texts:
In my blog (which is about programming) I often use reserved words from different programming languages.

Like this:

  When column is nullable in both tables, this query won't return a match of two NULLs for the reasons described above: no NULLs are equal.

Here, NULL is a programming language keyword.

For numerous reasons, I mark them with <code> tag so they are rendered with a fixed width font, not translated into the foreign languages by Google Translate, can easily be seen on the page etc.

In the example above, which would be the best way to mark the plural?

NULLs
NULL s
NULL's
NULLs
NULLS

Option 1 looks ugly on the page (the word and the plural marker are rendered in different colors and fonts)

Option 2 adds a space between the word and the plural marker

Option 3 looks nicest but is not correct

Options 4 and 5 may leave the reader under impression that NULLS is a reserved word (which is not true) and this may be confusing. Also, Google Translate would leave the word as is which would be definitely wrong in other languages.

What would be the least of 5 evils?


texts: Looking for an appropriate English name to replace my Chinese name

texts:
Background:
I am Chinese, and after living abroad from China for several years, I realize that I need an English name anyway. I’ve seen too many confused faces looking at my Chinese name.
My Chinese Name:
I am male, my Chinese first name is (IPA): /ʃəʊ/-/dəʊ/, and my family name is: /dʒi/. (Check ipa-reader.xyz if not clear.)
Any advice about what could be a good idea of a first name, if the last name sounds like "G"?
Something about myself:
I'm a introvert, nerdy person. I don't like social, small talk, public area. I enjoy programming, writing, arguing. Physically I am short, slim, with a huge glasses.


texts:
So something that is like "straightforwardness". I remember using it in essays years ago but now it's completely out of my mind and it's driving me crazy! The sentence I want to use it in is as follows:
"Error handling was kept to a minimum as straightforwardness was given priority".

So its a word that means "keeping things simple" as a noun.


texts:
In different sentences, I've found different forms of "the same":

In the same way
The same way
The same

It seems there are thousand and millions of examples of each form is available on the Internet. Is there any different between these three forms. Are one of them more common in today's English. Or are any of them more common in British English and another one in American English?

For example, in the next three sentences:

Yesterday, I talked about its and it’s, two words that sound exactly the same way but...
Yesterday, I talked about its and it’s, two words that sound exactly in the same way but...
Yesterday, I talked about its and it’s, two words that sound exactly the same but...


texts: What's the name of a person doing assurance

texts:
This has come to my mind,

person doing test is a tester, person doing development is a developer, person doing consultation is a consultant, etc. My question, as written on the title, is, what's a person doing an assurance? If you need it more specific, what's a person doing a software quality assurance.


texts: How to describe the purely grammatical "how" in common informal speech

texts: I translate from Finnish, and I've noticed that Finnish and English use the word "kuinka"/"how" both as an adverb to mean the manner in which a thing is done and as a mere relative clause marker, in sentences like "I saw how she was standing in the window", or "Did you see how he ran away when we came in?", where the meaning is not that I saw the manner in which she was standing or the manner in which he ran away, but the mere fact that she was standing there, or he ran away. Would the "how" in these kinds of sentences be classified as a relative pronoun?


texts: A word for realising the insignificance of human life against the scale of the universe and enjoying it

texts:
A man sits on a bench considering his woeful burden. He looks up at the stars and compares the distance from here to his house and here to the furthest visible star Deneb. Suddenly his problems seems pitifully faint and untroubling. He laughs and relaxes in his seat, staring at the ducks.

  Look again at that dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there—on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
  ~Carl Sagan

  I really believe that if the political leaders of the world could see their planet from a distance of 100,000 miles their outlook could be fundamentally changed. That all-important border would be invisible, that noisy argument silenced. The tiny globe would continue to turn, serenely ignoring its subdivisions, presenting a unified façade that would cry out for unified understanding, for homogeneous treatment. The earth must become as it appears: blue and white, not capitalist or Communist; blue and white, not rich or poor; blue and white, not envious or envied. ~Michael Collins, astronaut

I'm looking for a noun or verb that describes this positive enlightening experience.


texts: Is there a word or phrase for drinking from a cup which is full without lifting it?

texts:
Someone has a cup that is full and when lifted, the content of the cup will get spilled.

Is there a specific word or a phrase that can describe the act of kneeling or bending down and sipping from the cup without lifting it from the table until it becomes possible to lift the cup without spilling?


texts: Confusing sentence in an 1858 novel by George MacDonald

texts:
I’m not a native English speaker, and I was reading George MacDonald’s fantasy novel of 1858 Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women.

Everything was going fine but suddenly I saw this sentence near the end of a long paragraph, and I couldn't understand what the sentence meant or even how it was put together in its syntax.

Here is the very end of that long paragraph, with the sentence that so puzzles me rendered in bold:

  [...] Almost fearing to touch them, they witnessed so mutely to the law of oblivion, I leaned back in my chair, an regarded them for a moment; when suddenly there stood on the threshold of the little chamber, as though she had just emerged from its depth, a tiny woman-form, as perfect in shape as if she had been a small Greek statuette roused to life and motion. Her dress was of a kind that could never grow old-fashioned, because it was simply natural: a robe plaited in a band around the next, and confined by a belt around the waist, descended to her feet. I took notice of her dress, although my surprise was by no means of so overpowering a degree as such an apparition might naturally be expected to excite. Seeing, however, as I suppose, some astonishment in my countenance, she came forward within a yard of me, and said, in a voice that strangely recalled a sensation of twilight, and reedy river banks, and a low wind, even in this deathly room:
                “Anodos, you never saw such a little creature before, did you?”

I can’t make heads or tails of the sentence in bold. The words don’t even seem to fit together into a coherent sentence.  Even though I know what each word means by itself, all jumbled together like that the meaning is lost to me.

Can you rearrange the words in that sentence to make something I can understand?


texts: Can two automated systems "interface" between each other?

texts:
I'm trying to indicate unlimited interaction between two applications.

Would the following work?

  Our developer API allows you to interface with [product] without limitation!


texts: Plastic silverware - What's that? (American English)

texts:
I was surprised to discover that what we Brits call cutlery is called silverware in the U.S.

To me the term 'silverware' refers to items that are made of pure silver or, at the very least, are silver-plated. Eating implements made of other materials are not silverware but cutlery in Britain, for example: Stainless-steel cutlery, plastic cutlery, gold cutlery etc.

What really surprised me was that it seems the term 'plastic silverware' is commonly used.

Examples

Thanksgiving morning volunteers were slicing turkey and folding plastic silverware into dinner-size napkins. Visions of Charity: Volunteer Workers and Moral Community  By Rebecca Anne Allahyari

He took out a long paper tablecloth, paper plates, plastic silverware, party napkins The Wanderers  By Richard Price

Research

I searched online for 'plastic silverware' but the results weren't conclusive from my point of view. Sometimes I arrived at a page that showed white plastic items but on the page itself they would not be described as 'silverware'. Other links led me to pages such as this one  New 48 SILVER Plastic CUTLERY Wedding Party Silverware Forks Spoons Knifes 2 Box where the product is being described as 'silver silverware' as far as I can understand but the words plastic and cutlery also appear. My eyes  tell me that the product has a silvery finish but with regard to the name, every single base is covered leaving me uncertain  as to which if any is the general term.

Question

Looking at the examples that I provided, do US  readers understand them to refer to the white plastic items that are often used on informal occasions  or  does the term imply that the plastic is coated in some way to make it appear silvery as in the product example I showed?

Rider

As an afterthought, it occurs to me to ask whether solid gold cutlery would be called 'gold silverware'.


texts: Is there a single word for "Using more words or over-explanation for deliberately making a text/situation more difficult to comprehend" in English?


texts:
I'm looking for some sort of antonym for the word subordinate, to be used in a sentence such as

  She [verb] these principles above all others.

It's being used in an academic paper, so it shouldn't be too clunky.


texts:
What's the antonym of recommend? For example:

  I recommend that item!

I tried to use unrecommend, but the spell-checker throws an error and it sounds stupid as well!


texts:
I can see that several questions (1, 2) have already been asked about this, but I would like to ask specifically in the context of Russian phonetics. Russian is my native language, but I'm fluent in English. I've lived in the US for the last 12 years and I'm 26. I don't seem to have problems with any other sounds that don't exist in Russian (e.g. th, w, or the difference between oo in food and foot). But these e and a (as in ten and tan) are the bane of my existence. They are virtually impossible for me to distinguish (I usually just guess from the context) and are even harder to pronounce distinctly. To make matters worse, every time I ask native speakers about how to pronounce them, I seem to get conflicting information.

Here's an English phonetic chart for reference. Unfortunately, I can't find one for Russian (has nobody made one? I'd like to see it).

On separate occasions people have told me that either /æ/ or /ɛ/ sounds like the Russian э. But if I make anyone say the two English vowels over and over they sound closer to each other than to э.

Does anyone have personal experience or opinions regarding this?

I just looked this up on YouTube, and it's only made me more confused.
The way this guy pronounces the two sounds makes it seem like a is just a longer version of e.


texts:
Is there a name for following writing/dialogue pattern?

We ride into the future. A future where ...
In the world you grew up. A new world with  ...
It's just a theory. A game theory.


texts: What is an idiom meaning 'destroy with a hand tool' in English?

texts: I thought of "The politicians are taking a sledgehammer to England" but I don't know if it's correct to mean "The politicians are destroying England". In the source language it's used an idiom "putting the pickax" for the word destroy. It's because one uses a pickax to destroy something violently until rubble remains. What is a similar idiom in English?


texts: Literary term for when the author purposely doesn't describe something so that the audience is left to imagine it

texts:
I read an article the other day with this term, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is.

