texts: "aware of how..." vs. "aware how..." and "stressful to..." vs. "stressful for..."

texts:
Can someone please help me with this sentence:

  It's not like you weren't aware of how stressful this would be to me.

Is it supposed to be aware or aware of? And is it supposed to be stressful to me or for me?

Thanks!


texts: Is there any difference between "tuxedo" and "avocado" with regard to their plural form?

texts:
An English exam is slowly coming closer and closer, so I'm trying to revise...
I'm holding an English learning book right now, and the very first chapter is dedicated to regular and irregular plural forms of nouns. One exercise wants me to cross out words that are not fitting; for example, from "cows", "tables", "bags", "news", the last noun ("news") goes away, because it only has plural form; and from "play", "family", "dictionary", "university", "play" goes away, because its plural is "plays" and not "plaies".
So now I'm stuck with "potato", "avocado", "tomato", "tuxedo". As far as I'm aware, the plural forms of these nouns are: "potatoes", "avocados", "tomatoes", "tuxedos". So we can say there are two groups with two words per each group: "potatoes" and "tomatoes" vs "avocados" and "tuxedos". Yet the book authors want me to cross "tuxedo" out. How is "tuxedo" any different than "avocado"? To me, these two words are exactly the same, since, in both cases, the plural form is constructed by adding "-s" and not "-es".
What am I failing to grasp?
Edit: As per the request from the comments:

tux•e•do
n.[countable], pl.  -dos.

from WordReference.com definition of tuxedo

av•o•ca•do
n.[countable], pl.  -dos.

from WordReference.com definition of avocado

to•ma•to
n.[countable], pl.  -toes.

from WordReference.com definition of tomato

po•ta•to
n., pl.  -toes.

from WordReference.com definition of potato


texts: "sophisticated" is not appropriate in a research paper because it is an opinion?

texts:
Someone suggested me do not use "sophisticated" in research papers, as it shows an opinion, which is not objective.

Is that correct? If so, what are good alternatives?


texts: What should I use for this sentence? I do compliance assessments in facilities every day. Or I make compliance assessments every day. Thank you.


texts: I was reading the article "South Africa's President Zuma sacks finance minister" on BBC. Why was the verb "sack" used instead of "dismissed"? Does it evoke a stronger feeling - positive or negative one?


texts: Meaning and structure of headline "Hair it is: A List of ..."

texts:
"Hair It Is: A List of Hair Words".
What are the rules for this header?
Why is the noun before it is?
Intuitively, I understand the meaning of this header. But please explain it for certainty.


texts: How do you explain the sentence "What do you make of the argument that..."?

texts:
At first I thought that the sentence "What do you make of the argument that..." is just to ask someone for his opinion on something. However, I have also seen some translation explain that such sentence is asking someone to provide arguments to support something.

e.g. "What do you make of the argument that allowing more immigrants into our country is unavoidable?"
Does that mean: (A)What are your thoughts about "allowing more immigrants into our country is unavoidable"? (for example, do you support this opinion or not?); or (B)How do you make the argument to support the opinion that "allowing more immigrants into our country is unavoidable"?


texts: Difference between "town", "city" and "metropolis"?

texts: Is there a certain size for each of these terms?


texts: Is there supposed to be a comma when the word "had" is used 4 times in a row?

texts:
There's a particular sentence which I've been pondering over:

  All the faith he had had had had no effect on the outcome of his life.

Some people seem to think there's supposed to be a comma after the second had but I don't think there should be. Technically, 4 had words in a row in this scenario does make clear sense.

Should there be a comma there or not?


texts:
Markets are ________.
I am looking for an adjective that is similar to noisy.

Thanks.


texts: Are YouTube creators using "enjoy" in a new intransitive sense?

texts:
Many YouTube creators end their videos with a statement  similar to

If you enjoyed, please remember to click the thumbs-up button!

Invariably, there is no explicit direct object for the verb "enjoy". This is something I've only ever encountered in YouTube videos.
Language websites such as this one say that "enjoy" is an obligatory transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object.
You could of course say there's an implied direct object "the video", but this seems to me like some new sociolect construct, where the direct object becomes irrelevant because of immersion in the subject matter.
Has this been recognized or studied by anyone? If so, have they traced the origin to YouTube, or did creators bring it from some other medium?
Of course the imperative "Enjoy!" has been around for a while, but for the purpose of this question, you'd have to trace its evolution into YouTube or whatever medium preceded that.

Reminder: This is NOT about the imperative "Enjoy!".  This is about the conditional use and where it originated.


texts: Difference between "Serenity" and "Tranquility"?

texts:
What is the difference between "Serenity" and "Tranquility"?

They were the names of two lunar mare, which among all of them are the only pair that have got names with very similar meaning.


texts:
I have been thinking about it and I was wondering if there is single verb (or maybe a phrase) in English which can describe the attribution of legal rights to someone. Is there a specific verb used to express it?

Thanks in advance!


texts: What is a word for someone who will only take credit for something if it benefits them?

texts:
For example, someone who will not say they suggested the restaurant if someone in the group said they didn't like it.

Synynoms could include: noncommittal, unaccountable, fickle. Someone who frequently makes disclamers. Not able to take the blame or own up to bad decisions.


texts: When I say "no further recommendations" is plural use of recommendations correct?

texts:
"We have no further recommendations for this dataset at this stage."

or

"We have no further recommendation for this dataset at this stage."

Does the "no" necessitate the use of recommendation rather than recommendations?


texts: What determines the stress of an adjective formed by adding "-ive" to a verb ending in "-ate"?

texts:
Some verbs ending in -ate keep their original syllable stress when you add the suffix -ive to form an adjective
e.g.,

imitate/imitative
meditate/meditative
investigate/investigative

For others, the stress moves to the antepenultimate syllable and the 'a' in -ative is reduced;
e.g.,

indicate/indicative
contemplate/contemplative
interrogate/interrogative

Is there a rule or any kind of historical reason why a word would follow one pattern or the other?


texts: What is the possessive form of a singular noun ending with a plural s?

texts: I would tend to treat a company name as singular and would therefore write the possessive form with 's. Now, my company refers to its international operations by placing the country name behind the company name; think: "Coca Cola USA" or "Coca Cola Germany". In these examples I would write, in similar fashion, "Coca Cola Germany's workers are happy". Unfortunately, we also operate in a number of countries that have plural names; think: Netherlands and Cayman Islands. What is the possessive form in these cases? Is it "Coca Cola Netherlands' workers are happy" or "Coca Cola Netherlands's workers are happy"? I nudge towards the latter being grammatically correct, however reckon the former to be more generally accepted — or easier on the eye. I'm not a native English speaker, so I am not always entirely capable of assessing what is "accepted" or "sounds right".


texts:
Do these two sentences convey the same meaning?

What is more I detailed the difficulty that arises in such an investigation where it is one person's word against another.

What is more I detailed the difficulty that arises in such an investigation, certain aspects of which are a case of one person's word against another.

Sentence 1 is in a document and I'm trying to work out how ambiguous it is and whether it has the same meaning as 2.


texts: Where does the term 'board' come from in 'room and board'?

texts: Where does the term 'board' come from when its used in the 'room and board' context?


texts: Word or phrase for fake appearance or posturing

texts:
I'm looking for a noun (it has to be an object) that expresses the concept of fake appearances.

In Spanish, we can express that with the word "facade" understood as the front of a wall (but part of a building) because a beautiful facade can hide horrible things inside of the building (things that we don't discover until we enter). The cover (of a book) can express that concept as well.

To be more specific, I'll give you some examples in Spanish:

Era todo fachada. (It was all facade).
Cuidado con las fachadas bonitas. (Beware of beautiful facades).

The concept that I'm looking for is usually used to express deception after realize that you were wrong about someone. I'd like to emphasize that I'm not looking for an adjective or abstract word (or expression) but for a physical object.

Is there any word in English to express that?


texts:
Is there a rule to understand how the group "Cha" has to be pronounced?

"Character" sounds with a hard first syllable, while "Charm" sound softer, but I don't find how to tell which sound to use before earing someone saying the word. It could be because of the double consonant "rm" vs "ra"? Or is it just a matter of knowing the rule for every single word?

EDIT: More specifically, let's talk about UK English pronunciation.


texts:
I want to ask about what emotion motivated someone to do something. Can the phrase "what were you thinking when you..." be used for this? It seems kind of unnatural to ask, "what were you feeling when you..." I googled "what were you feeling to" and didn't come up with anything. When I googled "what were you thinking to" I came up with lots of stuff, but they seemed to be all inquiries about the logic that drove them to do something, not the emotion that drove them to do it.

If "what were you thinking to" and "what were you feeling to" can't be used, then what phrase can? The nearest thing I can think of is, "what made you do it," but that doesn't seem to be quite what I'm looking for.


texts:
'They either participate with some decorum, or recognise this is the
  wrong group to be on!'

Is that sentence idiomatically and grammatically correct? Can on and in be used in this sentence?


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase ‘in timely fashion’?

texts:
It was very disturbing to learn that Google will not open source Android 3.0 in timely fashion.

What is the meaning of in timely fashion?


texts: Difference between "best dress" and "best dressed"

texts:
So it goes like this:

“Sally, you look groovy. You aim to win at the best DRESS competition tonight, don’t you?”
 "Sally, you look groovy. You aim to win at the best DRESSED competition tonight, don’t you?”

I've heard people say best dress cannot be used in the context of boys because they do not wear "dresses". But what if the context if a girl? Is one sentence more grammatically correct than another?


texts: "...in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm." Is this structure normal?

texts:
Florence Nightingale noted,

  It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Dr Harvey Cushing, a pioneer in surgery and neurosurgery, published detailed descriptions of harm caused to his patients secondary to his own performance.

Source

Could you please help me understand the structure of the italicized part?


texts: When I say throughout this paper in the introduction, do I include the introduction and the abstract?

texts: In the introduction of a research paper, we give something many definitions. Then I want to just focus on one definition among the definitions mentioned in the introduction; I.e. The paper is discussing only one definition. So at the end of the introduction, I say "throughout this paper ... means .... ". I am asking if this is a proper way to express what I mean. If I say throughout the paper, do I include the introduction or not? How about the abstract which is before the introduction?


texts:
What is the difference between "peaceably" and "peacefully"?

