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2,600 | 126,315 | 76823_0 | I'was looking for a verb meaning 'to fail to discern **analogies** between things', but, after a bit of searching, I realized that 'confound', which first came to my mind, is not the right term because Merriam-Webster defines it as 'to fail to discern **differences** between' things, not **analogies**. Thus, my question is, is there a verb meaning 'to fail to discern **analogies** between things'? |
2,601 | 121,477 | 76823_0 | Please tell me the difference between these two questions: * _how_ * _how so_ Do those two mean the same thing? If they do not, please explain with examples. |
2,602 | 121,476 | 76823_0 | The root words in the examples below look fine even without a prefix: > un + **bearable** > ir + **regular** > dis + **able** > mis + **fortune** ... but not in these: > pro + **gress** > pro + **mote** Possibly, I don't understand what a prefix really is. **–pro** in the above two examples may or may not be a prefix at all. But I would like to have these two points clarified. 1) Is it not always possible to separate a prefix from its root word because doing so will cause the root word lose all meaning? 2) Is it alright to look at **–pro** as a prefix in the above two cases because it's a prefix anyway and being detachable from its root word is not really a criteria for it to be a prefix? Please discuss. |
2,603 | 121,471 | 76823_0 | What are the best places to use these three verbs: * rescind * repeal * annul Are these all exactly similar in meaning, or are they supposed to be used for different purposes? |
2,604 | 163,580 | 76823_0 | If the tense change of the verb _"need"_ to _"needed"_ is not mandatory, then if it was changed then how would it affect the meaning in the sentences below? > If they asked for help, I would provide whatever help they **_need_**. > If they asked for help, I would provide whatever help they **_needed_**. |
2,605 | 121,479 | 76823_0 | > Bidentate (also called didentate) ligands bind with two atoms, an example > being ethylenediamine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denticity Is "an example being ethylenediamine" a inappropriate appositive? As far as i know, appositive is usually to define the preceding noun. > My youngest sister, Meghan, will be visiting soon. "Meghan" is an appositive describing the preceding noun(sister). So, is the sentence in the beginning exemplifying a different grammar structure than appositive? thanks |
2,606 | 121,478 | 76823_0 | I see people in movies saying > Are you done? and > Are you done **yet**? And I wonder what that the addition of _yet_ might mean or suggest in the second version which is absent in the first one. Are those two versions completely equivalent, or is there some subtle distinction? |
2,607 | 163,589 | 76823_0 | Let's say this is the information related to a film: > **Written by:** John Doe > **Produced by:** Mary James > **Casting by:** Peter Smith, Sarah Jones > ... Then: * John Doe is a **writer**. * Mary James is a **producer**. * Peter Smith and Sarah Jones are **...** ? |
2,608 | 54,242 | 76823_0 | The word 'navitis' shows up a lot in the book _Introducing html5_ , and I didn't find it in a dictionary. The sentences are: > * 'I was previously guilty of navitis—the urge to surround any links to > other parts of a site as <nav>.' > > * 'When tempted to use a “fat footer,” consider whether such links > actually need <nav> at all—navitis can be hard to shake off.' > > |
2,609 | 14,801 | 76823_0 | If there is a phone call I forget to make, can I say this call is a "due call"? Or is there a better word which can describe it? |
2,610 | 11,877 | 76823_0 | I'm trying to find a word or phrase that best describes the _process_ of an object or entity that enters a continuous cycle until it grows large enough or matures to a point of self-sustainability. _**Example:** A person who enters rehab for help on some problem and stays within the system until the person has matured or grown to some point (after undergoing repeated examinations) that the subject can once again enter society._ _**Example:** A college paper that starts as a rough draft, submitted for review by a peer, and returned with improvements. This cycle is ongoing until the paper is (mostly) cleared of flaws by peers and the author, finally graduating to a final draft ready for submission (the ejection from the cycle)_ |
2,611 | 32,789 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Oriented vs. Orientated Both orienting and orientating seem to be in common use. Is there any difference in meaning or usage? Is orientating just a common misspelling? |
2,612 | 153,411 | 76823_0 | Is orientate a word and if so how is it different than orient? I found this definition of it says "Generally considered an error in American English." does this mean it is not wrong for British English? I'm not sure if there's a right or wrong answer to this, but is it incorrect to use British English in North America? For example is it flat out poor English if a British man was giving a speech and referred to the "boot of the car" or is somehow more right since he is British? |
2,613 | 162,171 | 76823_0 | I couldn't help but add an additional frame of reference. Though I personally find the utterance of "orientated" to be a failed attempt at the proper word "oriented", the collective commentary is indeed food for though. Commonality of the use of this incorrect word seems to be the explanation (justification?) for calling it an acceptable word. While this may drive crazy those that pride themselves on being moderately adept at identifying improper english, the reality is language evolves in this very way. Put another way, if an "incorrect" word is used commonly enough, by a large enough percentage of the population, and over a substantial enough period of time, it often becomes acceptable. Common error is one of the reasons why multiple spellings for certain words, slang, and other verbal "anomalies" are added annually to the English dictionaries of the word. |
