texts: "as in" or "as opposite to" in showing dissimilarity?

texts:
The usage of "as in" in sentences with negative meaning:
Home dialysis methods have come to the forefront among renal replacement therapies due to the minimal risk of infection transmission as they are performed in an isolated environment at home and due to the non-usage of immunosuppressive agents as in renal transplant patients.
OR
Home dialysis methods have come to the forefront among renal replacement therapies due to the minimal risk of infection transmission as they are performed in an isolated environment at home and due to the non-usage of immunosuppressive agents as opposite to the renal transplant patients.
FACTS:
1. Renal transplant patients use immunosuppressive agents.
2. Home dialysis methods does NOT use immunosuppressive agents.
Which one of the above two usages (as in OR as opposite to) is correct? Why?


texts: Is there any phrase for the coldest days of the winter?

texts: The hottest days of the summer are called "the dog days". Is there anything like that for winter? I couldn't find anything on the web.


texts: What would you call a avid music lover who listen to all kind of music which are usually top of the chart?

texts:
What would you call a person who listens to all kind of music which sounds melodious to his ears and not specific to any genre?

A person who likes rock would be rock music fan. But a person who likes music avidly (usually which are top of the chart ones) but  in variety.

I would say Generic music lover. But that does not feel right and simply is tasteless


texts: Is the usage of 'By' and 'So' in the following sentences correct?

texts:
Our Primi Minister, Sri Narendra Modi, has set a deadline to fulfil
  Gandhiji’s vision of Clean India, which is by Gandhiji’s 150th
  birth anniversary in 2019. As citizens of India, it is our
  responsibility to help fulfil this vision. So, there is an immense
  need to give more importance to the sanitation and hygiene of our
  surroundings and so to care for the scavengers.

Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary is on October 2nd, 2019. So, before that date, the govt of India is planning to bring the 'clean India' campaign to an end by achieving its objectives.(cleaning is not going to end, but the campaign would). So, Can I use 'by' the deadline?
The objective of the third sentence is to tell that care for the scavengers is as equally important as the 'clean India' campaign. I want to know if my usage of the highlighted 'so' in the sentence is correct.

please help


texts: Should I use "ORing" or "OR'ing" when referring the verb of the Boolean logical operator "OR"?

texts:
I'm not sure whether I should use ORing or OR'ing when referring to the action of applying the Boolean operator OR to two terms. I am a native English speaker and I know that someone would understand what I mean (in the context of computer science), but I am not sure if this is an actual word. I haven't found any meaningful results in a reputable dictionary, though I have seen OR'ing used. My gut feeling is that an apostrophe should be used because it would clearly separate the noun in the word and help the reader identify that this is an unusual word. Another example of this would be how butter is a noun and buttering is a verb meaning to apply the related noun to something; however, this is a commonly used word. Something more unusual, yet feasible, would be mayonnaise'ing (or mayonnaising).

Aside: I lack knowledge of linguistics to beable to include relevant jargon and terms to this question. My instinct is that this question title can be phrased to be more general and helpful to others; if someone has a suggestion to reword the question title to be of more help to others, I would be happy to do so. Also, I tagged this as best as I could and would not be opposed to improving the tagging by suggestions from knowledgeable users.


texts:
Take for example

My car is covered by insurance

Is there another word for this?


texts: Using "the" before name equations/theory like "The Maxwell's Equation", "The Archimedes Principle" etc

texts: Is it correct to use "the" before name equations like  "The Maxwell's Equation", "The Archimedes Principle", "The Kolmogorov Equation" etc. Even though "the" refers to the equation/principle, it precedes a noun. So, I am not sure whether usage of "the" is allowed in such context.


texts:
I came across the word "nonlesson" used in a research paper which talks about lessons learned from some incidents. I searched on Google but I wasn't able to find a meaning or usage of this word.

I'd like to know if such a word exists, and if it does, also its meaning with a short usage hint.

Please help.


texts: What does “the details are ‘need to know’” mean here?

texts:
Part of Covert Affair Season 2, Episode 9:

Auggie: “When were you gonna tell me about Dr. Scott?”
Annie tilted her head slightly and Auggie heard the smile in her voice as she replied, “Sorry, those details are ‘need to know’”. Auggie smiled and nodded slightly. As he listened to Annie’s heels click away, he leaned back on the desk. Her teasing answer did make him laugh and yet … he felt like he did need to know. He needed to know who Dr. Scott was and when Annie had started dating him. The curiosity just wouldn’t leave him alone.

So, what does “need to know” mean here?


texts:
There was a word I heard a long time ago in a video game that sounded something like "sleuthering", and when I looked it up it meant "to search or do research online" or something like that. I can't find this word now... The closest word I found is "sleuthing"; the meaning is close but it's not the same word.

Does anyone have any idea? The video game is Metal Gear Solid 4, and the sentence went something like "Sunny did some 'sleuthering' for us and...."

I can't look up cutscenes of the game because this line was spoken during an in-game "codec" call.


texts: word that means everyone's views are heard

texts:
I'm writing a personal statement, and I have to write about a principle that is dear to me. I was thinking of "righteousness," but I've searched and the meaning of righteousness is not exactly what I'm looking for.  So which word do you suggest I use?

For example, I wanted to share that there was this discussion, but my friends didn't like the idea but were too afraid to speak up, so I helped them speak up.


texts: "Fields" preceded by list of adjectives or nouns

texts:
My friend and I are having a discussion about which of the following sentences is correct.
They work in the medical, governmental, environmental, and economical fields.

They work in the health, government, environment, and business fields.

Could you help me by telling me if at least one of the sentences is correct and why?
What do you feel would sound more natural to an American speaker?
EDIT: modified the first sentence with economical instead of economic


texts: Synonym for "cluster" in a technical context

texts:
We're looking for a suitable synonym for cluster as in "a cluster of applications" within our enterprise architecture.

We don't want to use "cluster" itself since this can be misunderstood to mean a cluster of physical servers.

Our rejected options are

bunch
bundle
set
pack
platform
constellation

Edit to add more technical context:

These are not desktop applications or products, but elements within the overall enterprise such as a JMS application, a web portal, a CMS and so on.

What should the synonym be?


texts: Exchanging the two clauses in an if sentence

texts:
Is it possible for me to exchange the main clause & the if clause in an "if" sentence?
For example: Can "If you go to school, you will definitely be able to meet her" be changed into "If you want to meet her, go to school"?


texts: Is it ok to say "A task visual consists of the following elements"?

texts:
I want to express the following idea in a requirements document: a visual element is composed from a set of sub-elements, such as title, date box, shape and so on.

Is it all right to say :

  The visual element consists of the following elements:

  title
  date box
  shape" ?


texts: Is there a name for the literary device of having multiple speakers alternating in the same paragraph?

texts:
In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis has:

. . . Lucy could only say, "It would break your heart." "Why," said I, "was it so sad?" "Sad!! No," said Lucy

and in the Star Trek novel, The Wounded Sky, Diane Duane has (in one of many nods to Narnia -- the whole book is, in many ways, one big homage to Narnia) an almost-verbatim quote, using the same device of two speakers alternating in a single paragraph.
Is there a formal name for this device?
Note that I'm not accusing Diane Duane of plagiarism here: the Narnian nods are too obvious for her not to have intended readers familiar with Narnia to recognize them.


texts:
What does on the circuit mean in the following sentence from Michael A. Stackpole's book 21 days to a novel?

  She wants to make it big in Hollywood or New York or on the circuit.

Update 1 (18.01.2015 23:54 MSK): The sentence is about a young singer.


texts: What is a polite form of proposing a fee for a service?

texts:
For example I did agree to provide a service to my client and I'd like to tell them, how much I would charge for my services.

I can say: "It'll cost $100". But is it the best way?


texts: Okay to assume association between separate parentheses clauses?

texts:
Take a look at this:

  By the way, I marked (the tag that includes) position 2854 (in the code that the tag is inside).

Is it okay to use a couple of clauses that are dependent of each others like this (in order to convey the right meaning)?


texts:
So there is a non profit organization in Greece called "Μπορούμε" which translates to "we can".
Me and some friends we volunteered there as a valentine's day event to give back to the community because we want to support it. We would like to write a small article about our event.
The title, as of yet, is "To love is to can".
I despise the way it sounds!! "To can" sounds odd to my ears. Is there any way we can rephrase it?
The meaning we're going for is something along the lines of we love & we can but in a catchy way to grab attention.


texts:
When you measure in fractions of 100, you call it a percentage. When you measure in fractions of 1000, you call it promille or per mil. There are even words for fractions of 10000 or 100000.

But what do you call it when you measure in fractions of 1?


texts: "Finish/complete/resolve an overdue project"

texts:
I use the number of results in a Google search of a phrase as a rough estimate of its usage. I googled all three and got:

"finish an overdue project" — 1920 results
"complete an overdue project" — 140 results
"resolve an overdue project" — 0 results

I feel that resolve is the most appropriate word in this context since one of its definitions according to Merriam-Webster is:

  4 a : to deal with successfully : clear up

And according to the Google dictionary:

  1 Settle or find a solution to (a problem, dispute, or contentious matter)

However, I am worried that this is not standard usage due to the number of Google search results.


texts: What are the differences between those words for bank transfers?

texts:
wire transfer
money transfer
bank transfer
remittance
appropriation

I am confused because in German there is only the word Banküberweisung that, as far as I know, encompasses all of them.

I read that wire transfer goes back to when money was transfered via telegraph but is it still used today to refer to bank transfers? Of the mentioned words is there a dominating one, that I can use most of the time when talking about modern banks and online banking.


texts: How to bring singular and plural conditions under a single sentence?

texts:
I am doing a sentence like this:

  He may undergo a scan,(or scans). The resulting image/images will be examined by the doctor.

I am thinking of this one:

  He may undergo a group of scans. The resulting group of images will be examined by the doctor.


texts:
I read some articles that used ad-hoc like an adjective.

Questions:

What exactly does it mean in this paragraph:

  Needless to say, all of that is pretty painful and error prone.  Sure, once you’re familiar with a library, you’d probably just copy it from another project instead of getting it from the web, which makes things a bit easier.  But it’s still an overall very ad-hoc process. — Source.

