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39,000 | 121,839 | 76823_0 | Often times when I go to fill forms and apply for programs at government agencies or other places, they often ask me whether I have another name that people call me. I'm Chinese and I use my native name in my legal documents, IDs, etc. and Theo is what my friends and other poeple call me. If people asks me next time, is it correct to say "I go by Theo" to mean Theo is the name my friends and other people call me? |
39,001 | 121,836 | 76823_0 | I am having a discussion with my friend. I said, "Many times I have seen him washing his car." He says it should be, "Many times have I seen him washing his car. Much like "Often do I see him", and not "Often I see him." While I agree with him on 'often,' I am skeptical about 'many times.' I hope somebody can help. |
39,002 | 62,918 | 76823_0 | Why is the exclamation mark called a _bang_? _Bang_ is used to mean the sound of something falling but these days I hear it frequently used to mean the exclamation mark, especially in IT related texts. |
39,003 | 27,935 | 76823_0 | When I am writing, and I want to leave something out, so that it gives an implied effect, I use this: _..._ What is it called? |
39,004 | 52,797 | 76823_0 | I saw the word, “ _Please work on your issues_ ” in Time magazine’s article (October 3rd) titled, “Playing favorites,” which introduces several academic studies proving the fact that most parents have definite favoritism toward their children. It gives the following episode: > “A mother of two wrote a candid post on a website under the headline, “I > think I love my son just a little bit more.” The mom went on at length > describing the greater warmth she feels for her baby boy compared with her > toddler girl. She was, predictably, blowtorched, “ _Please work on your > issue lady!”_ said one typical response. “I feel absolutely horrible for > your daughter!” read another. The hard truth is most parents do.” I don’t understand what “ _Please work on your issue_ " means. It must be an expression for condemning the mother who was candid enough to admit her favoritism to one of her two children, and it should be more than “It’s your own business.” How can I interpret and rephrase this phrase? |
39,005 | 62,911 | 76823_0 | Are there differences in meaning between the sentences below? > _**Supposing** they had taken your car without asking you, what would you > have done?_ > > _**Let us suppose** they had taken your car without asking you, what would > you have done?_ In my opinion (I am non-native) the latter sentence is less hypothetical than the former on the fact that they, really, had taken the car. |
39,006 | 52,795 | 76823_0 | Is there an English verb that would mean listening to a single song (on repeat) over and over just because one likes it so much? In my language we have a word that would in English literally mean something like "to outwear" or "to wear down". For example, one buys a record and then, instead of listening to all the songs from the album, sticks to one single song, playing it for five days without listening to any other music. |
39,007 | 17,783 | 76823_0 | > I have chosen for you from the best of our personnel. Can 'from' here also mean 'some'? > I have chosen for you some of the best of our personnel. |
39,008 | 52,790 | 76823_0 | _Excuse_ is pronounced as /ɪkˈskjuːz/ while _sixteen_ is pronounced as /sɪksˈtiːn/. You see a ' in the middle of k and s in _excuse_ while ' is after both k and s in _sixteen_. Why? |
39,009 | 153,268 | 76823_0 | I have to write a feature article for school. However, I'm confused how an abstract [a summary of my points] is different to an intro [Where you outline the points you're going to be elaborating in the body paragraphs] Original Example: Title: **Single Mothers, ‘the damaged goods’ of society?** Abstract: `They’re the unrepresented minorities in our society. Victims of social prejudice, these women are marginalised in media as a whole different class of people. They’re irresponsible sluts; ‘the damaged goods’. They’re woefully incapable of raising a baby with morals. They’re dependent; Work-shy- unambitious class of beings who only live off well-fare. Sadly, they’re the Single Mothers of our society.` Introduction: Confused! Shouldn't my 'abstract' text be my introduction paragraph?! UPDATE: Remember that I am NOT writing a research paper, rather, a persuasive article, when writing your answers please. |
39,010 | 64,368 | 76823_0 | The context of the following quote is from the comic book Avengers. In a circus, the ringmaster introduces a brawny guy by saying: > First off today, we're going to bring back that hulking hunk of bumbling > brawn you've all been waiting for. I would like to translate this sentence to Portuguese, but I was not able. It is extremely difficult to translate _hulking hunk of bumbling brawn_. I asked it here. Is it possible to rephrase that sentence without losing the meaning of it? |
39,011 | 64,367 | 76823_0 | There was the following sentence in the Time Magazine article (Mar. 25, 2011) titled “The Real Cost of U.S. Nuclear Power.”: > “When Karl Marx wrote that history unfolds first as tragedy, then as farce, > he got U.S. nuclear history backward. America’s initial experiment was a > cartoonish disaster, with construction timelines doubling and costs > increasing as much as 1,000% even before the Three Mile Island meltdown. In > the 1980’s, the industry required bailout before bailouts were cool. But the > U.S. industry has matured and learned from its mistakes.” I interpreted “American initial experiment (requiring doubled timeline and 10 times as much cost even before the Three Mile meltdown)” as meaning a farce, and “the industry bailouts in ‘80s” as meaning tragedy, in the above Karl Marx allegory. My friend said, “No, no, the serious accident like Three Mile Island meltdown can never be described as a “cartoonish” disaster. “The initial experiment with construction timelines doubling and costs increasing as much as 1,000% is liken as a farce, and the Three Mile Island meltdown is a sheer tragedy. The sentence “In the 1980’s” and thereafter is the separate line from “farce / tragedy rhetoric.” Is my interpretation wrong? Is it very clear at a glance which is tragedy and which is farce in the above sentence to you, native English speakers? |
