texts:
I'm reading an article in the NYT and it has the next sentence:

  A few victims had been assigned local detectives who asked them to send along any relevant information, and the women now shared what they had.

I cannot understand the use of the Past Perfect tense here, as far as I know it is used when one is talking about an action which happened before a particular moment in the past. And with this knowledge I'm making no hand of the meaning of the sentence.

I have two ideas of what it might mean:

A few victims were assigned local detectives
A few victims had been assigned by/to local detectives

Could anyone help me to understand the sentence?

Thank you very much.


texts: What does the abbreviation "B. Mon" mean?

texts:
I was reading a review of an urban fantasy book Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch, and one of the characters was described as:

  "Professor Harold Postmartin, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), and B.Mon, is the Folly’s chief (and only) archivist."

What does "B. Mon" mean? Seems to be some kind of a degree, but I haven't ever heard that abbreviation before. Google was unhelpful.


texts:
So I usually look at this part and my side burns to tell if I need a hair cut. The part I refer to is probably the start of a pony tail (I'm a guy btw). This is only on the back of the head, but not all people get this. Here is an image that shows what I'm referring to.

Original Link

Clearly at the bottom of his hair, there is a small pony tail-like hair piece. Is there a term for this?


texts: "Large amount of calories" vs. "high amount of calories"

texts:
Is it more typical to say that there are a large amount of calories or a high amount of calories?

For example:

  Chocolate cake contains a high/large amount of calories.


texts:
I’m revisiting/studying about adjectives in “Adjectives” at Capital Community College Guide to Grammar and Writing. First I learn that articles are adjectives, but then there follows a paragraph in which all adjectives in a quote from Thomas Wolfe’s Look Homeward, Angel are highlighted.

Interestingly, the first thing I noticed was that the articles were not being highlighted as adjectives. Further reading, the farmer is described as one who comes weekly with printed butter, eggs, and milk but this is also not highlighted as adjective.

More importantly I began to contemplate that when more information is provided about any object, it could be regarded as adjective. For instance along the last lines, there is bakery-oven in the wind and I’m thinking in the wind should also be an adjective, but then that may result to concluding that smell of India in the smell of India tea could also be argued to be an adjective, and I’m feeling like I now have a distorted view of what adjectives really are. Could someone help me out? I’m also looking for best possible exhaustive references for learning about adjectives and other parts of speech. Thanks.


texts: Word for "soft blow/slap" (in a physical sense)

texts:
I would like to find a word for when you hit someone, but in a playful "no hard feelings" kind of way.

Like when you see a friend, you slap them in the arm or whatever, or the sort of thing you would expect from a game like the circle game.

Something that conveys that the hit is not truly coming out of rage or intended to cause harm or damage.

I need this as I need to write about something and if I do 'I hit him on the arm', it could convey a much different message to the reader. Like there was some physical assault going on.

So which word(s) could I use instead?


texts:
I can't understand why "with" is needed in this sentence.

Are you through with your lunch?

I think that This sentence means
"Did you have your lunch? "
And in second sentence, there is no "with". So I think that there is no need to exist the word "with" in first sentence.

"Through" means went completely and finish something, doesn't right?
"With" means "by", doesn't right?
So that, I feel first sentence mean "did you have by your lunch?"

I'm confused by "with".

Please teach me, why the word with is exist in the sentence.


texts: What's the term to mean brown something?

texts:
I always thought it was caramelize but then today I read this somewhere

  Onions require 30 to 45 minutes of cooking to caramelize

But what if I just wanted to brown something and not overcook it.

For example, what if I sauté chopped onions for 5 to 10 minutes and they get all browned? What's the exact word to represent that?

Note: I am not interested in onions per se, but the word to represent "brown".

[Notes from comments:]

I'm least interested in the cooking part here. I want an accurate English word to substitute for "brown" as a verb.
Is there a legitimate single-word substitute?


texts: Exact meaning of "Too good a/of a X" clause and etymology

texts:
As a non-native speaker, couldn't find a way to find this clause on the web, and need either links or explanation.
I often see this:

This is too rigid a procedure.
He is too good an ordinary worker.

Is this equal to "of a" clause (too rigid of a procedure)?
What are other ways of using, besides "too X a/of a Y"?
When did these constructs appear? This seems to appear quite often, but in the 14 years I was learning English at School and University, it hasn't been mentioned ever.


texts: Word/term meaning "conversion from one dialect to another"?

texts:
Is there a word in linguistics that means conversion from one dialect to another dialect?

In most sources in which I've looked¹, the word "translation" only means conversion of one language to another language. In some sources², the definition given is broad enough to where it could be used in such a way; however, in none of them is the word "dialect" or any such "-lect" derivative (e.g. ideolect, sociolect, ethnolect, etc.) mentioned in such a way.

So my questions are thus:

Is there a word meaning conversion from one dialect to another dialect of the same language?
Is there a word meaning conversion from a dialect of one language to a dialect of another language?
Can the word translate mean this type of conversion?

I also jumped to translate in the "related terms" tool on the right-hand side of the OED and looked at other trans- words that I didn't recognise, but I couldn't discover a word that meant this.

¹ These Wikipedia articles:

Translation
Dialect
Dialectometry
Dialectology

² These (probably more reliable) webpages (I put the relevant text is bold):

Translate, Oxford English Dictionary (OED):  {Subscription required}

  → pt. I, sec. 1, def. a:To bear, convey, or remove from one person, place or condition to another; to transfer, transport

  → pt. II, sec. 2, def. a: also, to express in other words, to paraphrase. (The chief current sense.)

  → pt. II, sec. 2, def. b: to make a version from one language or form of words into another.

Translate, Merriam-Webster

  → pt. I, sec. 1, def. a: to bear, remove, or change from one place, state, form, or appearance to another

  → pt. I, sec. 2, def. b: to transfer or turn from one set of symbols into another

  [This is sometimes transliteration, true, but oftentimes the differences between dialects lie in their spelling (e.g. US vs UK spellings), so in these cases it can be considered both.]

  → pt. I, sec. 2, def. c: to express in different terms and especially different words

  [Since you can convert to different dialects just by changing a few letters (see above about pt. 1, sec. 2, def. b), I'd like to point out that I'm looking for a word that refers to all conversions of this type, not just at the level of words. Basically, we're talking just a word that means conversion from dialect to dialect, with no orthographic size specified.]


texts: Number correction - How many twelves has 132?

texts:
Should it be "How many twelves have 132?"

Notes: The question intends to find out how many 12's are there in number 132? answer being 12 x 11 = 132 or 11.


texts: Where did the word 'dismantle' come from?

texts:
I know that mantle has many different meanings...

Noun:

a garment (loose, sleeveless cloak/cape)
something that covers, envelops, or conceals
the part of the Earth between the crust and the core
part of a shell in mollusks/brachiopods
a wooden/stone frame around the opening of a fireplace

Verb:

to spread or cover a surface
to blush
to spread the wings and tail (of a hawk or falcon) over food

So how did the word dismantle *(to disassemble/pull down; to deprive of defenses)* come about?  One would think that they are opposites!


texts:
Is there a word for "one who has never sinned"?
I can think of "innocent" of course, which means "free from sin or blame" except that it doesn't include the emphasis on not having sinned ever in the past.


texts: What is the tense/verb phrase of: I was not used to their accents

texts:
Really struggling to understand tenses that do not have an action & I have looked up everything I think it is but it does not appear to qualify/be correct. I have been staring at this for hours.

I would really appreciate any help now as its 1am and i have been googling all verbs & tenses for about 4 hours+ :/


texts:
Inox steel is stainless because it does not stain, but is stain the same thing as rust? I just want to understand since stain reminds me of clothing stains, for instance, and I am rather curious as to why one would call inox steel stainless steel. Where does the term come from?

I've just found http://www.stainless-online.com/why-stainless-steel-stainless.htm
(Nov 10 2014, Edit: The link is now obsolete)

It doesn't explain what I want to know. Is stainless steel an American word? Would a Briton call inox steel, ‘stainless steel’?


texts:
Is there a single word for "it has no place here"?

One possible synonym is unnecessary, but that does not ring well in my ear

I'm aspiring to write poetry.


texts: How to properly answer an "Age" field in a form?

texts:
Which of the following is the most correct to use?

Age: 13 years old
Age: 13 years
Age: 13


texts:
I have a very quick question that makes me stuck when I read magazines in particular.

The issue is the usage of that. I am totally aware of its usage in some examples but in some cases, it makes me totally confuse and cannot figure out what it refers to it.

Some examples;

  The problem that now arises seems to be quite serious. [relative]

  The problem arises now.
  The problem seems to be quite serious.
  The problem that economics is getting worse seems to be quite serious.

  The problem is economics is getting worse
  The problem seems quite serious.

All good so far.

However, some examples making me confuse is as follows.

  Dislike of Mr Erdogan is one of the few things that unites all Germany’s political families. (Excerpt from The Economist Magazine)

Here, as far as I know before that there is a noun called things, but after that it says unites not unite. (Things are plural and In my opinion, it should have been written unite given that it refers to things)

All I know is that "that" refers to something mentioned right before itself.

Am I mistaken? Can "that" refer to something I cannot figure? ( In this case, maybe it refers to "one of the things")

Could anyone shed some light on that issue making me bothered?


texts: WHEN HE MET his father’s eyes from across the crowded hall, Amar understood that an agreement had been made between them: they knew who they were there for, and why they would not approach one another beyond the expected salaam. Amar looked away first. He still felt it. His anger, and the distance it caused. It was as if something had clenched in him and could not now be loosened.


texts:
I want you to clearly understand that excuses will not do.

I want you to understand clearly that excuses will not do.

My book says that second sentence is correct. What is the logic behind it?


texts:
There is an episode in Woody Allen's movie Take the Money and Run. A lady is being interviewed about Virgil, the main character in the movie. And she goes:

  Just to think that that idiot was a criminal, I just can't believe it. There was a mind working in there that could rob banks. It's phenomenal. Once I said to him, "what do you do?", and he said, "I rob banks". Go no, right!

I hope you get the mood of this passage. So, what does this "go no" phrase mean here?