Essentially, the vaguely describes/hints at something, but the reader is never made aware of the specific details as their imagination will infer something that has a greater effect.


texts:
"The castle’s three gift shops sell a wide range of high quality gifts, books and souvenirs including exclusive Edinburgh Castle ranges"
I need to translate a travel guide of the Edinburgh Castle. This guide is written in English and I need to translate it into Spanish.
I am trying to find the meaning of "ranges" in that context. However, I can only find the meaning of the verbo "to range". The meanings I find for this noun do not work in that context.
Can anyone explain to me what does "ranges" mean in that context? If anyone has a proposed translation it will be really helpful.
I really appreciate your help! Thank you.


texts: When should I use specially and when especially?


texts: To infinitive as a complement for Adjective

texts:
Today, I was teaching my siblings how to use the 'to infinitive' as an adjective complement.
We were discussing how the structure it + linking verb + to infinitive + object has the same meaning as the structure noun (objective of the to infinitive) + linking verb + to infinitive.
For example, This question is difficult to understand shares the same meaning with it is difficult to understand this question.
When I explained to my brothers that for the second structure, we can only use adjectives such as difficult, easy, impossible, good, hard, they asked me if there were any other adjectives that could be used with the second structure, and that if there were any rules underlying these adjectives. I was dumbfounded by their questions so I turned to you for help.
I theorized that only adjectives that could be used with the first structure could be used with the second one.
For example, since it is grammatically correct to say it is healthy to eat vegetables, it is also grammatically correct to say vegetables are healthy to eat*.
From this, I developed another theory that adjectives that could be used are those that with a connotation implying that they affect or are related to the subject of the "to – infinitive" in some ways.
For instance, the word “healthy” could be defined as being good for (your) health.
Likewise, the word “difficult” could be defined as demanding (from you) great effort and skills.
Could you help me confirm whether the theories I have outlined above are sound? Thank you very much.


texts: Does groping in the dark have negative (sexual) connotations?

texts:
I am writing a blog tentatively titled "Particle Filters: Groping in the Dark for Robots". It struck me that groping has a strong sexual connotation too, so I researched if the idiom groping in the dark also has a negative connotation too. I asked an editor friend and she suggested changing the title because non-native speakers who are more familiar with groping (in the sexual sense) and may not be familiar with the other meaning of cluelessnes may take offence to the title.

I would like to understand if there are any such connotations in modern usage and whether using the title has even the slightest chance of being offensive.


texts: Word meaning "probed using laboratory instruments"

texts:
I'm looking for a word synonymous with analytically, but specifically referring to laboratory instrument analysis, as opposed to analysis from computational models. I know this is a fuzzy line, but does any such word exist? Some people use the word analytically with laboratory connotations, but I'm looking to be as unequivocal as possible.

I've thought about using the phrase in-vitro analysis, but is there anything better?


texts: Any terms meaning the 'first snow of autumn'?

texts: I am wondering if there is a term for the 'first snow of autumn'. The word I am looking for could come from the semantic field of meteorology, or perhaps farming etc. I know of the terms 'killing frost' and 'cold snap' but these are not really right.


texts:
Is there a word for a complete set of permutations?

I thought the correct word was 'Tautology', but it seems I misunderstood a lecture about propositional logic.

  An example:

  The following is a (tautological?) list of minecraft weather:

  clear day
  clear night
  rainy day
  rainy night
  thundery day
  thundery night

were it the case that it was day/not-day and clear/not-clear and the list was or'd together I suppose tautological would be the correct word, but as its not, what word fits best?


texts:
I am being told that this sentence is not in a proper construction:

"Answers arrive in a piecemeal fashion."

Neither Book Google nor standard Google search yields a single result using quotation marks, which seem to support the claim. However, I cannot find what is wrong with it. I have used variations, but with little success.

"Answers arrive piecemeal."

"Answers come through bit by bit."

I notice that "arrive piecemeal" is appropriate, given that "piecemeal" is an adverb, in which case is modifying the verb "arrive." The same with "through bit by bit," and even "Answers come through." I have also seen a few examples of "arrive in a piecemeal manner." Would the problem be with using "answers" as a plural noun rather than a singular verb?

I could use your help (if this is not the appropriate forum, please, let me know). Thanks


texts: Is there a special specific term for someone who travels to other multiverses willingly?

texts:
So, I have this made up character, who has this secret job where he and his crew travel to other multiverses and alternative realities and collects samples and specimens for scientists to research.

While this character is obviously not real, is there a specific term in English that basically means “someone/people who travel(s) to other multiverses willingly”?

The closest thing I could find was a term in German called “попаданец”, but it’s meant for someone traveling unwillingly to other universes.


texts: "You are right; I'm sorry" — semicolon or comma?

texts:
You are right; I'm sorry.
  You are right, I'm sorry.

Do we use the semicolon or comma? A full stop works. Two independent clauses so perhaps the semicolon should be used.


texts: What is an adjective for "almost, but not entirely correct"?

texts:
I'm looking for an adjective, and I'll use an example to describe what I'm looking for.

John says: "It is impossible to stand on one hand."

When in reality, it is unimaginably difficult (one might also say, statistically impossible) to stand on one hand.* John's statement isn't necessarily wrong, it's just incorrectly "rounded off" the slightest amount, and "technically correct, but not completely".

Someone pedantic could correct John, saying: "Your statement is ____."


texts:
What does one mean if he says he is intellectual but not intelligent?

What does one mean if he says he is intelligent but not intellectual?

Does being intellectual imply being intelligent?

Does being intelligent imply being intellectual?


texts: Two-part verbs — how to "factorize" a noun

texts:
What is the correct way to punctuate the following sentence?

  X can be explained by and obtained out of Y.
  X can be explained by, and obtained out of, Y.


texts: What is the correct punctuation for a repeated word?

texts:
I'm creating a presentation for school and I want to title my presentation "The not so secret secret to weight loss"

My meaning is that people act as if it is a secret when in fact it is very common knowledge. Do I need a comma between the two words or a hyphen? Or is it fine the way it is?

Thanks!


texts: Should I use "it's all back up" or "it's all backed up"?

texts:
In the case where data has been temporarily lost, but it's just been synchronized again and therefore it's there (again), should I use 'it's all back up' or 'it's all backed up' ?'
Thanks


texts:
A few days ago I was playing a board game with some family members and we had the following situation:

Each person had several dice in their posession
Each person had to place one die in the center of the table
One person at the table had to instruct everyone else to do this

The phrase that was used at the time was, as in the title, "Everyone, put your dice in the middle", but there was some discussion afterwards about whether this was a correct sentence as it could be interpreted as instructing everyone to perform the action on all of their dice (each person 'owning' multiple dice). On the other hand, "Everyone, put your die in the middle" would seem to suggest that all of the people being talked to share ownership of the one die. Using 'dies' was also suggested to clarify both halves of the statement, but it feels like an awkward usage that is probably wrong.

Which sentence would be correct for the context?

Note: I'm asking more about the correct use of Dice/Dies/Die here, not so much ways that the sentence could be made less ambiguous with larger changes (e.g. "Everyone, put one of your dice in the middle" / "...One die in the middle", etc.)


texts: How to Remember the Difference Between Effective and Affective?

texts:
Possible Duplicates:
  What's an easy way to remember when to use “affect” or “effect”?
  Effect vs. Affect

I always confuse the two and I have no way of telling them apart! Help!


texts: “Thanks for the write-up!!” in American English

texts:
Just confused about something. If person A asks for some suggestions to person B, C and D via email.

Now one of three persons say C respond over the email with very detailed reply having some suggestions (some of them may be relevant and some maybe not). Now person A who has asked the question originally reply by just saying

Thanks for the write-up!!

All of above words are bold and double exclamation mark.

Can someone please recommend what this means in US English sense?

Strong approval or strong dis-approval sarcastically?

Many thanks.

Regards,


texts: commonly used Metaphor, phrase, idiom or colloquialism for people 'who take themselves too seriously'

texts:
I was thinking about this in context of trophy hunters with the macho posturing and stuff but it needs to apply to anyone who thinks or pretends that what they are doing is very important or dangerous or difficult to do.

I feel like the words are right there in back of my head but can't seem to grab hold of it.


texts: What's the difference between "He dumped her" and "He walked out on her"? Are there any different shades of meaning in these two phrases? Are they completely different?


texts:
The English have been enjoying pies for centuries.  But where does their name come from?  For such an apparently humble word, pie has a mysterious etymology.

  pie pastry c.1300, from M.L. pie "meat or fish enclosed in pastry," perhaps related to M.L. pia "pie, pastry," also possibly connected with pica "magpie" (see pie (2)) on notion of the bird's habit of collecting miscellaneous objects. Not known outside English, except Gaelic pighe, which is from English. In the Middle Ages, a pie had many ingredients, a pastry but one. Fruit pies began to appear c.1600. Figurative sense of "something easy" is from 1889. Pie-eyed "drunk" is from 1904. Phrase pie in the sky is 1911, from Joe Hill's Wobbly parody of hymns. Pieman is not attested earlier than the nursery rhyme "Simple Simon" (c.1820). Pie chart is from 1922.

Seriously, magpies?!

Is it perhaps related to the flat breads pitta and pide or Slavic pierogi?  Is there a common PIE origin?


texts: Difference between "in" and "to" in this context

texts:
My friend is taking an English conversation class. In it, she said

  I have been teaching math in high schools for more than 10 years. Before that I taught math in junior high schools.

However, her teacher corrected her, telling her she should change in junior high to to junior high schools.

Is there any reasons that we should use to? Isn't in correct?


texts:
Which of these two is correct?

Do you know what does this word mean?
Do you know what this word means?

And, which of these two is correct?

This does not explain where does it come from.
This does not explain where it comes from.

And, as far as possible, why.
Thank you.


texts: Rag and Razz--slang for teasing/ridiculing--which came first and what's the etymology of the words?

texts: Hopefully everyone understands to razz and to rag as meaning to tease/ridicule on account of I don't have anything specific to reference. I'm curious to know which word came first and why both words--rag and razz--were chosen for teasing and ridiculing. I'm having difficulty uncovering their etymologies in regards to these meanings.


texts: the number of boys in the class is fewer than that of girls- correct or not?

texts: The number of boys- countable or uncountable? I'm confused with this sir.


texts:
Which one of the following is the correct form? For some reason, I have trouble understanding whether the correct form depends on "a necessary condition" (is) or "changes" (are).

