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3,400 | 104,421 | 76823_0 | * Plural of basket is baskets. * Plural of apple is apples. Assuming there is more than one apple in each basket. > There are two baskets of apples. Is this sentence grammatically correct? |
3,401 | 118,102 | 76823_0 | I am reading some technical documents and there is a list of items that make up the product. Throughout the document where there are multiple items, they are listed as _2 off_ , _3 off_ and so on. For example it would be similar to this: My product comprising of: * 2 off card 1 * 1 off card 2 * 1 off transit case Is this correct? I thought it should be _2 of_ , _3 of_ and so on. I would like to know if the usage is correct and if possible why _off_ is used in this context. |
3,402 | 57,708 | 76823_0 | I saw this expression used in a Washington Post article about the possibility of an Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear program: > US officials don’t think that [Israeli prime minister] Netanyahu has made a > final decision to attack, and they note that top Israeli intelligence > officials remain sceptical of the project. But senior Americans doubt that > the Israelis are bluffing. They’re worrying about **the guns of spring** — > and the unintended consequences. |
3,403 | 114,655 | 76823_0 | If I said, > I casually drink alcohol or > I socially drink alcohol What would you think about how often I drink? |
3,404 | 96,179 | 76823_0 | With reference to this question Collective noun "police" — singular or plural? and as per my understanding _Police_ is always plural. But I got shocked after seeing police used as singular noun in this article. > Two days after the death of the 23-year-old gangrape victim, Delhi Police on > Monday said it has finalised around 1,000-page chargesheet in connection > with the incident and plans to submit it in court on Thursday. I can't figure out why they have used police as singular. Also its one of the prominent newspaper in India. I doubt on myself about its usage. Could any one elucidate it further ? |
3,405 | 96,171 | 76823_0 | This is a follow-up question to this question that I asked yesterday. There are a couple of similar expressions that I need help with: > * How **[am I supposed to/do I]** get to the stadium from here? > * Where **[am I supposed to/do I]** get the cab from? > Are these expressions okay? Does using "supposed to" in place of "do" affect the meaning of the sentence here? |
3,406 | 9,235 | 76823_0 | The Tomb of the Unknown Solider has the engraving "KNOWN BUT TO GOD", as presumably no man knows his name, but shouldn't it read " _un_ known, but to God", as the default for everyone is "unknown", with the exception "but to God"? Is the construction older? How should it be parsed? |
3,407 | 65,780 | 76823_0 | Every now and then I stumble about a construction like this: > It was but something.... and I understand it to be > It was nothing but.... or > It was only... depending on the context. I do know what this "but" means and I do know what else "but" can mean. My question is this? Is the a difference between "but" and "nothing but" in this context, be it ever so small and hidden in tone or emphasis? Is there such a difference between "but" and "only"? And finally is "but" in this context something you can say or does that make you sound way out there? Thanks a lot |
3,408 | 44,900 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > The construction of "Known but to God" What does "but" mean in this case and what other uses is this word used in the same context. I'm trying to explain what this word means but I can't think of any good common use examples with the same meaning. The clearest word I can think of is "just" _Life is just/only a dream_ Example sentences I did think of used "nothing": I found nothing but junk at the store. But is this the same meaning? I found nothing, _just_ junk, at the store? |
3,409 | 138,468 | 76823_0 | I have seen the phrase " **Nothing but** " used in many places. e.g.: > * Inertia is nothing but the mass of the object. > * Time is nothing but a line > How did nothing but come into existence? |
3,410 | 68,630 | 76823_0 | What's the difference between the following two? > * God, cure me _of_ this sickness that I have. > * God, cure me _from_ this sickness that I have. > |
3,411 | 116,651 | 76823_0 | I have been reading a lot about the Past Perfect tense recently and I think that I am getting more and more confused with the logic behind it the more I read about the tense. Many sources say that we only need to use the past perfect when the sequence of events is not clear without it. Also, they say that we do have to use the past perfect tense every time you mention two things that happened in the past. But many examples that are given about the tense include something like this: "I **had switched off** the lights before I went to bed" or "after they **had had** breakfast, they left for the park". Could someone explain to me why the past perfect is necessary in these examples when it is already clear from the sequence of events which action had occurred before the second action? |
3,412 | 141,968 | 76823_0 | For the below sentence, I can identify "This car" as the direct object of the verb "sell". > Peter wants to sell this car. However, if the sentence is changed as follows, does the verb "sell" still have direct object? > This is the car that Peter wants to sell. |
3,413 | 4,645 | 76823_0 | In written English (mainly online) I often come across sentences ending with a question or an exclamation mark with a space before it. Is it always just an error or a typo? Or there are cases when it is a correct English, for example after closing parentheses or some other punctuation marks? |
