texts: Is "epitomize" somewhat presumptuous when used to describe my own work?

texts:
I am trying to say that my current work is a great example to illustrate the use of algorithm X in the filed of medicine. The main point that I'd like to address is not that my current work is awesome, but that algorithm X is very awesome and has facilitated many medicine works, such as mine.

Given what I am trying to express, can I say

  My current work epitomizes the great applications of algorithm X in the medicine field.

Does this sound presumptuous and deviate from what I actually mean?


texts:
I can't swim here.
I am not able to swim here.
I am unable to swim here.

I think these three sentences seem exactly simlilar.
Is there any difference?


texts: Like "sexist" or "racist," but in reference to being gay?

texts:
Is there a term that is similar to sexist or racist but refers to gay people? "Homophobic" comes to mind, but that's more a fear or disgust of homosexuals versus discrimination based solely on sexual orientation.

To be specific, I'm looking for an -ist/-ism word, but I'm not sure if one exists.


texts: Should "each" be followed by a singular or plural possessive?

texts:
If a possessive noun, which is plural, is preceded by "each", then should it use the singular or plural possessive form?

For example, which of the following is correct?

spend time in each other's presence
spend time in each others' presence


texts: Is "Liaison" a good name for a software project?

texts:
I'm having trouble spreading the word about my new open-source software project, and I'm wondering if its name — Liaison — is not a terrible choice.
To give you some context, Liaison is a set of JavaScript/TypeScript libraries to simplify the development of full-stack applications, and the main idea is to reunite the frontend and the backend.
In French, a "liaison" means a "link" between people or things. I think it means more or less the same in English, but it doesn't seem to be commonly used.
I am French, so I cannot answer the following questions with certainty:

Is the word "liaison" very uncommon in English?
Is it difficult to pronounce, spell, or remember?
Does it have a negative connotation?

Could you please help me answer these questions?


texts: A name for a connector plug that cannot be accidentally disconnected?

texts:
There is a little knob on top of RJ connectors, for example, the RJ45 Ethernet connector. I guess the function of this knob is to keep the connector plugged in even if the wire is accidentally tugged away.

Is there a name for the knob in particular, or for such a connector type in general?

Usage example:

  It is better to use _________ connectors, as they ensure that network is less likely to become accidentally disconnected.


texts:
There is a lot of discussion in luxembourg about 'asylum seekers', notably people saying they should all be banished and people saying what right we have to cast them away. It is getting very heated.
Now, someone has posted a picture of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of
Luxembourg, with the word 'Asylum Seeker' written under it, which caused a lot of debatte. One point which keeps returning is "she wasn't seeking asylum, she was in exile", the other one being "That's why we have to censor the web" (shudder).
Before making my own comment, I researched the meaning of both words but came to the conclusion that both can be used for 'political refugees' (Oxford Dictionary).
So, my question is: What is the difference between Asylum and Exile? Bonus: In context of 'political refugee'.
EDIT 1
An example: A dictator/monarch/bloke with his own opinion is hunted and has to flee. He wasn't catched but fleed by his own terms. By my own understanding, he fled and asked asylum in another country. However, if he were indeed catched, he would be sent into exile (since he was explicitly sent somewhere else by the opposing party). If that is true, why is it that the word "asylum" is not used with certain people?
In my case, it is Charlotte. She clearly fled from the nazi regime on her own terms (she could have stayed) and yet, Wikipedia states "During the German occupation of Luxembourg in World War II, Charlotte, exiled in London, became an important symbol of national unity.".
Also, exile means that someone is not allowed to return. However, someone who lives in asylum cannot return either because he might get killed. I hope this helps illustrating my troubles distinguishing both words.


texts: What function does the comma serve in the salutation of a letter, and when did it come about?

texts:
In a letter, we say "Dear Alexthecampbell," before starting the body.  We then capitalize the first letter of the next sentence.
Since the salutation functions like a header and isn't part of the next sentence, why is there a need for a comma at all, and how did this start?


texts: "behind the open door are hidden several differences". Is this grammatically correct? (Inversion+adverbial phrase of location+be verb)

texts:
Behind the open door are hidden several differences.

This seems to be an inversion of the sentence

Several differences are hidden behind the open door.

Both sound intuitively correct, but the former inverted sentence does not fit the general inversion pattern of 'adverbial phrase + verb + subject', since it also contains the complement, 'hidden'.
Is there an inversion sentence pattern that I'm missing? Or is the former sentence just plain wrong?


texts: Can I use "return" as figurative of "become"

texts:
Example:

  Some day we will return strangers.

Meaning to say, "Some day we will forget each other and we will go back to the moment when we didn't know each other".

I hope I'm clear. It's meant to be used in a song so keep in mind it's not formal writing. At the same time, I do want to be sure I don't mislead the listener.


texts:
Supposing you are designing a chatting App and would like to add this feature which allows a user to "unsend"/take back a message after sending it out. What is the best choice of word to describe it?

I saw from an popular App that they use "recall" and I feel it is a misuse. Personally I would go with "revoke" but somehow it seems too formal.

Could anyone advise? Thank you!


texts:
What is the difference between 'graphemes' and 'symbols'? When I sreached it up, this is what came up: A grapheme is a written symbol of a phoneme.
I am positive that the very utility of a symbol is to represent a sound in a language. So what exactly is a grapheme and how is different from a symbol?


texts: Why is "one" pronounced as "wan", not "oh-ne"?

texts:
Why is one pronounced as "wan", not "oh-ne"? Why are the spelling and pronunciation of one so strange?

In French, one is written as un, and pronounced as "oe" (with nasal sound). The sound is similar to French. Is this English word affected by French?


texts: Is the term "graphic novel" restricted to works of fiction?

texts:
I have always understood "novel" to refer specifically to a long, written, fictional tale. Novelists are distinct from nonfiction writers.

At my library, there is a section marked for "graphic novels" that contains both fiction and nonfiction. Wikipedia claims repeatedly that "graphic novel" just has a looser definition than "novel" and is not necessarily restricted to works of fiction but I notice that these repeated claims are not supported by citation, whereas the version of the definition that's explicitly restricted to fiction is cited as coming from Merriam-Webster.

I understand that there are different camps with regard to what makes a definition "correct" or not. What I'm concerned with here is clear communication. An increasing number of biographies, autobiographies and historical accounts seem to be using this format; if I refer to them as "graphic novels," am I giving the false impression that they are fictions? Is there a contemporary term for long-form, graphic nonfiction works that's less ambiguous?


texts: What are the origins of the idiom "dying to..."?

texts:
Where did the expression "dying to..." come from?

e.g.

  I'm dying to meet you.


texts: What is the use of word "Greetings!..." while sending an email?

texts:
I have seen many people who start writing their email like as follows..

    Dear XXXX

  Greetings!!!.

  Thanks etc...

I just want to know the meaning of the word greeting in this context.

Thanks


texts: Do I need to use "to" in sentences such as these?

texts:
What I want is (to) go to the cinema.
What you should do is (to) shut up and dance.

I know that "to" is frequently omitted in such cases, but if you were to write a formal paper, would you include it or not?


texts: Meaning of "cut loose and cause havoc" in the following sentence

texts: When Uncle Fred suggests to his nephew a visit to a suburb, once an estate owned by an uncle when he was younger, Pongo is amazed and relieved, believing the suburbs do not hold anything like the opportunities offered by the city for someone like his Uncle to cut loose and cause havoc.


texts: "They are there." and "They're there." versus "There they are." and "There they're."

texts: Are any of the phrases in the title incorrect in any way? Do the meanings differ in any way? Is one preferred over the other and if so then why? I find this particularly interesting for many reasons including because a listener can not distinguish whether a speaker said "There they're." or "They're there." Also, are there other more complex and/or more interesting examples of this kind?


texts: What does 'Lee' in an title of a person mean?

texts:
Recently I found a very cute tale by John Ruskin(1819-1900) called Dame Wiggins of Lee, and Her Seven Wonderful Cats. But then, I got curious about what does 'Lee' mean here? I know the Dame is a title for women with special honor.
Does 'Lee' represent the name of the place?

If you want to see the book, you can find it here.
https://archive.org/details/damewigginsoflee00peariala


texts: What is the source of the word "keystone" in reference to pricing a product

texts: In commerce, the word keystone, or keystone pricing means the retail price of an item is set at double the wholesale or production cost of that item.  I have only really run into it when working in the jewelry industry. Does anyone know the origin of this terminology? Ideally I could find the earliest usage of it.


texts: Can "either" be used as an adverb, and if so does it require, allow, or prohibit the use of a comma when so used?

texts:
Can either be used as an adverb, and if so, does it always take a comma when it is? And is the following statement correct in congruence with my question? I believe there is some mistake that I don't perceive:

  He never talked to Sanena, and doesn’t like her either.

Another thing is that I feel this sentence of mine should have either without any comma, but somewhere in a sentence I have seen a comma placed right before the word either.

Could someone please clarify for me which particular conditions lead to using a comma before the word either?


texts: Is "take disagreement with" a phrase? If not, what am I thinking of?

texts:
For example, "I do take disagreement with [find something I oppose in] certain parts of his speech".

What I'm thinking of is in the format of "I take offense at", but about opposing something. Similar to "dispute".


texts: One word for an ability that is self-destructive

texts:
I am looking for one word to describe an ability that does more harm than good to the one having the ability.
For example, an artist who has so much to express that it drives him mad. Or a scientist who is so brilliant and ahead of his time that he is never appreciated. Or a precocious child who becomes a troublemaker because he is always bored.
The sentence I was trying to form went something like:
The scientist's brilliance turned out to be {adjective} for him. OR
The artist's extraordinary sensitivity to beauty {adverb} drove him crazy.


texts: Is "Pick up those blocks" grammatically incorrect?

texts:
I had someone correct me today as I instructed my child to "pick up those blocks." This person insisted that it should just be:

  Pick up those.

since "those" is already plural.

