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500 | 52,102 | 76823_0 | In German "to" and "too" translate into the same word "zu". It would therefore be great if somebody could clarify when to use which. E.g. Is it "to dazzle" or "too dazzle"? "to dazzling" or "too dazzling"? |
501 | 52,104 | 76823_0 | I have encountered such a term, and I have no idea what it is. Could it be 'of'? |
502 | 141,846 | 76823_0 | Is there a word to describe a city (or any entity) that is part of the same country or state, similar to the meaning of compatriot, but as an adjective. "Allied" is close, but it is too distant as it could be an entity of a friendly state, not necessarily part of your own. |
503 | 141,844 | 76823_0 | A stevedore is someone who loads/discharges cargo from the docks. I'm looking for equivalent of this occupation for inland cargo "dischargers/unloaders". |
504 | 141,845 | 76823_0 | I remember once hearing a theory--first promoted, I believe, by Freud--that words develop to mean their opposite, and that eventually the new, antithetical definition takes primacy. _Cleave_ is a mid-process example, as cleave currently means both to join and to separate. _Fast_ is another example, as it comes from _feast_. I don't really care so much about the authenticity of these etymologies but would like to know the history and name of this theory. Was it Freud? Where can I read more about it? This is related to auto-antonyms, and I have read the wiki article there. That does not address the theory that a word develops its own antonym. |
505 | 105,634 | 76823_0 | Using the expression **as (much) ... as** , I want to express that the quality or degree of someone's beauty is about the same as that of her intelligence. I'd like to know if it is correct to say either: > 1. She is as smart as she is beautiful. > 2. She is as much smart as she is beautiful. > |
506 | 105,637 | 76823_0 | I am writing a goal where I would like to replace the phrase "a general understanding" with something synonymous. The whole line reads: > Writes clean and concise code that reflects **a general understanding** of > the codebase and its external modules. Alternative that I don't like: > Writes clean and concise code that reflects **efforts to understand** the > codebase and its external modules. I am looking for a similar phrase which uses an alternative to "understanding" with a positive adjective describing it. |
507 | 102,947 | 76823_0 | The name of our research center is Southeastern Transportation Center, STC is the acronym, of course. In writing, I use STC, not 'the STC' but our director says 'the' is needed so that it reads well. For example, I write: _STC supports graduate education._ ; director says it should be _The STC supports graduate education._ Ruling? |
508 | 102,944 | 76823_0 | In the following sentence: > The great cities have been built with no regard for us. The shape and > dimensions of the skyscrapers depend entirely on the necessity of obtaining > the maximum income per square foot of ground. Should "the shape" be changed to "the shapes", since "the skyscrapers" each have different shapes? Or should we change "the shape and dimensions of the skyscrapers" to "the shape and dimensions of the skyscraper" if the original sentence means to be a general statement? |
509 | 143,996 | 76823_0 |  Women who aren't interested in much more than sex are referred to as "slappers" in British English. > _British informal_ , _derogatory_ a promiscuous or vulgar woman. Why is this? I can't find any solid etymology information. |
510 | 143,997 | 76823_0 | This is the case I have in mind. I wish to express that impact acted in a way that was _severely adverse_. > It impacted her severely adversely. The proposed text above doesn't feel right at all, though. |
511 | 60,016 | 76823_0 | There was the following quote of Rush Limbaugh’s apology (or nonapology) in the New York Times’ article (March 2nd) reporting that he sorried for his denouncing a Georgetown University law student as a “prostitute,” under the title “Obama backs student in furor with Limbaugh on birth control. > “For over 20 years, I have _illustrated the absurd with absurdity_ , three > hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in > my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke,” > Mr. Limbaugh wrote.” What does “ _illustrate the absurd with absurdity_ ” exactly mean? We have idiomatic phrases “愚を重ねる- overlay the folly (with folly), and “恥の上塗り-overlay shame (with shame)” in Japanese. Does “illustrate the absurd with absurdity” mean to repeat or overlay one’s absurdity, or to prove one’s being absurd by committing another absurdity? Is the phrase “illustrate the absurd with absurdity” a set phrase, or just a Limbaugh’s special rhetoric? |
512 | 143,938 | 76823_0 | The shops are open only until 5.30. they will be closed by now. The shops are open only by 5.30. they will be closed by now. Greetings Would you kindly tell me the differences that are in the sentences? I mean the difference between UNTIL 5.30 and by 5.30. In addition, I wonder the reason why it has been used the tense future, that is they will be closed by now. ! (I am learning English. would you possibly elaborate your explanations in details readily?) I think I'll be wait by/until thursday before making a decision. which one and WHY? * * * Thank you so much, but my last question: Are these the acceptable reasons for your previous arguments about that you did not agree with "by 5.30"?, because when we use the following sentence as if the shops are closed twice- for example: once at 3 o'clock and the other one at 7 o'clock or after 5.30 The shops are only open by 5.30. They will be closed by now. ................. As a preposition of time “by” means “on or before”. She should be here by Sunday. This means she ought to be here e,g. on Friday or Saturday but definitely not later than Sunday. Use “by” when you refer to a deadline. “Until” means “up to a particular time but no sooner than that." The shops are open only until 5.30. They will not close sooner than 5.30. |