  A necessary condition are training-induced changes in ...

or

  A necessary condition is training-induced changes in ..

What is the logic to decide which one is correct?


texts:
Yesterday evening the other half and I took a delightful drive into the countryside about 30 miles away, and sat for a while in the Hampshire village of Chawton (whilst listening on the car radio to the commentary from the Centre Court where Heather Watson almost defeated Serena Williams.) It was a gloriously bright summer's evening, lambs bounding in the fields around the parish church and Chawton Hall, the Elizabethan mansion once owned by Jane Austen's brother - and model for the great house described in various of Jane's novels. I commented that the countryside looked Austenian for it did undoubtedly bring to mind scenes from such as Pride & Prejudice.

But then I thought again. My own enduring criticism of Jane Austen, is that her wonderfully articulated prose is obsessed with the drawing-room manners of the lesser gentry. And this was written at the time of the Napoleonic Wars - whilst the poorer classes of Britain, in her nascent industrialisation, were being treated with the most brutal disregard - transportations, hangings, floggings, imprisonment under the Combinations Acts, filth, squalor and disease in the new towns and cities etc.

So my feeling is that the word Austenian should be reserved to describe those people who continue to drink tea with their little fingers extended, but blind to the mayhem all around them.

Is this unfair on Jane Austen?


texts:
What author means by "base passions" in following sentence:

  Philosophy titans such as David Hume thought that base passions powered moral decisions.

Above sentence is from Book "Brain Rules for Baby by John Medina"


texts: Is it correct if I write: the year will be 2033?

texts:
Is the phrase above correct? I am not sure about it. Thank you.

It starts with: picture yourself xx years from now: the year will be 2033.


texts:
Emperor You expended the whole empire in order to make his loved one
  smile once. (self-made)

According to my Longman dictionary, “expend” means “use up”. So it will be more naturally if its object is money or other kinds of resources. The context is that the Emperor’s attempt to make his girl laugh incurs an unexpected disaster, which seal the doom of the empire. So will “expend” be able to express what I mean?


texts: Do you usually say "the sky is partially cloudy" or "the sky is partly cloudy"? Are they both correct? Is there any difference between "partly and partially" in the last sentence? Is there any difference between "partly" and "partially" in general? They both sound natural to me.


texts: Is "will open 1st quarter 2015" grammatically correct?

texts:
A lot of signs in the Hong Kong MTR writes:

  xxx Station will open 1st quarter of 2015

Is this actually grammatically correct?


texts: Do I need a comma before which in my short story?

texts:
For an English short story one of my sentences has the word which, but I'm not sure if i need a comma. Here's the sentence.....
"He was stopped at his locker which of course happened to be right beside mine so I figured I might as well ask."
Also, are there any other grammar things I could fix?


texts:
When I / go look / at each/ good ho /ckey team/

Could "when I go look at each good hockey team" be considered a verse in iambic pentameter?


texts: How to properly negate "could you go there"?

texts:
In an online discussion I have used a phrase "Could you not go there?", in the sense of asking a person not to go there. Someone pointed out to me that the expression is completely wrong, which startled me a bit. A cursory Google search made it clear that the phrase indeed is not really in use.

I cannot, however, put my finger on what exactly is wrong with it. I feel one could correctly say "Could you go there?", but the negation of that is somehow wrong?

Now, I know that there are multiple ways to avoid the conundrum altogether by saying something like "Would you mind not going there", but I would love to learn what the rule (of thumb) is in this regard. Thanks in advance!


texts: Is there an analogous word to "quadrants" but used when something is divided into nine pieces?

texts:
If you take a rectangle and divide it into four equal pieces with two perpendicular lines, you have created quadrants:

But what if you divide the rectangle into nine equal pieces with two sets of two mutually parallel lines like this:

Is there a name for these pieces? An example sentence would be:

  The dart has struck the middle ______.

If there are six pieces they can be called sextants, and if there are eight pieces they can be called octants, but the word "nonant" doesn't seem to exist, at least not with this meaning.

edit: I'm specifically looking for a mathematical term to refer to the area that the rectangle is divided into, so a word analogous to "quarter" but referring to nine pieces doesn't answer my question. (See this.)


texts:
I came across this when developing a computer system in an object-oriented way. That is grouping data and functionality which relate to each other into objects and give those objects names.

Now, currently, I work on the only a part of the system which provides mutable state in the form of objects one can interact with, in a domain-specific sense. I was about to call them Interactables, I realized, however, that this is not a well-defined word.

The question is, is there an alternative noun for thing you interact with in the english language. And if not, what would be the preferred way to spell this word: Interactible or Interactable?


texts: How to insult a Tory (or people holding a conservative viewpoint in general)?

texts:
I am writing a contemporary theatre play where one character - a senior businessman - first introduces himself as a not particularly conservative person. Later in the play, his protégé finds that the businessman is in fact deeply conservative and wants to express his anger over the deception. I'm therefore looking for a british word that can insult Tories or conservative persons in general, emphasising that it is the conservativeness that the insulter takes objection of.

I started with "Twit", which might remind of Monty Python's "Upper Class Twit of the Year", but I have the feeling, that this is not a particularly strong insult these days. Since I'm not a native speaker, I have trouble in general estimating the strength of insults.


texts:
My native language uses the equivalent of he/his as the default gender-less pronoun. When using English (as a second language) most people use "he/she" or "him/her" to indicate a person of unknown/unspecified gender. E.g.:

  He/she must join the team by the end of this year.

I am aware that singular they does the trick, but I am interested in a form that explicitly acknowledge non-binary genders. Something like “he/she/*”, where * allows for anything else.

Question: How to explicitly specify non-binary support when using pronouns?


texts:
Therefore, World History was conceived of in European terms, the rest of the world merely pivoting around free and rational Europe.
Is the use of the gerund 'pivoting' correct in the latter part of the sentence?


texts: In "How soon is too soon to ~?", what is hidden/omitted after the subject 'how soon'?

texts:
"How soon is too soon to start kids on a computer?"

I think the grammatical role of 'how soon' is an adverb and the subject should be a noun. How can I understand this sentence grammatically?


texts: Term for the different uses of "are": one which applies an adjective independently, and one which denotes a relationship

texts:
There are definitely at least two ways in which the word "are" is used. Consider the following:

  Book A and Book B are red.

vs

  Book A and Book B are similar.

In the first use, it is applying an adjective independently to multiple objects. You can view it as syntactic sugar for

  Book A is red and Book B is red.

However, the second sentence doesn't allow such an expansion.

Now, I come from a CS and math background, so my view of this is a bit theoretical (to me, it seems that there is a difference in composition between the two example sentences). Grammatically or linguistically, is there such a concept as the difference I have described?


texts: Alternative for "Family" when talking about a fostered child

texts:
I am currently rewriting a formal agreement regarding a fostered child. The Foster Carers have specifically asked to be referred to as Foster Carers as opposed to Parents in all correspondence to them. In the original document, there are a lot of references to "the family". Should this be replaced with "the foster family", or is there a better choice of words.

I am not able to contact the carers to ask for their preference.


texts: Difference between "rate" and "value" in this context

texts:
Excerpt from Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations:

A rent which consists either in a certain proportion or in a certain quantity of the rude produce, is no doubt affected in its yearly value by all the occasional and temporary fluctuations in the market price of that rude produce; but it is seldom affected by them in its yearly rate.

By "produce", he means commodities' produce.
But what is his essential point here? What's the difference between rent value and rent rate?


texts: I'm confused how to pronounce "urethra". I looked up in the dictionary, it's | jʊˈriːθrə |. Shouldn't it be pronounced "yu-ri-ther"? Many YouTube videos pronounced it "yu-ri-thra".


texts: Single word for the quality of being waterproof — "waterproofness", "waterproofity", something else?

texts:
If someone is happy, I can refer to that state as that person's happiness.

If a watch is waterproof, do I refer to the watch's waterproofness, waterproofity, or what?

TFD has an entry that fits for happy, but not for waterproof.

I realize resistance is related ("I have a water resistant watch."), but I am curious if there is a word based on waterproof specifically.

In other words, is there a noun form of the adjective waterproof?


texts:
I am not sure whether I should be writing "king size" or "king sized" when describing bed sizes. I have given 3 examples below. Please could you help?

  A spacious and luxurious bedroom equipped with a king size bed.
  The double bedroom contains a king sized bed.
  A family suite with a double bedroom containing a king size bed.


texts: Need help with a grammar question about prepositions

texts:
Is “to” in the following examples a preposition, or does it act as part of the verb (to obtain, to sign, to complete)? Many thanks!

▻ I finally managed to obtain a copy of the report.
▻ Both governments have agreed to sign the treaty.
▻ You're allowed half an hour to complete the test.


texts: Is it offensive to call a redhead a "ginger"?

texts:
So I just re-watched this great comedy by Tim Minchin, and here are the questions:

How bad/offensive is the g-word
really (other than being an anagram of the n-word)?
What are alternatives? Is "redhead"
more appropriate?


texts: Is my use of the word "award" to describe a blog tagging game correct?

texts:
Anybody ever run into the blog post tagging? Like when somebody starts posting about certain topic (for example answering certain questions like what are your 10 habits, etc) and then they tag other people to write about the topic too in their own blog. I've never started a game like that but yes, when friends tag me and when I feel like it, I do the homework and pass the tag.

Recently, I realized that the tagging game sometimes has a name. It's called award. I've got the "You're Going Places, Baby!" award from a dear friend of mine. The rules: describe where you think you'll be in 10 years and then pass it along to other bloggers.

Until now, my understanding about the 'award' usage is something given or rewarded because of certain acts (honorable acts). Is 'award' normally used in more generalized definition or is it just in that bloggers game case? For the bloggers case, I think award only means something assigned/given.


texts: Does the term "page responsible" make any sense in English?

texts:
Each page on my organizations web site is assigned a person that takes responsibility for the content of that page.

E.g. in the page footer

Page Responsible: John Doe

The current term used to denote this person is "Page Responsible" which does not sound like something you can say in English.

