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2,200 | 17,144 | 76823_0 | I found an op-ed article titled ‘Teaching to the Text’ in today’s New York Times (www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/opinion/20selsberg.) interesting as a non- native English learner. However, I stumbled on a phrase, ‘slip someone an assignment’ as used in the following sentence, as the word, ‘slip’ appears to be used to me in very different way from I usually use - such as ‘slide a short distance accidentally’ or ‘go / put quickly’ as defined by COD. Can somebody explain me what nuance does the word ‘slip’ have in this particular sentence? Is ‘slip’ used in this way very often? ‘I don’t expect all my graduates to go on to Twitter-based careers, but learning how to write concisely, to express one key detail succinctly and eloquently, is an incredibly useful skill, and more in tune with most students’ daily chatter, as well as the world’s conversation.’ So a few years ago, I started _slipping_ my classes short writing assignments alongside the required papers. Once, I asked them, “Come up with two lines of copy to sell something you’re wearing now on eBay.' |
2,201 | 116,149 | 76823_0 | As the resident data analyst, I write the _Quantitative Analysis_ sections for policy papers at my work. In doing so I use the word _significant_ if and only if I am discussing statistical significance. As pointed out in the answer to Connotation of significant or considerable, the term can be used in nontechnical writing without implying statistical significance. In sections of these larger reports other than _Quantitative Analysis_ , the word significant is often used as meaningful, notable, of note etc. My question is whether or not significant might be used in its lay meaning if I make a point of always using the term "statistically significant" when referring to mathematical significance? (My thought here being that would be similar to using the term "liquid nitrogen" to refer to nitrogen in its liquid state, thereby implying that the word "nitrogen" alone refers to nitrogen in its more common elemental form.) |
2,202 | 52,550 | 76823_0 | I'd like to use a word like "foreshadow", or a word similar to it, as long as the reader will understand what is to come is going to be _good_. Is the a subjective interpretation of "foreshadow" or "omen" a good thing or a bad thing? What alternative would mean something positive? |
2,203 | 52,551 | 76823_0 | How are the following words pronounced? I always get confused on pronunciation. I put the pronunciation I think is correct next to the words: Status - (Stat-us with Stat rhyming with mat) Bomb - Is the "B" at the end silent or pronounced? Database - Is it Dat-a-base or Day-ta-base Wednesday - Is it Wens-day or Wed-ness-day? |
2,204 | 166,052 | 76823_0 | I have some doubts about the usages of _that_ and _who_. Sometimes I read sentences such as > * You are someone I love. > * You are someone who I love. > * People were asked to describe the qualities they look for in a friend. > * People were asked to describe the qualities that they look for in a > friend. > Why are _who_ or _that_ omitted in some of these sentences but not in others? |
2,205 | 60,429 | 76823_0 | This might be tough considering the gesture is iterated so many ways, but it's worth a shot. What is the origin of the expression _one man's trash is another man's treasure_? |
2,206 | 102,510 | 76823_0 | I came across the expression “stumble into the buzzsaw” in the article titled “House Republican open to gun restriction” appearing in Time magazine January 11 issue. The article begins with the following sentence: > “Why haven’t Republicans developed a Pavlovian reflex to stop touching > “legitimate rape,” the most electrified phrase in politics? Georgia > Representative Phil Gingrey is the latest to **_stumble into the Todd Akin > buzzsaw**.”_ I checked Readers English Japanese Dictionary at hand. There’s no idiom “stumble into the buzz saw,” but for “monkey with a buzzsaw.” However, I was able to find another example of the usages of this phrase on Google search; > The majority of the eighteen pieces in Borjesson's book are about hard- > working > - Between them, the authors of the incendiary new book Into the > Buzzsaw, out this month from Prometheus, have won nearly ... to the ideals > of their profession, who **_stumble into the buzzsaw_** and have their > careers and reputations eviscerated. - flatrock.org.nz/. Putting the above two quotes together, it seems to me “stumble into the buzzsaw” means to get involved into a grave disaster just like stamping a land mine carelessly. What is the exact meaning of ' _stumble into the buzzsaw_ '? Is it a popuar idiom or a set of phrase? |
2,207 | 40,649 | 76823_0 | Why do we say _my goodness_? It doesn't sound appropriate for the contexts in which it is used. Both the _my_ and the _goodness_ don’t seem to bear on a surprising or startling situation. When was it started, and why? |
2,208 | 90,623 | 76823_0 | I always thought the names of holidays were proper names, and should thus be capitalized "Christmas", "Thanksgiving", etc. However, I recently made a typo when talking about Christmas (Christmsa), and my spelling checker corrected it to be lower case "christmas". It knew what word I wanted, but made it lower case, where it would usually recognize incorrect capitalization. So I wondered: Is my spelling checker wrong? Or is capitalization of holiday names not a requirement? And either way, any insight on why the spelling checker would be this way? |
2,209 | 102,515 | 76823_0 | What is the grammatical function of 'since' in the following sentence? > Four years had passed since his father died. |
