texts: What principle guides word combinations with "almost"?

texts:
I am trying to explain to non-native speakers how to use "almost."  I can't formulate (a) rule(s) to follow with regard to nouns/pronouns.  So far, my only ideas are that almost can be collocated only with words (or in situations) that describe measurement or comparison.  However, even this seems to fail.

For example:

almost they = incorrect (no concept of measurement or comparison)

almost everyone = correct (measurement of individuals)

A platypus is almost a duck. = correct (comparison)
They are almost the same. = correct (comparison)
It is almost midnight. = correct (measurement of time vs. temporal adverbial)
We are almost there. = correct (but spatial adverbial)

However:

He wrote almost a book. = incorrect, although in this case "book" would be a comparison or perhaps a measurement of the written material

I am pretty much at a loss.  Thanks.


texts:
I'm having difficulty constructing this sentence in terms of "is". Which one of these is correct or is there another way of constructing the sentence?

a first-class “machine” that is tuned for
the Chinese market and is capable of producing superior outcomes.

a first-class “machine” that is tuned for
the Chinese market and capable of producing superior outcomes.

Context: machine refers to a company.


texts: How does one qualitatively describe the cubic increase of experimental data

texts: I have generated some data Y and would like to describe its variation as a function of some variable X. Using MS Excel, I obtained the trendline shown in the figure below which suggests that Y varies approximately cubically with X. However, I would like to omit the trendline itself (leaving only the data points marked by the blue diamonds) and describe the data qualitatively in an increasing sense. To that end, would it be accurate for me to use the following statement: the data Y increases approximately cubically with X?


texts: Are there similar expressions to the Japanese saying “I want to die on a tatami mat”?

texts:
Today most people die in a hospital bed, though many would prefer to die in their own home being watched over by their loving family.

We have an old saying, “to die on a tatami mat”, meaning to die peacefully in one’s own home — as opposed to dying miserably and bedridden in a hospital while being distressed by the presence of tubes supplying oxygen and nutrients as if one was trussed up with some sort of monstrous spaghetti.

For reference, tatami is a floor mat made of woven rush which you may find in most Japanese houses. (The size of a room is quantified in terms of the number of tatamis, e.g. a 6-tatami room or a 12-tatami room.)

“To die on a tatami mat” originally meant “to end a peaceful life” without being subjected to such perils as war, fighting, fires, earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons as are rife in this country. By extension, we call a reckless person “a fellow who is unable to die on a tatami mat.”

I associate “aging in place”, a term which I understand is current these days, with “dying on a tatami mat.” But the connotation is not the same.

Are there any English-language expressions that are similar to the Japanese saying “I want to die on a tatami mat”?


texts:
I am subscribed to a weekly newsletter from an American company. Almost in each email they refer to their employees as "human". For example:

  This weekend  human Alice participated at a tech event ...

I'm not a native English speaker, but personally I love this.

Is it a good thing to call people "humans"?

Can I say that my best friend is an "amazing human"?

I think this is gender neutral, isn't it?
What are the pros/cons? Can this be used in formal contexts?

Why would someone dislike calling people "humans"? When can I safely use it?


texts: Trouble thinking of a term or colloquialism for "much much more"

texts:
There is a saying that is on the tip of my tongue that basically means "immeasurably more than".  I think it's related to "factor" but I just cannot place it.  I also feel like it's commonly used in a technically incorrect way but I can't be sure.

Example Sentence:

  The new process is _______________ simpler than the previous one.

I'm almost positive it's math related.


texts: an expression about a linear equation f(x)=a*x+b

texts:
The relation (referring to f(x)=a*x+b) is needed to determine f in terms of argument/input x.

Is ' in terms of ' in this sentence correct in English thinking/narrative logic? I saw someone used it to stress the relation between output/dependent function and input/independent variable.


texts: Formatting birth and death place and date

texts:
I would like to use the proper form for indicating the birth date and place and death date and place for the author of a book review. For example, would this be considered correct:
Erich Neumann (b. Berlin, 1905; d. Tel Aviv, 1960)


texts: Word for code/applications that call an API library

texts:
I have an API library, what do I call code/applications that use it? I want to avoid "client" because in my context, it is ambiguous with another concept.

Also it doesn't have to be a single word, as long as it's short and not awkward to repeat a lot of times in a formal document.


texts: Is this structure, Adj. as it seems, correct?

texts:
I wish to express

  Although it may sound good, its assumption is questionable and risky.

I remember vaguely that I have read it as such from somewhere I cannot remember:

  Good as it may sound, its assumption is questionable and risky.

Is it correct? Or it should be:

  Good as it may sound, but its assumption is questionable and
  risky.


texts: What is the difference between disgust and antipathy?

texts:
In WikiDiff, it says antipathy is a synonym of disgust.

But as far I know antipathy is a strong dislike towards something or somebody and disgust is involuntary feeling invoking the feeling of hatred.

Can you please differentiate these two words?


texts: Why is it "either . . . or" and "neither . . . nor"?

texts: Do we say it this way because of some connection with French and the "ne . . . pas," "ne . . . ni" constructions?  I'm thinking that it might be a direct importation from Old French by the Normans, or perhaps this duality is a general feature of PIE languages?  If anyone can clue me in I'd be grateful.


texts:
I came across the following sentence, but I'm not sure that it's correct:

  From what of the product we could test, there are still some problems.

Could you please tell me if it's a correct form? Thank you!


texts:
The owner of this equipment has cleared the meeting room, last week.

The meeting room was cleared from the unnecessary equipment by the owner, last week.


texts: Is the meaning of "you only live once" backwards?

texts:
People say "you only live once" when they're trying to justify taking a risk or talk someone into taking a risk. But shouldn't the idea that you only live once discourage you from taking a risk?

  "Should I throw this toaster in the bathtub?"
  "You only live once!"

To me, an appropriate response would be:

  "You're right; maybe I shouldn't do it."

But it seems like the expected response is:

  "You're right; might as well try it!"


texts:
The most intuitive word to describe a person rich in fat seems to be fatty. However, I'm not sure whether it's commonly used in a derogatory sense in English. Do I need a more appropriate word instead?

I would like the most common term to use in an everyday situation. For example, to tell a person from a group of people:

  Tom: Who is Jack?
  Jerry: The [fat/fatty/obese/...] guy over there.

Is calling someone fatty OK?


texts: What's the word for Unnecessary Complexity

texts:
When something is unnecessarily complex, it is _____.

Example: The statement "That solution is no longer unnecessary" is ______, couldn't we simply say "That solution is now necessary"?


texts: What are the principles that make certain lists sound euphonious?

texts:
Has this ever happened to you: You write a question, include a list or two in the discussion, and then come back to edit that list because the order doesn't sound "right"?  Off the top of my head, I can remember it happening to me twice here on English L&U: I changed God, man, and nature to read man, nature, and God when answering one question, and the tireless kiamlaluno edited a question of mine from trunk...boot to boot...trunk.

Why in fact do certain constructions of lists sound more pleasant to the ear than others?
Why can't it be child, man, and woman rather than man, woman, and child?  All the principles I can think of, such as ordering by "natural" progression, ordering by length of word, and ordering to preserve internal rhyme, seem to have exceptions or be violated for some sayings.  Does one principle have supremacy over the other? Are there any others I'm missing?  And finally, how can we be sure what sounds pleasant isn't just historical inertia carried over from a first well-recognized coinage?


texts:
The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of English states that "to trigger" is a transitive verb. Therefore it would be incorrect to state "An alarm triggers". We have to say "X triggers the alarm" or "the alarm is triggered".
I have seen multiple occasions where "to trigger" is used as an intransitive verb. Like in "In that case the alarm triggers. Is that correct English ?
I think it is not. Is that so ?


texts: What does "go out there" mean as used by athletes in baseball, basketball, etc

texts:
Here is an interview with a Utah Jazz basketball player after the game:

Donovan Mitchell acknowledged it was hard trying not to go all-out
early on: "I had a moment before the game, I was talking to myself,
trying to calm myself. … It’s easy to go out there and try to hit a
home run early, but the game isn’t won in the first five minutes."

What does go out there mean?


texts:
They both expand to "there is not" but for some reason "There's not" sounds indescribably uncomfortable for most situations. Can anyone elucidate why this might be? Or am I wrong?

EDIT: Let me provide an example to see if anyone agrees.

  There's not anyone there.
  There isn't anyone there.

Number 1 doesn't sound wonky to you?


texts:
Offhand, I'd say it's a variation of the bouffant with a bun on top. It transcends generations. Here's a fairly famous painting by John Sloan:

And, almost a hundred years later, here's Captain Janeway:


texts: What is the meaning of this sentence: "What they lack in size, they certainly make up for in importance"

texts:
I encounter this sentence in the bellow paragraph while reading the article here: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/artificial-intelligence-hr-and-recruitment/64358/

  Human resources is arguably one of the most important departments in any reasonably sized organisation.

  "What they lack in size, they certainly make up for in importance".

Thanks,


texts: Mongoloid with reference to Down's syndrome

texts: Could we use mongoloid with reference to Down's syndrome in informal English?


texts: What tense should this sentence be phrased in based on the accompanying action which has taken place?

texts:
In the following scenario you can buy/sell offices in different cities, so say the user purchases an office in London, then the user sells it and we wish to show the user a message that the sale has taken place, should it be phrased like:

this,

  You sold your Office which is situated in London for  495,000.

or

  You sold your Office which was situated in London for  495,000.


texts: Can I use these three idioms at work when talking to my boss and my customers?

texts:
I was wondering if it might be at all odd or inappropriate to use these newly learned idioms where I work.

First one, You've got me there. Instead of I have no idea or I don't know.

Second one, Let's bail. Instead of Let's go home.

And the last one, I'll be back at a drop of a hat.

