following two?

  On the first of every month...
  Every first of the month...


texts: ADV of Manner between Transitive Verb and DO

texts:
In a book about the philosophy of William James, I have found the pattern transitive verb (to appreciate) + adverb of manner (fully) + direct object (what James means by distinguishing knowing into two kinds). As far as I know, grammatically speaking, it is incorrect to put an adverb of manner between the direct object and a transitive verb. The adverb must either be before the verb or after the direct object. Is, then, the following case a violation of the rule for the sake of emphasis?

  To appreciate fully what James means by distinguishing knowing into
  two kinds, direct acquaintance and knowledge about, we need first to
  (...)

The brackets are mine.


texts: Is there a single word that means "just for show", meaning that someone is doing something outwardly to trick the world into thinking they are something that they are not?


texts: Is this sentence "Sign up for class" correct?

texts: Someone told me that the verb sign up isn't used to mean class registration. Instead, I should use to enroll.


texts: Do "plug multiplier" and "plug splitter" mean the same?

texts:
I wonder whether "plug multiplier" and "plug splitter" are equivalent or there are differences in meaning/usage? Both can be bought on Amazon, and the products appear to be the same type.
Thanks in advance.


texts: Until next week vs Until the next week - using the definite article?

texts:
I am struggling with understanding the difference in meaning when the definite article is used with certain time expressions:

  He is coming back to London, but not until next year.

  He didn't win the competition until the next year.

When should the definite article be used? I remember it could to do with denoting the period itself, as in "He has done it in the last year" (past 365 days) and "He did it last year" (2018).
Or is it something else? What if I include the definite article in the first sentence or omit it the second?

This question specifically concerns using "until" with those words.


texts:
What part of a verb phrase is omitted in the following sentence?

  Nearly a million people lived there, making do, as they always
  had [VP deletion], with candles, torches and lanterns.

At first, I thought the verb phrase omitted after "had" would be "lived" because "lived" is the main verb in a principal clause, and the indepedent clause which starts with "as" should be related to the principal clause.
So I was thinking that the sentence would be changed to

  Nearly a million people lived there, making do, as they always had lived, with candles, torches and lanterns.

But after reading the entire paragraph, I came to think that the omitted participle might be "made," which indicates "make" in the participial clause "making do." --> so "as they always had made"
I'm very confused now...
I guess the commas are very crucial to understand this sentence.. Which one is parenthetical? "making do" or "as they always had"?
I really don't know what has been omitted after "as they always had." How can I parse the sentence? Is it so-called VP-deletion involved here in this sentence? Could the sentence be parsed differently depending on the context? Or there is only one answer?


texts: When can you omit using s after possessive nouns?

texts:
It seems that in some cases s is not used after possessive nouns, for example, you would not say Fuel's price went up instead you would say Fuel price went up. However, the sentence This car's price is too high sounds okay with using the ending s.

Can someone please explain the examples I provided from a grammatical perspective, and when using s can be omitted with possessive nouns?


texts: Is it correct to say: I am a tutor to professionals.

texts: I think this is grammatically correct. However, I am not sure if it sounds natural to say it this way.  I know that I can say I am a tutor of foreign professionals.  I really wanted to say: "....my experience as a tutor to professionals.


texts: When adding prefixes to noun phrases, should you hyphenate?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?
  Using “non-” to prefix a two-word phrase

When adding a prefix to a noun, I've been taught to usually hyphenate (e.g. life → pro-life, breakfast → pre-breakfast, coal → anti-coal) with some exceptions (e.g. preschool). But how does this work with noun phrases? Do you leave out the hyphen?

For example:

pre Independence Day
anti pen and paper


texts: What is a word for a person who throws a "fake smile"?

texts:
Most people, especially receptionists and air hostesses have the ability to smile in a fake way. Being professional, their smile isn't real. Inside they cry and die a thousand dead of tensions but they smile like a fresh mango. Well, I appreciate this for their job.

I wanna know what such a person is called who smiles fake?


texts:
I am writing a thesis right now, and I noticed that in my writing software (Scrivener), there's a "word" and a "character" count.

I understand that this is not Literature & Latte's support site, but I wanted to ask a question more generally than about Scrivener.

Why would one want to think in terms of character counts, as opposed to word counts? I understand that neither are perfect proxies for getting content down, but I was curious as to the reason why one would want to think in terms of characters as opposed to words, as I thought that words would be a better measure of progress, or am I wrong about that?


texts:
Hans, head of a company that manufactures garden furniture, is announcing to his staff ....

Shouldn't it be the head of a company ...? Is that correct? Could you explain why we do not need a definite article here?


texts: What's different between "put house down" and "put house up"

texts:
They put their house down as loan collateral.
  He put his house up as collateral for his business loan.

What's different between 'down' and 'up' in these sentences?


texts: Why do we use a French term for a currency-exchange office?

texts:
In British English and across Europe, the term Bureau(x) de change is used to describe what US English speakers would call a Currency Exchange or Foreign Exchange (office).

Why do we use a French term - or 'loan word' - for something which doesn't appear to be intrinsically French in nature or origin and is a relatively new concept, so has no historical significance or tradition?

I find it hard to believe that English speakers in Europe struggled to succinctly describe the concept of an office where you can exchange currencies and had to adopt the French term instead?


texts: Are these garden path sentences grammatically correct?

texts:
Background
A garden path sentence is one that is exceptionally hard for the reader to parse. English is especially prone to this because it is an analytical language and so many words can be many different parts of speech. I read that as a person reads a sentence, he builds up a likely meaning for each word and a meaning for the whole sentence word by word, then if a "disambiguating word" appears that changes the meaning, he switches to the new meaning and continues. When the disambiguating word is far away from the ambiguous word, the sentence can be very difficult to understand.
The classic garden path sentence, as far as I am aware, is "The horse raced past the barn fell." The ambiguous word is raced and the disambiguating word is fell. For those who don't think this is a perfectly grammatical sentence, the meaning is the same as "The horse [that was] raced past the barn fell." Or perhaps more clearly using a different word, "The horse driven past the barn fell."
Before I ask my question, since these things are so cool (to me, anyway), here are a few more examples:

The old man the boats.
While Anna dressed the baby spit up on the bed.
The man returned to his house was happy.
Fat people eat accumulates.
She told me a little white lie will come back to haunt me.
We painted the wall with cracks.

The Question – My Own Garden Path Sentence
After enjoying these and many other garden path sentences I read about, I invented one of my own. Recently I told it to a friend, but he didn't really get my example garden path sentences (the horse, the old, and Anna) and argued that they and mine were not correct grammar. So I submit it to you for your analysis:

The men run through the arches screamed.

As explanation, the men were stabbed in the feet, possibly as a form of torture.
I swear I had several others I invented five to ten years ago, but I can't remember them. Perhaps I will invent some new ones.
Is that sentence correct grammar? As well as the others?
Feel free to edit my grammar. No comment necessary.


texts:
Can I say "I have some apprehensions"? Or it should always be in singular.

For example,

"He seems to be able to walk now, but I have some apprehensions that he can faint at any time"

Google search gives me both, but I am not sure if both of them are correct.


texts: Expression that means "as soon as something is finished"

texts: I am looking for an expression that means "right after finishing something, start something". For some reason, the words "fresh off the heels" keep springing up but I googled them and it's not an expression.


texts:
Technical English for a foreigner - please correct and rephrase if you can come up with better alternatives.

  A machine in manufacturing usually is fed material or a workpiece to be processed. Sometimes, the orientation of the workpiece [synonyms?] is defined by a kind of jig into which the workpiece is inserted.

Is there a better word for jig?


texts: What does "My tongue doubles back" mean?

texts:
I was reading a novel when I came across this phrase.

  "My tongue doubles back in my throat as the senses comes back to mind and I choke on the words, "I love you too."

What does the "my tongue doubles back" mean? Thanks in advance for the answer.


texts:
Does "can hardly" mean the same thing as "there's no way?"

  I can hardly ____________

  There's no way I can _______

Do these two mean the same thing? What's the difference, if any?


texts: Why does one run around like a blue-arsed fly?

texts:
I have been a bit busy recently; too busy to give this website the attention it warrants. In fact, I said to myself yesterday, I have been running around like a blue-arsed fly.

I stopped to think: why a blue-arsed fly? Is there such a creature? There are many things called red-headed, red-tailed, red-legged, red-breasted and so on, but none I have heard of named for the colour of their posterior.

In any case, why would one "run around" like a fly of any sort?

Can anyone shed some light on the matter?


texts: What was evergreen in the late 19th century?

texts:
The botanical metaphor “evergreen” is now used for whatever exhibits an enduring freshness, success, or popularity. The term originally appeared in the 17th century:

  1640s in reference to trees and shrubs, from ever + green (adj.). From 1660s as an adjective;

but only more than two centuries later it started to be used metaphorically

  figurative sense from 1871. (Etymonline)

Checking the usage of evergreen with Ngram for the second half of the 19th century, it appears there are no usage instances in the figurative sense.

So, what are the earliest usage of evergreen used figuratively? What was the metaphor initially used for? a piece of classic music, a theatrical piece, a book, or what?


texts: to account for something vs. to take something into account

texts:
What is the difference of "to account for something" and "take something into account"?

Example:

a) Spatial regression models must take into account spatial dependence.

b) The search for regional characteristics should take place using spatial econometric methods that account for spatial dependence.

