texts: How well does my second sentence connect with the first one?

texts:
I am not sure in what category this question will fall, if any. If it needs to be altered, I will alter it. The following is the ending of a piece of writing:

  I will make a difference to people's lives. There is no better reward.

or,

  "He will do an excellent job. For him, there is no better reward."

Here, "reward" is being used in the generic sense of "satisfaction." But does that come off readily to a reader? Would they connect that reward to the execution of an excellent job?

I'm interested to know if the different phrases in this ending are well matched, and if there is a better/more measured way to express the idea.


texts: What is the possessive for several names?

texts:
If Alice and Bob each has a house, are these "Alice and Bob's houses" or "Alice's and Bob's houses"?

Does that change anything if each of the houses belongs to both of them?


texts: For example, what's more grammatically correct (or at least common practice) "Sonata of Awakening" or "The Sonata of Awakening"?


texts: Correct capitalization for "of" in an acronym definition

texts:
For an acronym that includes the word "of", do you capitalize its usage within the definition (or expansion) of the acronym

For example, in the follow sentence:

My coworker Steve suffers from Complete Avoidance of Work Syndrome (CAOWS).

Should of be written as Of?


texts: Definite article with the superlative degree of adverbs

texts:
Our rotary telephone is the least frequently used device in our house.
Ben moved most quietly as the boys walked down the darkened ally.

In the first sentence a superlative adverb is used with the (the least frequently), but in the second sentence it is used without (most quietly).
Can anyone explain the difference between the two?


texts:
I have some doubts about the construction of this sentence:

  I want to make you able to play.

In my language this is a common construction. Is it a valid sentence in English too?

This is the form: subject + to make + pronoun + able to verb.


texts: Any difference between pleasure to us to... vs. pleasure of ours to...?

texts:
I am writing a super-formal letter (it is a semi-legal text) and I am unsure if there is any sensible difference between writing

"It is a great pleasure to us to..." (26,200,000 hits on Google)

instead of

"It is a great pleasure of ours to..." (20,300 hits on Google)

The Google-distribution suggests that the second variant might be either

Grammatically incorrect; and/or
Used only in certain dialects; or
More formal than the first variant, and it is rarely used.

Are both expressions correct? If so, why is the second one less popular?


texts: I am an english learner but when it comes to syllables and streesing, a lot of words give me problems in pronoucing them.   When I was taught syllables and streesing they told me that every word has only one stressed syllable. Then when I made research on net ,I got to know that there are words with a secondary stress. But i failed to know any rule concerning words with two syllable stress.  So, is there any one with any clue or rule concerning words with secondary stress.                          A very simple example is a word like "enable". In my short thinking, I thought it had to be written like "eneible" in phonics spelling but checking in the dictionaries, it is written as "Ineible" appearing like the first and second vowels are stressed.


texts: How to ask this question. Which one have the most morality?

texts:
What is the correct use of this? May Both be wrong?

Which one have the most morality?

or

Which one have the most morale?


texts:
Is it correct to say something like this?

  I used to use the knife to open things like cans.


texts: Would "Human Resources are excited or is excited" correct?

texts: Would "Human Resources are excited or is excited" be correct?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When is the present perfect tense used instead of the past tense?
  When will “Present Perfect vs. Past Tense” cases be affected by culture?

I feel like I often misuse Simple Past and Present Perfect.

For example, given this sentence:

  I already asked her.

Asking her is something I have done... but it's also something I did.
So would it be more correct to use Present Perfect, as in:

  I have already asked her.

Or are they interchangeable?


texts: Usage of colon in English and math writing

texts:
I always have problems with the use of colons when writing math papers. The following examples come from a published paper in a prestigious American journal.

Here is an example where the colon is not used:

  ... can be written as

"The equation is inserted here"

  where...

And one where the colon is used:

  ... by accumulating the effects of earlier appreciation:

"The equation is inserted here"

A last one:

  ... is a function of the amount of search (...):

"The equation is inserted here"

  where...

I am unable to draw a definitive conclusion from these examples. Is there any specific rule that applies?


texts: What’s the meaning of ‘get ploughed’ in sports?

texts:
A dictionary says plough means to form furrows with a plow, so I thought those who got ploughed in sports had deep cuts. However, my understanding might be a little strange in the following context (Harry Potter 4 [US Version]: p.108) , because he hit the ground. What kind and degree of injury did he get when he got ploughed? Would you use ‘get ploughed’ in common sports, I mean, non-magical sports?

(The sport’s players are flying on their brooms. Two of them are diving for a small ball.)

  at the very last second, Viktor Krum pulled out of the dive and spiraled off. Lynch, however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium. A huge groan rose from the Irish seats.

(Then a spectator, Charlie, says)

  ”He’ll be okay, he only got ploughed!” Charlie said reassuringly to Ginny, who was hanging over the side of the box, looking horror-struck. [bold font is mine]

Side Note: I think ‘only’ means that it’s easy to recover by magic. So I guess ‘get ploughed’ causes serious injury in our world.


texts:
I was just now looking online for the meaning of the idiom "leave it or lump it," and found it on Malaphors:

(leave it or lump it) is a mash up of “love it or leave it” (be supportive of your country or leave) and “like it or lump it” (take that or none).

It is apparently a malaphor, which is a new type of word I have never heard before.
So what is a malaphor?
P.S I searched questions at EL&U for malaphor and drew a blank. So I searched Google (please don't tell me I should have searched Google first!) and got some interesting information which I will use to answer my own question which is said to be encouraged at Stack Exchange websites. Anybody else is also welcome to post answers and comments.


texts: "I'd the house to myself" Is this incorrect?

texts:
"I'd the house to myself."

Since "I'd" can be a contraction of I had, would it work in this case for "I had the house to myself?"


texts: What does this mean : to be so (past tense verb)?

texts:
What does it mean when we use "so" with a verb, like we say "he is so gone", or "he is so done with something"?

It sounds like emphasizing on something but I don't see how "being gone" could be emphasized?


texts: what is the meaning of competing alternatives

texts:
does it mean that in a company, for instance, the most probably hired interviewers left in the second round of testing? does it have to do with competent and still remaining .
then if it is solved, can you guys give me some sentences to illustrate it?


texts:
Richard Dawkins recently informed twitter that the OED has registered Glen Greenwald's last name as a transitive verb and assigned the following definition to it1:

  To misrepresent a more intelligent person's superior argument, typically on social media in the form of poorly written material under the guise of journalism.

My question is this: from what writing or writings of Greenwald's did his surname inherit this unfortunate registry into our lexicon?

Also, can someone provide an excerpt or a sample or article of someone greenwalding a more intelligent argument?

My problem is the umbrella term of misrepresent which, or course, includes the semantics of malice and intention in this case, but I think could include the dangers of paraphrasing or simplification. Either way, I would like an excerpt or full length article of someone doing this.

Also, dear readers, I would very much appreciate your feedback.

1https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins/status/682110072877547521


texts: Idiom criticizing a person who has unsolved problems but tries to give someone advice about them

texts:
Is there an idiom or expression that refers to a person who has some unsolved problems and tries to give some pieces of advice to, or guide, others for solving the same problems?

We Iranians have a proverb that literally means

“If a bald man were capable of curing baldness, he would cure himself first!”

This sarcastic proverb implies that “...while someone is incapable of solving his own problems, he is in no position to guide others on how to solve the same problems.”

Examples:

Suppose I have made many mistakes in my married life and now I'm in the midst of getting divorced; one day my colleague (person A), who is about to get married, asks my colleagues and me for some advice on how to have a successful married life. When I start giving my opinion, another colleague (person B) might turn and say to person A:

  "Why are you asking Soudabeh? If she really knew how to have a happy married life, she wouldn't be in this situation now; as that old proverb says "if a bald man could cure baldness, he would cure himself first!"

There is a country (A) in the region which has been fighting some terrorist groups for some years and has not been successful in destroying them; now its neighbor country (B) is facing the same problem. If country A's leaders try to guide country B's government on how to fight against those terrorists, country B's leader might say "You are not in a position to guide us! If you had been capable of solving this problem, you would have solved it in your own country, if a bald..."

I have found this idiom "physician, heal thyself". Can I use it as an equivalent to that Persian proverb? (Although it seems that it focuses on "defects" rather than the "problems".)

Notes:

The bald man here refers to the one who has been involved with an
inherited baldness or a permanent baldness due to a disease like a
ringworm (fungal infection).
We use this proverb when we are talking to/about our close friends
or younger relatives, or to people for whom we don't care about them being
offended hearing it (we rarely say it to a really bald person to
prevent them taking it personally and getting upset). Also, this
proverb is commonly used among politicians and opposing parties
as a way of mocking each other for not being able to solve their own
problems and yet trying to guide others on how to solve the same
problems.
Using this proverb doesn't mean that the speaker is accusing somebody
but just implies that they are not in the position to give
advice about the given problem(s).

Maybe this cartoon gives a better idea. (What is your first impression of that?) Are you ready to go to this dietician? :)

  One might reply :"No, I won't. Because if he knew how to treat obesity, he would treat himself first!, as the idiom/ proverb says _____ ."

Actually, I'm looking for something that can be used in this sentence, too (as an equivalent for that Persian proverb).


texts:
Is there a word for this sort of situation:

Jack and Jill meet for the first time, and eventually agree to return home together for "coffee". They take a taxi to Jacks house, but as they pull up and he gets out She tells the driver to take her on to her own way instead. Jack is left confused...

Nowadays we have words like ghosting, Is there anything that exists to describe this?

Gutted Jack, she really Blerblered you there!


texts: What does the phrase "point-blank" mean in "she refused point-blank to join in"?

texts:
So she refused point-blank to join in.

What does the expression point-blank mean in this context? Could you give me some more examples of situations where this phrase could be used?


texts: Meaning of "What time do we got to do this at?"

texts:
I am struggling to understand the meaning of the following sentence:

  What time do we got to do this at?

