texts: What different types of rhymes are used here?

texts:
In this video with rapper Eminem, he makes the following rhymes:

  "I put my orange, four inch, door hinge, in storage, and ate porridge with george."

Following the Types of Rhymes wikipedia article, I can only connect a few types of rhymes used here:

imperfect (or near),
assonance,
and
consonance

Am I missing other types of rhymes he makes?


texts: Is "an upper bound of A, denoted by upper(A), can be derived as follows:" a normal English expression?

texts:
Recently, I'm writing an English paper. In a section, I want to define an upper bound of A as upper(A). To avoid duplication, I wan to combine two sentences:

  When pre-contingency security constraints are satisfied, an upper
  bound of A can be derived as follows:

  ...

  where upper(A) is the an upper bound of A when pre-contingency
  security constraints are satisfied.

I rewrite the sentence as:

  When pre-contingency security constraints are satisfied, an upper bound of A, denoted by upper(A), can be derived by combining (26) and (29):

or

  When pre-contingency security constraints are satisfied, an upper
  bound of A, upper(A), can be derived by combining (26) and (29):

However, I feel a bit strange when reading it. So can you help me with improving this expression?
Thanks!

Besides, how do you think this sentence:

  When pre-contingency security constraints (34)-(35) and post-contingency security constraints (39) are satisfied, two upper bounds of A, denoted by upper1(A) and upper2(A), can be derived to identify if constraint (38) is inactive:


texts: Is it a good idea to begin a sentence with a number or a variable name?

texts:
Is it acceptable to have the following sentences in formal writing?

  2.5 years have already been completed.

or

  n shows the number of something.


texts: Can I use the word "Kerfuffle"in formal writing?

texts:
I would like to find out if I can use the word kerfuffle in formal writing. English is not my first language and I am thinking of using the word Kerfuffle in my exam report.Is it too informal?

Here is the definition that I found on Google.

  Kerfuffle: a commotion or fuss, especially one caused by conflicting views.

Would it be too informal to say that There is a common kerfuffle over whether or not people tend to like others who are similar to them?


texts: Direct and indirect object with the verb "kick"

texts:
Are both theses sentences correct and commonly used:

"Kick the ball to me."

"Kick me the ball."?


texts: Simple past vs. past subjunctive in 'if' clauses

texts:
I understand the usage of the past subjunctive but I'm confused whether I should use it in these kind of cases, because it sounds so stilted when I say it:

'If I [had/were to have] money, I'd go to the shops'
'If we really [wanted/were to want] to, we could go'

As far as I know we should use the second option in both these cases because it is a past subjunctive+conditional clause, but they just sound wrong. I feel this is similar to:

If we [fell/were to fall] down the hill, we'd have a hard time getting back up'

In this case it feels like the 2nd one is right, and doesn't sounds stilted at all. Are both options acceptable?


texts:
There are several questions regarding the distinction between by and through, but still, I cannot seem to decide which of these prepositions suits better in the context below. What do you think?
X understood by/through studying its two principal components.
-Thanks


texts: Alternative word for "media" for disks, USB storage etc

texts: I'm looking for a generic word to describe (removable) computer storage such as CDs, USB sticks, floppies etc which is as clear as possible to non-technical people.  It doesn't have to clearly distinguish removable from fixed.  "Media" and "storage" are both candidates, but I am not sure how natural they sound to the average person.  "Disks" is my current choice, but using it for USB sticks seems to me to be stretching it slightly.


texts: A word for something that is complicated, but becomes easier with experience

texts:
I've seen this question on Quora and one of the answers had the following sentence.

  Cohomology is one of those things that seems really complicated the first time you see it, and slowly starts to make more sense once you have more experience.

And I thought, I need a word whose definition is exactly this sentence.

Edit:

  He encouraged me to continue to study computer science, because he thinks that computer science is ____.

Note that this sentence asks for an adjective. I am also happy with a noun, as in

  ... computer science is a ____.


texts:
There was a sentence in a released* ACT test a while back. This was the sentence.

"I ride this trail nearly everyday - not on a bike, but on 'Luigi'."

It seems to me that the interior punctuation is not necessary and might be for emphasis. I suppose this is somehow related to the similar "not only...but also" clause. I was looking over this page about this phrasing, and the first example seems to get rid of interior punctuation too:

https://www.dailywritingtips.com/5-not-this-but-that-parallelism-problems/

*Just want to clarify that I mean public if there are any concerns.


texts:
I have a sentence:

  Ms.Cho relayed her concerns about the company's financial situation while she was having a meeting with the manager.

My friend reduced it:

  Ms.Cho relayed her concerns about the company's financial situation having a meeting with the manager.

I think the word while cannot be omitted in this sentence, but he doesn't agree with me.
Is he right?
Please help me! thanks


texts: Synonym for a material that is resistant to fire

texts:
What is the technical term for a material that is highly resistant or insulated to fire? Such as Diamond, or Ceramics? I looked at various words already, such as Endothermic, but I'm fairly certain that is not related to the act of resisting, as it appears to be directed more towards the act of absorbing heat from the environment, such as a snowman melting. So what is the correct technical or pretentious-sounding term for a material which cannot be easily burned. I am looking for something a little bit more extravagant than "Fire-Retardant".
Usage Example:
"The snowman had been made with a new substance that made it highly resistant to both the sun, and fire, and so it was now ______, and would not melt."
"Diamond is _____, and so it is highly resistant to fire and heat."


texts: The Nissan manual or the Nissan's manual?

texts:
I would like to know which of the following sentences is correct and if possible, a source accompanying your answer. (Note: Only choose which sentence is correct as regards to the title, do not mind any mistakes you might find in the sentence.)

  The Nissan manual is there to help you with any trouble you might have.

OR

  The Nissan's manual is there to help you with any trouble you might have.

I do not think there is any difference, but preferably the answer follows British English rules.

Also, there is no specific Nissan, it is just in general.


texts: "Has Bluetooth Enabled" or "Is Bluetooth Enabled"

texts:
Having a debate at work...

Current headline reads "Product-X Has Bluetooth Enabled". Does that make sense? Or should it be "Product X Is Bluetooth Enabled"?


texts: What’s the difference between “the using of this machine” and “using my neighbour’s wifi”?

texts:
Please consider these two different sentences*:

I am aware of the using of this machine.
I am accused of using my neighbour’s wifi.

Why do we use the article the before the using in the first sentence, but we don’t use an article before in the second sentence?

It’s the same gerund in both cases: the word using. So how can in some cases a gerund takes an article, but in other cases that same gerund does not take an article?


texts: Paraphrasing to confirm that I understand

texts:
I'm looking for some precise and concise ways of saying:

  I may or may not have understood you and will confirm by paraphrasing: [...]

"In other words, [...]?" seems to be used often, but I feel like without the question mark it means:

  I understood what you said and will prove it by paraphrasing: [...]

I realize the inflection of a statement is often the only thing separating "I think" from "I'm sure," but I'm wondering if there are other options besides "in other words." I say "paraphrasing" but it doesn't necessarily need to imply that I'll definitely be using different words, just needs to imply that I am not positive I understood.

Note: To explain some of the answers below, this was previously titled Echoing to confirm that I understand; however, I edited it as one user pointed out echoing means specifically a word-for-word repetition and that is not necessarily what I'm looking for.


texts: A word for high level officials in the government

texts:
What is a good word for high level officials in the government? The officials I have in mind are in the upper echelon in the government hierarchy and can wield broad power.  What I want to say is: (this group of officials) is the target of corruption inquiry.

Edit: To clarify, I’m looking for a word for a group (or a class) of high level state officials (vs low level bureaucrats) in a non-democratic, authoritarian government where systemic corruption is rampant. These officials usually enjoy special privileges and do not need to be accountable to the public. I might have hastily generalized to “all” high level government officials; however in countries where officials are not necessarily democratically elected and corruption is widespread, when you hold high office, you are thought of as a member of (this) group.


texts: I'm looking for a word for the process of organizing things into multiple dimensions. For example, if you had an online shoe store, you might want to decide to let customers filter your shoes by several attributes, e.g.: mens/womens, price, size, and color. What is a good term to describe the process of choosing these dimensions? A related term is clustering, where you might cluster the shoes into clusters, such as a cluster for mens shoes and a separate cluster for womens shoes. Clustering is a good term because it refers to the organizational process but misses the fact that there are multiple ways to split the items into groups by color or gender or by numerical values such as size or price. Thanks!


texts:
The verb 'to give credit against' is used widely in legal texts. For example,

  As a preliminary matter, the court considered whether a Non-defaulting Party who wishes to enforce the payment obligation of the Defaulting Party must give credit for what is due under its part of the swap – that is, whether the Non-defaulting Party is obliged to give credit against the gross liability of the Defaulting Party.

lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=684585ed-ef70-4d47-8808-76684b229214

  Appellant received credit against the minimum sentence for the 170 days of time served prior to sentencing on the sexual assault conviction. He now asks that we modify the sentence to give credit for time served against the maximum of both sentences and to give credit against the minimum burglary sentence.

leagle.com/decision/19902180792P2d1388_12166.xml/WEEDMAN%20v.%20STATE

What does 'to give credit against something' mean exactly?


texts: Asleep is to awake; as sleep is to _____?

texts: Is there no word that fills this precise role? I can say someone gets 10 hours of sleep. But can I say someone gets 10 hours of wake? That doesn't sound right to me but maybe it is. Does anyone know if 'wake' is wrong in this context as I believe it to be, or if there is a right word to fill in this blank at all.


texts: Present Perfect and Reichenbach's model of tense

texts:
I recently came across the following construction in some documentation I was reading:

This document describes a solution that has been applied during the migration.

To me, this seemed utterly wrong, but I was not exactly sure why.

After reading through Michaelis's "Time and Tense", which introduced me to Reichenbach's model of tense, it seems to me that the reason comes down to the location of the reference time.

Based on the context of the situation, I understand the reference time, R, to be a completed duration occurring before the moment of utterance, S, with the event, E, not being ordered with respect to R (E,R_S).