Are both examples correct? What is the difference in usage of account for/take into account in the example sentences?


texts:
I couldn't find the proper meaning in the dictionaries. Could anyone explain to me what does the author mean by "the take-up" here in this excerpt?

There has been a trend towards setting the standard of Christian identity ever higher. David Martin notes that after the end of Christendom: ‘Christians have raised the bar about what it means to be Christian, and so inhibited the take-up.’ People have been placed into the secular category because they do not attain the ‘virtuoso performance’ of the elite. The apathetic middle ground, between committed Christian devotion and militant atheism, has been excluded from the Church.These people are thought of as secular.
Source: A Short History of Secularism


texts: How to begin an email about recent meetings

texts:
I was involved in a couple of meetings recently which the company CEO attended. I wanted wanted to give some feedback on the meetings; but am unsure how best to begin the email...

I thought of the following but just doesn't sound right...

"following on from the recent meetings..."

Is there a better way of beginning this sentence?


texts: Difference between "does have" and "has"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “did shoot” vs “shot”
  'Did see' and 'Saw'
  “I understand you” vs “I do understand you”
  What is the difference in meaning between “I play” and “I do play”?

What is the difference between does have and has? For example, compare she does have a car and she has a car.


texts: When can the -ing form of a verb be placed before a noun?

texts:
My native-speaker's grammatical intuition tells me that:

There is a sleeping man under the tree.

is fine but

There is a fishing man by the river bank.

is wrong.  Why?
Both

There is a man sleeping under the tree.

and

There is a man fishing by the river bank.

are fine.
I've thought about this a little, and I've come up with some grammatical hypotheses, but I'd be very grateful if somebody could point me to a general reference on this matter.
Addendum:
Someone asked me what hypotheses I've come up with.
I've identified two cases where an -ing modifier can come before a noun:

When the -ing acts to modify the noun (like an adjective), rather than describe an action being performed at that time, it goes before the verb.  E.g. flying fish, dancing girl.

When the verb suggests a sensory impression.  E.g. crying baby, shining light.

But there must be at least one more class to account for expressions like a sleeping man.
Second addendum:
I should clarify precisely what fishing man is supposed to mean.  It does not mean a man who fishes.  That would be taken care of by case 1 of the hypothesis above.  The intended meaning is a man who is fishing.  (Just like a sleeping man is supposed to mean a man who is sleeping rather than a man who sleeps.)


texts: Specific word denoting the name of a person who has no last name

texts:
If my name is "John Doe", then:

My first name is John
My last name is Doe

However, if my name was "John", does a specific term exist to denote a name that has no last name?   Or is it just "name"?


texts:
What is the origin of the use of the object (it) in the following sentences, and what is its purpose?

  I like it here!

and

  Did you like it there?

In essence, the things we are saying we like are really here (this place) and there (that place) themselves - whence the insertion of the antecedent-free pronoun?

Note: I can think of plenty of antecedents you could replace the "it" with, so that's not the answer I'm looking for.


texts:
Wikipedia's list of humorists are categorised as people who write or perform humorous material, but the article also states:

  A humorist is usually distinct from a stand-up comedian.

Woody Allen and George Carlin are on this list—clearly, a stand-up comedian can also be a humorist.

There are various distinctions on the web.

  Humorists typically receive higher pay.

This is ambiguous; one's salary does not define their job.

  A humorist’s job is to make people laugh at important things.

Whilst I find this distinction more satisfactory, it's still open to debate: the importance of material is subjective.

How does one determine when a comedian is also a humorist?


texts: What do you call a word that changed because of everyday usage?

texts:
When words are common and they are being used regularly their meanings change. Sometimes they are spelled in a different way than they are supposed to.
What do you call this phenomena or what do you call a word like that?


texts: How can double negatives "has a respectable history as a rhetorical device for emphasis" when they're harder to understand?

texts:
These two quotes contradict. I hate multiple negatives! Waste of effort, time, space, words! I have to stop reading and spend like 15 mins. reasoning to the positive meaning!
But how can double negatives "has a respectable history as a rhetorical device for emphasis" when they can be  "incomprehensible combinations"?
Page 166.

F. Use double negatives sparingly for understatement. The double negative, such as “not infrequently,” has a respectable history as a rhetorical device for emphasis. Although it has fallen out of favor, it may still be employed on occasion as a means of understatement. For example, “not wholly unsuccessful” understates a lack of success, thus emphasizing it, as compared to its affirmative form “partially successful,” which emphasizes a degree of success.

Pg 201

C.WHEN POSSIBLE, MAKE SENTENCES AFFIRMATIVE, NOT NEGATIVE

We understand affirmative statements more quickly and easily than negative ones. In studies of the effects of language on the mind, researchers have found that affirmative statements are psychologically more linear than negative ones. With negative statements, we must first understand the affirmative sense, then negate it. This is analogous to understanding another language by first translating it into one’s own. Avoid these nearly incomprehensible combinations: “not otherwise,” “never unless,” “none unless,” “never otherwise,” and so forth.

Bahrych, Merino. Legal Writing and Analysis in a Nutshell 5th edition (2017).


texts: What is difference between renter, tenant and rentee?

texts:
I am a bit confused about the meaning of these three words. Can someone explain to me the usage of these three words and their meaning? i.e. If I am renting a car to someone then who am I and who takes a car on rent?

I found in google search that people are using same meaning for renter and tenant.


texts: In the sentence 'This means everyone should have their turn to say something.' , why is the noun not used in plural?

texts:
I am preparing for an exam, and came across the sentence below.

'This means everyone should have their turn to say something'

And I wondered why this sentence has no grammatical errors.
Isn't the noun 'turn' countable? hence should be used in the plural form or should have the indefinitive article 'a'?

For me 'everyone should have a turn to say something' sounds correct.

Thanks in advance!


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
Toward or towards – what would a native speaker use?

Consider the following examples:

Fighting towards anti corruption.
I am going toward north.
I am going towards north.

Which one is grammatical? And what's the difference?


texts:
I'm familiar with this sentence

  He is a tough guy to deal with.

And I understand why there should be a with after to deal. My teacher used to say that you could un-shorten the infinitive to an attributive clause like

  He is a tough guy which you will deal with.

But this sentence is confusing to me,

  He has enough money to buy a racing car (with).

First, the infinitive can be unshortened to

  He has enough money with which he can buy a racing car.

But it could also be unshortened to

  He has enough money so that he can buy a racing car.

Does that mean I can use ....to buy a racing car and ...to buy a racing car with?


texts: Difference between "should", "would" and "ought to"

texts:
The sentence:

  It's essential that the documents should be destroyed
  immediately.

Why can't ought to be used in place of should and why can't I go for would?


texts:
If I am Rita's coach, is Rita my *coachee? (yikes) Is that even a word?
Would it be correct instead to say she is my ward? What about terms for people at the other end of a mentor, sponsor relationship?


texts: Should I use 'which' or 'that' in my sentence?

texts:
I can imagine this might be a duplicate, but even looking at the questions asked, I'm still not sure when I should use which or that.

I'm uncertain whether or not I should use 'that' or 'which' in my case.

If someone could point out what is the correct use (or even if both can be used), it would be really helpful.

In the following sentence, should it contain 'that' or 'which'?

The analysis does not contain a timeframe that/which
specifies the amount of time required
for participants to synchronize to a metronome.


texts: What do you call the event when a person says "ahhhhhhmm..."?

texts:
One of the person here keeps on saying those words, I want to say that he needs to avoid that but I can't describe it.
Example:

Me: Please example the following to me.
Him: That object is the result of aaaaa.... and actually by merging that one and this it will result in aaahhmm... (What do you call that?)
Me: Okay!

How do you describe those aaaaa.... and aaahhhmm.. moments?


texts: The inconsistent long i sound in English

texts:
As a phonics teacher, I have long had a problem with finding the right explanation to my students about an inconsistent sound. Hope someone has the explanation to it here.

The long i sound in English represented by the IPA: aɪ exists in a lot of words including lie, by, tie, night, rice, lice, etc. Here comes the problem.

Not even talking about accents of different regions, but even within the same person, there seems to be an inconsistency. For example, when one says lice, he/she doesn' say lie-s, but with the vowel being something different. It also applies to tie vs tight, bye vs bite, fly vs flight, and many more. I wonder whether other phonics teachers point this out to their students and, if they do, how they explain it? Is there a rule to when the long i is one way and when the other? Or is it really  the same but it's my ears that's playing tricks on me? Appreciate any help and discussions.


texts: Word or phrase for waving your fists around without hitting the opponent

texts:
What is a word or phrase for waving your fists around without hitting the opponent?

You just wave your fists around but can't hit the opponent missing almost every time. Or you fight with your hands like in the youTube video Showdown - Simon's Cat (Jazz Trilogy! - 3/3).

That's the closest I could find to ask what I mean.


texts: Two English words to distinguish French words “numéro” and “nombre”

texts:
I am French and I am always confused when I have to translate these two French words:

“numéro de l'objet” = number of the object = a number used to identify the object
“nombre d'objets” = number of objects = a number used to count objects

These are distinct concepts which are expressed by clearly distinct words in French, but by just the word ‘number’ in English.

Is there a concise, useful way of expressing this distinction in English that sounds natural and fits into normal language usage the way the two French words do?

The context in which I find myself needing this is defining software parameters:

numéro of the current software process
nombre of running software processes

or in a similar context:

numéro of the window
nombre of the windows

– but this is not a question about coding. Naming parameters is just one situation where it would be useful to have a simple way of clearly expressing the distinction.


texts:
Anyone has xxx's mobile number?
or
Anyone have xxx's mobile number?

