title: Definition of proletariat

text: What is the definition of a proletariat. The dictionary tells me any working person, but in the roman empire it was a lower class citizen. Can middle class be considered proletariat?


title: What does "in the middle of the/a pack" mean?

text: Does this expression mean something like "in the middle of some score list", or "average level"?


title: What's a "political landscape"?

text: > What were some of the distinguishing features of the Congresses and > political landscapes in the 1965, 1981, 1993, and 2009 time periods? In what context is the phrase "Political landscapes" used in this sentence? I know what a landscape means but i am unable to figure out how political landscape is defined here. what i have inferred from the definition is "broad scope of political happenings throughout the country. Such things as party in power, issues being discussed by most people, election process and much more" Is this correct or i am wrong on this?


title: What is the name of the sign indicating positive or negative numbers

text: I want to describe patterns where there are numbers in pairs like these: -1 and +1, -944 and +944. Now I want to write a sentence that someone should "look for equal numbers just with opposite X". What is an appropriate word to fill in for X.


title: What word means "the sights, things, and activities that are special" in a place?

text: Typically, each city or region has its own special sights, cuisine, crafts, festivals, and activities. These need not necessarily be fully unique to a place, but might be things which local people will hope tourists will take note of. Is there a single word which can refer to these "sights, foods, activities" altogether?


title: Why is "Garden Leave" so called?

text: "Garden Leave" is a fairly common British term. According to wikipedia: > **Garden leave** describes the practice whereby an employee who is leaving a > job (having resigned or otherwise had his or her employment terminated) is > instructed to stay away from work during the notice period, while still > remaining on the payroll. The article goes on to state a brief explanation of its origin... > The term originated in the British Civil Service where employees had the > right to request special leave for exceptional purposes. and that it came into common usage in 1986 (although ngrams suggests a little earlier)... > The term came to widespread public attention in 1986 when it was used in the > BBC sitcom Yes, Prime Minister, episode "One Of Us". ... but fails to fully explain its name. What does _special_ leave have to do with _gardens_? Is it because the employee has been "kicked out of the house" and must wait in the garden like a dog? Or perhaps it is because an employee not allowed in work is expected to go home and sit in their garden?


title: What does "life plays tricks on him" mean?

text: What does this statement mean? > Life plays tricks on him. Is it similar to > He has a twisted fate.


title: "How does he does/do that?"

text: > How does he does that? > > How does he do that? Which one is correct? This type of sentence sounds a little odd because of two _do/does_ in a single statement. Is there an alternative which has the same meaning?


title: What does "möbius" (moebius) mean?

text: In Starcraft II there was a mission called The Moebius Factor. Unrelated to that, a new Futurama episode called Möbius Dick was recently released. Does anyone have any idea what does the word mean? Either generally, or in connection with any of the aforementioned phrases.


title: Do you know what thought did?

text: This question was previously presented and closed without a satisfactory answer. I'm 68 yrs old living in Australia. I've been hearing this question all my life. The answer is different every time. The query was: where did this question/ saying originate?


title: What is the proper usage of "not only... but also"?

text: I'm trying to figure out **how to use "not only... but also" properly**. Basically, my goal is to combine two clauses by using "not only". For negations, I've figured out two styles that both sound correct:   * _He knew that if he fractures his finger, not only would he not be able to compete in the water polo tournament, he would not be able to take the SAT on Monday, either._   * _He knew that if he fractures his finger, neither would he be able to compete in the water polo tournament, nor would he be able to take the SAT on Monday._ However, I don't know how to form a sentence that does not include a negation while using "not only". Here are a few possibilities that I've considered:   * _Thanks to his remarkable performance on the SAT, not only was he accepted into Harvard, but he was also given a full scholarship._   * _Thanks to his remarkable performance on the SAT, not only was he accepted into Harvard, but he was given a full scholarship._   * _Thanks to his remarkable performance on the SAT, not only was he accepted into Harvard, he was given a full scholarship._   * _Thanks to his remarkable performance on the SAT, not only was he accepted into Harvard, he was also given a full scholarship._ In those four possibilities, I'm varying **the usage of "but" and "also" in the last clause**. **What is the proper usage** of "not only"?


title: if or should to ask possibility?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  A special use of "should"? I have received an email which was starting wih this: > Should you have any questions, please call at this number... So could somebody explain the grammar form of "should" here and why it is preferred over "if".