Is this person correct?


texts:
Does "not permitted in A or in B" mean "not permitted in A and not permitted in B" or mean "not permitted in A or not permitted in B"?

Thanks for any helpful answers!


texts:
Does a form of the word aficionado exist where it refers to the person. Perhaps something like an aficionè ? Similar to how habituè is a habitual person or someone who does something habitually.
Thanks


texts: The two-word sign "take free" in English is increasingly used in Japan to offer complimentary publications and other products. Is the phrase, which is considered kind of trendy in Japan, also used in English-speaking countries with the same meaning? Does it make sense to native English speakers? Is another phrase "take one free" a better choice of expression?


texts: What term defines the language specific to a time period?

texts: What term defines the language specific to a specific time period? Would you use colloquial or vernacular, or something else?


texts: Where and how do I use the word "apparently"?

texts:
Does this word "apparently" mean that something is obvious or does it refer to something that seems true but actually isn't. Apparent means illusion, right?

People use this word quite often and I think they misuse it. For example, if a person says like:

  Apparently, I cannot be responsible for all the things.

Does 'apparently' means obviously here? If it does, it's the wrong usage of this word.


texts: I was doing english exercises about the different types of future, when I saw "will be going to" among the answers I could give to a question.  I've never heard it before, my teacher says it can be used but I looked for it in the internet and it doesn't exist. So, is it correct to say "will be going to"?


texts: Etymology of the name Wales/Welsh in modern English: which one is the basic term?

texts:
I am interested in the way the name of Wales (and of the Welsh) has been transliterated/translated in other languages.

(I have become interested in that because, as a native Romanian speaker I have noticed the abnormal translation of that name in Romanian — more on that here. — I think that in some cases — the Romance languages, except Romanian, maybe Corsican too? — "Wales" has been translated by replacing W with G. I wonder if that is the case or not: whether the term Wales has been taken into account as such within the neo-Latin language and adapted to it, or was the G-version term first created in Latin? But that is not the question here, it would be a subject for a different question, a per-language SE question - not for this site).

All I am asking here is: what is the situation in English?

I think I am familiar with the root-word: the Proto-Germanic word walha 'foreigner, stranger, Romance-speaker', brought by Anglo-Saxons to the British Isles. In Old English, the name of the country comes from the name of the people: Wealana/Wealas means "foreigners" and Wales (like Cornwall) derives from that (more here).

What about the word Welsh in Modern English? Is it derived from the name of the country (Wales) (just like Romanian is derived from Romania) or directly from the name of the people in Old English (Wealas) (like Romania is derived from român/roman)?

EDIT AFTER COMMENT:

What happens in Old English is clear to me. The term is an adjective (foreigner) that gives the name of the people and then of the country. But in modern English it seems to me that Welsh comes from Wales like "selfish" comes from "self", "girlish" from girl, and by the way Polish from Pole, French from France, Italian from Italy, Romanian from Romania — that is: like it happens in most other (foreign) languages where the name of the Welsh is derived from the name of the country (transliterated from English).

Is that impression justified? If yes, that would be normal, many modern exonyms are created like that (Hungary > Hungarian, Wallachia > Wallachian, Romania > Romanian); while the endonyms operate conversely: magyar > Magyarország; valah > Valahia, român* > România.


texts: Is the Latter Clause of an Action Simile Attributed to the Subject or Object Acted Upon?

texts:
In other (hopefully more graceful) words, are both of the following lines valid?

"A smiling Freddy flung the slimy papaya around like a wet rag."
"A smiling Freddy flung the slimy papaya around like it's a wet
rag."

The first one sounds snappy and concise — but may sound like it's comparing an unassuming Freddy, literally, to a wet rag. Meanwhile, the second line draws a clearer, more plausible comparison, albeit at the expense of smoothness in rhythm, if you will.

What the hell do you guys think?! DAMN! heh

P.S. Someone help me rephrase this awful question better.


texts: "Not only" and "but also" separated by a full stop

texts:
I have the following sentence:

  This powder is able not only to effectively wash your shirts and sweaters, but also to
  clean out even the most terrible stains on your pants, handkerchiefs, socks, jackets, shawls,
  veils and most other kinds of clothes.

Now I want to split it into two sentences for better readability:

  This powder is able not only to effectively wash your shirts and sweaters. It also
  helps you clean out even the most terrible stains on your pants, handkerchiefs, socks,
  jackets, shawls, veils and most other kinds of clothes.

Is this grammatically correct?


texts: "Ghost in the machine": a widespread term?

texts:
The term ghost in the machine was first coined by a philosopher called Arthur Koestler.

Is this term common enough that almost every native English speaker has heard of it?


texts: synonym to acquiescently: "agree but not really want to" adverb

texts:
I believe I recall there is an adverb that means "do something but not really want to" specifically I think meaning is more like that it is it's NOT really CONSENSUAL but one sort of agrees anyway to appease the other. It would be a synonym to something like "acquiescently".
I forget the word and google seems to be of no help. The word is not reluctantly. Thanks so much :)


texts: I recall back in college the teacher once noting that there is a rule for that. I've checked google and found both are used. Is there a rule for that?


texts: Why is it hard to convey tone of speech through text?

texts:
People often say it is hard to convey emotions through text (phone text) and it is best to communicate serious matters face to face.

Can I get some examples where a piece of text can have completely different connotations depending on how the reader reads it?

And what can we do to ensure we get the right message across?


texts:
A common nursery rhyme goes like this:

  Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
  I’ve been down to London to visit the Queen.
  Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?
  I frightened a little mouse, under her chair.

My question is:

Was the formulation what did you there (as opposed to what did you do there) current in earlier English?


texts: What does the term "scheduled" modify in the following sentence:

texts: For the purpose of this article, a pre-approved absence is defined as a scheduled vacation day, personal day, compensatory day or an excused sick day.


texts: I am writing a technical document, and in it I want to refer to the number of units sold for each product. I want to make it concise, and 'sold count' comes to mind. Does this term sound right? Are there better alternatives?


texts: Word for what a piece of art is commenting on being reflected in the reaction to that art

texts:
One of the messages behind The Hunger Games is that the people in The Capitol focus on the love triangle between Katniss, Gale, and Peeta, and don't realize how barbaric the games are. It's a chilling commentary on the blindness of people in the manipulation of media. However, what people talk quite a lot about when discussing Hunger Games the book, is whether or not Katniss should get with Gale vs. Peeta. People have missed the commentary, and replicated what Suzanne Collins is mocking.

Marina and The Diamonds released an album called, "Electra Heart," which was a concept album about how society views women. There's songs dedicated to each 'archetype,' of girl, songs discussing how women are glossed over and judged singularly on their beauty instead of talent, and songs where Marina sings about how women are pitted against each other in a way that men aren't. When people reacted to the album, they mocked how Marina was dressed in the music videos, how she sounded like Lana Del Rey, dissed her for not being a "real singer," and dismissed her as a silly girl. It was hilarious, and unfortunate.

I've been looking for a word to describe this situation, and the closest I've got is, "Irony."

  A state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.

While this is very descriptive of the situation for the rest of us who are in on the joke, I'm looking for a word that summarizes the situation as it applies to the person making the mistake, as in

  Janie read The Hunger Games and agonized about if Katniss would be happier with Gale, or with Peeta. Margret also read The Hunger Games, and told Janie she was being absolutely __


texts: I'm bad at grammar, and a foreign friend learning English asked me for help with understanding something. Recently in a conversation, he said "Each of these destinations show that by...", but the person he was talking to corrected him saying that he should have said "shows". My friend wants to know if he should say show, or shows, but I don't know.


texts: What's the archaic term for the place where swords were made?

texts:
Place where blacksmith or swordsmith or metalsmith works.
Where swords are forged (together making alloys)
or
swords are cast from bronze, etc.

For example, a clinic is for doctors, or an office is.. well, ambiguous in nature. A school is for teachers.

If I had to name that "shop" would it be called a factory or a foundry, or were they called something different and more concise?


texts: Is there a technical difference between "agree" and "concur"?

texts:
I've heard before that there is an actual distinction between the two. To "agree", as I understand it, is to believe that that a person's decision, opinion, or what have you is correct.

To "concur", on the other hand, would mean that you came to the same opinion/conclusion on your own.

For example, after Susan broke up with me, Dave and Bill independently came to the conclusion that it happened because she walked in on me wearing her underwear. As such, they concurred. On the other hand, although I initially had no idea what drove her to break my heart, once Bill and Dave explained how my actions were not socially acceptable I was inclined to believe their assessment was correct. Hence, I agreed with them.

Does anyone know if this is an actual dictionary difference? Or do "agree" and "concur" legitimately have the same meaning?


texts: Can a sentence start with relative clause (that, which etc.)?

texts:
I'm currently preparing for GMAT and I stumbled across a sentence

  That a ruined structure found at Aqaba, Jordan, was probably a church
  is indicated by its eastward orientation and overall plan, as well as
  by the artifacts, such as glass oil-lamp fragments, found at the site.

I'm able to figure out the meaning of the sentence but I'm not able to figure out the structure because as per GMAT official guide, the sentence is correct. Can someone please explain the structure of this sentence.


texts: “Contest against an argument” or “contest an argument”?

texts: I have a student that repeatedly writes of “contesting against former arguments”.  Is this correct?  I know it is normally “contest an argument”, but I’m not sure if the other use is valid also.


texts: Pronunciation of Los Angeles with /g/ and not /dʒ/, /lɒs'æŋgələs/ as opposed to /lɒs'ændʒələs/

texts:
I remember reading in an early Michael Connelly novel from the late nineties a remark about how one of the characters pronounced Los Angeles with a /g/ sound, making it /lɒs'æŋgələs/.

So far as I remember, the character was a woman in her sixties, so she would have been born in the thirties.  Such a pronunciation is given as less common than /lɒs'ændʒələs/ by J.C Wells in the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary.  Now apart from this fictitious character, I've never heard anyone say Los Angeles like that.