2,210 | 90,625 | 76823_0 | Which is correct: "Constantin" or "Constantine"? I also encountered in texts "Konstantin" and "Kostantine". Or else is another spelling preferred? |
2,211 | 90,626 | 76823_0 | Why is _Neanderthal_ pronounced with a /t/ sound instead of a /th/ sound? |
2,212 | 60,423 | 76823_0 | So I encountered the word "emcee" in written form for the first time this week and was surprised to find that it was not simply written "M.C." (short for Master of Ceremonies). Why does the "emcee" form exist? |
2,213 | 128,017 | 76823_0 | I have some items which are either mandatory or not mandatory for a recipe. I am listing them in a table. I have a column which will say either an item is required or not. What could be the proper word for the header of such a column? |
2,214 | 60,426 | 76823_0 | Today in my mathematics class my lecturer used a phrase I am very familiar with, and I suspect many others may be familiar with too. However, when thinking about how one would write a particular word in this phrase I became perplexed, and am wondering if anyone else knows how to write it. The phrase is: "We'll do the final few steps in a one-ner." The final word is written as it is pronounced. Are others familiar with this word, and does anyone know how it would be written? I doubt it's in the dictionary (I've checked under multiple potential spellings), but it seems to be a common word (I am Scottish, so perhaps this is a regional question). |
2,215 | 72,550 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Is there a grammar rule behind the hyphen in the phrase 'one-act play'? Okay, so it might sound like a primitive question. However, I can find out a reasoning or maybe which form is correct. The sentence is > This is a three parts series. I'm not sure if I should add the delimiter or not; and maybe there is a possession "'s", and I'm not quite sure of that. So any help with explanation would be great! |
2,216 | 9,545 | 76823_0 | What is the difference between "economic" and "economical"? |
2,217 | 911 | 76823_0 | British and Irish cinema names from a certain period seem to come from a pool that includes The Odeon, The Curzon, The Savoy, The Adelphi (maybe you can think of more). Where did these names come from? Are they prevalent in any other English speaking countries? |
2,218 | 148,384 | 76823_0 | Could someone please explain the sentence for me? And any citation of such usage? > You’ve heard about what you make of yourself when you assume things. This is from the book _Hacking for Dummies, 4th edition_ .  |
2,219 | 104,823 | 76823_0 | When someone is telling you a very long and detailed story he usually wants to hear some "confirmations" (or response) that you are listening to his story. In Russian we often use something like "tak" (which has a meaning of "ok" and "well, proceed further"), "a-ha" or "uh-huh". What word serves the same purpose in English and American English? |
2,220 | 104,821 | 76823_0 | What do you call a person who is not very careful by nature, one who is constantly breaking things, missing appointments, stumbling into walls, and things like that? Hopefully not too harsh a name, as if we find it funny. |
2,221 | 15,990 | 76823_0 | Is _lignicolous_ a word used in a specific context, or is it common to say "that is a lignicolous bug"? |
2,222 | 112,646 | 76823_0 | I am reading a book on grammar. Now I can't understand the difference between the `verb+preposition` and `phrasal verbs`. For example > He never thinks about(or of) other people. and > put on your coat Why this book call `think about` a `verb+preposition` and `put on` a `phrasal verb`. What's the difference between them? Here are another examples about this subject ### _verb+preposition_ * ask (somebody) for A man stopped me and asked me for money. * belong to ... Does this book belong to you? * talk to somebody about something Did you talk to Paul about the problem? ### _phrasal verbs_ * Turn over Turn over and look at the next page * turn on It was dark, so I turned on the light. * bring back You can take my umbrella but please bring it back. I don't know the difference clearly. |
2,223 | 112,647 | 76823_0 | > It was all planned well before today that I can be sure about. Here I believe that _that_ is subordinating conjunction. > It was all planned well before today; I can be sure about that. Here I believe that _that_ is pronoun, hence the need for the semicolon to separate the two coordinating clauses. And are they both right? Please correct me if I am wrong. |
2,224 | 153,311 | 76823_0 | While attempting to answer this question @ProgramFox has been trying to come up with an example of a noun with no plural. The best I've come up with is _egotism_ and _Judaism_. (*Flux*may be a viable contender as there is a related question asking about its plural!) Some of the contenders I've already shot down are _air_ , _water_ , and _money_. (Airs, waters, and monies are all legitimate plurals.) My question is, a) Do my two examples have actual plurals? b) Are there any other non-ism nouns that don't have a plural? |
2,225 | 64,210 | 76823_0 | I've been thinking that the phrase " **already know** " is different from the phrase " **have already known** ". * **Already know** : I know something clearly at this point of saying (present) * **Have already known** : I've known something so far. (present perfect) I may be confused in the explanation. I don't know when we can use each of these phrases properly. Thanks and best regards, |
2,226 | 64,211 | 76823_0 | I've seen these phrases in some technical articles. Is there any difference between these phrases? |
2,227 | 64,219 | 76823_0 | Is there an English accent which would distinguish these two sentences? > * He _rode_ from the bridge to the pier. > * He _rowed_ from the bridge to the pier. > |