title: The verb “should” as a conjunction

text: Here is the phrase from Wikipedia: > CFO Peter Klein has said that Microsoft has no alternate plan **should** its > current mobile strategy fail. Another example: > **Should** Microsoft’s tablet and phone efforts continue to inspire little > interest among the buying public, don’t expect a radical shift in strategy. What does the word should mean in this context? The same as _if_ or _in case_? Why is this verb placed before the subject? I tried to search in dictionaries, but this specific case wasn’t properly explained.


title: "Should" cannot replace "if?"

text: > **Possible Duplicates:**   >  Are "should" and "if" interchangeable at the beginning of a sentence?   >  A special use of "should"? For sentences that begin with "If", it seems that "should" can replace "If." For example: > If you ever... > > Should you ever... However after googling, it seems that "should" should not be used to replace "if." If this is true, then why do people do it? I also looked up "should" in the dictionary, and I didn't find anything that says it means the same thing as "if."


title: Are "should" and "if" interchangeable at the beginning of a sentence?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  A special use of “should”? If "should" comes at the beginning of a sentence, and the sentence is not a question, then can it be replaced with "if?" Is there any difference at all?


title: Is Apple's Old Slogan, "Think Different", grammatically incorrect?

text: Not too long ago, Apple Computer used the phrase "Think Different" as an ad slogan. Is this a grammatical error (that is, it should be "Think Differently"), or are they trying to say something else (and what would it be)?


title: Are the tense and syntax in this sentence correct?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Future tense usage: "When you see it …" > When he will arrive, he will call you. Please let me know if the tense and syntax in this sentence are correct. If not, then why not?


title: “What’s the buzz about something?” What does it mean?

text: I found a phrase, “What’s the buzz about ...?” in the following sentence in an article of Washington Post (January 20 issue) referring to the State party hosted by President Obama for welcoming Chinese president Hu Jintao, where the House Speaker, John Boehner apparently didn’t show up. What does “What’s the buzz about something?” mean? What the word,”buzz” does in this particular context represent for? Is the connotation of this phrase peripheral to “What’s up?” I also found an example of “what's the buzz about?” in a short phrase – “So what's the buzz about Michael Jackson's new baby?” in another source. Can somebody clarify for me? “The question is, and this is what Barack Obama didn't want to answer — is that human life a person under the Constitution and Barack Obama says ... Boehner's no: Just how big of a social and political faux pas was it for Speaker Boehner to say no to the state dinner? What's the buzz about Exactly why he did it? To appear 'tough'? I'd say he just appeared small and petty.


title: the Receipts page vs the page Receipts

text: Suppose there is a web application with several webpages, amongst them one with the title "Receipts". In the user's manual of this web application or a similar place, are both "the Receipts page" and "the page Receipts" correct phrases, and if so, what subtle differences are there? What are the applicable rules? My take (just to get you started): The phrase "the page Receipts" works only if "Receipts" is the established proper name of the page as much as Bill is someone's name. The phrase "the Receipts page" is more flexible, allowing the page to have anything to do with the word Receipts, such as having the title "Receipts". Here I'm making a distinction between a page having a certain name (how you call it) vs a certain title (~first line).


title: Is ‘(stroll with) a spring in one’s heels” a popular English idiom?

text: I came across the phrase, “strolled over to a place with a spring in his heels” in Jeffery Archer’s novel, Kane & Abel, which I started to read a few months ago and still in the midway. It appears in the following sentence: > “He (Abel Rosnovski, one of the two leading characters) was certain the > banker would not have found a buyer, but nonetheless he strolled over to the > Continental Trust **with a spring in his heels**. He liked the idea of being > the manager of the best hotel in Chicago.” Though I can easily surmise that ‘stroll with a spring in one’s heels’ means to stroll lightheartedly and cheerfully -We express this feeling as 小躍りして歩く‐walk cheerfully like dancing in Japanese-, I don’t find this phrase in any of OALD, online OED, CED, and Merriam-Webster. Google NGram doesn’t register “a spring in one’s heels,” but it registers “a spring in my step,” of which currency restarted around circ 1930 following a long hiatus after its short emergence during 1840 through 1980. I also found the definition of “a spring in one's step” as “(n.uc. / idiomatic) enthusiasm, energy or a positive outlook or cheerful attitude” in wikitionar, and the following example in glossfree.com/ : > “I've made the decision to March forward into March **with a spring in my > step** and a smile in my heart for many days of living life to its every > emotion and experience that lies ahead and enjoy it! Life's too short to get > bogged.” Is “(do with) a spring in one’s step” a popular English idiom, and “stroll with a spring in his heels” is just a variation coined by Jeffery Archer?