The reason I'm asking: On the web, these phrases are characterized as common in the United States, but I've never heard anyone say them. I'm trying to improve my English and would like to use them somehow (at work specifically), unless it would seem weird to do so.


texts: A word to describe an individual who is unable to understand a particular situation as it is unfolding?

texts:
Example Of Such A Situation: The individual in question works for a company and he intends to resign voluntarily because he feels that he may be asked to resign by the company management. This is because, the individual is not sure if his work has made a positive impact on the company's profit margin.He does not want to take any chance & is planning to resign.However, he realises his decision may or may not be the right decision.

So,is there a word that describes such an individual who is unable to take the correct decision because he cannot understand that particular unfolding situation correctly? In other words the person is failing to understand something which should be obvious.


texts:
I keep noticing that native speakers often times use present tense when, to my mind, they should use future:

If you go straight, you (will) see a building.
I can (will be able to) give you $5 tomorrow.
I (will) start looking for a job and see what (will) happens.

Why present, not future?


texts: How do Americans pronounce the 't' in "romantic", "countable", etc?

texts:
As for a 't' trapped between /n/ and a vowel, I've heard it pronounced in three different ways:

Maybe the formal, standard way is to fully pronounce the /t/ sound:

  romantic: /roʊˈmæntɪk/

Another way is to omit the /t/ altogether:

  Atlantic: /ətˈlæn(t)ɪk/

Yet another way is to pronounce it as a flap t (represented here by the letter τ):

  countable: /ˈkaʊnτəbəl/

These are how the Longman Dictionary on my computer articulates these words; romantic with a clear /t/, Atlantic without a /t/, and countable with a flap t (shown as /τ/ above), while all these words have a /t/ in their phonemic transcriptions.

So what's going on? Are there any rules as to when you should follow each pattern?


texts: Is effervescent a pejorative when describing a person

texts:
My colleagues and I have been talking about whether or not "effervescent" is a pejorative when used to describe someone.

To provide context, one of the people who works in my office is a high-energy and bubbly person but they aren't flighty or whimsical (they're grounded, well-adjusted). We've been trying to find the best adjective to describe them and wondering whether people thought effervescent sounded vaguely insulting.

Also, anyone have any good recommendations? Thanks!


texts: Do we "resolve a doubt" or "dispel a doubt"?

texts:
When writing in a academic setting (think of a letter to your professor), what is the most appropriate way of saying this?

  I will be grateful if you could resolve this doubt in your paper.
  I will be grateful if you could dispel this doubt I have in you paper.

You can suggest better alternatives than those in the title.


texts: How did "invoice" end up with an 's'-sound?

texts:
The Etymonline entry for invoice states (source):

  apparently from M.Fr. envois, pl. of envoi "dispatch (of goods),"

Although my French is pretty poor, my understanding is that the 's' is silent. We don't pronounce the 's' in hors d'oeuvre (usually), so how did the 's' in envois become vocalized?

Two ideas that come to mind are that 1) people read the spelling without knowing the proper pronunciation and it caught on, or 2) a "rule-maker" decided the 's' shouldn't be silent (and turned it into a 'c'). If the latter is the case, are there some other examples of this?


texts: What is entered in Full Text Search engines - query, phrase, term?

texts:
When designing search forms for websites, I always think of name for the variable that contains the text that user is searching for. The form often contains additional filters like date range or categories. The data collected from user looks like this (programmatically, JSON format):

var searchFilters = {
  "dateFrom": "2015-04-29",
  "dateTo": "2015-06-30",
  "categoryIds": [1, 2, 3],
  "THE TEXT THAT USER HAS ENTERED": "I'm looking for John Doe"
};

How to name the THE TEXT THAT USER HAS ENTERED attribute? I have seen/used:

text
phrase
query
term

Which one is the most appropriate for this situation? Any other suggestions?

I suppose the query can be perceived as a good one but I do not like it. It clashes with database query. One would have to say that the application executes database query to find results for user query which is odd.


texts:
Some Spanish speakers use the word crack as a positive noun. For example:

  Lionel Messi es un crack del football!

Is it the same in English? Can I say: You're a crack?


texts: Is "a fresh pair of eyes" necessarily somebody else?

texts:
I would like to describe a person who returns from a mind-relaxing break back to work by the idiom "fresh pair of eyes". However, as per its definition on some sources, "a fresh pair of eyes" is "another person [...]", which made me think that maybe it is not suitable.

The situation I am imagining is of a person who worked longer than he/she expected to find the evident (by the incorrect outcome) mistake in his/her work, goes out for a break, then returns back to examine his work again for the mistake. I would like to describe the property of this man/lady being refreshed by the break, and in a concise and effective manner.

Does the idiom "a fresh pair of eyes" fit into this description? If not, then what else should be my phrase of choice?


texts: Which one is common: "Diagnostic" or "Diagnostics"?

texts:
I'm translating the interface texts of an industrial control panel software and got stuck on this one. The module I'm referring to has some lists containing the sensors and switches for the digital and analog inputs and outputs of the machine. This module was called "Manual Control" in its current language but I've decided to give it a more proper term. In general those functions are mostly included in modules called "Diagnostics" in the plural form but when I've sent my suggestion to the software team they've decided to use the word in its singular form "Diagnostic".

I couldn't find any online reference to this matter so I'm asking it here. Which form is common and if possible could you explain why is it so?


texts: Is cruel standard use as a noun in poetry? Are there terms for non-standard English specifically in regard to use in poetry?

texts:
I hope this question isn't off-topic.
I heard a madrigal with the following verse which bothers me somewhat, grammatically.

Cruel, wilt thou persever?
Peace to leave ever?
Peace shalt thou have and gladness,
But when in sadness,
When thou the morn seest ev'n,
To fall from heav'n.

Thomas Morley (1597)
http://www1.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Cruel,_wilt_thou_persever_

Cruel seems to be used as a noun instead of an adjective. Is this non-standard or common use of the time?  Even if so, and allowing for poetic license, how is this to be understood:  personifying cruelty and addressing it or some other way?
Also, but are there separate terms for the following kinds of liberty taken in poetry?

terms for using non-standard grammar from an unexpected part of speech (as in cruel wilt thou persever?) or a double negative, (as in I can't get no satisfaction - Rolling Stones) in a line in order to get the lines to scan?
a term for using a contractions to get the lines to scan, as in ev'n and heav'n
I was able to find a term for using a word to rhyme that doesn't quite rhyme, as in come, one and home or ev'n and heav'n: (assonance), but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.


texts: I am unsure of whether to use singular or plural describing a list where the objects in the list are choices

texts:
Which is correct:
Three different strategies whereby X and Y are produced in a ratio of 1:2, 1:1, or 2:1.
or
Three different strategies whereby X and Y are produced in ratios of 1:2, 1:1, or 2:1.


texts:
I haven't seen Mr. John __.

Which is correct, recently or lately?

  My uncle has been to Germany lately.

Why is the correct answer in the second example lately and not recently?


texts: Deciding the antecedent in a sentence, resulting in the correct verb form

texts:
The sentence is:

"Since they were first invented, we have advanced, and designed stylish glasses for people whose vision need to be corrected."

I've been told that the verb needs to be "need" and also that it needs to be "needs".

Need:
The argument is that the need refers to "people's need" and therefore by implication refers to a plural group, i.e. people need ...
Here the antecedent is considered "people" ...

Needs:
The argument is that the need refers to "vision", i.e. singular ...
Here the antecedent is considered "vision" ...

Which one is grammatically correct?


texts:
Yet climbing Ayers Rock, as most other Australians knew the vast red monolith until recently, has long been a favoured pastime of tourists.

source -

Is it better to use "which "instead of "as "in "as other australians knew..."


texts: Usage of "in" before were in a sentence from Shoe Dog

texts:
Why is 'in' used before was/were in this sentence from the book Shoe Dog by Phil Knight?

  Some Tuesday nights in the Reserves were set aside for classroom time.

It seems like a mistake. Would dropping the in make the sentence ungrammatical? It seems like "Some Tuesday nights the Reserves were set aside for classroom time" means the same thing: that all the army reserves were set aside for classroom time.


texts: In "Bugger Indian passport", is bugger an adjective of "passport" or of "India"?

texts:
One of my friends said this. I have been pretty sure bugger is an adjective of the "passport". But, I was surprised that some of my friends interpreted as an adjective of "India". And some nationalistic pride was hurt. How do I convince them that there is no such issue?

The context was something like this:

To go to the UK, do you guys from USA need a visa?
Yes, I do. Bugger Indian passport.


texts: Ironic phrase like Russian’s “no, didn’t hear”

texts:
Here’s a bit of dialogue which I literally translated from Russian:

― You should get a girlfriend!
― Girlfriend? Didn’t hear. . . .

The idea of the answer is to self-ironically point out not only that the guy doesn’t have a girlfriend, but also that he hasn’t even heard of their existence.
In Russian, it is a kind of idiom. What is the right way to express a similar idea in English?


texts:
I've been thinking about idioms, metaphors, and phrases one could use in a conversation to convey the idea that simpler is better. I came up with a few:

"Don't scratch your left ear with your right hand."
"The shortest distance between two points is a straight line."

Are you aware of any others? I'm looking for something shorter, but I'll take anything.
Addendum: I'm also interested in acronyms and complete sentences. I don't want to restrict the kinds of answers you might provide, as long as they convey the idea that simpler is better.
Addendum re potential duplicate: Is there another way of saying "less is more"? This question concerns alternative ways to characterize a minimalist approach, one striving for extreme spareness and simplicity. My question is not a duplicate. I am seeking alternatives for simpler is better, not ways to describe extreme sparseness and simplicity. Also, the contrast inherent in simpler is better, which is essential to my question, is absent in the less-is-more question.
Addendum re potential duplicate: Is there a funny expression for "Keep it simple"? This question concerns funny alternatives for a native expression that usually encourages someone to use a solution that has already been found, or to refrain from making some trivial process overly complicated. I'm not seeking ways to encourage the use of solutions that have already been found or to discourage the making of trivial processes overly complicated. I'm also not seeking funny expressions per se, as evidenced by my two examples, which few would find funny. The scope of my question is much broader.


texts:
I was criticised for the usage of a comma before the subordinating conjunction 'if'. The sentence was "Sorry, if this was in any way unpleasant..." I was under the impression that comma usage in English is fairly free and if there is a little pause in the sentence, it may be a good idea. I guess, I used it as an alternative to the internet colloqualism "Sorry! if this was unpleasant..."
Are there any hard and fast rules that we can have recourse to for this problem? Thanks for all answers!


texts: Word or phrase to describe the "overly feminine" stereotype

texts:
While writing up a persona, I am trying to describe a woman who (I say) is confidently female, but not "overly feminine".

