texts:
Hopefully you are fine!

  This apparent victory in the Newton Wars of the 1730s and 1740s allowed Voltaire's new philosophical identity to solidify. Especially crucial was the way that it allowed Voltaire's outlaw status, which he had never fully repudiated, to be rehabilitated in the public mind as a necessary and heroic defense of philosophical truth against the enemies of error and prejudice.

I am a bit confused about the usage of the word "way" in the aforementioned excerpt. To specify exactly what is irking me, I will frame my question in the following two points:

1: First of all, my understanding is that if "the way" is eliminated from the sentence, it's meaning will remain intact. Is it correct?

2: Secondly, if "way" is really giving the meaning of "method" here, then shouldn't it be "Especially crucial was the way which allowed" ?


texts: "think of your game" or "think about your game"?

texts:
We are a game publisher and want to pick our slogan. We want to say you don't have to worry about anything else but your game, we take care of anything else.
So, considering this which slogan is better?


texts: Is there any such thing as noun pronoun proximity?

texts:
I have read of Concord (or noun-verb agreement) and was wondering if, is as I have been told, there is a similar grammar rule for noun-pronoun agreement/proximity.

When there's a sentence where two nouns are given and a pronoun used, to which noun will the pronoun be assigned?

Carol visited Mary. Mary is the lady living next door. She had barely eaten that day.
Or
Carol visited Mary. Mary lives next door. She had barely eaten that day.

Are the above sentences even grammatical?

Assuming they are, I am tempted, in the first example, to assign the pronoun to the subject in the preceding sentence, but I'm not absolutely certain because I've heard that the pronoun(just as in noun-verb agreement) should be assigned to the noun closest.

Carol and Mary had been best friends for years. Until she got sick.

To who does the pronoun refer? Why?
Is there any such rule as alluded?


texts:
Source: Running Linux, 5th Edition by Matthias Kalle Dalheimer and Matt Welsh (2006)

Example:

  Linux started as a real underground movement—guerrilla hacking, if you will—and brings a lot of excitement, discovery, and self-empowerment back into today’s corporate-dominated computing culture. We invite you to dive in, enjoy yourself, and join the throng of people who know what it means to tweak your dot clocks and rdev your kernel image.

Literally couldn't find online anything on this. Do any of you happen by any chance to know what exactly those are?


texts: Is there a comma splice in this sentence found in a news article?

texts:
The 26-year-old Frenchman’s strike-rate had caught the attention of Mourinho , his 129 goals in 275 games for Lyon made him an interesting prospect as a successor to Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Old Trafford.

It can be a non-essential statement set off by a comma but it's an independent clause too.

Was wondering can it be a case of comma splice over here?


texts: Word or phrase for fearing arrest/detainment/blame having done nothing wrong

texts:
I believe I'm not alone in this, but I get a sensation when I encounter someone who is in a position of power (relative to me) that the person will find me guilty of an infraction of some sort, regardless of how minor, and "drop the hammer," so to speak, even (especially, in fact) when I've done absolutely nothing wrong or even suspect.

Here is a simplified example: Walking down the sidewalk in the middle of the day, I notice a police officer standing nearby. I get a nagging sensation that the police office will suddenly decide I am a "person of interest" and question, detain, or even arrest me.

Just for background, I have never been arrested and I've only ever been "semi-detained" for (justified) traffic stops and on one other (unjustified) occasion, in the bicycle version of a Terry stop when I was out riding late at night. (The police were clearly bored and claimed I "matched the description of a guy they were looking for.")

This mentality could also be inspired by other people (i.e. not police) who act as "authority figures" with at least some measure of power over the person: teachers, security guards, etc.

I think it bears some passing similarity to a persecution complex, and I suppose it could be seen as a specific type of paranoia.

Is there a word or short (two- or three-word) expression to describe this particular sort of (mostly) irrational thinking?


texts: What should be the right tense in this sentence?

texts:
I read this sentence in a book recently:

  What I should have done is given him the...

(Emphasis mine)  I'm not a linguist but I thought it should be:

  What I should have done is give him the...

Can anyone tell me which is right and why?  Thank you.

Edit:
Going by what most people have said, if the first is grammatically correct (which I do not argue), the explanation I can think of is this: from the first part of the sentence (the subject) What I should have done, there is a present perfect tense (i.e. have done). This influences the second part of the sentence (the predicate, I think that's what it is called as I'm not an English student) and makes it a present perfect tense, too (given, in this case).
Going by this reasoning, as I asked in a comment, this example should be grammatically correct:

  What I did was gave him...

I'm sorry if it seems I'm pushing this too far. I'm quite particular about trivial matters.


texts:
What would be the correct sentence:

Designed to specifically work with
Designed specifically to work with
Designed to work specifically with


texts: positive version of "resting on your laurels"

texts:
If someone has accomplished many outstanding achievements and established an incredible legacy, how can I say "I hope they finally found time to settle down and chill out, proud of what they have"
Something like, "They deserve to be resting on their laurels"
But without the negative connotations


texts: if and only if (shortened iff) is a biconditional logical connective between statements. Is it proper to use iff to denote if and only if in academic writing (papers)?


texts: Gerund or other grammatical construction?

texts:
I am not able to figure out why there is a gerund in this sentence:

  My mother convinced me to sing, without me initially wanting to.

Could someone explain why there is a gerund?
Is it a some kind of grammatical construction?

Thank you very much in advance.


texts:
animus has the etymology of "breath, life", just like animate.

How does animus have the meaning of ill will?


texts: Putting examples in a different sentence

texts:
If I were to ask a question like this:

  What type of glue is it?

And I need to provide some examples:

  Liquid, stick, etc.

Do I have to keep them in one sentence or could I split them into two?

For example, one sentence:

  Is the glue liquid, stick, etc.?

And split into two:

  Liquid, stick, etc.


texts: Metaphor or idiom for "poor substitute"?

texts:
I'm trying to find an idiom for a poor substitute. One that comes to mind is Mark Twain's purported remark: “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’Tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

I’m looking to describe something that intrinsically falls short – not a failing of someone or something in a particular instance. The metaphor should mention two persons or objects (like lightning and lightning bug), one of which falls almost ludicrously short.

Are there other, colorful metaphors that carry this meaning?


texts: Word for the realisation that you are alive?

texts: To put it into context, a sudden moment where you notice the world around you and the things you have experienced... and how amazing life is.


texts:
From a speech by Steve Jobs:

a. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking.

If the sentence is to work syntactically, dogma has to be the antecedent of which.
Dogma is defined in LEXICO as:

A principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.
He believes that when living in a certain society you should become a real part of it by sticking to its rules, dogmas and principles.

So, dogma essentially is a set of principles determined by (i.e., results of)  other people's thinking. Also, from the LEXICO example, sticking to its dogma seems to correspond to living with the results of other people's thinking.
All in all, dogma itself seems to refer to "the results of other people's thinking" rather than "living with the results of other people's thinking".
If so, how come the antecedent of which can be dogma? Or should it be?


texts:
I had a question about the phrase "however so".  Make note that I am not talking about "... however, so ...".

For example, The sentence I want to write is:

  Bob told me that we can tweak the document however so.

The meaning I think/want "however so" to conveys here is: "Bob told me that we can adjust the document in any way we want".

I was wondering if anyone else had seen "however so" used in this way.  It seems familiar to me to use it, but something about the natural flow sounds extremely awkward to me, and I don't know why.

Has anyone encountered this usage before?

Thanks


texts: Are there any phrases or idioms to describe someone rejected the chance to do something at first, but liked it the moment they tried it?

texts:
Sometimes I use "I told you so" to express similar meaning, but this is more often used in the scenario where someone didn't listen to another's warning, not the other way around. I want to know if there's any expression for this?

Example: Peter has never played football before. John told him it's fun a lot of times, but he rejected that and said it's a stupid game. But he accidentally joined a football match one day and immediately fell in love with it.

Are there any other phrases or idioms that John can say to Peter?


texts: Is the word "essentially" an adjective in phrase "essentially nonlinear phenomena"?

texts: I need help. the word "essentially" seems to be an adjective in the phrase "essentially nonlinear phenomena". Is it? but "essentially" could only be an adverb! I'm confused and need help. Thanks a lot.


texts: "For he that fights and runs away, May live to fight another day": wisdom or mockery?

texts:
The question is about the contemporary usage of the following distich:

  For he that fights and runs away,

  May live to fight another day ;

...and whether historical events and imprecision have upstaged its original meaning - which might have been about pragmatism - in contemporary english.

Demosthenes

Historically, this is attributed to Demosthenes, an epic Greek orator opposed to Alexander the Great; but it is not part of his oratory corpus. He is credited for the saying after the Battle of Chaeronea in 338BC where, according to notes, he deserted or did nothing admirable(yet not a bad tactic considering he died some 15 years later, in 322BC).

Willis's Current Notes article

Much later, in the 1854 Willis's Current Notes - a fabulous anthology piece - we are introduced to the surreal idea that a British newspaper printed a half page with a very similar saying to basically make fun of the behavior of Lord George Sackville at the Battle of Minden in 1760(wikipedia explains):

  Ferdinand called for a British cavalry charge to complete the victory,
  but Sackville withheld permission for their advance. Ferdinand sent
  his order several times, but Sackville was estranged from Lord Granby,
  the force commander. He continued to withhold permission for Granby to
  gain glory through an attack.

He asked to be court-martialed to expose his innocence, but was rather made an example of in a surprisingly forceful manner. The author then discusses Rabelais, Shakespeare's Henry VIII(I, I, 206), and other tasty bits, and finishes his analysis of the sources with the work of Vice Admiral Sir John Mennes:

  The distich in Butler's Hudibras:-

    For those that fly may fight again,

    Which he can never do that's slain,

  is evidently a translation from Scarron; but the couplet,-

    For he that fights and runs away,

    May live to fight another day ;

  was written by Sir John Mennes in ridicule of Sir John Suckling's expedition to Scotland, in 1641.

