texts: What is a non-awkward way of referencing your child[ren] to a 3rd party of the opposite gender as yourself?

texts:
Here's the situation:

You and your spouse are talking with a third person who is of the opposite gender as yourself. e.g., my wife and I are talking with a woman named - let's call her Joan.

If I'm talking to Joan about my firstborn son, I don't want to say "my son" because it may imply that he is not also my wife's son. I also don't necessarily want to say "our son" because it may imply that Joan is the co-parent, even though everyone present knows that's not the case (it could be even more awkward with a couple talking to a man, and the wife is talking, because there might be a little more doubt about the biological parentage in that circumstance).

Of course, I could gesture at my wife while saying "our son," but is there a verbal way of indicating the child belongs to myself and my wife without saying something long and awkward like "the son of my wife and myself" or "I and my wife's son" or "me and my wife's son" etc.?

UPDATE

The comments make sense; I guess I should have presented the scenario as my wife not being there; if in the course of the conversation I mentioned my wife, and then later my son, but said that ("my son" -- or "our son") those expressions would seem even awkwarder to me (without my wife present). But the commenter is probably right that I'm overthinking it.


texts:
I'm curious how popular the word 'wheelie' is among native speakers. I'm a foreign citizen and came across it accidentally.

For the curious, wheelie means when you maneuver your bike/bicycle to roll on one wheel only.


texts: What is the meaning of 'an expression of such smugness that Harry thought it ought to be fined'?

texts:
Harry took the hint and sat down next to Percy, who was wearing brand-new, navy-blue dress robes and an expression of such smugness that Harry thought it ought to be fined. (Harry Potter 4 [US Version]: p.415)[Bold font is mine]

I thought at first ‘fine’ in this sentence meant ‘to make somebody pay money as an official punishment’. However, I’m starting to doubt my first judge; I couldn’t find any examples of the ‘fine’ which accepts blamable things, like smugness, as its direct object.

Would you give me the true meaning of the sentence?


texts:
In colloquial English, I constantly run across sentences of the form:

  I rather my [noun] [verb]

A quick Google search returns tons of examples:

  I rather my opponents don't find out.
  I rather my fans not read this.
  I rather my teeth froze than hurt.
  I rather my smile with the braces on.
  I rather my kids smoke pot than drink alcohol.

Looks like "rather" is on its way to becoming a verb, a synonym of "to prefer". When did that start? Obviously there are several steps to this process, from "I'd rather do X" via "I'd rather X" to "I rather X". But none of the dictionaries I have checked, from Hornby to Merriam-Webster to Cambridge to Wiktionary, seem to have picked up this usage just yet. So how recent is this phenomenon?

Edit five years later, just discovered this gem in an MMOG forum:

  I would rather the team not be hard at work to fix things. I would have rathered the team be given a realistic amount of time to put together as complete a product as possible.

So the shift is nearing completion. And going by that user's posts, we're looking at a native speaker here. However, their location is unclear from their profile. Can someone supply any data on where this usage is common or spreading now?


texts: Is "...written by the author it claims to be and not by someone passing themselves for them" correct?

texts:
I have a question to this sentence:

  Sometimes you need to know if the book was really written by the author it claims to be and not by someone passing themselves off as them.

Is that correct? I am not sure about the usage of "passing off as them".


texts: Are the following sentences grammatically correct?

texts:
I'm having some troubles with a more literary writing style, and I wanted to check if the following sentences are correct grammatically, and if not, what exactly is the problem and what alternatives may I find, or how can I fix it ?

Here are the sentences:

"[...] questionable and unsafe places to sleep had plunged him into a constant alertness, one that had only been reinforced when [...]"

"After what he perceived to be an uncertain amount of time [...]" the idea is that the character has lost track of time, but some time had passed nonetheless, but he is unsure of how much.

"The noise paused in front of the door" as I understand it, sounds and noises are (in the language at least) not sentient beings who can perform actions, correct ? So what would be an ideal replacement for this sentence, the idea of it being that the character can hear sounds from afar, which is getting closer before stopping in front of a door. Also, can a sound "gain proximity" ? (i.e getting closer).

"[...] he caught a glimpse of a small group of guards facing the door. Somewhere in his mind, he noted their unusual numbers, though it barely sparked any curiosity in him"

"his thoughts had been slowed down to a halt by the bland nature the days had acquired."

Any explanation or links towards articles explaining which grammar points are concerned by these mistakes would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Difference between that and which. Can that follow a comma?

texts:
1) Eventually, we developed a strategy, grounded in prospect theory and its associated biases like loss-aversion and availability heuristic, which exploited the tendencies of players to fold too often when they did not have money invested and fold too infrequently when they had money invested.

2) Eventually, we developed a strategy, grounded in prospect theory and its associated biases like loss-aversion and availability heuristic, that exploited the tendencies of players to fold too often when they did not have money invested and fold too infrequently when they had money invested.

My question is whether "which" or "that" is appropriate. Which word is better? Word says that "that" cannot follow a comma. Is there any basis to this?


texts: What word describes the dislike of non-human (extraterrestrial) species?

texts:
In this Science fiction question, I use the world "Racist" to describe the human predominance of the Empire, in Star Wars.

Someone suggested xenophobic :

  Well, this is getting a bit into anecdotal territory, but every Science Fiction piece I've read used "xenophobic" to describe those that hated other species. It may be that you need to further define "foreign." All you have to do is take the existing definitions, and extend "species" to the locality qualifier. This isn't unreasonable, and given that the whole idea is something we have not had to combat yet I find it entirely accurate.
  – draeath

Is there any better word to define this fictional problem?


texts: What's the meaning of the expression "bed burning" or "bed on fire"?

texts:
There's a song by Midnight Oil called Beds Are Burning, and the song Psycho Killer also says that "my bed's on fire".

What do those expressions mean (if they mean the same thing)?

update: Some friends suggest they're talking about drugs effects. What do you think?


texts: "The best and brigthest is..." or "the best and the brightest are..."?

texts:
I asked a question on another StackExchange site, and used "the best and brightest..." as a singular "noun"/expression.

However, one of the people that commented used "the best and the brightest..." as a plural, and with two "the" articles.

Who is right?


texts: One-word synonym - 'the following' (ie: what follows next)

texts:
Please beware that I ask only about definition 2, so I'm seeking a nounal synonym for

  the following = [treated as singular or plural] What follows or comes next:

Particularly, is there an antonym to 'the foregoing'? I'd guess 'the aftgoing' but this doesn't exist?


texts: Wonder if she will come or if she comes?

texts:
My grammar book says that I should use present tense forms in conditional clauses with words like "if" to talk about the future.

We won't be able to go out if it rains. (NOT will rain)

Now I wonder if I should use "present tense" when "if" means "whether", as well.

I wonder if she will come to my party this week.

I wonder if she comes to my party this week.

Which one is correct?


texts: Is metonymy considered to be linguistic or extralinguistic factor of semantic change? For example crown for a monarchy


texts: How come the words monkey /ˈmʌŋki/ and donkey /ˈdɒŋki, ˈdɔŋki/ don't rhyme? What is their derivation? Or perhaps they do rhyme, depending on where one is from.


texts: Is the name of a person an attribute or a property?

texts:
People have names. Well, they don't have to but giving names to people, or people giving names to themselves, makes it much easier to reference them in speech and writing. Are names attributes or are they properties of people?
Update
Not relevant to the question itself but maybe interesting to know: The reason why I asked that question is because English is not my mother's tongue and in my native language, attribute and property are pretty much interchangeable by definition as attribute is a foreign word, imported from French, and translates to property. Yet in daily use people seem to make a slight distinction between those two terms. There are situations where using one of them seems natural while using the other one seems "strange", albeit not incorrect.
When reading English texts, I quite often read about "attributes of a person" where I would have expected the term "properties". So I was wondering if there is also a distinction in daily use. Answers to similar questions here sometimes hint towards such a distinction but they always refer to both words in terms of "computer language" and computer language is not necessarily bound to natural use of these words. So I was wondering, how would a native speaker refer to the name of a person? Would they say it is an attribute of that person or what they say it is a property of that person and why would they favor one over the other one?


texts: Word for feeling threatened or wrathfully jealous because one believes another can be better than they are?

texts:
I am dissecting my dictionary to no avail for a word which would fit the context of how in Roman and Greek Mythology the mighty gods when challenged in one of their many magnificent talents, even at the subtlest level would become furious with jalousie and thus ruin the mortal who barely even compared for being good at whatever it was they were (when compared to a god) meekly exceptional in, (but when compared to mortals) like gods in.
In fewer words, what is a word which would bring to the thought that jealousy or that feeling of threat to your own greatness by another's trivially opposing attributes?
or,
the destruction of beauty because of one's arrogant blindness which breeds feelings of being threatened.
For example: "why would so majestic a faculty in a mortal's rays be slaughtered by a god's _____"
(A word that would express what I regarded above)
p.s. I apologize for my example being rather poetic but I thought a poetic example would be more fit since I am indeed asking of this for a poem.


texts: Does a truism need to be true to be a truism?

texts:
I frequently hear people quoting widely-used idioms or proverbs as if they are fact, simply because they are used frequently by many people. For example, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

Can these be called a "truism" even if not true or must they be actually true to be called a "truism"?

Are there more precise terms for the two meanings, "widely believed ideas, which really aren't true" and "widely believed ideas, which really are true"?


texts: Is the Concise Oxford Dictionary British English?

texts:
Last year I submitted a manuscript to a journal. The guidelines said that it can be written in British English or in American English, but not mixed. So I chose British English.

Now I must resubmit after revision, and see that they changed the guidelines, which are now:

  English spelling should follow the Concise Oxford Dictionary. Authors might also wish to consult Fowler’s Modern English Usage (ed. R.W. Burchfield; Oxford University Press) and Scientific Style and Format (eds Council of Scientific Editors; Cambridge University Press).