By this I wish to mean the stereotype of a sophisticated woman who appreciates luxury products, wears pearls and likes well tailored black dresses and bags. And I wish to exclude the stereotype of women who wear all-pink, frilly dresses, girly stuff etc.

Is there a word or phrase that can replace "overly feminine" here?

(Apologies for the politically awkward subject, this is a persona I am writing for a design brief and I do not intend disrespect.)


texts: Is there a word for left-to-right and top-to-bottom?

texts:
When I was learning about web design, and I remember similar things from art classes, people said that the eye sees things the most on a page which are in a line from the top-left to bottom-right corners.

Is there a word or phrase for that line? I've heard "order of the occident" to refer to the order western text is written, but that's not really the same thing.

EDIT:
So I tried this question on UX, and there is a design term for it: "Gutenberg Diagram", sometimes called a "Gutenberg Diagonal". There doesn't seem to be a single non-industry word for the pattern, however.


texts: Amanat is something that is very expensive and precious to its possessor, and is given to a faithful person to keep it safe. Because the possessor believes that the one he gives his valuable to is very faithful and can take care of it better than the possessor himself.


texts: Is this in passive voice? + what are reasons for ever using passive?

texts:
Is the following sentence passive? (context: referring to the second dictionary entry definition for the word 'spiritual')

  This second usage of spiritual I do not approve of.

I believe that putting "I do not approve of" at the end places emphasis on "this second usage of spiritual" being the subject, as opposed to "I" being the subject. Do you agree with this? If so, is this a valid reason to use the passive voice, to change emphasis?


texts: In general, what does it mean when people say "something is not an option"? It sounds like it means "something is a must". Am I right?


texts:
The much more common expression is to "work under," but I saw "work underneath" in this Wikipedia article and for some reason it bothered me:

  In return, the empress worked underneath her and received formal artistic training.

I know that some distinction between under and underneath can just come down to what sounds right to native English speakers as two words are extremely similar (talked about here on this site), but "underneath" does seem to be used more exclusively in a locational sense.

The site idioms.thefreedictionary.com has an entry for "work under" but not "work underneath." The Google tracker also puts the usage of "work underneath" basically always somewhere near zero. Is there a right and wrong answer or can two words be used interchangeably in this expression?


texts: Please define the grammar errors (by their generally accepted terms) in this sentence

texts:
My goal in asking this question is to learn to name my errors.  I write many sentences and think, "that's not right," and then I change it to make it sound better.  It usually works well (and my boss is happy) but I want to know why they are not right.

My current problem sentence is in bold: We dream of the day when our services are no longer needed, but know that the demand continues to increase.  Furthering this demand is the ever-expanding awareness of our resources.

I would change it to: This demand is furthered by the ever-expanding awareness of our resources.  (Feel free to provide suggestions on this one to, or tell me what grammar terms you would use to define how I have changed this).

Context: I am writing a fundraising proposal and trying to explain why the demand for our published resources is increasing.  We provide services to the poor.


texts:
I'm editing a paper in which the writer (a native French speaker) refers to "the self" using masculine pronouns (him, his, himself). I would normally use "it" (and its, itself) in this situation. I come from a psychology background, however, where "the self" is often not equal to/the same as a person; there can be multiple selves (inner, false, true, etc.).

Has anyone encountered this? It feels wrong to me to refer to "the self" with masculine pronouns, but I'm not sure if it's my particular discipline that has given me this sensibility.

Here's an example:

"As gifts are predicated on the generosity of the self, acts of assistance, likewise, depend on his pity."

"The self," here, is referring to a generic or abstract person.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!


texts:
A student has written:

  Still, I have already been aware of most of the information even
  before watching the video.

It doesn't feel right and I would normally use a past simple here. I'm on my two hundredth script and losing my ability to reason, or to adequately explain to myself why it should be past simple (I think it's 'before' as this puts the time as completed, so he can't use the present perfect notion of unfinished time). What I need to know is:

Should it be simple past of present perfect here, or doesn't it matter?
Why/why not?

All help gratefully received.


texts: What's the difference between "any" and "every"?

texts:
When I see "every" and "any", I think they have the same meaning but it's not actually so!
To be more specific, what's the difference between "everything/anything", "everytime/anytime", "everywhere/anywhere" and things like these...


texts: Is it wrong to use a singular "is" following multiple abstract nouns?

texts:
Does the  "is"  in the quote below constitute a grammar error?

  We need leaders whose core purpose in life is to make a positive
  difference in the lives of others, and who embody the courage,
  empathy, integrity and drive that is necessary to tackle tough
  challenges.


texts:
I am a non-native speaker, looking for an alternative to the term session to describe a meeting with, for example, a psychiatrist.

  It was my first session with the shrink.

If needed, that is.
That means I do not know if there is any better word to use in such a context. I could think of sitting, but this seems too broad, too.


texts: What does "spasmodic contractions of the diaphragm" refer to?

texts: Does anyone know what it means when someone says I have spasmodic contractions of the diaphragm?


texts: Should it be an "unlike" or "dislike" button on Facebook?

texts:
I see an increasing demand for an unlike button on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Unlike-Button/72641866357
Facebook Adds An Unlike Button For Pages
May 7, 2010
Facebook "Unlike" Button Comes to the News Feed
NOV 3, 2010

I have always used and understood unlike in the sense of dissimilar. Is it ever used in the sense of do not like?


texts:
From Tor.com, an interesting use of the word hence:

  Minutes ago, J.K. Rowling finally announced her plans behind Pottermore, the mysterious website that appeared a week hence with only a “Coming Soon” sign to warns readers and fans.

For me, the word hence can only be used to refer to times in the future, and the writer of the above quote should have used ago. However, hence is a pretty rare word, and it's possible that the past usage of hence is in fact standard, but I've never noticed it.

Is the past usage of hence sanctioned by any important authorities? Does it have a long tradition of usage? Or did the writer trip herself up trying to be fancy?

Update: The answers below all agree, but I'm looking for someone that can produce some actual evidence from usage or a respected authority. I've started a bounty with that in mind.


texts:
What is the meaning of pragmatic in this example?

  Another C construct, the #pragma
  directive, is used to instruct the
  compiler to use pragmatic or
  implementation-dependent features. A
  most notable user of this directive is
  OpenMP.

According to online dictionary, pragmatic means:

  Dealing with things sensibly and
  realistically in a way that is based
  on practical rather than theoretical
  considerations.

But I can't see how this explains the word in the example above.


texts: List of inverted letters and their applications

texts: Upside-down letters, as in ∀, and left-side-right letters, as in ∃, are used in mathematics and logic to indicate for all and there exists.  Do you know other examples of such inversions in other fields. Is there a name for the practice?


texts: What is the formal and somehow humorous way of describing one's butterhandedness?

texts:
I am writing a college essay and I cannot find a proper word to describe one's inability to move without dropping thing. the sentence is

  ... ended up in silty sea floor of the ocean because of my _________.

I want to plug something like 'coordination incompetence', but don't know whether it will work.

Also, I want the word to sound somehow formally humorous. Literary allusions will work as well.


texts: What is the grammatical function of "never"?

texts:
What is the grammatical function of "never" in the following sentence?

  You will have to do something you've never done.

Is it an adverb? My father disagrees with this.

In "I have studied" vs. "I have not studied" and "I have done" vs. "I have never done", the not and never have the same function, as stated by my father. He says it has something to do with disagreeing. But he doesn't know the grammatical term for the structure.

Can someone tell me the specific grammatical term, if there is one? If it is an adverb, is it a specific type?


texts: What's the point of expressing plurality of nouns by modifying the word?

texts:
First, I am certainly aware that language is dynamic and English, like all languages, has been constructed over time by usage and culture and hasn't been "engineered".  English is what it is because language is dynamic and it evolves over time because of common use and cultural shifts.
How we express plurality has always been a funny observation for me.  As an example, let's look at the word "meter".  If something is a meter in length, we say "It is a meter long."  No modifier is added.  However, if we are talking about something larger or smaller than the unit, "meter" is pluralized and becomes "meters".
So far, this is basic English. Now, let's observe a couple of sentences without the plural suffix added to "meter".

He stands 1.8 meter tall.
There are 1,000 meter in a kilometer.
The box is .5 meter wide.
I walked a few meter.

This doesn't feel natural to the English speaker but the meaning of every sentence is easily understood.  Plurality can be assumed by all contexts.  So, my question is what's the purpose of modifying the original word if plurality can easily be discerned from contextual usage?
I am aware that English has derived from other ancient languages and, likely, this mechanism has carried over from earlier forms of language. Possibly, context might not have been so clear and modifying roots may have been necessary for clearer communication.  If there is no need for plurality in our modern form of English, what was the context and nature of an ancestral language that established this mechanism?
I've studied a couple of languages, other than English, in my life.  They've all had forms of plurality/singularity that is distinguishable by modifying the root word.  However, none of those languages need the modification of the root word either.  Plurality or singularity can be understood without it.
Why do we modify nouns to express plurality when it's simply not a necessary change to understand what's being communicated?


texts:
Which one of the following two sentences is correct?

  We are only concerned with crystal systems which consist of an inversion center.
  We are only concerned with crystal systems which consist an inversion center.

I really can't tell the difference. If they are both grammatically correct, which usage is more formal? (I hope I am not being too vague).


texts: Is "forth and back" more proper than "back and forth"?

texts:
I think the term "back and forth" gets thrown around a lot without much thought.