Is this way of pronouncing it still extant?  If yes, do age or other considerations account for it?


texts: Which word to use: Arranging a meeting "between" dates

texts:
I want to ask someone if we could arrange a meeting during some time span between two dates, but I'm not sure if "between" is the correct word to use in the context of time, not space. Example phrase:

  "Can we arrange a meeting between Monday and Thursday?"


texts: Are the adjectives "utopic" and "dystopic" correct English words?

texts: My dictionary only mentions the form ending in "ian" for both adjectives (utopian/dystopian) yet I do come across the "ic" ending in some decent writings. Would that be considered incorrect usage?


texts: 'GUTS' and Cast your Guts !spell again? in this Context

texts:
I see this dialogue in Code Geass episode 3 in subtitles and I did not understand what is meant by GUTS! and Cast your Guts! spell again?

Girl1: Rivalz, Can't you take being a student council member more seriously?
Girl2: you should have reminded us about the deadline a day earlier
Rivalz: I'd have prefered a day later. Then we'd given up already
Lelouch: Good idea. For now, at least
Girl1: GUTS! (shouting with a very high voice)
Rivalz: Casting your Guts!spell again?


texts: What does it mean to say: "It's no longer 2005"?

texts:
Is this an English phrase or a major event in the IT industry? If it is the latter, please let me know what is all about?

  It’s no longer 2005
  As in the offline world, legislators must strike a balance between security and liberty. Especially after attacks, when governments want to be seen to act, they may be tempted to impose blanket bans on speech. Instead, they should set out to be clear and narrow about what is illegal—which will also help platforms deal with posts quickly and consistently. Even then, the threshold between free speech and incitement will be hard to define. The aim should be to translate offline legal norms into the cyber domain.

Terror and the internet: Tech firms could do more to help stop the jihadists, the 10 June 2017 issue of The Economist


texts: Are there any current examples of English "Back-Slang"?

texts: Other languages feature words pronounced as their inverse (such as verlan and fika).  What are some examples of this in English?  The closest example I can think of it Pig Latin.


texts: How to describe someone who can disregard their own knowledge and experience

texts:
I am trying to describe someone that has a particular ability, but I am unable to come up with a concise phrase or word that really fits.  This person has the ability to mentally separate themselves from their own knowledge and experience and think about something with a "blank slate" of a mind.

For example, say this person was an inventor that created a new product.  They would be able to set aside their extensive knowledge of said product and proofread the user's manual from the point of view of someone who knew nothing about it (finding things like industry-specific jargon or vague directions that assume the reader has some knowledge that was never presented).

Alternatively, say this person has very strong personal opinions on a topic.  They would be able to discuss/debate that topic with someone objectively while completely disregarding their personal feelings.  They would be great at playing devil's advocate, or would be the type of judge who could objectively make rulings based on the facts of the law, even when it contradicts their personal beliefs.

My first attempt at a description was "a compartmentalized mind", but that's too similar to a psychology term that means something completely different.

Phrases like "they look at things from a fresh/new perspective" don't really seem to fit.  They imply that the person's perspective is simply different than other people's, not that the person can actively evaluate things from perspectives other than their own natural one.

The term "empath" accurately captures the concept of someone seeing something from the point of view of another, but is specific to emotional state.  I'm looking for something more on the lines of knowledge, experiences, or opinions/beliefs.

Can anyone recommend a word or phrase to describe either this person or this particular talent?


texts:
What is the correct phrase for using sheet music while playing?

Example: I've never been good at...
1) playing by the sheets.
2) reading sheet music.

It should mean that I am able to read sheet music, yet I am kind of lazy to follow every single note, expression marks and so on; I would rather use chords and improvise.


texts: Can You Use "It Is Because" to Explain Your Opinion

texts:
For background I work in ESL as an assistant, and I give a native's perspective, but sometimes I doubt myself.

My students have a habit of writing "it is because" to explain why they think something (or, rather, they use it for everything). For example:

"I agree that school uniforms are good. It is because they are easy to wear."

They try to use "it" to refer to why they think this way. To me, this seems off. I checked around and found that most of the time when referring to something for the first time "this" or "that" are normally used, and that they are also used for ideas. I also feel that when you're talking about something personal, like your opinions, you don't use "it."

Would I be able to correct this to "this" and have it make sense grammatically? The other teachers (non-natives) think that "it is because" is fine in this context, but it still feels off to me. I generally try to keep my corrections close to their original work so that they can more easily understand what was wrong which is why I want to know if I should correct this to "this is because." Or, does "it is because" work in this context?


texts: What do you call the activity of holding {publicity/protest/facts} signs

texts: What's the word for a place and/or activity where a small number of people stand in the streets with information boards in their hands and inform the passersby people about something (which the information boards are about)?


texts: Is there any word for "arbitrary selfish selections"?

texts: Media tell us facts but not all the times. They instead do a selection--based on the interests of their corporate, political parties, etc--and just tell us some of facts. Is there any word for such kind of selection?


texts: Which is correct to use in a sentence, 10 US$ or US$ 10. Perhaps USD should be used instead or even something else?


texts: What does "Reflection makes men cowards" mean?

texts:
Reflection makes men cowards.

I have googled this quotation, trying to find the meaning, but I can't find it anywhere.

Someone I know said it means that when a man looks himself in the mirror he trembles at the sight of himself.

But "reflection" means introspection. So does the quotation mean that thinking about your actions and learning from past experiences makes you less self-assured?


texts: Is there a word that encompasses any learning resources -- for example an article, video, podcast, book, course, etc.? Something that you learn from, but not a living thing such as a teacher...


texts:
I have read today: "Individuals from those states who have proper visas can now board U.S.-bound flights, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly."

The sentence uses reversed order of words "said the official". Why? Is it acceptable? Can anybody explain me the grammar rule?


texts: Choosing a proper article or word for metaphor

texts:
I'm a breaking wave, because I can't get away from the sea called the world.
I'm the breaking wave, because I can't get away from the sea called the world.

Which article is proper for metaphor?

The breaking wave means the wave that is breaking.I know "breaker" would be better, but I've chosen "breaking wave" by intent.

Context:There are a lot of people in the world. The world is like the sea and we are like its waves. Because we can't get away from the sea but break in the end and go back to the sea. So I'm just a wave.

And when I'd like to say "I want to get you who is like a star in the sky," which one is proper?
I want to get the star called you.
I want to get the star named you.
I want to get the star of you.
I want to get the star—you.

Context:
It's too hard for me to have you. So I can call you a star in the sky.
I want to get the star though it's impossible.


texts: What is the opposite of "idiomatic", as in idiomatic code?

texts: What is the opposite of "idiomatic", other than not idiomatic?  Is there a concise way of expressing this concept or describing such a code?


texts: Relative Clauses- To use or not to use That

texts:
The food we enjoy can also reveal where we have traveled and what cultures have migrated to our communities.

In the above sentence the phrase "we enjoy" seems to be a relative clause, but the word "that" is omitted.

Is there any reason or rule as to know when to omit the word "that" from relative clauses?

In this instance, it does not seem to be a complementizer.


texts: Is there a right and wrong way to use double negatives?

texts:
Somewhat related to How can double negatives "has a respectable history as a rhetorical device for emphasis" when they're harder to understand? I am noticing that that there is an increase in use of double negatives in speech.
"I didn't say nothing" or "I don't want nothing" is very common.  One friend of mine who keeps doing this has the mickey taken out of him by returning with Oh, so you did say something then".
I hear it a lot in pop and R'n'B songs. Take for example, If I ain't got you by Alicia Keys.
The chorus has "But I don't want nothin' at all" in it, and the outro has "Said nothin' in this whole wide world don't mean a thing".
So, with my friend's predicament in mind, is there a right and wrong way to use double negatives?


texts: Arabic numerals vs their corresponding English words in scientific research paper

texts:
This question is different from Why do English writers avoid explicit numerals?, as it is about the usage in a physics research paper.

Basically, I am not sure when to use Arabic numerals and when to use their corresponding English words when writhing a physics research paper.

E.g.

The 3 parameters are fixed.
The three parameters are fixed.
The value of the parameter is five.
The value of the parameter is 5.

Are 1 and 2 both acceptable? Or is one of them better perceived?
And again, is 4 better than 3?

If 4 is better than 3, and 2 is better than 1. I can then have both numerals and words to represent small numbers in a paper. Is this acceptable?

Can I always use Arabic numerals?


texts: Symbol, punctuation, or abbreviation that indicates a "paraphrase"?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the proper use of [square brackets] in quotes?

This question is born of practical necessity - one that I encountered while quoting a reference in "another" Stack Exchange property's "comment field".  Due to space limitations, I had wanted to "paraphrase" the following line..

  This is why Git will only let you checkout another branch if everything is checked in – there are no uncommitted modified files.

with

  This is why all changes must be committed before switching branches.

This did allow my post fit nicely - into the properly dignified amount of allowed characters - but left me with only two spaces to spare.  With those two, I reluctantly surrounded my mini-edit in ( ) (parenthesis).  This is fine, and all... but as the change was mid-quote, and mid-paragraph, there was no obvious way to clarify that this parenthetical portion was NOT as the credited author had intended - but was instead MY little handiwork.

A quick glance about found a dearth of good suggestions on how best to propery attribute - or even indicate - occurances of such paraphrasing, short of some kind of annotated bibliography, etc.  What is the correct way to do this (syntactically, via a symbol, or with punctuation, etc.), especially in the context of modern / informal / electronic communications?


texts:
Does "very nuanced" mean "very different" in this sentence?

  We are marrying the two up in a way that is very nuanced.


texts: Idiom that means "to understand a story better by listening to it from the beginning?"

texts:
Example:

  "I think I should I start my story from the beginning. That way you
  can [...].

Is there any idiom for that? Preferably idioms that evoke something physical, imagery.


texts: Subtle difference between "I insist he be punished" and "I insist he should be punished"?

texts:
I insist he be punished.

and

  I insist he should be punished.

