texts: English speakers will change pronunciation and spelling of foreign words to make them easier to manage and we call this Anglicization. Japanese do this too, adding extra vowels to foreign words to make them roll off the Japanese tongue more easily. Is there a word for this, like "Japanization"? All I can find is "transliteration into Japanese", but that is awkward and sounds too mechanical.


texts: What does "that Frank Sinatra at the bar act" mean in this sentence?

texts:
When I read a comic book called "Thief of Thieves" by Robert Kirkman, I cannot understand the scene below:

  The man is drinking alone at the bar counter and seems deep in thought. And the woman, who was asked by him to meet at the bar, comes and says "Okay, I don't really care how deep you are in that Frank Sinatra at the bar act...you're still buying." They are kind of friends (although their relationship is much more complicated, I just say they are friends to simplify the context).

What does she mean by "that Frank Sinatra at the bar act"? I googled Frank Sinatra and bar but couldn't find other than this medley and Sinatra Piano Bar. Could someone help me with this?


texts: How to differentiate from multiple interpretations of the word "language"

texts:
Suppose I'm currently writing an introduction to programming languages. One of my paragraphs start as follows:

  Everyone can learn how to program. It is like learning a new language. [...]

In this sentence, by language I mean Spanish, English, French, etc. This kind of language.

But as the reader, how would you know that? Language may be referencing a programming language or a speech language (Spanish, English ...).

Of course, if it'd mean a programming language, the sentence will make not sense, so the reader will opt for the other alternative.

But consider a translation program or software which the only information available to it is the context of the text. Judging by the context, it'd be consitent that I am refering to programming languages. So it'll be translated accordingly.

In Spanish, we have a specific word for speech languages, which is idioma.
This word will remove the ambiguity and the reader can now know exactly what I mean.

But there isn't a similar word in English (nor that I know of, of course). I'm not proficient at it, but "idiom" seems like a totally different thing from me than its spanish translation.

When saying or writing the word "language", how can I explciitly differentiate from a programming language, or a "speech language", or any kind of different language?


texts: Writing with negative numbers in sentences

texts:
What is correct in writing the following:

  "Total imports in the US grew 5.82% CAGR from 2010-2012 and later declined to -1.18% CAGR from 2013-2016."


texts: Searching a word to describe a person who has a lot of influence over a group or society

texts:
for example a famous person has a lot of influence over the society.

they are like axis or sth in the society.


texts: Question regarding the use of "rather than"

texts:
Can you please tell me whether the following sentence is correct? Would you improve it (for example using appropriate punctuation)?

  Hence several attempts have been made to cope with rather than eliminate the presence of cancer cells.


texts: Is there a standard poetic contraction for "holiest"?

texts:
Is there a standard poetic contraction for the word "holiest"?  I wish to contract it to two syllables, such that it reads "HOLE-yist".  Should this be spelled "hol'est"?  Or even "hol'iest"?

Would be very grateful for a reference to a poem where this contraction is used.


texts: Is there any term encompassing all those "phobias"? I mean a word describing state of hatred towards all kind of minorities?


texts: Which is correct or what are the defferences between: 'use of a something , 'using of something' or just 'using something'?

texts: I've run into a phrase: 'use of PPE (personal protective equipment)'. But I'm confused with the 'use'- forms as a noun. Is it correct to say 'using of PPE' or 'using PPE' without a preposition? And what's the difference between 'use' and 'using' as nouns?


texts:
Is there a name for the extra “uh” syllable that is sometimes added as emphasis on the end of words? From looking for examples this is an extra schwa syllable added to words. From further searching it seems to be more common among younger people. Children, teens, and young adults more than anyone else.

Examples:

  Oh my god-uh!

And

  I used to play this all the time-uh!

It is so common that I feel there should be a name for it.

Some examples (added as I find them)

"I used to play this all the time-uh" : this is what I saw that drove me to ask the question. This is only a mild example of what I mentioned.

The cartoon (and comments) here show this phenomenon

Video linked from the previous link... with questionable language!

Video from an SNL skit. "Sorry-uh!"

Amy Pond in Doctor Who. "You are late for my wedding-uh!"


texts: Do I use the suffix -ist or -istic in adjectival forms of words that end in -ism

texts:
So basically, I want to use the word infallibilism in its adjectival form and I don't whether to write infallibilist or infallibilistic. I have to say the former sounds better for some reason.

An easier example may be with minimalism. Is it "Joe's idea of decorating a room is very minimalist" or "Joe's idea of decorating a room is very minimalistic".

An answer I anticipate is that both are possible, but I would like to know what exactly the difference is, for there must be a difference, if ever so subtle.


texts:
An old Norfolk character I knew, used to say: 'Tha's no use you a-putten yar foot down, if you hearnt got a leg to stand on'. In English, that is: 'It's no good putting your foot down if you haven't a leg to stand on'.

When I was at school we were always warned against 'mixed metaphors'. So are mixed metaphors of this kind acceptable?


texts: Simple past or past perfect in this example

texts:
In the following examples:

When I was five years old I had a dog.

Is this a past perfect sentence? Here, I know that the 'dog' is not a verb and because we use third form of verb after 'had' so this got me confused.

I just had a meal.

Is this a simple past sentence? Here, 'meal' is also not a verb.


texts:
I've already read a lot about the usage of "due to" and "because of" and it's clear to me when to use "due to" and when to use "because of".

So "due to" is usually linked to the noun, right?

The cancellation was due to the rain

whereas "because of" is usually linked to a verb

Because of the rain they cancelled it

"Due to" can be replaced by "caused by"

Taking all those rules into consideration should the very famous sentence on YouTube:" Your video has been deleted due to copyright restriction" not be grammatically incorrect?

Or a sentence you hear very often on airplanes is:" Due to safety regulations you have to remain seated until the seatbelt sign has been switched off!"
Shouldn't this sentence also be incorrect?

Thanks for your help in advance!


texts:
In online writing, such as on StackExchange sites, using the word "dude" is most likely unnecessary (it's obvious to whom a comment is addressed, and there are @mentions). What connotation does "dude" carry when included in a sentence?

Also, how does the meaning tend to vary if the writer is a native American English speaker, vs. non-American (e.g. Indian English, British etc.)


texts: Can "nice" when used about people mean "beautiful"? Can a nice woman be ugly?

texts:
Can nice used with a person be about his/her look?
Can I use a nice woman and mean (sexually) attractive, like in a beautiful woman? Or is it always only about their behaviour and kindness, when used about people?
And more specific: can a nice woman be ugly? :)

nice, adj

giving pleasure or joy : good and enjoyable
attractive or of good quality
kind, polite, and friendly

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nice


texts: Do auroras count as an "optical" phenomenon?

texts:
This question relates to the exact meaning of "optical". I would normally say that optics refer to phenomena caused by the behavior of light through different media, like reflection, refraction, diffusion, and so on.

However, I recently read about auroras being referred to as an optical phenomenon. I thought that strange, since auroras arise due the interaction of cosmic particles and air, simply emitting light at the right places, and is pretty much entirely unrelated to any breaking of the light.

But I couldn't really protest since I'm not sure that my naïve understanding of "optics" is correct. What say you?


texts: Where did the term "Your Obedient Servant" originate?

texts: In political letters throughout history, the closing "Your Obedient Servant" appears many times (For example, president Lincoln uses it in all of his letters). Where and how did this phrase originate and how did its usage develop?


texts: Is "after all" necessary in the following paragraph?

texts:
Of all the people who wanted to join the trip, Anna was the the last I
  expected would come. We barely knew each other at school after
  all, and I was pretty sure she wasn't interested in me.

Is the after all necessary? What's a situation where it's definitely needed?


texts: Best replacements for the term "as if" and "as though"?

texts:
I've written an 8-page descriptive essay, but now that I take a second look at it, terms "as if" and "as though" come up quite a bit. I'd appreciate if any one could suggest some other words or terms that can replace them.

For example, "It seemes/ed like" is one that can be used instead with a slight change to the sentense.

Any others?

Thanks.

PS. Just joined btw!


texts:
Can we put the sentence "same as" after a noun? For example,

He drives the same car as you.
He drives the car same as you.

Can we use the latter expression instead of the former?

I seldom see the usage like the latter, but some of my colleagues use it.


texts:
I edit papers on ancient history, and one issue that keeps coming up is whether to refer to "the AD 80s" (or 50s or 90s etc, referring to a decade in the first century AD) or "the 80s AD".
New Hart's Rules simply states (p. 191):

AD [...] should be placed before the numerals, as in AD 375 (not 375 AD). However, when the date is spelled out it is normal to write the third century AD rather than AD the third century.

However, it has no guidance on decades.
Google Ngrams seems to indicate a preference for writing AD before the decade, but when it comes to phrases such as "the early 80s AD [or AD 80s]" there is very little data, and what there is seems to lean toward writing AD after the decade.
House style dictates the use of AD and BC, so I can't solve it by using CE instead.
So to summarize, how should the following phrases be written (bearing in mind they both occur in the same document, so need to be consistent)?

the 80s AD, or the AD 80s?
the early 90s AD, or the early AD 90s?

Many thanks.


texts: Meaning of "financial instruments expanded the dimensions over which individuals could come to agreements"

texts:
Financial markets allow strangers to exchange value through time more efficiently than traditional reciprocity arrangements do. They do not require shared belief systems or cultural norms, simply a structure for documentation and enforcement. Financial instruments expanded the dimensions over which individuals could come to agreements, and this expansion uniquely fits the needs of a complex, multidimensional urban society.

Does it mean people had more ways in which to reach agreements or that they could come to agreements on more things?


texts: What would you call that feeling of something crawling on the body

texts:
Morgellons is a controversial and poorly understood condition in
  which unusual thread-like fibers appear under the skin.

  The patient may feel like something is crawling, biting, or stinging
  all over.

Is there a non-medical term for such a feeling of something crawling
on the body/under the skin.
An adjective or a noun ?


texts: Difference between an information question and a distrusting question

texts:
What I'm looking for is a way to literally describe two different kinds of questions, first the information seeking question:

"what is your name?"
or
"how old are you?"

with the more distrusting and vague:

"what are you doing?"
or
"are you sure about this?"