I assume "do we got" means "do we have got". I guess they are asking at what time it has to be completed or how much time have they left. Is that so?


texts: How do you refer to a 'they' character in a poem in a possessive sense?

texts:
I am writing a paper about Emily Dickinson's ‘They shut me up in Prose –.’ The two characters of the poem are the speaker and an unidentified group only referred to as 'they' and later as 'themself.' When writing about the group of people, it is burdensome to say 'the unidentified group' or 'the oppressors' and so on, so I have been referring to them as they always in italics.

In a draft of my paper, I was declining the noun to fit the grammatical context, for instance 'being silenced by them,' but my professor said I should treat 'they' as one would treat the 'I' as people do in literary criticism and keep everything in the nominative case. This presents no difficulty for nominatives and seems fine for objective cases, but I'm a little stumped by the possessives.

I've been italicizing the four letters of 'they' and leaving the apostrophe s unitalicized to indicate that I am only treating 'they' as an isolated verbal element, which is why it isn't the much more natural sounding 'their.' An example is, 'the despotic arbitrariness of they’s actions.'  It seems consistent, but also incredibly awkward. Is it wrong? Is there another option? What do people do in this situation for the 'I' in literary criticism?


texts: Future tense in both main clause and subordinate clause

texts:
I have encountered in some grammar books that you can never have the future tense in the sub-ordinate clause when the main clause is also in the future tense. It seems to hold in conditional clauses and time clauses (those that contain when, if etc).

Based on that, the sentence "What will be will be" has always stuck out in my mind as an abberation.

So my question is, is this an actual rule? That is, should the above sentence be rewritten in some way to make it grammatically sound?
For example by replacing what will be by what is to be or what is going to be or something in that line.

Another such example: I will decide what I will do


texts: Where is the wordplay of "A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion"

texts: I saw this sentence as an example of pun or wordplay. But I couldn't find out where the wordplay is. Any idea?


texts: I see the word goodies being used widely on the internet, but I can't construe its meaning clearly. Could you explain it thoroughly?


texts:
Please which comment is right:

The requested documents has been delivered
or
The requested documents have been delivered

Regards


texts: How and when should I correctly use the article "the" after a preposition, pron. & det.?

texts:
Which sentence is correct looking at the use of the article "the" in bold?

By a way of illustration, let’s say that the Keynesian paradigm identified «full employment» as the core subject of its macroeconomic theory and policy..
By a way of illustration, let’s say that Keynesian paradigm identified «full employment» as the core subject of its macroeconomic theory and policy..


texts: Correct way to write these sentences? Which or that?

texts:
Should I use "which" or "that" in these sentences. I appreciate they are virtually the same sentence. I don't think it makes a difference here but I speak/write British English (not American English).

The twin room has its own ensuite that/which is equipped with a shower.
This stylish room has its own ensuite which/that is equipped with a shower.

Thanks


texts:
My dictionary defines artificial as made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally, especially as a copy of something natural.

But since any manufactured substance can only be created from something that has natural origins, can anything simply be described as artificial?

Are we not restricted, in the use of the word artificial, to placing it as an adjective, in front of nouns? We talk, for example, about artificial fibres, meaning things like nylon, or polyester, which do not occur naturally as fibres as do wool or cotton. Similarly someone may have an artificial limb.

But placing a notice on a food package saying nothing artificial contained here I would suggest is nonsense, since everything in the world is either extracted, manufactured, or contrived through chemical process from a naturally occurring substance of some sort.

Can artificial be used alone without further qualification?


texts: The doctor prescribed that the child must take/should take/take the medicine every 8 hours

texts: Non-native here. The reason why this question confuses me is that this should be "took" based on what I have learnt in grammar classes. But that doesn't sound right. I am confused between take or must take. I feel it should be must since prescribed denotes authority. My friends are split between should take and take.


texts: What do you call it when some group is feeling self-satisfaction by praising themselves?

texts: What do you call it when a group of people is feeling self-satisfied and praising themselves, even though others don't think them praise-worthy?


texts: Can an "or" question be answered "yes" or "no"?

texts:
I recently moved to the West Coast for a new job.  I periodically ask if someone is going to take choice A or choice B.  Commonly they answer "yes" or "no."  I always asked them to re-state by writing "choice " or "choice ".  A few said I knew exactly what they meant, I just like to be difficult.  I tried to sincerely ask a few coworkers what "yes" and "no" meant in this context and they just frowned and sighed.  Where I'm from no one answers "yes".  Is this grammatically correct and if so what does it mean?

Bob: Jim, are you taking next week off or the following week?

Jim: Yes

Which week is Jim taking off?

I know this.

Bob: Jim are you taking either next week or the following week off?

Jim: Yes

Means Jim is may be taking next week off or he may be taking the following week off.  He's not indicating which week, he's just indicating that it will be one of those 2 weeks, not neither of those 2 weeks.


texts:
I have the following (half-) sentence:

  This dreadful monotony plagues many classrooms, but (...)

However, I found this phrasing unsatisfactory, as I would like to avoid using "many", if possible. Is there an alternative phrasing, preferably one in which the replacement for "many" comes after "classrooms"? Something like "This dreadful monotony plagues classrooms beyond number, but (...)".


texts: What is the verb for “to make incomplete”

texts:
What is a good word choice for "to make incomplete" The context is that if I am following a path and perfectly reverse course, I will return to my place of origin. However, failure to precisely reverse my trajectory will make my return incomplete. Thanks!

Edit:
I am really trying to capture the essence of taking something that was complete and making it incomplete.  Perhaps the context that I provided wasn't that helpful.  What would the verb be if I had an apple, but took a bite out of it making it incomplete?  When a student answers the last question on an assignment they "complete it".  If that student erases the answer did they "incomplete it"?  What is the verb in this case?


texts: I am new to academic writing and keep seeing the word "posits". Does "the author posits" have the same value or meaning as "the author suggests"?


texts: What are the differences between "assumption" and "presumption"?

texts:
I was told the following:

  A presumption is something you think is true before you know any facts about the matter.
  An assumption is something you think is true when you miss information, but you think you have it.
  The difference can be subtle. When you have certain set ideas about some things, they are also presumptions.
  Women can not drive cars is a presumption.
  Based on the presumption, I can assume that you can not drive, because you are a woman.

Is this right, or is there more to it?


texts:
I read this quote online:

  "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us" - J. R. R. Tolkien

Is it just a relaxation of pronunciation of "the time that [god] has given us" ? Why did he choose to write "given us" instead of "given to us" ?

edit:
Is this form archaic? Because, at least to my non-english ears, prepositional phrase "to us" sounds more natural in this context.


texts:
Are these sentences correct without articles, please? Is this the same case as in equation (3)?

I check (the) key 2016.

In was in (the) test 2019.


texts: Why were lions singled out to form "prides"?

texts:
Most of the time, the collective noun for a group of animals is fairly mundane and not specialized to the animal, at least in the scientific literature.

Most pack hunters form packs. Most herd animals form herds. Most birds, and the occasional sheep, form flocks. Most fish form schools. Most whales and dolphins form pods. Most (non-human) primates form troops. Most insects form swarms.

All of these terms, along with family, litter, nest, hive and colony - for more specialized groups of animals - have scientific merit.

Meanwhile, the more fanciful, specialized "terms of venery", like murder of crows, gaggle of geese, business of ferrets, et cetera, are rarely if ever used in a scientific context. With one exception.

Lions are pack hunters. But a "pack" of lions is universally known as a pride of lions, even in the scientific literature. Why was this one species singled out for its term of venery?

It's not like a murmuration, a particularly large flock - originally and most commonly of starlings - whose emergent behavior is mesmerizing and of scientific interest in its own right. A pride of lions is just a bunch of lions that live and hunt together, no different from a pack of wolves (except for the fact that lions are felines and wolves are canines).

Why are lions, and lions alone, preferentially collected by their specialized term of venery, even in the scientific literature?


texts: What connotations does the word "semblance" have?

texts: Is the meaning of the word "semblance" closer to that of "fake" or that of "illusion"? I mean, does it have the negative connotations that "fake" or "counterfeit" have, or is it something that can be more innocent, maybe even positive, like "illusion"? (Or am I just completely misunderstanding the meaning of "semblance"?)


texts: What is the difference between the questions below

texts:
Could you explain the difference between "When do you think he will come?" and "How do you think when will he come?".
Why only the first one is grammatically correct and the second is wrong? Why can't I start it with how?


texts: An alternate word for a feeling of unbelonging

texts:
Do we have a word, phrase or an idiom  that means 'torn between worlds' or 'don't know where I belong'?

Contextual example :
When you're torn between your school friends and college friends but don't feel at home with the companies of both. But you want to be a part of both sometimes, to get the best of two worlds, which almost never happens.


texts: In "what I think is one of the best", is it supposed to be "what, I think, is one of the best"

texts:
"I would like to talk today about what I think is one of the greatest adventures."

In this sentence, is "what I think" is used like this

"I would like to talk today about what, I think, is one of the greatest adventures."

or like this?

"I would like to talk today about what I think is (the thing I think is) one of the greatest adventures."

Any explanations please? Which is correct?


texts: GRE question. What is the meaning of "irregular" here?

texts:
Pick two words that each fit in the blank and results in the sentence having the same meaning.

  The__________ nature of the room was considered extraordinary by
  everyone, even Tamika who realized she was cleaning her own apartment
  at increasingly irregular intervals.

inscrutable
purified
sanitized
squalid
transient
sullied

I picked sanitized and purified. But why does "irregular" suggest that the room here is dirty and not really clean? Can't "irregular" mean that it occurs less often than usual instead of more often?


texts:
TENDER: (intransitive) followed by for: to make a formal offer
or estimate for (a job or contract).
noun: the act or an instance of tendering; offer.