39,012 | 64,364 | 76823_0 | Reed Richards says: "Amazing! Psycho-Man's ship is so massive that its gravity has trapped an atmosphere shell around the hull!" His wife asks him "What now, Reed?", but is the Thing who answer to her "Ah, give that tall drink you call yer husband a break, Suzy! He can't be thinking all the time!" I know what _tall drink_ is, but I did not understand what the Thing mean by saying "Ah, give that tall drink you call yer husband a break, Suzy!" |
39,013 | 153,266 | 76823_0 | > I have flown to Toronto a great deal this month. > > I have been flying to Toronto a great deal this month. Would you possibly explain the different between them? |
39,014 | 16,785 | 76823_0 | In the back of my mind, I'm almost certain there are at least several individual English word that means to punish one's self. It doesn't have to be physical, necessarily, but it must be some kind of self-punishment. Are there such words? Clinical words are also accepted (i.e. psychological terminology). |
39,015 | 80,516 | 76823_0 | Wiktionary gives me these pieces of information: [ ** _money_** ] [1] From Middle English moneie, moneye, from Old French moneie (“money”), from Latin **monēta** , from the name of the temple of Juno Moneta in Rome, where a mint was. Displaced native Middle English schat (“money, treasure”) (from Old English sceatt (“money, treasure, coin”)), Middle English feoh (“money, property”) (from Old English feoh (“money, property, cattle”)). [ ** _mint-2_** ] [3] From Middle English mynt, münet (“money, coin”), from Old English mynet (“coin, money”), from Proto-Germanic *munitan, *munitō (“coin”), from Latin **monēta** (“place for making coins, coined money”), from the temple of Juno Moneta (named for Monēta mother of the Muses), where coins were made; akin to Dutch munt (“currency, coin, mint”), German Münze (“coin, coinage, mint”), Danish mønt (“coin”), and to Russian монета (“coin”). * * * [ ** _mint-1_** ] [2] From Middle English minten, from Old English myntan (“to mean, intend, purpose, determine, resolve”), from Proto-Germanic *muntanan, *muntijanan (“to think, consider”), from Proto-Indo-European ***men-, *mnā-** (“to think”). Cognate with Eastern Frisian mintsje, muntsje (“to aim, target”), Dutch munten (“to aim at, target”), Dutch monter (“cheerful, gladsome, spry”), Gothic (muns, “thought, opinion”), Old English munan (“to be mindful of, consider, intend”). **_More at mind_**. [ ** _mind_** ] [4] From Middle English minde, from Old English ġemynd (“memory, remembrance, memorial, thought”), from Proto-Germanic *gamundiz, *mundiz (“memory, remembrance”), from Proto-Indo-European ***men-** (“to think”). Cognate with Gothic (munds, “memory, mind”), Old English myntan (“to mean, intend, purpose, determine, resolve”), Latin mens,mentis (“mind, reason”), Albanian mënd (“mind, reason”). **_More at mint_**. ## \------------------------------------------------------------------ There are two etymologies, _mint_ -2 and _mint_ -1 provided for _mint_ , referring respectively to two meanings: "a coin/place making coins" and "intent to do". (Q1)So are _mint_ -1 (intent to do) and _mint_ -2 (a coin) cognates or not? If they are not cognates, given that _money_ is cognate with _mint_ -2 (a coin) while _mind_ is cognate with _mint_ -1, (Q2)can we draw the conclusion that _money_ and _mind_ are not cognates? |
39,016 | 80,513 | 76823_0 | If > "John can't solve the simplest puzzle" **=** "John can't solve _any_ puzzle" is true, why is > "John can solve the simplest puzzle" **=** "John can solve _any_ puzzle" false, but > "I'm surprised that John can solve the simplest puzzle" **=** "I'm surprised > that John can solve _any_ puzzle" true is? In other words, are there coherent and standard correlations between the superlative and the determiner _any_? |
39,017 | 16,780 | 76823_0 | As I understand, _ö_ in _coöperation_ is considered archaic (or is it?) and words like _résumé_ , _cliché_ and _naïve_ are copied directly from foreign languages. Are there any contemporary native (non-borrowed) English words left that contain characters with diacritics? _Update:_ Note that a word from any contemporary dialect of English would work for this question. Also, of course, as is noted in answers below, besides borrowed foreign language words, there are English words with diacritics, that were created from non-English given names — like _ångström_ for example. Such words, arguably, also can be considered borrowed. And, at least with _ångström_ , Wikipedia claims that version with diacritics is archaic as well. _Update 2:_ To clarify: 1. Contemporary = was a norm in XX century at least (preferably after twenties as well). When I said "archaic" in comments, I meant "non-contemporary". 2. Diacritics, which appeared in anglicization of a borrowed word (i.e. foreign original does not have diacritics), is acceptable. (So, _Brontë_ surname would be good if survived into XX century.) (Anyway, is there a source where I can read about the rules which guide when diacritics should appear during "contemporary" anglicization?) 3. I'm not sure if proper nouns are in the spirit of the question — but if you know one that fits and is not synthetic (i.e. employs "metal umlauts" or imitates some foreign language), please share. |
