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Which is correct, "course of habit" or "force of habit"? (This question is inspired by this post on the woot forums.)
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I'm really confused about the object > the doctor specialized will help you or > the documents required How can I tell in the future, if I have to use the past participle or the adjective? And what's the name of this structure?
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I would like to know which of "ZIP Code" or "ZIP code" is correct. One of our contributors has alerted me to the fact that the term is a registered name owned by the Postal Service, but, to my mind, it has become a generic term over time. What is the majority view?
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Do we say a movie is being played _in_ a theater or _at_ a theater?
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Is it grammatically correct to use an indicative verb after "as if", or "as though" for that matter? > I've heard someone say: "He walks as if he is drunk." Would there have been > any difference if he had said "He walks as if he were drunk."? A second example might be: > * It looks as if it is going to rain. > * It lo...
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When solving Mathematical problems, I usually come across with titles like: > Evaluate the expression below. > Evaluate this: ∜[(log2(48 / 3) + 1)2 \- 9] > Evaluate the following integral. When I look up at dictionary, it says: > _to evaluate_ : > 1\. to determine or set the value or amount of; appraise: to evaluate > ...
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While talking about commands for command-line interface, I sometimes need to pronounce how command should be typed, like this one: nc -l -p 1234 I used to pronounce `-` sign in this context as a "hyphen", or "dash", or probably "minus". But recently I got the video in which woman pronounces it like "tak" (starting from...
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For example, can you say 'I have more than one best friend' and is that grammatically correct given that these friends are equally good?
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Here we wish to make sure the usage of ... number(s) of ..., which one below is correct? * * * An even number of people An even number of cards Even numbers of people Even numbers of cards * * * An odd number of people An odd number of cards Odd numbers of people Odd numbers of cards * * * Six numbers of people Six num...
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Which one is correct? _help [something] become **a** reality_ or _help [something] become reality_ What would be the reason to use / not to use the article?
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I've been engaged in debate for some days now, about a discussion in a panel of a Captain America comic book. In the comic book, Bucky, his sidekick, says that "you have been running a mile a minute since you got the super soldier serum". Given that Captain America can (occasionally) run that fast, some people are of t...
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> After showing me the house, Nana led us to the living room, _and with > Mongai's Take Me Somewhere Nice playing ~~on~~ in the background_, we > started on the Scotch we'd bought at the 7-Eleven. The dim light and the > soft Is the comma correctly positioned before the italics in the example above? Or I should place t...
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Forgive me if this has already been asked, I could not find it via search. My question is this: what is the proper way to append computer storage abbreviations to a number? For example, a 500 gigabyte hard disk drive will usually be spelled as "500GB" on web sites, with no space, but occasionally I see "500 GB", with a...
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I am getting really tired of getting emails and PowerPoint presentations in which half of the words bold and underlined. There is also excessive use of exclamation points, all caps, and overly strong wording. I would like to send them a link to someplace authoritative that states that their writing style is tacky. Is t...
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I'm a huge Pulp Fiction fan, and the following is one of my favorite scenes, but it also irks me. (source: IMDB) > Jules: [Jules shoots the man on the couch] I'm sorry, did I break your > concentration? I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue, you were saying > something about best intentions. What's the matter? Oh,...
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For example, in Japan I often encounter this paradox when it comes to addressing friends. In Japan, it's generally rude to call someone by their first name unless you're really close friends. You'd generally refer to them by their last name followed by -san. Most of the young people that I meet in Japan have a good kno...
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I've always believed that the phrase "bust a cap in yo ass" was AAVE for: > To shoot an individual with a gun. Whilst trying to figure out what the _cap_ actually meant, I ran into this alternate definition/footnote: > This is not a new phrase as much of the Rap culture would like us to > believe. Instead it is an old ...
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> 1. W is the complex-valued transformation of the original signals x and y > without selection of the window length with respect to time t. > 2. W is the complex-valued transformation of the original signals x and y > without **a** selection of the window length with respect to time t. > Which is correct?
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How do I pronounce " _can't_ " with a British accent without it rhyming with " _punt_ " or " _paint_ "?
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Is a "trunk" more likely to have a "flat top" and a "chest" more likely to have a "rounded top"?