Here is the episode on youtube.


texts: Where does the term "word salad" originate?

texts:
Quite simply, where does the term "word salad" come from? I've found it a very frustrating thing to try to do web searches on, as it typically gets munged into searching about the "word 'salad'".

The oldest reference I've found is in a Google Books hit from 1954 in which they refer to it being a common term of doctors (in psychiatry). My assumption is that this is the origin, but I'd be interested if there are any solid cites that can be found earlier than this one.


texts: To have got through or having got through?

texts:
I was looking up for the meaning of " being over the worst of an illness" and saw this definition: " to have got through the most serious stage of an illness.

I don't get the " to have got through" part.Is it correct?  Can I use "having got through" instead?


texts: Central Pennsylvanian English speakers: what are the limitations on the "needs washed" construction?

texts:
In the Central Pennsylvania dialect of English (and possibly elsewhere), the following construction is possible:

  This car needs washed. (=needs to be washed)
  The room needs cleaned. (=needs to be cleaned)

It appears that, if a verb like needs is followed by a passive construction in the infinitive, the "to be" portion is left out.

This construction sounds so unnatural to my ear that I have no intuition as to the extent to which it can be extended to other words and contexts.  If anyone here is a native speaker of this dialect of English, perhaps they can help to explain the limits on its use.

My basic question is: how productive is this particular construction among those who use it?

To be more specific, can this construction be used with any verb (if that verb can be immediately followed by a passive construction, of course)?  That is, would (any of) the following be acceptable, for example?

  At this restaurant, we always wait seated. (=wait to be seated)
  My kid hates picked last in sports. (=hates to be picked)
  We all want loved. (=want to be loved)

If this construction is restricted, then which verbs can be used, aside from need?

Edit: What I am really hoping for here is that there is someone who happens across this question that can say, "I actively use this construction, and here's what I can and can't say."


texts: Which is correct "above question" or "question above"? "Above mentioned" or "mentioned above"?

texts:
I would like to know which is more correct:
"above question" or "question above"?
"Above mentioned" or "mentioned above"?

I have already read different explanations and I cannot understand which one is the most correct?

Many thanks


texts: What is a word that means "Knowing that someone will not do something that they threaten to do"

texts:
I was recently playing a manhunt game with my girlfriend and friends. After a while, she was the last alive and I threatened to break up with her to make her come out of her hiding spot.

But my friend that I captured told me that:

  She is a 'in...'

And I said "What?!". Then, he informed me that no matter what I say; she knows I will not do anything. What is this word?


texts: A word or phrase describing "cheap talk" or "cheap issues"

texts:
Cheap talk like a kind of talking back of actors'/actresses' lives or an interview about their secret lives in some popular magazines or cheesy show off like reality shows you can find in TV channels. Making a drama or love story of any simple or ordinary happening in its fake version only to take attention or advertise for someone or something.

We have an interesting equal in Persian/Farsi language which is "Yellow Matters". Do you have something like this for it?


texts:
Why is a very rare steak called 'blue'?
What's blue in the picture above?


texts: A plural noun is used with a singular verb in a proper English speech—why?

texts:
From the film script of Gladiator (2000):

  Your faults as a son, is my failure as a father

My question is: how come?! If anyone (unless you're one those very good few who get to define what the English language should or shouldn't be) says "your faults is," his/her command of language will be disqualified immediately. So how is it that the English Cesar of Rome (for of course he's given a proper British accent as if he were making a BBC announcement) would use such an odd subject-verb agreement.


texts: What is a concise word or phrasing for "in a context without a user"?

texts: I'm looking for a concise word or phrasing for "in a context without a user"?  This is obviously in the context of software.  More generally, what is a concise way of saying, "in a context without X (where X is usually assumed)?"


texts: In the American regionalism "Put 'er there, pardner!" why is the hand a she?

texts:
In the American regionalism

  Put 'er there, pardner!  (i.e. Let's shake hands)

why 'er ?

P.S. When someone is manipulating equipment, such as a crane or a hoist, to move a heavy load, someone directing operations might yell the command "Put 'er down! Put 'er down!" if he notices that the load has become imbalanced.  Or he might be motioning the crane operator to keep moving in a certain direction, and then say, "OK. Put 'er there."

Are these two uses related?


texts: Expression "counterprogramming" also for social events?

texts:
Would it be adequate to use the term "counterprogramming" also for non-TV events like counterprogramming a party at the same time of another one? For example:

  I am sorry I didn't check the date for your party, I didn't mean to counterprogramme it with mine.

or something to that effect :-)


texts: What is the function of "as" in the sentence?

texts:
China is not in crisis. However, its ability to evolve smoothly from a command to a market economy is in question as never before.

What is the function of "as" in the sentence above? What is the meaning of "as never before"?


texts: Is the word "repeat" really used as a synonym of "vomit"?

texts:
I came across an online English language course where the teacher claimed that if one used the expression "Could you please repeat?" instead of "Could you please repeat that?" over the phone it would be interpreted by the person on the other end of the line as a request to "vomit". Is this really true?
It seems to me that I heard native speakers say "Could you please repeat?" without the "that" part in informal setting and that always meant a request to say something once again. Could some of the native speakers please confirm?


texts: Antonym for "recent", as in time series observations

texts:
I do time series analysis and forecasting, and many algorithms weight more recent observations more highly than observations from the more distant past in extrapolating.

The previous sentence already illustrates my conundrum: is there a one-word antonym for "recent" which I could use in lieu of the cumbersome "from the more distant past"? I did think about

  many forecasting algorithms weight more recent observations more highly than more distant observations

but that doesn't sound quite right. A coauthor has suggested "distal", but the OED sees this only in a location-related sense.


texts: "There is people coming" - Game of Thrones last trailer

texts:
I was wondering why you would say "There is people coming" as you can hear in the last trailer of Game of Thrones. English is not my native language but I'd think that you have to use plural in this sentence such as "There are people coming".

Is this "urban"-talk or am I missing something?


texts: What do you call a fraction that cannot be written as a finite decimal?

texts: For example, the fraction ⅓ cannot be written, because it repeats infinitely (0.33333333... etc). Is there a particular word for numbers that cannot be written directly, but must be expressed as fractions?


texts: What's a synonym for double-barrel descriptive word?

texts:
Two words with a new combined meaning can be  more descriptive than a single word.

These words can be joined using one of the following

hyphen e.g pseudo-intellectual, double-barrel
space
no separator (i.e. conjoined)

What are such words called ?


texts: What is land area under house called besides the whole land?

texts: I am looking for the term which is used to specify the Land Area occupied by the house only.


texts: Is there something or There is something?

texts:
If I want to make a question, shall I start using Is there or There is?

For example I want to say: Is there a way to calculate energy produced by the combustion of an hydrocarbon? but I am not sure if I have to say There is a way to calculate energy produced by the combustion of an hydrocarbon?


texts:
What word should I use for telling where a place is located?
I want to use the word in my website. and I want to use it in cases like these:
xxxx: Italy
XXXX: Swiss Alps, Switzerland
XXXX: Alberta, Canada
XXXX: French Polynesia
XXXX: Washington
XXXX: Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California
XXXX: Central Switzerland
XXXX: South Africa
I think the word should be 'Address' or 'Location'. But I'm not sure. Please help me. thanks.


texts:
Tell me please, what does it mean "long windy sentences, and cutting the waffle"?

A full piece of text:
"People on the web tend to want information quickly, so it is important to communicate clearly, and make your information easy to read and digest. Some effective tactics to include in your web design include: organising information using headlines and sub headlines, using bullet points instead of long windy sentences, and cutting the waffle."


texts: What else can you call someone who is rhetorically bombastic?

texts:
For example when someone exclaims, "What the heck are you talking about", if you were mildly incorrect on any matter or simply stating something in a general dialogue. Typically the person will assert things like, "Obviously", "Of course", or "Everyone knows that" – these being obnoxious and vociferous rhetorical exclamations can also often be followed by a quick and faint, "Come on". The previous said quotes being said on many occasions in simple mindful discourses rather than arguments or disputes.

So exactly what is an alternative name or synonym that you can label a person who is rhetorically bombastic?

The labels that are convenient and fitting for this request currently is: browbeat, castigate, and condescending!

Edited to add information from comment:

I'm looking for a noun.


texts: Is there a word for "collection of related elements"?

texts:
I'm trying to use this word to describe elements like:

Artist's (filmmaker, musician, writer) filmography/discography/corpus, collection of works
Albums (collection of songs)
Record label discography (collection of albums and songs)
Small bookstores/libraries (collection of books)
Galleries (a collection of artworks curated usually by style)

A word for curatorial collection is basically what I'm looking for. A collection more likely to be liked by the searcher through items that are related in style, tone, or aesthetic preference.

A collection of bits of information which are either related in style / in the same aesthetic world which are more likely to be taste-resonant as opposed to collections of unrelated items. Also it could just mean a "collection of related items" as opposed to whether or not they are likely to be taste-resonant.


texts:
Would it be correct to merge with hyphens one-third-contiguously in the following phrase?

  I propose to elect by 3 quotas, each per one-thirds-contiguously of time-zones.


texts:
I was just wondering, is there a verb for the use of uptalk (using an inflection at the end of a statement)? So, something like this:

  I've been on several walks recentLY. (inflection at the end of a statement, as if it were a question)
  (Some would add a question mark after such a statement, to signal the stress, but this is non-standard and confusing except when the sentence is a declarative question.)

Is there a word to express the using of such a style? (i.e. a word that can fill this blank responding to the previous sentence:)

  Stop ______!

I've already got "sounding unsure of yourself" or "inflecting your sentences", but it doesn't sound brief (or good enough). When I searched online I couldn't find anything, I just found blogposts that were just trying to convey the message "stop being indecisive".


texts: What do you call torture which leaves no visible marks?

texts: Basically, physical torture that is painful, but, leaves no visible marks to provide any proof.


texts: What is meant by 'a confusion' in this text?

texts: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865, three years after Lewis Carroll and the Reverend Robinson Duckworth, on 4 July,[6] rowed up the Isis river in a boat with three young girls—a day known as the "golden afternoon,"[7] prefaced in the novel as a poem. The poem might be a confusion or even another Alice-tale, for it turns out that particular day was cool, cloudy and rainy.


texts:
A college friend Pmed me today saying

"Can you meet?"