3,414 | 94,304 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Is it ever correct to have a space before a question or exclamation mark? Often, I see special punctuation characters such as exclamation points (!), question points (?), and ellipses (…) separated from surrounding words by a space. I've always put such punctuation directly after the word. What is the correct method? ### Example I: > We sell books, t-shirts, drinks, and more… As opposed to: > We sell books, t-shirts, drinks, and more … ### Example II: > What is your name? As opposed to: > What is your name ? |
3,415 | 186,496 | 76823_0 | I was just wondering this because of noticing a lot of people I've worked with typed this way. Examples: Okay, that's great . Thanks, Stephanie . Was there anything else ? I was wondering if there is something that this could derive from. |
3,416 | 92,241 | 76823_0 | Can I use something like "I am caught in a controversy" to express that I am witnessing and confused by the controversy between other entities? |
3,417 | 141,961 | 76823_0 | There are countless titles of the form "the many faces of ...". A quick Google search finds nearly 500 million hits, starting with "The Many Faces of the Public Domain", "The Many Faces of the Freshman Seminar", "The Many Faces of Go" and "The Many Faces of Influence Infographic". What is the origin of the phrase "the many faces of ...", in particular when used in a title? The closest I came to finding an answer was a search using Google Ngram Viewer. This seems to show that use of "the many faces of ..." really took off around 1955. Thus, probably the origin of the phrase is neither the Bible nor Shakespeare. |
3,418 | 52,061 | 76823_0 | Should I put spaces after periods in the following examples? * A.B. Buffington (between the initials) * Vol.2, No.6, pp.195-200 I see people missing spaces in their academic writing all the time and I am not sure if I should correct this. |
3,419 | 52,063 | 76823_0 | I am looking for a term meaning _the use of an angry tone of voice without the raising or lowering of one's volume._ Something like _yell_ , but without the implication of raising one's voice. I'm hoping for something general. Words like _snarl_ and _snap_ don't work in all contexts, so I'm looking for something better. I'm looking for something that might fill this sentence: "You're XXX again, Dave." as a speaker is counseling a person with anger management issues. |
3,420 | 60,119 | 76823_0 | I would like a generative BNF-style complete description for English grammar. Some of the more subtle stuff leads to awkward questions of grammaticality (a complete answer to this question, and all related questions, is a publication with a complete description of a comprehensible and comprehensive formal grammar which generates exactly the set of grammatical English sentences) Here are what I believe to be the toplevel rules (hopefully complete), describing the words of type "if", "when", "and", "maybe", in the situations where these apply at the level of complete sentences (it is not necessary to know BNF to answer the question, I'll generate the confusing examples. In the BNF below, vertical lines separate options, brackets enclose optional constructions, CAPS are nonterminals, lowercase stuff in quotes is actual words you speak) SENTENCE: IF STATEMENT [THEN] SENTENCE | SENTENCE IF STATEMENT | SENTENCE AND SENTENCE | WHEN STATEMENT SENTENCE | MAYBE SENTENCE | STATEMENT | QUESTION | COMMAND | "" IF: "if"| "only if"| "if only"| "if and only if"| "if and if only" AND: "and"| "or"| "but" | "else" | "otherwise" THEN: "then" | "only then" | "then and then only" | "then and only then" MAYBE: "maybe" | "possibly" | "perhaps" | "yes" | "no" WHEN: "when" | "while" | "unless" | "until" | "whenever" | "while and when" | "when and while" | "whenever and while" | "when and whenever" | "when or whenever" | "whenever and whenever" | "unless and until" | "until and unless" | "whenever and wherever" | "if and when" | "when and if" | "if and while" | "if and whenever" | "whenever and if" The distinction between the WHEN and IF class is that IF can take THEN, but WHEN cannot. I will ignore commas for the BNF, place them as required from the generative structure. Also, there is a bit of post-processing required here: the sentence can't end up empty. Anyway, this BNF (assuming you know how to form STATEMENTs, QUESTIONs, and COMMANDs) tells you exactly how to use the IF THEN AND WHEN word at the top level of grammar. I should point out that there will be a redundancy in the description, in that the words in the MAYBE class are adverbs, and will occur inside statements, questions, and so on as adverbs too. ### Counterintuitive productions Nested "if"s start to sound weird, although they are fine by the BNF rules: * If if John writes Jane reads james falls. Is this production considered grammatical? * If jane reads if john writes then james falls. This one sounds ok, but it is just a reordering of the previous one * If, if, if john runs to the store Jane runs to the bank, James eats, linda falls Is this one ok? Stuffing in the "then"s * If, if, if John runs to the store then jane runs to the bank, then James eats, then Linda falls. Rearranging using different options for expanding if-then, * If, James eats if Jane runs to the bank, if John runs to the store, then Linda cries. This sounds ok to my ears. Is it ok? There are also counterintuitive productions: * yes yes maybe possibly no, I will go