To me using the present perfect (E_S,R), with the event and reference point being different simply does not work.

The reference point is in the past along with the event, so simple past, right?

Though I generally trust my gut in matters of tense and time, I am having doubts on this one.

What are your opinions on the matter?

Evan


texts: What is a word or phrase that describes an object whose importance depends on its recentness?

texts: For example, a newspaper. In general, last week's newspaper is much less relevant than today's. I want to use it in a sentence like: "Since newspapers are ____ in nature, it's important to be notified the moment a new issue comes out." Temporal is the only thing I can think of, but not really since I don't want to emphasize the object's impermanence.


texts: What are the rules surrounding a hyphen following an abbreviation?

texts: For instance, if something is owned by Apple Inc. does that make the compound phrasal adjective 'Apple Inc.-owned'? Or would I omit the period?


texts:
While naming each operator in a programming language, the comparison operators came up, and there's no obvious name for two of them.

=  Equality Operator
≠  Inequality Operator
>  Superiority Operator
<  Inferiority Operator
≥  ??
≤  ??

The ≥ operator is usually named greater-than-or-equal-to, not-less-than or at-least.

The ≤ operator is usually named less-than-or-equal-to,  not-greater-than or at-most.

The > operator is normally just named greater-than, so superior seemed like an obvious, single-word alternative. Likewise, inferior seems like a good alternative to less-than.

For the remaining two, I thought of using neologisms, and came up with asuperior  for ≤ and ainferior for ≥. While, asuperior works pretty well, ainferior doesn't feel as natural or intuitive.

Are there single-word names that make sense for all six operators?


texts: Word for a team whose members play perfectly together all having different talents

texts:
I am looking for a word that describes a team whose members all have different talents, excel at those talents perfectly and are able to, despite their different skillsets, work together seamlessly and effortlessly.

Like a machine or motor whose gear-wheels are perfectly optimized for each other never really creating too much friction but nevertheless the whole motor together roars like a hungry and angry tiger when you hit the gas.

The words well-cooperating, well-established and well-coordinated are not exactly what I am looking for, the German term "eingespielt" does reflect what I mean perfectly, since the word I am looking for should be used in a playful context. Playful to the attitude of the team members for each other yet damn serious about the outcome of the work the team accomplishes.

The context in what I am looking for this word is a sentence similar to this for example.

"A [word here] team of diverse/varying talents trying hard to deliver the next seminal world changing climate control prodigy app."


texts:
What is the difference between the following and are they correct?

He took a relaxed approach in solving the problem.
He took a relaxed approach at solving the problem.
He took a relaxed approach towards solving the problem.

Cheers,
Chris


texts:
What's the right adjective from "cardiology"?

"Cardiac" seems to refer to the heart itself more than to the science of cardiology. There's "cardiological" in Collins dictionary, and both "cardiologic" and "cardiological" at dictionary.com. I've searched the Internet and come across all the three above in similar contexts, so I'm a bit confused now. I've also noticed that the noun "cardiology" itself is often used as an adjective. The context I'm interested in is:

At the conference, the physicians agreed that a cardiology/cardiac/cardiologic/cardiological section of the association should be established.

Thx in advance!


texts: A word for "applied immediately following"

texts:
I need a word or phrase, - noun or adjective, to describe an action/activity that's applied immediately following another action/activity, rather than in conjunction with the first operation. Let's call these actions/activities "frobbing" and "barring". So I want to refer to "barring right after frobbing" rather than "frobbing together with barring".

I was thinking of "compounded barring" or "aposteriori barring", but did not quite like those.

Edit: It is necessary that the phrase or word not refer to the frobbing, as I want to use the same phrase/word for multiple, different, initial actions (frobbing, bazzing, quuxing etc.)


texts:
"bedraggled" is a past participle adjective from to bedraggle. In the musical My Fair Lady Higgins calls Eliza a bedraggled guttersnipe.
I never doubted that bedraggled has some connection with German Dreck (dirt)  and never checked the etymology.

But now I've looked up the word in etymonline and find that he says: to bedraggle,
be- + draggle, frequentative of to drag.

"drag" as noun and verb has various meanings, but the principal meaning of the verb seems to be to draw (Latin trahere). I'm used to the fact that etymonline often fails to hint at possible connections with German, but in the case of bedraggled I think the derivation from to draw is a bit dubious.

I would like to hear other views.

Addition:

This is what I find in DWDS, with etymology from Pfeiffer's dictionary:

Modern German Dreck

Swedish träck

Dutch drek

Middle Dutch drec

Middle High German drec, Gen dreckes

Old High German -threc as in mu:sthrec, 12th cent.

Old Norse threkkr (with thorn)

Old English threax (with thorn)

Pfeifer sees a connection with

Greek stergános (contains the element terg, with metathesis of r)

Latin stercus

and he assumes

IE *(s)ter

http://www.dwds.de/?qu=dreck

By the way, German Dreck is in the English dictionary, see

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dreck

Another addition:

One thing that irritates me is that a prefix such as be- doesn't make much sense with the meaning to draw. But it would fit well to Dreck meaning  to besmear with dirt. This might be a hint that the connection with Dreck can't be excluded.

Second addition: FWIW, I found Low German doerch 'n Dreck trecken meaning to draw through the dirt/ mud. http://www.plattdeutsches-woerterbuch.de/pages/plattdeutsches_woerterbuch.html - The Frisian dictionary also has drek.  https://de.glosbe.com/de/fy/Dreck


texts:
Let a multiplural be a word that has more than one singular form with different meanings. For example, AXES is the plural of both AX and AXIS and so is a multiplural. I have found these multiplurals:
AXES
ELLIPSES
TAXES

Is there a name for these other than the one I just made up? Are there others without the -ES ending? Can anyone find any others?

EDIT: The new list I have after looking at the answers (and adding one more I missed) is as follows:

AXES

BASES

CAVIES

DOES

ELLIPSES

TAXES

TRIES


texts:
What, if any, is the right way to use "and lo" in a sentence?

My basic structure is "[discussion about thing], and lo, [example of thing]", kind of like: There's a cliche about circus clowns being creepy and dangerous, and lo, last night I saw a clown violating a teddy bear.

Is this proper? Should there be a colon or semicolon after "lo"?


texts: What is the difference between 'make an experiment' and 'do an experiment'?

texts:
I have come across both make and do with the noun experiment.Are there any differences in meaning?

Thanks.


texts: Gender-neutral alternative to "craftsmanship"?

texts: It's straightforward to refer to a "craftsperson" instead of a "craftsman" if one doesn't want to imply a gender.  But "craftspersonship", "sportspersonship", and the like seem pretty cumbersome.  Is there a more elegant alternative?


texts: How can enforce and reinforce have slightly different spelling and still be valid?

texts:
When I initially wrote inforce the dictionary told me that enforce was the correct word.

However, when I wrote reenforce it told me that reinforce was the word I was looking for.

So, I searched this on-line, but didn't find anything useful except this post

Can someone elaborate on this further?


texts:
Please assist me to escalate this issue
Is the above sentence correct?
or
Should I use 'in' or 'on' or 'with' in place of 'to'?


texts: In which type of situations we can use "I Were"?

texts: In some situations, we can use "were" with "I" although its grammatically wrong. But somehow it's being used many times, I don't know the situations any idea guys??


texts: What do we call the "repetition" construct (if it's even proper English)?

texts:
I've sometimes seen this construct, used to avoid repetitive handwriting, but I don't even know if it's proper English.

If it is, what is the name of this construct? I have no idea what to search for when looking it up...

  Don't forget to buy eggs.
   "        "  " " yogurt.
   "        "  " " milk.


texts: Do English alphabet come under latin characters?

texts:
I haven't been able to infer whether latin characters are different from English alphabet or English alphabet are a subset of latin characters, as I came across several versions of latin.

Trying to find an answer as one of the driving rules of a foreign country says details on license should be in latin characters, so I am wondering whether my information printed in English qualifies for being in Latin?


texts: Understanding The Proper Usage of "Contingency Fee Basis" vs. "Contingent Fee Basis"

texts:
I am writing for an law firm and am trying to understand what is the appropriate usage of "contingent fee basis" versus "contingency fee basis."

I have always used the term "Contingency Fee Basis" when referring to the type of fee collection that attorneys use for personal injury cases. Is there a difference between contingent and contingency, or is it a matter of style?


texts: Difference between "This is" and "It is", "These are" and "They are"

texts:
When I should use "It is" and when "This is"?

For example when I show an apple to my son, how is better to say:

It is an apple
This is an apple

What is the main difference between abovementioned phrases?

The same problem when I show scissors, glasses etc. (plural nouns)

These are glasses
They are glasses - sounds very awkward to me.


texts: An adjective for something being in question or under analysis

texts:
Here is the context:

For the purpose of the productive test, that is measuring the participants’ ability to produce the target language, each of the two words were prompted by their first letters. Also, in order to limit the range of the potential PVs that could be used to fill in the blanks by the participants, the closest equivalent to the meaning of the PV in question was presented in brackets at the end of each sentence.

NB: PV stands for Phrasal Verb

I'd appreciate a proper adjective for the part presented in bold.

Basically, what I'm after is an adjective with the same meaning as in question.

For example:

  (Adj) PV was presented in brackets ...

as opposed to

  the PV in question was presented in brackets....

Thank you


texts: "After work at X" or "after finishing work at X" or "after finishing working at X"

texts:
After work at the store that day, I took a detour.
After finishing
work at the store that day, I took a detour.
After finishing working
at the store that day, I took a detour.