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Assume that I am advertising that a payment will be asked only if we actually execute a given job right, and I say: > "if we don't do it right, we have been working for free" > > "if we won't do it right, we have been working for free" > > "if we don't do it right, we would have been working for free" Can you tell me w...
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What is the origin of the phrase "Bob's your uncle"? Is it used internationally or is this just a term used in the UK? I have often heard an extension of this phrase: "Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt", can anyone shed any light on this variant? An example of how it is used: "Put it in the oven for 20 minutes and...
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I frequently use "the same" as in the following sentence. > I need the details of XYZ project. Could you please send me the same as soon > as possible? Is this grammatically correct? I have not been corrected till now, but I have not seen the usage from native speakers very much either. Update: Seems like my example se...
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As an example, in a legal setting: > Do you _recall_ what color the car was? > Do you _remember_ what color the car was? Which would be more appropriate?
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What is another word for a person who likes to talk too much. I was thinking _bigmouth_ , but _bigmouth_ could mean "somebody who likes carrying messages voluntarily".
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Is there an analog to "electrically isolated" but related to pressure (or more specifically, air pressure) instead of electricity? Perhaps "pneumatically isolated"? I don't think "hermetically isolated" has the proper meaning. I also considered "manometrically isolated", but I think that seems to refer too much to mano...
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During a conversation with a colleague about the time I had received an automated email, I noted that it had arrived 20 minutes late. I then checked the email schedule software and said: > The scheduled time has moved forward 20 minutes for some reason. To which he replied: > You mean moved back The discussion carried ...
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I want the meaning of the business jargon that says "big hitter".
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(ϕ_1 ) ̂ is the first stage (the estimated effect of the MLDA on alcohol consumption). (ρ_1 ) ̂ is the reduced form (the estimated effect of the MLDA on either overall deaths, motor vehicle fatalities, or drinking fatalities). Or, can I just put a comma instead like in the following: (ϕ_1 ) ̂ is the first stage, the es...
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What is another word for **share** in the context of sharing a blog article on twitter, facebook, etc..?
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> Though sure, there's no denying that the money stuff hasn't helped the > marital stuff. "When you're a guy, and a dad," I told Freddy's scarecrow, > "and you have to ask your wife to put £5,000 of her bonus into the joint > account so that the garage won't refuse your card, **and all the jokes about > being a Kept Ma...
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First, consider this sentence: > We lost the game because we played awfully. Since "awful" means "very bad," it makes sense that "awfully" means "very badly." Now, consider these two sentences: > 1) Google is an awfully good search engine. > > 2) Bing is an awfully bad search engine. In the second example, regardless o...
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Is there an online reference resource devoted to commentary on the finer points of usage, connotation, and word choice in English? (E.g. what nuances/shades-of-meaning/usage considerations would inform the choice between "firmament", "(the) heavens" and "(the) heaven"? or between "spry" and "lively"? etc. etc. I'm thin...
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> * **Please** can you help me with this question? > * Can you **please** help me with this question? > * Can you help me with this question **please**? > Is there a correct place for _please_ in this question or is it just a matter of choice?
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This question seems to indirectly ask the question, but the upvoted answer says "the actual sentence is...". So my question is this: Are commands considered to be grammatically sound, complete sentences in the English language? Some examples: > Go. > > Add a note. > > Do work.
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Today I saw an idiomatic road sign: "Pretty Muddy". I found this lack of strict English on a road sign unusual (on par with my "Dead Slow" official speed limit sign in Leeds, pic below), but as it turned out it's a charity race and the signs were merely directions. This got me thinking however, how do words like "prett...
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Though there is no dispute that songs may have nonsense lyrics, the song "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes actually have very coherent lyrics. However, one line stands out as some type of idiom that I cannot decipher: > And if I catch it coming back my way I'm gonna serve it to you. I infer that this is some typ...
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Is there a term for someone who proclaims they don't believe in an afterlife but they are not sure whether the supernatural exists? I don't mean _agnostic_. Atheists don't believe in a deity, but an atheist could believe in an afterlife.
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For example, someone’s house is in a plan to make new highway. Then he/she will have to move another land when construction starts. In this case he/she take money from the government to buy a new house and move. What do you say this monetary help?. Is it compensation? Or is there another word especially for use as rega...