2,228 | 148,656 | 76823_0 | I would like to hear an American perspective on this: is have a nice day and have a great day interchangeable? Does it depend on a speaker, and so on? |
2,229 | 37,411 | 76823_0 | I don't know too many languages, but the ones I know have more elaborate names for their letters than the monosyllabicity of names for English letters. (E.g. - I'll pick on Greek here - _ay_ instead of _alpha_ , _bee_ for _beta_ , etc.) How did these short names evolve, and when? Further, why do nine of the letter-names (B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V, Z) end with "ee" (as in "bee"), while six others (F, L, M, N, S, X) begin with "eh" (as in "ef")? And why do (H, K, Q, R, W, sometimes Z) have less orthodox names? (Is "ar" for "R" a corruption of "ehr", perhaps?) "J" needs to be different, so as not to be confused with "G". The remaining ones (vowels, incidentally: A, I, O, U, Y) I understand as not possible to fit into any regular pattern. Maybe the answer is simply that letter-names, like the language, are not logically created; rather evolved erratically. But I want to make sure. Does anyone have any answers? |
2,230 | 20,803 | 76823_0 | Why are there inconsistencies in the pronunciation of the consonants of the alphabet? For example: 'b' is pronounced like 'bee' but 'm' is pronounced as 'em' rather than 'me'. The pronunciation of 'h' matches nothing and 'j' and 'k' are orphaned twins. In Turkish (the only other language I have any knowledge of), the consonants are consistently sounded as if they have an 'e' appended. |
2,231 | 195,285 | 76823_0 | What about this answer? She suggested to have/had a beer that day. I'm confused between have and had. Please explain? |
2,232 | 195,286 | 76823_0 | Please correct these sentences. 1).i do not know where was he at that time. 2)he is good in Urdu. 3)the peoples of pakistan are very nice 4) he agrees of me 5)the young man is addicted to smoke 6) i will give the paper of english |
2,233 | 195,281 | 76823_0 | Apologies if this has been asked before, I found it quite difficult to phrase what I meant! As the question title states: Duane **"Dog"** Chapman. What is the correct word to describe the part that is intentionally in quotes? e.g: * Jimmy "The Greek" Smith. * Anthony "The Executioner" Thomas. |
2,234 | 125,935 | 76823_0 | Is it correct to say bridge the problems? Is it a commonly used expression? I'd like to use it to express that the person I'm talking with should solve the problems. |
2,235 | 195,282 | 76823_0 | I would like to know whether the different pattern of the punctuation in direct speech is really used. I still have not found the usage of the first one in any particular text. ‘All right’, he said (British English) ‘All right,’ he said (American English) |
2,236 | 195,289 | 76823_0 | What is the difference between the words _oxymoron, paradox, contradiction_ and _misnomer_? For example, > _Benevolent dictator_ is an oxymoron. If I replace _oxymoron_ with _misnomer, paradox_ , or _contradiction_ , how will the meaning change? 1. **Paradox** A seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which, when investigated, may prove to be well-founded or true. > The uncertainty principle leads to all sorts of paradoxes, like particles > being in two places at once. > Oxford Dictionaries 2. **Misnomer** A wrong or inaccurate name or designation. > ‘King crab’ is a misnomer -— these creatures are not crustaceans at all. > Oxford Dictionaries A wrong or inaccurate use of a name or term. > To call this ‘neighbourhood policing’ would be a misnomer. 3. **Oxymoron** A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. > Faith unfaithful kept him falsely true. > Oxford Dictionaries 4. **Contradiction** Combination of statements, ideas, or features which are opposed to one another. > _The proposed new system suffers from a set of internal contradictions_. A situation in which inconsistent elements are present. > _The paradox of using force to overcome force is a real contradiction_. The statement of a position opposite to one already made. > _The second sentence appears to be in flat contradiction to the first._ > Oxford Dictionaries All of them seem the same to me. |
2,237 | 27,596 | 76823_0 | Three questions: 1. Is it appropriate to say "shit happens"? I mean isn't it obscene? 2. When is it appropriate to say "shit happens" and when not? Is it always obscene or it can be used in some situations? 3. What can we use instead of "shit happens"? What are the similar phrases? |
2,238 | 167,914 | 76823_0 | I understand the difference between the two words and it was answered here. However I have spent part of my life redoing houses and I have only heard of kitchen cabinets. In fact if I order "cabinets" the stores and manufacturers refer to the as kitchen cabinets. I do remember my grandparents using the term cupboards when younger but never hear it anymore in the US. Is the term cupboard outdated? I would like to know if it has any usage? [Question stems from me traveling in Europe the past few weeks. All non-native English speakers were taught cupboards.] Just to give the most uncupboard type example. Something like the picture below was called a cupboard in three different countries over the past week. Trying to be really specific here. I am wondering if this is an actual term used, or if it is a term from books that were outdated used to teach English.  To add some of my background I went to the three biggest home improvement store sites (in US) for some insight. * Lowes (Kitchen Cabinets) * Home depot (Cabinets) * Menard's (Kitchen Cabinets) |
2,239 | 156,362 | 76823_0 | I was just wondering if there is a verb for "to share an environment", the word needs to depict how a non-indigenous organism can share an environment with an indigenous organism in harmony. Regards, Techhead55 |