I found the word "peaceably" in the following text:

  Where the access and use of light or air to and for any building have been peaceably enjoyed therewith as an easement, and as of right, without interruption, and for twenty years, and where any way or watercourse or the use of any water or any other easement (whether affirmative or negative) has been peaceably and openly enjoyed by any person claiming title thereto as an easement and as of right without interruption and for twenty years, the right to such access and use of light or air, way, watercourse, use of water, or other easement shall be absolute and indefeasible. (Link: http://comtax.up.nic.in/Miscellaneous%20Act/limitation-act-1963.pdf)

What difference would have been there if, in the above text, the word "peacefully" would have been substituted for the word "peaceably"?

On googling, I found that "peaceful" means undisturbed by turmoil or disagreement and that "peaceable" means inclined to peace. (Link: http://grammarist.com/usage/peaceable-peaceful/) If it is so, then, in the above text, the word "peacefully" would have been better suited compared to the word "peaceably" used therein.

On a second thought, I find that the text, which states a provision of Indian law, is more than hundred years old and has stood the test of time. (The provision was there in the Indian Limitation Act, 1908 and has survived when that Act was re-enacted as the Indian Limitation Act, 1963.) If so, then it appears that there is perhaps no wrong in the use of the word "peaceably" in the above text.

Thus, the analysis finally takes me to no conclusion; confusion persists.

Can anybody tell me the correct scope of meaning of each of the two words − "peaceably" and "peacefully"?


texts: Is "Halaal" an invalid spelling of "halal"?

texts:
In Someone Trolled Pauline Hanson By Sending Her A Jar of Halal-Certified Vegemite, "halaal" is described as an invalid spelling of "halal":

An enterprising Australian has sent a jar of Vegemite to Pauline Hanson, using Kmart’s custom name generator to slap the word “Halaal (sic)” on the label.
...
But why does the jar spell halal wrong? Turns out Vegemite doesn’t allow people to print “halal” on the jars, but “halaal” is fine.

Is spelling it with two consecutive "a"s considered incorrect, or just a variant spelling?


texts: What's the difference between fully, wholly, completely and totally?

texts:
I would like to know if there are any differences in usage, grammar and meaning of:
 fully, wholly, completely and totally.

According to the Macmillan Dictionary; fully means completely,
completely means that ‘every part of it is done’,
wholly means completely,
and totally means completely as well.


texts: word for fraction of space filled with objects: occupancy?

texts:
The way I understand the word "density" to be used is as if a space is filled by infinitesimally small objects--points. However, in my usage, I'm looking for a word that signifies that a certain percentage of space is occupied by objects.

To illustrate, consider a space of a given volume, containing a given number of spheres. Compare this with a space that has twice the volume and contains the same number of spheres but each now also has twice the volume. "Density", as the number of objects per unit of volume, is now half. But "occupancy", as the fraction of space occupied by the spheres, is the same in both cases.

What is a good word for this "occupancy" measure?


texts: Does "refrain" only mean to choose to do or not do something?

texts:
Here is the place I saw this usage:

  (Paraphrase) Mr. A's refrain that Law L be invoked against dishonest and incompetent legislators presents an interesting case.

My dictionary tells me

  (irrelevant) refrain ~ noun
   1. the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers

  refrain ~ verb
   1. resist doing something
   2. choose not to consume

My understanding tells me that Mr. A obviously wants to invoke Law L against these legislators, but the dictionary tells me that he is resisting it (himself?)

What am I missing here?


texts: Why are numbers usually written twice in contracts?

texts:
In contracts numbers are usually written twice: in numerical and literal form.

I understand the vast majority of text in a typical contract can be safely deleted without impacting the core message due to the typical insane amount of repetition and unnecessary verboseness, but I don't really understand what's the point of writing some (not even all) numbers twice.

For example:

  You agree to these Terms of Use on
  behalf of yourself and, at your
  discretion, for one (1) minor child
  for whom you are a parent or guardian
  and whom you have authorized to use
  the account you create on the Service.

It's very inconsistent, sometimes they appear in only numerical form:

  [...] WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF SECTIONS 1, 2 OR 9.

Sometimes only literal:

  [...] includes two components [...]


texts: "all but at most one" - What does it mean?

texts:
I came around this one just now and I can't tell the meaning of this sentence by the context.

  no new vehicle is used unless all but at most one other vehicle has at
  least 50% of its time scheduled

Does it mean something like "all are, but one is not"?


texts:
Specifically, I'm writing a biography for a man who lived in St. Maries, Idaho. When I'm quoting him (therefore the spoken language) should I spell out saint, or is it a common enough abbreviation, like Dr., to leave abbreviated?
"I grew up in Saint Maries." OR "I grew up in St. Maries." ??


texts: Subject in sentence with only object pronoun

texts:
Let us go

is a correct construction in the English language and definitely not:

  Let we go

However, the question is: since us is an object-case pronoun, what is the subject of this sentence?


texts: What is an official collection of laws/books/etc. called?

texts:
What do you call an official collection of passages, laws, books, etc.?

I'm thinking of a very official-sounding word, like "The ___crux" "The Index" or "The Axiom" or something sounding like that... I know I learned about it in gradeschool, but I can't quite recall it.


texts: Can I say "Thank you for your flattering comments" without sounding negative?

texts:
My colleague wrote his review on me and mentioned many good things about me. I want to show my appreciation to him, but I'm not sure if I can say "Thank you for your flattering comments" without sounding negative (because of the negative meanings of the word "flatter"). What do you think?

Also, what would be common to say in this situation?


texts: Origin and name for horizontal line hiding date or place name

texts:
Does anyone know a) the origins, or b) the name of the convention of replacing dates or place names in 18th / 19th century novels with a horizontal line? I'm not asking for the reasons authors did this, (various answers are given here), but as it were the genealogy of its use.

An example, from Laurence Sterne's marvellous Tristram Shandy:

  My father, you must know, who was originally a Turky merchant, but had
  left off business for some years, in order to retire to, and die upon,
  his paternal estate in the county of ------ , was, I believe, one of
  the most regular men in every thing he did, whether 'twas matter of
  business, or matter of amusement, that ever lived.

[EDIT:] The word is not "redaction", as some have suggested (see the comment below and those on the linked question above). Redaction means (quoting the OED, 'redaction', section 1.b):

  b. The action or process of revising or editing text, esp. in
  preparation for publication; (also) an act of editorial revision.

What I am referring to is at best an act of simulated redaction by the author. It is not the editor's work, but the author's. I just wonder whether there exists a literary term  for this kind of simulated redaction.


texts:
In the following sentence, can "as" be replaced by "which"? If so, is there no difference between the two, in this case? Do we call ‘as’ in the example as relative pronoun, or just pronoun?

There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.
(Harry Potter book 1)


texts: Difference between "life itself" and "life it's self"

texts:
I read these sentences in the Google Books.

( life it's self )

I love you more than life it's self.
My love is greater than life it's self.

( life itself )

Your love is better than life itself.
I loved her more than life itself.

What's the difference "life it's self" and "life itself"?


texts: I know how to say numbers in English, but I wonder if IP addresses are said in some special way. For instance, 127.0.0.1: I would say "one hundred twenty seven dot zero dot zero dot one". Is it correct or does it sound awkward? Should the tokens be said digit by digit? Should the zeros be said "o" instead of "zero" (as in telephone numbers)?


texts:
A friend and I were having a conversation about certain characters in a game we both play. He was going on about how he doesn't use over powered abilities some of these champs have. He says at one point:

  "... because I don't use champs that presses R to get kills."

I respond with,

  " Yeah, I don't use characters to get kills, like you."

He suddenly gets all defensive and we begin to argue how this word is used at all.

I believe if I were to say "unlike" instead of the word "like," he would be in right to be defensive, but he seems to disagree completely. Could you guys help me out on this one, thanks!


texts: The car has been adapted for ( disabled - the disabled) drivers

texts:
Choose the correct answer
Which one is correct word
Is it right to say disabled or the disabled


texts: How to write that I used a graphic from another source and modified it?

texts:
I'm writing a thesis in English (I'm from Germany) in which I'll use a graphic from a book that I modified just a little bit. How do write it correctly?

  see [source], slightly modified.
  slightly modified from [source].


texts: Are there any variations on nouns ending with an -al suffix?

texts:
-al can be added to a word to form a an adjective or a noun.  If the adjective-forming suffix is added after a base word that ends in [l] then it can change to an -ar suffix (e.g. polar).

But are there any examples of this, or another sound change, with the noun-forming suffix?


texts: Dependent clause w/list *comma or semicolon* followed by independent clause

texts:
Should we use a semicolon or comma when an adverbial dependent clause containing a list is followed by an independent clause?

While not everyone is a Newton, Einstein, or Hawking, every one of them is a fascinating character with a unique story.

or:

While not everyone is a Newton, Einstein, or Hawking; every one of them is a fascinating character with a unique story.


texts: Should I capitalize "amazons" when I am talking about the Greek female warriors?

texts: I am doing an essay about the amazons from A Midsummer Night's Dream and I don't know if the word "amazons" should be capitalized.


texts:
Is this a complex sentence or compound-complex sentence?

  Researchers who study the trajectory of biodiversity loss are alarmed
  that, within the century, an exponentially rising extinction rate
  might easily wipe out most of the species still surviving at the
  present time.


texts: Book Lovers / Book worms with different words?

texts: I am looking for synonym of Book Lovers, people who like read books, like Book Enthusiast, Book Buffs, but combination of words should also sound good.


texts:
I am writing a project paper, and I find myself using the phrase "let's" a lot. I'm wondering if there are other phrases or words that I can use instead of "let's"? I've searched for an answer but couldn't find one.

Examples:

We want to see x and y. Let's start with x.
Now, let us see the relationship between z and w.


texts:
Is it possible to use this verb when speaking of printing out, producing a printed copy of a document that has been written on a computer?