Are the three grammatical/natural-sounding? Why or why not?


texts: Future perfect/simple future/present perfect

texts:
Please consider the following:
They will report to me what they will have known/will know/have known. Which one is right if the context is they will report to me after they know it


texts: Is there another way to say a false dichotomy, such as a forced choice or ...?

texts:
Is there another way to say a false dichotomy, such as a forced choice or  ... ???
Isn't there some even handier phrase, that I can't for the life of me think of (doesn't that drive you absolutely bonkers !), that refers to when somebody deceitfully offers you an "either or" proposition (ie its either "A" or "B"), when in reality there are more than two alternatives ?


texts: "India and Pakistan are so often at odds that there is a tendency to shrug off their spats, but not since their most recent, full-blown war in 1971 has the risk of escalation been so high." Can anyone restructure the part after "but" to make it more clear? The meaning of the latter part is not so clear for me. Thanks.


texts: What 'type' of a word is the word "goings-on"?

texts: I'm not sure how to phrase this correctly, but I noticed that the word "goings-on" has the plural suffix of '-s' before the end of the word. If this wasn't the case, it would be "going-ons" which of course sounds disgusting and just flat-out doesn't work, but I was wondering how you would describe a word like this; what do you call a word that uses a plural suffix before the very end of the word? And are there any other examples of this kind of word?


texts: Things in English that Are often very confusing for Non-Native Speakers

texts:
Something that has really confused me over the years is when and where to use past simple or present perfect, as a non-native English speaker I have always been troubled by this, so I was just wondering if you guys could help !

Look at the examples below :

1) Discipline and hard work are the things that I have learnt in school.
or Discipline and hard work are the things that I learnt in school. (situation - I am in college right now and I am talking about things what I was taught in school that I still remember that means I can still relate to things that I had learnt in the past)

2) Why are you on a wheelchair ?
Ans : Because I have fallen off the terrace and injured myself.
Or
Because I fell off the terrace and injured myself.
(PS: We've always been taught that if a incident in the past has a connection with the present, use present perfect but here the first one sounds unnatural to me )

3) Cristiano Ronaldo won the Best Player of the Year xyxx.
or
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Best Player of the year xyxx.
(PS: we are still in the year xyxx)

4) I have changed 3 schools in my school life.
Or I changed 3 schools in my school life.


texts: How to tell customer that you have a tight schedule without sounding rude?

texts:
I would like to explain a customer that during the next two months we will be very busy with a tight schedule, but I don't want to sound rude or put him in a rush, as I only have certain day available within this month.

What would you say?

Thank you for your help.


texts: Subtle distinction between "at once" and "all at once"?

texts:
According to OALD both "all at once" and "at once" can mean at the same time.

I can't do everything all at once
I can't do two things at once.
Don't all speak at once!

These examples give me the idea that "at once" could be used when referring to a countable thing (in the latter example all is countable because it refers to a specific count of people, e.g. a class) while "all at once" is taken when referring to a non-countable thing (of course, everything could possibly be a countable thing).
Are they always used interchangeably or is one preferred in certain contexts?


texts: Simple past sounds better but past perfect seems more accurate

texts: I think it's grammatically more accurate to say,"The market was closed after a virus had been found." However, it sounds "better" to say,"The market was closed after a virus was found." Grammatically, can there be any justification for the second version?


texts: What is the word for someone who initiates group social interaction?

texts:
Example scenario: a youth hostel employs someone to try get guests to be social and interacting. In a common area (lounge), the person may bring together various solo guests into a group and get everyone playing board games.

The end result being a better experience for the guests. The guests then being more likely to leave a positive review.

I experienced this some years ago at a hostel in New York. The social man later said he worked for the hostel to start such social activity. Long after, I saw a volunteer advertisement for the same thing somewhere else. I'm sure in that advert they had a word for the person who starts such social activity - I just can't remember the word.

Edit: Perhaps another take on this is someone who is planted within a group of people with the goal of influencing the group toward a desired outcome.


texts: What does the phrase "made my hair" generally imply?

texts: I recently came across a woman who was exclaiming that she had just "made her hair" after her boyfriend pulled her hair-band off. I have never really heard of this phrase before, hence the question: does it mean the same as "do my hair"? How common an expression is it?


texts: Meaning behind "Only" position? how to use "only" properly?

texts:
only I eat an apple
I only eat an apple
I eat only an apple
I eat an apple only

3 and 4 sentence are more confusing.., both are same??
please help me guys


texts:
We have a medical application that a doctor would uses to track a current ailment and its healing progress.

For example, when a patient visits a doctor about swelling in their ankle, the doctor would use one of our drawing tools to draw "swelling" on an image (on a tablet device) of a patient's ankle indicating there is swelling in the ankle.

When the patient comes back the following week or month, the doctor can mark up the drawing with other tools, such as "healed" or "inflamed", depending upon the type of ailment it is.

One of the tools we are developing is a generic "nothing changed" tool.  For reporting purposes, the doctor needs to use this tool to click on the ailment to confirm that the ailment is still there and that nothing has changed.  I don't know what to call this tool.  At present, it's called the "Nothing Changed" tool, but that's just not a great sounding tool.

What word in this context could be used to describe "nothing changed"?


texts: "can be clearly seen" OR "can clearly be seen"

texts:
In my essay the sentence

  The results can be clearly seen.

was corrected to:

  The results can clearly be seen.

What is the rule behind this correction?

Most of the time I use "can be" together without any words in between. Is that wrong?


texts: What's the meaning of 'fan his pantaloons' in this quote?

texts:
Consider... the university professor. What is his function? Simply to pass on to fresh generations of numskulls a body of so-called knowledge that is fragmentary, unimportant, and, in large part, untrue. His whole professional activity is circumscribed by the prejudices, vanities and avarices of his university trustees, i.e., a committee of soap-boilers, nail manufacturers, bank-directors and politicians. The moment he offends these vermin he is undone. He cannot so much as think aloud without running a risk of having them fan his pantaloons.
-- H. L. Mencken
I know what 'fan' and 'pantaloons' mean, but this phrase baffles me and I couldn't find it anywhere.


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "slaved out"

texts:
As I was reading a character's biography :

  Jack, a small orphan child on transport ship that crashed on the Pitch
  Black planet. During the movie it is discovered that the child dresses
  like a boy, but is actually female.

  In the second installment of the series, we discover that she attempts
  to replicate Riddick's eyes and fate by joining a bounty hunter crew.
  She was slaved out, and when attempting to escape murdered her captives, and sent to a prison.

  At the end of Chronicles, she is killed during the fight with the Lord
  Marshall.

I was wondering what "slaved out" exactly means. I tried to ask my friends, whose English is way better than mine, but they could not provide an answer.


texts: how to write something of something and something

texts:
I'm confused whether should I use plural when writing something of something and something.

  For example: the dataset of A and B (A and B are the names of the
  dataset).

Should I use plural for 'dataset' here? My understanding is like this:

  'the dataset of A and B' equals 'the dataset of A and the dataset of B'

So I should use singular for the 'dataset'


texts: Epithet, sobriquet, and moniker: What's the difference?

texts:
"Epithet", "sobriquet", "moniker"... All three are related words, the relation being that each is a form of nickname. But all my efforts at figuring out what distinctions exist between them have been futile; several sources treat them as essentially synonyms, while others claim there are differences but clash with each other on what those differences are (and that's assuming that a given source actually has a concrete idea of what said differences ought to be).

Take Merriam-Webster, for example:

epithet: a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring
in place of the name of a person or thing.
sobriquet: a descriptive name or epithet; nickname.
moniker: name, nickname.

Now let's look at Wiktionary:

epithet: A term used to characterize a person or thing; a term used
as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person.
sobriquet: A familiar name for a person (typically a shortened
version of a person’s given name).
moniker: A personal name or nickname; an informal label, often
drawing attention to a particular attribute.

And finally, consider the Collins Dictionary:

epithet: an adjective or short phrase which is used as a way of
criticizing or praising someone; a descriptive word or phrase added
to or substituted for a person's name; an adjective, noun, or phrase,
often specif. a disparaging one, used to characterize some person or
thing; a descriptive name or title (Ex.: Philip the Fair; America the
Beautiful).
sobriquet: a humorous name that people give someone or something; a
humorous epithet, assumed name, or nickname; a nickname, an assumed
name;
moniker: a person or thing's name, especially when it was changed; a
person's name or nickname.

Honestly speaking, none of these definitions seem to be that distinct from one another, and some even clash with how I've seen the words get used; Collins, for example, claims that an epithet is often disparaging, but most "epithets" that I've seen called as such are nothing of the kind.

Also, take note that although the actual definitions don't say anything about this, what is said about epithet "accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing" apparently also applies to sobriquet; the Wikipedia article certainly says as much, and even has a long list of examples that illustrate this.

So here I am, asking for assistance. Are there any appreciable differences in the meanings between these three words? If so, what are they?


texts: Do page/author in-text citations go at end of quote or end of sentence?

texts:
I was just arguing with my sister about the placement of a citation after a quote if the quote was not at the end of a sentence.

I thought it would be like so:

  According to me,"the citations go after the quote" (Jon 52) if they are not at the end of a sentence.

My sister had her citations like so:

  According to my sister, "the citations go at the end of the sentence" if they are not at the end of the sentence (Jess 52).

Which is correct? Are they both correct?


texts: Question about the proscribed use of “have” along with “get” or “be”

texts:
I have asked before and been told that along with the usage of have, there shouldn't be any other words like be or get, as the have already conveys the meaning on its own.

Example 1:

She never had it easy, always working with no breaks.
She never had it be easy, always working with no breaks.

Example 2:

I was running and had my laces get undone.
I was running and had my laces undo.

In the second example, I think it would be correct to use get so that it conveys the sense that the laces became undone.

This is a sample sentence I found on the internet:

  You never have the guy be the one wrapping his legs around the girl. That’s just a no to life.

And my question is. . . .

So is it acceptable to use the verbs be or get together with have when trying to tell about an experience which includes no intention of the speaker that anything should be done to them?

In other words, can you use these for a passive thing that they have no control over, the way there is a rule of ordering for something to be done attached to the most common usage of have?

Even though in the past every time I’ve asked I’ve been told that using be and get along with have is “incorrect”, I still hear people using such constructions.


texts: If I write this sentence in others ways, what differences do you think they will bring to native speakers?

texts:
I just read the following sentence in the text book New Concept English:

  A public house which was recently bought by Mr. Thompson is up for sale.

