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Is there a word to describe the new date of a postponement? I was in conversation with someone and I said to her: > "The show was postponed, and I'm worried I won't be able to make it to the ? > _reponement_." I looked at her and we both said, "that's not a word".
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What does the following passage from this NY Times article mean? > He [Theodore Roosevelt] transformed the 20th century; no, he overextended > the 19th. He was a progressive trust buster; no, an imperialist demagogue. > He was a defender of liberty; no, a power-hungry mountebank — a pioneer > environmentalist, a bloodt...
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > Sentences using: [something] + have + they > subject-auxiliary inversions not associated with questions In the following, why does subject-verb inversion occur? Is it necessary? And what is this type of inversion called? Colleague’s original: > Only in cases where A is B, the Company shall d...
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > Sentences using: [something] + have + they > Inversion in “Only when the virus introduces its nucleic acid into a cell > does disease occur” In a sentence like this: > Only when a gun is reliable, accurate and durable, **do I** trust my life to > it. Why do we swap "I do" into "do I"? Would ...
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"Little did he realize that ..." What is the structure of this sentence with the past tense of the auxiliary verb 'do' in the beginning ? 2) "Otherwise, could we..." or "Otherwise, we could..." ?
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There is a phrase "Not only should I succeed but others should fail". And I saw it many times in similar structures that the order of words "should I" are as if they were in a questioning sentence. (In a declarative sentence the order is "I should") Can anyone give me an explanation why that is?
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When a negative adverb (or adverbial phrase) is placed at the beginning of a sentence, we exchange the normal placement of subject and verb. Why is that?
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1. Only after reading it carefully several times **did I begin to make** sense of the poem. 2. Only after reading it carefully several times **I began making** sense of the poem. I know that the first one is correct but I do not understand why. Other than sounding strange, why is the second one incorrect? Thank you ver...
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What is correct in a sentence: "Only then can you do" or "only then you can do" ?
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I have seen this construction quite often: > Online ads have been around since the dawn of the Web, **but only in recent > years have they become** the rapturous life dream of Silicon Valley. What is the rule there?. When your sentence doesn't start with pronoun + verb, invert them as verb + pronoun?. I know it sounds ...
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I saw this sentence in a newspaper cartoon: > Not only are you dysfunctional -- you appear to be completely spineless as > well. Is the verb _are_ in the right position?
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Wrong Sentence: > Never before in the history of the world **such a thing has happened** , I > don't think that will ever happen again. Right sentence: > Never Before in the history of the world **has such a thing happened** , I > don't think that will ever happen again. Why “has such a thing happened” is the right for...
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > Sentences using: [something] + have + they > Use of “do” in affirmative statements I was reading a news paper article of Times Of India, and came across a sentence- > To begin with, a woman's right to property has already been established > under law. This means that she has equal rights to ...
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > Inversion in “only [adverb] have they” Is there some rule governing the following, or similar, subject-auxiliary inversions (*"Rarely they do see the light of day", *"Never I have been so insulted")? > _In fancy sit-down restaurants, you can order a large meal and halfway > through the main ...
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I need grammatical explanations for the following two sentence structures: > 1. _The mistakes children make in learning to speak tell linguists more > about how children learn language **than do** the correct forms they use._ > 2. _Freedman's survey showed that people living in small towns and rural > areas consider th...
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Observed some words get pronounced with a /sh/ rather than /s/ in certain situations. * Stripes as "Shtripes" (from some "The Wire" episode) * Screw it as "shcrew it" (from a rap song) In both situations, it seems to be a matter of emphasis, but is there some generic etymological root to this, e.g. a yiddish language b...
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_Hallow, sacred, holy_ and _saint_ seem to resemble each other but are not identical. So what's the difference between them? I have searched http://dictionary.babylon.com and spotted: > **Hallow** : sanctify, consecrate, bless, exalt, glorify > > **Sanctify** : consecrate, make holy; make free from sin, purify; become ...
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> 1. A 16-year-old girl. > 2. She is 16 years old. > I've read somewhere that the reason the _year_ in the first example is singular is that it functions as an adjective, and adjectives can't be plural. Looking at the second example, doesn't the _years_ also function as an adjective? If so, why is it in plural form?
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Can someone give me a few synonyms of "Double-edged sword"? I generally need a phrase that describes a situation that can go good and bad.