513 | 60,013 | 76823_0 | The following sentence is from **100 Greatest Science Discoveries of All Time** by Kendall Haven: > Small dishes of deadly staphylococci, streptococci, and pneumococci bacteria > were lined and labeled across the one lab bench that stretched the length of > Fleming's lab. I can understand either "one lab bench" or "the lab bench". How should I understand "the one lab bench"? Why can the words "the" and "one" be put together? |
514 | 53,376 | 76823_0 | Consider the sentence: > "She sees him not so much as her uncle as her friend." Is this sentence correct? I feel something is missing, or perhaps I am disturbed by the extra 'as'. Compare with: > "He is not so much her friend as (he is) her uncle." What do you suggest? |
515 | 180,339 | 76823_0 | Are we grammatically allowed to say that sb/sth do not so much do sth as (they) do sth: Daniel does not so much study as he talks to his friend/ She did not tell off his boyfriend as felt sorry for him. |
516 | 185,908 | 76823_0 | While watching the hit TV series Suits I noticed a headline "David vs. Goliath" published in the newspaper when the show's protagonist gets in an altercation with a common cab driver What does it mean? |
517 | 113,148 | 76823_0 | For some reason I have it in my head that I can use the word "rather" at the end of a phrase to indicate that I am correcting a previous misstatement. For example: > Down the hall, you'll find the bathrooms on your left...right, rather. Is this in typical usage anywhere, or am I just crazy? |
518 | 113,149 | 76823_0 | Would like to know if it's wrong to use "my something of choice"? Does the phrase have the same meaning as "something of my choice"? |
519 | 185,900 | 76823_0 | Good day, apologies for the rather confusing title. My friends and I came up with an idea and started a music appreciation day for each day of the week. The idea is that each day has an assigned genre or category of music and the music that we would post should fall under the said category. We started with Mashup Mondays, however, after that, we had a difficult time coming up with other "music days" for the other days of the week. So far, we've got these: Mashup Mondays - mashup of multiple songs (nothing on tuesdays) Wordless Wednesdays - classical music or instrumental covers Throwback Thursdays - I know this is a thing in general but we decided to use it as well Foreign Music Fridays - Songs that aren't from our country and isn't in English. (nothing on Saturdays) (nothing on Sundays) Originally, we had Tuned up Tuesdays for auto-tuned songs but it doesn't have that much wide of a selection to choose from. Any how, that's all we got as of now and we are open for suggestions even for the ones that we already have. I apologize if this may end up subjective in one way or the other, it's my first time asking in this network. Thanks for the help. |
520 | 146,317 | 76823_0 | I was writing to someone and I had below line using "just in case" _"I have done blah blah blah..., **just in case they need to be** so and so..."_ I was wondering if this the right way of using it? or should it be _"I have done blah blah blah..., **just in case if they needs to be** so and so..."_ Please suggest!! |
521 | 113,142 | 76823_0 | What is the correct way to say: "All items over 5 lbs. are excluded." I'm specifically asking about "lbs." or is it "lb."? American English if it matters. Also is "5lbs." ever correct? Or is it "5 lbs."? |
522 | 21,933 | 76823_0 | As there are plenty of nouns used as verbs, why is it that I do not shelf, but rather shelve, an idea? Since the -lves is just the special case plural of -lf, it seems curious that the -lve is used to construct the verb form. I looked up some of the etymology, but it is of little use: > 1591, "to overhang," back formation from shelves, plural of shelf. Meaning > "put on a shelf" first recorded 1655; metaphoric sense of "lay aside, > dismiss" is from 1812. Meaning "to slope gradually" (1614) is from M.E. > shelven "to slope," from shelfe "grassy slope," related to shelf. Is this an odd degredation of the word, or something else? |
523 | 81,703 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Is "grammar nazi" politically correct? Or is it comical? What about terms like "grammar nazi", "food nazi", "safety nazi", "breastfeeding nazi", "safety nazi", "feminazi", "islamofacist" etc. Are these offensive or comical? Does it make a difference if we are speaking specifically about people that disrespect individual freedom? --for example, if rather than characterizing "islam" or "feminists" as tyrants, we say "islamofacists" or "feminazis" are tyrants? Here the purpose is not to offend but to emphasize that we're not against **all islamic** people or **all** feminists but only those that are not libertarian. What would be a good term for that? |
524 | 171,075 | 76823_0 | Why do two adverbs follow _come_ in the phrase, **_come on in_**? I know _come in_ , _come on_ , _go away_ , but when I hear _"Come on in"_ in American movies, I can't figure out its grammatical structure. |
525 | 100,191 | 76823_0 | This is a sentence I've come across while reading 7 Things About Love That Make No Sense > If you’re the couple that just stands on the sidewalk for extended periods > of time and boops noses together in between makeout sessions and sweet > nothings, you deserve to get breadcrumbs thrown at you. Is a metaphor or some rhetorical device used? Why do they deserve breadcrumbs? What are _boops noses_ and _sweet nothings_? |