My question is, how is it different from saying

  A public house which has been recently bought by Mr. Thompson is up for sale.

In other words, if the present perfect is used instead of the simple past, what are the differences?

Lastly, how is either different from saying:

  A public house which Mr. Thompson bought is up for sale.


texts: Subject-verb agreement: "Most of the x of y" is/are?

texts:
According to my instructor's notes, in situations such as

  Most of that rack of paperbacks is/are trash,

where the prepositional phrase contains both a singular noun and a plural one, the choice depends on which noun the verb is really acting on. The notes say the plural is correct in this example because the sentence comments on the books, not the rack.

Another example is

  Most of the box of cookies has/have been eaten.

According to the notes, have is correct because the cookies are being eaten, not the box.

This approach results in sentences that do not sound right to me. It seems to me that the singular conjugation would be correct in both examples. My reasoning is that the "of the box" is essential and can stand alone, unlike "of cookies." You could say "most of the box has been eaten," but removing "of the box" only works if you say "of the cookies" instead of "cookies." It does not make sense to say "most of cookies have been eaten." This leads me to think you should say "most of the box of cookies has been eaten," and only use the plural if you are saying "most of the cookies have been eaten." It just doesn't sound right to say "most of the box of cookies have been eaten," which immediately creates a sense of conflict between the plural have and singular box.

Additionally, the reasoning that the verb's agreement is a result of determining which noun the verb truly acts on does not work as well in some situations. For example,

  The team of players is/are eating lunch.

Neither team nor players has any precedence over the other, and it makes perfect sense to say either one is eating. You cannot determine which noun the verb is really acting on.

A similar example can be found in this question. The answer says it is ultimately the writer's choice to emphasize one noun over the other.

Is this the best answer to this situation? It makes more sense than my instructor's notes, but it still seems that the singular conjugation sounds better. How is subject-verb agreement supposed to work in cases like these?


texts:
Diesel engines burn as much as 30 percent less fuel than gasoline engines of comparable size, as well as emitting far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gases that have been implicated in global warming.

Is 'as well as' preposition or conjunction in the above sentence? Also what are other prepositions that can also work as conjunctions? Thank you.


texts: what is the difference betweeen "accumulation" and "aggregation"

texts:
I looked up meriam webster and the two definitions seem to semantically  largely overlap.
the only thing hinting towards the existense of  distinctness between the two terms,
seemed to be:  that the term "aggregation" is claiming certain qualities from the collection of elements. It doesn't suffice to have a group of elements to call them aggregation, there also has to be some other quality inherent to such a collection...

but since I'm far away from being a native speaker,
I would appreciate any help.


texts: Meaning of "boosting cat food from someone"

texts:
In the 'The Panic in Needle Park' movie, one of the actors tell someone the following on the phone:

  No, man. I didn't boost any cat food from you.

What does it mean? It doesn't seem to be a very common expression either.


texts: so called without the negative connotations

texts:
The context is a book on the interactions of pagans and Christians in antiquity. Sallustius is a pagan, but he put together a catechism of various pagan beliefs, which some of his contemporaries found extremely unHellenistic (a catechism normally being something associated with the Christians).

The following are the options for my sentence so far, but I am not satisfied. I figure most people hearing 'so-called' think of the negative connotations and I'm not crazy about the style of the last sentence, but will probably use it if all else fails:

  Sallustius even went a step further, compiling a handbook of its
  teachings – On the gods and the world – a so-called “catechism”.

  Sallustius even went a step further, compiling a handbook of its
  teachings – On the gods and the world – which was known as a "catechism".

As far as research goes I've checked thesaurus.com but didn't find anything suitable.

I'm looking for a word or a phrase that could fit in the gap instead of 'so-called' or 'which was known as'.

  Sample sentence: Sallustius even went a step further, compiling a
  handbook of its teachings – On the gods and the world – a _________
  “catechism”.

  OR

  Sallustius even went a step further, compiling a handbook of its
  teachings – On the gods and the world – ________ “catechism".

It's a translation, so there are certain restrictions on how much I can change the sentence The word-for-word translation would be: which one called a catechism.


texts:
I have a friend who always says "Thank" instead of "Thanks" or "Thank you".
For example, when I ask: " Do you like to come?", his answer is: "Thank. I am busy".

Can you explain why "Thank" cannot be alone?  Surely it must be “Thanks”, or “Thanks to you” or “Thank you”.


texts: Article usage on word 'default' when the context is known

texts:
This question excludes 'default' used in court or 'a default' for an indefinite future (e.g. setting a default option). My question pertains to circumstances where the context behind the question or sentence is known and 'default' means using one option over other options.  I found that sometimes people use indefinite articles, but I could not figure out the reason behind it.

For example, how would you interpret these three questions differently?

  1) "Is this a default behavior?"

vs.

  2) "Is this the default behavior?"

vs.

  3) "Is this default behavior?"

What if I were to drop the the noun? Is that going to change anything?


texts: Should these sentences actually use 'whom' instead of 'who'?

texts:
I'm fairly confident that some of the grammatical advice I've been reading recently is arrant balderdash. It relates to the distinction between the ‘who’ and ‘whom’.
I'm sure this is a classic case on this forum, and I'm curious to see if I'm mistaken or misleading information has been disseminated. Both examples are from Quora.
The first instance where a Quora thread contains possibly erroneous advice is when a user (Melanie Lee) implies that ‘you know who I'm talking about’ is grammatical. However, this appears to be the grammatically correct version: ‘you know whom I'm talking about’. In the relative clause of the example sentence, there is a subject pronoun, so the relative pronoun should take the accusative (a.k.a. objective) case. I'd also commonly say, 'I'm talking about him/her/them’, so I could easily say ‘whom’ instead. This rephrasing of the relative clause into a sentence should show my logic.
The thread: https://www.quora.com/Shouldnt-Voldemort-be-called-You-Know-Whom
In another thread, a different Quora user (Warren Sentes) claims that ‘"Do you know whom it is from", is actually the incorrect use of the object pronoun’. I disagree! It seems absurd, as ‘it’ is the subject of the relative clause! The gender-pronoun test for grammatical cases can even be used here: it is valid to say that ‘it was from him/her/them’, so it is actually grammatically correct to also write ‘whom’ there as well. How can this be taken on as the top answer?
The thread: https://www.quora.com/Is-it-correct-to-say-do-you-know-who-it-is-from-or-do-you-know-whom-it-is-from
Is there something I'm missing? I thought I properly understood this rule.
I appreciate any answers. Thanks in advance.


texts: What is the difference between "cancel" and "abort"?

texts: I've tried to see the definition, but i still don't get it. What is their difference and when to use it?


texts:
How do I spell the truncation 'Cas', as in 'Sports Casual/Sports Cas'? It may be UK only, and may have been spawned by Alan Partridge. Cash/Cas are not right.

*As in a slang term, "he was acting all cas".


texts: Is “Trees are the right height” an established phrase? What does it mean?

texts:
Many newspapers reported that Mitt Romney praised his home state, Michigan in front of 1,200 supporters on Friday afternoon, by saying:

"What a thrill it is to come back to Michigan, particularly in the winter, where the skies are cloudy all day, trees are just at the right height, almost all the cars you see are American-made -- the way they ought to be,"

According to www.huffington post.com, Romney used his favorite phrase, “trees are just at the right height” more than once in his speeches, e.g.

“I love being in Michigan. Everything seems right here; the trees are the right height. The grass is the right color for this time of year, kind of a brownish-greenish sort of thing. It just feels right.” in the speech in a social club in November 2011.
"What a thrill it is to come back to Michigan, particularly in the winter, where the skies are cloudy all day, trees are just at the right height, almost all the cars you see are American-made - the way they ought to be," at Lawrence Technological University in Detroit rally in January 2008 in the Presidential race.

Is “trees are just at the right height” a proverbial expression? It sounds odd to me, because every tree has its own height unless they are artificially, evenly trimmed by men.
What does “trees are just at the right height” mean? Is this a routine phrase, or just his creation attempted to resonate the heart of countrymen?


texts:
I have the text in one mathematical book:

  It certainly is a huge step beyond just the concept of evenness and oddness, which is all that the Pythagorean proof uses.

Can you explain to me  what is "just" - adjective or adverb?
And what does "just" mean here? I've looked some dictionary but can't choose proper meaning.


texts: What is the difference between these two sentences

texts:
"Hello Jack you are back I thought you are on holiday"  or
" Hello Jack you are back I thought you were on holiday"
What should I use when im speaking with someone ?


texts:
Is the following grammatically correct?

Hi All,
Today I am going to be sending this model of living room


texts: Phrase for words like "heart rate", "blood pressure", "sweat", etc

texts:
Is there a phrase for words like "heart rate", "blood pressure", "sweat", "temperature", etc.?

Usage example:

  Estimating someone's mood by their [phrase]


texts: Looking for word or phrase for when you look for something over and over in the same places unsuccessfully then find it there when you look again?

texts: Is there a word for phrase for when you look for something over and over in the same places unsuccessfully then find it there when you look again?


texts: As I understand, the term drop-off can mean a steep decline in, say, sales; however, an abrupt cliff is not called a drop-off. Only in American English is drop-off used to describe a cliff's steep gradient. What would the proper British English term be for an all but vertical cliff gradient?


texts: What is the etymology of the word ketchup? I've tried searching on Google without a definitive answer.


texts: Abbreviating company names that are possessive

texts: If I start a sentence with a company name that is possessive, should I use the apostrophe in the abbreviation after it?    The sentence reads, "DSK Lineal's (DSK or DSK's??) online geospatial..."


texts: Can I substitute the synonym "refuse" to check if a sentence with the word "disdain" makes sense?

texts:
I am trying to learn the meaning of the word disdain and how it is used in a sentence. It means to dislike of someone or something with the feeling that it does not deserve your respect or consideration. So if I am practicing sentence writing with the word disdain, can I substitute the word refuse to check if the sentence makes sense?
For example: The worker disdained the new tactics of dealing with customers.
To make sure the sentence makes sense, I substitute refuse: The worker refused the new tactics of dealing with customers.
Is it ok to substitute "refuse"?


texts: Could you please help me analyze this sentence? what does it mean

texts:
Fervor is the weapon of choice of the impotent

I am confused about the "choice of impotent." Does it mean sb is motivated by fervor to choose sth impotent?


texts:
Could you please help me understand why the verb "face" is used in the past, in the following sentence, not in the present although the first part of the sentence is describing a future situation?
The sentence is :
"You’re never going to run in the Olympics. It’s time you faced (up to) the facts."
Appreciate you help.


texts: Being a persistent or persevering learner?

texts:
If someone is studying something for a longer period, concentrated, focused: is he rather a "persistent learner" (which yields more hits at google) or a "persevering learner" (which seem to be used more often in bible references and on religious websites)?