Which is correct?


texts: Talking about skills level, which adjective fits better: "intermediate" or "medium"?

texts: I thought "intermediate" was the appropriate label for the second of a three-level system of grading skills level, but I just saw a CV template on which the levels are defined as "basic", "medium", and "advanced". This made me wonder which one is more appropriate.


texts: Is there an adjectival form for "story" or a similar word?

texts: I'm looking for an adjective that alludes to something having a rich story or meaningful tale. The closest word I can think of is "plotful," but it doesn't completely satisfy the context.


texts: Etymology of "gladhand" (truck hose coupler)

texts: References for "glad hand" in its common meaning of "effusive but perhaps insincere greeting" seem easy to find [1], and it's easy to find definitions for the truck-hose-coupler meaning of gladhand [2],  [3] but I'm at a loss for finding out the origin of the latter usage (aside from imagining gladhand might derive from a manufacturer's name).  Is any evidence available?


texts:
Do these have the same meaning?

  Oh is that so?

  Oh really?


texts: Is there an English word (a noun) that is an equivalent to the "thread/string of a bow" from a bow and arrow?


texts:
"Do you think we could start the meeting an hour later?"

Why is the sentence above not:

"Do you think we can start the meeting an hour later?"


texts: When should a colon be used in the title of a manuscript?

texts:
I’m sure you have seen several papers with a colon in its title, e.g., this example I just made up:

  Traffic control in a network: a new method towards X.

I’m wondering if this way of titling is recommended and what is the correct way of using colon in the title?


texts: Correct article with comparative, not for normal comparisson

texts:
Should the following contain a definite or indefinite article?

Between Kevin and Andy, Kevin is a bigger hero.

or

Between Kevin and Andy, Kevin is the bigger hero.


texts: News article: "Man sentenced for murdering his 10th wife". What does this mean?

texts:
Today I saw this headline for a news article online:

  Man sentenced for murdering his 10th wife

I can't tell if a sentence of this nature means that the man has murdered 10 people (all of which were his previous wives) or if it means that the man has murdered one person (this person being his 10th wife). In summary, does this sentence imply that the man has murdered 10 people or 1 person?


texts: Why do we say "the same" and not "the different"?

texts:
Question raised by my EFL students that I'm not entirely sure how to answer. I can't find anything through google.

Why do we say "the same", but not "the different"? I can speak their native language, so translation isn't really an issue, but I don't know why we say "the same" and "different".


texts: Looking for a word or phrase that describes the "flattening" or "smoothing" of a learning curve

texts:
A word or phrase that describes the process of making something more easily comprehensible.
(I would actually like to exclude the 'learning curve' idiom)

Examples;
"How might we make this topic more digestible for our clients?"
"How might we flatten the learning curve of quantum mechanics?"


texts:
Is there a word that describes the state of mind of being moved by your own imagination or assumption?

For example, a boy thinks that he really loves a girl, and believes the girl will love him and idealizes his love because he has made a lot of efforts, but the truth is the girl doesn't like him at all.

Another example: ‘White Savior’-style volunteers who work in Africa to help local people and who think of theirselves as selfless angels but actually are of little help due to lack of ability.


texts: A song that was once meant for other singer, but later also sung by the author himself

texts:
What do you call a song which was once written for some other artist by an author, and later sung by the author him(her)self?

we call it "cover" if the song is played by other(not original) artist, but is there a specific word if "other artist" is the author?


texts: Is it grammatical to use the definite article in these two cases?

texts:
Kindly have a look at the following paragraph:

  The Grade 11 English Text aims to develop students' reading and writing skills and at the same time provides opportunities to improve the listening skills.

  The main objectives of the text are:
  (a) to build up and enrich the vocabulary of the learners
  (b) to train learners to do as much independent reading as possible
  (c) to expose learners to a variety of contemporary English writing
  (d) to help learners assimilate the grammar, lexis, syntax and idiom ...

I think the the before "listening skills" and the one after "vocabulary of" are superfluous.

Is there a grammatical rule that might pertain to these two usages and say with more certainty whether they are grammatical (or just idiomatic)?


texts: What is the proper preposition following 'appendix'?

texts: In the following sentence, 'The graph can be found in the appendix [preposition] this report', what is the correct preposition to use? In particular, is 'to' more appropriate than 'of'?


texts: Should I use contracted forms in scientific presentations?

texts:
In a scientific paper am I right in believing that one would write “it is” instead of “it’s”?

In a scientific presentation, would one use contracted forms like “it’s” instead of “it is” or is something like this too informal for a scientific conversation?


texts:
The noise was like an English fox-hunt only better because every now and then with the music of the hounds was mixed the roar of the other lion and sometimes the far deeper and more awful roar of Aslan himself.

should  the clause have been ”because every now and then the roar of the other lion and sometimes the far deeper and more awful roar of Aslan himself was mixed with the music of the hounds.”?


texts: taller than any student or taller than any other student

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct?

  a)
  1. John is taller than any student in his class.
  2. John is taller than any other student in his class.

  b)
  1. No student is taller than John in his class.
  2. No other student is taller than John in his class.


texts: What exactly is the meaning of the word proceedings in: "The court ordered the film to pay for the cost of the legal proceedings."?

texts:
I don't really understand the word "proceeding" in general, can anyone please explain it to me, maybe in simpler terms? Also, I've seen examples of this word being used in a sentence, I wonder why sometimes it goes with legal, sometimes with criminal?

As in:

  legal proceeding (mentioned in the sentence above) and criminal proceeding.

As for the sentence above, in what way can I understand it, as it says the film has to do something with the proceeding.

Please shed light on this word for me, thank you.


texts: "at all" in affirmative sentences without non-assertive words

texts:
I know "at all" in affirmative sentences is typically licensed by non-assertive words such as "any" and "if," but the following use of "at all" seems okay without those words:

John is grateful to have a job at all.

John is grateful that he has a job at all.

John is grateful that he found a job at all.

I am curious about how the "at all" is licensed.


texts: Is fever a countable or uncountable noun?

texts: I have some difficulties in using the noun 'fever'. Is it countable or uncountable? Is it correct to say "They have fevers."?


texts: What's the connotation of saying "You are absorbed in things"?

texts:
I was talking to a girl, and her mother is in the hospital. I asked her how her mom is doing, her and her family. No reply for a week. Then I sent her another message saying

  I guess you are absorbed in things (not kidnapped:) ), msg me if you want to hang out again.

My American friend told me that I shouldn't have used the word "absorbed", because it has a meaning of being selfish, self-centered, which makes her feel bad. Is that true? Did I just mess up the text message?


texts: Why teams working on related projects are called sister teams and not brother teams?

texts: I have seen in american workplaces (especially software companies) the teams who work on related projects or work on some complimentary projects are called sister teams. why do we call them sister teams and not brother teams?


texts: In what cases should I use a comma after "please"?

texts:
As far as I can see from different texts, there seems to be no strict rule about putting comma after "Please" when it is used as an introduction to a request. Am I right?

In what cases using comma after "please" would be correct or even compulsory? What if "please" is put in the end of such sentence?


texts:
I'm trying to help my student to translate one of the manuals which she needs for work. There is a sentence that I don't understand completely:"For example, you might want to track the license number for automobiles, but the square footage for buildings". To be honest, I don't see a point of the "but" at all. It describes one of the functions of the program, so it's the main context here.
Please, can anyone explain what is this "but" for and how it changes the meaning of this sentence?
Thanks in advance.


texts: What do you call sentence structures with unnecessary pronouns?

texts:
Examples:
"The father, he was very angry." instead of "The father was very angry"
"The cup, it was overflowing." instead of "The cup was overflowing"

I have seen it in dramatic texts, especially where a special emphasis is needed for dramatic effect. But recently I have heard this guy on youtube do this with almost every sentence with a subject and it's jarring and weird.

I wonder what this grammar style is called.


texts: Is there a single word for both "atom" and "ion"?

texts:
When I'm writing about atoms, often what I'm writing about applies to (monatomic) ions too. It's slightly annoying to add "(or ions)" after every mention of atoms, where a word that refers to both atoms and ions would be ideal. Does such a word exist?

There is "element", but often this is used to refer to multiple atoms of the same element, whereas "atom" and "ion" clearly refer to a single atom or ion.

An example: "An isotope is an atom (or ion) of the same element but with a different number of neutrons."


texts:
Is it ok to use "red and black buses and cabs" to mean "red and black buses and red and black cabs" for a city that has red buses, black buses, red cabs, and blacks cabs?

If not, what would be a better construction? And are there any formal writing guidelines/rules around this? Formal as in something documented in style guides such as Chicago Manual of Style?


texts:
vertex --> vertices

matrix --> matrices

vortex --> vortices

complex --> complexes

I don't see the pattern. It's not -ix versus -ex, so is there a rule (or at least linguistic explanation) for why some words take ces and some words take xes?


texts: Complete negation or partial? "I don't think anybody X"

texts:
"I don't think anybody saw it coming."

I assume that this sentence means that the speaker thinks nobody saw it coming, but can't this pattern "I don't think anybody X" be took as "I think that not everybody X (but I think some X,)" in some context?