title: Punctuation or perhaps more

text: Does the punctuation in the following sentence make sense? > John is popular among clients, as well as the management who have been very > pleased with his work.


title: If "yet" means "and despite that", then what word means "and partially owing to that"?

text: > The child is only 4 years old, yet it can already talk. > > The child is only 4 years old, and, despite this, it can already talk. > > The child is only 4 years old, and, at least partially owing to its young > age, doesn't have such great balance. How do I make the last sentence more concise? As a sidenote, is it not correct to refer to the subject _"child"_ as _"it"_?


title: British spelling of programme and diagram

text: Does anyone know a reason why British English retains the _-amme_ ending for _programme_ but not for _diagram_? They both have French origins. **Programme** > ... Spelling programme, established in Britain, is from French in modern use > and began to be used early 19c., originally especially in the "playbill" > sense. Program music attested from 1877. **Diagram** > 1610s, from French diagramme ... The verb is 1840, from the noun.


title: What would be the best word to use for the "specificity" of data points?

text: I've been stuck for about 20 minutes while working on a reporting application because I can't think of what to call this property. When requesting a report, the user must specify a start date, an end date as well as the "specificity" of the data points, for example "day", "week" etcetera. I have considered calling it "specificity" or "unit size", but I feel that none of those words properly convey the meaning of the property. What word (or words) would best describe the property?


title: "He was so desperate that he would have given anything" vs. "that he did give anything"

text: > A: I heard he promised to buy her anything she wants.   >  B: Right. He was so desperate that he would have given anything to win her > over. In sentence B, instead of "would have given," is "did give" correct as well? Why is "would have given" more appropriate?


title: "Fall term", "autumn semester", "autumn term" or "fall semester"?

text: Please clarify which is UK English, American English, and where and when to use which:   * _Fall term_ (American English?)   * _Autumn semester_ (UK English?)   * _Autumn term_ (wrong?)   * _Fall semester_ (wrong?)


title: Is "get someone up" the same as "wake someone up"?

text: Is using _get up_ in this expression correct? >   * I am sorry I woke you up. >   * I am sorry I got you up. > I use _get up_ for _wake up_ all the time, but in this expression it sounds a bit odd.


title: "However" vs. "but" — which is more formal?

text: I realize there are questions on the correct usage of "but" and "however". In this case, I am concerned with correctness in a _formal_ context. I have heard it said that _however_ should be used in formal mail communications instead of _but_ because the word "but" has a negative connotation. Which should I use in, say, an email to a client? Examples: >   * We understand the issue you have pointed out, **but** we cannot consider > it as a defect in the application since the current behavior was requested > by your team. >   * We understand the issue you have pointed out. **However** , we cannot > consider it as a defect in the application since the current behavior was > requested by your team. >


title: A word (or short phrase) for "suggesting without prejudice"

text: I was having a conversation and decided that "I just though of this certain alternative option for your planning; I don't care which option you take, but know that you _have_ this option." was just too much of a mouthful. Is there a shorter way of **introducing** a suggestion, but precluding being offended if they don't take your option? It feels like a pretty frequent issue and I'd be pretty surprised if nobody's come up with a punchy way to say it. I was mainly thinking about this for social contexts.


title: How to refer to sexuality in a fictional universe of one sex?

text: Notch, the creator of the game Minecraft, has said in a blog post that there is only one sex in the game, and any animal can breed with any other animal of the same species. He uses the word "homosexual" to refer to this. "Homo" comes from the Greek - 'same'. Is there a more specific word for this? Or is it just a bit of an odd situation and thus kludging English words to fit is fine? Edit for more clarity: In this question when I talk about "sexuality" I mean "sexual preference" - what word can I use to describe the sexual preference of creatures in a fictional world where there is only one sex?


title: Use like something in a sentence

text: > I do know I can just click on that person's profile once every week/day, but > I think automated **"inbox" like** feature would be better I'm talking about Inbox feature provided by the stackexchange sites, is that correct? I felt that I should add quotes, because I'm not referring to inbox, but something that is named inbox.