2,240 | 156,361 | 76823_0 | > What is its significance for the enrichment of your knowledge and skills in > your chosen course? English isn't my native, so, correct me if I am wrong. I can't really understand what this mean, yes the _importance of skills in my course_ , but I can't get a straight to the point about what the question is asking. Is it maybe because its not properly arranged? Or can someone translate this to me in a simpler manner so I can create an answer subjectively. |
2,241 | 48,012 | 76823_0 | I am working on a software project where I have a location in 3d-space ("it can be found at the mathematical point X/Y/Z") as well as an orientation in space ("it is tilted 30° around the X axis"). Some objects have a location, but no orientation (like a unidirectional light source), others have an orientation, but no location (like sunrays), and the majority of objects have both (a table, a ship, a bird, etc.). I managed to call the first group `Locatable` and the second group `Rotatable`, but I'm having trouble coming up with a concise name for the last group. Currently I'm using `Positionable`, which could be mistaken for the first group, and was wondering if anyone had a better idea. |
2,242 | 167,919 | 76823_0 | In British football if neither team scores a goal, the score is said to be: _nil-nil_ or _nil-nil draw_. Curiously, the winning team's results are always spoken first. So if Arsenal are playing home the score will be written as: `Arsenal 0 Manchester Utd 1` but when spoken: _"Manchester Utd 1, Arsenal nil"_ or _"Arsenal lost 1 nil"_. I know that _nil_ is derived from Latin _nihil_ , which means _nulla_ , _niente_ in Italian, and _nothing_ in English but why wasn't the Old English _nowiht_ ( _nought_ ) preferred? Could it be that the game was first introduced into Britain by the Romans, and the Latin term _nihil_ , stuck? There is a short reference in Wikipedia which claims: > Certainly the Romans played ball games, in particular Harpastum. There is > also one reference to ball games being played in southern Britain prior to > the Norman Conquest. There are sources that claim the forefather of modern football is _Calcio fiorentino_ 1 played in 15th century Florence, which suggests that the sport had continued to be played in Italy long after the fall of the Roman empire. To further back up my hypothesis, English football is not alone in using the term _nil_. Although the Italians say _zero_ and the Spanish, _cero_ ; the French and Dutch say _nul_ ; the Greeks, _nil_ ; the Russians, ноль ( _nol_ ); the Swedes, _noll_ ; the Norwegians and Germans, _null_ , and the Hungarians _nulla_. * Am I therefore correct in thinking the Latin derived term _nil_ is used in British football because of the Roman conquests? If not, what is the history of _nil_ , a word I barely, if ever, hear outside the realm of football? |
2,243 | 186,677 | 76823_0 | I am typing up formal invitations, and I want to say that transportation will be provided from Point A to Point B (but also from Point B back to Point A). In order to clear up the to-from/from-to confusion, I tried to use 'between' as follows: > Transportation will be provided between Point A and Point B. Is it grammatically correct to use between in this manner? Transportation is really **FROM** Point A **TO** Point B -- although the car may travel _between_ the two locations (i.e. not at either end point but in the middle), the transportation itself is to/from specific locations. Another option is to say > Transportation will be provided _to and from_ Point A **and** Point B. I am trying to find the most appropriate choice of preposition to accurately convey the meaning, and I was unsuccessful in determining this after searching myself. |
2,244 | 48,016 | 76823_0 | As I am a person who frequently intends to do nothing (or at any rate as little as possible), I wondered if there was a word meaning "the act of intending to do nothing". I had the impression that floccinaucinihilipilification meant this, but sadly it turns out not to be so. |
2,245 | 48,014 | 76823_0 | I have heard that phrase recently on this YouTube video "Why We Row (Inspirational)" and I can assume what it means, but I just don't understand it on the context of the speech. > ... don't be suprised if someone decides to flip the script and take a pass > on yelling uncle, and then suddenly as the old saying goes, we got ourselves > a game. |
2,246 | 95,666 | 76823_0 | In this context of usage which one is suitable? > sentence: "make the transition into advance studies/study a smooth one" |
2,247 | 29,254 | 76823_0 | Both are in dictionaries. I've heard people insist "requester" is correct for a person who requests something, and that "requestor" is wrong there, leaving me to wonder how it is used. _Requestor_ happens to be marked as an error in my browser's spellchecker. COCA for requester/requestor indicates that _requester_ is used for people and _requestor_ is used in technical senses like a part of a program. A google ngram for requester/requestor shows that _requester_ is also a bit more common. Some online discussions suggest _requestor_ may have a meaning in law or be more common there, but I can't find that. What's the difference in usage? Should _requester_ be used for people, or is it more nuanced than that? Note: These related questions discuss "creator" and "updater" and discuss -er and -or endings overall. |
2,248 | 95,669 | 76823_0 | All of the leading educational institutes have 60% of their seats reserved for students of backward castes. It is a fairly common expression and a sad fact in India. What would be an alternative to the word "seat" in this sentence? Even though it is very popular here, I am sure it has been used incorrectly because I did not find any meaning for the word "seat" which could be used over here. |