526 | 57,087 | 76823_0 | I have a question: it's been months that I watch movies for improving my listening skill(it was quite awful:-D). now my question. I know that we should use "warlord" instead of "Lord of war" or "landlord" instead of "Lord of land" but I don't know why "The lord of the rings" is correct? isn't it better to use Ringslord ??? I meant how to know when I should use "of" ? |
527 | 323 | 76823_0 | This morning I read this sentence (see story): > On July 24th and again on July 29th, Egyptian police did shoot dead unarmed > African migrants attempting to cross that border. Why "did shoot" and not "shot"? |
528 | 125,139 | 76823_0 | When is it correct to use the form "I did want to ..." versus "I wanted to..." (substitute other verb for "want"). I often find myself changing from the former to the latter when I edit early drafts, but sometimes the former seems to better emphasize my "wanting". EDIT: Part of my curiosity was that this has the feel of a slightly different tense, but it is not. The discussions in the following, which I found rather indirectly via the ELL meta site, are more what I was looking for. Difference between "did + verb" and just "verb+ed" |
529 | 151,267 | 76823_0 | Sentences like "I do believe" or "I do love you" are common. But I was wondering what do they mean? I've never seen structures like this in grammar. In fact I don't understand what is the diference between these sentences and ,say ,this simple one: "I believe" or "I love you" Thanks in advance. |
530 | 170,917 | 76823_0 | Why is this acceptable English? `I did see him` The two verbs `did` and `see` use different tenses. `did` is past tense and `see` is present. However if there is a conjunction then we keep the past tense. `I did it and saw him` What's the name of the rules followed here? |
531 | 64,487 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > "did shoot" vs "shot" > 'Did see' and 'Saw' > “I understand you” vs “I do understand you” > What is the difference in meaning between “I play” and “I do play”? What is the difference between _does have_ and _has_? For example, compare _she does have a car_ and _she has a car_. |
532 | 103,214 | 76823_0 | What is the correct syntax: * "Which browsers do support this?" * "Which browsers support this?" |
533 | 24,521 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > When do you use “Did + 1st form” instead of “2nd form” When is _do_ used in affirmative sentences? For example: > I do think that this is going to be... Is it only used to emphasize a concept? |
534 | 134,814 | 76823_0 | I'm starting to learn English. I have a question. What is the difference between > I like milk and > I do like milk |
535 | 66,984 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Difference between "does have" and "has" > "did shoot" vs "shot" > 'Did see' and 'Saw' > “I understand you” vs “I do understand you” > What is the difference in meaning between “I play” and “I do play”? Is there any specific scenario where the "Environment does matter" used ? Actually, its a tagline of a product. Guys any ideas? |
536 | 40,875 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Use of "do" in affirmative statements Why do people sometimes use the words "do" or "does" in affirmative sentences? For example: > A: We know a guy! > > B: We do know a guy! Why doesn't B just say: "Yes, we know a guy"? And in general, why the use of "do" in affirmative sentences? |
537 | 90,899 | 76823_0 | > **Duplicate:** > “did shoot” vs “shot” > When do you use “Did + 1st form” instead of “2nd form”? > Use of “do” in affirmative statements I know that _did_ is used when asking or when using a negative sentence. > — Did you play soccer? > —I didn't play soccer. But I'm wondering whether it can be used also when we are talking about affirmative sentences. For example, "I did play soccer" instead of "I played soccer". It's grammatically correct? |
538 | 185,713 | 76823_0 | The two sentences here both indicate that, at some point in the past, I performed some work: * I did work * I worked What is the difference between these two sentences? Does constructing one with _did_ and the other with a simple past change the meaning? |
539 | 24,237 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > "did shoot" vs "shot" I often notice such sentences as: "EEG did show tumors"(from this week House M.D.) Why not "EEG showed tumors"? Is that form used to emphasize something? |
540 | 75,179 | 76823_0 | This sounds wrong to me: > If happy ever after did exist > > I would still be holding you like this It may be perfect grammar for all I know, and songs have "poetic license", yet... Is "did exist" the right tense here? If not, how could it be improved? EDIT: the moderator that closed this as "exact duplicate" did not bother to read/understand the question and the answers! |
541 | 57,080 | 76823_0 | These are two words that have baffled me for long. _Dependency_ is given as 'excessive dependence' in Chambers, but I would love to know how the spoken usage is. My guess is _dependency_ has a political touch to it. In addition, there is an _independency_ as well in the dictionaries, though it does not sound popular. |
542 | 57,082 | 76823_0 | If you have a more illustrative title, feel free to change it. I searched but I couldn't find one. This may be an easy and trivial question; if so, I am sorry. What are the differences between these two sentences? > _These two guys seem to be inseparable._ > > _These two guys seem inseparable._ I can intuitively say that the latter one is grammatically wrong. Could you please explain? **EDIT** : What I think is John Lawler's and FumbleFingers' answers are worth to read. The reason why I noted that someone who wants to learn the answer of this question, accidentally misses FumbleFingers' answer. |