Is there a another word for one of these two types of queries? To question someone can be both neutral (first kind) and negative (second kind).


texts: "in" or "from" before an industry sector

texts:
At a "Your Weekly Address" of White House on August 13, I found the following sentence in a message by President Obama:

  And carbon pollution from our energy sector is at its lowest level in 25 years, even as we’re continuing to grow our economy.

I wonder (or am confused) whether "from" is appropriate here to describe energy sector, or whether the preposition should be "in". So please explain the cases in which "in" or "from" should be used, or whether there is no difference at all (so I can use either one). Thank you.


texts: Is "Do your data bear this out?" correct?

texts:
While reading SICP, if found the following expression:

  Since the Fermat test has O(log n) growth, how would you expect the
  time to test primes near 1,000,000 to compare with the time needed to
  test primes near 1000? Do your data bear this out?

Is it correct? Shoudn't it be "Does your data bear this out?"


texts:
I'm currently reading "Assuming a mantle of power" from International New York Times (May 14, 2015), and the article is about a soft power look that female leaders are donning, with pencil skirts and three-quarter-sleeved jackets being the best examples of the look.

Then, I came across the following phrase:

  Put simply: written one pencil-skirt, three-quarter-sleeved jacket suit critique, written ’em all.

Is "one" the determiner? And are "pencil-skirt" and "three-quarter-sleeved" adjectives? Is "critique" being a noun that "one" modifies? Then what is "jacket suit"?

I guess what I'm really asking is how come there are no hyphens between "sleeved" and "jacket;" and "jacket" and suit"? As far as I know to make a compound adjective that modifies a noun before it must be hyphened.

Not comprehending these mechanics here, I'm totally confused what the author is trying to convey here.

Can somebody explain what the meaning of the phrase and all the hyphens here? Or if they are used wrong, maybe suggest the right way to use them?


texts:
My father is my hero.
My hero is my father.

Any difference between or errors in these two sentences?


texts:
The word "youths" always seems to be used in a negative sense (e.g. "Drunken youths", "Disaffected youths"), and our church has now adopted the more politically-correct sounding phrase "young people".

Does the word "youths" have an inherently negative connotation?


texts:
Is there a difference in whether brother is explicitly possessive in sentences like this?

A friend of her brother's called

A friend of her brother called

Perhaps both are correct; do they have a subtle (or not-so-subtle) difference?


texts: What is the best word to describe a person's false pride?

texts: I need to build up a sentence saying like this "She has no false pride like other actresses, she replies to every message sent by her fans". I need to emphasize that she has no false pride like other actresses. Much appreciated if someone can build a better sentence than mine. thanks.


texts: Why is irrespective considered a proper word but irregardless is not?


texts:
I'm wondering which of the following options is correct in writing:

The question is how do we improve our French.
The question is, how do we improve our French?
The question is: How do we improve our French?
The question is how we can improve our French.


texts: Multiple nouns compounding with the same adjective

texts:
What is the correct way of writing resource-intensive and knowledge-intensive in contracted form?

Would it be:
Resource- and knowledge-intensive?

Or:
Resource and knowledge-intensive?


texts:
An example for the use of "potted history":

  The potted history of P-values, at least when told by certain
  sorts of Bayesians, is that they were an invention of R. A. Fisher
  that set scientific inference on the wrong basis for the better part
  of a century. For instance, Nate Silver spends a whole chapter on this
  potted history in his recent book.


texts:
When I look on Google, I see both of these used.

Singular:

  ... for students grade 6-12

Plural:

  ... for students grades 6 - 12

The plural form has significantly more results on Google and sounds more correct to me because I read the sentence with an implied "in" between the words "students" and "grades".

Which form is correct / better (if any)? In particular, if I were to use this on marketing material for an education-saavy audience, which form should I use?


texts: Is there a language technique that categories inverse meanings?

texts:
After being asked if I want a receipt at the markets, I notice I can alternate between
 - I'm good
 - I'm fine
 - I'm okay

All of these by literal meaning, vaguely motions a "positive" response, whilst they are used in a negative way, i.e. "No thanks"

What do we call this a type of language technique? If there is such a thing


texts: Idiom for opposite of "chain is only as strong as its weakest link"?

texts:
Generally when working in teams, people are quick to say the common adage that

  A chain is only as strong as its weakest link

Which implies that it only takes one poor team member to destroy a team's work. However I was wondering if anyone knew of any opposite versions of this, in which one strong member on a team can lead the team to success, or, more specifically what I am looking for, the idea that one weak member can grow stronger from those team members helping around them. A quick thought I made up myself went as

  If the strong help the weak lift weights in the gym, soon all will be strong.

But I was wondering if there was something more established I hadn't heard of.


texts: "a food-hygienically acceptable substance": Grammatical syntax?

texts:
In a document (written by a native Japanese speaker), I see the following phrase that sets off my acceptability and grammaticality alarms:

  a food-hygienically acceptable substance

Google shows only 130 or so hits for:

  food-hygienically acceptable

some of which are like for:

  keep the food hygienically acceptable

Which is fine.

But the others are all translated from Japanese, which makes me suspicious.

So my questions to other native speakers are:

Is the syntax of "a food-hygienically acceptable substance" grammatical? I can’t seem to extrapolate to other such A+NOUN+HYPHEN+LY ADVERB+NOUN phrases to test it.
Is there any more natural way to express this, such as:

Left-side modification:

  a food-hygiene-acceptable substance

More grammatical, but still awkward.

Right-side modification:

  a substance acceptable in terms of food hygiene


texts: Passive voice reuse after "and" conjunction + screen/display usage

texts:
1 Should you copy passive voice frame if the verb has a pair connected with &?

2 Which is more preferable - screen or display in terms of colorless led surface of small smartwatches?

3 Is it possible to omit last "an"?

A full meal can take up to 10 hours to get digested by your body & show up on smartband screen as intake

A full meal can take up to 10 hours to get digested by your body & to be shown up on smartband display as an intake


texts:
In my language, we have a word (a verb) for messy eating. When someone is eating messily, like when they play with their food, eat carelessly, or mess up their plate by making it look unappetising and gross, we say they are "balboocheh" (verb). This word is similar "muddle", "jumble" or "garble", except these words I believe don't really pertain "eating messily" (or perhaps they can be used so?).
In a sentence, the word should be used in this sense:
"Sara, stop [insert word]-ing your spaghetti. Eat properly!"


texts:
Historians see history as being driven by a combination of cumulative long-term trends and short to mid-term cycles, each of which contains the seeds of a subsequent but familiar situation.

Especially, I didn't understand the part "short to mid-term".


texts: Using multiple "by"s in a compound sentence

texts:
Which one is correct in the following sentences?

Due to the peculiar device operation, the avalanche can be triggered not only by photogenerated carriers but also by carriers thermally generated or by trapping levels in the semiconductor.

Due to the peculiar device operation, the avalanche can be triggered not only by photogenerated carriers but also carriers thermally generated or trapping levels in the semiconductor.

Do I need to use the by that many times in a compound sentence?


texts:
Hammer a nail into my chin, if it ever happened.
Informally they say,
Spit on my grave if it ever happened.

Someone who is so confident that his following statement is irrefutable and cannot be gainsaid. He would precede by saying it. It's to persuade and convince.
I'm looking for a formal way of saying this in English.

Hammering a nail into one's chin is in some parts of the Arab World goes back to a pre-Islamic custom that shames people.


texts: Does the “-s” change the word class of “it”?

texts:
The word it is a pronoun. When I add an s to it, does it change the word class?
For example in the following sentence:

The gift is still in its box.

My questions are:

Does the "S" change the word class?

Is the "S" an inflectional or derivational morpheme?


texts: What is the connection between motherhood and apple pie?

texts: I know the idiom motherhood and apple pie is used to denote some principles with which few disagree. But what is the connection between motherhood and apple pie? I am not very familiar with American culture. I want to understand what makes this phrase to mean what it means.


texts:
In a verbal construction, like scuba diving, what is 'scuba' held to be?

  I like scuba diving.

Above, 'scuba diving' is a gerund.

  I like to scuba dive.

Above, 'to scuba dive' is the infinitive.

Is 'scuba' considered a noun adjunct in a verbal construction like this?

And there are plenty of other examples like this:

to skate board
to spear fish
to space walk
to home school


texts: Where in the U.S. do people change the stress of umbrella, adult and TV to the first syllable?

texts:
Is it just a small percentage of the population in that region who stress the first syllable, or is it widespread?

In other words, if I visit such a region will I find almost everyone talking like that or is it something restricted to a certain neighbourhood?


texts: Another phrase for 'more that meets the eye'

texts:
I was wondering if there is another phrase that has the same meaning as 'more than meets the eye'? I have an assignment discussing picture books and my friend told me about this phrase, but I don't want to copy her. I say:

  'Dust has many visual literacy elements, one page that is a good example of this is page seven..."


texts: "It would be best if ..." vs "It would be the best if...", which one is right?

texts:
"It would be best if you could ..." vs "it would be the best if you could...", which one is right?

I search it using google and find most people say "would be best" without a definite article. While I thought "the best" is a situation that is known to all so it should follow a definite article. Is it because we always use "It would be better" therefore we drop "the" when we use "be the best".
And there is a similar question about whether "be best" is grammatically right or not
“Be Best” - is the grammar right?


texts:
Recently I finished a task of investigating some issues and sent out the report. One of my managers replies:

  Sounds like lots of cheap wins found. ...

What does cheap win mean here?


texts: Is there a word/adverb that describes that "something was done which shouldn't have been done"?

texts:
Is there a word for "something was done which shouldn't have been done" in the English language?

For example, let's say a soldier fires a shot even though his commander ordered a cease fire, you could say:
"The soldier erroneously/fallaciously fired a shot, despite the order of his superior officer."

Is there a better word for erroneously/fallaciously in this context?
Something that places more emphasis on the fact that it was an action that was performed by the subject which [under general consensus] was explicitly advised against or even prohibited to be performed by the subject.

Erroneously/fallaciously places more emphasis on that it was "wrong", but I'm looking for something else here...


texts: Is the expression "done right" proper grammar?

texts:
Suppose I have the sentence: "This is a website done right."

