title: What do you call snow that has collected between a car body and the tire?

text: Snowy areas commonly see snow collect between a car body and tire. There is some strange satisfaction in kicking that snow off of the car and I've been in many conversations about miscellaneous details of this particular type of snow collection. Photographic example: ![Snow under tire.](http://i.stack.imgur.com/8uNCB.png) But is there a word I can use to refer to this clump? I am looking for a word similar to "icicle" or "stalactite" but a bit more specific.


title: How to avoid repetition of "something" and "some stuff"?

text: Is there any other word which can be used instead of **something** and **some stuff** , and how can the use of **something** and **some stuff** be avoided. For example: > He saw her dwelling on something; it seemed more like she was trying to > recall something. can it be written differently, without using **something** and/or **some stuff**?


title: How to speak mathematics

text: I've been asked to give lectures on electromagnetism in English, but I encounter many problems trying to express mathematical formulas since they are written and I do not know how to read them. Are there any references which elaborate the formulas and express what should we call any mathematical sign?


title: Ironic phrase like Russian’s “no, didn’t hear”

text: Here’s a bit of dialogue which I literally translated from Russian: > ― You should get a girlfriend! > > ― Girlfriend? Didn’t hear. . . . The idea of the answer is to self-ironically point out not only that the guy doesn’t have a girlfriend, but also that he hasn’t even heard of their existence. In Russian, it is a kind of idiom. What is the right way to express a similar idea in English?


title: "Learning" as a noun

text: This question came to my mind after seeing this tweet from an online acquaintance: > The use of _learning_ as a noun makes me ill. Maybe someone gained their > learnings about language from corporate Borat. Is the word _learning_ used as a noun not correct English? If so, what are the words one should be using to express the same intended meaning?


title: What's it called when you use the characteristics of a noun as an adjective?

text: Please feel free to edit this question so it makes sense. For example, if you're saying: > He has a bearish personality. We're using the qualities of a bear, (big, grizzly, perhaps dangerous), to describe his personality. > The party was very British. Conjures images of cups of tea, and polite reserved conversation; it's not saying the party was literally made of up British people. These aren't similes or metaphors. Is there a term for it?


title: Perform magic to children vs perform magic for children

text: I've noticed that there seems to be a usage of "to" where I expect "for" in certain dialects of English. The one that caught my eye today was a Reddit submission where the OP used the title "Why you don't perform magic to small children". Thinking about it, there seems to be something to the usage I'm not really grasping well. Running through various combinations and how they hit my ear: **OK usages**   * Perform magic for children   * Performing magic for children   * Perform magic for a crowd   * Performing magic for a crowd   * Perform magic for a child **Jarring usages**   * Perform magic to children   * Performing magic to children   * Perform magic to a crowd   * Performing magic to a crowd   * Perform magic to a child   * Performing magic to a child However, after replacing 'magic' with 'music' it changes to **OK usages**   * Perform music for children   * Performing music for children   * Perform music for a crowd   * Performing music for a crowd   * Perform music for a child   * Perform music to children   * Performing music to children   * Perform music to a crowd   * Performing music to a crowd   * Perform music to a child   * Performing music to a child **Jarring usages**   * None? What is the subtlety that I am missing? Is this just a matter of idiom or is there in fact a rule?


title: is there any word that means "current and upcoming"?

text: I want to find a word that could mean current and upcoming but couldn't. Or is there any other shorter ways to describe it? can anyone help me?


title: Is "the humanities" singular or plural?

text: Stephen Pinker published an essay entitled "Science is not your enemy", addressed to researchers in the humanities. Suppose one wanted to make an analogous suggestion to researchers in the sciences? Here are some options: > The humanities is not your enemy. But "humanities" has the form of a plural, whereas "is" is singular. > The humanities are not your enemy. Gloria Origgi posted article with this title, but if there are multiple humanities, wouldn't there be multiple enemies, i.e. that they are not? > The humanities are not your enemies. That just sounds odd. I'm referring to the humanities as a whole. Although I suppose it would be different if I wanted to specify that each individual humanity is not your enemy: > Art is not your enemy; history is not your enemy; literary studies is not > ... oops, are not, um ....


title: Looking for synonym 'look into heart' or 'reexamine thoughts'

text: I am looking for synonyms for 'reexamine thoughts'. I want to use the synonym in a context where I want to say 'think about myself or karmas before going to bed'.


title: What is the meaning of "home question"?

text: I have learned what "home truth" and "home thrust" means. But what is the meaning of "home question"?


title: How do you eat your eggs?

text: When I was in America I was offered eggs for breakfast as either 'up', 'down', 'easy' or 'dropped'. None of them are in use in Britain, where we have our eggs, fried, scrambled, boiled, or poached. Please could someone match these terms for me?


title: The meaning of "Mid or feed"

text: What does the expression "Mid or feed" mean? I realized it was a quote from Einstein. In addition, what's the meaning of the "mid" and the "feed" in this semi- context? After a Google search, I see the expression repeated in some online game ("League of Legends"; many related results). What about it, if anyone knows? I'd love any piece of information, since I'm not a native English speaker, and I couldn't find a clear interpretation.


title: What’s the difference between “tool” and “utility”?

text: I find these two words appear together often, especially mentioned as _tool_ and _utility_ for the Unix operating system. So I am wondering about the difference between them.


title: Term for the opposite of a scapegoat

text: I often bridle at news articles that focus on a single individual who has suffered in some way, as opposed to on the wider issue and the many others who have suffered similarly. Often, the article will also simplistically demonize a particular thing or entity as the sole cause of blame. In such articles, the thing being demonized is the 'scapegoat', but what is the term for a victim arbitrarily picked out from many? 'Martyr' doesn't fit as typically they (the martyr) die pursuing an abstracted goal or cause. The unknown soldier is a good example of a martyr, but they fought for something and remain anonymous. The victims I am trying to find a term for are often acknowledged in sympathetic terms, but not revered, and their now unattainable aims always seem to be cruelly highlighted. 'Figurehead' is another term I considered, as the word often used for someone prominent in a campaign, but they are not always involved in campaign - and rarely lead - a campaign. An example of this would be from today's Metro newspaper (UK): > Patrick dreamed of studying at Cambridge. But the 17-year-old turned turned > to drugs from Silk Road before dying of an overdose as his friends on Skype > looked on helplessly. The hallmarks of this are that the victim is highlighted to make a point, and is caricatured, their dashed aspirations always being emphasised, rather than being presented in a sympathetic light. What is the term for this?


title: What are the differences between the following responses to the question "how are you?"

text: 1. I am good.   2. I am well.   3. I feel good.   4. I feel well.   5. I am feeling well.   6. I am feeling good.   7. I am doing good.   8. I am doing well. A former English teacher told me #1 is improper English and to use #2. Is this true and why so? I Google searched this issue and found this article. The author clames both I am good and I am well are proper English, though I don't follow the argument. > The nitpickers will tell you that "well" is an adverb (and therefore > modifies verbs) and that "good" is an adjective (and therefore modifies > nouns), but the situation isn't that simple. To me this statement is empty. So what if "well" is an adverb and "good" is an adjective? What grammar rule is being contradicted if this were true? I have heard the argument that #5 and #6 are referring to the capacity to experience the sensation of touch. What I don't understand is how #3 and #4 can't be interpreted in the same way? Does it make a difference if the asked question is "how have you been?" versus "how are you?"?


title: What's the difference between fine (well) and good

text: how is it correct: I'm fine (well), or I'm good


title: When to use "Well" or "Good"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Why do so many people get this wrong? "How are you? / I'm well." How would you answer the question "How are you?" > I'm well. or > I'm good. I notice that in American English, the latter is normally used, but I feel that the former is grammatically correct. Same goes for questions like "How did it go?" Can one answer "It went well," or "It went good." Which is correct?


title: Use of "good" and "well"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "I'm well" vs. "I'm good" vs. "I'm doing well", etc   >  What is the difference between "good" and "well"   >  "Goes good with" or "goes well with" Is there a list of expressions or idioms in which _well_ and _good_ are used interchangeably like this one? Or an explanation as to which should be used and when? > I did well/good > > I feel well/good > > I am doing well/good > > I will be good/well > > I feel good/well about you > > I think good/well of you > > I do well/good I know that generally _well_ is used to describe a verb and _good_ is used to describe a noun. Can I use _bad_ in all these examples?


title: Is it I'm feeling good or I'm feeling well?

text: Isn't feeling here a verb of being so you would use the adjective good?


title: Using 'good' and 'well' in comparisons

text: Scenario: I 'look good' and I 'feel well,' how do I compare the two as being equal? consider the following two sentences: "I look as good as I feel" -and- "I look as well as I feel" I would choose the former, even though I don't 'feel good,' it just sounds right. However, consider these two sentences: "I feel as good as I look" -and- "I feel as well as I look" I would still choose the first one! Is that right? to always use 'as good' in comparisons?


title: Is there a difference between "good" and "well" when they are connected to subject via linking verb?

text: > marked as duplicate by Edwin Ashworth, David M, RyeɃreḁd, Brian Hooper, > tchrist > > This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those > answers do not fully address your question, please edit this question to > explain how it is different or ask a new question.


title: What can I use to remember the difference between "well" and "good"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the difference between "good" and "well" Okay, I actually have no idea when it's okay to say well or good but once again I vaguely remember a rule about them and I don't want to sound ignorant anymore or have that memory haunt me whenever people ask me how I'm doing.


title: Is "working good" correct in "The server is not working good"? Why?

text: Take the sentence > The server is not working good. I think that _working good_ is right here, but why is it right? Is _good_ an adverb in this position?


title: What is the difference between "good" and "well"

text: Most of the time, I use _good_ and _well_ interchangeably. However, on many occasions I would find _well_ or _good_ a misfit. Please suggest the proper usage.


title: "Looks really well" or "Looks really good"?

text: Which of the following sentences is correct? Could you use both? Why is this? > "That dress looks really _good_!" > > "That dress looks really _well_!"


title: Which is more correct: well or good? within the context given:

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the difference between "good" and "well" "I work equally well as part of a team or as an independent researcher." _or_ "I work equally good as part of a team or as an independent researcher."


title: "Goes good with" or "goes well with"

text: Let's say that A and B are two different kinds of foods. Which is grammatically correct? > A goes **good** with B. > > A goes **well** with B. If they're both correct, then which is better?


title: Is "the song matches so good" grammatical?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the difference between “good” and “well” Is _the song matches so good_ grammatical? It was posted in the context of a video link, like a comment. It simply sounded weird to me, but I can't really explain why. I personally would rephrase it to _the song fits so well_.


title: Phrase for observing a rule in a malicious way

text: I know this phrase, but for some reason it is blocked in my mind. What is the term for observing a rule, but doing so in a way that subverts it? I'm almost certain that _malicious_ is one of the words in the phrase, but I’m not positive about that. As an example, suppose there is a rule that in your workplace, you must put boxes to be mailed out in a certain place. Ralph considers this inconvenient, so he puts his boxes there, but he places them so they are in the way when you walk down that aisle, or in a way that makes the mail people work harder to organize the boxes before mailing them out. Ralph does this as a sort of protest against the rule. I don't think the phrase is _malicious observation_ , and it’s not _passive aggressive_ , but it’s something that means that. Help, this is worse than hearing a particular song in my head for hours!


title: meaning of expression "land in the tall grass"

text: I have seen the expression "land in the tall grass" and I am unsure of its meaning. Googling for it, I can only get the literal meaning, but not the one from a context like the one below from a TV series: > He is the one who should be nervous, Mommy. If you ask me? George Altman > **landed in the tall grass**. Any ideas?


title: Which is correct: "the below information" or "the information below"?

text: I frequently see statements that refer to something later in the text that use a phrase such as "the below information". Is it more correct instead to say "the information below" (or "the following information")?


title: Are there any words in English pronounced with /e/ at the end?

text: In first-language English pronunciation (Australian, British, American, etc., not Indian, Malaysian, etc.) are there any words with the /e/ (or /ɛ/) sound in "bed" /bed/ at the end of a word? As a counter-example "me" is pronounced /miː/. I don't know of any words ending in "e" where it is pronounced /e/; it is usually either /iː/ or silent. If you do know of any words please specify if they're limited to a certain dialect, region or accent.


title: Choice of sentence, which is better?

text: Which of these sentences is better? > Please check with the organizer when is the opening of this event or > Please check when is the opening of this event from the organizer I am also open to any better sentences that hold the same meaning.


title: What is a word/phrase for using a term for a popular special case instead of a generic term?

text: Some people use a term for a popular special case in place of a generic term. (Often this popular special case is a particular product in that category.) I think that this is a common phenomenon. Is there any word/phrase for it? For example, “Coke” officially refers to a Coca-Cola (I think), but some people seem to call any carbonated soft drinks “Coke.” In Japanese, _famikon_ is the Japanese name for Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), a video game console which was extremely popular in 1980s and early 1990s, but some Japanese people call any video game console _famikon_ even if it is not really a _famikon_. (As an aside, calling a video game console _famikon_ when it is not really a _famikon_ is even a stereotype of a “mother unfamiliar with technology” in Japan.) I am looking for a term which refers to this kind of usage of words.


title: Word for trade name that has become synonymous with the proper term for an item?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is a word/phrase for using a term for a popular special case instead > of a generic term? As the title of this question indicates, I was wondering if there is a specific term that means a trademarked product name that has become synonymous with the 'proper' name of an item. For example:   * the word _perspex_ , which is used to describe PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), even if it is not made by ICI,   * _biro_ , which is more often than not used to describe a ballpoint pen, and   * _super glue_ , which seems to be the common name for cyanoacrylate adhesives, or any other type of liquid/paste-form bonding agent of similar strength.


title: Is there a specific word in English (a noun) for the strong smell of spaces like cellars, basements and storerooms?

text: Due to the lack of sunlight, usually located fully underground in the house and kept shut almost all the time , basements tend to release a very strong odour that fills your nostrils whenever you open the door. It’s a very characteristic kind of smell --a combination of the smell of moisture, mildew and the goods stored in the room. I’m interested to know if English has a specific term for this smell.


title: No loitering sign: "Police Take Notice"

text: I'm a native English speaker and I've never been able to really parse this one. Is it a command aimed at the police? If so, shouldn't it be "police, take notice"? Is this construction used anywhere except these kind of signs? Examples from GIS


title: What is the meaning of the phrase "Land Sakes"?

text: In a children's story I was reading the other day, one of the characters said > "Land Sakes" ...from the context of the story, it must be to indicate they are surprised? It was completely foreign to me and I just generally wanted to know more about it


title: What is the difference between "this" and "that"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Using "that" and "this" interchangeably   >  Is there a clear delineation between the usages of 'this' and 'that' in > American English? Is there a specific rule about when to use the word "this" or the word "that"? I have heard people say "this clock", and I have also heard people use it in the context "this city". Overall, I'm very confused.


title: "This" vs "that"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Using "that" and "this" interchangeably I wanted to know the differences between _this_ and _that_. When do you use one or the other? For example: > Too good question, I am that person who likes to have reverse page > numbering, it is very motivating to read a book with **this** numbering. In the above example should I use _this_ or _that_?


title: Using "that" and "this" interchangeably

text: Learning and using English I'm always confused about what word to use for referring to things that have been described by me a few sentences earlier: "that" or "this". Confusion comes from the fact that only the equivalent of "this" is always used in my native language for such referring. But I've noticed that in English for such referring "that" is used as often as "this" (or maybe even more often). Some examples for illustrating (just tried to google something appropriate to convey my idea better): > We assess local... the demographics of the local population. What are the > natural traffic drivers in the area. Things like cinemas and pubs and retail > and office and **all that type of things** and we now put together a bit of > a matrix and actually give a weighted score to each of the things we know > help our business. That helps us decide in a more scientific fashion. or: > The problem of Cervantes' origin became after that into a tough matter. Some > experts believed that the Cervantes from Alcázar, in the times of the > Lepanto Battle, was in the age of a child, more concerned about gathering > nests and **that type of things** than about fighting as a soldier. and for "this": > I believe lot of people who involved fishery industries in Mexico Gulf are > suffering now but as for economic issues, U.S government and other countries > will support them and give an utmost response to it. Important thing is that > we learn from this mistake and make sure **this type of things will never > happen in the future** and protect nature environment thus we have to take > this technology to get energy from water very seriously. I really hope this > technology will be available and used for everybody as soon as possible. Is there a rule describing proper usage of these words in cases like this? _(or should I have written "..in cases like **that** "?)_


title: Use of "this" instead of "that"?

text: In a TV programme, the host asked a person about the literacy rate of his city. The person replied 96%. The host then looked at the camera and said, "Wow, can you believe that?" My question is about the use of _that_ ; if he had used _this_ instead of _that_ , would it be wrong?


title: "Is this genuine?" versus "Is that genuine?"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Using "that" and "this" interchangeably   >  "How did I do this" or "how did I do that"? Since I'm French-Canadian, I have a hard time figuring out this one. Speaking of a physical object like a stamp, a lamp or anything collectable what would I use:   1. Is this genuine?   2. Is that genuine? What's the better usage when speaking of the authenticity of the item in question? If you have better ideas (other than the two listed) feel free to add them.


title: "In that case" vs "in this case"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Using "that" and "this" interchangeably Imagine a dialog: > Me: Can I have a Guinness, please? > > Bartender: We run out of Guinness, mate. > > Me: **In that case** , I'll have a pint of Fursty Ferret. Would it be also correct to say _in this case_ in the last sentence?


title: "How did I do this" or "how did I do that"?

text: Is there a difference between: > How did I do this? and > How did I do that? If not, is there a preferred one? If they are different, when should I choose one over the other? I am not a native English speaker.


title: When to use “this" and when to use “that”?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Using “that” and “this” interchangeably What is the difference?   * What do you think about _that_?   * What do you think about _this_? What is the grammar rule about using _this_ and _that_ in this way?


title: This, that and it for non-material objects

text: The question is not about how to use "this, that, it" with material objects, but how to use them with **non-material** ones? I don't understand (it, that, this) yet. For example: > I go to a gym every day and I like (it, this, that?). > > You helped me and (it, this, that) is very good. Is there any rule about (again it, this, that?)? Suggestions? Can I use "this, that, it" interchangeably in **most** situations?


title: "this way" vs "that way"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Using “that” and “this” interchangeably When should I use "this way" or "that way"? Is there any difference between these two when they used in a sentences? More specifically do these two sentences mean the same thing: > Don't look at me this way! > > Don't look at me that way! As far as I understand, someone should use "this way" when he is intended to mean something very specific to the situation. Say when you point to some bad picture and say to the students, "Don't do it this way!". ### Update 1 I have looked the answers to the question Using “that” and “this” interchangeably, but this makes things even more difficult. It seems I should use "Don't look at me this way" sentence. Google thinks so (15,600,000 for "Don't look at me this way" vs 5,190,000 for "Don't look at me that way"). But there is a song named "Don't Look At Me That Way" by Chaka Khan after all! ### Update 2 Please note that "this way" ≠ "this" + "way". It has much deeper meaning. Aristotle said that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. So I guess there is no need to close this question only because you think other way, really!


title: Subject of a commit message (in software engineering)

text: Each time I need to write a commit message for a git/svn repository, I wonder what the subject of the sentence should be, whether it should be:   1. the author of the commit (for example, "I added the drag'n'drop feature");   2. the commit itself ("It adds drag'n'drop feature");   3. no subject and verb in the infinitive form ("Add drag'n'drop feature"). Is there a convention for this among developers? Let me know if I should migrate this question to StackOverflow.


title: Is "spoon feeding" a widely accepted usage?

text: In India, "spoon feeding" is widely used in context of education where the students are taught in a manner by which they do not have to do much on their own. Everything will be done by the teachers, and the students just have to understand the notes. Is this phrase used in other parts of the world also? Specifically, if I were to use it in a conversation with people from other cultures, will they get the meaning of the phrase?