(Although "to print out" is usual here.)

Thanks.


texts:
"you should check the oil bottle if you smell rancid/rancidity. Don't use it"
The proofreader says rancid, but i would say rancidity


texts:
"Voldemort turned his scarlet eyes upon Harry, laughing a high, cold, mirthless laugh."

Grammatically, the sentence is implying that Harry is laughing, right? I was reviewing modifiers, and the rule stated that a modifier must be placed near the word it modifies.

How about..."Voldemort, turning his scarlet eyes upon Harry, laughed a high, cold, mirthless laugh."


texts: What is the origin/etymology of the expression "come-hither"?

texts:
As in "She gave him a "come-hither" look.

I found nothing except the date of first use (1925), which has no source.


texts:
I want to know if 9Gag slogan "Go fun the world" is correct or not.
I know that it is ok to say "Let's go have fun" but the slogan above misses "have". Is it ok?

One more - is "word" addressee there? If yes, why it is not separated by commas "Go fun, the world"?

Is ok to say: "Let's go fun, guys!" as the offer to go have fun to the friends?
Thanks for the answers


texts:
What does "lights-out systems" mean in

  While agile might not be suitable for building safety-critical and lights-out
  systems, ...


texts: If noun phrases can be genericised to ‘someone/something’, how are adjectives genericised?

texts:
Often when you look up words in a dictionary, certain sentence patterns and collocations are often given in a kind of ‘genericised’ way, where animate noun phrases are replaced by somebody and inanimate ones by something (and verbal phrases usually by do something). For example, a definition of help might have the following:

  [someone] helps [someone] [do something]

– which can be turned into a ‘real’ sentence by replacing the ‘genericised placeholders’ with more meaningful phrases:

  [I] help [you] [clean your house]

I quite like this kind of ‘genericising’ and find it elegant and useful. However, someone and something here are used only for noun phrases (and verb phrases), and I haven’t been able to find a way of ‘genericising’ adjectival phrases. For example, a definition of find may have the following:

  [someone] finds [somebody/something] [adjective]
  => [I] find [it] [very interesting]

Adjective there doesn’t seem like a very good choice, since it just expresses a word class, not a ‘genericisation’—that is, it is the counterpart to ‘noun’, ‘verb’, rather than the counterpart to ‘someone’, ‘[do] something’.

Is there an established way of ‘genericising’ adjectives that fits this general pattern?


texts: In which US accent is “again” pronounced /əˈɡeɪn/ with the FACE vowel, not /əˈɡɛn/ with the DRESS vowel?

texts:
Most dictionaries provide the US pronunciation of “again” as /əˈɡɛn/ (uh-gen) with the DRESS vowel. This is the most common pronunciation in the USA.
However, I think I might have also come across /əˈɡeɪn/ (uh-gain) with the FACE vowel. This sounds like the word “gain” with an “a” at the beginning.
Is there a US accent where “again” is pronounced this way?


texts:
Should I use "was" or "were" in the following context?

  A huge crowd were/was present there.


texts: Is 'I f*cked the dog' an actual idiom and are there alternatives

texts:
I am a non-native speaker from Germany. In German there's one idiom that goes:

  Sich die Eier schaukeln

Literally translated, this means "to rock the eggs", where "the eggs" are testicles. This is used to express severe boredom, especially to describe procrastinating or one's state of mind when you should be appointed to a task, but aren't.

It is somewhat vulgar as it involves testicles, yet it is a widely used idiom which would not actually be perceived as an inappropriate thing to say in general.

I searched for a translation that would fit and found:

  fucked the dog

(from Urban Dictionary). Now I would like to know if this is actually a common thing to say and whether there are any alternatives that are more suitable for daily use.


texts:
I misinterpreted the expression “a non-zero chance” as an emphatic way to stress that there was no possibility or likelihood of something happening.

there is a non-zero chance that they will pay attention to some of the responses…
there is a non-zero chance that the feedback may matter.

The author explained

  NB: …the chance of them changing it is not zero and therefore must be more than that. I used a double-negative to emphasize that, while there is a chance, it probably isn't a good chance.

  Me: It's confusing and ambiguous... why not just say "slim chance"?

  NB: Because I prefer 'non-zero chance'; I like the phrasing of it. I like using double-negation as a way to minimize something. And for the record, thus far you appear to be the only person who has mentioned being confused by this phrase.

Does “a non-zero chance” mean ‘more than zero’?
Is the author right? Am I the only person who could misinterpret this phrasing?
Is this phrasing peculiar to American speakers or do British speakers use this expression too?

P.S  someone posted this link to an SE Mathematics question: Zero probability and impossibility but I didn't understand a thing


texts: Is "he takes extreme measures to ensure that he is seen by no one" a complex sentence?

texts:
"he takes extreme measures to ensure that he is seen by no one"

I am confused. Is it a complex sentence? If so which is the Independent clause and which is the Dependent clause?

I know that " he takes extreme measures" is an independent clause and "that he is seen by no one" is a dependent clause.

But what is " to ensure" in this context?


texts:
It was he who messed up everything.

It was him who messed up everything.

What is the difference between these two sentences?


texts: Beg to differ - Why is there a need to beg for differ

texts:
Wouldn't 'Wish to differ' be better than 'Beg to differ'? A friend of mine asked me why I like to 'beg to differ', instead of 'wish to differ' or 'want to differ'.

Any insight on the history of 'Beg to differ'? I know that 'Beg to differ' looks more polite but another friend told me that it is over-polite, so would 'Wish to differ' be a better choice?


texts: What is a one-word synonym for "a piece of wisdom" or "rule of thumb"?

texts:
I'm looking to describe something less formalized--i.e., with a lower collocation--than "aphorism", "maxim" or "adage" would imply. "Dictum" is the closest I can come up with but it's still too dogmatic.
In short, an idea, not an expression.


texts: "I live in Britain" vs. "I live on Britain"

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
How small does a land-mass have to be before you live “on” it, rather than “in” it?

Seeing that the term Britain refers to an island, which of the following sentences (if any) is the best way to state the fact that one lives there?

I live in Britain.
I live on Britain.


texts: What would be the best way to explain "there, they're and their"?

texts: I was wondering what the best way to explain the difference and how to use the words "they're, their and there" properly because I always get them mixed up.


texts:
A colleague asked:  what is the plural of "beef Wellington"?  (In response to a few comments, I recognise that I am unlikely to be misunderstood in a restaurant no matter how I order multiple of the dish, and that it might even risk worse understanding to seek correctness; but I am also likely to be laughed at for referring in conversation to Jerome Adams and Sylvia Trent-Adams as "our two previous surgeons general", and yet that is how I should properly describe them.)
According to Wiktionary, the plural of "beef Wellington" is "beef Wellingtons".  However, according to Wikipedia, the 'Wellington' in "beef Wellington" is a postpositive noun adjunct.  Wikipedia further instructs me that, in such constructions, the pluralizing morpheme should be formed by appending it to "the noun" (presumably, in the case of a postpositive noun adjunct, the modified rather than modifying noun).  (@EdwinAshworth observes that there is an exception (when isn't there in English?), namely, "This rule does not necessarily apply to phrases with postpositives that have been rigidly fixed into names and titles."  To the extent that this can be said to be true of beef Wellington, it seems to me that the same can be said of crêpe Suzette, which I discuss in the next paragraph.)
I tried to test this rule on the examples given of postpositive noun adjuncts, but the only one that is not already, in Wikipedia's phrase, "intrinsically … plural" as quoted and whose plural I know is "crêpe Suzette".  This indisputably has plural "crêpes Suzette", but I don't know whether it is legitimate to speak of a singular "crêpe Suzette".  The link text on the postpositive adjective article uses the singular, but the title of the article to which it links does not.  My question applies similarly to the other instances quoted:  what, for example, are the plurals of "man Friday", "broccoli raab", "chicken Tetrazzini", and "peach Melba"?
So I wonder whether it should be "beefs Wellington", or, as my colleague mused, perhaps even "beeves Wellington".  (We have discussed 'beeves' elsewhere, but that question does not seem to address this issue, except for observing, for example in comments, that not all senses of 'beef' pluralise as 'beeves'.)


texts:
According to my Longman dictionary, gain experience and get experience seem to mean the same:

gain/get experience: The programme enables pupils to gain some experience of the world of work.

But I have also found gather experience and acquire experience (source):

We now have to gather experience.

These projects will set their imagination in motion, and will help  them acquire useful experience.

How do these versions with gain, get, acquire and gather differ? I am also interested if they mean the same but sound slightly different to native speakers.


texts: "I hope that my search ends now" or "I hope my search ends now"?

texts:
I was doing a question for Yahoo Answers and suddenly I can't choice.
Maybe because I never study English(after elementary and high school), I don't know which is the right sentence?

Of course I know that I should study, and I'll do.

Many thanks.


texts:
Could anyone answer this then explain correctly?

  Choose :
  Be careful, you ..... your hand with that knife .

  will cut / are going to cut /are cutting


texts: Is 'granted that' interchangeable with 'given that'?

texts:
I'm stuck on the following sentence from a piece I'm proofreading:

'Granted that the Maestro had little faith in amateurs, this choir had been well prepared by their chorus master.'

To me it feels like 'given that' sounds better, but I've been instructed not to make any unnecessary changes.

Is 'granted that' acceptable usage in this context if it can be taken to mean something like 'on the assumption that..'?

Any help much appreciated!


texts: Word to describe selection of people from best to worst one by one

texts:
Commonly found in school play yards where team captains alternate choosing members one at a time, each time choosing the best member out of the group until there is no one left out of those wanting to play.

I am looking for a word that is not necessary related to two teams but could relate to a a bunch of people being ordered by selecting one at a time using a criteria resulting in the sorting of the individuals using that criteria from best to worst.

Example:

  The girls in class created a list of the most popular boys in class to the least popular by selecting the most popular boy at a time from the remaining group until none were left.

This selection/removal from the group one at a time is called?

I want to find a  words  I can use to describe  societal selection criteria made by humans e.g. how jobs are filled etc , online dating behavior etc.