From Dictionary.com:

  forth    [fawrth, fohrth]

  adverb
  1.  onward or outward in place or space; forward: to come forth; go forth.

Wouldn't the term be more meaningful if "forth" was used first since you have to have a starting place before you can go "back"?

Examples:

  I've been going back and forth from Houston to New York.
  I've been going forth and back from Houston to New York.

Which is more correct?


texts: Defining a variable for 2 objects' concurrently

texts:
In my text I have this sentence: "In equations X and Y, Z = 1"

Is the comma fine or should it be a colon?

I.e. should it be:

"In equations X and Y, Z = 1"

or

"In equations X and Y: Z = 1"


texts:
He has a chain [which is made of gold].

  The sentence has two clauses: a main clause (italicised) and a
  subordinate clause (bracketed) embedded within it, each having its own
  subject and predicate. In the main clause, he is subject and has
  a chain which is made of gold is predicate. In the subordinate
  clause, which is subject and is made of gold is predicate.

I have seen the above explanation of clause in an English forum. Is it correct? Can I also say that He has a chain is also a clause with He as its subject and has a chain as its predicate?


texts: I don't know if this is an awkward usage of "for which" and an adjective

texts:
The figure of casualties is presumed to be significantly higher, but there are no specific data for which published.

The latter part of the sentence sounds a little awkward to me.  I just want to know if it is grammatically correct.


texts: One person with whom I've emailed before said to "drop me [them] a line". I always thought the intention of this phrase is to call the person, specifically by phone (via telephone line). It seems this person means to email them. I do think it's possible they mean to call them. Is it a widely accepted use of this phrase to mean "contact me" in general? Is this usage common among certain groups of people? Am I wrong in associating this with phones in particular?


texts: Need help explaining why "had an operating period" needs "of" on the end

texts:
In a large set of reports I'm editing that use boilerplate text repeatedly, I'm stuck with the phrase "had an operating period from [Date] to [Date]."  However, I could change it a little if I could prove the grammar is wrong.

I think "had an operating period" requires "of" at the end (had an operating period of X).

And a date range requires both "from" and "to" (so we cannot pilfer the "from" that belongs to the date range and use it as the end of the "had an operating period" phrase).

I believe I must add "of," so the phrase would read "had an operating period of from [Date] to [Date]."

Algebraically, the phrase would be "had an X of Y."

X = "operating period"
Y = date range

But I don't know how to explain why the "of" is needed. Can anyone help?

Again, I know "of from" sounds awkward. It would be better to rewrite the sentence, for instance, "The operating period was from [Date] to [Date]" or "Operations took place from [Date] to [Date]." But rewriting is not allowed in this case. I just have to have a convincing argument for why the "of" is needed grammatically. By the way, I already got an answer from a CMOS editor, and she or he disagreed with me (because of the way "of from" sounds, but no formal reason was given).


texts: Someone/Something uses a lots of space (maybe more than really needed), what is this phenomenon called?

texts:
I try to find a word for someone or something, who/which uses much space or more space than really needed.
Until now I tried to translate a German equivalent (but seemingly rarely used) "Platzfresser" into English with no success on leo.org. Some general search via google brought me "space hog", but I am not able to find any source for this, only some rare usage in newspapers around 2013.
Google translates "Platzfresser" to "space eater", which is too literally to my mind.
Is there a word, or short phrase, which describes someone/something (one or both), who/which uses too much space?


texts: Is there a medical term that defines when a person gets uncontrollably scared during a frightening action, such as on a roller coaster ride when it is going fast and turns a person upside-down and they scream and cry out of control?


texts: The largest number of people have applied this year

texts:
For those who are familiar with CGEL:

If you're not familiar with CGEL and find CGEL's explanation too technical, please skip the CGEL part and start reading the question in the second part:

The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Page 350) says:

  Number and couple permit only plural obliques, partitive or non-partitive: a number of the protesters/*money, a couple of days/*hope. Both occur in singular form with an obligatory determiner (usually a, but others are possible as shown in [58]), and in addition number can occur in the plural, and take a limited range of adjectival modifiers:

  [58] i We found [huge numbers of ants] swarming all over the place.

  ii If [this number of people] come next time we’ll bring in professional caterers.

  iii [Any number of people] could have done a better job than that.

  iv [The couple of mistakes she had made] were easily corrected.

  v [An unusually large number of people] have applied this year.

  vi [How large a number of students] have enrolled, did you say?

  The definite article the does not occur with number in the sense we are concerned with here. In the number-transparent sense it indicates an imprecise number, but elsewhere it indicates a precise number, and in that case it can take the, as in The number of protesters arrested has not been revealed, where the subject NP is singular by virtue of having singular non-transparent number as head.

  (Boldface mine.)

In the emboldened statement, the sense we are concerned with here refers to "the number-transparent sense" (mentioned in the following sentence), by which CGEL means that the number of the whole NP depends on the oblique.

See these examples:

  [A lot of work] was done.

  [A lot of errors] were made.

Here, the noun lot in the NP a lot of work/errors  is "number-transparent" in that it allows the number of the oblique work/errors to percolate up to determine the number of the whole NP a lot of work/errors.

With that in mind, take a look at a variant of [58v]:

  (1) [The largest number of people] have applied this year.

Here, I think have, but not has, is correct, which means that the number of the NP in the bracket depends on the oblique people, and that the noun number here is number-transparent.

Is (1) a counterexample of the emboldened statement of CGEL?

For those who are not familiar with CGEL:

Here's a usage note from Oxford Dictionary:

  The construction the number of + plural noun is used with a singular verb (as in the number of people affected remains small). Thus it is the noun number rather than the noun people that is taken to agree with the verb (and is therefore functioning as the head noun).

  By contrast, the apparently similar construction a number of + plural noun is used with a plural verb (as in a number of people remain to be contacted). In this case, it is the noun people that acts as the head noun and with which the verb agrees. In the latter case, a number of works as if it were a single word, such as some or several.

But in (1), it is the noun people that acts as the head noun and with which the verb agrees, but you have the before number.

  (1) [The largest number of people] have applied this year.

Is (1) a counterexample of the Oxford usage note?


texts: Use 'conform' verbally in a sentence taking a direct object

texts:
Give me an example of a sentence using the verb 'conform' + direct object. I'm aware that this is usually used in a prepositional phrase however I'm wondering how it might be used without it.
So give me a sentence using conform verbally without appending "to" (Datives are permissible).

Cheers.


texts: The practical differences between tenses

texts:
The McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and usage, p.81, says:

"The simple tenses (generally) refer to actions that take place at a single moment in time…The three perfect tenses, on the other hand, deal with actions that span a period of time."

This is complete rubbish, isn't it?

If I say "I walked to the station" or "I have walked to the station" there is absolutely no difference in the time span of the action. The difference is really in the narrative viewpoint.

"I boiled an egg"--"I had boiled an egg"…absolutely no difference in the time span.

And when we say (as the book itself details) "I walk to the station", we are generally referring to recurring or habitual actions, which is the complete reverse of "actions that take place at a single moment in time".


texts: What is " x– direction " and " y-direction "?

texts: It is related with mathematics and cartesian plane.I want to know what " x-direction " and " y-direction " is .it will be better if you explain it with an example.


texts: "Why are you still in my office? VS Why do you still in my office?

texts: What is the difference between those questions and which one is the correct form?


texts: What noun applies to all things transformed by human hands

texts:
As opposed to naturally occurring or unintentionally produced by human activity.  It would include commodities, products, merchandise, parts, materials, etc.

Specifically a thing that has any work put into it.


texts: "There is a large number" Or "There are a large number"?

texts:
Situation:

I am composing this phrase for a real forum discussion in person:

There are a large number of proverbs/idioms in English (and doubtless additional ones in American). Some are entirely regional and if you don't live in that region you are unlikely to hear them.  It is not easy either sometimes when you associate the situation that includes a cultural background [when you translate/interpret the Indo cultural things for Westerner you will find it].  Thank you.

Question:
Any recommended advise whether I should use: "There is a large number" OR "There are a large number"?


texts: Grammar Semantics : "May I know the issue that you are facing with your computer ? "

texts:
I am in tech support and I need to ask the following question to a customer often :

  "May I know the issue that you are facing with your computer ?"
  "May I know what issue you are facing with your computer ?"
  "May I know what kind of issue you are facing with you computer ?"

I was wondering , which one of these would be the most appropriate ...


texts: Is the apostrophe placed before or after "and" in this instance?

texts:
Like when something belongs to (or has a relationship with) two people.

"Dan and Jack's mother"
"Dan's and Jack's mother"

Which one is correct? Would it be the same or different with more than two?

PS: Google did not bring up anything.


texts: What is the opposite of interference, as in "radio interference"?

texts:
You might say, "This radio signal has a lot of interference".

If it gets better, you might say, "This radio signal has a high _______"?


texts: "prone to collapse" or "prone to collapsing"?

texts: Is there a difference between something that is "prone to collapse" and "prone to collapsing"?  The former appears to be more common than the latter - but are they both acceptable?


texts: Is the phrase "Those one track minds" grammatically correct?

texts:
There is an interesting grammatical construction in the song Shout by Tears For Fears.

They really really ought to know
Those one track minds
That took you for a working boy
Kiss them goodbye

I'm interested in the phrase "Those one track minds" which for me sounds incorrect. It feels like there should be "That" instead of "Those". First, I though that they broke the rules because of the rhyme, but "That one tracks minds" would have fitted ok without braking the rhyme.
Is there an explanation of such usage? Is it grammatically correct?


texts: A word for the circular guides that determine the curve of font serifs?

texts:
Serif fonts are usually constructed using circular guides to establish the curves of the serifs.

Example:

Is there a word for these circles?


texts: Does "to tell apart" require "from" or "and"?

texts:
Which of the following sentences are incorrect and why? Is it okay to use "and" in these phrases? And should "apart" be moved to the end of the sentence?