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There,shepherds play their pipes and sigh with longing for flirtatious nymphs and goat-footed nature gods play in the fields and woods. How can I understand this sentence? And does "play pipes" mean play some music instruments?
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > Is using the possessive 's correct in "the car's antenna"? If someone owns something I would say: _Mom's car_. But if the owner is not a person, does it actually own it according to English rules or common usage? Which phrase is right? > * The house windows. > * The house's windows. > * The ...
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > Is using the possessive 's correct in “the car’s antenna”? When talking about animal body parts, which of the following is the right one (or could both be possible with some difference in meaning)? > * The dog's tail. > * The tail of the dog. >
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > Is using the possessive 's correct in “the car’s antenna”? Can we add apostrophe S, **'s** , to a word for an inanimate object as in the phrase > the problem's underlying assumptions to denote possession? Would it be natural and grammatically correct?
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > Is using the possessive 's correct in "the car's antenna"? Is it "role of the FRG" or "the FRG's role"? I know that although the FRG is not a person, people do say, for instance, "America's role in ..." Please help.
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What is the meaning of "to be hiered" ? Whether it means the person is hiered or he is yet to be hiered?
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This is the sentence I wrote: > It is as simple as adding or removing an item to/from the list. Now I'm wondering if I should use "to" or "from" or "to/from" in: 1. Written English, 2. Spoken English.
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > How to combine in a sentence two verb + preposition pairs that have the > same object? Which of the following sentences is correct? > * I listen, go, read and learn from experts. > * I listen to, go with, read and learn from experts > I talk here about prepositions ( _to_ , _with_ , _from_ )...
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> I don't expect a lie from you Is this sentence grammatically correct? If not, how could it be corrected?
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Which is better in this case, "me" or "I"? > All of us, including me, have made mistakes. > > All of us, including I, have made mistakes. It seems that "I have made mistakes" makes more sense than "me have made mistakes." But on other hand, "including me" makes more sense than "including I." While typing this out I tho...
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I was reading _A Model Millionaire_ by Oscar Wilde and came across this line. Can someone explain it to me? > "An amazing model?' shouted Jain at the top of his voice; 'I should think > so! Such beggars as he are not to be met with every day. A trouvaille, mon > cher; a living Velasquez! My stars! what an etching Rembr...
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I had assumed that "hi" was a somehow abbreviated form of "hello," but though both of these words appear to have originated from a noise to attract attention, _hi_ actually predates _hello_. These words both appeared in the mid- to late 1800s, and seem to be primarily American usage. Does anyone know what Americans use...
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I need a word that fits this case: I have a book; and any User may apply some tags to it, like 'dark' or 'happy' [..] Anyway, how would I call this action, using a _short term_?
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Recently I've heard American TV commentators say "[a person] was literally decimated" and "[a Senator] was literally thrown under the bus". In the first case I think the person was not actually 10% killed, but in the second, I believe they meant that 57 members of the US Senate carried #58 onto Constitution Avenue and ...
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Recently, the word _literally_ has come to be used for emphasis, rather than to express that something definitely happened. If you look up the definition of _literally_ on Google, the second definition is: > used for emphasis while not being literally true. It feels wrong to me that the word _literally_ is in the defin...
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If I say: > Some words that I like are: "desk", "lovely", and "enticingly". What parts of speech are the quoted words? Used in a typical sentence they'd be: noun, adjective, and adverb respectively. But it doesn't seem right that this distinction should also be made in the sentence above. (This wikipedia page is as far...
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As someone living in the US, I've heard the term "Kindergarten" used quite frequently. However someone from the UK was mentioning to me that the term is really not used that much in British English. Looking at the Wikipedia article on Kindergarten it states: > In British English, nursery or playgroup is the usual term ...
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And what is the difference between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions? Is one kind of sentence (compound or complex) characterized by either a coordinating or subordinating conjunction, while the other kind is characterized by the other?
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Do I need hyphens? Should I use the indefinite article or zero article?
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Often when writing we would like numbers to be written out fully e.g. thirty rather than in digits e.g. 30. Is there a name for this kind of representation?