If I use the words "ranked selection" it sounds more mathematical which I am not trying to convey.

It is in the same family as "natural selection" but this is not natural selection but selection based on what today's society values. There is nothing natural about it and for example in job interviews they don't quantify ability by testing them but instead go on their gut based on visual looking at person and social interaction. Same with dating, where people don't like at what people like and do personality matching but instead go on looks. I am looking for a word that doesn't describe the single selection criteria of the person hiring or the person choosing a profile in online dating but the net ordered selection effect of everyone, unbeknownst to each other, using the same technique


texts: Word for consolidating a dataset to a single type

texts:
I believe there is a single word that represents what I am trying to say, but for the life of me I can’t remember it.

I have a line graph of amounts vs. time. The amounts are for different currencies. I then have a derivative graph where all the amounts are in one currency.

  The second graph is [blanked] to the same currency.

I thought of normalized, but it doesn't feel quite right. The idea behind this word is to take a disparate dataset and to make it the same.


texts: Is "I hear you" impatient or sympathetic?

texts: I have several times come across the phrase "I hear you" (spoken in response to, e.g., someone relating an experience of theirs), but I haven't been able to figure out whether it signifies a polite impatience or whether it implies understanding (or some of each).  How should I use this phrase, and how can I interpret it?


texts: I'm developing a website on which photos and videos will be shared. But I couldn't decide on the main menu name to use under which there will be two subcategories Photo Gallery and Videos. Which one do you think makes more sense to visitors: multimedia or media? Once they see it, they should immediately realize this menu is all about photos, videos and things related to graphics.


texts: The difference between "look at" and "see"

texts:
What is the difference between look at and see? For example:

  Can I look at it?
  Can I see it?
  Let's go to look at him.
  Let's go to see him.


texts: Sice, cinque, cater, trey, deuce, ace, and then?

texts:
The set of numbers for a six-sided   die are: ace, deuce, trey, cater, cinque, sice. They  originate from Old French (cf. un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six in modern French). Ace comes from Latin as, assis (unity, copper coin, the unit of coinage). They can be mentioned in other situations (e.g. cards) or expressions ("to ace (something): to do exceptionally well"). There are connections with the history of science, since the zero arose quite late in Western countries.

Does  a similar form for the zero exist?

Related questions:

Ordinal form of zero (“0”) [duplicate]
1st hour, 2nd hour, 3rd hour… But how to say “zero”-th hour?
“Left with an '8'” meaning of an expression found on a song (by Talk Talk)
Deuce and trey - do any other kinds of pip cards have special names?


texts:
I know that the correct phrasing for this sentence is, but I don't know why.

  Many of the volunteers had already shown some early signs of mental illness.

Since the illness is unspecified, shouldn't it be illnesses? Mental illnesses can be counted:

  This person suffers from two diagnosed mental illnesses.

So why is it we say "early signs of mental illness" as opposed to "illnesses"? We're talking about an unspecified group of people which may or may not have a certain condition or several conditions.

TheFreeDictionary shares a few examples of the word "illnesses" in literature. In several of these examples, they specifically use the term "mental illnesses". Such as this one

  Policy limitations for mental illnesses typically limit benefits to 24 months if the disability is "caused or contributed to" by a "mental illness.


texts: A word to express "by a large margin", especially in context of a competition

texts:
Consider the following sentence

  Team A defeated team B by a large margin

How can I succinctly express that in the end, one opponent scored a lot more than the other?

I thought of easily and effortlessly, but they imply that team A did not have to work hard to win over team B.

Drub, annihilate and thrash are rather vehement and I'd rather not use them.

Is there a word that can describe the sentiment that the margin of victory was large without undermining the effort of either teams?


texts: What is the meaning of "One giving way for another" in this text?

texts:
I am reading a book it says:
Every time I think about Deborah, it baffles me how she successfully managed her multi role in life as a woman without one giving way for another.
What is the meaning of "One giving way for another"?


texts: What does “the hardware” a Japanese moviemaker took home after being awarded the Jury prize at Cannes Film Festival mean?

texts:
Japan Times (May 28) reported that Hirokazu Koreeda, movie director won the Jury Prize at 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
The article titled, “Director Koreeda wins Jury Prize in Cannes begins with the following sentence:

  “Director Hirokazu Koreeda’s “Soshite Chichi ni naru (Like father,
  like son)” has become the latest Japanese moviemaker to take the
  hardware home, after he was awarded the Jury Prize at this year’s
  Cannes Film Festival. Koreeda’s movie a story about two couples, whose
  babies were switched at birth, is the first Japanese work to receive
  the prize since the late Rentaro Mikuni’s “Shinran: Shiroi Michi” was
  honored the honor in 1987.”

According to Oxford English Dictionary, Hardware mean;

tools, machinery, and other durable equipment:
the machines, wiring, and other physical components of a computer or other electronic system:.

Cambridge English Dictionary also defines ‘hardware’ as:
the physical and electronic parts of a computer, rather than the instructions it follows.

I’ve never learnt the case of “Hardware” which I understand only in contrast to ‘software’ being used in such a way referring to the prize. What does a Japanese movie maker took the “hardware” home?

Can 'hardware' normally be used in this way?


texts: Proper Punctuation for "Over" in Radio Communication

texts:
Given the statement "Vickery to Crann, Over" as radio communication, and knowing that over, as a radio procedure, is used to request a response from the person/group in which the radio procedure had targeted, would the use of Over be recognized as a question

Vickery to Crann, Over?

or a statement

Vickery to Crann, Over.

I searched both the Stack Exchange English site, as well as other areas but I'm unable to find a definitive use for this.


texts: Is 'acronymise/ze' a word? Is it used only colloquially, if at all?

texts:
I just sent a text to a friend, who didn't understand an acronym I used for a game:

  "Ah, I said it in a previous text so thought it was ok to abbreviate
  it."

Though, since it was an acronym I had created, could I have used the word 'acronymise/ze' to be more specific?

I'm pretty sure it isn't a (formally used) word, but I wondered, as you often refer to acronyms specifically as acronyms, rather than abbreviations. Can you be more specific with a verb, too?

It sounds too odd to me, so I'm guessing generally no. But I wondered—so perhaps I'm wrong. Or half wrong.


texts:
The other day I saw a sign in a restroom saying:

  Wash your hands thoroughly to kill bacteria and serve safe food

It struck me as wrong somehow, since it gave me the immediate humorous mental picture of the very act of washing somehow actually serving food at that moment, just like the bacteria killing. I also think the point is not to "serve safe food" but rather "safely serve food."

Am I correct that this is wrong, or at least awkward? What would be a better way to say it?


texts:
I'm sure everyone has seen the ubiquitous memes of Bernie Sanders.
I wanted to ask whether I can call the cropped out image a crop-out? It sounds intuitive but it's not listed in the dictionary with that definition.
Example sentence: Everyone's using the Bernie crop-out to make memes.
If crop-out is not a legitimate word, what's an appropriate alternative?


texts:
Now consider the region under the graph ABDE, which is bounded by
  the x-axis, between the points x = 2 and x = 4—points A and B, respectively.
  The area of the region can be found by adding the area of the square ABCE
  and the right-angled triangle ECD, which is 2 × 2 + (1/2) × 2 × 2 = 6.

Usually this expression "area under ED" is being used more commonly.

Is "under" a appropriate preposition in this expression "region under the graph"?

Another description in that book might be much more better (just for comparison, I have no question about this part)

  the area enclosed by the graph of the probability density function
  and the x-axis between the points x = 11 and x = 12


texts: Splitting a named object into subsets and updating references to it. What is this process called?

texts:
I have a database query. I've named it roads_vw.
After the query had been used for some time, I realized that I needed to split the query into subsets: roads_with_spatial_column_vw and roads_without_spatial_colum_vw. Once the change was made, I needed to update anything that referenced the old query to use the name of one of the new queries.
This might seem a bit silly, but it happens all the time when I'm designing things, especially databases.
Is there a word or phrase that I could use to succinctly describe this situation?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  The grammaticality of “that don't impress me much”

There is a jazz piece called "It Don't Mean a Thing". Should that be "It Doesn't Mean a Thing?" I've also seen an album title called "The Sun Don't Lie".

Is this grammatically correct? If not, what kind of "effect" does it have?


texts: What's the origin of "nest" implying *multiple* levels of containment?

texts:
Is it known when the word "nest" took on the meaning of:

  " to form a hierarchy, series, or sequence of with each member,
  element, or set contained in or containing the next"

?

(source)

For example, in a recent interview US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said:

  ...they're nested in many ways. You know, this is one of those cases
  where somebody says six and somebody else says a half-dozen, and
  people like to find some type of...

  [reporter]: You said nested. I'm just not sure exactly what you mean
  by that term.

  Mark Esper: What I mean is that the information builds upon itself or
  is contained within a broader subset of things.

which seems like a usage of this definition.

Also this usage of "nest" is commonly used in computer programming where you have multiple subsets of the program contained within or utilized by other portions.

To me the original use of the word would appear to be the naturalistic one - birds and other animals build a nest as a home & shelter. But that usage specifically implies only ONE level of containment. Birds don't generally build nests within nests ad infinitum. So I'm interested to learn when this cited usage originated and/or became commonly understood.


texts: Provenance of 'deprecated' (in the programming sense)

texts: What are some early uses of "deprecation" in computer science? When did the word enter common usage in the field of programming? Are there any particularly well-known examples of early deprecations (perhaps in Unix or Linux?)


texts: A word for having trouble distinguishing between friendship and romance

texts:
I need a word for a person is, or the act of being, incapable of distinguishing between romantic partners and friends. Or someone who feels the same about friends as they do about romantic partners.
I read an article or something a while back about words for things that you have trouble explaining and I can't remember what this word was, and now I can't find it anywhere. :0

Any suggestions?
Thanks

---edit---

Specifically, a person who experiences romantic attraction to their friends. (Although I don't know if this would be part of the definition, or my interpretation of the definition.)