How to tell apart a raven from a crow?
How to tell apart a raven and a crow?
How to tell a raven from a crow apart?
How to tell a raven and a crow apart?

Also, is there any difference between "to tell A from B apart" and simply "to tell A from B", without "apart". And can "and" be used in this situation?

How to tell a raven from a crow?
How to tell a raven and a crow?


texts: Adverb Meaning so as not to damage something delicate or fragile

texts:
A 4mo baby in a hospital room suffers respiratory distress, and at this point. has no pulse. The whole room is bustling, everyone has a job to do and they are not necessarily rushing but still working swiftly because seconds matter.

  The heart rhythm eventually degrades to asystole, and the trauma specialist starts doing chest compressions. She uses only two fingers on the baby's chest, which is not bigger than her whole hand; his body seems so fragile, especially now. She barely exerts any pressure, and it would almost be an effortless routine were it not for the circumstances. But she is sweating, completely focused on what she is doing and does her job with precision, even while she has to glance at her watch to keep from losing sense of time as her own heart starts to beat faster.

I'm wracking my brain trying to find an adverb that describes the nuance of this situation perfectly in one word, but nothing I've come up with has given me that "Oh I got it!" you get after the word that was on the tip of your tongue comes to mind. (In my case it's been at the back of my head for a few days...)

I included extended context that (almost) evoked this word in my head in the hopes that it succeeds in someone else's but to put it as determinately as I can, I guess it would mean gently, or carefully controlling one's actions so as not to damage something easily broken, but intently and purposefully.

For other situations, it could be used to describe how someone would work on restoring an irreplaceable work of art, or a bomb technician working to deactivate an explosive device, but not, for example, someone being careful not to make a sound as she sneaks back into the house and upstairs to her room after coming home late to avoid being detected by her parents.

Some words that keep popping up in my head are:

tenderly
gingerly
meticulously
precisely
attentively
tenuously
tentatively

Some of these are sorta what I'm looking for, but I feel like theres a better one, and some of these only capture part of the meaning of what I'm trying to say.

P.S. I am almost sure the word I'm thinking of exists, but, and this is a problem I keep running into recently, it might not be an English word . I'm bilingual, but I've lost proficiency in my mother language over years of its disuse, and now, sometimes I have this "word/idiom on the tip of my tongue that would perfectly capture the meaning of whatever" moment that would be resolved maybe the next week, but only for me to find that I had been thinking of a word/idiom in Korean that doesn't have a perfect English equivalent. So sorry if this is the case and I am wasting your time, but any help would be appreciated.


texts: Adjective meaning "disposable" that sounds more eco-friendly

texts:
I'm marketing a product I invented for travelers. It's made of recyclable card stock. Travelers will use it for a week or less, and then either recycle it or throw it out.

"Disposable" is a good description, but doesn't sound eco-friendly.

"Recyclable" is too easily misinterpreted as meaning reusable.

I'd like to be able to use the word or phrase in my short product description: "The disposable [product] for hotel guests" or "The recyclable [product] for hotel guests".


texts: "Steve has won the first prize in the wall painting competition" Change the voice

texts:
The title says it all. This question had come up in my exam and I wrote the answer as follows
"The first prize in the wall painting competition has been won by Steve**"
But the teacher though, says that its  "The first prize has been won by Steve in the wall painting competition" (I feel it doesn't sound right)
I am confused now, though I was confident of the answer.
Please help me. Thanks


texts: Would the phrase read "Run, Joey, run!"...or does the placement of the vocative commas make absolutely no sense?


texts:
There are situations when the expression "to have to" follows by the main verb of the sentence, such as:

I regret to have to inform the Committee that it has failed.
I don't want to have to warn you again.
I don't want to have to part with this mug.

Could you explain me what the function of this expression in this sentences?


texts:
What's the word that relates to "phyllid" like "foliate" relates to "foliage?"

  Phyllid: A leaf-like extension of the stem in Bryophytes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_botanical_terms#phyllid


texts:
I am curious about the difference between the sentences I wrote below:

what I did was to sit and wait
the thing that I did was to sit and wait

Another example with where:

this is where I live
this is the place where I live


texts: Can area from mathematics be called plot?


texts: Is the list of words with a contracted "not" closed?

texts:
In this question closed means can't be added to, such as the list of pronouns, I, you, etc. can't be added to, but nouns can; a hundred years ago there was no internet or a word for fractals.

So, is the list of -n't words closed? It seems to be as you can't just attach it to any old verb. hasn't is fine but workn't isn't. I have found many lists of -n't words but none that claim to be complete, only some that say they have the commonly used words.

In this question I used three such words without realising I'd used that many! can't (three times), hasn't (my example word) and isn't.


texts: Do you know any website where I could search a word by a sound from it's IPA transcription ( for instance like ə and get awesome, jonathan etc.). Thank you


texts: Using sentence subject to decide between "is" and "are"

texts:
I thought I had it figured out but then I got confused again. When sending an e-mail in response to a job posting, if the e-mail has attached to it a single copy of your cover letter and single copy of your resume should the body read:

  Attached is my cover letter and resume.

or

  Attached are my cover letter and resume.

I google searched the issue and found the following on grammarbook.com

  Example: The list of items is/are on the desk. If you know that list
  is the subject, then you will choose is for the verb.

My confusion is the identification of the subject. Is the subject of a sentence determined given the events surrounding it? For example common sense dictates the person listening cares more about the list and not his desk. How does one identify the subject in a sentence?


texts: Is the word 'append' synonymous with 'insert'?

texts:
Append is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary to mean:
"to add (something) to a piece of writing"
When observing the common usage of the word, it's typically to imply that something was specifically inserted after something else; after the last chapter, after the last paragraph, etc.
But considering the lexical definition, the word "append" really doesn't imply specifically where something is being inserted. This is why I feel that it's lexically synonomous to the word "insert" but from an every-day usage standpoint, it's not.


texts:
In German you may say something like

  In Film und Fernsehen spielen Schauspieler.

which translates verbatim to English as

  In movie and TV actors act.

While the German version sounds familiar to me as a native speaker, is the English version correct?
What grammatical role does "movie and TV" occupy?


texts: When did 'a relationship' become ‘a romantic relationship'?

texts:
There are a lot of relationships one can be in. You're in a mutually amicable relationship with your friends, in a familial or parent–child one with your parents, in a professional or business one with your co-workers and in an on top–below one with a table you are stood on top of. However, if you were to say 'I am in a relationship with my mother' or 'I am in a relationship with my co-worker', people would assume you to be partial to incest or consummately unprofessional, respectively.

When did the default assumption for the nature of 'a relationship' become 'a romantic relationship'? Has this always been the case, or is it a relatively recent phenomenon? If the latter, can we blame it on Facebook?


texts: what is the difference between this two sentences " would you like to be a farmer ?" and "Do you like to be a farmer?" I know would is about specific time but there is no time in the sentence


texts:
What rule of grammar does this sentence break? (I mean the "does" part of the following sentence)

  What does the status indicators mean?

Also, why does english.stackexchange.com have a code option for formatting... Maybe BASIC or Apple script qualifies as English.


texts:
Wow,
I had no idea that people responding to this post would be so "nit picky"!!!
I just wanted an answer on what the proper form of the phrase "fail fast" to use?

Adverbs do not need to end in -ly, although many do...

The word fail in this phrase is being used as a verb and the word fast as an adverb.  The Agile mindset intends for the team members to get to a point of failure in a more rapid method over the typical Waterfall method of software development.

I was always taught that to determine what adverb to use would be sopmething along the lines of:

"How do you want to fail?" which would indicate how you want to modify the verb.  In my opinion, the correct answer to that question is "I want to fail faster", not "I want to fail fast"!

Is that question in a more acceptable format?

Original Question below:
Ok, I just took an Agile training class and one of their key phrases is "fail fast".

I believe that this is improper form and should be fail faster?

I had a lengthy discussion with the instructor who refused to consider that the phrase might be incorrect, even though I mentioned that a second popular phrase associated with Agile programming is "Fail Fast, Succeed Faster".

Who is correct???


texts: Can 'come in for' be used when receiving something positive?

texts:
Dictionaries say the phrasal verb come in for is used in a negative context.

Oxford: receive or be the object of (a reaction), typically a negative one

MW Learner's:  to get or be given (something unpleasant, such as criticism) : to be subjected to (something)

Cambridge: to receive blame or criticism

Macmillan: to receive something such as criticism

In the novel  Murder at Monte Carlo  (published in 1933) I saw it being used in a positive context.

  They can't understand a chap who's come in for a title
  and a decent spot of the ready not being anxious to get his hands on
  it.

I know, Oxford mentions 'typically' when defining come in for, so it might  be perfectly fine to use it for positive things received. Is it?

Or does it sound contrived or out of place or dated, or perhaps an attempt at being humorous?


texts:
I'm writing an outline for an assignment in which I have to write a sequel to "The Cask of Amontillado." In the introduction I have:

  Montresor has thieved and murdered his way to being the dictator of a small city state.

But "thieved" is not the right word. He isn't a thief, he is a treacherous calculating backstabber. I've been looking but can't find a word that means "to gain by treachery" and could replace "thieved."


texts: A word for editing a sentence to make it flow better without necessarily changing the vocabulary.

texts:
I am looking for a word that encapsulates the idea of editing a sentence to make it sound more cohesive, compact and concise.

e.g. "We need to meet on the 11th to discuss our project and afterwards discuss dinner plans together. Then if there is time can we also talk about Jim?"

to

"We need to meet on the 11th to discuss our project, dinner plans and Jim."

Sorry about a poor example. Is this just called 'Editing'?


texts: I walked over to the payphone to try to call you

texts:
Does this sentence make sense?

I'm just confused with all the 'to's


texts: What do I call a person who submits content?

texts:
There is a section on my site, where users can submit content.

I'm not sure how to call it.

There are three cases:

1) user can submit own content, so he could be an author

2) user can submit thirdparty content, so he is just a submitter

3) user can submit both his and third-party content.