to the store. Is this grammatical? ### EDIT: In response to comments and downvote I was using unnaturally short statements inside the if's, because the exact nature of the sentences inside is irrelevant. But it seems to psychologically make a difference. Here are more natural sounding versions, with different tenses and more semantic meaningfulness: * Me: If, only if John helps her will Jane cook, I'm not going to eat. I hate John's cooking. Is this production considered grammatical? * Me: If jane cooks only if john helps her then I'm not going to eat. I hate John's cooking This one sounds ok, but it is just a reordering of the previous one * Jane: If, if, only if John helps me will I cook you won't eat then I won't ever invite you to my house again! Is this one ok? Stuffing in the "then"s * Jane: If, if, only if John helps me will I cook then you won't eat, then I won't ever invite you to my house again! Rearranging using different options for expanding if-then, * Jane: If, you wont eat if I will cook only if John helps me, then I won't ever invite you to my house again! This sounds ok to my ears. Is it ok? It's just a transformational rearrangement of the previous Jane utterances. There are also counterintuitive productions: * Me: yes yes maybe possibly no, I don't know whether I will stay for dinner. Is this grammatical? |
3,421 | 102,860 | 76823_0 | I want to point someone about theme of conversation with another person. What sentence is correct? > The talk was about airplanes. or > We were talking about airplanes. I want to make accent on a theme. |
3,422 | 102,623 | 76823_0 | > **Example:** polar bear I can only detect _polar_ as an adjective and _bear_ as a noun. But _polar bear_ is actually a "noun". How do I obtain a free list of such? > **Another example:** hot dog. |
3,423 | 45,580 | 76823_0 | I need to translate some personal info and the original text includes a phrase (literally) "friend of the people". It's a bit tongue in cheek, intended as a personal touch, since the dossier is mainly about the person's professional experience in creative areas such as advertising and promotion. What phrase would you suggest using here? I don't want it to sound awkward, pompous or political (and the first Google hit when searching for " _friend of the people_ " happens to be a Wikipedia entry on a historical revolutionary figure...). Another word that I'm not sure how to translate is "practicioner" (?), whose meaning is supposed to be: someone valuing practical experience and accomplishments over book knowledge. Someone whose know-how comes from doing real things and who excels at getting things done. It's not for a CV, it's a dossier for publication. |
3,424 | 102,865 | 76823_0 | My usual understanding is that someone's girlfriend is their (female) partner in an exclusive romantic relationship. Same for boyfriend. Is this correct, or are there instances where girlfriend refers to just a "normal" friend that also happens to be female? |
3,425 | 60,113 | 76823_0 | > My son goes out for the day every weekend, so I have to give him > transportation fee and lunch money every time he does so. I'd like to know if the above sentence sounds natural to native speakers. My concerns are: 1. Is there any way to make the expression "transportation fee and lunch money" shorter? I'm wondering if it can be described as "xx for transportation and lunch". 2. Is it awkward if I omit "he does so" and put the period after "time"? |
3,426 | 113,029 | 76823_0 | I am interviewing someone about the newly proposed bike paths in our city. I want to ask them not only how much the paths will cost financially, but also find out what other costs (such as the removal of parking bays, etc.) may be associated with this project. Is there a nice and clear way of asking this question succinctly? |
3,427 | 59,271 | 76823_0 | Is there a rule beyond the common "no _the_ with proper nouns and names" for the following problem? > I saw the Empire State Building. > > We went to the White House. > > We saw the Golden Gate Bridge. but > I went to Death Valley National Park. > > I crossed Brooklyn Bridge. |
3,428 | 80,777 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Why there is "the" before some names but not others When do you use definite article with names of places? I have gathered from the Wikipedia article that it is correct to say "The Green Park is a park ..." and "... a fireworks celebration held in Green Park". What are the differences between these sentences? Why the use of _the_ in the former situation but not the latter? |
3,429 | 24,846 | 76823_0 | > Relevant: 'Each' with plural or singular verb and What should I use between > “triple” vs. “all”? The answers in the linked question don't quite help me. Specifically, what happens with this case: > My three pens are green. > > Each of my three pens are green. > > Each of my three pens is green. Part of the confusion seems to stem from the inclusion of "three": > My pens are green. > > Each of my pens are green. > > Each pen is green. There doesn't seem to be a way to rewrite the last example with "three": > Each three pen is green. The more common application would be: > All three pens are green. But in the event that I want to say, "Each of my three pens are green" which is correct? And, in the event that the correct sentence is "each of my three pens is green" why does prepending "each of" to the beginning of "my three pens are green" change the verb? |
3,430 | 134,534 | 76823_0 | I am working on programing a citation generator. It will only make citations in MLA format. Does anyone know where I can find a good MLA citation form resource |