Does it mean, that I still can use British English? I don’t have these dictionaries, so I am not sure about it. Wikipedia does not clearly say which flavour of English it is.


texts: wish sentences... wish+would vs wish+could negative sentences

texts:
Hello everyone I have a question about sentences with wish.
We all know that when both subjects are identical in sentences with wish for the future,   would changes to could, but something I am doubtful about is whether can we employ couldn't in these sentences.

For instance we say

  A: I wish he would stay --> negative form I wish he wouldn't stay
  B: I wish I could stay home, there is a football match on TV --> negative form I wish I ? I hate football...

We can't use couldn't right?
How about in other sentences, can we use couldn't in other examples?
thanks so much


texts:
What’s the meaning of this sentence:

  No failure to agree on any action pursuant to Section 7.2 shall give
  rise to a dispute subject to arbitration.


texts:
When there are several cottages each with several tariffs (depending on the season), should the plural be "cottage tariffs" or "cottages tariffs"?

For context, this is to be a section title on a website renting out the cottages.

An explanation of the grammatical rules would be helpful.


texts: What is the origin of 'as long as' meaning 'on condition that'?

texts:
According to dictionaries 'as long as' means "during a period of time" (as long as you live), but it also means "on the condition that" (I will attend the conference as long as I can arrive on time).

I'd like to know, does the second usage comes from the first, original one or does "long" have a different meaning here?


texts: Why do you say "Do you have “a” euro?" Rather than "an" Euro?

texts:
Do you have a euro?

I saw the above sentence and do not understand why you say "a" instead of "an"?

You say Do you have "an" umbrella?, but Do you have "a" pound?


texts: If the plural of ‘man’ is ‘men,’ shouldn’t the plural of ‘German’ be ‘Germen’?

texts: What makes these two words so different that 'man' is changed to 'men', but 'German' is changed to 'Germans'?


texts: A single word that defines something that is new that was old?

texts: I'm trying to find a unique word (any language) that describes the idea of classic, something old that is contemporary, bringing back of a style per se.


texts: What is the difference between "leading" and "winning" in a game?

texts:
Is it correct to use 'winning' or 'leading' when referring to the current state of a match/game?

e.g. for a game between Patriots and Broncos in progress, if Patriots have scored higher points than Broncos, would it be correct to say that "Patriots are winning" or that "Patriots are leading"?


texts: "the boy Sam and Tom" or "the boys Sam and Tom"?

texts:
I do not know the grammatical terms for this kind of usage.  I can only give an example.  I want to describe two boys called Sam and Tom.  Of course I can just say

Sam and Tom are nice.

But I want to be a bit clear about their gender.  But instead of the a bit verbose

The boy Sam and the boy Tom are nice.

I would like to factor out the boy.  Then I am not sure the result would be which one of the following three:

The boy Sam and Tom is nice.
The boy Sam and Tom are nice.
The boys Sam and Tom are nice.

An answer that comes with the grammatical terms for such usage will be highly appreciated.


texts:
I have a question about this sentence:

  They stood in the streetlight through the kitchen window there’d never
  been much point putting curtains over

The sentence is taken from a book, so it should be correct as it is.

It sounds strange to me, because it seems that something is missing between "window" and "there'd", like "where" or something.

Is it normal or is something actually omitted on purpose?


texts: What does it mean to be "t-boned" by something?

texts: Someone at work today said that "the marketing department might t-bone us with a request for this". What does that mean?


texts: is this grammatically correct or should I rephrase the ODD hour part

texts: Also, my new shift is at an odd hour (6PM – 3AM), I need some time to adjust my daily routine accordingly and would not be able to concentrate on the assignments which are a part of the course.


texts:
Which of the following is correct?

  He is a quiet, polite and disciplined boy.

Or

  He is a quiet, polite and a disciplined boy.

Personally, I think the first one is right. But still wanted to be sure.


texts:
What is the difference in meaning/connotation between the two words? Is endorse "stronger", more positive?

Also, endorse is to endorsement as condone is to what? Is there a noun counterpart?


texts: Differences between vertical restraints and vertical restrictions in Antitrust Law

texts:
I've read a lawsuit (link:https://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/US/433/433.US.36.76-15.html) that uses both "vertical restraints" and "vertical restrictions", I'm translating this document so I wonder if there is any difference between these phrases in terms of usage and meaning and whatever you can figure out. I also wonder whether I can use these terms interchangeably.

Please use plain english because I'm not a native speaker.


texts: Better sentence for 'lets go for this time"?

texts:
I am in conversation with another person to set up a meeting time. He suggested some time to me and asks me suitability of that time for me. I am good at that time. Below is what I have written to him

  1 PM suits me as well. Let's shoot for that time.

Now is there better sentence to describe above?


texts: When and where did the exclamation "Snap!" originate?

texts:
Recently I heard and an explanation for what the exclamation "Snap!" meant. He stated that it comes from the kid's card game where you yell "Snap" at a certain time to win the card pile. I'm vaguely familiar with the game, but was under the impression that the exclamation predates the game.

So I know how it's used: Some bit of information really surprises you so you say "Snap!" Or, something goes wrong so you say "Aw, Snap!" Or, a friend really delivers on an insulting quip to another friend so you say "Snap!" Or, what I've seen less commonly, you do something at almost exactly the same time as another, so you both say "Snap!" This usage is most similar to the game.

So when and where did this usage originate?


texts: What do you call stand up comedy when not performed to a live audience?

texts: Live comedy is often called stand up. What would you call a comedy video not performed to an audience? This could be characters performing a story, someone talking to a camera, or someone more abstract.


texts: Ambiguous comparison between percentage values

texts:
English is not my mother tongue. The question is whether the phrase "half as fast" is grammatical, frequent and unambiguous.

When googling, I've found out that the structure "verb + half as fast as" is frequent. But the search results for "verb + half as fast" are not convincing.

  In January the growth of corporate loans was __%. In December the growth of corporate loans was half as fast, and the corporate loans in total increased by 5.6%. (by means addition or subtraction, half as fast means twice as slow).

Half as fast is relating to the growth (the rate of the increase). The percentage value 5.6 is relating to the increase in the corporate loans. The increase is equal to 5.6%. The rate of the increase in December is half as fast as the value measured in January.


texts: Name for words with same number of letters (size)?

texts:
There's anagrams, lexigrams, palindromes and many others... But is there a name for words that have the same "size"/"length" (number of characters)?

For instance, "car" and "bat" both have 3 characters. "Eggs" and "near" both have four. Is there a special word for the size/length-based relationships these words share?


texts: Is there a phrase for high start up cost?

texts: Currently I restarted lifting (weights) after a 2 month hiatus to get stronger. Back when I was lifting almost daily, like 5 times a week, there was no soreness in my arms. But when I started, I remember there was a lot of soreness and you just adapt. Is there a phrase or even a single word that describes how it starts off hard, then it only gets easier? I realize that you can "adapt" to the situation, but that is not the phrase/word I am looking for. The best analogy I come up with is in chemistry, where some things have a high activation energy but then the chart gets lower. The phrase does not have to relate to weights/lifting/fitness.


texts: Unit testing frameworks for C/C++ for Linux, or unit testing frameworks for C/C++ on Linux?

texts:
My colleagues and I had a little debate.
We are working with Linux, and we use a mocking framework to test our code.
Since the mocking framework is used to test the code that is written in C and C++ and not to test Linux, should we say: "unit testing frameworks for C/C++ on Linux"?


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct-"Which they call evil, might be motivation for many"?


texts: A word for someone who does something for personal gain or financial reward?

texts:
What do you call somebody that does something for someone else for money or other personal gain and not because they want to?

For example, when someone votes for a candidate in an election because they get paid to do so, and not because that's the candidate they want.

  He only voted for the candidate because he was paid to do so. He's just a ________.


texts:
Can painful be used in place of hurtful as in the following sentence ?

  It is a painful story of a small baby fish I would not like to share with anyone.


texts: The word for a place no one has visited before?

texts: What is the word for a place where no one has visited or at least only a few people have visited before?


texts: Is one allowed to use capitalization for emphasis?

texts:
In written English, is it okay to emphasize words by capitalizing them? As in:

  I would NEVER do that!

Are there other methods to achieve this?

On an aside: Dutch uses acute accents for emphasis:

  Ik zou dat nooit doen! [normal]
  Ik zou dat nóóit doen! [emphasized]


texts: What is the name of the tactic that politicians use to bury people with torrent of words?

texts: Some people write bloated books and long essays with skilful use of hooks, e.g. Jared Diamond; some others speak in long-drawn sentences with torrents of words, e.g. Noam Chomsky. It reminds me of a tactic politicians use in public discourse to waste people's time. I came across this word before but I can't retrieve it from either memory or the internet.


texts: What are the differences between "amalgam" and "hodgepodge"/"hedgepodge"?

texts: What are the differences between amalgam and hodgepodge/hedgepodge? I see people using them in their sentences, which seems to mean mixture of many things. Are they subtly different?


texts: I thought blah blah blah, and I was right. Is the comma correct?

texts:
This sentence is bugging me:

  I knew going in that the orange flavor component of the cake was going to be lacking, and I was right.

The comma doesn't seem to be enough, but the semicolon just looks wrong:

  I knew going in that the orange flavor component of the cake was going to be lacking; and I was right.

Which of the above is correct and why?


texts:
"I was defeated by one of my biggest enemies."

When I checked the above sentence for grammar issues using Grammarly, it pointed out that I misused the passive voice. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out the reason for this, since I'm using the free version. Can someone tell me what's wrong with this sentence, please?


texts: Word to describe a person who is always very stable

texts: What do you call someone who's very stable all the time? By that I mean someone who never lies, manipulates or cheats. Someone who doesn't understand jokes sometimes, and someone who never gets overly excited. But not someone who's boring. He just has a calm atmosphere. There may not be a word for it, but I want to know how I could describe someone like that.


texts: In "pedophilia," why philos rather than eros?

texts:
Greek carefully distinguishes between philos (non-sexual love) and eros (sexual love). There are 100s of "phile" words (e.g. an audiophile is a person with a non-sexual love of stereo equipment) and almost all of them specifically refer to a non-sexual love of something. Yet "pedophilia," and fetishes such as Agalmatophilia (sexual arousal to statues), also end in "phile" rather than the accurate term "eros". Does anyone know why?