English however, is not my native tongue. Therefore, I ask you English Language & Usage, does the term "Page Responsible" sound ok to you? Or should something else be used, e.g.

Responsible for page content: John Doe
Responsibility for page content: John Doe
Page owner: John Doe


texts: I am writing a scientific paper and must refer to a page of Wikipedia (WP for short). Should I write "WP page" or "WP's page"? "WP's page" seems to me to be correct, but somehow it sounds strange...


texts: What is the equivalent of "Jack o'lantern" in British English?

texts:
Sometimes the constant stream of exported American culture overpowers the vocabulary. Thanks to the explosion of posts on Reddit in the last month I know that Americans call a a carved pumpkin a "jack o'lantern". But I can't for the life of me remember what I used to call it.

Is there even a specific name for it in British English?


texts: What's intended by the semi-colon in this sentence?

texts:
Purposely means both "on purpose, by design; intentionally, deliberately".

Why use a semi-colon here rather than a comma?


texts: While talking about how a movie hasn't created enough buzz, can one say "Why aren't people speaking about that movie?" and not use the verb 'talking' as is done usually?


texts: A singular verb instead of the plural one

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is “there're” (similar to “there's”) a correct contraction?

Why it is that in some cases native speakers use a singular verb instead of the plural?

Eg., There's times like....

Here's your shoes...


texts:
“Tokens from your friends and admirers,” said Dumbledore,
  beaming. “What happened down in the dungeons between you
  and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole
  school knows. ...."

Is not the bold sentence logically inconsistent? If it was a secret then how did the whole school know about it? Some Harry Potter fan enlighten me.


texts:
What does "by heaven" mean here?

  I should be far enough from imagining, he replied, that I knew the cause of any of them, by heaven I should;


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  “The thing is, is that…”

Does anyone know when or why people started saying things like

  The problem is is that...

or

  The thing is is that...

It's as if they are using isthat as a combined single word. Does the word isthat exist in any modern dictionary? I can't find it anywhere.


texts: Are there any differences between "update" and "upgrade"?


texts: adjective for "wanting/in the mood to watch a movie"

texts:
Are there adjectives that describe this phrase? I will be using this term as an individual, one-word responses on a form, so sentence usage is unimportant.

For example:
"Wanting to date" would be "Flirty"
-or-
"Wanting to eat" would be "Hungry"

Phrase:
"Wanting to watch a movie"

Thanks in advance.


texts: One word for "within that period of time"?

texts:
I am writing for a scientific journal. I wish to express

  The findings are only valid if the data spans at least 5 days, and the sample
  has not corrupted within that period of time.

I wish to find one clean word to be the substitute for the bold phrase. Something similar to therein?


texts: Question on attributive nouns/noun adjuncts

texts:
I am writing a review in English and I need to use the structure ‘eye movement changes’, ‘eye movement abnormalities’ with ‘eye movements’ in the form of a noun adjunct. Even in the title I would need to include the following: ‘eye movement changes in older adults, a review’.

I was wondering then which is the preferred form between ‘eye movement changes’ and ‘eye movements changes’ (that is, whether to keep it in plural or in singular).

I was advised also to change the construction into ‘changes in eye movements; abnormalities of eye movements’ etc as it wouldn’t sound natural otherwise. As I’m not a native, I cannot tell if it sounds weird or not. What do you think?


texts: Should I write each "team's", "teams" or "team" captain?

texts:
I'm writing about the captains of sport teams. Each team has one and only one captain. I'm confused on how to express this :

  We will communicate this information to ...

each team captain
each team's captain
each teams captain
each teams' captain

It's my understanding that each is followed by a singular as per https://dictionary.cambridge.org/fr/grammaire/grammaire-britannique/each, so I think I should use captain against captains (I could be wrong on this one too, though)

However, I'm confused with the "team" part. There are several teams, so should I pluralize this word here ? Also, maybe should I use the possessive 's ?

Which is the correct way to complete the sentence ?


texts: Can "some" be followed by either a singular or a plural noun?

texts: The word some refers to an unspecified number or amount of an object. Are some difficulty and some difficulties both grammatical? If so, do they mean the same thing or two different things?


texts:
When do I use have and have got?

Are "I have the answer" and "I've got the answer" both correct?


texts: When do I use the word antecedent and when should I prefer predecessor?


texts: Which words are typical for the books or for the so-called "book vocabulary" specifically?

texts:
My experience in English literature is quite limited yet, and thus I can't recall any words that we're most likely to encounter in a book rather than in a spoken or in a neutral language.

The terms I've used here may not be the best because I don`t know their equivalents in English language.


texts:
"It is a lot of fun," sounds correct, but not, "it is a fun game."
Isn't fun a noun? Then why is it used as an adjective?
I have heard this usage even by literary giants, so this cannot be a common mistake.
Should "funny" be used in stead?

EDIT
Moral of the story: Fun has become an adjective colloquially, hence it is impossible to see it as wrong.


texts:
When did the assimilation of

  going to be

into

  gonna be

start being used?


texts: I am not sure if it is ok to use an exclamation point in the middle of a sentence like how it is used in the sentence below

texts:
Is it ok to use an exclamation mark in the middle of a sentence like in the following? (first exclamation mark)

"Hurry!" said Mark," we can't be late!"

Or in:

Hurry! we need to go!


texts: While at other times: conjunctive adverb?

texts:
I get very confused by punctuation surrounding adverbial phrases linking independent clauses in a compound sentence.  "While at other times" is a good example:

He may often be considered gregarious and social while at other times he is more reserved.

My understanding is that "while" is a conjunction linking two independent clauses, so it therefore needs to be preceded by a comma.

He may often be considered gregarious and social, while at other times he is more reserved.

"At other times" is an adverbial phrase that, were it at the beginning of the sentence, would be followed by a comma.  Shouldn't it therefore be followed by a comma, since it is introducing the second independent clause?

He may often be considered gregarious and social, while at other times, he is more reserved.

Or should the adverbial phrase be offset by commas, because it interrupts between the second clause and the conjunction:

He may often be considered gregarious and social, while, at other times, he is more reserved.

Or is it a conjunctive adverbial phrase (Is that even a thing?), thus needing a semicolon?

He may often be considered gregarious and social; while at other times, he is more reserved.

A Google search shows the single comma before while to be the most common rendering, but there are plenty of examples with no commas or two offsetting the whole of "while at other times."
Any clarification would be most welcome!


texts:
I sometimes write university projects for students and fix friends' computers, sometimes for money. I call things I do for myself personal projects, personal work, personal act, etc.

What adjective should I use to call those things I do for others? Impersonal and nonpersonal do not sound good.


texts: What is the grammatical name for a sentence whose predicate is a complete sentence?

texts:
What is the grammatical name for a sentence whose predicate is a complete sentence with a subject and a verb?

As in the following example:

  Those who stole money from the company — we will fire them; those who revealed the crime — we will reward them.

I know this example can be inverted to read:

  We will fire those who stole money from the company and we will reward those who revealed the crime.

But I want to know the linguistic term for the type of sentence I am asking about.


texts: 'Gone are the days when ... ' Is this expression often used?

texts:
Is the expression 'gone are the days when ...' often used in everyday English?

Or is it something you can see only in books?


texts: I'm starting a carpet repair business and my name is Chris. Is Chris's Carpet Repair correct?

texts: Is Chris's Carpet Repair correct or should it be Chris' Carpet Repair?


texts: Using "because", "as", or "since" when explaining the reason or relevance of something in an adverbial clause?

texts:
I have several units of information that I want to put into one, or two well-formed sentences:

Our product previously only supported Type-X adapters (which are widely used).
A few weeks ago the company producing Type-X adapters released information stating they will stop producing and distributing Type-X adapters.
We added support for Type-Y and Type-Z adapters to our product.

if I remember correctly, "because" is the most widely used conjunction to express A is the reason for B, but it is also possible to use as or since in some cases - I'm not a 100% sure when I can use which.

In the sentences I want to build, it's important to note that Type-X adapters are being discontinued is not the direct or singular reason for we now support Type-Y and Type-Z - We started to support those because we noticed more customers switching to them, it's meant to "future-proof" our product - but it is relevant to explaining how our product is fit for the future.

My instict says that using because here would be wrong, because it's not a direct cause-effect relation. Using 'since' feels right to me, so I arrive at this:

  All models of [product name] build 2014 or later now fully support Type-Y and Type-Z adapters in addition to Type-X. This makes [product name] fit for the future, since [company name] recently announced they will discontinue their Type-X series.

Is this well-formed? Is since the correct conjuntion to use here? What are the rules for when to use because, since, and as?


texts: Why do we say "Comptroller" as well as "Controller"?

texts:
The controller at my company recently said that she would only consider herself a comptroller if she did her job on behalf of a governmental or highly bureaucratic entity. the Online Etymology Dictionary lists comptroller as

  c. 1500, variant of controller, with bad spelling due to influence of unrelated French compte "an account," from Latin computare.

According to AccountingTools.com (and the accepted Google answer):

  The controller title is more frequently found in for-profit businesses, while the comptroller title is more commonly found in governmental and non-profit organizations

Where did this division in the role come from? Is this a common distinction?


texts: "Butcher shops" sell meat products, what is the name of a shop that sells cheese and ice cream?

texts:
I'm a native English speaker in the U.S.  Recently I visited the place where my local university processes dairy into various cheeses and ice cream.  These are sold in a small store/shop on campus.  Is there a term for such a place?  I thought of "dairy shop" but that sounds odd for some reason and I don't recall hearing it before; despite the similar "butcher shop" and "ice cream shop" being obvious and common to my ears.
Examples:

For quality steaks and special cuts of meat, visit a butcher shop.
For quality ice cream and special cheeses, visit a _____


texts: 11 Mindset Shifts You Need to Scale Past 7 Figures.


texts: Isn't "behind your back" in front of you?

texts: We've all heard the phrase that usually goes along the lines of "blah blah did something behind my back". I've always thought that from your back's point of view, anything behind you is in front of it therefore behind your back is in front of you. Is this just another unnecessary redundancy and should we all just say "behind me" or am I reading too much into this?


texts: A word to describe someone who thinks that what they are doing is just when it really isn't?

texts:
I need a word to describe a character who truly believes that their toxic behavior is for another's betterment despite being told what they're doing is wrong and hurtful.