2,249 | 57,900 | 76823_0 | Like the title may already suggest, I am wondering if "so" or "nor" would be right in place for refering that something is (not) like stated in the main sentence. What do you think? |
2,250 | 22,949 | 76823_0 | I've encountered phrase like _"he bowed them inside"_ several times in different stories. What does it actually mean? Does it mean, that he very politely accompanied them inside or does that literally mean, that he walked inside with them bowing to them every now and again? |
2,251 | 163,217 | 76823_0 | I'll use an abstract example: Imagine 10 slots that can each either be filled or empty. I want to communicate the information that the configuration of filled/empty slots is such that the first N slots are filled, with N between 0 and 10, e.g. slots 1, 2 are filled, the rest are empty, or slots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are filled, the rest are empty, etc. How can I say this succinctly in plain English? Here are some attempts: * The first few slots are filled (bad: they're not necessarily few) * The first N slots are filled, with N between 0 and the number of slots (too algebraic) * The slots are filled from the beginning and on (the best I've come up with, but it alludes to the process of filling the slots, which I don't want to need to do) |
2,252 | 153,796 | 76823_0 | One of the meanings of umbrella is a term for other things. So, is it possible (yet) to use _umbrella_ as a verb? To umbrella something? Perhaps an umbrella'd issue? I saw someone used "umbrellered" and aside from disagreeing with the spelling, I was curious about the acceptance of a verb form. |
2,253 | 163,214 | 76823_0 | Ok I just want to ask and confirm a few compounds. 1) **games shop** or **game shop** \- a place where you can buy video games 2) **amusement arcade** or **arcade** \- a place where people went to play arcade machines in the 80s and 90s. Are they called **arcade machines**? 3) Is there a singular word to call all things in a casino? I mean slot machines, wheels of fortune and so on. **Machines** maybe? |
2,254 | 163,213 | 76823_0 | I'm asking about someone who's employed by a company and does different jobs (both a qualified and unqualified person). Who knows; maybe in English those two are two different words? What are they called in English? All I know is **a navvy** but that usually means physical work. Let me just try a few things here. These are just wild guesses, nothing more. * odd job man/worker * shiftman * (unskilled) labourer |
2,255 | 195,132 | 76823_0 | I can't find any difference between Image, Photo and Picture, I don't know what is the right one to write! |
2,256 | 78,350 | 76823_0 | The Ganga is the holy river of the Hindus. Why can't we simply say, Ganga is the holy river of Hindus. why should we use the definite article 3 times? |
2,257 | 184,953 | 76823_0 | > **The Gregg Reference Manual** , by William Sabin, was a bestseller. Are the commas correct in this sentence? > She loved the Gregg Reference Manual, by William Sabin. Is the comma correct after the word "Manual"? |
2,258 | 169,518 | 76823_0 | People usually shrug at the notion of an interviewer influencing and guiding the interviewee towards the answer they want. Is there a better way to write this sentence. And is there a better word to use other than shrug. I tried 'do not tolerate' but that sounds harsh. |
2,259 | 34,287 | 76823_0 | What is the meaning but more importantly the connotations for the expression "the father of the house"? Not only in the literal sense, that is, but more for someone with authority, even if there is no house or no actual father involved. |
2,260 | 225 | 76823_0 | Which is correct? > Everyone were convinced that he would go to the game. > Everyone was convinced that he would go to the game. I think it's "was", because "everyone" is singular, but I just wanted to check. |
2,261 | 103,270 | 76823_0 | I just read the following in Dan Ariely's book _Predictably Irrational_ , > [...] Zoe, and the other kids to whom I offered the same deal, was > completely blinded by [...] _p. 57_ To me it would have seemed more natural to have written _' **were** completely blinded'_. On the other hand, commas are often used in place of parentheses, in which case the following would, presumably, be incorrect, > Zoe (and the other kids to whom I offered the same deal) were completely > blinded by [...] Should _'was'_ or _'were'_ be used in the sentence separated with commas? |
2,262 | 167,477 | 76823_0 | 1)Everyone, _except_ Jess and Susie, **was** present at the company meeting yesterday. 2)Everyone, _except_ Jess and Susie, **were** present at the company meeting yesterday. Which is correct? |
2,263 | 79,086 | 76823_0 | I was astonished to learn that the word _lacksadaisical_ or _laxadaisical_ is both misspelled and mispronounced. It is still commonly used in Southern Africa (with the same meaning), whereas it is rare to hear the correct _lackadaisical_ in mainstream use. Does anyone have insight into the origin of _lacksadaisical_? |
2,264 | 156,098 | 76823_0 | As far as I can tell, my question is not a duplicate of either of these two similar questions. It is very close (maybe a duplicate, but I don't quite think so) of this question. I want to construct a sentence, where there are two things each possessed by one of two people, one of whom is myself. The best I have come up with is something like: > Fred's and my houses are both green. Two houses, two people (Fred and myself). I'm not sure how to phrase it at all! I suppose I could go with a longer form like: > Fred's house is green and my house is also green. But it would be nice if there was a shorter form. |