Also, it may be helpful to note that by "romantic attraction", I do not mean "sexual attraction". I intend to imply the idea of platonic romance, although I doubt the idea would expressly exclude cases in which sexual attraction are present.


texts: Does "Perfect Storm" have a positive meaning?

texts:
English is not my mother tongue. I've read an article with these sentences. I have no idea if the phrase "perfect storm" is supposed to be positive or negative.

  “Social gaming is sitting on perfect storm,” add Relan, “And the storm revolves around three basic areas-mobile, internaional[sic] and Facebook.”
  TechCruch


texts: I have some chained methods in my experiment like A→B→C . What is the best of way of expressing putting something new on this chain? Suppose that I want to add D to have A→B→C→D. Do I say I add D on the chain? into the chain? to the chain? etc. Any suggestions are appreciated.


texts: Which one is right: "allows to acquire" or "allows acquiring"?

texts:
Which version of the following sentence is correct/better?

  "In particular, it allows to acquire a signal using a sample rate
  significantly lower than the one dictated by the Nyquist criterion"

or

  "In particular, it allows acquiring a signal using a sample rate
  significantly lower than the one dictated by the Nyquist criterion"

I searched Google Scholar for "allows to acquire" and "allows acquiring", and it seems people use both more or less with the same frequency.


texts: Is it acceptable to use exiguous in such a way as this? Which of these is a better alternative to referring to one as stupid?

texts:
I am attempting to formulate a phrase that is an exceptional alternative to the banal "stupid". I have found some good contestants, but I feel that exiguous, if I am using it correctly, will fit the best for my taste. So far, I am attempting to decide among the following phrases:

  "Intellectually impaired"

  "Intellectually deficient"

  "Intellectually meager"

  "Intellectually inferior"

  "Intellectually exiguous"

Example usage/real scenario (reason for which this question was asked):

  "Who can use the most Propaganda in their advertisement without the intellectually [chosen word] majority noticing?"

Here's where the first question appears. Is "exiguous" used correctly in the following:

  "Who can use the most Propaganda in their advertisement without the intellectually exiguous majority noticing?"

The taste that I previously referenced to was that of my perception of the word that best fits the above example. I was looking for a phrase whose meaning is, essentially, "stupid", but whose wording cannot be confused with something similar to "mentally handicapped" or "mentally challenged" with substantial ease. I suppose that when one closely analyzes the meaning of "stupid", it's almost inevitable that it'll be in affiliation with some mental disability. In the case that we completely disregard that, though, which of the phrases listed above would be the best fit for my situation? I'm almost certain I'd pick "exiguous". If I'm incorrectly using "exiguous" and I cannot use it, what would be the next best option to pick? Lastly, as a final request, are there any other alternative phrases similar to those listed above meaning "stupid" that you know or can fabricate?


texts:
I have always thought plurals in English is always word + s (except for irregular plurals). In my language we use apostrophes when a word ends in a vowel. I have been correcting my friends who write line's instead of lines.

About a week ago I went to the UK. I noticed advertising boards with phrases that do use apostrophes in plurals. No, this was not like The cat's leaping as in The cat is leaping but something along the lines of We sell car's.

I am very confused now, can anyone explain this to me please?


texts: "You mean the guy who sells fruit?" or "Do you mean the guy who sells fruit?"

texts:
In conversation, which is correct:

  You mean the one with the guy who sells fruit?
  or
  Do you mean the one with the guy who sells fruit?

My ESL student has asked me why we don't always include the auxiliary verb, "do," in instances like this. Why is it ok to say "You mean...?" as a question in conversation.

Why don't we need the auxiliary verb before "you"?


texts:
I just can't tell if this is a proper sentence and whether it can stand on its own like that.

I am trying to say do a small amount of work (on something), but often.


texts: Are frozen pizzas countable or uncountable?

texts:
As you know pizzas are countable But when you add another word like, frozen, does it remain countable?

Generally, when you add an adjective to a countable word are there any changes?


texts:
What is the etymology of the phrase "what's-someone's-chops"?

  Grey Cooper? The one who's married to Amanda what's-her-chops?

  What's his chops from Green Day has perfect pitch!

  Apart from what's his chops six shooter, which is actually pretty good, but the other weapons suck.

  Your correspondent goes through a minimum of three bottles of the stuff every Christmas which makes it just as literary as Hemingway's daiquiris or the vile Pink Lady cocktails Zelda and what's his chops Fitzgerald used to drink.


texts: Is there a word for measuring "how easily change can happen or be made"?

texts:
If one word exists, I will call it X.
X would describe how easily change can happen or be made, in general. Example:

This building is made out of legos, so it has a high X, thus making it easy to make changes to it.

The wind today can be very weak or very strong. Either way, it's gonna have high X.

Making a sculpture out of stone is hard. You can only take bits out of it and doing that is not very easy neither precise. The stone has low X.

I'd imagine X would be used in physics for example.


texts: Does the "come" in "come a certain time-point" need to conjugate according to verb tense?

texts: If I am talking about a past event, e.g., a wedding, do I say "Come the wedding day, everyone was hyped about the ginormous wedding cake." or "Came the wedding day, everyone was hyped about the ginormous wedding cake."?


texts: Origin of "A pox/curse on both their houses"

texts:
Does anyone know the source of the expression

  (A pox, A curse) on both their houses.

This is often associated with the end of Romeo and Juliet.


texts: Which is longer: snooze, nap, kip, 40 winks or siesta?

texts:
How long is a snooze? My boyfriend will invariable take an afternoon snooze which might last anything up to two hours. A nap on the other hand, can be short, quick or even long, and sometimes they are called power naps.

Is 40 winks shorter than a snooze but longer than a kip? Am I right in thinking that kip is considered old-fashioned although etymologically speaking it is probably one of the most recent. And what about the term siesta? OD states 2

  Siesta: an afternoon rest or nap, esp. one taken during the hottest hours of
  the day in a hot climate.

But I'm sure one can take a siesta in the middle of winter.

Questions:

Which of the above terms has the oldest, (and consequently the longest) history?
Has anyone ever specified the length or duration of any of these terms? For example, when does a nap stop being a nap?
And when did power nap first appear?


texts: What do these two sentences mean in Time's Sports?

texts:
Manning has enraptured the rapidly growing ranks of the formerly young
  in places far beyond the valley of the South Platte River.

I hardly understand what this sentence means in this context; "enraptured the...ranks of" what?

  Wherever the guile and lore of age fights its valiant, doomed battle
  against encroaching youth, the Manning banner flies rampantly.

Fights what? Is "flies" a verb here or "banner"?

Can anyone provide a syntax analysis of these two sentences?


texts: Is 'I wish Joe would close the door after he ..............' correct?

texts:
So, which of the following sentences would be the correct answer?

  I wish Joe would close the door after he LEFT.

  I wish Joe would close the door after he LEAVES.

  I wish Joe would close the door after he LEAVE.


texts:
I am requesting access to MS-Access. It is necessary to launch my audit application.

Background:
I received this e-mail from an internal employee. He's requested that MS-Access software be installed on his computer so that he can access an application necessary for him to audit claims.

What bothers me is the second sentence.

Given the background of the request and the requirement, does "it is necessary to launch my audit application" makes sense.

How could he have re-phrased it better?


texts: Analysis (tree diagram) of "She hugged and kissed her mother"

texts:
I was wondering how linguists analyze sentences like "She hugged and kissed her mother" or "Will you have that with or without syrup?" or "Four and five are the square roots of sixteen and twenty-five, respectively"?

My previous understanding was that all sentences can be analyzed as a tree, with each word being part of the "argument" of exactly one other word.  So in the sentence "Will you have that with syrup", will have is the verb that the entire sentence hangs from, with you being the subject, that the object, and with syrup a prepositional phrase in which syrup depends on with. (Please correct me if my understanding is incorrect.) But how would you ever draw a tree for "with or without syrup"? Specifically, whose child is syrup?

My first thought was that with or without forms a sort of super-preposition. But then what about "She rescued and provided shelter for the cat", in which the cat is simultaneously the object of a verb and a prepositional phrase?


texts: Are these two sentences (from a book) correct?

texts:
I saw these two sentences from a book called "The Art of Racing In The Rain" (I love it!!) and I don't see any verb inside, could anyone explain what's the grammar behind?
"Peripheral vision, seeing things you’ve never seen before. Kinesthetic sensation, driving by the seat of the pants."
Hope my question is clear enough. Thank you guys in advance:)))


texts: Is there a word to describe someone good at explaining complex topics?

texts: Title says it all. What adjective could be used to describe a person who is good at explaining complex topics?


texts:
What is "that fulcrumed point of sharp intersection" in the following context?

  My pear had bird’s-egg specklings of a delicacy I’d never before seen on a pear, and seldom on a bird’s egg, either. It wasn’t quite ripe, though; it didn’t have that superb grittiness of skin, when the flesh dissolves and the disintegrating skin grinds against your molars. Apple skin must be chewed heavily and steadily, and even so its slick, sharp-cornered surfaces survive a lot of molaring. But eating a ripe pear is similar to cutting a piece of paper with a pair of scissors: you feel the grit of the cut paper transmitted back through the blades to your fingers, you can sense that fulcrumed point of sharp intersection.
  (Nicholson Baker)


texts: How to say that food is hot (temperature) without the listener thinking that I mean "spicy"?

texts:
There is an excellent discussion of spicy vs. hot here: Difference between "spicy" and "hot"

However, having read the previous question, I did not see any answer that tells how to say unambiguously that food is hot (temperature) without being misunderstood.

If I say that my food is spicy, a listener will unambiguously understand that I am referring to the sensation associated with eating.

However, I can't think of a good way to say that my food is hot (temperature) without a listener possibly thinking that I mean spicy.

In the referenced question, a poster described how to unambiguously say that food is spicy.  How can I unambiguously say that food is hot?


texts: Word for when something is unsafe but not fatal

texts:
Is there a word for when something is unsafe but unfatal too? Like you could get injured from it but it won't kill you. For example

  Climbing that ladder would be very X

or

  Those old stairs look very X

where x is the word that means it's unsafe but nonfatal.