title: Is "sb." a commonly accepted abbreviation? What does it mean?

text: What does _sb._ mean? I keep seeing it certain posters' questions and I'm not sure what it's supposed to stand for -- the word _something_ , my initial guess, doesn't have a 'b' in it. So my questions are: Is it a known abbreviation? What does it mean?


title: "A place nearby" but not "A place good"

text: I can ask any of: > Do you know a breakfast place nearby?   >  Do you know a nearby breakfast place?   >  Do you know a good breakfast place? but I really can't ask: > Do you know a breakfast place good? Is there a general rule for determining whether an adjective must come before the noun or may come, Spanish-style, after it?


title: Do the adjectives always precedes the noun or pronoun?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Why do some adjectives follow the nouns they modify?   >  Attributive and predicative position of an adjective   >  "A place nearby" but not "A place good" My natural language is French, and I am full fluent in Spanish. Since in Spanish we can use almost any adjectives to _precede_ or _go after_ a noun or pronoun. I would like to know if in English is the same case, or **do the adjectives always precedes a noun or pronoun**? Is there any exception? What are the grammatical rules involved?


title: Attributive and predicative position of an adjective

text: I have some difficulty understanding the position of adjectives. In English I have to put the adjective before the referred name (e.g., _I'm an Italian man_ ). In some languages (as Italian or Ancient Greek), the adjective (or another grammatical element) can have two positions:   1. attributive: "gli uomini buoni" (the set of men who are good).   2. predicative: "i buoni uomini" (the men who are inherently good: all the men are good). How do you translate?   1. the good men    2. ????


title: What's it called when you make an adjective post-positive?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Why do some adjectives follow the nouns they modify? In English, adjectives usually precede the nouns they describe, as in "organic carrots". However, in some cases "normal" adjectives are reversed - possibly for emphasis or to add an exotic flair. For example, Curtis Mayfield's album "A Love Supreme"; this would normally flow "a supreme love", but is reversed for some reason. Whatever the case may be, is there a word for this switcharound?


title: Why do some adjectives follow the nouns they modify?

text: Right now I can only think of one instance in which this regularly occurs. The adjective _proper_ is sometimes placed after the noun it modifies, e.g: > **Reptilia:** A class of cold-blooded oviparous or ovoviviparous vertebrated > animals whose skin is covered with scales or scutes; **the reptiles > proper**. What is this word order called, and why is it ever used? Edit: I really want to know about _proper_ , and while the word _hyperbaton_ relates to post-positivity when it is meant to be rhetorically impacting, it doesn't seem to fit with ubiquitous post-positivity, such as that of _proper_. I've accepted _hyperbaton_ as the correct term/reason for almost all post- positive constructions, but I'd like a complete answer to include _proper_.


title: Conjunction use: "and" or "or" in list of examples

text: When giving a list of examples, it seems to me "and" should be used because all the items in the list are examples, not just one of the items: > I love fruit (e.g., apples, oranges, **and** bananas). > > In my school, our teacher used various colors of chalk, such as blue, green, > **and** purple. Is "or" equally valid in these lists? If so, why?


title: Pronunciation of 'smoothed'

text: The _-ed_ suffix for the past form of verbs is pronounced   * /-d/ after a voiced sound (e.g.: _allowed_ : /əˈlaʊd/),   * /-t/ after a voiceless one and (e.g.: _walked_ : /wɔːkt/)   * and /-ɪd/ after /t/ and /d/ (e.g.: _halted_ : /hɔːltɪd/). How is _-ed_ suffix pronounced in the past of verbs ending in /ð/ and /θ/? How do you pronounce _smoothed_ in the sentence 'He **smoothed** his hair back.':   * /smu:ðd/   * or /smu:ðɪd/? By the rules above, I guess that the correct answer should be the first form, that incidentally, as a non-native speaker, I find a bit difficult to utter. Thanks in advance.


title: What's an antonym for "tyranny"?

text: Is there a perfect antonym for the word "Tyranny", meaning the two words could be used in the same place in a sentence and always function correctly, but have opposite meanings... i.e. The King ruled with tyranny. The King ruled with...


title: Is there a word for a "promise breaker"?

text: I'm somewhat vexed in that I cannot think of a word that means a "promise breaker" or "person who breaks a promise". There are words that may subsume that, such as "miscreant" or "liar", but I cannot come up with an English word that is limited to a person who breaks promises. The closest I've come is "piker", which is (a) informal and (b) limited to Australia/NZ, but means (according to the dictionary on my Mac): > a person who withdraws from a commitment. Is there a more formal and common word that can be used to refer to people who break promises?


title: What is the difference in usage between crenulate and crenelate?

text: I've long been familiar with **crenulated** edges, but until today I wasn't aware of **crenelated**. Looking at the definitions, they seem to describe the same kind of feature, that of notches on an edge that are more rounded in contrast to, say, serrated. What are the differences in nuances? When would be a "wrong" time to use one over the other?


> Many years ago, on my way from Hongkong to New York, I **passed a week** in > San Francisco. What exactly does the phrase "pass a week" mean?


title: Should a contraction taken from the center of a word have two apostrophes?

text: I'm currently reading _Entrepreneur Magazine,_ and there is a story profiling a 13-year-old who created a series of stickers to embellish Lego blocks. The subtitle of the story reads > A pint-size 'trep solves a sticky toy dilemma This doesn't seem right to me. Since _'trep_ is a contraction of entrepreneur, and the word is losing _en-_ from the left side and _-reneur_ from the right. Wouldn't the correct subtitle read > A pint-size 'trep' solves a sticky toy dilemma Yes, it looks awful, but wouldn't it be technically correct?


title: "Have not went" or "have not gone"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Why is the incorrect phrase "should have went" so widely used? Which is correct? > If you haven't **went** out to see the moon tonight, you should. > > If you haven't **gone** out to see the moon tonight, you should.


title: Why are the notes or protocol of a meeting referred to as its 'minutes'?

text: A minute is 60 seconds. Something 'minute' is small, minor, perhaps short. Now, what about the _minutes_ of a meeting or a session? As in, its written protocol? Are they called that because:   * The minutes are short or brief compared to everything that was actually spoken?   * The minutes are sometimes prefixed by the time within the meeting?   * Something having to do with the ~~morphology~~ etymology of the word 'minute'?


title: I am wondering: Is this a proper way to use a colon?

text: When sending sending formal emails that ask a question to the recipient, I often find myself writing something like the following: > I was wondering if **___ __ ___ _**. The problem with this is that this format takes a question and turns it into a statement—i.e. the sentence ends with a period and not a question mark. I think the problem that I have with this is that the prompt for response is implicit rather than explicit. Can I write the following instead? > I was wondering: Is this the proper way to pose a question in a formal > email? Is this the proper use of a colon? Is there a better way to achieve the same effect?


title: What is a "group of managers" called?

text: What is the term used for a "group of managers"? For example > He has a fleet of managers or > He has a legion of managers Though the sentences above might not be correct. I want to know that correct term that would replace _fleet_ and _legion_ in the sentences above


title: One word for "lack of exercise"

text: Once upon a time, I saw a short, proper and single word for "lack of exercise", but I forgot it.


title: For the current vs in the current

text: I'm in doubt about the right preposition in the quoted sentence, may I use _in_ or _for_ here interchangeably ?   Or, each one gives a different meaning to the sentence ? > A worker exists that has at least 2 absences for/in the current day.


title: Is there a name for words following this pattern?

text: Word pairs like _bizarre_ and _bazaar_ , although spelled differently sound very similar. It also seems like they are more than just a pair of rhyming words. Is there a classification within _rhyming words_? Are there other such words? Or are they just a pair of rhyming words and I'm highlighting them because they just sound cool?


title: When should I say "post to" or "share with"?

text: I need to explain that an app can post/share images to social networks and blogs with up to 5 services at the same time and that it's managed through _outh_. Can anybody help me with some inspiration? I'm a bit stuck with that, especially if I should say _upload to -_ , _send to-_ , _post to -_ or _share with_ social networks.


title: word for 'someone who came back from the dead'

text: I am looking for a cool name that is similar in meaning to 'someone who came back from the dead'. if it's feminine that will be great. I have a laptop that was dead for a long time and I have got it working again. I am thinking to give it a cool name.


title: Difference between "activities" and "techniques"

text: What is the difference between "activities" and "techniques" in teaching methodology?


title: Which word can I use for "abundant light"?

text: Which word can I use to describe too much light, i.e., when I have switched on 3 bulbs while there was a need for only 1 bulb?


title: Word similar to "farewell" but with negative connotation

text: I am looking for a word that is similar to the meaning of _farewell_ or _goodbye_ except that it has a negative connotation. I find it hard to choose an appropriate word when I close communications with a person or organization that has affronted me when I really do not wish them to fare well.


title: Why is "shrimp" the plural of "shrimp"?

text: When you talk about "shrimp" in the plural, there's no "s." However, how can you explain it grammatically?


title: "Prodigal" vs. "spendthrift"

text: What are the differences between the words _prodigal_ and _spendthrift_? They seem to mean the same. When does one choose to use one over the other?


title: something is capable of to be p.p. or being p.p.?

text: > Manual: _small, helpful book capable of being carried in the hand._ What is the difference between _to be carried_ and _being carried_ in this sentence?


title: Where should the comma be placed in the salutation of a letter?

text: Sometimes I see a comma _after_ the proper name: > Hello Mr. Black, > > In order to give you.... But my native language is not English and I think that the comma in this phrase should be placed _before_ the proper name: > Hello, Mr. Black. > > In order to give you.... What is the correct punctuation in English?


title: Comma usage in a letter opening

text: My colleague and I disagree on how to open a letter; he believes you should separate the salutation from the name, like so: "Hi, John" I think this is nonsense and that the comma should go at the end, like so: "Hi John," Is there a formal definition/right answer?