According to @Thursagen's answer, persevering would be the positive notion.


texts:
I have table with head "End in" and values as "week 5", "week 8", etc.

"End in" Week included? or may be different depending on the context?

For example:


texts:
If a new person joins our firm, should we use the word "joinee" or "joiner"? As I can see there is no word "joinee" in dictionary.

And joiner says:

  a person who constructs the wooden components of a building, such as stairs, doors, and door and window frames.
  informal a person who readily joins groups or campaigns: a compulsive joiner of revolutionary movements.

As second definition says, informal and I have been using "joinee" for years.

So I would like to clarify my doubts regarding usage of these 2 words correctly.


texts: "...four others, one of whom responded." Is “whom” correct here? Can I use "who" instead?

texts:
I want to shorten this:

  I sent emails to four others. One person responded.

Does the following sentence correctly use whom to achieve my goal?

  I sent emails to four others, one of whom responded.

Can I use who instead of whom here?


texts: I've known for a long time that "She apologizes to him for breaking his vase" is a correct sentence, but if one were to say sorry to another, could that be written as "She has been apologizing to him for breaking his vase", or "She has been apologizing him for breaking his vase"?


texts: What's it called when someone forms a general conclusion from something which is aberrant?

texts:
I'm trying to think of a phrase that describes someone who is in a certain situation and when an outcome out of the norm comes up then he takes the aberrant outcome and generalizes it, believing it to be the normal outcome for that and similar situations. That is, he's forming an general opinion based on that one instance.

Is there an expression which describes that in one or two words? If so, what is it?


texts: Which of the following sentences is clear?

texts: Is it correct to say 'Talk about a different typical characteristic between men and women'? or we have to say 'Talk about a typical characteristic of men which is different from that of women'? Thank you.


texts: Which dialects of English consider "would" to be a polite form of "will"?

texts:
My recent trip to India exposed me to many sentences using "would" as a polite substitute for "will", as in

Please make sure to leave on time. The last bus would depart at 8PM.
Thanks for checking out early. However, there would be no refund.

I am not familiar with such patterns in AmE or BE. Are they common in particular settings that I'm not aware of? How common are they in India?
Note: the following query seems to return a bunch of other examples (among conditional uses of course) inurl:.co.in "would"


texts: What is the word for an applied template?

texts:
The notion of a template is that it is abstract and can be applied to future instances. Is there a word that means an instantiated template?

I'd prefer something that specifically refers to the fact that it came from a template, so not "instance".


texts:
Multiple definition -
">"having or involving several parts, elements, or members

Several definition -
">"more than two but not many

                                                           _via Google Search_

Multiple definition -
">"something in units of more than one or two

                                                           _via Webster_

Can I use the word multiple to mean exactly two things? I know it is not clear and can even be sneaky, but would it be flat out wrong? Would I be lying or simply abusing the word (or would I be well within my rights) if I said I had multiple cookies in the jar when really only two were left in the jar?


texts:
A friend of mine keeps using a contraction like this and I keep correcting him by asking "I'll what?". He doesn't get it though, and no matter how much I try to explain it doesn't seem to sink in.

For example, I tried explaining that in most cases you can't use a contraction (more specifically ones that refer to a person(s) like I'll, they'll, he'll and so on) right before who/what/where/when/how/why, that he should use "I will" instead of "I'll" unless he's asking a question; "I'll when?" makes sense, "I'll when it's finished" doesn't.

So, just to clarify, does "I'll when" work when it's not a question?

How can I better explain it to him? I'm having a hard time and I seem to be making a mess of it rather than helping.


texts: What is the proper word for describing the kind of teaching which based on executing/applying what you heard from your teacher without thinking of it or even applying reason. To just to do what you have heard.


texts:
What are some single-word options for the antonym for a luddite?

Its a great word with an interesting etymology, I am just wondering if there are any similarly storied words that mean the opposite?

From Dictionary.com

  Luddite - noun

  someone who is opposed or resistant to new technologies or technological change.


texts: What do we call questions which have a definite, known answer?

texts:
Is there a standard adjective or term which classifies "questions with a known, single, unambiguous, objective, and correct answer"?

That is, questions like "2+2=?" or "What is the capital of Ohio?", as opposed to questions like "Who's the best band of all time?" or "What is human nature?".

If you wanted to describe the kinds of questions StackExchange welcomes and encourages in as few words as possible (ideally two: adjective + "questions"), what would you say?

PLEASE: No philosophical debates about whether "objectivity" is possible or a meaningful concept, or the infinite possible interpretations of "2+2"; for the sake of answering this question, assume objectivity and correctness are meaningful and achievable goals.


texts: Possessive: using it when there's no possession

texts: I was asked to clarify why we say today's lesson or tomorrow's world if by it's very nature possessive only applies to those who possess and therefore it should be theoretically today lesson.


texts: What is the meaning of "bail on his life and set up shop in someone else's.” in the first episode of Rick&Morty?

texts:
Friends. I started watching Rick and Morty with English subtitles, but English is not my first language, and I have a problem in understanding the meaning of this Dialogue. Beth says it to his father that caused Beth's son didn't go to school the entire semester.

  Beth: “How could you make my son miss an entire semester of school? I
  mean, it's not like he's a hot girl. He can't just bail on his life
  and set up shop in someone else's.”

I didn't understand the meaning of "He can't just bail on his life." and "set up shop in someone else's." I understand the general meaning of the sentence, but I didn't get the exact definition of "bail on his life" and "set up shop in someone else's."
 I think these are Idioms that I couldn't find the definition of them.


texts: Does the word "table" have anything to do with a table?

texts: I am curious to know why a numerical chart can be called a table. What is the relation to the table at which people eat?


texts: Is using frequent irregular sentences acceptable in writing books?

texts:
I am editing a friend's story, and he constantly has sentences with no verbs or subjects, which he defends as being an accepted literary style.  I'm not bothered by one or two, but every page seems to have one.  As if they add something.  And nothing more.  Which just seems choppy. But could add to the spook value?

Within 37 pages, there have been a minimum of 20 sentences in that style, and while a few of them "work" for me, most of them just seem contrived.  Thank you in advance!


texts: Usage of the word "stubborn" on a thing rather than a person

texts:
The definition of the word, "stubborn", in dictionary.com goes

  "unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unmoving"

and in Longman Dictionary

  " difficult to remove, deal with, or use "

Many of the examples these dictionaries provided are for describing a person that is hard to deal with. I wonder, can I say something is stubborn? If so, can I have some examples? If not, is there an adjective for saying something is hard to accomplish or uneasy to get rid of?


texts: Are "a perfect fool", "a proper fool" and "a precious fool" the same kind of "fool"?

texts:
Is there any (subtle) difference in meaning and usage when these adjectives qualify "a fool"?  Are these adjectives perfectly interchangeable

"A precious fool I would look, if I did that."
"The officer made me look a proper fool."
"You are a perfect fool!"


texts:
In the sentence below. How many finites are there?

'Interviewers ask respondents if they have been the victim of a crime in the past 12 months; if they have, respondents provide information about the nature of the incidents, including the race and ethnicity of the offenders.'

The first part of the sentence is straight forward enough.

Interviewers - subject; ask - finite.

After this however I'm a little confused. For example does 'have been' in 'if they have been the victim' qualify as a finite, as the meaning here is conditional.


texts: "Sound" is to "mute" as "visuals" is to what verb?

texts: Looking for a verb that would be the visual equivalent of mute as it would be used on an audio player. That is to say, the content is continuing to be played, but not being displayed on the device.


texts: Technical Term for Incorrect Homonym/Synomym Error

texts:
I am looking for the technical term for a specific kind of speech/writing error which is the bad intersection of homonyms, synonyms, and words with meaning which are related in one context but not another. There are 2 variations of this error: one which occurs more often within the same language, and one which occurs more often as an error of computer translation between 2 languages. The error is this: the use of a synonym for the wrong definition/homonym of a word. The first occurs often in cases of names of products or TV shows - cases where words lack their standard meaning/context, and are simply terms which the speaker may not have an association with in that context. This is almost ALWAYS done by people unfamiliar with the topic. Examples would be (these are the "related in one context but not another" variation):

Someone asking about "that play The Ghost of The Ballet" (The Phantom of the Opera)

"Asteroid cleaner" (comet)

"that song - what's it called? Kathrine Hepburn" (the song is called Grace Kelly)

Or the computer translation error version (the homonym/synonym fail):
"In crime of fire, steal the walk" (in case[>court case>crime] of fire, take [>steal] the stairs [>steps>walk])

"Metal the way" (lead[metal]/lead[leadership] the way)

"Too much practice, you may wheel" (If you get too much exercise[>school exercises>practice] you will tire[sleepy]/tire[wheel])

Different homonyms in different languages mean that repeated translation in and out of various languages will eventually yield results so mangled you can't tell what they were ever supposed to say. The error I'm searching for the name of is the reason computer translation doesn't work. I suppose the best way I can describe it would be "contextless homonym/synonym fail".


texts: How can I describe see-through clothing vision?

texts:
When asked about my superpower I wish I had, I answer, with a little perversion, the power to see through clothes.