What's the SUBTLE difference between them?


texts: Boris Group or 'the' Boris Group? Is article omission an error?

texts:
From a native speaker standpoint, would it look OK if a company whose name follows the "X Group" pattern omits the use of the definite article when presenting itself on its website, like this (name changed a bit):

  Boris Group provides full-service marketing research support across Russia. It is a team of highly skilled research professionals fluent in English and Russian. Boris Group offers expertise in multi-country project management all over the world. Boris Group is a preferred research supplier for international organizations in business & consumer sector.

The company's name does not include the, but would it merit the omission of the article in an introductory text about the company?

Would it be okay to underscore in this way the fact that the company's name, including the word Group, is a proper noun? Or should the be used anyway?

I earlier asked a similar question, and according to an answer given there by a native speaker, adding the is standard practice in media ("the Clarett Group"), but I still have doubts. Maybe a company can opt to write its name without the? Say, so that the reader do not make the mistake of thinking that the company name does include the.

Or would it be a grammatical mistake at any time to omit the in such constructions?


texts:
When American journalists talk about a senator, they reference them as "D-State.Abbr.", e.g.

  Sen. X, D-Ore.

Which means X is senator of Oregon (am I right?). I want to know what does the "D" stand for?


texts: Does the word "teacher" sound childish at university?

texts: There is a distinction between the way students refer to teachers in high school and at university in my country and the former way sounds very childish. So, I was just wondering if it is the same in English, particularly in British English. Do you think referring to a teacher at university as teacher, rather than professor, or sir, or something else, sounds childish?


texts: Is there a way to determine how offensive a word is?

texts:
Outside of slang, I'm looking for a list of words that have been co-opted by society to mean something derogatory. In some senses, they are also "trigger words" and phrases.

The word cult, for example, is offensive to some, however it is the scientific word used to describe the initial stages of a formation of a religion.

On the other hand "Black" is a generally accepted term to describe African Americans, however several people are afraid to say that word out of fear of offense.

Question

What I'm looking for is a "word census" to determine how offensive a word is to a given affiliation, zip code, or population overall.

This resource will help me craft a response that is most relevant to the community I'm targeting.

I really doubt that such a resource exists right now in 2017, but I envision that to be something that is needed.


texts: Semantic term for ~one-way exclusive~? (vs. mutually exclusive)

texts:
Assume for a moment that a large group of people believe that film noir and neo-noir are mutually exclusive film categories.  For example, if Chinatown (1974) is to be considered neo-noir (made after the classic 1940-1959 era, in color, etc.) then it is by their strict definition NOT [classic] “film noir”.  (Maybe they worked in video stores and a movie had to go in one section or the other.)

But another group feels that “film noir” is a right and proper term for both categories of movies, but “neo-noir” only works with the one.  The terms are then not “mutually exclusive”, they are “_____________” relative to how this second group of people see the relationship.

I expect there is a semantic term that describes exactly this relationship between two specific terms.  If not, let's best approximate.

So, the second group of people might say: “Film noir and neo-noir are ______________ terms.”

(Hopefully we can avoid argumentative debate here about proper film taxonomy, as that's not the point.  I'm just looking for the best term.  As I currently see it, we might just as easily be talking about “soccer ball” and “football”.  An assumed large group of people believing the second term works for the first just as well, but not the other way around.  Or “Scotch” & “whisky” – etc.  I hope these extra examples can be useful to underline the universality of the term requested, vs. obscuring it.)


texts: Who and which - What to choose when we are referring to a choice between two or more things or persons

texts:
“who is your father in the crowd?”
Vs
“which is your father in the crowd?”

Which is correct? What is difference in meaning between them?


texts: What are those decorative things called?

texts: I painted this some years ago, and I still don't know what they're called. The vases, or bowls, or whatever they are, on top of the two pillars pretending to support the porch? They're shaped like spheres sometimes. What's the term?


texts: on cutting edge technologies / with cutting edge technologies

texts: I was making my resume and wanted to include the line "Looking to work __ cutting-edge technologies" but was confused whether to use with or on in the blank space.


texts: the phrase for, when you say something inappropriate, realize the mistake, and then improvise to make it less inappropriate

texts: in situations when someone said something inappropriate, unintentionally, and then quickly realize what they said is inappropriate, so they try to add to their statement to make it sound like less inappropriate or try to redirect the mean to a different subject entirely. How is this behaviour phrased?


texts: Understanding appositives and the use of the m-dash ( — )

texts:
My understanding of a dash is that it sets off a lengthy appositive, but can also be used to introduce a summary.  Consider the following passage from Stephan Jay Gould:

  If evolution worked explicitly for
  species, then we could soften the blow
  of Darwin's radicalism.  The
  transition from God's overt
  beneficence toward species to
  evolution's direct operation on
  species permits a soft landing in
  transferring allegiance from
  creationism to evolution—for the
  central focus on "higher" good as
  raison d'etre remains unchanged

From what little I know about grammar, an appositive has to be either a noun, or a noun phrase. Am I correct, then, that "for the central...unchanged" is not an appositive, and that Gould is using the dash to set off a summary to the preceding independent clause?

(I'm not trying to over-analyse any writer's grammar, just learn the rules for myself :))


texts: Hypernym for "pertaining to (body part)"?

texts:
What is a hypernym for the adjectives which describe various body parts or systems?  For example:

eyes : ocular
lungs : pulmonary
ears : aural

How would I best phrase asking for such words, for example, if I wanted to know the equivalent word for the skin?  (just an example, please don't respond with "cutaneous").

Example sentence:

  Adjectives to describe body parts, for example pulmonary and aural, can all be referred to as [hypernym].


texts: Word for very limited communication between races/religions/cultures

texts:
There is a country in which there are many different religions, races and cultures.

In that country, people are cold and they only care about themselves or their community. There is little or very limited communication between the different groups (races, religions, cultures).

Additionally, people are cautious about each other because of racial/religious/cultural differences. They don't trust each other or like one another.

What is the term that expresses this situation?
Is it okay to use suspicion, as in "there is a lot of suspicion in that country" to express the above situation?


texts:
It seems that speakers of Indian English generally speak with a rhotic accent, pronouncing an [r] in all cases where spelled, whereas a speaker of British English would leave it off in postvocalic environments. This is surprising to me, because Indian English is supposed to be based on British English, which is non-rhotic.

(The r's in Indian English generally seem to be rolled [r]s, in contrast to an American English [ɹ].)

Wikipedia's article Rhoticity in English gives the following explanation: “Many varieties of Indian English are rhotic owing to the underlying phonotactics of the native Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages whilst some tend to be non-rhotic.” Still, even if an Indian speaker would find it easier to pronounce r's at the end of a word than a Japanese speaker, for instance, I would still expect them to follow BrE pronunciation as close as possible, and non-rhoticity seems to be an obvious characteristic.

For comparison, non-native speakers from China, Korea, and Japan often speak English with a non-rhotic accent (and BrE-based vowels), and this is reflected in how English loanwords are transcribed into their respective languages. While this might be because Korean and Japanese don't have terminal /r/s, standard Mandarin Chinese does have r-coloring and yet does not r-color English words, and so the phonology of the native languages doesn't seem to explain the discrepancy here.

What factors might be contributing to the rhoticity of Indian English, besides the fact that their native languages have an /r/ phoneme? Is pronouncing r's due to spelling pronunciation, for instance?

Edit: Some of the comments have raised the point that British English might not have been all that non-rhotic by the time English was being introduced to India. As best as I can tell from Wikipedia, the shift to non-rhoticity happened in the “early 19th century”: “By the early 19th century, the southern British standard was fully transformed into a non-rhotic variety, though some variation persisted as late as the 1870s.” It's unclear whether this would be before or after when “English language public instruction began in India in the 1830s during the rule of the East India Company.”

Might there be historical evidence that the EIC's language instruction was or was not rhotic? Might Indian English have roots from before the EIC's public education, when BrE may have still been rhotic?


texts: What is the word for a person who thinks/afraid others can change them?

texts:
To give some context,
A person believes somethings (for example religious practices) but if someone tries to prove that those beliefs are wrong, the person gets into defensive mode - and can even burst with anger or get ready to fight.
So, this is a person who wants to protect his/her beliefs and if someone shares their beliefs he/she thinks that they are attacking their personal beliefs. This person doesn't want to change their beliefs. They protect them with their life if needed.
FYI, in this context, belief is different than knowing things. We know we have two hands but don't believe it. a youtube link
What is the word for such a person? (I don't think it is believer)


texts: What is the action of writing with both hands simultaneously called?

texts:
I can write with both my hands so I am ambidextrous. But it means adept and deft in using both the hands equally. So if someone was exhibiting their skill of ambidexterity by writing something with both their hands simultaneously, what would this piece of action be called? Is there a word for it?

I need the word that means simultaneously using both the hands, for writing or whatever.


texts: Das Keyboard Refurbished Professional Model S: What does "Refurbished" mean?

texts:
Everything is in the question, so I copy/paste:

Das Keyboard Refurbished Professional Model S: what does "Refurbished" mean?


texts:
This YouTube comment has tons of likes. What does it mean?

From Aladdin - Official Trailer

  Aladdin: Genie... I wish for you to make me a prince

  Genie: would you like to be a fresh one?...(looks at camera)


texts: A word or idiom for a person asked to use their expertise for banal tasks

texts:
It seems a common enough experience for people with some expertise in some area to be frequently called upon by people they come in contact with to use their skill to help with some small thing.  Is there a word or phrase that sums up this experience?

Examples:

Anyone with a computer to a computer tech: "Hey do you know why my computer is doing X, and can maybe take a look at it while you are here?"

Anyone with a car problem to a car mechanic: "It's making this noise. Do you know what that is? I have it outside if you want to hear it in person."

Anyone with a physical ailment to a doctor: "My X is giving me problems like Y and Z. Do you know what that might be? Should I be worried?"