2,614 | 14,807 | 76823_0 | A moment ago on _Mr. Sunshine_ , Matthew Perry pronounced the end of a _conch_ shell as in _church_. I learned it as being pronounced with a _k_ sound. On WikiPedia, both are listed as pronunciations, but on the Merriam Webster and Dictionary.com sites, the audio clip pronounces with a _k_. Is there a proper or official pronunciation, perhaps from a different, originating language? |
2,615 | 11,878 | 76823_0 | What is the difference between a legend or a key? Is it still called a _legend_ if it is located at the top, rather than the bottom of results? |
2,616 | 11,879 | 76823_0 | Apart from its use among the bean-counters who talk about maximising company profits, I can't understand why _price point_ has spread so widely in popular American parlance. As far as I can tell, the term is exactly synonymous with _price_ ; do people use it the way they do the word 'monies' — to sound clever on the cheap — or is there actually a difference between the two terms? |
2,617 | 161,697 | 76823_0 | Is there a verb that means "to typographically format a paragraph" the same way that `paginate` means "to typographically format a page"? I'm inclined to coin `paragraphinate`. |
2,618 | 48,553 | 76823_0 | On NPR this morning I heard a newscaster say a phrase something like this: (paraphrased) > … Bank declined to interview, but in a phone call said, "We are making > (quote) every effort (unquote) to …" I assume that the bank spokesperson didn't actually say "quote" and "unquote", and that that was added by the journalist. It seems to me that the journalist (consciously or unconsciously) wanted to communicate his own doubt about the meaning of "every effort". I'm curious what this journalistic/rhetorical device might be called. Is there a word for it? |
2,619 | 161,026 | 76823_0 | This BBC page states > The history of life on Earth **began** about 3.8 billion years ago... Similarly, this one states > The history of Canterbury's religious significance **began** with the > Romans... However, this page states > The history of Rastafari **begins** with the colonisation of Africa... as does this: > The history of the march **begins** in the village of Tolpuddle... Which is correct/preferred, or are both equally acceptable? |
2,620 | 191,924 | 76823_0 | In the following sentence, whose velocity is `u`? The particles or the medium? > For particles moving in a medium with macroscopic velocity u: The normalized > Maxwell’s distribution function (Eq. 1.38) can be written as, ..." |
2,621 | 191,925 | 76823_0 | I wonder whether **because** can introduce two or even more reasons; if yes, how they are connected. For example, > John came late because he woke up late, and his bicycle was broken. Is the sentence above correct? Thanks! |
2,622 | 191,926 | 76823_0 | I checked several dictionaries and googled and checked previous _biased_ -related questions here including Is it "biased towards" or "biased against"?, Word for being biased "towards the other direction"?, What do you call a person who is regionally biased? (unrelated), Moreover, subscription-only LDOCE says: > ### **biased (adj.)** : > > > 1. unfairly preferring one person or group over another: > _Of course I'm biased, but I thought my daughter's paintings were the > best._ > _racially biased attitudes._ > > **biased against/towards/in favour of** > _news reporting that was **heavily biased** towards the government_ > > 2. more interested in a particular thing than in another: **biased > towards** > _The majority of infants are biased towards being social rather than being > antisocial._ > > OED says: > **biase (v.):** _To give a bias or one-sided tendency or direction to; to > incline to one side; to influence, affect (often unduly or unfairly)._ , > **biased:** Influenced; inclined in some direction; unduly or unfairly > influenced; prejudiced. But I still can't understand the meaning of the following sentence: > I appreciate that you took the time to contact me. You are great in my > opinion! But then I am very biased in your favour! Does the sentence imply that: a. The person saying this, is somewhat being unrealistically nice at their own expression of the addressee being great (in a negative way); or b. Do they mean that they're not great enough to be able to return the favor (in a positive way being keen on the addressee's greatness)? I also notice that LDOCE uses " _favour_ " rather than _favor_ , which probably indicates that this usage is British only? |
2,623 | 191,921 | 76823_0 | "Maegami tomeru" (前髪とめ〜る) is a Japanese velcro-like product that keeps womens' hair in place. Is there a commonly accepted English translation of this name? Bang Blocker found it hard to find a good translation > Enter Dariya's Maegami Tomeru... Front Hair Stopper. No. Bang Blocker... > Hmm... Fringe Foiler? > > Talking velcro and **** translations aside A trademark application for the device said > Goods and Services: > > Hair tapes; hair accessories, namely, devices for holding hair in place, > namely, hair grip sheets, hair barrettes, hair tapes and hair ornaments; > hook and pile fastening tapes While a friend suggested "Fringe tape".  |
2,624 | 174,609 | 76823_0 | Imagine a website with many kinds of posts: announcement posts, offer posts, question posts etc. For each kind of post there could be a page listing them. How would you call a page that lists all the posts of all kinds? All I came up with is "cumulative page", but that sounds obscure. |