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What can be a one word for something which is not very advanced but is still interesting and elegant? I would be using this word in context for some math article I want to write. Shorter and accurate words would be preferred. Thanks :)
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Often, when overheard from far away, I find myself saying/thinking: > [S]he has the ears of a hawk! Which doesn't really make sense as hawks aren't particularly well known for their sense of hearing. Is there a common saying, equivalent to "eyes of a hawk", relating to someone's sense of hearing?
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> How long have you known this referee and in what capacity I'm filling my university application I met this question which befuddled me. Does it mean "are you familiar with the referee"?
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> Someone sleeps everyday. Does this mean that there is someone who sleeps everyday or that everyday someone sleeps?
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After reading this post, I was struck by the omission of the period (full stop) at the end of the acronym given. > A.V.C I've never seen this before here in the States. Is it permissible here? In England? Elsewhere? Is it common anywhere?
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In Indian English, sometimes we say things like this: 'Do one thing. Take a left turn there'. Basically, I am asking somebody to do something, which comes in following sentence. What's the better way of saying so?
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What is the difference between _circumvent_ and _avoid_? Please provide examples.
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I'm not an English speaker. Even though I do understand conditional statements that are written by others but when it comes to my turn I still feel confused and don't really know how to organize it. > 1. If you had not been here I would have been here. > 2. If you were here I would be here. > 3. If you are here I will ...
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What is the grammatical name given to, and the function of, the part of the sentence below in bold? > **Maneuvring a tanker** is likewise a daunting challenge.
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"Interviewer was grinding me down this morning". But if I had to say it in a manner like "I had to go through a lot of grinding in the interview" would it be correct? (without the word 'down' because the phrase is 'grind down'). Or would only ' _grinding_ ' here without ' _down_ ' would imply something DANCE related? (...
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When I first read Dante's _Divine Comedy_ in high school, I remember once being puzzled at what I thought were strained rhymes in the translation, and mentioned it to my English teacher. In reply, she told me that it had to be so, as Dante wrote in a _terza rima_ rhyme scheme that was much more easily accommodated by I...
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Are all the sentences below correct? Do they mean exactly the same? * You can download the **latest version** of X from this link. * You can download the **last version** of X from this link. * You can download the **newest version** of X from this link.
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> It's easier than it seems, but I don't convey it well. My friend says that I should change that to read > It's easier than it seems, but I don't _say_ it well. However, this doesn't seem quite right to me. Is this grammatically correct? What is wrong with this sentence? "Say" and "convey" aren't the same thing, right...
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What's the meaning of this sentence? > Not much I can hand to you this very moment.
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I'm reading 'Black as Snow' by Nick Nolan and encountered this sentence. > "It's never easy." _Libby laughed while clinking her cup with is._ "But it > works." What's the meaning of 'is' in this sentence? Plural 'i'? Typo?
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Why is the word "head" used in the following context? > Daddy he once told me 'son you be hard workin' man' > and Momma she once told me 'son you do the best you can' > but, then one day I met a man who came to me and said > 'Hard work good, and hard work fine, but first take care of **_Head_** ' > Smoke Two Joints - S...
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While consulting the version of the _New Oxford American Dictionary_ provided with Mac OS, I came across the following “word spectrum”, which its says “show shades of meaning between two polar opposites”. While I generally appreciate its notes such as “The right word”, I was surprised by this spectrum: ![Word spectrum]...
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The reason I am asking this is the following. Some time ago I performed proofreading of a book, and there was a phrase containing "Protein-encoding genes". I wrote a post on my blog, detailing why this is wrong, according to the assumption that "to code" means to write something in a given standard representation (like...
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> Paul Austen’s novel sold immediately to the author’s eager readers. In the above sentence, which part is the _complement_ and which is the _adjunct_? I am confused as to whether the adjunct should be _immediately_ or _eager readers_.
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What is the origin of the word “ _bootleg_ ”?
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To me "I must help her" sounds wrong. I feel that I would rarely say this. On one website they say that 'must' is more for personal obligations (e.g. I must help my mother.) and that 'have to' is for external obligations (e.g. my boss says I have to finish the report.) Is it that simple (and vague)? Or does anyone have...
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I couldn't come up with a short title, but the upside is that there is not much needed to be said in the body of the question! * * * For @dmr (and others), it mixes “let's cross that bridge when we come to it” and “burn one's bridges”.