Now, I'm looking for a word that describes "see-through clothes" in one word, coupled with vision.  X-Ray vision isn't exactly the same thing; to me it implies seeing through to the bone (hence X-Ray).

Is there a word that can aptly describe this superpower?  I looked for word synonyms of see-through, like transparent, or crystalline, but "transparent vision" or "crystalline vision" doesn't really sound close to what I'm trying to say.


texts: 'To' vs 'in order to' in negative clauses

texts:
The answers to this related question suggest that to and in order to are pretty much interchangeable, the former being preferred in informal contexts. My question is about negative clauses.
According to the answers to the linked questions, the following two sentences are fine and mean the same thing:

We were speaking loudly to wake up Mr.Smith.
We were speaking loudly in order to wake up Mr.Smith.

Can the same be said about the following sentences?

We were speaking quietly not to wake up Mr. Smith.
We were speaking quietly in order not to wake up Mr. Smith.

I am asking because when I used the first variant a friend of mine corrected me and said that I must use either in order or so as to make the sentence grammatical.


texts: The junk would then burn up before it strikes the ground VS before it struck the ground?

texts:
The junk would then burn up before it strikes the ground vs
The junk would then burn up before it struck the ground?


texts: Comparing negatives: "she seems not to know" vs. "she doesn't seem to know"

texts:
What is the difference in style and meaning between the following two:

  She seems not to know.
  She doesn't seem to know.

Is there a name to this type of construction?


texts: What's the difference between "I'm in love with her" and "I love her"?


texts: Synonym for "godchild" without religious connotation

texts:
In English is there a synonym for "godchild" (or the gender-specific versions) without a religious connotation but without necessarily having other specific connotations?

All the words I'm coming up with mean (or at least imply) that the child is living with me, or that I'm acting in loco parentis in some way. I don't want that.

"orphan", "foster child", "adopted child": these all mean that the child has lost his or her natural parents and is living with a different family or in an orphanage.
"protégé": this is closer, but to me it still implies that the child lives with the mentor rather than the parents.

What I am looking for is something that describes a similar relationship to "godchild" (i.e. I care about the child's well-being, but he lives with his parents, not with me) without actually having the religious connotation or implying anything about the child.

(As some commenters mention, "godchild" is sometimes used outside of a religious context these days, but it still carries that connotation; it can't really be separated from its origin.)


texts: "On" and "Off" for Lights, Electrical Switches, etc

texts:
Simple question: Why were the prepositions "on" and "off" used for things like "The lights are on" and "The computer is off", and when did these words gain their new usage?

I'm guessing back in the days when lights were only generated by a flame people would say "The light is lit" or "The light is out", so presumably the usage began with electric lights.

Also, I've said both "The microwave is running" and "The microwave is on", but only "The refrigerator is running" and not "The refrigerator is on".  Is this because of the predominance of electrical energy in the former and mechanical energy in the latter?


texts: Is there a term for a group believing their methods are better than another?

texts:
I'm writing about a rebellion in a kingdom with an unjust government and a cruel monarchy. Like all rebellions, their goal is to overthrow the government and the ruler to bring back order. In the story, another rebellion group in the same kingdom has the same goal. However, they believe that their group is superior as they think they have better methods to overthrow the government. In general, they think they are better than the initial and main rebellion group.

Is there a term for this? If there is, it would make writing my story easier so I really would appreciate it.


texts: Verb to cause one to listen, as in "show" means to cause one to see

texts:
We may say, for example,

May I show you my favorite painting by Monet?

Tomorrow, I will show my grandmother my dance recital video recording.

where 'show' means to cause one to see something visual.
However, I can't think of an English verb to cause someone to hear or listen to something auditory, as in,

May I show you my favorite composition by Debussy?

Tomorrow, I will show my grandmother my clarinet recital audio recording.

The word 'show' in the above sentences seems to mean that I intend to present written sheet music or display a digital audio file on a screen.
But if I intend for one to listen to a piece of music (or anything auditory), is there a single verb which can replace the word show in the above sentences?

The most concise verb phrase I've thought of (aside from using 'listen' as a command, i.e., "Listen to this composition.") is:

May I have you listen to my favorite composition by Debussy?

Tomorrow, I will have my grandmother listen to my clarinet audio recording.

But I would prefer a single verb, if one exists.


texts: A word for discrimination based on education or area of expertise

texts:
I was wondering if there is a word for "discrimination on the basis of education / area of expertise".

What I mean is a word to describe someones attitude toward geeks of some kind.

Example:
I want to find a word that ungrounded feeling of inherent intellectual superiority toward a group of people with different education, e.g mathematicians towards physicists and vice versa.


texts: I need help understanding the meaning of "insofar as"

texts:
I have been trying to get my head around the meaning of "insofar as", but
it keeps eluding me. I know it means "to the extent that" or "as much as" as in "I will help insofar as I can" but there are many different cases where I can't grasp the meaning, such as in "The news is good insofar as it suggests that a solution may be possible". Another example is "quarterly earnings matter to investors only insofar as they can at times provide information about future earnings". Can "insofar as" mean because, while, as long as? Any help would be very much appreciated.


texts: Word for a small background program launched by a larger main application

texts:
In our software project, we are quickly gaining a number of small, external programs which are not part of the main program. Each of them has a specific, but limited functionality. We're having trouble coming up with a descriptive, evocative name for them.

What all of these "things" have in common:

They have a strictly delineated functionality.
They are completely decoupled from the main program, but are rather useless without it.
They usually run in their own process, or as a thread in a larger "container" program.
They run in the background, typically listening for specific kinds of events and notifying the main program.
The main program can start/stop these at will. The main program will typically start one of these, have them run for a while, and then shut them down again once it's no longer needed.
The main program communicates with and controls them through some form of RPC or socket-based communication.
They do not necessarily need to run on the same host as the main program.

We're looking for a word that denotes a small thing spawned by a larger thing, for the benefit and use of that larger thing. The obvious words with which I can come up (e.g., component, module, service, task, agent, stub, ...) already have defined meanings within the context of our project. Additionally, generic terms such as process, child, or daemon may cause confusion when used to refer to things which are not part of our application.

Example sentence:

Any component (e.g., a service or task module), may require an ________ to be spawned. This can be done either directly by the agent, if on the same host, or by a stub on a remote host.


texts: Neither am I / me neither in a specific context

texts:
A friend of mine and I were talking about a party that we've had today and he told me the following:

  I won't have dinner at home, lol.

And I replied:

  Neither am I.

Based on these topics, Using either, neither and too and Is the statement "Neither am I" right?, my answer was not wrong at all in myself comprehension.

I want to know your opinion, is the above wrong? If so, why? And what's the correctiest way to express equality in that situation?


texts:
Do "Rejoicing", "glorious", and "sinuous" all go to "scientists"? That is, "scientists enjoying the beauty of computer images , evolving colour patterns and multidimensional topologies, and order verging on chaos and snaking back to order again, sound ecstatic"?

Context:

Rejoicing in the beauty of computer images which show symmetries in structure and system, glorious with evolving colour patterns and multidimensional topologies, sinuous with order verging on chaos and snaking back to order again, scientists can sound ecstatic. This isn’t simply an image. It is literally the Meaning of Life. And it is beautiful. Who needs art?

(Art and Science by Sian Ede)


texts: Where did the phrase "batsh*t crazy" come from?

texts: I am curious how this term came to be. I've found this question on various forums, but none of them seem to agree where the term came from. The most popular explanation seems to come from "bat in the belfry," but I don't see how the two are necessarily connected.


texts: past-time expressions and present perfect in British English

texts:
Could anyone please tell me what on Monday modifies in the
following passage?

Does it modify has held talks?

Also, what does which refer to? The talks or the meeting?
I suppose it refers to the latter, doesn't it?

  The head of world football's governing body Fifa has held talks
  with senior officials ahead of a planned meeting on Monday, at
  which a date is expected to be set for a leadership election.

  Sepp Blatter announced last month that he would step down weeks
  after the dramatic arrests in Zurich in early May of senior
  members of the organisation.


texts: Are the words "flair", "knack" and "gift" synonymous?

texts:
Are the words "flair", "knack" and "gift" interchangeable?

For example,

She has a flair for languages.

She has a knack for languages.

She has a gift for languages.


texts:
What are the differences between the words prodigal and spendthrift? They seem to mean the same.

When does one choose to use one over the other?


texts:
I'm looking for a strong positive word that means the following:

Unpretentious
Doesn't try to be anything more than it is
Unassuming

The restaurant is very _________.

I'm looking for a word that doesn't start with 'Un' and has a really positive connotation. Synonyms like 'simple' and 'genuine' don't quite seem to fit.


texts:
What is the meaning of "as we choose" at the end of this sentence?
Does it mean "while choosing bachelors" or "choosing all things we are going to legislate"?

  Of course, we could always legislate that bachelors are all those men
  above the age of 25 who have never been married and who do not belong
  to any religious order … and so on, as we choose.


texts: Why is the past tense used in this scenario?

texts:
Forms for user login typically contain links like these:

Forgot password?
I forgot my password

Why is the past tense used? I would expect present perfect. I mean:

I have forgotten my password


texts: Difference between "welcome to", "welcome on" and "welcome at"

texts: As in the title. What's the main difference between them? What should I use when I'm greeting someone on/at my website?


texts: What is the correct form for an ad banner

texts:
What is the correct form: "Stop mumbling, start speaking!" or "Stop mumbling, start to speak!" ? This is for an advertisement of foreign language learning appl=.
Thanks


texts: Using "fair enough" without disagreement

texts:
I know that "fair enough" is similar to (but not the same as) OK, used to politely concede or partially agree with a point or to indicate that you understand where they're coming from. But then we have the following:

"I'm terribly sorry, yada yada yada so the system is currently down and and we have to enter everything manually."
"Fair enough"

I would use "fair enough" here meaning "yea, that sucks, I understand why this is going to take longer than usual, I'm cool with it", but it just occurred to me that it could be understood as "I'm not sure if that's quite right but that's alright" as if I were questioning them. Is the former indeed a valid use of the phrase, or would it be more likely to be interpreted as the latter? Is it impolite to use it in a such way?