First case - call him an author or contributor, that's ok.

Second case - submitter.

What do I call a person in the third case? In this case he could either an author or a submitter or both. Is there some middle word, that can describe both ways?

Is there some better word, similar to the meaning of submitter?


texts: Is the word “overwhelming” a positive or negative word?

texts: I’ve seen the word overwhelming being used to describe positive or negative situations, but it seems pretty confusing because I’m not sure about the real meaning or usage of the word, as I’m not a native speaker. How should I use it?


texts: Plural or singular nouns after reciprocal pronouns

texts:
If speaking to a class of 10 students (reciprocal greater than 2) ,should it be...

Help one another be better students

OR

Help one another be a better student

Does it change if it is used as a collective description...

The group is helping one another be better students
The group is helping one another be a better student

Is it different without the reciprocal...

Help others be better students
Help others be a better student


texts: What is the proper usage of "The... of..." and "A ... of ..."?

texts:
I wrote an article, and will submit it soon. I am troubled in its title:

"The Speedy Application of Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test for Stationarity Analysis with causfinder Package in R"

I have learnt that it would be better to add "the" to the beginning of "..of.." structures.

However, when I add it in my case, I am suspicious to have a grammar error caused by the relevant meaning in context.

I also thought to entitle it as:
"A Speedy Application of Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test for Stationarity Analysis with causfinder Package in R".

The some of the problem arises from the math'l theory:
There is no specific math theory I discovered now (or anyone else discovered earlier) that speeds up the calculation of ADF test statistics (like lowering the number of operations etc.). When I wrote "The", it seems to me that the sentence may mean like that as well.

I wrote some codes that bring together the works of others and reveals ADF statistics with less time by means efficient software coding.

"A Speedy Application of Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test for Stationarity Analysis with causfinder Package in R" reflects the meaning better, but it lacks the rule of putting "the" to the beginning of "..of.." structures.

Any idea?


texts: Term for someone who has experienced many hardships

texts:
I was speaking with an acquaintance recently and a discussion came up in which I desperately needed a word to describe someone who has experienced many hardships throughout his life.

Does such a word exist, or would I have to make do with a phrase?

EDIT: Thank you all for your answers; it is greatly appreciated. This question has gained popularity, but none of the current answers provide a word that matches the description I was looking for.

I'll elaborate a bit based on the comments on this question. The person experiencing the hardships gained much knowledge and wisdom from them. Their life was not necessarily affected negatively or positively by the hardships that they faced. Good luck in searching for the word (and even though I no longer need it, I'm dying to know).


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How can we check if a noun is concrete or abstract?

Is there any resource or online dictionary to check the type of noun? For example: I want to check if Room, House, Office, Brain, etc., are abstract or concrete nouns. Is there any way to simply know without posting a question here each time?


texts: A noun or an adjective for “No matter which religion you belong to you will be accepted”

texts:
Whether the sacred thread across the chest or the Qur'an in arms. The Lover is (a) _____, neither a Hindu nor a Muslim!

Whether he is wearing the sacred thread, or the Quran is in his hands; love is blind doesn’t see which religion you belong to. You will be accepted.


texts: What is the term for the unpleasant placement of the chair or sofa - in a way that you can be approached from behind?

texts:
What is the term for the unpleasant placement of the chair of sofa - in a way that you can be apporached from behind ?

I've heard several times that you should place all the sofas and tables that  you cannot be approached from behind.

Some people (psychologists?)  say that you have natural need to control your envirnonment, but you cannot if somebody can jump you from behind.

I cannot find papers on it, and I cannot though of appropriate expression for this phenomenon (or rather cue for interior designers)

Thanks in advance:)


texts: Expression or cognitive error in assuming one person's fault on a community

texts:
Is there a term in psychology or English language to express the cognitive error in  extrapolating one person's fault on the entire community?

Example:

A: Doctor A is arrested for unethical medical practices.
B: All doctors are like that.

A: Teacher X works just for the money.
B: No teacher is committed to their work.


texts:
In what sentence would you need to use the plural of beef?
The plural is beeves.

  Plural form of beef (sense 1 of the noun). [OD]

I have tried every sentence that it could be necessary but I cannot find one.


texts: A word to describe accomplishing some task while also maintaining that level of success

texts:
I'm looking for a word or term that describes succeeding at a task while also maintaining that success across time.

An example without such a word or term:

I'd like to congratulate the team for successfully lowering the incident rate and maintaining the low rate of incidents over the last few weeks.

I'm looking for a more concise way of expressing the same thing.

Maybe something like the following?

I'd like to congratulate the team for effectively? lowering the incident rate over the last few weeks.

Is there a better way to express such a sentiment?


texts: How to describe strength of keeping things simple and beautiful

texts:
I'm writing performance review of one of my colleagues that includes describing his strengths.

For example, one of his strengths is Communication. He can quickly resolve conflicts with co-workers, and effectively explain policy changes to vendors.

One thing that I'd like to mention is, he has some kind of aesthetic feeling, he enjoys keeping things simple and beautiful, and had designed relatively exquisite and user friendly interface.

Which word should I use to describe this strength?


texts: What is the sense of "Only God judge me"

texts:
There is a wall near my house where this phrase has recently been graffitied -

Only God judge me

My reaction to this (!) has been to realise that most similarly-constructed phrases I can think of use the indicative mood:

  Only my dog loves me;

  Only his partner tells him what to do;

  Only swimming relaxes me;

  Only a fool worries about the niceties of English usage.

Clearly, the graffiti is not using the indicative mood. My research suggests that it's using the jussive (mandative,declarative) mood.  If this is the case, I'm wondering whether both of the following can be understood with equal validity, or whether, one of them only is the usual meaning:

  1) (the author believes that) Only God has the authority/ability to judge him/her (i.e. Only God can judge)

  2) (the author permits that) Only God may judge him/her


texts: Should the preposition "on" be used again in this sentence?

texts:
Notice the following:

  I wondered if my going to this different place was as hard on him as it was me.

I remember being taught to occasionally repeat certain words in order to preserve parallelism. Should there be an additional on between was and me here, or is the meaning the same regardless? Thanks!


texts:
Sentences:

When I heard that you had sold the company to the highest bidder, without consulting me first, I wondered how it was possible that you [had done]/[did] that to me after we had been friends for such a long time.

When I heard that you had sold the company to the highest bidder, without consulting me first, I wondered how it was possible that you [had done]/[did] that to me.

Question:
Which tense should be used in the above sentences: the past perfect "had done" or the simple past "did"? Or are they both correct? I also wonder if removing the words "after we had been friends for such a long time" makes any difference in this case. Thanks.


texts:
The word "vice" is usually used in a negative sense in the meaning of "immoral or wicked behavior". On the other hand we have a commonly used term "vice president" as the second person in a presidency system. As a non-native speaker when I first saw "vice president" I thought that it was something like "king of parties and all kind of entertainments" :). Obviously no one else understands it in this way.

What is the relation between the word "vice" and the term "vice president"?


texts:
I don't now which variant is correct.

Some context. I have a paper document with signature. This document has a property — date when signature was created. My english teacher says that correct variant is "date of signing", but I found usages second variant in English Wikipedia

  The Memorandum determined that it would enter into force on 2 November 1998, ten days from the date of signature.

Can you say, variant "date of signature" is correct or not?


texts:
You were sent a package.
If it is not received please call customer support.

or

You were sent a package.
If not received please call customer support.

Which version is correct?  Is there a better version?


texts:
During the Chinese cultural revolution, students assaulted their teachers. During the French liberation, Nazi collaborators were shaved in the streets. The perpetrators are often described as being in terror of holding back, afraid of being seen as sympathisers, panicky scapegoaters, desperately inciting the mob against others to reduce the threat to themselves.

Is there a phrase or idiom to describe that fear of incrimination by inaction, specifically in the context of (metaphorical) witch hunts?

  The men, afraid of [_____], shouted at the prisoners where the soldiers could see.

As noted by @BenjaminHarman: bonus points for conveying both the fear of being associated with a group and the fear of reprisal from another group.


texts:
I am writing a column for publication in a widely circulated newspaper, and would like to use a phrase meaning something like "call bullshit". I can't think of one that captures the meaning so succinctly. I certainly don't want to use the original phrase (not my style, and it's partly aimed at school students of varying ages).

To aid in finding options, the intended excerpt is something like:

  If you claim to have compiled such a list then I know I can always call bullshit by finding an item you missed.

NB: the deception was not intentional on the part of the list compiler — they missed an item, not omitted it.


texts: As to grammar and idiom, is the following extract correct: “… if you know the man or are him, call …”?

texts: Obviously, my questions refers to the pronoun him. Am I wrong to suppose that the use of the subject case pronoun he instead of him would not improve the previous statement? What about this one: “… if you know the man or are the man, call …”? Can you come up with a natural sounding wording?


texts:
I've known about the difference between Have gone to vs. Have been to for quite a while:

  She has been to the movies.
  (She has probably left the theater and is possibly back home.)

  She has gone to the movies.
  (She has probably not returned yet.)

Nevertheless, one of my friends wrote the following question:
Have you gone to the movies lately?

I know the usual question would be:
Have you been to the movies lately?

However, due to the use of the adverb "lately", wouldn't it be acceptable to use Have gone as well?

I've searched the other threads but I haven't found a question about this subject involving the adverbs lately or recently.


texts: A collective term describing both pick-up and drop-off?

texts:
I am looking for a single term that describes both dropping off and picking up terms.

For example, a bus stop can be of three types(for any particular bus company)

Pickup only
Drop off only
Pickup and drop off both

So, is there a single term that may use to describe above 3 terms?


texts:
Im editing a book for someone and he has a lot of incomplete sentences such as:

  While his father talked to all the beautiful women.

I was taught that this is incorrect. It should read something like

  During this time his father talked to all the beautiful women.