title: Do I need to place a comma before an address?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Where should the comma be placed in the salutation of a letter? I am not sure if the way I have formulated the title of my question is correct, so if you know better, please, edit it. The question is simple: Whenever I thank anyone for his or her answer or comments I usually write ( _eg_ ) "Thank You, George, for Your answer", or "Thank You, Silverglass, for telling me that". Usually in such phrases I place commas on either side of the address, but I don't know if it's correct in English or not. What about greetings in the very beginning of an e-mail? I do place commas there before the address: > Hi, Mark, > > How have you been? It's been... or > Hello, Peggy! > > Do you know of any... but I have seen many times that commas before the address were omitted ("Hello Mark," or "Hello Peggy!"). So, which way is correct?


title: How to use commas in greetings

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Where should the comma be placed in the salutation of a letter? I've noticed that most of Americans I interact with online have a tendency to begin their emails like this: > Hi Fabio **,** Meanwhile in my native language we write: > Hi **,** Fabio which is taught to us in school. What's the deal?


title: Punctuating a salutation on a line by itself

text: In a salutation on a line by itself, which version is punctuated correctly? > _Hi, Mr Lawler,_ > > I am writing to say [...] > _Hi Mr Lawler,_ > > I am writing to say [...] > _Hi, Mr Lawler._ > > I am writing to say [...]


title: Which is the correct way to start a letter ? - 1) Hi, Joe, or 2) Hi Joe,

text: The question is whether we require a comma after 'Hi' or not.


title: Should the beginner's program read "Hello, World?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Where should the comma be placed in the salutation of a letter? I was thinking today about comma usage and the typical first output for a beginning programmer. In the typical example you see "Hello World" but does proper sentence construction/comma usage rules dictate there be a comma between the greeting and the thing being greeted. I.e. should a proper sentence read "Hello, World"?


title: The caring continuum

text: Can you please explain the caring continuum shown in the image? ![http://i.imgur.com/iTSHY.jpg](http://i.stack.imgur.com/0OqeA.jpg) What is the author trying to convey through the image? Is it supposed to be funny/sarcastic? I am not sure if I have tagged it correctly but this is my first question on a SE site.


title: Is this 'neither' a determiner?

text: > However, this mirror will give us **neither** knowledge **or** truth. (Harry > Potter book 1, p213) > > However, this mirror will give us **neither** knowledge **nor** truth. As I’m accustomed to ‘neither~nor’ phrase, ‘neither~or’ above is unfamiliar. Is the ‘neither’ in the first sentence a determiner? And when the ‘or’ is changed into ‘nor’, does ‘neither’ become a correlative conjunction? ; What's the difference of the meaning between the two sentences?


title: What is a less restrictive word for "crucial"?

text: I'm writing my research proposal and I have the following sentence: > The excess charge is considered crucial for the membrane penetration > process. I find the word _crucial_ too strong and I'm searching for another word which is less strong in that context. I thought about _required_ but it doesn't "fit well" with the sentence. Can you think about better word? Also, I remember that there was a website for synonyms which also had some similar meaning words, but I can't find it. Do you know any of that kind?


title: Does "manicure" only apply to caring for hands?

text: I understand that _manicure_ derives from the Latin for _hand_ and _to care for_ , but can _manicure_ mean _care for by hand_? So could you manicure a bush?


title: Word to describe a person who expresses his or her own feelings frequently?

text: I'm looking for a word to describe a person (it can be a term of animal's behavior) who expresses his or her own feeling frequently, particularly through their facial expressions.


title: What is the correct plural form for multiple address

text: ..as in "I have corrected all of the e-mail address'"? Thank you, Mel


title: usage of i.e in a sentence

text: My professor tells me that the word `i.e` should be written with a brace and quotations outside it For example: `"(i.e)"` is that the correct way?


title: Term for something you don't know you'll like until you discover it?

text: There is a situation where a person has no idea that something is exactly what they are looking for, desire or like until they discover it. Is there a term for something you don't know you'll like until you discover it?


title: American Equivalent of "Bog Standard"

text: I'm searching for an American English phrase that is the most readily equivalent to the British expression **_bog standard_** (which means, as I understand, _plain, ordinary or unremarkable_ ). I'm tempted to use **_run of the mill_** or **_out of the box_** but these don't really have quite the same flavor as _bog standard_. No need for an etymology lesson, here. But I would appreciate any synonymous phrasings, especially for those with a bit more humorous flair. **Edit:** For to provide context as to assist I present the usage: > My **_bog standard_** stepmother, Rose, in her inaugural summer as my de > facto parent made it known with little uncertainty that the absolute last > thing she wanted while school was out of session was for me to be within 50 > miles of her teenage daughter. In this case I'm intending _bog standard_ to mean something of standard issue; I'm trying to say that my stepmother is a stereotypical archetype. I like _bog standard_ but I am afraid that a wider American audience will be unfamiliar with the phrase. **Edit #2:** For to clarify in a manner that furthers understanding: There are a lot of phrases on both sides of the Atlantic that mean plain, boring, unexciting, standard or average. But _bog standard_ has a special flavor all it's own. It has this special, subtle knock to it. To sort-of clarify the matter so you know what I want, I want the reader in just one or two (or three) words get the feeling that she is a straight from The Brothers Grimm standard issue stepmother. She might as well have come stock from the Acme Stepmother Factory in a wooden crate marked "Contents: One Stepmother. Fragile. This Side Up.". I want it to be like I'm standing in line being handed the contents of my life: One childhood, pleasant, check; One adolescence, awkward, check; One stepmother, standard issue, check. I want one small phrase that captures this whole concept, packs it in a nice little box, puts a nice little bow on it and then hands it to the reader. That's not too much to ask, is it?


title: What is the antonym of "digital native"?

text: A _digital native_ is someone who has grown up with all the new technologies, like the Internet, and has no troubles adapting to new ones. Yet there is still are quite a few who never really got in touch with these technologies; people born in the 60s and 70s, who still buy their music on CD, watch TV on a television, and only read news printed on paper. So I am not looking for _digital immigrant_ , as those people I want to describe aren't even discovering this new technology yet. They are still oblivious about them. How would I call them?


title: "Save You Money" or "Save Your Money"?

text: > The discount is here to save you money. > > The discount is here to save your money. Which one of them is correct?


title: "Information is a distinction that makes a difference" - Donald MacKay

text: This quote keeps puzzling me. I've newly started attending some lectures relating to the linguistic/information and theories of linguists past and present, which is usually followed up by a debate among the participants and the guest-lecturer of the day. Though I usually enjoy these, the lecturer quoted Gregory Bateson half-way in, saying: > "The difference that makes a difference" Which he quickly acknowledged as an extension of Donald MacKay's quote: > "Information is a distinction that makes a difference". The problem was that the last quote confused the heck out of me. What exactly did MacKay mean when he said "information is a distinction that makes a difference", anyway? Could anyone explain what this quote meant? An example would also be lovley, but is by no means mandatory.


title: Is there a word for the status of a team being 'home' or 'away'

text: A team can be 'home' or 'away' - but what is this status called? At first I thought 'location' or 'venue' but this isn't right - the location is singular and the basis of what determines the 'home' or 'away' status. ex:   * Team: Main Street Bruisers   * Mascot: Gorilla   * Score: 4   * _status_ : Away **edit** : Thanks everyone for the input. It's quite a tricky one. The idea of 'hosting' is nice - but I'm not looking for a boolean kind of value - 'hosting? = yes' or 'hosting? = no' - more for a term that signifies the status of the field of play for a given team.


title: Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't care less"?

text: What's the deal with the phrase "could care less"? Whilst growing up, I've always known people (parents etc) to use the phrase "couldn't care less", but I've also come across people who use the phrase "could care less" to mean the same thing (that is, "I do not care at all about that"). To me "couldn't care less" seems a lot more logical. If I couldn't care less about something, that implies I do not care about it at all. In contrast to this, to my mind the phrase "could care less" seems to indicate "I do care about this to some degree at least", but that's definitely not the meaning intended. What's going on here? Is my (logical) analysis correct or in error?


title: Could anyone care less?

text: I've noticed recently that where in England we say "couldn't care less" in the US the negative is avoided and the phrase becomes "could care less". This is rather jarring because of the contradictory semantics. Can anyone confirm this observation, and shed any light on the difference of usage (if it indeed exists)?


title: "Have a breakfast" or "eat a breakfast" in AmE

text: Which expression do Americans prefer, _have a breakfast_ or _eat a breakfast_?


title: What is the noun that corresponds to the verb "to miss"?

text: Is there a noun that precisely describes the emotion of missing someone/something? There is _longing_ , but I don't think that's quite right. You can feel longing for something without missing it. I know this word exists in another language (Hebrew - געגוע), but I'm not sure if there is an equivalent in English.


title: Use of determiners as adjectives

text: In a grammar book that I'm reading, an **adjective** is defined as: > A word that modifies a noun or a pronoun. (To modify is to limit or point > out or describe: _that_ book; _another_ chance; _the_ blue ribbon). For > convenience the articles _a_ , _an_ , _and_ the are usually classified under > adjectives. When I looked up in dictionary, _a, an, the, that_ etc. are known as **determiners**. How can they be classified under adjectives?


title: A word for "remorse" but without guilt

text: What is the word for the feeling of "remorse," but without guilt? Such as, sadness for a poor outcome, but with the realization that the actions taken were necessary or the best with the given amount of information. I feel that this is different from remorse because remorse implies that there is a desire for the actions not to have been taken or to have been taken differently. In this scenario, there is no such desire, though there is a desire for the possibility of a better outcome. There may also be a derivative term in the case that there was good or positive intentions, or if the results of the actions were known (therefore intended) but still necessary.


title: When describing a person, should "Valentine" be capitalized?

text: When used to describe the day, the word is capitalized: "What are you doing on Valentine's Day?". But what about when describing a person, as in meaning two in Wiktionary: > She was my Valentine. Should it be capitalized, or not? I tried using Google NGrams, but couldn't come up with a good non-noisy query.