I've considered unsafe and dangerous, but both of them could be used to describe something fatal. If the word could describe something fatal it won't do. I tried searching 'unsafe nonfatal' in a couple of different dictionaries from the list, along with searching 'dangerous' in the thesaurus but I couldn't find anything.


texts: What kind of figurative language is this ("like music to my eyes")?

texts:
What kind of figurative language is this, especially the "music to my eyes" part?

  “To take in green, after so much blue, was like music to my eyes.”


texts:
This is a part of a sentence:

  As many of you will have seen yesterday, . . .

What does it mean? The words will and yesterday seem to be in contradiction.

Is that a correct sentence?


texts: What is the plural of proof of concept? Is it proofs of concept, proof of concepts or proofs of concepts?

texts: Can someone please clarify what is the plural form of proof of concept? Is it proofs of concept, proof of concepts or proofs of concepts?


texts: Trouble understanding the usage of word "whose"

texts:
Consider the following sentence: Show that if matrix A has rank one, then A = x.y^T for some vectors x and y whose entries are nonnegative and sum to one.
Is the interpretation that the nonnegativity refers to the elements in vectors x and y correct, or does the word "whose" somehow refer to the matrix A?


texts:
A highly respected person, with a very exemplary reputation, has just commented on EL : Comment 'a more stative, habitual sense as well as the more active or punctive one.'

I had never seen the word 'punctive' so I looked it up; or I tried to look it up.
Google forces me to accept 'punitive'. The Oxford Dictionary of English doesn't list it.

If it is not a word, then it should be; I like the sound of it. But if it exists and is not just a typo for 'punitive' then how is punctive different from punctual ?


texts: Which sounds better: “What’s in ――” or “What’s on――”?

texts:
I’m making the title of a web page with classifieds, and I’d like to name it either “What’s in (town name)” or “What’s on (town name)”.

Which one sounds better for a town classified web page?

Right now I'm thinking “What’s on (town name)” sounds more like for events or concert, so I’m thinking of going with “What’s in (town name)”.


texts: What is a term for someone who has never left their home region?

texts: Specifically, someone who has never experienced other places?  A college professor once used the term "parochial" in this context.  "You should earn your doctorate from another graduate college, then you will not be so parochial in your studies".


texts: How disrespectful is it to say "with all due respect if there is any due" and is there another way of saying this?

texts: What does it mean when someone says in a debate "with all due respect, if there is any due" and would it be considered a little disrespectful or very disrespectful? Also these days is the phrase "with due respect" used as a respectful way to disagree or a subtle disrespect?


texts: Recently, I was informed that introverts look for depth of knowledge whereas extorverts are about breadth of knowledge. This positions horizontal breadth or width as orthogonal direction to the vertical depth so that I started to think that broadness and breadth are not only semantically but etymologically identical. How much am I right?


texts: "Neandertal"? Have English-speaking scientists now adopted the modern spelling?

texts: In the 19th century the name of the valley in Germany was spelled "Neanderthal", and now it seems to be "Neandertal", with exactly the same pronunciation.  But as far as I knew before tonight, the name of the extinct species was always "Neanderthal" when writing in English.  But now I find this article.  Have Anglophone scientists now finally adopted the modern spelling?  And in English, this might change the pronunciation.  Is that happening too?  What's the story behind all this?


texts:
I have been reading a book about programming and since I am not very good with the phrases, I got confused.

Please notice the following text :

  Modules

  You may think of modules as extensions that can be imported into Python to extend its capabilities.
  You import modules with a special command called (naturally enough) import.

What is the meaning of naturally enough?


texts: Why does medicine term total number of pregnancies carried over the threshold of viability 'parity'?

texts:
Gravidity and Parity Definitions (Implications in Risk Assessment) | Patient

Gravidity is defined as the number of times that a woman has been pregnant.
Parity is defined as the number of times that she has given birth to a fetus with a gestational age of 24 weeks or more, regardless of whether the child was born alive or was stillborn.
For example, a woman who is described as 'gravida 2, para 2 (sometimes abbreviated to G2 P2) has had two pregnancies and two deliveries after 24 weeks, and a woman who is described as 'gravida 2, para 0' (G2 P0) has had two pregnancies, neither of which survived to a gestational age of 24 weeks.

How does the medical definition of parity relate to its etymology?

1570s, "equality or equivalence of rank or status," from French parité (14c.) or directly from Late Latin paritas "equality," from Latin adjective par (genitive paris) "equal" (see par (n.)). Meaning "state or condition of being on a level" is from 1610s.


texts: What does "a monkey boy" mean in classrooms?

texts:
An American teacher keeps calling one of his Japanese students "monkey boy" , which makes the student's mother very uncomfotable because it sounds derogatory to her.
What kind of students do teachers usually call "monkey boy?"


texts: What is a "gilded shell" in Eliot's Wasteland?

texts:
A gilded shell

  Red and gold

  The brisk swell

  Rippled both shores

What is a "gilded shell" here? Some kind of boat?


texts: Word for "reverse something's sunken state"

texts:
When something becomes sunken, we can say it is depressed. To cause this state is to depress it. What is the opposite? Undepress isn't in the dictionary.

The context is "When we click the button a second time, we _____ it."

EDIT: I'm referring to the observable behavior/appearance of the button. Describing the user's behavior is not useful here.

"When we click the button a second time, it _____."


texts: What does "there is no" mean in this sentence from my notes?

texts:
I read in my book,

I ran into a challenge with the combination of words "there is no". Does it mean "no any line", or just one line? Is it possible to make it simpler for me?


texts:
I recently used the word subjugative in the following sentence:

  Any company that wants to be “legitimate” (raise money, hire employees, file taxes, distribute shares, etc.) puts itself in a subjugative position toward the government.

The dictionary in Google Chrome thinks subjugative is not a word, and I can't find many dictionary entries for it (no OED subscription). However Wikitionary lists subjugative as an English adjective "of or pertaining to subjugation," which is how I meant to use it.

To "subjugate" is to bring under domination or control. What is the adjective to describe the position of the person brought under domination or control? Subjugative seems to make sense to me, but it seems it's not a real word.

Am I looking for "subjugate" pronounced with a long a?


texts:
What is the best plural of "+1" in casual American English writing?

Possible ideas I've considered include:

+1s
+1's


texts:
I read somewhere the term "Wahini" is a Hawaiian expression for "A beautiful young girl" (confirmed in the Urban Dictionary).

Seeing as the islands were first visited by Captain Cook, and he actually perished there in the 1770's, and he was a "Geordie" - one raised in the North East of England around the city of Newcastle, he and his crew would have been familiar with the dialect expression "Wor Hinny" meaning "our girl", or "our lass".

I wonder if there is any definite proof out there that the words were adopted and corrupted to the current Hawaiian word...?


texts: Does the 18th century contraction "on't" survive phonologically in English today?

texts:
The February 18th-24th edition of The Economist has an article titled "Neurons v free will" in which the author, Anthony Gottlieb begins by quoting Dr. Johnson's statement about free will:

  "Sir ... we know our will is free, and there's an end on't."

Gottlieb echoes the archaism (?) in the last paragraph of his article:

  Stepping back from investigations of the brain to look at our actions in the context of everyday life isn't quite the clincher that Dr Johnson would have liked. But it is a good beginning on't."

Clearly the writer uses the contraction on't here as part of a stylistic bookend to the opening quote. Just as clearly, though, the apostrophe was meant in print to indicate the spoken suppression of an unstressed syllable: ont vs. on it.

From Google NGrams I observe that the printed use of the contraction was never great and is in fact dying out, although it has maintained a surprising persistence nonetheless, waiting till the last 30 years or so before flatlining completely.

Still, the large disparity could be due to other factors, such as the arguable preference of book editors and writers to favor spelling out clearly the words involved in many phonological contractions. Consider how often a phrase that is pronounced it was raining cats 'n' dogs is rendered in print as it was raining cats and dogs. Even more to the point, words ending in -ing are normally printed with the final g but often spoken without it: something's going on is often heard as somethin's goin' on.

My question, mainly to speakers of British English since I have never heard the contraction used in the U.S., is whether this phonological "short'nin'" survives in the speech of any British dialect today. Can anyone put an end on't for me?


texts:
The word "lightweight" simply means, "relatively light in weight." If I want to compare two lightweight objects, can I say:

Is A lighterweight than B?

Dictionaries don't seem to accept this as a word but would a native speaker be confused or annoyed by it? If so, which alternative would be most appropriate:

Is A lighter weight than B?
Is A more lightweight than B?
Is A lighter-weight than B?


texts: In old books, people often use the spelling "to-day" instead of "today". When did the change happen? Also, when people wrote "to-day", did they feel, when pronouncing the word, that it contained two words, rather than a single concept?


texts: What would I call a program that was developed specifically for a company?

texts: I am looking for a word that can describe a program I developed for a company, as opposed to a program I would create for a school assignment or for fun. I've written "paid programming task" and "practical program", but it doesn't sound so good and the latter is quite ambiguous.


texts: Is it clear what "it" is referring to in the following sentence?

texts:
It'd been so long since I last saw his smile it came like a sun.

I'm not sure whether it's clear what the bolded it is referring to. If so, can I write it like that? Is it grammatical?


texts: Why is the definite article used in "the peace"?

texts:
I have difficulty wrapping my head around the use of the definite article the just before peace, in its first appearance, in the last in the following sentences.

Noisy children skateboarding on the streets. Couples arguing in their
homes. People gathered on the sidewalk, gossiping for long hours. Some
people would describe these activities as noise pollution. A new
website in Japan has put perpetrators on a map, spurring debate about
those who disturb the peace.

This is the very first sentences of a news article, so there is no possibility that peace or any other related word has showed up beforehand.
Theoretically, the peace is supposed to mean the quiet and calm that would exist if there were no such noise pollution as mentioned in the sentence right before.
Nonetheless, the use of the in front of peace seems strange to me, compared with the sentence where peace stands alone with no definite article at all. I cannot comprehend the rationale behind the use of the here.
I know the definite article can be used when the noun is implied in or connected with something else that appears beforehand. (For example: I wanted to buy a new coat. But the sleeves were too long.) But I have no idea whether such implied usage applies to the use of the before peace here.
Which is more natural for native speakers with or without the in this particular case? Could you provide any reasoning or explanation?


texts: Is there a word meaning "to expand one's vocabulary"?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that describes the action of learning more words. One that can be used like so:

  I am memorizing this list of words and their definitions to _________


texts:
In the following sentence, should I use WHOMEVER or WHOEVER?