One theory I’ve come across is that the term “pedophile” was coined by pederasts themselves in an attempt to whitewash their image, but I’ve unable to locate any substantiation for this claim. My own hunch is that the term pedophilia was a euphemism coined by some very well mannered victorians who found "pedo-erotic" too explicit for polite conversation. But that's just a hunch.
  Thanks in advance.


texts: Another word for roadie / backstage staff for a rock band?

texts:
I’ve seen a word once and I just cannot recall the word. the word I’m in search for means a group of staffs that move along and travel with the band they are assisting.

I googled “roadie synonyms” and there was nothing I was looking for. ( or I just couldn’t recognize it, this is the worst )

Please help me find, recall the word. Please suggest me any words that relevant to the meaning I mentioned above.


texts: "Pilgrims homelands'" or "Pilgrim's homelands"?

texts:
The context for this is that the group of pilgrims all come from different places. So how would I refer to the [many]pilgrims [many]homelands?

I'm not sure where that apostrophe should go....

Thank you~


texts:
What is the Middle English letter?

Wycliffe's Bible (page 16)

Mt.5:27

Studylight:

"Ye han herd that it was seid to elde men, Thou schalt `do no letcherie."

King James Bible:

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery"

Mt.5:38

Studylight:

"Ye han herd that it hath be seid, Iye for iye, and tothe for tothe."

King James Bible:

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth"


texts:
If you have already rated something and then you want to rate it again, what is the correct term?

  Rerate or Re-rate?


texts: Could "that have and will be" be correct?

texts:
I'm having a discussion with a friend about the last sentence on their business profile (see attachment).

To me, it sounds totally wrong, but I'd like to know whether it actually is. I think it would have to be "that have been and will be",  because otherwise (as it is now),  it says "that have be and will be".

Is either way correct? Why (not)?


texts: Why can't I use the word 'to' after the verb 'helped'?

texts: I know it is incorrect to say, "They helped to her" and that it should be, "They helped her", but why is the word "to" not needed? And yet the word to is in this sentence: "They helped to get her free." Why is that?


texts: Why is the verb for "pretexts ... and necessity ... was exposed" used in the singular in this quotation?

texts:
In the following context, a quote from The Three Musketeers, shouldn’t it be were exposed?

  The pretexts about the cold and the necessity for the cloak was exposed.

Or  is was here referring just to the necessary but not including pretexts?


texts: I'm looking for a word that is the counter part to "controller". So far, the closest I can think of is "controllee", but that means something else. Any ideas?


texts:
Are "to date" and "so far" synonyms? Or is there a difference between the two.

For example,

So far, research has identified nearly 80 CYP450 enzymes involved in triterpenoid metabolism in plants.

vs.

To date, research has identified nearly 80 CYP450 enzymes involved in triterpenoid metabolism in plants.


texts:
Suppose I'm pointing at a location on a map where I never go to, which of the following sentences are correct:

I never go there
I never go here


texts: What is the difference between "I have worked here" and "I have been working here"?

texts:
What is the difference between the following sentences? When can I use either?

  I have worked here

and

  I have been working here


texts: Word/phrase that means "the sound that is produced when objects are being moved by a stream"

texts:
Is there a word/phrase for that?

Example:

  I closed my eyes, and listened to the [...] stones.


texts: What's that word where a company lets someone review a product but they can't say anything until a certain day?

texts: Say I'm a content-creator and I receive a product, I make all my videos but I can't release the videos until that window opens up. There's a term for that window that I can't quite remember.


texts: correct order: Bigger house than or house bigger than

texts:
Which one(s) of the following sentences is(are) correct:

Example 1:

I need a bigger house than my old house.
I need a house that is bigger than my old house.
I need a house bigger than my old house.

Example 2:

I need an older volunteer than me.
I need a volunteer that is older than me.
I need a volunteer older than me.

Are there any rules for choosing one of the following orders when using comparative adjective:

'adj-er + (phrase) + than + (phrase)' or '(phrase) + adj-er + than + (phrase)'


texts:
I am interested in sports journalism.  As I was watching ESPN one day, Stephen A Smith stated, "What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?" during a sports segment.

What is the meaning of that phrase? Is this a common phrase used in sports journalism?


texts:
I saw this sentence:

  The file has to be sent as a CSV file by re-email

Is this the proper way to say "send the file by replying to this email"?  I haven't found "re-email" in dictionaries, so I'm not sure.


texts:
In a recent question: Past perfect or past simple in combination with present perfect? the asker presented three options.

  I have examined the document you gave me and...
  I have examined the document you had given me and...
  I have examined the document you have given me and...

All the answers suggested the asker to pick #1, with optionally choosing #3, which are fair enough, but what at least three people including me are interested in is: "Why not #2?"

The document was given before the examination took place and both took place in the past, so the formal requirements for past perfect seem to be satisfied. So what other reasons either make it undesired here, or make the two others more desired? If I have choices similar to the above, when should I choose past perfect and when other tenses are more preferable?

(just as a comment, in my native language (Polish), our counterpart of Past Perfect went extinct sometime around the past century and only leads a zombie life through rare idiomatic expressions, so I find it a fascinating subject for study.)


texts:
Just encountered with the following sentence and I don't understand why the noun "temperament" is in singular? I don't feel like it is an abstract noun - there are many kinds of temperaments as with many kinds of "strengths", the preceding noun in the sentence.

  In both cases, effective conversation happens when individuals communicate through their own unique strengths and temperament."

source


texts:
Why people often adopt repeated adjective structure on their sentence?

For example: Great courtiers are gracious and polite; their aggression is veiled and indirect.

I have seen many fluent English speaker adopted this style. Does this style have a name? Do other sentence style exist?


texts: Varying modal verbs in counterfactual ("subjunctive") conditionals

texts:
There are some situations in which one would like to vary the modal verb in counterfactual conditionals, but it seems to be incorrect.

"If things were otherwise, she would keep her promise."
This seems like perfectly ordinary usage.

"If things were otherwise, she might keep her promise."
This also sounds fine.

"If things were otherwise, she must keep her promise."
This sounds wrong. But there is an obvious alternative: "If things were otherwise, she would have to keep her promise."

"If things were otherwise, she should keep her promise."
This also sounds kind of bad. But I can't think of an alternative way to convey this thought without bending over backwards. (Maybe "If things were otherwise, she ought to keep her promise," sounds better, but the issue seems to be the same. And "ought" often sounds too formal to my ear.)

My specific question is: Is sentence 4 necessarily incorrect? And if so, is there a better way to convey its thought?
More generally: is it ok to vary the modal verbs in counterfactual conditionals, as in examples 3 and 4?


texts:
Can you help me about the words in bold in the following passage?

  The parting was emotionally charged. The Shah lost his composure, tears briefly welling in his eyes, when an officer of the Imperial Guard fell
  on his feet, imploring him not to leave. The scene, captured on cameras,
  became emblematic of an era about to end. At Supreme Command Headquarters in Lavizan, the spectrum of emotions among service chiefs ran from sobbing to locker room raving. As they watched the takeoff on television screen, one officer lay his head on Huyser’s shoulder and wept.

(from Darioush Bayandor's The Shah, the Islamic Revolution, and the United States, Palgrave Macmillan (2019))

I should add that the service chiefs of army were deeply disappointed and worried because the King, in fact their head, was leaving the country and they were watching him on TV.


texts: Let me know when the official time and date of the meeting are/is?

texts:
Which is the correct sentence?

Let me know when the official time and date of the meeting are when determined and I will be there!

Let me know when the official time and date of the meeting is when determined and I will be there!


texts: Word/phrase/idiom that means "deliberately chosen"?

texts:
Example:

  The books in this library were extremely colorful, almost as if they'd been
  [...] to fit the contemporary feel of the library.

Maybe hand-picked? That's the only word I can think of. But I'm not sure whether it's a suitable choice.


texts:
Feeling hot, I opened the window.
It being hot, I opened the window.

A non-English speaking acquaintance of mine said that her textbook identified sentence 1 as being correct and sentence 2 as being incorrect. On the other hand, a different textbook apparently said that the following sentence was correct:

It being the holiday season, the train was full.

So naturally, her question to me was why "It being hot,..." is incorrect, but "It being the holiday season,..." is correct. I have no experience explaining the nuances of participial constructions and had only my intuition to suggest to me that BOTH sentences beginning with "It" are incorrect. Is one of the books wrong? Are they both wrong? Am I wrong?

Any explanations that are not overly technical would be appreciated.


texts: Singular or plural (when referring to one occasion representing other occasions of the same kind)

texts:
Context: I am teaching an online course via WA. The teaching and learning activity is going to take place in a WA group. In that course, I need to tell my students that they will get the materials on the group one after another. So, I will not send them all at once. I will just send one material right before we are engaged in it. Can I say:
Well, class, I will send the material you are going to learn and it should be on your phone screen while you are having it


texts:
The word lithe seems to be pronounced just like the adjective live (as in alive), as far as I can tell from listening to this sound sample.

Had I not heard it, I would have expected it to be pronounced like light.

Am I hearing it correctly, and could you shed any information on this “special” pronunciation?


texts: Is there ONE word for the phrase "(he) killed (him/it) with his bare hands"

texts:
A man killed a tiger with his bare hands.

A man _______ a tiger.


texts: What is a nice way to say "kicking ass"?

texts:
Often in a professional setting, I want to say "X has really been kicking ass (and taking names!)"

Sometimes I say "kicking butt" but it doesn't have quite the same emphasis. I don't want to say ass as I don't think its polite in some contexts. What is a equivalent expression that is polite yet just as encouraging?