title: "Answer to the question" vs. "answer for the question" vs. "answer of the question"

text: >   * The answer to the question. >   * The answer for the question. >   * The answer of the question. > Which is grammatical? What are the differences? And what is the preferred usage?


title: What can you call someone who does not have a say in choices that completely affect him?

text: Something to call someone who doesn't have a say in the choices that affect him the most? Think 'a major stakeholder who has no voting rights,' ha!


title: Can we accept such words as 'invite' when used as a noun in correct English?

text: So often people tell me they have had an 'invite' to something, I am wondering if the word can actually be accepted as correct English, as opposed to 'invitation'. In a similar vein people, more usually in the north of England, will use the present participle of verbs in situations which call for the past. E.g. Waiter in restaurant asks you 'how would you like your eggs cooking?'instead of 'cooked'. Are these not simply incorrect expressions in English? It just seems to me that nowadays if enough people start saying something it becomes acceptable.


title: What kind of structure with a relative pronoun is this?

text: > As Lord Esher once noted, ‘Any proposition **the result of which** would be > to show that the common law of England is wholly unreasonable and unjust > cannot be part of the common law of England.’ Would someone please help unravel the bolded relative clause, step-by-step? Please explain your steps. I've never seen this construct before. Does the bolded clause = 'whose result'? Moreover, is it equivalent to ' **the result of** any proposition **which** would be to show ...' ? Source: P101, How the Law Works, Gary Slapper


title: exclamatory sentence: HOW vs. WHAT?

text: I say: > A) What a good heart you have! > > B) How beautiful a girl she is! > > C) What awful weather! > > D) How I wish to have a long vacation these days! > > E) How little money we have! Do these following sentences make sense ? > A1) How good a heart you have! > > B1) What a beautiful girl she is! > > C1) How awful weather! > > D1) What I wish to have a long vacation these days! > > E1) What little money we have! > > F1) What nice music it is! > > F2) How nice music it is! > > G1) What beautiful girls they are! > > G2) How beautiful girls they are! Thanks.


title: "Battery" and "Battery", why are they called the same?

text: This post made an interesting point about what would be understood when the word battery is used. > In the U.S. at least, the word battery is so rarely used outside the legal > phrase assault and battery that a listener would be pretty much guaranteed > to assume it meant an electrical battery unless it was specifically > disambiguated by context. This prompted me to see if there is a difference in the etymology of each words. According to Wiktionary, they both have the same origin, the Old French _baterie_ , which means "the action of beating". So this prompted many question: How the meaning of the word evolved in one case to "A device that produces electricity by a chemical reaction between two substances."? When was it first used as such? Or is there a mistake in Wiktionary concerning the etymology of _electrical battery_?


title: Meaning and etymology of "Hat-trick" and "Brace"

text: We all know that in the footballing world, when someone scores 3 goals, they call it a **Hat-trick** and when two, a **Brace**.   I was wondering how these words are related to numbers 3 and 2? Is there any semantic relation? Is there any other word to describe for example 4 goals or 5 goals? Plus, I would love to have some information on their etymology!


title: Jackson = $$son: pun or topical reference

text: Alfred Bester's short story _The Demolished Man_ (the original version serialized in Galaxy magazine in 1952, not the novel published in 1963) may have been the first instance of SMS-speak, featuring characters named “T8” (for “Tate”) and “$$son” (for Jackson). Wait, how is “$$son” short for “Jackson”? Randall Garrett, who wrote a review in verse using similar shortcuts (such as “Mr. Hassop has gone in2 th@ mor* his hide” — pronounce * as “asterisk”), has this to say: > Also, there’s a character in the original called “$$son.” Now, I could have > sworn that was “Dollarson” and I wrote the verse accordingly. But when the > book came out, it was spelled “Jackson.” > > “Obscure, Alfie,” says I. > > “That’s why I changed it,” says he. (from the introduction to said review in the collection _Takeoff!_ , by Randall Garrett, Donning, 1979.) Unfortunately Garrett does not reveal the connection. What is it? (I realize the answer may or may not be on-topic, since it could be a reference to then-current events rather than a pun.)


title: Where did "cc" and "bcc" come from?

text: I've just realised that _CC_ is "carbon-copy" and _BCC_ is "blind-carbon- copy". Basically I'm wondering, where did these terms come from?


title: Term for pronunciation technique

text: Sometimes there are words that are foreign, and a bit hard for anglophones to articulate. Such as "Dvorak", or "dvelja". When trying to refer to these words in our conversation, sometimes an extra vowel is added between the two consonants, so that it is easier to pronounce. For example, "Dvorak" is pronounced "D-ə-vo-zhak". Also, "bdellium" is pronounced "b-ə-de-llium" Is there actually a term for this addition of vowel?


title: Dropped g's in upper-class 1930s Britain

text: > ‘Now take huntin'…’ ‘Oh, _bull_ -fightin' — that's _quite_ a different > kettle of fish.…’ Italics bred italics. Dropped g's fell as thick as > confetti. (Jan Struther, _Mrs Miniver_ , 1939; 4th chapter, “The Eve of the Shoot”) The location is a shooting-party hosted by Lady Chervil. From that and other clues, the context is definitely upper-class British society. So the dropped g's are not a sign of a working-class accent. What do they mean?


title: Independance or Independence?

text: What other words are like "independence" in British English where you replace the 'a' with an 'e'?


title: Usage of 'commas' vs 'commata'

text: I've learned quite recently, that plural form from **comma** is **commata** (but commas is also correct, such as index-indices-indexes). I've learned the rule for German, and I've checked the English version too. This is the first time I've consciously seen that word (I could came across it before, but I haven't notice). What is the usage of that 2 plural forms? Which is more recent in professional literature (for blogs/twitter&co I'd guess, 'commas')? Should I, as non-native speaker, making many common mistakes, use such 'finesse' plural forms, or it sounds funny in such context?


title: Is this usage of "lol" considered a hedge?

text: In doing some research on another question I bumped into the term "hedge": > A hedge is a mitigating device used to lessen the impact of an utterance. > Typically, they are adjectives or adverbs, but can also consist of clauses. > It could be regarded as a form of euphemism. I commonly see "lol" online but recently I have noticed it used as such: > I completely forgot about our meeting... lol. > > I am completely embarrassed, lol. > > Oh wow I was a complete retard will you forgive me lol The final example could use some punctuation but these uses seem different than the original use of _lol_. It seems to signal an embarrassment or defensiveness in an attempt to (a) avoid conflict (b) claim no hard feelings (c) lighten the mood or (d) something else? In any case, while I am curious about this usage in general I am more specifically asking about its classification. Is this considered a hedge? Or am I not understanding this term correctly?


Word meant to describe a crime where women beat men and men often do not report it. Supposedly , the most unreported crime there is. This was famous term used around the time of Lorena Bobbitt's adventure.


title: Pronunciation of "#winning"

text: How do you pronounce _#winning_ aloud? Would it be _hashtag winning_ , _hash winning_ , _pound winning_ , _winning_ or something else? This goes for all hashtags.


title: "There always come/comes a point"

text: Which is correct? > There always **come** a point... > > There always **comes** a point... Would there be better ways to write this?


title: If I say “The plot of that play stinks,” am I giving a spoiler alert?

text: The article of May 21 New York Times written by Stanley Fish under the title, “What Do Spoilers Spoil?” begins with the following lines: > Over 10 percent of the comments on my ‘Hunger Games’ column brought up the > question of spoiler alerts. "Haven’t you heard of a _spoiler alert_?", one > exasperated reader asked. No. I haven’t heard of the word _spoiler alert_ as of yet. The article ends with the following line: > If ‘The Hunger Games’ is so shallow that it can be spoiled by a plot > revelation, the alert doesn’t save much. If ‘The Hunger Games’ is a serious > accomplishment, no plot revelation can spoil it. From the context of the column, I can interpret the meaning of “spoiler alert” two ways:   1. It means a comment or warning to the effect of “the work isn't worth any further reading” to others, or    2. Just “revelation of the end result of the story to others”.  What does “spoiler alert” here mean? Does the question in Stanley Fish’s statement, “Haven’t you heard of a spoiler alert?” mean that ‘spoiler alert’ isn’t the word everybody knows, or just an irony to the author thrown by one of his readers?


title: What phrase is "o'clock" contracting?

text: I have been intrigued by the word _o'clock_ since I learned English. Although there is an equivalent to this word in my native language (Spanish _en punto_ meaning _on point_ or _on the dot_ ) I want to know the origin of the term _o'clock_ , especially why it has an apostrophe. Is it meant to contract _on the clock_ or something similar?


title: Are these commas placed correctly?

text: This is the sentence from a newspaper: > Gu Kailai, wife of a Chinese politician at the centre of a major scandal, > did not deny murdering a British man during her one-day trial that ended on > Thursday with no verdict, a court official said. It seems like there should have been a comma after ‘wife of Chinese politician’ and another one after ‘a British man’. Please correct me if I am wrong.


title: Where is the wordplay of "A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion"

text: I saw this sentence as an example of pun or wordplay. But I couldn't find out where the wordplay is. Any idea?


title: Are "disgraceful" and "ungraceful" two different kinds of negations?

text: "Disgraceful" and "ungraceful" are both derived from negations of "graceful". Wiktionary describes disgraceful as   1. bringing or warranting disgrace; shameful.   2. giving offense to moral sensibilities and injurious to reputation and ungraceful as   1. Not graceful; lacking grace. Are they two different kinds of negations? Possibly the latter saying that there isn't much grace, while the former is saying that the exact opposite of grace exists? If so, are there terms for the two kinds of negations?


title: "Went" vs. "went along"

text: > At work, he made up lies as he **went along**.   >  At work, he made up lies as he **went**. Is one of the above wrong?


title: Usage of the word "commuted"?

text: The word **commuted** has multiple meanings (the arcane one being) - reduction in a judicial sentence. Heretofore, I thought it only meant **travelled** (from one place to the other). I am looking for examples of the word "commuted" being used in different sentences which give an understanding of each of its meaning.