3,431 | 92 | 76823_0 | How does one correctly use a semicolon? It is probably one of the more difficult punctuation marks to master in my opinion. |
3,432 | 35,577 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > How does one correctly use a semicolon? I was wondering if the following was the correct usage of a semicolon or if a comma is more apt for this use. > Well, have we got some news for you; there is a way! |
3,433 | 134,148 | 76823_0 | I have often written sentences in the following form which combines a statement with a question, separated by a semicolon. For example, > I understand you have received payment for my order; will it ship by Monday? Is this use of the semicolon correct, and is the semicolon commonly used in questions? |
3,434 | 140,755 | 76823_0 | Is this sentence correct? > I've never been to Toronto before; do you get the opportunity to visit > Montreal often? |
3,435 | 134,838 | 76823_0 | I want to close a letter with: With friendship truly, My Name For some background; I wrote a letter of recommendations of features to a site, but by my tone it is not extremely clear that I am serious (it's fairly light hearted) and my intentions sincere. I don't want to say "Sincerely, " because I think it could be over looked or misinterpreted, and I don't want to change my writing style because that would be boring. It's a weird valediction because it seems like there might be a comma required as in "With friendship, truly," |
3,436 | 2,463 | 76823_0 | Could the expression _unless someone lives under a rock_ be used in a formal setting? If no, what are some alternatives that could be used instead? |
3,437 | 134,831 | 76823_0 | Is there any difference between these three expressions? * _to find one's bearings_ * _to get one's bearings_ * _to take one's bearings_ |
3,438 | 134,533 | 76823_0 | What to call a person with whom you spend time not because you like them but because you haven't found anyone better? **EDIT** : I am asking more about a romantic kind of relationship than mere companionship, and about a situation when one person kind of uses another. |
3,439 | 117,306 | 76823_0 | I'm working on a computer program that might output the following sentence: > Analyst Mark Mahaney upgraded rating on Apple to Buy Is that sentence valid in English? (That is, nothing betwen the action `upgraded` and the word `rating`) |
3,440 | 117,307 | 76823_0 | I read somewhere the term "Wahini" is a Hawaiian expression for "A beautiful young girl" (confirmed in the Urban Dictionary). Seeing as the islands were first visited by Captain Cook, and he actually perished there in the 1770's, and he was a "Geordie" - one raised in the North East of England around the city of Newcastle, he and his crew would have been familiar with the dialect expression "Wor Hinny" meaning "our girl", or "our lass". I wonder if there is any definite proof out there that the words were adopted and corrupted to the current Hawaiian word...? |
3,441 | 117,304 | 76823_0 | I have skimmed through the part on **modals** of a classic grammar book (Murphy's " _Grammar in Use_ ") and picked up all the structures that look **strange** to me. Could you, please, explain **how often they are used** and how do they sound in the contemporary _British_ and _American English_? [Lately added] This page explains some of the usages: British and Am. English: Differences in usage * * * 1) _I should ..._ / _I shouldn't ..._ to give somebody advice: > --Is it cold? --Yes, **_I** should wear_ a coat. (It is not a misprint! " ** > _I_** " refers here to another person.) > > _**I** shouldn't stay_ up too late. **You** 'll be tired tomorow. 2) _might_ to ask for permission: > I have finished my work - _might_ I go home? 3) _will_ for present habits: > Every morning I _will_ get up early. > > I've tried everything - the car just _won't_ start. 4) Using _should_ after a number of adjectives (strange, odd, funny, typical, interesting etc.): > It's strange that he _should be late_. He's usually on time. > > I was surprised that he _should say_ such a thing. 5) _If_ something _should_ happen ... : > _If_ the situation _should change_ , we'll let you know. > > _If_ Tom _should phone_ , tell him I'll call him back later. 6) Begin the sentences from 5) with _should_ : > _Should_ Tom _phone_ , tell him I'll call him back later. 7) _It's (about) time ..._ : > _It's time_ the children _were_ in bed. > > _It's about time_ he _did_ something instead of just talking. 8) _Needn't_ and _needn't have (done)_ : > Everything will be OK. You _needn't_ worry. > > It didn't rain. I _needn't have taken_ the umbrella. 9) _might as well_ for an alternative: > Buses are very expensive - you _might as well_ get a taxi. **10** ) _oughtn't [to]_ ( _ought not [to]_ ) > You _oughtn't to_ watch scary movies before sleep. > > You _oughtn't_ come to me for news, but here's some anyway. **11** ) _shan't_ ( _shall not_ ) > I'm goint for a walk. I _shan't_ be late. > > He hath promised I shall never want money; and you _shan't_ want money > neither, mother. |
3,442 | 185,436 | 76823_0 | What is the grammatical reason for the following use of the word _being_? * _Thank you for willing to come_ : (wrong, I know) * _Thank you for being willing to come_ : (right) But what is the grammatical reason for inserting _being_ here? |
3,443 | 97,225 | 76823_0 | From Steinbeck's _Cannery Row_ , > He sat heavily in the patent rocker that was his and shucked off his wet > tennis shoes. A rocker is a chair. But what is a "patent rocker"? |