543 | 180,335 | 76823_0 | A typical request where I have a word on the tip of my tongue that I just can't place. UPDATED: A lot of the suggestions are direct synonyms of bragging so I'll try and clear up the context more. The context that made me think of this word was an argument where one of the participants was spending a lot of time trying to sound intelligent or talk down to the other instead of resolving the issue, so some better examples of similar meanings might be > "Get off of your high horse" or > "Stop going for the moral high-ground" but in shorter form. > "Stop singing your praises and get to the point" Is another good example. Context could be : > "Enough of the **____**. Get to the point." or in verb form > "Stop ____ and get to the point". EDIT: As in the comments, formal or slang suggestions accepted. It could also be a more archaic term, something a King might say to a long- winded herald. UPDATE: Synonyms that are close to the right example: * ensky * adulate * flatter * commend * glorify * praise * laud These are good but I feel that something with more negative connotations would be better, or something describing a surplus of one of the above. Other possible synonyms that don't quite fit: http://thesaurus.com/browse/brag * horn blowing * showboating * grandstanding * narcissism * ego-boosting * ego-stroking * pissing contest * chest-beating * self-promotion * self-love * double-speak One strange example that came the closest was "brown-nosing". Is there a similar term that could be used for brown-nosing oneself so to speak? Can't offer much else other than I think it's a Gerund, so ending in -ing. Thanks for all the suggestions anyway. |
544 | 30,455 | 76823_0 | I know there are different opinions on this issue. My question: Is using "he" for a general, gender-neutral third person still in common use for formal writing? By common use I mean, can I expect my paper not to be penalised because I use "he" as pronoun for "a student", etc.? I think "he/she" is too clumsy and I am not comfortable with singular they. |
545 | 102,365 | 76823_0 | If one reads a lot of children's books, it is obvious that X is a real thorn in the side for those authors looking to have each letter of the alphabet represented in their books. Most of them either cop out with _X-ray_ , or they make up fake words. My copy of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary has only 3 pages devoted to X and with the possible of exception of _xeric¹_ and _X-ray_ , none of the words would be recognized as common. Why are there so few common words in English that begin with the letter X? ¹ _xeric_ may not actually be that common since it is not recognized by the spellchecker in my browser |
546 | 106,040 | 76823_0 | I'm familiar with -se -ses -sation etc endings being British and the American equivalent being with z rather than s. However, I stumbled on the word "improvisation", which apparently can't be spelled with a z. How can you know which words are spelled using 's' in American English? |
547 | 84,103 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > "s" vs. "z" in BE vs. AE > Are the endings “-zation” and “-sation” interchangeable? I was asked on a translation assignment to use UK English but with -ize spelling. What is the more widely used spelling in use in UK English? What is the more correct form of using it: -ize or -ise? You might like this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences#-ise.2C_- ize_.28-isation.2C_-ization.29 |
548 | 24,680 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the word that denotes the words preceding these nouns? Would it still be a noun, an adjective, or something else? **Example:** > A **stone** fortress |
549 | 6,814 | 76823_0 | When I watched the "American Album" program, Susan and Henry talked about New York, and she used the word 'subway'. When I listened to BBC's '6 minutes English', I heard 'tube' used in the conversation. And as I know, there is another word, 'metro', also used sometimes. Could you please give me some more description about these words? |
550 | 107,702 | 76823_0 | I am in search of a good dictionary (meanings, definitions, etymology) with American IPA pronunciation. Any suggestions? Thank You! |
551 | 9,754 | 76823_0 | I saw this announcement on train: > The train service terminates at ... I think, in the noun phrase _the train service_ , the word _train_ does not modify the noun service (Edit: as other noun acting as Adj ). I think, tt should be _the service of train_ ; therefore, the sentence called for a genetive ,with _**'s**_ , not noun acting as a adjective ~~the word train should have the _ **'s**_ to show a possessive~~. (Edit) The train in the question is not a regular service, it's an ad hoc service in rush hour. What should it be? |
552 | 15,131 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicates:** > Question about Capitalization for a Bullet List > Periods for bullet point items Should each item be in uppercase or not? I've seen both forms: > Yada, yada, yada, such as: > > * standardized bananas > * Standardized bananas > And if each bulleted item is a complete sentence, should it be punctuated? And even if it isn't, should it have a comma? |
553 | 42,907 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Capitalization for a bullet list When using a list, like this: * first item * second item * third item should the first word in each item be capitalized? I.e., is this better style: * First item * Second item * Third item Does this depend on the content of the list, i.e. whether I use just keywords like in my example, or whole sentences? |