And references the work Musarum Deliciae and Censura Literaria which he can't find. This seems to be the same poem and indeed there's the cowardise idea but it's really about finding an excuse to stay in his tent, or staying at the rear ten miles aback, all tongue-in-cheek one could say; it's quite colorful but nothing formal like the couplet above. When you read it you wouldn't think Sir Mennes would say something as polite as that couplet about Sir Suckling. And indeed a note ("P. 96, 1. 5." ) from an editor seemingly echoes that observation. So if not Mennes then who coined this?

Q. From Willis's document it feels like in the 19th it was common knowledge that this was used in a derisive way, more than once, and in a striking fashion. Where does that leave us with the current usage? Is there any of that historical mocking connotation associated with using this today?


texts: 60% of the Bahamian population "is" or "are"?

texts:
Which is correct?

60% of the Bahamian population are concentrated in the capital city, Nassau.
60% of the Bahamian population is concentrated in the capital city, Nassau.

The first sounds awkward to me, but I have come to realize the odd sounding form is often the technically preferable one in English.

I have read some articles on the web and done some browsing on the forum, but it is still unclear to me which is correct.

The answers to
Does a percentage quantity take singular or plural verb agreement? suggest that it depends on the countability of the item to which the percentage refers, but the guidance is not clear enough to answer this question. The word "population" functions grammatically as an uncountable noun, but it is easy to recognize that that it refers to multiple individuals.

Does "the Bahamian population" count as singular, or must I recognize that it comprises many individuals and consider it plural?


texts:
I'm looking for a word to describe a piece of paper I hand to my customer - to offer (well, ...) something for a specified amount of money.

Let's say I send my customer a letter with the content "Hey, you can buy this magnificent car for just $400". What is the correct term for that? Offer? Quotation? Proposal? Proposition?

Edit:

The single piece of paper is for a single customer and it's done with a previous request from the customer. So the customer says "I need a red sportscar" and I reply with a note (whether it's letter, fax, e-mail, ...): "Okay, I got the following red sportscar for you which may suit your needs for the price of $$$".

Or thinking of real estates, where you end up asking the broker "I'm looking for a shiny new apartment" and the broker replies with a real estate he has in mind selling to you for a specified price.


texts:
If we want to say that

  Our college has a lot of trees and flowers

in a somewhat abstract manner, which is better?

  Our college has much nature.

  There is much nature in our college.

  Our college is very green.

Is there any appropriate expression?

According to a book, when nature is used without an article, the word means a wild nature. Therefore, you should use be very green.


texts: Is it common to use the word "tiptoeing" even if the person is just standing?

texts:
Definition by Google:

tiptoe
walk quietly and carefully with one's heels raised and one's weight on
the balls of the feet.

But can I use it in a situation where the person isn't walking?:

The girl twisted around and, tiptoeing like a ballerina, kissed the
boy.


texts:
Is it okay to use ain't in formal conversation?

I know ain't can be used for am not, is not, are not, have not, has not. So if I can use it in day-to-day life, it will be easier for me I guess.


texts: Expression or idiom for overacting when assuming a blame

texts:
In Romanian we have an expression that translates word-by-word as "pouring ashes onto one's head" -- used when someone exaggerates in assuming the blame for something that went wrong, e.g., by repeatedly stating it:

"I'm such an idiot, I shouldn't have left the door open... how could I be so stupid? What was I thinking?"

"Alright, stop pouring ashes onto your head and let's focus on what we can do to fix this!"

What would be the closest English equivalent?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the origin of ZOMG?

What ever does ZOMG mean? And where did it come from?


texts: Is there a word for the number of people going in and out of a building?

texts:
With approximately 10,000 visitors and residents going in and out of the building.

I want to replace the phrase going in and out with one word, maybe flow will work? I don't know if there's such a word as people flow.


texts: What does "I was almost busted" mean? Thanks

texts:
I'm watching " Younger", an American drama, Season 1 Episode 1, 15:29. Thanks in advance.

Ms. A: Let me ask you something, you've seen a lot of vaginas, right?

Ms. B: Hmm, I've seen my fair share.

Ms. A: So What's in style?

Ms. B: Why do you ask?

Ms. A: Well, last night at the gym, I was almost busted when I was changing. Apparently nobody under 30 looks a day over 12 down there.


texts:
for the sentence:

To remain competitive, the customization and personalization of industrial products is a growing concern for B2B companies.

Would you write it like this, or with "are growing concerns ..."?


texts: Is there a term for both animal shelters and rescue organizations?

texts:
Is there a term that covers both animal shelters and rescue organizations? I am aware that the two are different things, but I was wondering if there was a phrase or word that encompasses them both?
EDIT:
When I say animal shelters and rescue organizations, I mean for animals. Such as a "pound" vs a rescue center, for dogs.


texts: Is 'a.k.a.' an acceptable abbreviation to use in academic writing?

texts: Is it sometimes (or ever) acceptable to use in academic writing the abbreviation 'a.k.a.' ('also known as')?


texts: Word to describe a group of businesses selling the same product in the same location

texts:
What is the word for a group of businesses all selling the same product in the same location? For example, many cities have streets lined only by jewelry stores, clothing shops, or some other specific type of merchant.

I'm looking for a way to describe that situation, something similar to the word hub .


texts: Is it wrong to explain "appetizers" as "snacks we serve before the main dish"?

texts:
I'm a teacher for beginners at an English course in Brazil, and I'd like to explain "appetizers" and "snacks" at the same time.

Is it ok if I explain appetizers as snacks we serve before the main dish?


texts: Another way of saying "keep strict watch" that you dont do [A], but that you do do [B]

texts:
I am trying to find another way of saying "keep strict watch" that reflects the following ideas:

(1) the dilligence need to avoid the danger of inadvertently persuing (B - an unwise course)
(2) the persistence required to perusue (A - the beneficial course)
(3) the need to constantly be observant so as to perceive and distinguish the differences between the two.
(4) theneed to be resolute in this effort


texts: Philip Phillip Philips Phillips - Etymology

texts: Is there any reason for these four different spellings of what seem to be a very similar name? (One 'l' vs double 'l'; and 's' vs no 's')


texts: "An alternative mean" or "An alternative means"?

texts:
I am not sure if I should use "an alternative mean for..." or "an alternative means for..."
to express another way of doing something.
Since I use "an", I feel it is nature to use the singular form "mean".
But several people insist it should be the latter. Which one is right?


texts:
I often read the expression “would of” used instead of “would have”. Each time I read it I get annoyed so I googled it and found out -as I expected- that it is an incorrect way to say “would have”. Now, there are a lot of brilliant slang words/expressions, so my question is, why do people use this one? It’s so annoying to read, stupid and clearly wrong, it is pointless, why did they come up with this expression?

Edit:  I don't think my question is a duplicate as I didn't ask how can somebody use it (since I know it's incorrect and I know that I can use it with commas giving it a different meaning) but I asked why and how people came up with this expression.


texts: What is the origin of "see things in a different light" or "see things in a new light"?

texts:
I was really wondering if this phrase is modern (post-electricity) or older than that.
(musing) I was driving home one day last week and the sun was hitting a building I had not previously noticed in a spectacular way. The idiom came to my mind and got me thinking: if this was coined really long ago, then asking someone to "See things in a different light" would have implied "let some time pass" as well (with sun moving etc).


texts:
Every time I hear someone trot out the phrase "I personally" it grates against my ears.
I wouldn't mind so much, but it very commonly used by a wide variety of people.
I grates most because I'm not sure anymore whether this is correct grammatically.
Is it legal in American but not British English (or vice versa)?
So, could someone solve this conundrum for me, finally, please?


texts: Pure Applesauce: What does it mean and when/how was it created?

texts:
I could find out what jiggery–pokery means (dishonest or suspicious activity), but what does "pure applesauce" mean? And when, where, by whom, and how was this expression created?

Context:

  Otherwise, the Court says, there would be no qualified individuals on
  federal Exchanges, contradicting (for example) the provision requiring
  every Exchange to take the "'interests of qualified individuals'" into
  account when selecting health plans. Ante, at 11 (quoting
  §18031(e)(1)(b)). Pure applesauce.

It does seem that Scalia didn't just make the phrase up, since it existed since at least the 60's *.

* I'm assuming those references aren't all about apple sauce that's pure.


texts: Sequential (and nested) parenthetical sentences and phrases

texts:
According to MLA and APA, sequential parenthetical citations should be separated by a semi-colon, so: "John Avery and George Marshall both say that capitalism has existed in America since the Revolutionary War (18; 365)."

But I cannot find what do with with sequential parenthetical phrases and sentences outside of that context. Which of the following examples is correct?

(1) The film ...Et mourir de plaisir (Le sang et la rose) (English:...To die with pleasure [The blood and the rose]) (1960) is a French classic adapted from JS Le Fanu's Carmilla.

(2) The film ...Et mourir de plaisir (Le sang et la rose; English:...To die with pleasure [The blood and the rose]; 1960) is a French classic adapted from JS Le Fanu's Carmilla.

PS: Am I properly nesting parentheses above?


texts: Is there an English proverb similar to the Hindi "Elephant goes to the bazar; Thousands of dogs bark"?

texts:
There is a proverb in Hindi language

  हाथी चले बाज़ार कुत्ते भौंकें हज़ार

Literal English translation:

  Elephant goes to the bazar; Thousands of dogs bark

It figuratively means when a person progresses with something or succeeds, the people often vilify him and protest. (So let them do what they do. A high-level person doesn't need anything to stop progressing or succeeding)


texts:
Is the sentence below grammatical?