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We all know that The Marquis de Sade popularized the term 'sadist' via "120 days of Sodom" and "Justine" - as well as being exemplified by his own devilish lifestyle. How/why was the word 'masochism' popularized?
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Please consider the following passage from my English textbook: > ... _The commander of the troops called on his men to gather together on > deck in proper drill order...Meanwhile, the lifeboats had been lowered. When > all the women and children had filled the boats, there **would be** room for > only a very few other...
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Certain graduates of a class are donating money to place an ad in a booklet celebrating s school’s centennial. Their names will be placed in the ad. The intent of the ad (and sale of the booklet) is to raise money for the school. We have a choice between a one page ad and a two page “centerfold” ad. Some members of thi...
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I always thought the word "simpleness" didn't exist and this was even confirmed by some American friends of mine. However, I tried to look it up on some online dictionaries and I was surprised to find out that some of them report this word while others don't. What's the story behind "simpleness"?
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Is there a negative term to define women who are "overly" feminine, in the same way that "macho" is often applied negatively to certain male behavior?
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Is there a synonym for "unique" that specifically applies to a custom-made or customized item - say, a car - of which only one copy exists? Something like "once-in-a-lifetime" but in the meaning of something like "only-one-in-the-world"?
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As is known, a double rainbow is formed when there are two reflections inside a raindrop and a second rainbow, which tends to be fainter than the first, is distinguishable above the first. Since in 'Shakespeare's Non-Standard English: A Dictionary of His Informal Language' by Norman Blake I found that, as an instance, ...
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When writing dates in prose in the dmy format (29 March 2014), is the correct preposition "in" or "on". I'm seeing it with "in" here, but that construction is foreign to me. > It was released **in 29 March 2010** on Steam for Microsoft Windows, and > **in 25 March 2010** on Xbox Live Indie Games for the Xbox 360. "On" ...
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Which is the correct grammar? Which is correct?
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As noted in the title, I am looking for a single word, preferably short, that relates to filtering out noise/unwanted things/background noises.
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A word that starts with a lower-case (lowercase?) letter can be **_capitalized_** , but what is the converse action? Google has only one page in the top results that addresses this and the closest thing to a proposed answer is _decapitalize_ , which trips spell- checkers, so _de-capitalize_.
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > Is there an antonym for “capitalize” (as in letter-case) Is there a word, preferably _not_ from the realm of computer programming, that means the opposite of "to capitalize"? In programming, there are scores of (silly) ways to tell someone to undo capitalization: downcase that, shush that fi...
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For example, when using "since", you should use "present perfect": > Mr Smith _ _ _ the company since 1990. > > 1. runs > 2. **has run** > 3. is running > 4. ran > Is there any reference on similar rules, guiding principles or hints? sometimes things get mixed up for me when choosing the correct form of verb tense (pas...
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This is what I'm trying to express > [Foo] can be _simplifiedly_ characterised as [bar]. However I am unable to find references for such as word as _simplifiedly_. What I want to say is that the following characterisation as [bar] is to be understood as being simplified for the sake of explaining [Foo] in the first pla...
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Please consider: > Jack could get to work earlier. Is this use of _could_ in the dynamic modality about Jack’s inherent ability, or is this the _could_ of epistemic modality about the speaker’s knowledge about whether it’s possible for Jack to get to work earlier?
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Has this ever happened to you: You write a question, include a list or two in the discussion, and then come back to edit that list because the order doesn't sound "right"? Off the top of my head, I can remember it happening to me twice here on English L&U: I changed _God, man, and nature_ to read _man, nature, and God_...
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I had heard, a number of years ago, that there is a name for an type of idiomatic expression in which two things are joined to refer to one thing. An example of this would be “raining _cats and dogs_ ”. This does not mean that _cats_ is a metaphor for one type of rain, and _dogs_ another, but rather that the combined t...
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When using _range from_ with two examples, it could be: > I should note that our current users range from juniors to graduates. But when using three examples: > I should note that our current users range from juniors, to seniors, to > graduates. It doesn't sound correct? What are the rules?
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Is it > He had more experience than I, _he_ having produced more than 10 songs > already. or > He had more experience than I, _him_ having produced more than 10 songs > already. The latter sounds more natural to me, but the former seems more grammatically consistent--alas I don't know what the parts are called to delve...