What I want to reply with is

"Nope"
"Show interest more to know the reason"

I just need a word for those 3 words here.
What I am trying to, as you can see,
I am not sure if he is asking this as a formality (because we talked a couple of weeks back and then yesterday I sent him something so maybe he just remembered that I exist and is saying so (sorry I am a overthinker! :P)). I am not feeling like meeting anybody this weekend because of lot of deeper reasons. I can tell him that but then again what is the point if he's  not interested?
So being like Sheldon Cooper just saying him No and giving him the option for the reason as well (so as to not be rude).


texts: Use of the definite article by Hemingway in "For Whom the Bell Tolls", in a way that doesn't seem to mimic Spanish grammar

texts:
I am not a native English speaker, but I've been studying English for a couple of decades now... And recently I decided to read "For Whom the Bell Tolls". I know that in this book Hemingway writes in a different way, trying to mimic Spanish grammar in English. But in Chapter 19, one Spanish character (Pablo) says:

  "But I believe that the Pilar can divine events (...)"

So Hemingway used the definite article before someone's name. But as far as I know this is not how one would speak in Spanish: "Pero yo creo que Pilar puede adivinar (...)". There is no definite article there, and it doesn't seem to be something that one would do in English either. It only sounds natural to me in Portuguese: "Creio que a Pilar pode adivinhar (...)" -- the "a"  before Pilar is the definite article in Portuguese. And even in Portuguese, it would be perfectly normal to ommit the article.

So, what is it that I did not get? Is it acceptable to use "the" before someone's name in English? (I have never seen that before)


texts: Which is more correct: "preferred that he do" or "preferred him to do"?

texts:
I would like to know which form of this question is “more correct” than the other:

What would you have preferred (that) he do?
What would you have preferred him to do?


texts:
Does English have frequently used ordinary words that distinguish between equality and equivalence?

For example:

  It was the same man on the photo.

Equality. The two persons are identical.

  She ordered the same dish as her cousin.

Equivalence. The two dishes are the same kind of food, but they are two objects.


texts: Words for different types of leatherworking

texts:
I'm looking for as many words (and corresponding definitions) as I can find for different specific types of leatherworking.  Archaic words are fine, even preferred.  Of particular interest is a single word for repairs performed by cutting away damaged areas and stitching together with lanyard, if available.  I'm looking for words related to leather crafting and repair, not so much production.

Multi-word terms that aren't specific to leatherwork or may only be read as specific to leatherwork in context (like "rip work" for the specific term I describe above) are probably not useful to me.


texts: Is the position of "rather" interchangeable?

texts:
He is not satisfied with her praise. He is rather satisfied with my praise.

I am sure this "rather" modifies "with my praise."
But the position of it doesn't have to be in front of "with?"
Like only, as in "You only clean your room when it gets helplessly untidy."


texts: "bear witness for " VS "bear witness to"?

texts:
Is there any difference between "bear witness for Lord Jesus" and "bear witness to Lord Jesus"? These two expressions can be found on the Internet ; they look familiar, but I'm not sure whether they are interchangeable. Any ideas? :)

These are 2 examples from the Internet:
1. We bear witness by following Christ's example, by practicing the virtues He recommended. For example, a few years ago a local Presbyterian minister went out of his way to praise in a sermon a certain Catholic woman who had been very friendly to a Presbyterian neighbor, an elderly lady, who appreciated the kindness so much she told her minister about it. He told his congregation. That Catholic woman was bearing witness to Christ, putting our Lord's words into practice. (from Bearing Witness to Christ)

For St. Peter, chosen by the Lord himself, a born leader who preached with zeal, these were more than words. He dedicated his life to bearing witness for Christ Jesus and, in the end, died a martyr for Christ Jesus.
(from We are witnesses to Christ - Catholic Courier)


texts: What does “for comfort” in “too fast (close / hot/ warm / crammed) for comfort” mean?

texts:
I was drawn to the phrase, “Too fast for comfort” in New York Times (August 10) article with a headline, “China devalues its currency amid economic slowdown.:

  The move appeared to be a response to signs that the economy was
  slowing too fast for comfort and could raise tensions with trading
  partners like the United States.

As I was unfamiliar with the usage, “too close for comfort,” I searched for its meaning on google, and found the following definition with The Free Dictionary instead:

Too close for comfort = [for a misfortune or a threat] to be dangerously close. Example: That car nearly hit me! That was too close for comfort.

I also learned that “too＋adjective＋for comfort” can be used as well in the way of “too fast, hot, warm, crammed, and so on, for comfort.”

What “for comfort” does mean? Does it mean “dangerously” as deducible from Free Dictionary? What can the phrase, “for comfort” add specific implications to, or the meaningful distinction from simply saying “too fast (slow, close, far, hot, cold, whatever)?

It’s as a matter of course that “too fast, hot, cold, crammed” isn’t comfortable, needless to say. Isn’t it redundant and affected to say “too fast (slow, close, far, hot, cold) for comfort," whichever in writing and in conversation?


texts: Word for someone that doesn't like to pause while talking

texts:
I come across this quite a bit and it manifests itself in different ways.

The situation I encounter the most is from people who don't seem to want to be interrupted, they need to finish getting their train of thought out at all costs before you butt in. Normally these people will fill gaps while they think with very long a loud varying versions of "Errrr", "Ermmmmmm", "Ahhh"... or repeat the next word they think they are going to say until their brain catches up.

I find it very hard to speak to these kinds of people in normal chit-chat situations, because they can sometimes talk for very long periods and cover a million and one things. I find my self having to memorise my replies as they waffle...

So, back to my question, is there a word this or this kind of person? Also although not really what this site is for, any tips on dealing with them :-)


texts: Cloze Passage - Grammar (Sequence of Tenses)

texts:
There is this sentence in my Grammar Cloze passage:

  Though I started off reasonably well, soon I felt my legs ___________(ache) badly.

Should I answer "ache" or "aching"? The correct answer is "aching".
I think "I felt my legs ache badly" is also correct. Can anyone explain to me why it should be "aching" instead of "ache"?

Thanks


texts: Why are proper nouns being used in place of proper adjectives? Is this valid English?

texts:
Recently I have been noticing a lot of articles written by native English speakers which are writing in the style of "Russia boat crashed into [...]", "urging her to protect the safety of a China academic" or "Spain toddler stuck in deep borehole near Málaga".

I am not particularly well studied when it comes to English grammar, but I am a native English speaker and this feels very wrong to me.

Is this valid in English? To me, these should say "the Russian boat", "the Chinese academic" or "Spanish toddler".


texts: Meaning of quintuple-quote punctuation: '' ' ''

texts:
In a book my daughter is reading, I found the following usage of the unfamiliar symbols:

  But those words dont help. So I reach over, wipe away his tear with the side of my thumb, and say the only words I know will calm him: "'"Frog, you are looking quite green."'"
  David sniffles. "'"But I always look green," said Frog. "I am a frog."'"
  I pause, pretending I don't remember what comes next, though I can do the entire book word for word, by heart.
  "'"Today you look very green, even for a frog," said Toad.'" David looks at me.

What does "'" mean?


texts: Apply to a university to study/for studying..?

texts:
I'm writing my CV and do not know how to correctly say that:
*

  After I graduated from X (//X is a high school), I applied to a
  university to study chemistry and also computer systems.

*

I'm not sure about the prepositions and also this should be clear that I studied 2 courses (also got 2 degrees). Thank you


texts:
I'm not sure if a sentence I wrote is correct:

  "The last one didn't get neither my changes nor thiago's".

I'm trying to say that the last activity I ran in a system didn't get the changes I sent and also it didn't get thiago's changes.

Since I'm using the "didn't', I'm not sure if I should use 'neither/nor' instead of 'either/or'.

Is there a rule for this situation?


texts:
Is there any difference between the following two statements:

I have to pay bills
I have bills to pay

Could you please tell us the difference between the above two statements and when to use them?


texts: How to describe someone who is all action? (e.g. Fortinbras in Hamlet)

texts:
I am writing a paper on Hamlet, and am trying to describe Fortinbras as someone who is really an action-based figure. What are some adjectives that convey this?

In other words, how do I describe a "doer" as opposed to a thinker. I could not find anything online.


texts:
I work in Software, and we use "master/slave" as terms.  We had one task where we needed to make one software component the "master" of another "slave".  The task's name was "Mastering Component X".

To me, this doesn't make sense because it sounds like someone is becoming proficient in the subject of "Component X".  What we want to say is that we want "Component X" to be  authoritative, or make it a master of "Component Y".

Is there a single word that can express this meaning, or shall I use a phrase like "Make Component X authoritative"?


texts: The person who is the making the complaint or compliment

texts: I am creating a document to list "Complaints and Compliments" by customers/suppliers/staff/anyone, I want a column heading preferably a single word do describe the person making the compliment or complaint. The column will contain their name.


texts: What does “Lose the Drama” mean as one of 7 ways for women at work to negotiate?

texts:
In an interview of co-host of NBS Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski by Erin Skarda of Time magazine, Brzezinski gave 7 tips for women to take into their next career generation starting “Don’t act like a man,” “Be authentic” to “Be ready to walk,” and “Shoot for respect first, friendship later.”
http://ideas.time.com/2013/03/08/women-at-work-seven-ways-to-negotiate/

In the interview, she used the word, “Drama” three times seemingly in different meanings in the no.5 and 6 tips.

  V. Lose the drama

  Knowing your value means knowing when your stock is low. You have to
  go into at a high-value moment in your career. Don’t play the drama
  card unless you’re ready to follow the next step.

  VI. Be ready to walk

  Suze Orman said that women should save up for eight months before
  they think about leaving a job. Be ready to walk in some way, shape or
  form. If you’re not, it’s just drama, and nobody’s going to buy it.

I don’t understand what “Lose the drama” does mean.

Though OALED provides definitions of ‘lose’ under 12 different headings, my understanding of the verb “lose” basically means ‘to fail to win, fail to keep stg.” Can you tell me what’s good for ‘losing drama’ as a tip for successful deal?