In accordance with the comment suggestions, I will clarify that this question is asking about "kicking ass" in the form of doing really well, not necessarily beating someone else in a competitive sense - to trounce, cream, take them to the cleaners, etc. If Sarah is kicking ass at real estate sales, she's not necessarily beating anyone else, just doing really well.


texts: Slang etymology of "up" and "down" in phrasal verbs

texts:
In this, "to be" is the base verb, conjugated in the first, singular, present tense "am". The verb is then put in a contraction with first, singular, pronoun "I" to create "I'm". This contraction is then made into a phrasal verb by adding either of the adjectives "up" or "down".

I am curious about why, in these cases, adding the prepositional phrase "for that" changes the meaning between the examples (2) and (4) which use "up".

But the change in meaning does not occur between (1) and (3).

  (1) I'm down for that
  (2) I'm up for that

(1) and (2) both parse as someone stating their own interest/availability for what "that" refers to. As in, for example, Person A asking "Want to go to the movies?" and Person B replying either "(1) I'm down for that" or "(2) I'm up for that".

  (3) I'm down

(3) parses as someone stating their own interest/availability. In the same example, Person A asks "Want to go to the movies?" and Person B replies "(3) I'm down". So, saying "(1) I'm down for that" and "(3) I'm down" both have pretty much equivalent meaning in colloquial English.

  (4) I'm up

(4) parses as someone stating they "are up" as in...
a) they have physically stood up or,
b) they are now conscious (after being asleep or unconscious).

So in the conversation example, Person A asks "Want to go to the movies?" and if Person B replies "(4) I'm up" -- it would be a strange answer.

Comparing "(2) I'm up for that" and "(4) I'm up" -- these do not have equivalent meaning. Adding the prepositional phrase "for that" changes the focus and meaning of the sentence. In (2) the focus is that the "I" is interested/available. In (4) the focus is on the state of being, not their interests.

Is there any slang etymology about "up" and the verb "to be" being combined as a phrasal verb? Additionally, is the effect of the prepositional phrase "for that" something that has trends, or is is an interesting isolated case in the situation of (2) vs (4)?


texts: Do the words "en dash" and "em dash" require a hyphen?

texts: I have seen the compound words "en dash" and "em dash" sometimes appear with a hyphen ("en-dash") and sometimes without. Are both the hyphenated and the unhyphenated forms correct?


texts:
Where does the expression  'make the call' come from?

  We have the evidence but it's up to the jury to make the call.


texts: In this case do I use ability or abilities?

texts:
I am currently writing a cover letter and I want to make sure that this sentence is correct. I believe it is, however, my brain won't let me stop looking at it. For this sentence to be correct does it need to contain ability or abilities?

  My past work experience has given me the ability/abilities to communicate effectively, research, solve problems efficiently and manage my time wisely.


texts: When do you use "what'd you say" and when do you use "what d'you say"?

texts: In informal writing you can say: "What'd you say" or "what d'you say?" When do you choose the former or the latter? Which one is more common?


texts:
I came across the word "cable" very often in http://www.guardian.co.uk.

Like:

WikiLeaks cables: Drive to tackle Islamists made 'little progress'
US embassy cables: How the Guardian protects sources
WikiLeaks embassy cables: the key points at a glance

I know what a cable is, but what does "cable" here mean?


texts: How to write numbers one after the other in different context

texts:
Sorry if the title is poor. I am having a hard time thinking of a good title.

If I wanted to say something like:

"We will have 5 two-hour sessions".

Is there a proper way of listing this?

"Five 2-hour sessions"?
"5 2-hour sessions"?
"5 two-hour sessions"?
"Five two-hour sessions"?


texts: The correct answer is (C) but "to ensure" and "of ensuring" both sound right to me. Can someone please explain why the revision was implmented

texts:
In context, which of the following revisions must be
made to sentence 1 (reproduced below)?

    Taking great notes is one of the best ways to ensure
    a high grade on a test or exam.

  (A) Add “Usually” to the beginning of the sentence.
  (B) Add “definitely” after the word “is.”
  (C) Change “to ensure” to “of ensuring.”
  (D) Change “grade” to “mark.”
  (E) Add “normally” to the end of the sentence

The correct answer is (C) but "to ensure" and "of ensuring" both sound right to me. Can someone please explain why the revision was implemented.


texts: Rules of metrics rhythm and rhyme in poetry, do they exist in English?

texts:
I know there are a lot of rules and guidelines in english, for writing a good essay (especially around S.A.T. season!) No such thing in spanish, though!

However, for writing poems Spanish does have a lot of rules and strict guidelines for style and metrics, and like the S.A.T.s we all went trough writing a poem around 7th grade, that complied with the rules and actually made sense. (easier said than done!)

My question is whether similar rules and guidelines do exist in the english Language for writing a passable poem.

I wouldn't go into the finer points of defining the artistic merit of expressing thoughts, Id say that if you got taught in school rules about rhyme, syllable counting and rhythm, then yes there are and i'd be curious to see an example, to compare vs. the Spanish rules.

I did research around the web, but it seems essays are way more popular than poems throughout the english speaking world.

The kind of rules that I'm talking about go something like this:

3 verse stanzas, first and third verses must strongly rhyme.
4 verse stanzas, must alternate rhime

Syllable count:

3 verse stanzas, start witha short verse, and 2 long verses (at least
2-4 syllables longer, depending on the lenght of the first verse.
4 verse stanzas should all have the same measure
4 verse stanzas may also alternate lenght but no more than 1 syllable
difference
Acute words ending a verse add +1 to your syllable count
Verses ending wth a word words having its accent on the next-to last
syllable substract -1 to the syllable count.

As an example these are the "metrics" for a fragment of Ruben Dario's "A margarita Debayle, Nicaragua (1909) (great rythm, and super regular 4-4 stanzas, I added strong rhyme pairs and syllable count:

    ...                        Rhyme pairs  Syllable ct
    Una tarde, la princesa         A            8
    vio una estrella aparecer;     B           7+1
    la princesa era traviesa       A            8
    y la quiso ir a coger.         B           7+1

    La quería para hacerla         A            8
    decorar un prendedor,          B           7+1
    con un verso y una perla       A            8
    y una pluma y una flor.        B           7+1

Full verse with metrics analysis here


texts: Is there a noun meaning: person who accepts bribes?

texts:
What is a word meaning a person who takes bribes? Crook is too
informal and encompasses too many other things.

I'm looking for a single noun that might describe such a person!

Example of usage:

  Do you think he might have been bribed?

  No, if he were a _______ I would have known.


texts: Is there any difference between ‘wondering whether that hadn’t been Cedric’s plan’ and ‘wondering whether that had been Cedric’s plan’?

texts:
I’m thinking a 'whether' clause with a negative sentence means the speaker thinks the situation is less likely. However, I can’t find any explanation in dictionaries at hand. For example:

  He snapped it shut again, worried that the sound would attract Filch, wondering whether that hadn’t been Cedric’s plan – and then, making him jump so badly that he dropped the egg, which clattered away across the bathroom floor, someone spoke.
  (Harry Potter 4 [US Version]: p.461)[Bold font is mine]

N.B.: ‘It’ is a magical egg which is wailing loudly while being left open. Filch likes punishing students.

Why did the writer use a negative sentence in the whether clause? I’m wondering if it has some nuance in it.


texts:
The following sentence has the phrase of "as is true for", what does that mean?

Each Individual corporation owner does not have individual legal responsibility for the corporation's actions, as is true for the owners of a sole proprietorship or partnership.

Does it mean that the sole proprietorship or partnership have individual responsibility for the company's actions?


texts: Term for the initial developer of a start-up?

texts:
Imagine that you have developed a software from scratch for a start-up. You are not a co-founder, but you are the person who has created the source code repository, and has written pretty much all of the code.

What would be the term for such position to put in a résumé? Chief Technical Officer sounds like it is more of a management position, rather than actually being involved in building the software.

Is there a better alternative?


texts: Is it correct to say "the 'following' customer"?

texts:
It happens all the time. You are in line at the grocery store, Starbucks or anywhere cashiers are employed.  Having finished a transaction, one will cheerily offer to help "the following customer."

I'm pretty sure that "the next customer" is the correct usage here, unless they call that following customer by name. Am I right?


texts: What is a word that means "the people in place when an organization ended"?

texts:
When an organization ceases operations, what is the word to describe the people in place at the time that it ended?

  "The ??? President"

My first inclination is "final" -- "The Final President" -- but I feel like there's something more specific to this situation.  Part of me feels like "The Last President" would fit too, to indicate that there will never be another President.


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

texts:
I am trying to understand various instances in Hansard, the documentation of proceedings in the UK parliament, wherein the word which is used in an unusual (by my modern parlance, at least) position, one assumes in a formal manner.

An example arises in the choice of words used to introduce a Commission in the House of Lords to facilitate the approbation of a Speaker of the House of Commons. Here is an example from 1905 - with obvious modifications to gender pronouns for referring to the monarch and female members of the houses, similar examples can be found to the present day:

  My Lords and Gentlemen of the House of Commons, it not being convenient for His Majesty to be present at this time, a Commission has been issued under the Great Seal, commanding us and several other Lords to notify and declare His Majesty's approbation of the choice of his faithful Commons of Mr. James William Lowther to be Speaker, which Commission you shall now hear read.

(Emphasis my own.)

What is the grammatical role of the word which in the final clause "which Commission you shall now hear read"?

One assumes it is acting as a pronoun to the word "Commission". However, this sentence construction feels quite jarring to my modern interpretation, where I most commonly encounter "which" used to introduce a relative clause, typically without further mention of the referent.

What is this construction and is it applicable in modern written English? Is it a less common use of a relative clause? Is it only there to clarify the antecedent, given the complex nature of the preceding clauses may make this non-obvious?

Without knowing very much about the grammatical specifics in this case, does the sentence below, for example, make any sense?

  I believe it uses X, which technology is officially no longer supported.


texts: is "reads as" equal to "similar to" in this context?

texts:
For all their efforts, the diplomats at Versailles achieved the precise opposite of what they had set out to do, inexorably, tragically laying the groundwork for the next, more horrible world war.