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What is the English word for a person who when they fail and realize their failure, they then regret and quickly correct their own behaviour without any wavering? Edit: I accepted an answer although the exact word I am looking for has not been found. I will change the answer should one be found. The closest matches are...
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In many psychological, religious, and ethical theories it's been suggested that you **know yourself** , through contemplation, cognition, etc. It's like trying to recognize **who you really are deep inside** , and **why you do what you do** , stuff like that. But do we have a name for this **knowing yourself**? Update:...
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murder : crows :: **_** : collective nouns Sorry, no multiple choice this time.
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I heard a phrase which I'm not sure it's this but I liked it. It was a classical radio station in Southern California. It was a hot day and radio was playing a song about ice and snow, and the commenter said something like: "Now you can **shred off** some of the heat listening to this song. Can we use _shred off_ for h...
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What is the name of the phonetic shift behind the common mispronunciation of the word nuclear (nucular)? Or, if the answer is "none", then I would appreciate learning the origin of the pronunciation.
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From an answer on another Stack Exchange website (StackOverflow): > Given how rare this will be, that ugly hack could be palpable. It sounds like the author is saying that the solution might be viable? suitable? sufficient? I can deduce what he means from the context. I am confused because having searched for the defin...
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> Substantial progress has been made in the last years in order to answer the > question what an optimal strategy for this network constitutes. > > Substantial progress has been made in the last years in order to answer the > question, what constitutes an optimal strategy for this network. Which sentence should I use, ...
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Are there cases where a period is placed inside parentheses? In which cases the period (or a comma) should be placed inside the parentheses?
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > In which cases is a comma/period placed inside or outside of parentheses? Is the convention (write something in brackets.) And start a new sentence. or is it (More like this). And the other confusing factor below. Is a sentence (like this?) Because the question mark belongs to what's in brac...
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> **Possible Duplicate:** > In which cases is a comma/period placed inside or outside of parentheses? Consider the following sentence: > Now, it is highly attributable that professionally I never had to write any > Swing code (or, for that matter, had a chance to look at Swing code others > have written) In this senten...
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Lets say I'm asking a question on a popular question and answer website, and I want to close by saying that I will appreciate any submitted ideas. The first seems awkward because at the moment of writing there aren't any ideas yet. The second makes it sound like I would appreciate any ideas, if I wasn't a misanthropic ...
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I am writing a formal letter and want to say "I am following up with you regarding..." but I need to say it more formally.
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> I'm free at around 7PM. Is it correct?
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My boyfriend and I are arguing whether _thousands of miles_ means 1000+ or 2000+ miles. The first argument is that 1000+ is over 1000 and therefore 'thousands of miles' by rounding up. The other argument is that thousands are a unit, and if you only have one unit plus a fraction of that unit it is not 'thousands of mil...
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Actually it's title of a song written by Lana Del Rey. **So what does Body Electric really mean when Lana says "I sing the body electric"?** And here is a link the the lyrics.
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I have heard many times from many people saying 'it is love' or 'French is love' or 'Baltimore is love'. What does it exactly mean? Shouldn't they use lovely instead.?
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What should we use when someone is injured? > Are you hurt? Or it should be > Did you get hurt? I felt using the second one as improper. Please correct me.
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What should be your response when your boss thanks you for using his own resource allotted to you and you respect your boss and cannot respond him like _It's ok_ or _you're welcome_.
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Thank you for your time reading this. I am from China and have learned British English for years from my middle school to undergraduate time. I normally take 'would' as the past form of 'will', though I know 'would' may also work as an auxiliary verb which could be used in subjunctive mood. Now I come to the United Sta...
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In a mathematical context (explaining a formula just written) the following seems unobjectionable: "The set of unitary polynomials has been denoted by P". My question is whether it sounds right to skip the preposition "by", so that the sentence would read: "The set of unitary polynomials has been denoted P".
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I know that this term in its comparative form would 'lovier-dovier', but somehow I can't decide whether it is "loviest-doviest" or "lovey-doviest" Which is the correct form?
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I often come across people saying to each other: > I don't want to be too dense here, but… What does the term _dense_ imply in such contexts?