To me “drama” of “Lose the drama” and “drama” of “It’s just drama” seems to have different meanings.

Additionally;

Is ‘drama card’ an alias of trump as a terminology of card-playing?

What does '“walk in shape or form” mean?


texts: What does C modify in "A of B that C"? "A" or "B" or "A of B"? Are there some rules?

texts:
I have sentences as follow, I want to know what the "that", "while", and the second "that" subordinate clause modify?

The goal is to find short descriptions of the members of a collection that enable efficient processing of large collections while preserving the essential statistical relationships that are useful for basic tasks.


texts: Trying to understand the nuances between ox, steer and bullock

texts:
Generally the dictionaries give two meanings of ox, one is the one I paraphrase below:

A bovine (especially a domesticated one)
Merriam Webster
American Heritage Dictionary
Collins Dictionary
Oxford Living Dictionaries

A second meaning, directly quoted:

  2.A castrated male bovine Merriam-Webster Dictionary

  1.An adult castrated bull of the genus Bos, especially B. taurus, used chiefly as a draft animal. American Heritage
  Dictionary

  1.1A castrated bull used as a draught animal. Oxford Living Dictionaries

The last three definitions specifically mention "castrated", meaning an emasculated male. However Cambridge Dictionary online has two definitions, one listed under English, and one listed under American English:

  English: a bull (= male cow) that has had its reproductive organs
  removed, used in the past for pulling heavy things on farms, or, more
  generally, any adult of the cattle family

  American English: an adult animal of the cattle family, esp. a
  male that has had its sexual organs removed. (here "castrated" is qualified with "especially")

Further, Wikipedia describes an ox as:

  An ox (plural oxen), also known as a bullock in Australia and India,
  is a bovine trained as a draft animal or riding animal. Oxen are
  commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals
  more docile.[citation needed] Cows (adult females) or bulls (intact
  males) may also be used in some areas.
  Wikipedia article on ox

So can I safely assume, given all these meanings, that an ox means:
 1. Usually a castrated male, but doesn't necessarily have to be.
 2. Can also be a female bovine.
 3. Is very rarely used for non-domesticated bovines.

With regard to steer and bullock, "steer" seems to be pretty clear; all the dictionaries I've seen simply define a steer as a castrated bull, sometimes using the word "bullock". However a bullock, in addition to being defined as a steer, is also defined in AmE dictionaries as simply a young bull.
see American Heritage Dictionary
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary
Merriam Webster

Collins, which is BrE, does list "bullock" as "a bull calf" but labels it as archaic.

Finally, there's the Wikipedia disambiguation page which is rather helpful, but actually raises another question:

  Bullock may refer to: Bullock (in British English), a castrated
  male bovine animal of any age Bullock (in North America), a young
  bull (an uncastrated male bovine animal) Bullock (in Australia,
  India and New Zealand), an ox, an adult male bovine used for draught
  (usually but not always castrated)
  Bullock Wikipedia page

Here it says a bullock in North America is a young bull, an uncastrated one, whereas the American dictionaries include the definition of a castrated one.

So my question with regard to "bullock" is, in America when the word bullock is used do we not exactly know whether it's castrated or young or old?


texts: What's the origin of "throwing someone under the bus"?

texts: What's the origin of the phrase "to throw someone under the bus" or "so-and-so threw me under the bus?" (in the sense of betrayal)? It seems like a very specific phrase not to come from some specific incident.


texts: Is "exchanged with" grammatically correct and does it mean the same thing as "exchanged for?" "For" and "with" don't normally seem interchangeable, so these two phrases should be different, yet they seem similar.


texts: Is there a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning & interpreting Arithmetic Calculations?

texts:
For example the word  Dyslexia is as a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols.

Similarly is there a general term for disorders that involve inability to understand & interpret arithmetic calculations?


texts: Is it better to say "How do I..." or "How can I..."?

texts: Is it better to say "How do I do something?" or "How can I do something?"


texts: What are the alternative ways to say "paying attention"?

texts:
What could be a better way to express "reacting to something with immediate attention"? Like, assuming that you are a job seeker and you've overheard someone talking about a job opportunity, so at that moment, you suddenly become attentive and feel compelled to learn it among the other things you might have heard. I need a word for such a reaction.
By the way, it's not necessarily a dangerous or bad thing for you in this case. Just something that you feel important.


texts: Expression/word for when a speaker changes during a conference

texts:
Is there a single word or an expression for when a different presenter starts talking in a meeting/conference?

I.e. 'The video timestamp highlighted the [change of presenters/ when someone else started presenting] during the summit.'


texts: Is there a term for a word created by adding a letter to an existing word?

texts:
It's possible to generate English words by adding letters to existing words—for instance:

last > blast
utility > futility

Is there a term for this, i.e. when a word is created by adding a letter to an existing word?


texts: English parts of speech — better new treatments

texts:
Can anyone please recommend a better treatment of English parts of speech / word classes than that offered by most traditional grammars?

Many of the latter stick with the sacrosanct 8 of antiquity, or perhaps allow for one or two more, while POS Tagsets may contain many hundreds of tags (catering for subsets such as plural nouns, verb forms etc). Demanding that we stick with eight for sentimental reasons seems like saying 'Let's just have four (chemical) elements, like they used to do, because that's easier.' Some parts of speech — 'function words' — are distinguished according to function — or called adverbs if they show a vague resemblance in some respect and we don't like having more than 8 (or 12 or 24) classes. However, having 750 classes as a working model does seem to be erring the other way.

Does anyone please know of a sensible (Goldilocks!) treatment?


texts: Similes that do not make use of like or as

texts:
Is it possible to have a simile that does not contain the words 'like' or 'as'?

Would the following sentence exemplify such a simile?:

"He was handsome in a way that required a bit of work from the viewer."

Or is this a metaphor?


texts: "face with" in a sentence containing "which"

texts:
I have a problem with the phrase "face with" when it means "encounter" and is used in the sentence containing "which" in the below sentence:

"One of the significant tasks with which biological theorists are faced, is knowing the behavior of real biological systems."

Is the above sentence correct when we use "with " before "which"?


texts: What is the difference between mentor, tutor and professor in a UK University context?

texts:
I'm wanting to find out what's the difference between mentor, tutor and professor in a University context in the UK?

Also would mentor be a one-to-one ratio with a student, or could it be one-to-many? Tutor I suppose would be a one-to-many ratio.


texts: the function of the preposition "of" in a phrase ", those of the dynamic nature of,"

texts:
I'd very appreciate if somebody can help me understand the exact function of the preposition in the phrase between the two commas!

  Everywhere we find the same leading motifs; the concepts of organization showing new characteristics and laws at each level, those of the dynamic nature of, and the antitheses within reality
  (Bertalanffy 1952, recited by Golley 1993:33). (source)


texts: Name of the phenomenon where characters of a story don't realize something obvious?

texts:
I was wondering whether there is a name for the phenomenon or style where characters don't realize something obvious.

This is a style that if often employed in a lot of series, novels, and movies, often (but not always) for a humorous effect. For example South Park does this a lot (people don't recognize sarcasm when people talk about 'sarcastaball', or get a sunstroke when they think they are getting hypthermia), but it is also employed more subtly in a lot of other series (there are, for example, weird names in Harry Potter, but the characters rarely or never seem to notice this).


texts:
Mark said, "it would ruin our school's reputation!"

If I want to quote Mark here,

  Mark noted that doing so and so would "ruin _ school's reputation."

If I want to emphasize that Mark identifies himself as part of the school by using "our," can I say

  Mark noted that doing so and so would "ruin our school's reputation."

Is it wrong since "our" doesn't agree with "Mark"? I don't think it makes sense to change it to "his" as the school is not "his."


texts:
Buckingham Palace confirms to @NewshubNZ that neither Prince Philip or Queen Elizabeth have died.

I thought the plural have was a typo but I also found a similar  sentence on bbc.com

  Neither the Queen nor Prince Philip have a reputation for overindulging at mealtimes, according to royal historian Kate Williams.

Is it a kind of  majestic plural like royal we?


texts: What is a word for "having the form of a Brussels sprout"?

texts:
Inspired by Dictionary.com's Word of the Day, "botryoidal" (adj. -having the form of a bunch of grapes), and the ongoing naming process of a product at my work which has these features: What is a word for something with a long cylindrical shape covered in small bulbs?

If you understand how such a word would be constructed from Brussels sprout's Latin name, without including other vegetables in its species, that would be an acceptable alternative.


texts:
I'm writing about a painter who depicts his imaginary world that he calls Argondia.

Question:

Consider a sentence, "His paintings are reflections of an imaginary world Argondia".
Is the ending "imaginary world Argondia" gramatically correct? Or should it be something like "imaginary world of Argondia" ?


texts:
My friend wrote some copy, explaining that her "company came into fruition because she realized the opportunity..."

I've never used "came into fruition" -- only "came to fruition".  Is "came into fruition" a proper phrase in any context?  Regardless, I don't believe "fruition" is appropriate for her meaning, as it does not denote origin.  I would say "came into existence," "came into being" or "came to be".

Thoughts?


texts:
Is there any difference between could get and could've gotten?
Obviously, "could get" can be used for future, hypothetical situations, but I can't see what the difference is, if any, between the two when used in the past, particularly in the negative.
Do they carry distinct nuances or implications?

Examples: "I don't understand how you could miss/could've missed that /// how it could get past you/ could have gotten past you. "


texts: The meaning of "passed at dice" and "crapped out" in Hemingway's short story?

texts:
I would appreciate it if someone could explain what goes on this sentence from Hemingway's short story "The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio."

The protagonist, an unlucky gambler, says:

  "I never carry a gun. With my luck, if I carried a gun I would be hanged ten times a year. I am a cheap card player, only that." He stopped, then continued. "When I make a sum of money I gamble and when I gamble I lose. I have passed at dice for three thousand dollars and crapped out for the six. With good dice. More than once."

I cannot figure out the meaning of these two phrases in this context. "Crapped out for the six" = lost six thousand dollars? What does "passed at dice for three" mean then?