2,265 | 59,504 | 76823_0 | Is there a noun that generically describes something that contains a balance that is not the word "account"? Such things can be checking accounts, credit cards, outstanding fines, or basically anything that keeps track of a sum of money. The word account is a bit broader than I need because it implies that a person is a member or a part of an organization or business where they are associated with some "account number". **EDIT:** An "account" is a business object that actually encapsulates one or more savings, checking accounts, credit cards, loans, customers, cards, or any other service that is offered. Here, the word account is already being used as a programming term, but still looking for a word that covers the overlap things with balances, an abstraction as you will. |
2,266 | 116,273 | 76823_0 | I was wondering if there is an expression to describe parents (usually newly- made) that are extremely happy with having children, with this happiness manifesting as "childish" behavior on their part when interacting with their offspring. As an example consider someone with a 6-month-old baby that talks to the baby in a silly voice, makes cartoon faces and sounds, moves the baby around while simulating a train or aeroplane (with sound effects) and so on; at the same time _this person does not hesitate to do these things in front of others_ \-- possibly even complete strangers. In Greek we call this person χαζομπαμπάς (father)/χαζομαμά (mother), a term that literally translates to "silly dad/mom" but does not carry negative connotations. At the very worst someone might call you that to imply that the parent is incapable of denying the child any request, but usually it simply means "this person is so happy that they don't pay any attention to appearances". Is there something similar in English? I have already looked at this question, but it's not exactly what I 'm looking for because I read it as having to do with feelings, while I am specifically interested in how those feelings manifest as behavior. |
2,267 | 6,632 | 76823_0 | Where should the period go when using parentheses? For example: > In sentence one, I use this example (which has a parenthesis at the end.) Should the period be inside, or outside of the parentheses? What about if the entire sentence is a parenthetical (as below)? > (Where does the terminal punctuation go here?) Is there a hard and fast rule? |
2,268 | 73,781 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Where does the period go when using parentheses? If I had a parenthesis at the end of the sentence, do I put the dot before or after it? For example, do I write: > I have an example sentence (which ends with parenthesis). or > I have an example sentence (which ends with parenthesis.) |
2,269 | 82,916 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Where does the period go when using parentheses? Consider the following example: > It is obvious that f(x) < x (Assuming x > 0). Should I capitalize the first letter of "Assuming"? |
2,270 | 11,128 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Where does the period go when using parentheses? Which of the following should I use? Are there any exceptions to the rule? > 1. I enjoy breakfast (sometimes). > 2. I enjoy breakfast (sometimes.) > |
2,271 | 111,148 | 76823_0 | Are there any place names in the UK that have non-ASCII characters? I’m looking for any cities, towns, villages, etc. in the UK that use characters that aren’t in the basic ASCII range (code points 0—127). This is for setting up test data for address character conversions on a website. This question is specific to UK addresses, as the international address tests have already been written. As a bonus question, could anyone come up with any of the following with non- ASCII characters: * House name (should be easy as house names often seem to be in a foreign language)? * Street name? |
2,272 | 158,812 | 76823_0 | i have being trying endlessly to think up something positive about this expression which of these is correct? He pregnate my daughter He pregnated my daughter |
2,273 | 147,541 | 76823_0 | I have seen and/or heard the sentence "thank you for the kind words" more than once. The context is usually that the speaker is responding to an appreciative comment in a discussion whose overall purpose is different. For instance, I once received this response at a doctor's appointment after an appreciative comment of mine. This sentence tends to sound a little bit trite to my ears--perhaps even dismissive. But judging by the occasions of use, I think it is used when the speaker is grateful for meaningful encouragement. Do others have the same negative reaction I do, or is this an accepted convention that I am misinterpreting due to lack of familiarity? In the former case, what are better ways of expressing the sentiment? |
2,274 | 147,540 | 76823_0 | _Liner notes_ is a phrase describing a written description on the cover of an LP record. What is the origin of this phrase? |
2,275 | 149,901 | 76823_0 | While reading a book, I found: > Objective-C supports the same conventions as does C. I've thought "... as C does" is correct. For example, > As time goes by, we come to forget almost everything. Why were subject and verb replaced in the first sentence? |
2,276 | 149,521 | 76823_0 | What is a word that best describes trying to help someone, but the other party doesn't appreciate it? I'm looking for a word. |
2,277 | 142,716 | 76823_0 | The OED says **_noogie_** means a "hard poke or grind with the knuckles, esp. on a person's head" with a first quotation from 1968. They say it was popularised by _Saturday Night Live_ in the late 1970s but is of "Origin unknown". There's nothing on Etymonline. So where does the word _noogie_ come from? What's the etymology? Can you find anything earlier? |