2,625 | 6,802 | 76823_0 | How did the English language come to this? > The play was awful. Is the complete opposite of > The play was awesome. But if you break it down to **awe** followed by **ful** or **some** , it doesn't make sense at all. Can someone shed a light on this? Is there a rule to this, or is it one of those things you need to just memorize? |
2,626 | 1,684 | 76823_0 | A quick survey of the internet reveals many instances of "home sweet home", no punctuation. But doesn't "home, sweet home" make the most sense? |
2,627 | 1,688 | 76823_0 | I'm typing in Microsoft Word, and it automatically separated the word T-shirt when it ran out of room: > blah blah blah, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, I have a T- > shirt leaving just the letter "T" on one line. This doesn't look right to me at all, or for any compound, hyphenated word, yet basically all text boxes will split words at a dash on separate lines if needed. I would prefer: > I have a > T-shirt I know it would be fine if I was splitting words in a narrow column, like the newspaper, but is there a rule about what you're supposed to do to words like this? Is my way always right, or Word's, or either? (How to get Word to actually stop doing it is a totally different question...) |
2,628 | 194,311 | 76823_0 | I'm taking this true or false questionnaire for work. One question is > Most supervisors accept that you cannot always call in for an absence. > > true or false |
2,629 | 111,637 | 76823_0 | I am wondering if the following two sentences have different meanings. > * I _may_ know where it is. > * I know where it _may_ be. > |
2,630 | 29,989 | 76823_0 | I have a sentence along the lines of > The heading reads, "a chart heading." The comma seems a bit awkward to me, but I cannot seem to find any explicit guidance in the Chicago Manual of Style on whether or not it should be there, and a couple of searches of CMoS's Q&A find instances both with and without the comma (and a number of instances with a colon instead of the comma). Is this better with or without the comma? Why? |
2,631 | 95,279 | 76823_0 | Please consider the excerpt below. > I felt awkward discussing such issues with Aarti’s dad, so I kept quiet. > “I know how the education business works, Tiwari talks intellectual, but he > wants his share. I hope you guys won’t get me involved with that.” > “Not at all, sir,” I said. “Even I don’t deal with that stuff. I only look > after the college.” > “So all such work is done by Shukla-ji’s men?” Aarti’s father asked. > “Yes,” I said, as I **___ ___** at the floor. I need little help how the words _stare_ and _gaze_ changes the meaning of sentence in the given context. Please find below the dictionary (ODO) meanings of those words: > **Stare** = look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something with one’s eyes > wide open. > **Gaze** = look steadily and intently, especially in admiration, surprise, > or thought. |
2,632 | 154,967 | 76823_0 | What is **b/f**? My friend sent me this. I searched on google, but couldn't find a satisfactory answer. |
2,633 | 154,966 | 76823_0 | This is the same grammatical issue raised in another thread, except the examples there were not ideal, so the syntactic problem was side-stepped in favor of the semantic one. Consider this example instead. A man has a car. His wife has a car. Together, they have two cars. He says: > "We both have a car." Sounds perfectly natural, right? Unambiguous, even. Yet the mismatch between "We" and "car" is weird when you think about it, at least to me. Luckily in this case, there are ready alternatives: > "We each have a car." > "We both have our own cars." Both sound vastly superior to me. Sometimes, however, there are no obvious alternatives. Take, for example, the opening of the song Different Drum (delightfully sung by Linda Ronstadt, by the way): > You and I travel to the beat of a different drum. Well, actually, I suppose you could say: > You and I travel to the beats of our different drums. But there have been cases where I couldn't readily apply my fixes. I just can't think of them at the moment. My requests for you: 1. Does this issue bother you (whether before or after my pointing it out)? 2. If not, why not? (I'll be grateful if you can convince me and liberate me from these pedantic concerns.) If it does bother you, then do you approve of my proposed solutions. Feel free to suggest some of your own. 3. (optional) Make up a sentence that doesn't lend itself easily to the already mentioned solutions, and suggest a way to fix it. Thank you. |
2,634 | 138,136 | 76823_0 | This lesson is in a pattern book. I want to know why the word _about_ is repeated quite a few times in the text: > My mother told me stories about cooking and childbearing; she told me > stories about menstruation and pregnancy; she told me stories about gods and > heroes, about fairies and elves, about goddesses and spirits; she told me > stories about the land and the sky, about cats and dogs, about... |
2,635 | 29,983 | 76823_0 | Is there a single noun, preferably not a gerund, for the act of exceeding or surpassing? In editing test reports and similar technical material, I come across the notion of exceeding or surpassing a limit, threshold, or expectation. My dictionary searches have yielded only gerunds. I've considered "exceedance" but cannot find evidence that it is a word. |
2,636 | 29,987 | 76823_0 | How did board come to be associated with meals? I am referring to this definition of board: * regular meals or the amount paid for them in a place of lodging (noun, Wiktionary) * daily meals, especially as provided for pay (noun, reference.com) * to furnish with meals, or with meals and lodging, especially for pay (verb, reference.com) |