3,444 | 97,226 | 76823_0 | I'm trying to translate this text to Polish and everything seems pretty clear to me, apart from the usage of the words "within" and "without". I presume it's some kind of technical vocabulary referring to the subject of jousting. Could someone explain to me what these words mean? Here are three excerpts from the text: * > At those jousts the noble ladies and damsels will give **the knight who jousts best of those without** a horn garnished with gold, and they will give to **the one who jousts best of those within** a white greyhound with a collar of gold around its neck. * > And the noble ladies will give a circlet of gold to **the one who jousts best of those without**. And **one within that jousts best** will be given a golden belt. * > And there will be given in the same field to **whoever jousts best of those without** a noble courser, saddled and bridled. And **whoever jousts best of those within** will be given a fine chaplet well worked with silk. |
3,445 | 97,221 | 76823_0 | Are semicolons required (rather than commas) in a list after a colon when the list is not bulleted? I was told that it was a rule, but I can find no authoritative prescriptive source. Consider the example sentence below. > The following are unclear: whether a change in Rule C is regarded as a > violation; whether it is possible to add conditions to rule D in Category 5 > when submitting a report to the Committee; and whether Rule G and Rule H > satisfy the professional requirements. If there is no potentially confusing internal punctuation in the list elements, and if parallel construction (e.g., whether . . . whether . . . whether) shows clear demarcation, are commas not sufficient? |
3,446 | 97,222 | 76823_0 | Other than _homeworkers_ (which is vague), _freelancers_ (which is, to my knowledge, US-specific, and non-exclusive to this), what other words do self- employed people working from home describe themselves, that are uniquely highlighting these features of their working condition? |
3,447 | 102,286 | 76823_0 | I understand the how, but the why escapes me completely. After a decent amount of searching on the internet I can only find people talking about how to capitalize a title (or more importantly which words to not capitalize). Even the style guides have been mute about why they are asking us to use such a convoluted set of rules. Is there some typographical or grammatical reason for some words to not have intial caps in a title (other than the arbitrary "because that is what is done")? |
3,448 | 102,283 | 76823_0 | What's the difference between _morrow_ and _tomorrow_? Why are there two similar words for the same meaning? I noticed it in the title of a song of Michael Nyman, "Second Morrow", on Gattaca OST. There is no sign that it was an ancient word. |
3,449 | 9,653 | 76823_0 | The beginning lines of today’s New York Times article titled “As State of the Union Nears, Congress Plays Musical Chairs” provided me with a set of interesting acronym, word, and idiom new to me, such as “BFF,” “play musical chair” and “good hair,” whose meanings I was able to find out by UrbanDictionary. However, UrbanDictionary defines BFF as ‘an abbreviation mostly written on binders or notes _by girls in grade school_ , however, over the last few years, people who use to use the term in grade school have actually started saying ...’ Is it appropriate or natural to apply an acronym (BFF) being used primarily by gradeschool girls to dignitaries like Senators as exampled by the following sentence. In addition, do you use “BFF” in your colloquial conversation? > Mary from Louisiana asked Olympia from Maine because they are BFFs, but had > a backup in Bob from Tennessee in case she was rebuffed. Kirsten from New > York went the Sadie Hawkins route and asked John from South Dakota, and thus > the deal between two members of the Senate with seriously good hair was > sealed. |
3,450 | 9,651 | 76823_0 | What is the origin of the term _'til the cows come home_? While discussing this with friends tonight, the group had two possible explanations: * Cows return to their barn for milking at a given time late each night. * If a cow runs away or escapes, it doesn't return, unlike horses, which will return to their stable. As such, _'til the cows come home_ is an indefinitely long time. So, which is correct? If anybody can point me to a reputable source explaining the history of this phrase, I'd be interested to know. |
3,451 | 9,657 | 76823_0 | Does anyone know when and how _fail_ became a noun? I'd love to see one of those charts that shows the date of origin and subsequent growth of this usage. |
3,452 | 9,654 | 76823_0 | This still strikes me as odd, even after 12 years in the US. Being _out of luck_ is a bad thing, but _lucked out_ is a good thing, e.g. _we 'lucked out' and were able to get two extra tickets for the show_. Any idea why? |
3,453 | 9,655 | 76823_0 | I used _quick, let's scarper before the boss comes back_ to inject some levity into a recent meeting, but got only blank stares for my trouble. When asked to explain _scarper_ to my American chums, all I could think of was _you know, as in "scarper lads, it's the filth"_ , i.e. run away quickly before the police catch you, but _run away quickly_ really doesn't convey the essence of this truly useful word. Is there a good American English equivalent? Note: it is difficult to convey the exact context. Imagine high school kids (not the good ones) deciding to try and evade the deans, or maybe a bunch of dropouts or low-level criminals about to get caught breaking in. |