2,278 | 37,889 | 76823_0 | What explains the difference of a de facto larger frequency of vowels of one writer compared to another? In the statistics data I examined, a vowel had higher probability in the text from the female Swedish authoer compared to a Russian male author. The statistics I cite compared the male and female use of consonants and vowels indicated that the probability of next sound being a vowel was much higher for the Swedish female author compared to a Russian male author. The probability of next sound being a vowel and the probability of next sound being a consonant could be explained to vary by style, by book, by author, by language and/or by gender (male/female) Making statistics on material either women or men wrote, I hypothesize that there are more vowels when the writer is a female and more consonants when the writer is male. Are there any evidence for or against my notion? Did anybody make a study like that? Does it have any purpose besides being a "fact"? A purpose I can think is revealing forgery when a man for instance in a text pretends to be a woman or vice versa, a woman writing to you pretending to be a man then according to patterns you could get an indication. Edit: I changed it to a real hypothesis about how sounds change since we may wish to compare phoneticallly if doing a real study that could indicate for instance whether the next message is from a man or a woman. Edit: The statistics say there is a statistical difference between 2 books specified as the markov matrix for if the next sound is a vowel or a consonant given that the current value is a vowel or a consonant. |
2,279 | 142,714 | 76823_0 | > I was standing on the spot where the murderer had been, thinking, "Did he > hesitate? _Once the trigger was pulled for the first time, there would've > been no turning back."_ Can the following sentences replace the original one? 1. Once the trigger **had been** pulled for the first time, there would've been no turning back. 2. Once the trigger was pulled for the first time, there **would be** no turning back. Which one would be more natural? Could you tell me the differences among them? |
2,280 | 142,718 | 76823_0 | A single _t_ between vowels sounds like a _d_ to me (or like an _r_ in my language, Brazilian Portuguese). May I say the _tt_ spelling the same way, or does that only work for a single _t_? |
2,281 | 37,883 | 76823_0 | In English, there are three suppletive adjectives: _good_ , _bad_ and _far_. Their comparative and superlative forms derive from different stems, i.e., we have _best_ instead of * _goodest_ , _worse_ instead of * _badder_ and so on. Do linguists have an explanation for why suppletion occurred only for these three adjectives? And, more specifically, why _good_ and _bad_? It seems that there is something special about _good_ and _bad_ , because in other European languages, the corresponding adjectives are also suppletive. But, since the comparative and superlative forms are not cognate across the subfamilies, the process must have occurred independently in each one. |
2,282 | 37,882 | 76823_0 | How common is it for native English speakers to actively replace the past tense 'did' with the past participle 'done'? I used to think it was only really done in rather vulgar dialects, but I have increasingly heard this usage now by people who speak otherwise normal Received Pronunciation, or Standard American English: > I done the report. You done it yesterday. He done it already. I can't help but interpret this replacement of 'did' as sounding somehow uneducated, but is it becoming a standard in some dialects? Is the word 'did' dying out? And do these speakers use the 'done' replacement when switching the word order around in a question; for example, would they say: > Done you do it today? ... or even: > Done you it today? ... instead of: > Did you do it today? |
2,283 | 125,627 | 76823_0 | I heard a movie character say, "I smell ME a rat." I know that the use of "me" is not standard English. What is the grammatical explanation for the insertion of "me" in that kind of sentence? |
2,284 | 166,811 | 76823_0 | Is the first form valid as well, or only the second? E.g. "I will make me a sandwich" |
2,285 | 131,632 | 76823_0 | Are the following sentences correct? > It's high time the government took steps to eradicate terrorism. > > It's high time to take steps to eradicate terrorism. I am asking this question because I have learned that the verb should be in the past form if we use "high time". Thanks |
2,286 | 143,041 | 76823_0 | Why can we say "a change of address", "a change of plan", etc. without any articles in front of "address" and "plan"? Aren't they countable nouns? Is it some kind of idiom for "a change of X" or a special usage of grammar? |
2,287 | 105,886 | 76823_0 | I would like to know which of the following is correct: > * I am looking for a position of Senior Developer **with a stable > company**. > * I am looking for a position of Senior Developer **in a stable company**. > For instance, in the article "Job Interview Question: Why Are You Leaving Your Job?", the author — who is, as far as I understand, a native English speaker —, gives the following example: > I am seeking a position **with a stable company** with room for growth and > opportunity for advancement. Here is another example at the website of the company Pacific Drilling (quote): > How do I apply for a position **with** Pacific Drilling? I just want to make sure, is the use of "with a company" the correct form for my example sentence? Or maybe such usage is common in the US? Would be highly interested to hear the opinion of native English speakers. * * * **Edit:** I emphasize, what is the correct/common form with respect to my _particular_ sentence: "with" or "in"? Of course, I know there are cases when you can use one or another. |