For a bit of extra context, I'm referring to Australian English specifically.


texts: What do you call the person who runs parties, weddings, and organizes party games?

texts:
It's similar to a DJ, but I don't mean night clubs or music only. What is the general word for a person who directs the crowd during a party, and announces things?

Toast master is one word.
Show runner?
Anchor man?
Party announcer?
MC - master of ceremony? But this is only for breakdance, rap battles etc.

I'd like to know other synonyms.


texts: Is there another way of saying "opener" as in the one who does the opening prayer in a devotion?

texts: Another term for saying "Opener" in a Christian devotion.


texts: I make money without getting my ‘can’ knocked off

texts:
From Trouble Is My Business by Raymond Chandler (1938):

  "You might do," Anna said, "cleaned up a little. Twenty bucks a day and ex's. I haven't brokered a job in years, but this one is out of my line. I'm in the smooth-angles of the detecting business and I make money without getting my can knocked off. Let's see how Gladys likes you."

The above can could be buttock or breat in slang dictionary.

Which one would be in this case? Or is there some other meaning for this case?


texts: Is "Didn't you have a meeting to attend to?" grammatical?

texts: Is the sentence "Didn't you have a meeting to attend to" grammatically correct?


texts:
I'm looking for a better way than "Ship Complete" to say "Do not ship products individually."

"Ship Complete" is an option found in an order entry process. The order process goes as follows:

A customer enters their order.
The customer chooses from a pre-determined list of delivery locations.
They then chooses if they would like their order's individual items to be "shipped complete" or "shipped individually".
Optionally the customer can add a custom message or instructions.
And lastly, they choose their payment method and finalize the order.

"Ship complete" in step three is easier to understand in the actual process due to headings and its relationship to "ship individually", but when you see it on an order detail page you see strictly, "Ship complete" which causes confusion.

Some potential options that have been put together are:

Ship as complete order
Ship as one order
Ship 100% together
Ship as bundle
Ship as single unit

I'd love to have a few more options to mill over. So, how would you say, "Do not ship products individually" in a more concise way?


texts: Wondering if the use of the word "gotta" is correct here

texts:
You gotta be very angry.

From an American movie.

My intuation is that is to say you are really very angry or it seems you are angry.

Why the guy used gotta here. gotta implies force, like saying you have to be very angry that means ** you do not have any other choices**

I have my doubts if the speaker ment something like that!


texts: What is the grammatic function of the expression "being polluted"

texts:
first poster here.

I need help with the following sentence, written by my Vietnamese student.

He wrote "The forest being polluted is the consequence of our actions."
Now I'm not looking to rephrase the sentence in any way, I just want to understand what the function of being polluted is.

It's not an adjective, although it is part of the noun group. It's no gerund as it's not a noun and I've already been through my grammar book, to no avail.


texts:
Many small companies have difficulty growing because the number of
  orders becomes too large to handle.

Should I use become or becomes in this sentence? I don't know, but the sentence feels a little odd to me.


texts: Is the "The Pirate King" another structure of "The King of Pirates", interchangeably or "Pirate" is like an adj., meaning "The King that is a pirate"?

texts:
I have ambiguity with the meaning of some compound nouns, especially in the form noun+noun like: "The Pirate King", "The Lion King", "The Pirate Bay" and so on.
EDITED:
to put it in context:

Consider this famous movie title: "The Lion King", is it literally another structure of "The King of Lions", meaning are they interchangeable like << the owner of the restaurant = the restaurant owner >>?
 Or: "Lion" is a noun but like an adjective describing the kind or type of the "King", meaning literally "the King (of the Jungle) that is a lion"?
 If the latter, then doesn't "The Pirate Bay" mean "the Bay of Pirates"?

Also consider what Luffy said in "One Piece":

I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King!


texts:
Waiting for the answer whether or not configuration changes helped?

I am struggling with the second part of the question. Does this sentence correct or i need to change it?


texts: When I'm trying to say "The class will be held (on, in, during . . . ) 15-20 July, 2014" which preposition is more appropriate ?


texts:
I'm looking for a suffix that has the opposite meaning of the suffix -less as in stainless. That is, a suffix that means “not free of ...”. In German, for example, there is the adverb “behaftet” and one can say “fehlerbehaftet” (meaning “not free of defects”).

In particular, I'm looking for opposites of unitless and dimensionless (w.r.t. physical quantities).


texts: Word for "doing something and forgetting it soon after"

texts:
As mentioned in the title I am looking for a word to describe someone who does an action and forgets soon after. I do not mean that one's simply being forgetful but rather that they have a psychological problem, for instance:

A man wakes up at 8:00 a.m. and goes to work. At noon, halfway through his shift the man becomes confused, only having remembered leaving his house in the morning.

The word that I'm looking for is if this is a common occurrence in that person's life.


texts: Pronunciation of "the East" in the Carol "The First Noel"

texts:
I sing in a choir and most of us are Spanish speakers. We're singing The First Noel, and last night someone questioned whether we should say "the East" pronounced as "thuh East" or "thee East."

The lyrics read:

  They looked up and saw a star
  shining in the East beyond them far
  And to the earth it gave great light
  And so it continued both day and night.

I looked up the rule, and it's not clear to me, as I cannot identify whether the 'e' in East is considered a consonant or a vowel sound. Compare 'East' and 'earth'. In the latter, it is clear that the pronunciation should be "thee earth", but the sound of 'e' in 'East' is different, so what should it be?

Also, when I looked up the song sang by other choirs, they say "thee East."

Can you please help and provide the rule that should be followed in this specific case or is it a case of poetic license?


texts: "To hove to a standard" -- correct usage?

texts:
I was recently corresponding with someone and wrote the following, "... assuming you hove to the standard." I read this as being equivalent to saying, "... assuming you follow the standard in all details." He questioned me on this usage, and I blithely assumed I could Google it and send him a supporting link. No such luck.

Am I misremembering this use of the verb "to hove"? I am a sailor so I'm quite familiar with "hove to" in that context. E.g., "The captain chose to hove heave to until the gale blew itself out."

Update: Please just focus on the question itself. There are instances on the net (here, here, here, here, here, and here -- just search for "hove" on the page) that use "hove" in something approaching the sense of my usage. So I don't seem to be completely alone on this.

Thanks to PeterShor I now have hits from googling the phrase "hoves to the" yielding pages pages like this: "Again, Girard hoves to the Joseph story where his brothers who expelled him ..."

And from a sports article in The Guardian from 2011: "Rumbling in like a freight train, Tsonga hoves to the forecourt to scoop up another of those teasing, malicious drop shots, sending it back for a clean winner. ..."

And from a blog from 2006: "... and while the report hoves to NPR’s “balanced” line, ..."

For what it's worth, I acknowledge in the comments that I used the wrong tense in my example because of an editing error, that's all it was. And, yes, I fully understand the meaning of "to heave to" (or "to be hove to") in sailing because I've done it many times in the 50+ years I have been at the helm.


texts: Is there a term for words that have a silent character?

texts:
For example:

In knowledge, the k is silent, in honest, h is silent and so on.

I'm looking for a generic term for words of this category, and for the term used for the silent character (k and h above).


texts:
If something is iterative, it means it repeats.
A cycle is also something that is repeated.

So is "iterative cycle" tautological — a redundant way of saying "iteration"?

For example:

  We performed three iterations of the experiment.

vs

  The experiment had three iterative cycles.


texts:
I learn that as a noun fright is a derivative of fear.
What's the difference between these two?
I read that fright is more intense than fear, is it true?
I also read the explanation here, but I can't quite understand the difference in the usage.


texts:
In debates there's a particular logical fallacy that goes something like:

"Person A is bad. Person A thinks X is good. Therefore X is bad."

or alternatively:

"Person A is good. Person A thinks X is good. Therefore X is good."

Essentially X is judged based on who likes/dislikes it, rather than on its own merits.

I'm wondering if there's a term for this particular type of logical fallacy? I'm not sure if it counts as 'ad hominem', since Person A is not the debater. It's also not quite 'Appeal to Authority' since Person A is not necessarily an important person. Any ideas?


texts: "Accessory" vs "included" as adjective (BE)

texts:
I'm wondering about the use of the word accessory as an adjective.

Would it be preferable in BE to say something like "This DJ controller comes with accessory headphones"?

I feel that "This DJ controller comes with headphones" or "This DJ controller includes headphones" is more correct and more preferable, and that accessory as an adjective sounds awkward. I have a colleague, however, who insists that accessory as an adjective is used widely in the UK, and that included is very American.


texts: Does "salt mines" have any specific meaning?

texts: In the movie Easy A, the character Todd said "See you at salt mines" to Olive when they met at Melody's party. What does salt mines mean? Does it really mean "a mine for salt"?


texts:
As far as I know,  When you  speak about yourself and you refer to your  own feeling of necessity of doing something you use must and not to have to. If I am talking about outside command or necessity I should use have to. But what when you are talking about someone else (the third person singular or plural)? Eg. She has to take this pill, She has to go to doctor, she has to study better, etc which would be a better choice 'must' or 'have to'?
How to show that you are talking about either one's own feeling of necessity or about outside command when you speak about a third person and not about yourself?

I must be at the meeting at 10:10. (I require myself-must should be used and not to have to)
I have to be at the meeting. (I am required to be there by someone else, only to have to and not must shoud be used here)

My textbook says that when you are not talking about your opinion you shoudn't use 'must'. When you refer to a fact have to is used but not must. At the same time I came across this example; 'Students must pass an entrance examination to study at this school.' This is not someone's opinion, but a fact and if  so have to should be used here instead of must
I would be grateful for explanations.


texts: What's a word for someone who always tries to improve things around them?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that refers to someone who puts effort into constantly leaving things better than the way he/she found them - an interpretation of 'stewardship'.