I'm looking specifically for a situation where the specialist is not intending to be performing their skill, and aren't being paid for it.  Usually they are a friend or acquaintance of the person who is asking.


texts:
I'm thinking that the singular verbs "is" and "has" are correct below because we're referring to a singular lump of precipitation. Although the subject "inches" is plural, I think the singular verbs are correct below. We wouldn't say, "Fifty dollars are a lot of money."
I think this is basically the same concept.

Good for the singular verbs below?

One to 3 inches of snow "is" expected. (Not: ... are expected.)

Ten inches of snow "has" fallen.
(Not: ... have fallen.)


texts: One or two possessive apostrophes for two subjects with different possession

texts:
'The similarities between Odelle's and Smith’s artistic depictions of women [...]'

OR

'The similarities between Odelle and Smith’s artistic depictions of women [...]'

The point in question regards the apostrophes. One claim is that the first one on Odelle isn't necessary. It seems like this would be true only if Odelle and Smith were collaborating on their art. However, the intended meaning of the sentence is that both subjects, although similar, each have unique treatment of women in their art. The word that throws me off is depictions. Because this word is plural perhaps the first claim is true? This way Odelle and Smith could still have unique depictions but share the compound subject possession. Really scratching my head over this one...


texts:
When it comes to the sentence Sign in to your account, I understand why it is more proper to say sign in to as opposed to sign into. Sign in is a phrasal verb and to is the preposition.
However, I cannot find the proper explanation as to why it's improper to say sign in into your account.
My partner and I are both engineers, so his argument is that when you sign in, you are in fact going INTO an account. This just does not sit right with me, but I cannot put into words why.
Also, would the sentence Sign in to mywebsite change anything? Sign into mywebsite? Sign in into mywebsite?


texts: What to use in context: "surely" or "sure"

texts:
Which expression is correct:

  I sure hope so.
  I surely hope so.

I would say the second one. However, the first one seems to be used more often.

Or are they both correct?


texts:
Not really sure how to use Get/Got + V3 or V.to be + V3 ( Passive voice )

Can anyone explain, are there any differences between these two grammar structures ?


texts: Is there a verb that means 'to stare down' or 'to stare in order to intimidate'?

texts:
Boxers often stare each other in the eyes before a match. Animals will often do the same in an attempt to avoid a physical conflict. People often use starring in order to intimidate others. I suspect there's a word for it. Does anyone know whether there is one?

Thank you.

-Hal


texts: Arguable ("susceptible to doubt") vs arguable ("susceptible to being supported")

texts:
According to dictionary.com, the adjective arguable has two definitions

  susceptible to debate, challenge, or doubt; questionable: Whether
  this is the best plan of action or not is arguable.
  susceptible to being supported by convincing or persuasive
  argument: Admirers agree that it is arguable he is the finest pianist
  of his generation.

I find that these two definitions are a bit contrary to each other. The first one emphasizes that something is doubtful, while the other means that something is probably convincing. How to distinguish between the two definitions from a sentence? Example from google news (including the adverb "arguably")

  Carl Lewis, arguably the world's greatest-ever Olympian, is involved    in another running battle – to become a politician.
  Here, the appellants have an arguable case that the minister's decision exceeded his jurisdiction


texts:
Do i have to use the word 'the' in front of ultimate in a sentence?

For instance; You have the power to customize your environment for the ultimate aural enhancement.  Or; You have the power to customize your environment for ultimate aural enhancement.


texts: A specific type of painting style, named after a Frenchman

texts: What is the term called, named after a Frenchman, that refers to profile paintings of human faces that are usually black and white and only show contours?


texts: They might keep knowledge of its potential to effect social change from being widely disseminated

texts:
The title is an excerpt from a GRE question.  The test-taker is asked to fill in the blank:

  Those who fear the influence of television
  deliberately ____ its persuasive power,
  hoping that they might keep knowledge of its
  potential to effect social change from being
  widely disseminated.

  promote
  underplay
  excuse
  laud
  suspect

I don't quite understand the structure and meaning of the bold part of the sentence, could you explain it for me?


texts:
I have been told that with the conjunction "or" we must apply the following rule: a singular verb is used if the subject that comes after "or" is singular. Is it correct?

I would naturally say the apple or the orange is good. But it seems that we should also say

the apples or the orange is good
but the orange or the apples are good.

Is it correct?

Otherwise, if I am thinking of "this or that or both", is it correct to use the plural? And say the apple or the orange are (both) good.


texts: What's the good adjective for the causing configuration set of a bug?

texts:
We have configuration options in a software source code, and certain (not all, but quite a lot) subsets of these options make valid configuration settings.
However, there are bugs that only live under some of these valid settings.
I would like to use an adjective for the configuration set (e.g. valid setting) with a structure like this:

  The ____ config set.

This should mean: the bug is present, if this config set is used.
What adjective could be used that could express that the bug is present when any of those configs are used?

Edit: it would be great if the technical term for it could be found.


texts: "The solution would be that he go and talk."

texts:
Just need to confirm if this construction is correct.

Would also really appreciate it if it could be broken down too from a grammatical perspective.

Many thanks!


texts:
In Google's dictionary, the word "human" is displayed with the o͞o pronunciation symbol, whereas most other dictionaries I checked use the [standard IPA?] ü.

Are these really interchangeable or is there a subtle difference? (or is it an American vs British English thing?)

Part of the issue is that the o͞o seems less available in common computer fonts than the ü, so I'd opt for the second one.


texts:
You're asking someone to postpone something, or do something on behalf of you and at the end you want to say to him I will try to recoup it later. I will try to work on your behalf later. I'll return your favor later.

What is a casual way of saying such thing, In daily informal conversations?


texts: A word or phrase for people who eat together and share the same food

texts:
Is there a word or phrase for people who eat together at the same table (not necessarily regularly) and share the same food? I would need this word in the following passage:

______ around the table share the same food. Yet in each one this food is converted into what they need.

I would prefer a single word, but if there isn't one, I would accept other solutions, too.
Note: The register of language is rather formal.
I had thought of companions, but it is too general, it does not refer only to food. In my mother tongue there is a word that means "co-eater" or "co-tabler". I was wondering if a particular term or phrase exists in English to describe that.
Edit: Due to comments of some who were not sure of one detail in the connotation I have described here, I will add that share the same food refers to the same material food (whether the dishes they actually eat are identical or not is not important).
If no commonly used word or phrase is found, would it be okay to paraphrase it in this way:

People who eat together around the table share the same food. Yet in each one this food is converted into what they need.


texts: Which part of the question is the dominant clause?

texts:
Tell me if I am right in my analysis with this question:
"You like steak, right?"

The statement "You like steak" is the dominant clause, and "right" is simply an interjection of sorts. Just like if someone had asked "Right?", the rest would have been implied, right?


texts: Noun for "a person who deeply appreciates aesthetics"

texts:
I'm looking for a noun for a person to convey two things: their particularly keen appreciation of aesthetics, and their ability to create aesthetically appealing objects.

For example, Steve Jobs. A man with a famously keen sense of what is beautiful, at every level, be it user interface design, the connectors on cables or the stairs at retail stores.

The closest I've got is "aesthetician", but that conveys more the study of aesthetics, rather than the appreciation and ability to craft aesthetic perfection.

Any ideas?


texts: Is this imperative sentence wrong: "Make sure you wouldn't use the stairs"?

texts: In making a list of school rules, one of my students wrote the sentence "Make sure you wouldn't use the stairs." I feel that using the imperative "Make sure" followed by the modal verb "would't" is wrong, but I don't know of any rule that explicitly states this. Can anyone provide more information on this, please?


texts:
I grew up in Malaysia and Singapore, and it's taken me a long time to dissect my vocabulary into "local slang, incomprehensible/incorrect elsewhere" and "proper English".

'Purposely' is one of those words that's just felt wrong to me for a while. It's an adverb of the  + 'ly' form, except that "purpose" isn't an adjective. However, I've seen the word used so often on the Internet I can't help but feel that it's not just us South-East Asians doing it.

Is "purposely" grammatically correct? If so, in what context? If not, what is an appropriate substitute, and why is it so common?


texts: Can you have a gerund and an infinitive in the same sentence?

texts:
Which one is correct?

1.) It's better to have one of our allies close to us than having none at all.

2.) Having one of our allies close to us is better than having none.


texts:
I basically learnt that words that start with a 'm' or 'p' get 'im' as a negative prefix, whilst words starting with 'r' get 'ir' in such a case (irreverent, irrelevant).

However, I stumbled upon 'realistic'. I'm almost sure it is 'unrealistic'. A quick search on Google revealed 13 million hits for 'unrealistic'; 'irrealistic' on the contrary only results in 14.000 hits.

Therefore, is 'unrealistic' an exception to this rule?


texts:
Would you please explain grammar of this sentence? I am confused about "as" in this sentence.

  Strange as this behaviour may be , there is a very good reason for it.


texts: Semantic role of "the coat" in "the coat lay on the bed"?

texts: What is a semantic role of "the coat" in the sentence "the coat lay on the bed"?


texts: What is the best noun meaning "getting invaded"?

texts: In a technical formulation, I need to define two opposite states. In particular, the first represents the state of an agent which invades, thereby called invasion. The second one corresponds to the agent which is invaded. What noun would reflect the latter meaning?


texts: I first heard the term "Snap" in a television drama a year or so ago from a recovering drug addict-turned rogue police detective.  I think it is a form of verbal exclamation, similar to "wow" or "Yeah!"  Does anyone know how recently this term/expression was coined?  Also, is my idea of the meaning correct or is there a different meaning (other than like snapping a stick in half)?  Here's an example.  "Snap.  I just realized where I saw that guy before."  Another example.  A young boy finally learns how to tie his shoes himself.  His youthful father exclaims, "Snap.  See, I told you it's nothin' so hard."


texts:
I've noticed that in all sentences I come across which start with an indication of time, there is always a comma after before the sentence is continued.
For example:
When I was five, I bought my first bike.
In 1910, John Smith was born.
Over the years, I grew to hate celery.