554 | 55,048 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Capitalization for a bullet list Let's say I have a bullet point list e.g: * Point 1. * Point 2. * Point 3. Notice I have put a capital letter for the starting letter of every bullet point and a full stop at the end. Is this the correct way to do it? If not, what is the correct way to do it? Do I put a capital letter and no full stop, or, the other way around, a full stop and no capital letter? Alternatively, do I not put a capital letter or a full stop? Is it only necessary to put a capital letter on the first bullet point and full stop on the last bullet point? For reference, I'm from the UK so British-English grammar would apply. |
555 | 5,241 | 76823_0 | In a 'bulleted' list should items that happen to be complete sentences end with a period? |
556 | 195,518 | 76823_0 | Please tell me which one is correct: > 1. "I wish everyone of you had showed up right at my front door." > > 2. "I wish everyone of you had shown up right at my front door." > > |
557 | 91,950 | 76823_0 | When people talk about "Self-Sufficiency and Preparedness", I wonder what it mean specifically? I.e., in what aspects is self-sufficiency, and what is prepared? For example, this board at this forum. Thanks! |
558 | 24,146 | 76823_0 | If you are a person who avidly recycles, are you a recyclist? |
559 | 163,897 | 76823_0 | what is another way to say " highly sought out"? I am looking for an alternative phrase for this current phrase. |
560 | 187,419 | 76823_0 | Is this statement correct? - > However catastrophic the physical abuse, the lasting scars came from the > verbal insults that had been hurled at them. Does the first part of the sentence before the comma need the verb "was"? |
561 | 187,417 | 76823_0 | There is an actor who never attends any public meetings or award functions. What to call such a person? |
562 | 37,308 | 76823_0 | I don't know about you, but to me, the term "Designer Baby" sounds wrong. Designer Babies are: > The colloquial term "designer baby" refers to a baby whose genetic makeup > has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro > fertilisation to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or > characteristics. The term is derived by comparison with "designer clothing". > It implies the ultimate commodification of children and is therefore usually > used pejoratively to signal opposition to such use of reprogenetics "Designer clothing" is understandable, because "designer clothing" is clothing that bears the logo of a recognizable fashion designer. That means, "clothing that has a designer's mark on it, hence the term "designer clothing", the clothing of a designer." But "designer baby" doesn't make sense to me. "Designer baby" isn't the baby of a designer. It's just a baby that's been designed artificially. Do you get me? So, shouldn't it be "Designed Baby"? |
563 | 187,412 | 76823_0 | This sentence: > Only when input goes to logic 1 (s) will the FSM move from state s0 to s1, > and then only when a clock pulse arrives. I have read in a book related to digital logic. I know the meaning of this sentence: when the input goes to logic 1 **and afterwards** a clock pulse arrives, **then** the FSM moves from state s0 to s1. Can you just explain the usage of the _"only when ... will the ... and then only when"_ structure. |
564 | 112,235 | 76823_0 | I know there are already many posts on **still** and **yet** , but I really find it difficult to use them as conjunction as in following sentences: > 1. _It's a small car, **yet/still** it's surprisingly spacious_ > 2. _He has a good job, and **yet/still** he never seems to have any money_ > 3. _The weather was cold and wet. **yet/still** , we had a great time._ > So my question is when should I use **yet** and when should I use **still** , when using it as a conjunction, and what is the correct option for sentences above? |
565 | 112,234 | 76823_0 | There was the following statement in (April 24) Time magazine’s article titled, “Thanks for dumb terrorists” reporting the capture of Boston bomb attack suspects: http://swampland.time.com/2013/04/21/give-thanks-for-dumb- terrorists/#ixzz2REueMOq5 > “ **Why had they not already killed him?** If the allegations against the > Tsarnaevs are true, they were obviously quite capable of killing in cold > blood. Assuming they had his ATM pin number, the owner of the Mercedes no > longer served any obvious use to them. What’s more, he knew exactly who they > were: The Tsarnaevs had reportedly identified themselves as the marathon > bombers.” What difference would come up by saying “Why had they not already killed him?” instead of a simpler version, “Why didn’t they kill him (then)”? Is there a very big difference? As we don’t have ‘the past perfect tense – have /had +p.p.’ mode in our language, it’s pretty difficult for me to discern the exact difference of the nuance of messages in two different tenses. |
566 | 112,236 | 76823_0 | Could you describe about "would have ~ed" & "would have not ~ed". I know _would_ has the several meanings. But when I was talking with one of my friend who is a native speaker and in this following conversation with him I couldn't understand the meanings he said. > A: I bought strong cheese this morning. Let’s eat it! You like it, don’t > you? Because You have stayed in Germany for several months and Germany is > famous for cheese. > > B: Not really. Because when I was living there I tried a strong cheese and > felt so bad afterwards. So I **wouldn't have purchased** any cheese in > Germany at that time. When I heard it, I got it that he has never bought any cheese there. If so, what’s the differences between "I wouldn’t have bought" and "I have never bought"? I would like to know the accurate meaning. Also I found the description like my question online below. > Q: > > Hello All, > > Could you tell me if I