What does tender mean in put something out to tender ?


texts:
I have the following sentence:

"Optimization approaches can shift the load into times with low prices in the electricity market"

Can I use 'into' here or do I have to use 'to'? I'd appreciate every comment.


texts: Referring to the song Gin Soaked Boy by Divine comedy, what does the phrase "Gin in the Gin Soaked Boy" mean?


texts: Is it ok to say "a big set of nodes" or should i use the word "large"?

texts:
It feels to me as if "big" in this context is focusing on the word "set" and not the number of things inside the set. For example, what if the nodes could be of different sizes and I want to focus on the number of them rather than the total size of them.

Do I just have a bias against the word "big" or is my intuition correct?


texts:
I would like to know the target of the word "not" in the following sentence.

  The problem is that Britons were never given a chance to vote on whether they wanted the CCTV cameras set up or not.

I wonder which of the following is a correct interpretation:

whether they wanted the CCTV cameras set up or (they did not want the CCTV cameras set up)
whether they wanted the CCTV cameras set up or (not set up)


texts: Which word is appropriate for an on-line game website: appeal, accuse or complain?

texts:
I'm translating an on-line game website into English, and the main idea of rules is that users can create a small game for other users. If the creator user provides answers that are not correct or not fair, the users with right answers want to click a bottom to tell the website administration, which word(s) should be displayed on that button?

appeal/appeal against
accuse
complain/complain about/complain of/complain against


texts: "Take your ball and go home" - meaning of this odd phrase?

texts:
On a business website regarding the takeover of a radio station, I noticed this unusual phrase:

  Can't really see Orion Media changing Gold much, unless Global take their ball home and say that if you don't want Heart you can't have Gold and take away the licensing deal.

What exactly does "take your ball and go home" mean? Is it a sporting metaphor?

Is it a good phrase to use in writing (that is, informal writing), or not?


texts:
My brother just took his exam and there was this reading passage about deforestation of rain forests. The questions were pretty easy; however, there was this question:

  Which of these is the closest in meaning to the word "regenerate" in paragraph 2?
  A. repeat B. refine C. recover D. renew

And this question needed information from the following line from the passage:

  [...] Some logged forests, if left alone, can regenerate in a few decades.

Apparently, the answer is either recover or renew. So what do you think is the most correct answer in this context?


texts: indicative vs subjunctive in terms of conveying meaning

texts:
In A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (page 156), the book gives these examples for WERE-SUBJUNCTIVE (for showing the structural differences between indicative vs subjunctive constructions):

Later the book describes the were-subjunctive as:

The were-subjunctive (or past subjunctive) is hypothetical or unreal in meaning.

As I said, I know the structural properties of subjunctive constructions but I wonder what a native speaker of English language grasps/understands when hearing/reading those above mentioned examples (in terms of meaning)


texts: Layman-accessible nouns for the intersection and union of sets of appointments

texts:
I'm looking for layman-accessible nouns (or concise descriptions) for the union and intersection of sets of appointments, in the context of planning software. In this scenario appointments between an employee and a customer may be scheduled. Typically one retrieves appointments either by employee or customer, but a new search method has been requested where one can search for both an employee and a customer.

This search can either return a union of the employee and customer appointments (meaning all appointments where either of the two attend) or an intersection of the appointments (meaning only those appointments where the employee and customer both attend). Consider for example a set of three appointments:

Appointment A1 attended by Employee 1 and Customer 1
Appointment A2 attended by Employee 1 and Customer 2
Appointment A3 attended by Employee 2 and Customer 2

In case of a union of the appointments for Employee 1 and Customer 2 all three A1, A2 and A3 would be shown, whereas the intersection of Employee 1 and Customer 2 only returns A2. The nouns I'm looking for would be used to allow the user to specify which kind of search is desired and to indicate which search type is being displayed.

We've discussed a number of options with our key users, such as 'joint' appointments for the intersection, variations on 'all' and 'both' for the union and the typical 'and' / 'or' terminology, but so far all of these still proved confusing, in my opinion because they don't reflect the correct meaning exactly. The union/intersection pair does reflect this meaning, but is unsatisfactory because it's perceived as too mathematical by most users.

(I apologize if this may seem to be more of a user experience question, but I am genuinely curious how the specified meaning could be captured correctly in concise and natural English)


texts: catalog of homophones with high count of meanings

texts:
From Wikipedia:

  There are sites, for example, this archived page, which have lists of homonyms or rather homophones and even 'multinyms' which have as many as seven spellings.

  In English, there are approximately 88 triples; 24 quadruples; 2 quintuples; 1 sextet and 1 septet.

Beyond the defunct page cited in the Wikipedia article, are any  references available, preferably reliable and well-maintained, that catalog examples of English homophones with particularly high counts of distinct meanings?


texts:
I am confused in the following expression:
we do say "it's not a bad idea"
but we do not say "it's not too bad an idea" but instead, we say "it's not too bad of an idea" right?

What is the function of "of" here? Why do we put "of" just because we put "too" in the sentence?

Also how would you comment on the following examples:

1) "He is not as good a player as he could be"
would you put "of" between "good" and "a"? or is it more natural with the above?

2) "She is as good a friend as any"

Again, would you put "of" between "good" and "a" here?

Thank you very much for the answers in advance!


texts: Difference in meaning between create/make/have impact

texts:
Came across "create a great impact" today, and I have never seen "impact" used with "create" (as far as I can remember).

Is there a difference in meaning and usage between:

create an impact
have an impact
make an impact


texts: Phrase for having nearly completed something

texts:
Is there is a phrase for when you're very close to achieving something you've been working on?

When the detective gets that final clue, but hasn't quite solved the mystery yet. When you've done 90% of the work and rest is easily achievable.

I keep thinking it's something like "you can taste it", or "the home straight" but that doesn't quite sound right


texts:
Given the sequence:

  ABCDE

I think it makes sense to say "B follows A", but what about "C follows A"? I mean, is "follow" limited to the case where something comes right after something else? Does it imply immediate neighborship in the string?


texts: I don't understand a function of phrase and a relative pronoun

texts:
I read an article today and didn't understand the structure.
"Facebook has 3 billion users across its portfolio of apps, a massive number that has raised questions by some legal experts, including US lawmakers, about whether Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg neutralizes competitive threats by gobbling them up."
The subject is Facebook. What is the function of "a massive number"?  Is "that" a relative pronoun? It seems to me that the structure is "S + V + O + N + that ~." S is subject, V is a verb(has), and "3 billion users~" is O(object).
Thanks


texts: "Feel bad about someone" versus "feel bad for someone"

texts: Does the sentence "I feel bad about you" have the same meaning as "I feel bad for you"?


texts:
After describing a certain issue in a more general manner I want to outline the inner details of it. Is it correct to start the paragraph whose purpose it is to give to the reader the detailed explanation with the following expression?

  More precisely,...

Or are there other expressions which would fit better given the above scope?


texts: Owns, owned, had owned, anyone would think

texts:
Are the following sentences correct?

a) Anyone would think he owns/owned the place, from the way he talks! (talking about the present)

b) Anyone would think he owned/had owned the place, from the way he talked! (talking about the past)

c) Anyone would've thought he owned the place, from the way he talked! (talking about the past)


texts: I am writing a testimonial. I am looking out for a word, preferably a noun, that means "the quality of disowning all the credits after success." Alternatively, I am okay with adjectives too. Words like humility and modesty do ring in my mind, but I am not sure if there is a more appropriate word.


texts: Is a past tense protasis necessarily hypothetical when followed by an apodosis with "would have"?

texts:
Is a protasis with a verb in the past tense necessarily interpreted as a hypothetical condition when followed by an apodosis with "would have" + past participle?

For example, is the sentence

  If John was there, he would have seen the accident.

inappropriate after the following situation?

  You've just heard that John was in a place at a time yesterday. You infer that there is a possibility that John saw the accident you know happened nearby at about the same time.

I asked this question in ELL, but have not got conclusive answers.


texts: Do we need “about” in “Employees are unhappy with about low wages”?

texts:
I saw the following lead copy of today’s New York Times (May 24) article titled, “Union Effort Turns Its Focus to Target “

“The retailer's employees are unhappy with about low wages and short workweeks.”

I have a simple question. Do we need “about” after "with"? Isn't this redundant?


texts: How is the word "saw" pronounced in the US, specifically, New York?

texts:
English is my second language, therefore I have trouble grasping certain words phonetically.

When I speak with my co-workers, sometimes and almost always, they pronounce the word saw  as sawr, like,  "I sawr this movie last night", and I can distinctly tell that there is an "R" sound at the end of the word saw.

Now I pronounce the word saw as in a saw with which you cut wood. I wouldn't say "Hey Mike, hand me that sawr so I can cut this wood", although this would be a better word to be used as there is cutting involved.

This has me confused, do I say "I sawr her" or "I saw her"? Can someone please clarify?


texts:
'The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.'
What type of sentence is it? Complex/Simple?? Kindly explain, Please.
Is its structure something like 'The day(when) we fret about the future is the day(when) we leave our childhood behind.'??
If it is, then why is it understood here?


texts: Cracking your head to find OR Cracking your head over?

texts:
Which is the right way to say it? Got caught in a disagreement over this blog title.

Example usage:

  Cracking your head to find the perfect Christmas gifts?

Vs

  Cracking your head over the perfect Christmas gift?

Any references to grammer, language structures are appreciated. Thanks!


texts: How do I manage periods for abbreviations with parentheses, right before a period?

texts:
"In the case of medical diagnostics, there is a cost associated with each medical procedure that provides additional information (blood test, x-ray, etc.)."

Should that end with "etc.).", "etc)." or "etc.)"?


texts:
I'm looking for an adjective that means lofty, intangible, hard to incorporate into every day life,  not down-to-earth. It would describe an idea or concept.

ETA: Example of sentence I would use it in:

  It's hard to feel strong emotions about something that is so __


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “User's guide” vs. “users' guide”

If referring to a Users Group (meaning a group made up of multiple individual users who have some control of the group itself), would you use:

A: User’s
B: Users’
C: Users

I have read the post on the User’s guide but in this case, plural is appropriate since the group does not belong to one individual.