39,018 | 152,799 | 76823_0 | I'm struggling to find a word that fits into the following: > The settlement's peaceful surroundings are ????? by the crashing of the > pounding waves against the cliffs below and the swirling winds that come in > from the Livian Sea. I initially wrote "backed", but the more I looked at it the more it felt wrong. Characterised/Illustrated also (briefly) came to mind. What is the right word to define the normal sound effects to a location? |
39,019 | 16,788 | 76823_0 | Just I want to know the difference between the "stir up" and "provoke", where it should be placed exactly. |
39,020 | 118,226 | 76823_0 | E.g. Charles the Great, Charles the Rash, Edward the Confessor, etc. I'm reasonably sure there was a word for this .... * _scratches head_ * |
39,021 | 190,512 | 76823_0 | I am looking for a single noun to describe someone that you have come within 5 feet of or so, or have seen, or have crossed paths with. The closest terms I can think of are _passer-by_ or _stranger_. You may or may not know them, so _stranger_ is not a good fit. Is there a better word than _passer-by_? Why the question? I am building an app that detects other mobile devices using Bluetooth, and I need a name for the collection of these people. Initially, I was considering _nearbyUsers_ or _nearbyPeople_ , but once they go out of range they are no longer nearby. What are they? |
39,022 | 195,598 | 76823_0 | > A (1). What’s wrong? A (2). What’s the matter? > B. The internet doesn’t work. In A (1), ‘ _what_ ’ is beyond doubt a subject. But in A (2), Which is the subject: ‘ _what_ ’ or ‘ _the matter_ ’? Can it be clearly designated? Or ambivalent? |
39,023 | 49,299 | 76823_0 | Could you tell me if this sounds right? > Do you know how to work the projector? |
39,024 | 42,744 | 76823_0 | * In the U.S. when someone orders a 'well drink' they are typically intending to order a drink (i.e. "vodka tonic, well") with the cheapest of the liquor the bar has available Where did the "well" come from? It is distinct from what is called a "call drink", which is when the customer specifies the brand (i.e. Stoli tonic). Since well liquor is also distinguished in contrast to middle- and top-shelf liquors, is "well" perhaps being used as a reference of altitude (e.g., a well is a subterranean water hole)? Is it coincidence or is it etymologically pertinent that the Hebrew word "be'er" means "well" in the sense of shaft/recepticle? To emphasize, this question is asking for information on the origin of the word "well" in its sense and usage behind a bar. Where does this usage of "well" derive from and how was it adopted for bar usage? |
39,025 | 49,295 | 76823_0 | Can someone help me understand more precisely the connotative differences between "just might" and "might just I came upon this dilemma while working on a short comic strip. In the first panel, a person is attempting an unorthodox approach to a problem, saying: > It might just work. The second panel, moments later: > It didn't work. I'm unsure if the effect would be significantly altered if the words were swapped. |
39,026 | 132,362 | 76823_0 | I have come across a few folks who share, like or retweet everything they see. Is there a word to indicate their behavior/attitude/nature? |
39,027 | 12,099 | 76823_0 | I'm seriously pained when I hear the word "have" being used in the present continuous to imply possession. Take for example, the following quotation from Wordsmith.org. > Read the Etymology of the word "fulsome", which has been described as > "...-some ( **having** a particular quality). Grammar books have always suggested that this construction implies "eating, consuming, or experiencing"; **never** possession. So, if I said that I'm "having a friend", that would imply that I'm eating the friend, or having sex with her/him. What do you folks think? |
39,028 | 12,098 | 76823_0 | What I intended to write full out was: > We have moved away from obsoleted technologies and technologies being > deprecated. What I actually wrote feels slightly awkward but I justified leaving it as such because it is concise, sits on my ear in an interesting way and is almost a bit poetic in its simplicity. However what I'm wondering is the validity of the statement: > We have moved away from obsoleted and technologies being deprecated. |
39,029 | 195,597 | 76823_0 | "We had a good time despite its raining." Why does the genitive pronoun not work here, yet in the majority of examples we have a choice between accusative and genitive pronouns:- > We had a good time despite him being ill. OK > > We had a good time despite his being ill. OK > > We had a good time despite them arguing. OK > > We had a good time despite their arguing. OK > > We had a good time despite it raining. OK > > We had a good time despite its raining. NOT OK. And what exactly is "it"? Also am I correct in thinking that _their arguing_ is a noun phrase, whereas _them arguing_ is a non-finite subordinate clause? And if that is true then with a sentence like "We had a good time despite arguing" what is _despite arguing_? Is it an NP or a non-finite clause? Or is it a Schroedinger's cat? |
39,030 | 195,596 | 76823_0 | Can someone explain me this phrase attributed to Berkely Wikipedia > In Principles #3, he wrote, using a combination of Latin and English, esse > is percipi, ( **to be is to be perceived** ), most often if slightly > inaccurately attributed to Berkeley as the pure Latin phrase esse est > percipi. The phrase appears associated with him in authoritative > philosophical sources, e.g. "Berkeley holds that there are no such mind- > independent things, that, in the famous phrase, esse est percipi (aut > percipere) – **to be is to be perceived** (or to perceive)." I have read explanations online, but I'm wondering if someone could give me an example of the phrase? |
39,031 | 162,636 | 76823_0 | I just wonder whether this sentence: > It is **on** you. can ever mean this one: > It is **because of** you. This was spoken Tony Stark in the 2012 film, _The Avengers_. Is “It’s all on you” a common and natural saying in English-speaking countries? |
39,032 | 162,637 | 76823_0 | Stephen Colbert was taking about the CIA Interrogation Report when he said, "unfreeze your heart!" @6:12 in the video. What does that mean? How can I use that term? Does it mean, 'forget about it"? |
39,033 | 162,631 | 76823_0 | Can a dash work after a question mark? Meaning is this sentence correct and if not how would you rewrite it? > I am wondering if you know any publications, blogs or websites who are > seeking new writers right now? -- particularly those interested in tech or > the cloud, big data, mobile applications, info graphics, etc.? |
39,034 | 45,775 | 76823_0 | This pronunciation phenomenon appears to be more widespread than I'd thought. I've always pronounced _lawyer_ as it's spelled ( **law** -yer), but I've often heard people say **_loy** -er_ instead. It's not dialectical as far as I can tell, since so many different people say it that way (plus, it's in the dictionary). Why is _lawyer_ so often pronounced _loyer_? |
39,035 | 45,777 | 76823_0 | I'm not sure if this the correct forum, but I can't seem to be able to google it so you guys are my only hope. I know there is a saying that means something like " **you have to be lucky to win, but it's usually the people who train a lot that win** " or " **the winner got lucky, but unless you practice a lot you won't get lucky** ", but I don't really recall the exact wording or who said it. |
39,036 | 95,716 | 76823_0 | I am writing an email to a family member (in-law or brother/sister). While in the past I used "love" and signed off with my first name for closing, I usually wondered if there are better words I could use instead of "Love". For one thing, it sounds uncreative and a little trite. For another, it seems phony as I do not feel a close relation to some family members. What are the alternatives? |
39,037 | 10,784 | 76823_0 | Can I tell "if you do not mind ?much?"? Or how can I leave me with some freedom in taking and changing a decision? |
39,038 | 10,789 | 76823_0 | What is the replacement for "rubbish" in American English? I would think "crappy" but it seems a bit stronger than needed. |
39,039 | 95,719 | 76823_0 | I read the sentence below in a news article: > "The couple had been engaged since the summer," her spokeswoman said in a > statement. Why was "had been engaged" used in this sentence. Is it wrong to say "The couple _have_ been engaged since the summer"? Is this sentence in passive voice so "had been + past participle" used? PS: I read other questions on stackexchange about tenses, but I couldn't understand why was had been + past participle used in the sentence. |
39,040 | 195,043 | 76823_0 | The following sentence is grammatically correct: > Today would have been Freddie Mercury's 68th birthday. If Freddie Mercury were still alive, this sentence would be correct too: > September 5, 2015, will be Freddie Mercury's 69th birthday. But Freddie Mercury is now dead, and thus, to correctly describe his 69th birthday, it would be necessary to use a "would have been" formation. However, in this case, the formation would be applied to an event in the future. How would one get the future tense of a naturally past-tense modal verb? |
39,041 | 21,694 | 76823_0 | What are the differences between going to "the movies", "the cinema", and "the theater/theatre" (ignoring the fact that theaters are also for plays and not just movies)? Personally, "movies" sounds more American to me, and "cinema" sounds more British, but I really have no idea, it's just a guess, I have no idea. |
39,042 | 78,220 | 76823_0 | Kindly let me know the meaning of this sentence (taken from this article): > We went back and forth, but there was nothing we could do. |
39,043 | 195,040 | 76823_0 | Is it proper to write negative questions this way? * _You mustn't watch too much TV, must you?_ |
39,044 | 21,690 | 76823_0 | _Resident_ : _Residence_ seems like the normal pairing to me. _Residency_ isn't exactly unknown (see here), but it's far less common. But with _President_ the derivatives are reversed and then some. _Presidency_ is virtually universal. I'm not sure _Presidence_ even qualifies as a word, outside of misspellings for _precedence_. Why is this? |
39,045 | 195,045 | 76823_0 | As already written in the title, I need help on how to write the following: > A exploration on Levy alpha-stable distributions or > A exploration of Levy alpha-stable distributions In an other context: > A exploration on the Poisson distribution or > A exploration of the Poisson distribution Can anyone tell me what the right choice is? |
39,046 | 21,692 | 76823_0 | I'm reading an old history book about my ancestors entitled "Rulewater And Its People: An Account Of The Valley Of The Rule And Its Inhabitants" published in 1907 by George Tancred. In it, I'm having problems understanding a sentence, italicized below: > The King issued a peremptory order for all Turnbulls in the district to > submit themselves to the King's authority. _The principal men of the clan > immediately made their submission, coming before him in linen sheets, with > withies about their necks, and put themselves 'in the king's will,' as it > was termed._ It is said that the King ordered every tenth man to suffer > death. Looking up withies gives me (from here) > n. pl. with·ies 1\. A rope or band made of withes. 2\. a. A long flexible > twig, as that of an osier. b. A tree or shrub having such twigs. My initial thought was that "in the king's will" was a pun on "will". As in somehow my ancestors got themselves written into the king's last will and testament. Now that I see the definition, I wonder if "will" could mean a plant owned by the king? As in how game was owned by the king in the past? I'd really like to know what my ancestors did, why it was presumably funny to them, and why it irritated the King so much. If it helps, this took place during the reign of King James IV around 1510. Also interestingly, the word "king" in 'in the king's will' is NOT capitalized, I just double checked. So its not The King its just king. Not sure if this is a typo or an important clue. |
39,047 | 21,699 | 76823_0 | How to say you should do something in the past but you did not. Is this a correct usage? > I had to finish my homework. Are there any soft versions? |
39,048 | 12,323 | 76823_0 | In today's New York Times article titled _Uncharted Ground After Stunning End of Egypt’s Regime_ reporting now 'former' President of Egypt, Hosni Sayyid Mubarak’s departure from office, I found the phrase _pose challenges as myriad as Mubarak’s departure was singular_. The meaning of _as .... as_ used here does not seem to be same as the pattern I’m accustomed to, e.g., _as many as_ , and _as much as_. I think the writer chose _myriad_ to make contrast to _singular_. Can I interpret _as_ preceding to _Mr. Mubarak’s departure_ as _when_ , _while_ , or _although_? If not, how can I paraphrase this line? The text reads as follows: > But in the gray light of dawn, Egypt will face the meaning of its > revolution, as will an Arab world that shares its demographic of a younger > generation taking the stage, posing challenges as myriad as Mr. Mubarak’s > departure was singular. |
39,049 | 12,320 | 76823_0 | _Lipolysis_ and _ketosis_ both end in _‑sis_. Does that suffix have the same meaning in both the words? |
39,050 | 65,011 | 76823_0 | I read an experience letter which said > "So and so" person has worked **from** "date1" **till** "date2". Is it okay? Or should it be like this? > "So and so" person has worked **from** "date1" **to** "date2". |
39,051 | 54,828 | 76823_0 | If I'm not mistaken, score can mean "a group or set twenty". What I don't understand is why you say for example "Four score and seven years ago...", instead of saying "four scores" (since there are four groups of twenty years). |
39,052 | 54,825 | 76823_0 | If I went to a place last night where I needed to show an id, but I forgot to have it on me. So if in the morning I was speaking to a friend(reporting on what happened), which one of the following would be correct: _I had heard that you needed an ID, but I didn't know if it was absolutely necessary_ _I had heard that you **need** an ID, but I didn't know if it was absolutely necessary._ _I heard that you need an ID, but I didn't know if it was absolutely necessary._ The first one seems correct to me, but I might be wrong. Ideas? And which one of the following should I say in the context above: **Reporting on what had happened** **Reporting on what has happened** **Reporting on what happened** |
39,053 | 54,822 | 76823_0 | Can I use "when" + future tense in this case? > I'm not sure when it will be released. |
39,054 | 175,439 | 76823_0 | I'm writing about a player playing a game and probabilities. I tried to cut down the sentence, so don't concentrate too much on the sense rather than the commas. Would you write my sentence like this > The player should accept if the probability that this is indeed the best > item is bigger than some other probability. or with commas like this > The player should accept if the probability **,** that this is indeed the > best item **,** is bigger than some other probability. |
39,055 | 27,517 | 76823_0 | Obviously there are a lot of subjective words in the question. There are dialects of British English that don't sound distinguished at all (Cockney). Also, what sounds distinguished is somewhat (though not entirely) subjective. However, I don't know how else to ask this. Sometimes I have heard an American speak and thought, "wow, he sounds just as distinguished as a British speaker". But I don't know where that dialect would come from. More often than not, though, I hear an American speak and think, "wow, why don't we sound as distinguished as our British counterparts?" For what it's worth, I think what makes a dialect sound distinguished is that it sounds "educated, upper class, articulate". At least that's my guess. Ignoring the subjectivity of the words composing the question, where would you find American dialects that sounded distinguished? |
39,056 | 152,130 | 76823_0 | I have a system which allows to set tasks for users. Each task has to be completed everyday and has a recurring due time. To keep the history of completions/failures, there is another entity: a task assignment for some specific date. To give an example, you have the "brush your teeth" task set to 10:00 every day. An "instance" of this task template is set every day. Which good, short, self-explanatory terms can be used to name these two types? "Task" and "Assignment"? "Task definition" and "Task"? I can't think of a good matching name for that :) |
39,057 | 53,443 | 76823_0 | These two words have similar meanings, however in certain contexts only one of the two can be used or is used most frequently (fits better idiomatically). Can you give examples of such contexts and if possible explain the difference? |
39,058 | 53,446 | 76823_0 | Could someone please explain the contextual difference of this two words? If I for instance say: > I am using my **brain** to decide in what direction to move. or > I am using my **mind** to decide in what direction to move. what would be the difference between this two phrases? |
39,059 | 106,972 | 76823_0 | I am not sure about the meaning of the "any more" in the following phrase and how can I spot it: **Would the things I've said and done matter any more?** 1) Would it matter any longer? 2) Would it matter more than before? Are there any rules to find it out? |