Sample sentence: "I've been so busy solving new problems for clients daily, that I haven't had the chance to better our internal processes. This really bothers the ________ in me."

Thanks in advance!


texts:
I am currently in the process of writing a paper in computer science and I wanted to know if I solved a question posed by those guys or asked by them.

  When should I use "posed a question" and when should I use "asked a question"?

In specific, my sentence is currently the following:

  [...], thereby answering a question posed by Scientist et al. in the negative.


texts: Term for subconsciously assuming something to be true just because it is noted down somewhere

texts:
Is there a term referring to the tendency of a person to believe something to be true simply because it is noted down somewhere?

By noted down I mean either written down in real life or on the internet, but also broadcasted on TV or included in any other form of media.

My first thoughts were belief and confirmation bias, but I feel like neither of those terms match what I'm looking for. The closest I got to an answer is this question, Term for the sense that something must be true because many people talk about it, which I found on this site, but what I'm looking for is focused more on a single person, not considering the society as a whole.

To describe it in another way, I'm looking for a term which would describe a person neglecting to check the validity of a fact, not because they trust the source of the fact, but simply because they are tired or their mind is somehow occupied with something else.


texts:
Definition of Kelvin:
The kelvin is the primary unit of temperature measurement in the physical sciences, but is often used in conjunction with the Celsius degree, which has the same magnitude. Subtracting 273.16 K from the temperature of the triple point of water (0.01 °C) makes absolute zero (0 K) equivalent to −273.15 °C (−459.67 °F). (source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin)

In this definition, Celsius is capitalized but kelvin is not?

Which is correct?


texts:
What is (or what are) the correct way(s) of pronouncing 'engine'?

In fact, I think I know the answer; I asked native speakers (UK, US, Australia) several times, and they all pronounced the "i" in 'engine' like in 'native'. But people in my country almost always pronounce the 'i' in 'engine' like in 'dynamite' which causes me to doubt myself. So I thought I should ask here to get the final, undisputed, and expert answer.  I need more than a Google answer; I want to know if there's only one pronunciation for "engine" around the world.

Are there major differences in the pronunciation in UK or US (etc.) for this word specifically?

Not to mention the way it is pronounced in countries (such as mine) where English is not the mother tongue. I live in France; the people I mentioned are software engineers like me.


texts: Is there a specific word for "read in silence"?

texts:
For example,

  Instead of reading the poem aloud, they ___ it after the librarian yelled at them.

Synonyms that imply or connote silence usually also imply a level of attention, e.g. peruse, flip through.

Is there a single word to specify simply reading without making any sound?


texts: A lot of people seem to be 'working for the man'. Who is this guy?

texts:
I have heard the expression 'working for the man' a lot. Mostly in podcasts made in the US.

What does that mean?

Does it express an opinion about the employer? Something along the lines of big, inhuman company?


texts:
Context: Equation 1 requires substituting A for B.

Does this mean all "A" in equation 1 is replaced with "B" or vice versa?


texts: What is the opposite of free intended as "without"?

texts:
"Sugar free, taste __"

Which word could I use to tell the opposite of "free" intended as "without"?


texts:
There is no problem if a singular subject is having one or more objects.

singular-singular:

  The student sat down on his seat.

singular-plural:

  The student looked at his books.

There is also no problem with multiple subjects having multiple objects.

plural-plural:

  The students had to compile a list of their books.

But what is the proper construct in the plural-singular case?

Variant 1:

  The students opened their book.

Variant 2:

  The students opened their books.

(In case we are trying to describe that each student opened exactly one of their books.)


texts: What is the English word for “team-building with playing video games”?

texts:
Just a few days ago, I saw an article with a new word that when I Googled it, I found out that word meant "team-building with playing video games", but now I forgot it.

I wonder if anyone knows then maybe you could just let me know, what is the word? I still can't remember the word (my memory and my English is very bad) but I remember it was just one word.


texts: Sentences with two verbs with the second verb negative

texts:
I have a problem with these sentences. They have two verbs and the second verb is negative.
Where should not go?

try to not waste food
try not to waste food

and

try to not take it personally
try not to take it personally


texts:
Is there a Term to describe the relationship between two people when they share an Alma Mater?

For example; Neil Armstrong is an alumnus of Purdue University. I am an alumnus of Purdue University. Both Neil and I are alumni of Purdue University, which is to say we share an alma mater. So, I'm looking for a term to describe my relationship to to Neil with out needing to explicitly reference the university. Is co-alumni a real term? Is it appropriate to say that Neil and I are co-alumni? Is there something better? Further, is there a way to specifically describe the relationship between two people from the same graduating class?

Thank You in advance!


texts: How to conclude long "whether ... or" clauses

texts:
I have found that the form "whether this or that" does not work so well in long sentences. Intuitively, it seems that putting an "if" after the "or" makes it flow better, but is that grammatically correct?

Example:

  There is some confusion as to whether it is necessary for all of the board members to be present when the meeting is called to order and the agenda is read, or if a majority is sufficient.


texts: How to describe braces, brackets, parentheses?

texts:
I have this term:

  ((x ,y, z))

and I need to describe in words that the x in this term should be outside the bars?
Is this correct? outside the bars?

  x ((y,z))

The position of the x doesn't matter, it could be also behind:

  ((y,z)) x


texts: Can a gerund be used to start a question title?

texts:
For the sake of using less characters in a title I often change a question like:

  How do I learn to ride a bike?

to:

  Learning to ride a bike?

I know these two constructs are not identical in meaning but the intention is to use one or other as a title summarizing a Stack Exchange question about a problem encountered when learning to ride a bike.

Are both grammatically correct i.e. can a question begin with a gerund?


texts: Is there a particular name for this kind of "poster"? Is this called a poster?

texts:
I was talking to a friend and wanted to speak about a particular kind of "poster" that has small hanging strips of paper containing information about services, sellers, or in this case the cat owner:

What do you call this? Is this even called a poster? And what about the strips of paper? What do you call them in English?


texts: event order with simple past and past perfect

texts:
I am trying to understand the emphasized sentence in the following passage:

  In the 1930s the work of Sigmund Freud, the 'father of psychoanalysis', began to be widely known and appreciated. Less well known at the time was the fact that Freud had found out, almost by accident, how helpful his pet dog Jofi was to his patients. He had only become a dog-lover in later life when Jofi was given to him by his daughter Anna.

I think Anna's giving Jofi preceded the change of his feelings towards dogs, in which case past perfect should go with when-clause, rather than with the main clause here. Maybe it has to do with the overall context, so I brought the whole sentences that come before it.

Thanks for your opinion.


texts: Difference between "which" and ", which"?

texts:
Is there a difference between the following two sentences?

She read the document which upset me.
She read the document, which upset me.


texts: Is Trump's 'cracked up' expression a special AmE version of the idiom?

texts:
The British Press have pointedly made reference to Mr Trump's quote :

  "I think I would have said that the European Union is not cracked up to what it’s supposed to be,"

What would have been expected on this side of the pond is something like

  "the EU is not all that it is cracked up to be"

Speaking in extempore it is easy (as I find) to mix one's metaphors or to muddle one's words. Here, Mr Trump (I think) has actually said the opposite of what he wanted to say.

The OED gives the verb form 'crack up' as a complimentary formation. So if the EU is not cracked up to 'what it's supposed to be' that means that it deserves to be cracked up some more. Which is not, I think, what was meant to be said.

  trans. crack up: to praise, eulogize (a person or thing). So to crack into (repute, etc.) Also (in pass.), to be reputed (usually in negative sentences). colloq.
  1829   Kentuckian 28 May   He is not the thing he is cracked up for.
  1835   D. Crockett Life Van Buren 175   Great men..are not the things they are cracked up for.
  1836   Knickerbocker 8 51   New-Orleans is not..half so bad a place as it is ‘cracked up to be’.
  1844   Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit xxxiii. 392   Our backs is easy ris. We must be cracked-up, or they rises, and we snarls..You'd better crack us up, you had!
  1857   T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. vi. 139   Then don't object to my cracking up the old school-house, Rugby.
  1884   American 7 334   Mexico..is not what it has been cracked up to be.
  1892   Standard 1 Jan. 3/3   Unfortunate individuals who are for a time ‘cracked’ into reputation by ill-advised patrons.
  1939   War Illustr. 14 Oct. p. ii/2   An article from a Paris correspondent cracking up the blue-lit nights of Paris.
  1951   E. Bagnold Loved & Envied 234   The emotions have been found by then to be not all they are cracked up to be.
  1969   ‘A. Gilbert’ Missing from Home vii. 97   It's not always all it's cracked up to be.

OED

The British Press pointed out the discrepancy of wording but did not pick up on the reversal of the phrase. So, I wonder, is there an AmE version of the BrE 'not all it is cracked up to be' that is the opposite ?

And, if so, when did we diverge from one another ?


texts: Is there a specific word for friends who you play cards or board games with regularly?

texts:
Can I call them regulars? Or is there a specific term?

Cambridge dictionary defines "regular(n.)" as

  someone who often goes to a particular event or place, such as a shop
  or restaurant:

So can I say: Sometimes I cover for one of my grandma's regulars and play Mahjong with them.


texts: What is it called when a word can serve more than one part of speech? 'Aggregate', for example, can be used as a Noun, an Adjective, or a Verb.


texts: When pointing out to my friends one day that I should have used a different word in a previous conversation, I mentioned that I was being pedantic. They, ironically, corrected me saying I was being semantic. When I pointed out that their distinction was being pedantic, they again disagreed, saying that was semantic. Though I looked up both definitions and that they seem to have a lot of overlap, pedantic seems to be the adjective to use for people though is far more general. Which one is more correct in these situations, or are they both correct? If they are both correct, which one is more "proper?"


texts:
The matter was reported to the commissioner.

My teacher told me that it should be

  The commissioner reported the matter.

But I think that this is not correct since it implies the commissioner was the one who reported the matter, which is incorrect.

My guess is

  Someone reported the matter to the commissioner

Is this correct?