2,288 | 143,045 | 76823_0 | Is it correct use _to_ as preposition in the following sentence? > Books are the best source **to** knowledge. I have mostly seen _of_ as being used with _source_ , for example "source of knowledge". But I was wondering if I could use "source to" without it being a mistake. |
2,289 | 143,048 | 76823_0 | What could be a short phrase for 'a free and informal space for learning?' |
2,290 | 143,049 | 76823_0 | I'm reading Salinger's "Ocean Full Of Bowling Balls" and came across the "blue card". I wonder what that means in that context. I found that "blue card" is currently used for immigrant agricultural workers, but couldn't be sure that they are related. It sounds more like it's related to sports somehow (baseball?) but I want to be sure. Any ideas? > "Hey Red, where’dja get that red hair?" > > Kenneth turned around to look at the man, and said: > > "A guy gave it to me on the road." > > That nearly killed the guy. He was bald as a pear. "A guy gave it to you on > the road, eh?" he said. "Think he could fix me up?" > > "Sure," Kenneth said. "You gotta give him a blue card, though. Last year’s. > He won’t take this year’s." > > That really killed the guy. "Gotta give him a blue card, eh?" he asked, > shaking. > > "Yeah. Last year’s." Kenneth told him. > > The fat man shook on as he turned back to his newspaper; and after that he > looked over at our table frequently, as though he had pulled up a chair. Full context can be found here. |
2,291 | 144,010 | 76823_0 | That is, something which is especially remarkable in one isolated instance because it rises above being quintessentially mediocre, as is the case in every other example. Consider the chocolate chip cookie. Everyone bakes chocolate chip cookies. They are so commonplace that there are rarely, if ever, any actually delicious chocolate chip cookies. However, in the face of bland ubiquity, some people occasionally -do- bake a truly and breathtakingly excellent chocolate chip cookie. Because it rises above what is otherwise widespread and bromidic, this one excellent chocolate chip cookie outshines the grandest and most ornate desserts specifically designed to be outstanding. This concept can be applied in many places, and we often take it for granted without being able to reduce and articulate it with a formal term. What word am I looking for? |
2,292 | 26,647 | 76823_0 | For years I have used '=>' as a sign meaning 'should be changed to' and I have long since forgotten whether this is a personal idiosyncrasy or an actual existing usage. _e.g._ "in the sentence above word 'jive' => 'jibe.'" Is this familiar usage to anyone? Anyone else besides me, I mean. |
2,293 | 92,577 | 76823_0 | According to my Longman dictionary, _gain experience_ and _get experience_ seem to mean the same: > **gain/get** experience: The programme enables pupils to gain some > experience of the world of work. But I have also found _gather experience_ and _acquire experience_ (source): > * We now have to **gather** experience. > > * These projects will set their imagination in motion, and will help them > **acquire** useful experience. > > How do these versions with _gain_ , _get_ , _acquire_ and _gather_ differ? I am also interested if they mean the same but sound slightly different to native speakers. |
2,294 | 107,036 | 76823_0 | I am writing an article and I am having trouble finding a word for "to create out of nothing." The following are slightly different forms to show you the general 'feel' of the word that I am looking for. "to obtain without [any] effort" "to create without any input" "producing something effortlessly or from nothing" A Latin word for this that I was thinking of is Ex Nihilo but I was hoping for more ideas. |
2,295 | 50,309 | 76823_0 | I am trying to find out why _sheep_ has the plural _sheep_. I have found different explanations, such as, "it is because they were seen as uncountable, as in 'a herd of sheep'", "because it comes from German, which does not have the plural 's'" and that it is because it is a neutral Old English noun which does not change in the plural. Does anyone have the right explanation? |
2,296 | 66,217 | 76823_0 | I encountered this phrase in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esben_and_the_witch > His brothers did not stand to attention for Sir Red... |
2,297 | 66,211 | 76823_0 | > We had a death in the family this weekend, so I haven't had the time to > spend on this... We've the funeral next weekend, so hopefully we can get > **squared away** before Friday... Looking it up at tfd.com, I am confused about the meaning. Two meanings seem to match: * To bring (oneself) into a better position or relation ( _He tried to square himself with his parents._ ) * To put away or in order But since the person has directly written 'squared away', so I think the second one matches better. |
2,298 | 162,071 | 76823_0 | I think this is probably just one of those phrases people get wrong, such as "for all extensive purposes" - but I just found this on a cafe web page:  This question asks the meaning of "in store" but I don't see any reference to stall. Is this a reasonable alternate usage or just another "foul swoop"/"baited breath" situation? (and by the way is there a word dedicated to describing that kind of mistake...) |
2,299 | 187,104 | 76823_0 | I was walking through the square, and I came upon a group of people all lying on the ground. Each had a printout on their chest with a political message, and nobody was moving.  What word or phrase could best be used to describe a group of people who lie down in a public place in order to send a political message? |
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