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I am trying to say that he came to terms with death but in a more formal way. How can I put it? Is conciliate the right word to use?
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I was reading a grammar and saw this. * * * Achievement verbs describe actions that occur instantaeously. * He solved the problem. * He spotted the airplane. These verbs fall into two classes - one is 'punctual', and the other 'change of state' (..cut..) * Change of state - find a solution, cross the finish line - This...
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I am not very knowledgeable about economics and am trying to reword these two sentences: > In 1964 the CDC 6600 cost around $7 million USD, though some sources site > prices of up to $10 million. Given the relative value of the dollar in > today’s economy, the machine would cost very much more; depending on the > econo...
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What is the difference between _smart_ and _clever_? As far as I understand the latter is offensive. But the Cambrige Dictionary gives similar definitions of _smart_ and _clever_.
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I'm writing a story for little children and would really appreciate some help with the following sentence: > "There was lots and lots of red, and lots and lots of blue." Is that correct? Or should it be "there were"?
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> Sentimentality originally indicated the reliance on feelings as a guide to > truth, but current usage defines it as an **appeal** to shallow, > uncomplicated emotions **at the expense of reason** I cannot understand this sentence. What's the meaning of "appeal" in this sentence? And "at the expense of reason"?
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Is it correct to use sentences in the following format? > X asked, “...?”. That is, a simple interrogative sentence enclosed within quotes followed by a period. Which is the correct sentence? > * He asked, “How do you do?” She colloquially responds, “NM.” > * He asked, “How do you do?”. She colloquially responds, “NM.”...
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Live comedy is often called stand up. What would you call a comedy video not performed to an audience? This could be characters performing a story, someone talking to a camera, or someone more abstract.
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Today’s (October 26) New York Times reported that a spokesman of GOP presidential candidate, Rick Perry suggested possibility that Mr. Perry might not participate in all of the upcoming debates. According to the article titled “Perry May Curtail Role in Coming Debates”, Mr. Perry told Bill O’Reilly on Fox News, “It's p...
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Time, distance, weight are treated as singular, like "3 hours is too long." Then, in this instance, "How many hours of sleep is/are needed to keep fit?" Is "is" correct?
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This is for a tech support or customer support case. I need a single-word tag labeling other people who share my issue.
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What is the origin of the phrase: "A cat in hell's chance"? I understand it to mean "not a chance", but it seems a very curious saying and I wonder how it originated. > e.g. > > Bob: Do you think Liverpool will win the title this season. > > Geoff: Not _a cat in hell's chance_.
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If a book has one appendix, it is `The Appendix`. Now consider a book with three appendices (or, if you like, appendixes), named `Appendix A`, `Appendix B`, and `Appendix C`. The part of the book, which is formed by these, is called * still `The Appendix`, because it is that part of the book, composed of the "chapters"...
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My company gives out free promotional items with the company name on it. Is this stuff called company _swag_ or _schwag_? It seems that both come up as common usages—Google searching indicates that the bias is slightly towards _swag_. Can anybody provide any definite proof of the root of the word and which one is more ...
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Is "make no mistake" proper grammar? Isn't "no" being used as a quantifier? Aren't quantified nouns supposed to be plural when the quantity is none? For example, I was taught to say, "one egg" and "zero eggs". So, I might conclude that "make a mistake" and "make no mistakes" is also correct. What am I missing?
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I am trying to use "at odds" and "akin to" in the same sentence but I am not sure if the sentence below is grammatically correct: > "I only heard in the past that this city was at odds with the other city's > eccentricity and more akin to this third city, in its interest in education > and culture"
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Example: > At first, I though it was a star, but then I realized it was an UFO. Can I use "later" to replace "then" and keep the meaning more or less the same? > At first, I though it was a star, but later on I realized it was an UFO.
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When I watch TV drams or movies, I sometimes come across the expressions “I got it” and “You got it” meaning “I will do as you ask”. I am wondering if there is any semantic or pragmatic differences between them. I think that “You got it” is often used when a man accepts the order from the boss. Is my guess correct? 1. ...
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The words that express the tangible and visible things of our experience, such as _sand_ or _sea_ , are all nouns, as are those expressing intangibles such as _love_ or _idealism_. Also, some nouns, like _field_ or _grain_ , can be imagined both as tangible and intangible. People, generally, refer to these nouns with t...