  In this sense, then, the story of diplomacy also reads as a cautionary tale.

  source: diplomacy VSI

Can I say that "reads as" equal to "similar to" in this context? the entence saying that history of diplomacy is a warning tale for us (?)


texts:
I expect him to get over his phobia./I expect their victory./I expect to get an A.

Is 'to get over his phobia' an object?


texts: A word/phrase for "being extremely happy and jumping gladly"

texts:
Suppose if someone is extremely happy like a child and starts jumping gladly, what words/phrase best describe this situation, such that the following sentence can be completed.

  He/she was  ________.

There are a few words like, "euphoric", "deliriously happy", but I am not quite sure if these words also include the "jumping gladly" part of my question.

Is there a better word or using "jumping gladly" is just fine.


texts:
I'd like to know whether the following sentences express the same meaning. Are both of them correct without the "provided with" at the end?

Have the foreigners been provided with the same level of security as the locals have been (provided with) ?
Have the foreigners been provided with as much security as the locals have been (provided with) ?

Will these sentences be considered grammatical if I end them with the noun "locals"?

Any help will be appreciated.


texts: Can I say "people that I'm not familiar with" ?

texts:
Hello everyone I would like to know if my sentence is or is not correct.

"I don't share my hobbies when I speak to someone is not aware of them like a relevant, a wife, and anyone that I'm not familiar with."


texts:
Which word order should I use in an informal letter?

It’s been a while since we all have met up

or

It's been a while since we've all met up


texts: Irrespective of any "singular nouns" vs "plural nouns"

texts:
Can anyone please tell me whether I should use singular or plural nouns after irrespective of any in the following context? I have searched the Internet and found that both singular and plural nouns are used though plural nouns were more in number.

Here is the context:

Terrorism is a menace. We must come together to end it. Irrespective of any compromise(s) the world should take action against those fringe elements.

I have asked this because I come from a non-native english speaking country where it is said by teachers "any" is always singular. And one more questions if I always use "any" with plural nouns with contexts like the one I cited above, will that be always grammatical? I know "any" can be used with singular nouns in a sentence like "Any man can do it." My question is different. I want to know if "any" with plural nouns is always grammatical in contexts like the one In my example. Could anyone who has good knowledge in the language please answer this?


texts: Need to find a simple word the opposite of voice .. not voiceless

texts: I am trying to find a term for someone who participates a lot in meetings, organizations etc. but they never say anything or they don't have a real voice.  So their appearance is more for show. The organization doesn't want to hear their voice.  The opposite of Voice but not voiceless.


texts: St. John's greatest dinner: how to indicate a possessive of a noun which already ends apostrophe - s

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  If the cricket ground Lord's is a possessive, what if you want to describe something belonging to Lord's?

Here's a tricky one that I can't quite figure out the correct punctuation for.  How do you write the possessive of a noun which is already possessive?  The example which spawned this question:

How would you describe something belonging to St. John's, where St. John's is any of the colleges, towns or hospitals which bear this name, including the apostrophe, and not the saint?

edit

@waiwai933: This is what I've always done, I just wondered if there was any clever punctuation you could use to avoid this kind of rephrasing.  I'm guessing from your immediate reply that the answer is probably no, but I'll see if anyone else comes up with something interesting.


texts: Word meaning “someone who is good with large numbers”

texts: Is there a word or an expression to denote such a person?


texts: What is the opposite of 'hollowing out' in this context?

texts:
I am having trouble finding a suitable word/phrase to describe the following situation:

If the middle of something is eroded away, it is hollowed out. What would be a suitable way to describe the creation of the same shape but through the sides growing upwards rather than the middle being hollowed out? Almost like two pillars growing on either side.

Another way that I visualise the same problem is to imagine a bar graph. If the middle bar stayed where it was but the two bars either side went up, what would be a good phrase to describe it?

Growth at the extremities?


texts:
I have a bit of a weird workflow to most things, especially when it comes to writing. When I have an idea for example, I like to ramble and add all the details that come to my mind in a free flowing kind of way, which usually results in a huge wall of text. Then later, I take a look at this wall of text and cut it down, usually by making a mind map of it, removing all of the unnecessary rambly bits, cleaning it up and making it easier to understand and follow. Out of all the things I wrote in that wall of text, only about 10% of the content survives the purge.

Is there a word for this kind of "destructive" way of working?


texts: can "trivial" be used as a synonym of "easy"?

texts:
The oxford dictionary gives the meaning of "trivial" as:

of little value or importance (synonyms: unimportant, insignificant, inconsequential, minor)

Can this word be used to denote something, which is not of little value, but is still easy?

For example

"This is a very trivial process" - denoting a process which is very easy, but not necessarily unimportant.


texts:
What would be the correct use of will & would in these sentences?

1) What will happen if I say to my boss that I will not come tomorrow?

2) What will happen if I would say to my boss that I will not come tomorrow?

3) What will happen if I will say to my boss that I will not come tomorrow?

4) What would happen if I would say to my boss that I will not come tomorrow?

There are four sentences which one should I use and in which situation?


texts: When did the term 'get lost' first come to use?

texts: I have established that this term is an American idiom. Does anyone know when it came to be popular use or was first used there?


texts: What would you call the system that interrupts the water in the toilet?

texts:
I am involved in a project to build a system that involves interrupting water flow when it gets to a certain level.

This device is similar to what toilets use to fill up the deposit and stop.

What would this system, floater based, be called?


texts: "Ring" when I talk with somebody on phone

texts:
i am glad to join with you.
this is first question for me in this website.

Which of the following is correct?
Can I ring you back in?
Can I ring you back on?

thanks


texts: "I am looking for someone settled" - what does it mean?

texts:
I sent my CV to someone for a job and he replied something like this.

  "You have a good CV. I'm looking for someone settled...."

What does it mean? Is he looking for someone for the position or does it imply something else?


texts: "are created equal" - helping verb or linking verb?

texts:
In the following clause,

  that all men are created equal,

is "are" serving as a linking verb (in which case you could say "the created (to be) equal men") or as a helping verb for main verb created (in which case one could ask...I think, not completely sure about this, sounds kind of weird... "how did the men create?" and you could reply "to be equal")?

Or better yet, is there any correct answer?

[I tried to start thinking about this... one question I had was, is it possible for men to "create" (in the sense that "create" == "spawn", or something like that)? Or does create mean something else in this case? Or am I missing something blindingly obvious?]


texts: Adjective (or adverb) form of contains or container

texts:
I am looking for a word that can be used to describe an arbitrary thing as being 'capable of containing, storing, and/or holding other things'.  Asking around I got suggestions such as "fillable", "insertable", etc... which may or may not be actual "real" words, and also fail to fully encompass the meaning I am trying to get at.  If a thing can be "containable" what is the word that describes the thing in which it would be contained?

After a lot of googling and searching this and similar sites, I am kind of starting to wonder if there even is a word for this?

EDIT

For clarification, and also why 'hollow' or something like that isn't sufficient, I was hoping for something that directly implied or had connotations of something that was intended to hold or contain other things.

Exact context was originally trying to find the correct word to use in naming a Java interface as our naming specifications say it needs to be an adjective, but after having no luck (and getting the okay to just name it Container) I was kinda annoyed that I couldn't find a descriptor to fit the meaning of "an object capable of or intended for containing other objects".  I found several words for "a room/container that can hold a large/small amount of things/people" but none that just implied the capability of that room/container of actually containing any things at all.

I was thinking something along the lines of "Character checked in the  ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲  {noun} for their emergency cash" or "{noun} is also  ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ , making it a perfect place for hiding valuables" where {noun} could be anything (though probably not something normally thought of as a container as then the adjective would be unneeded).

Examples for  ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲  & {noun}:

"container-like & air-conditioner"
"hollow & roll of netting"
"empty & outlet"

though not necessarily specific to valuables, those were just the first things that popped into my head.  And though hollow & empty are good descriptors for something known to be a container, something like "an empty outlet" implies that an outlet has nothing plugged into it, rather than the specific outlet is (also) a container.  So i am trying to find a word or words that would imply {noun} is "container-like"


texts: What is an "American style shopping mall"?

texts:
Consider the phrase: "American style shopping mall?"

Implicit here is a large multi-story enclosed gallery with lots of shops on a passageway that connects the "Generators" (large department stores like Macy's or Bloomingdales that 'generate' customer traffic).

Is the adjective "American style" redundant?  Or what sort of other style would a "non-American style shopping mall" convey?


texts:
what is the difference between 'no more' and 'no longer'?
Can those always replace each other?

A book says,

There were no longer wolves on the island.
There would no longer be too many deer on the island.
There was no more snow.


texts: Could someone explain the meaning of the word "destigmatise" and how can I use it? Is it a colloquial word? Thank you in advance!


texts:
Murder (said old Quong)—oblige me by passing my pipe—murder is one of the simplest thing in the world to do. Killing a man is a much simpler matter than killing a duck. Not always so safe, perhaps, simpler. But to certain gifted people it is both simple and entirely safe. Many minds of finer complexion than my own have discolored themselves in seeking to name the identity of the author of those wholesale murders which took place last year.

What exactly does discolored themselves means in this novel of The Hands of Mr. Ottermole by Thomas Burke?


texts: Who vs. whom when the he/him test is unclear

texts:
I'm not sure whether the following sentence requires who/whom:

Does anyone know who/whom I can speak with about that?

If a similar sentence began with who/whom, it would be "whom." Whom can I speak with about that? You can speak with "him" about that. Note, however, that this example uses "can I" vs. "I can."

However, I think the answer is "who" in this case. "Who I can speak with about that" is the direct object of "know."

Does anyone know what? Does anyone know "who I can speak with about that"?

Is it correct that since who/whom is part of a clause and not a direct object by itself (the whole clause is), the default answer is "who"?

I understand that "whom" has fallen out of use, but, nevertheless, I hope I can receive a detailed answer about the correct usage for the sake of improving my grammar.


texts: What does the phrase 'to brain toss' mean?

texts:
I have already done some research and I found out that 'to toss' also has a slang meaning and can be considered similar to the word 'to f*ck'. Is that right?

I heard this phrase in a video by 'Epic Rap Battles Of History' on YouTube. Darth Vader battles Adolf Hitler and says the following: “I strike back hard against a nazi, brain toss your ass in the air, yahtzee!“

Does it, on the one hand, mean the same as 'brain fuck your ass' and at the same time refer to tossing a dice, as he says 'yahtzee' at the end? To me it sounds like this indicates him tossing Hitler (like you would toss a dice) - he basically f*cks him (as you would say it in a rap battle).

I am still a bit confused about the phrase brain toss and why he would brain toss him in the air.

Does 'to toss' mean the same as 'to f*ck' and if not, what is the meaning of this phrase in the given context?

(Already answered satisfactorily)


texts: What do you call someone who always puts blame on others?

texts:
No matter what had really happened, this person will always blame and find an appearing logical/thought out way/strategy to it that, fundamentally, it's the other person who was the cause for all the trouble AND everything else that came from this trouble as well and from the next and so on.

No (slang) words like "jerk", "*sshole" etc. please.


texts: What do you call the people getting married in a wedding?

texts:
What do you call the people getting married at a wedding, i.e., the bride(s) and groom(s)? I was going to call them the "celebrants" but then I found out that "celebrant" is used for the preacher or whoever officiates at the ceremony. I want a word for the people who are taking the vows.

P.S. Is there a Latin-based word analogous to "officiant" or "celebrant"? The officiant read the wedding vows to the ________s?

What about "the principals"? Would that work?


texts:
Why does the words pub, button, public all pronounced with an "ah" instead of "oo"?

Since there's a "u" there it looks like it can be read pooblic, bootton (or even byutton), poob but it's pronounced as if the "u" was an "a", why?


texts: "What ever happened to" versus "Whatever happened to"?

texts:
I recently asked

  Whatever happened to (some noun from the past)?

But then wondered if I should have preferred to split whatever into two words:

  What ever happened to (some noun from the past)?

I came to English.SE to resolve it. I read the (related) questions:

Whatever happened to "what ever" and whenever did it happen?
Can "whatever" be split into two words?

but was unable to glean which was preferred in my context.

Is there a preference, or are they equivalent? Is there a rule I can learn?


texts: What does "small small" mean in Indian English?

texts:
There is a type of 'double adjective' expression in colloquial (mainly spoken) Indian English, which is a reflection of usage in many (Indian) subcontinental languages, example: "small small".

For instance,

"... ... That was so much
beautiful, I can't tell. There were big big mountains, and there were small
small houses in the foothills of them. ... ...".

My guess is that this is merely used to express a plural form, as in (converted to Standard English). It's more like "a collection of big mountains".

"... ... That was so beautiful, I can't tell you how much. There were some big mountains, and there were
many small houses in their foothills."

Am I right?
Other examples of doubling of adjectives as in 'small small':

The playground was full of little little children playing.
If  you have any sense, you will listen to old old people!
Big big people will do big big things. Small small people shouldn't imitate them.

In short, what does this type of double adjective as used in colloquial Indian English really mean, and how would you express the same in standard English?


texts: Should possessive 's be used when there is no possession in the strict ('this is John's property') sense involved?

texts:
I was trying to write “I was using the lecture's flow of logic”, as to say that I was following the logic that was in the lecture. But I am corrected by a spell-checker.

I tried to google it, but this leads me to another much more silly question. How do you call that “..'s” that designates ownership / association? I really did try to google it, but since “'s” is such a bad search term, and any formation for "What do you call that 's you add to designate ownership" I could think of, yielded anything but the answer I was looking for.

So my question is twofold.

What is the name of that 's thing? I guess it is not the "ownership 's" :) Is it perhaps called officially the ‘possessive s’?
Is saying "lecture's" (pertaining to the lecture) valid English grammar? Or is it valid grammar but people just don't say it this way?


texts:
In the afterword of its novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury states that

I didn't know it, but I was literally writing a dime novel.

However dime novel seems to have a negative connotation, according to the following definitions:

a cheap melodramatic or sensational novel, usually in paperback and selling for ten cents, especially such an adventure novel popular c1850 to c1920.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/dime-novel
Dime novel, a type of inexpensive, usually paperback, melodramatic novel of adventure popular in the United States roughly between 1860 and 1915
http://global.britannica.com/art/dime-novel

On this site, dime novel is used as an answer for the opposite of a gripping book.
The question is, if dime novel has such a bad connotation, why does Bradbury use that term to refer to one of its most acclaimed work?


texts: Passive Voice vs Present Perfect Passive Voice

texts:
Neither Jeremy nor his friends have been informed about the accident by the traffic police.

Why is the present perfect passive voice (have been informed) used in the sentence? Is it correct to use the pasive voice 'are informed'? What's the difference? Thanks.


texts: What would you call a person that is so scared of losing their own life that they will go so far as to risk the lives of others? I'm trying to think of a word that expresses the meaning of someone who is selfish like that, but I don't want to use the words selfish or self-centered.  Writing an essay on the Holocaust; please help!


texts: What is the word for wanting something bad to happen to yourself?

texts:
I once saw a word that means "wanting something bad to happen to yourself", and I can't seem to find it again. They described it as wanting to get in a car accident or get really sick.

Thanks for the help!


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “I Can't Get No Satisfaction” — what's the correct meaning?

I know this is a popular song and they might have twisted it a bit. but is it the legal use? I mean we see so many places where these things are used like "I don't have no words", "There ain't no use"


texts: Words associated with collecting money into a jar

texts:
Sometimes you see people collecting money into a "jar" with a hole for coins in it. This may or may not be intended for charity (e.g. it could also be used by someone playing a guitarr on the street).

My question is: what is the everyday name of such a jar and what is the action of collecting money into it called? If you have more than one word propositions, please share.


texts:
I'm curious to hear some thoughts on whether this sentence is gramatically acceptable.
Although it reads fine in my head, I feel a bit uncomfortable placing 'although' after the word 'which'.

...our process which, although terribly undefined, had sufficient similarities to...


texts: How to punctuate a sentence with post-nominal letters followed by a parenthetical fragment?

texts:
Here is the example:

If you have any questions, please email John Smith, Ph.D. (jsmith@email.com).

I don't think a period should follow the closed parenthesis, but the document that I was given does so.


texts: Why can we say "a change of address", "a change of plan", etc. without any articles in front of "address" and "plan"? Aren't they countable nouns? Is it some kind of idiom for "a change of X" or a special usage of grammar?


texts: Doubling of the letter 'p' when compounding two word

texts:
I am trying to name a little computer program I wrote.
I would like to name it mapit as a compound of map and it.
I was wondering if it should rather be mappit, with the 'p' doubled as in mapping.
I know mapping is not a compound word, but I couldn't think of an example of a compound word where the first word ends with 'p'.


texts:
Okay, so I was writing a story, or editing a part of a story, and the grammar checker I use told me that I was using "for" where I should have been using "to." But, I don't agree. Could anyone explain to me why this first sentence would be correct and the second would not?

His homework looks really hard, but it doesn’t seem hard to him, which makes sense because I’m a freshman and he’s a junior in all honors and AP courses.
His homework looks really hard, but it doesn’t seem hard for him, which makes sense because I’m a freshman and he’s a junior in all honors and AP courses.

I tried to look this up, but the results basically defined "to" and "for" and gave lists of when to use them geared towards non-native English speakers. I'm not looking for a definition; I'm asking for an explanation of the above word usage. Thank you.


texts: Is "for almost each object" good grammar in this example?

texts:
In the 2nd paragraph at Kolmogorov complexity, these is the following sentence.

"In particular, for almost each object it is not possible to compute even a lower bound for its Kolmogorov complexity ..."

This phrasing  for almost each object looks off to me.  But am I missing something, that would make this good English grammar, in the context where it is used?


texts: Can I use a colon twice in one sentence?

texts:
Can I use a colon twice in a sentence? For example, I would like to punctuate the following sentence as shown:

  These are hugely important factors for S. Oliver Canada as we’re dealing with a brand: 1) that is unknown in our market and: 2) that is known for low prices.


texts:
I've heard people use the terms:

American English
British English
Australian English

I understand that all of them are English. However, sometimes when people use them, it's almost like they refer to them as different languages.
My question is:
Is it proper to call these dialects? Or do we use another term for classification like "variation"?
Are they technically classified as their own languages?
I originally thought of a dialect on a smaller scale. For example, Southerners in the U.S. use different words for some things and have different accents from people in the North (i.e. New Yorkers). So, I thought those would be dialects of American English. Then American, British, and Australian English would be dialects of English.


texts: What does "Guinea" mean in names of countries?

texts: Why are there so many countries with the name "Guinea"?  Like Papua New Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, etc?


texts: Linguistic term for the introductory sentence preceding a list of statements

texts:
What is a linguistic term for the introductory sentence preceding a list of statements. In the example below, the clause preceding the bullet points.

A successful candidate for this position should demonstrate

Sound judgement in complex situations
Fairness in the treatment of others
the ability to adapt to other discourses
and so forth


texts: Is 'irreasonable' as the opposite of reasonable acceptable or not?

texts: Generally, the negative form of 'reasonable' is 'unreasonable' with the negative prefix 'un', but I do have come across 'irreasonable' used as the opposite of 'reasonable'. So my question is whether both are acceptable by native speakers of English in communication?


texts: What is the right expression: vacation days or days off?


texts:
Which one of the following is correct?

I will let you know once I have the information about it.
I will let you know at once I have the information about it.
I will let you know at once when I have the information about it.


texts: Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong

texts: What is "to" doing there in front of "choose"? It's part of West Point's Cadet Prayer.


texts: What does it mean when someone says "noted" to you?

texts:
I was talking to my friend about something I find disgusting and she replied, "Noted."
I replied, "Noted what?" and she said, "All that."
I am a little confused about what she was trying to say? Is there more here than meets the eye? Does "noted" as a response convey a meaning beyond the simple word itself?


texts:
"Yesterday you didn't tell me John was with Finch last year" here why aren't we using "John had been with Finch last year"? (since I spoke to you yesterday and with respect to that shouldn't it be "had been with Finch").  In spoken English why do we often use this structure (i.e. simple past for past perfect?)