Why is this? Why must there be a comma when, saying the sentences out loud, there is no indication of a pause?


texts: What is the origin of the name Manhattan?


texts: Expressions to use in English about "for" and "to"

texts:
This question is about “for” and “to” in terms of destination or direction. Which is right? Are they both right? Could you give me more examples and information about the usage of for and to?

a. Is this the right bus stop for downtown?

b. Is this the right bus stop to downtown?


texts: Confused about the phrase "as little as"

texts:
I'm currently reading Demian and came across the following paragraph:

  Novelists when they write novels tend to take an almost godlike
  attitude toward their subject, pretending to a total comprehension of
  the story, a man's life, which they can therefore recount as God
  Himself might, nothing standing between them and the naked truth, the
  entire story meaningful in every detail. I am as little able to do
  this as the novelist is, even though my story is more important to
  me than any novelist's is to him -- for this is my story; it is the
  story of a man, not of an invented, or possible, or idealized, or
  otherwise absent figure.

I'm finding it a little difficult to full understand what Hesse means. It seems like he's trying to say that novelists have a total comprehension of the story, but he does not. And then he says "I am as little able to do this as the novelist is," suggesting that novelists also have little comprehension of the story (much like Hesse)?

What does he actually mean?


texts:
I'm looking for a word which could mean arrow or crossbow-bolt (but not other missiles like stones, darts or javelins or whatever).

More specifically I'm trying to use it as a description for what happens when you're hit with 'one of those'. I was considering 'shaft' or 'barb' but those are just specific parts of the thing itself.


texts: Word or term for contentment, balance, wellness, good health, at home

texts:
Looking to uncover a word or term that embodies this spirit, but is not so literal.
That evokes a sense of “what is it”, what will I discover in the place.

A place to achieve this sense of well-being.


texts:
Why do some people pronounce "cotton" as codden and "satin" as saddin and Russian leader "Putin" as pudin?

These pronunciations are made even by professional news people on national television.


texts: Any idiom/phrase/expression to describe this attitude?

texts:
There is this person I know who always gets excited at the slightest of the things. They give a person too much credit than they deserve for simplest of the things they do. Not that I think there is anything wrong with it, in fact the receiver would be flattered to hear them and that's all good but it gets annoying after a while. Just imagine someone getting astound at how a cobbler mends a shoe or a vendor making candy-floss in his machine. These are relatively simple jobs i.e. these could be learned in a very short time compared to anything else even if the person has never seen anyone do it before.

How do you best describe the attitude of this person? Is
there any popular idiom/phrase/expressions?
Also, how do we ask the person to not get too excited about it while
still acknowledging their appraisal for the other person in a
respectable way and not be seen like I am trying to [opposite of pique] their curiosity?


texts:
Am I using the correct grammar by not having high quality hyphenated?

  From direct mail, printing & fulfillment, to database analytics and
  digital media, Company Name continues to deliver high quality services
  that produce results.


texts: What does "perceptive" mean in this context?

texts:
I became his first love and the mother of his first child and, as
  such, I have a unique perceptive to share on this man who has
  fascinated the world.

It is taken from the NOTE TO THE READER section of the book The Bite in the Apple by Chrisann Brennan.

I'm unable to understand the usage of the word perceptive in this context. I think it could be a typo(perhaps should be the word perspective?) by the author. However, I've seen such usage of perceptive over and over again in the same book so I'm even more confused.


texts: How to use the phrase "from something fame"?

texts:
Can the phrase be used to describe someone very popular? Can I say Beyonce from Spice Girls fame?
Or should the person being described be a little less popular than the performance, like Kyle Gass from Tenacious D fame?
Also, are these sentences formal or informal?


texts: One word for a man who feels vulnerable about his wife

texts:
What would we call a man who is always suspecting, distrustful and worried about his wife being wooed by other men? He considers his wife naive and the world (other men) as predators in waiting.

It would definitely have negative meanings since the wife is just the opposite, i.e. she is unsuspecting.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the rule for adjective order?

As a native speaker, I would always say "big red ball," but never "red big ball."

Further, I would say "Big red furry ball," and not ever another order of adjectives.

Is there a correct, or accepted order/precedence of adjectives?


texts: An ambiguity problem with "the first thing you remember"

texts:
I'm having an ambiguity problem with the following sentence:

  What's the first thing you remember?

If I'm right, it may mean either:

1) What is the first thing you can recall, the furthest in your memories, the earliest thing you remember? (like from your childhood = your earliest memory)

2) What is the first thing that comes to your mind just like that? (the first thing you can think of RIGHT NOW)

Am I right? Considering I am, how would you rephrase the sentence, to get rid of the ambiguity problem?


texts: When to use "lives" as a plural of life?

texts: I am confused when talking about a general idea using "our life" when sometimes I feel like using "our lives". Please tell me the correct answer with appropriate explanation.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
I can run faster than _____. (1) him (2) he?

Which is correct?

You know more about this than me.
You know more about this than I.

The second sounds unnatural, but I think it is correct because a trailing know is implied.


texts: What is the function of "right" in this sentence?

texts:
In the phrase "[action] right from the comfort of your own home", what is the function of the word 'right'?

It sounds normal and cromulent to my native American English speaker ear, but I'm having a hard time defining what purpose it serves in the sentence, and how I can interpret it. I intuitively understand it to mean "Do  [action] easily and comfortably from home", but I don't know what part of the sentence the word "right" serves.

This was sparked by driving behind a truck which used the name of the store to form the phrase "Shop [right] from home".


texts:
I cannot quite understand why the 'L' is not doubled when forming 'detailed' from 'detail'. Is that an exemption to the consonant doubling, or did I simply not understand the rules?

From the answers to
When is "L" doubled?

  When you have a verb that ends in a vowel plus "L" and you are going to add an ending that begins with a vowel then you double the "L".

Example: "They have tunnelled under the wall."
vs
"They have detailed the plan to tunnel under the wall."


texts: Word to describe someone who goes to all the events in town!

texts:
I'm looking for a short word that could describe people who are always going to every event in town. It doesn't need to be an existing word, feel free to create one of your own. It can also be made of words related to events and parties. (ex: club, event, guest list, etc.)

Edit

The word will serve as a new term to describ these people in a favorable way. It will probably be used for an app name so it need to be catchy and fun. ( Preferably )


texts:
What is a word for "slightly smile with embarrassment"?

Example:

  "You look great tonight," I said.  She ______ed, trying to hide her
  face from me.


texts:
I encountered a question that went like this:
_______ fun it is to watch a 4D movie!
A. What
B. What a
C. How
D. How a
The key to this question is A.
I've read an explanation which says " ‘How’ can only precede an adjective in this kind of sentence, e.g. “How happy I am,” or an adverb in a similar kind of sentence, e.g. “How well you dance.” Since ‘fun’ is a noun, only “What fun it is” is correct. It’s the same construction as “What nonsense you speak” and “What an awful road this is.” However, “How much fun it is” would be correct.
Of course, some people might say “How fun it is,” but it’s still grammatically incorrect."
I was confused, because "fun" is also an adjective word. Then why is "how fun" grammatically incorrect?


texts:
Should "the Music Industry" be capitalised?

Title of my essay:

  Data Mining in the Music Industry


texts: Relation of the etymology of «epilepsy» and «cataplexy» to their meaning

texts:
I want to know the exact meaning of these 2 words (they are a medical words ... I know their scientific meaning, I need the relation of their etymology to their meaning) the prefix and the suffix of them : «epilepsy» and «cataplexy».

I tried to search many times but I couldn't get the exact meaning (lepsy: seizure ! But there are no evident relation with the meaning of the word !) and why we called them like that.


texts: We've all heard the song. I'm just wondering whether it's wounded or "waunde:d" knee. Is there a river in the vicinity of "Wounded Knee" that is twisted or turned (waunde:d) or is the site named after the battle where everyone was wounded?


texts: Is "giddy" derived from "Gid" which was Middle English for "God"?

texts:
Recently I posted an answer about the etymology of goodbye, in that answer I included a reference that cited Gid be with you, which was dated 1400-1499. The phrase was mentioned in Diachronic Pragmatics: Seven case studies in English illocutionary development, and written by Dr. Leslie K. Arnovick

Below I include a cropped screenshot showing the citation in table 6.1, on page 99.

Sceptical, and fascinated, I wanted to find out more. But try as I did, I could not find any online references that confirmed Gid (meaning God) was Middle English.

Etymonline says

  Old English god "supreme being, deity; the Christian God; image of a god; godlike person," from Proto-Germanic *guthan (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Dutch god, Old High German got, German Gott, Old Norse guð, Gothic guþ), from PIE *ghut- "that which is invoked" (source also of Old Church Slavonic zovo "to call," Sanskrit huta- "invoked," an epithet of Indra), from root *gheu(e)- "to call, invoke."

Wikipedia's page for God (word) basically repeats Etymonline but in greater detail.
Wiktionary informs that gid can refer to a sheep disease; an obsolete term for a fiddle; or Scots for good. For scrupulousness, I also checked the wiktionary entries for: Dutch gód, Swedish göd, Icelandic goð and Old High German got
Wiktionary also directed me to guid, which is cited in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales; however, it is an archaic spelling variant of good.
Merriam-Webster states that the sheep disease called gid is a back-formation of giddy, and dates it from 1601.
Under the etymology of giddy, M-W says

  Middle English gidy mad, foolish, from Old English gydig possessed, mad; akin to Old English god god.

Questions

Is Gid Middle English for God?  Or is “Gid be with you” a misprint?
Did giddy originally mean to be possessed by God?


texts:
I am an international student in the U.S.A. I am writing an email and I am stuck on one sentence. I would like to say:

"Do you know when I can get the flyers?"

I would like to make the sentence more polite. Could I say:

"Would you know when I could get the flyers?"

If there are other ways to use polite language, could you please tell me? If possible, please post an online reference as a citation.