3,454 | 194,584 | 76823_0 | Native speaker, but I got to wondering what the grammar and semantics of this old phrase are. What would be a direct translation to modern English? I'm not looking for a loose translation; everyone knows what "once upon a time" means. I'm trying to understand the various semantic and grammatical components of the phrase the way they were originally used. |
3,455 | 36,990 | 76823_0 | > You love me no more. > > You no longer love me. > > You don't love me anymore. How are these three sentences different from one another? I use _not anymore_ more often than the others. But once I used _I use your service no more_ and an English guy standing by burst into laughter. |
3,456 | 9,659 | 76823_0 | > I saw him cross the road. Is _cross the road_ the object of _saw_? Or is it the complement of _him_? |
3,457 | 36,996 | 76823_0 | If a real-time program **goes off the deep end** , the system can become unresponsive. |
3,458 | 113,680 | 76823_0 | Given the sentence: > Teachers in this country have generally been trained either to approach > mathematics **like/as** a creative activity or that they should force > students to memorize rules and principles without truly understanding how to > apply them. Should I use _like_ or _as_? |
3,459 | 37,023 | 76823_0 | As I understand _bookmaker_ in English is a person or company that takes bets on events. But I have two questions related to this word: 1. Is there any special word for a person or company that takes bets on illegal events? 2. What are companies that provide help and tell you what to bet on (like brokers) called? |
3,460 | 187,519 | 76823_0 | I am editing a sentence that is of the form: > A has required for B to effect a change. To my ear, this sounds better: > A has required that B effect a change. Am I wrong in my dislike of "has required for?" |
3,461 | 37,024 | 76823_0 | Context (New York Times): > Besides piling into Treasuries, institutional investors are also seeking out > the safety of **cold** , **hard cash** , pouring billions into commercial > bank accounts backed up by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Dictionary.com: > **cold cash** : Also, **hard cash** . Actual currency (bills and coins); > money immediately available, paid at the time of a purchase. The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary lists **cold cash** as American English, and **hard cash** as British English. Is the OALD correct? Is there a difference between these two terms or not? |
3,462 | 37,026 | 76823_0 | In German Language and Usage we just had the question German analog for “That's no rocket science”. As a native German Speaker, I do not know which situations this phrase is used in. I understand it means the problem isn't too difficult. But can I conclude something about the time needed to solve the problem? Can it for example be used when simple and almost boring repeated effort is needed to solve the problem? |
3,463 | 105,487 | 76823_0 | _Cronyism_ probably comes from Greek _khronios_ ("long-lasting") which has a sense of "old friend". But how is it connected with today's meaning? |
3,464 | 105,485 | 76823_0 | > As a general guidelines EN10204 3.2 certification is applicable to all > process wetted parts which include the Corrosion Inhibitor injection skid, > Lube Oil Pumps, Pig traps, Pressure and Level Control Valves, MOV’s, > Shutdown valves, Relief valves, manual valves of size 6” and above. I am confused about whether the _6” and above_ is applicable to all valves or only the manual valves. What does that phrase qualify? |
3,465 | 112,374 | 76823_0 | I thought of something like "stick a collar on" but "stick" doesn't satisfy me. What are my other options? Anything with some "edge" will do if comical is too hard. |
3,466 | 30,185 | 76823_0 | Is it correct to write "You" with a capital Y as a form of politeness? If yes, should I use that form throughout the entire letter/document, or only at specific places? |
3,467 | 102,138 | 76823_0 | I was told that one of the following refers to the past and the other to the future. I cannot decide which is which and would appreciate it if someone could explain the difference between these sentences: 1. Did you remember locking the door? 2. Did you remember to lock the door? It would be especially useful if the difference could be shown using these very examples. :) |
3,468 | 102,135 | 76823_0 | I was told that "so much" is more emphatic than "quite so much", but I am not sure. Could you explain the difference between the following pairs of sentences? > * Don't put so much emphasis on that sentence. > Don't put quite so much emphasis on that sentence. > > * He figured if he had a rubbing of Grace's tombstone in his collection, > maybe it wouldn't feel quite so much like she was gone forever. > He figured if he had a rubbing of Grace's tombstone in his collection, > maybe it wouldn't feel so much like she was gone forever. > > |
3,469 | 115,685 | 76823_0 | How can we refer to the polite phrase used at the beginning of a letter (email in my specific context)? For example, we may start our letter: > Dear Bob, I hope that you're well and had a nice weekend. If we want to make reference to the line > I hope that you're well and had a nice weekend in such a way that we could say: > I often wonder how to begin a letter of bad news, but my [interjection] > stands genuine non the less The term "interjection" doesn't seem like a good fit here. Is there a word that describes the polite phrases we often use to begin our letters? |