2,637 | 95,277 | 76823_0 | I got stuck in my exam when there were two options which look similar in meaning. Interestingly, the examiner gave two synonyms. The sentence was: > The hockey team could not deal with his **unsociable/unsocial** tendencies. Both mean _having or showing a lack of desire for the company of others_. Could anyone tell the difference between the two? |
2,638 | 28,054 | 76823_0 | I'm trying to describe two people who stay up at night to get some work done. Are the following sentences all grammatically correct and equivalent? > Without sleeping we go on to finish our work. > > Without sleep we go on to finish our work. > > We unsleepingly go on to finish our work. Is there anything wrong or awkward about any of the above? |
2,639 | 28,055 | 76823_0 | (Note: I'm **_not_** talking about the same kind of redundancy as in this question). Is "may or may not" correct, or is it a redundant version of "may or not"? I've seen both, and I don't know which one(s) is (are?) correct: * The position of lecturer is occasionally given to individuals [...] who may or not have a doctoral degree. * The position of lecturer is occasionally given to individuals [...] who may or may not have a doctoral degree. |
2,640 | 126,172 | 76823_0 | Here in Japan, many of my students use "any" in a negative sentence like this: > "Please note that any club/group cannot use the copy machine after 8:00pm." I believe this is grammatically incorrect, or at least unnatural and should be: > "Please note that no club/group can use the copy machine after 8:00pm." My question(s) is/are: * Is the first sentence grammatically incorrect or is it just a matter of natural style? * In the case that it is grammatically incorrect, what is the rule regarding such a sentence construction? (Any . . .cannot vs No.....can) I would like to give them a reason for changing their work beyond "It's just a native-English thing". Thank you very much for your help on this. GT in Japan |
2,641 | 174,095 | 76823_0 | English is my second language. Which of the following is correct? > 1. Replaced with a new printer. > > 2. Replaced by a new printer. > > |
2,642 | 178,560 | 76823_0 | > A value that is _expected_ might be nounized to an _expectee_ awaited by the > _expector_. Is there a formal term corresponding to that for the adjective _actual_? > A value that is _actual_ might be nounized to a _what_ received by the > _whom_. My suggestions for _what_ are either _actual_ or _actuee_ and for _whom_ they're _actuator_ or _actuator_. Am I anywhere close to being correct? Is it understandable to NSEs (if yet a bit artificial and formal)? What'd be a better way to express these formally? |
2,643 | 151,304 | 76823_0 | I want to start a WhatsApp group and I don't know which of the following names is grammatically correct: Lee Family The Lee Family Lee's Family The Lee's Family. |
2,644 | 151,307 | 76823_0 | Is the following sentence grammatically correct? "I just hope he walks out clean from the probe" If not, what is the correct form? **EDIT: The context of the above sentence is a situation where you wish someone comes out of an investigation (say, by the police) being acquitted.** |
2,645 | 28,059 | 76823_0 | Are the nouns "corner" and "nook" synonymous? I just saw them employed in an enumeration as if they meant different things: > ... has a funny shape, with ledges, corners, nooks,... What are any differences between them? |
2,646 | 164,054 | 76823_0 | When I was a child, I learned that the term "out of" could be used to apply to a person or thing to describe where he, she or it was from. For example, a ship docked in Miami could be described as "out of Boston" as a means of describing that ship's hailing port, Boston. By the same token, a professional football player on the Denver team, playing in Dallas, might be described as being "out of Purdue" as a means of describing where he played college football. But now, I hear newsreaders say that a company is based "out of" a particular town. For example, they will say, "The Apex Corporation is based out of Philadelphia." This causes me to wonder, "Well, if they aren't based in Philadelphia, then where are they based?" Of course, the newsreader actually meant to say, "Apex Corporation is based in Philadelphia." As best as I can remember, the term "out of" came to be the preferred alternative to the word "in" sometime during the early 1980s, as I don't remember hearing this error prior to that. I'd be interested to know if there is a documented example of it appearing before that time. For those of us who learned the language long before the 1980s, this is especially confusing as the term "out of" means the exact opposite of the word "in." Why would someone use a two word combination (out of), that means the exact opposite of what they really meant to say, when a single word (in), that describes what they really do mean, is a better choice of words? |
2,647 | 94,891 | 76823_0 | In what situation would you use _company_ or a _companion_ in the following sentences? > I have a dog and it's my company. > I have a dog and it's my companion. Can I use _company_ instead of _companion_ in "a traveling companion"? For example: traveling company. |
2,648 | 184,536 | 76823_0 | For example, how do I refer to the top three or four participants in a tournament. _The victorious_ doesn't apply; would _finalists_ be the best choice here? |
2,649 | 164,058 | 76823_0 | Is there any nuance that exists between the two words? I would like to hear from linguistics if there is any subtle difference. |
2,650 | 174,269 | 76823_0 | What does _long_ mean before a name? Like _Long John Silver_ in _Treasure Island_ or _Long Susan_ in _Ripper Street_. |