Are there any other meanings?


texts:
In a TOEFL conversation, the professor said: "If you're a copper miner, you won't lose any sleep should the penny get – if you'll excuse the expression – pinched out of existence."

I am confused by the use of "should" here, as a proper way I would think of is to put "should" after penny –
you won't lose any sleep the penny should get – so why is it the case?

By the way, what does the professor mean why he said "the penny get pinched out of existence”?


texts:
I have always thought that within means "till some point" while in means "at some point".

In 2 weeks - i.e. in 14 days from now.

Within 2 weeks - i.e. during today or the next 14 days, not later.

But what about "

  within 100-200 days"?

I would say "from now and not later than in 100-200 days". But a native speaker told me that actually it means "from 101th to 200th day", i.e. not from now till the upper limit.

I would rather say "in 100-200 days" as I want to say "not sooner than in 100 days and not later than in 200 days".


texts:
I have found articles explaining the difference between compose and comprise but only for use in a sentence. What I need is a word to go in a header for a table column that says if a product consists of one item or multiple items.

So the question is, which one is more correct of these two examples:

  Product composition: Single item or Multiple items

or

  Product comprisal: Single item or Multiple items

or do you have any other suggestion?


texts:
I recently encountered:

vernal adj. of, in, or appropriate to spring

And I truly wonder if there is also equivalents for the other seasons (summer, autumn, and winter).

EDIT:

I just found aestival n. relating to summer.

Please feel free to contribute words that have the similar/same meaning to spring and summer even though I have found those.


texts: What does "by any stretch of the imagination" mean?

texts:
Example sentence would be:

  She was never a great player, not by any stretch of the imagination.


texts: Is there a word that means cheating but legitimate?

texts:
Is there a word that means cheating and legitimate at the same time?

For example: I play a quiz game and set the number of questions to one. So, I get 100% of my answers correct. That's cheating, but it's legit.

So how do I describe what I did in one word?


texts: The use of the preposition OF is becoming confusing

texts:
I am reading the book "Word Study and English Grammar" by Frederick William Hamilton, which says:

  Of is superfluous in such phrases as smell of, taste of, feel of”.

I want to know exactly what the writer meant as he did not include the best way to use of. Should we avoid the use of of in the use of the above words?


texts: Is there a term for "all-or-nothing" in terms of ideals?

texts:
So I've got the following:

"You're either with us, or against us," so you're XXX or XXX-minded

"You have black-and-white thinking," so "You have XXX thinking"

and "The people who support a philosophy such as this one, have a mindset of all-or-nothing."

Please illuminate me, I just feel like there's an encompassing term.


texts:
I need help in determining the proper use of commas.  It's an ongoing discussion in my creative writing group.

Which is correct:

"Take, for example, my aversion to horror films," or
"Take for example my aversion to horror films."


texts: What is the correct way to express a number with all its digits?

texts:
I have the following table:

On the last column, I have expressed the numbers in billions as it is mentioned at the top. However, I want the last number (Final sample size) to be expressed fully. Is there a way that I can be specific about the fact that this is the full number and not rounded up in billions?

Thank you!


texts:
While reading a book, I'm stumbling on a special construct which I didn't seem to have encountered before where author starts her sentences with "Would that...".

Here are several examples:

  The water starts the day again, resetting her senses.  Would that it
  were so easy to turn time on and off like this, to start yesterday
  again such that it would not end in this bizarre new reality.

  She clasps her hands on her lap to hide a splat of paint on her shirt.
  Would that she had changed into nicer clothes before leaving the house
  this morning.

  "You are safe," she tells the kids.  "It's going to be all right now."
  She wants them to believe this.  Would that she could also.

Can someone please explain what the above construct means and if that is proper English usage?

Thank you in advance.


texts: Word for when people store scarce resources to increase demand and sell at higher price

texts: Like storing gasoline to create an artificial demand and sell it a higher price later.


texts: What do the "dumpling hunters" mean in that blog?

texts:
I've read a blog and there were some "dumpling hunters" mentioned.
I've no clue what does it mean. Googling gave no results.

  The social activities that did form (beer brewing, dumpling hunters, board games, joggers) were naturally separate from work. Nobody’s career depended on participating.

https://hackernoon.com/for-inclusive-culture-maybe-less-is-more-87b663662cea

Could you please clarify it?


texts:
A few years ago, I learned that the word "enormity" meant "wickedness" and not (ever!) "bigness"--this according to the official curriculum for a major American standardized test. Upon learning this, I took great pains to entrain my brain into this new (for me) meaning.

The primary definitions of "enormity" are indeed given by various dictionaries as follows:

American Heritage:

  The quality of passing all moral bounds; excessive wickedness or outrageousness.
  A monstrous offense or evil; an outrage.
  Usage Problem Great size; immensity.

Macmillan:

  noun ▸used to mean the extremely large size of something, although
  some people consider this to be incorrect

  ▸the fact that something is
  morally wrong, or the degree to which it is morally wrong

  ▸an action
  that is morally wrong

Webster's:

  great wickedness: the enormity of a crime
  a monstrous or
  outrageous act; very wicked crime
  enormous size or extent; vastness:
  in modern use, considered a loose usage by some

The American Heritage dictionary gives this note:

  Usage Note: Enormity is frequently used to refer simply to the
  property of being great in size or extent, but many people would
  prefer that enormousness (or a synonym such as immensity) be used for
  this general sense, and that enormity be limited to situations that
  demand a negative moral judgment, as in Not until the war ended and
  journalists were able to enter Cambodia did the world really become
  aware of the enormity of Pol Pot's oppression. A majority of the Usage
  Panel has rejected the general use of enormity since the 1960s, and
  although resistance to this usage has lost some of its intensity, it
  remains strong. In our 1967 survey, 93 percent of the Panel rejected
  the word's use to refer to physical extent in the example The enormity
  of Latin America is readily apparent from these maps. In both our 1988
  and 2002 surveys, 59 percent of the Panel rejected the use of enormity
  as a synonym for immensity in the example At that point the engineers
  sat down to design an entirely new viaduct, apparently undaunted by
  the enormity of their task. Even if one sides with the dissenting 41
  percent and allows for enormity's largeness, it may be best to avoid
  it in phrases like the enormity of the president's election victory
  and the enormity of her inheritance, where enormity's sense of
  monstrousness may give rise to unintended smirks.

...In light of all this, I was very surprised to see "enormity" used the "wrong" way in the July 4, 2016 issue of The New Yorker, a magazine known for being a standard-bearer of stylistic correctness. Its use was like this:

  "The director, now as then, is Roland Emmerich, who, like a constant
  lover, refuses to tame his devotion; and what he loves is enormity.
  The incoming mother ship, this time, is round and flat and three
  thousand miles in diameter, as if the aliens' deepest ambition were
  not to exterminate us but to make paella for everyone on the planet."
  --Anthony Lane in "Old Enemies"

This use, it would seem, is either deliberately ironic, or embarrassingly ignorant of the nuances of the word. I can't tell which, but, as someone who has caught and collected a nice array of New Yorker faux pas over the years, I lean toward the latter.

What should we conclude? Is The New Yorker guilty of sloppy copyediting, or can we now safely use the word "enormity" with this meaning?

Related: "Enormity" in figurative sense


texts: Why does the verb "overlook" have such a different meaning from "oversee"?

texts:
Oversee:

  -verb (used with object), -saw, -seen, -see·ing.
  1.   to direct (work or workers); supervise; manage: He was hired to oversee the construction crews.
  2.   to see or observe secretly or unintentionally: We happened to oversee the burglar leaving the premises. He was overseen stealing the letters.
  3.   to survey or watch, as from a higher position.
  4.   to look over; examine; inspect.

Overlook:

  –verb (used with object)
  1. to fail to notice, perceive, or consider: to overlook a misspelled word.
  2. to disregard or ignore indulgently, as faults or misconduct: Only a parent could overlook that kind of behavior.
  3. to look  over, as from a higher position: a balcony that overlooks the ballroom.
  4. to afford a view over; look  down or out upon: a hill overlooking the sea.

The third definitions of each are similar, but even there, oversee is used only with persons, and overlook is used only with things like balconies.

Why are they so different?  Oversee makes sense to me, but can someone trace down the reason why overlook often means fail to notice?


texts: mistakes in set phrases; "...you have to celebrate the victory of your spoils..."

texts:
Is there a word for mistaken use of a set phrase?

For example, I heard an interview with an athlete in which he said "...you have to celebrate the victory of your spoils." Of course, this is not how the expression is commonly used (as I understand, it began with "to the victor belong the spoils" and has morphed into "the spoils of victory";  perhaps the phenomenon I'm looking to name is one of the drivers of such evolution).

I don't believe we can use misquote, because I'm talking about phrases that have entered the general public vocabulary. Nor is it a play on words, because it is unintentional. I realize we can just call it a mistake, so please don't suggest something as non-specific as that. I'm looking for a mistake with a set phrase.


texts: Was the -s in Athens originally the plural -s?

texts:
In Greek and Latin, some cities, like Athens and Thebes, are pluralia tantum, that is, they are always plural. In English, on the other hand, both names are singular, at least in modern English. It has, however, been suggested that the English -s was originally a plural -s, as a loan translation of the Greek and Latin plurals. Do we have any reliable sources that confirm this? Does it apply to both Athens and Thebes?

The Oxford English Dictionary cannot help us because it does not (normally) list the full etymology of names, nor does Etymonline have etymologies that aren't in the Oxford.

In addition, it would be interesting to know if and when the English names were considered plural, and, if so, when they became singular.


texts: Terminal preposition / adposition question

texts:
So I was hoping to know if the phrase

  as many as I can think of

is improper or incorrect because it ends with the word "of"?  What would be a way to minimally change this to not violate any don't-end-with-a-preposition guideline?