In other words, do you always take the example sentence I quoted from this article as "I think nobody saw it coming," not as "I think not everybody saw it coming, but I believe some did at least?"


texts: Single syllable informal word for women that is less disempowering then 'girl'

texts:
I've noticed in informal communication it's not uncommon to refer to a grown women as a 'girl'.  For example:

  "The girl on the phone said we needed to apply in person"
  "I saw two men hitting on the same girl at the bar last night"
  "Maybe the new girl they just hired can help, she use to do that at her old job"

I hear this often, I've even caught myself doing it on occasion.  I don't like it because it feels less empowering of women, that grown men are referred to as men, but women are referred to with a term used for children.  It's minor, but it's one of those tiny use of the language that perpetuate subconscious cultural stereotypes about the sexes in a manner that may not be favorable to women.

I'm looking for a word that could be used in the situations that 'girl' is often used today, but one that doesn't risk being dis-empowering as 'girl' could be.

I think part of the reason 'girl' is used instead of women is it's easier to say.  girl is one syllable, women is two.  It may seem minor, but when speaking quickly, especially about someone in passing, the faster 'girl' flows easier and doesn't slow the conversation as much.  For that matter for some reason 'women' sounds slightly more formal to my ears, to the point that it could theoretically feel out of place in a particularly casual conversation.

Thus I'm hoping to find a word that is just one syllable and would fit in casual conversation well.

I've already thought of lass, but that's a very regional term and would feel odd used where I'm from, plus for some reason it doesn't feel any more empowering then women, for some reason I partially associate it with men using it in a more dismissive manner to refer to a women, though I don't know if that's a common connotation or just an odd association of my own.


texts: If we make a sentence comparing the age of three people, we can say "A is the oldest of the three." At that time, would it be possible to say, "A is the oldest of all three." Is the sentence grammatically incorrect?


texts: The novel Once an Eagle is divided into five 'books.' Each 'book' is titled by a single word, such as "Wheat" or "Chaparral," which serves to suggest the theme. These words/titles cannot properly be called epigraphs because they are not full quotations; what is the technical term for a one-word 'epigraph'?


texts: What is a good word for a lack of knowledge on a particular subject matter?

texts:
I would like to know if there is a word for the above situation. Particularly, I would like a word that replaces "X" in the following sentence:

  You are so computer-X.

If it has to, it could fit in the following sentence:

  You are so X when it comes to computers.

I have words for both, but the first is not a very intellectual one. The word I have for the first sentence is "ignorant". I don't like that word in this context, though, because it is fairly common. I would like an uncommon word for the former sentence. For the latter sentence, I have the word "inerudite", if I am using it properly in that sentence (it would be nice to know if I am not). I can live with using the using the second word and the second sentence, but I would like to know, is there a better word than "ignorant" that will satisfy the grammatical conditions of the first sentence?


texts: I need a word to that means something similar to "marvel" or "savor"

texts:
For reference, here is the sentence: The world was beautiful and I was too busy running to _____ it.
For context, the character is on the run and notices the beauty but doesn't get to ____.


texts: What does the word "democrat" mean in this sentence?

texts:
What does the word democrat mean in the following sentence?

  Effective sales management is a great democrat for smaller firms.


texts:
While looking up the history of kip,  I realized that the information about its origins is rather scant. The noun and verb to kip in BrEng is often said when a person wishes to take a short sleep or a quick nap. It's a colloquial expression and sounds very post-war Britain to my ears.  Surprisingly, Etymonline completely ignores the word, listing only kipper. Wiktionary on the other hand comes to the rescue:

  1760–70, probably related to Danish kippe (“dive, hovel, cheap inn”) and Middle Low German kiffe (“hovel”). From the same distant
  Germanic root as cove.

  Noun kip (plural kips)
  (informal, chiefly UK) A place to sleep; a rooming house; a bed.
  (informal, chiefly UK) Sleep, snooze, nap, forty winks, doze. "I’m
  just going for my afternoon kip." (informal, chiefly UK) A very
  untidy house or room. (informal, chiefly UK, dated) A brothel.

But thanks to a comment left by Janus Bahs Jacquet it seems the connection between kippe and kip is quite strained.

  ... but kippe (as a noun) is beyond vanishingly rare in Danish. It’s a
  marginally common verb, meaning ‘tilt’ or ‘lop’ (or ‘dip’ as in
  ‘dipping the flag’), but according to the dictionary, the noun and the
  verb are unrelated. The noun is allegedly the same as kipe ‘basket for
  carrying grain’. Supposedly, the shift from ‘basket’ to ‘hovel’ was
  helped along by Middle Low German kiffe ‘hut’, whence it was used in
  compounds to refer specifically to a real dive or a brothel, which is
  when English presumably borrowed (?) it. Quite a shaky etymology
  overall, I’d say

So on my trek to find the truth, I came across the Chinese-English Dictionary of the vernacular or spoken language of Amoy by Carstairs Douglas, printed in 1873, London. The language Amoy or otherwise known as  Xiamenese, Xiamen or Hokkien dialect, I believe gives some insight as to how kip was loaned to the British English language to mean a short sleep or nap. It says

  Kip [R. hasty; urgent; in extremity].
   tioh-kip, in very great haste; not willing to wait a moment, as in some very urgent matter.
  kip-kip, very swift, like the demon of thunder [...] said also figuratively of anything to be done in great haste.
   kip-sio, a small thin flat-bottomed earthen kettle for warming things quickly.

Could it be that Dutch sailors adopted this expression? I am blissfully unaware of Danish maritime history but I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Dutch traded with the Chinese, was it the 13th century or later? This in turn reminds me of the Italian explorer Marco Polo and his tales in China in The Travels of Marco Polo or, in Italian Il Milione ("The Million"). But in Italian the letter K is a foreign letter and I can think of no Italian words beginning with ch = /k/ which are remotely related to the meaning of haste, urgency or velocity.

Could kip therefore be a Chinese loanword in the Danish or English language?
If not, what is the origin of kip? Is the Dutch connection as tenuous as suggested by one user?


texts: How do I say something "contains a lot of content" using a single word?

texts:
How do I say that something "contains a lot of content" with a single word?

Is there an English word for this statement?

something — may be a text, an article, a blog post
contains a lot of content — contains good, new information that is usable for users
a lot — is only about quantity, not about "a wide variety of types" or anything like that.


texts:
Following Martha's advise I am splitting up a question Compound sentences, the punctuation and mooore.

Consider the following sentence:

  One of the items that needed a further development was a research on child nodes of a story representing its sub categories being updated the moment the list of sub categories is changed through edit page for stories.

Did I miss any prepositions obligatory for sentences that complex?

If you feel like it's not the right way to use English anyway, please see questions

Constructing compound sentences

and

How to rephrase a sentence?.


texts:
"In seventh grade, I was diagnosed with scoliosis. My nightmare began. A brace restricted my movement and my life; I could not bend or turn, let alone continue with my favorite hobby—dancing. I was dubbed ___ for the baggy clothes that covered my shameful brace." (Self-made sentence in an essay)

I am looking for an insulting term to fill in the blank that means the fatty which is used by teenagers. I can only think of "the fatty". Either one phrase or one word will do.


texts: I heard protagonists say "Sleep well?" after sleep in a movie and got curious; why is it "Sleep well", not "Slept well"? Shouldn't it be "Slept well"? Since they are not about to sleep, but already have slept. Is Did you removed from "Did you sleep well"?


texts: Is 'already' + (simple past) + (time of action) correct?

texts:
meta: I asked this question yesterday but it was marked as a duplicate of a previous question. But none of the answers to the previous question answered what I wanted to know. So I deleted that question and added this new one with some additional details to make it more specific.

Is the following conversation correct?

  A: You will need to finish the report before you leave for the day.
  B: I already did it yesterday.

I am not asking whether already can be used with past simple as opposed to present perfect. From what I know, we cannot use present perfect tense when time is mentioned and here we are mentioning the time of action. What I want to know is whether already can be used with past simple where time is mentioned. For example:

  A: You will need to file your taxes before the end of this month.
  B: I already filed my taxes two months ago.

The second speaker in both of these cases wants to a. emphasize that the action has already been completed, and b. mention when it was completed. If this is incorrect, is there any other way to achieve the same effect?


texts: Morphological structure of 'misrepresent' and 'consideration'

texts:
I've been wondering about the morphological structure of 'misrepresent' and 'consideration.'

In 'misrepresent,' is sent, present, or represent the stem? It's quite tricky!

Consideration is also a little confusing – when analyzing its morphological structure, should it be broken down into Consider + -ate + -ion, or should it be consider + -ion?

[EDIT]
I checked Webster and dictionary.com, and from what I have found, "represent" comes from the Latin 'representer.' When we analyze the structure of 'misrepresenting' does that mean the stem is 'represent' and not 'present'? 'Consideration' comes from the Latin, Considerare (Google define function), while 'considerate' (v) is considered archaic. Should 'consideration' be broken down into consider + ation then? I apologize if my questions are somewhat elementary - I'm new to language study and I'm still trying to grasp the basics of it.


texts: Are there any dictionaries that be able to look up words in word families?

texts: I was wondering there are any dictionaries/a dictionary that if I search for a word, for example: news, the dictionary will provide its word family or any types of usages related to this word, for example: news -> {reading, magazine, politics, amusing, global warming, accident, ..}.


texts: Word similar to well-read but in context of songs

texts:
"He is well-read in romantic literature and his brother is ....... in blues songs."

Is there a word that can be used to convey the same idea as "well-read" but in the context of songs? In other words, what is one word for "someone who has heard a lot of songs and knows each of them very well". I am looking for a word that is specific to songs like "well-read" is for books. I know well-versed, knowledgeable, etc. are usable words here but they are not what I am looking for.