2,651 | 129,811 | 76823_0 | The question and answers posed in What is the correct way to pluralize an acronym? deals very nicely with acronym (and possibly initialism) usage. What about the case when you are defining the acronym? For example: 1. ...automated teller machine (ATM)... - Easy enough. 2. ...automated teller machines (ATM)... ? 3. ...automated teller machines (ATMs)... ? If the singular form will be used later then option 2 seems poor. Generally option 3 appears to be best, but is it clear to the reader that we will write the singular form as "ATM"? This idea is touched upon in Defining an acronym when using the plural of the term? but it is not complete. |
2,652 | 10,991 | 76823_0 | I would like to know if there is an opposite word for _sin_ in English. I mean, how could I say the opposite of > I committed a sin other than using a negation? |
2,653 | 126,043 | 76823_0 | Are there any exact opposites of _sin_ and _poison_? I have tried to find suitable words but I can't find an exact opposite. |
2,654 | 64,611 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What's the opposite word for "sin"? Well, I have got the answer 'virtue' from most people I asked. But still the answer is not satisfactory to me. |
2,655 | 131,259 | 76823_0 | I have checked many dictionaries but there is no one opposite of 'sin'. |
2,656 | 114,377 | 76823_0 | How **"James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher"** is Correct Sentence? Can anyone explain? |
2,657 | 114,374 | 76823_0 | Should the word 'squadron' be written with a capital? In some contexts it seems more appropriate than in others, but I'd like to do it consistently. > The 12th squadron set sail. versus > The 12th Battle Squadron of the Imperial Navy Sources seem a bit contradictory, and even the Wikipedia people have not agreed upon a consistent style, it appears. |
2,658 | 114,372 | 76823_0 | This is in a Saudi YouTube series that I'm subtitling; I came across a colloquial word which means literally 'a mixture of melon juice, mango juice and corn', and figuratively expresses a bad course of action, a messy action or bad and uncontrolled management. For example: > Tim was a bad boss, his administration was the worst of its kind he gave > false promises and spoke about imaginary projects thats why we going to call > them شمنجاحبش which is the name of the mix juices |
2,659 | 114,370 | 76823_0 | What is the proper adjective to use with the word _chance_? Can chance be _low, small, slim_? What would be your suggestion? |
2,660 | 108,009 | 76823_0 | In discussing pronunciation of difference kinds of acronyms and initialisms, I recalled the term "acronoun." However, I can't find any reference to this term on the Wikipedia Acronym page, nor in google searching. I am questioning where I would have heard this before and if it is a real concept. If I had to guess at a definition, it would be an acronym that is pronounced as a word and used like a noun. However, that might be true for most acronyms or there might be a different word for this. I am looking for any insight or evidence this either is our could be a concept. |
2,661 | 160,776 | 76823_0 | A hypothesis is a supposition put forward in explanation of observed facts. Is this sentence wrong??and if it is then why? In a grammar book the right form of this sentence is given by this way - "A hypothesis is a supposition put forward to explain observed facts." or "A hypothesis is a supposition put forward as an explanation of observed facts." |
2,662 | 160,770 | 76823_0 | If asking a question or giving instruction towards a group of objects where the number is unknown (and possibly could be one) what is the correct way to phrase the sentence? Which of the following sentences are more correct: > Has there been any studies regarding this and if so what has been the > conclusion? OR > Has there been any studies regarding this and if so what have been the > conclusions? |
2,663 | 19,797 | 76823_0 | How is the term _lump sum_ properly used? Do I work for a lump sum or on a lump sum? Can I work lump sum based, or can I offer a lump sum price? |
2,664 | 92,809 | 76823_0 | Which of the following is correct? > (1) The dog is half wolf. > > (2) The dog is a half wolf. If (1) is correct, is "wolf" an uncountable noun or an adjective? |
2,665 | 95,850 | 76823_0 | In a discussion on car wheels, someone commented that "Stock wheels are usually more expensive than aftermarket." When I looked up _aftermarket_ on Google definition states that, it is > The market for spare parts, accessories, and components, esp. for motor > vehicles. However, I'm confused as to which sense of _market_ it applies here to the definition, for example one of the sources I searched was AHDE: > 1. A public gathering held for buying and selling merchandise. > 2. A place where goods are offered for sale. > 3. A store or shop that sells a particular type of merchandise: _a > vegetable market_. > > 4. (a) The business of buying and selling a specified commodity: _the > soybean market_. > > (b) A market price. > > (c) A geographic region considered as a place for sales: _grain for the > foreign market; the West Coast market_. > > (d) A subdivision of a population considered as buyers: _cosmetics for the > upscale market_. > > 5. The opportunity to buy or sell; extent of demand for merchandise: _a > big market for gourmet foods_. > > 6. (a) An exchange for buying and selling stocks or commodities: > _securities sold on the New York market_. > > (b) The entire enterprise of buying and selling commodities and securities: > _The market has been slow recently_. > > Or is there another suitable definition that's not on this list? |
2,666 | 193,258 | 76823_0 | i had a hard time in using these similar looking words at appropriate places. some help would be appreciated. Thank you |