And yes - I know it's not really a big problem to do this, I am just curious if there is a "proper" way to write it. :)


texts: "from where I hail" vs "where I hail from"

texts: When to use the two? Is the sentence "England is from where I hail" grammatically correct? (It sounds ok to me but it looks funny.) Or do I have to write "England is where I hail from"?


texts: Merger of Early Modern English 'ir' with 'ur' and 'er'+'ear'

texts: Before /r/, /ɪ/ merged with either /ʊ/ or /ɛ/, depending on context. After labials (plus clusters of labials and /l/) and alveolar stops (like in bird and dirt), the result was /ʊ/ (shown, among other spellings, by 'durt', which was an old spelling variant of 'dirt'), which then became /ʌ/ in most dialects, while /ɛ/ is the result elsewhere. They both eventually merged before /r/ into a single central vowel in most modern English dialects. While /ʊ/ can be expected after labials, it being the result after alveolar stops too is unexpected. What are the articulatory and perception bases for the merger of /ɪ/ into either /ʊ/ or /ɛ/ before /r/?


texts:
What is a good rule for the usage of the noun suffix -ment?
Is desirement as acceptable as achievement?


texts: Why is the phrase 'Should we not' a Positive assertion?

texts:
This phrase is asking the listener to take action in the positive to help our neighbors.

  "Should we not stand by our neighbors who seek to better their
  conditions in Kansas and Nebraska?"

Switching should to a different place now asks the listener to NOT help out.

  "We should not stand by our neighbors who seek to better their
  conditions in Kansas and Nebraska?"

How is should and not working in this sentence to change the request of the speaker?


texts:
By 18 January 2016, Member States shall notify to
the Commission the list of professions for which a prior
check of qualifications is necessary under Article 7(4).

Sometimes I get confused when it comes to "by" and a date..
Does this mean that "the Member States shall notify to the Commission the list before 18 January 2016", or "starting from 18 January 2016", like, "after 18 January 2016"? Thanks in advance..


texts: Noun meaning loud noise or flash used as symbol of apocalypse

texts:
What is the word  often used to describe ritualistic work that means, as I remember it, "a loud noise or flash used as a symbol of the apocalypse"?

I remember the word being something like an iconoclast,  but it is clearly not that word.


texts: Origin of the term "wizard" in computing

texts:
In computer user interfaces a "wizard" is a set of screens that guide the user through a process.

Does anyone know the origin of this term? I personally associate wizards with magic more than a figure offering guidance.


texts: How could i express changes in this image in English?

texts: Am i right in saying that it's both sides became circular?


texts:
The world is ending in 5 seconds. You have 3 seconds to press the "Prevent Destruction Button" but this button is 100 light years away, and probably doesn't even exist. You could say there is little you can do in this situation.

What word is a good substitute for "little one can do" in a context such as the above (which I just made up as an example)


texts: Do we say enthusiasm 'for' or 'about'? I saw both of them used in different texts.


texts: What is the verb to take out compromises?

texts: I want to describe the action of a person who is fed up with the many compromises he has made and now would like to "remove" these compromises he hates - what is a verb that means "remove compromises"? Abolish?


texts: What's the difference between 'working in/from' and 'working at' a coffee shop?

texts:
Does working at a coffee shop necessarily imply being employed there?
Is working at a coffee shop never synonymous to working in/from the coffee shop?


texts: How did 'security' semantically shift to mean 'tradable financial asset'?

texts:
What semantic notions underlie the shift from the original meaning of 'security' (from Etymonline)

mid-15c., "condition of being secure," from Latin securitas, from securus "free from care" (see secure).

to its financial meaning (from Investopedia and OED)?

Investment securities are securities (tradable financial assets, such as equities or fixed income instruments) that are purchased in order to be held for investment. This is in contrast to securities, which are purchased by a broker-dealer or other intermediary, for quick resale (i.e. trading account securities).
e. Chiefly in plural. Originally: a document held by a creditor as a guarantee of the right to payment, or attesting ownership of property, stock, bonds, etc.; (hence) the financial asset represented by such a document. Also (orig. and chiefly U.S.): such a document issued to investors to finance a business venture.

Since posting this question, Google yielded answers from other websites. Jonathan Davis B.S. Finance, The Ohio State University at Quora:

They are called securities because there is a secure financial contract that is transferable, meaning it has clear, standardized, recognized terms, so can be bought and sold via the financial markets.

Morris Pearl at Quora:

“securities” is really just a word referring to certain things that are bought and sold in the financial markets.
The origin (not really relevant to today’s usage) is that the word “security” referred to the actual paper documents. The papers had no intrinsic value, but were evidence that the owner had a secure interest in receiving something (the payments on the bonds or the dividends on the stocks, etc.)

Benjamin Schak BA Mathematics (Swarthmore), JD magna cum laude (NYU). at Quora.

The original meaning of "security," which dates back to the mid-15th century, was property pledged to guarantee some debt or promise of the owner. Starting in the 17th century, the word came to be used for a document evidencing a debt, and eventually for any document representing a financial investment. By the late 19th century, the word could refer to any tradeable investment — fixed income or equity or otherwise, and collateralized or not.
When used as a mass noun ("I pledged Blackacre and Greenacre as security on my mortgage"), "security" still has the older definition. The newer definition uses "security" as a count noun ("XYZ Company's stock is a volatile security" or "She usually holds securities for a long time").
Our modern usage doesn't quite make sense etymologically, but the same can be said of plenty of words. We don't usually sit on benches to deal with "banks," people who hold bonds don't literally cut "coupons," "preferred equity" is an obvious oxymoron, I can buy a "Eurodollar" contract in Chicago, "hedge funds" take directional views, etc.


texts:
What is a more decent/formal alternative for the word suck? I want to use it in the context of being bad at something.

To be precise, I want to translate "To suck less at a job every day" to formal English.


texts:
Which of the following should I use?

  Today is me and Joey's anniversary
  Today is mine and Joey's anniversary


texts: If someone says "Do not pass go" to you, what do they mean?

texts: I have seen this phrase do not pass go a couple of times reading Internet forums, but I don't remember figuring it out in context, as I've never played the game Monopoly.  What does it mean?


texts:
Is it correct to say bridge the problems? Is it a commonly used expression?

I'd like to use it to express that the person I'm talking with should solve the problems.


texts: How many moods are there in English and what are they?

texts:
In this answered question

An user said this
((5 moods × 2 tenses) + (1 defective mood)) × (4 aspects × 2 voices)
But what I don't understand is about the moods that he/she mentioned.

Indicative, Interrogative ,Subjunctive and what else?


texts:
Pronotum
  The pronotum (Biology) is a prominent plate-like structure that covers
  all or part of the thorax of some insects. The pronotum covers the
  dorsal surface of the thorax.

The word can be split in two parts: pro + notum. pro is reasonably unambiguous, but the notum part is frustrating.

pro (etymonline)

  1: word-forming element meaning "forward, forth, toward the front" (as
  in proclaim, proceed); "beforehand, in advance" (prohibit, provide);
  2: The common modern sense "in favor of, on behalf of, supporting" (pro-independence,
  pro-fluoridation, pro-Soviet, etc.) was not in classical Latin and is
  attested in English from early 19c.

notus (etymologeek)

  -sḱéti  Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro)
  *ǵn̥h₃sḱéti   Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro)   To recognise.
  (Wikipedia) *gnōskō  Proto-Italic (itc-pro)  Know, get to know.

It has the root *gno*, same as in "ignore"

noton (Wikipedia)

  νῶτον (noton) From Proto-Indo-European *not- (“rear, buttock”);
  related to Latin natis (“rump”).
  a combining form meaning “the back,” used in the formation of compound words:

eg. notochord [Greek nōton, nōtos back + Latin chorda cord]
eg. notodont adj. [Gr. notos, back; odous, tooth]

What is the coinage pronotum supposed to mean? The usage and origin of notum leaves me begging for a sensible literal meaning of the word, on whether it comes from "-notus" or "-noton".

Is it supposed to be "the notable supporting structure", or "the structure preceding the back", or something else?

(Extra: there are also the genera "Lanthonotus" and "Camponotus" - do they use the same notus suffix as in pronotum?)


texts: Becoming the marathon "leader", is this a correct usage?

texts:
What do we call the athlete who is in first place , leading the marathon or running in front of the other runners in a race?

Is leader an appropriate word to describe this runner?


texts: Term for period between vernal and autumnal equinox

texts: What is the appropriate term to describe the 6-month period between equinoxes, when the Earth's northern axis is tilted towards the sun? Most dictionaries define summer as only the warmest months, June to August (in the Northern hemisphere).


texts: I would like to know a word to describe someone who is well-versed in the rules of a game, sport, activity, etc.?


texts:
Which is correct - "Is" or "Are" in this sentence?

"Additionally, early booking discounts on full-day childcare is/are offered."

Thanks


texts: What is the correct adjective for weight/mass of objects, heavy or large?

texts:
The mass of an object is defined as the "amount of "matter" in an object, whereas weight is the force exerted on an object by gravity".
However, I often see in scientific literature the adjective "large" associated to mass/weight, such as "this animal is larger than another", or "small animals". Is this correct or would "heavier" be the correct adjective to use?
Mind you that volume is never discussed in these texts, they always discuss mass/weight in Kg. This trend can be observed in top scientific journals such as Science or Nature, so what would be considered the most authoritative scientific references.
Maybe this applies also to other contexts.
EDIT: I am not interesting in discussing the difference between mass and weight. I am wondering why authors are using "large animal" when there's no volume or size involved, instead they mean "heavy animal".


texts:
Does a sentence like this need a comma where the question mark stands?

  Sunshine is an app for smartphones, tablets and computers [?] that
  lets you track and post weather news to blogs, social networks and
  other services.


texts: What does a library mean other than a place for a collection of books?

texts:
Does the word "library" mean other than a place for a collection of books as in the following sentence?

  Instead of purchasing what they need like a normal customer,
  wardrobers turn retail stores into their own private libraries.


texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  The test would be kind of homework activity like last time.


texts: How do you address clergy in a given circumstance and manner?

texts:
I want to ask a question about using titles, but I think it is too broad to be asked here.

My question is this: under what circumstance and in what manner should you address Christian clergy?