title: Idioms for "looking for something" and "trying to find something in a room full of mess"

text: I am trying to find idioms that could express "looking for something" and "trying to find something in a room full of mess". One that I could find was "hunt high and low," but for some reason I don't really feel satisfied using it. Can someone please suggest some other phrase? I would like to use in a context like this: > "I tried to look for the pen in my dorm room (which was full messy) but > couldn't find it". For e.g. I would want to tell someone that every time I want something, I have to search the place thoroughly to locate it.


title: Is “hold-your-nose (or close –your-eyes) - and-do sth” an English idiom or just a coinage for one-off use?

text: I found a phrase, “a hold-your-nose-and-roll-the-camera” in the following statement of NPR’s article (April 2) titled “From pets to plates: Why more people rre eating guinea pigs?” http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/12/174105739/from-pets-to-plates-why- more-people-are-eating-guinea-pigs?ft=3&f=111787346&sc=nl&cc=es-20130407 > “While guinea pig may be attaining star status as **a hold-your-nose-and- > roll-the-camera bizarre food** , whether an animal so favored as a pet in > the United States will become a mainstream piece of protein is, perhaps, > doubtful.” Is the phrase, “hold one’s nose and do sth. (roll the camera XXX)” that seems convenient to apply to any other variations e.g., “Close your eyes and eat the guinea pig” an idiom, or a set pattern of phrase, or just a one-off coinage for this article?


title: That will teach me to

text: The other day I was cutting a mango using a sharp knife. I had sliced off one side of the mango and was then cutting a grid pattern in the flesh to be able to "open out" the side to eat the mango pieces. When cutting the grid I held my hand under the mango and had cut through the mango skin cutting my finger. I exclaimed, "That will teach me to use a sharp knife when cutting up mango!" My seven year old asked, "Don't you mean that'll teach you NOT to use a sharp knife?" I then realized that it doesn't matter - at least to me - that I could have said it both ways and it would have meant the same thing. So, my question is, do the two following phrases mean the same thing?               "That will teach me to use a sharp knife when cutting up mango!"      and               "That will teach me to NOT use a sharp knife when cutting up mango!"


title: "Directly" in the meaning of "As soon as"

text: I've just read my first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. In it, I have found several instances of the word "directly" being used in a way I am not familiar with. It appears to have the meaning "when" or "right after" or "as soon as": > "Directly the cards were dealt I kicked myself." > > Directly Bond and Leiter had left to walk over to the hotel, she had > telephoned. > > Directly the boot was shut, the third man [...] climbed in beside him [...]. > > Directly they sat down, he apologized gaily for having startled her at the > telephone booth [...]. etc. Is this an obsolete used of the word? Is this only British English? I have read quite a lot of books from many different time periods, but I've never stumbled across this before - do other authors besides Fleming use "directly" in this way?


title: A stand-alone list of independent clauses as a sentence

text: Clearly, in some cases an isolated list cannot be a sentence. For example, > Apples, oranges, and bananas. is not a sentence. But what about a list of independent clauses following a declarative sentence? Consider the following: > Autumn is an excellent time to enjoy the outdoors. The weather is warm, > campsites are abundant, and insects are scarce. Is it acceptable to let the second sentence above stand alone as such? Or must it always be joined to the first sentence with a semicolon? Other alternatives would be to append "...for several reasons" to the first sentence, or prepend "The reasons for this are that..." to the second sentence. EDIT: The original version of this question incorrectly identified certain clauses as "adjective phrases". As EdwinAshworth pointed out, I am claiming that the first example above is not a sentence because it does not have a complete subject and a complete predicate.


title: What is a G2K company?

text: What is a G2K company? I assume G2K does not mean _good to know_. > SMB/SME companies don't have the resources to hire 1-3 social managers, > incorporate listening and engaging platforms like a G2K company. Context.


title: Looking for a word which means "relating to the order in which things are written down or expressed"

text: I am looking for a word (which may not exist!). It means something like "relating to the order in which things are written down or expressed"; not, however, the the order in a dictionary (that would be "lexicographical") but rather the order in normal writing. So, if the word was "freddographical" I could talk about English and French being freddographically different because in English one says "blue car" but in French it is "auto bleu". Equally, in the UK we write a date 30/04/2011 but in the US they write 04/30/2011; I would call that a freddographical difference.


title: Using "on" before days or dates

text: I've noticed that on many American TV shows, the speakers generally don't use the word "on" before names of days or before dates. For example: I'll see you Monday. Shouldn't it be:   * I'll see you on Monday?   * The movie is coming out June 14th. Is this usage exclusive to American English or this grammatically correct in British English as well?


title: I want to murder all humans

text: Ok, not really. But I was wondering what the appropriate word is for that; "Genocide" applies to murdering all people of a certain race, while "Omnicide" means ending all life. What is the correct word for wanting to kill all members of a certain species? (Does it matter if it's humans, or would eliminating the dodos also use the same word?)


title: "Any news for" vs. "any news on" vs. "any news about"

text: It seems all three are widely used on the Internet according to Google, but "any news on" seems to take the lead. Are all three correct? If not under what situation, or what subject behind it should we use one of the three?


title: How to use tag questions in sentences containing: 'as well as', 'along with', 'neither....nor'... etc.?

text: I need the rules of using tag questions in sentences containing: _as well as_ , _along with_ , _neither....nor..._ , _either....or_... etc. For instance: > I as well as my friends am going to the party, ___?


title: If not directions, what are items in the set {northbound, eastbound, southbound, westbound}?

text: Is there a word that describes an item in the set _{northbound, eastbound, southbound, westbound}_ as distinct from an item in the set _{north, east, south, west}_? > Washington (place) → Washingtonian ( **demonym** ) > > West (direction) → Westbound ( **???** ) Bonus points for figuring out where _clockwise_ and _counterclockwise_ fit.


title: Is "used in anger" a Britishism for something?

text: On a different board, someone referred to a computer language that had achieved popularity beyond the academic world as "used in anger", the way a shot fired in combat instead of on the practice range is said to be "fired in anger". A Google search returned only people wondering, effectively, wtf? Is this an actual expression or I am being put on? **EDIT** I think I didn't make myself clear: I've heard "used in anger" in plenty of cases where anger seemed more or less appropriate -- weapons, armies, that kind of things. Does anyone have a cite where the phrase has become detached from any aggressive context?


title: Where does "use it in anger" come from?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is "used in anger" a Britishism for something? Several years ago, a British friend of mine introduced me to the phrase "use it in anger." Until that time, I had never encountered the phrase in my limited travels in the United States. My understanding from his usage is that it means to really use something, or try something out completely, or apply something to its fullest extent. (Feel free to correct me on this.) I must confess, I actually like the phrase and tend to use it myself. My question is simply, where did it come from? I am guessing it is of UK origin, but what what the first use of it in anger?


title: Which is the correct wording when describing a question?

text: Which of the following is correct: > People ask me, what google.com is? or > People ask me, what is google.com?


title: Is it proper to state percentages greater than 100%?

text: Technically, "percent" should mean "for every hundred". So, I would think that it's perfectly fine to say "150%". However, in common usage, people rarely say percentages greater than a hundred. Is there an official grammarical rule for this?


The initialism1 IMHO stands for "in my humble opinion". It's commonly used in text-based communication (chat clients, forums, _popular Q &A platforms_). Here's an example: > Person A: What do you think about implementing this new feature request? > > Person B: The cost for that change outweighs the relatively minor benefit > IMHO. I feel that:   * On one hand, mentioning one's own humility seems a bit...ironic (or possibly even sarcastic), which _is_ rude.   * On the other hand, it's possible that, for most people, this reads the same as "IMO" (in my opinion) - which sounds more neutral, and thus _is not_ rude. Is "IMHO" a rude thing to say (or type)? Why or why not? I'd appreciate answers with facts, references, or _significant_ personal experiences if possible (as opposed to just opinions), as I realize this is somewhat subjective. 1: I just learned this word today!


title: Abbreviation for Perspective-Based Algorithm

text: Which one is an appropriate and good-looking abbreviation for Perspective- Based Algorithm: PBA or PA or PbA?


In this circumstance, which would be the most correct / natural answer? Person 1: I don't eat meat Person 2: Neither do I / Nor do I / Me neither / Me either This says both neither do I and Me neither are often used. But I have also heard / read "me either" and "nor do I" in multiple scenarios. Which then is the correct way of saying it? Are the others wrong or just not used?


title: Words with multiple allowable pronunciations

text: Long time listener, first time caller. I was chatting with some friends, and GIF and nuclear came up. GIF is pretty unique, we considered, as we allow both /dʒɪf/ and /gɪf/ for its pronunciation. Both are interchangeable, and I would say we hear both of them rather evenly distributed in my tech company. Nuclear shares the same trait of multiple "allowable" pronunciations /ˈnukliəɹ/ and /ˈnukjulɚ/ . However, some speakers ascribe a certain undesirable quality to the latter pronunciation. This made me wonder. How many other words are there for which we allow distinct pronunciation in English? Are we more likely to find that these examples are largely devoid of stigma, as with GIF, or the opposite, as with nuclear? I realize this may be regional, but I'd like to eliminate questions of accent (cot-caught, sit-set etc), and limit it to places of articulation and orthographic interpretation leading to the pronunciation differences for a single word. Thanks for the help!


title: "Carved from the living rock" — since when was rock ever alive?

text: According to Etymonline, _living_ dates to the 14th century, and refers to > "the fact of dwelling in some place," from O.E. _lifiende_ , prp. of _lifan_ But we hear the phrase "the living rock" used all the time. For example, in George R. R. Martin's _A Storm of Swords_ : > Down a twisting passageway he went, narrow steps carved from the living > rock, down and down. I get that this is used in the sense of _dwelling_ , as in the rock _dwells_ in some place, but it still seems curious to me, even though I've accepted it every time I've encountered it in print my entire life. Webster's 3rd New International Dictionary gives the expression "living rock" to mean > remaining uncut or unquarried: NATIVE <in places the track was hewn out of > the ~ rock — _Geo. Journal_ > That just regurgitates what we all know it to mean. But can anyone shed some light on where this was first used, or how it came to be such a standard trope?