Example sentence: "Even after causing her good friend to cry, she refused to even consider the possibility she didn't help at all. She's such a ____ person!"


texts: Difference between 'to seem' and 'to appear'

texts:
Is there a difference between the sentences

"The general case seems to be open."

and

"The general case appears to be open." ?

Or are they interchangeable?


texts: What's the meaning of /e/, /i:/, /a:/, /z/ and /p/?

texts: I was doing homework with the kid and I found this. Can anyone explain what this is about?


texts:
In Art and Science, Sian Ede discusses an installation called Last Supper by Damien Hirst.

Unfortunately, I can not understand the meaning of the following two sentences of the description:

  There may even be a sense that on our behalf Hirst is wavering into a collusion with the pharmaceutical companies, celebrating the abundant ways of designing pain out of our lives. pharmacologically – and profitably – if you were to read more than cool flippancy into the work.

Can anybody understand what Ede is saying?


texts:
I keep running into this debate with my thesis advisor. Are both of these forms correct?

  It can be seen that both the users
  are able to...

or

  It can be seen that the both users
  are able to...


texts: Is it "is being build" or "is being built"?

texts:
Channel is being build with aid of latest technologies available
  today.

Is the above line correct? or should built be used instead of build? What is the grammatic logic to follow so I understand why particular one is used.


texts: Use didn't leave yet, or haven't left yet? Can we use ''YET'' in past tense or not?

texts:
My knowledge of English grammar is very basic. I learned English mostly from movies and a lot of times I choose a specific way to say something in English based on intuition or the feeling that it seems right, but I get confused sometimes.

A friend is coming to a meeting. He was late, and I thought he was still at his house. What is the right way to say the following sentence, and why?

  It seems you didn't leave yet

Or

  It seems you haven't left yet


texts:
I have been living in Australia for 7 years now, and still haven't been able to pin down the local regional accents. I can tell a "Town" from a "Country" accent, but I can't reliably tell which state a speaker comes from.

The only shibboleth I am aware of is "The Melbourne Noy" which is how some but not all Melburnians pronounce the word "No". Also, think of Kath from "Kath and Kim" saying "Look at moi, look at moi!" Unfortunately, this pattern isn't restricted to Melbourne or even Victoria.

So does anyone have any other tips for recognizing Australia's regional accents?


texts: What's the meaning of "I put the chic in freak"?

texts:
I am a non-native speaker of English (Polish) and I teach English as a Foreign Language in Poland. A few months ago I came across this phrase / sentence printed on the student's notebook and got baffled because I didn't know how to translate it into Polish.

Can anyone please provide me with enough defintion-rich explanations or other contexts and situations in which this sentence may be used. Generally I have a problem with the word "freak" as I rarely use it. I simply avoid as much as I can the momorization and the internalization of it. I've done some research on the Internet, however it doesn't help me to arrive at a good Polish translation. Can you at least explain in which culture-bound situations it is used?

UPDATE:
Well, I found that this phrase is often used along with the Monster High doll franchise, web series, book series and a movie. I know that there is a cartoon series that was also aired in Polish TV channels, so I will look in there too.  It may be a unique phrase, not used elsewhere but if you happen to know what it means and what it refers to, I will be grateful


texts:
He was devastated when he learnt that his best friend was migrating.

I would like to find out if devastated in this use case is a verb or an adjective.


texts:
I came across a passage. Passage happens in the past ,and one of two characters is telling a story that happened before that day. That’s why I thought the story part of the passage should have been in past perfect ,but it’s in past tense. What could be the reason for that?
This is the introduction of the passage:

As my sister began telling me about the scorpion in her bed that stung her as she slumbered, I could feel my eyes popping out of my head.

I thought it should have been

‘As my sister began telling me about the scorpion that had stung her as she had slumbered ...’


texts: Why is "shut" an adjective in "locked shut"?

texts:
Definition of 'shut' in Collins English Dictionary.

Shut is also an adjective, with example sentence "The exit doors were locked shut."

I wonder why 'shut' in this sentence is an ADJECTIVE not an ADVERB?


texts:
Can you please tell me whether it is correct or not to insert a comma before either in this sentence?

"Finally, the populations of Russia and Turkey did not show any alterations (,) either positive or negative."

I am neither a native speaker nor am I savvy in grammar. Hereby, I want to apologize beforehand, if the question will seem a little dumb. Thanks in advance!


texts: A swallow does not make a summer ..... or a spring?

texts:
The famous proverb, one swallow does not make a summer  means:

  A single fortunate event doesn’t mean that what follows will also be good.
  (ODO)

the origin, according to the  Phrase Finder:

  This old proverb is listed in several early glossaries, notably Richard Taverner's transcription of the [Latin] proverbs of Erasmus - Prouerbes or adagies with newe addicions, gathered out of the Chiliades of Erasmus, 1539:

  It is not one swalowe that bryngeth in somer. It is not one good qualitie that maketh a man good.

The same proverb is very popular also in France and Italy where the version is "a swallow does not make a spring" and its origin is said to be  from  Aristotle “Etica Nicomachea” where the philosopher says:

  "One swallow does not a summer make, nor one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy"

According to  NGRAM also the "spring" version appears to be  used, but most references  cite only the "summer" one.

Questions:

Which is the more common version in AmE and BrE.
Why did the "summer" version become common usage despite the  common notion that swallows make their appearence during spring, not during summer.
Was the Middle English term "somer" a broader concept in terms of  seasons compared to the modern one? If so, is this the origin of the "misunderstanding" of the proverb" ?


texts:
I'm translating this sentence:

  Tired as he was, he grabbed up his hat and started off to put the
  final machinery in motion to wind up the long chase for the firebug.

Is it just to start an engine of a car? If yes, why "final"?
Please, help me understand this phrase. Thank you in advance.


texts: What does “Watch the plain clothes” account for in terms of “Cheap liquor nationalism”?

texts:
International Herald Tribune (September 30) introduced a commentary of Japanese novelist, Haruki Murakami who is regarded as a favorite for this year’s Nobel Prize in literature on Japan’s dispute with China over the territorial issues of the Senkaku Islands, which appeared in the Asahi Newspaper on September 28. Murakami wrote:

  After your drunken rampage you are left with nothing but an awful
  headache the next morning. We must be careful about politicians and
  polemicists who lavish us with this cheap liquor and fan this kind of
  rampage.

After the analogy of ‘Cheap liquor’ of nationalism, the writer, Marc McDonald adds:

  Put another way, by the possible Nobel laureate Mr. Bob Dylan: “Keep
  a clean nose / Watch the plain clothes / You don’t need a weatherman /
  To know which way the wind blows.

I can understand 'just literally' the implication of “Keep a clean nose. You don’t need a weatherman. To know which way the wind blows.” But I don’t understand what “Watch the plain clothes” implies?

To me, the line, “Keep a clean nose and so on” doesn’t relate to cheap liquor nationalism at all, thanks to the lack of my imagination.

I think this is a lyric of Bob Dylan’s popular song, but I’m curious to know how it comes that “Cheap liquor of nationalism” could be paraphrased or accounted for by “Keep a clean nose / Watch the plain clothes / You don’t need a weatherman / To know which way the wind blows.”?


texts:
How can I use apostrophe for plural nouns (especially when using US English)

Shareholder's Equity
Shareholders' Equity

Which one is correct ? 1 or 2 ?

Note:
I found this post is very helpful.


texts: What does "datum (sed) non concessum" mean?

texts:
I've encountered the phrase datum (sed) non concessum in various English-language books and articles such as:

The Beauty of God's House, quoted in Theologically Speaking, What Intelligent Design Is and What It Isn't
Pistrina Liturgica
Theology in the Russian Diaspora
‘A Designer Universe?’: An Exchange (variant: concessum non datum)
The Bishop Goes to the University

It's clear that datum and concessum are passive past participles in Latin; datum can mean 'given' and concessum can mean 'conceded' or 'withdrawn' among other possibilities.

So the phrase would seem to mean something like, "if we grant the preceding proposition for the sake of argument, without actually conceding that it's true, ..."

For example,

  But allowing for the moment the truth of this hypothesis, datum non concessum, how is this episcopal collegiality supposed to have shown itself?

Another:

  However, the critical question was ... One might argue that ...
  All right, datum non concessum the issue still remained as to why ...

And the other links show similar constructions. Is my understanding (which is based on the meanings of the individual words and on context) correct? Can anyone point me to a standard reference that describes the usage of the phrase?

P.S. There is some question as to whether this counts as an English phrase (idiom), or only a Latin one. (Actually I don't have evidence that the phrase is used in Latin, but that's not the main point.)

That's an open question, but in my favor, there are currently 4850 Google results for "datum sed non concessum". Even given that many of these are duplicates and not all are in English, nevertheless a good many of them appear to be unique, English-language pages. Usage does seem to be concentrated in circles of Catholic theology.


texts: Is there a better alternative to ambiguous for a word with a wide range of meanings, difficult to find, because they become different in connection with person's opinion.


texts: What is the difference between owned and pwned?

texts: People have been using pwned on a lot of youtube videos and i have NO clue what that even means?


texts: Is there a reason why "gn" in "reigning" is pronounced /n/ while in "regnant" it is pronounced [gn]?

texts:
Both reigning and regnant are related to the same Latin noun, regnum.

Why is the ‹gn› spelling pronounced [n] in the first word but [gn] in the second?


texts: which one is correct and why "I will crack a joke or I will tell a joke"

texts:
This  morning my bro told me “I will tell a joke” but my sister said “I will crack a joke.”

I am confused. which one is right or why?


texts:
What is the name of the person who steals books?
Can you please tell me what is the word for it?


texts:
The fat content of many processed foods is not clearly evident from either the appearance of the food, its feel and taste, or from the packaging and shape of the item.