It sounds wrong, but I cannot find any grammatical rules that confirm my suspicions. Am I just crazy or is that improper grammar?


texts:
I came across this sentence in Tech article which describes a feature of List element:

Accessing elements is very fast near the extremes of the list

What does near the extremes mean in this sentence?


texts: Is there a saying like "I don't believe myself"?

texts: Could I say "I don't believe myself"? Like I am saying some facts that are so unbelievable that I am not sure if they are even correct. Or where nobody else believes something that I am saying and I then I am starting to doubt myself.


texts: Is "sub-project" more like "support project" or "child project"?

texts:
I have a controversy of my project's leader about the meaning of "sub-project". When we need to translate sub-project from English to our native language (Vietnamese), I think that we should understand it as child project, as subsets in mathematics, because without the mother project, that sub-project has no significant role in our program. However, in her opinion, it should be translate literally to support project, since without it, the main project's result become less significant. In other words, I define the word by its role to the whole program, she defines it by its role to the main project.

There is no definition for this word in famous dictionaries like Oxford or Merriam-Webster, except Collins dictionary:

  a project that is part of a larger project

This doesn't help. Which meaning is better for sub-project, "support project" or "child project"?


texts: What is the difference between "photo" and "image"?

texts: What is the difference between photo and image?


texts: I keep hearing people who do not ordinarily stutter or stammer say "is is" when they mean "is".  Is this a known mental disorder?


texts:
I want to know what is most correct:

I fell on the snow

I fell in the snow

Context: someone falls and there's snow


texts: How do you call a "union or group of memories" in a single word?

texts:
A memory is a representation of the brain about something.
How do you call a union of those representations in a single word?
A union or group of memories is? A scene?


texts: Does anyone know of a word that means a person is a consumer of technology, but not necessarily a creator of it? Something that would be similar to "non-technical consumer", or "non-technical user".


texts: Should I use the question sign in a phrase started with "I'm wondering..."?

texts:
Is it correct to use the question sign ? for indirect questions started with the phrase "I'm wondering"?

For example,

  I am wondering if you know his name?

Formally this is not a question, because it starts with "I am wondering" but not "Am I wondering".


texts: Clauses of purpose: "for + -ing" or "to-infinitive

texts:
In the following sentence, how should the clause of purpose be introduced?

  In addition to normal maintenance, there are additional costs associated with interventions that may be required to meet/for
  meeting minimum safety standards


texts: Can you use "in person" for inanimate objects, as in "the car looks completely different in person" implying the car is different than the picture?


texts: What is wrong with my sentence structure?

texts:
'With my brother standing by my side, I reached for the pot handle, tilting the pot way too much caused the boiling water to spill.’

My gut feeling tells me that there is something wrong with this sentence. It looks like the sentence is too long. Can you tell me how I could make the sentence flow better? or help me figure out why it's wrong?


texts: Word for when someone gets into a job/role due to being related to someone

texts:
It's a word that suggests that educated or talented people who aren't related don't stand a chance. The word is why Peaches Geldof is famous today.

It is a real word, I just forgot the word.


texts:
I'm studying English to teach as a foreign language and can't completely grasp the difference between concrete and abstract nouns.
For example, "recipe" is a noun. I understand that a recipe card would be a concrete noun but would recipe alone be an abstract noun i.e. an idea?

TIA
Eloise


texts: Where did the expression 'playing the world's smallest violin' come from?


texts: Is it bad style to use homographs near each other?

texts:
I came across this text in an article and I thought something about it interrupted my reading flow:

"They've also shown an inability to close when they get close,..."

The context is about particular professional golfers who struggle with making a strong finish in a tournament (closing out the event) when they are near (close) to the lead.

I don't think there is an issue with the sound of the words or their meaning, but seeing the exact same word twice so close together but with different meanings feels sort of clunky.

If I were an editor (and there's probably a good reason I'm not), I would change one "close" to a different word.

My question is: Is this formally considered bad style?

I'm curious to hear 3 different types of answers:

opinions (my opinion is that this is clunky and should be avoided)
references to formal English language material, similar to The Elements of Style (I don't recall this topic being addressed there)

and

professional experience in a distinct writing domain eg local news reporting or publishing academic papers


texts: What are the best British words for the sound produced by a vibrating mobile?


texts: Which word can be used for the person who is challenged (in a contest)?

texts: The words "challenge" and "challenger" are well-known, but is there such a term as "challengee" - as I read somewhere? In other words, what would be an appropriate term to describe the person challenged, for instance, to play a challenge match? Unsure whether to ask for the "antonym" of challenger.


texts: HQs : plural of the abbreviation of "headquarters"

texts:
According to the CambridgeGEL, headquarters has the same singular and plural form, but HQs is the plural of the abbreviation of "headquarters".
Aren't both statements contradictory? Apparently people use it as fallows:
A company with one headquarters has an HQ. A company with two headquarters has two HQs. According to Wiktionary, hdqrs (plural hdqrs).
Yet, does h.q. or H.Q. have a similar plural?


texts:
I need a phrase to express gratitude for the additional work on a specific topic someone did while I was busy. I was thinking

  Thanks to X for pulling a lot of weight doing Y while I was busy

but I am not sure if the phrase "pulling one's weight" is applicable like this.

Any input? Thanks!


texts:
In my mother tongue, we sometimes express that the next "Natural step" can be to do something. However, this feels directly translated and not very accurate when expressed in English. Also, a Quick google search indicates to me that it is not commonly used in this context.

Do you recognize the expression?

If not, how could I describe that something would "naturally" be the next step in further development or investigation of something?


texts: Is there a word to describe someone who wakes up in predawn?

texts:
I'm trying to translate a poem from Persian. In the poem there is a noun that describes the person who has woken up before the dawn, way before others! It's used in a metaphorical way to describe the person as more aware and wiser than others, not just a bit but much more than them.

Is there a noun to be used for this particular kind of purpose?


texts: Is "snoot" really a word? Where did it originate?

texts:
I have seen the word (or term) "snoot" defined as a person who is punctilious about words, grammar, punctuation, pronunciation, and allied linguistic skills. I'm told that snoot is less off-putting than such pejorative terms as grammar nazi, word nerd, syntax snob, or language police. David Foster Wallace called those terms "outright dysphemisms" and defined a snoot as "somebody who knows what dysphemism means and doesn't mind letting you know it." See Wallace, "Tense Present," Harper's, Apr. 2001, at 39.(PDF)

But is snoot a real word or a coined term, and if the latter, how was it coined?


texts: Can both "that"-s be dropped in "Here's the email that he sent that I mentioned"?

texts: Can both that-s be dropped in "Here's the email that he sent that I mentioned"?  Is this grammatical: "Here's the email he sent I mentioned"?


texts: If I was vs. if I were - which is correct and why?

texts:
Which is right? "If I was from France, would I get a visa from Ghanaian embassy?" vs. "were from France"
"If I was taller, I would buy that dress." vs. "if I were"
"If I was 20, I would travel the world." vs. "if I were"
"If I was the Queen of England, I would give everyone a chicken." vs. "if I were"
"If I was a flower, I would bloom." vs. "if I were"
"If the weather wasn't so bad, we could go outside." vs. "weren't"
Please state which is correct and please describe why in detail. Try to give a definitive rule/answer.


texts:
unfortunately, it seems as though my English level remains to be that of a foreigner, as was exemplified by me misapprehending the pronunciation of the word "divisor". Somehow, my instincts (which were, perhaps, misguided by my upbringing in the German language) told me to pronounce this word "deeveesor" (the first two syllables being, of course, speaken quickly), which would be closer to the German pronunciation customs. However, I checked it on the internet and I wasn't able to find this pronunciation anywhere. Hence, I'd like to ask you whether it is, in fact, a false pronunciation, or whether it is permitted.

(Of course, when I say "permitted", I mean permitted in the English language as spoken in the UK.)


texts: What phrase can describe the final moments before a deadline?

texts:
I got a call from a friend while 10 minutes were left of my birthday. I want to put it like that

  The phone call from him ___________ was the icing on the cake.

How to express that only 10 minutes were left of that day? should the time thing be in the blank space?
Is the following sentence correct?

  The phone call from him 10 minutes prior to end of the day was the icing on the cake.


texts: A house "made of " or "made from" mud bricks?

texts:
I know the difference between "made of" and "made from", but could you help me choose which one I should use in the following sentence?

  This house is made of (or) from mud bricks


texts: When are liable and likely interchangeable?

texts:
For liable, a sentence in which it is used correctly;

  Such a figure is liable to be attacked as a blasphemer.

For likely:

  What he told me is likely to be true. (Not liable. It sounds weird)

Ok I know I can't be 100% sure of things just because of how it sounds. I want a reason from a grammatical view point.

Here is a sentence where liable is less suitable than likely. (According to my exam practice book. It doesn't explain why. But its words definitely got some weight to it.)

  That book is liable to become a best seller because it is well written, full of suspense, and very entertaining,


texts: Word/phrase/idiom for person who is no longer deceived

texts: Is there a word, phrase or idiom that describes someone who is no longer deceived?


texts: What do you mean by the phrase David vs. Goliath?

texts: While watching the hit TV series Suits I noticed a headline "David vs. Goliath" published in the newspaper when the show's protagonist gets in an altercation with a common cab driver What does it mean?


texts: What is the context in which 'ice breaking' is a good thing?

texts:
If you are on a frozen lake and the ice breaks you basically plunge into cold water.  That could end badly.

What is the explanation for 'getting to know everyone', or 'getting the conversation started' gets to be called 'breaking the ice', or any action that causes dialogue to start gets to be called 'icebreaker'?

There are other phrases like 'thawing of relations', or 'warming up to each other' which are used to describe people starting (starting again?) to get along.  But is 'icebreaker' just a mistake that became popular and then accepted?


texts: When writing a letter for someone, what is the best way to say so? Rather than simply use the words, "I am writing this letter for John Smith"


texts: Pronunciation of bath and maths in British English

texts:
In Southern standard British English, bath is pronounced as /bɑːθ/ with a long a while maths is pronounced as /mæθs/ with a short ae sound. Why does that happen?