I would really appreciate your help. Thanks!


texts: Can this sentence be written in both forms?

texts:
I seem to remember learning a rule that the following sentence should be written like this (because of the conjunction "and") :

The future strength AND long-term stability of our company ARE rooted in a disciplined risk management strategy.

However, I'm seeing the singular 'is" used a lot in the company I work for:

The future strength AND long-term stability of our company IS rooted in a disciplined risk management strategy.

My question is whether or not they are both acceptable?


texts:
I am looking for a one word English equivalent for "false reasoning" of schizophrenia patients. There are two type of this - one is non pathological when low-educated people explain some phenomenon on a base of their own limited knowledge. The second type, is pathological - when people explain phenomenon as a consequence of a disease.

Thanks.


texts: Is there a name for this particular kind of rhetorical question?

texts:
An example:

  Coffee? Why are you asking if I want coffee?

Here the speaker, depending on context, means to say that they either want coffee or don't want it and that, in either case, this should be obvious. The general pattern is essentially: "X? [rhetorical question involving X]" This instance appears to be a form of hypophora but I was wondering if there is any more specific term.


texts: Word meaning "to make something erroneous"

texts:
What verb means "to make something erroneous or wrong"?
The context is

  However, in the first trial of the experiment, the yeast was siphoned through the device into the other test tube, _____ing the results.


texts: What does "with whom the actor is cohabiting as a parent" mean?

texts:
I am having trouble understanding this sentence:

  A family or household member means a person with whom the actor is cohabiting as a parent, or guardian.

Is the actor the parent or guardian or is the actor the child?


texts: Is there a Latin phrase (which can be used in English) for "as per convention"?

texts: I want to say something in an academic setting to the effect of "as expected" or "as per convention", when dealing with repeated lists of things with expected formatting. Is there a Latin phrase that an English intellectual would under stand that conveys this?


texts: What are words that are spelt the same but pronounced differently?

texts:
Words like "read", "wind", "live" and "lead" are spelt the same, but have different meanings:

  Lead1 (leed):
  cause (a person or animal) to go with one by holding them by the hand, a halter, a rope, etc. while moving forward.
  -- Dictionary.com

and

  Lead2 (led):
  A heavy, comparatively soft, malleable, bluish-grey metal.
  -- Dictionary.com

So what are these words called? And are there any others, beside the 4 I have mentioned?


texts: "What B" as a shortening of "What word starting with the letter B"

texts:
In this Weakest Link episode, there were a few questions of the following form.

(12:09) What B was the name of the first lunatic asylum in Europe and is also a slang word meaning chaos? Bedlam.
(17:34) What D is an animal that traditionally provided rides for children on the beach? Donkey.

Where is the construction "What B" (as a shortening of "What word starting with the letter B") used? (And is there a name/term for this kind of abbreviation?) I have not encountered this usage at all, and am wondering if this is primarily used in the UK. I have only heard things like "What B-word" before.


texts: Is there an unambiguous word to mean "moving slowly"?

texts:
Besides "crawling", is there another verb to describe slow movement?

It would be best if the word is not a homograph (has no other meanings besides "move slowly").


texts:
I've seen people say things like "the rules that rule Japan", but I don't think it is grammatically correct since rules can't really enforce themselves and the verb 'rule' can only really be used for humans.

I do like the sound of "rules that rule", is it really not grammatically correct?

And if not, is it at least common enough that one could use it in a book?


texts: Difference between "Relaxed" and "Relaxing"?

texts:
I've always been unsure of this one. I work for a holiday company and we use this word quite a lot. I never know if I should be going for "relaxed" or "relaxing". Can they be used interchangeably?

Please could someone help clear this up for me?

Here is an example:

"This unique approach creates a relaxed/relaxing atmosphere that puts both parents and children immediately at ease"


texts:
Fairly simple one this time: What’s the best collocation with compromise if I want to say that it has been reached and, hopefully, is going to last long?

I’m looking for the most natural, the “first thing that comes to mind” kind of combination.

stable compromise?
firm compromise?
steady compromise?
strong compromise?
____ compromise?

I did a brief Google search but obtained no satisfactory results.

Seems like stable compromise is fine, but I'm not sure this is it.

EDIT: Having been reminded of the associations of the word compromise, I have hereby modified my question. I'm actually looking for a nice way to express the situation in which two opposing parties have reached an agreement on sth, and the agreement is stable, and it's good, and everybody's happy, and it's white X-mas in Hades. I think that, instead of compromise, we could work with agreement, harmony, concord or consensus.


texts: Do 'gaunt' and 'gauntlet' have something in common?

texts: This two words 'gaunt' and 'gauntlet' sound similar and have a common root. But their meanings are unrelated. Can it be that gauntlet is somehow derived from gaunt? If yes, then I want to know etymology.


texts:
We commonly say "electricity consumption" for both :

the electric energy actually consumed by appliances
the electric energy drawn from the grid by a house, measured by a meter (what appears on your utility bill)

I would like to find a more specific word for the latter, in the specific context of "measuring electric energy flow inside a house" :

From the energy supplier's point of view, electricity drawn to your house is a consumption no matter what you do with it. The supplier calls "energy drawn from the grid" consumption because the supplier charges you for it (business).
From within your house, you could store the drawn electric energy in a  battery rather than "consuming" it (converting the electric energy to another form). Therefore, not all energy drawn is necessarily "consumed" (physics). You can also "draw electric energy" from a solar panel, so the energy from the grid becomes just one of many "energy withdrawals".

Translations from the French word "Soutirage" (literally "under pull") include racking or withdrawal but they seem seldom used online.

What is the correct noun for the action of drawing energy from a source ?


texts: Is there a non-gendered word for fishermen, that doesn't feel as self-conscious as fisherpersons or as folksy as fisherfolk?


texts:
I want to describe the movement that a person sits up from a lying-down position, pivoting on his/her hip, and the upper body is sort of drawing a half circle in the air.

I know there exists “pivot around”, but I don’t think that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

Can I say “pivot up”? Does it exist or what do you suggest to use to describe that movement?

I searched around the Internet and didn’t see much information about “pivot up”...

Hope someone can help. Cheers. (:


texts: Does text in brackets invoke the "an" vs. "a" rule?

texts:
I saw the following sentence today:

  It has a (admittedly poor) government.

I agree that without the text in brackets, this sentence is correct:

  It has a government.

But when I read the original sentence, I want to change it to:

  It has an (admittedly poor) government.

My question is, when deciding "an" vs. "a", do I consider text insight brackets or not?


texts: Origin of the saying "God must love the poor because he made so many of them"

texts:
The saying "God must love the poor [or the common people or the plain people] because he made so many of them" falls somewhere between a proverb and a famous quotation, but its origins are rather murky. It is among the hundreds of aphorisms ascribed (by many people) to Abraham Lincoln—but as with a number of other quotations attributed to him, there appears to be no evidence recorded during Lincoln's lifetime that he ever actually said it. I searched several dictionaries of quotations and proverbs and couldn't find any mention even of the quotation itself, much less a reliable attribution for it.

My questions are as follows:

1. What is the earliest recorded version of this quotation—and when, where, and by whom was it written and (supposedly) said?

2. What is the evidence for and against Abraham Lincoln as the source of the quotation?


texts:
The ancient Greek "neusis" technique basically means the use of a straightedge with two marked points on it; as is well known with such a device, in addition to the usual Euclidean tools, one can trisect angles, take cube roots, and solve cubic equations generally.  There is now a considerable literature rediscovering much of this material and putting it into a modern (algebraic) perspective.  It also links nicely with the mathematics of origami.

My question is: how is the word "neusis" (in Greek: νεῦσις and meaning "verging", or "inclining towards") pronounced?  I speak neither Ancient nor Modern Greek, and I don't know if it should be pronounced NOO-sis, or NYOO-sis, or NOY-sis, or some other variant.

If any classical scholar here might know, I'd be delighted to be told.


texts:
From Watership Down, by Richard Adams:

Chervil: “It’ll have to be reported.”
Bigwig: “Whatever for?”
Chervil: “Because it’s unusual. Everything unusual has to be reported.”

I think saying “What for?” would work there as well, so is there an added meaning when using “Whatever for?” with whatever instead of just what there? Is this a colloquialism?


texts: Were the names Rebecca and Elizabeth ever used interchangeably, specifically in Ireland? I am doing some family research, and it seems that these two names may have been used to refer to the same person.


texts:
I've always had this question about the pronunciation of Sean.

Is Sean a word from another language? Is it actually not pronounced Shawn and instead it's some sound between Shawn and Seen? Also, why isn't it pronounced as Sawn instead of Shawn, when the word Sean doesn't even have the letter 'h' in it to get that -sh sound?

Bottom line is, why is Sean pronounced Shawn instead of Seen?


texts: How to specify that search should be between two dates in technical specification

texts:
I'm writing an integration manual that specifies how to use our WCF service for mobile messages and responses. The part in question needs to specify that the search results will be filtered between the start and end dates.

My aim is to make it clear that the time portion of the two dates will be discarded and the result will include everything from the start date to the end date. (In practice the code truncates the dates, adds one day to the end date, and returns the data that conforms to a query something like:  SELECT * FROM Table WHERE DateCreated >= @StartDate AND DateCreated < @EndDate)

But my paragraph looks verbose and clumsy. It doesn't feel right. I feel kind of like John Cleese telling the kids when to put their clothes onto a lower peg. How can I make this less verbose?

Or maybe I'm over-thinking this?

  When searching for responses, the search is performed between the supplied dates, after truncating the time portion thereof. The results will include responses with a date-time greater than equal to the start date, and less than one day after the end date. So passing the same value for start and end date will retrieve all responses received on that date, for messages previously sent by that user.


texts:
what's the meaning of: à la Weber
in this phrase
"Democracy has become, à la Weber, synonymous with
equal treatment by bureaucracy"


texts: Are “Referendum” and “Plebiscite” the same in the meaning, or different in the meaning and nuance?

texts:
There was the following passage in the article that came under the title, “European politics are swinging to the right” in Time magazine (Sept.22 issue):

  “It won’t end with the U.K. Right wing parties in France, the
  Netherlands and elsewhere have called for their own Brexit-style
  plebiscites on E.U. membership. — The nationalist government in
  Hungary even called a referendum on the issue for Oct. 2, and the
  results are practically a foregone conclusion.