  I don’t want whomever it is to see that I’m a woman alone.

Or should it be:

  I don’t want whoever it is to see that I’m a woman alone.

The first option makes more sense grammatically, though the second sounds better to me.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!


texts: meaning of expression "land in the tall grass"

texts:
I have seen the expression "land in the tall grass" and I am unsure of its meaning. Googling for it, I can only get the literal meaning, but not the one from a context like the one below from a TV series:

  He is the one who should be nervous, Mommy. If you ask me? George Altman landed in the tall grass.

Any ideas?


texts:
I found apocalyptically, but not with post-.
I'm trying to say in a way that is post-apocalyptic.

Example:
Post-apocalyptically-scented outdoors.


texts:
Is a derogative comment an offensive comment?

To what extent are these two words synonyms?


texts: Looking for a word describing the date a payment was intended for

texts:
I'm writing an application that currently stores the date that a payment was made as "CreatedOn". That date is always going to be what ever the time and date is at the time you made the payment.

The user can back-date payments. I'm not sure what word I should use to describe that. I initially was going to use PaymentDate, but that can be interpretted as the date that the payment was actually made on, rather than the date it was intended for.

Is there a word that I can use that will indicate that this payment was meant to be consumed on the date assigned to it? It's not really a due date or a target date. Date intended maybe? Ideally it would be one or two words that I can put together to indicate that this payment was intended for a different date than the date it was originally generated on.

All of the payments for the month is consolidated and a check is cut at the end of the month. So I could make a payment today, for today. Then make a payment tomorrow, for work performed two weeks ago during the same billing period.


texts: Is there reference material for dictionary abbreviations used in the first half of the 20th century?

texts:
I have a lot of abbreviations that I can't work out the meaning of from an old etymological dictionary and I'm looking for a reference that will explain them all.

I have a copy of an etymological dictionary about the Sinhala language, written in English by Wilhelm Geiger (a German), published in 1941. It has a table at the front to explain the abbreviations used for each language's name used but not for the different parts of speech.

E.g. (italicised text transliterated from Sinhala into English):

pahan, pasan a. pprt. pleased, glad

temanavaa v., prt. temuvaa to wet, moisten

mala s., st. f. mal flower

I have highlighted the abbreviations in bold. I have omitted the actual etymologies because they are not relevant to my question.

I can work out that a. is adjective and v. is verb and he also uses adv. for adverb but he uses s. for nouns (the majority of the entries are nouns) and st. f. and st. ff. for single and multiple plural forms respectively (i.e. one mala, two mal using the example above). I'm guessing that he's using the same convension as p=page and pp=pages for the "f"s, st. f.=one plural form, st. ff.=multiple plural forms. I have no idea what prt. and a. pprt. mean. It must have been common enough knowledge for his intended audience that he didn't need to explain these terms. Could it be that even though he has written the dictionary in English that he is using the German abbreviations (s.=substantiv noun)?

Where can I find out what all these (and the others I haven't mentioned) actually mean?


texts: What is the skill of "remembering all the variables involved in a situation" called?

texts:
What is the skill of being able to recall to mind all of the variables involved in a situation called?

For instance, if I have to get together a bunch of documents for a lawyer, and he asks for all of my joint bank accounts and if there are a lot of them, if I can remember all of them without missing any and without having to reference anything, what is the skill called that is used for this?


texts: Which form is correct? both windows jamb or both window jambs

texts: both windows jamb needs to be exchange or both window jambs need to be exchanged?


texts:
When we are referring more than one proper noun, then do we need to capitalize the first alphabet of it. For example: which one of the following is correct?

1) By Theorems 4.2 and 4.3, we can prove the following.

2) By theorems 4.2 and 4.3, we can prove the following.


texts: If a fact is fun it is called Fun Fact. What if it is not?

texts:
I am compiling a couple of facts to publish in a newsletter.

Some of them are fun to know so I've called them Fun Facts.

Some on the other hand are not-so-fun, even tragic in some cases. What is the right word to describe them?


texts: Why does it sound wrong to my ears when someone says a thing "is aesthetic"?

texts:
Off the top of my head, this is a few of the ways I've heard the word aesthetic used to describe a thing:

This thing is aesthetically pleasing.
This thing has a nice aesthetic.
I like the aesthetics of this thing.

And then there's this one that I've been hearing more of lately:

This thing is aesthetic.

To my ears, 4 sounds wrong. I may be misunderstanding the meaning of aesthetic, but it sounds weird to say that a thing is itself aesthetic. I think people who say this are using the incorrect word, as if they meant to say a thing is visually pleasing but then swapped it out for aesthetic. I do, however, realize that it's a correct sentence. Why does this sound incorrect when just saying something is visually pleasing or is beautiful or is pretty is not?


texts: proper usage of "used to" when designating a change in name

texts:
I'm currently entrenched in a grammar dispute with one of my coworkers.
We are trying to determine which usage of "used to" properly describes the change we made in a naming convention used at work.

For example:

"Knickers are what we used to call pants"

or

"Pants are what we used to call knickers"

Which sentence properly states that knickers was the name previously used and that pants is the name currently in use?


texts: In' Fearless, painless and harmless"less" means "without" and in' priceless' it means too precious to be priced,the opposite of 'worthless'. Can we express the idea "without price" other than the way 'free of cost' or 'cost free' ?


texts:
Is the phrase seat well and hold steadily grammatically correct? If it is, why does it use seat instead of sit?

PS:the instruction will be used on the bus.


texts:
If somebody likes sleeping in the open, which of the following sentences is correct? And if both are correct, what is the difference (if any) between them?

  He likes sleeping outdoors.

  He likes sleeping in the outdoors.

And do they mean the same as in the open?


texts: Do you say "despite living in the US for more than 15 yrs"?

texts:
Here is the complete sentence:

  Numerous collections of short stories include works by Isaac Bashevis Singer who, despite living in the US for more than 15 years, continued to write primarily in Yiddish.

If it were just despite living in the US, it would all just be fine. But the years indicate that he has been living there for sometimes. So I feel that despite having lived in the US for more than 15 yrs would be more correct.


texts: Is there a term for the phenomenon where the same word forms more than one part of speech?

texts:
Is there a term for e.g. the lexical symbol "duck"? It is both a verb and a noun, in contemporary use having no apparent connection, and so would appear to be represent two words.

Then, is the a better term than 'lexical symbol' to describe any grouping of letters having some meaning? I just made up lexical symbol because it seemed convenient.


texts: Is this a parenthetical phrase or an apposition?

texts:
Consider the following

  What are you laughing at, my silly hat?

and

  What are you laughing at? My silly hat?

Which of these is correctly punctuated, and if the first example is correct, what is the name of the grammatical structure? Would the noun phrase after the comma be considered a parenthetical phrase? Is it an example of apposition?


texts: Opposite of "Sugar Daddy": A young person supporting an older person (financially, materially, sexually)

texts: I have done quite a bit of searching, no result. Is there a term for the young equivalent of a "Sugar Daddy/Momma"? Not a "Sugar Baby", but a young person who does what a "Sugar Daddy" typically would do (give financial support, buy material necessities and auxiliaries, often for sexual favours in return).


texts: Pejorative for a room of low quality (esp. prison cell)

texts:
I am a non-native speaker looking for a pejorative describing a living space that is of extremely low quality and condition, especially (but not necessarily limited to) a prison cell.

I did some research and found hole  and hovel, but still wonder if there is something more suitable.

A paraphrase would be fine as well.

  He found himself sitting in this __


texts: Word for someone who feels complete again, but not in the same way as they once were

texts:
I am writing a story about a girl who once was complete, but now has lost what made her feel whole. She has tried to replace it with the same thing but failed. Now she has replaced it with something else and is, in a way, complete but not entirely since she is still missing that one thing that could make her feel that way. So, I am looking for a word to describe that state of feeling entirely complete, and being complete... but then again no.
I thought of, having the illusion of being complete, but it doesn't really fit my idea.
Please help me.


texts:
I was doing an exercise. I completed the sentence as following.

  If you were my child, I would have demanded that such an irresponsible teacher be fired.

But the answer given in the book is following.

  If you had been my child, I would have demanded that such an irresponsible teacher be fired.

I am not sure if my answer is wrong. The latter sounds better and I can see the relative merit of it.


texts:
While I'm surfing the online forum and social media about Godzilla VS Kong movie, I found lots of people said Team Godzilla & Team Kong to mean Support Godzilla & Support Kong.
I want to know why "team" is equivalent to support or vote in this situation.


texts:
How you differentiate between Down there and Over there?
Let's suppose, two persons walking up the road and one says to other by pointing out the place, "They live down there". What if he would have said "They live over there"

I'm confused with their use. Also, "walking up to library " and "walking down to the library". What's the difference?

More things like "coming in", "coming over". Example,  What time he came in?
What time he came over?

Thanks!


texts: Does the word "wizardry" have negative connotations?

texts:
The Free Dictionary defines wizardry as

  The art, skill, or practice of a wizard; sorcery.

The first part certainly sounds positive, but then the word sorcery is cited as a synonym. This word has the definition

  Use of supernatural power over others through the assistance of spirits; witchcraft.

Ouch!

Further, definition 2 of "wizardry" also sounds positive and exactly in line with what I'd like to express:

  2.

  a. A power or effect that appears magical by its capacity to transform: computer wizardry.

  b. Great ability or adroitness in a pursuit: a pianist gifted with technical wizardry.

The word "sorcery" really seems like the odd man out in the context of a definition of "wizardry". So can the latter safely be used as a compliment?


texts: Where did the idiom "anally retentive" originate?

texts: Here's another phrase I hear in US TVs and Films, but take for granted... What's the etymology of the idiom "anally retentive", and how did it become synonymous with being pedantic?


texts: What is the rhetorical strategy called when the author sets up an "us vs them" situation?

texts:
I know there's a word for that.