Both maths and bath end with θ. Even though both of them start with bilabial sounds they are pronounced differently. Is there any rule for that?


texts:
Is it correct in formal writing to use while as a non-temporal adverb?
For instance

  Phenomenon A is generated by XXX, while phenomenon B is generated by YYY

Should I rather use :

  Phenomenon A is generated by XXX, but/and phenomenon B is generated by YYY

Note that I do not want to imply that A and B are happening at the same time.


texts: What's the correct usage of this sentence?

texts:
Had you been there, you would have understood.

or

  If you had been there, you would have understood.

Which of the above sentences is a grammatically correct sentence or usually preferred over the other? Please throw some light on the correct usage of similar kinds of sentences.


texts: Correct word for "The person who post a comment"

texts: In a situation of articles and comments, a comment is "posted by" someone. How to define the person who posted the comment?


texts: Difference between "of the reasons why" and "why"

texts:
Is there any difference between "of the reasons why" and "why"?

Which of the following is better in formal speeches?

Could you inform us why...
Could you inform us of the reasons why...

According to the Oxford Dictionary, why means "For what reason or purpose". Hence, isn't "of the reasons why" repetitive?


texts:
I'm unsure where to put the word "only" in the following sentence:

  The machine must be operated by the authorized personnel from [company X] only.
  The machine must only be operated by the authorized personnel from [company X].
  The machine must be operated only by the authorized personnel from [company X].

If there's another way of saying this, let me know.


texts: Is there a difference between "opt" and "choose"?

texts:
Could you give examples where one is better suited than the other one? Or are they completely synonymous?

(I'm not a native speaker.)

Update: I'm writing a piece software documentation and I wonder if it's better to use choose or opt:

  ... Note that these components can receive input themselves (although they may opt/choose not to). ...


texts:
I'm looking for a word or brief phrase that means someone who dates/pursues/has relationships with women much younger than himself.  If the word happens to be gender neutral (not specific to a particular gender) that's fine, but doesn't need to be.

While "manther" (a recent mutation on the word "cougar") is a lovely modern word, I cannot use it because I need a word that would fit in a historical/non-modern context. (Old, no longer commonly used words are fine).  Additionally I'm planning on using it in an insult, so if the word is vulgar or slang that is fine so long as it isn't modern slang.

I've also heard the phrase, "cradle snatcher", but I don't think this quite fits.


texts: What is a general term for a check-in location? Specifically this is a location where people can be assigned.  They include offices, deployment areas, staging areas, site-locations, warehouses, command centers and trailers.  These locations can also hold equipment and inventory. Unfortunately the only thing I can come up with that isn't too specific is location.


texts: Is it grammatically correct to use the definite article before "grana" in this case?

texts:
Stroma: the fluid surrounding grana, where the light-independent reactions occur.
In this vocabulary list entry—"Stroma: the fluid in the chloroplast surrounding the grana, where the light-independent reactions occur"—the definite article is needed, because it implies that the grana (plural for granum) are inside of the chloroplast.
However, should "the" be used before "grana" in the entry at the top? Since the chloroplast is not mentioned, it does not suggest that the grana are inside it. I am also not referring to a specific set of grana, as the number likely varies between chloroplasts. To my understanding, unlike the chromosomes, it is not essential that there must be a certain number of grana in the chloroplast of a species' individuals.
This question relates to this question: Why is using the definite article “the” before a plural countable noun correct in this case when I have not mentioned the plural noun before?


texts:
What does the verb pass out mean in this poem of Emily Dickinson? The second stanza of the poem is following,

Read then of faith

That shone above the fagot;

Clear strains of hymn

The river could not drown;

Brave names of men

And celestial women,

Passed out of record

Into renown!

I read commentaries and analyses of the poem, yet it is not clear to me what pass out could mean in this context?


texts:
Is saying "But if I try I can't remember" good English?

I feel like there is something wrong with this sentence (apart from the use of "but" at the start of a sentence - it's a song lyric).

However, I can't put my finger on what is wrong with it. It uses the conditional "if" then a negative "can't". Maybe it is something to do with the use of "But"?

I think it would be better to say "Though I try I can't remember", but I am having difficulty justifying why this is the case.

Thanks!


texts: When did it become okay to drop "years old" when speaking about a living thing?

texts:
It's perfectly normal and common to say that a person "is 20," or "is 47," or any other age, and it's implicitly understood that we're talking about age. This works with animals, too.

But you can't say "That desk is 50," or "My house is 25." You have to specify "That desk is 50 years old" and "My house is 25 years old."

When did we start dropping the "years old" and why did the change only apply to living things?


texts: I read a text translated from Spanish to English. In the English version, they used the phrase "high experience" to describe a specialist in a specific field of medicine. I pointed out that high experience is improper use of English. Was I correct in pointing out their mistake?


texts: any relation between "equanimous" and "water"?

texts:
Looking at the etymology of "equanimous":

  1600–10; < L aequanimitās, equiv. to aequ(us) even, plain, equal + anim(us) mind, spirit, feelings + -itās -ity

"aequus" sounds a lot like "aqua"... and I can see how calm water is even and plain. is there any relation between the two? if not, where does each come from, if they can be traced further back?


texts: Is the word "single" necessary to be added when specifying a thing?

texts:
I think the word single is not necessary because the article a or an has done the job.

So the phrase "a single object" should be simplified as "an object". What do you think?


texts:
Sentence:

  A is a good stop gap before I find a better place to get help.

Does it mean that A is good but temporary?


texts:
In the quote below, what does the first line mean?

  "How comes this horrible world to exist?"
  Catice did not answer.
  "Who is Surtur?"

source: A Voyage to Arcturus

What I understand is: How come such a terrible world exists? But I am not sure.


texts: When can I say "I could not have passed the test"?

texts:
I am nonnative speaker & I often ask a lot of questions that native people have never thought about.
Ok, this site says:

"Couldn't have" is used to show someone's feeling that something
in the past is impossible.
Examples:
You couldn't have seen Jerry yesterday. He's been out of town since
last Tuesday!
(It's impossible for you to have seen Jerry yesterday because he
wasn't here. He's been out of town since last Tuesday!)

So, "someone's feeling" is a guess right? Because if that actually happened, then you use "Couldn't do" right?
Let say I am a very lazy student
Case 1: if I actually failed the test (I got the result in front of my eyes yesterday), I would say: "I couldn't pass the test yesterday" (It was a fact in the past)
Case 2: I took the test yesterday & I will get the result tomorrow, I would say: "I can't pass the test" (I think about the future)
Case 3: I had took the test & the result came out yesterday but I have not checked it (ie I have not officially known I failed), I would say: "I couldn't have passed the test"
I am not sure my thinking is right or not.
But some people said we could say "I couldn't have passed the test" even we have not known the result. That means I did take the exam, I will get the result tomorrow, but I can still say "I couldn't have passed the test" .
Modal verbs are the hardest English stuff I ve ever learned.


texts: Does "ever" apply to the future, or only the past?

texts:
As we hear in every commercial (ever?)

  Our best price, ever.

Your thoughts please. Putting aside advertising allowances, should "ever" here mean "all time: past present and future", or should this be interpreted as "yet" (past/present). In advertising terms we must infer the latter (otherwise they'll contradict themselves next time they need a promotion), but from a linguistics perspective: what is the correct interpretation here?


texts: "So much", "too much", "a lot" and "very much"

texts:
Are the following sentences correct? Do they all mean the same thing?

  She talks so much.

  She talks too much.

  She talks a lot.

  She talks very much.


texts: What does definite and indefinite mean in past tense and present perfect respectively

texts:
I am reading the grammar book - A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language - these days. I am confused about the meanings of definite and indefinite in Past Tense and Present Perfect.

I know that Past Tense means an action or state started and ended before now. For example:

  He died.

From what I think, He died is the event die that happened at some point in the past. So what does the definite time mean here? And I think He died yesterday/last week is a definite time, which I know the exact time He died.

I know I am wrong, please help to point it out.

And Present Perfect has the meaning of INDEFINITE EVENT(S) IN A PERIOD LEADING UP TO THE PRESENT. For example:

  He has died recently.

Which means, from an unspecified time(not too long from now) to now, in this period of time, the event die happened.

I think this is an indefinite event since I don't know the exact time when it happened.


texts: Is “gaggle of girls” plural or singular, or does it depend?

texts:
How can I tell whether constructions like “X of Ys” should be considered singular or plural, given that X is singular but Y is plural?

A gaggle of girls boards the train.
A gaggle of girls board the train.
The gaggle of girls was running to catch the train.
The gaggle of girls were running to catch the train.

Can one version be right sometimes but the other right other times?

Can both versions ever be right?


texts: Is there a term|phrase for a grading assessment that counts the best m of n?

texts:
I'm assigning weights to different course assessments.

Assessment                    Weight
============================  ======
Assignments (best 5 of 8)       50%
Mid-term exam                   20%
Final exam                      30%

Is there a noun or noun-phrase for a grading scheme that counts the best m of n marks? Example: There are weekly assignments worth 10% each, the best 5 of 8 will be counted.


texts:
Schadenfreude is pleasure derived from the misfortune of others.

Is there a word which means to take pleasure in the misfortune of another when previously that misfortune was inflicted on you by that other person?

I won't describe here (in public) the particular circumstances in which I find myself looking for such a word, instead please enjoy this example from Three Men In A Boat.

  Rather an amusing thing happened while
  dressing that morning.  I was very
  cold when I got back into the boat,
  and, in my hurry to get my shirt on, I
  accidentally jerked it into the water.
  It made me awfully wild, especially as
  George burst out laughing.  I could
  not see anything to laugh at, and I
  told George so, and he only laughed
  the more.  I never saw a man laugh so
  much.  I quite lost my temper with him
  at last, and I pointed out to him what
  a drivelling maniac of an imbecile
  idiot he was; but he only roared the
  louder.  And then, just as I was
  landing the shirt, I noticed that it
  was not my shirt at all, but George’s,
  which I had mistaken for mine;
  whereupon the humour of the thing
  struck me for the first time, and I
  began to laugh.  And the more I looked
  from George’s wet shirt to George,
  roaring with laughter, the more I was
  amused, and I laughed so much that I
  had to let the shirt fall back into
  the water again.


texts:
Driver - item used to drive objects away.