Is it possible for me to change the order of the words from from either to either from in this context?


texts:
My other half is from West Sussex in England. Herself and her sister both pronounce seen as 'sin' and some of her friends from the area she grew up in pronounce it in the same way (including her mother).

A former colleague of mine who was originally from Brighton also pronounced it this way and recently I saw someone on the TV from Surrey pronounce it like this also.

Is there a specific reason for this? Teaching? Dialect?

I found online that the Suffolk and Essex dialects are known for this but found nothing relating to Sussex/Surrey.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_dialect#Mutations_to_certain_words
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_dialect#Pronunciation


texts: Trying to remember an English word that means “turmoil” or “tumult”

texts: The word is something like “fufura” or “furfuraw,” and I have even found a couple of web pages in which people use the latter in precisely the way I would use the word I’m trying to remember. But the thing I’m trying to recall would be on more than a couple of pages.


texts: How did "perfidy" come to mean the absence of faithfulness / trust?

texts:
Perfidy is (OED):

  Deceitfulness, untrustworthiness; breach of faith or of a promise; betrayal of trust; treachery.

The roots are per- and fidēs (faith)

Per- carries several senses, but generally relating to the completeness of a thing:

  Forming words with the sense ‘through, in space or time; throughout, all over’

pervade
perambulate
perfect
permute
peruse
pervert

These words reinforce how the prefix is used to mean "a completeness of' the thing that is attached.

"Perfidy", however, does not mean 'complete faithfulness and trustworthiness'.

Why not?


texts:
What is the difference, if any, between liberty and freedom?

Does it convey the same meaning if "Status of liberty" is replaced with "status of freedom" ? or every occurrence of "liberty" in Declaration of Independence is replaced with "freedom"?

  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Doesn't liberty imply the pursuit of Happiness?


texts: Is there a word meaning 'to think about thinking'?

texts:
Is there a word meaning 'to think about thinking '?

Ex: 'I was thinking about thinking about that suggestion.'


texts: The correct place of the adverb "nearly"

texts:
As far as I know, the adverb "nearly" can be used in an initial or medial position. However, I have seen it in a final position in an exercise book for non-native students:

He studied 3 hours a day "nearly".

My question is: can we put " nearly" at  the end of the sentence?


texts:
Which word suits more a context of a music producer motto?

  Let's put/insert/bring the emotion into your video!

Or would you describe it more accurately with another verb?


texts: Can I say ''Both of you and I are...'' instead of ''Both of us are...''?

texts: Is it correct if I  say ''Both of you and I are...'' instead of ''Both of us are...''? I need help.


texts: Are "embarassing" and "bewildering" synonyms?

texts:
The dictionary that I'm using says those meanings are synonyms. Is there no difference between them?

I'd also like to know if perplexing could a be synonym of embarassing and bewildering.


texts: How do you say that you obtain n of A, B, and C?

texts: Is it grammatically correct to say "You can get 2~4 each of necklace, ring, and bracelet from the box," in case that the person who opens the box obtains 2~4 necklaces, 2~4 rings, and 2~4 bracelets? Or, is there a more natural way of saying this?


texts: “At this section...” vs. “in this section...”

texts:
At/in this section, you must enter your shipping details.

Should I use at or in?


texts:
Definition of iterate:

  to say or do again or again and again

Definition of reiterate:

  to state or do over again or repeatedly sometimes with wearying effect

The distinction seems to be that reiterate is conventionally used when the repeating of this thing is supplementary to the attempt to convey the point at hand. I don't think I've ever heard iterate used similarly. Would it be wrong or awkward to? If not, then why are there two different words? When should one be used over the other?


texts: "As explained in Section 2" vs "As will be explained in Section 2"

texts:
As the title.

When writing to a report, should I refer to a section of the report located later by writing "As explained in Section 2" or "As will be explained in Section 2"?


texts: Is there a more modern way to say "it's a pity"?

texts:
Is it okay nowadays to use the phrase "it's a pity" in the everyday conversation in the contexts like in following example:

  "Please how do I get to airport?"
  "It's a pity, I don't know."

If not, what would be an appropriate equivalent?

Edited (added):

As it follows from answers, this phrase is almost never used by native English speakers. Could you please specify how this phrase sounds for native speaker - as too formal or as archaic or anything else?


texts: Is there a term for phrases which were once literal but now figurative?

texts:
We still hang up the phone, even though we really only push a button, not suspend it in a cradle.

Sometimes we tape a television series, even though the DVR does the heavy lifting, not the analogue insides of a VCR.

Is there a term for these words and phrases? I'm not sure about using words like obsolete or archaic, because the methods they describe may be, but the phrases themselves are not.


texts: How to concisely put that two methods identify shared yet different results

texts:
What's a very concise, pithy but formal way (register is scientific English) to say that two methods identify the same set of factors involved in a process but that one method identifies more factors on top of the shared results?

In essence, I want a short statement that captures the following:

  Method X and Method Y identifiy a shared set of factors; however,
  Method X also identifies some additional factors


texts: Q: "Did I charter a train and take it to the sea?" vs. A: "I did charter a train and took it to the sea." How to explain to a learner the usage diff.?

texts:
"Did I charter a train and take it to the sea?" vs.
so this is simple past tense. What do we call the verb that changes the tense, while the others retain their present base form?
But now in the answer form (the previous is inquisitive and not declarative, what do we call this/mood/aspect...? sigh):
"Yes, I did charter a train and took it to the sea."
Now 'did charter' appears to be past perfect (but its not!) as 'took' sounds appropriate as a past tense form in this sentence following on what appears to need to be past perfect...? vs. the previous sentence in the inquisitive mood.
But I am not sure - I am a native speaker and am 40 years old. But I cannot explain the difference and why it exists...
"Did Peter charter a train and take it to the sea?" (did charter & take)
"Yes, peter did charter a train and took it to the sea." (did charter & took)
Also, this "did charter"  could hav been repaced by "yes, Peter chartered".
However sometimes we answer,
Did you do it? Yes I did...
So... Any help on explaining the diff. of tense use here from the title question?
I cannot, not at all, but it's a curious little quirk I hope someone can help as to also WHY - not only WHAT - the diff is.
Maybe the difference lies in what types of verbs the two sentences' "did's" are, but I am not sure what they are...


texts: What is the difference between trash, garbage, litter, rubbish, waste?

texts:
Could somebody please explain the differences in usage of those words? The only difference I could find is that garbage and trash is AmE, rubbish BrE and litter / waste seem to be used in BrE and AmE.

(This topic came up when I was in Scotland and a scottish gentlemen tried to talk to some czech people. They had problems understanding his accent when he said one of those words and I supported him by saying those synonyms)

Longman dictionary

garbage: (1) especially AmE waste material, such as paper, empty containers, and food thrown away; = rubbish BrE [...]

litter: (1) WASTE [U] waste paper, cans etc that people have thrown away and left on the ground in a public place; = rubbish, trash, garbage: People who drop litter can be fined in some cities. | a town with a litter problem. [...]

rubbish: [U] especially BrE (1) food, paper etc that is no longer needed and has been thrown away; = garbage AmE, trash AmE [...]

trash: (1) AmE, things that you throw away, such as empty bottles, used papers, food that has gone bad etc; = rubbish BrE [...]

waste: (4) UNWANTED MATERIALS [U] unwanted materials or substances that are left after you have used something: The emphasis is on recycling houshold waste. | industrial/chemical etc waste proposals to end the dumping of industrial waste into rivers and seas | waste pipes | the disposal of hazardous waste -> nuclear waste, toxic waste -> see picture at ENVIRONMENT [...]

Trash vs Garbage

was answered here. Trash is something thrown away (which could still be useful for somebody else), garbage is useless (e.g. bad food). Garbage seems to be rather organic while trash is inorganic.


texts:
I don't understand whether I need to use hyphenation in "high-voltage". In scientific literature I see it being used interchangeably. Could anyone help me with this?

Here are some examples (I didn't use hyphens since I don't know if they should be there):

"High voltage equipment was used in the experiment".
"High voltage pulse is generated by neon-sign transformer."
"High voltage is necessary to cause dielectric breakdown."


texts: What do you call the roads along the coast or borders of a country?

texts:
In Portuguese we call it marginal (which I would say relates to the word margin, i.e at the border of something).

No result from Google Translate felt as the right answer.

We may say for example Vou pela marginal which means I'm going to take the __ road.

edit
My bad, I posed the question wrong I guess. I forgot to mention that what I had in mind was roads at the coast, I'm not sure every country has roads at their borders (probably not), but countries with beaches usually have roads for better access. So I meant, roads touching the ocean or something like that. Coastal road/highway would be it.


texts:
Why do people say like "down the hall, road, alley, etc" when it is not down in any way.
Why can't we say like "it's straight this corridor, road, etc"?. Why do say "it's straight down this corridor, road, etc"?

Please elaborate it.


texts:
We were kept waiting for two hours.
  We were made to wait for two hours.

Are both equally correct and common?


texts: Combining sentences and preposition usage

texts:
Edited after Yosef Baskin's suggestion:
Assume that I wanted to combine all of these sentences into one, but strictly without using a semicolon or repeating the word "them":
"I'm intolerant of them. I'm strongly against them. I feel hate towards them."
Result:
"I am intolerant of, am strongly against, and feel hate towards them."
Is this okay? Can you put commas in front of preceding prepositions as long as the finishing preposition connects to the main subject ("them") and brings them all together?
Sorry if this seems like a random question, but I've been having difficulties with this.
Thanks kindly for any assistance.


texts: What's the usage of "Unlike like, say ..., ..."?

texts:
In the following sentence and context, do Lego and Emoji have underlying rights to be purchased?

  Unlike like, say Lego, there are also no underlying rights here to purchase, which makes this as much a catnip idea to Hollywood as public domain fairy tales that fuel so many blockbusters.