say "He would have done that" what exactly does it > mean? > > Does it mean that "he just start to do that before something happens and > that make him stop to do it. > > A: > > We need more context, Farheen. > > (1) He "would" have done that = he is the sort of person to do such a thing. > > (2) He would have done "that" = He would have done something different. > > (2) "He" would have done that = He must have been the person who did it. > > Can you give us more of the text? In this Q&A, the answered person answered the question in 3 conditions and I've thought if _would_ is replaced with _would not_ ,these all sentence will turn into negative condition. For example in (1) He "would not" have done that = he is “not” the sort of person to do such a thing. Is this also right? If so can I say the following sentence as one of my customs? For example: > I wouldn’t have shoplifted in my whole life. > > I wouldn’t have had a relationship with a lady, not even once And I have another question. what’s the differences (1) &(2)blow? > (1)He would have drunk coffee when he was young. = he is the sort of person > to do such a thing. > > (2)He would drink coffee when he was young. |
567 | 166,732 | 76823_0 | I use rebuke, reprimand, reproach, castigate, censure, and the others in a situation were applicable. but when I have to convey a message that my disapproval or criticism is mild or gentle or not that severe, what should I use? |
568 | 59,951 | 76823_0 | In what way is "are us" used? Like: what does "toys are us" mean.. Or what does "heavy weights are us" mean? Does "are us" always refer to several people? Or can one also use it when referring just to oneself? |
569 | 59,957 | 76823_0 | I would like to know whether following sentence is correct: _The battery does not last for as long as it says on the label_ |
570 | 146,868 | 76823_0 | Why is the idiom **drop the other shoe** negative as opposed to neutral or positive? I was looking something up when I came across this: _to do the deed that completes something; to do the expected remaining part of something._ OK, I get that. But then it was followed by these examples: > Franklin has left his wife. Soon he'll drop the other shoe and divorce her. > Tommy has just failed three classes in school. We expect him to drop the > other shoe and quit altogether any day now. I never associated the _relief_ one feels when the other shoe drops to a necessarily negative connotation of the idiom. Looking further, _wait for the other shoe to drop_ : > to wait for something **bad** to happen. _Once a company starts laying off > employees, those who are still working feel they are_ **waiting for the > other shoe to drop**. I understood it's origin, as I grew up in such an apartment: "A common experience of apartment living during the manufacturing boom of the late 19th and early 20th century. Apartments were built similar in design with one's bedroom under another's. Thus, it was normal to hear a neighbor removing shoes and hearing them hit the floor above. As one shoe made a sound hitting the floor, the expectation for the other shoe to make a similar sound was created." I don't see this as bad, except perhaps for the minor inconveniece of anticipation between shoe-falls. But when it happens, there is relief. Any thoughts? |
571 | 18,531 | 76823_0 | I’m thinking of something like _surfeitous_ , but obviously that’s not a word. |
572 | 137,181 | 76823_0 | I have a bit of a problem finding the right way to say/write the following: > Gained the academic title of professor of xxx. Is the choice of _gained_ fine, or should I use some other verb that is used more frequently in this context? Maybe _obtain_ or _earn_ , or something else, is more proper? Also, should it be "the academic title" at all, or rather a "degree"? I personally didn't use _degree_ because I would use it when emphasizing a Baccalaureate as opposed to Master's degree, for example. In this case, it's just a matter of simply stating the fact that a certain title (degree?) is a result of studies. Lastly, maybe _professor_ should be capitalized? I know, these questions must be awful and ridiculous, but it's been a long time since I even had to use my English in a serious situation. So I trust I'll get some help here. |
573 | 137,187 | 76823_0 | In the First World War soldiers in the trenches on both sides would sometimes give themselves a non-fatal wound ( intentionally shooting themselves in the foot, whilst making it appear as an accident, being a favourite). The purpose was to get themselves medically repatriated and out of the way of possible more serious harm, or death in action. Often I hear people use the term 'he has shot himself in the foot' to refer to someone who has unintentionally harmed his own interests whilst in the process of trying to damage someone else. What is the understood meaning of the metaphor 'to shoot oneself in the foot'? |
574 | 142,965 | 76823_0 | Which instruction is better: 1\. Insert events that occurred at an earlier time to complement the events in the ‘present’ story. 2\. insert events occurred at an earlier time to complement the events in the ‘present’ story. |
575 | 147,192 | 76823_0 | Two sentences taken from _First Certificate Language Practice_ by Michael Vince, 4th edition, p. 104, ex. 4, n° 3, and p. 105, ex. 5, n° 5: "Excuse me, is this the right way to the station?" "Am I going the right way for Downwood?" (to be transformed into, says the key: "Is this the right way for Downwood?") Why use the preposition 'to' in one case, and 'for' in the other? Aren't a town and a station two places? |