2,667 | 24,337 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicates:** > What's an easy way to remember when to use "affect" or "effect"? > Effect vs. Affect I always confuse the two and I have no way of telling them apart! Help! |
2,668 | 24,037 | 76823_0 | Is there an easy way to remember when to use the word affect or effect in a sentence? It is very confusing, and I still get them mixed up. |
2,669 | 188,902 | 76823_0 | I don't know how to explain the difference between effect and affect to someone. I've tried explaining that effect is a noun, and affect is a verb, that "to affect" is to make a change, and "effect" is the change that was made, but these explanations haven't made sense. (They're 17 and very intelligent, so please don't be rude.) Could you please suggest other ways of explaining this? |
2,670 | 95,853 | 76823_0 | Where did the practice of using apostrophes for possessive nouns but not pronouns originate? For example, possessive nouns (both proper and common) are written with a apostrophe before the final _s_ : > * _Bill’s_ , not _Bills_ > * _Sarah’s_ , not _Sarahs_ > * _the bear’s_ , not _the bears_ > * _the lizard’s_ , not _the lizards_ > On the other hand, several possessive pronouns do not have apostrophes before the _s_ : > * _his_ , not _hi’s_ > * _hers_ , not _her’s_ > * _its_ , not _it’s_ > * _theirs_ , not _their’s_ > * _ours_ , not _our’s_ > * _yours_ , not _your’s_ > When and where did this usage originate? Was there any technical advantage of this usage? |
2,671 | 118,716 | 76823_0 | The biblical and modern day states of Israel have the same name, even though they are not the same entities. Is there a name for the biblical state of Israel which is diffrent from Israel? Like the name _Israelite_ refers to the ancient Jews/people of Israel and not to the citizen of modern day Israel (which are called _Israeli_ ). |
2,672 | 118,717 | 76823_0 | I came across this phrase in source code files open-sourced by Apple. Here is one such example:  The warning basically means the source code is internal to Apple and is subject to change. We (software developers who use these files) should not expect the 'interface' to stay the same between version. If the interface is indeed changed, any program that depends on the file will be broken. What I do not quite understand are: 1) Is the phrase "When breaks, you get to keep both pieces" a common one? If so, how is it usually used? 2) Does 'both pieces' means 'two pieces' here? 3) Is it supposed to be playful in tone? Is there any other implied meaning based on the context? |
2,673 | 89,521 | 76823_0 | Are singular non-proper countable nouns **always** preceded by a determiner ( _a, the, some, any, this, that_ )? > ORIGINAL QUESTION: " _Dose singular no-proper_ [Are singular common] _nouns > always preceded by an article (a, the) or are there some situations that > this is not true?_ " |
2,674 | 126,790 | 76823_0 | Where can I find a dictionary that contains words along with their commonly accepted "neighbors"? I had one, but it's not for English language. The structure of this dictionary is the following. Take a noun in this dictionary. Along with its brief definition, the dictionary shows what adjectives, verbs, and other parts of speech are appropriate to use with this noun. E.g., a "day." Possible adjectives: "sunny," "long," "bad," etc. Verbs: "spend," "waste," etc. And so forth for many instances. Quite a handy thing for writing. What English dictionaries offer similar capacities? PS: It's not about simple collocations or corpuses and ngrams that don't differentiate parts of speech, like Corpus Concordance English. It's important to have this part-of-speech distinction. **UPDATE:** Brief list of dictionaries from the answers: * Online version of Oxford Collocation Dictionary |
2,675 | 126,793 | 76823_0 | _Buckle_ is used mostly for the thing that's on belts. Where did the word come from? |
2,676 | 51,369 | 76823_0 | I'm really having a hard time to even phrase the sentence I'm looking for, sorry! Examples would include: * A programmer telling someone he wrote a small piece of code directly in assembly instead of C++ for increased performance. * Telling someone you could have used duct tape, which would have been quick and easy, but chose fiberglass for a longer lasting solution. In general, the person is willing to sacrifice easy task execution in exchange for increased quality in the end result. I'm not looking for someone to write a sentence for me, I'm looking for a common way of expressing something. |
2,677 | 110,747 | 76823_0 | In this sentence: > The commission commanded that **work** on the building should cease. Why isn't _the_ used before the word _work_? It seems that the work is specified by _on the building_. Another example is, > **Construction** of the building will start next week. I understand construction here is something like putting up the building, and so the construction isn’t general in meaning. But the definite article isn’t used here, either. I’ve asked about this several times, but none gave me a good answer. |
2,678 | 127,220 | 76823_0 | What word do we use to define someone who is accusing someone/something for everything going around him or her. For example, lets say Jack accuses Jill for everything happening to him. He falls off his bike, Jill sabotaged it. He caught fever, Jill poisoned food. How do you call Jack's action towards Jill? Phobic or Skeptical or blaming? I don't get the exact word to precisely picture this character. |
2,679 | 110,273 | 76823_0 | Dictionary.com lists plagiarist as the noun form of plagiarism and lists plagiarizer as the noun form of plagiarize. I do not see the distinction of the separate entries and expected both words to be listed as noun forms. |