Do you address them by their personal titles, such as mister, mistress, or miss? Do you address them by their professional titles, such as Doctor or Professor, if they happen to have a PhD degree in Theology? Do you address them by "Your Eminence" or "Your Reverence" or "Your Grace"? Or maybe all those titles apply to formal situations, so in informal situations, you simply refer to them by their personal names, even though you would never address a professor by his/her first name or last name without the "Professor" as a prefix?

I also wish to know how to address Buddhist and Taoist and Jewish and Muslim clergy.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is there a grammar rule behind the hyphen in the phrase 'one-act play'?

Okay, so it might sound like a primitive question. However, I can find out a reasoning or maybe which form is correct.

The sentence is

  This is a three parts series.

I'm not sure if I should add the delimiter or not; and maybe there is a possession "'s", and I'm not quite sure of that. So any help with explanation would be great!


texts:
Are the two words "Spotted" and "Sighted" interchangeable in all contexts?

For instance, are both "Enemy spotted" and "Enemy sighted" correct and used in the military?


texts: Using 'better' as an adverb before a gerund

texts:
I recently used the following headline in a document:

Better Managing Your Health Means Better Managing Your Life

My boss wrote back that "better managing" is not grammatically correct. She's wrong, isn't she?

As I see it, Better = adverb, Managing = gerund (gerunds can be modified by adverbs since they have verb-like properties, right?).

Note: in this sentence, the gerund 'managing' is the subject in the first part and the object when used the second time. Right?


texts: a pocket full of solid silver coins vs. a pocketful of solid silver coins

texts:
A Guardian article titled "Enlightened Princesses review – royals who shaped modern Britain" has this:

  In 30 brief chapters, some only three pages long, we hear about the avant garde composers these women commissioned, the educational toys they gave their children, the libraries of new thought they assembled on their bookshelves. Some of these essays deliberately overlap – Handel pops up in a music chapter while also making an appearance in the discussion of London’s Foundling hospital, of which he was a patron. Yet far from feeling confused or excessive, this approach builds a rich allusive pattern, a sense of the cross-fertilisations that were everywhere in play. Set alongside these essays are illustrations and close readings of key objects – a useful reminder that something as airy sounding as the Enlightenment was actually grounded in the material world of a Wedgwood dinner service, an architect’s protractor, and a pocket full of solid silver coins.

The last sentence has this noun phrase a pocket full of solid silver coins. Does the phrase mean "a pocket that is full of solid silver coins" or "as many solid silver coins as a pocket can hold"?

I think it's the former. Am I right?

If so, isn't it more correct to say "pocketful" instead of "pocket full"?

  ...in the material world of a Wedgwood dinner service, an architect’s protractor, and a pocketful of solid silver coins.

Or are both well-formed in the given context regardless of the exact meaning of the phrase?


texts: What meaning does "hardly" impose in this context?

texts:
"The jury was hardly moved by the man’s plea that his loneliness was an extenuating factor in his crime of dognapping a prized pooch"

What did it end with? was the jury finally moved? or not at all?


texts:
The definition of currency is a system of money in general use in a particular country.

Does system in this context means definition #11 from Google definition?

  sys·tem
  noun /ˈsistəm/
  systems, plural

  A set of connected things or parts forming a complex whole, in particular
  A set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network
  -the state railroad system -fluid is pushed through a system of pipes or channels
  A set of organs in the body with a common structure or function -the digestive system
  The human or animal body as a whole - you need to get the cholesterol out of your system
  A group of related hardware units or programs or both, esp. when dedicated to a single application
  (in chronostratigraphy) A major range of strata that corresponds to a period in time, subdivided into series
  A group of celestial objects connected by their mutual attractive forces, esp. moving in orbits about a center -the system of bright stars known as the Gould Belt
  A set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized scheme or method -a multiparty system of government -the public school system
  Orderliness; method -there was no system at all in the company
  A method of choosing one's procedure in gambling
  A set of rules used in measurement or classification -the metric system
  The prevailing political or social order, esp. when regarded as oppressive and intransigent -don't try bucking the system
  A set of staves in a musical score joined by a brace


texts: What is the word for jealousy disguised in a disapproving remark

texts:
Or maybe the word for a remark with that underlying sentiment/intention.

I'm not sure if I can properly describe the concept. But imagine a situation where you feel spite or jealous towards a person but don't want to admit or others know about it. So you're inclined to do/say something negative against the person you feel jealous or spiteful towards. You would use a remark to somehow humiliate him despite his apparent merit but you say that in a perhaps conceited way pretending that you don't even recognize the person's merit or whatever has caused you to resent him! Wow! I think I couldn't have explained my purpose any longer!


texts:
I was wondering what differences and
    relations are between expertise and
    speciality/specialty?

In a résumé or CV, which one is used?


texts:
May I know if there is a single word that can replace the word "Return Undamaged" or "Return in Original form"?

Details

Jack borrow a item from Joe for 10 days. After the last day, Jack return the item to Joe. Joe check the item and confirm that the item is return in its original form and does not have any damages (such as scratches, tear, etc)


texts: What is the literary device when a character takes part in a real play in the story?

texts: In the story, one of the characters acts in a play. This play also exists in real life, and it has a symbolic meaning to the story. Would this be an example of intertextuality or would it be a different literary device?


texts: Interpreting of Omitted subject and verb

texts:
When you have a moment, could you please send over next Wednesday’s campaign info?
  Double-checking a couple details before it goes live to make sure the client is happy!

The above sentences are from an e-mail. In the last sentence, I know what the author want to say. But, I wonder how it would be read to general readers.

(a) I want to double-check ...

(b) Double-checking a couple details before it goes makes sure that ...

(c) It is for double-checking ....

Or if something was omitted, what would be omitted?


texts: Difference between "I haven't" and "I've not" etc

texts:
If I have three consecutive words where each adjacent pair can be contracted, e.g. "I would have" or "You are not", is there a difference between the two possible contractions, e.g. "I would've" or "You aren't" versus "I'd have" or "You're not"? If so, when is each form preferred?

Does the preference depend on what comes after it (such as its part of speech), e.g. "You are not a fool" versus "You are not foolish" versus "You are not going to fool me?"


texts: Did I "get" (or "take") my degree "from" (or "in") the University of Somewhere?

texts:
I would like to know what is the preferred way to indicate that I took a degree in some subject while also naming the place where I obtained the degree from:

I got my master's degree from the University of Somewhere;
I got my master's degree in the University of Somewhere;
I took my master's degree in the University of Somewhere.

I would say that "in" is more suitable to mention the particular subject (a degree in maths, for instance) than to indicate the place, but I still have doubts.

By the way, is it a "master's degree" or a "Master's degree"?


texts: Etymology of 'ripped' as in 'ripped abs'

texts:
ODO provides the following definition for the word ripped:

  3. informal having well-defined or well-developed muscles; muscular:
  through his slightly-too-tight shirt you could see he was ripped
  they’re going to the gym daily to get buff pecs, ripped abs, and tight buns

How did this sense of the word come about?


texts: What's a more common term for "penny jumping"?

texts:
In securities trading, we have a particular term which I think has broader applicability, so I'm seeking a more common (or at least more universally comprehensible) term for it, that I can use in casual conversation (outside the industry).

The term is penny-jumping, and applied literally, means "taking advantage of the knowledge that someone else's order will move the market, by placing a similar order at a trivially improved price ahead of his", thus "riding his wave" to your benefit and his expense.

But we apply it more liberally than that: it essentially means a kind of obnoxious parasitism¹, and apply it to a variety of situations.

More common example:

  Imagine standing on the curb for 15 minutes trying to hail a cab, only to have another person jump in front of you (by a few feet or a single block), and flag "your" cab down at the last minute. While you've waited for 15 minutes, they've only had to wait a few seconds, and they were able to benefit (to your detriment) by making only a trivial "improvement" over your "bid" (those few feet they stepped out in front of you).

Of course, the analogy isn't perfect, but analogies rarely are, and that's how we use it.

Another term of art for this, in the industry, is front-running (though the nuances are different and front-running more explicitly refers to the illegal practice) , though I think penny-jumping captures the same idea more descriptively: the parasite jumps ahead of you for a cost which is trivial to him (a penny), thereby capturing an outsized reward at your expense.

¹ If done using non-public information, particularly information derived from a privileged relationship with a client (to whom you owe a fiduciary duty), penny-jumping is illegal and is usually termed "front-running" (which is the name of the crime, historically committed by brokers who intermediate between clients and markets). But I'm not concerned with this sense of the word; I'm seeking something which is sleazy and obnoxious, not illegal or fraudulent: think "parasite", not "criminal".


texts: What single word describes the ability to think analytically?

texts:
I am trying to complete the following sentence:

  This job requires both creativity and X

Where X is a single word describing the ability to think analytically. What would the best word be?


texts: More Largeness is Larger, More Smallness is Smaller, More "Medium-ness" is?

texts:
Another single word choice here; this one is along the lines of magnitude, e.g., good, better, best.

In this case, I'm describing more largeness as "larger," and more smallness as "smaller." The word I need is one that would describe more "medium-ness."

To put it into context, imagine I'm describing different strains of pineapples; specifically the sizes of different fruit parts. Batch-A has more fruit with larger-length tops, more fruit with medium-density pulp, and more fruit with smaller-diameter seeds, while Batch-B has either larger or smaller numbers of fruit corresponding to each of these measurements.

I know there might not be a good answer. But I tried this same approach to another word choice question, and I got plenty of unexpectedly good answers.


texts:
My question is about the following quote:

  "Is it not rather what we expect in men,
  that they should have numerous strands
  of experience lying side by side and
  never compare them with each other?"
  -- George Eliot

The only way I can understand it is as thus:

  Men shoud have numerous strands ... and always compare them...

I have no idea how to reconcile it with the original words. Have I guessed the meaning entirely wrong? Or is it kind of sarcasm ?


texts: Use of "is" vs. "are" when both singular and plural countable nouns follow

texts:
This is a question I've been wondering about for some time, and I finally came across an example today that I can quote. Consider this sentence (from):

  No longer is the main primary exchanges the only option for executing orders.

At my first reading the "is" seemed to clash with the plural of "exchanges", however it may be read as applying to the singular "option".