Wikipedia suggests Users’ (or Users) and in my domain, a leading stats software company has a Users Group, though they then use user’s group as part of the description.

What do you think —  A, B, or C?


texts: Modifiers used to modify whole clauses/sentences - Any additional examples?

texts:
I've been interested recently in modifiers that modify not a specific grammatical unit--e.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or phrases of each--but an entire sentence or clause. For example, see the example below for various phrases operating as modifiers,

Participle phrases

The gas tank exploded, sending shrapnel through the air. "Sending shrapnel through the air" here operates as an absolute phrase, per Can a participle phrase modify a clause?. This jives with Brian A. Garner's description of participial phrases in his The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation:

  154 Participial phrases. A participial phrase is made up of a participle plus any closely associated word or words, such as modifiers or complements. It can be used (1) as an adjective to modify a noun ..., or (2) as an absolute phrase ....

Elliptical Prepositional Phrases

In any event, call me when you arrive. "In any event" does not appear to modify any specific part of speech. Garner calls this a prepositional "elliptical phrase."

Sentence Adverbs

Fortunately, we've had rain this week. "Fortunately" applies to the full clause, a structure Garner calls this a "sentence adverb."

My question:

Are there other cases (other than absolute constructions, which I've not specifically included above) in which a modifier applies to an entire sentence/clause, rather than a specific syntactical element (i.e., noun/predicate)


texts: What is the appropriate word to describe society's toughest problem?

texts:
I am looking for an adjective to use in the following context:

  I was pondering on ways of addressing society's most ______ issues.


texts: “They are…” vs. “these are...” when answering the question" Whose xxx are these?

texts:
When people ask me:

  "Whose xx are these"?

Which one should I use to answer them:

  "They are...."
  "These are..."？

Which one is grammatically correct?


texts: Is something "candidate" or "candidated" to become a standard?

texts:
The context is technical in the IT field. Taking for example the https protocol would you say:

The https protocol is candidate to become in the main standard

or

The https protocol is candidated to become the main standard.

To me it seems candidate is more suitable for people rather than for things.

Also is to the right preposition?


texts: Can one write poems that follows a rhyme scheme but no metre?

texts:
As a non-English speaker, I wonder if one can write English poems that follow a rhyme scheme but no metre?

If so, what is this form called? And can you kindly point out notable poets that practised this form?

Thanks in advance.


texts: What are the differences between "so" and "so much"?

texts:
When I received your email, I was so much glad.

Do you think that, in above sentence, the use of "so much" is correct? What should I use? If I use, "so" instead of "so much", does the meaning of sentence remain same? Please tell when "so" is used, and when "so much" is used.


texts: Ways of saying "You don't have to be a rocket scientist"

texts:
I'm trying to find different ways of saying that "You don't have to be a rocket scientist", but I can't seem to get any good ideas.

I got a variation, "You don't have to be a brain surgeon...," but are there any others ways. It doesn't have to follow the routine of "You don't have to...".


texts: The origin of Yours Sincerely and Yours Faithfully

texts:
It is common knowledge that Yours sincerely is the phrase used to end a formal letter that is sent to a particular person. And Yours faithfully is used at the end of a formal letter beginning with "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam".

What's the origin of the phrases and why are they used this way? Why isn't it the other way round, i.e. Yours sincerely for an unknown recipient and Yours faithfully for a particular person?

Thank you!


texts: Meaning of "far and few between" in this context

texts:
I came across the following sentence in "The Carpetbagger Report":

  The administration published this afternoon a newly released, and
  surprisingly short, declassified summary of the key judgments of the
  National Intelligence Estimate on al Qaeda. The document is online for
  all to see.

  The startling new revelations are ... far and few between. The terrorist
  network is rebuilding, its leadership is located largely in tribal
  areas of Pakistan, and it’s still focused on committing acts of terror
  ‘without requiring a centralized terrorist organization, training camp
  or leader.”

Can someone explain the meaning of the phrase "... far and few between" in that context?

Presumably it is an idiom, but I have not been able to find its meaning on the internet.


texts: What does graphological deviation mean in stylistics analysis?

texts: If I have a poem, that is a sonnet, with an octave and a sestet - can you then say that this gap between them is a graphological deviation?


texts: What is the grammatical explanation of the phrase "all that" as in the sentence "I didn't understand all that much"

texts:
What is the grammatical explanation of the phrase “all that” as in the sentence “I didn’t understand all that much”?

  I didn’t understand all that much.

I came across the sentence above, and now wonder if someone could explain the grammar about the phrase “all that”.

For example:

  All that glitters is not gold.

In this case, ‘all’ seems a pronoun; ‘that’, a relative pronoun. But ‘that’ in the sentence (1) does not introduce a relative clause. Therefore, the usage may be different.

I do not have any other clues to find out the grammatical explanation.

After discussing with John, I think it is a good idea to add another sentence for further understanding.

  I didn't understand all that.

This sentence is very similar to (1), but it could be structurally different from (1).

I hope this comparison help us understand these usage more precisely.


texts: Word for an enthusiast whose excitement rapidly fizzles when he realizes hard work is required?

texts: Is there a term for someone who gets all excited about a new undertaking and is wildly enthusiastic and full of promises until she realizes how much work is involved...whereupon she loses all interest? The intense burst of energy and commitment is very quickly extinguished.


texts: Are there any cases where the Scottish English "outwith" has unique meaning?

texts:
It seems that the Scottish English word outwith can be replaced in (almost?) all contexts by one of the following:

outside
outside of

However, to ears familiar with the word, the meaning of outwith is nuanced and perhaps more elegant than outside.

Are there any use cases where outwith conveys a specific or distinct meaning, not adequately expressed by a simple substitution as above?


texts:
Someone was pulling my leg the other day (meaning, attempting some mild or humourous deception), and I wondered about the etymology of this phrase. Does anyone know when it originated, and why it should come to be used in this way?

This source here suggests it originates from the idea of tripping someone up. But that doesn't explain the alternative case of pulling my plonker.


texts: Which is correct: Muhammad Ali died in hospital VS died in a hospital?

texts:
Muhammad Ali died in hospital in Arizona,

Watching NHK World News, I found the above sentence lacking "a" (article) before "hospital".

Is this correct or should the indefinite article, "a", be there? If correct, why is "a" not necessary in this case? Please explain.


texts: Why can't I pronounce the ŋ sound? (native English speaker)

texts: I was wondering why it is that I'm unable to pronounce this sound. Apparently, the reason why I pronounce the words "seen" and "sing" the exact same way (as well as "long" and "lawn", "dean" and "ding," etc.) is because I have difficulty pronouncing the ŋ at the end of words that finish off with a g. Is it common for native English speakers - I'm from Michigan, by the way - to have this sort of dialect? And why is it that someone would have difficulty saying this sound? Is it fair to judge others who aren't able to pronounce an ŋ properly?


texts:
The love for one's children is parental. For siblings -- sisterly or brotherly.

How would one refer to the feelings towards one's parents, particularly -- the father?


texts:
I have the following simple sentence:

  This is the file to download.

I know what this sentence means (This is the file that shall be downloaded.). However, I believe that this paraphrase depends on the current context; but I don't understand what role the "to download" has in the sentence. What is this construction called?


texts: Formal for "move the focus from A to B"?

texts:
What is a formal way of saying "move the focus from A to B" in the following context?

  The two curves swap their locations when we move our focus from measure A to measure
  B.

My some lousy solutions are

The two curves swap their locations when we switch from measure A to measure B.
The two curves swap their locations when we focus on measure A instead of measure B.


texts: Why isn't the tonic syllable in "varies" not the same as in "variety"?

texts:
I've always pronounced "varies" as /veəˈrɪz/ but recently heard someone say /ˈveərɪz/ in a video. I'm brazilian, so that causes me some confusion as I'm not used to speaking English on a daily basis.

What is it that makes "variety" have its tonic syllable placed differently?


texts: How to convey the meaning of "ordering a mess of papers and books"

texts: How do English people convey the meaning of the action of tidying up a great unordered amount of sheets of paper, books, and notes in a single word or phrase?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When should I use “a” vs “an”?
  Do you use “a” or “an” before acronyms?
  Does one use 'a' or 'an' before the word X-Ray?

Hello people, English is not my primary language, so it is just natural I make such basic questions...

Is it correct to say "An RPG" (where RPG could be the common "Role-Playing Game" term), or do I have to say "A RPG", without the "n"? Considering RPG does not begin with a vowel... yet, it sounds like it does.


texts:
What is the word that is used to describe the oversimplification or non-academic discussion of a complex issue?

Typically, I'm looking for a word like pedantic, or puerile, except that the word covers the fact that the discussion is particularly non-academic. I know that such a word exists since I have used it before, but it has skipped my mind.


texts: How do you pronounce the H in "an historian"?

texts:
A lot of people I know argue that you should use the article "an" before words such as "historian", "history", "hotel", "hospital", "heretic".  I don't want to debate whether or not this is correct or merely pretentious affectation, but I'm curious about how it should be pronounced.

If I decide to use "an" before "historian", should I pronounce the H?  Should I say "an historian" or "an istorian"?


texts: Further information will be released when an official date for the ribbon cutting is *blank* next month

texts:
Further information will be released when an official date for the ribbon cutting is _____ next month.

This is from the TOEIC questions, I believe.
As for the blank, there were 4 choices you would choose from.
A) have planned
B) plan
C) plans
D) planned
The correct answer was C. Could somebody explain why it’s C?
(I have lived in the States for 4 years but this one puzzles me. Maybe it’s time for me to study English grammar seriously lol.)


texts: Word for person who doesn't want to hurt others' feelings

texts: What is a word for someone who has a hard time denying other people's requests and who speaks politically correctly because he will feel guilty making someone feel offended?


texts: Term for "to have a hidden purpose for being involved in something"?

texts:
The hidden purpose can be selfish or not. He or she is involved in something to ensure their purpose is fulfilled.

Example : She joined our group to help us. She has no _____.