Any thoughts? It seems that the rules have loosened a bit when it comes to this.
Thanks!


texts: Word for "percentage of elements changed"

texts:
I have a table that shows the number of elements added, deleted, and changed in a graph.  I'm calling the sum of additions + deletions + changes the "differences."  I also want to include a column that shows the "percentage of elements that are different"--for simplicity, let's say this percentage is the number of differences divided by the total number of elements.

My first thought is to call this percent different or difference percentage or modification factor but it seems like there should be a more commonly-used term for this.  I also considered percent changed but since "change" has a specific technical meaning in this table I can't use that.  Any suggestions?


texts: Use of definite article before phrases like Heathrow Airport, Hyde Park, Waterloo Station, Edgware Road and Parliament Square

texts:
In this related question (Definite article with proper nouns, titles followed by a common noun), the OP asks if it is grammatical to use the definite article before phrases like Advanced programming in Java whitepaper and Microsoft Office 2010 product. The accepted answer by @Kosmonaut was:

  Yes, it is. This is because the "Advanced programming in Java"
  whitepaper phrase forms a syntactic unit, with whitepaper as the head
  of the unit. The definite article for a phrase always corresponds to
  the head of the phrase, so using the definite (or indefinite) article
  for these phrases makes perfect sense and is correct English.

My question is whether the same answer applies to phrases like Heathrow Airport, Hyde Park,  Waterloo Station, Edgware Road and Parliament Square. I ask becase it seems to me that airport, park and station, etc. sound like they are part of the proper noun itself, and not simply a common noun. Moreover, I think the head of the unit in these cases would be the place name (first noun) and not the place type (second noun). If that's true, then I assume that no definite article should precede these phrases. Is that correct?


texts: "Bloody" vs "bloodied" (when referring to human blood)

texts:
Someone from the UK suggested I use bloodied instead of bloody do describe objects/people that are covered with blood. (Because bloody could be mistaken by the curse.)

Is this a good suggestion? Example sentence:

  I pull out the meat from the fridge and carry it to the bloody kitchen
  table.


texts:
I'm reading Kevin Barry's short story "Fjord of Killary". He's Irish and I can't understand the context of this sentence:

“You’d make good time coming out of Sligo, normally,” Bill Knott said. “Unless you had a Thursday on your hands. But of course them fuckers have any amount of a road under them since McSharry was minister.”

Does anybody know what the phrase in bold means?

Here's the link to the full story: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/02/01/fjord-of-killary


texts: Did the initialism AVO originate at NASA?

texts:
The initialism AVO stands for "Avoid Verbal Orders" and refers to a written document that provides direction or instruction. I think the meaning is clear from the name... someone was fed up with "he said, she said" conflict.
I think it is used a lot in defense and aerospace, especially NASA. Did NASA come up with it?
I did find that Hughes Aircraft Company used the term in 1987, as documented in a lawsuit against the company:

... she told me to prepare an AVO [avoid verbal orders memorandum] to her with a rationale for the change ...


texts:
Our fathers would be the last generation to cycle through the pole-marked doors, and that would be that.

This is taken from a passage about barbershops. The doors the writer is talking about the doors of the barbershops, but what does "pole-marked" mean?


texts: Looking for a word for the situation given below

texts:
When a person takes out only a specific meaning, omitting the rest out of a given statement, essay, or factual writing, for example, read the sentence below:

  I will shoot the dog if it attacks me again.

If I only take out the first half "I will shoot the dog", and spread it among people that the above person is a cruel dog hater and he wants to shoot dogs.


texts: How does one pronounce 'megalomaniacal?'

texts:
After looking up the pronunciation on various online resources such as How to Pronounce Megalomaniacal by Emma Saying on Youtube. I came to the conclusion that this pronunciation is mega-luh-may-knee-ak-al.

However, I then watched Head to Head — Dawkins on religion: Is Religion Good or Evil? Both people in the video make a point about an alternative pronunciation to that which one would generally expect and that which I have determined. Mega-luh-man-eye-acal.

Does anybody have any further insights?

While we are here, what about 'controversy'? It is also used in Head to Head here. Is that correct I always thought it was "contra-versy" rather than "con-trov-ersy".


texts: Using simple past with and without specific time

texts:
I know that simple past is used to talk about:

  Completed action in the past (with specific time)
  A series of completed action
  Duration in the past
  Habits in the past
  Past facts or generalizations

And as I understand that you should not use a specific time with last four uses but you must use a specific time for the first use to be grammatically correct, according to:

https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepast.html

But, I still see some sentences without a specific time, such as These sites:

https://www.grammar.cl/english/past-tense.htm

  I went to the beach

https://www.studyandexam.com/past-simple-tense.html

  I ate an apple

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/simple-past/

  We won several medals

And more.

Now I am so confused when to use specific time or not, then when should we use a specific time?


texts: Is the sentence correct (with a participle)?

texts:
I have the following sentence:

"The operation of washing machines can be shifted in time, making their electrical loads deferrable"

Can I use the paticiple 'making' here?


texts:
One can clearly say "He holds that A=B", meaning "he strongly believes that A=B".
But can one say impersonally, in a scientific text, "It holds that A=B" or "There holds A=B" if one means "It is true that A=B"?


texts:
Rather than memorising the definitions, how could I intuit and rationalise them:

vest in somebody/something = to belong to somebody/something legally.
vest something in somebody =  to give somebody the legal right or power to do something

For example, in 2, the order of something and somebody is reversed; something precedes somebody in the phrase but vice versa in the definition? An example of 1:

  The Independent Counsel Law—which vests the selection in a panel of judges—having lapsed
  when the Lewinsky matter surfaced, Attorney General Janet Reno at first decided that she would have
  to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate President Clinton.

Source: P294, America on Trial, Alan Dershowitz


texts: Inversion should happen only once or multiple times in a single sentence?

texts:
In a longer, complicated sentence where one repeats the subject, verb and object, does one invert only the first svo or all of them to create a question?
Or maybe both cases are correct with a slightly different meaning?

The example which motivates my question is:

"Could You estimate, very roughly, when You could send the samples?"

"Could You estimate, very roughly, when could You send the samples?"

My boss insists to use the first form, but he is French native speaker... so let's say that I don't trust his English instincts too much ;)


texts:
"Through the thick wood, that gave him way, and past the thorns that drew
Their sharpest points another way, the King's son presses through.
He reached the guard, the court, the hall,—and there, where'er he stept,
He saw the sentinels, and grooms, and courtiers as they slept.
Ladies in act to smile, and pages in attendance wait;"

This is from Walter Crane's Sleeping Beauty (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23521/23521-h/23521-h.htm). I wonder what verbs would have been in the bolded last sentence.


texts: Which kind of problems are described as "That's no rocket science"?

texts:
In German Language and Usage we just had the question German analog for “That's no rocket science”.
As a native German Speaker, I do not know which situations this phrase is used in. I understand it means the problem isn't too difficult. But can I conclude something about the time needed to solve the problem? Can it for example be used when simple and almost boring repeated effort is needed to solve the problem?


texts:
In the book "The Twenty Years' Crisis" by E. H. Carr, written in 1939, I read

  [men] accept the judgment of history on the past.

After checking OED and Merriam-Webster here and here, I still do not understand this "accept ... on ..." structure. The only example that seems similar is in OED:

  1876   E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest II. App. 530   A fact which we may surely accept on the authority of the Biographer.

Could someone please help me out and rephrase the quoted sentence? Thank you.


texts: He told me he often felt like he can reach me faster than his own wife - proper past tense?

texts:
What I want is to put this into past tense:

He often feels like he can reach me faster than... (e.g. his own wife)

1) "He told me that he often felt like he was able to reach me faster than ...", or
2) "He told me that he often felt like he can reach me faster than ..."
3) I don't want to use "could", as to my understanding that expresses the possibility - I want to talk about something that did actually happen (and did so often).

My preference would be (2) but I'm struggling about the form or function of the 'can' in this case and whether it should be conjugated or not.

Sorry if this is a repeat (in that case please just point me to where / how to look for it), but it's hard to search for things like this if you don't know the right terminology.
I'm a long time English user but some constructs are still puzzling to me (especially translating things to past tense, I'm aware of the basic rules but I usually end up going more with the 'feeling').
Thanks!

What I want to say is this, in the present tense:
(I'll use another real-life example)

Very often I can reach him before anyone (other employee/people) sitting in my office (even though he is on the other side of the world)

That I think best describes the intent here - and the goal is to translate that into past tense.

Mind that I'm actually having an issue expressing here in the best way, so if you have a construct that is a better fit please do suggest (as I'm aware that often what sounds good in the present-tense should actually be reworded rather than just translated - i.e. I guess I need something considered idiomatic for scenario like this).


texts:
What is the correct phrase to say in proper english:
Estimating timeline or estimated timeline?
Timeline is a noun so I conjecture that in front of it you should put an adjective. Thus my correct answer is Estimating Timeline. Am I correct?


texts:
What's the meaning of "You verminate the sheet of your birth"?

Does it have a figurative meaning?

What is "the sheet of your birth" referring to? Any guess?

I really hate the way everyone thinks it is a Pinter's play so the words are meaningless! The words, phrases, and sentences might be odd and uncommon, but I'm sure they're not utterly meaningless!

The immediate context:

  GOLDBERG: No society would touch you. Not even a building society.
  MCCANN: You're a traitor to the cloth.
  GOLDBERG: What do you use for pyjamas?
  STANLEY: Nothing.
  GOLDBERG: You verminate the sheet of your birth.
  MCCANN: What about the Albigensenist Heresy?
  GOLDBERG: Who watered the wicket in Melbourne?
  MCCANN: What about the blessed Oliver Plunkett?
  GOLDBERG: Speak up Webber. Why did the chicken cross the road?

From Harold Pinter's play The Birthday Party; more complete context available via Google Books.


texts: What is called a soil with liquefaction?

texts:
Soil liquefaction describes a phenomenon whereby a saturated or partially saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress, usually earthquake shaking or other sudden change in stress condition, causing it to behave like a liquid.