What is the rule in such a phrase?


texts:
In a comment on the question Is there any rule regarding when not to use the pattern "noun phrase + of + possessive pronoun"?, such as "a friend of his", John Lawler writes

First rule is: Don't do it with its.

Using its, for example "I really like those whiskers of its" (as of a cat), does indeed sound off.
Is that because its in that sentence needs to be stressed, and its is a word which cannot sustain stress? That would make it similar to I'm ("He's hot like I'm") because contractions cannot be placed where stress is needed. But its is no more a contraction than his is.
What gives?


texts:
Quite often we use the word 'sensitive' in a pejorative sense, ie that the person being described lacks the emotional resilience to cope with an everyday situation.

But 'sensitive' could also be a non-pejorative for different behaviour, one who is very observant of people's behaviour, and able to display empathy in a way that connects with people. One who treats people with care, with great sensitivity to their situation.

To me these seem to be two completely different behaviours. (Perhaps the underlying personality makeup could be the root cause of both, but in my experience people are generally one or the other.

My question is about the conflation of these two ideas. The word has become a pejorative when it could be an enormous compliment.

My question is: Does describing someone as 'sensitive' conflate two different ideas?


texts: What is the antonym of 'prime time' for television?

texts: I am looking for a word that has opposite meaning of 'prime time' in television (like early morning news...).


texts: Lowercase letter at the beginning of a question which is following another question?

texts:
I read philosophy, and a great deal of philosophical texts, including those by Nietzsche, Plato, Hume, and a great deal of others include a similar grammar that I do not understand: that an independent clause which is a question may begin with a lowercase letter if it is following another question.

Here is an example from Phaedo (by Plato):

  "And is the soul in agreement with the affections of the body? [or]
  is she at variance with them?

Why is it permissible to lowercase 'or'?

Unfortunately I cannot recall any specific examples of this, but I remember having the exact same question when reading Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals.

Is there any grammatical rule sanctioning lower case letters at the beginning of questions following other questions (perhaps if that question begins with a conjunction, or is directly related to the preceding question?)?

Not that it matters, but I quite like it. It looks unique and interesting to me.


texts: "Let's not go there" or "'let's don't go there"

texts: Which is correct and why? First alternative sounds correct to me, but I can't motivate why.


texts: There is a phrase "What an idiot!". How should it be used for a group of people? Looks like "What idiots" doesn't have same emotional meaning.


texts: What is meant by the phrase "Charlie Brown management"?

texts: Recently I came to hear the term "Charlie Brown management" in a news article. I tried searching the net on this term, but didn't get anything useful. Please help me to decipher this idiom.


texts: What's the origin of the idiom "on the same page"?

texts:
What is the origin of the idiom on the same page?

This is the definition of the idiom from Wiktionary:

  In broad agreement or sharing a common general understanding or knowledge (common in office environments). I want to make sure we're all on the same page with the game plan for the Acme account.


texts:
I'm looking for a full and complete guide to English articles like THE, A, AN, (none).

Can anyone recommend me something like that? I'd like to finally learn this and never make a mistake again. Ideally, I'd like it to cover every single exception as well.


texts: I would like to know what the difference between "the key to the door" and "the the key of the door", or between "the servant to the master" and "the servant of the master" is.


texts: Is there a word for something you want in an abstract sense but wouldn't want in reality?

texts:
I'm trying to separate the thing that I want (the desire?) from the effort it would take to get it, or the consequences that come with obtaining it.

A noun or verb or phrase will do:

"I would love to have pin-up worthy abdominal muscles" (but I'm not willing to put in the sustained effort to actually get them)

"That girl is so attractive, I would love to have sex with her" (but I'm happily married and I wouldn't actually jeopardise my marriage by doing it)

"It's a dream of mine to perform at some amazing location" (but I'm not actually going to pursue performing as a career to make it possible)


texts: What is a idiom for a person who can read people and is perceptive?

texts: I'm doing homework and I need idiom for a character who is very perceptive?


texts: Relation name of my mother's sister's son's wife?

texts:
My mother has a sister. That sister is then my aunt. My auntie's children are my first cousins. Is that correct? How then do I refer to my cousin's wife and their children. What is the relationship.

The sentence I wish to complete relates to the separation of my cousin and his wife. I wish to pass assurance to the wife and her daughter that they will forever be part of my family. The cousin not so much!


texts:
I know that in formal contexts, the construction and/or is very ugly and undesirable (and there are many questions here that deal with said formal usage).

Has it become acceptable to use it informally, however, as a sort of rhetorical faux formalism or something else altogether?


texts:
This excerpt is from an article in the New York Times:

  Grown men ride hot-pink numbers, ringing tinny bells to clear their paths, to jobs in the sprawling souk or doing grunt work for aid groups

Could anyone tell me how can a number be ridden? I suppose that a number here is some synonym for a bicycle, but I cannot find any reference of this in a dictionary.

Thank you in advance.


texts: what would be the phrase or Idiom for a situation where a person is friendly with both the good and bad folks as per their convenience

texts: To describe a situation where a person is friendly with both the good and bad folks as per their convenience.


texts:
What is the difference between baby carriage and a stroller?

Is it the same thing?

hypothesis: there is a difference in the baby's position, baby carriage is for lying position while stroller is for sitting position

stroller is this: http://demandware.edgesuite.net/sits_pod22/dw/image/v2/AAMT_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-chicco_catalog/default/dw44ea9e7a/images/products/Gear_Sept2015/TRE/Tre_Titan_Hi.jpg?sw=1200&sh=1200&sm=fit

while baby carriage is this: http://cdn.trendhunterstatic.com/thumbs/luxury-baby-carriage.jpeg

Am I right? What is the difference?

Thank you.


texts:
Here is my sentence: "Julia's experience is similar to that of Robert's."

Would it be correct to put an apostrophe ('s) after Robert?


texts: Word for someone who quits something and becomes excessively against it

texts:
Apologies for the vague nature of this.

I'm looking for a word that could describe a person who quits something due to its supposedly being harmful or unethical (cigarettes, meat, alcohol, recreational drugs), and then becomes almost exaggeratedly opposed to that thing, going so far as to harangue others over their choices.

In the case of meat, I had to settle for "anti-meat evangelist", but think there may be a specific term or turn of phrase.

Another example might be that of an ex-smoker who goes on about the dangers of smoking but lingers after the smell of passive smoke; or a former meat-eater who feigns disgust at you tucking into a steak and lectures anyone who will listen, but who is secretly miserable and wants bacon.


texts: Is there a word for missing the point due to literal interpretation of figurative phrases

texts:
Figurative language is when people use words or phrases to communicate an idea not meant to be taken literally, such as speaking in metaphors.  Sometimes, people do not realize the figurative nature and take them literally.

A more juvenile and fictional example of this is found in the book A Chocolate Moose for Dinner.  In the book, a little girl is very confused when grown-ups use phrases such as "chocolate mousse for dinner last night" or "playing the piano by ear".  The girl really believes that her mother ate a big chocolate moose for dinner, and that someone played the piano with their ear.

Is there a word or phrase for when someone misses the intended point because they took the figurative phrase literally?


texts: What is the word for thinking a joke is both funny and bad (groan-worthy) at the same time?

texts:
Is there a word in English that describes the feeling or thinking that a joke is funny, but really bad (i.e. groan-worthy) at the same time? For example, most puns cause many people to groan, but they might also make the same people laugh momentarily ("It's not that the man did not know how to juggle; he just didn't have the balls to do it.").

If not that, is there a word that describes such a joke?


texts: An English word (adj or verb) to describe your feeling when you did not do something you were expected to do

texts:
I am looking for an English word (adj or verb) to describe your feeling when you did not do something you were expected to do. For example:

  My friend's uncle has just passed away but I didn't say anything to him when I first heard the news because I was focusing on something else. Now looking back, I feel very bad about it. I should have said something. I feel ______________.

The word is pretty close to 'regret' but it's not 'regret'.


texts:
When google for "define nearly" the provided definition was:

adverb

very close to; almost.
closely.

Does this means, despite almost no one use it this way, It is semantically correct to state "I'm almost 30." when my actual age is 31?


texts:
Can you please tell me what -wise added to a word means? For example,

Point-wise basis algorithm.
Class-wise basis algorithm.


texts:
I'd like to know if the objects of the verb 'ask' must follow an order. If so what is that order? Should the first object be the person (someone) or the thing (something)?

For example: Will you ask for that money to your mother? or Will you ask your mother for that money?


texts: What if an acronym has no singular form?

texts: Do you need to add the s to an acronym that has no singular form?  Specifically, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR).


texts: Any rules for "-ich" and "-itch" word endings?

texts:
Sometimes people are confused between -ich and -itch.

For example, I saw someone make a mistake by using swich instead of switch.

I wonder, are there any rules for which words have -ich ending and others have -itch ending?


texts: I am trying to break apart the word evangelist, but I can't get past "angelos" no matter how I twist it or turn it. I found the word "evangel" and looked it up on myetymology.com, but it just gave me angelos. So how does evangel break apart? And what is the greek word for the message the angelus carries? Or is that the key (-os vs -us)?


texts:
Some of my pupils have used "mutual" instead of "each other" in our latest paper repeatedly. Again and again I read "They mutual write a text message" (I suppose at least an adverb would be needed here) whereas I would say "They write text messages to each other."

Is there a difference between mutually and each other? I don't like to interchange them, but I don't find any rules on that, either.


texts: Idiomatic verb when renouncing ones religion

texts:
What's an idiomatic synonym for renounce in the context of renouncing ones religion?

Could also maybe be used as "I [X]'d the church"?


texts:
You love me no more.
You no longer love me.
You don't love me anymore.

How are these three sentences different from one another? I use not anymore more often than the others. But once I used I use your service no more and an English guy standing by burst into laughter.


texts: Gap fill: “Eventually”, “finally”, “ultimately” or “conclusively”?

texts:
Which word fits best in the following sentence:

  "Secondly, the ability to judge a character is vital, since a witness's response to a question may be more significant than the answer given. (9) _______, leadership qualities are fundamental. Top lawyers do not have the time to do all the research necessary in a case by themselves"

Eventually / finally / ultimately / conclusively


texts:
What are the main purposes to ask someone 'Where do you work?' apart from to find out the type of place he or she works in?