title: What's the difference between "intent", "intention" and "purpose"?

text: As a noun, all three have the same meaning. What is the difference, especially between _intent_ and _intention_?


title: Is the term "baby kitten" / "baby puppy" superfluous?

text: If "kitten" is a juvenile domestic cat, and "puppy" is a juvenile dog, are "baby kitten" or "baby puppy" superfluous or just extremely specific?


title: Subject + "have had" + bare infinitive ... ever correct?

text: In writing an email today I came up with the following sentence: "We have had two other ladies express an interest in the room." I'm a native English-English speaker and this felt fine to me. My partner (who is Spanish) felt that the bare-infinitive 'express' in conjunction with the 'have had' was wrong. She felt the closest acceptable option would be the gerund form ie: "We have had two other ladies **expressing** an interest in the room." To me that sounds less normal and a slightly different meaning. It is something to do with the 'had' specifically, because she felt (as I do) that with a different verb it could be correct, eg: "We have **heard** two other ladies express an interest in the room." I searched online for grammar reference sites and the closest I could find to an example matching my construction was specific to _having someone do something_ for you, for example: "I have had my lawyer look into it" (and it was noted that this was an American English construction) But is this valid in my case? I'd like someone to confirm or refute whether my original phrase is correct, preferably with an external reference :)


title: why is googling the definition of "aviance" so difficult?

text: I was just checking on the spelling of "aviance". However, google is giving me very surprising results. Please type "aviance", "aviance definition", and "what does aviance mean" into the google search engine to see what I mean. The "aviance of a restaurant" is pretty common phrase to say. "Aviance" sounds French, so I could understand why English dictionaries do not have a definition for it. But, a broad google search turns-up nothing regarding "aviance" meaning "atmosphere". I mean, "aviance" is not that simple of a word, so I would have expected that non-native speakers would have asked tons of questions about its meaning, and usage. But, there is nothing. What is going on?


title: Usage evolution of "indubitably"

text: I can look up the etymology for indubitably... but how did a word like this, which pretty much exactly parallels "undoubtedly," come into use? This might be an unanswerable question, but how did two words with such parallel meanings, the only nuance distinguishing them being that you sound more pretentious if you say "indubitably", come to coexist?


title: Fair and Reasonable: Is there a difference?

text: Is it possible to be fair without being reasonable? Or vice versa?


title: Is the term "would-be" just an Indian usage or universal?

text: I've noticed that Indians use the term _would-be_ in place of _fiancé/fiancée_. Usages like "Meet my would-be" and "This is my would-be" are common in introductions. I used to wonder if this is just an Indian usage or if we got it from the British. I have never heard it being used in American movies or on TV. (I also used to wonder if people used "He/she is my would- have-been" if the wedding was called off after the engagement. :-))


title: Is it true that if you use a preposition and then a verb, it must end with "ing"?

text: I've read a grammar rule. If you use a preposition and then a verb, it must end with "ing" Is it always true, or there are exceptions?


title: Capitalization of biological abbreviations at the beginning of a sentence

text: In the beginning of a sentence, should I capitalize abbreviations such as the following:   * hPSC (human pluripotent stem cell)   * mESC (mouse embryonic stem cell)   * rDNA (recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid) I have seen both lower and upper case for the two first, while rDNA always seems to be in lower case. I'm curious which is the linguistically correct form.


title: "To service" vs. "to serve"

text: I seem vaguely to recall that a long time ago, _servicing_ was something a bull did to a heifer or a boar to a sow. But it seems to be creeping in to general usage as a synonym for _serving_. Has anyone else noticed this, and, if so, could they shed any light onto why this should be?


title: What is "Pop art blue"?

text: "Across the hills in the pop art blue" Could I understand "blue" as sadness, depression, like "Across the hills in the sadness of the pop art" or something like that? How can I understand it? This sentence is a quote from a song named Pop Art Blue from the band Zero 7. I can't understand the "blue" of this part, which is in the name of the song as well. The full lyric can be found in here: http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858799922/


title: What is the source of "Long time no see," and when did it enter U.S. English?

text: A question from almost two years ago asked "In which countries is that “long time no see” greeting common?" The question drew a number of answers that were squarely on point, but also a couple that hazarded explanations for how the phrase arose and caught on. One comment suggested that it was "a direct loan- translation of Mandarin 'hao liu bu jiam'." Another nominated Hollywood westerns as the phrase's probable source. I ran a search in the Ngram Viewer matches for "long time no see" and found a number of matches from 1922 and before: **1.** William F. Drannan, _Thirty-one Years on the Plains and in the Mountains_ (1900): > When we rode up to him [Captain Jack, the renowned Modoc Indian leader], he > said: "Good morning. Long time no see you," and at the same time presented > the gun with the beach foremost. **2.** Jeff W. Hayes, _Tales of the Sierras_ (1900): > Approaching the unsuspecting George, Mahala [a Paiute Indian servant] > ejaculated in her guttural tones, distinguishable to all in the room: "Ugh, > you squaw, she long time no see you; you go home mucha quick." **3.** Chester B. Fernald, "John Kendry's Idea," in _The Outing Magazine_ (1906): > "His manner, greeting the son of a friend by whose benefits Chan Kow had had > enabled his extraordinary rise in America, was that of a prince, for its > ease, its urbanity, its confidence in the entertainment his guest would > receive. > > "You boy—long time no see—what for?" he sang deeply, through his thick lips. **4.** From _Our Navy, the Standard Publication of the U.S. Navy_ , volume 5 (1911) [snippet]: > Yokohama at 1:15 p.m., 580 miles from Nagasaki. Sampans showing up from all > directions, and before long our Oriental friends were greeting us with > "Ohio's" and "Long time no see your handsome face," and the like. **5.** From _San Joaquin Light and Power Magazine_ (1915): > L. Meisel, chief clerk of the Merced office was a visitor in the Fresno > office during the month. He happened in the same day as Berro was here, and > the two renewed their acquaintance after a "long time no see." **6.** Eugene M. Rhodes, _West Is West_ (1917): > "Hello, you! Long time no see. Have a cigar," said Whitly. **7.** Arthur Stringer, _The Prairie Mother_ (1920): > And that started me maun enlarging on the names of Indians he'd known, the > most elongated of which, he acknowledged, was probably "The-Man_Who-Gets-Up- > In-The-Middle-Of-The-Night-To-Feed-Oats-To-His-Pony," while the most > descriptive was probably "Slow-To-Come-Over-The-Hill," though "Shot-At-Many- > Times" was not without value, and "Long-Time-No-See-Him," as the appellative > for a disconsolate young squaw, carried a slight hint of the Indian's genius > for nomenclature." **8.** Fanny H. Lea, "An Old Flame," _Good Housekeeping_ , volume 71 (1920): > Andy shook hands with her warmly. > > "Long time no see!" he commented with his most likable smile. > > "Please, Jimmy dear, tell Keno she may serve dinner in about ten minutes," > Adrienne instructed. **9.** From _The Chinese Students' Monthly_ , volume 16, number 7 (1921): > Mr. Shen has accepted a position in the National Electric Lamp Association, > Central Falls, R[hode] I[sland]. Mr. King left for China. As a compensation > to the loss of two, we welcome back in our midst Mr. A. S. Liu, who recently > returned from three months' engagement with the G. E. Co. in Pittsfield, > Mass[achusetts]. With the presence of this jolly good fellow, "long time no > see," we are certain of a jolly good time together. **10.** Hal G. Evarts, _The Settling of the Sage_ (1922): > Deane crossed over to Billie. The music started but she shook her head as he > would have led her to the floor. > > "Sit down. I want to talk with you. Long time no see 'um after to-night," > she said. "It'll be daylight soon and I've a long tale to tell." **11.** From _Sunset_ , volume 48 (1922) [two snippets]: > "How Din Hock," said Ben Downs. "Long time no see." > > The Chinaman rolled his puckered eyes... > > ... > > "Hi, Din!" he called now as he caught sight of the Chinaman in the dust > behind his mules. "Where the hell have you been?" > > "Long time no see?" asked Din Hock, as if to supply the other with a > forgotten phrase. **12.** "South Sea Islanders," From _The Friend: A Religious and Literary Journal_ (1837): > I was kept from reclining on my welcome mat, by the conversation of one of > the most interesting and intelligent young chiefs with whom I had yet had > intercourse. His name was Riromainva. He was nearly related to Malietoa, and > esteemed by the old chieftain so highly that he consulted him upon every > subject of importance. He had just then returned from a journey, and was > impatiently waiting my arrival. On entering the house, to my surprise he > saluted me in English, with "How do you do sir?" I instantly replied, "Very > well, I thank you, sir; how do you do?" "O," he answered, "me very well; me > very glad to see you; me no see you long time ago; me away in the bush > making fight; oh! Plenty of the fight; too much of the fight." To sum up these instances, three (#1, #2, and #7) are attributed to Native American speakers (and include "you" or "him" at the end of the phrase); two (#3 and #11) to Chinese immigrants in the United States; one (#4) to native Japanese speakers in Japan; five (#5, #6, #8, #9, and #10) to native (or at last English-fluent) English speakers in the United States; and one (#12, which isn't an instance of "long time no see" at all but a comparable formulation) to a native South Sea Islander. Clearly, by 1915, some native English speakers (at least in the western United States) were using the phrase among themselves, and by 1920 it seems to have caught on as a casual greeting that wouldn't startle the readership of _Good Housekeeping_. I have three questions: 1. Did "long time no see" arrive in U.S. English from forms of pidgin English spoken separately by both some Native Americans and some Chinese immigrants? 2. When did this turn of phrase first gain the recorded notice of an American English-speaking author? 3. When did the phrase cross over into use by native U.S. English speakers among themselves?


title: The one before the prior one?

text: Say I'm comparing different models of a particular car. There are four models in total, each released a year apart. The current model would be the newest one, and the "prior" model would be the one before the newest one. Is there an equivalent adjective that describes the model _before_ the prior one? I could call it the "second-generation" model, but then that's no longer relative to whatever generation the current model is (unlike "prior," which always means "the one before the current one").