Use that thingy to drive away the birds.

Cows use their tails as a driver for flies.

The lady used some wand-like driver to drive away the supposed spirit inside of me.


texts: Meaning of "as if so gentle that you could not see" in a poem by Keats

texts:
On a Picture of Leander, by Keats:

  Come hither, all sweet maidens soberly,
  Down-looking aye, and with a chasten'd light,
  Hid in the fringes of your eyelids white,
  And meekly let your fair hands joined be,
  As if so gentle that ye could not see,
  Untouch'd, a victim of your beauty bright,
  Sinking away to his young spirit's night,
  Sinking bewilder'd 'mid the dreary sea:
  'Tis young Leander toiling to his death;
  Nigh swooning, he doth purse his weary lips
  For Hero's cheek, and smiles against her smile.
  O horrid dream! see how his body dips
  Dead-heavy; arms and shoulders gleam awhile:
  He's gone; up bubbles all his amorous breath!

I don't understand this line - especially the conjunction "if". I cannot attach this "if" to anything. What is the condition for this "if"?

The only interpretation I came up with is "join your hands, as if, if you didn't join your hands, you couldn't see Leander sinking". It's a bit absurd. As if their hands, when joined, produce a piece of equipment (an electrical circuit or an antenna) that is able to resolve Leander sinking. And when their hands are unlocked, there is not enough scanning power.


texts:
"The enhanced images can also be fed to a machine learning algorithm for a much more reliable detection."

I wish to shorten this statement, and the prime candidate for trimming seems to be the use of "much more reliable". Can you please suggest alternatives? If you can spot any other changes, please let me know those too.


texts: Literal meaning and etymology of “off” in “bake off”, “dance-off” etc

texts:
Off  has a lot of connotations and compound  usages;  my question is about the following idiomatic use:
Off:  (adverb)

(also -off) used to form nouns referring to a situation in which two or more people or teams compete against each other to see who is the winner:

the BBC series, the Great British Bake Off

Audience applause determines the winner of each dance-off. (Cambridge Dictionary)

Questions:
What’s the literal meaning suggested by off here in the context of competitions? Is it a synonym of “over” in the sense of “finished”?
What’s the etymological history of the above usage?


texts:
At the beginning of the My Fair Lady movie, there is a monologue of prof. Higgins like this:

Hear a Yorkshireman, or worse
Hear a Cornishman converse
I'd rather hear a choir singing flat
Chickens cackling in a barn
Just like this one
Garn!

My question is: what is the meaning of this "Garn"?


texts: "detect opportunely" vs "opportunely detect"?

texts:
In the next phrase:

  Only a few doctors assess their patients about the type and frequency of the tests they should be doing to detect opportunely and prevent such diseases, but we will help you solve this problem.

What makes more sense "detect opportunely" or "opportunely detect" and why? Is there a rule?


texts: Does "lesser" as in "lesser man" refer only to moral strength and goodness or can it encompass physical and mental stamina?


texts: Is the meaning of "to grant the freedom to" closer to "to permit"/"to allow" or closer to "to facilitate"?

texts:
What is meant by saying that you grant X the freedom to do Y?

that X can do Y and you are free to present obstacles other than outright forbidding X to do Y
that X can do Y and you must not interfere
that X can do Y and you must facilitate/aid X in doing Y
something else


texts: How should I understand "ought" in this verse?

texts:
I was wondering how should I interpret this verse from the old union song Solidarity Forever:

  What's the ought with have in common with those greedy parasites?

I'm split between

  What responsibility do we have towards those greedy parasites?

and

  What responsibilities do we share with those greedy parasites?

The first reading is more consistent with the theme of the song but without contex the second seems more correct (a common ought -> a shared responsibility), which makes me think it might be an idiom or an old usage I'm not familiar with.


texts: When are interrogative pronouns (or relative pronouns) needed in this context?

texts:
Look at the dictionary meanings below. I have copied them from the New Oxford American English Dictionary (the application for the dictionary on my Macintosh laptop):

pedant: (noun) a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.

virtuoso:(noun) a person highly skilled in music or another artistic pursuit.

I'd have expected who is to be present in the case of virtuoso as well. Is the use of who is optional in this context?


texts: Preposition with 'line' when quoting from a text (prose or poetry) with numbered lines?

texts:
When referring to a line or lines in/from (?) a text with numbered lines, is it

"the idea expressed in line 25 is such and such"; "in line 25, the word 'lisp' is a clear indication that…"

or
"the idea expressed on line 25 is such and such"; "on line 25, the word 'lisp' is a clear indication that…"

?


texts: What is the minimal size of vocabulary that could enable two persons to communicate more or less sensibly about matters of everyday life in English? Would 3000 words (8000 words, if different grammatical forms are taken into account) be a reasonable estimate?


texts:
For similar reasons fragile natural states cannot support many, if
  any, private elite organizations.

  As the two world wars and the Cold War of the twentieth century
  illustrate, external violence is a central if episodic aspect of the
  international environment.

What does if mean in this context?


texts: Please help me to find out exact meaning of this sentence

texts:
"Different forms of life at different levels of existence make up the teeming denizens of this earth of ours"

I have searched for the new words used in this

Teeming : be full of or swarming with.
Denizens : a person, animal, or plant that lives or is found in a particular place.

But not able to get exact idea of this sentence.


texts: If a room cannot be escaped, it is inescapable. What if a room cannot be entered?

texts:
Suppose there is an automatic door to a room. That door may:

simply let people walk in and out as they choose.
let people walk in, but not walk out (deathtrap!)
let people walk out, but not back in (vacant!)
never let anyone walk in or out - the door is always closed.

Now in cases 1 & 3 only, the room is escapable. And in cases 2 & 4 only, the room is inescapable.

And in cases 1 & 2 only, the room is 'enterable'. And in cases 3 & 4 only, the room is 'unenterable'. But these aren't real words - what real words can go in their stead?

Furthermore, what word covers case 4 only? It should mean 'neither enterable nor escapable.'


texts: What does "within 12 months of expiry date" mean

texts: To upgrade a CPCS card from red to blue one of the items on the list states this, does it mean i have to wait till the red card only has 12 months left on it (red card is valid for two years) just trying to clarify that i understand what is being stated.


texts: The spelling of number is number, but the abbreviation is No (№). There is no letter o in number, so where does this spelling come from?


texts: What is a word for fake seriousness, especially when you are intending to be funny

texts:
I'm looking for a word that means saying something with an insincerely serious tone, usually for comedic effect. I feel like the word facetious is close to what I'm looking for, but not exactly.

"Surely, you can't be serious," they said.
"Of course I'm serious," he replied [word-ly], "And don't call me Shirley."


texts: It's "1 degrees" or is it "1 degree" outside?

texts: Is it grammatically correct to say it's 1 degrees outside or is it 1 degree outside? (Talking about the weather in Buffalo, New York.)


texts:
What does "build-up" mean here:

  Many hair products contain chemicals which can cause build-up, resulting in dull hair or a change in perceived texture.


texts:
"SpaceX and OneWeb, a communications firm, plan to launch satellites in their thousands, not hundreds."
What does it mean by "in their thousands"?


texts: A word that describes stories with negative and unfulfilling endings?

texts:
I'm trying to find a word or phrase that describes the ending to a story where the outcome is generally negative and unfulfilling. At the end of these stories, the protagonist usually makes a decision (or series of decisions) that causes this ending. The problem may or may not be a moral quandary, but the result is that you're left feeling like the wrong decision was made.

Episodes of The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror often end in this way.

An example might be that the villain has done something reprehensible and the protagonist is seeking revenge. But when a situation arises where revenge can be taken, the villain tempts the protagonist with some beneficial alternative. The protagonist ends up giving in to that temptation and the villain goes unpunished.

Potential words that come to mind are Dystopian and Orwellian, but these are too far-reaching. The worlds in which these types of stories occur may be totally normal, aside from the situation that the main characters are in.


texts: Meaning of a sentence with "economically"

texts:
This is a comment in the film called "Plasticized"(http://www.plasticizedthemovie.com/about-the-film/).

  The philosophy that there is an 'away'; that, you know, we say we throw
  something away. That you can create something to be used for a minute
  that lasts forever, is evil in my opinion. What I think needs to
  happen with people who, companies that produce plastic is in the whole
  scope of the products impact, they need to calculate for its
  environmental impact economically.

What does it mean they need to calculate for its environmental impact economically? Does it mean, "plastic producing companies need to consider its environmental impact and ecnomical impact for the environment?


texts: What is the verb meaning of "wind" in "You wound me"?

texts:
"Why, Jaime, my sweet brother," he said,"You wound me. You know
  how much I love my family."

This sentence is extracted from the Game of Thrones.
I have looked up the dictionary but still don't understand the verb meaning of "wind".
 Whether it means Jamie misunderstands Tyrion or Jamie make Tyrion confused? I think both of the two understandings state show a meaning of turning or twisting.


texts: "not sure whether it WAS" vs. "not sure if it WERE"

texts:
Which of the two is correct:

I was not sure whether it WAS the other car's coupler or mine that had suddenly had trouble connecting.
I was not sure if it WERE the other car's coupler or mine that had suddenly had trouble connecting.

This is a story told by a car (trains).


texts: Responsibility, the Gerund, and the Perfect Aspect

texts:
In the process of answering this question on ELL, I hit upon something I can't explain.

The sentence in question is:

  Who is responsible for leaving the window open?

I think anyone hearing that sentence would think:

A window was opened at some point in the past
Someone had an opportunity and/or obligation to close the window
That person is at fault and will be held accountable for their negligence once identified

I believe the -ing form of “leaving” forms a gerund clause used as the subject, and I came to wonder if it wouldn't be “more correct” (proscriptively, say) to use the perfect aspect:

  Who is responsible for having left the window open?