I.e. 'The uncertainties inherent in or in the form of weather, yields, prices, global market and other factors that impact farming can cause wide swings in farm income.' Thanks

Kins


texts: I have been attending few speech sessions lately where I found the word "glitch" as being referred to human mistake or error. I couldn't help but search its usage all over the web. All I found was, it is used to refer a fault in electronics, computers, video games, TV etc. So, I want to get an opinion regarding this: Is it okay to use "glitch" to refer human faults, or should it only be used for electronics/system faults?


texts:
Recently, I learned about another meaning for the word "Salute": A firecracker.

However, I could find this definition in only one online dictionary (M-W):

  firecracker (q.v.)

... together with a Wikipedia article, which says:

  In pyrotechnics, a salute is a device primarily designed to make a loud
  report (bang), rather than have a visual effect, although most salutes
  will also have a very bright flash.

Some examples:

  (1) He opened his packet of salutes, worked one free and inserted the fuse into the cigarette. [Operation Snow Owl/Walden]

  (2) Anybody remember the day-go-bomb and the 8-inch salute? Well, boys and
  girls, those were fireworks you could buy in the days when the Fourth
  of July was something more than just a quiet summer holiday. [Kiplinger's Personal Finance]

  But someone had stuck a two-inch salute firecracker into the cake,
  fuse up, and it was lit along with the matches. When the salute went
  off, it didn't leave a bit of a cake on the plate. [Tramp Printers/Howells]

What's the reason for the absence of this meaning in almost all (online) dictionaries? Is it not in use anymore (despite quite up-to-date Google results)?


texts: Which one is correct in the following sentences?

texts:
Belgium is considered to be a country of chocolate.
Belgium is considered to as a country of chocolate.


texts: How to express the skill when someone does not stop working until the task is done?

texts:
What is the skill of trying the best to finish a hard task assigned?
While having impediments on the way, without complaining, exploring solutions and putting in practice till the end.


texts: What word would you use to describe if you are fascinated but feeling inferior/doubting yourself at the same time?

texts:
I was feeling unsure if I should do this undergrad research opportunity given to me. The professor sent me some research papers to look and, I can definitely say I am interested now, but I'm also heavily doubting my ability to contribute anything of value to the research.
What word would I describe myself right now? Fascinated but doubtful of my abilities at the same time?
Maybe even fascinated and scared at the same time. Like if I was in an adventure movie and the scenery was amazing but I was scared if I could make it through the dangerous landscape, but I was still fascinated with how it looked before I start my adventure. IDK. something like that


texts: Is there a term for postponed prepositives?

texts:
The most famous example is, presumably, that of negation, for example, “He is a good singer - NOT!”
A more sophisticated example, widely known, is that of changing the role of “trying” from a participle to an adjective - the two having antonymous meanings - by means of the delayed prepositive “very” which can modify an adjective, but which does not ever - in spite of what a legion of ESL students may think (“I very like ice-cream.”) - directly modify a verb. This can take the form of a joke, in which a frustrated teacher tells the child’s parent, “Your child is trying - very!”
Note that in these two examples, the delayed prepositive is followed by an exclamation point, and this may be an essential element for the intended effect of the procrastination of the prepositive.
So, is there a term for this rhetorical technique?
Also, any additional examples of this would be appreciated.


texts:
In german, we frequently use the phrases such as "...dies erlaubt einem dies/das zu tun ...". In English, I feel that "this allows one to do" sounds clumsy. Are there better, more common constructs to express this?

Examples:

"A lateral displacement error allows one to estimate the capability of path following."

"This tool allows one to calculate the performance of sample applications."


texts: Is it "invoice receivables" or "invoices receivable"?

texts: The latter follows the analogy of accounts receivable as a post-positive adjective.


texts: Use of 'of' between two nouns - and its translation into German

texts:
What troubles me is the possible misunderstanding of the preposition of between two nouns (defining a part/portion vs. just separating the nouns).

Let's say a province of country X is called Bumba. In a report on that province, the English version would be:

  "In the southern province of Bumba, there were ...".

Correct so far? Because, if not, my whole question would break down. So, in (hastily translated) reports you might hear (I just did):

  "In der südlichen Provinz von Bumba ..."

suggesting that Bumba was part, and not the entirety, of that province.

And what about the translation into German of "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland", which should perhaps go without the "von"? In the same way as the "German capital of Berlin" is "die deutsche Hauptstadt Berlin" and of course not the "Hauptstadt von Berlin".
And the United States of America? An altogether different affair because they are just part of (the) America(s)?


texts:
Background:
I was working on a project and was having a colleague of mine proof-read a piece of documentation. He said that one sentence was ambiguous because he couldn't determine what the antecedent was (actually he knew because of the context, but said that to somebody else it might be ambiguous).

Sentence:

  The server picks up the emitted fax via ModuleA, which forwards it to ModuleB.

To me it's clear that the which of the sentence refers to ModuleA, but apparently other people may be confused as to whether it's the server or ModuleA that does the forwarding. In my experience I've always made the assumption that the noun that's closer is the implied antecedent, but I couldn't find any rules to follow in determining the antecedent to use.

Question:
Are there rules that unambiguously determine what antecedent is referred to by a pronoun without having any contextual information?


texts: Is the word "representativity" possible?

texts:
I found natural to use the word "representativity" (with regard to a sample population of a survey), but my dictionary does not agree with me.

Is "representativity" a valid construction?


texts:
Is the sentence structure in the following line acceptable?

  "Regarding the safety measures mentioned in the 2005 contract draft, at the meeting, Sinclair was to present to the CEO Burke's agreement to define the areas where the listed systems will apply on all sides of the fields."

Also given that neither the contract nor the agreement were accepted, shouldn't it be "would apply" near the end?

(Background info: The contract dates back to 2005 and was never signed, Sinclair and Burke are still alive, the CEO's been dead for 7 years.)


texts: "Changes taking place" vs. "changes that take place"

texts:
I proofread quite often and most of the time recognize lots of mistakes, but from time to time I see this usage of the present participle and it always makes me wonder what rules should I apply to see whether it's correct or not. Here are two examples:

  the key factor of restructuring is the scale of changes, taking place in the company

I'm not sure, but it seems it must be like this:

  The key factor of restructuring is the scale of changes that take place in the company

  Restructuring is a process oriented at maximizing of the equity value of the company by means of internal and external improvements,
  radically changing the operation of the company

and again I want to change that part to

  improvements that radically change

Please explain to me what kind of structure this is and what rules I should follow.


texts: When we thread a bead, what are we doing to the thread?

texts: What is the word for what we are doing to the thread when we "thread a bead"? Are we "beading" the thread? The closest word that I could find was "extrude" but I think that this is more of a manufacturing term than an arts & crafts term.


texts:
I'm currently reading an article titled "Workers anxiety in a 'gig economy'" by Noam Scheiber from International New York Times. I came across the paragraph below:

  Last year, 23 percent of Americans told Gallup they worried that their
  working hours would be cut back, up from percentages in the low to
  midteens in the years leading up to the recession. Twenty-four percent said
  they worried that their wages would be reduced, up from the mid-to
  high teens before the recession.

I think it's saying people are worried that their working hours would be cut back by, say, 12 to 15 percent and their wages by 15 to 18 percent.

Then, I noticed that the the first part doesn't have a hyphen after low, and "midteens" is a one word. But the second part has a hyphen after "mid" and "high teens" are written as two words.

Can anyone explain why there is this difference and if it makes any difference in meaning, if there is?

Also, I am not very familiar with "up from" in this way of usage. It would be also nice if someone can help me with this particular phrasing.


texts:
Is it “Unions' Assassins' Guild” or “Union's Assassins' Guild”?

If my English serves me correctly, I think both are right but have slightly different meanings. Can someone shed some light?


texts: What is an adjective made from a verb called? For instance, "disconnected" in "a disconnected phone"

texts:
What would you call an adjective that is created from a verb?

Typically, the adjective comes from the past participle form of the verb. For example:

  A disconnected phone

  A possessed man

  An inspired art piece

You wouldn't say these words are past participles, because they are not, they are adjectives. What type of adjective are they, though?


texts: Alternate database term for variations in data?

texts:
I heard someone use the word 'permutation' for variances in data values, they used the word incorrectly.

What is an acceptable database term for variations in data?

i.e. a phone number can come in as 877-555-1212 or (877) 555-1212 or 877.555.1212 etc.


texts: Proving the Grammatical "Correctness" of a Given Phrase/Sentence

texts:
Unlike some other languages, English has no central authoritative language academy, meaning that there are no definite rules on English grammar.
Keeping this in mind, how would one attempt to prove that the grammar of a specific phrase or sentence is "correct" (i.e. regarded as correct by the majority of the English speaking population)?
Would it be through citing famous pieces of literature in which the same usage occurs? Would it be through citing sources that discuss English grammar or dictionaries (although the information contained within them is limited, meaning they cannot be relied on for every circumstance)?


texts: How does the original meaning of "but" ("outside") relate to its current 2021 meanings?

texts:
How do the principal 2021 meanings of "but" relate, if any, to its original meaning of "outside"? E.g. how does "no more than; only" appertain to "outside"?

CONJUNCTION

Used to introduce a phrase or clause contrasting with what has already been mentioned.

[with negative or in questions] Used to indicate the impossibility of anything other than what is being stated.

[archaic with negative] Without it being the case that.

ADVERB

No more than; only.

but [OE]

But originally meant ‘outside’. It was a
compound word formed in prehistoric West
Germanic from *be (source of English by) and
*ūtana (related to English out). This gave Old
English būtan, which quickly developed in
meaning from ‘outside’ to ‘without, except’, as
in ‘all but me’ (the sense ‘outside’ survived
longer in Scotland than elsewhere). The modern conjunctive use of but did not develop until the
late 13th century.

Word Origins (2005 2e) by John Ayto. p 84 Left column.


texts:
What does "brass" mean here?

Time Warner brass

CNN brass

Time Warner brass had even hired Jamie Kellner.

CNN brass then announced that in the future journalists would be expected to produce separate reports for its television, radio, and Internet networks.

I am guessing network or media... but not sure what that exactly means..


texts:
Today, I found myself discussing what students should have "under their belts" during a lecture, and I wondered to myself if there was some inappropriate undertone here that I might be unaware of.

  Question: What is the origin of the phrase "under your belt"?

A google search revealed some webpages (e.g. [1]) that assert its origin is related to consumption of food -- once a meal has been eaten, it's under your belt (which is a relief).  However, with such websites, I have no way to determine fact from "random guy on the internet making stuff up".


texts:
I find myself using Comparative adjectives a lot more than just adjectives is there a rule of thumb?   Here is an example...As I understand it, comparatives compare with something.

It was not busy tonight at the club? Can you say next week will be busier?

It was not busy tonight at the club? Can you say next week will be busy?

Now I know both sentences are correct. But what used the most there is a rule of thumb.


texts:
How rude is it to say :

  People eat crabs like a pig.

Maybe it's not rude in plural sense like the above example but when you talk directly to someone?

Also other terms which relate humans to animals, "to eat like a horse" and "to eat like a bird".


texts: Can you say "are not we all?" instead of "aren't we all?"

texts:
Because "aren't" translates to "are not" I pose the question, can you use both interchangeably (in the context of "aren't we all?")? "Are not" sounds very grammatically incorrect in this situation.
Can you say "you need not go there" as opposed to "you needn't go there"?

Basically, I thought you can say "you need not" instead of "you needn't" but that you can't say "are not" instead of "aren't" (in the context I've provided) because I've never heard the second.
My friend believes that if you can use one example interchangeably, you can use the other as well.

So,

Can you use example '1' interchangeably?
Can you use example '2' interchangeably?


texts: Recently, I've seen a few examples of people writing either "I took the TOEIC test" or "I took the TOEFL test". They tend to be ESL students, so I don't want to be a grammar Nazi about it, but for my own curiosity, I wonder if the redundancy (e.g. the Test of English for International Communication test) is considered grammatically incorrect. Google has not yielded any satisfactory results, so I'm curious if anyone here has some insight.


texts: "will" vs. "would" in conditional clauses

texts:
What's the difference between the following:

  If he is in the US now, he would be in New York.
  If he is in the US now, he will be in New York.

Does #2 necessarily mean that he will be in New York at a future date if the condition holds?

Can #2 mean that he must be in New York now if the condition holds?

"Will" can mean "must", can't it, as in "That will be John knocking at the door"?


texts:
In an english-learning magazine there is a sentence like "Tourism is the biggest industry There is."

It is the first time i have seen "there is" at the end of a sentence. Is it correct and means something like "it is the biggest industry in the world" or is it just a mistake?.


texts: Is it correct to say "What's the happened?"?

texts: I would say just "What happened?", but I've heard this also.


texts: Definite and indefinite articles with abstract nouns

texts:
I have some difficulties in choosing between definite and indefinite articles with abstract nouns. I do know when we use a zero article with abstracts. But when we talk e.g. not about love in general, but about love of something we can use either the love of.. or a love of... What is the rule for choosing between "a" and "the" in this case?
P.S. Unfortunately, the explanation "we use (the) with specific nouns" would not work for me (and I don't reckon it would work for anyone else, since it is too vague)


texts: Which is more appropriate: Watch out/Be careful you are going to fall OR you will fall?

texts:
The thing is that the answer key to Round Up 3 says: Watch out! You are going to fall! BUT Be careful or you will burn your hand.

I wonder whether it is possible to interchange 'to be going to do smth' for future simple in the above sentences as the rule goes like this: We use "will" for prediction, warning, offer, promise, threat, polite request, on-the-spot decision, opinion, hope, fear (especially with the words: think, expect, suppose, hope, believe, know, probably, sure etc). e.g.: Be quiet or the teacher will get angry. (warning) I'll write to you every day. (promise)

While we should bear in mind that one of the uses of 'to be going to do smth' is when there's evidence that smth is about to happen: There's going to be rain because the sky is overcast.

So, i can't quite tell one from the other - whether it is a warning or evidence of what is going to happen and could they be applied simultaneously to one case? Meaning, one can use both depending on what they imply.


texts: Is "groundbreaking" a positive word, a negative word, or a neutral word?

texts:
I recently encountered the following sentence:

  The women's movement of the 1970's spawned the groundbreaking and influential works of socialists and historians.

I was asked to analyze whether this sentence conveys a positive connotation or a neutral one.

As far as I can understand, "influence" can be positive or negative.

For example (positive):

  Many people were influenced by the speech given by Swami Vivekanand in Chicago.

For example (negative):

  His criminal moves were influenced by a character in a movie.

For example (neutral):

  We are influenced by our surroundings.

But if we consider the sentence in the question, what can we conclude about its tone? Does the word "groundbreaking" make it seem positive, negative, or neutral?


texts:
I am writing a report on statistics and data analysis. For some experiments I created intentionally some data which is not directly related to real world phenomena.
Which term is correct to describe such data: artificial data or synthetic data?
Is the data artificially created or synthetically created? Or are both adjectives synonyms?


texts: Meaning of "poured it on and poured it out"

texts:
In this part of the song "2 Out Of 3 Ain't Bad " by Jim Steinman, I cannot understand the phrase "poured it on and poured it out":

  ...
  And maybe you can cry all night
  But that'll never change the way that I feel
  The snow is really piling up outside
  I wish you wouldn't make me leave here

  I poured it on and I poured it out
  I tried to show you just how much I care
  I'm tired of words and I'm too hoarse to shout
  But you've been cold to me so long
  I'm crying icicles instead of tears
  And all I can do is keep on telling you
  ...


texts: What is origin of suffix '-stan', as in Hindustan, Afghanistan?

texts: As a supplementary, is -stan related to 'sthan' (Sanskrit)?


texts: Why is "back" used here even though it is the first action?

texts:
I knew I must reach the body for the key, so I raised the lid, and laid it back against the wall.

This is the first time he has laid the lid against the wall, but why is back used here?


texts: "Order of magnitude" for qualitative changes

texts:
The phrase "order of magnitude" is used to indicate differences between quantities in terms of exponential powers. I've also seen it to indicate Big-Oh differences in algorithm run times.

However, in computer science there is also a notion of classifying problems in terms of their qualitative difficulty. This is the categorization of P, NP, NP Hard, NP Complete, etc. I don't think saying that an NP problem is an "order of magnitude" harder than a P problem is well-defined. Is there a different phrase which suggests the qualitative jump in problem difficulty?


texts: Can we use "Do your Button" for "Close your button"?

texts:
In an English movie, I saw one lady tell another

  Your button is undone!

meaning Your button is unbuttoned.

So can we say "Do your button" to mean Button your button?

EDIT: For the reference, this dialogue is taken from the movie "Unfaithful". Script and the context can be seen here.


texts:
Examples:

Yes Siree Bob
Bob's your uncle

Who is bob and where did he/she come from?


texts:
The analysis of undertaken research.

Is this statement correct? I mean is "undertaken" the correct adjective?


texts:
And the glow of a campfire was not, well, as glowy without the darkness of night.

its context

I didn't get "glowy" in the dictionary. I'm guessing it's a made up word. Do you think it is acceptable？


texts:
A lot of people nowadays use the phrase "photo creds" eg:

Here's an awesome photo of me! Photo creds to John!

Creds usually means credit or credits. But then you get the sentences:

Photo credits to John
Photo credit to John

Which of these is correct? If it's the latter, then it should be "photo cred to John" abbreiviated, right?


texts: Word to describe a _conduit_ that also _enriches_

texts: I am discussing a certain individual who both transmitted his tradition to future generations as well as made his own contributions to it. I am searching for a single word to describe an "additive conduit", that is, a passageway which contributes to whatever passes through it.


texts: Where did the term "Square Meal" come from?

texts:
In several older TV shows (think Andy Griffith) I've heard the term "Square Meal" used to describe an ideal hardy and nutritious meal.  The term can be applied to breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Where did this term come from, and what does it actually mean, and why did it fall out of use?


texts:
I got confused while translating 'learn to forget' and have ended up with two different meanings. I can't definitely decide whether it is equivalent to:

'learn how to forget'

or

'that purpose of learning is to forget'

I'm inclined to the first meaning but in this case how to tell about the purpose of learning and vice versa.


texts: First or second syllable accent for “tarot”

texts: Is it acceptable to pronounce "tarot" with the accent on the second syllable? So, phonetically it would be pronounced "Ta-ROW." My own online research showed me that there were maybe one or two times the example included the accent on the second syllable--and I looked up as many dictionaries I could find. I always put the accent on the ROW part. I thought most people did, until my sister told me that I wasn't pronouncing the word right. Is the pronunciation with the accent on the ROW part associated with any particular group of speakers or geographical region? How common (or uncommon) is it?


texts: Is "dead" possible before any adjective?

texts:
I've seen combinations like "dead serious", "dead gorgeous" and...

Is it possible to have "dead" before any other adjective(s)? Such as dead difficult or dead stupid? If not, how can one know which combinations are allowed?


texts: Is there a word to describe someone who over responds to the judgement of others?

texts: Is there a word to describe someone who overreacts to the judgement of others, i.e., they over-correct their behavior or are overly fearful of the judgement of others?


texts: The 25th works for Geo and me or Geo and I

texts: Which is correct? "The 25th works for Geo and Me or the 25th works for Geo and I."


texts:
I am wondering what verb collocates with threshold. I can think of verbs such as surpass, cross, pass, but I am not sure if they are correct to use here.