It was a speech where Kennedy was demonizing the steel CEO's for raising prices while subtly dropping in words like "we" and "the American people". He was making it sound like it's the American people vs the steel CEO's.


texts:
As I was finishing Ascham's "Toxophilus" I've stumbled over this phrase, the meaning of which remained unclear to me:  "An other wil stand poyntinge his shafte at the marke a good whyle and by and by he wyll gyue hym a whip, and awaye or a man wite". The context can be seen here.

I came to understand the phrase thus: "Another will stand pointing his arrow at the target for a good while and on and on he will give himself a whip (on the arm?) and go away before anyone should know".

I'm not sure, however. Firstly, what does the pronoun "him" refer to? Does it denote an archer? Ascham uses "himself" quite regularly in similar cases, e.g. "defend his country, and save himself from his enemy", "archer ought to provide for himself" etc. Why not here? "Him" could possibly be applied to the shaft, although I have trouble imagining how one would go about flogging an arrow. At first I thought maybe by a "whip" Ascham meant an act of loosing an arrow, but "whip" must mean "a blow or stroke with, or as with, a whip", since Oxford English Dictionary uses this particular sentence to illustrate the meaning. Even though I have some thoughts as to how standing with an arrow drawn can result in an injury, still it feels like a conjecture.

"By and by" could alternatively mean "consequently", or "soon" even, so it doesn't really clear things up.

Finally, I'm at a loss regarding why Ascham would put "wit" in a subjunctive mood. Does it add any peculiar meaning to the sentence? Does the archer in question try to leave before anybody takes notice of his awkward shooting? Or is it just a phrase meaning "very shortly"? Why then not say "or a man wot" instead?

So, am I the only nitwit who's confused by Ascham's usage of English or is it a genuinely complicated phrase allowing for interpretation? I'm eager to know.

P.S. As a bonus question, what's the meaning of the preposition "of" in a phrase: "All the discommodities ... [can not be] soon reckoned of me, they be so many." Same source. I couldn't find a similar usage of the word anywhere.


texts:
That feel when you feel something and are unable to find words to explain it.

vs

That feel when you feel something and is unable to find words to explain it.


texts: Word for saying something brief with a low voice?

texts:
Example:

  “Look,” [...] said Anna, pointing forward.

At first thought of mutter but mutter implies dissatisfaction or irritation. Then I tried murmur, however, it's more a continous sound so it doesn't fit the sentence very well.

Is there a word for saying something brief with a low voice?


texts: What does "in charge look" in this sentence mean?

texts:
A guy sent me this:

  I love your in charge look lol guys should bow to you.

I really don't get what he means especially that "in charge look " part, as English isn't my native language.
Thanks in advance.


texts: Searching for the best one word term for having to log in again

texts:
There is a web application. You log in to the app and work with it.

Then you take a break.

When you come back after 30 minutes you want to continue, but you can't. There is a popup window which says:

"We have a security measure. When you are logged in to the session and the account is idle for longer than 15 minutes, you have to log in again."

What is the best title for this popup window.
Is re-authentication the best term for this? Or is another term better suited for this?

Thanks alot in advance


texts: "As is customary" vs. "as it is customary"

texts:
I more often see the first version being used, but to me, that doesn't sound right because I can't see the subject there. I would definitely use the second one.

What am I missing here?

Update: searching "As is customary" on Google returns more results than "As it is customary", hinting the first form is the most widely used... but I don't know whether that is a good test.


texts: What does "please with sugar and knobs on" mean?

texts:
What does please with sugar and knobs on mean in the following sentence?

  Please, pretty please, pretty please with sugar and knobs on, do not
  ever look at your monthly/quarterly/annual statements; they only serve
  to confuse you.

Specifically, what do sugar and knob refer to?

This comes from a comment on Money SE.


texts: Passive aggressive, "jokey" yet condescending and manipulative behavior/language

texts:
The behavior I'm hoping to find an English word for is characterized by a person saying something bitingly aggressive/hurtful/manipulative, but is then followed by something like "I hope you didn't take that seriously" or "I was only joking", but is in fact supposed to be taken as a serious statement/threat.

Given this example dialog, what word best describes the behavior of Person A:

    >
    Person A: You know you can come to me for anything, I'm here for you. I know you want to take over the team.

    >
    Person B: Thank you! I appreciate that, it seems that management finds that I'm a nice fit for the role.

    >
    Person A: Well you know that I'm in charge, and that if you want to take this new position, you'll have to go through me. I don't like outsiders telling me what to do, and you're nothing special. I'd do anything to get you fired.

    >
    Person B: *confused and shocked look*

    >
    Person A: I'm only kidding! Don't take things so seriously! Jeeze some people are so sensitive...


texts: What's difference between " I knew i loved you" and " i knew i love you"?

texts:
I can't understand when i can use past and present tenses in one sentence together and when i can use only past one.

I knew you loved me
I knew you love me

they're both referring to present moment that she still loves him
What's better and why?


texts: What is the punctuation mark should be in short version of someone's introduction?

texts:
For example, 3 people meets, but 2nd and 3rd don't know each other. 1st said, "Hi, everyone. Mike, this is John. John, this is Mike."
But if 1st person desided to shortening introduction, removing 'this is', what would be punctuation in "Hi, everyone. Mike John. John Mike." Dashes? Commas? Nothing? Or...?


texts: Is the phrase "I'm not happy unless you are" deliberately ambiguous?

texts:
The phrase "I'm not happy unless you are" is usually understood as "I'm not happy unless you are [happy]". However, it could be understood as "I'm not happy unless you are [not happy]".

Is this phrase ever used with this deliberately ambiguous or double meaning?.


texts: Whence the BrE "fine tooth-comb" where AmE uses "fine-tooth comb"?

texts:
I'm reading a novel set in present-day England, and it's sprinkled with uses of the construction in the title. This is far from the first time I've encountered this in BrE writing, along with general references to a "tooth comb" (I believe A. Conan Doyle used that).

I've never seen this in AmE, always fine-tooth (or fine-toothed) comb. Is there any justification for this in BrE? Is it a regionalism?

Searching for examples of the phrase has proven futile because search engines seem to normalize it -- all I get are the AmE version.


texts: Word or phrase for premeditated act of self defense

texts:
Consider a scenario where a person is forced to act and attack a person who they consider to be a threat even though there has been no display of such threat. I am talking about sensing danger and acting upon it.

This doesn't sound like self-defence. As usually, self defence is the use of physical force to counter an immediate threat of violence. OxfordDictionaries.com defines it as:

  the defence of one’s person or interests, especially through the use of physical force, which is permitted in certain cases as an answer to a charge of violent crime.

I am looking for a word or phrase that would describe an act of premeditated self-defence, in anticipation of a threat.


texts: What is the grammar of the quote: "There isn't a Parallel of Latitude but thinks it would have been the Equator if it had had its rights."?

texts:
Though I understand more or less the meaning of this quote, I cannot see
that it is really a grammatical English sentence. It can be found in he
Chapter LXIX of Mark Twain's novel "Following the Equator". Unfortunately, there is no context, since it is only a motto.


texts:
What is the meaning of "If the way Thou choosest, Lead to pain and loss"? How would you put it in modern English?

It is a verse from Margaret E. Barber's song "The Path I Travel." The whole context is:

  If the path I travel Lead me to the Cross,
  If the way Thou choosest, Lead to pain and loss,
  Let the compensation Daily, hourly, be
  Shadowless communion, Blessed Lord with Thee.


texts: Is this sentence structure a valid usage?

texts:
At one point in my story, I am trying to describe a fight. The action is that one of the fighters firsts attacks with a sword, disarming his opponent and then hits him with his foot.

The sentence is -

  The blade flashed, the strike removing the sword from his hands.
  Charlie followed that with a lash of his foot, tripping Adam
  off his.

The text in bold is the one which feels very weird to me when reading. Is it a valid usage ? If not, what can I do to make the action more sensible.


texts: Anyone: ("they" or "he/she") why is it sometimes plural?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
Is it correct to use “their” instead of “his or her”?

Plural versus singular:

Anyone can learn to dance if they want to.
Anyone can learn to dance if he or she wants to.

Resources online tell me that anyone is a singular indefinite pronoun. Then why is it sometimes acceptable to use the plural 'they' with 'anyone' in some cases? Does it substitute and replace 'he/she'?
note: this previous posts also says anyone is [singular]: "Anyone has" or "anyone have" seen them?


texts: Words that mean ''to say something unintentional''

texts: I am looking for words that mean ''to say something unintentionally''


texts: Verb Tense: Talking about Events in fictional work

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I was referred to this sub-forum from English Language Learners Stack Exchange.
My question is why do some people on the comic message boards that I frequent use present + past tense to discuss about the current storyline or the actions leading up to it instead of the present tense + present prefect.
Summaries of the events:
Chapter 4, released last week:

Sara shaves her head after she breaks up with her boyfriend.

Chapter 5, released this week:

Sara grows her hair back.

I used the present tense (following Purdue grammar guide) to summarize the events in chapter 4 and 5 so you guys would have an idea of the storyline.
Purdue OWL recommends using "present tense to describe action in a literary work, movie, or other fictional narrative."
The 3 examples below are what they would post after knowing what happened in chapter 4 and 5 which I summarized above. They use present + past tense, or just past tense to talk about the events :

Sara is growing her hair back, after she foolishly shaved her head when her boyfriend broke up with her.
She grew her hair back.
I was not surprised that she grew her hair back.

Thank you for informing me that my question didn't make sense. Please let me know if there are further problems with my question =)


texts: Name for a new "ad" entry encompassing buyer requests and supplier offers

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I am developing an application which allows companies to post entries with precise details of what they want to buy and suppliers to submit their offers. Each entry contains information about each item to be ordered, including quantity. What do you call such an "entry"? Is ad a suitable word here?

Imagine someone who wants to add a new entry. They will be looking for a button, New ???. I'm looking for a word I could replace ??? with.