Sorry, I forgot to mention about the situation or so on. I am writing an email to someone who is going to deliver the flyers and organize an event. I'm going to promote the event with the flyers. So technically, the person who I'm emailing is kind of my boss. Thus, I think I should write a polite email to him.


texts: Is there a term for "toilet" that isn't a euphemism?

texts:
By "toilet" I'm speaking of the thing upon which someone does their "business" -- commode, throne, W.C., etc.  Every synonym I can find is somehow a euphemism (as is "toilet", of course).  And the same appears to be true (with the possible exception of "shithouse") for "toilet" when used to mean "rest room".
Are there any specific terms which are not simply euphemisms (and didn't start as euphemisms) but specifically refer to the appliance or room?


texts: How to say that something is "current" but at another point in time

texts:
Imagine I want to say

  Each shipment will be automatically created 2 weeks before the day of collection, and priced according to the rates at that moment.

and I want to express "rates at that moment" as "[adjective] rates".

The following attempt produces confusion:

  Each shipment will be automatically created 2 weeks before the day of collection, and priced according to current rates.

because it might mean "according to whatever the rates are this very moment"

What's the word that I should use in place of current to express the fact that I want it to be "current at that time"?


texts: 'Between the lines' or 'read between the lines'

texts: Do there exist any circumstances where any verb other than read is used with between the lines? That is, is between the lines an independent and complete idiom, or is it incomplete and meaningless without read?


texts: The sentence doesn't seem to make sense in the context of a foreword of the book "Third Girl" by Agatha Christie

texts:
In the foreword of the book "Third Girl" by Agatha Christie, I read the following sentence:

  Millions of readers from every age and country are addicts to the work of this most absorbing and distinguished of story-teller. Not one of those addicts will care to miss this brilliant new story, in which Hercule Poirot plays a full an dazzling role ...

What I don't understand is the highlighted part. Does it mean that no one will care about this new story? But it is a bit weird to say so in the foreword of a book, isn't it? Or does it mean the opposite?


texts:
As he read the childish writing the old man began to cry 'cause the words burned inside him like a brand.

In this sentence what is the meaning of "like a brand"? Does brand have other meaning apart from dictionary. The meaning of brand from dictionary couldn't carry me to understand that sentence completely.


texts:
Trying to understand the meaning of "clearing up".

One of the meanings I see at Collins Dictionary is

  When you clear up or clear a place up, you make things neat and put
  them away.

Here's some excerpt to give some context.

MOUSE - RUNNN!

UNICORN - Hop onto my back!

UNICORN - I see a clearing up ahead!

MOUSE - That's not a clearing! It's the edge of a cliff!


texts: The Principal is resposible for the monitoring of the attendance of all students. [Why is it not 'all the students'?]

texts:
Why is all students here not all the students?

My logic is like so:

(1) The Principal: a generic noun, with 'Principal' as a prototypical representation of principals in general, with 'the' in front of it to signal he is the principal of a prototypical school.

(2) all the students: students are of the prototypical school; therefore, the students.

I'm very much at a loss. Is this just omission of the article, and on the special side to make it sound more stilted?

  The Principal is responsible for the accurate recording and rigorous monitoring of the attendance of all students and for
  implementing appropriate strategies to restore attendance if there are
  attendance issues. [excerpted from a manual of attendance policy by
  Government of Western Australia]

After a while, I am now thinking ....

Would the rationale be anything like this? : all students represents {students of the untold school that represents any school} (in general), and a part that would tell you that the students go to the school is not stated because the readers would naturally understand it without it explicitly written.

  The Principal is responsible for the accurate recording and rigorous
  monitoring of the attendance of all students (that go to his school)
  (in general) and for implementing appropriate strategies to restore
  attendance if there are attendance issues. [excerpted from a manual of
  attendance policy by Government of Western Australia]


texts: "He Isn't"/"She Isn't" V.S. "He's Not"/"She's Not"

texts:
Is there a difference in usage between "he isn't"/"she isn't" and "he's not"/"she's not"?

I think "he's not" and "she's not" are stronger because they put more emphasis on the word "not" than "he isn't" and "she isn't" do.


texts: Better phrases to describe "taking A-levels" or any other course

texts: What phrase should I use when writing about my qualifications? I feel like saying e.g. "I am taking A-levels" sounds informal (A-levels is the examination students in England take). What other verb or phrase instead of "take" should I use?


texts: Word meaning 'a system of unnecessary rules'

texts:
For example:

A company that requires all employees to wear light-blue shirts on Fridays.

A government that requires people to file paperwork every time a pet dies.


texts: Is there a word or phrase (other than euphemism/innuendo) for using one word/phrase to mean another?

texts:
Recently, on an episode of a TV series I watch, one of the female characters asks a male character, "Do you want some bourbon?", when what she means is, "Do you want to have sex with me?". Is there another word/phrase (other than euphemism/innuendo) to describe her question (preferably one not limited to the particular context of sex)?

Edit: "coffee" could also have worked in the character's sentence.


texts:
As pretty much anyone who's ever watched an English police procedural can attest to, English policemen use the phrase "you're nicked, sunshine!" whenever they apprehend a suspect.

However, anyone who's ever met a policeman in real life will tell you, nobody actually does this (anymore?). Where, then, does the phrase originate?


texts: I gather from the dictionary that pen is pronounced as /pen/ and pence as  /pens/. Is the plural pens pronounced as /pens/ or /penz/?


texts: Is there an ambiguity in "the most purified gold"?

texts:
Is there an ambiguity in the question:

  Which country has the most purified gold?"

Which has (the most purified) gold? say 24 carat gold
Which country has the largest amount of purified gold in comparison to
others?


texts: Why do we use "gubernatorial" as an adjective?

texts:
Both "govenor" and its adjective form, "gubernatorial", originally derive from the same Latin word "gubernare" (to govern) yet we use root "govern" in all contexts ("govern", "government", "governor", "governing", "governmental"...) except for "gubernatorial."

Why is "gubernatorial" the odd man out?

Also, is this just an American thing? In Australia, we also have governors but I've never heard the word used outside of the context of American politics.


texts: What does the phrase "the whole world was a vast, aching echo…" mean?

texts:
We are currently reading a book about bats. The point of view is of a young bat named Shade, who got lost while migrating to hibernaculum. It is as of now winter, and they are attempting to discover two mountains shaped like wolf ears. The ground is canvassed in a thick layer of snow. Because of the solid breeze, it is extremely difficult for them to use echolocation.

My educator asked us to re-write the passage into our own words, while explaining what the author was trying to express.

I never used a website like this, so please be kind to me!


texts: Is it possible to use a semi colon within a list?

texts:
I have seen questions looking at using semi-colons to make a list, but I am looking to ask whether semi-colons can go within lists to better define the objects in the list. I am looking to write a list within a sentence like this:

  These genes are significant in related conditions (gene1; kidney disease, gene2; cardiac arrhythmia, gene3; arterial stiffness, gene4; aortic aneurysm) suggesting new avenues of work.'

I am not great with grammar, so I am not sure if this is actually correct to do; apologies if I am missing an important rule.


texts:
A common answer to being thanked for doing something is "It's the least I could do," which by my understanding is basically synonymous with "It was nothing".

Recently I received a gift as thanks for being generally helpful, and - included in the message accompanying the gift - the giver uses this expression.

Taking the words literally leaves me with the impression of "I've been helpful over a long time, and in return you do 'the least you can' as thanks..." It seems kind of negative.

Is this just something that shoud not be taken literally, or is the expression being misused here?


texts: term for "location where transaction occurred"

texts:
from an accounting standpoint is there a single word or two word phrase to describe a transaction location or context?

Example:
a transaction occurred in the amount (a) in the main office (o) for a service (s)

a is the amount

s is the item

o is the ?????


texts: What does "in direct line of descent from.." mean?

texts:
Berkeley's argument is in direct line of descent from Parmenides. (The Presocratic Philosophers, by Jonathan Barnes)

J. Barnes was interpreting what Parmenides means by "to think is the same as to be". Then he resorts to Berkeley to make the discussion easier to understand.
Does Barnes mean that Berkeley has inherited Parmenides's idea, and there is a historical connection between them? If so, it will be an unnecessary statement,because it will attract too much attention, and need to be defended, so that the attempt to make things easier will be in vain.
Or, it just means that their thoughts are very close to each other, very similar, without any claim to historical connection?


texts: "...I don't have money, but what I do have *are* a very particular set of skills." Is this correct?

texts:
If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills.

I'm talking about that verb in italics, because I'm not sure if I'm an idiot or my 'friend' is. Because I think it's supposed to be is instead of are.


texts: Question on word-usage: synergetic, synergistic, or synergy

texts:
In environmental psychology there is a specific cumulative effect which has been referred to in literature as:

synergetic effect

  E.g.: Potential synergetic effects between local road traffic noise and wind turbine noise cannot be excluded based on the current experiment.  [from: T. Van Renterghem et al. / Science of the Total Environment 456 -457 (2013) 333-345]

  and

synergistic effect

  E.g.: The future studies should focus on potential synergistic effect of road traffic noise and
  air pollution on hypertension and myocardial infarction. [from: WHO, Burden of disease from environmental noise: Practical guidance, 2010]

  Between these two usages, there is no difference in the meaning. In French we would say "l'effet de synergie" directly translated: "the synergy effect".

Now, I just would like to express that this effect is present in my current data set:

  The synergetic/synergistic/synergy effect has been observed in the current data set.

Which usage do you think is correct from a grammatical point of view?

Thank you for your help!


texts: Can I start a sentence with "Established in"?

texts:
So, I am proofreading a text which starts as follows:

  This is a bank established since 1900 with majority shareholding held
  by...

I feel like it can be improved.

Can I change it to:

  Established in 1900, this bank's majority of shares is held by ...

As in, would it make sense grammatically?