From the phrase, “Hungary even called a referendum,” I thought “referendum” has the stronger nuance of the effect of votes. However, when I checked two English dictionaries at hand, it looks like to me there’s little or almost no difference of the meaning between “referendum” and “plebiscite.”

Oxford Dictionary of English (2010) definitions:

  Referendum: a general vote by electorates on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct question.

  Plebiscite: the direct vote of all the members of an electorate on an important public question.

 Oxford Advanced Leaners Dictionary (2000, 6th Ed.) definitions:

  Referendum: an occasion when all the people of country can vote on an important issue.

  Plebiscite: a vote by the people of a country or a region on an issue that is very important.

Collins Cobuild English Dictionary (4th Ed.) definitions:

  Referendum: If a country holds a referendum on a particular policy, they ask the people to vote on the policy and show whether or not they agree with it.

  Plebiscite: a direct vote by the people of a country or region in which they say whether they agree or disagree with a particular policy, for example whether a region should become an independent state.

 Are the meanings of “Referendum” and “Plebiscite” the same and flatly interchangeable, or different? If they are different, then what is the difference in meaning and nuance?


texts: How can I call a text for imitation in a Typing speed test?

texts: I try to describe how typing speed test works and I don't know how to call a text that users should type in a special area as fast as they can. Is it "text pattern" or "text example" or "text for imitation" or something else?


texts: "They serve as means of" vs "They serve as a means of"

texts:
I made a "mistake":

  The blueprints serve as means of recreating the design.

I meant to write:

  The blueprints serve as a means of recreating the design.

Means is a plural noun, which can be treated as singular or plural. So perhaps both are equally correct, even though the first sounds strange to my ear.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks.


texts: What is the difference between introspection and retrospection?

texts:
I want to know what is the exact difference between introspection and retrospection. I keep
hearing words like self-introspection. What does that mean?

Can someone clarify with examples?


texts: I wonder if I can also write "We provide you the ideal environment" or only "we provide you with the ideal environment"


texts:
Using the verbs say, come, and speak for the first, second, and third blanks, respectively. What tenses make sense here?
Mary: I wonder what he ___________ now.
Ann: Well, his girlfriend __________ from Japan too, so I suppose he _____________ Japanese.
According to the worksheet answer key, "is saying", "comes", and "speaks" are the answers, however, wouldn't it be more appropriate to have "is speaking" in the third blank? It doesn't make sense to me how someone (Ann in this case) could know that he (the guy saying something) is from Japan, but still "suppose" or guess that he speaks Japanese - seems redundant! Maybe I'm just overthinking it. Also present continuous seems to be more appropriate given Mary specifically focusing on what he is saying now.
Thanks!


texts: Why can't the word "can" be used in future tense (will can)?

texts:
I'm curious about why the English word can cannot be used in future tense (e.g. will can).

An example unrelated to English is French term je pourrai, but that's exactly what I mean.

Compare German ich werde können which translates exactly to I will be able, and literally to I will can, given that können and can have the same origin. I feel that this is confusing.


texts: It takes/requires/needs for someone to do something

texts:
Practically all books on English grammar teach the construction "It takes [an amount of time, effort, etc] for somebody to do something" as in:

  It took three months to finish the paper.

Now I sometimes see the same structure used with other similar verbs but am not quite sure if they are considered acceptable in Standard English. Would you say both the sentences below are natural?

  It would not have required much effort for her to produce a simple invention like that.

  It needed a lot of courage for me to talk to the girl.


texts: Word "Purchase" in SAAS Subscription Model

texts: In a subscription model, the user is not purchasing the application, they just subscribe and pay based on the billing cycle. So, I've a doubt whether can we use the word 'Purchase'.


texts: Is "enroute" an acceptable variant of "en route"?

texts: Is "enroute" (without the space) an acceptable variant of "en route"?


texts:
When I am talking about some skill which is very important, those two words:  "vital" and "crucial" are a kind of synonyms. But which is stronger?

Update
Here is the whole sentence:

  Free and independent thinking is a vital skill in any area. Moreover, in modern society it is crucial.

I am just thinking if I should actually use them vise versa...


texts:
The passage below comes from Emily's runaway imagination by Beverly Cleary.

  The ride back to town was peaceful enough, although Emily was a little
  nervous lest they meet a cow in the middle of the road that might
  force them to stop. It would be awful if they had to stop now after
  all she had been through. When they came to Main Street, she said, “I
  can walk home from the store, Grandpa, as easy as not.”

Could you explain to me the meaning 'as easy as not'?

And if you don't mind, give me another example sentence.


texts: Is there a purpose behind strange "this will serve as" language for airline announcements?

texts:
I've been attempting to search for an explanation for the reason for the odd turn of phrase that crept into airport language in the USA 10+ years ago.

All of a sudden it seemed that common phrases like:

  "This is the boarding call for flight 357 to La Guardia"

instead became:

  "This will serve as the boarding call for flight 357...

I couldn't find reference to this turn of phrase online, save for it being included in a list of "annoying airline speak", ca 2006 and 2011.

I haven't come across this phrasing in any other contexts, wondering if there is some legal requirement? Some plausible deniability?

Additionally I wonder if they produce as stilted a phrase when announcing in Spanish, too.


texts: "Divide by three" is the only way I know to say this but I'm looking for a single word, if one exists.


texts: Meaning and origin of "in so many words"

texts:
The literal meaning of the phrase in so many words doesn't make sense to me, and its use carries ambiguous connotations.

Can anyone explain its origin?


texts: What is the span between the thumb and the little finger called?

texts:
According to Wikipedia, "[i]n English usage the palm, or small palm, also called handbreadth or handsbreadth, was originally based on the breadth of a human hand without the thumb," as it is shown in the picture below where line #3 is the palm or small palm and line #2 is the hand.

Thus, since it seems that there there is any name for the span between the thumb and the little finger, line #4, I wonder whether, nowadays, one can call big palm that span.

For what is worth, at least to me, Merriam-Webster is not so clear in reference to how that span is called, being its palm definition "a unit of length based on the breadth or length of the hand."


texts:
My question is not whether the correct grammar is either "She has just had a baby" or "She just had a baby".
I am aware that the official grammar is "She has just had a baby".
But in a way that sentence sounds wrong.
It is correct in the meaning that it follows the grammar rules and guidelines.
However, when you "have just had a baby", somewhere in my mind it is as if that person is still having that baby. As in, the birth is still going on.
But when you say "She just had a baby", the birth is done. It's finished.
Which is (hopefully) the case.

So my question is actually more of a wiki-question expecting opinions on the implementation rather than a question expecting a valid and factual answer.


texts: What is the origin of the "towards a new" used in the titles of some research articles?

texts:
Examples:

"Towards a new agenda for transforming war economies"
"Towards a new agenda for Japanese telecommunications"
"Towards a new age in the treatment of multiple myeloma"

As I mentioned in the comments, "It would be nice to know the initial use because it would give me some insight into the language and trends that either birthed the phrase or required its invention."

I ask out of curiosity. As a sub-question, are there any papers or books that cover the history and evolution of academic terminology and writing?


texts:
I know this is incorrect:
John and me will be giving a birthday treat.

I know this is correct:
John and I will be giving a birthday treat.

But what when the voice is changed?
Birthday treat from John and I?
Birthday treat from John and me?


texts: How can one correctly use a relative pronoun in this case?

texts:
This is my sentence example:

A gives access to the decomposition of B, which is given by C.

What I want to convey is that B is given by C. And not A, nor B and nor decomposition. How do I achieve that? By using which, that or even no relative pronoun?


texts: Should “by” be capitalized before the author's name on a cover page?

texts:
If creating a cover page for a draft, should the by in the following format be capitalized? Microsoft Word seems to think so, but it looks visibly appealing when it is lowercase.

  Underlined Title Name
   by Firstname Lastname

or

  Underlined Title Name
   By Firstname Lastname


texts:
I understand the meaning of "till death do us part". I even understood why do is not does.

However, in the song Love Spent by Madonna, the following lyrics occur:

  You played with my heart
  Till death do we part
  That's what you said

and a quick Google search shows that this phrase is used sometimes instead of "till death do us part" in wedding vows and the like.

My questions are:

Isn't we only used as the subject of a sentence?
How can this unusual usage be justified? Does it make sense at all?
Does it mean the same as "till death do us part" or does it have a different connotation?


texts: Should the word A or An be used for this statement?

texts:
I am trying to create a letter and before hand I need to know rather or not to use a or an for a specific sentence. I know that U is a vowel, but because of the way the sentence sounds I re-framed from using an and used a.

  while also ensuring a unique style.

Should I use the statement above or should I use this:

  while also ensuring an unique style.


texts: What does expression "speak up to the point" mean?

texts:
I just used the expression speak up to the point as a way of saying:

Express without blathering
Get directly to the actualy point

Have I used this expression correctly? Are there any other better expressions suited to this meaning?


texts: "...We can only lose, and our love become a funeral pyre." - distributed modal verb or subjunctive?

texts:
From The Doors, Light My Fire. The lines are:
"Try now, we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyre."

I would never hold their lyrics up as great writing, but I have always wondered exactly what this means. My understanding is:

"Try now, we can only lose
And our love (can only) become a funeral pyre."

So using a conjunction to link a different subject and a different main verb sharing the same modal verb. Like, e.g.,

"The machine would stop and the bell ring." or
"I will go and he replace me."

Which don't sound like things anyone would say. I have, however, heard things like:

I need to nod my head and you to hit it. or
I want to eat and you to sleep.

Or is it a form of subjunctive? But it doesn't seem to fit any other example of a subjunctive.
As a native English speaker, for many years I just understood he was saying "...and our love (can only) become a funeral pyre," as in, that's the worst that could happen, which is better than not trying any sex or drugs at all. But I can't come up with a single other example of a conjunction being used to distribute a modal between two different subjects with two different main verbs.


texts: Should Affordable Care Act be capitalized?

texts: What is the rule for Affordable Care Act or affordable care act?


texts: A better way to phrase this sentence, (list of comparisons), without placing unintended emphasis on the first list item?

texts:
I have the following sentence...