3,470 | 80,432 | 76823_0 | Situation: talking about a president of a country. Only the incumbent one is okay. All other candidates are either too inexperienced or are simply stupid. Question: How to describe this situation? 1) At the present moment I don't see anyone equal to him 2) At the present moment I don't see any adequate counterpart for him 3) At the present moment I don't see any right substitute for him 4) At the present moment I don't see any proper replacement for him 5) At the present moment I don't see any prospective successor to him What's the right way? |
3,471 | 78,196 | 76823_0 | From a link for rain boots, > Whole sizes **emdash** ; half size buy next size up I am not sure what it means. Wikipedia says _em dash_ is a version of dash, a punctuation mark. It doesn’t make sense in the description of the rain boots. So I wonder what _emdash_ means in the quote? |
3,472 | 56,295 | 76823_0 | What is the most appropriate answer (American way)? > Yes, John speaking. > Yes, it is him. > Yes, it is he. > Yes. > Yes, speaking. I need to answer calls when interviewers/hiring managers call. |
3,473 | 113,973 | 76823_0 | I'm reading the Wikipedia page on garden-path sentences. One example is: > The government plans to raise taxes were defeated. What class of word is _government_ in this sentence? I read this sentence as having the subject noun "plans". "Government" describes the noun, which would make it an adjective. I thought that the adjective form of "government" was "governmental". The sentence may imply ownership of the plans by the government (as opposed to describing the _type_ of plans, distinct from council plans or building plans). In this case, I would have written it as "the government's plans...". Either way, I'm unsure how to determine whether the given sentence is grammatically correct. Assuming it is, what class of word is _government_? [Slightly separate question: what's the correct term for "the class of word", such as 'adjective', 'noun'? Had issues phrasing my question without knowing this.] |
3,474 | 43,854 | 76823_0 | I am an elderly Australian teaching translation from Chinese and Korean to English at an Australian university. A Korean student's translation read: > There have [sic?] been much response to ... When I suggested that he should have written something more like _There has not been much of a response ..._ (though my own translation was _The response has been considerable_ ), my students protested that a model translation prepared by a previous Canadian lecturer read: > There has been considerable response ... I beat a strategic retreat and said I would look into the question. _Considerable_ is a flexible word that can qualify countable and uncountable nouns, so its use does not appear to be decisive. But the Canadian teacher's omission of an article indicates that he thought _response_ could be uncountable; so I am beginning to think that North American differs from British English (which I usually use) in this respect. Perhaps this tells us something about the development of English. |
3,475 | 78,198 | 76823_0 | I understand the ball of a foot is where the toes join with the rest of the foot. But I don't think it looks like a ball. Why is it called a "ball"? |
3,476 | 171,274 | 76823_0 | What's the correct way to refer to the action of one opening their arms wide to offer a hug? I've been thinking about "hug request", "hug proposal" and "hug offer" but none of these seem quite correct. Context: I believe I've misunderstood a person's physical expression, thinking it was more of a shrug than a (the word/phrase I'm looking for), and I'd like to apologize for that. |
3,477 | 113,976 | 76823_0 | What's the name for the dial on a wristwatch or clock which rotates to display a sun symbol at midday and a moon symbol or or night scene at midnight? |
3,478 | 43,926 | 76823_0 | > The quiz covers all the material up to the week of the quiz Sept.30 - Oct.6. Does this mean that September 29 is the last date, or that the week Sept.30 - Oct.6 is included in this span? |
3,479 | 178,743 | 76823_0 | > The study was carried out up to visit 11 under the name of `X1`, whereas all > later visits were carried out under a different name, `X2`. In the above sentence, does V11 belong to X1 or X2? I want the sentence to mean that V11 was included in X1, how should the sentence be then? |
3,480 | 189,947 | 76823_0 | The question I have is the use of the word "to" in the phrase "to December 28". Does the "to" definitely include December 28th, or is it (as I think it is) ambiguous? The way it reads, I feel it is ambiguous as to whether hours worked and record on December 28th will be included in the live payroll processing date of December 29th. I think a less-ambiguous word choice would be "through" instead of "to". |
3,481 | 142,221 | 76823_0 | Are both of these correct? > "Turn on the radio" > > "Put on the radio" |
3,482 | 142,227 | 76823_0 | I was asked by a French colleague, and had no clear answer, whether it's more correct to say "One thousand five hundred" or "fifteen hundred" when speaking the number 1500. Putting aside how we say dates, which have their own formula. After some thought, my best answer was I tended to say "fifteen hundred" when dealing with abstract things ("fifteen hundred dollars") that I tend to think of as a unit (when I think of $1500, I think of that sum, not of 1500 individual dollar bills), but "one thousand five hundred" when dealing with countable objects, like "there are one thousand five hundred marbles in the box." I was wondering if there was a standard or guidance documents, possibly for broadcast, that would provide some sort of structured answer to the question. |