Is there any other way I can turn it around to make it sound better?


texts:
[Finally, Marshall pointed to the judge's oath ... Part of the core of this reasoning is found in the following statements from the decision: (source, around fifteen lines above the heading Criticism)

...
So, if a law [e.g., a statute or treaty] be in opposition to the Constitution, if both the law and the Constitution apply to a particular case, so that the Court must either decide that case conformably to the law, disregarding the Constitution, or conformably to the Constitution, disregarding the law, the Court must determine which of these conflicting rules governs the case. This is ♦ of the very essence of judicial duty. If, then, the Courts are to regard the Constitution, and the Constitution is superior to any ordinary act of the Legislature, the Constitution, and not such ordinary act, must govern the case to which they both apply.

Would someone please explain the preposition of?
Is the word part missing at the lozenge?
What would change or differ without of?
I'm asking about English and not about law.


texts:
In English we have some phrases like:

Make like a banana — and split

Make like a tree — and leave

With these kinds of phrases sometimes the second part is left unsaid; if you say, "make like a banana," the person listening most likely knows the second part (or ending).

Is there an official term for these kind of phrases?

Or are these just "make like a"-jokes?

Are there phrases with the same pattern but aren't "make like a"-jokes?


texts: What do you call a person who's desperate to make things right?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes a person who desperately wants to make things right.

Like a person who would go to their physical and mental limits and even beyond, just to make sure everything's okay. A person who is so devoted (or maybe obsessed is a better word) that it is obviously dangerous, but they're too self-unaware to notice.

I'm not asking for a word for someone who's dependent, however. They would be just fine on their own, but when there's a problem, they'd do ANYTHING to make things right.

An example sentence could be "He's such a ___. He'll probably get killed trying to save everyone."


texts: Spelling of Exemplary versus that of Example

texts:
According to Etymonline:

Example:

  from Old French essemple "sample, model, example, precedent, cautionary tale," from Latin exemplum "a sample, specimen; from ex- "out" (see ex-) + emere "buy," originally "take," from PIE root *em- "to take, distribute."

Exemplary:

  1580s, "fit to be an example," from Middle French exemplaire, from Late Latin exemplaris "that serves as an example, pattern, or motto," from exemplum "example, pattern, model"

Given that both terms derive from
French “essemple, exemplaire” how come that example, unlike exemplary,  is spelled with an “a” after the prefix ex, and not with an “e”?


texts: Which has higher priority, grammar or logic?

texts:
"Sunset on Mars is blue."

Is this statement grammatically correct.  Of course there is also the concern if accuracy/logic overrides grammar.


texts: "Tell a story, please" or "Tell me a story please"?

texts:
Should I certainly use pronouns like me ,you, him, her etc. with the word tell?
Which sentence is correct?

Will you tell us/me about your hobbies, please?
Will you tell about your hobbies, please?


texts: Single word for-A man who is polite and kind towards women

texts:
Recently I was talking with one of male friends, where he expressed that he would be glad to help me.In response to his kind concern of offering me help, I replied "You are so gallant". After a few minutes, when I looked up the dictionary, this is how the word has been defined:

  (of a man) charmingly attentive and chivalrous to women (Adjective).
  a man who is charmingly attentive to women (Noun).

This word seems to misstate my feelings which is I'm glad that he is ready to offer me help and that doesn't involve any romantic affair. But gallant seems to misrepresent it.I don't see his concern as charmingly attractive to me rather it appears to me great words of concern from a good friend.Is there any other single word to express this? For man who is so kind and helpful towards women that doesn't come under romantic affair-one word(Adjective-preferably)?


texts:
I am looking at a corporate brochure that includes the phrase:

  Our international target group includes governments, businesses and semi-private organisations.

Somehow the word 'target group' does not sit well with me in this context. The company is Dutch (as am I) and we know the word 'doelgroep' to identify those businesses or individuals you are creating your services or products for. 'Target group' is a literal translation of this word. I'm inclined to use '(target) market' instead. What do you think?


texts: When should a how title end in a question mark?

texts:
I've read up on several questions before finally deciding to post. This should be something trivial but I would like to know when it is most appropriate or if it is standard practice to end a how title with a question mark. Here's an illustration.

Scenario one(what I think should be correct):

How to build a smart car.

Scenario two:

How to build a smart car?

In my perhaps misguided interpretation, the second scenario makes it seem like whoever is posing the question would like to let us know  how whatever action they're asking about can be done.

Say I need to ask a question on this forum, can I phrase my title like: "How to ask questions on this forum?" or "How to ask questions on this forum."?

TLDR: How do I use a question mark with a  "How to do x" kind of title?


texts: Name for a website page with all kind of posts mixed

texts:
Imagine a website with many kinds of posts: announcement posts, offer posts, question posts etc. For each kind of post there could be a page listing them.

How would you call a page that lists all the posts of all kinds?

All I came up with is "cumulative page", but that sounds obscure.


texts: What is the origin of the saying, "faint heart never won fair lady"?

texts: Having heard the phrase, "faint heart never won fair lady" for the third time in very short span, I'm determined to find out its origin.   Unfortunately, when I Google, I'm getting a bunch of low-quality sites — unlike our StackExchange — that only mention that it's a proverb, and give no clue as to its origin or date of first occurrence.   That's what I'm wondering — is it a literary quote, passed down from some famous author into a proverb? When is the date of its first attestation?  How familiar would an ordinary Briton be with this saying? (It's a chiefly British saying, right? I don't believe it's popular in the United States.)


texts: Meaning of "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"

texts:
One of our customers gave this review at our restaurant. What is its meaning?

  The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

Is this a positive review or negative review?


texts: what is the difference between 'similarity to' and 'similarity with'?

texts: I think of expressing that two things are similar by using the word of similarity. I know I can say 'A bears some similarity to B'. Can I also say 'A bears some similarity with B'? If both are correct, is there any difference?


texts:
In what cases does the gerund stemming from a transitive verb take the direct object of that verb and when is a prepositional complement used?

For example:

Brown's deft painting of his daughter is a delight to watch (it is a delight to watch while Brown deftly paints his daughter).
Painting his daughter is an outlet for his energy.
Securing safety for prisoners is the main problem for the penitentiary system.
The widely discussed problem of the securing of prisoners' safety was given priority.


texts: Emails or memos claiming to be "From the desk of ..."

texts:
Some people adopt the affectation in a message, memo or email where the sender is identified explicitly in the header of the message that the sender is shown as being "From the desk of Joe Smith" rather than just from "Joe Smith".

In some situations, "From the office of" makes more sense - I take this as meaning that someone on the staff of a politician or senior executive wrote the contents, but that the office holder is happy to be considered as supporting the message.

Is this what Joe Smith is trying to tell us with this construction?


texts:
I have a question regarding the sentence below.

  If you say “I hate grammar,” you mean “I have a lot of difficulties
  with understanding rules how to use words correctly.”

Is it direct speech after the word say? Is it direct speech after the word mean? (You here is used as one — "if one says.") Should I use a comma after say and/or mean? What about quotation marks?

edit: Additional question. What about the word think? An example: He thought, "Where should I go?" Is it direct speech?


texts: Is a dummy pronoun missing in this sentence? What is this grammatical phenomenon?

texts:
This sentence from Walden by Henry David Thoreau strikes me as unusual.

  I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, and obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board. (Walden)

I can't figure out what grammatical phenomenon this is. Is it a case of dummy subject omission? "I sat at a table where there were rich food and wine in abundance."

Or is it an inversion where the original sentence should read "I sat at a table where rich food and wine were in abundance."? If this is the case, is it a subject-auxiliary inversion or a subject-verb inversion (copular inversion)? And is the inversion kosher/standard?

Also what part of speech is where in this sentence? Adverb or conjunction?


texts:
Apologize that I know there are many similar questions but I am still not satisfied with them so asking a new question here.

For example, there is a sentence like "I saw you doing something".

Non-finite clause complementation of complex transitive verbs

The above link's guy suggests that this form is possible for sense verbs and infinitive form is actually interchangeable with gerund form. I do understand that and it's clear.

But, how about this: "You being that kind of person harms everybody"? (Sorry I just made a sentence and it has no meaning)

More generally, I am questioning if it's possible to use

noun + infinitive/gerund + object

as a noun phrase.

It's always confusing.


texts: Syllable Count for Apparent Monosyllabic Words

texts: How many syllables are there in "child," "wild," and field"? If we look at the dictionary, it will tell us that these are monosyllabic words. There appear, however, to be diphthongs in each of these that lengthen the vowels to make them sound as though there are two. What do our experts say?


texts:
I agree that he is guilty.

I am against that he is guilty.

Agree is usually used as an intransitive verb. And the meaning in the first sentence is close to an intransitive verb. So I think the original form of the sentence was "I agree on it that he is guilty".
In the same way, I think the second sentence's original form was "I am against it that he is guilty" because against is a preposition.
Another example :
He insist (on it) that she go to hospital
Is my thought right?  And if this is right, are these kind of phenomena - (it)+ that phrase - common in English ?  Or just applied to a few cases ?


texts: Where in CMoS does it specify spacing before a footnote?

texts:
In this answer, it is suggested that the Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) specifies whether spaces precede a footnote indicator.  The main three choices I see being:

Here is no space.1
Here is a hair space. 2
Here is a full space. 3

I'd like to know where in the CMoS it specifies which style to use and which of the three it suggests or discusses (I believe it is without space, but would like to confirm with a cite).
Note that Wikipedia has standardized on no space or a hair space.


texts: Why the adjective "vague" comes after the noun "change"?

texts:
In Longman dictionary there is an example for disingenuous which says "Keeping the details of the tax changes vague is disingenuous."
the adjective vague precedes the verb is and follows the noun change


texts: How do you pronounce "would've", "should've" and "could've"?


texts: Anthropomorphism vs Personification usage

texts:
There seems to be a large overlap in the definitions of Anthropomorphism and Personification and they are somewhat interchangeable, but in what context is one of these words preferred over another?

Anthropomorphism:
ascribe human features to something

Personification:
the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas