title: "Checking" vs. "chequing" vs. "chequeing" with regards to types of bank accounts

text: I came across this little dilemma when looking up the incorrectly spelled word "chequing" in my web browser's dictionary (Opera). According to the different dictionaries you can select in Opera: EN US is "Checking" (Which I knew) EN GB and EN ZA is "Chequeing" (Which looks really strange to me) Here in Canada I've always seen and used "Chequing", which I actually thought was the GB version. Example of BBC using "chequeing": http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3242776.stm So how many versions are there? Which is technically the right version for Canada and Great Britain?


title: Do we ask for check or cheque in restaurants?

text: I know there is a related question asked here. But its slightly different than it and seeking more information. I live in India, I have been to America couple of times. In my first trip it was surprising to see people asking for "check" instead of "bill". I have been told by my friend that here (in America) they call it "check". I assumed may be it arosed from "check-out". After some days another friend told me that it's "cheque", **not** "check" and he elaborated that just like how a banker pays money in return of cheque. After reading few answers/question and links given in the relative question, I really made a conclusion that which one is correct to use because I doubt only one has to be correct and remaining evolved by misinterpretation because "check" and "cheque" sound the same?


title: Duplicate auxiliary verbs in a sentence?

text: What is a general rule for use of auxiliary verbs in sentence? Should we duplicate it or not? For instance, > It is available for every item and ( ** _is_** ) used with . . .


title: Is "...written by the author it claims to be and not by someone passing themselves for them" correct?

text: I have a question to this sentence: > Sometimes you need to know if the book was really written by the author it > claims to be and not by someone passing themselves off as them. Is that correct? I am not sure about the usage of "passing off as them".


title: In my example, did I need more commas?

text: For example, someone who just turned 21 and is prone to hurt others, might visit bars more often which would increase his probability of getting arrested for assault. Do I need to add more commas or put brackets maybe? I hope my sentence makes sense.


title: What's the phrase for food burning and sticking to the pan?

text: When cooking neglectfully, food sometimes burns and sticks to the pan (or pot, or whatever one is cooking in). What is this phenomenon called in English? > Darn it! The spaghetti `<stuck to the pot>`! Is there an idiomatic expression?


title: “covered by” vs. “covered with”

text: I found this sentence in some book: > Imagine a young child who already knows that creatures that live in water > are fish, they have gills, and their skin is covered **by** scales. Saying “their skin is covered **by** scales” sounds so strange to me. Why isn’t it “their skin is covered **with** scales”? Which version is better, and why?


title: 'Vulnerable' Without Negative Connotations

text: The word vulnerable has a negative connotation - as seemingly a weakness. I'd like suggestions for replacement word that has a positive (therefore, strength) connotation. Thank you


title: Is "solutioning" a correct word?

text: My Outlook flags the word _"solutioning"_ as a spelling mistake. According to Urban Dictionary : > _solutioning:_ A word many business people misuse to describe the process of > creating a solution. These people need a grammar lesson and should be fired > immediately. Is the word correct?


title: What does "I had every last one of them" mean?

text: I heard this quote from a Channel 4 sitcom the IT crowd > I'm gonna go, I may not come back but I want to say this. That accounts > team, I had every last one of them. It is said by Douglas Reynholm, the boss. But what does "I had every last one of them" mean in this quotation? What does he intend it to mean?


title: How do I refer to Congress?

text: When referring to Congress do I refer to it as a single body or a collective? For example, is it > Congress is stupid. or > Congress are stupid.


title: How "macro" in computer programming came about

text: The prefix _macro-_ is normally used for _large_ things like _macroeconomics_ and _macroscopic_. How did it come to be used to describe text macros in the programming world?


title: "But" in the beginning of a sentence

text: Is "But" allowed in the beginning of a sentence as synonym to "Though" or "However"? You can afford it. But think twice before buying it. Won't using "But" instead of "However" mark me as non-native speaker?


title: Is “he should be seventeen” correct?

text: Is the following sentence correct to describe a young man? > He should be seventeen. My colleague was absolutely sure it was correct. I disagreed, so we had a bit of an argument. I would agree on either > He should be seventeen before he. . . . or > He should be seventeen by now. If the original sentence (“He should be seventeen.”) is actually correct, what makes it so?


title: How can I say "not any time soon, but it won't take a long time either"?

text: I was writing an email to a client about a feature we plan to eventually release, maybe in a couple months, but they want some of the functionality now. I initially wrote: > If there's something else I can do for you, go ahead and let me know. I > don't suspect the upgrade will be any time soon. It sounded like I was saying the upgrade will take a long time, but that's not what I want to imply. I almost wrote: > I don't suspect the upgrade will be any time **immediately soon**. ...which sounds awkward, and I don't think it's correct. The search results I got for the term support my assumption. What would be a better way to say "not soon, but fairly soon" in this context?


title: Etymology of "heulandite"?

text: Came across the word "heulandite", thought it was weird so I looked it up in the dictionary and found that it means: "a group of minerals of the zeolite family consisting of a hydrous aluminum silicate of sodium and calcium." I looked up "-ite" on etymonline.com so I suspect the suffix comes from Greek meaning: "connected with or belonging to." Where does the "heuland" part come from? Is it related to "andesite" or maybe something else?


title: What is the antonym of "abjure"?

text: 1. Affirm    2. Cajole    3. Insist    4. Pronounce    5. Shout  What's your opinion?


title: Identifying the literary technique

text: I was wondering if there is a literary technique in the following quote: > "Let us be sacrificers but not butchers"


title: What do you call those pubs that are run in ruins and soon-to-be-demolished buildings?

text: There are famous pubs in Budapest and Berlin which are operated in abandoned or soon to be demolished buildings. Some call them ruin pubs, but I'm not quite sure that's the correct name.


title: Usage of "already" and "yet"

text: I want to know the difference between _already_ and _yet_ in this example: > I was surprised that they had **__** to decide what to do. My answer on this question was _already_ and my teacher marked it as a wrong answer in the test.   What's the difference between _already_ and _yet_ in that sentence?


title: Why 'Mrs.' isn't read as 'mistress'?

text: Wasn't _Mrs._ short for _mistress_? Why do we read _Mrs._ as _missus_ (or sometimes _missis_ ) instead of _mistress_?


title: Why is "fulfil" spelt as "fulfill" in American English?

text: In this answer, simplification is stated as one reason for spelling variations in American English. But unlike in _color_ and _favorite_ , the number of letters to spell the word in _fulfil_ increases in American English. Other than for "creating a distinct" variant, is there any reason for the change? Going by the etymology the ideal spelling should be _fullfill_ , so even that may be not a motivation.


title: X are equivalent to Y in Z

text: I'm pretty new to English StackExchange, and English is not my first language, so I'm not even sure what tags to look for. So, I apologize if this has been discussed before. I'm writing up a blog and somehow I got confused with the proper grammar for a sentence that compares one thing to another thing of a different category. For example, I want to compare Dodge Chargers, the car, with Cheetahs, the animal. Which one is the proper sentence: `Dodge Chargers are equivalent to Cheetahs in the animal kingdom.` `Dodge Chargers are equivalent to Cheetahs in automobiles.` Do I use the category from the first or second subject?


title: Rhetorical device in Julius Caesar

text: I thrice presented him a kingly crown/ which he did thrice refuse" Just wondering what the rhetorical technique is in that phrase.


title: What does "how not to speak" mean?

text: Consider this sentence. > Americans consider themselves egalitarian and unsnobbish about accents, but > they are full of notions about how not to speak. What does "how not to speak" mean? I know the meaning of "how to speak"; it means asking about which method I should take to speak. Does "how not to speak" mean trying finding a way to avoid saying something?


title: What is the origin of the phrase "I'll take a raincheck"?

text: What is the origin of the phrase _I'll take a raincheck_?


title: How does a signature develop?

text: In English, unlike in many other languages, signatures are typically very different from ordinary handwriting. A signature will often display all kinds of wild flourishes and elision of forms and what have you. A person usually starts out writing their name in print or in cursive, and develops the style of their signature over time. But how exactly _does_ a signature develop? How did mine go from a shaky, juvenile cursive rendition of "Jonathan William Purdy" to something that looks more like "Joth Wm Pdy"? (And then only if you turn your head and squint.) Mainly I'm looking for research articles, books, and online resources on which strokes and series of characters can be elided, and what flourishes are common and allowable. This is a broad topic, and though I have a pretty clear concept of what I'm looking for, I'm finding difficulty describing it. Please ask any clarifying questions that come to mind.


title: Does "less than" really mean "subtracted from", or is it bad English?

text: I got involved in a discussion about some Math problems provided in the local primary school education:   * 20 more than 543 is 563   * 25 less than 261 is 236   * 155 less than 310 is 155   * 355 more than 1233 is 1588 Some of us (including me) argued that this is unclear or incorrect English, while others said that it is correct or that we are not creative if we do not understand it _(huh?)_. In my own Math education, I have learnt that "less than" and "more than" (or rather, "greater than") are comparative operators. However, in the above, they are used as manipulative operators (subtraction or addition) - a usage I never learnt. At first I thought this must be something peculiar with the _Singapore Math_ education, as those who argued that this is incorrect are mostly foreigners, while the other side is made up of mostly locals. After some searching for similar use on the Internet, the two instances I could find are an exercise paper from _Math Activities Resource Center, Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, CA (USA)_ [link], and a lecture paper from _Professor Weissman's Algebra Classroom_ [link]. In the exercise paper, the lecturer also mentions that "less than" is different from "is less than", in that "less than" is used to mean subtraction (where the numbers are inverted), whereas "is less than" is used to compare two numbers. In the lecture paper, it is mentioned that _"3 is less than 7"_ translates to _"3 <7"_, _"3 less than 7"_ translates to _"7-3"_ and _"3 less 7"_ translates to _"3-7"_. I want to hear from some experts regarding how correct and/or widespread this kind of usage of these terms is. No matter how many times I read the examples back to myself I feel it's odd and wrong to use it this way, and that the correct usage for manipulation should be:   * 20 added to 543 is 563   * 25 subtracted from 261 is 236   * 155 subtracted from 310 is 155   * 355 added to 1233 is 1588 Whereas the correct usage for comparison should be:   * 20 more than 543 is _False_   * 25 less than 261 is _True_   * 155 less than 310 is _True_   * 355 more than 1233 is _False_


title: "go on a ride" vs. "go for a ride."

text: What is the difference between these two examples? > I go on a ride.   >  I go for a ride.


title: Past Simple or Present Perfect: Tried or Have Tried

text: I’ve tried to help you.   _The action happened in the past but I don’t say when._ I tried to help you yesterday.   _The action happened in the past but I say when._   1. Which is correct and which is not? I’m very confused!   2. Is there a simple rule to follow? More Examples: You can use the account that you’ve already created.   You can use the account that you already created. I’ve sent you an email. Please check your Inbox.   I sent you an email. Please check your Inbox.


Is there a verb that means "the act of replacing a word or phrase with an ellipsis"? " _Ellipsize_ " doesn't seem to be in the dictionaries. Is there a word for this?


title: English teacher's question about subject of a sentence

text: My students and I have a disagreement about the subject of the following sentence: "Many animals were found on the farm." I say it's "Many"; they say it's "animals." Who's right?


title: Should I use a full stop at the end of text in a table?

text: The table has a mix of fragments and full sentences. I'm concerned that if I have full stops after the sentences and none after the fragments it will look inconsistent to the reader.


title: no reservation or no reservations on invitation?

text: I am sending one invitation out for 3 events. The planners for two events would like for people to make a reservation for each of those events with their reply. So next to those events, there is wording that a reservation is requested ("reservation is requested with your reply"). Please note the singular "reservation". For the third event, the planner does not need or want folks to make reservations. So should the wording be "no reservation needed" or "no reservations needed"? Or can it be either way?


title: How to refer to an apartment on a specific floor?

text: Suppose that on the first floor of a building, there are three separate apartments numbered 1, 2 and 3 respectively. How can I refer to one of them when writing a postal address? I am wondering if there is any need to mention words like "apartment" or "unit" before the apartment number. Which one is more appropriate to use? > "Apartment 2, first floor"   >  "Unit 2, first floor"   >  "2, first floor"   >  "2 first floor"   >  "2 1st floor" I also found this entry on Wikipedia which suggests that the words "lot" and "unit" can be used before the apartment number in Malaysia. (My question is more about American English though): > Salutation, Name of recipient   >  Name of Position & Department (if applicable)   >  Company name   >  **Unit/Lot number** , Building name/Commercial area   >  Lot number (for building), Street name   >  Postcode Post office/Mail centre   >  State (optional)   >  Country > > _example_ : > > **Lot** 323, 1st Floor, Bintang Commercial Centre Any advice would be appreciated.


title: Good expressions to signify extensive analysis

text: I am looking for a way to communicate in a business context that I am carrying out extensive analysis to get to the bottom of something by synthesizing info and insights from various sources to come up with an insightful and clear viewpoint. The analysis could be described as deep dive, but I am looking for a more profound / sagelike way to express this process (could also be a quote).


title: Past simple vs. past perfect

text: Here is an exercise from _Intermediate Language Practice_ by Michael Vince:   (Please note that I have replaced all the blanks in the exercise with the answers given in the answer key.) > Put each verb given into the past simple, past continuous or past perfect. > More than one answer may be possible. > > (A picture showing a man being seized by a police officer) > >> The police suspected that Brian (1) **had broken** the window at his house because he (2) **wanted** to make them think that a burglar (3) **had stolen** his valuable stamp collection. They (4) **thought** that Brian (5) **had done** this because he (6) **needed** the money. However, they (7) **didn't know** that Brian (8) **had flown** to Brazil the week before, and (9) **had been/was** abroad when the burglary (10) **took place/had taken place**. My questions are:   1. At (2) and (6), is it possible to use the past perfect instead of the past simple? As I understand it, the past simple is used here to indicate that Brian's "wanting to fool the police" and "needing the money" were still in his mind at the time he was being seized by the police. If I used the past perfect instead in order to talk about his state of mind at the time the burglary took place, would the sentences sound right?    2. At (9) and (10) why is it possible to use the past simple when "his being abroad" and "the burglary" had both taken place before he was captured by the police? Which of the following sentences are acceptable? Which one is the best? **a.** However, they didn't know that Brian had flown to Brazil the week before, and **had been** abroad when the burglary **took place**. **b.** However, they didn't know that Brian had flown to Brazil the week before, and **had been** abroad when the burglary **had taken place**. **c.** However, they didn't know that Brian had flown to Brazil the week before, and **was** abroad when the burglary **had taken place**. **d.** However, they didn't know that Brian had flown to Brazil the week before, and **was** abroad when the burglary **took place**.


title: Looking for a word that describes thinking something is more common than it is?

text: I'm wondering if there's a good term for assuming knowledge, or other things, is more common due to my own experience. Essentially it's like being out of touch with reality, but a little more specific. One term comes to mind is confirmation bias, but again I don't think it quite matches. Essentially it's because I've self selected to receive a certain amount of information, I assume it's common knowledge, only to find it isn't. My personal example is, I repaired a broken kindle screen by replacing it with a new one, and opening up the old kindle. I assumed a lot of people knew this was a possibility, turns out it they don't. I was surprised to realize this, until I concluded that because I work with technology it's in my sphere of knowledge. * * * Something about cultural knowledge? Frequency fallacy (I see it a lot, but that doesn't mean it's really frequent) -- Is frequency fallacy a real phrase?


title: Is follow-ups the right word?

text: I'm creating a web page (intranet) where administrators can add customers to scheduled "follow-ups" by phone (we'll call them in the future and ask how it goes). So I used google translate and the web to find a good word for my menu tab. When using Google Translate I got "follow-ups" as a suggestion. This don't seem appropiate enough to me, so is there synonyms or better word for my purpose? Or is it the right word?


title: Specific word/phrase/idiom for the following scenario

text: I have a second cousin living at the end of my street, but we hardly meet. I plan to meet her soon and tell her to come out and go out for a walk. Could anyone suggest a phrase, word, or an idiom for the following sentence I have written? > I'll come to her home and take her out myself.


title: Word/phrase meaning an action is appropriate and should be encouraged

text: The context is: > The police, [appropriately so], are subject to a high level of scrutiny. Are there any other terms I can use here?


title: Is saying "but nevertheless..." redundant?

text: I've heard in many places, educated people saying _"but nevertheless..."_. I think both _but_ and _nevertheless_ have the play the same role. Is their combination, as to emphasize that what follows is opposes to the previous statement(s), allowed? Is it considered redundant or uneducated?


title: Nothing's on. What does it mean?

text: What is a meaning of "Nothing's on"? I tried to find something on the internet and the results were like "nothing's on the radio" etc. I certainly understood the meaning of those sentences. But what does the sentence consisting only of these 3 words mean? Nothing's on. Thank you for the reply


title: word for false nostalgia

text: Is there a word to describe nostalgia for things that never existed? For example, a 1950s-style diner is supposed to reconstruct a cultural archetype, but there never existed such a diner. John Wayne characters are similar, he usually plays a cowboy-type, but no heroic cowboy ever really existed.


title: A better, more academic way of saying 'whether or not'

text: This is my sentence, and I was hoping to make it sound more academic: > The aim is to ascertain **whether or not** the actors from the two films > analysed can be considered to be heroes Is there a better, more academic way of saying ' _whether or not_ '?


title: Capitalization of "School" as an adjective

text: I am working on a research poster, and the teacher supervising wrote the following language. It doesn't seem to me like "School" is a proper noun, but he tells me it is when referring to a specific school. Is the below correct? is it the best way to say this? > Such questions would allow us to learn how the School culture affected > cheating. "School" refers to _our school_ , but I still don't think it looks right capitalized (especially when used as an adjective).


title: youngest of his siblings

text: I have a problem with this sentence: > He was one of the youngest of his siblings. The meaning should be clear: _he had many brothers and sisters, and he was one of the youngest of the lot_ , but the expression feels awfully awkward to me, with expression _his siblings_ implicitly excluding the subject from the set; you're not your own sibling, so you're not one of your siblings. Is there a better way to convey the idea without getting too muddled with details and without losing the meaning? A collective expression for all of own siblings plus self maybe?   * Eldest of the children have children of their own, so he's not one of the youngest in the family.   * His parents have siblings who have their children, so he's not one of the youngest in his generation.   * "One of the youngest of his parents' children" while technically correct is awfully roundabout way to convey it.   * He's not the youngest, so he's not just "younger than his siblings". "Younger than most of his siblings" might work but still feels somewhat awkward.


title: "I lost my chems." What does it mean?

text: I heard this in this movie: > I lost my chems. What does it mean? Tried via Google. But, found nothing about it.


title: "Flexibility" vs. "adaptability"

text: I wonder whether it is   * Functional/Geometric Flexibility (engine type) or   * Functional/Geometric Adaptability (-"-) What's the difference? What's the right choice in this context?


title: Origin of meaning of 'express' such as a fast train?

text: I seem to recall reading that 'express' to mean a rapid transport service (e.g. express train) has its origin in the verb 'express' to mean to press out. Can anyone shed any light on this? (Of course, my recollection may be wrong!)


title: Proper sentence structure

text: When using _if I were_ and _if I was_ \--is there a rule of thumb one can rely on? I seem to remember it has something to do with fact and fantasy.


title: What's the difference between "swollen" and "inflamed"?

text: As the title says, what is the difference between _swollen_ and _inflamed_?


title: Difference between "I have got" and "I have gotten"

text: I see these two expressions are used almost identically in different contexts. Is there a difference between _I have got_ and _I have gotten_?


title: "...that I have not got", vs. "gotten"?

text: In such a context as... > I have never applied to job that I cannot do, nor to one that I have not > **gotten**. vs. > I have never applied to job that I cannot do, nor to one that I have not > **got**. My guess would be the prior, as > I have never applied to job that I have not **gotten**. just sounds "better", to me. I referred to this _ultimately-just-confusing-reference_ \- without a clear conclusion as to the correct form. It said... > Gotten is probably the most distinctive of all the AmE/BrE grammatical > differences, but British people who try to use it often get it wrong. It is > not simply an alternative for have got. Any help?


title: American English

text: I notice that Americans use the word 'gotten' when we in Britain just use 'got' - is 'gotten' accepted American English, that is, used and accepted in English examination papers, or is it a type of slang, used in speech, but not written? The previous answer you directed me to doesn't quite answer my question, although it was interesting. I can deduce from it, however, that 'gotten', if used correctly, is indeed acceptable and an actual word, is that right?


title: Shouldn't have got or gotten

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Difference between “I have got” and “I have gotten” In this example, my teacher thinks it should be _got_ , but I feel like _gotten_ is better: > I shouldn't have **got** / **gotten** married. Which one is correct?


title: English approximations of Spanish pronouns

text: Excuse me if this question sounds familiar, but I've searched and couldn't find what I desired. In the Spanish second-person, there is _usted_ (formal), _tú_ (familiar), and _ustedes_ (plural for both). In Argentina, the role of _tú_ is usurped by _vos_ , and in Spain, the role of the familiar _ustedes_ is (usually) usurped by _vosotros_. With these verbs comes different conjugation:   * You are   * Usted es   * Tú eres   * Ustedes son   * Vos sos   * Vosotros sois I'm not a native Spanish speaker but these all seem very natural to me now, and when using them you can understand how they came to be and why they exist in the way they do. I'm helping my friend with his Spanish and I've told him that there are a few concepts in Spanish that don't exist in English and can't really be translated, diversity in second-person pronouns being one of them. This got me thinking, though. Are there any English dialects where _you_ isn't simply used for any possible reference to the second-person? _Y'all_ is often considered as a rough approximation of _ustedes_ and _vosotros_. Is this as far as it goes? Any others? And what's so different about English that causes it to not develop in the way that Spanish does?


title: 'There seem' or 'there seems' + usage of the word 'seem'

text: First, I have a question "How words 'seem' and 'there' are used together?" Which is correct:   * There seem ... or   * There seems ... Then, I'm am interested in general constructions with the word 'seem'. What are common mistakes people make when they use this word?


title: What is the formal synonym of "taking over the property"

text: I'm writing a text and am confused about a word I knew before. The definition is : to Take away the property of someone (by government or bank or a legal institution). I have found seize or take over, but I know there is better word for it which I had used in my translations before. Can any one suggest a better word?


title: Am I using “suggest that” correctly?

text: I am writing to my manager. I want to suggest making a new service to her. I have problem with this sentence: > Can you suggest to them **that** [Company Name] develops the Italian version > of the website? Am I using the word _that_ correctly here?


title: Why present simple not continuous

text: I have a few sentences here: > A) The instructor explains the diagram to students who ask questions during > the lecture. Why are "explain" and "ask" used here in present simple, and not in the present continuous? > B) He had been listening to loud music on his stereo. The past perfect progressive verb _had been listening_ 'suggests' action that began in the time frame prior to the main narrative time frame and that was still underway as another action began. Then why is "suggest" used as simple here, and not as continuous? > C)He has been listening to loud music on his stereo. An old man is standing on the steps.(the progressive verbs _has been listening_ and _is standing_ "indicate" action) Why " indicate " is used in simple present here, and not in continuous form?


title: etymology: drag (clothing)

text: I've seen conflicting accounts as the etymology of 'drag' (as in: drag queen). the first being acronymical of "Dressed as A Girl". the second as: > One suggested etymological root is 19th-century theatre slang, from the > sensation of long skirts trailing on the floor. - _Wikipedia_ Any conclusive answers as to the etymology of drag?~


title: What does the abbreviation "con" mean in the following context?

text: I have no idea what _con_ means reading through this profile. > Pro : Java, Design patterns, Quick learner (API, SDK, etc.), PHP, > Javascript. > > Con : C++ skills for gaming industry > > Love : Challenge!


title: Question about meaning of "Object" in the Declaration of Independence

text: Referring to this: "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same **Object** evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." What exactly is the "Object" that is referred to here? What exactly is the "Object" that is being pursued?


title: Does "turning down the air conditioning" make it warmer or colder?

text: As the title says, I've heard two possible meanings for "turning down" the air conditioning: It could mean "set the target temperature lower" (i.e. colder) or "make it work less" (i.e. warmer). Turning down the heat makes it colder, but both meanings are in agreement there.


title: What's a word for articulating something and making it sound worse?

text: Sorry for the poor title, but I can describe this better through an example. A few weeks ago, one of my friends had a conversation with her boyfriend, and she said that she wouldn't necessarily marry him because he's "not smart enough". The intention and feeling behind this statement is certainly not that he's stupid. But when articulated, this sounds really mean despite the more moderate intent. I'm looking for a word that describes this phenomenon: where a thought may really has a rather mild intent/emotion behind it while its in your head, but when articulated, the listeners tend to dramatize the statement and the emotion/intent comes across much stronger. Another example was a friend was trying to describe his new housemates who are from the East Coast and attend Ivy League schools. They're perfectly wonderful and pleasant people, but they're more willing to spend money on luxuries and fun experiences, and love to just constantly do interesting/crazy things. I feel that when you articulate this, you give off the air that they just ball out of control, when the reality is much more subdued. I'm trying to describe this idea -- that when you express something the emotion and imagery conjured unintentionally exaggerates reality.


title: Word for grieving parents?

text: Is there a word that describes a parent whose child has died? Along the lines of "orphan", "widow", and "widower", is there a single word for a parent who has lost a child (of any age)?


title: What do we call parents who lose their child?

text: When a child loses his parents, he is referred to as an orphan. If a woman loses her husband, she is considered a widow. But if a parent loses their child, what do we call them? Childless? Childless doesn't make much sense, as if the parents never had children to begin with.


title: A word meaning "communicating one idea" (Mono-<something>-ic?)

text: I am looking to see if there is a word to describe "communicating one thought". I imagine it would be something like "Mono--ic". This is how I am attempting to use it: "Instead of using a choropleth map, which is mono--ic, we should use a more dynamic map which displays multiple statistics simultaneously." For those who don't know, a choropleth map is a map with solid colors which correspond to a single value. E.g. A red county might mean it's population is primarily republican. Which I am trying to communicate is that we should use a map which does not communicate a single thought per area - rather a map that communicates multiple aspects at the same time. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks! -Kivak


title: Where did the notion of 'dumbing down' first arise from?

text: Can anyone tell me the origin of the expression 'dumbing down'? It seems increasingly difficult to trace the etymology of neologisms, but I'm curious whether anyone has any information on this phrase. Thank you.


title: The use of the term "absolutions"

text: I am curious as to if anyone else has heard of, seen, or used the term "absolutions." I purchased William F. Buckley, Jr.'s book _The Lexicon_ a few weeks back, and this is one of the first words that caught my eye. Its supposed meaning is "the washing of one's body or part of it," with the example text given: > Several witnesses noted the license number, and the California authorities > had it within minutes, leaving it a mystery why there was no one there at > his apartment to greet Edgar Smith when he drove in to perform the identical > **absolutions** of nineteen years earlier—an effort to remove the blood from > his person and clothing. This usage has quite the semantic parallel to the singular version of the word; however, I have had no luck in finding this exact meaning anywhere else. Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated. (Edit: This turned out to be nothing more than a typo in my book. _Ablutions_ was, indeed, the word that should have appeared in the text. I do thank everyone for clearing it up, though.)


title: When to call first name or last name?

text: For example, a man's name is Jeff Smith. My question is: When should I call him "Jeff"? When should I call him "Smith"? When should I call him "Jeff Smith"? in western.


title: When someone says something in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way for a brief moment

text: Is there a word that describes when someone blurts out something quickly and excitedly and in a sort of foolish way? For example, the word babble describes the act of "talking rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way." The word I'm looking for is similar, but doing it hastily and only for a short bit. For example, the context I'm using it in is a soldier saying a quick, incomprehensible prayer before the eve of battle that no one around him really catches the meaning of. I could say that he "babbles a prayer," but if he only does it for a short moment, it doesn't really fit the context.


title: Is there a short word or slang for "matchmaker"?

text: I'm trying to find an appropriate name for kind of a dating website. The purpose of the website is to match between people, hence the description - matchmaker. However this word isn't catchy enough. Any suggestions for some catchy, appealing and "cute" word?


title: What does "a monkey boy" mean in classrooms?

text: An American teacher keeps calling one of his Japanese students "monkey boy" , which makes the student's mother very uncomfotable because it sounds derogatory to her. What kind of students do teachers usually call "monkey boy?"


title: Permittee and Permitter?

text: According to Wiktionary, _permittee_ is the one who receives a permit. May I call the one who permit something as _permitter_?


title: What's the difference between a murder and an assassination?

text: I am unsure what the technical difference is between a murder and an assassination. Instinctively I feel it's to do with the victim - perhaps their fame? Royalty? What is the distinction between the two?


title: What is the difference between a Cathedral and a Minster?

text: In the UK we have a lot of Cathedrals. We also have York Minster but I'm unsure what is special about York that makes it a Minster rather than another Cathedral. The only other case I can think of is Westminster Abbey although I believe this is named after the City of Westminster. What does a religious building require to be classed as a Minster rather than a Cathedral?


title: How to emphasize "I would rather"

text: I would like to emphasize the expression "I would rather... than ...". My native language is French, and in French we would say something like "I would rather 1000 times.... than", so I'm looking for an equivalent in English. Thank you


title: What is this kind of spelling mistake called?

text: Consider the following sentence from this web page (a review of an episode from the TV show "How I Met Your Mother"). "The focus on Robin really aloud her character to get the kind of attention she has been missing for many a season." Clearly, "aloud" should be "allowed". So, the writer has substituted one word with another that sounds the same when spoken, but is spelled differently and has a different meaning. What kind of spelling mistake do this call this in English?


title: What is the opposite of compulsion?

text: If I am acting based on a compulsion, then I am acting because I am forced to do so. I have given up my power to chose. What is the opposite of this? If I decide to act after careful analysis and decision, what is this called?


Would you call a person who has a personality similar to Lincoln a Lincoln or a Lincolner? Also, does Lincolner have any political connotations, like someone supporting the Republican party?


title: Is "As beginning Android programmer" incorrect?

text: In the book **_Android Programming_** , I found this sentence: > As beginning Android programmer, you face a steep learning curve. I think the sentence is incorrect, and that it should read thus: > As **_a_** beginning Android programmer, you face a steep learning curve. Am I right?


title: One of the few vs one of few

text: When do you use _"one of the few"_ and _"one of few"_? Take for example: > He went to a boarding school, one of few in the country. and > He went to a boarding school, one of the few in the country. Is there a difference?


title: "Far side of the Moon" in fewer words?

text: I'm looking for a shorter way of saying "The far side of the Moon" (meaning that either literally, or by association). Preferably in one word. "Synthetic" English, Latin and other non-English (i.e. foreign language, not customarily used in English texts) words will do too (sadly, no linguistics.stackexchange.com out there).


title: What is this piece of children's playground apparatus called?

text: I want to call this a "roundabout". But, in Britain anyway, a "roundabout" is much larger with bars on it to sit on (as demonstrated by a Google images search for "playground roundabout"). They're a fairly new addition to playgrounds, I think. They certainly didn't exist when I was a kid. But what are they actually called? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/5VhgO.jpg)


title: I often use "is being" and "are being" in my sentences. Is it correct grammatically?

text: For example "lasers are being used to treat different skin conditions". It is a passive form without a subject. Please guide.


title: Do Americans use the term "garburator" or is there a better equivalent?

text: Is it obsolete to use the term _garburator_ to refer to a garbage disposal unit in a kitchen? If it is, do we have a better term to replace it with? Also, what is the etymology of this word?


title: Does "until" convey certainty?

text: Consider this sentence, > Until this is proven wrong, we will believe it to be true. Does it mean either;   * This _will be_ proven wrong, and we will continue to believe it is true in the meantime   * If this is proven to be wrong, we will believe it's wrong, and we will believe it is true otherwise. So, when someone use _until_ like this, does it mean the mentioned thing **will happen** or **might happen** ?


title: "Whale fail" - What does this mean?

text: Google uses the phrase "Whale fail" on this picture (from their error page): ![Google Books "whale fail" image, Captain Ahab dejected at finding a green whale](http://i.stack.imgur.com/OOf2n.jpg) What does it mean?


title: 'shared' as a synonym for 'said'

text: I'm seeing more and more of the word 'shared' in reporting speech, especially in meeting minutes and even publications. Is this correct? For example: Mr X shared that training programmes will be conducted. Or: "We focus on helping people understand mental health issues," she shared.


title: What do you call that person who needs other people to be dependent upon?

text: There are always these people who are weak and insecure and always looking for people to be dependent on for their security. They never have say in their group and meekly agree to what other is doing even if they don't like it.


title: When does "part" mean "quarter"?

text: > 'Behind us in the caves of the Deep are three parts of the folk of Westfold, > old and young, children and women,' said Gamling. 'But great store of food, > and many beasts and their fodder, have also been gathered there.' JRR Tolkien, _The Lord of the Rings_ , Volume 2: "The Two Towers", Book Three, Chapter VII, "Helm's Deep" By _three parts_ , Gamling means "three parts of four", or "three quarters". Or, at least, so I assume. Why do I assume that? It's an assumption built in so deeply that I have _no idea_ where it comes from. Is it a correct assumption? How long has the assumption that everything has four parts (or, rather, that a _part_ means a quarter) been around? And is it still safe to use language that way today?


title: Should I say "at a low price" or "at a low cost"?

text: I want to place an ad to sell my services. Should I say I have good service at a low _price_ or low _cost_?


title: Is caret a widely understood word?

text: A caret is the point that text is in inserted in a text box. Is this known widely? Will the average user (non technical) understand this word? What other phrase or word should be used to describe the point at which text is inserted?


title: Meaning of "fearless to a fault"

text: I found this phrase in the following excerpt from a novel (emphasis added): > New York cabbies were a unique breed. **Fearless to a fault** , they sped > and swerved through crowded streets with unnatural calm. I googled it between quotation marks and found almost 100.000 results. This somehow leads me to think that it is some sort of idiom or set phrase. Is it the case? Again, I can't understand its proper meaning: is it "so fearless that they may be faulted for that"?


title: Capitalisation of seasons

text: I'm not sure how many people share this experience, but I've personally grown up being taught to spell the seasons with a capital heading. ex. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Yet, when I type the seasons with a capital in Microsoft Word, I'm given the blue squiggly line under them, telling me to use `spring` (or summer, autumn, winter). Have I been taught incorrectly, or is this a MS Word error?


title: Foreign words reborrowed back into English

text: Wikipedia mentions several English words that have been reborrowed from Japanese:   * _Anime_ comes from _animation_ and has been reborrowed into English to mean Japanese-style animation.   * _Puroresu_ comes from _professional wrestling_ and is a term for Japanese-style professional wrestling.   * _Kosupure_ comes from _cosplay_ (an abbreviation of _costume play_ ) and refers to the practice of dressing in costumes of anime and video game characters.  Do you know other examples of word reborrowings from Japanese or other languages back into English, or vice versa?


title: "Keep me motivated" or "keep myself motivated"?

text: Which statement is more correct? > I am doing this to keep me motivated. OR > I am doing this to keep myself motivated.


title: Can one "affect" change?

text: In an article today in the Christian Science Monitor, they give a Fox transcript of Palin's recent speech as follows: “Somebody like me – is a title and is a campaign too shackling?” said Palin. “Does that prohibit me from being out there, out of a box, not allowing handlers to shape me and to force my message to be what donors or what contributors or what political pundits want it to be? Does a title take away my freedom to call it like I see it and to **affect** positive change that we need in this country? That’s the biggest contemplation piece in my process.” Question: Is it possible that "affect" was intended there? Or was the more natural "effect" intended, and the above is a typo?


title: I can't get it: It will vary amongst database systems who has what function

text: > It will vary amongst database systems **who has what function** , or even > whether they use the same function name. Asked a native English speaker "does this sentence make sense to you?". His answers was "yes". Well, it sure doesn't make any sense to me, neither grammatically nor semantically. Help me figure what's going on here.


title: Meaning: one Benghazi revelation away from impeachment

text: > Spoiler alert: he's siding with his friend Vladimir Putin and not with > President Obama, whom the action star believes is **one Benghazi > revelation** away from impeachment. I can't get the meaning of **one Benghazi revelation**. How do I have to understand it? Please, break it down for me. I asked a friend of mine who is a native English speaker from North Carolina and his answer was this: _Benghazi was a scandal for Obama. it means that he thinks Obama is in a tenuous position_. Well, that doesn't cut as an answer for me. I need to really understand the inner workings of the phrase. Much appreciated.


title: What's the most common way to say "male chauvinist?"

text: Unless "male chauvinist" is the most common way. For example, in Spanish we just say "machista." I'm looking for something short and common, like that. I checked on Google but the only thing I found was that: male chauvinist. The other alternative is sexist. But that's a little different. The word should mean: _the belief that men are superior or more important than women._ Any other suggestions? (e.g., For instance, to be used in a sentence like: "Your ideology sounds a bit **male chauvinist** to me).


title: Meaning of "black on black" in Nickelback's "Animals"

text: The song "Animals" by Nickelback starts with the following lines: > I, I'm driving **black on black** > > Just got my license back > > I got this feeling in my veins > > This train is coming off the track I am confused about what "black on black" means in relation to driving. Several translations of the lyrics that I've seen (which are probably just copies of one single translation) interpret it as "very slowly", which seems to not fit the spirit of the song and its portrayal of the driver. Urban Dictionary, however, defines "black on black" as: >   1. The epitome of style. Referring to any and all things that can be > categorized by having black as the background color and, again, black as the > accent color. > >   2. Any black vehicle on black rims. > > The second definition does sorta fit the song's style and _driving_ black on black, but still doesn't feel right. So, what does it actually mean?


title: Regions and reasons for the usage of "sleep" as "go to sleep"

text: This question is very closely linked to this english.SE question, which discusses the usage of "sleep" as a verb meaning "go to sleep" and inspired by this ell.SE question, in which the accepted answer clearly does not recognize the existence of this interpretation. The usage of the word "sleep" as a verb signifying "go to sleep" is clearly not commonplace (and is not noted in the online M-W nor the American Heritage dictionaries), but _is_ prevalent in certain regions, I pose the following two questions:   1. If this _is_ a familiar usage of "sleep", in what region do you find this usage of "sleep" common?, and   2. For those familiar with this manner of grammatical construct, or other similarly amorphous words, what do you imagine might have been its origin? (The linked english.SE question notes that this is a construct used in the Northeast U.S. and Australia; being from the Northeast myself, I can also confirm that it is used there). As noted in the linked english.SE question, the usage of "sleep" as "go to sleep" in a phrase such as > I usually sleep around midnight. instead of the more technically accurate > I usually _go to_ sleep around midnight. seems to be rather regional and the possible result of "contamination from another language". I know of at least one construction in a foreign language that resembles this, namely from Spanish: > Dormí a las ocho. translates to > I went to sleep at eight. But the answers in that question, as well as the ell.SE question that I linked, are not particularly illustrative of what I'm asking. I'm very curious as to how common a usage this is and how it might have arisen.


title: Can we use “eat / bite” metaphorically in place of “accuse / slam”?

text: Time magazine (May 27) reported that Mrs. Obama accused House Republicans of their weakening school nutritional standards at White House meeting with school leaders and experts. I was drawn to the difference of headlines of the same article in Time homepage, where it reads: “Michelle Obama **eats** health critics for lunch,” and the text page where it reads: “Michelle Obama **bites back** at critics of her healthy school lunch standards,” followed by the lead copy; > "In one of the most political speeches she’s given, Michelle Obama > **accused** House Republicans of “playing politics” with “our children’s > future”, then goes on; > The First Lady **slammed** Republicans on Tuesday for trying to weaken > school nutritional standards, one of her key policy achievements. She called > it "unacceptable to me not just as First Lady but also as a mother" > http://time.com/120611/michelle-obama-school-lunches/ I was also intrigued to know that “eat” and “bite back” are used to mean “slam,” “accuse,” or “counterattack,” then questions arose:   1. Is it normal to use “eat” and “bite” as a metaphoric alternative to “slam / accuse/ criticize”? Is it a cute figure of speech?   2. Why did Time change the wording of the headline from “Michelle Obama eats health critics” in its home page to “Michelle Obama bites back at critics” in the text page? – though this could be answered only by the article writer. Could you provide me an answer? Addendum: By posting this question, I was alert to the usage of “eat / bite” and found the following examples this week.   * “What **eats at** me the most is the 80 dead people I had in my command over my three tours, that **eats at** me a hell of a lot. –Daniel Bolger, ex-Army lieutenant general.” - Time magazine. - May 22, 2014   * “Capitalism **Eating** Its Children”－NYT Op-ed columnist, Roger Cohen. NYT May 29 2014. Though these may sound quite commonplace to native English speakers as indicated by low view on this question, it's amusing for me to find a variety of the usage of ‘eat / bite.”


title: Use of 'which' to combine clauses

text: Is there anything wrong, in terms of either grammar and/or usage, with the following sentence: "The information age has ushered children into a global society, which is the cause of educators lamenting a lack of texts that explain the diversity of cultures."


title: Grammatically incorrect or just awkward?

text: Is this grammatically incorrect or just clunky? > If you put time into it you will be rewarded as you master all the different > techniques. * * * **EDIT** (copied from a reply below): I’ll add a bit of context. What I’m trying to say is that as one puts time into any given activity, they’ll be emotionally rewarded as they master different aspects of it.


title: Can you say "within 90 days after"?

text: I understand that you can say, "within 30 days of receiving your application", but I am seeing more and more "within 30 days after your application is received". Is the latter grammatical?


title: US Route 101 — "The 101"

text: In my part of the world, we refer to highways without any article. So we drive on "Highway 64", or "Interstate 64", or "I-64". But when I go to California, they say "The 101". Is there any explanation for this difference?


title: To slay the helpless angle

text: From Guy Wetmore Carryl's "The Precipitate Cock and the Unappreciated Pearl": > He turned again to where his clan > > In one astounding tangle > > With eager haste together ran > > To slay the helpless **angle** The author uses "angle" to refer to a worm, a key hero of the narrative. Does the meaning of _angle_ here stems from the geometrical figure, or from the archaic sense of _hook_ listed in the Oxford Dictionary?


title: Precedence: and > or?

text: The question _Precedence of “and” and “or”_ asks if there is any notion of precedence ordering in the English and it would seem not, based on the answers. Regardless of that, if you saw the following piece of text, how would interpret it and why? > The prerequisite(s) of module **AB1234** : > > GN3001 **and** GN3002 **or** BC3006 **and** BC3007.


title: Which preposition to use with "diagnose"

text: I had an English exam today. One of the questions was fill in the gaps. It was like: > Doctors diagnosed him **with/ for** hyperactivity. So should the gap be _with_ or _for_? I checked Google and there are a lot of examples of each.


title: What is the difference between “area”, “zone”, and “site”?

text: Is there any difference between _area_ , _zone_ , and _site_? If there is some difference between them? When do I have to use (nor not use) each of these constructions?


title: How to write negative currency in text?

text: Which version is grammatically correct (given that I hopefully provided at least one correct alternative)? > [...] the company yielded a result to the amount of **− €6.680** billion in > 2008. or > [...] the company yielded a result to the amount of **€ −6.680** billion in > 2008. Since I'm not a native speaker, I'd appreciate any other tips/corrections as well.


title: To either revive or kill something

text: I'm wondering if there's a word out there for me. I think that a clever use of a prefix would do as well. So, to **revive** means to make alive, and to **kill** means to make dead. Is there a word that means to toggle someone or something's life/death status? Alternatively, and I know that this is a long shot, but I could use a word or phrase that means changing one's mind (or pronunciation) regarding the **life/death status** of inanimate objects (or living things). Related: is there a medical term for disagreement about a patient's **life/death status**? Is there a natural prefix that means ' **toggle** ' or ' **switch** '? Is there a word that means **life/death status** , similar to how 'beatitude' might describe blessed/unblessed status? EDIT: I'm going with 'transanimate'. Thanks for the help!


title: I'm looking for a word to describe artificially inflating a price to keep it consistent

text: As the title says - I'm struggling to find a word to describe the value that is added to the price charged for something to avoid passing on manufacturing savings to the customer. For example if building a ship costs my company $1000 and we charge $2000 to the customer. We then change suppliers and the ship now costs $800 to build. However we want to still charge $2000 for the ship, so is there a name for that $200 we add to into the price to keep it the same? Note that it doesn't have to be an actual technical financial term - just an English word that has this kind of inflation meaning


title: Ungrammatical or Grammatically Incorrect

text: Which of "ungrammatical" or "grammatically incorrect" is prefered and why?


title: Friendlier way to express you paid for a person's drink/dinner and expect it to be paid back

text: In Dutch we have the word _voorschieten_. In English it translates — according to Google Translate — to "advance, lend, disburse". The Dutch word _voorschieten_ is used in an informal setting between friends where you pay for that friend's dinner or drinks and expect to be paid back later. Do you say in English "Mary loaned John money for the drinks"? or "Mary advanced money for the dinner"? or do you use another expression? _Loaning_ sounds a bit heavy to me. It's like "A loan for a car". A friend from New Zealand came up with "Mary spotted John money for the lunch", but I wonder if it's understood in the US.


title: Is the verb "are" missing in this sentence?

text: I have a question about a possible grammatical error in this sentence: "We hope you find our toilets in good condition". I came across it lately on one of the mall's notice boards. In my opinion this sentence is lacking the verb _are_. I mean: "We hope (that) you find (that) our toilets ARE in good condition". Could somebody be so kind as to explain why _are_ is missing? Regards.


title: Do I need to use 'the' in this case?: the implications of study findings

text: I hope to clarify that I used 'the' in a right place in the following sentence. 'The findings of this study' 'The implicatinos of study findings' Since 'findings' and 'implications' are limited by 'of the study' and 'of study findings', I think that I need to use 'the'. Am I correct? Could you review the following sentence?: Since the PSED data sampled only nascent entrepreneurs in the U.S., the findings of this study would not be applicable to other countries. Therefore, the implications of study findings are limited to the U.S. context.


title: Is there a word or phrase for borders being respected

text: Is there a word or phrase that means a "condition in which the borders of each nation are respected by all other nations"?


title: What is the term for when you become more aware of something?

text: For example, when you buy a car, you start becoming more aware of cars with a similar make and model. The number of that type of car hasn't increased, but your awareness of it has. Similarly, when you learn a new word, you start hearing the same word used in different places. You probably just filtered the word out previously, but now you've become aware of it. How do you describe the phenomenon when you become more aware of something after an initial or significant exposure or experience with that thing? What term or word can you use?


title: Can I say that a scientific field has been "polymorphic" if it has changed dramatically over time?

text: > The field of artificial intelligence, abbreviated as AI, has been quite > turbulent and **polymorphic** since its creation. If not, what other word or construct could I use? By _polymorphic_ I meant that it had changed its subject and scope over time.


title: Word for having four sides or parts

text: I need a word to describe the arrangement of mammalian teeth, which is strictly speaking bilateral, but can also be thought of as having four quasi- homologous quadrants. "Quadrilateral" doesn't seem to be used this way by dentists according to a quick Google search, although they do use the word "quadrant." > Thanks to the **___ _** nature of dentition, we can have up to four > experimental groups per animal.


title: Difference between "humble" and "modest"

text: What is the difference between _humble_ and _modest_? I saw one difference here. Is that true? Any other difference?


title: Verb form of "inception"

text: Just out of curiosity, what is the verb form of _inception_? My (uneducated) guesses are _incept_ and _inceive_.


title: Use of "either/or" in a negative phrase

text: I'm not sure if a sentence I wrote is correct: > "The last one didn't get neither my changes nor thiago's". I'm trying to say that the last activity I ran in a system didn't get the changes I sent and also it didn't get thiago's changes. Since I'm using the "didn't', I'm not sure if I should use 'neither/nor' instead of 'either/or'. Is there a rule for this situation?


title: A word meaning "To bring out of retirement" / "To bring back into use"

text: * (Re)instate? -- Seems too specific.   * (Re-)employ? -- Seems to apply to both machines and people, which is useful. But re-employ seems too general.   * Activate? -- Seems most appropriate perhaps, although for soldiers (people in general, even), you would say "return (them) to active duty" rather than "activate (them)". In fact, the term that I'm looking for would be appropriate to machines and people coming out of, shall we say, a torpour of sorts. Any ideas? The original phrase is a bit clunky, and I suspect there may be an alternative.


title: Old English instead of Latin in early Britain

text: For almost 400 years, Britain was a Roman province. During that period, naturally, Latin was an important language in the region. When the Germanic tribes invaded the British Isles (around the 5th century), they brought with them several Germanic dialects that ended up becoming the predominant language, known today as Old English. At the same time, other Roman provinces, such as what we now call France, Spain and Portugal, were also being invaded by other Germanic tribes. But, instead of imposing their own languages, the Barbarians themselves became "Romanized" and began speaking the local Latin dialects. If that process had also happened in Britain, they would probably be speaking a Romance language today. So, why did it not happen? How could the Anglo-Saxons manage to displace the original language spoken by their conquered people?


title: Is 'to gain an advantage' a pleonasm?

text: The definition of "advantage" is roughly "something positive". Definitions for "to gain" are rather varied, but usually mean "to win something" with a positive connotation. With this in mind, is "to gain an advantage" a pleonasm or not? Does "gaining" imply "advantage"? Examples of definitions of "to gain": 1 and 2.


title: What is the difference, if any, between 'art', 'the arts', and 'Art'?

text: In answer to this question, there was some discussion about whether these two sentences are equivalent: > Art nurtures the soul.   >  The arts nurture the soul. Are they equivalent? 'The arts' is a common but woolly term and 'art' is notoriously difficult to pin down. Oxforddictionaries.com gives the following definitions: >   1. **art** [mass noun] the expression or application of human creative > skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or > sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or > emotional power >   2. ( **the arts** ) the various branches of creative activity, such as > painting, music, literature, and dance > What practical differences in usage are there (if any)? Also, does _Art_ (capital A) have a special meaning distinct from _art_ (lower case a)?


title: Why does pine feather period signify the period in a woman's life when she blossoms?

text: In a book titled _From Flappers to Rappers_ it lists youth slang from the 1920s and one of the terms it lists is pine feather period. Pine feather period is defined as a period in a woman's life when she blossoms. I can't comprehend how "pine feather period" and a woman blossoming are relevant. I've researched the matter and still I haven't the least notion. Can anyone please help me understand better how "pine feather period" could be used to describe a young lady blossoming?


title: What does "the reactor core inventory" mean?

text: I found the following expression in New York Times: > On the International Nuclear Event Scale, a Level 7 nuclear accident > involves "widespread health and environmental effects" and the "external > release of a significant fraction of the reactor core inventory." In this sentence, I couldn't understand what "a significant fraction of the reactor core inventory" means. I think this refers to radioactive materials. Is that right? But if so, I don't know why such an expression is used. According to Longman dictionary, "inventory" means "a list of all the things in a place". And "fraction" means "a very small amount of something". Then, it follows that the phrase in question means "a small significant amount of a list of all the things in the reactor core". Is it correct to interpret this means "radioactive materials". If not, could you tell me "a significant fraction of the reactor core inventory"? Also, significant modifies not "its amount" but "its quality". Is that right?


title: Is there an adjective form of "recipe"?

text: Is it possible to use "recipe" as an adjective as in the following sentence: > These are some **reciptial** suggestions for you.   >  (These set of suggestions are like a recipe to your problems.) What other word can I use if the example above is erroneous?


title: Is 'this this' correct?

text: The ability to echo words and still make a meaningful statement has always bugged me. Take this example sentence: "Thank you for bringing this issue to my attention. We will take care of this this afternoon." Is this sentence grammatically correct? Also, is there a technical term for the echoed 'this'?


title: Common phrases for something that appears good but is actually bad

text: What are common phrases that describe something that appears good but is actually bad? Edit: Because people say _bad_ is vague I will try to sum up the phrase meaning a little better.   * something that looks like it will be helpful or advantageous but after use it is hindering   * a tool that seems useful but is not the correct tool for the job   * something that seems like a good idea but after execution turns out to be problematic


title: Can an acronym be pronounced as a construction of letters and words?

text: I've found this question Pronouncing acronyms in which people discuss how to pronounce acronyms, and they can be pronounced either as single letters or as a single word. However I would like to know if they can be pronounced as a combination. For example in computer science SPOF stands for Single Point Of Failure, can it be pronounced as S.POF? Or it must be pronounced either as 'spof' or S.P.O.F.?


title: How to split a multiple word phrase and another word/phrase

text: I work in a global company that with many Japanese people has a general rule to add "san" to the names of people. With so many names from different countries and different order rules it is hard to know which is the surname. Is there a good way of representing "firstname middlename surname san" without making it look like "san" is part of the name. For example this seems logical but not something I've ever seen: "(firstname middlename surname)-san"


title: Plurals of quotations: “Chorus of ‘Hello’s”; “Ooh”s & “Ah”s

text: Is there a way to pluralize a quotation? _E.g._ , > He was greeted with a chorus of “Hello”s. or > Her daring earned “Ooh”s & “Ahh”s from around the room. With actual dictionary words (“Hello” in the first example), simple plurals might do, without quotes: “He was greeted with a chorus of hellos.” With _ad hoc_ onomatopoeic words like “ooh” & “ahh”, though, can I pluralize them without confusing the reader? Is italicizing part of the word acceptable: “Her daring earned _ooh_ s & _ahh_ s from around the room”?


title: Is there a term for the principle governing the efficient spatial arrangement of items within a container?

text: This question was prompted this morning (and yes, it's silly) when I opened the refrigerator to see (yet again) that _someone_ had placed several short items on the top (tall) shelf, usurping space from items that can't be stored on any other shelf. Maybe it's as simple as **_spatially efficient_**. (Yes, I realize I should maybe be posting this in _OCD dot stackexchange dot com_.)


title: What's the difference between "that will be $200" and "that would be $200"?

text: When you are negotiating prices with your customer, you might say "that's $200," "that'll be $200," or "that would be $200." Are there any differences among them?


title: Is there a single adjective to describe an attachment target?

text: I can attach a picture file to an email. The picture file is `"attachable"`, is there a single word adjective that describes quality of the email that it can be attached to?


title: Active to Passive

text: Active: > Don't ask me the question. Passive: > Don't let myself be asked the question by you. Is it correct? If not, please provide the correct answer.


title: active-passive voice related question

text: Please tell me the passive form (if there is) of the following sentence:               Leave at once.      ???


title: Book Publication Data Page

text: In an English-language book, we conventionally have, among the first few pages, a page displaying essential data concerning the book: Library of Congress Cataloguing Data, various credits, publication date/location, copyright and other legal information, etc. What is this page called? Do we have a specific term for it? EDIT: in my research, I found this described as _metadata_. Would it be appropriate to call it the _metadata page_?


title: reminescent hankering of a past event

text: Is there a single word or idiom for a reminescent hankering for a past event - such as a concert, a party, a vacation, etc. attended with friends or whoever company?


title: "Sick" or "ill"?

text: If I'm not healthy, am I _sick_ or am I _ill_? Are these interchangeable, or do they merely overlap?


title: "I'd chase him down" vs. "I had to chase him down"

text: I was reading an article and I encountered this sentence: > Sometimes the warchief target would run off and **I'd chase him down** a > field for longer than I care to admit. To me, if I remove the contraction I also have to add the word "to" (I had to chase him down) so the sentence makes sense. Is this correct or the meaning changes completely?


title: What day is it? or What day is it on?

text: Are "what day is it?" and "what day is it on?" both correct? Or is one more correct than the other? Or is one correct/formal and the other informal? What would you use in these examples and why: Example 1   * Hi, Daniel. Is Peter's concert tonight?    * No, it's at the weekend.    * What day is it?/What day is it on?   * It's on Saturday. Example 2   * What day is Christmas this year?/What day is Christmas on this year?   * It's on a Saturday.


title: Hypernyms for directions

text: I am searching for hypernyms to summarise and differentiate between two groups words describing possible movement directions in a 2D space.   1. `up, down, left, right`   2. `up-left, up-right, down-left, down-right` The criteria for the hypernyms are - in order of importance: 1) Discriminative, 2) Descriptive and 3) Concise/brief The hierarchy I came up with so far looks like:                              Direction                   /         \      Simple direction     Composite direction          (group 1)              (group 2)      While simple/composite work reasonably well to differentiate between the two groups they aren't very descriptive of the group they represent. This made me wonder about better terms.


title: When did "consumption" become "tuberculosis"?

text: Tuberculosis was commonly called "consumption" for many years. When did "tuberculosis" or "TB" overtake "consumption" as the common term, in English, for the disease? This Ngram isn't much use; it compares the use of the terms "consumption" and "tuberculosis" in American English from 1800 to 2000. Of course the problem is that "consumption" means many other things. The Ngram does show "tuberculosis" peaking between 1900 and 1920, but what I am interested in is roughly when a typical English speaker might have shifted from referring to the disease as "consumption," to "tuberculosis." The dictionaries to which I have access simply state that "consumption" is an archaic term for the disease.


title: Can someone be instilled with medication?

text: I am looking specifically for how to use the first definition given here: > to cause to enter drop by drop (instill medication into the infected eye) but I imagine usage rules would apply equally to the the sense of instilling a sense of something in someone. I can't work out if "patients were instilled with medication" would be incorrect, or if it is just an alternative construction of "medication was instilled into patients". My Google search results are dominated by usage pertaining to instilling a sense of something in someone or variants of "All patients instilled a tear substitute in 1 eye", which doesn't in itself suggest anything about whether the form in question is incorrect. So can someone be instilled with medication, or is medication always instilled by or into someone?


title: Difference between "Folder version" and "Folder revision"

text: I need to know the difference between a "file version" and a "file revision", assuming that they don't have the same meaning, I assume also that a version means that we've modified an existing folder, so we have a new version ...


title: Apostrophe vs. Single Quote

text: What is the **semantic** difference between **apostrophe** and **single quote**? I see people use both of them interchangeably, but people never create two words to denote one concept. There should be a difference.


title: Why is "margarine" pronounced with a soft "g"?

text: As far as I know, _margarine_ is the only word in which a 'g' is pronounced as 'j' though it is _not_ followed by 'e', 'i', or 'y'. What causes the unorthodox pronunciation?


title: What does "plenty of bite to them" mean in this context?

text: I guess "bite" could mean criticism, but if you read the rest of the paragraph it doesn't feel that way. > Of course, these tongue-in-cheek projects still have plenty of bite to them. > Gmail’s Twitter account announced that 100,000 interventions were sent in > the site’s first 24 hours, and that ‘Gmail Man’ video could help salespeople > rekindle Gmail privacy fears that have largely died down over the last > several years. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/battle-of-the-goofy-email- campaigns/2011/07/28/gIQABRG4fI_story.html


title: 'Take after' usage with abstract concepts

text: Can I use phrasal verb _take after_ with things and abstract concepts when I want to emphasise similarity and inheritance? For example, is it correct to say either of these: >   1. Idea A takes after idea B more than any other. > >   2. Idea A takes after idea B. > >


title: Is the expression, “As Casey faced her the jury, America was able to sound off in tweets, texts, Facebook postings” right?

text: I found an article beginning with the phrase, “ _As Casey faced her the jury_ ” in today’s Time Magazine (July 7) reporting the conclusion of Casey Anthony case under the title, “Casey Anthony sentencing: Release date set for July 13.” To a non-native English speaker like me, the composition “ _Casey faced her the jury_ ” felt somewhat confusing. Do we need ‘the’ between 'her' and 'jury'? Shouldn’t it be “As Casey faced her jury,” or “As Casey faced the verdict of the jury,” or even “As Casey faced the sentencing by the judge”? Am I nitpicking too much? The article in question reads: > “ _As Casey faced her the jury_ , America was able to sound off in tweets, > texts, Facebook postings and story comments. The majority of those that > followed the verdict, according to my own informal survey, exclaimed some > sort of appalled wonder that she would get off. In their heart of hearts, > most Americans knew that there wasn't enough evidence to convict Casey > Anthony, but they were pretty sure she wasn't totally innocent, either.”


title: Does the end of this sentence convey what I want it to mean?

text: **My sentence:** > "It is quite a remarkable piece of prose because intuitive, humanities > related metaphors are often used to explain difficult mathematical ideas (à > la Blueman), not the other way around." **My intended meaning:** > Not the other way around meaning mathematical metaphors are not used to > explain intuitive humanities related ideas p.s. how is my use of prose and a la?


title: What does ‘as little as the next guy’ in “I want to watch a piglet get tortured about as little as the next guy,” mean?

text: I came across the line, “I want to watch a piglet get tortured about _as little as the next guy,”_ in the article titled “China’s bizarre Food ‘Safety’ scene, and our own” in today’s New York Times’ (July 7). The article deals with prevailing deceptions of food stuff, lack of control of food safety, and ubiquitous torturing of livestock not only in China but also observed in the United States. I’m not clear with what ‘ _as the next guy_ ” means. Does it mean “as a (mere) onlooker,” or “as the next-door neighbor,” or “as a guy expected to get tortured in the same way as the foregoer in the next turn,” or otherwise? Please teach me. The sentence containing the phrase in question reads as follows: “Reports like these are unpleasant at best, and downright nauseating at worst. I want to watch a piglet get tortured about _as little as the next guy_ , but if we’re never (or seldom) allowed to see how screwed up our food “system” is, how will we ever know to make a fuss to fix it? Same goes for China, but let’s clean house here first."


title: Which can be true? The importance of + Ving or the importance of + ADJ + Noun

text: I am confused about the sentence below. Which structure is used: importance of + Ving or the importance of + ADJ + Noun ? > In recently years, there has been growing awareness of **the importance of > preserving** the world's biological diversity.


title: Is it acceptable to mix Latin with English?

text: Is it acceptable to mix small amounts of Latin with English? > Right now, **___ __ ___ __ ___ _** is _persona non grata._ Is this proper English?


title: How to use "due date"?

text: Am I using "due date" correctly if I write "Task A due date" in a calendar if you mean that Task A should be competed on this day. Or should it be "due today" or something else?


title: What do these verses mean?

text: Quotation from The Pastyme of Plasure Especially，I don't know "sprynge, ryall, chefe and orygynal". > "O Mayster Lydgate! the most dulcet sprynge   >  Of famous rethoryke, with balade ryall   >  The chefe orygynal."   >  _—"The Pastyme of Plasure," by Stephen Hawes, 1509._ ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Sny0O.png)


title: Does using an adverb three times almost always imply the opposite?

text: > Dana is very, very, very nice. > > _A real housewife of Beverly Hills_ It seems that almost exclusively, the reiteration of a such a clarifier - very in this case - ends up actually meaning the exact opposite. Is there ever a reason to make the third, or even second repetition - if the purpose is not to throw doubt upon the meaning of the speaker's statement? > I'm sure you all think this question is really, really, really great. > > _Me_ I guess this is really dependent on _tone_ , but are there any grammatical rules that apply to the madness of sarcasm?


title: “avocation” vs “hobby”

text: When do I use _avocation_ and when do I use _hobby_? Or can I use them interchangeably? I need to choose between these two words or a url. Would www.kunalthehobbyist.com sound better or www.avocationistvyas.com?(My name is Kunal Vyas). I am planning it to be a blog like site for penning down opinions/tutorials/anecdotes on categorised topics, all of which are my hobbies/avocations. Feel free to recommend me any better alternatives.


title: "In the presence" or "in presence"

text: I am confused about how to use _in the presence_. Here I have written a sentence in which I think _the_ before _presence_ should be omitted. > This situation might be more critical **in the presence** of long edges, > although we restrict the irregular shape boundary to minimize the > complexity.


title: Meaning of "he answered zip"

text: Someone who is _not_ a native English speaker wrote this in an email to me. I didn't get it clearly in the beginning, so I just asked for the meaning and he replied back he meant "he answered immediately". Later I searched a little bit on the online dictionaries, and I got the feeling that "he answered zip" is more closer to "he answered nothing". So my first question is what's the actual meaning of "he answered zip"? Despite the fact it was my first time I saw such a combination, is that a common phrase or not? Is that even correct? And if it is correct, does that carrying a positive message or negative?


title: Resources that discuss "Jewish" English (English influenced by Yiddish grammar)

text: I'm looking for some resources that discuss English spoken with the influence of Yiddish/Hebraic grammatical structures. For instance, things like: > You want I should... "Do you want me to..." > I should be so lucky "Like I have that kind of luck" Anything to point me into the right direction would be greatly appreciated.


title: What are the treads on the side of the highway called?

text: On the sides of most highways (in the U.S. at least), there are rough treads just outside the travel lanes to snap a driver to attention if the vehicle is drifting off the road. Is there a name for these things? **EDIT** (post-answer for clarification, needed the answer to find the picture)   From the U.S. Department of Transportation's webpage: ![rumble strips](http://i.stack.imgur.com/EzZPb.jpg)


title: What is correct: "I am an account manager" or "I am the account manager"?

text: While introducing oneself, which should one say, "I am an account manager, or "I am the account manager"?


title: "Talking to someone is nice." or "It is nice to talk to someone." but "It was nice, talking to you." Why?

text: General statement: a. Talking to someone is nice. (verb as subject in front position = gerund) or b. It is nice to talk to someone. (verb as subject after dummy subject 'it' = full infinitive) Specific situation: It was nice, talking to you? ( **Why?** Is it a mix of a. and b.?)


title: How to mock the French?

text: I have recently started playing a board game (A Few Acres of Snow) that pits the British against the French in 18th century New England. I know how to mock others in general, but in order that trash-talk would be appropriate for the setting, I'd like to know: What are insults/taunts specifically targeting the French, ideally ones that were in use in the 18th century? Note that I'm looking for English words to mock the French. French expressions to mock the English can be found on french.stackexchange.com.


title: Does a "wedding reception" imply a meal?

text: Maybe it's because I haven't been living in an English-speaking country for so long... or maybe because I'm a man, and just don't know these things... But does a wedding reception imply a meal? Or would a meal be described more explicitly on a wedding invitation? My feeling is that "Reception to follow" would generally be interpreted as cake, punch, and snacks. But if the bride and groom were going to serve a full meal, they would say so with more explicit language. Is this accurate?


title: "Virtual work and fun environments"

text: I am trying to write a sentence in English, even though it is not my native language. So I would like to know if it is possible to write > Those are virtual work and fun environments. in order to comunicate both the following ideas _at the same time_ : > The first is a virtual work environment, the other is a virtual fun > environment. Do the proposed sentences have meaning in English? Is the first sentence correct?


title: "Iterate" and "iteration" as nouns

text: What are the differences between _iterate_ and _iteration_ as nouns? I don't quite understand the definition of _iterate_ as noun: > A quantity arrived at by iteration For example, in computer programming, there are language features for iterations, such as for loop, while loop. Which one is correct: each _iterate_ or each _iteration_? I saw a lot of scientific literature use _each iterate_ , such as this one: > Since **each iterate** is contained within an interval ...


title: how can I phrase the future possible applications of a technology?

text: I'm writing an overview for a paper, and want to let the reader know part of the outline: > ...in the last paragraph I want to mention the possible future applications > one can reach/accomplish with super conductivity. Would it be better to phrase this as follows? > ...I will mention the possible future applications of super conductivity.


title: "In God We Trust" vs. "We Trust in God"

text: A colleague of mine asked me what is the importance of word order in phrase "In God We Trust" And I could not answer. Is it a shame? **Update:** Would it be correct English to write: > In God - we trust


title: What is the meaning of the sentence?

text: In about good habit & bad, I run into the sentence like > Doing something over and over again until you don't have to think about **it > is how actions become habitual in the first place** Could you explain more easier expression?


title: The meaning of "that" in this case?

text: > "He was given no direction or no influence, other than that of fair chance." Here, what meaning does _that_ have?


title: 'solid' used as an adverb

text: The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition contains the following (on the hyphenation or otherwise of compounds): > 6.38: The trend in spelling compound words has been away from the use of > hyphens; there seems to be a tendency to spell compounds solid . . . One could argue that the word 'solid' is being used as a predicative adjective here (as in _the lake froze solid_ ) - but the semantic analysis is indeterminate, in my view, between adjectival and adverbial usage of 'solid' in the CMoS usage. AHD lists the adverb polyseme: > **solid** adv. 1\. As a whole; unanimously: _The committee voted solid for > the challenger._ > > 2.. Without a break or opening; completely or continuously: _The theater was > booked solid for a month._ To my surprise, Collins doesn't list it, though 'booked solid' is very common in the UK. What word-class would people plump for in the CMoS usage - and, more importantly, what verbs (other than obvious link-verbs) may 'solid', when not obviously accompanying a noun, follow?


title: Punctuating and constructing a confusing list

text: I need to write a list that I cannot find a great parallel construction for because certain items in the list use "of" and one uses "to". The sentence as originally written: > Ratification, acceptance and approval of a treaty or accession to it shall > be conducted when it is required by the treaty. I've been contemplating the following re-write: > Ratification of, acceptance of, approval of, or accession to a treaty shall > be conducted when required by the treaty. Or: > A treaty shall be ratified, accepted, approved, or acceded to by the State > when the treaty so requires. Any other ideas on how to construct this sentence in a readable and grammatically correct way? EDIT: I noticed the question on passive voice recently posted as well. The third example would be a case where passive voice is arguably preferable as the emphasis of this sentence should be the treaty and not the State.


title: Comma and "too"

text: Why is there a comma in the following comic? ![alt text](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Flu5C.gif)


title: "Forbidden to" vs "Forbidden from"?

text: Which sounds better (and where do you live?) I am American, and I think "forbidden from" sounds better, although both "forbidden to" and "forbidden from" are considered standard usage. "The banks were forbidden from making any more subprime loans." vs. "The banks were forbidden to make any more subprime loans."


title: Words for a person who imposes

text: I need a few words that describe a person who is imposing, in a context of overstaying his welcome. Someone that is present unwelcomed and you can't do your usual routines until the person is gone. A person who is not part of the household and is in the way. And excess person → _freeloader, parasite, scrounger/unwelcome guest_. Something more specific.


title: Polite way of calling someone for help

text: At work, how can I say "whenever you are ready I am ready." I would like to say "I am ready so please help me when you are available." Here is my full email: > Hello #### > > Whenever you are available I am available. > > Thanks, > > XXXX Because the recipient is my senior, and I don't want to be rude.


title: Hyphen omission: a matter of habit or plain error?

text: I'm not a native English speaker so I'm struggling to get this right. I understand (and this question confirms) that compound adjectives such as `well-organized`, `high-level`, `Spanish-speaking`, etc, **must** have a hyphen. In particular, for us non-native speakers, it really helps to instantly, on-the-march disambiguate some sentences, to tell if, e.g., we are referring to a Spanish person that is speaking right now, or about any person who can speak Spanish. However, I'm finding more and more cases were the hyphen is omitted in compound adjectives, such as this in Wikipedia. > The Cannone da 90/53 was an Italian designed cannon I know that Wikipedia is hardly a writing style reference, but this is far from a rare case. My question: is this a plain error or is the hyphen considered optional nowadays?


title: Predicate adjective acceptable with "to do"

text: "I did good on the test." vs. "I did well on the test." The first example sounds fine to me, and the second a bit pedantic. Is the first example standard American English and, secondly, is "good" a predicate/descriptive adjective in the example given?


title: Is 'Homologous to ash' correct in a literature context?

text: All men are equal, they are all made of the same materials. lets say that material is ash. is it correct if you say 'homologous to ash' ? I am looking for a Persian to English translation of this phrase. in Persian it is 'hamjens khakestar' which literally means "homologous to ash'. if of course homologous means made of the same material.


title: Why is "can" such an odd verb?

text: The English verb _can_ is very strange for several reasons:   * It drops the _to_ on any infinitive verb forms that follow it. That is, unlike in the verb _want_ in the sentence _I want **to** eat_, you would not include the infinitive _to_ marker in the sentence _I can eat_.   * _Can_ itself has no infinitive form. A construction like _I like to can understand foreign languages_ is not grammatical; you have to use the phrase _to be able_ , as in, _I like to be able to understand foreign languages_.   * _Can_ does not conjugate. Most verbs add an _s_ or _es_ when they have a third person singular subject, but _can_ does not.    * You cannot add tense modifiers to _can_. _I will can_ , _I canned_ , _I had canned_ and so on are all ungrammatical (unless you are talking about putting things in can). You have to use constructions like "I will be able to", "I could", "I had been able to", etc. All of the other languages I know anything about do not share any of these characteristics in their corresponding verbs. What are the historical reasons for why the verb _can_ behaves so oddly in English?


title: Can itself be used for a group of people?

text: Reading the following in Harry Potter 1 made me think if it was okay to use itself for more than one person. > One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find _itself_ covered in > several feet of snow. _Hogwarts_ refer to people associated with a place of the same name.


title: Term to describe “revenge through sexual intercourse”?

text: What term can be used to describe someone who, to take revenge on or extract payback for (perceived) past wrongs done them by their (unfaithful) romantic partner, goes off and has casual sex with someone other than their customary partner?


title: Why "he is known to me" instead of "he is known by me"

text: Why do we say _he is known to me_ instead of _he is known by me_? We know that the passive is formed by _by_. Then why is it not _he is known by me_? Actually I want to know the structure.


title: Antonyms of "meliorism"

text: What are the near antonyms of _meliorism_? I think the antonym will oppose the belief that the world can be made better by human effort. It can be a disbelief in efforts or humanity, despondency of some sort and likewise. Is there a word suitable as an antonym to _meliorism_?


title: "with submission"

text: > Hamilton quickly focused on the last part of his opponent’s argument as > support for his attempt to introduce evidence of the truthfulness of his > client’s publications. Hamilton offered the following brilliantly ironic > response: > >> Well, suppose it were so, and let us agree for once that truth is a greater sin than falsehood: Yet as the offenses are not equal, and as the punishment is arbitrary, that is, according as the judges in their discretion shall direct to be inflicted; is it not absolutely necessary that they should know whether the libel is true or false, that they may by that means be able to proportion the punishment? For would it not be a sad case if the judges, for want of a due information, should chance to give as severe a judgment against a man for writing or publishing a lie as for writing or publishing a truth? And yet this ( **with submission** ), as monstrous and ridiculous as it may seem to be, is the natural consequence of Mr. Attorney’s doctrine that truth makes a worse libel than falsehood, and must follow from his not proving our papers to be false, or not suffering us to prove them to be true. Woudl someone please explain and elucidate **with submission**? I guess its meaning to be the following, yet I still don't apprehend it: 2.2. [count noun] [ _Law_ ] A proposition or argument presented by counsel to a judge or jury. Source: P38, _America on Trial_ by Alan Dershowitz


title: "a due information"

text: > Hamilton quickly focused on the last part of his opponent’s argument as > support for his attempt to introduce evidence of the truthfulness of his > client’s publications. Hamilton offered the following brilliantly ironic > response: > >> Well, suppose it were so, and let us agree for once that truth is a greater sin than falsehood: Yet as the offenses are not equal, and as the punishment is arbitrary, that is, according as the judges in their discretion shall direct to be inflicted; is it not absolutely necessary that they should know whether the libel is true or false, that they may by that means be able to proportion the punishment? For would it not be a sad case if the judges, for want of **a due information** , should chance to give as severe a judgment against a man for writing or publishing a lie as for writing or publishing a truth? And yet this (with submission), as monstrous and ridiculous as it may seem to be, is the natural consequence of Mr. Attorney’s doctrine that truth makes a worse libel than falsehood, and must follow from his not proving our papers to be false, or not suffering us to prove them to be true. Woudl someone please explain and elucidate **a due information**? The indefinite article "a" confuses me. Without it, I'd hazard the meaning of **due** to be: 2\. adjective: [attributive] Of the proper quality or extent. Source: P38, _America on Trial_ by Alan Dershowitz


title: Distinctive vs Distinguishing

text: Is there a difference between the two words when used for saying “that which distinguishes (something) from others”? For example _… the distinctive patterns on the skin …_ or _… the distinguishing patterns on the skin …_ I somehow find distinctive more fitting here, or that might be because of my own bias as I have mostly read distinguishing with “achievements” and such words.


title: "My aunt is coming to dinner tomorrow" (grammar of 'to dinner')

text: > My aunt is coming to dinner tomorrow. The meaning is clear. However, if you think about it, what this seems to literally say is that the aunt is going directly to some dinner (and not even an article is used there). How would you explain such grammar? * * * I posted this question before on ELL StackExchange. However, I did not receive an answer that would prove the grammar aspects of this. The user Laure there told me that what is happening here is that some phrases, words, articles are simply omitted. However, I did not receive a proof of this and I would like to have you confirm this (if this is true, of course). Just to make sure. The user seemed to be the only one claiming this. If I see more people agreeing with it, I'll be more confident this is true. * * * **Edit:** After some discussions, I've now decided that the explicit question I should ask here is: > Why is there no article,' _the_ ' nor possessive pronoun/noun before the > singular noun ' _dinner_ '? Isn't there a grammar rule that tells us that singular nouns always have at least one of those? A popular example of such usage would be the phrase ' _Go to bed._ '


title: Comma or no comma before "too"?

text: Consider the following examples:   * "And it is a bottle, too."   * "And it is a bottle too." Is there a semantic difference between these two sentences? Or do they mean the same thing, with or without the comma before "too"? If not, what is the correct usage of the comma in context of "too"?


title: Proper Acronym Usage With Multiple Plurals

text: > Given that MOTU -> Master of the Universe - One master of one universe .   >  Would the following be correct? And if not, what _would_ be correct, and > how would I answer the plural-plural problem at the bottom? Again, I'm > looking for the multiple plural situation               MOTUs -> Masters of the Universe - Two masters of one universe        MOTUs -> Master of the Universes - One master of many universes        ????? -> Masters of the Universes - Two masters of many universes      The usage would be something like-               The MOTU has spoken- the master of the universe has spoken       The MOTUs have spoken- the masters of the universe have spoken       The MOTUs has spoken- the master of the universes has spoken       The ????? have spoken- the masters of the universes have spoken


title: Is it 'Close to the chest' or 'Close to the vest'?

text: Apologies if this is a duplicate, I am just curious. Are they both valid? Which originated first?


title: What are the most common tense mistakes made in English?

text: I'm an ESL teacher looking for display board ideas. A lot of my students say things that just can't be said in English. So far I have noticed the following sometimes written or said:               did gone      is do      What other verb forms are semantically incorrect? I'm not looking for repeats of the same mistake, though, just some common ones using common verbs.