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In an episode of Seinfeld, when asked where he got the Junior Mints he's eating, Kramer answers "from the machine". Would it be correct to say that in this case, "the machine" refers to all types of vending machines in general, and not to the specific vending machine that he happened to dispense it from? Thanks.
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Liverpool Football Club have recently released a list of banned phrases, that they want the fans to avoid using. (Read the story) One of these phrases is " **Man up**". Why is this phrase considered offensive, and who is likely to take offense?
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I was writing an essay for my school project, and I stumbled upon this type of grammatical situation and thought if anyone knew the answer to it? I've searched all over the internet but nothing satisfied my needs. Any help? Thanks!
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I have a task to design a filter panel for an application to filter out and list workflows. The main two categories for workflows are the ones that are running and those that are not running. Now, I have some problems finding the suitable term for the ones that are not running since that category includes workflows tha...
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If I want to speak of _North, South, East, West_ in a general sense I could, for example, use the term _cardinal direction_. Which term is appropriate to sum up _horizontal_ and _vertical_ in the same manner?
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I've been Googling for a little while tonight, but I can't seem to find any rules on this. Irregular ("strong") verbs seem to be pretty set in their endings: goest, dost. But when I get to something like "bring", it seems almost like "bringst" and "bringest" are equally valid, and I can't find any examples to lead me t...
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What is the antecedent of the relative pronoun _who_ in the following sentence? > Hector Berlioz is one of those French composers who is famous for his > operatic music. Is it _one_ or is it _composers_? I vote for _one_ which is in the nominative case; _composers_ is in the objective case as the object of the preposit...
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I just sent a formal business correspondence to a company via email. The letter starts with "To Whom It May Concern", but I rather clumsily used the wrong sign-off (Yours sincerely). How much of a breach in etiquette is this? Will it make my whole letter seem unprofessional? The company in question is based in the UK. ...
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What is the origin of the phrase, "up close and personal"?
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I’m not exactly sure under which circumstances is _line_ or _row_ the more suitable term. In Portuguese, they both translate to the same word _linha_ , which can be used for both a drawing line or for an item in a table.
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Wiktionary says it is either likely a pseudo-condensed pronunciation of kilometer or onomatopoeic of the sound of a military odometer. > Though kilometers are not commonly used to measure distance in the USA, > “klick” is commonly used by the US military, which uses the metric system > almost exclusively in order to fa...
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I received an email with the "RRSP" abbreviation. > "RRSP by 1 Nov 2011 to Willy Milly." Upon checking with Thesaurus.com, it is a synonym of "RSVP". Can one use "RRSP" and "RSVP" interchangeably?
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I notice that many of my emails have this single letter 'P' beside a sentence and that sentence is usually about protecting nature. Example: P Print Only When Necessary What does the P mean? Is it just a typo error? **Update** The P is not "Please", it is a icon The icon can be find under the letter P in the following ...
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The professor wants to retire. Here 'to retire' is used as object or complement? Also, in "The man gave Amy some good advice" Is 'some good advice' an object or complement?
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I'm reading a grammar book. The book has a section to determine the right subject and verb. In an example they use > From the ceiling hung the chandelier. Well, the verb is _hung_ , and the subject is _chandelier_. But I'm a little bit confused about the usage of the verb _hung_ in this sentence. Shouldn't it be > The ...
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So there's this guy I know. And sometimes he acts in a particular way that I hope there is a word for (or at least a phrase). Let me describe: Situation: Dog bares teeth at his girlfriend, which is obviously a problem, but this dog would never bite, it's just his way of saying fuck off at the moment. (every attempt is ...
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How to say "Be quiet.", which is a command, in passive voice?
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If someone is trying to make people underestimate him for some purpose, what would be a word for this kind of person or action?
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Which of these terms is (or are) more typical of AE to designate a convertible consisting of an upholstered couch that can be converted into a double bed?
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This question is prompted by the earlier question Should I use a hyphen after -ly when modifying a verb in the past participle verb? Please don't close this as a dup unless there's a later answer there that answers my _specific_ question (or another relevant question that I haven't been able to find). My hypothesis is ...