He will only join us in this quest if he has ____.

Or am I asking too much and should settle for hidden purpose ?


texts: U.K. regional anomaly in pronouncing -ought

texts:
I'm reading Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, written in 1749 and based in Somersetshire. I'm intrigued by Fielding's unusual but consistent representation of the way some less-educated characters pronounce "thought" and "ought", as evidenced in this passage (the italics are in my printed edition, presumably intended by the author):

  "Ay! Ay! Good lackaday!" said the landlady. "Who could have thoft
  it? Ay, ay, ay, I am satisfied your honour will see justice done; and
  to be sure if oft to be to every one. Gentlemen oft not to kill
  poor folks without answering for it. A poor man hath a soul to be
  saved as well as his betters."

Fielding puts this pronunciation on the tongue of a number of different characters so I can only assume he is trying to capture accurately the local dialect, but to me it seems an unlikely aberration, since it involves not merely the change of velar fricative [x] to /f/ but also the change of vowel sound from /ɔː/ (as in jaw) to /ɒf/ (as in off).

My question:

Was this pronunciation peculiar to 18th-century Somersetshire, or was it also common in other parts of England at that time? Does it still continue as a regional (or perhaps social class) dialect in the U.K.?

NB: (1) this is not a question about the novel (which would belong on our other site [Literature.SE]) but about the regional pronunciation it purports to reveal. (2) herisson's comprehensive post on the diverse pronunciations of "ough" is relevant (and an interesting read!) but doesn't specifically address the regional/dialect anomaly.


texts:
For example in this sentence:

  What the knowledge of Grammar facilitates is further learning of English itself

And, what type of Subordinate Clause is "the knowledge of Grammar facilitates"?


texts:
Which expression is more apt?
"I met him a few days back."
Or the following, "I met him a few days ago"?


texts: Is it "as many electrons" or "as much electrons"?

texts: I thought it would be "as many electrons", because electrons is a countable noun, but Google shows that "as much electrons" is more popular than "as many electrons"


texts: What would be the first use of the noun 'longboarding' for skateboarding, surfing or skiing?

texts:
The skateboard longboard goes back to Hawaii in the 50s, surfing back much earlier, and skiing back into the nineteenth century yet I can't find incidences in print earlier than the 70s. Many historical accounts are published more recently but have no citation to track down.
Here is one such example from a skiing magazine:

The earliest longboard racing began in January 1861 in the  town of Onion Valley, but within a month longboarding had spread 30 miles north to history's second-oldest recorded race site in Eureka Bowl. Though longboarding faded as the mines closed, the spectacle left an undying California dream of resuscitating this glorious heritage. And the Plumas Ski Club has succeeded in doing just that — not an easy thing.
To fulfill the dream, the Plumas Ski Club was founded in the early 1950s by skiers from the Quincy-Portola section of Plumas County who first raised a regular rope-tow ski area in the Eureka Bowl near Johnstown, knowing that it was a historic longboard site. As a modern rope-tow area, Eureka Bowl went through the usual small-ski-area-life-and-death struggle while elsewhere in California one-shot longboard revival races intermittently popped up. During a typical longboard event in 1964, longboarder Jerry Burelle proved that longboarding was not just a matter of standing on skis in a sort of toboggan ride — Burelle took on 1964 Olympic medalist Billy Kidd (on modern downhill skis) and beat Kidd to the bottom. No immediate follow-up races were held — but the longboard would just not die.

I have trawled the usual newspaper archives without success.


texts: Usage of "neither . . . nor" versus "not . . . or"

texts:
First, this is not a dupe of:

"Not bad either" versus "not bad neither"

nor a dupe of:

"Neither Michael nor Albert is correct" or "Neither Michael nor Albert are correct"?

So on to my question...

I'm not a native english speaker and there's something that I always find very strange when I read sentence containing the following construct:

  "and try not to be shocked or
  overreact if..."

Isn't something using "neither/nor" better, like maybe the following:

  "and try neither to be shocked nor
  overreact if..."

To me the first sentence can be interpreted in two ways:

you should either try not to be shocked or you should overreact (wrong of course, this is not what the writer meant but in other case it is not that obvious that it is a wrong interpretation
you should try not to be shocked and you should also not overreact

while with the second sentence, there's no room for interpretation (once again, in this case in the first sentence it can be deduced from the sentence but I often encounter cases where it is not so).

So... not/or or neither/nor?


texts: What's a way to refer to haunting without a negative connotation?

texts:
Is there a single word that refers to the idea that a spirit may persist after death and follow a person around without any negative connotations?

Some possible answers and why I think they may be unsatisfactory:

To haunt seems to imply a malicious intent.
To be in somebody's heart doesn't really imply an actual spiritual presence; it seems to imply memory of a person.
To watch over somebody seems to indicate that the spirit is much more removed from the situation.
To shadow somebody might still have negative connotations.

Also, I was hoping for a single verb if that exists. Thanks in advance!


texts: Why not to say "a saggy mustache" rather than "a droopy mustache"?

texts:
Why is it rare to find the phrase "a saggy mustache" rather than "a droopy mustache"?
I googled the phrase "a saggy mustache" but it showed very few results, compared to "a droopy/drooping mustache" which is so common that it is included in dictionaries' examples. This is while "droop" and "sag" are synonymous and both mean "to hang down or bend".


texts: What fallacy is this? "Your argument is wrong/invalid because it's just an opinion."

texts:
I encounter this fallacy frequently in online discussions where an opponent completely disregards all of my premises and says my conclusion is invalid because it's an "opinion" and "not objective."

This is not merely questioning the bias of my sources: the opponent often makes no attempt to refute my premises. In extreme cases, they argue that only a 100% objective argument can be valid. I had this happen even in debates involving game design, visual design, or other disciplines/topics requiring subjective judgment.

I know from my critical thinking class that this is a fallacy because debates (by their nature) can be described as a clash of formulated opinions. But does this have a name?


texts: Technical term for "make like a banana" & "make like a tree" idioms

texts:
These are two part terms - where the endings are usually left off:

make like a banana
make like a tree

The endings though are where the point lies:

(make like a banana) and split
(make like a tree) and leave

Wikitonary just tags these as idiomatic.
Is there a technical term for these phrases?
Edit: does it count as an aposiopesis?


texts: Difference between "too long" and "for too long"

texts:
What is the difference between "too long" and "for too long"

For example the ones below

You can't stay under water for too long
Or
You can't stay under water too long

Do not have that candy in your mouth for too long
Or
Do not have that candy in your mouth too long


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “Which” vs “what” - what's the difference and when should you use one or the other?

Which of the following two phrases is the more correct or are they both acceptable?

  What word best describes XXX ?

  Which word best describes XXX ?


texts: How do I describe higher language verb types?

texts: For example, present tense is "God blesses you" but there is another form which is "God bless you" in which "bless" is a different verb tense.  What is that higher verb tense that we use in more formal or higher forms English.


texts: Can we say "strong song" or should we say "powerful song" ? I want to imply that that it's vocal performance is powerful but then I thought "strong" is for describing something physical not a song maybe.


texts:
I've read a sentence that sounded a bit strange, and one that could be wrong:
In his book All Our To-morrows (1942), Douglas Reed says:

  "Say, have we gotta have any coupons for chicken or rabbits?"

He was reporting Canadian soldier's speech.

Is this form have we gotta have a valid form or is it just a typo?
Thank you so much.


texts: Word for someone unaware they are different or disabled

texts: There is a word that describes someone who is unaware that they are different or disabled.For example, someone who can't smell but is unaware of what smelling is so they think they are the same as everyone else. What is this word?


texts: How to write my Korean name in academic publications?

texts:
I am a graduate student in Korea.
I would like to know how to write my name in formal, in particular, in IEEE paper.
Almost all names of Korean are with three letters. Each letter can be read with one syllable, that is, Korean name is with three syllables. The first syllable is family name and the rest is first name while English name begins with first name. Moreover, we do not have middle name.

An example of name is ⓐⓑⓒ constructed by three letters. ⓐ is family name (last name) and ⓑⓒ is first name. Let ⓐ sounded by 'Kim' and ⓑⓒ is sounded by 'Shinwoo'. (More precisely, ⓑ is sounded 'Shin', ⓒ is sounded 'Woo')

In that case, the name sounded by "Kim-Shin-Woo" can be written as 'Shinwoo Kim', 'ShinWoo Kim', 'Shin-Woo Kim', 'S. W. Kim', 'S. Kim', 'S. -W. Kim' or 'SW Kim'. It is used up to people.

What is the best usage of name in formal grammatically?


texts:
What is a good word that captures the concept of being considered, but not used?

For example:

"The scientists considered the implications of Charlie's proposed solution, but in the end tossed it in the bin with the other _____ ideas."


texts: What is this type of idiom called: "I know he's not the smartest person in the world, but..."

texts:
Basically, when someone says something along the lines of

  "I know he's not the smartest person in the world, but he should at least pass first grade math."

It's peculiar because they are using a form of hyperbole to say they are not the smartest person in the world, but what they are really implying is that they are not smart at all.

Edit
This post was flagged a possible duplicate, I just wanted to clarify that what I am asking is not the nuance or meaning of the phrase, but the term for the idiom itself.  I do not believe this specific question has been asked.  Thanks.


texts: Idiom meaning to talk about something everyone already knows

texts:
This is maybe an esoteric scenario that doesn't have a clever idiom, but I feel like I can almost recall one but can't quite.

So the scenario would be along the lines of bringing something up that is uncomfortable that is not especially informative because everyone is already aware. For example, if a kitchen sink were dripping, and someone made a point of "informing" everyone every hour or so "man, that kitchen sink sure is dripping. I think it might be slightly worse than when I brought it up an hour ago." Or another example, if a relative were quite ill and has been for the last two years, and your cousin calls every week or two and says "I saw grandma this weekend. She looks terrible. I don't know how much longer she has."

The idea being that the person saying it might have ulterior motives for bringing it up, or just doesn't grasp that bringing it up as though things have gotten worse when they are really just as bad as before is more frustrating or upsetting than useful.