By 'was with Finch' I mean they worked together in an office .


texts: It seems natural to say "who'd've" in speech, but is this incorrect?

texts:
It definitely seems strange in writing. All of the following make sense:

who would have
who'd have
who would've

But what about this?

who'd've


texts: When did "tea and sympathy" come into usage as a phrase?

texts: When did  "tea and sympathy" come into usage? I'm writing about a Western character in 1879.


texts: What figure(s) of speech or expression are in play here?

texts:
I recently heard a somewhat poetic song lyric that I couldn't pin down. The writer says of a failed relationship:

  We broke a diamond with our bitter words.

I get diamond as a metonym for marriage, or at least for commitment, but the writer stretches it by ‘breaking’ a diamond, which seems more metaphoric. It's nicely compact and expressive, but what's going on underneath?

Or maybe I'm missing something obvious. How would you characterize this lyric?


texts: Placing the word "each" to result in different outcomes?

texts:
The three documents were signed by each Anthony, Jack, and Mandy.
Each of the three documents was signed by Anthony, Jack, and Mandy.

Do the above two sentences mean the same thing? Or does the first sentence mean that one document would be signed by Anthony, another by Jack, and another by Mandy?

If both mean the same thing, how do I say that there are three documents and each person signs one?


texts:
I would like to use a translated quote from Cicero as an epigraph for my thesis. However I am not sure in which language to write the name of the source:

a) English: On the Nature of the Gods
b) Latin: De Natura Deorum
c) Latin with English: De Natura Deorum (On the Nature of the Gods)

What is the common standard for this purpose?


texts: Is there a term or phrase for the one paying a bill that is later split?

texts:
Sometimes when splitting bills one of the group members has to pay the entire bill first to later be reimbursed by the other group members. Is there an English term for who that person is or what the person does?

Simple situation example:

  I can [...] if you pay me back tomorrow.


texts: Possessive for abbreviation of a regular plural noun

texts:
How do you write the possessive for an abbreviation of a regular plural noun, when the plural 's' is not present in the abbreviation?

I want to write "ten kilograms' weight" in a scientific context where the abbreviation kg is used for the plural word kilograms.

How do I write this? Is it "10 kg's weight", or "10 kg' weight", or something else?

Thanks!


texts:
I'm looking for a word which describes "constant desire to achieve more, to gain something, doesn't matter what".

It can't be tied to one goal, like ambition or aspiration. It can be adjective.

Samples:

"I can't rest, my '  ' is driving me forward" OR
"I can't rest, I am too '  ' for that"

EDIT: Okay, I'll try to explain better. Let's say I have 2 choices to make: to eat a salad, OR to eat a chocolate bar. To earn some money OR to watch NETFLIX. So, I choose healthy food and I choose money. I always choose what I think is the best option which leads to maximum gain (subjectively speaking). And I want maximum gain, always. How is that "wanting" called ? Words "ambitiousness" or "driven" don't exactly fit


texts:
In this recording of a Documentary about Dark Age

  For three days, the great capital of Caesar and Augustusis ravaged by its unwelcome guests, the stunning architectural marvels that stood for centuries are buried to ground, Germanic slaves rise up to enslave their masters

I have 3 questions about it

Does Caesar and Augustus refer to the same person? if so why use 'and' between the two in this recording?
Does the great capital refer to the capital city or properties.
Why the narration use simple and present tense to describe the things that happened in the past?


texts: Is the series of object clauses used correctly in the following sentence?

texts:
She then told them she was 52, living alone, and had no doubt there was something very malicious and dangerous in her house, and that she dared not go back inside.

How many object clauses are there? Two or four? Do they all need to be preceded by "that"?


texts:
I’m trying to determine the visual expression of ‘imbibing,’ with the presumption it describes a particular attitude or energy in the act of drinking. (I make this presumption because it gives reason for the word to exist. If it were functionally no different to the word ‘drinking,’ I surmise its only raison d’etre is to give authors a means to show off.)

The Oxford dictionary tells me it means ‘To drink (alcohol)’, and it provides synonyms including quaff, guzzle, gulp, slurp, swig, and chug. This gives me a picture of ‘imbibing’ as drinking with reckless abandon; an urgent dedication one has when they’re seeking to get to the loosened side of cognition as quickly as possible.

But I encountered in my reading (a fiction novel), a sedate scientist who had been ‘drawn by the blush of dawn to imbibe tea on the deck.’ This doesn’t gel with the above impression I surmised from Oxford. From the novel’s usage, I imagine the man’s ‘imbibing’ to be measured and purposeful; he’d taste the tea one small sip at a time, a quiet satisfied exhale following each swallow, before his experience repeated.

One does not tend to drink a cup of tea in the same way they drink a bottle of beer.
When is it contextually proper to use the term ‘imbibe’?


texts:
I need to express in the following section heading that the manner of adding the units to the Contract is manual and not automatic:

  Adding Units to  a Contract

I would like to do as much as possible to keep the first word of the title "Adding".

"Adding Manually..." sounds wrong

"Adding Units Manually..." sounds like it could be OK, but I'm not convinced.

"Adding Units to a Contract Manually" sounds wrong too.

What would be the best option? Or is the best option to place Manually at the beginning?


texts: The use of negative with indefinite pronouns

texts: Is it correct to say: Everything doesn't go easy in life. Or should one say : Not everything goes easy in life.


texts: The use of 'sort in' vs 'sort to' in programming

texts: In computer science, I have seen that people say that we can use an algorithm to 'sort in' ascending order. Shouldn't it be 'sort to' ascending order? Any help understanding the correct usage would be appreciated. Sorry for the bad english.


texts:
Context: "My work requires me to be at different areas for different events which allow me to learn ..."

Do I use "allows" or "allow"? Can you provide me the rules/situations in choosing which one to use for future reference? Thanks.


texts: Is "stabilize into" a valid collocation?

texts:
Here is the full sentence:

"Despite the fluidity of this trope, in the middle of the twentieth century, it briefly stabilized into a distinct shape".

Thanks for the help!


texts: What does "between" mean in this sentence?

texts:
"The house is on the right side of the street, between the yard of the prison."

Between requires a comparison between at least two things, like "between the yard of the prison and the cemetery", but only one is mentioned here.

Is there some explanation for the way this sentence was written?


texts: What's the grammatical function of "not" and "to" in this sentence?

texts:
What's the grammatical function of not and to in this sentence?

  It is legitimate for Slovenia not to allow the merger.

How do I analyse the verb phrase? Allow is the headword, but what are not and to?


texts: What exactly does it mean for something to be "Visually Kinaesthetic"?

texts: I came across this term but I'm not sure what it means exactly, I can't think of any examples that this phrase would make sense with.


texts: What is the past simple and past participle of spit? Each online dictionary has different form

texts:
Cambridge: past tense and past participle : here is the cambridge link:spat.https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/spit#british-1-1-2

Oxford:spits, spitting, spat, spitted
Oxford link :https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/spit

Collins:spits, spitting, spat or spit
        Word forms: spits, spitting or spitted
Collins link:https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/spit

Wikitionary:spitted,spitted
            spat/spit,spat/spit
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spit

Which one is correct?


texts: Can " were known" be considered as a copular verb?

texts: I have to analyze the valency pattern of this clause "These glorious full colour prints that resulted were known as brocade pictures". Can I consider "were known" as a copular verb followed by the subject predicative "as brocade pictures"?


texts:
I'm a huge Pulp Fiction fan, and the following is one of my favorite scenes, but it also irks me. (source: IMDB)

  Jules: [Jules shoots the man on the couch] I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue, you were saying something about best intentions. What's the matter? Oh, you were finished! Well, allow me to retort. What does Marsellus Wallace look like?

Can a question be a retort to something? I see retort defined as (dictionary.reference.com):

  to reply to, usually in a sharp or retaliatory way; reply in kind to.
  to return (an accusation, epithet, etc.) upon the person uttering it.
  to answer (an argument or the like) by another to the contrary.

All the above suggest some sort of a reply. But can a retort be a question, or even a counter-question ?


texts: Meaning and etymology of "Hat-trick" and "Brace"

texts:
We all know that in the footballing world, when someone scores 3 goals, they call it a Hat-trick and when two, a Brace.
I was wondering how these words are related to numbers 3 and 2? Is there any semantic relation? Is there any other word to describe for example 4 goals or 5 goals? Plus, I would love to have some information on their etymology!


texts:
What are the different meaning int the following sentences?

They have been dating for a year now.
They will have been dating for a year now.


texts: Idiom request: interested in doing something during a certain period of time

texts:
I came across this idiom in a Youtube English idiom course. It goes like

  I'm on a sports [the single word I can't recall].

Basically, it means that I'm just not a sports person, however, I've started showing some interest recently or I was attracted to sports during a past (often short) period of time.


texts: Regarding parentheses and the end of sentence period, when the parentheses begin in 1 sentence but end after a second complete sentence?

texts:
“Jim likes bananas (as well as apples. He also likes most vegetables).”

The finished sentence in the beginning of the parentheses, with 1 or more complete sentences after the partial sentence, all within the same parentheses. Where does the final period go - in or out of the closing parenthesis?
Thank you!


texts: If you can be "discombobulated", is it possible to be "combobulated"?

texts: I've often heard the word "discombobulated" used. But I've never heard of something being "combobulated", and it's not in any dictionary I've looked at. If "combobulated" is not word, where did "discombobulated" come from?


texts: What is another way to say "in my opinion"?

texts:
What phrase should I use to prevent the redundancy of saying "In my opinion..."?

Oftentimes, I always say this phrase whenever my teacher asks for my opinion about certain subject or topic and it sounds a little redundant and annoying.
Is there any alternative to say the above-mentioned phrase? -- Alternative, in a way, that it will sound witty.


texts: Talking about past action in the present time

texts:
I am confused about the correctness of the following two statements:

  I thought essential oils were the cure to all life's problem.