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I have heard it used by some people e.g. Jacque Fresco. For example here: http://youtu.be/COei3ga-HH8?t=6m14s I know that people understand the meaning of the word "insane", but what about an average Joe and his understanding of the word "unsane"?
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This is a follow-up to my previous question. The answerer mentioned that when parentheses are used for inserting contents in a sentence, the grammar flexibility is assumed to be higher. If that is true, what sort of flexibility is applied to other punctuation, especially em-dashes? Are parentheses and em-dash considere...
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The link between the two definitions for the word _gravity_ (a generally downward acting force, and a sense of danger/seriousness) seems obvious. However, I'm curious as to which usage came first. Was the word _gravity_ first coined to describe Newtonian forces and later used in a figurative sense; or perhaps physicist...
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What is the name for words that are contrasting counterparts or near opposites to each other in some context, but are not generally strict antonyms? Some examples with word1 word2 (example context): * boys girls (sex or gender roles) * man machine (discussion of technological division of labor) * data control (standard...
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transplant is used as verb in a normal sentence. In particulary, transplant is used as noun in some sentence. Is there any reason why we should use 'transplant' as noun form although we have already noun form, 'transplantation'? What is the difference between transplant and transplantation when we use them a noun?
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Is there a verb that specifically means _enjoy some recreation_? I heard today (TV reference) a boss tell an employ to take a vacation, to "relax and recreate" (pronounced as the beginning of recreation). I've never heard this used before, and never really considered it a word. A couple online searches have yielded wha...
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Although it was compelled to enter the modern world by the Western countries, now China is taking part in the project of modernization more actively and has completed many great achievements in the domain of economy. In this sentence will it be better to say "take part in the process of modernization"? or should I say ...
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Hi I was watching a online video and the lecturer mentioned "here comes the needy-greedy detail of this lecture" after the introduction. And I am not quite sure what does the needy-greedy mean here? lots of information which cater the audience's appetites?
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It may sound strange, but why is _Merry_ not used with Easter? Is there a reason why its usage has been so firmly fixed with Christmas?
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What is a noun for _identifying with someone_? In Hebrew there is quite a good word for it. I'm not looking for _sympathy_ or _empathy_ , but a proposed definition of _sympathy_ does reflect my intent although the use of the word seems misleading: > Agree with a sentiment or opinion or > Sharing the thoughts of someone...
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When I am referring specifically to the Municipality of Durham, for example, and I write the following sentence: > The Municipality has approved Article 5.3 of the meeting agenda. Is the word "municipality" capitalized? Because I am referring to the Municipal Council. I am asking this question because I am under the im...
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for smell it would be "olfactory". What is it for touch?
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I've been doing proofreading on a beta site and there appears to be a typo. Is there any usage of "many a times" that is correct, or is it always wrong to apply a singular "a" to a plural noun?
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Which form of "difficulty" should I opt for in the following sentence: > They have immense difficulties easily accessing the texts. or > They have immense difficulty easily accessing the texts. I am inclined to say "difficulty," but I am editing someone else's work and they had originally put "difficulties." Am I wrong...
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I learn English as a foreign language, and I recently found in online training videos phrases like > Let me **give you some quick intuition** ... In my native languages (Ukrainian and Russian) you can use intuition, you can trust it, but you cannot _give_ it to someone. Can anyone please give me some information about ...
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Is there a general rule for creating a noun based on an action? In the example below, there are two actions. "Press button when you've resolved or gave up." I'd like to express it using nouns like so: "Press button upon resolution or XXX." Is it as simple as " _giving up_ " or is there a better way (in this particular ...
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I am confused about these two sentences: > 1. That's a **bit** of a difficult answer to give in a few words. > > 2. That's a **lot** of a difficult answer to give in a few words. > > Which sentence is the correct one?
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I was just having this conversation with a friend. Where does the word "the" come from?
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I was going to ask this on Christianity.SE but it's not really a Christian Doctrine question; hope it fits here. I was reading John Bunyan's _Pilgrim's Progress_ where almost everyone is named for a virtue or a vice except the protagonists (Christian and Christiana). Were those names common at the time of Bunyan or was...
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Will it be comprehensible to take a nickname calling me Anti-Anti-SpamBot to convey the idea that communication on internet (like commenting in blogs, registration and posting in forums, etc.) became practically impossible without tools facilitating posting, like spam bots?