Ideally, I would like to say, "He is well-read and his brother is well-<...>." The sentence should convey that "he" reads while "his brother" listens to songs.


texts: When someone, for example, uses a note on an exam to answer the questions, we say they cheat on the exam. What if someone else helps them to answer the questions, for example passing a note to them, or whispering the answer to them? Is there a VERB or VERB PHRASE meaning helping someone with cheating on an exam?


texts: How to say "Pending review" in a shorter way

texts:
What word can I use to describe that a set of submissions of an assignment are pending review. I want the shorter word.

Right now I say:  '8 pending review'

But that is too long. I would like to use just one word. What could be a shorter way to convey the same meaning?

It is going to be a simple label in a web application, so it doesn't need to be a full phrase.


texts:
Is there (modern) verb meaning "to cause to become extinct" please? The desired word would have the same root as "extinct".

The closest I could find etymologically was "extinguish", but its usage is archaic according to this link and, to me, it sounds like more of a synonym than a word with the same root.

As an example:

  Humans have accidentally (extinct(v)(past tense)) at least x species in the past 5 years.

To clarify, I am aware of plenty of words that can fill the gap. I was specifically looking for a "real" equivalent to "extinct-ify"


texts: What exactly does "the deadline for submissions is January 1, 2016" mean?

texts: Although I'm a native English speaker, I'm confused by the above sentence found on the page here. I've been debating with myself throughout the day whether I should interpret it as meaning before January 1st, 2016, or sometime during the day of January 1st 2016.


texts: Is there a verb form of the adjective obvious and if so, what is it?


texts: A word for that which is created from a template?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the word for an applied template?

I am looking for a word to describe that which is created from a template.

I am writing software which is used for testing. I created an object which can be used as a template for actual tests. These 'implementations' (as I have called them) just pass a few parameters to the template and the template is executed. It is important to recognise an implementation as such and to be able to refer back to the template as this is where the actual actions are performed.

I am not happy with the word 'implementation' as I find it too general. Is there a better word I could use? Bear in mind that the end user has to create (implement?) the template itself before template-implementations can be created. It gets a bit confusing. I had thought of 'wrapper' but this doesn't fit well with 'template' - perhaps 'template' is the wrong term ;-)

CLARIFICATION I need a term which the end-users will understand (i.e. non-IT people).

P.S. I am aware of this question What is the word for an applied template?. The fact that I'm asking virtually the same question shows that the question should not have been closed!


texts:
I am accustomed to using the word 'respectively' as follows:

  Jack and Jill went to the hill and the pharmacy, respectively.

and this is the way I've always seen it being used. Is it correct to use it in the following way too?

  Jack and Jill went to two places. Respectively, these were the hill and the pharmacy.


texts:
I was just watching a tv show where they used the following sentence:

  He probably just hasn't gotten around to it yet

It was a reply to the question, “Why didn't he inform you about it?”

I want to know whether it is okay to place the word just right after he.

The sentence would then be:

  He just probably hasn't gotten around to it yet

– which sounds more natural to my ear. If this is not possible, could someone explain why not?


texts: What is the correct way of writing "I will discuss" in a third person form?


texts: What do you call the part of a crystal that was cut of from a larger crystal?

texts:
The semiconductor industry calls the cuts of a crystal die or dice. Is this term outside of semiconducting industries correct too?

For example, a crystal has been cut into small plates. What are the plates called then?


texts: What is the term for this ambiguous sentence?

texts:
I apologize that I don't know how to search for this question--it may be a duplicate, or maybe I just should have learned it in English class!

I'm a teacher, and in another StackExchange, I wrote the following, in regard to a policy that I discuss during the first day of class:

  I mention that I won't tolerate [grade-grubbing] on the first day of class.

After re-reading it, I realized that I could mean, "I won't tolerate grade-grubbing if it happens on the first day of class."  Instead, I meant "On the first day of class, I mention that I won't tolerate grade-grubbing at any time during the course."

What is the term (or explanation) for this kind of ambiguity?


texts:
I often see constructions like this one:

  I look forward to hearing from you soon.

It seems a little strange to me. In my mind it would look better using the infinitive form "to hear". I don't know if it has something with the verbals... Anyway, what I want to know is which form is correct and why?


texts: What do you call the plastic/rubber protector on electrical connectors like headphone jacks?

texts: In the image below, between the connector and the cable is a bit of stiff plastic that covers and protects the joint. The entire covering, from where the metal ends (visually) to where uniform cable begins (visually). Is there a (preferably non-technical) term for this?


texts: When should the subject agree with the object of the preposition?

texts:
Quite often while I'm looking through research articles, I see sentences that start like this one:

  The tensile strengths of the composites changed...

I generally change strengths to strength in this case. My thinking is that because "strength" refers to a singular property, rather than multiple different types of tensile strength, I should change it. However, there is a strength associated with each of the composites tested.

Are there any rules that say I shouldn't change the plurality of the subject when it would disagree with the plurality of the object of the prepositional phrase attached to the subject?


texts: "as bad at English as me" vs. "as bad at English as I"

texts:
He was almost as bad at English as me.
He was almost as bad at English as I.

The first one sounds better as-is, but not when you change the second one to He was almost as bad at English as I was.

Which is correct?


texts: What do you call the type of verb that by saying it you actually perform the action?

texts:
What do you call a verb that by saying it you actually perform the action?

Common example: Apologize -- "I apologize for hurting you." (You just apologized by saying that)

I vaguely remember hearing a specific term for this sort of verb once...


texts: How do I write a variable as an ordinal number?

texts:
I'm charged with translating a technical document into English, and ran into a bit of an odd problem: the document refers to undefined numbers of elements, and uses letters to represent those numbers, as you would see in algebra. The order of those elements are important, so they need to be written as ordinal numbers.

In the source language (Japanese), an ordinal number is denoted with the character "第" (dai), so "第1" becomes "first", "第2" becomes "second", and so on. But how should I translate "第s"? "Nth" is common in English to refer to an undefined degree, but "rth" or "sth" seems confusing to me. Unfortunately, uppercase and lowercase letters are defined as different numbers, so I can't simply capitalize.

Is there a convention for this? Should I add a hyphen e.g. "s-th", or enclose the letter in parenthesis e.g. "(s)th"?


texts: Comma usage in compound sentence with adverb phrase

texts:
Is the following punctuated correctly?

A. There is a bird that chirps outside my window, and, every morning during the spring, it wakes me before my alarm goes off.

I am wondering if the adverb phrase (“every morning during the spring”) must be set off by commas. Or could the following be correct?

B. There is a bird that chirps outside my window, and every morning during the spring it wakes me before my alarm goes off.

Thanks.


texts: Meaning of "end in the sack" in this context (possibly nsfw?)

texts:
My girlfriend and I  were playing an erotic questions mobile game, and one of the questions was the following:

  Which day would you prefer to end in the sack?

  New Year's Eve
  My birthday
  Christmas Eve
  Mondays

The question was addressed to a woman. We have no clue what "in the sack" means here and so cannot proceed. English is not our native language, so we would be grateful for an explanation!


texts: Using "though" at the beginning of the following sentence

texts:
But during the trip, she hardly spoke with him. In fact, she hardly spoke with anyone in the group. She would just follow us quietly to whereever we went, like a little
  stray cat. Though she spent most of her time sitting on the wooden
  steps that led to the beach, gazing vacantly at the blue ocean.

Is though the right option in the sentence above? Is it common to use it that way? Or should I use something else instead?


texts: Why do we say "run apps" and not "walk" them?

texts:
I was recently working on an application and it was showing its status as "Running", and this thought popped up in my head: why "run" and not "walk"?

What's the origin of this difference?

Tried to search but couldn't find an explanation.


texts: One (or few) word expression for products you don't know you need

texts:
I'd like to find a very simple, preferably one word (or few words) expression for products that you don't know you need until you see them. Examples are:

electronic face cleanser
sleep enhancing app
the iPhone
Nike+ sensor
a Louis Vuitton handbag
an open heart tourbillon watch

These products are great, but before you knew they existed you didn't think you needed them. Now that you are aware of them you need them.

I'm thinking awareness-dependent or marketing-driven, but these are not cutting it. Luxury doesn't necessarily apply either. Diamonds are a luxury but they don't need marketing, you know they exist and they are much like commodities.

What I'm looking for is something that describes that a product price has a big marketing content, but not in a negative way (i.e. not "crap you don't need").


texts: Meaning of the phrase "Lease is up in four weeks"

texts:
I want to know the meaning of the phrase

  "Lease is up in four weeks"

Thanks so much.


texts:
Whtat is the meaning of "High d"?

If people say " So, I am a High D and...." what is the meaning of "High D"?

I guess this is negative meaning..

Thank you in advance.


texts:
Accursed be the Sea-folk, and accursed be all they who traffic with them. And as for him who for love's sake forsook God, and so lieth here with his leman slain by God's judgment, take up his body and the body of his leman, and bury them in the corner of the Field of the Fullers, and set no mark above them, nor sign of any kind, that none may know the place of their resting. For accursed were they in their lives, and accursed shall they be in their deaths also.'

I can't figure out the above phrase of "Filed of the Fullers".

Does this have something to do with the Bible ?
And what it really means?

In the bible : Isaiah 36:2

2And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the fuller's field.


texts: What do I call someone I hire to do my personal work for me?

texts:
Currently I’m living in Place A, but I need a representative at Place B who will go there and perform work on my behalf. He will update me on the progress in Place B.