I'm not sure if it matters, but just to be clear:

The speaker is inquiring about a present state of culpability
The events in question are entirely in the past (the window is closed)

I'm forced to ask this as one question because I don't know which part of it is responsible(!) for shaping how the other parts should be. I am very open to reforming the question if someone with an idea of how to make this more focused and useful suggests a change that is supported by others.


texts: How etiquettical is it to start off a professional email with 'Hey'?

texts: I've been wondering, why whould folks avoid the usage of Hey to greet someone/team as the mail starts, did that really read grotesque? What could be the alternatives other than the conventionals?


texts: How to avoid ambiguity with words like undoable

texts:
Undeletable can either mean "cannot be deleted" or "can be undeleted."

Undoable can either mean "cannot be done" or "can be undone."

Unacceptable can either mean "cannot be accepted" or "can be unaccepted (as an answer on Stack Exchange)"

How do I avoid ambiguity with "un-verb-able" words?


texts: Synonym for not taking personal responsibility

texts:
I'm trying to think of a word that suggests a person who takes no personal accountability in their actions or always tries to shift blame on to some factor supposedly outside of their control.

Is there such a word?


texts:
"You are due an apology"
If I say that to someone then it means that I owe them an apology and not the other way around.  I recently debated this with someone and they could not make sense of it and did not agree with me.  If I was owed an apology then I would say "I am due an apology"


texts: "these are the list of" or "this is the list of"

texts:
I have an essay that goes something like this.

This is the list of items that I found on the internet

Catz
Java
PUBG
StarWars

But I feel that I'm pointing to a list of items. So should it be "These are the list of items" ?

I got confusing opinions from my colleagues. Could someone point the right one?


texts: What’s the origin/meaning of “from belt buckle to shoe sole”?

texts:
A news article reported that Presidential candidate Joe Biden said he was “labor from belt buckle to shoe sole.”
I’ve never heard this phrase before. Does anyone know the origin? It seems to imply “from the waist down”; but “from head to toe” is more likely what Biden would want to say in this situation.


texts: Reaching a conclusion before formulating an argument

texts:
What is a good word for saying that a person has reached a conclusion before properly formulating an argument?

For example, a logical train of thought would be 'My current computer is slow, this is decreasing my productivity, so therefore I would solve this by buying a new computer', whereas a person using this type of reasoning would say 'I want a new computer, let's think up reasons why this would be good. I know, I think I'm not working as well as I possibly could be.'


texts: Phrase for "the order requires compliance" using the word 'liable"

texts: 'Compliable' is the archaic synonym/form of 'compliant'.  What I am looking for is a phrase to mean a ruling/order is legally binding to be complied with by a certain date. All the citations I could find use liable for people: people are liable to comply. I couldn't find any citation using liable thus: the ruling/order/notice/directive is liable to be complied with. Using 'must' is an easy choice in this regard, but I'm interested to know if a thing is liable to be complied with means a thing must be complied with. If this is possible, please give me the link to the citation.


texts:
In a post about a NASA position I've read the following (my emphasis):

  The new hire will also receive "secret" security clearance. Only US citizens and US nationals can apply.

What is the difference between a "US citizen" and a "US national"? Can there be
a person, who is a US national, but isn't a US citizen or vice versa?


texts: Word to describe a person who knows the names of things without knowing how they work

texts:
Benjamin Franklin once said,

  “What signifies knowing the names, if you know not the nature of
  things?”

I'm wondering if there is a single word to describe a person like this.

E.g:

  1)A word to describe a person who collects cars but doesn't know how cars work.

  2)A word to describe a person who puts computers together with out knowing how computers function.


texts: Word that means generally knowledgeable?

texts:
I'm looking for a word that means knowing about lots of different things, across different fields of study. The idea behind Renaissance man. This might be a noun or an adjective.

  Mrs. Jones is (a) ____________. Although she teaches Spanish, she can tutor any student at our school in any subject.


texts: About the use of comma in a scientific article

texts: Im writing a PhD research article on psychology. Im describing a number of formulation categories, each of which has been constructed using a particular way of explaining things, we call these ways "tools". As I`m describing the categories and the numbered tools related to them, I would prefer to write: "This category was constructed using the tool 2, X". I think the comma before the name of the tool is necessary. My professor insists on writing "This category was constructed using the tool 2 X", without comma. Which one is right?


texts:
Is there a more casual way to say "send me an email"?
I'm going to put this at the bottom of the "contact" section of a website.

"Pop me an email" is the only one I've managed to come up with.


texts: My dad used the expression 'hoo-wee!' a lot when I was a kid. (That is what it sounds like.) For example, if we were using the grill and it flared up he would say "hoo-wee!", and I love saying it but I'm not sure how to spell it.


texts: Sentence structure for grammar: parallel vs. what feels natural

texts:
Are the following both grammatically correct, or is one incorrect and why? (Usage context: book, not an essay).

Original:

  He erases whatever he wills, and fixes. With him is the original record.

Friend's suggestion:

  He erases and fixes whatever he wills. With him is the original
  record.


texts: What is the difference between 'roof' and 'canopy'? And would you describe the sky as the roof of the earth or the canopy of the earth? (Sky meaning everything up to the ozone layer.)


texts: How to succinctly express the phenomenon of hidden/surprise complications in regards of time estimates?

texts: Is there an idiom/phrase for when you tell someone you'll have something done at a given time, but then more complications arise and it extends the time needed? For example, I'm working on a project and everything seems like it's done, and when I test it, something has broken, and now it'll take more time to finish.


texts: Was "precious snowflake" originally used in a derogatory manner?

texts:
Nowadays, most uses of the term "precious snowflake" are derogatory, such as the following tweet from a pro-Trump Twitter user:

  Here's a clue. Get some backbone and stand up for America, by rejecting the precious snowflake SJWs.  But that won't happen, will it?

When the term was originally used, was it derogatory, or was it originally positive and turned into an insult?

The term is too recent for the Online Etymology Dictionary, and isn't mentioned in any dictionaries indexed by Onelook apart from Urban Dictionary


texts:
The writer talks about some investment misconceptions in investment, among which is "hotspots make more money", "if you even and average out over long periods of time (at least one cycle of 15 years or more), you see that the effect of fast growth in some 'hotspots' areas eventually levels out." What does "even and average out' mean?
source: Uncommon sense by Mark Homer.


texts: What does "buglike sunglasses" refer to?

texts:
I'm reading "Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal" by "Nick Bilton"
There is a line that describes one of characters sunglasses as "buglike sunglasses". What kind of sunglasses does this line refer to?

“Probably me,” Noah said sarcastically, then flipped the camera around
to document his own face, his broad smile filling the frame, buglike
sunglasses wrapped around his eyes. “Probably me, probably me,” he
said,  laughing slightly.


texts: What is the true etymology of "algebra"?

texts:
This is more of a question for Arabic stack exchange if there was such a thing, but anyways:
The OED suggests as the etymology of the term "algebra"

Etymology: < post-classical Latin algebra algebraic computation (12th or 13th cent.), surgical treatment of fractures (c1300) < Arabic al-jabr < al the + jabr restoration (of anything which is missing, lost, out of place, or lacking), reunion of broken parts, (hence specifically) surgical treatment of fractures < jabara to restore, to reunite, (hence specifically in a medical context) to set broken bones.

The Arabic term al-jabr probably originally referred specifically to the method of solving quadratic equations by completing the square

However, more likely etymology seems to be
Proto-Semitic * gabr- "strong man" (or related word) > Arabic jabara "force, compel" > "set [broken bones]" > "reunite broken parts, restore [anything which is missing, lost, out of place, or lacking]" > Arabic al-jabr "the reunion of broken parts, the restoration [of anything which is missing, lost, out of place, or lacking]" > ...
Is there any clear answer on which is correct? I.e., was the meaning of restoration or the meaning of setting and reuniting broken bones more basic?


texts:
Forgive me if this is already answered.

As a little background, I use English as a second language and am a bit interested in etymology.

Recently I came up with an observation that many English words which are associated with tools end with '-dle'. For instance, we have words like 'bindle, cradle, huddle, griddle, saddle, paddle' to name a few. Maybe it is a hasty generalization, but I begin to suspect that this suffix is associated with certain meaning which is not known to me.

Unfortunately a quick googling showed nothing to me, so I would appreciate any clarification on this subject.


texts:
Q.My sister was charmed with silk. She bought ten yards.
Ans. Being charmed with silk, my sister bought ten yards.
Deceived by his friends, he lost all hope.
^this is the example of past participle given in my book and the the former is a question from an exercise in my book.
I have a little confusion as to why passive present participle Being charmed with silk is used but not the past participle charmed with silk. I would also like to know when passive present participle is used and when past participle, because both seem to me to have very similar meaning.


texts: Verb "escape": with or without preposition?

texts: I have already seen the verb "escape" with preposition ("from") and without. Is one of the uses the correct?


texts: Should you use a semi-colon to punctuate a list that contains only two items?

texts:
Pupils must know what adjectives, nouns and synonyms are, and be able to infer meanings of adjectives based on context clues.

OR

Pupils must know what adjectives, nouns and synonyms are; and be able to infer meanings of adjectives based on context clues.


texts:
In my technical writings, I have a lot of instruction lists that describe how to use "something" under different circumstances. To avoid repetition of the subject, I replace it with "one", but it doesn't resolve the fact of the repetition itself.
A very childish example:

If you want to look offensive, wear a red shirt.
If you want to look fresh, wear a white one.
When you are in doubt, wear a green one.
If you are worried that the shirt might become dirty very quickly, wear a black one.

"one", "one", "one". Three times. What is the way to fix such a repeating without breaking the consistency? By breaking the consistency I mean something illogical, like this:

If you want to look offensive, wear a red shirt.
If you want to look fresh, wear a white shirt.
When you are in doubt, wear a green one.
If you are worried that a shirt might become dirty very quickly, wear a black one.


texts: Has anyone heard the expression, to stack on a turn?

texts: Has anyone heard the saying, to stack on a turn?


texts: Why is it 'Next of Kin' instead of just 'Kin'?

texts:
Newspaper reports are abound with the phrase Next of Kin especially in the context of accidents.
Kin is defined as One's family and relations.
Next of Kin is defined as A person's closest living relative(s).
I don't get the difference between the two. Wouldn't just Kin suffice for all purposes. Or rather, wouldn't Next of kin mean relatives of relatives? What is the origin and context of Next in Next of Kin?


texts:
Is the sentence "one of the windows in the kitchen is opened to the 5th NE street" correct?
Have you better suggestion?