2,680 | 25,320 | 76823_0 | In the sentence "Who should I talk to to learn about that?" my grammar checker says I have a repeated word. I admit that it sounds a little awkward, but I'm not sure it's incorrect. I realize I could rephrase it in at least a dozen different ways, but is it valid in its current form? |
2,681 | 110,277 | 76823_0 | I was puzzled with the line “(President Lyndon Johnson’s) appearances can be deceiving,” in the Washington Post’s (April 2) article titled “President Lyndon Johnson did indeed attend an Easter Egg Roll” with a photograph showing President Johnson at an Easter event at the White House on May 7, 1964. My confusion arose from the contradiction of the phrase, “Appearances (which can be taken as 'attendance') can be deceiving” and the picture evidencing the obvious appearance of President at the site. > “A March 29 Loop post said it appeared that President Lyndon B. Johnson had > not attended any of the White House Easter Egg Roll gatherings. But > **appearances can be deceiving**. Marilynn Eaton, whose husband William > Eaton covered the White House during the Johnson years for UPI, sent us a > signed March 30, 1964 photo of Johnson and some kids, including her > daughters Susan and Sally — seen sitting at the far right of the stage.” Why is it “deceiving,” not “positive” or “obvious” when appearnce / presence / attendance of Jonson were evidenced by a photograph? |
2,682 | 25,327 | 76823_0 | I find many unfamiliar phrases in readers' comments on the statements of political figures and articles on news sites these days. I can't tell if they are accepted usage. Comment posters could be native English speakers or non- native speakers. I cannot judge, and it is frustrating. In _The Washington Post_ ’s “Comment of Today” (May 13), I came across the phrase, _he is a proven commodity_. The comment was in response to Chris Cillizza's "The most eventful week of the 2012 Republican primary race": > Put the pieces together and Ron Paul has a very good chance of winning the > Republican nomination. The GOP is suffering from an enthusiasm gap with the > rest of their 2012 possibilities. No one excites the base like Ron Paul. And > he is a proven commodity in terms of raising funds and knowing the ropes of > running for president. I understand “a proven commodity” is a metaphor, but can a person be called a _commodity_? Is the expression, _he is a proven commodity_ normal American English that I can use to describe any of my friends in conversation with my peers over a drink? |
2,683 | 25,328 | 76823_0 | What is the etymology of the adjective _jammy_? As in, > Thou art a jammy bugger! I confess I've never seen the word before. When I looked it up, I found confusing etymologies: one source says it comes from the construction _jamais de guerre_ and an ordinary dictionary source says it comes from the word _jam_ ; I wouldn't imagine the two are related. Which is it? |
2,684 | 110,278 | 76823_0 | Can you please help me with this thing called "sequence of verbs"? From what I'm understanding, if I use "would," I have to keep "would" throughout the sentence. Example: "I would go visit my cousin if he would come visit me as well." But in a situation like my example below, is it okay not to keep the same tense throughout? > "I went to this store called 'K' yesterday." > > "What kind of store was it?" > > "It was a store that sells jewelry." The last sentence is my question. I think I've heard people usually say "Yesterday, I went to a store that sold jewelry". But since I'm just explaining what kind of store it was/is, is it okay not to say "it was a store that sold jewelry"? |
2,685 | 97,003 | 76823_0 | Re-watching old episodes of the X-Files. In which Agent Mulder says: (paraphrasing) > just pseudo-science used _to make political book_ (Transcript here) _(FYI The Episode was written by Mat Beck)_ I can infer that it means, to add (false) weight to a political agenda or argument. (ie. making it a safer bet.) I recall hearing the phrase before, sounds like a Hunter S Thompson, or beat era style phrase, but I'm unable to find any reference to it. Can anyone help with **definite** meaning and/or etymology? _Edit: Please don't offer conjecture, I can guess all by myself._ |
2,686 | 120,791 | 76823_0 | I cannot grasp the construction and meaning of the following sentence. "What do Company A and Company B intend to achieve, anticipating that their intentions may be somewhat different?" Could you please teach me the construction and who is anticipating in the sentence? I have never seen this kind of sentence before. I have no idea what is the subject of "is anticipating." Thanks in advance. |
2,687 | 446 | 76823_0 | In some podcasts (it seems the speaker was from California) I heard that the word "especially" was pronounced with "ks" sound like "ikspeshally". What was it likely to be, personal way of pronouncing this word or a local dialect? |
2,688 | 151,870 | 76823_0 | What word is there in English for sucking with your nose? There are people who do not sneeze but instead have a bad habit of sucking with their nose snot in again. However, the English dictionary definition for sucking refers to the mouth. |
2,689 | 195,716 | 76823_0 | I usually have lunch alone but yesterday I asked my colleague to join their lunch by saying > "I will join your lunch." (I usually join them one or twice a week.) Then one of them told the other guy in the group that > "XXX (my name) invited himself today." Is it the same as saying "he will join us today?" or does it imply something? |