What is that person called?


texts: Doing something even though you don't want to on an internal level

texts:
It's when you know you're gonna do something that you shouldn't but you do it anyways, like dropping something even though you had no intention of dropping it but the thought of dropping it crossed your mind and you consciously decided not to drop the thing but you did anyways.

The thought process is pretty much "I know I shouldn't do this but I'm going to even though I don't want to".
Might be a medical term, maybe there isn't even a word for it.

Best use I can think of is:
"The patient has been suffering from ____ for a long time"

I'm seeking the word or definition for the act of doing said thing even though you don't want to and made a conscious decision not to but still do.

It's not a compulsion, but more of a momentary dissonance(?) between your brain and your body about what to do.
Not sure if this will clarify it enough.


texts:
I am looking for an alternative idiom to 'as it stands'.

I have received a corpus of documents from a client which are unstructured in their delivery and file naming and I wish to reply along the lines of, 'as it stands the files we have received are not structured or named suitably'.

I am looking for an alternative to 'as it stands' as I feel it perhaps sounds a bit too confrontational, although I wish to convey the message they are unsuitable in their current structure.


texts: Is it 'disingenuousness' or 'disingenuity' (or possibly something else)?

texts: Someone who is disingenuous is someone who displays ________ (fill in the blank). Is it 'disingenuousness' or 'disingenuity' or something else?


texts: Has the meaning of the English colour name "pink" changed since the early 1900s?

texts:
This question was inspired by this one from skeptics.se, about the use of pink and blue clothing to denote the sex of babies. In noting cultures which have the reverse arrangement (i.e. some sort of anti-blue for boys) many examples actually seem to be that language's word for fairly saturated reds, rather than the very pastel shades we mean by modern English "pink."

I was already aware that traditional English hunting coats are called "pinks" even though they are actually scarlet. This set me to wondering if the meaning of the colour name may have changed over time, gradually becoming less saturated?

What I have found so far:

In general it is very difficult to be sure exactly what gamut of colours corresponds to an historic colour name;
The most common (albeit disputed) etymology for the hunting coats
suggests they are based on a tailor's surname, not a colour, so that
may be a red herring (so to speak!);
Etymologies for the color name
generally refer to the plant genus Dianthus, or the species of
that genus, Dianthus plumarius, that are commonly called
"pinks." However I have an issue with that etymology. Whilst pinks
may have a pastel colour, it is not usual. Depending on the soil conditions and exact strain, the colour is quite variable, ranging
from white through to a very deep purple. The most common
coloration seems to be a rather dark purplish red that perhaps could
be called "carmine."
This excellent answer about the etymology of pink includes
a (probably incomplete) timeline of the word gradually becoming a
colour name. In 1819 at least four dyesª were called "pinks". All but
one were saturated colours, and one was not even a shade of red. The
unsaturated one was English pink, described as a "pale form of
Dutch pink."

All of which has been very interesting, but not arrived at an answer to my question: when newspapers of the 1890s—1920s refer to dressing newborn boys in pink, what colour did they mean by "pink"?

a. Brief aside on the chemistry of dyes: the fact that a dye is a "lake" is unrelated to its colour. It is related only to the method of binding the pigment to the cloth. Both saturated and pastel shades may be lakes.


texts:
If you present someone with four options to choose from (and they can only choose one), should you say:

"What would you like more of?" or "Which would you like more of?"

Would the answer change if you were offering nouns (pie, coffee, etc.) or intangibles (power, speed, etc.)?


texts: The date on which a reservation was created vs on which a reservation is valid

texts:
A reservation can have two dates. The first is the date on which the reservation was created, e.g. July 1. The second is the date on which the reservation is valid, e.g. July 2

On July 1, I made a reservation for July 2 for Room 208.

I'm looking for two concise noun phrases that signify these two dates.

"Date of Reservation" sounds like the latter.

Context: I'm designing a webpage which displays information for a given reservation.

[Noun phrase needed]: July 1

[Noun phrase needed]: July 2

Of course from the dates, one can deduce the meaning of the phrases. However, it is still useful to have easily understandable noun phrases.


texts: Word for things come easily to me so I don't try?

texts:
I don't want to say I am lazy, because that's not the closest match.
I am not apathetic, because I do care.
Does anyone know the word to describe not trying hard because things come easily...?


texts: He goes on to say or he goes on to saying?

texts:
I'm uncertain about the grammar of this sentence. Which of the following two would I write?

He goes on to say that...
He goes on to saying that...

I googled both of these phrases. The former seems to be more common (though many instances of the latter are seen). In Google's ngram viewer, however, it seems that the latter doesn't even exist.


texts: How can I say "You should save your work 'at short regular interval'?"

texts:
I want to say that "You should save your file frequently at regular interval" because this area has electricity problem.

I want frequently at regular interval in a word.


texts: Trying to find an expression/idiom to match these two phrases about providing bad solutions?

texts:
Say I'm looking for a job and a friend of mine gives me an option; but their offer is horrible(say working for less than minimum wage, 80+hour weeks, no vacation, doesn't use my degree; etc.)

What is a phrase or idiom for what they are doing, where the option they provide is basically worthless?

Furthermore say this same friend then attacks me saying I'm too picky or something similar.

Is there an idiom or phrase for when you offer somebody something worthless and then attack them when they inevitably refuse?


texts:
Is there a noun to describe the object of a search? For example in the sentence: "I was searching for my toothbrush". Is there a word to describe "my toothbrush"?

I am looking for a word along the lines of searchee (but that is not a real word).


texts:
I don't know if I'm going crazy or confusing this phrase for another, but in my head something like:

  Let me put it in picture for you

Is a phrase that equates to

  Let me explain it to you/Let me give some context for you

However after searching online for a bit, I couldn't find any instances of it mentioned anywhere.


texts:
There'a a similar question (How can something be "set in stone"?), but "cast" is a more specific verb than "set".

I was telling about Russian PM's famous malapropism "my words should be cast in granite" to an English speaker when I realized that "cast in stone" sounded rather natural. I checked, and this expression was present in both Collins and Macmillan dictionaries without any remarks about its usage.

You can cast something in metal, plaster or concrete, how did this verb stick to 'stone'? Is 'cast in stone' really a valid expression?


texts: Comma after "approximately" at the beginning of a list of figures

texts:
I am in the process of editing some proofs of an article for a scientific journal and came across the following sentence (somewhat edited as the relevant data has not yet been published):

  Approximately, x% were motivated to explore the records to learn about their ancestry, y% because of health concerns, and z% due to curiosity.

The "approximately" at the beginning of the list refers to each of the percentages, which have been rounded to a lower precision. I am wondering if the following comma is appropriate here, or generally when one is trying to apply a modifier list of figures.


texts: I am so confused about unit and lesson in books. I looked up Longman Dictionary and it said "a part of book". What's the difference between them in this case?


texts:
Is there a word with a meaning like "about this document" or "notes about a document"?

That is a section of a document which contains meta information about the document, such as its purpose, intended audience, editorial history, origins, and so on.


texts:
How do you quote an adage in English?
For example, assume you are giving an speech and you want to add an adage. Do  you say "there is a saying ..."? or "as they say ... "
What are the best ways to bring smoothly an adage to your speech?


texts:
How do you relay an information like this using the indirect speech. For example:

  David said: "Gone are the days when people could speak good grammar, nowadays, people are just too lazy to try".

If I am to relay this using the indirect speech format, how will I rephrase it?


texts: What is the origin of “call a spade a spade” and does it have racial connotations?

texts:
Now that we know how to punctuate the phrase “call a spade a spade” I am curious where it originated and what the original meaning was.

Also, the term “spade” can have negative racial connotations and a friend of mine told me that she thought the phrase did too. I’ve personally never heard it used in a derogatory way, but I figured this was the place to ask.


texts: How to describe a private person versus a legal organisation (i.e. company)

texts:
I have some text that describes people versus organisations as:

  “natural”(natural person) or “juridical”(legal person)

But it sounds like automatic translation... Please advise on what to call those groups properly?


texts:
What does this sentence mean?

  Easy peasy japanesey!

Especially "japanesey", why Japan?

It was in the 1994 movie The Shawshank Redemption.


texts: Adjective to describe an argument that changed my mind or makes good sense?

texts:
I recently read an opinion piece that I found to be totally convincing - it expressed things that I'd felt myself but had never previously been able to put into words - it hit the nail on the head.

When I was sending someone else a link to the article, I realised I couldn't think of a single adjective that expressed how I wanted to describe it. "You should read this _ article from (author)".

Does anyone have any ideas? I've come up with "convincing" and "incisive" but I don't think they quite express what I'm looking for. A thesaurus gave me "trenchant" which I think is a bit too obscure.


texts:
In the sentence:

  He made his debut for the national side on 5 June 2011. (Source)

does "national side" mean "national team"?


texts: Is the "what" necessary in some sentences with the "as  as " structure?

texts:
Is using "what" before the clause necessary in some sentences with the structure as <adverb> as <clause>?
For example,

The strawberry milkshake I ordered has twice as much strawberry flavouring as what I normally receive.

Or, would the sentence be better off if I just used "than" instead?

The strawberry milkshake I ordered has twice as much strawberry flavouring than what I normally receive.


texts:
The common phrase to express that you want someone to exactly get what they wish for is, as far as I know:

  May your dreams come true

Can you also say?

  May your wishes come true

I have never heard it before, only the dreams version.

Is using wishes acceptable and if yes, how widespread is it?