title: Use of 'the' before human voice

text: Which is correct? >   * The fascinating features of human voice > > _OR_ > >   * The fascinating features of the human voice > > Is there a rule or is it another difference between American and British English? We always use 'the' for the human brain. How about in this case, 'human voice'? By the way, this example comes from an academic paper.


title: avoid the slash?

text: Should the slash be avoided? For example `every week/day` in my head is translated to `every week or day`. I think I started using slashes because I saw them used in forums and in articles. Is using slashes U.S. specific, while British English is against it? Or do I understand it wrong? _P.S. If you find any spelling errors here, please let me know._


title: Separating alternatives using slash/stroke where the only difference is the length

text: I'm wondering about the usage of slash/stroke as a way of separating alternatives (perhaps it, in this sense, could be called a abbreviation of "or"?). If the alternatives are similar, but the second one is longer, then how would I write this as short as possible, with the smallest possible risk for confusion? Let me give you an example: I have a card reader where you can insert a Memory Stick or a Memory Stick Pro. If I label the card reader with "MS/Pro", it could most certainly be interpreted as "either MS or Pro". Still, I want the label to be as short as possible.


title: Question mark usage/position when sentence ends with a declarative quotation?

text: > Who said "I am hungry?" The quotation is not a question, but do I put "my" question mark there anyway? * * * This is related to, but not the same as Position of question mark when sentence doesn't end with question


title: How do I punctuate a question that contains a quote that is a declarative sentence?

text: I'm stuck. A friend of mine stated on Facebook how much she hates the music that ice cream trucks play. So, I responded: How about they play, "Hello. It's ice cream you're looking for"? It looks wrong. I don't know if I should put a period after 'for' or not. Please help.


title: Look and 'feel' of a web page/site/app

text: Although used a lot, the phrase 'Look and feel' of a web application's assets seems a _little_ inaccurate. Is it not better to change this common phrasing to 'look and character' because we really don't _feel_ much about something displayed on the screen- but this something could have a character e.g "it's rough, it looks sexy, vibrant, irritating, annoying". You feel me?


title: Proper term for "four way duel"

text: On this Wednesday's _Survivor_ , Jeff Probst called one of the challenges as a "four way duel." Now, obviously, this is wrong because a duel is between two opponents, but is there a term referring to a fight between four opponents?


title: Quoting a question at the end of a sentence which is itself a question

text: If my sentence is a question _and_ ends with a quote of a question, where exactly do I put a question mark? >   1. Did she ask, "Is it raining"? > >   2. Did she ask, "Is it raining?"? > >   3. Did she ask, "Is it raining?" > >


title: Placement of question mark for a question quoting a question

text: Suppose I am writing to a friend, asking if he remembers a certain question I asked him. Do any of the following sentences correctly use the question mark? > Do you remember when I asked you "do you know the time"? > > Do you remember when I asked you "do you know the time?" > > Do you remember when I asked you "do you know the time?"? Less specifically, what is the general rule that can be applied to such a situation?


Where did the "juices" in "creative juices" come from? Isn't that just a little weird? I don't think _juices_ would be the first word to mind, if I hadn't heard the phrase before, and was free-associating metaphors to go with _creative_. Is it a reference to the Aristotelean humors, maybe? That seems a bit far-fetched. Or perhaps some really cool person coined the phrase and it stuck? Anyway, I'd just appreciate anyone giving me a plausible pathway on how it came to be a "stock phrase."


title: Is "I just spent all my money" grammatically incorrect?

text: Lyircs of _Free_ by Natalia Kills: > I'm free > > I just spent all my money > > but I rocked that like it don't cost a thing Shouldn't it be "I've just spent all my money"? As far as I remember, our English told us to use Present Prefect in such case because of the just.


title: What rules determine the apostrophe placement in "ham 'n eggs" and similar expressions?

text: In expressions such as "ham 'n eggs", the conjunction _'n_ appears to replace _and_ , yet there is only one apostrophe to indicate the missing _a_ and none for the missing _d_ (i.e., no "ham 'n' eggs"). Is there a punctuation rule that governs this or is it just an idiosyncratic case?


title: How to abbreviate "and" when used in a name

text: How to abbreviate "and" in titles such as "Lavender 'n Fields"?