The first phrase that crossed my mind was "whistling past the graveyard", but apparently that has almost the opposite connotation, as it means to act cheerful when things are obviously dire.

I feel like a lot of reporting these days has this sort of vibe, where headlines wail about how much worse things are than they were yesterday when they reported nearly the same bad news, so I'm grasping for a turn of phrase that describes this sort of thing.


texts:
Is this grammatically correct?

  The teacher has sent several students home because they cheated on the quiz.

Or does it have to be like this?

  The teacher has sent several students home because they have cheated on the quiz.


texts:
I'm reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. At the end of chapter 29, she writes "The party then gathered round the fire to hear Lady Catherine determine what weather they were to have on the morrow."

At first I assumed it meant that the Lady Catherine De Bourgh would be so certain of what she expected the weather that it was as though she decided it rather than predicted. Then I started wondering if meaning of determine has shifted over the years, and it had simply meant predicted at the time.

In the early 19th century when Austen was writing, was the meaning of "determine" the same as it is today?


texts: Is this question only possible in this format or may it be phrased in other forms? For instance, if the previous sentence was something like 'You'd wish you could tire me out', could the ironic remark be 'Would I now?' meaning ('Of course, I can tire you out').


texts: If 'pre' is previous, 'post' is after, and 'peri' is current, what is "initiation"?

texts:
In chronology: pre-event, ?-event, peri-event, post-event
Maybe "ini-event" from Latin "initium"?


texts: With a direct quote—placement of a comma separating dependent and independent clauses: inside the close quotation mark or after the citation?

texts:
I have been looking for the answer to this for some time. I get close, but never find the exact answer (or question for that matter). In the following sentence, should the comma fall after "fairmindedness" and before the quotation mark or after the citation? I should also say I have to use APA formatting for my academic writing.

  In my reading, when I came across “fairmindedness” (Paul & Elder, 2012), I automatically thought ‘yes, I am fair-minded.’

OR

  In my reading, when I came across “fairmindedness,” (Paul & Elder, 2012) I automatically thought ‘yes, I am fair-minded.’


texts: Connotative history and recent usage of "Person / People of color"

texts:
In its remarks on of color, the OED online includes a link reading "compare earlier coloured, adj. 3b."  It marks "colored / coloured" as a way to refer to people with non-white skin as "now usually considered offensive."

Person of color, people of color or variations date back to 1786, but it seems to me that the connotation of this phrase has shifted into one of the most preferred terms to use when discussing racial or ethnic minorities in the United States.

That it is "more preferred" is an inference I've made purely based on observation of its use in progressive publications.  In the social media age, the term is sometimes even abbreviated POC for "people of color" or WOC for "women of color," etc.  Because I see these terms used frequently on social media or progressive blogs, my first assumption was that the use of the term had become preferred quite recently.

As a simple example, the feminist blog Jezebel has a tag called "people of color."  https://jezebel.com/tag/people-of-color

The most thorough research I could find discussing the term was on Wikipedia.

  Although American activist Martin Luther King Jr. used the term "citizens of color" in 1963, the phrase in its current meaning did not catch on until the late 1970s. In the late 20th century, the term "person of color" was introduced in the United States in order to counter the condescension implied by the terms "non-white" and "minority", and racial justice activists in the U.S., influenced by radical theorists such as Frantz Fanon, popularized it at this time. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was in wide circulation. Both anti-racist activists and academics sought to move the understanding of race beyond the black-white dichotomy then prevalent.

Taking into consideration this timeline laid out by Wikipedia, I have a multi-part question, but really all the parts are related:

Is the term Person of color or generally [Sb] of color preferred in a broad mainstream sense, or is the preference mostly confined to discussion among academics and activists?
Is its preference confined to the United States?
Has the term's use and connotation shifted over the last decade as writers have taken to online platforms and discussion of "political correctness" has provoked such deep feelings across the ideological spectrum?
Has [Sb] of color always had a more positive connotation than colored, or is that a modern distinction?  How has the connotation of the term shifted over time?


texts: What is this strange sentence by Walt Whitman?

texts:
The future is no more uncertain than the present. —Walt Whitman

This is supposed to mean "The future is certain, just like the present."

But it means the opposite...

I learnt in school that no more ... than... means negative...like

He is no more mad than you are.
=You are not mad, nor is he.

Whats going on?
Walt made a mistake?


texts:
"I have just arrived from France?"

This sentence means "I have just come to France and I am in France now" or "I have come back to the my country from France and I am not in France now?"

My native language is very different from english and it is a little hard to understand for me


texts:
Is 'lord' capitalized after a possessive pronoun?

Example:

O our lord! / O our Lord!


texts: A meeting room for 'use of' members and for hire or for 'use by' members and for hire

texts: I'm writing text for a leaflet for a co-working space and wondered which of the following is correct: "Meeting room for use of members and for hire" or, "Meeting room for use by members or for hire"?


texts: Is there a scientific term for sock marks?

texts: I'm trying to find more information about the marks that tight clothes leave on my skin. Is there a scientific term for them? It seems that people most commonly call them sock marks, but I think there must be a generic term for marks left by clothes.


texts: How to use the definite article "the" when listing a number of things

texts:
One of the most difficult things for non native speakers are the definite / indefinite articles. I have doubts how to use the definite article when listing few things. The particular sentence is:

  In particular, I investigated the temperature of black holes and
  thermal emission, gravitational lensing, gravitational red-shift and
  gravitational waves.

The first occurrence of the definite article seems intuitively correct
to me i.e. I investigated the temperature, but shouldn't I use the
definite article with the other nouns from the listing?

  In particular, I investigated the temperature of black holes and
  thermal emission, the gravitational lensing, the gravitational red-shift and the gravitational waves.

The latter case seems to be wrong, but since I would like to include it in my motivation letter, I would like to have a second opinion. For instance, if I had something like the gravitational lensing from black holes, the definite article would be fine.

Thank you for your help.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “If I was” or “If I were”. Which is more common, and which is correct?

I am unsure whether to use "were" or "was" in the following instances

Instance 1:

  If I were you

or

  If I was you

Instance 2:

  If I were her

or

  If I was her

Instance 3:

  If I were a monkey

or

  If I was a monkey

Does it differ between forms of English (British, American)?


texts: On a site similar to this one I answered a question and the OP made  a comment which prompted me to complete my answer in an edit. I called it "an example" but I originally wanted to call it "supplement" or "complement". So, I wonder: is either of these titles correct in this context? Both? Both with a different nuance of meaning?


texts:
Is there an equivalent term to the word "decaffeinated" to refer to tea instead of coffee?

I think it's quite odd to say I drink decaffeinated tea.

Detheinated perhaps?


texts:
Is "Whom do I look like" the 'proper' way of saying "Who do I look like?"
I know that second option is the most used one, but still


texts:
Is the following the right way to use sufficeth (assuming it is not replaced with something else)?

... , but sufficeth to say that the primary method of measuring parallax in stars is via "Annual Parallax"

Isn't it missing a subject?

... , but it sufficeth to say that the primary method of measuring parallax in stars is via "Annual Parallax"

sufficeth:

Verb

(archaic) Third-person singular simple present indicative form of suffice.

Context.


texts: Appearances and usage of "believe on" instead of "believe in."

texts:
I am curious as to how much "believe on" has been preferred in over "believe in," and how much it has appeared in writing and manuscripts. I know the King James Bible uses it in only two books of its 66, but are there any other places where this queer verb phrase is used? I am thinking there may be a difference but may not. I noticed that in the context of the one work, it seems to be that when "believe on" is used, it is always used purely by someone saying something happened and people believing just because it is said, without seeing it. This would be rather useful in speech. I myself haven't thought much of it and actually do use these two distinctly and probably still will -- one for faith, one for having seen, but I am curious as to if this was common; why I bring it up is a person mentioned that the two mean the same and are not different. I am thinking it may be a dialectical thing or perhaps a conceptual -- it's not a literal translation of the Greek (which says "into" in every case,) so to me it must be a thing unique to Early Modern English.

I am thinking that it may be just a left over quirk from before "in" and "on" switched usage frequency in english, from the Anglo Saxon roots.


texts: Why is the plural pronoun **them** used here?

texts:
Look at the following sentence that I just saw while viewing a profile:

Apparently, this user prefers to keep an air of mystery about them.

As it looks, them refers to this user, right?
This user refers to one person; however, the pronoun them is used which refers to many people and seems incompatible.

Can somebody explain why this sentence is right and why him/her aren't used?


texts: How to describe the facial movements of a person before they cry?

texts:
Before a person cries, their facial muscles may have quick movements, like the muscles are vibrating. How would you describe that? Here is what I would say:

  "Her face twisted a second"

However, I don't think that represents what I am trying to say. Any suggestions to describe these facial movements?


texts:
Foreword:

I am developing a variable-processing program for my Computer Science research project.

One particular part of the program mimics the behavior of biological enzymes, except instead of catalyzing break downs and compositions of chemicals, its catalyzing break downs and compositions of variables (specifically arrays).

The process in question is a 2 part process:

  initiating process:

  (in terms of enzymes:) breaks down certain compounds into smaller compounds
  (in terms of program:) fragments certain variables (certain arrays) into fragments

  finalizing process:

  (in terms of enzymes:) combine the smaller compounds into larger compounds different from the originals (like mixing and matching the parts)
  (in terms of program:) combine the fragment-variables into larger variables different from the originals (like mixing and matching the parts)

The process in question all together:

  (in terms of enzymes:) breaks down certain compounds into smaller compounds,then recombines them into larger compounds that are different from the original large compounds (like mixing and matching the parts)

  (in terms of program:) fragments certain variables (certain arrays) into fragments then recombines them into larger variables that are different from the original large variables (like mixing and matching the parts)

What is the process in question called?

Afternote:

I'm looking for a name, so the word could be a new word constructed from recognizable Latin or Germanic roots, and that would be an acceptable answer.