title: Is  “the girls are want to gossip” correct?

text: Is this the correct use and placement of _want_? > The girls in the office are want to gossip. Does anyone have a reference citing this use?


title: What is the corrrect term for a shape with only two sides?

text: Something that is shaped something like an L such as a bracket. What is the proper term to describe this shape geometrically.


title: "Positive" synonyms for 'problem' or 'worst'

text: I need to find a positive synonym for 'problem' or 'worst' for some copy I am writing. The context is that these are ratings for student performance in a tabular format (as in, "problem topics: lorem ipsum" or "worst topics: lorem ipsum"), and while I want to indicate that the topics I am describing need improvement, I don't want to sound overly negative. There is a good chance that the students have had exposure to basic economic theory, so I am considering "marginal" (especially since the topics being described are being prioritized to maximize the marginal benefit of studying). But this does not seem to be a standard usage. In fact, outside of economics, marginal seems to indicate the opposite of what I'm looking for. Any ideas?


title: What term has suddenly replaced the term "physically challenged" from 1996?

text: Why has the term "physically challenged" been used less and less since 1996-97 (ngram), while the term "mentally challenged" continues to have a positive trend? What term has gradually replaced the term "physically challenged" since 1996? ![](http://i.stack.imgur.com/tl2Hj.png)


title: State of being in a particular shape

text: Are there single words describing the "state of being in a particular shape"? [For Example: "State of being Cylindrical" ]


title: Mnemonic for "complement / compliment"

text: This is the only similar spelling mix-up in English that gets me _every freakin' time_. I can never remember which is which. One is a mathematical notion; the other is a nice thing to say. Does anyone know of any clever mnemonics for _complement / compliment_ to get this one straight?


title: Passive voice in this sentence

text: I am a bit confused about these sentences below. The word "encumbered" baffles me. "Encumbered" is usually used in passive sentences. I am not able to understand the agent in these following structures. What confuses me is when the agent is not animate, that is, the object in the passive sentence followed by "by" is not a person. For instance,   1. Mike was killed by Rob.(Passive) 1.1 Rob killed Mike.(Active) The use of "encumber" in following sentences,   1. Women tennis players are not encumbered by long, heavy skirts and high necked blouses.   2. We were encumbered by equipment and supplies. Here, the thing that does the action is not animate. What could be the active voice sentence? Are the following constructions correct? 1.1 Long, heavy skirts and high necked blouses encumber women tennis players. 2.2 Equipment and supplies encumbered us. I am referring to this dictionary. Please advise.


title: "Shopping basket" or "shopping cart"

text: We need to label our shopping basket/cart on our Hotel & Tour Booking website. People can add products (rooms or tours) to their basket, and reserve after reviewing. What should this be called: a Shopping Basket or a Shopping Cart?


title: Meaning of "over them"

text: > I took out the reports. He pored over them. In this sentence, what is the meaning of "over them"? I guess it would be "fully".


title: Removing a comma from a comma-parenthesized subclause

text: I have written the following: > The credentials, checked by the gatekeeper, take the form of... But my wife says that "it would read better without the first comma". Is what she suggests allowed by the rules of grammar?


title: What does "not having a pair" mean?

text: From http://blog.peta2.com/2011/05/coming-out-twice.html?c=peta2_enews: > I had been trying to keep my vegan tendencies on the DL for years by that > point, but it was getting harder and harder to come up with excuses for why > I didn’t want my dad’s scrambled eggs or my mom’s chocolate cake. Looking > back on it now, I hate how much I hurt my parents by rejecting their cooking > for what can only be described as (and excuse my delicate and ladylike > etiquette) **not having a pair**. I can't make any sense of it.


title: What is the origin and history of the word "motherf---er"?

text: I'm not a native English speaker, but I would like to know how and why people started using _mother fucker_. Today it seems it has lost its meaning because people use it all the time, but was there a time in history when _mother fucker_ meant something different? I know we see it in the movies sometimes, but did people call each other _mother fuckers_ 100 years ago? How about 500 years ago? what about 1000 years ago? And why don't we have _father fuckers_? Is mother fucker only used on guys?


title: Future tense and future perfect tense

text: Given two sentences: > If we goad him into doing what he should have been doing all along, then it > _will be_ a smashing success. and > If we goad him into doing what he should have been doing all along, then it > _will have been_ a smashing success. What is the difference between?


title: What is "Web Copy" and why does everyone refer to it without an article?

text: I recently read a blog post that talks about "Web Copy". I have never heard of this term before, so I did some searching around. I'm still not sure what the meaning of this is. What bugs me is that everyone who uses it refers to it without the use of an indefinite or definite article before. For example, in the blog post mentioned, the author says "How do you learn to write web copy?" instead of "How do you learn to write **a** web copy?". Other places use it in this 'proper noun' usage (though it isn't capitalized). Can someone please define the term and explain why there is no article?


title: Punctuation after the interjection "by heaven"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Exclamation marks in the middle of a sentence How would you punctuate the following phrase with "by heaven"? It was used by a cricket commentator. >   * By heaven that's a good stroke! >   * By heaven! That's a good stroke! >   * By heaven, that's a good stroke! >


title: Does a comma have to be used before a quotation?

text: If before the quote the word "saying" or "said" is used, does a comma always have to be used before it? When does a comma not have to be used?


title: Comma before the word "as"

text: This is my sentence: > The A & P’s regular customers are depicted as "scared little pigs in a > chute." Daily, they live the same monotonous existence. Microsoft word insists that there should be a comma after "depicted". I don't think it makes sense. What say you?


title: Omission of commas after speech tags?

text: I'm seeing commas omitted after dialogue tags in writing. Examples _Zachary said 'I'm tired of his rudeness'._ I often see the comma omitted after the speech tags 'He said', 'She said' at the beginning of a sentence as exampled here. Is this acceptable? _'I'm tired of his rudeness' Zachary said._ I often see the comma omitted after the end of the quote as exampled here. Is this correct? Does anybody support this lack of punctuation in both sentences, and would you write them in this manner?


title: Commas with quotes

text: I read the following sentence1: > He rallied the Senate with the plea **,** “It’s time to change the Senate > before this institution becomes obsolete.” I’m wondering whether a comma should be placed after _plea_ , before the quotation that follows. This question is not a duplicate. * * *   1. Originally uttered by Senator Harry Reid, U.S. Senate Majority Leader, as reported by the Associated Press in many newspapers on November 13th, 2013.


title: Is there a comma needed before quotation?

text: > Sam developed an annual sweepstakes promotion entitled “The Free Gas Punt > Return Game”. Do I need a comma after _entitled_ or not?


title: "He has a tendency of being aggressive" or "He is aggressive tendency"?

text: I want to describe someone who has a tendency. Should I say > He has a tendency of being aggressive. > > He is aggressive tendency. Or are both wrong?


title: Is “Am I needing to. . . ?” grammatical?

text: In the course of answering this question, we have evoked some dispute over whether the phrase > Am I needing to read this book? is grammatical. I think it is correct, although not common, but others think differently. Is this a correct grammatical structure, albeit perhaps a bit odd? * * * **EDIT** : I think I should clarify further. I don’t disagree that this phrasing is unusual; in fact, that’s what I said in the other answer. What I am interested in is whether it is _correct_ or not. I think it is because of its uncommonness that I am not certain. It might be more straightforward to ask it this way: > Is the sentence “I am needing to read this book” grammatical? If not, why > not?


title: What answer is expected by "May I have your name ?"

text: I'm quite fuzzy about the information asked on the phone by people asking "May I have your name ?" Do they want the first/given name or the last/family name ? Please answer for both UK and US culture.


title: "Further, ..." versus "Furthermore, ..." at the beginning of a sentence (meaning the same thing)?

text: I am not a native speaker (my mother tongue is German). In the context of a technical paper (computer science), is there a difference between _Further, ..._ and _Furthermore, ..._ at beginning of a sentence. It is use in the context of continuing a sentence. I wasn't sure, so I ask an american english native speaker. He said to change the "Further, " to "Furthermore, ". Is it correct that the two phrases are not interchangable. My guess is, it would be safe to change all "Further, ..." to "Furthermore, ...", but the opposite is not true? Also, is there a difference betweeen British english and American english between *Further, " and "Furthermore"?


title: arrogate vs arrogate to

text: Can the verb **arrogate** stand alone? http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/arrogate only publicises **arrogate + to**. For example, would it be right to omit **to** in the following by Thomas Jefferson in July 11 1819: > my opinions, given without intention or suspicion have been sometimes handed > to the public, but always with out my consent, except in one or two special > cases. I hope therefore you will be so kind as to accept of this my apology > and reason why, after I shall have read the book, I shall not **arrogate > to** myself the office of saying to the public whether they should read it > or not.


title: Comma between a double adverbial phrase introducing a sentence

text: Is a comma required when there are _two_ adverbial phrases introducing a sentence? Like so: > One day, after I had my breakfast, the postman came. Or is it fine to omit the first comma? > One day after I had my breakfast, the postman came. Same way: > In the olden days, in Rome, people were nice. Vs > In the olden days in Rome, people were nice. I have searched for examples but couldn't come to a conclusion—in spite of it being possibly a common occurance.


title: What does "find someone well" mean?

text: I got some email from a stranger that contains: > I hope this email finds you well. So what does "find you well" means here? Does it mean "Are you well" or "The email find the right guy"? I'm a little confused here.


title: An antonym for "what you might have assumed"

text: It is right on the tip of my tongue, and I have searched the online thesauruses but I can't come up with it. What's the word that could fill in the blank: > He came to the **___ __** conclusion that you must be willing to serve if > you want to truly lead. The best I could come up with is "non-intuitive", but that just doesn't sound right. I know there's a better one. I want a word that means "this is not what you would expect", "this goes against your intuition". Something that approaches "nonsensical" or "irrational" but without the disparaging overtones, yet more forceful than "surprising".