Is there any adjective to use with a soil variant suffering from liquefaction? I tried liquefactioned but it appears that liquefaction cannot be used as a verb.


texts: What is the exact meaning of "A can never be better than either B or C"

texts:
I want to say that A can never be better than the better one of B and C, i.e., A must be worse than B or C. Do the following sentences have the same and correct meaning?

A can never be better than either B or C
A can never be better than both B and C
A can never be better than B or C
Either B or C is always equal to or better than A

Do you have other suggested sentences? I mean a sentence that may cause the least misunderstanding among readers.

An example of A, B, and C:

B: method 1.
C: method 2.
A: mix of method 1 and method 2.

Does suggestion 2 has the problem of being misunderstood as:

A can never be better than B and A can never be better than C?


texts: What would you call the object of an activity one does for fun?

texts:
For instance, the object related to cooking is a "dish", when playing it is "sport" or "game", when singing it's a "song".

Which single term would describe the object for the general act of doing something for leisure?

The closest I've got to is a "fun thing". So that I could say "I did a fun thing last weekend" as opposed to "I did work last weekend".

Would anyone like to volunteer a neologism if a term does not exist? Something catchy, please.


texts: I was writing a text to a friend and my sentence was "sorry to disturb you for the second time in today". Is this sentence right, or should I go with "sorry to disturb you for the second time today"?


texts: Is the phrase “logic and reason” grammatically correct?

texts: I have always interpreted logic to mean a systematic form (premise-reason-conclusion) of reason. So it seems that you are saying one word (reason) and a branch of that word (logic). But the "and" suggest they are two separate things. If my understanding if these two word are correct, it would be like saying "science and biology". As biology is a branch of science. Is logic considered a branch word of reason? Or are these two separate words?


texts: So I need a word (or short sentence) for being interested in an ad. Just as for showing interest in a hotel room you'd book it, what would you do if you show interest in an ad? Thanks


texts: Need a word(s) for a resume that explains a persons' technical mind

texts: My husband can fix anything.  Seriously anything.  He has his own business repairing boats and boat engines.  He is applying for a job as a Plant Manager at a boat manufacturer.  I need a phrase that describes his ability to fix anything; his brain is very technical and understands how most anything is put together and can be repaired or made better.  He should have been an engineer.


texts: What does “Drop and give me twenty, America’ in ‘Paul Ryan’s song of himself’ mean?

texts:
The New Yorker magazine August 16 issue carries the article under the title ‘Paul Ryan’s song of himself’ which is posted by Andy Borowitz. I as a non-native English language learner cannot tell whether this is Paul Ryan’s own poem or simply a lampoon by the poster.

The ‘Paul Ryan’s Song’ starts with:

  "This morning I was at Equinox
  Getting ripped and shredded, pumped and jacked,
  Cross-training with Jeremy
  Who totally kicks my butt."

and wraps up with the following 4 lines:

  "Because I am Paul Ryan.
    Paul Freakin’ Ryan.
   Drop and give me twenty, America:
    It’s clobberrin time."

According to wordreference.com, ‘Drop and give me twenty’ is an imperative,
usually said to a soldier by a commanding officer: do twenty push-ups. (But it could be a joke if the speaker is not a commander and the person spoken to is not a soldier.)

www.urbandictionary defines it "Heard, Understood, and acknowledged", commonly used in the US military, also used to show eagerness or joy.

What does ‘Drop and give me twenty, America’ mean?

Is ‘Drop and give me twenty’ usually used as an imperative as defined by wordreference, or just for affirmation of the order like ‘understood, Roger’ as defined by urbandictionary?


texts:
I have found in WordReference English-Greek Dictionary that the phrase 'tiny bit' is an adverb and a noun. That dictionary gives the following examples:

  1. This version is just that tiny bit better than the first, but you still need to revise it.
  2. I was a tiny bit sad to say goodbye to my friends, but excited about the adventure I was embarking upon.
  3. There's a tiny bit of milk left in the bottle.
  4. That tiny bit of cake will never satisfy Tania's appetite.

In the first and the second examples the phrase 'tiny bit' is an adverb and in the third and the fourth examples the phrase 'tiny bit' is a noun.

I know from school that 'tiny bit' means 'a little bit'. I have found in Longman Dictionary that the phrase 'a little bit' is an idiom.

Can I say that the phrase 'tiny bit' is an idiom? WordReference English-Greek Dictionary says that the phrase 'tiny bit' is an adverb and a noun. Is that correct? Is the phrase 'tiny bit' an idiom or an adverb and a noun?


texts: Looking for a word similar to "proverbial", but referring to fables or folk stories

texts:
I would like to reference something a character said in a famous childhood story, e.g. The Boy Who Cried Wolf, or, Goldilocks and the Three Bears etc. amidst normal writing.

For instance, I'll use "proverbial" below, but I'm neither sure it makes sense, nor positive it's grammatically correct. I'm also unsure a drop-in replacement exists, but I'm hopeful.

  Ex.1. Don't keep crying for the proverbial wolf, Dave, or us
  villagers on the marketing team might just stop paying attention.

  Ex.2. Looks like that part of our software isn't tuned correctly. The
  proverbial porridge might be just a little too hot. I'll get it just right by next Friday.

Thanks,
Nik


texts:
When I was a Cardiology fellow at UMass Medical Center, there was a technician who would use a certain word to mean "a little".  It sounded like /a ditzle/. I never asked her how it was spelled and later when I tried to look for the spelling in dictionaries, I never found it.  The context would be something like: "Can you see any regurgitation on the screen?",  "Just a "ditzle", meaning "very little". My question is: does such a word exist at all? If so, how do you spell it? Or is it some sort of slang or baby talk?

Edit (after accepting @Tim Romano's answer) - The ultrasound technician I mentioned above had worked at Radiology. I bet she incorporated the word into her vocabulary, meaning something very small.


texts:
The homework is as following

  As it stands, our rule allows just one determiner in an NP.

NP → (D) (AdjP+) N (PP+) (CP) (PP+)

  How can we revise this rule to account for the following data:

...
b. the many faces
...

Now people in #english on freenode argued that the many is rather
forced, on the edge of acceptability. Does this hold?


texts: Can "enemy" be used as a plural noun? (Not as a collective noun)

texts:
I’ve been recently told that defeat five enemy or ten enemy are here
is perfectly acceptable in English grammar.

Personally, I’m inclined to believe that only five enemies or five
enemy units are grammatically correct. (As well as the use of enemy
to describe enemies as a whole, like in They are the enemy.)

I’d like to know if five enemy is actually acceptable in English
grammar.


texts: Meaning of "I thought I broke the last of that breakdown"?

texts:
What is the meaning of this lyric from Wrabel's 11 blocks?

  I thought I broke the last of that breakdown, when I sold your winter coat

I understand how you break something but how do you break the "last of that breakdown?"


texts: One-word quantifier which expresses "always, except by chance"

texts:
I am writing a paragraph about a mathematical condition which is "always false except by chance". This chance is very very low, almost zero, meaning the case for the condition being true will, in practical terms, never happen. Yet, strictly speaking, it could.

Is there a one-word quantifier which can express this condition ("always, except by chance")?

For instance:

"The condition is always false" is not appropriate, because always is too strong (chance still exist for condition to be true)
"The condition is mostly false" is not appropriate, because it speaks of many cases where it holds. The case will almost never happen.

I have been looking at other quantifiers or adverbs online, but cannot come across one.


texts: What do you call a quote from an article that is displayed prominently in the article itself?

texts: When you're reading an article, often you'll see a quote from the very same article written in large, bold letters. I guess it's supposed to entice skimmers to read it or some such. What is that called?


texts:
My question is about etymology of the name "Glen".

Question 1: What is the meaning and root of the name "Glen"?

Question 2: In which regions of Britain is the name "Glen" more frequent to use?

Question 3: Is there any relevance between the name "Glen" and "Gael" people? For example can we consider "Glen" as an abbreviation for the "Gaelean" (a person from Gael people)?


texts: What word(s) can be used to describe person(s) who assume to outrank others because of their profession in a company?

texts:
My reading case study mentioned that there are a group of engineers in a company who usually look down to other people in other departments because every major position within the company, including president and vice president, is occupied by engineers.

I look for a specific word to describe those people.


texts: Name of the trade(s) that are involved in making animal-drawn carriages

texts:
What are the terms for tradesmen involved in making carriages? One specific vocation comes to mind: wheelwright or, simply, wheeler. But, obviously, that name implies narrow focus of the profession. Did they, historically, concern themselves with wheels only, or did they work on other parts as well, especially as applied to undercarriage?

Would the general blacksmith be producing iron-work (springs, stays, plates, joints, nuts, bolts etc.)? Was the regular carpenter the one to work with timber articles? Who, then, makes axletrees (axle beam made of wood, but trimmed with metal pieces and fittings, and considered as part of carriage iron-work)?

William Felton, author of “A Treatise on Carriages” (1794) calls himself a coach-maker. Would that be a one-man show, or hands-on supervisor of a large operation? Given Mr. Felton’s apparent expertise, would such skilled professional be solely involved in production of most exquisite machinery, or were they your half-pence, run of the mill, everyday coach-makers?

Is coach-maker someone who works primarily with finer, bodied, passenger carriages? Were there different tradesmen who made industrial cargo transport, or simpler ox-drawn village cart? In general, how availability of specialists differed from large cities to rural areas, or from established countries to the far colonies (e.g. British Isles or Continental Europe vs. West and East Indies).

The more terms, archaic and otherwise, the merrier. Historical references to changes overtime are welcome. My current project is focused on mid-XVIII century New England, but I wanted to make the question as possibly broadly applied.


texts: What is the correct usage of the word "both" in this example?

texts:
I have been provided with the following sentence by a native English speaker

Successful coalitions carefully choose the brands that they think are the best fit for their programme both in terms of value and benefit to their customers.

I am not a native English speaker so a bit hesitant to point out that the correct placement of the word "both" should be as below. Am I right?

Successful coalitions carefully choose the brands that they think are the best fit for their programme in terms of both value and benefit to their customers.