The threshold I am referring to is not a physical one but rather some value. Specifically, if the threshold is 100 and the value is greater than that, then the threshold is ______?


texts: In this blog post Tobold uses the term "play money" to indicate money that is used in games such as MMORPGs.  Is this a correct term to name such money? If not, what is the correct one?


texts: "BE GOING TO" What verb tense is it? Why?

texts: In wikipedia, it is stated that basic form of going-to construction is present tense, however it gives the impresssion to me like of a present continuous. Furthermore, whatever book I read it is presented as Future Tense. Would be really grateful if you could explain which tense is  "be going to"?


texts: word for a person that flirts with everyone?

texts: i am looking for a word to describe someone that flirts with everyone, even if they aren't attracted to that person and have no interest in carrying out anything further than flirtation?


texts: Here’s the context where "only’ appears.


texts: Multi-word prepositions and short prepositions

texts:
When it is possible to use short prepositions instead of multi-word prepositions, should I use the shorter one to make the meaning clear?

As a consequence of = because of
In addition to = besides
In the course of = during
In order to = to


texts:
There was the following statement in Washington Post (July 29) article that came under the title, “John Kelly, Trump’s new chief of staff, ‘won’t suffer idiots and fools.’”

  “Officials there had grown tired of the four-star general speaking off
  message - about the president’s plan to shut down the prison in
  Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, about the perceived vulnerability of America’s
  borders, about the threat posed to American interests by any number of
  terrorist organizations. Their relationship had become so strained
  that in the weeks before he retired, multiple administration officials
  went to the media and accused Kelly and other military leaders of
  endeavoring to undermine the Guantánamo closure plan.”

There are “speak of,” “speak off-the-cuff,” “speak out (up)” as idioms in the dictionary at hand, but I don’t find “speak off.”
What does “speak off message” mean? Does it mean to give an outright message? Is it popular use of “speak”?

Additionally, though my question might look naïve to you, what does the new Chief of Staff won’t “suffer idiots and fools” exactly mean?


texts: As an example, I recently came across a blog titled "Software As She Is Developed". I know I've seen that construct before — "noun as she is past participle" — in other contexts. It's fairly self-explanatory, but a quirky way of phrasing it. What exactly does it connote, and does it have a specific origin?


texts: The difference between "would mean" and "would have meant"

texts:
"He could not afford to be out of the public eye; it ____ the death of his political career".

The answer for this is either "would mean" or "would have meant" can be used. But I'm quite confused because "would have meant" meaning here is not clear. Can anybody explain this to me?


texts: Can I use 'I' in an essay, can I address myself and explain things from my perspective ? (without twisting or bending facts of course)


texts:
The usage of physics terminology outside of technically minded people seems limited. That's why I am curious about the phrase being on the same wavelength which as far as I understand is generally understood (and also exists in at least the German language)

What is the origin of this phrase?
Does it refer originally to interference or resonance or radio or...?
What other physics/maths/engineering terms are used in common English language?


texts: Another term for "middle to upper management"?

texts:
I'm trying to express a vocational range of experience.

Can anyone conceive of an alternative way of articulating the following:

  Middle to upper management.

I conducted a browser search but this did not yield the required results.


texts: What are the origins and proper uses of “s***gibbon”?

texts:
This derogatory term recently exploded on the U.S. scene with its application to U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump. Its arrival is so recent the Urban Dictionary has only a recent definition and one that seems to me not to connote the true depths of the intended insult:

  General insult....moron, idiot, Donald Trump in particular.
  (Origin: Scotland)
  We voted to remain, you incomprehensible shitgibbon!

Google Books Ngram Viewer gives zero hits. Perhaps some folks from Scotland and the rest of the U.K. could fill us in? It is such an inspired term that it seems to beg for a rich and diverse history and usage.


texts: Using "I" or "we" to refer to sole proprietorship?

texts:
I have a company which consists of only myself. The company has its own distinct name which is registered.

Should I use "I" or "we" to refer to my own sole proprietorship when writing marketing materials, introductions, offers, etc? If both are generally acceptable, what sort of different nuances these writing styles convey?

For example:

We provide the following services: blah, blah, blah.
I provide the following services: blah, blah, blah.

I am hesitating to use "we" because I am afraid that it will look like I am trying to make my sole proprietorship seem like a bigger company.

I am hesitating to use "I" because it would be silly to re-write everything if I ever hire someone or get a business partner one day.


texts: Does the concept of a generic masculine exist in the English Language?

texts:
In the German language, there is a grammatical rule that is called Generisches Maskulinum (English: generic masculine). It says that when you want to address a group that consists of people of both genders, you only use the male word even though you know there are females there.

German examples:

Der Lehrer - the teacher (male)
Die Lehrerin - the teacher (female)
Die Lehrer - the teachers (only male, or male and female)
Die Lehrerinnen - the teachers (only female)

If I want to write a text about a person whose gender is unknown, is it semantically (not opinion based) okay just to call them a "he" or is it semantically wrong?

Note: I do not want to her opinions about "gender equality" or something like that.  I only want to know if it is semantically correct to only use the male form for a generic person whose sex does not matter.


texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  The accuracy of ranges values seems not crucial,
  as neither the number of bands is.

What I want to express is the fact that because the exact number of bands is not important, we don't have to care to calculate their borders accurately (its about signal processing, I hope the larger context is not needed to understand this particular sentence, if so, then let me know.)

My friend, who generally knows English better than me, says it is incorrect, there can't be as used this the sentence and there should be some attribute after is. But I'm not able to formulate it other way. I don't want to begin with the number of bands, because before I describe how I calculate the ranges, so I want them to appear in the first part of the sentence.


texts: What is the word used to describe the fear of the unknown?

texts:
I believe it is a recurring theme in "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" where the characters are scared of what they can't quite explain. Something like supernatural/transcendental.

I can't remember the exact word, would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.


texts: A Shoe 'in White' / 'in a White' / 'in the White'

texts:
I was watching an American sitcom where this exchange took place (between a customer who wants to buy a pair of shoes and a storekeeper, let's assume) :

  shopkeeper: Okay. Um, how about these? [Holds out a pair of shoes]
  customer: That's really a day shoe. [...] Could we see something in a slimmer heel?
  shopkeeper: [Forages around] Okay, I have nothing in an evening shoe in the burgundy. I can show you something in a silver that may work.
  customer: No, it really should be burgundy.

  (adapted)

I have questions about the phrases in bold. I think none of them is fine, and they should be fixed as below:

something in a slimmer heel  -->  something with a slimmer heel
I have nothing in an evening shoe in the burgundy  --> I have no evening shoes in burgundy
something in a silver --> something in silver

For one thing, you should use no article to express the color of something, as stated here (in the 18th definitoin of 'in'), in Longman's Dictionary.

After all, I'm not sure. Maybe it's regional usage. So please correct me if I'm wrong.


texts: a word meaning 'making up for an absence'

texts: As in "If you were here you could have done something to prevent this catastrophe, but you weren't. Now you'll need to make up for your absence, and fix this mess"


texts: When one says I was washing my hair, is it singular or plural? What is the singular for hair?


texts: Flying as far as somewhere or to somewhere?

texts:
The following excerpt is taken from an article of VOA Health report "Africans Flock to South Africa in Search of the Perfect Body".

  How far would you go for a perfect body? Many people these days are going as far as South Africa to get their version of perfection. People from across Africa and the world come for so-called surgery "safaris".

My question is about the highlighted part "... going as far as South Africa ...".
Should it not be "... going as far as to South Africa ..."?
Or are both correct?


texts: Gender neutral reflexive pronoun — equivalent to "himself" and "herself"

texts:
How would you refer to a gender neutral subject with a reflexive pronoun?

  It is unbelievable how a perpetrator will cast oneself in the role of victim.

That does not seem right.  Is there a better word other than "oneself"?  I thought "oneself" would refer to the narrator.  Here I try to refer to the subject.

Themselves: It is possible to use a 'singular they' for pronouns, but to say "themselves" surely can not be correct as a gender neutral reflexive pronoun?  According to this article, it would only seem to make sense when qualified by a singular they.

Themself: "The form is not widely accepted in standard English" according to the Oxford dictionary.

  It is unbelievable how they, as a perpetrator, will cast themselves in the role of victim.

I'd like to avoid making the sentence this complex.


texts: Is there a systematic difference between /a:/ in BrE and /æ:/ in AmE?

texts:
so another question I have is that whether it is systematic (a regular pattern) between /a:/ in BrE and /æ:/ in AmE or not.

There are words that a pronounced differently like dance or rather. I have one source which indicates that this contrast is not systematic but restricted to 80 words.

Then there is a passage which I do not understand I cite "For example, while the word pass is pronounced as expected in R.P. (/pa:s/), the word standard has /æ/." - So what exactly is meant by standard since it is written in italic. I also though that in Am it is always the /æ:/ pronunciation and BrE always /a:/

I have thought the entire time that there is a systematic phonological difference!

thx,


texts: Use of the possessive apostrophe in a list

texts:
If I was to label something

  The Poets and Painters' Distillery

do I only apply the possessive apostrophe after 'Painters' as in the text written above, or do I also need to apply one to 'Poets' so that it becomes

  The Poets' and Painters' Distillery ?

I'm thinking the former is correct, but cannot be too sure.


texts: Pronunciation of voiced "th" triggers a consonant shift of "d" and "r"

texts:
There is a class of words, mainly such as

the, this, that, these, those, though, although, then, there, thus,
the archaic thou, thee, thy, thine, thyself, thence;

which I always find myself pronouncing with a stopped sound intermediate between a  "d" and the smoother (fricative) sound of "th" in words such as

father, mother, brother, other, bother, rather, feather, dither, breathe, loathe, smooth.