576 | 142,347 | 76823_0 | This is the first time I have come across a use of _but_ to mean _and_ without having a negative context. If the usage is correct, how would it be different from being used after a context with _not only_ or _not_ , and how would the meaning change if _and_ were used instead of _but also_? > My brother is talented in many different ways. He is a mathematical genius > _but also_ has great musical ability. |
577 | 142,341 | 76823_0 | We saw > this school is having torch relay (maybe it's correct), but I don't know if _relay a torch_ is right. Eg, _he is selected to relay the torch_. If not, how do we usually say it? |
578 | 142,342 | 76823_0 | I'd like to ask native speakers of English. What are some of the most difficult words you've learned recently? Or what are some of the words whose meanings were elusive and for which you've had to consult your dictionary recently? Thank you. I'd like to know a sample of words that trouble even native speakers. |
579 | 142,343 | 76823_0 | I want the words to describe that gesture in which the forearm is usually held upright, and the hand is allowed to drop-limply(if that clears things up)-at the wrist. The verbal phrase 'wave an airy hand' from somewhere in Harry Potter came to me, but I'm not sure that's an exact fit, and besides, I'd feel horrible about stealing another author's phrase for my own work... 'Bat' as in 'a careless bat of her hand' or 'she batted her hand cheerily'? I don't know... Any help would be much appreciated; and I mean no offense to anyone. |
580 | 138,985 | 76823_0 | Is it better to use the term _adjective agreement_ (noun noun) or _adjectival agreement_ (adjective noun)? By contrast, when talking of subject-verb agreement, I'm not aware of an adjectival term like subjective-verbal agreement or subject-verbal agreement. |
581 | 68,345 | 76823_0 | > The case is closed **by now**. > > The case is closed **now**. What exactly is the difference between the two? |
582 | 68,340 | 76823_0 | What is a word for _a group of contests_? It doesn't necessarily have to be a real word, just something that's concise and obvious, possibly something like _decathlon_ but for an indeterminate number of events. ### Update: To add more details, I am not so much focusing on the group of contests themselves but instead on the context in which the contests take place. I believe **league** is the best I've come up with so far. i.e. an athletic league like the _Major League Baseball_ vs _Minor League Baseball_. I was also liking **Olympiad** , but the idea is that concept I'm going for is supposed to be an indeterminate time period and indeterminate number of games. |
583 | 68,342 | 76823_0 | I've had a debate with my friend about the "needing" usage. I know we can't use "needing" in continuous tenses but take a look at my example: \- That's the man needing some money. I'm sure I saw " **needing** " in a book I read two months. Now I can't remember that book's title. My example may not be like synonymically what I saw in the book. |
584 | 138,988 | 76823_0 | I came across the following sentence in The Guardian (emphasis mine): > _**President Vladimir Putin of Russia_** said the EU was putting pressure on > Kiev and organising mass protests against President Viktor Yanukovych. I've seen this construction used only for royalty, e.g. > Prince Harry of Wales, King Stark of Winterfell, King Louis of France, etc. On the other hand, non-royal government leaders usually seem to follow another pattern: > Presidend of the USA Barack Obama, Prime Minister of Italy Silvio > Berlusconi, etc. Am I imagining things about this distinction or is ther truth to it? Is it possible that the unusual wording is a subtle pun or am I reading too deep into it? |
585 | 137,456 | 76823_0 | For our website I need a translation for the expression "BTW verlegd" (Nederlands / Dutch). When a company (seller) in the EU sells something to a foreign EU company (foreign buyer), the VAT can be moved over. The seller doesn't calculate VAT, so in effect it's VAT free. The foreign company has to pay VAT in its own country, but maybe a lower percentage or maybe it can deduct it somehow. I'm not sure how that works out, but that is not what this question is about. |
586 | 137,453 | 76823_0 | In this article on Cracked.com, I discovered this gem of a phrase: > ...Batman is the personality-shelf where Bruce Wayne stores the crazy- > plates... ...and I thought it was a fantastic phrase. Then I looked at it some more, and I wondered if it was just a simple metaphor, or whether there was a name for this kind of imagery. My thinking is that to be a metaphor, it could have simply been: > ...Batman is the shelf where Bruce Wayne stores his crazy... The Batman persona is a shelf, and the crazy is a thing that goes on the shelf. That's a metaphor. The line in the article, however, invents two new things that clearly refer to existing ideas, but aren't the same as them. So they've invented the concept of "personality-shelf", and said that's what Batman is. The same with "crazy-plates": even though it seems like pure whimsy, it provides some symmetry, clarifying the image and serving as the punch-line. I looked up "inventaphor", but that's not a word that Google knows, so I assume that's not what this is called. |
587 | 184,295 | 76823_0 | Shakespeare’s play is called _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_. So is _A Midsummer **’s** Night’s Dream_ correct English? If not, what would be the correct English? |
588 | 67,377 | 76823_0 | Clearly, _Hamlet_ and _Aladdin_ have eponymous characters (namely, Hamlet and Aladdin). What about _The Merchant of Venice_ and _The Little Mermaid_? Are Antonio and Ariel eponymous? A dictionary-check suggests some conflict on this point. Merriam-Webster says: > of, relating to, or being the person or thing for whom or which something is > named while would make Ariel and Antonio eponymous; the work they are in is named for them. On the other hand, dictionary.com has a Random House-derived entry that suggests the opposite: > giving _one's_ name to a tribe, place, etc (emphasis mine), and my paper OED seems to waffle a bit: > That gives (his) name to anything. |