Also: Is there a difference in meaning between these two phrases?


texts:
Guillemets are, by Oxford Dictionaries definition:

Each of a pair of punctuation marks (« ») used as quotation marks in French and other European languages.

This is backed up by Wiktionary:

Guillemets (/ˈɡɪləmɛt/, or /ɡiːəˈmeɪ/; French: [ɡijmɛ]), angle quotes,
angle brackets, or carets, are a pair of punctuation marks in the form
of sideways double chevrons (« and »), used as quotation marks

However, I would like to know if there is a use for guillemets in the English language?
My research is below:

Source 1:
The furthest Google has taken me is Writeawriting.  It states:

The guillemet is used to mark the starting and the ending point of an entire conversation (this includes phrases like ‘he said’, ‘she replied’, ‘we told’ etc). This use is more specific to French language and many other Non-English languages.

Though, as the article's title is "What is guillemet and how to use it in  English language" (all [sic]), it doesn't specify whether it is sometimes used in the English language, rarely is, or if it's used at all.  The rest of the article discusses programming and the like, so not useful.

Source 2: EL&U answer to:
Is it acceptable to nest parentheses?
User Orbling attests:

...I do it, but then I spend a lot of time as a mathematician.
If it gets confusing I think using alternative bracket glyphs assists ([{<« »>}]).
[Though using the guillemets (« ») as brackets can get you in to [sic]
trouble, as a lot of languages use them as speech marks. (Wikipedia.) ]

This indicates that using guillemets in the layering scheme for brackets is a thing, but is it correct?

Source 3:  EL&U question Why Do Guillemets Sometimes Appear?
User Benjamin McAvoy-Bickford asks:

I have noticed, recently, that guillemets are being used in all sorts of odd ways. I saw one example where they seemed to be inserted around a few shorter words in a slogan for no reason at all. Is there such a thing as a proper use of guillemets in English? Similarly, are guillemets sneaking in because people don't remove them, as partially addressed in this question? I live in America, so I was particularly thinking about American English, though British English-based answers could help.

Then user Hot Licks comments:

The use of the << and >> brackets is unusual in normal English and has no established meaning.

In regards to this, guillemets may be rare in English, but, as we've established previously, they aren't unseen; they have a meaning to at least some people.
And this brings us back to square one!

All answers appreciated.

NB:  BrE, AmE, AuE, CaE  etc. based answers are all accepted.


texts: What does "I must have you dance" mean? What kind of a sentence is it?


texts: What is the difference between "a half century" and "half a century"? Is there a specific time when each phrase should be used, or is it simply a matter of preference?


texts: Is “If I would have X” an Indian shibboleth?

texts:
As I was reading a deleted question that asks whether

  If I would have sweet dreams, they would be about you. If my dreams ever come true, it will be with you.

is correct, I noticed that the incorrect use of “if I would have” in the first sentence somehow made me feel like the poster was Indian. I don't know exactly why, but it felt like something my former Indian colleagues could have said. So, is this particular error typical of (or quite likely to be made by) Indians, or is it just some weird feeling I'm getting for no reason?


texts: Is 'Reports List' grammatically correct?

texts:
I am designing a dashboard. Here is the sections in the dashboard:

Reports
Items
Contacts

Inside each section will be a list. I am not sure if the list below is grammatically correct since the section names above are all plural.

Reports List
Items List
Contacts List

I am aware of another option which is 'List of (section name)' but this is a bit too long and is only kept as the last option.


texts: What's the difference between shackle and handcuffs? Is the difference nuance-based? Judging by Google Ngram viewer, it seems "shackle" had a peak of usage around 1920. Is it arcane/used only in the literature?


texts:
I’d like to ask if the semicolon is used properly/appropriately here?

He hadn't gotten to prove Daniel wrong; hadn't gotten to take his revenge for feeding him his first taste of defeat.

I’ve learned that semicolons should be used between two independent clauses so I’m not sure if it is used right here.


texts:
I just found myself writing some documentation that uses "in question," but then I questioned whether what I wrote makes sense. The context is a document that describes the numerical solution of different classes of various initial value ordinary differential equation (ODE for short), with the assumption that the reader of the document will know what that gobbledygook means.

Here's what I wrote:

  [This module] supports a number of classes of numerical integration problems,
  characterized by the nature of the underlying ODE: ...

  Problems such as propagating the translational state of a vehicle.
  This class of problems involves propagating a vector quantity and its
  time derivative based on the second time derivative of the vector quantity
  in question.

For example, think of advancing position and velocity over time given a magical function that computes acceleration (but the problem is more generic than that).

Is my use of in question here grammatically correct and also clear, or should I rewrite and use some other phraseology?


texts: Word or phrase for a situation when your intention is to save something but end up in loss

texts:
I don't know what this situation is called when we end up in loss but intention was to save/protect.
Example:

I am trying to improve something but made it worse
I am trying to fix a thing and broken other


texts: Are "rode" and "rowed" pronounced the same?

texts:
Is there an English accent which would distinguish these two sentences?

  He rode from the bridge to the pier.
  He rowed from the bridge to the pier.


texts: In the sentence "The wallet has fallen." Is the verb "fallen" being used in the passive form and is it grammatically correct?

texts:
I feel like it is grammatically correct, but as a native speaker I am aware that I will say and write things that are not "by the book" when it comes to grammar.

I also know that you can have a sentence that is in a prepositional-passive tense such as "This roof has been fallen from by many people" but I don't think that's this unless the unspoken "onto the ground" or other surface counts towards the correctness of the sentence.


texts: A word for non-supernatural “superstitions”?

texts:
I’m talking about widely held beliefs that are perceived to be rooted in science or what is falsely believed to be rooted in science, but are perhaps overgeneralized or taken out of context to the point they are pseudoscientific.

Things like:

Birds/rabbits will reject their young if they smell that a human touched them.

The human body isn’t designed to drink cow’s milk and it’s bad for you

“Chinese restaurant syndrome” due to MSG

Boiling water in the microwave is somehow worse or more dangerous than using a kettle.

Gluten is bad for you, widespread belief in gluten sensitivity

Cellphones can cause cancer due to radiation they emit.

Swimming right after you eat can be dangerous

Any amount of chocolate or grapes/raisins are ‘poisonous’ to dogs


texts:
I'm a little bit confused which version is correct:

New version available
New version is available


texts: What is the correct verb corresponding to the noun "summons"?

texts:
I have just seen this usage:

  ... you have been summonsed ...

My immediate reaction was one of (let's say) surprise; I would have thought the correct form was:

  ... you have been summoned ...

Is there, in fact, a verb "to summons", and, if so, where did it come from?


texts: Is there a word for female necromancer (sorry for repeat of title, but stackexchange complained about lack of body)?


texts: Should I use “speaker” or “loud speaker” to refer to the signal → vibration → sound thingy?

texts:
I am a native german speaker, so I have absolutely no good intuitions when it comes to choosing the right alternative out of a candidate set. Today, one problem was: How should I call the sound-making thingy? Is it a "speaker" or is it a "loud speaker"? Is there any difference?

Is one term more technical than the other?
Is one term stylistically marked in certain contexts? If so, which?
Are there any useful, free, online resources that could help me answer similar questions in the future?
Are there any objective criteria?

What I have come up with so far is:
If I choose "loud speaker", I no longer might get the "person that is speaking" interpretation, but in the intended usage of the term (a manual for a technical device), such an interpretation should not arise anyways. So, it seems like an arbitrary choice to me.


texts: In the last hundred years and the last time

texts:
Should 'the last time' always be followed by past simple and in the last hundred years by present perfect?

Eg., The last time I  went to South America, I  visited Brazil and Peru. I spent two weeks in the Amazon, hiked for a week near Machu Picchu, and  flew over the Nazca Lines.

Eg.,In the last hundred years, traveling  has become much easier and very comfortable.

Thanks


texts: Between "Expert knowledge" and "Working knowledge"

texts:
I wonder how best to describe a position between "Expert knowledge" and "Working knowledge" (as in "Expert knowledge in HTML/CSS", "Working knowledge in JavaScript"). Is there any term that suits somewhere not so expert but higher than working knowledge? "Decent knowledge" sounds fine?
Thank you in advance for your advice.


texts: Confused about intonation! Will intonation modify the the pronunciation of a word in the dictionary?

texts:
This Video at 2:55 said that "when we have a list, we use rising intonation in each phrase until we get the final item of the list... the final item of the list will have falling intonation"

Ok, let apply the above rule into this simple question:

  I love summer, winter, and autumn.

In dictionary, summer /ˈsʌmər/ got stressed at the 1st syllable & winter /ˈwɪntər/ also got stressed at the 1st syllable

But if we read the above sentence, then I think we have these 2 possibilities:

-do not stress the 1st syllable but do stress the 2nd syllable of summer (ie, /sʌˈmər/) & the 2nd syllable of winter (ie, /wɪnˈtər/)

-do stress both syllables of summer (ie, /ˈsʌˈmər/) & both syllables of winter (ie, /ˈwɪnˈtər/)

So, which option is correct? very confused!

Extra Info: In the dictionary, the word "instrument" /ˈɪnstrəmənt/ got stressed at the 1st syllable. However, in this video at 2:00, the lady said "Do you play other instruments?". Since that is the question so we have to use rising intonation for the word "instruments". And you can see that she stressed the /mənt/ so that it sounds like /ɪnstrə'mənt/.


texts: Are state initials supposed to be capitalized?

texts:
If I'm writing an article, and I mention a city and state, how do I write the state.