This seems fairly common in American English, but many people always pronounce a voiced "th" smoothly, and some think that speech that sounds too much like "dis, dat, deze, doze" is uneducated or not correct.  This pronunciation seems to push the "d" further back toward the "r", (for distinction's sake?) and the "r" even further back, deep against the soft palate.
I'm curious as to where and when this slight consonant shift has taken place in English, and where it is considered standard or not, as the case may be.


texts:
I'm having a discussion on whether the word flotsam is used only in a singular context or if it can be used as a plural. Can you help me which sentence is grammatically correct? Instinctively the first sounds better to me, however I cannot explain why. Do they have a different meaning?

  Marine flotsam includes wood, algae and plastic.

or

  Marine flotsam include wood, algae and plastic.


texts:
Consider the following sentence taken from this Wikipedia page:

  It was numbered 13 to synchronize itself with the version numbering of Flash Player.

The statement implies the subsequent versions of the application are syncronized with the version of the Flash Player. In other words, the next version numbers have the same number as the Flash Player. I want to make a title based on the statement. I came up with the following:

  Synchronized Version numbers with of the Flash Player's

I somehow don't feel correct with the title!! What's wrong with the proposed title? Please shed some lights on this :)


texts: My niece and I do the layout and editing for books. Lately, she has started letting her program hyphenate words at the ends of sentences to avoid the rivers of white you see otherwise. This has created lots of problems for hyphenation. Sure, I can look them up in the dictionary, but the dictionary is not always clear about the endings of other forms of the words. For example, is it attend-ed or should it be atten-ded? It just isn't always clear on these other forms of the words. And it doesn't always seem to follow the same rules when you can find examples.


texts:
According to Murphy's English Grammar in Use you can use "have to" in all forms, and he offers an example in the past simple and another one in the present perfect tense. Hence, I was wondering if had to followed by a perfect infinitive would be feasible.

In Spanish, there are two constructions very similar in meaning:

-Si querías aprobar el examen, deberías haber estudiado más ("If you wanted to pass the exam, you should have studied harder.)

-Si querías aprobar el examen tenías que haber estudiado más.("If you wanted to pass the exam, you had to have studied harder.) However, this one sounds odd to me, and wanted confirmation.

Given the tendency the English language has to simplify (He apologised for being rude is far more common than He apologised for having been rude) I thought that perhaps "If you wanted to pass the exam, you had to study harder." might also be consired as correct.

Thank you


texts: I'm listening to some Harry Potter audio books, and there are so many words describing the work of the spell. One can be cursed, charmed, hexed or jinxed. What's the difference?


texts:
Looking for a word that describes the calmness of the person/situation. Ex:

The surface of the river is lacking a disturbance.
The meeting went fine - it lacked any disturbance (that could have been present if there were disagreements between attendees).


texts: There is a new search of which I've become aware / .. I've become aware of?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  When is it appropriate to end a sentence in a preposition?

I would like to know which is correct and why:

  There is a new search of which I've become aware.

or

  There is a new search I've become aware of.


texts: Writing a list of books in the statement of purpose

texts:
I'm currently writing a statement of purpose for graduate school application. I would like to know the best way to present the list of books that I have independently studied.

I wrote the following paragraph:

  I taught myself mathematics by studying some textbooks in depth. I would like to mention a few: 1) Hatcher's, May's, and Spanier's Algebraic topology" 2) Griffiths', and Fulton's books on Algebraic geometry

Every item in that list corresponds to the books that I have studied in a certain subject.

I would like to know if this is a good way to present it.

Thanks


texts: Word for the person to which a question is addressed

texts:
If you ask a question, you'd be the asker and the other party would be the ____.

I thought of "askee", but this is not a word.


texts: Antonym(s) for "antipode" / "antipodes" / "antipodean"?

texts:
Wiktionary says these terms refer to "the opposite" side, etc and offers no antonyms.

But in practice, in the field of north vs south hemispheres, they are only ever used in my experience to refer to the southern hemisphere from the point of view of the northern hemisphere?

What terms should be used to refer to this aspect "oppositeness" of the northern hemisphere from the POV of the southern hemisphere.

Can I as an Australian refer to somebody from the northern hemisphere as "antipodean"? And even if technically correct will anybody understand me?

Or do the terms in this set have accepted antonyms?

Or what other solutions might I use when I want to convey this reversed point of view?


texts: Word/expression for a German "Ausflugscafé" - a cafe mainly catering to people taking a walk

texts:
In Germany, there are many cafés (often combined with restaurants) that are

located in a nice setting, typically close to, but a bit outside the next settlement (or inside a small village)
mainly catering to people on short excursions, walking or cycling, by serving coffee, soft drinks, cakes and light meals
typically with nice outdoor seating, because they are mainly frequented during good weather

These are usually called Ausflugscafé - literally "pleasure trip cafe". They are found a lot in tourist areas, but also on the fringes of big cities, in areas where the inhabitants of the city go to get some fresh air.

Typical examples can be seen on a Google search for "Ausflugscafé" - many cafés call themselves "Ausflugscafé".

Is there an English word (or expression) for this type of café? Or is this simply a German phenomenon?


texts: What's the difference between "any way" and "any which way"?

texts:
Why should I use "any which way" (like in "any which way you can") instead of simply "any way"?

I've been studying English as a foreign language for some time, and never came across this particular construct before.


texts:
This post is related to a question I asked earlier, link to which is below

Present participle as a modifier

Actually I had this doubt after visiting a website, the link to which I have given below. It was developed by a few speakers of Indian English. It was after seeing a small table there I decided to get confirmation of it from native English speakers. The table is in the middle of that page with '✅' and '➕' signs. Is that table giving the right information?

https://e-gmat.com/blogs/noun-noun-modifiers-can-modify-any-entity/


texts: What is a good way to describe or call something that has been made into something unique and fashionable out of something old and outdated?

texts: I need a way to describe the process of turning old outdated objects into fashionable new ideas and products.


texts:
I'm a volunteer at the Zoo. I conduct excursions for the disadvantaged/terminally ill kids. My excursions are, like, interactive lectures where, among other things, I get the kids acquainted with proper names for animals, e.g. wolf is a common name for a lupid/lupine and such.

Today one kid put me on the spot and at a loss at the same time by asking, "Is there any difference between an ursine and an ursid?".


texts: When Americans say someone has ''no accent'', what do they mean exactly?

texts: As in my title question. Do they mean a specific region of the US, something else?


texts:
What does "pace someone" mean after the consideration of an idea? Does it mean "respectfully in contrast with that person's idea"?

New York is a so beautiful city (pace James).


texts:
Is there a single word to describe the canary in the phrase "Canary in a coalmine"?  The best I can come up with is sentinel, but I'm nearly positive there's a more precise option.

Edit: To clarify I'm not looking for words that describe the canary but rather for a word the encapsulates the entire phrase.  That is, I don't want to finish the phrase "the canary is a ...".  I do want to finish the phrase "$PERSON was a ..." where the blank implies as many of the attributes of the proverbial canary as possible (e.g. going down the dangerous road first, warning those that follow, connotations of captivity, &c).  I'm reluctant to use the phrase, or "canary" as it strikes me too colloquial/lighthearted for the work at hand.

@senex suggestion of bellwether and @bib suggestion of tocsin are closest to what I'm looking for thusfar.


texts: Why is "door" pronounced with an "o" sound and not a "u"?

texts: Why is door pronounced as in 'o' not as in 'u' ?


texts:
Are the sentences

This formula assumes standardised features.
This formula uses standardised features.

semantically equivalent to

This formula assumes that all features have been standardised.

?


texts: "mind of " vs "mind like " which one is correct in the below context

texts:
Which sentence is correct ?

1- He has a mind of 12-year-old.

2- he has a mind like a 12-year-old.


texts: How many different parts of speech can the f-word be used as?

texts:
In an "interesting" thread of comments we began to look at the word fuck in several different uses. Most of them were interjections and verb uses as would be expected.

But, perhaps dialectally, the word can easily be used as a noun, and even an adjective.

I would like to see how many different parts of speech can the word fuck be used as in its unmodified form. (i.e. no fucking, fucked, etc.).  Pluralization of noun or conjugation to fucks is the only acceptable variant.

The answer must provide real-world examples (i.e. no mere cramming of the word into a sentence and claiming it's an adverb!) And, I will even accept different verb types, adjectives, nouns, etc.  (e.g. If you can find a grammatical way to use it as a helper verb, my hat is off to you.)

If you wish to get extra credit, then you can answer with some of the variants above, but only after you have made an answer per the above rules.

The winner should have both the most varied and interesting answers!

Just to make it clear, this is a word-game, and as such will be a bit broad or POB.


texts: Is 'f-bomb' interchangeable with 'f-words'?

texts:
I found the word, “f-bomb” in the Time magazine’s (March 20) article titled with “Why insults exist–and Why one man wants to end them” introducing philosophy professor, William B. Irvine’s latest book on gains and losses of insults -
http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/03/20/qa-why-insults-exist-and-why-one-man-wants-to-end-them/#ixzz2OPuYu26f

It starts with a lovely joke and an agile ripost when a baldheaded guy was ridiculed by his friend, “Marc, your head feels as smooth as my wife’s ass,” and follows:

  “To come up with a good insult requires a certain degree of intellect,
  and if those things start disappearing, then the nature of the insults
  are going to change. - -We live in an increasingly narcissistic
  society where people really are quick to unleash insults and are
  easily hurt by insults directed their way. The really disappointing
  ones are those that just drop the f-bomb. That’s one level up from a
  barking dog.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard the word, f-bomb. Does this mean ‘f-word’? Is it interchangeable with 'f-word,' or it has extra meanings tantamounting to the figurative impact of N-bomb?


texts: Why did Mother Teresa use the phrase "it is a poverty"?

texts:
I frequently see bumper stickers with quotations attributed to Mother Teresa that begin with the words "It is a poverty," for example:

  It is a poverty to decide that a child must
  die so that you may live as you wish.