I can answer:

  I work in a shop.
  I work in a hospital.
  I work in an office.

But what other things can (or should) I use as a reply to this question?

Extra question:

sometimes I see

  I work at a shop.
  I work at a hospital.
  I work at an office.

What's the difference between 'at' and 'in' in this case?


texts: Should I capitalize the acronym of a word?

texts:
I would like to know how I should write the abbreviation of a phrase, or an acronym.

To be more clear I give you an example:

Hosch is a german word, which is the abbreviation of the name of the founder of the company (Hans-Otto Schwarze). In this case, should I write it HOSCH or Hosch? Which one is correct?


texts: Can someone please tell the Usage of "its" in the following is correct?

texts:
Here is a quote from "Ever Wonder Why / the color red angers a bull? " (page 20).

  It has been suggested that this reaction to red (my note: of bull which is color-blind to a shaking cape in red) may be due to its being the color of blood.

My question : the above "its" should be "it"?


texts:
I'm a non-native English speaker who sometimes teaches topics like programming and development practices but I haven't found a good way to express that in English.

"Teaching" and "educating" sound too school-like. The courses are for professionals, typically one or two days long.

"Mentoring" sounds like something longer, more continuous, not in lecture/exercise form.

"Lecturing" sounds boring and doesn't include the exercises part.

And the thing that I teach, is that a "course" or a "class"?

I sometimes use the expression "hold a course", but I've found no reference online where it is used for something other than navigation (often metaphorically) so I guess that's Swenglish.

What would be the conventional way to say this?


texts: "Whatever improvements to filesystems will be made in the future"

texts:
Does this sentence break grammar?

  Whatever improvements to filesystems will be made in the future, it seems clear that  applications will remain to use the approach
  established by POSIX and filesystems will have to cooperate.

I am thinking about something like

  Whatever improvements will be made to filesystems in the future (...)

Second suggestion, by Thistle

  It seems clear that applications will remain to use the approach established by POSIX and filesystems will have to cooperate with whatever improvements will be made to filesystems in the future.


texts:
Given the recent blog post that some kinds of subjective questions are OK on Stack Exchange sites, I thought I would try to formulate a good subjective question about usage to see what kinds of arguments people find persuasive and why.

So, for questions about a usage dispute:

What basis do you use for deciding what is correct or grammatical?
Why do you find some arguments persuasive and others not?
Does the pervasiveness of a usage affect your opinion of it?
What kinds of authorities on usage do you respect and who do you find to be not authoritative?


texts:
All dictionaries listed ungodly only as an adjective. Ungodlily was listed on Word Hippo, but I'm not so sure if it's reliable. So, is there an adverb for ungodly, and if so, what is it? Ungodlily sounds a bit awkward and clunky.

Here's the sentence in question: They were [ungodlily] outnumbered. I don't think ungodly would work here (at least as an adjective).


texts: What does ‘[Ronald Reagan’s] colossus with gilded pecs, red-painted smile and an NRA-approved pistol in his fist' mean?

texts:
I have been seeing many articles on myths about Ronald Reagan recently in newspapers. I don’t know why Reagan is mentioned so often these days. I guess it is related with American people’s growing frustration with the leadership of President Obama in handling health care and budget cuts issues.

Today's Washington Post carries the article titled "Five Myths about Ronald Reagan", in which I found the phrase "his colossus with gilded pecs, red-painted smile and an NRA-approved pistol in each manly fist".

It seems his acolytes led by Salah Palin are eager to reestablish Reagan’s patriarch image among American public. Does pec here mean muscular pectoral muscles? I understand red-painted nail, but what does "red-painted smile" mean? To me, it doesn't fit to his mascular image. And why his statue should have a gun?

The headline is followed by the following lines:

  The sentimental colossus his acolytes are trying to erect today, with gilded pecs, red-painted smile and an NRA-approved pistol in each manly fist, bears no resemblance to the man I knew: in private a person of no ego and little charisma, in public a statesman of formidable purpose.


texts: Why does a sentence make no sense without a finite verb?

texts:
I understand that a finite verb serves as a 'direct link' between a subject and a predicate. I also understand the grammatical aspect of why a finite verb makes a sentence complete.
For instance, these sentences would make no sense:

The car.
The car driving.
The car driving on the road.

However, with the presence of a finite verb, the sentence suddenly makes sense because the subject is now directly related to the predicate through time.

The car drove.
The car was driving.
The car was driving on the road.

What I don't understand is the linguistic aspect of the importance of finite verbs. Is the requirement for finite verbs a cultural one or a logical one? Can a sentence be valid without the use of a finite verb?
Without any context, the above sentences can still mean something. To elaborate,

The car. In our minds, we form an image of a car. However, it can be any car, wherever, whenever, and doing anything. We simply lack information, but can it still be construed as a complete sentence nonetheless?
The car driving. Here, we do not have information about its location and when it occurred. Similarly, can this still be construed as a complete sentence?
Lastly, "the car driving on the road" simply lack the information about when it occurred.

Can this be solved by adding the word "now" to the last sentence, as in "the car driving on the road now"? I can still see how this sentence is still grammatically incorrect, but logically the sentence still makes sense. We now have the subject's spatial, temporal, and verbal information. Why then, is the sentence still considered incomplete? Is there a missing piece of information that is required to logically complete the sentence, or is it simply incorrect because finite verbs have been a cultural requirement in linguistic through time?


texts:
What I try to do here is to borrow from Confucius the doctrine of
  “benevolence”, and then modify it in light of the significant and
  exigent  issues we face nowadays, finally coming up with a new
  doctrine of  “benevolence”. (self-made)

Does the "coming up with" make sense to you? My interpretation of what I am going to do is too complicated, involving three consecutive verbs, so I write three verbs in a temporaray order, and changing the last verb into the form of a participle. Can I do this?


texts: When to use indefinite article before "independence"?

texts:
I got this confusion with a particular English grammar: when to say an independence. Like: as children mature, they develop an independence. (Actually...I don't think "an" is even necessary for "independence" when we say "a sense of independence.")

Other times, it's doesn't sound right to use "an". Like: we fought for independence.

My book explains that "an independence" refers to a continuously changing state in that sentence. But in the second one, independence is a concrete state.

Can someone explain how "an independence" is a continuously changing state and more importantly when to use "an"?


texts: "Kitchen's wall" vs. "kitchen wall" vs. "the wall of his kitchen"

texts:
Which sentence is most common and natural?

  Finally, one of our neighbors broke his kitchen's wall open and got her.
  Finally, one of our neighbors broke his kitchen wall open and got her.
  Finally, one of our neighbors broke open the wall of his kitchen and got her.


texts: What do students call their teacher in class?

texts:
Well, years ago I was an English teacher in an English Teaching Institute. In the country I live, students call their teachers by saying "Mr. Teacher" or "Teacher" (literally translated) in schools. In places other than schools and universities, students also can call their teacher by saying "Mr. X", and in universities they call their professor by saying "Dr." and "Master". It was always question for me that in an English class what should I be called by my students because I didn't know what American students call their teacher in class.

To sum up my question, what do students call their teacher in class in a typical school in the U.S.? Is it different for the students of primary school and secondary school? I would be glad to hear the same question about England and Australia.


texts: Difference between "premise" and "assertion"

texts: I was preparing for the GRE exam, and was wondering what the difference was between a premise and an assertion. Any example which highlights the difference would be immensely helpful (something I haven't been able to find online).


texts: Why is the verb used without “-s” in this sentence?

texts:
In order to help the system make a better guess of the corner locations,...

In this sentence, why is "make" not succeeded by "s"? It seems it is needed!


texts: More eloquent idiom/expression for the phrase "cut it at the roots/source to prevent the problem from growing/escalating "

texts:
There's nothing particularly wrong with the phrase that's in the title except I figure there may be some better sounding alternative or something more pleasing to the ears.

Example usage: We have to eliminate the tendency to gossip in our group of friends by cutting the problem at its roots: Jenna must be eliminated.


texts: If you or somebody you know ... are/is ...?

texts:
What is the correct grammar for a sentence such as the following:

"If you or somebody you know is an experienced such-and-such, please contact us."

Vs.:

"If you or somebody you know are an experienced such-and-such, please contact us."

I primarily want to know which of "are" or "is" is the appropriate verb.

My hunch is that "you or somebody you know" can be substituted by a plural pronoun, which makes the verb "are"; but I am thrown off by "if somebody you know are" (which is wrong, I think - or at least it sounds wrong), and I don't know what the rule is.

There is also the rule that Telastyn states below - choose a verb as if one of the options was chosen. However, "you or somebody you know" is two singular options, but "are" is used with singular "you" while "is" is used with other singular subjects, and so they conflict. That's where my confusion lies (or is my confusion deeper -- are "you" and "somebody" actually subtly plural here?)


texts: Which verb collocates with the word 'heresy'?

texts:
When talking about the first people who were known to believe or do something considered heretical, which verb do we use with the word heresy? I want the verb for the 'invention' of the heresy - not a person who just follows it.

For example: 'They (past verb) this heresy in the second century.'


texts: An English Descriptive Word for Two Words

texts:
I'm currently after a synonym for "middle-aged". However, I'm needing the word to be appropriate to describe a non-living thing.

Middle-aged is more or less associated with animals and humans, not particularly describing research or articles.

If anyone has any suggestions other than "midlife", please comment.

Thank you, everyone, for your help.


texts: Does British English have an equivalent of "under the hood"?

texts: I feel like there must be some equivalent to the phrase "looking under the hood"in British English but have drawn a blank. Can anybody help?


texts: Are "disgraceful" and "ungraceful" two different kinds of negations?

texts:
"Disgraceful" and "ungraceful" are both derived from negations of "graceful".

Wiktionary describes disgraceful as

bringing or warranting disgrace; shameful.
giving offense to moral sensibilities and injurious to reputation

and ungraceful as

Not graceful; lacking grace.