For example,

  "My friend is visiting from Los Angeles, CA."

OR

  "My friend is visiting from Los Angeles, Ca."

I know it's rather minuscule, but I would like to know.


texts: Is "roger" equivalent to "Ok"? I hear it in war movies, movies like Star Wars Clone Wars, and in war games.


texts: The difference between "stack up against" and "stack up with"

texts:
I can see the term "stack up" is used with different prepositions or without a preposition:

  to stack up against
  to stack up with
  to stack up (compared)

So what differences in meaning do they convey when we use them with different prepositions?

Here are some examples:

  1. When China reported real growth of 7% year-on-year in the first quarter, economists noted that this did not stack up with its nominal growth of 5.8%.

  2. I think if you look at our competition there’s no way that people can really stack up with our exclusive content, and that’s an amazing part of what we’re doing at Xbox.

  3. Teachers will know how they stack up against national standards.

  4. Find out how your income stacks up compared to the rest of the world.

My questions are:

  1. Can we replace the word with with the word against in examples 1 and 2? Would the meaning of the sentence change if we do?

  2. Can we replace the word against with the word with in example 3? Would the meaning of the sentence change if we do?

  3. Can we replace the word compare with against or with in example 4 without changing the sentence's meaning?

  4. In example 1, could "to stack up" have been used in the sense of "to make sense" as in the following sentence? For me I can replace it more with "consistency, correspondence, or coherent.

    Sorry but what you said just doesn't stack up with the odds.


texts: What is the role of "much" immediately after a noun?

texts:
Child development specialists believe that confining babies much of the time to strollers, high chairs, playpens, and walkers can inhibit muscle development.

I came across this sentence and wanted to know what is the role of "much"?

Confining -> is present participle(gerund). So "confining babies" is a noun phrase.

noun phrase + much + preposition => what is the role of "much" here? Can you please give few more examples like this?


texts: Is there a word/idiom for feigning a belief for the purpose of constructing an argument?

texts:
Currently I'm using the phrase "Operating on the premise that". Here's an example:

  Operating on the premise that the God depicted in the Old Testament is real, I would provide a sacrificial lamb.

I want to be able to talk about this practice in the abstract.

  When I am [new abstraction]ing, I'm able to empathize better and learn from my new frame of mind.

I could establish an acronym (OOPT) and refer to the practice as OOPTing but I feel like logicians or writers must have already solved this, as it's a fundamental behaviour in a lot of practices.


texts:
Example:

  We were escorted into the old country club, and I made an instant grimace over how ______ the ambiance was."


texts: How do I describe this the anger of this person?

texts: I want to describe a angry person. He was very angry. His eyes wide opens, he bits his lips, and his fists hold tight.


texts: A synonym for 'c*ck' that works as the equivalent to 'c*nt' in terms of taboo strength

texts:
Edit: This question pertains to American English usage.

Whether one likes it or not, obscene or taboo words come with degrees of strength, so that 'dick' and 'cock' are synonyms but one is weaker and therefore accepted in more situations (for example: 'your dick is ...' vs. 'your cock is ...').

Now, whenever I come across the word 'cunt' (which isn't often) in relation to the female genitals, the reaction leads me to understand it as a very perjorative word, almost as taboo as 'nigger'. On the other hand, what I would consider its equivalent for the male genitals, 'cock', is much more common and elicits a much weaker reaction.

So, in my mind, the strength of the taboo is as follows:
- 'nigger' equates with 'never EVER use',
- 'cunt' equates with 'never use',
- 'cock' equates with 'don't use',
- 'dick' equates with 'avoid using'.

What I am looking for is a word for 'penis' with the same taboo strength as 'cunt'. I can't think of anything stronger than cock but, as I said, it sounds much weaker to me. Or is the female word simply more taboo because of the traditional social notions of females having to be chaste against non-chaste males being 'men with a capital M'?

edit:
The word is to be used in an obscene sentence similar to 'stick your ... in the closest cunt'. I apologise for the rudeness but... rude language is part of language.

This dialogue is suposed to happen in a story in an American middle class setting, even if some of the people might be of a lower standing (working class, no education).


texts: A single adjective for "quick to get working"?

texts:
I am trying to describe a computer code and one of its advantages- being easy to download and run, as there is little to no setup.

We aim to facilitate scientific reproducibility and give other practitioners access to a quick-to-get-working yet performant model.

Is there a more suitable and concise adjective describing something that is easy/quick to setup/start/get working/get running? I know this could be paraphrased as for example works right out of the box, but out of curiosity I am looking for an adjective.


texts: Why do many names use "y" in place of expected "i"?

texts:
I would expect names like Taylor, Poynting have "i" in place of actual "y", because they sound very similar to words "tailor" and "pointing". There's also Feynman, which some (not really credible source though) suggest to be "probably a poorly chosen spelling of the German/Yiddish Feinman".

Why is there "y" instead of "i"? Have the corresponding words been written with "y" some time ago, leaving the names unchanged when spelling changed, or maybe the people deliberately changed the spelling of their names to differ from the original words?


texts: The word/phrase for the person who makes all the profit while others are suffering?

texts:
"I hate this war."
  "Me too. It's bad for everyone"
  "But you know who is profiting from this - the coffin seller."

How do I define that coffin seller in one or more words?


texts: Term used for juxtaposing different meanings of the same word

texts:
There is a technique used occasionally in (often comic) writing, whereby two different meanings of the same word are combined in a sentence to create a sense of surprise in the reader.

My particular favourite comes from the Flanders and Swann song "Madeira M'Dear" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW_zi8n4HDQ):

"And he said as he hastened to put out the cat, the wine, his cigar and the lamps"

(So the cat is removed, the wine is brought in, and the cigar and lamps are extinguished)

Is there a proper name for this as a literary device?


texts: Collocation: Rates are large/small or high/low?

texts:
What is the proper adjective for rates?

"..the learning rate is low/high.."
or
"..the learning rate is small/large.."

It seems that there are different opinions:

  Numbers can be described using the metaphor of size (large vs small) or height (high vs low).
  Answer to What's the difference between “large share” and “high share”?

  “Large” and “small” are generally used to express variations or changes in size, dimensions, or mass. “High” and “low” are usually used to express levels or numerical values. “Large” and “small” are often mistakenly used where “high” and “low” would be better.
  Springer.com: Large/small/high/low


texts:
According to dictionary.com, "Inherent" means:

  existing in someone or something as a permanent and inseparable element, quality, or attribute

I understand the standalone definition of inherent but do not understand the definition of the phrase "inherently random" in this context:

  "He cannot predict inherently random attacks."

What does "inherently random" refer to in this context?


texts: A word for "modify/delete/change a newspaper article"

texts: a word for " a person/politician asking to review/modify a newspaper article before it is published"


texts:
I have the following sentence:

"Method A makes on average 14 corrections of the schedule necessary for one simulated day"

I am wondering if the position of 'necessary' is correct. An alternative would be:

"Method A makes on average 14 corrections necessary  of the schedule for one simulated day"

Update: As I could not really understand the given answers (and they did not reply on my questions) I just wanted to ask again if someone could help me. I'd really appreciate it because I am confused at the moment. I want to use 'necessary' not something with 'required'.

What about the suggestion from Charlie (if I understood him correctl):
"Method A makes on average 14 corrections necessary in the schedule for one simulated day'"


texts: I'm looking for an antonym for "Praise". I thought of the word "criticism", but it's a rather ugly word. Does anyone have any other suggestions for an antonym?


texts:
Is there a word or term commonly used to describe the act of stating the obvious (or a person who continually does so)?

  He constantly states the obvious, he is such a __.

  She is always ___ing.


texts:
English is not my native language, but normally when I listen to the radio I have no problem understanding what's being said.

That's different when I listen to sports commentary, I really have to concentrate then. I just watched an episode of The IT Crowd where Maurice Moss talks in a "football voice"(1:10).

Where does that way of speaking originate? Why do you usually hear it in sports commentary?


texts: Usage of comma and parallel verbs in this sentence

texts:
Interestingly enough, a large number of the Facebook-based business ventures [have been formed][,]
  and [are run] and [managed] by women,
  which directly and indirectly contributes to women's empowerment in the country.

My first question is about the Comma in the third bracket before and. The rule of the Comma before and is:

The Comma before and joining two independent clauses
The Comma before and in lists of three or more items and etc.

Source: Using a Comma before “And”

But a large number of the Facebook-based business ventures have been formed and [are run] and [managed] by women are not independent clauses. So why the comma is used there?

The second question is about maintaining the parallel verbs which are [have been formed] and [are run] and [managed] which share the same subject. Shouldn't the verbs sharing the same subject be the same tense?

Source: Using Parallel Verbs


texts:
Is the word formulæ, written with an æ at the end, valid in English? I stumbled upon this apparently plural form of formula in the Wiktionary.

I had no idea the letter æ could occur in English. Does anyone know the story to this? Are there other examples of English words that contain letters not found in the standard English alphabet?


texts: Please provide me correct interpretation of this sentence

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How does negation affect the use and understanding of “or” and “and”

A's girlfriend doesn't like movies or Roses.
What would be the correct interpretation ?
Does A's girlfriend not like both, or only one?


texts: Is it correct to say "I've been to the World Trade Center"?

texts: I've heard that you can't use the present perfect to talk about something which is not possible anymore. In this case, since the World Trade Center no longer exists and you can't visit there anymore, the sentence should be "I went to the World Trade Center." That's what I heard. Is that correct?