Leaving aside the politics of the sentiment which are obviously irrelevant, why "it is a poverty"?  I think it's safe to infer that the intention is negative--roughly "it's a bad thing that"--but the phrase is distinctly off-sounding to my (native Western AmE-speaking) ear, as if it were a calque of an idiom in another language.  The closest phrase I can think of that sounds like idiomatic English to me is "It is a poor thing," although even that is a bit formal and old-fashioned.

Mother Teresa spoke English as a second language according to her Wikipedia entry--is there something in particular about her education or origins that would account for this odd expression?  I know Google is not a reliable source for collecting data on usage patterns, but it is still interesting that a search on the quoted phrase "it is a poverty" turns up literally no other results where the phrase is used in this sense, only references to the original quote.


texts: What does “Has it come to this?” in “Republican leaders quickly voiced horror at these tactics. ‘Has it come to this?’ said John Boehner” mean?

texts:
There was the following sentence in July 19 New York Time’s editorial titled “Democrats Gain the Upper Hand”:

“Senator Patty Murray, a member of the Democratic leadership, said Monday that her party was prepared to let all the Bush-era tax cuts expire on Jan. 1 if Republicans refuse to raise taxes on the wealthy. Republican leaders quickly voiced horror at these tactics. “Has it come to this?” said Speaker John Boehner, accusing Democrats of holding the economy hostage for the sake of high-end tax increases. ”

I don’t get the meaning of “Has it come to this?” Is it a popular idiom? What does “it” represent for? Isn’t it just a typo of “How it come to this?”?

P.S.

I got many answers from you. I realized “Has it come to this?”? is not a typo, but I'm still not very clear. I feel like ‘scratching an itch through the sole of shoe’ in our local expression. What is the brief and clear-cut translation of this phrase? Can you paraphrase it just in a few words? Is it like an exclamation, “What’s a hell of this!"?


texts:
Is there such a word?

To be used when speaking of the "tough girl" or the tomboy your parents don't want you to be involved with. The troublemaker in girl form.

Best I've come up with so far is Ruffian but I'm wondering if there's anything else that fits.

Thanks!


texts: 'An' or 'a' when followed by information between commas

texts:
In the following sentence, I'm unsure whether to use ‘an’ or ‘a’.

  ..primarily meant as a, albeit large, donation.

On the one hand ‘an’ sounds more appropriate when read, as the vowel beginning to ‘albeit’ suggests.
Alternatively, one might say ‘a’ is correct; is a sentence not supposed to make perfect sense with the word between the commas removed. If so, it must be just an ‘a’.

I'm tilting towards the latter, even though it sounds odd. Please enlighten me.


texts: More accurate terms for one-sided business information?

texts:
The expressions such as "one-sided", "misleading", "just marketing" and "flawed" are more neutral and casual to more extreme terms such as "propaganda", "brainwash" and "wrong". I want to learn very selective terms to describe official material such as annual letters, reports and news carrying very little value in finance and business where information can be hard to understand without being an insider or experienced professional, potentially written in a language that a minority can only understand.

Helpers

  What are more lively terms for one-sided information?
  What are more neutral terms for one-sided ambiguous information?
  What are more stressing terms for one-sided clearly wrong information?
  What are more neutrals terms for clear brainwashing?


texts:
While doing some research I ran across the following passage. I know what "shackles' are, what might a "log" be?

  “It is very seldom that a boy deserves both a log and a shackle at the same time! Most boys are wise enough, when under one punishment, not to transgress immediately, lest it should be doubled.”

Account of the Edinburgh Sessional School and other..., you'll have to scroll a paragraph or two.

But Grace Darling is my Hero.


texts: Is there a word to describe irrational anger in a similar way that phobia is used to describe irrational fear?


texts:
I was named even before I was born.

Is this correct? or

  I had been named even before I was born

In the first sentence, the even before word clarifies the time frame. Do we still need to use I had been named?


texts: Word or phrase used to describe a person concerned with self preservation

texts:
If possible, it should also be casting a negative light on the person described. For instance:

  This assassin is __________ first, and opportunistic second. He primarily seeks to catch his target not only unaware, but in a situation where no one would be able to retaliate after the kill.

The assassin in this case is being described by a person who has nothing positive to say about him, so I would like to be able to fit that theme where appropriate.


texts:
When we tell a story that happened in the past should we use 'used to' and 'would' for actions that happened regularly in that story. For example in the following what differences do the five forms have? And which one seem the most suitable candidate?

When I was in junior high, I had a classmate who used to draw scorpions on a paper and showed it off to students to scare them off.
When I was in junior high, I had a classmate who drew scorpions on a paper and showed it off to students to scare them off.
When I was in junior high, I had a classmate who would draw scorpions on a paper and showed it off to students to scare them off.
When I was in junior high, I had a classmate who used to draw scorpions on a paper and would show it off to students to scare them off.
When I was in junior high, I had a classmate who would draw scorpions on a paper and would show it off to students to scare them off.


texts: What is the past counterpart for "scenario"

texts:
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scenario) says

  In this sense, scenarios should not be used to speculate on what has happened in the past.

Oxford advanced dictionary says

  a description of how things might happen in the future.

So what pithy word should I use to describe an event that could have happened in the past?


texts: Is the comma misplaced in this sentence?

texts:
The following excerpt has been taken from Birth by A.J. Cronin. I think there is a mistake in the second sentence -- or, if it is correct, I do not understand its grammatical pattern. Is the comma after waiting that correct? I think that either there should not be a comma, or it should go before 'that.'

  Andrew smiled faintly. He saw that the old woman, wise in experience,    realised there must be a period of waiting that, she was afraid he would leave the case, saying he would return later.


texts: Placement of "off the beaten track" in context

texts:
I know that "off the beaten track" means "unusual". Can it be used before a noun and after a verb?

For example,

  an off the beaten track place
  This holiday is off the beaten track.

Is it used only when talking about things?


texts:
I wish to write:

  The product cost is affordably accessible to all consumer types.

I mean to say:

  The product cost is so affordable, any type of consumer can afford it.

Can I use "affordably" as an adverb in this sense?
Does what I've written semantically match what I mean to say?


texts: Is the phrase "keeping the flat tidy and in good nick" grammatical?

texts:
Our cleaning staff is keeping the flat tidy and in good nick. For your convenience.

Does that read correctly?


texts: Difference in "Adequate" and "Enough/sufficient"

texts:
I heard that "Adequate" and "Enough/sufficient" are almost similar words. But still there is a difference in the use of them. The question I would like to ask is the following:

  Can on give example of two "sentences" containing the word "adequate", which can not be replaced by "enough/sufficient"? Similarly, "enough" can not be replaced by "adequate"?


texts:
I'm looking for the correct term for the "end of an era", preferably a single word.  Essentially I'm looking for the antonym of epoch.

Google's dictionary defines epoch as

  The beginning of a distinctive period in the history of someone or something.

I'm looking for a word that means the following:

  The end of a distinctive period in the history of someone or something.

None of my searches have turned up anything.

This is my first question here, please let me know if I'm doing it wrong.


texts: Term or phrase that describes a person who feels more in control of a situation than they really are

texts:
I'm trying to find a way to describe a person who overestimates their ability for some situation.

For example, how would you describe a math student who thought they were proficient enough to pass a test without studying (but then fails).

Another school example would perhaps be a student who procrastinates and puts off a 3 week long project, only to scramble in the last few days. I'm not looking for the term procrastinator, as I feel like there is a term to describe such a person that would effectively lead them to procrastinate a lot.

A third example could be someone who has become fairly knowledgeable in computer security, but not necessarily an expert. This person decides to forego installation of antivirus, firewall, and security updates, thinking they can avoid malware by engaging in safe browsing and downloading habits. Said person would have failed to account for 0day attacks that perhaps security software could help mitigate.

So all in all, I'm looking for a term that describes someone who sort of over estimates their own abilities.

The closest thing I can think of is perhaps a charlatan, but that has a negative connotation. Additionally, I think charlatan refers more to a person who publicly proclaims their own false expertise, whereas the term I'm trying to find more or less describes a personality.


texts: Is there a verb and analogous noun similar to ‘to greet’ and 'greeter' used when people depart?

texts:
I am looking for words analogous to ‘to greet’ and ‘greeter’, to use about people as they depart. I may say:

Claire stands at the entrance and greets people as they arrive. She is a greeter.

I want to say:

Sam stands at the exit and ??? people as they leave. He is a ???.

I have found the word ‘valediction’, which is defined as ‘the action of saying farewell’, but I cannot find anything that means ‘the person who performs valediction’. There does not seem to be a verb ‘to valedict’.

What words (verb and analogous noun) best describe Sam’s role?


texts:
The Quick Cash Campaign was run from May to August.

or

The Quick Cash Campaign ran from May to August.

Number 2 sounds right to me but I'm not sure which one is really correct.

Can someone please help?


texts:
I have recently been informed by a government office of the United Kingdom that an account balance is X pounds on cash and Y pounds "in a security holding".

What does/might the term "security holding" mean to a UK government office?


texts:
The idiomatic phrase by and large means

  largely; generally; mostly

The two earliest usages listed in Google's ngram, from 1812 and 1837, appear to use it in its current form and meaning.

What is the origin of this phrase?


texts: Is “What does the woman suggest the man **do** for his vacation?” correct?

texts:
I just went through an official English test taken in China, and I saw something rather weird. Whenever I read this sentence, something tells me that the "do" part isn't right, it simply doesn't sound right to me. Could somebody clarify this for me? Is it, or is it not correct?

Man: I can't decide what to do for my summer vacation. I either want to go on a bike tour of Europe or go diving in Mexico.
Woman: Well, we're offering an all-inclusive two-week trip to Mexico for only 300 dollars.

Question goes as follows :

Question :　　What does the woman suggest the man do for his vacation?