And

  I thought essential oils are the cure to all life's problem.

Can some please help me correct this, which one is a correct statement and why?


texts:
Later in 1991, the Court of Appeal dismissed all the claims on the ground that, apart from
  rescuers, only parents and spouses could claim and that ‘a perception through the broadcast
  of selective images accompanied by a commentary is not such as to satisfy the proximity
  test’. Ten claimants then appealed unsuccessfully to the House of Lords.

I'm guessing that only Definition 2 of such as applies here, so replace with it:

  Later in 1991, the Court of Appeal dismissed all the claims on the ground that, apart from
  rescuers, only parents and spouses could claim and that ‘a perception through the broadcast
  of selective images accompanied by a commentary is not Of a kind that to satisfy the proximity
  test’.

Now, this (eg "...that to satisfy") sounds grammatically wrong? Did I perceive such as correctly?

Source: P94, How the Law Works, Gary Slapper


texts:
What's the opposite of close set eyes? wide set eyes? far set eyes? :D

I heard this in the TV show Grimm. I got curious what would be the opposite


texts: What is the origin of the idiom/phrase "Heroes never die"?

texts:
I've been bothered by some guy on my online gaming server that kept spamming the phrase "Heroes never die" for quite some time during last weekend before he was banned.

To clear my mind of this mantra (it is akin to a thought itch now) I searched the web to the origins of the phrase.

First I came to this know your meme page, stating that it originated with Overwatch's Mercy character. She yells that when she uses her ultimate. Overwatch was released may 2016, so if that was the origin the usage of the phrase would be close to zero before that. It is not the case.

A google search pointed me to a Halo video on youtube, dated september 2011, it has more than 3M views. We can then safely discard Overwatch as the origin, just as the Know your Meme folks did.

Searching for related terms, I came across this phrase by Babe Ruth "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.", that is very close but swaps heroes for legends.

Finally, on google trends the interest for the phrase seem to start around june 2004. The aggregated data starts january 2004, so the trail seems to end here (at least to my search skills); I couldn't think of more places to search further than that.

What is the origin of this phrase, "Heroes never die"?


texts: Meaning of a sentence using the perfect continuous tense

texts:
a. They have been throwing papers.
b. They have been throwing papers since the teacher left.

Does the sentence (a) have the same meaning as sentence (b), even though the period of time is not stated in sentence (a)? Or is it that sentence (a) can only mean that they threw the paper and have stopped now?


texts: Does the “a” of “I'ma” extend to other pronouns?

texts:
Consider “I'ma do this” (as in “I am going to do this”). How does the a in I'ma extend in usage? Does anyone have any usage where it's used with other personal pronouns? I heard in a song recently where the guy said: "they probably still 'a hate", which I took to mean “they probably still will hate”.
The song: https://youtu.be/XXi629ypSwY?t=175 it's at 3:03.
The lyrics: Royce da 5'9" LA Leakers Freestyle


texts: Why do we use the suffix “‑gate” when referring to a scandal?

texts:
I see a lot of times when something is a politically-oriented scandal that the suffix ‑gate is added to the end of the word the scandal revolves around.

Examples include:

Watergate
Weinergate
Valijagate (Spanish for “suitcase-gate”)

I believe that it originated during the Watergate scandal, but I don't know why the suffix ‑gate was perpetuated to other scandals. Is there a name for this literary mechanism of using part of previously popularized term to elicit a comparison or similar connotation?


texts:
Is it correct to use will twice in the following sentence?

  When you will come to see me we will have dinner together.


texts:
I came across this following sentence as I was making a practice about grammar. " Who got up first this morning?"
I didn't understand why they used "got up" intead of "did get up". Can someone explain?


texts: What is the difference between 'despair' and 'hopeless'?

texts: These two words seem to have the same translation in my native language (Cambodian). What is the major difference between these two adjectives?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Difference between an acronym and abbreviation?

My question refers to the term/word ET. Some dictionaries define it as acronym standing for "extra terrestrial" and others say it is an abbreviation for extraterrestrial.

Could ET be both an acronym and an abbreviation?


texts:
I am looking to tell my group of long-time friends, that the meet up they had last week (which I missed) would hopefully not be the last one for at least the next several months.
Would it be fine to say, "Hope this was not the last one for a long time"? (in the sense, I hope it does not take them too long before they come up with another meet-up plan)
Thank you for all your inputs, in advance!


texts: Can you say I don't and can't do anything

texts: eg. They don't have to do chores and can't do chores. Can I merge these and say they don't and can't do chores?


texts:
For example, "I found that LA is not an island." (Truth always)

or "I ensured them that car insurance is necessary." (Truth in past and now still)

Do I have to use "was" instead of "is" for tense agreement?


texts: What is the name of the sound that a coin makes when hitting coins collected in a jar?

texts:
If I drop a coin into a jar half-filled with coins, what is the common name of that sound? I.e. not the formal name, but the name that would be used in everyday talk.

As I understand it (based on translation from my language), the following words are "correct":

ring, jingle, ping, ding, chime, ting, chink, twang, ring out, clang, clunk

However, I need to know which one of those (or maybe some other?) is the best fit for the given case.


texts: When did people start using “rod” for “ wrought”?

texts: I’ve seen many online postings for people claiming to sell “ rod” iron rather than “wrought “ iron items.


texts:
One who has potential, but never gives the effort to show it.

What would be the best word or words that match this description?


texts:
Have you ever wondered where certain substances are contained inside laboratories and where these laboratory wastes are disposed?
or
Have you ever wondered where certain substances were contained inside laboratories and where these laboratory wastes were disposed?
Please help


texts: Next week, in the next week, for the next week

texts:
I have an easy question about the usage of the expression: next week / month/ year.

What is the difference between these three sentences?

I'll probably go the mountains next week.
I'll be on holiday for the next week.
I'm sure there will be a lot of work to do in the next week.

I've found on the internet that the first sentence means "in a specific moment of the next week", but I can't understand the difference between the second and third sentence. What is the difference between for the next and in the next?

I've already tried looking for similar threads but none of them has answered my question. I hope you can help me!


texts: "Eat more fruit(s) and vegetables" Is there a BE and AE difference?

texts:
This earlier question Is using “fruits” as the plural of “fruit” acceptable? has a number of answers as to whether fruit can be in the plural form fruits.

The consensus of the answers there seems to be to use the singular fruit in general and use the plural fruits only to describe "different varieties/kinds of fruit".

But I think there's more to it than that.

According to Ngram, eat more fruits and vegetables is substantially more frequently used than eat more fruit and vegetables.

I'm not sure if fruit in this phrase necessarily denotes different varieties/kinds of fruit. But even if it does, the same phrase shows more hits for the singular fruit in British English.

Of course, the same phrase shows substantially more hits for the plural fruits in American English.

Now, returning to the original Ngram, it seems to me that the more hits for the plural fruits is apparently due to the fact that the gap between the two uses is larger in American English than in British English, regardless of whether fruit in the phrase actually refers to "different varieties/kinds of fruits".

Am I on to something or am I mistaken?

EDIT

For those AE speakers who say Americans never "say" fruits regardless of the prevalent proof that they "write" fruits, here's some proof saying otherwise:

(1) Study: Eat 10 daily servings of fruits and vegetables by Fox News

(2) Dr. Campbell: Eating more fruits and vegetables can prolong life by CBS North Carolina

As you can see they speak American English in both these news reports and they talk about the same research paper.

Now, here's another video addressing the same research paper but "This Morning" is a British channel and they apparently speak British English. And I notice they keep saying "fruit and veggies" never "fruits":

(3) Do We Really Need to Eat 10 Portions of Fruit and Veg a Day? by This Morning

Now what?


texts: Why are punctuation end marks placed inside the end quotation mark?

texts:
I have always had a hard time understanding the English Grammar rule that punctuation end marks like periods, question marks, or exclamation marks should be placed before the end quote.

For instance, why is this correct:

  Alice said, "I'm going to go buy another cat, my thirtieth."

But this is not correct:

  Alice said, "I'm going to go buy another cat, my thirtieth".

While this question may have been answered in terms of correct usage, I am looking for the reasoning behind the usage, not how to use it correctly.


texts: If I were to leave my country because there is a high chance that I will get shot here, and then got shot in the country I immigrate to, would that be ironic or a happenstance?


texts:
The local radio station says they will give an "hour-by-hour" or "hourly" weather forecast, but then gives what the expected temperatures and weather will be at 8am, 12pm, 4pm and 8pm rather than a forecast for each hour.

Is there a better (but still quick) way to describe the forecast?

Edit: To clarify, I am talking about a single forecast where they give the weather they expect to see at 4 different times through the day.


texts: "If the bowl had been stronger, my song had been longer."

texts:
In the original version of the nursery rhyme, The Wise Men of Gotham, the word 'had' is used in the main clause of a sentence where it seems modern English would commonly use 'would have'.  The full rhyme is:

  Three wise men of Gotham,
  They went to sea in a bowl,
  And if the bowl had been stronger
  My song had been longer.

What is the grammatical tense, and semantic sense, of the second 'had' in the rhyme?


texts:
first time poster here. Can someone help me with comma placement in the following sentence:

Margaret loved music, especially the compositions of Joseph Haydn, which inspired in her an irresistible urge to make art.

It reads fine to me, but I'm getting tripped up because the middle phrase could be read as parenthetical. I need the 'which' to refer to Haydyn's music, not music generally. But if I remove the comma after 'Haydyn' it doesn't seem right.

Amy help greatly appreciated!


texts:
Here is a scenario:
Suppose X, Y, and Z live together.
X and Z had a fight and X decided they did not wish to live with Z any more.
Seeing this, Y decided to help X to force Z out. But then X and Z became friends, and Y was left out alone.
What is that word/idiom that explains Y's condition here?
PS: You can think of X, Y, Z as 3 Kings under one Greater Kingdom.