589 | 137,458 | 76823_0 | I'm looking for an abbreviation to indicate that I finished work for the day. Example usage: "I'm going home, its ... for me". I found some examples on the internet, but I'm wondering what's most common to use. * EOB (end of business) * EOD (end of day) * COB (close of business) * ... Wikipedia (End of Day) uses COB, but Googling didn't give much info about its usage. EDIT: Context on where I would use it is writing (e-mail). I communicate with different teams in different time zones and it would be a handy way to let people know they don't need to expect a quick response from somebody because that person has already left the office (gone home). |
590 | 108,105 | 76823_0 | As someone whose mother tongue is not English, I'm sometimes having a hard time having the correct feeling towards the meaning of some words. This is one of those situations. I'm looking for a term that refers to how an API (an application programming interface) is designed. For example imagine a piece of text with such statements: > * For every `*_new` function, there is a `*_delete` function. > * All functions creating shared objects take a `name` parameter as the > first argument. > * All `int *error` arguments used for returning error code are optional > and come last in the argument list. > How do you refer to the text containing these statements? For example, is it the _style definition_ of the API? Are these the _conventions_ of the API? |
591 | 108,100 | 76823_0 | We could solve a problem, obviously. Is it possible to use "break", "beat", "hit", "crack" with the meaning of "solve"? I'm trying to find some more emotional equivalent. |
592 | 108,109 | 76823_0 | My Webster's New world Dictionary does not contain the word "loaned" at all, but my Thesaurus does, and the word "lent" is the first synonym listed. My wife, who learned English as a second language and therefore often speaks it better than I do, insists "lent" is more correct than "loaned" as the past tense verb form. Which is more correct? |
593 | 170,132 | 76823_0 | If someone asked for my help via email, can I say: > It will be my pleasure to help you. |
594 | 170,133 | 76823_0 | I'd like to include all numbers below 10, and exclude all numbers above 10. So I'd like to **____** at 10. (make the cut? put the limit?) I'm feeling that the expression has to do something with cutting, but I can't find the right words. |
595 | 170,130 | 76823_0 | I am starting to see the word "recount" used as a noun, even in the plural as "recounts", when the context makes it clear that this refers to the telling of a story (and definitely not something being counted for a second time as in re-count). This is turning up in homework assignments and descriptions of class work from my childrens' primary school. For example "This week we will be comparing different types of writing such as instructions, poetry and recounts"; "Study the pictures and then write a recount in your own words". My dictionaries only show "recount" as a verb in this sense, the noun can only mean the second counting of something (eg votes). Of course, the word "recounts" is a valid third person present tense derivative. I suspect some confusion with "account", which may be compounded by mishearing eg "give us your account..." / "give us your recount..." and then the word "recount" being used following words not ending in an "r". (this is a possibly "eggcorn" explanation). I accept that language can change over time, but have not come across this usage anywhere else. I would value any input on its correctness or otherwise before raising the issue with the school. I would hope that when teaching literacy, the use of correct English is itself taken seriously. |
596 | 170,137 | 76823_0 | While reading the satirical novel _A Confederacy of Dunces_ , I was struck by the protagonist's habit of expressing his vexation with the phrase "Oh, my God." I don't recall seeing a comma inserted into this phrase anywhere else; it's certainly not how I'd write it myself. The book was written, I believe, in the mid 1960's. Does anyone know if the comma was frequently present in older literary renderings of the phrase, or whether it's deliberately used by the author to denote a particular tonal pronunciation (a brief pause between "oh", and "my God"), unique to the protagonist, or whether I'm making a big old fuss about nothing? |
597 | 64,675 | 76823_0 | I think use of "usually" and "normally" is similar in English usage, and both are correct and exchangeable. I prefer 'normally' in most of my writings. Is there any suggestion for me? |
598 | 153,775 | 76823_0 | While reading P.G. Wodehouse's _The Inimitable Jeeves_ I came across a fascinating expression of "all to the mustard!" It is defined as meaning excellent. Why? Can anyone please help me understand this expression? |
599 | 30,334 | 76823_0 | > John gets a mentor to guide him throughout his life. — OR — He gets mentored > on a daily basis. I believe this is just as acceptable as the simple past: > John got a mentor to guide him throughout his life. — OR — He got mentored > on a daily basis." Doesn't the use of _got_ in the simple past tense suggest that John has already been mentored and that therefore his life has already ended? I believe that _gets_ can also be correct, since it shows that the mentoring he receives is a continuous process, and not one that has already ended, which suggests that he is not dead yet. Please correct me if I'm wrong. |
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