2,690 | 163,875 | 76823_0 | Is it right to use the preposition "with" instead of "to" after the word "marry or married" under any given circumstances if we change the position of gender being mentioned? For example: "She is married to John" Can we also say: "John married with her" OR "John is married with her" I highlighted this mistake in the notes of an educationist which he gave to his students. I raised this point with him that "to" is the only preposition which is used after the word "married". However, he argued that use of preposition depended on the position of gender being mentioned, thus the change in the position of gender also changes the preposition and it is right to use the preposition "with" after the verb "marry". Can anyone explain? |
2,691 | 173,628 | 76823_0 | I hope to understand the use of the preposition **_to_** gerunds and the overall structure of the following sentence. Normally the use of **_to_** is to specify a destination or a purpose but here the way it is used is unfamiliar to me. * * * The report was relentlessly hostile to the scientist, interpreting one complex event after another to his discredit. * * * I await your answers. |
2,692 | 195,711 | 76823_0 | I want to know whether there is a hyphen in the word _re-offend_ , or if it is spelt _reoffend_. I looked in Oxford English dictionary and the word "reoffend" appears, but then I checked Merriam-Webster and the word is not in there. So is _reoffend_ a word or is it _re-offend_? I'm in Australia where we observe UK English if that matters. |
2,693 | 195,710 | 76823_0 | My English teacher took some points off on a recent paper of mine based on improper comma usage, so I'm coming here for clarification. Here are the examples. The [x]'s indicate where the commas were deemed missing and I was marked down accordingly. > When I was younger[x] I skipped the superhero phase, and never really > thought twice about it. > > At this point[x] the character becomes ridiculous as he becomes a God. I was under the impression that commas are generally used to indicate pauses in speaking, connect independent clauses, delimit lists, or signal appositives. For example, many authors and speakers may use commas more frequently than others to indicate many pauses in speaking, whereas others prefer a more rushed manner of speaking (Had I been in a more pensive mood, I may have included the commas, but my manner of thinking at the time felt the chosen method more accurately represented what I was attempting to depict.) Is one wrong and the other not? Is my teacher correct? Are there set-in-stone comma rules that are to be consistently followed in order to be proper? If so, are only creative writers and authors allowed to break those rules? Thanks for reading. |
2,694 | 155,379 | 76823_0 | My friend and I watch the same TV show, but she's on 5th season and i'm on 2nd. so she tells me what's going to happen next, what do i say here "God, i got a long way to catch up " or what, to say that i want to catch up , or be in the same season she is on. Help me please. |
2,695 | 155,378 | 76823_0 | For instance, in the sentence: > Without adding new items and modifying existing items. Would it be correct to completely remove the first reference to the noun items? as in: > Without adding new and modifying existing items. It sounds wrong. Is the only correct alternative replacing the explicit noun with an implicit reference as in: > Without adding new items and modifying existing ones. Is there a more elegant way to avoid writing the explicit noun twice in this sentence? I read this: Mixing adjective and noun enumerations but did not find it very useful. |
2,696 | 4,361 | 76823_0 | When a user finishes an order on my website, what's the correct way? > * Your order is now **complete**. > * Your order is now **completed**. > |
2,697 | 193,383 | 76823_0 | In which tenses can I use 'by' as a preposition of time? My teacher told me you are allowed to use this preposition in past perfect or future perfect tenses only, but I ran into a lot of sentences on the web where people use it in past or future simple/continuous tenses. Consider the following examples: > I will do my homework by tomorrow. > I will have done my homework by tomorrow. > > They will be working by then. > They will have been working by then. > > The domestic water use did not change by 1960. > The domestic water use had not changed by 1960. Please let me know which of them are correct. |
2,698 | 193,380 | 76823_0 | We 'listen' when we're being told something. Is there another verb for 'listening' to an answer to a question we asked? Is 'receiving' an appropriate word for it? It sounds reasonable in the context of the answer being in a written format > "I have received an answer" But it doesn't sound right if the answer happens to be in an audible format (think two people face to face, instead of the answer being a recording) P.S.: I'm not looking for 'hear'. I'm asking if there's a verb that carries the same weight as 'listen', but applies specifically to the situation of being given an answer. |
2,699 | 173,625 | 76823_0 | Hi this is my first post !! Salute to y'all nice people!! I am not a native English speaker so sometimes I concerned about if I picked up the correct word. The word today is "affection". I try to describe a guy holds a little boy and like it as much as his own son, so I use `He shows him(the boy) much affection like to his own son.` I am not sure that's the correct phrase, the reason I use this word is the guy is not the real father to the kid so `love` sounds too much and `like` sounds dull. But I am not sure if `affection` make the guys sounds perverted, from a man to a kid. Because nowadays people need to be careful to show fondness to kids...and my native language does not has a equivalence as this word, we generally use "like" all the time :) Also I am always confused about this word, it sounds like a little more than like but less than love but with some "love". So what is the normal occasion to use this word? Only to kids? a thing? Thanks in advance. |
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