To get full coverage of an answer, I asked this question the Chemistry SE site, Stackoverflow SE site, and this SE site.


texts: "Have you ever wanted for someone to teach you this subject in layman terms?" is grammatically correct?

texts:
May be it should be phrased differently?

Have you ever wanted someone to teach you this subject in layman
terms?
Did you ever wish someone could teach you this subject in layman terms?
Do you want someone to teach you this subject in layman terms?

What would be grammatically correct the "most"?


texts:
I did not know the meaning of the part after the comma in the sentence:

  Since May spending on projects ranging from railways to power plants has fallen compared with a year earlier, the longest weak patch on record.

Could anyone explain the meanings of "the longest weak patch on record" and the whole?
Thanks!


texts: What's the meaning of a text message consisting only of a dot?

texts:
This is a question regarding the text message culture (SMS, chat etc). Hope it's not off-topic since well, texting language is still a language.

It sometimes happens that during a conversation someone sends a text message that consists only of one dot – no space, no word, no other punctuation, just one period glyph and that's all.

What's the meaning of such a text message?


texts:
Is the dash an acceptable punctuation in this sentence?

  Dances, parties, luncheons -- all these should be part of your senior year.


texts: What does "vinegar in her voice" mean? It was said by a girl in a story about her sister, she envies her and feels bad in some way. The story is from the Bible.


texts: Word for someone who is extremely good at one thing vs someone who is modestly skilled at many different things

texts: Is there a word for someone who is a master of one particular weapon or martial art vs. someone who is skilled with many different weapons or martial art styles? (Maybe this can apply to skillsets in general.)


texts: When expressing temperatures that are colder than freezing, do we say "more than freezing", "less than freezing", or something else?

texts:
So my brother and I were standing out in the cold.

Brother: "Man, it's cold."
Me: "Yeah, it's freezing."
Brother: "Man, it's more than freezing!"
Me: Slightly confused, but perhaps thinking that he might have intended to express that it is colder than freezing, I ask "don't you 'mean less than freezing?'"
Brother: "Nah, man. It's too cold to be less than freezing!"
Me: Yep, he definitely meant that it is much colder. "Well, if it's colder than freezing, the temperature is lower than zero, therefore 'less than freezing.'"
Brother: "Nah, man! Forget numbers! It's about how you feel. And I feel insanely cold. The word "insanely" is more than the word "just", therefore 'more than freezing,' and not 'just freezing' or 'less than freezing'"

Then, the conversation changes topic.

Now I'm left wondering which expression is the most accurate; is it "more than freezing", or "less than freezing"?

For the record, my brother and I were standing out in the West Coast cold, where temperatures don't often dip below zero degrees celsius. At that time, the temperature was five degrees celsius, too warm to be actually freezing. So him even uttering the word "freezing" is obviously a hyperbole. Hence, I'm not surprised why---to his mind---numbers didn't factor in, but instead just the "feeling" of coldness.

So which one of the two is correct?


texts: Why is "loosely" divided into syllables as "LOOS-LEE" and not "LOO-SLEE"?

texts:
About ten days ago I had asked a question about "syllabification" and received an excellent answer. That answer said: "there's a phonological rule called Maximal Onset Principle (MOP), according to which intervocalic consonants should be syllabified as the onset of the following syllable as long as the Phonotactic constraints allow it. This would mean that VCV has to be syllabified as V.CV as long as the onset of the second syllable is permissible."
And that's why "banana" (in British English) should be divided as /bə.ˈnɑː.nə/ and in American English as  /bə.ˈnæn.ə/.
It took me a week to fully understand the theories explained in that answer. Now if I understand it correctly, the word "loosely", /ˈluːsli/, should be divided as /ˈluː.sli/. That is, the sl should be the "onset" of the following syllable (compare /bə.ˈnɑː.nə/), But it is divided as /ˈluːs.li/ instead.
Cambridge Dictionary is quite consistent with their syllabification and it gives /ˈluːs.li/.
Is it because "loosely" is made up of "loose" and "ly" and should be divided as separately? Or is it an exception?
Thanks!


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct, and is it an example of the subjunctive?

texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct, and is 'your ensuring' here an example of the subjunctive?

"We appreciate your ensuring all workstations are switched off before leaving the office locked at night."

It seems to me that "We appreciate your ensuring" could be swapped out with "We would appreciate it if you ensured", which suggests to me that 'your ensuring' is in the subjunctive mood (given that the subordinate clause of a conditional takes the subjunctive mood).

I'm curious about this because the sentence looks and feels fine to me, but I've never seen an explanation of the subjunctive which included it's appearance in this form (possessive pronoun + gerund).


texts: A specific expression that means "a child is the exact opposite of his parent(s)"

texts:
I am looking for a specific expression or phrase that means "a child is the exact opposite of his parent(s)"

Is there an opposite idiom, phrase or expression  of the saying:

  Like father, like son


texts: Is there a more specific name for uncount nouns such as: ‘furniture’, ‘equipment’, ‘luggage’, etc.?

texts:
The following nouns belong to a distinct type in that they are uncountable no matter the context:

  baggage, bedlinen, clothing, cutlery, equipment, footwear, furniture, jewellery, luggage, machinery, tableware, underwear,

These nouns "denote a heterogeneous aggregate of parts," according to CGEL by Pullum.

Is there any particular name for these nouns?

EDIT

Neither "non-count noun" (aka, "uncountable noun") nor "mass noun" is what I'm looking for, because these terms are not specific enough to pinpoint the aforementioned category.

For example, any noun that is not countable is called "non-count noun", including abstract nouns such as "bravery" and material nouns such as "water". But neither "bravery" nor "water" denotes a heterogeneous aggregate of parts.

"Mass noun" is either equivalent to "non-count noun" or to "material noun" depending on grammar.


texts: Importance and relevance (and accuracy) of the distinctions of the two forms of the future simple tense

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What are the guidelines for usage of “will” and “is/are going to”?

I am an ESL teacher in Thailand at a business college. I have been plagued with the distinction between, "(be) going to " and "will" for the future tense.
In my former life, I worked in IT and Telecommunications.
My conclusions about any distinction(s) are the following:

1) Any distinction is not really grammatical, but more under the banner of usage
2) It is possible to communicate effectively in the future tense while using the two forms interchangeably.

There may be circumstances where one form is "more desirable" over the other, but both would seem grammatically correct. One book that the administration is forcing me to use at gunpoint, is a piece of feces titled  "Interchange" published by Cambridge University Press. They represent the distinction between "will" and "going to" as  a maybe and certainly with respect to plans. Baffling because I can not find any other references.

Considering the lack of competency in English of the average Thai speaker; myself as a native speaker who is not attentive to the distinctions but on occasion, does manage to effectively communicate and do so  in a somewhat elegant manner — is it worth emphasizing the relative interchangeability of the two forms, rather than the minor distinctions in usage of the two forms. I say minor, because if the distinctions are not made, very effective and accurate communication by a non-native speaker is still able to be accomplished without drawing a distinction.

My concern being that the weight given to this relatively minor footnote in meaning (usage), is deceptive and may confuse rather enlighten anyone other than an expert non-native speaker.

This may seem rather trivial but could you weigh in on this?


texts: The difference between a semicolon and a colon is unknown to many, it would be helpful if the information was now known.


texts: "Recommendation of" vs. "recommendation for" – what is the difference?

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct?

  We are glad to provide a recommendation of a good work you did.
  We are glad to provide a recommendation for a good work you did.


texts: Can an adjective be separated from its noun by a comma?

texts:
That would of course be denied by ministers, adamant the legislation is necessary.

Laura Kuenssberg - BBC News - 15/09/20
In this sentence, I am not quite sure what 'adamant' is doing. I very much like the construction but before I launch out and start using it I want to be more clear about what I am doing.
Is there merely an elipsis :

That would of course be denied by ministers (who are) adamant (that) the legislation is necessary.

Or is 'adamant' a second subject of the verb 'is' (along with 'legislation').
It is almost as though 'adamant' is performing a verbal function, linking 'ministers' to 'legislation'.
I would be grateful for some sage advice on this, please.


texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct?

  She fell from the bike.
  She fell off the bike.


texts: When is it appropriate to use 'the' instead of a possessive determiner?

texts:
I was with someone today and we were talking about a woman, and she said:

  "Wow, the husband must be so proud."

I was confused as to which was correct or more appropriate as opposed to:

  "Wow, her husband must be so proud."


texts: Single word for attributing inappropriate motives to others' actions?

texts:
Is there a single word to describe someone who often attributes inappropriately trivial/cheap motives to another person's actions? I'm thinking along the lines of someone who puts himself briefly in that position and usually assumes the easiest/least flattering motive for other people's behavior. I know "cynical" might be of use here, but I'm wondering if there's a narrower/more specific word to describe this?

For example:
Person A and person B both take a test that can be passed or failed. Person A calls person B on the phone in hope of getting the test results only person B (for an irrelevant reason) has access to. Before person B discloses the results, person A asks if the situation is bad, referring to whether they both failed. Person B claims the situation is worse, as a matter of fact, person A failed and person B passed the test (clearly assuming person A will see the situation in the same way). Person A actually thinks this is an objectively better situation and puts person B's success over the comfort of not being worse than them.


texts:
it is simple enough to say that since books have classes, we should separate them and take from each what it is right that each should give us

I bold the sentence that makes me confused, I can't figure it out that what does it mean, but I guess it means:

we separate books
we get what certain classified book should give us

am i making myself understood? need help, I don't really get this sentence :)


texts: Subject–verb inversion in a conditional’s protasis: does that mean it happened or not?

texts:
Does

  Had there been no support from others, I would not have asked him for help.

mean the speaker did ask for help or that they did not do so?


texts: 1 day and 1-day, which is the right one in this case?

texts:
From another question I understand that "1-day offer" is the way to go, but if I rephrase it a little bit:

The offer will last for 1 day
The offer will last for 2 days

Which one needs to be hyphenated if at all?


texts: What's the opposite of “last-minute (Christmas) shopping”?

texts:
The question is in the title. I'd like to know if there is an idiom or phrase used for someone who does not buy at the “last minute”, the hyperbolic expression is often used when purchasing gifts, flights, concert tickets, or holidays at the latest possible time, sometimes within hours of the event itself.