— from the first paragraph of http://deadline.com/2015/07/emoji-movie-sony-pictures-animation-anthony-leondis-kung-fu-panda-secrets-of-the-masters-1201482768/


texts: What does "tied up in a cotton handkerchief" mean?

texts:
I came across this phrase in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving:

The revenue arising from his school was small, and would have been
scarcely sufficient to furnish him with daily bread, for he was a huge
feeder, and, though lank, had the dilating powers of an anaconda; but
to help out his maintenance, he was, according to country custom in
those parts, boarded and lodged at the houses of the farmers whose
children he instructed. With these he lived successively a week at a
time, thus going the rounds of the neighborhood, with all his
worldly effects tied up in a cotton handkerchief.

I interpret "cotton handkerchief" to be related to consumption of food, but am not sure what it means to be "tied up" in it.


texts: The two cultures of science and the arts and humanities

texts:
In the following text, does "the two cultures of science and the arts and humanities" mean the two cultures of "science" and "the arts and humanities"? I mean does "two cultures" refer to "science" and "the arts and humanities"?

The context:

  The dramatic contrast between these two visions of reality makes
  manifest the extreme differences in the epistemological traditions
  which have underpinned and separated the two cultures of science and
  the arts and humanities through much of the twentieth century.
  Fundamentally, these concern whether distinctions can be made between
  the act of perceiving and the object perceived


texts: Can "collection" pertain to a single object? For example, is a library with a single volume a "library"? Suppose the curator aims at acquiring more works of the same type as the one it possesses - there is an intent at making adding more volumes to the 'library'. Can it still be billed as a library?


texts: What does "I wished I had a nickel" mean when threatened by a radical extremist?

texts:
I saw a clip of video titled “David Letterman came back to The Late Show this week,” on Time Magazine's website. In the CBC’s show, Letterman revealed that he was threatened by a jihadist lately. After joking he wishes the audience to be more like a human shield for him on the site, he said:

  A guy, a radical extremist threatened me to cut my tongue up. I wished I had a nickel for every time a guy has threatened to cut.

I know a nickel means a small change, but small change wouldn’t save you from a great threat. What does "I wished I had a nickel for every time he was threatened to cut" exactly mean — particularly in contrast to the seriousness (or gravity) of likening the audience to the human shield of himself against jihadists even as a humor?


texts: How do English speakers say they want the same item?

texts: Let's say a Mars bar. In my language, if one showed candy bar and we'd want one, not a part broken off, we'd say 'does it have twin?'


texts: What is the difference between "scent" and "odor"?

texts: Proper usage guidelines and examples are appreciated.


texts: Word/Phrase for something to be grateful for

texts:
Context, I'm drafting a condolence note for a friend whose grandfather just passed. They were close, which I think is something to be grateful for, since a lot of people only have distant relationship with grandparents.

Of course "blessing" is the obvious choice, but in the circumstances the religious connotation is inappropriate.


texts: subjective or objective role of "let alone..."

texts:
A Navaho sand painting ritual for a sick child is a mystery – we literally cannot read the signs nor subscribe to the belief, let alone the science, that she can be made better this way.

Does here "let alone the science" want to say "as we cannot understand these sand paintings and science cannot understand them either"?


texts:
I am looking for an equivalent of "Gotcha!", "Made it!" or other exclamatory phrases a World War One Airplane Pilot may use.

The specific name is Frank Luke, an airplane ace. He just got out after successfully destroying three German Balloons, and he's making the statement to himself or over the radio while flying away from the situation.

I would think in modern times someone could say

"Gotcha!"
"That was easy!"
"They got destroyed, no doubts"
etc...

I have done some research, but still don't have a clue about how someone back then would exclaim phrases such as these.


texts: Is it redundant to add implied words after infinitive (eg "to share" vs "to share together")

texts:
I wanted to write something in a message to my department that essentially says "I am thankful for this home we share"...however I initially thought that I would emphasize the cohesion of the group by adding "I am thankful for this home we share together."

I am concerned this is redundant as togetherness is implied by sharing (one cannot share without another!). Any thoughts here?


texts:
My question is in following sentence

  What happens, says Hume, is that we observe individuals of one species to have been constantly attended by individuals of another.

Why use to have been instead of have been?

I searched for this and only get 5 patterns,

1、observe someone/something

2、observe someone/something do something

3、observe someone/something doing something

4、observe that…

5、be observed to do something

I don't see there is observe someone/something to do something.


texts: Can a morphologically singular noun sometimes take a plural verb if semantics permits so?

texts:
I have had this rather mind-boggling question: Do the following sentences require a singular or plural verb?

The blue and the red dice are/is rolled on the floor.
Geraldine's and Gerald's car are bought from California.
The personality of the business and the owner are/is separate.

Semantically, the ideas the sentences are describing indicate plurality: (1) There are two di rolled onto the floor-one is red and the other is blue; (2) Geraldine has a car, and so does Gerald; (3) in Accounting, the personality of the business is different from that of the owner.


texts: Word to describe that only one side of the party is talking?

texts:
Example sentences:

  Susan didn't enjoy the date, because it was too __.

  Mary's marriage has become __. She's the only one speaking.


texts: "put your coat on" and "put on your coat" but not "depend on someone" and "depend someone on*"

texts:
Why can you say
"put on your coat" and "put your coat on"
but not
"depend on someone" and "depend someone on*"?

Why are adverbs ("on" in the first sentence) mobile, whereas prepositions ("on" in the second sentence) have a fixed position?


texts:
classy sassy and a bit smart assy

Can someone please explain the meaning of this?


texts: "built-in to the library": hyphen or no hyphen

texts:
http://web.mit.edu/galib/www/FeatureList.html says, "You can use the types built-in to the library (bit-string, array, list, tree) or derive a chromosome based on your own objects."

I've sometimes seen "built in to the library".

Should there be a hyphen or not? Should it be "built-in to the library" or "built in to the library"?


texts: I just ran across the word "flarn" as in, apparently, "filth and flarn".  What is the definition, usage, and etymology of "flarn"?  My poor google-foo yields nothing and I don't have an Oxford English dictionary.


texts:
I thought that the error was C because I thought the comparison should have been:

  Because sound waves travel faster in liquids than in gases, the speed of sound in water is greater than that of sound in the air.

Why is the quoted version above incorrect?


texts: 'will be V-ing' vs. the present progressive [for future reading]

texts:
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Page 171-2):

[22] i When we get there, they’ll probably still be having lunch. [aspectual meaning]
ii Will you be going to the shops this afternoon? [special meaning]
iii When the meeting ends we’ll be flying to Bonn. [ambiguous]
(Discussion of [22i] and [22ii] omitted.)
The distinctness between the two meanings is seen clearly in the ambiguity of [22iii]. On the progressive aspectuality reading, we will already be flying to Bonn when the meeting ends; on the ‘already decided future’ interpretation, the when adjunct says when we will leave. The first is imperfective, with reference to a mid-interval; the second is perfective, just as in the non-progressive we’ll fly, which, however, suggests that the decision is being made now. This use is particularly common with will, but it is also found with, for example, the idiom be going, as in Are you going to be helping them again this year? (where the non-progressive might again be construed as a request).

In the special meaning (aka, the ‘already decided future’ interpretation), [22iii] seems to mean that we're the ones who participate in the meeting, and that we're scheduled to fly to Bonn right after the meeting ends.
Am I right?
Also, what if will be flying was replaced with are flying?

(1) When the meeting ends we’re flying to Bonn.

Can (1) have both the aspectual meaning and the special meaning? Or can (1) have only the special meaning?


texts: I wanted to know what is the meaning of "checking off the points upon the palm of his left hand"?

texts:
I am quoting from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Silver Blaze by Arthur Conan Doyle: "I lay back against the cushions, puffing at my cigar, while holmes, leaning forward, with his long thin forefinger checking off the points upon the palm of his left hand, gave me a sketch of the events which lead to our journey".
I don't understand what holmes was doing, did he previously write notes on his hands or what?


texts: Is the antecedent of a relative pronoun governed solely by proximity?

texts:
There is a group of people that is very smart.

My question is: Does the word that always modify the closest noun phrase?
If so, the word students is modified by that here, and the correct version would be:

There is a group of people that are very smart.

If I am right, another question: Is Trump wrong in terms of grammar?

He said: There is a group of people that is very sick

https://youtu.be/m5YDIWXzRaI?t=16s


texts:
The gender-neutral honorific “Mx” has its own entry in the OED since August 2015,  so no one can argue it doesn't exist. According to The Sunday Times, central and local governments have been quietly using this [mysterious] honorific in their documents and forms for at least two years. British government departments, including the NHS (National Health Service); online bank accounts; credit cards; driving licenses; and universities all accept this title.

  Jonathan Dent, assistant editor on the OED, said it was the first addition to the accepted stable of honorifics in recent history and demonstrated how the English language is evolving to accommodate an ever–changing society.

  “This is an example of how the English language adapts to people's needs, with people using language in ways that suit them rather than letting language dictate identity to them”

Oxford Dictionaries define Mx /məks/  /miks/

  A title used before a person’s surname or full name by those who wish to avoid specifying their gender or by those who prefer not to identify themselves as male or female:

Their second example refers to the American ‘transperson’ singer-songwriter and cabaret artist, Justin Vivian Bond. A person who is said to have used the title Mx since 2011

  To me, Mx Bond embodies the very best kind of girl a boy could ever grow up to become.

Wikipedia claims Mx (/ˈmɪks/ or /ˈmʌks/) ‘is commonly accepted’ and has existed since 1977. The Daily Mail confirms the latter, and says the title first appeared in the US publication ‘Single Parent Magazine’ in 1977. Which makes it an American neologism.

An example from a British Adult Deed Poll Application Form

Is this honorific used only in the UK? What about Australia, Canada and the US? I found  no mention of Mx being adopted in British passports, but if a British citizen visiting one of these countries were to feel ill, or be arrested would that person be allowed to call themselves Mx, instead of Mr or Ms?

Living in Italy I haven't come across anything remotely similar, and none of my friends or family living in the UK have ever mentioned this new gender-neutral title to me, so I was wondering how common is this abbreviation? Is it an abbreviation? Mx is not short for anything, whereas Mr. is short for mister, and Mrs is a contraction of Mistress.