Is Do correct? Or is it supposed to be Does?
Thank you for reading! Awaiting your replies.
Edit: As I'm quite unclear, I'm referring to the question, not the Man/Woman text snippet. Sorry!


texts: What does 'gnaw off' mean in this sentence?

texts:
"I cried aloud, shaking my head all the while until I felt the cold blades of scissors against my neck, and heard them gnaw off one my thick braids."

I know the general meaning of gnaw, but I'am not sure if it means the same here, and if it does in what exact sense?

(I have attached the paragraph from which the sentence is taken). Thanks to all who dedicate a small part of their life to help me out here :)


texts: Is there a word to describe pretending things are alright to not scare children?

texts:
I want to say something much more meaningful than what is simply in the title (plus it's a bit long).
This might not be the best example but I find the main character in the movie "Life is Beautiful" exhibits whatever trait this is called perfectly.


texts:
Sometimes you hear people use "exotic" to refer to something foreign to them. It can be a place, music, food, clothes, or even a person.

Some people argue that the word exotic has racist connotation because of its past history so it should not be used in today's conversations.

The question is does "exotic" still carry racist connotation or it has already put that behind and evolved into a non-racist word that can be used safely without labelling other people or cultures as inferior, non-native and distant?

Also in case "exotic" is racist, what would be a good non-racist synonym?


texts: Is it correct to put a definition in parentheses?

texts:
Here is an example:

  The process includes situation awareness (the state of knowing the conditions that affect one’s work)...

I want to know whether it is correct (or acceptable or unacceptable) to put the definition in parentheses.


texts: Can anyone help? I can not decide either 'Fill the lower half of eyes' is correct, or 'Fill the lower halves of eyes' is correct.


texts: What does mean "just given" in the following sentence: "Yet however obvious and irrefutable the Humean argument just given may appear, Kant's transcendental argument may be regarded as a direct assault on it."


texts:
Are any of these verb phrases grammatical?

  allows the user of modeling and resolving
  allows the user to model and resolve

Which version of the following sentence is correct/better?

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

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


texts: Scientific "control" as uncountable noun

texts:
I am wondering if the scientific control can be used as an uncountable noun.

For example,

  One tube was used as control while the other received 0.1 pg/ml of PMA.

vs

  One tube was used as the control while the other received 0.1 pg/ml of PMA.

The Oxford Learner's Dictionary lists the scientific control as countable, but I've seen it being used a lot as an uncountable noun. Examples from the ACAD section of COCA include:

  eSNPs associated with nondifferential (FDR. 0.5) genes were used as control.
  ... and HUVEC (human umbilical vein endothelial cell line) were used as control.

Is is another of those usage vs. accuracy issues? Or is uncountable plain incorrect here?


texts: Word to mean 'seek through, one element at a time'

texts:
I'm looking for a word to describe the process that a computer program performs when

searching through a dataset bit by bit.

I had believed the word parse ('to parse through the data') was correct. However, it seems that the word parse actually means 'to split into pieces'.

I'm thinking of something along the lines of trawl, seek, step through etc. I just wonder if there is a more elegant word/phrase that I could use.


texts:
Could you please explain the following, which has tormented me for quite a while. My teacher says that there are three kinds of " may/ might ".
First, the "may/might" used for assumptions with 50 percent degree certainty like " he may be drunk now , he may have been drunk yesterday ".
Second, "may/might" for concession " he might have been there but I didn't see him , he may be rich but he is unhappy ".
Third - may for permission. I think that your rich and beautiful language has more meanings of may and might.
Could you please elaborate on that.


texts:
Why can't the conditional

  I would go to bed if I wasn't waiting for a phone call

be transformed thus

  I would go to bed unless I was/wasn't waiting for a phone call

A student asked me why this second version is wrong and I was stumped and unable to give a reasonable answer.


texts: Why is the "sub" from "substance" pronounced in a different way than the one from "substantial"?

texts: Please help me to understand how english works, please!


texts:
Is 'had' in 'They had to be happy' used as a verb or adjective?
I think that "to be" is a linking verb, and 'happy' its subject complement.
But can had - meaning found it necessary - be the past participle?


texts: My boyfriend and I are arguing about whether the phrase "a lot of ideas" should be followed with is or are. I say that it should be is because the verb is linking to a lot, not ideas. If it were "lots of ideas" I would say it is definitely are. He thinks, though, that since a lot is synonymous with several it should be are. Which is correct?


texts: Seeking a name for literary device/technique involving denial and hypothetical dialogue

texts:
Preface

To properly frame this question, I should note that I recently have been studying formal rhetoric according to the five canons (inventio, dispositio, elocutio, memoria, and actio), and paying attention to literary features that fall along the lines of elocutio (for oral delivery) or stylus (style, for written delivery), under which tropes and rhetorical devices (schemata) lie as part of the third canon. So, I would like to request some help from those who have studied English tropes or rhetorical devices.

I will further preface the question by saying I'm not completely sure whether it is a rhetorical device or if "technique" is a better word. However, I am hoping there is a way to formally classify this kind of writing for use in writing formal papers or articles as a convenient way of referencing it.

The Question

How would you identify or classify the optional device or technique employed by a narrator when they report what was not said, especially when they report what could have been said? Essentially when there is a denial that something was said (where the something is either summarized by the narrator or provided as a hypothetical quotation).

Formula: (he/she/it/they did not say/ask)|(no one said/asked)|(neither said/asked) + [summary of]|[hypothetical quotation of] what could have been said

A few examples:

1. Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” (Gospel of John 4:27; ESV)

2. The two of them stared at the descending sun but neither of them said to each other, "What has this day come to?"

3. He was very angry at what happened after practice, but did not ask "Why did you do that?" or, "What were you thinking?"

The device seems to be one of negation or denial of a hypothetical, which seems to be interesting enough to categorize with a name since what is reported actually didn't happen and is a non-entity (hypothetical/imaginary). It is also interesting because the hypothetical details could be nearly infinite in example, since one could report numerous other instances of what one did not say. Thus a narrator doing this is making a very deliberate selection (a technique?) of what examples they do provide of what was not said, and neglecting to suggest other examples of what could have been said.

Investigating known tropes, I looked at litotes and apophasis, which employ negation or denial, but I can't seem to fit this form of negation with those rhetorical devices.

Could it be a device or technique of suggestion: "They didn't say this, but were thinking it..."?

If I wanted to use a search engine or database to search for publications that discuss this kind of device/technique in say Melville's Moby Dick or any other literature, what kind of device/technique would I call this as a formal or common designation?

Can anyone point me in the right direction here?


texts: Where does the phrase "fair do's/dues/doos/does" come from?

texts:
I was researching the phrase fair do's, attempting to determine which spelling was most appropriate, and where it had come from. Unfortunately most of the information I could find was very opinionated, or didn't mention the different forms.

So, where is it from, and how common are the different spellings?


texts:
I heard someone say that they are good on the ice but only in the capacity of ice skating.

What does "in the capacity of" mean in this context?


texts: What does "Nothing doing as he took it right to him" mean?

texts:
I regularly read chess articles on chessbase.com and quite often I find myself struggling with the English they are using. Sometimes it just doesn't feel correct. OK, I am not a native English speaker so how can I judge...
However, one sentence I have read today was just a bit too much for me and I have decided to show it here:

  One would have thought Caruana would have played a containing strategy, squeezing the life from his opponent, but nothing doing as he took it right to him.

It is the bold part of the sentence that confuses me. Can you please help me to understand it? I have tried Google translate but it translates into a complete nonsense.


texts: Why are there many internet grammar lesson examples using past perfect with "before" but not with "after"?

texts:
I know that I have to use past perfect when using before.

  I had eaten before I swam.

But why don't I need to use past perfect with after?

  I swam after I ate.

Thank you guys for the help.


texts: When writing out month and year in words, is any punctuation necessary?

texts:
Trying to write out "August" and "two thousand eighteen" but unsure how to concatenate these two -- just a space, or is a comma needed?

A) August two thousand eighteen
----OR----
B) August, two thousand eighteen

The post found on Grammarly's blog here seems to suggest the former, but it also has the day in there, so I wasn't sure. Couldn't find any other info regarding this online, and all similar questions on here have numbers in the year instead of words.
Any help is appreciated!

EDIT: just to specify -- American English, not in a sentence at all (literally just the words "august two thousand eighteen", context is an informal publication, so I suppose (in hindsight) this is all more a stylistic choice than anything else.


texts: A word/phrase for someone who respects only the expertise of their own field

texts:
I am looking for a word or phrase which means, roughly, "Someone who respects only the expertise of their own field," or "Someone who thinks only their own field is difficult and everyone else's is simple."

I have variously heard it referred to as "physicist syndrome," "engineer syndrome," or "computer scientist syndrome," but I am looking for a word or phrase which does not refer back to a particular field, for the following reasons:

It is mildly offensive to people in those fields (I am an engineer
and a computer scientist myself)
It unfairly attributes to all members something true only of a few, and
It unfairly excludes others in different professions with the same attitude

What I am specifically not looking for is a word for an individual who thinks only their own personal expertise is actual expertise, i.e., the word or phrase would not be applicable to an engineer who thinks all other engineers lack expertise.

Part of the overall concept is captured very well by this XKCD comic, and I could have sworn there was an equivalent strip for computer scientists, but I can't locate it.

Usage in a sentence might run as follows:  "My brother-in-law was a gifted surgeon, but also a ______; the thought of anyone offering an opinion on medical matters without an M.D. filled him with contempt, but felt well-qualified to tell plumbers, mechanics, engineers, even airline pilots how to do their jobs on the strength of his medical degree."

But again, the essential element is neither the surgeon nor the medical degree.  It is the surgeon simultaneously exalting the knowledge of his own field while degrading all others.


texts:
We have already seen how to make jQuery react to the loading of a web page. The
  $(document).ready() event handler can be used to fire off a function's worth of
  code, but there's a bit more to be said about it.

What's the meaning of "a function's worth of code" in the above context?