I would appreciate something more slangy than “before the last minute”, “early” or “ahead of time”.

Is there an idiomatic slang expression for purchasing something well ahead of time?

  This year, I'm doing my Christmas shopping _______

What do you call a person who never leaves or does things at the last minute? I definitely want a slang term, it doesn't have to be in the dictionary but the answer should be supported. A word, phrase, saying, etc. that can replace really organized and super-efficient. Someone whose natural talent is planning an important event/holiday/exam weeks or months in advance.

  This is the person you need to talk to, she's (a) ________


texts: "One way would be" vs "One way will be"?

texts: What is the difference between "One way would be" and  "One way will be"? Can both of them be used for future actions?


texts: I need a word for things not going your way

texts: I need a word for things not happening the way someone would want it to. For example, if you're at the ice cream parlor buying some icecream but they don't have vanilla, your favorite flavor, you would have to buy chocolate. Generic example aside, is there even a word for life not going your way? (One-two word answer, not a phrase)


texts:
In the following sentence, is it grammatically correct to omit "being"?

  Cross-reference [being] impossible, we must but rely on this sole documentarian, as any other ways of accessing the exclusive, 'unfathomable' truth are absent, or at least unavailable.

What is name of such a construction (e.g. noun-adjective)? Is there a reference where I could look such things up?


texts: What is word used to describe someone who is very kind and likes most to help other people with their problems?

texts:
I would like to ask this question; A word that is used to describe someone who is very kind and likes most to help other people with their problems?
(I need both a noun and an adjective; if they are all applied)


texts: Under what conditions is "r" silent before another "r'?

texts:
Today I saw the word prerogative which reminded me of Prahran (a suburb of Melbourne) because in neither word is the first r pronounced. These pronunciations are attested at https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prerogative /pəˈɹɑ.ɡə.tɪv/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prahran,_Victoria /pɛ'ræn/.

The spelling of both words follows the pattern -rVrV- (ignoring the silent h) where V is a vowel and they both start with p, which may or may not be coincidental.

Is this phenomenon restricted to just these words? Immediately after p? What is it that causes the first r to be silent?


texts:
In the song "Universal Soldier" there is the line:

He is all of thirty-one, and he's only seventeen.

What does the expression "all of" mean here?


texts: I can't tell whether it is right or wrong

texts:
This question is from the Korean high school English test. I wonder if the summary is a proper (ex English composition, collocation or grammar) in the box below.
[Question]
Many advertisements cite statistical surveys. But we should be cautious because we usually do not know how these surveys are conducted. For example, a toothpaste manufacturer once had a poster that said, “More than 80% of dentists recommend Smiley Toothpaste.” This seems to say that most dentists prefer Smiley Toothpaste to other brands. But it turns out that the survey questions allowed the dentists to recommend more than one brand, and in fact another competitor’s brand was recommended just as often as Smiley Toothpaste! No wonder the UK Advertising Standards Authority ruled in 2007 that the poster was misleading and it could no longer be displayed. A similar case concerns a wellknown cosmetics firm marketing a cream that is supposed to rapidly reduce wrinkles. But the only evidence provided is that “76% of 50 women agreed.” But what this means is that the evidence is based on just the personal opinions from a small sample with no objective measurement of their skin’s condition. Furthermore, we are not told how these women were selected. Without such information, the “evidence” provided is pretty much useless. Unfortunately, such advertisements are quite typical, and as consumers we just have to use our own judgment and avoid taking advertising claims too seriously.
[Summary Box]
As shown in the case of the above toothpaste and cream, statistics from advertising phrases might not have a bare chance of low credibility, which eventually lead to aggravating customers.

Especially, I wonder about this part.


texts:
What does the phrase "Now it's back to all the brightness, and everything I hate" mean? (Riddicks s dialogue in The Chronicles of Riddicks movie)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Riddick

Is the whole dialogue a famous idiom or a part of it? If it contains such an idiom, please tell me.
Many thanks in advance


texts: "Subject, verb, direct object, object complement" versus "subject, verb, indirect object, direct object"

texts:
Reading English Grammar (HarperCollins College Outline, published by HarperResource, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers) I found a chapter (Sentence Basics) that explains that in English there are different sentence patterns; in particular

Subject, verb, direct object, object complement
Subject, verb, indirect object, direct object

The chapter reports the following example for the patterns:

  Alice called Charles Professor Miller.
  Alice gave Charles the rabbit.

What is the difference between the two kind of sentences?
What is the difference between the object complement in the first case, and the indirect object in the second case?

PS: The question, which could appear silly, comes from the fact in my first language there is only the object complement.


texts: Does "but I digress" normally get used before or after going off-topic?

texts:
So i have the following

  "you've never pissed off a Miko before have you? they can forcefully bind a Geis to you if you do not comply to the laws they set for their shrine and that Miko really doesn't like the Press hounding Her Ladyship on this founds. she's kind of brutal [but I digress,] she beat a drunk man half to death with her heisoku because he kept annoying the other Miko by asking them out, took several Knights to stop her and now he literally craps his pants from the mere mention of a shrine [but I digress], don't piss her off lest you get an Expulsion/Torture Geis"

I know "but I digress" is used to symbolize when someone has gone off topic but returns to being on topic but with the above "but I digress" sounds right both before and after the off-topic portion (the non-bold italics), at least in my head (cold comfort that).

So when the phase "but I digress" gets used is it normally used before going off-topic or after?


texts: The correct form of the senstence: using is , are

texts:
I recently got a review of my paper(this is in astrodynamics) with some corrections. I am confused about the usage of 'is' and 'are' in the following sentence

My sentence

A global network of ground and space based sensors consisting of radars and optical telescopes are used to obtain measurements corresponding to over 22,000 active and inactive RSOs.

Reviewer's correction

A global network of ground and space based sensors consisting of radars and optical telescopes is used to obtain measurements corresponding to over 22,000 active and inactive RSOs.

I am confused, am I wrong? When we use a collection of things, do we refer it as a single entity or multiple


texts: I am looking for an abbreviation for the word "current" to match the similar abbreviation "prev" for "previous" (it is being used specifically in the context of a sequence of items: previous --> current --> next). I'm considering "cur" and "curr", but the former brings to my mind the slur and the latter, as far as I can tell, isn't in widespread usage. I'm also aware of "cnt" occasionally being used, but it doesn't really match the style of abbreviation in "prev", and it can be ambiguous as to whether it abbreviates "current" or "count". Am I just being paranoid about "cur"?


texts:
Is there a word meaning "ability to overcome boredom", just like how courage means "ability to overcome fear"?

Sample sentence: "It takes a lot of _ to read that book. I couldn't read it because it was so boring".

Determination and will don't really work since they apply to just about every emotion. I'm looking for something specific to boredom.


texts: "They must have arrived now" vs. "They must have arrived by now"

texts:
Please tell me if the following sentences are the same or not?

  It is ten o’clock. They must have arrived now.

  It is ten o’clock. They must have arrived by now.

Are they same? If not, then please tell me what the difference between them is.


texts: "deadline by which" vs. "deadline by when"

texts:
Both the following seem legit to me:

Is there a deadline by which I must submit my application?
Is there a deadline by when I must submit my application?

Is one to be preferred over the other? Are there any particular situations where only one of them would fit?


texts: Do dependent clauses have to have subjects?

texts: I am studying for a test and am confused about one point. In my book, there is one rule that states Independent, (FANBOYS) Independent. This shows the general rule that you can connect independent clauses with a comma and a coordinating conjunction. This is fine. The next rule says Independent (FANBOYS) Dependent. I am not so sure about this one. What is an example of this type of construction? The example given by the book is "I'll take the #2 with a coke but will pass on the shake." However, how is "will pass on the shake" a dependent clause? Isn't it an independent clause with an implied subject?


texts: Can a sentence begin with an object or reflexive noun?

texts:
I'm writing a function (for a game) which converts a sentence with Spivak pronouns into one with pronouns as specified by a user-selected template.

For example, the following input sentence:

"E casts eir spell on emself."

Could be transformed into any of the following (among others), depending on the selected template:

"She casts her spell on herself." (feminine pronoun)
"They cast their spell on themself." (singular they)
"<Name> casts <Name>'s spell on themself." (Name, with "themself")

Most declensions can occur at the start of a sentence, requiring me to consider the possibility of each with an initial uppercase:

"She won."
"His efforts were futile."
"Hers was the only character able to use magic."

I'm unsure about the following scenarios:

"Him too.†"
"Herself to blame, her team lost the match.‡"

So, my questions are as follows:

†Do I need to consider a capitalised "Em" (i.e. Can a grammatically-correct sentence ever begin with an object)?
‡Do I need to consider a capatilised "Emself" (i.e. Can a grammatically-correct sentence ever begin with a reflexive noun)?

I'm only concerned with grammatically-correct sentences at this time.  The user will not be providing the input sentences to this function, only the pronoun template by which to convert each sentence for display.

Thank you for your time and assistance!
>^,^<


texts:
My supervisor told me that I have wrong tense in my abstract - "You use passive form but it should be active!"
E.g.: "A data model was formed." is wrong according to him but I do not know what I should use. Maybe: "Thesis has formed a data model." ?


texts:
Does contrariwise sound old-fashioned?  As in Alice in Wonderland:

  ‘Contrariwise,’ continued Tweedledee, ‘if it was so, it might be.’

What are the modern words for contrariwise?


texts:
Can we use one article in

>

I am going to show you the sink, kitchen and fridge.   (the sink and the fridge are in the kitchen we are talking about)
I am going to show you the accommodation, campus and school. (we are talking about a single campus with a dorm and an academic building)