This power of information, privacy, is the foundation of our ability to have a different relationship with our teachers than we do our friends, our partners, and our parents.

To me, the sentence reads as if the teachers bit is the important part of this comparison, but what I am trying to say is that all of these items are unique.


texts: Is there an English word to describe a group of refrain words composed of two syllables e.g. pera-pera, meaning fluently, iki-iki meaning vividly?

texts:
The Japanese language has a special group of words which repeat mostly two syllable word like pera pera, para para, don don, suku suku, that are used adverbially for examples;

Pera pera eigowo hanasu– speak English fluently.

Iki Iki shiteiru – look vivid (fresh)

Don don iku – go fast

Para para furu – rain drizzlingly

Muka muka suru – feel sick (angry)

Pera pera mekuru – turn the page at random

Zuki zuki itamu – ache acutely

Suka suka tooru - pass smoothly

They look like onomatopoeias, but they are not. They don’t reflect any sound, and they are all used adverbially, not as interjections.

I don’t know whether such usage is special to Japanese language or not. Are there a lot of similar form of refrains of nonsensical (on their own) two - (sometimes one) syllable words in separation (unlike the type of crisscross, dillydally, riffraff which are single word) used exclusively adverbially except onomatopoeia (which is not my concern) in English and other languages. If there is, I'm curious to know how we call such a group of words or usages.


texts: Comma before ellipsis in a summation. Yay or nay?

texts:
In a sentence where I'm listing a bunch of things in the following manner:

  I still have to do so many chores, such as cleaning the toilet, taking
  out the garbage, doing the dishes, ...

Does one use a comma before the triple dots?  This is how I'm used to doing it, but recently it's been pointed out to me it should be without the comma, like so:

  I still have to do so many chores, such as cleaning the toilet, taking
  out the garbage, do the dishes...

Maybe they're both valid?  It may be worth mentioning that I'm writing a scientific master's thesis. Just to provide some situational context.


texts: Is a certification “gotten”, “earned”, or “obtained”?

texts:
When you pass the exam for certification in ABC, which if any of these work, and which if any do not work?

You get a certification in ABC.
You earn a certification in ABC.
You obtain a certification in ABC.


texts: Is there a word for a unique manufactured item?

texts:
Is there a synonym for "unique" that specifically applies to a custom-made or customized item - say, a car - of which only one copy exists?

Something like "once-in-a-lifetime" but in the meaning of something like "only-one-in-the-world"?


texts:
All that is needed are angle brackets.

All that are needed is angle brackets.

For some reason the first sounds better to my ears. Any help on why (or how I am wrong) is appreciated.


texts:
"I see someone every day" - meaning you see someone every day.
"I see someone every other day" - meaning you see someone one day, not the next, then the day after, but not the next and so on.

What is "I see someone every two days"?

I am sure it means you see someone, have a 2 day break, see them again, then have another 2 day break.

But then I thought, every two days could be one day in between, because every day has no days in between, and 2 comes after 1.

So: What is seeing someone every two days?


texts: When should "Mom" and "Dad" be capitalized?

texts:
I am trying to understand capitalization rules with Mom and Dad. I believe I have it correct below, but please let me know if I do not.

  The one thing I learned from my dad was that it was good to earn the trust of one's children. Dad has shown me how good that a dad can be. One day when I went to his house, and Dad wasn't there, I ran outside....

The above passage is just made-up just so that you would see what I mean about capitalization. Let's put numbers by each one, like so:

  The one thing I learned from my dad(1) was that it was good to earn the trust of one's children. Dad(2) has shown me how good that a dad(3) can be. One day when I went to his house, and Dad(4) wasn't there, I ran outside....

This is one where I'm not certain. I believe in this sense I'm showing possession here with "my", and it just didn't seem right saying "my Dad". I don't know what the grammar rule is here, or if I even have it right.
This one is obvious—it starts the sentence.
In this case, I'm using Dad like a name instead of saying "Larry". Therefore, it should be capitalized.
Again, just like 3.


texts: Term used when answering a question with a lowered tone?

texts:
Is there a term/phrase that can be used to describe the answering of a question with such a tone that would indicate that the answer isn't as all it seems?

For example, if one person were to ask another person: 'how are you today?', to which they relied with: 'I'm okay' but their replied was with such a tone (a lowered tone, perhaps) that may suggest that they are not okay.

Ultimately, my question is whether or not there is a term that describes the tone used when answering a question may indicate that the answer given (like 'I'm okay') may not be strictly true.

I vaguely remember a tutor from my college days refer to this as something along the lines of 'lowered interjection' but as I cannot find any reference to this phrase online and so I was curious as to what the correct one is.


texts:
In this letter  from 1536, King James V of Scotland wrote in 1536:

  Veilbelouit frend, we grete yow. Forsamekill as we ar of pourpas
   to pas to Kelso, and to vesy owr Bordouris for ordoneng of the samyn
   and for dunputting of sic thyngis as owr pour legis ar hurt hy : Heir-
   for, we prey yow ry'cht afiectuusly that ye addres yow to be at ws in
   Sterling with yowr honest howshald, rady and bodin in hors and geir,
   to remane xx days, afferandly to yowr honor and ouris, the penult
   day of Meii, to pas with ws, as ye will do ws singular plesowr. Gewin
   at Sterling, the xxi day of Meii, and of owr regne xxiij yeir.

The King’s atrocious spelling notwithstanding :), what does the word afferandly mean above?

Is this just “some strange Scottish spelling” for something to do with “offering” something?

Has James’s afferandly been replaced with another word in contemporary English, or could afferandly still be used?

Would it be understood on both sides of Hadrian’s Wall, or only northwards?


texts: When is it appropriate, if at all, to use the suffix "ish"?

texts:
When is it appropriate, if at all, to use the suffix ish?

Consider the following:

  She was a largish woman

According to Google the word largish is defined as somewhat large. However, Merriam-Webster seems to redirect the search phrase to large instead.

I have seen people abuse this quite a bit. When does one draw the line when using this suffix? Or does it have no place in formal english?


texts:
In his 2006 book The Singing Neanderthals, the palaeontologist Steve Mithen has developed a theory to suggest that language developed from song, and that the Neanderthals were the first to make that transition. He even coined a word for their humming language, which he called 'hmmmmm' because it would have been 'hoslistic, manupulative, multi-modal, musical and mimetic'.

I don't know what kind of a word/acronym 'hmmmmm' is, but after reading the linked article (PDF), I'm debating whether one could also use it to express the reaction in the field to this intriguing theory. Could one?


texts: Is there a southern British accent in which emphasis changes /ɪf/ to /ɪv/, /wɒz/ to /wɒs/?

texts:
Is there a southern British accent in which different emphasis changes /ɪf/ to /ɪv/ and /wɒz/ to /wɒs/?

I'm just thinking that I want to do this. So the following phrases:

what was that?
what if?


texts:
What does it mean? A playboy? Like a womanizer?
I was watching a video on YouTube where a British man said "he's a lover of ladies" but then goes on to say "he's a very nice guy" and now I'm confused.
He's not a teenager. He's almost 30.
Is it a player, cheater, womanizer, etc.? If not, then what is it?
If "lover of ladies" means a cheater then he won't be calling him a "very nice guy" but I've searched everywhere and didn't find anything to suggest what the meaning is.
This is an old reading but the question still stands. Even if not in a palm reading but if someone uses this phrase, am I supposed to use the pejorative sense?
The link for reference: https://youtu.be/aXjPUqsmSrs


texts:
For instance, a vendor who is crying in the street "red hot! red hot!".
Does it mean a chili pepper? The action takes place in New Orleans.


texts: what does ''loving shows like one's slip showing'' mean?

texts:
So, I'm translating The Sea, The Sea and there is this sentence which I do not understand. It goes like this: She is quite right, loving shows like slip showing, as I once said to her when her slip was showing!

What does this mean? Thank you! :)


texts: Verbs not normally used in the present continuous

texts:
I found the information below in a grammar book:

  The following verbs are not normally used in the present continuous :
  like, love, hate, want, need, prefer, know, realize, suppose, mean, understand, believe, remember, belong, fit, contain, consist, seem.

Are there any other verbs which are not used in present continuous?
If yes, why are the above verbs not used in present continuous?


texts: Is there a word that describes the idea of an entity in its entirety

texts:
I specifically use the word entity so as not to imply human necessarily.

By "the idea of an entity" I mean aspects such as the intellect, physical form, historical and current experiences, spirituality etc. (where such things apply).

The closest I have come is "entire being", as it is used in some literature.
For example, "The dog hated the vacuum cleaner with its entire being".

I've also considered persona but I think this focuses too heavily on an intellectual aspect.

Individual seems more like a description of the disticntion between entities rather than an entity itself.

As you can probably tell, I’m having trouble even describing what I want.


texts: What is the difference between "filtrated" and "filtered"?

texts:
The word "filtered" seems to be much more common than "filtrated". I know that these words derive from "to filter" and "to filtrate". What is the difference in meaning between these two verbs?

The context I have in mind is a mathematical one. Here the words "filtration" and "filter" have fixed and different meanings.

In addition, there is an invariant for certain objects which are endowed with a filtration (technically this isn't accurate but let's suppose so). This invariant is called "filtrated K-theory" by several people. Yet, some people insist that it should be called "filtered K-theory" because filtrated is hardly a word or at least sounds weird and artificial. Can native speakers confirm this, or would you go for the more logical(?) "filtrated"?


texts:
The expressions "hand over hand" and "hand over fist" seem to be related. Apparently "hand over hand" was a British term for the act of moving quickly up a rope or hoisting a sail, which was a matter of pride and competition among sailors. It is thought that American sailors changed this term to "hand over fist", and the term now means to advance or accumulate rapidly.

But why "fist"?


texts: Can the word "appeasing" be use to describe pleasant objects?

texts:
For example...