I want to describe the location of the window.


texts: What does "dashed by" mean in the context of "Cavalin has dashed by major milestones"?

texts:
Life is filled with contrasts for Cavalin, a 17-year-old from San
  Gabriel, California, who has dashed by major milestones as his
  age seems to lag behind. He graduated from community college at
  age 11. Four years later, he had a bachelor's degree in math from the
  University of California, Los Angeles.

From what I understand, here "dashed by" means he quickly get lots of milestones. But why does it say "seems to lag behind" at the end of the sentence? Is the author trying to say that even though he got so many achievements he's still wasting his genius?


texts: Use of a comma after the identification of a year

texts:
I am not sure about the use of a comma following the identification of a single year at the beginning of a sentence. I have seen a comma both used and not used.

Example:

  In 1952 the explorer landed on the island and claimed it for Spain.

Should there be a comma following 1952?


texts: Which of these two sentences is grammatically correct ? (cotton Korean blouse vs Korean cotton blouse)

texts:
Which of these two sentences is grammatically correct and why?

nice blue cotton Korean blouse
nice blue Korean cotton blouse

I picked number 1 but it seems number 2 is correct, I would like to know the reason, I think number 1 sounds better, is there a rule I don't know about?


texts: Best word for blunt, honest humor where you say something shocking to get a laugh?

texts: What's the best word for the type of humor where you state something very honestly and bluntly with the intent to be a little shocking and a little humorous? Potentially because people don't expect a certain behavior to be pointed out so bluntly? It's not sarcasm because you are telling the truth, right, not the opposite of what you mean?


texts: What does "bedroom eyes" mean, from a physical standpoint, if anything?

texts:
The phrase "bedroom eyes" came up in another question, and the person who used it remarked that to him/her it meant that, from a physical standpoint "that means they've got dilated pupils".

This didn't mesh with what I remembered hearing, which was that the eyes were semi-lidded.

Dictionary.com mentions nothing about either.  UrbanDictionary, for whatever that's worth, mentions semi-lidded eyes a couple times, but not as the highest rated answers.

Is there any specific physical implication to having "bedroom eyes"?


texts: Why do Americans seem to use the word “delicious” less often than I do?

texts:
I am a foreigner and now I am in America. I always use the word delicious whenever I like food. For example:

  This meat is so delicious!

But one of my friends, who is not a native speaker, once told me that Americans rarely use delicious. The more frequent expressions would be “This meat is good” or “This meat is yummy.”

Is delicious more of a British English word than an American one?


texts:
I would like to describe a person who invests in the stock market, but repeatedly fails each time. Is there a proper English term to describe this kind of person?

Thanks.


texts: "Contesting the palm" -- looking for a definition and possible origin of this archaic phrase

texts:
I recently ran across an odd phrase—"contest the palm"—and after doing some Google searches found it used by a number of individuals in England during the 1800s but I cannot seem to find it defined anywhere. I am extremely interested in finding its origins if possible.

Here is the text I ran across first:

  "At the same time were produced, from the same university, the two great poets, Cowley and Milton, of dissimilar genius, of opposite principles; but concurring in the cultivation of Latin poetry, in which the English, till their works and [Thomas] May's poem appeared, seemed unable to contest the palm with any other of the lettered nations."
  .          -- The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D..: Lives of the Poets (1825)

Googling: "contest the palm" england provides this example of usage (third result)

  In biography the French are unrivalled, in autobiography the Germans are equally so. In some species of poetry the Germans contest the palm with us: in mathematical industry, and historical research, they are greatly our superiors;

  The Rural Life of England, 1838

A number of similar examples can be found here (some of the examples can be clicked on to see expanded context) with references to:

  "contest the palm of original genius"
  -- Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880)
  "contest the palm of temper"
  -- The Heir of Redclyffe (1853)
  "contest the palm of literary precedence"
  -- History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella V3 (1837)

Searches in Google found these other usages:

  "contest the palm of eloquence"
  -- The Life of Sir Samuel Romilly, V2 (1812)
  "contest the palm of rifle shooting"
  -- The People's Press, and Monthly Historical Newspaper, V2 (1848)
  "contest the palm of beauty"
  -- The Chien D'or: The Golden Dog; a Legend of Quebec (1877)
  "contest the palm of science"
  -- The Life of Napoleon Buonaparte, Emperor of the French, V2 (1828)
  "contest the palm of agreeableness and popularity"
  -- Chamber's Book of Days (1869)
  "contest the palm of productive capacity with the slave"
  -- Richmond's Daily Dispatch (1861)
  "contest the palm of might or majesty"
  -- The New York Times (1883)

However, despite these many usages I can find no explicit reference to the term in any dictionary or encyclopedia, no etymology of any kind, and it seems to have appeared in print first in 1776, and remained in widespread usage for more than a century.

I do wonder if this might be a colloquial phrase that was brought over from a non-English usage (perhaps from French, which was the international language at this point in history) but my French is not sufficient to be able to research this.

Still, it would be nice to find out more about the origins of this phrase.


texts: Earliest use of an asterisk (*) to indicate a zero-to-many character wildcard?

texts:
I was explaining to someone what the * in "trans*" means (zero-to-many wildcard. In this case, it's used to refer to both "transexual" and "transgender" people with the same word), and another friend chimed in saying it came from computer programming. While I could tell them it was used in operating systems such as DOS and Unix before that, I couldn't say whether it came from computer culture or appeared before that. It seems reasonable that there would have been use for it, but a different character may easily have been chosen.

What is the earliest recorded instance of an asterisk being used as a zero-to-many character wildcard?

Note: I'm not referring to masks such as "f*ck". That is a different concept, in that it's a replacement of exactly one character, and is referring to only a single word.


texts: Why is "wand" not pronounced simiarly to "hand" and "sand"?

texts:
Having a bit of a discussion about this with a friend.

The only reason I know to pronounce "wand" like "want" and not "hand" is because that's how I've heard it, and I've just copied that. But from a more rigirous point of view, I can't really explain why this is correct.

Is there any rule that applies to this?


texts: The grammar of user interface (technical writing)

texts:
I need to translate the interface of our software into English, but I'm not sure how to deal with grammar. Should some auxiliary verbs, articles be omitted for the sake of brevity like in the following examples:

Account type {x} not found (or was not found/has not been found)
Notification accepted (Notification has been accepted/was accepted/or even THE before "notification".

Where can I read about the standards set for such types of writing? I have read about technical writing style on wikiversity, and it says that one should avoid passive voice, lengthy sentences etc. Still not sure about omitting auxiliary verbs and articles.
Thank you.


texts: What is the term for a word that has come to mean the opposite of its orignal meaning?

texts: What is the term for a word that has come to mean the opposite of its original meaning"


texts: Is there an appropriate word to refer to "the letter to which this letter is responding"?

texts:
Given that...

If Jeremy is a "parent" to Sarah, then Sarah is a "child" to Jeremy.
If archaeopteryx is an "ancestor" to chicken, then chicken is a "descendent" of achaeopteryx.

It seems to me that if a letter is written in response to another, then there is a similar two-way relationship between those two letters, but I'm a bit stuck on coming up with a good word to describe that relationship. Perhaps:

If B is a "reply" to A, then A is an "antecedent" to B.
If B is a "reply" to A, then A is a "precursor" to B.

But I'm not particularly fond of either. Is anybody aware of a term that has been used within the context of such communications?

Note - I have re-worded the above considerably, as it seems that a number of answerers were under the impression that I was looking for correct phrasing to write in a reply, such as "in response to your letter dated..." Hopefully the re-phrasing of the question might help avoid any more folks putting effort into such answers. My apologies if my intent wasn't clear enough previously.


texts: The correct synonym for the majority of them

texts:
what is the correct synonym for "the majority of them"?
Is the greatest number of them? It sounds very strangely.
More details please see:
Is 'the majority of' singular or plural?

"Majority" means "greatest number" so "the majority of water" does not
make sense.


texts: What is the grammatical function of 'with the aid of' in the following sentence?

texts:
Reading this wiki article, it seems to me that 'with the aid of' in the following sentence is a prepositional object. I suspect I may be wrong and would like a simple explanation about the grammatical functions of 'with the aid of' in the following sentence:

  With the aid of a physiotherapist, everything turned out fine.

There's a similar thread here but it doesn't address my question about grammatical functions.


texts: Is there an equivalent term to "Cold Turkey" for starting something instead of quitting something?

texts:
Cold Turkey is an idiom most commonly used when quitting something that is very difficult, like smoking or drugs all at once instead of gradually. Can you also start something "Cold Turkey" or is there another idiom that would be better? Replace the term in the following sentence.

  The obese man began running 10 miles a day [cold turkey].


texts: Trying to understand but getting mixed opinions

texts:
Here is the sentence I'm trying to understand:

  "Your contract and verbal agreement are hereby terminated sixty days after service upon you of this notice or as of November 26th, 2017, whichever is later.

So are they saying that the contract is terminated 60 days after service of the notice OR (sixty days) as of November 26th whichever is later. Or that it is terminated November 26th? I would think that they are saying that it is 60 days after service or 60 days after November 26th, whichever is later. If November 26 was going to be the last day, wouldn't it have to come before the "OR" i.e. - are hereby terminated as of November 26th or as of sixty days after service upon you of this notice.

When I ask around, it seems to be split down the middle on what it means, half the people I ask say 60 days after November 26 the other half say November 26th is when it ends...how does this sentence work? What is it stating?

Thank you in advance for the help on this.


texts: What do you use as an alternative for "In light of"?

texts:
What do you use as an alternative for "In light of" in this context?

In light of the recent evidence, the police arrested John Smith.


texts: What does “Where is my 40, homes?” mean?

texts:
I was watching the show, Sons Of Anarchy. One of the characters said to another character who was Mexican : Where is my 40, homes?

He said it with a Mexican accent and he was pointing at a stylish old car.
I was confused with the meaning of this phrase. Can anyone tell me what this phrase means?