Are they two different kinds of negations? Possibly the latter saying that there isn't much grace, while the former is saying that the exact opposite of grace exists? If so, are there terms for the two kinds of negations?


texts:
I have seen people using

  I do know that

instead of

  I know that

Is this usage correct?


texts: Which is grammatically correct? He was mayor (or) a mayor from 2010 to 2014

texts:
I have encountered the following sentence in Macmillan Dictionary.

  He was mayor from 2010 to 2014, if my memory serves me correctly.

But other grammar books say that we should omit the article "a/an" only after the verbs describing a change of state.) such as "He was elected mayor last year. He was appointed mayor last year." But in the Macmillan sentence, "was" is not a verb describing a change of state. It is just like some other sentence such as

  He was a professor from 2010 to 2014.

Can anybody teach me whether the dictionary sentence is grammatically correct or incorrect, and present me with some evidence which prove that your explanation is right? I'd appreciate it.


texts: "Use these five questions to ask your supervisor to make sure you end up with what you will be treated."

texts:
“Use these five questions to ask your supervisor to make sure you end up with what you will be treated.”
This is a sentence in my advanced English textbook. I am having difficulty understanding the part ...'to make sure you end up with what you will be treated'.
To my mind, 'what you will be treated' is too definite, whereas 'make sure you end up with' indicates that it you may have an idea of what you will get, but it is far from definite.
Substituting 'will' for 'should' seems to make the sentence more comprehensible (at least to me).
The sentence is used to help explain the use of infinitives in a sentence, and also '..what..' grammatically.
Is this sentence grammatically correct? Could someone explain why / why not?
Many thanks.
EDIT: changed '..with what..' to '..with..', as I realised with is part of 'end up with'.


texts:
I was always taught that when you are talking about the time you fell asleep, you say "I went to sleep at 10pm". I am increasingly hearing people say "I slept at 10pm". Is that also correct?

Related question: to "sleep" vs to "go to sleep"

However the above discusses "sleep" as part of a longer sentence, while I am talking specifically about using it in these shorter sentences.


texts:
Maybe this fits better on Skeptics @ SE?

There is an idea that is frequently seen that states that regional accents are disappearing:

Regional accents are disappearing: which do you want to save?
Regional Accents Are Disappearing and the North is Slowly Dying, Study Says
Why City Accents Are Fading in the Midwest
Fuhgeddaboudit: New York Accent On Its Way Out, Linguists Say

Multiculturalism and globalization often get blamed as the culprit for why accents are disappearing. Digital media and Hollywood, in a similar vein, are also often accused - saying that people all end up with "TV accents."

Is there any proof that regional accents are actually disappearing?


texts: Is there any difference between saying "for long" or just "long"?

texts:
For example:
Is "Good sensation of freshness long after brushing" any different from "Good sensation of freshness for long after brushing?"


texts: how to identify the subject related to the verb in complex sentences?

texts:
Here is the sentence in question:

  In 2014, Norton publicly backed "Hacked Off" and its campaign toward UK press self-regulation by "safeguarding the press from political interference while also giving vital protection to the vulnerable

How do we understand here who is safeguarding the press? Is it Norton, that bakes "Hacked Off" by safeguarding the press? Or it is the campaign that achieves UK press self-regulation by safeguarding it?
It would be also useful to know the corresponding grammar rule for cases like this and more examples of sentences like that.


texts:
I tend to finish with a ", that is." in a couple of situations:

I come in and see a heavily damaged machine, and I say

  A lost cause, that is...

And it is not always with the "that is" phrase, it also happens with "I say":

I am discussing with someone, and I say:

  Your arguments are baseless, I say.

Is this kind of "ending" for my phrases correct, or is it some kind of absurd bad habit I developed?


texts: Identifying the clause elements of the following sentence

texts:
I have a problem identifying the clause elements in the following sentence:

True phobias consist of an intense irrational fear

Is it correct to say that 'True phobias' = Subject, 'consist of' = Verb and 'an intense irrational fear' = Complement of the subject? or 'an intense irrational fear' = object?
Thanks


texts:
This weekend, I took my family to Arby's to eat.   My wife ordered us all some food, and filled the cups with some ice and some soda, then I got some sauce for my sandwich as well as some sauces for the kids' food.  I wanted to share my wife's drink, so I asked her if I might have some drink, and she corrected me in a playfully pedantic way saying that "some drink" was not correct grammar in that case.

In perusing the Internet, I have found several people agreeing with her, but while I've seen plenty of assertion that my wording was wrong, nothing that I read explained why.    During my searches, I also found several instances of "some drink" being used in that context, including Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" (which I figure has to count for something, right? :) )  I thought the community of experts at StackExchange could help me out.

I've set the stage for my story deliberately, because the way I used the noun "drink" seems comparable, to me, to the way I used "food," "ice," "soda," and "sauce," and none of those other terms seem offensive to anyone.   So I'm curious if "some drink" in my case actually is wrong (and why it's different from something like "some sauce"), or is it simply that alternative phrasings also exist (e.g. "some of your drink", "something to drink") which may be preferably more specific, but not technically any more correct?


texts:
I know there was a question like this, but they're not the same.

I've got a sentence:

  Stonehedge, on the other (side/hand), was a permanent symbol of
  afterlife.

I know that "on the other hand" is widely used but I've also heard "side".

Also, the common usage is

  on one hand, ..., on the other hand, ...

and not

  ..., on the other hand, ...

That's the reason I would choose "on the other side".

So is it correct to use "on the other side"? And which variant suits it better? It's an exam question and I'm trying to figure out if task was correct.

Looking forward to your responses. Thanks.


texts: Past Perfect And Present Perfect In One Sentence

texts:
==> Until more recently, Product XYZ had not been ready but Provider XYZ has made changes to the product a while ago that address the issue and
  markets are now embracing the product.

Is this sentence grammatically correct? My thinking was:

1) Had not been / past perfect --> It is ready ever since Provider
XYZ has released the product but since that was a while ago its a
condition that changed in the past before the present.
2) Has been /present perfect --> Provider XYZ released a product but
this release is affecting the present and future and I want to
underline that by using present perfect. I also don't know the exact moment when they released it.

Thank you for your help, much appreciated. Just wanted to make sure I am using past perfect correctly. At what point would you use "past tense" in a sentence like this? E.g. if you know exactly when the product was released.


texts: Is there a word for situations that you have no control over?

texts: As in we can't choose our  race, birthplace etc.


texts: "live on government aid" or "live off government aid"?

texts: Is there a difference in meaning between "live on government aid" and "live off government aid"? Are both correct written forms?


texts:
You must not lament in conversation with your savior over the trifles of an average boy.

what does it mean?


texts: Do these mean the same: "your friends, boss" .vs. "your friends, your boss"?

texts:
Do these have the same meaning? And are they both grammatically correct?

your friends, your lover, your boss, your dog.
your friends, lover, boss, dog.

I don't want to put "your" after every comma.


texts: Synonym for "fraction" or single word for "too small percentage"

texts:
I'd like to use another word instead of "fraction" that emphasise smallness. What can I say in this sentence:

  Among the 20,000 members who were invited to the program, only 20 of
  them participated which is a fraction of the invited members.


texts: Is there a word for "of or pertaining to"?

texts: So you have "ursine" which means "of or pertaining to bears", and you have "jentacular" which means "of or pertaining to breakfast". Is there a word that refers to this class of words, i.e. all words that mean "of or pertaining to X", where X is any arbitrary concept?


texts: Is there a similiar saying for czech "dolů ti pomůže každý, ale nahoru musíš sám" in english?

texts:
Dolů ti pomůže každý, ale nahoru musíš sám

The quote translated means something like

  Everyone will drag you down, but you have to find your way up on your own.

Is there something like that in english?


texts: Where did Shakespeare get milk of human kindness from?

texts:
In Shakespeare's 1606 play "Macbeth" the titular character is filled with ambition to become king. His wife, Lady Macbeth, says to him:

  Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full o' the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way

She used this phrase to say to her husband is not ruthless enough to achieve his ambitions. The phrase generally has come to mean compassion and/or care for others, maybe mercifulness or something similar. All the sources I've seen simply say this is the meaning of "milk of human kindness", and that it's from Shakespeare's play Macbeth:

  Fig. natural kindness and sympathy shown to others. (From Shakespeare's play Macbeth, I. v.)
  McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

  This phrase comes from Macbeth. In Lady Macbeth's soliloquy on the subject of her husband's character, she remarks... (what I quoted above)
  Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

In the internet search I did the only information I could find is what the phrase means and that it came from Shakespeare's play Macbeth.

I'm wondering if anyone knows what the milk is for in "milk of human kindness". Was Shakespeare the first to use it? I've checked dictionaries and "milk" doesn't have any special meanings I'm not aware of. The closest connection I can make is that milk is fed to a mother's young, and that that act can be seen as an act of self-sacrifice, love, maybe compassion in providing the nourishment for her little ones. Still, people are said to "have the milk of human kindness"; is "milk" here some metonym for love or sympathy or compassion?


texts:
I have a follow up question to this question: Should you use a comma/period after "Thanks"/"Regards" in email signatures?

My question is: when should you add a comma when starting a letter/email with

  Hello John,

  It was fun to see ...

I am pretty sure that a comma goes after the name, but lately I have seen several people (academics) write

  Hello, John,

  It was fun to see ...

with a comma after the Hello.

I am wondering when a comma there is appropriate.

I see this question Where should the comma be placed in the salutation of a letter? but I am wondering about the situation where you have a comma after the name also.


texts:
I see this style rather frequently and in the past decade many print advertisements have apparently decided that it makes their sentences. have. more. impact. I can tell that the style is trying to mimic a very specific spoken word pattern that accentuates every. single. word. But I don't know if this writing style has a name.

I am specifically interested in the written variant that uses periods throughout a sentence in order to emphasize each word.


texts: What do you call a government when the rulers are gods?

texts: I'm familiar with most -ocracies. And I don't mean a theocracy (rule by religious officials). This would probably make more sense in a fantasy setting (say D&D) where deities actually come down and mess around with the mortals. However if one (or more) deities took it upon themselves to rule, what would this be called?


texts:
There was a question on the test that I was not sure which option was correct.
The question is

Fill in the blank choosing the most appropriate word.