39,060 | 63,358 | 76823_0 | Let's suppose A rhymes with B and B rhymes with C. Does A always rhyme with C? |
39,061 | 54,791 | 76823_0 | How common is the usage of 'smth' in American English as an abbreviation of 'something'? |
39,062 | 54,793 | 76823_0 | > In just a couple of years, low-carbohydrate diets have accomplished what the > government has failed to do in decades of trying: convince the public that > refined grains are bad and whole grains are good. Why is the imperative word "convince" used instead of the progressive tense word "convincing?" I ask this because it was an SAT question, and one of its options was to use a progressive tense form of "to convince." Hence, I have no idea why my answer was wrong. |
39,063 | 63,352 | 76823_0 | Proper nouns include any named entities, often appearing in title case. These include places and other entities such as organisations and groups. What is the concept of a person's name called? |
39,064 | 188,988 | 76823_0 | Examples: * "Towards a new agenda for transforming war economies" * "Towards a new agenda for Japanese telecommunications" * "Towards a new age in the treatment of multiple myeloma" As I mentioned in the comments, "It would be nice to know the initial use because it would give me some insight into the language and trends that either birthed the phrase or required its invention." I ask out of curiosity. As a sub-question, are there any papers or books that cover the history and evolution of academic terminology and writing? |
39,065 | 63,350 | 76823_0 | The set of verbs applicable to living organisms can also apply to other inanimate subjects like rain forests (e.g. `resembled`, `looked`) but I'd like to identify those verbs which are **strictly** applicable to living organisms. Perhaps this is a better representation:  While it's possible for a forest to speak figuratively, I only want to focus on the literal use of these verbs. I want to identify the organism verbs, including human verbs. Oh, and deceased subjects that were once living should also be considered as organisms. |
39,066 | 49,878 | 76823_0 | What does it mean that a boy gave his girlfriend even his _thespian pin_? > And they are so in love! He even gave her his **thespian pin** or something. |
39,067 | 63,354 | 76823_0 | A "pet peeve" is something minor that annoys you. What is the term for a **major** annoyance? |
39,068 | 78,597 | 76823_0 | I'm looking for a word that means the party being distributed to by a distributor. I'm in the film industry. There are wholesalers _and_ distributors. Even though both roles could be called wholesaling, functionally, they are never talked about that way within the industry. The recipients of a distributed film are only referred to by category. For example, 'cinemas', 'retailers', 'churches'. I am looking for a hypernym to all those categories. Any suggestions would be great! |
39,069 | 149,639 | 76823_0 | My posts are often questions for further knowledge about reasons for language change. In this extract from 1750, there are three variations on the past tense form. Once again, I am grateful if anyone can assist with explaining why or when contemporary use became standard practice. > It appeared that the Priſoner went to the Proſecutors Shop and cheapen’d > ſome Handkerchiefs, that he carry’d one to the Door to ſhew to a Woman who > was there, and asked her if ſhe liked it; and as ſoon as he was gone they > miſt the Handkerchiefs off the Compter. |
39,070 | 122,876 | 76823_0 | The following sentence refers to an apocalyptic story where money no longer has any value: > A can of sardines, radio batteries, or a bicycle **is/are** more precious > than money. Should I use _is_ or _are_ after the series? |
39,071 | 158,795 | 76823_0 | I am not a native speaker so I would like to know what terms are suitable to describe 1. notes 2. highlight 3. underline 4. strike-through to the user, in computer applications where user can annotate text like PDF readers ( _notes_ appear as yellow boxes near words and show text when clicked, while 2,3,4 appear as text decorations). I feel that underlining, highlighting and striking are sort of acts of annotation too. I may be wrong. I see that most applications that enable the user to annotate text, like PDF readers, collectively name notes (like sticky yellow "adhesive" notes) and decorations (like underlining) as "annotations". Many tutorials or wiki entries about annotating a book use _annotations_ for both types of items. Maybe it is because many programmers are not native English speakers. Or maybe it is correct to call notes and decorations together _annotations_. I do not know, I am asking here. In other languages, in fact, words like _annotate_ encompass also underlining or drawing arrows, circles, writing marginalia and so on, in addition to _create and attach or link to notes_ , as a whole process that goes along study. Are 2,3,4 _annotations_? If yes, are they _annotations_ also when 1 is explicitly called _notes_? (important) If an app is able to manage 1,2,3,4, how would I describe 1 and 2,3,4 as two separate categories to the user (like _notes_ vs _annotations_ )? I feel it is also ugly to call 2,3,4 _text-decorations_. |
39,072 | 158,797 | 76823_0 | I'm interested in Definition 1.1 at Oxford Dictionaries which exemplifies "predicated of." Yet, would "predicate as" be equally correct? Google Ngram depicts a difference, but not Google Books (ostensibly): * predicated of * predicated as Or does "to predicate" admit some other preposition that can follow it? |
39,073 | 158,798 | 76823_0 | Can you help me find a synonym to this expression meaning to approach someone as if by grasping the person's garment to have his attention. Could it be used informally to describe boys' attitude to get girls' attention? |