How common is Mx?
Where and when did you first see Mx being used?
How do you pronounce Mx?
Will the US follow suit? Or do they have their own gender-neutral honorific?

Bonus Question

Meanwhile the only other dictionary which lists Mx is Urban Dictionary, its entry is dated August 18, 2011. In a world where one constantly hears debates about whether a term is a real word or not, how significant is Oxford Dictionaries decision to include Mx in their online dictionary?


texts: What does the usage "in Donald Trump" mean in the following sentence?

texts:
A newly aggressive Russia under Vladimir Putin and, in Donald Trump, an American president who is unenthusiastic about both the EU and NATO, make this a terrible time for Europe to be weak and divided.

  Can Europe be saved? The Economist (25 March 2017)


texts:
I am sometimes confused the usage of prepositions.

I say, "It happened in the bathroom."

Native speakers of English would say, "It happened on the bathroom."

Is one, both, or none correct? What is the actual difference between "on" and "in"???


texts: What does "I can prove it on an abacus" mean?

texts:
I've got a feeling it means "I can prove it in a very simple and an ostensive way".
Is this so?

Update:
The context.
http://www.laddertheory.com/commoncriticisms.htm
Search for "abacus".


texts:
If you say, "Looking up at the sky too much makes you lose perspective,"
do you mean that you feel so close to the sky because you look it up so often?
If not, what does that mean?


texts:
I was wondering how this phrase sounds in English:

  She is a little bit shy.

In my country the people say "a little bit" a lot, and sometimes they use it wrong. I have the impression that in US (or even in other countries where English is spoken), people prefer to be more specific saying "She is shy".

Anyway, I don't want to be misunderstood, can you tell me if the above phrase sounds awkward, and in which situations I can use "a little bit" without problem.


texts: Can you ask questions ending with "are you/do you/did you etc."?

texts:
Tired, are you?
Cold outside, is it?
Seen him around, have you?
See her, did you?

These sentences might not be grammatical, but I'd like to know if they would be frowned upon.


texts:
What is the origin of kiwifruit?
Is there any relation between the fruit and New Zealand?


texts: Are “Why did you do that” and “Why have you done that” interchangeable?

texts:
As I know, both Simple Past and Present Perfect can be used for an action that happened in the past. However, S.Past is used for an action which has a definite period of time whereas P.Perfect is used for an action which doesn't have a definite period of time. Am I right?

I'm confused about these two tenses. Can anyone explain the differences between them?
Let's take an example (Your friend - B, You - A)

  Case (1):
  A: What did you do last night? Was there any fun?
  B: No, there wasn't any fun. I already broke up with my girlfriend.
  A: What? Why did you do that?

  Case (2): (You and your friend haven't met each other for a long time)
  A: Hey, what have you been doing?
  B: Everything is so boring. I have broken up with my girlfriend.
  A: What? Why have you done that?

In Case 1, I use "Why did you do that" - (Simple Past) because I know that he broke up with his girlfriend last night.

However, In case 2, I use "Why have you done that" - (Present Perfect) because I don't know when he broke up with his girlfriend (Maybe yesterday or 1 week before, 2 months before,...)

What do you think? In my opinion, in most real conversation, we can use "Why did you do?" and "Why have you done?" interchangeably? Am I correct?


texts: Best ways to write thoughts in narrative

texts: I would normally put a thought in a narrative in quotation marks, but it becomes boring and stilted to continually write, thought Mary, or thought John. A thought normally would have a different person; e.g. "He wants to know where I was yesterday," would be the thought of the dialogue, "You want to know where I was yesterday." But in certain contexts the first example could be spoken dialogue as well. The context should give clarity, but in more complicated narrative, i.e. numerous speakers, it would not. Has anyone any hot tips for writing thoughts in dialogue.


texts: Should 'is' or 'are' be used before a list of possible types of one thing?

texts:
I'm considering editing a Stack Overflow question titled:

  What is functional, declarative and imperative programming?

It seems like "are" should be used instead of "is" since it comes before a list of things, and if you weren't familiar with the topic it might sound like it was asking about one type of programming that was all three of those at the same time. But does it make a difference when the list of things is a list of adjectives describing a single thing? I mean, does the "is" or "are" apply to the "functional, declarative and imperative" or to "programming"?

I know that the sentence actually means

  functional programming, declarative programming, and imperative programming

and if I write it like that it seems clear that "are" should be used, but for some reason when I look at the original sentence, both "is" and "are" look wrong.

I'm not sure of the terminology I should use to refer to a sentence with this structure, so I'd also appreciate it if someone could tell me if there is a name for this type of "distributive" list.


texts:
I stumbled upon the following text:

  Motor starting circuits In the table above is mentioned which
  electrical typical has to be used for the motor starting circuits. The
  attached electrical typicals (see ...) have to be respected by the
  contractor.

Could you explain what does "electrical typicals" mean? It looks like a noun but google and wiktionary only give explanations for adjective.


texts: Is “office hours” correct if it refers to a single hour?

texts:
My coworker is suggesting a change to “office hour” in this case. Is that more right?

I know “hour” as a unit should be singular when (and only when) there’s exactly one, but as part of the name for hours of operation – e.g. “office hours” or “visiting hours” or “member hours” or simply “hours” – the singular form seems strange to me.

I could see using singular if there’s an implicit assumption that the referenced period of time is now, and will always be, exactly one hour, like an inherent feature, to the point that you could drop the end of the range as it would be implied (e.g. “Office hour: 9am”). In our case, the period has been longer in the past, and may be again in future, so it feels more correct to use “hours” to implicitly accommodate that possibility.

As for the other way around – phrases that use the singular “hour” for periods that are nonspecific or not exactly one hour, such as “dinner hour” or “witching hour” – this comment suggests that correct usage here is simply idiomatic, so perhaps that’s the case for “office hour(s)” too? [Edit: My examples here may be bogus, since I realized e.g. “dinner hour” can be a non-durational point in time, like an appointment; and “witching hour” is technically exactly one hour, though I think common usage might’ve moved away from that.]


texts: Namesake used when refering to surname only

texts:
Can you use namesake when refering to just someone's surname?

Eg If the persons name is David Chaplin, can you say: "unlike his namesake, Chaplin's efforts are nothing to laugh at." ?


texts: What is an antonym for the term "straight-A student?"

texts: I'm looking for a word or phrase that implies stupidity in the context of academics in the same way the term "straight-A student" implies intelligence.


texts: Use of a pronoun to refer to something that follows

texts:
This is the opening sentence from the Edgar Allan Poe short story 'The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar'.

  Of course I shall not pretend to consider it any matter for wonder that the extraordinary case of M. Valdemar has excited discussion.

It seems to me that 'it' in this sentence is not a dummy 'it' but a pronoun that refers forward to the subordinate clause 'that the extraordinary case of M. Valdemar has excited discussion.' We could rewrite the sentence as 'Of course I shall not pretend to consider that the extraordinary case of M. Valdemar has excited discussion any matter for wonder .' The problem would be that 'consider that' is a common construction that utilises 'that' in a different way than is intended here (as introduction to a subordinate clause), so instead the pronoun 'it' is used to separate off the clause.

On the other hand, we could write 'That the extraordinary case of M. Valdemar has excited discussion, I shall, of course, not pretend to consider any matter for wonder.'

Does my analysis make sense, and are there many instances where a pronoun refers forward to something that occurs later in a sentence?

For instance--"I consider him damned, who refuses to submit to God" where there is no previous noun the pronoun 'him' refers to, but 'him' instead refers to the following subordinate clause 'who refuses to submit to God'. (Which raises the interesting case of a subordinate clause that modifies a pronoun that actually refers to the subordinate clause--but then, 'he who refuses to submit to God' would work the same way.)


texts: Is there a difference between "of" and "to" in these cases?

texts:
Example: is there a difference - even a subtle one - between:

the hinges of a door
the hinges to a door

I suspect there is a slight difference, yet I cannot quite pin down what that difference is. Also, how far does this near-interchangeability extend? For instance, would it make sense to speak of "the crux to a mathematical proof" rather than the "the crux of a mathematical proof"?


texts:
"His failure to register was not knowing and willful."

This may seem like a stupid question, but does the sentence above mean he was not knowing and not willful, or not knowing and willful?


texts: “Blow your heads off ” or “blow your head off ”

texts:
Is it heads or head? Google told me both are okay. What do you think?

  I will blow your head[s] off if you don't tell me.


texts:
Due to lack of knowledge, they roam haplessly in search of jobs.
Due to lack of knowledge, they roam helplessly in search of jobs.

Which of these two words seems to be the better fit?


texts: Reported speech: "would do something", or "would have done something"

texts:
What would the following be in reported speech?
Q "If I had any money I'd buy you a drink" she said.
(a) She told me she would buy me a drink if she had any/some money
or
(b) She told me she would have bought me a drink if she had had any/some money
Presumably the former (a) is correct. Otherwise for (b), the Question would presumably have been: "If I had had any money I would have bought you a drink" she said


texts: Question on how to word insight when referring to mental illness

texts:
I want to say something like

  Insight into mental illness through literature

or

  Insight into mental illness portrayed in literature

I am trying to come up with a possible title for a project but I am just not sure how to word it. Any ideas are welcome, Thanks!


texts: Is it wrong to say that " no matters how..." the point is that can we use  plural form of 'matter' in this phrase?!


texts:
Could anyone point me to research papers discussing idioms with similar meaning? Are there any algorithms on how to search for a similar idiom?

For example, these idioms are somewhat similar - they all claim that people can't change themselves:

  Leopard can't change its spots

This idiom means that people cannot change basic aspects of their character, especially negative ones.

  In your blood

A trait or liking that is deeply ingrained in someone's personality and unlikely to change is in their blood.

  What can you expect from a hog but a grunt?

This means that you can't expect people to behave in a way that is not in their character- a 'hog' is a 'pig', so an unrefined person can't be expected to behave in a refined way.