3,483 | 16,840 | 76823_0 | What is the word for the mistake of placing an event or object in the wrong age or decade, such as a film star in a movie about Roman times wearing a robe made of nylon? |
3,484 | 142,225 | 76823_0 | My professor wrote an email to me and said "Let's meet Thursday". I do not know how to reply this email formally and politely. In addition, if a friend said "Let's meet XXX" in an informal occasion, how can I respond? |
3,485 | 112,085 | 76823_0 | I am confused with how to use "is" and "are" with locations. Which is correct? a)Library and lecture room is crowded. b)Library and Lecture room are crowded. |
3,486 | 112,089 | 76823_0 | I find that I have a sort of "personal dictionary" of words that I like to use. I use "salient" a lot. I use "hence", "perhaps", "incapable", "fortuitous" frequently. I store a sort of "cache" of words - both common and uncommon - that I use regularly as a part of how I speak. I figure this is the case for everybody - certain friends use some words more than others in regular communication, etc. I'm sure you have your own set of words that you tend to "fall back" on. So the question is - what is the name for this cache? What is the word or phrase for "collection of words or phrases a person commonly uses to communicate"? |
3,487 | 44,739 | 76823_0 | If a sentence contains a complete question, but ends with a statement, should it be punctuated with a question mark? Example: > Could she go to the store, he wondered |
3,488 | 76,778 | 76823_0 | I’m writing a tweet that starts with: > Put on a tie today. “Work,” you ask? But I’m not sure where the punctuation should be. Is the above correct? Or, is it something like: > Put on a tie today. “Work?” you ask. Or something else? |
3,489 | 137,710 | 76823_0 | What does "Thanks for your insights" mean? And how should I use this sentence? |
3,490 | 67,232 | 76823_0 | I recently came across the word **scooterette** in an Indian newspaper. I wondered if this is an Indian coinage; a quick search on Google showed me it's almost purely Indian. I could not find a reliable dictionary reference, but this article says these scooterettes are scooters manufactured specifically for women. What is the reason this suffix "-ette" is used to refer to a female? Are there other nouns which become feminine by this addition? Or is this just some neologist's portmanteau of **scooter** and **dudette**? |
3,491 | 67,235 | 76823_0 | I sent an email to my colleague for any questions he had, he could feel free to ask me. This is the reply from him: > Will do, just got sidetracked for a bit here… what else is new. =) Should I understand "What else is new" as a question or something else? It happens to seem an informal way of saying something but I couldn't really understand the informal meaning. I know what it says literally though. TheFreeDictionary.com defines it: > Inf. This isn't new. It has happened before; Not this again. But personally, I couldn't fit its definition in my colleague's sentence. |
3,492 | 67,236 | 76823_0 | Is there a word for "coolness" that corresponds to _warmth_? |
3,493 | 1,366 | 76823_0 | Why are year, pound and mile in the singular form in the phrases below? * five-year-old children * 20 pound note * 10 mile run Is that because they're acting as adjectives, which are always invariable in English? Is it incorrect to say... * five-years-old children? * 20 pounds note? * 10 miles run? |
3,494 | 3,400 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > 0.25 mile or 0.25 miles? When writing out a quantity and then a noun what is the correct form for decimals? 1 day 2 days .5 days? It seems that if you were to say "half day" then the singular is reasonable but if you were to day "point five days" that also seems correct. |
3,495 | 189,166 | 76823_0 | Which one is the correct (or more commonly used) form: "3-month retreat" or "3-months retreat"? How about "3-day" vs. "3-days" and "3-week" vs. "3-weeks" in the same context? (This is retreat as in meditation retreat and for U.S. English.) |
3,496 | 19,663 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Pluralization rule for "five-year-old children", "20 pound note", "10 mile > run" > 72-year-old Giselle Gilbert was taken to hospital. > He was given a 20-year jail sentence. Why is the singular of _year_ used in these sentences? |
3,497 | 193,906 | 76823_0 | What is the Grammatical mistakes in " He participated in **_two-miles_** race " ? |
3,498 | 77,452 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Pluralization rule for "five-year-old children", "20 pound note", "10 mile > run" I was reading an article that used the phrase "15 minutes waits" and it sounded odd to me. I've always said "15 minute waits". Which is grammatically correct? Or are they both acceptable? Google seems to indicate that "minute waits" (157k) is much more common than "minutes waits" (11.3k). It also occurs to me that perhaps the former is only valid when 15-minute is hyphenated. i.e. "They all had 15-minute waits." EDIT: To be clear, the context of the original sentence was that every one of them had a 15-minute wait. Is it **ever** correct to say "They all had 15 minutes waits"? |
3,499 | 153,987 | 76823_0 | Are the apostrophe placements correct in every example? • two weeks' vacation • four days' personal time • three months' sabbatical time • ten nights' accommodations • three hours' sleep • eight months' pregnancy • eight months pregnant • five minutes' time • a penny's worth • two pennies' worth • a nickel's worth • two nickels' worth • a dollar's worth • five dollars' worth • two seconds' time • five years' probation Thank you kindly. |
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