39,074 | 158,799 | 76823_0 | I was reading an article on the promulgation of the dental dam as a means of preventing sexually transmitted disease. Article here. The author of the article Arielle Duhaime-Ross consistently refers to lesbian women as "queer women". Up until now, it had been my understanding that this term was a pejorative and insulting to homosexuals. That it implies their choice of lifestyle to be strange and aberrant. So, I was rather surprised to see this term being bandied about in a reasonably respectable online tech and lifestyle reporting website. Shows like "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" notwithstanding, it just didn't strike me as proper in the format. Ms. Duhaime-Ross does not have a biography that I could find on her website. I couldn't discern if she, herself, is a lesbian and is using a preferred nomenclature. Or, if it is a term only used amongst "members of the club" similar to African American usage of the n-word. I decided to post it here, hoping to better understand the protocol about the term. My motivation is to be able to address people as they _wish_ to be addressed. |
39,075 | 157,564 | 76823_0 | Which is the correct usage? > Oh c'mon New York ... how difficult is it to stay in your traffic lane? or > Oh c'mon New Yorkers ... how difficult is it to stay in your traffic lane? |
39,076 | 68,461 | 76823_0 | Today I have encountered a phrase: > If not for you, I would be poor. I would think it is like "if there were not you", is it like that? On the other hand, how would I say the following as the meaning would be different: > If not for you, whom do I cook the cake for? |
39,077 | 120,034 | 76823_0 | We Italians sometime say "Tutte le strade portano a Roma", which is an idiomatic expression to say that there are many different ways to reach the same goal. In English, the expression can be translated "All roads lead to Rome". Among Anglophones, is that expression understandable and currently in use? Or, is it preferable to say New York or London, rather than Rome, to make that expression work ("All roads lead to New York", "All roads lead to London")? |
39,078 | 49,656 | 76823_0 | For the longest time, I have been searching for a word to describe irrational demands. Any ideas? |
39,079 | 68,462 | 76823_0 | We can say: She's a friend of mine. She's a friend of Tom's. She's a friend of my parents'. But today I saw this: She's a friend of Jane and Tom. Is it correct? Or should it be: She's a friend of Jane and Tom's? |
39,080 | 67,639 | 76823_0 | There's an ad appearing in the paper lately (in Aus) for Apple's iphone and its siri-thing. The headline of the add says: "What's my day look like?" To me that doesn't look like proper english. I would say "What does my day look like" or "What is my day looking like" but not this hybrid between of the two. Am I correct or can Apple actually spell correctly? |
39,081 | 67,637 | 76823_0 | The article titled, ‘U.S. factors may spare Obama EU allies’ fate’ on Japan Time May 9 issue wraps up with quotes from Mitt Romney and his campaign spokeswoman, Amanda Henneberg; “'The real question is not just about how we'are doing today. It's about how we'll be doing tomorrow,' he (Romney) said. 'When we look back four years from now, or 10, 20 years from now, won’t we be better off if we have the courage to keep moving forward?' But _Romney will not to let Obama change the subject_. “President Obama would like for voters to believe he hasn’t been president for the last three years, “ said campaign spokesman Amanda Henneberg." I have a few qestions on the above ending lines: 1. Is ‘to’ necesasary in “Romney will not to let Obama change the subject”? In other word, is [will + to + do] combination grammatically right?? If it is a typo. I see typos too often in reputable publications these day as in the case of “He went on explain (Clucify metaphor)” in New Yorker magazine I posted a week ago. Is it still a ‘local’ problem? 2. Can spokesman be used for a female? I understand Romney’s campaign spokesperson, Amanda Henneberg is a female. 3. The last line, “President Obama would like for voters to believe he hasn’t been president for the last three years,” looks winding to me. Is Henneberg saying President Obama was only good for the first year in his term? |
39,082 | 67,631 | 76823_0 | In (Canadian?) French, we have an expression, "j'ai envie" (litteraly: I want), which, when used without any subject, means that the speaker needs to use a toilet, either to urinate or defecate. It is somewhat informal; you would prefer saying "I need to use the washrooms" rather than that in a very formal context, but it would still be accepted. Is there any such expression in English? What is the most popular way to express one's need to use a toilet? I am specifically looking to translate the following: > Quand je mange des produits laitiers, ça me donne envie ( _When I eat dairy products, [I need to use the washroom])_ |
39,083 | 67,632 | 76823_0 | I'm looking for a technical (medical or biological) term for when an animal freezes in response to a perceived danger. This is a pretty well known phenomenon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response), i.e. a deer freezing in the headlights of a car, but I'm having trouble determining if there's a more precise word/phrase. |
39,084 | 24,344 | 76823_0 | I'm interested in understanding the meanings of the 2 words : > contumacious - Wilfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient and > contumelious - Arrogantly insolent in the context of their word roots. It seems that they have at least 1 root in common, so it would be nice to know the other 2 different roots, and their other usages in English words (if any). |
39,085 | 24,347 | 76823_0 | What is the difference between: > I am working today and > I work today What is the right form? |