Duke is not (   ) we think him to be.

who / how / where / what

It seems to me that "how", "where", "what" could go into the blank,
as I thought we could say;

We think him to be nice.
--> an adjective "nice" can be replaced with "how."
We think him to be a doctor.
--> a noun "a doctor" can be replaced with "what."
We think him to be at home.
--> an adverbial phrase "at home" can be replaced with "where."

And "who" sounds funny in an ordinary situation because we already know it is Duke.
I chose "what" in the end.
Will someone please explain to me which one is correct, together with some explanation?


texts: Hypernym for "clients", "members" and "partners"

texts: We're building a feature for a website and trying to think of a hypernym for clients, partners and members so that the feature remains generic enough for re-use later on other websites.


texts: Does English slang have a feminine version of "breaking someone's balls"?

texts:
A question out of curiosity. Probably Not Safe For Work.
Often times, I come across this phrase especially in Hollywood movies and sitcoms. Depending on how it's used, it either means that "someone is just messing around/ kidding" with the other person or "someone wants all the nagging/botheration" to stop.
Wiktionary categorizes it as a vulgar slang with the following definitions:

to seriously irritate or nag someone.
to tease or ridicule someone; to take the piss out of someone.

An example would be the following conversation from the movie GoodFellas, between 2 men.

Tommy DeVito: No more shines, Billy.
Billy Batts: What?
Tommy DeVito: I said, no more shines. Maybe you didn't hear about it, you've been away a long time. They didn't go up there and tell you. I don't shine shoes anymore.
Billy Batts: Relax, will ya? Ya flip right out, what's got into you? I'm breaking your balls a little bit, that's all. I'm only kidding with ya...
Tommy DeVito: Sometimes you don't sound like you're kidding, you know, there's a lotta people around...

Source: IMDB
Suppose, the conversation was happening between two women or it involved a woman in the picture, what slang would used in place of "breaking (someone's) balls"?
I feel there might be some colloquialisms/slang that Native speakers would be using. As a non-native speaker, I am intrigued to know what that phrase might be.


texts: Is it OK to use "what" to refer to a place in noun clauses?

texts:
I came across the following sentence in my English test paper:

It is the best for this kind of plant to grow in what is warm and rainy.

According to my teacher, it should mean

It is the best for this kind of plant to grow in the place that is warm and rainy.

However, I think it sounds a little weird, as I've never heard of anyone using "what" to refer to a place in a noun clause. So is it grammatically correct (or OK) to say so?
(PS: Actually, I am not a native English speaker. So is my teacher. Please forgive her if it is not OK :))


texts: What does "to have something to them" mean?

texts:
I've been reading god is not Great by Christopher Hitchens which is from time to time hard to understand for me.

I came across a sentence majority of which makes sense to me, but I lose the track at the end. Here are the sentence and the one following right after:

"Later Muslim conquests, impressive in their speed and scope and decisiveness, have lent point to the idea that these Arabic incantations must have had something to them. But if you allow this cheap earthly victory as a proof, you allow the same to Joshua’s blood-soaked tribes- men or to the Christian crusaders and conquistadores." - Chrsitopher Hitchens, god is not Great, p. 125.

I cannot get the meaning of "have something to them" here. I made my search through the net and found that lots of people use the phrase, which, sadly, did not do much for my understanding.

For example, one of the results given by my search is an article by Hendrick Hertzberg on 17 May 2015, that is:

"There’s the Clashing Nationalisms Theory: alarmed at the rise of the Scottish National Party and the prospect of a Labour-S.N.P. coalition that might accelerate the breakup of the United Kingdom, English voters stampeded rightward. There’s the—well, there are a lot of theories. All have something to them, and none are mutually exclusive."

Link: http://www.newyorker.com/news/hendrik-hertzberg/misrule-britannia-the-u-k-s-screwed-up-election

Another one is an article by Kimberly Lew which is as follows:

"Fourth Tier. These are the ideas that have something to them, but you can’t quite put your finger on it yet. It isn’t even a fully developed concept yet, but you know you’re going to think of it from time to time."

Link: http://www.crazytownblog.com/crazytown/brainfood/page/25/


texts: What are the exceptions for comma splice rule?

texts:
I understand that if two independent sentences are connected with a comma but without a conjunction it is considered a comma splice. Recently I have seen the below sentence in a book and to me it looks like a comma splice. If I'm correct in my conclusion that the below qualifies for a comma splice, then what are the exceptions for the comma splice rule?

  "The smaller numbers come from darker patches, the larger numbers from brighter patches."


texts: What would be an appropriate word for a medicine that prevents Alzheimer's Disease?

texts:
Medicines that people take or give to their children and pets in the hope of preventing infectious diseases are called "vaccines", "immunizations", "inoculations", or "prophylactics".

In discussing the idea that in the future, there may be a medicine that prevents Alzheimer's Disease, what word might we use to describe it?  I doubt that the listed terms would reasonably apply because they are all used to describe medicines that prevent infectious diseases as opposed to disease caused by the body not working right.

The word vaccine comes from the Latin word for cow because the first vaccines were derived from cows, so that doesn't sound like it has anything to do with AD.

Likewise, immunization suggests that there is something that your body becomes immune to, but in AD, there is no pathogen to be immune to.

All of the cited words are associated with medicines that induce an antibody response, which probably has nothing to do with AD.

If such a medicine were available today to prevent AD and I were going to the doctor's office to receive it, how would I tell you this?

I would say, "I am going to the doctor's office to get __________?


texts: Can I use the word "library" to refer to collections of things other than books or software?

texts:
It makes sense to say "library of books".  Is it legitimate to use the word "library" in other contexts.

For example, could one have a "library of hedgehogs" or a "library of apples"?


texts: Analog for 'side', but for front vs. rear

texts:
I wish to name a property that expresses whether something is in the front or at the rear.  This term has to be used together with 'side' without causing ambiguity.

Much like 'side' can be left or right, 'height' can be high or low, '????' can be front or rear.

Is there a word for that?


texts: Can I write "A and B are the average number of apples for each boy and each girl, respectively"?

texts:
There are some boys and some girls. I gives apples to them.
Now, A represents the average number of apples for each boy.
B represents the average number of apples for each girl.

Can I write:

  A and B are the average number of apples for each boy and each girl, respectively.

Or, do you have better sentences?


texts:
I'm looking for a synonym for a word like correct, true, right, well-formed or "not misleading", "without error" -

but it should end with -ent.

The closest I can come is "confident", but it doesn't really work as it has to apply to data or observations, not to people.

Can anyone help me?

EDIT 2: Example of sentence:

"The data must be consistent (in terms of input codes etc.), sufficient (i.e. in large volumes with no or very few missing observations), pertinent (i.e observations relevant to the analyses) and -----ent (i.e. the observations must be correctly recorded)."

It doesn't have to end with -ment, just with -ent.

EDIT: I've tried looking up synonyms and synonyms of synonyms etc. on three to four different online dictionaries. I also came across "decent" and "diligent", but they don't really work either. Thus, it is not a question that can just be looked up using commonly available resources. I'm not an English learner, either. Please remove the hold again as the forum suggested is not more suited for this question.


texts: Should a semicolon be used with a conjunction and a dependent clause?

texts:
I've seen semicolons used to separate independent clauses, but is it correct to use them with an independent clause, a conjunction, and a dependent clause?

<independent clause 1>; but <dependent clause 2>

For example, consider this sentence:

  The product permits a dual use that provides all of the standard benefits of a typical standing mat; but also provides a more sports oriented mat in the same product.

Or since it is dependent, must it be a comma?

  The product permits a dual use that provides all of the standard benefits of a typical standing mat, but also provides a more sports oriented mat in the same product.


texts: What is the correct visualization of "first left down the hallway"?

texts:
I hear a lot of native speakers say something like this:

Once in the arena take first left down the hallway
Take your first left down the hallway.
When you come to the second floor, make a left and then take your first left down the hallway.

I am confused by such sentences because I am not sure if, when speakers say "first left down the hallway", they mean this:

or that:

In other words, do they mean "take a left into the hallway and go down"(first picture) or "take left out of the hallway"(second picture)?


texts:
The rules of punctuation of dialogue tags and interruptions without a dialogue tag are quite different. The two types of interruptions usually can be distinguished by the verb used - if it describes speech, it's a dialogue tag. If it doesn't, it's speech interrupted by action.

Which rules to use though, if one side of the dialogue is mute, and using various alternate means to communicate. I mean "tags"(?) like

she wrote
she signalled with her hands [sign language]
appeared on the screen [while she typed it out of sight, but within earshot]
she amended the text [added to what was already written].
she touched letters on the keyboard in sequence. [unpowered computer]
she scratched in the sand with her foot.

Should actions like these be considered dialogue tags?


texts: In 1980, he designed a radio which (was/is) made with old tin can : which is right? was?is?

texts:
the radio in the context is still being made(in africa)
so i thought 'is' should come,
but my friend told me to use 'was'

which is right? i'm confused


texts: What's a synonym for “Bull**it” when referring to something like writing English papers?

texts:
“Bullshit” is often a slang verb used when writing essays to mean that you are writing things without much deep thought or care.

I'm looking for a more formal definition of the word “Bullshit”.  I need something that means the same thing as “to Bullshit” but for a more formal setting.

That actual use-case is that I’m trying to tell a professor in a teacher evaluation that “it’s not an easy class where you can just bullshit your way through it”, but I want to use a more formal synonym and something less explicit/slang-like.

Thanks


texts:
I read somewhere (I don't remember the source and I'm not sure if it's true) that Americans tend to replace the "ng" sound with only "n" in casual/fast speech.

For example: Who's calling? sounds like [huz ˈkɔ lɪn] instead of [huz ˈkɔ lɪŋ]. The difference is between the two sounds: n and ŋ

Is it true?


texts: I know "parts of speech" is used to mean nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc., but is there a word or phrase for "types of nouns" that would include subject, direct object, indirect object, etc.?