"She was enchanted by the beautiful house and appeasing countryside."


texts: to be ended up, to be arrived: regionalism?

texts:
I recently saw the phrase "how I been ended up here" in a work of fiction (someone showed me the phrase on a page and I can't remember the title at the moment, but I was told that it was set in  20th century America) and I'm wondering if there's an American regional dialect where to be ended up or "to be arrived" is still used nowadays.

Compare this.


texts: When your symptoms suggest that "it's probable" that you have a particular disease, what word do we usually use in English to suggest so?

texts:
For example, "you have hyperinflation in both your lungs, which is in favor of asthma." Or "you have hyperinflation in both your lungs, which is suspected asthma." Do these sounds natural? If not, what does?

Thanks


texts:
I'm looking for a word or phrase that means something along the lines of "the exhilaration of taboo".

Here's the context for what I'm looking for: "It was strange and [blank] to walk around and see everyone's age so blatantly public."


texts: what should be the position of adverb of manner in the following sentences?

texts:
Both the teams played the game fairly.
Both the teams fairly played the game.


texts:
Is there a verb for the inverse of greet, or a synonym verb for greet that has an inverse verb? Everything I can think of is a verb phrase, exclamation, or noun. Salute is the closest I could find, but it's applicable to arriving and departing.

For context, I’m writing a hello world example of a class and would like to add a method for the inverse of greet to the class to show classes are collections of attributes and behaviors. As a behavior, the method name should be a verb or start with one.


texts: Is there a more formal option for 'just in case'?

texts:
It was addressed before, but the question was too specific, thus doesn't resolve my issue. I'm expecting a general answer, though provide an example as well.

For instance, I'm writing a letter and attaching some extra files along with important ones. I would write:

  I have also attached the original document [just in case/ in case you need it/ ...].

What other options can you think of?


texts:
In English, we have many words ending in or containing “gh”, but in some cases, the two letters are silent, while in others, it is pronounced as “f” . We have the words tough, rough, and draught, which pronounce "gh" as an "f" sound, while the words height, weight, through, drought, and many others do not pronounce the sound at all.
Are there any rules governing the pronunciations of these words? Or is the reason for this based in the origins of the words?
Edit: My question focuses specifically on the “gh” combination, not the pronunciation of “ough”. In my examples I gave words such as the words height and weight which contain “eigh”, not just words with “ough”.


texts:
I want a word or two that essentially say: 'The best we can do given limitations', I am thinking something along the lines of 'optimal solution under constraints', but this is also long.

Any ideas?

Context is that some engineering methods are really good, but certain problems can't be solved with their own methods, since no unique methods have been found, but the problem can be solved by putting it into another model of a similar nature, giving us the best result we can obtain.


texts:
Does the word "rotate" apply to the programming concept of a "database"?

If so, should I rotate through, inside, or around one?

Is there a better way to express "constantly traversing a changing index"?


texts: Mixing simple present and a present participle in the same phrase?

texts:
I'm writing an explanation of my duties in a job that I currently have, and I came up with the bullet:

Organize large groups of over 200 people, directing them to activities and allocating seating in theaters

Is it wrong to put both the simple present and the present participle in one phrase like this? I'm trying to say that part of my duty in organizing large groups is to direct them to activities and to theater seats. Should I be mixing organize with directing / allocating? It doesn't quite seem right to use direct / allocate here though. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

edit: I feel that I should be mixing simple present with present participles here because I'm not trying to say that I have 3 duties, but rather that one duty (organizing) includes 2 separate aspects (directing / allocating). I realized that I am trying to say "I organize large groups of over 200 people, which includes directing them to activities and allocating seating in theaters." However, is it okay to leave out the "which includes" part here because it is implied by the present participle?


texts: I've heard that "me neither" is incorrect. Instead one should say "neither do I." People definitely say "me neither" conversationally, but is it technically incorrect?


texts: Which sentence element is the "to-infinitive" after an empty subject "it"?

texts:
I am having difficulty in defining sentence elements in this sentence:

  It takes two numbers to measure your needs but only one to measure mine.

If I modify the sentence to this:

  To measure your needs takes two numbers but to measure mine only takes one.

Then it looks like the to-infinitive defines "It" in the first sentence.

So I think it becomes: Empty Subject + Verb + Object + Subject Complement, but I can't be sure. Is my logic correct? Which sentence element is the to-infinitive here?

Thank you.


texts: I'd like to know the spelling of a word, a synonym of unknown

texts:
I'm used to watching American TV Series all the time. I watch them with Italian subtitles, so I misspell many words. Many of them are not so difficult to figure out, but there's one that I just cannot figure out what is. I have tried to find it in many ways (Google Translate and many other sites) with no results.

The word sounds like jen though (in Italian I would write it gen do). It seems to mean "unknown" in police jargon: when the police find a corpse with no identity, they call it a ‘jen though’.

What can this word be?


texts: "1 or 2 friends is enough" or "1 or 2 friends are enough"

texts:
I don't know which sentence is grammatically correct.

  1 or 2 friends is enough.

  1 or 2 friends are enough.


texts: Pronunciation of "a" in "make a difference"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  pronunciation of “a”

I would like to know the pronunciation of a in the expression make a difference. Is it like a in ate or like a in about?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
Apostrophe "s" vs "Of"

I want to know what's the different between the ownership usage:

"He's her mother's son"
"He is the son of her mother"

What's the difference between using "'s " and "of"?
Also, because I don't know exactly how this should be called I call it ownership. But what's its proper name?
Another example is:

"Dragon's Year"
"Year of the Dragon"

What's the difference?


texts: Word/slang for person who cries easily watching movies

texts: I'd like to know from native speakers what would they call or what slang would they use for a person who cries easily watching even the silliest of movies (meaning very little drama). For example, watching Home Alone when Kevin meets his family again.


texts: Is it idiomatic to say "I never minded about..."?

texts: For example: "I never minded about not getting paid for it". Does this sentence sound fine or should it be "I never cared about.."?


texts: Choice of Gerund or infinitive as subject of a sentence

texts:
In a multiple choice exercise I had to choose between:

.................... is banned in all pubs in Ireland.

A/ To smoke  B/ Smoking

I'm pretty sure the solution is B (Smoking) but I don't really know the rule behind. Could somebody please explain why it is B (if so)?


texts: which is correct?, at the interview ... or at interview

texts:
At interview she was casually dressed with good hygiene and engaged well.

or

  At the interview she was casually dressed with good hygiene and engaged well.


texts: "The bastard spawn of Spoo and Vox raised by RSS"

texts:
Does a person who doesn't sweat really exist?
Yes. The bastard spawn of Spoo and Vox raised by RSS.

What is the meaning of the reply? What do "bastard spawn" and "Spoo and Vox" and "RSS" mean actually?


texts: "Whether or not" plus an instance of the verb "to be"

texts:
Consider the sentence, "Whether or not they will go back online is uncertain."

If "whether or not" is removed from this sentence, leaving only "they will go back online is uncertain," is it still grammatically correct?

Hope to hear from you soon.


texts: I have noticed that the word "Kindly" is used a lot by some Indians speaking English as a second language.  Does anyone know the origin of this?


texts: What is the term for an argumentative style that relies on immediately extrapolating or threatening worst outcomes?

texts:
For example "You don't want to see the Jumanji sequel?!? I'm filing for divorce."

"The soup is cold? I'm throwing dinner in the trash."

"You're buying a house in Harlem? I predict your kids will grow up to be transients and drug addicts."

etc.

Is there a term for this?


texts:
Regarding the context of this sentence:

I’d put taking classes with great professors above picking the perfect major.

What does the author mean with perfect major? I am not able to translate this.

Here is the full text


texts: What is the difference between undermine and weaken in this context? ( undermine/weaken a basic principle)

texts:
When do we use undermine instead of weaken?

For instance, why is it:

  The simplicity of the trick undermines a basic principle of
  photography, that the camera cannot lie.

... and not "weakens a basic principle"?

From my research we can conclude that they have pretty similar meanings:

undermine
weaken


texts: From Wells's "The Invisible Man", what does this sentence mean?

texts:
'You said it was an empty sleeve?' he said. 'Certainly,' I said. At staring and saying nothing a barefaced man, unspectacled, starts scratch. Then very quietly he pulled his sleeve out of his pocket again, and raised his arm towards me as though he would show it to me again.

The bold sentence sounds confusing.
Who is staring whom?
What is it meant by "starts scratch"?
Any idea would be appreciated. Thank you.


texts:
Some will say that "the sum of a person" includes:

Actions.
Character, virtues.
Experiences, memories.
Abilities.

Is there a single term to mean this?


texts: Histonic cancer: Ok English? Or, Japanese English?

texts:
Histonic cancer

Would this term be understood by English-speaking medical professionals?

Google shows only 53 hits, and all are from Japanese or Chinese sites.

If it is not natural English, perhaps someone could recommend a more natural term.

Translated literally from Japanese, it would be something like "tissue-type cancer" or "organ-type cancer".


texts:
My uncle has entered many sailing boat races.
-In the past but I don't say when.

My uncle entered a sailing boat race in 2014 and won.
-In the past but I say when.

What's the difference between has entered and entered?


texts: What is the meaning of "magazine spreads" in this context?

texts:
Source article.

Extract:

  Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman is so good, so profoundly
  entertaining, so confident that it makes you wonder whether the other
  Iñárritu — the director of such weighty magazine spreads as 21 Grams,
  Babel, and Biutiful — was a fraud all along.

I don't understand what the author wants to imply with "weighty magazine spreads".


texts: Are you familiar with the term "air-conditioningitis"?

texts:
According to this article, "[a]ir-conditioningitis occurs when the body cannot adjust properly to the sharp differences in temperature between the cool air-conditioned indoors and the warm outdoors."

But I've never heard any native speaker use this term or any other term even remotely related to this sort of "disease". How familiar are you, as a native speaker, with this term or this type of disease itself?

Is this something you'd consider a disease at all?

Edit: If the disease itself is legit, what would you call it?


texts: From Flappers to Rappers: American Youth Slang by Dr. Thomas Dalzell cites the 1930s expression "cheek it" as meaning to bluff. I don't quite understand why and I'm hoping someone on here may help me to better understand this.