39,086 | 187,614 | 76823_0 | I found this spelling differentiation on the website of the EU commission and you can see it on wikipedia, too: "There are a range of European Institutions in Strasbourg (France), the oldest of which dates back to 1815." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_institutions_in_Strasbourg If someone could point out the grammatical base of this differentiation, I would appreciate that! Many thanks, Alexandra |
39,087 | 50,239 | 76823_0 | What is the exact difference between _read, scan,_ and _skim_? Is the difference related to the concentration on the text, or is there anything else? The answer is really important for me, since I often see these words in the texts I read. |
39,088 | 2,957 | 76823_0 | Future Perfect's "Is it Web site or website?" states: > Since the World Wide Web is a proper noun, we use initial upper-case > letters, as we would with your surname, for example. > > As for writing ‘Web site’ as one word, it is true that this is seen a great > deal, but then, so is the spelling ‘recieve’ which is just plain wrong! I disagree. Languages change over time, and I think 'website' has now become the accepted spelling. A Google search for 'website' returns almost 3 billion results, including the official website of the British Monarchy. If 'website' is good enough for Her Majesty, it's good enough for me :-) What do you think? |
39,089 | 24,348 | 76823_0 | By the dictionary definition as a verb, I can see that _essay_ and _assay_ have the same meaning, i.e. "make an effort or attempt". I'm wondering if they are totally interchangeable, or is there a difference in degree associated with each? |
39,090 | 138,251 | 76823_0 | Would one say: The sewer pipelines are old and need to be replaced. or ... The sewerage pipelines are old need o be replaced additionally: The sewer infrastructure ... The sewerage infrastructure any help? |
39,091 | 50,230 | 76823_0 | Is there any difference between the usage of 'later' and 'later on'? * I'll see you later. * I'll finish it later on. |
39,092 | 66,329 | 76823_0 | Which is correct? > * The tag showed the familiar name of a colleague **from** work. > * The tag showed the familiar name of a colleague **at** work. > The colleague is not necessarily working at the moment the tag is shown, much rather it's just a colleague from the workplace. |
39,093 | 156,900 | 76823_0 | I'm looking for a word to describe a gift. The way I am using this word is to describe the item in way that a person who receives this gift would almost worship it because it means so much. The words that I do NOT think work in describing this object include: memento, souvenir, keepsake, memorial (things that make you think about the past) **I'm looking for a word that is SIMILAR to: treasure, idol, pearl (a word that gives significance to the object more it's meaning or origin)** |
39,094 | 160,167 | 76823_0 | In this sentence: > He **has made it his business to** reintroduce the theory to a new > generation of activists. 1. Is " **has made it his business to** " an impolite expression? 2. Is it a radical expression? 3. Has it any implicit meaning that he reintroduces the theory, but he shouldn't do it? EDIT: These answers confused me, First sentence of Source article may help better understanding this expression in the context. |
39,095 | 58,749 | 76823_0 | I chatted on IRC and stumbled upon such a nice sentence: > On the opposite, Tom has been a good influence on my life since I met him. For me it means that _Tom_ is an _influence_ , instead of _Tom having influence_. So I'd rephrase that as: > On the opposite, Tom has had a good influence on my life since I met him. However then a native speaker said that the first sentence is more natural to him. Which one is correct here? |
39,096 | 66,323 | 76823_0 | Which one of the following is correct to use? > * _New_ diagnosed cases. > > * _Newly_ diagnosed cases. > > |
39,097 | 164,670 | 76823_0 | Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-disbands-army-unit-fiasco-push- east-144943083.html > Ukraine on Thursday disbanded **an** army unit that lost six armoured > vehicles to pro-Russian militants, as Kiev's military reeled from a > disastrous attempt to oust separatists in its eastern regions. Why is it **an** instead of **the**? They are obviously talking about the unit that was captured by the protesters in Slavyansk a day or so ago. Of course, I understand that the authors know this but they still can speak about what happened in general terms - the unit which was captured was a unit that lost six mechanized vehicles. Okay, they are just getting rid of a unit that was ineffective. Again, what makes you use **an** instead of **the**? To me If it was **the** , it would pretty much convey more or less the same meaning. |
39,098 | 158,869 | 76823_0 | I feel like the fact that people lie to themselves about things can tell you a lot about that person but I just can't put my finger on a single word that I'd use to describe them. In fact, not just describe them, but truly convey that they lie to themselves. > **Example of a person who lies to themself:** _"I will do all my work > tomorrow, I swear."_ |
39,099 | 164,674 | 76823_0 | There is this sentence which I can't work out the meaning. "They have a unique identity between language and thought that means they cannot conceptualize a lie. This also means that deception, fiction and metaphors are completely alien to them." I can't understand the 1st sentence "They have... that". What is the meaning of Identity here and what is the effect of between prep and it's complement on the meaning of identity? Can somebody kindly explain to me what is the meaning of first sentence? Thanks. Alex. |
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