This is the image of the scene.
It is maybe helpful to mention that the other guy had a Ford Pickup and recently has changed his ride. And these two characters are pretty intimate and he is just kidding.
It was in season 6, episode 5


texts: Proverb: If Something is Managed By Many, Things Are Missed

texts:
I'm wondering if there is a well-known, documented and succinct proverb that matches the idea of:

Too many managers or departments overseeing a single task
The task fails because there are too many overseeing the single task
Nobody feels responsible because every party can blame the other party

My bad memory tells me that I once heard a proverb that may have been something like "A horse with two masters starves." I am wanting to put it in a professional presentation and don't want to embarrass myself by misquoting the proverb, if it even is one.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Using the definite article before a country/state name

We say “The United States of America” but not “The India”. Why is it so?


texts: what abreviation rule or rules does the term "UX" follow?

texts: I am intrigued by the use of the letter "x" in the abbreviation of the term "User Experience" does this follow any specific language or phonetic rules?


texts: Where do I find the routing and account "number" or "numbers"?

texts:
Which sentence below is correct? This is instructional text directing an online user to an image showing where they may locate the routing number and account number on a paper check.

Where do I find the routing and account number?
OR
Where do I find the routing and account numbers?

Note: I could not find an answer to this specific scenario in previous posts; hence, the new question.


texts:
Someone said to me, "Adrian is dating Michelle"

But actually what he meant was that they were going to have the first date in the near future. Can I state that I am dating someone if we never did it before, just because its a sure thing to happen?


texts:
If someone is asked to do something important, they might say "I'll prioritize that". But if someone is asked to put something aside to work on something else more important, what could they say?

In the past I've used "de-prioritize", but I'm not sure if that's actually a word. Is it a word? Is there some other way to get this point across?


texts: Idioms and common English phrases related to music?

texts:
I am writing a dissertation on musical education in developing countries.

I would like to find titles for my section that are catchy.

Does anyone have any recommendations for resources of music-related idioms or English phrases I could use?

I am not thinking about musical vocabulary, e.g. tenor, staccato, adagio, clarinet.

I am rather referring to phrases like "tin ear", "dance to the beat of your own drum", "blow your own horn", "fit as a fiddle", etc.


texts: Is "remaining sum" the same as "remaining balance"

texts: What's the term to express "left money in my account" ? I found BALANCE, REMAINING SUM and REMAINING BALANCE. Are they identical? Thanks!


texts: How would you indicate a single direction trip?

texts:
This question came up today in the office. We sell single direction bus trips through our site (wanderu.com) but have not agreed on which English word(s) should be used in text.

Is it one-way or one way? Does one or the other communicate that "way" is a noun (e.g. direction) as opposed to a verb (e.g. method to an end)?

We consulted the Wikipedia disambiguation page, One-way, which links to pages like One-way traffic. This English for these pages would suggest "one-way" is the appropriate word. The images on the traffic page, however, has two words.

Thanks in advance!


texts: Move a subject from the middle of a sentence to its beginning

texts:
Is it grammatically and stylistically correct to use sentences like the following ones, in nonfiction writing (technical, business, scientific):

Apples - put in the green boxes.
Lemons - put on the yellow shelves.

Instead of:

Put apples in the green boxes.
Put lemons on the yellow shelves.


texts: Word to indicate something drawn whence many sources

texts:
As per the title, I am looking for a word (adjective I believe) that describes:
 "something which has been inspired by many sources"; "is a collection of things from a variety of sources". It is on the tip of my tongue, yet I can't remember it and it is going to drive me insane. Thank you in advance.


texts:
When a person is bruised, the colour of the bruise changes from red to a darker shade of red and finally to black. We could call it as a darkening of hue but is there any other synonym of the same, which would imply the progression of a colour from a light shade to a darker shade (apart from darken) ?

e.g. sentence - As the intensity increased, so did the hue _________ .


texts: What is a person called who writes for a blind person in an examination hall?

texts:
Blind people may need help in examination halls for writing.

I want to know the single word which may be used for the person who helps them with that.


texts: Any advice for agentive suffixes of single-syllable words ending in y?

texts:
I got stuck on whether I should say I'm a frequent flier or flyer. I came across an article on writingexplained.com and it confirmed pretty much what I suspected, that there's no consensus on the flyer/flier preference. Interestingly, it mentioned the AP Stylebook changed its spelling for one who flies from "flier" to "flyer" in 2017.

  In its 2017 style book, however, it completely reversed this stance,
  citing that most airlines don’t follow the practice outlined by AP.
  Article link

So even more exasperating is that after learning one way, we never know when public opinion or a recommendation will swing, as it did only last year with at least one style guide.

Because every time I write something I don't want to spend ten minutes reading debates and histories on orthography, I wanted to come up my own simple mnemonic or rule. It seems to me that multisyllabic verbs ending in y have an agentive suffix of -ier added to the -y. This is pretty consistent and can't see any departures as yet.

occupy/-ier
multiply-ier
qualify-ier
List of words ending in -y listed in order of number of letters

This is all good. I started thinking of short single-syllable verbs. We can leave out these class of words where a vowel precedes the final -y, because these seem to invariably end with -yer:

lay/-er
play/-er
slay/-er
pray/-er
say/-er

That leaves only a small handful of English verbs that may cause trouble in their spelling:

cry (NGrams attests overwhelmingly to "crier" over "cryer")
fry (the more common variant is "fryer" over "frier")

Deep fryer
Air fryer

NGrams supports this.
dry (more common variant is "dryer" over "drier")
Hair dryer
Clothes dryer

NGrams doesn't help as comparative adjective "drier" confounds results.
pry (Dictionaries accept both)
American Heritage Dictionary and Collins English Dictionary
(NGrams shows more results for "prier" than "pryer")
ply (I would expect 'a plier of his trade')
In this case only American Heritage Dictionary lists "plyer" as a variant of "plier"
American Heritage Dictionary
(NGrams shows more results for "plier" than "plyer")
try (seems to be overwhelmingly "trier" according to NGrams)
spy (NGrams overwhelmingly supports "spier" over "spyer")
scry (NGrams shows results for "scryer", but not "scrier", arrgh, just when I see a pattern, it's broken)

These are all the ones I could find, there may be more, but as I said, there are only a handful that cause problems for me at least.

To sum up, I'd say most fall under the -ier category, with three prominent ones falling into the -yer category, these are:

dry = dryer
fry = fryer
scry = scryer

Flyer/flier is hotly contested when referring to someone who flies. An NGram search for flyer would show results for the pamphlet also, so that's a problem. However frequent flyer outnumbers frequent flier by more than double today, both in AmE and BrE. Also, many aeroplanes, boats and trains (including two American trains used circa 1999-2003) were named "flyer", not "flier", with exception of USS Flier submarine launched 1943. So probably "fly" should be added to the above exception list. Merriam-Webster says however that "flier" is more common than "flyer". There seems to be a general consensus for "flyer" to mean the leaflet/pamphlet.

The dryer/drier advice given here suggests to use "dryer" for something/someone that dries, and "drier" as a comparative adjective for "dry". I checked to see whether this follows a general rule of forming the comparative  adjective. As far as I can see it doesn't. "Slyer" and "slier" are both given in dictionaries, as also are "shyer" and "shier", with the -yer form being more common according to NGrams. This advice seems pretty arbitrary to me.

If anyone knows advice they can give, I'd appreciate it. If not, hopefully this can be of use for some people. Writing this out has definitely helped me a little in organising these words into categories in my own head.

Please correct anything I've got wrong, I likely have.


texts: Current and past meaning of "billion" in BrE

texts:
According to the following extract from the ODO "billion" in BrE used to mean "a million million", but its meaning has changed to the more common AmE usage meaning "a thousand million".

In British English, a billion used to be equivalent to a million million (i.e. 1,000,000,000,000), while in American English it has always equated to a thousand million (i.e. 1,000,000,000). British English has now adopted the American figure, though, so that a billion equals a thousand million in both varieties of English.

The origin of this usage and its subsequent change, as explained by Etymonline, are  from French:

1680s, from French billion (originally byllion in Chuquet's unpublished "Le Triparty en la Science des Nombres," 1484; copied by De la Roche, 1520); see bi- "two" + million. A million million in Britain and Germany (numeration by groups of sixes), which was the original sense; subsequently altered in French to "a thousand million" (numeration by groups of threes) and picked up in that form in U.S.,  "due in part to French influence after the Revolutionary War" [David E. Smith, "History of Mathematics," 1925].

France then reverted to the original meaning in 1948. British usage is truer to the etymology, but U.S. sense is said to be increasingly common there in technical writing.

As far as I can remember (1980s), a billion, at least in finance, has always meant a thousand million, and I've never come across its older usage.
Questions:

When did  BrE adopted the  AmE usage of a billion?

What was "a thousand million" called in BrE when a billion meant "a milliom million"?


texts: Giant slayer, witch hunter: why the singular form?

texts:
It is clear that the meaning of the collocations is:
slayer of giants
hunter of witches

But, why do they stay in singular when they are in a juxtaposition?
What is their grammatical funticion? Which case is that?


texts: Can I say "faster, smarter, and together"?

texts:
Do these three adverbs work as a list? I'm wondering if this combination is grammatical.
This is the sentence:

Join this group of developers to collaborate on how to build apps faster, smarter, and together.

The third word here, "together," doesn't match the other two and doesn't seem to belong. But I'm not sure what to use instead, or how to make this combination work.


texts: How can I understand 'No + noun' at the beginning of a sentence's meaning

texts:
If some sentence starts with 'No + noun + verb', is this the same as 'Noun + negative + verb'? The meaning is negative in both cases, I think, but is it the same?

For example,

No reason was given for the change of plan. (= ~ wasn't given ~)
"No one built them," answered the man with the star. (= "~ didn't build ~)
Nothing is slowing down. (= ~ isn't ~)
Nobody called. (= ~ didn't call)

So I wonder if it is right or not to call these equivalent?

I'm confused whenever I see a sentence that starts with 'No + noun' as to what is negated, and whether the meaning changes depending on where the negative is put.

Is there a way how I can understand what the rule is?