title: How to answer a negative question without ambiguity?

text: I faced a problem to answer a negative question, for example When someone ask you: > Don't you have any money? It's a yes/no question but how should one answer the question without ambiguity? When you answer "yes", does it mean "yes, I don't have any money"? or the other way "Yes, I do have money"? the questioner may think you are agreeing to the negative, that yes, you do not have any money. I know it's better to answer with "on the contrary" but is it possible to answer yes or no?


title: Negative question; what's the affirmative answer here?

text: My wife and I communicate in English. She's Japanese, I'm Norwegian and we're both language enthusiasts; this makes for a lot of interesting language discussions. This is something that surfaced today: > _**"Is this not so good anymore?"_** , says my wife, holding up an old > container of barbecue sauce which she thinks has gone bad. **_"Yes"_** , I > answer, meaning that the sauce has gone bad. Disregarding that **_a)_** the question could probably have been formulated in a different way to make it less ambiguous and **_b)_** I could have been more verbose in my answer; would answering _"Yes"_ or _"No"_ to this question, in English, indicate that the sauce has, indeed, expired? Both of our native languages handle these kinds of "negative questions" a bit differently and we can't seem to figure it out in English.


title: How to answer this question? Yes or No

text: Sorry, if this question is naive. If someone asks me, > "You didn't go to school today, right?" If I did not, should I answer, _Yes_ or _No_? Similarly, > "You do not like eating fish, do you?" If I do not like eating fish, should I say _Yes_ or _No_?


title: Reply to a question with "Yes, it is" or "No, it is"

text: What is the correct response to the following question:   **Ten divided by five is not two?** 1) Yes, it is.   2) No, it is. Intuitively I would say "Yes, it is", but then I thought about it in the following way: If one asks "Ten divided by five is two?" I would say "Yes, it is", but if the   person asks "Ten divided by five is **not** two?" then I would say "No, it is". So I think my intuitive answer is wrong, but I am not sure.


title: How prevalent is this reversal of "yes" and "no"?

text: Example: > Aren't you going to the store? Where I am from, the correct answer indicating I am going to the store is yes. The contraction "not" is ignored. Is this sort of confusion prevalent elsewhere? * * * I don't understand what is so complicated about my question here: **Is this sort of confusion prevalent elsewhere?** I am not asking for any of the answers provided here. They are all grand answers, but they have nothing to do with my question, which is is bold this time. I am not asking how to answer this sort of question. I am not asking what this sort of statement means. I am furthermore not asking for an opinion. If you don't understand how ignoring the adverb "not" is confusing, please don't answer. I am asking a very simple question; one desiring a very simple answer. To reiterate, the confusion arises from the fact that the proper response of "yes" and "no" is reversed.


title: How can I answer back?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  How to answer a negative question without ambiguity? If someone ask you this question   "Don't you have exam? "   how can I answer back using only (Yes and No).   that's funny - I used to answer "Yes" then he/she ask me again "when is your exam?"   that's confuse me because I answered "Yes" that mean I don't have Exam but she get it in wrong way. If I answer "No" then it will mean I have exam, but I don't have exam. So which is right answer "Yes" or "No" ? Hope my question will make sense! Thanks


title: Ask: "You don't think this is right", Answer:"No, I don't". What does that mean?

text: English sentences can be very fascinating... or downright confusing, depends on how you look at it. For example, if A asks B:"You don't think the Josh is right on this, do you", and B answers:"No, I don't" and then FULL STOP. No further clarification will come from B. So, how should we interpret B's answer? Is B thinking that Josh is right, or is B thinking that Josh is wrong? Is B agreeing with A, or disagreeing?


title: Answering a negatively-expressed question

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  How to answer a negative question without ambiguity? > 2). Didn't we park on the C level?   >  (A) Yes, I sure thought we did.   >  (B) No, we'll park on the D level.   >  (C) Yes, we didn't park on level C. Which is the best answer to a negative-polarity question, please?


title: Why do positive and negative variants of the same question elicit the same answer?

text: In common American English usage, these two questions elicit the same response:   1. **Do** you have a ticket?   2. **Don't** you have a ticket? These are the usual answers (I was going to say "possible answers" but I can think of a whole host of situations where one could get other answers, e.g. wake up someone in the middle of the night and ask it, the answer might easily be "I don't know" or "maybe" or "hey, just let me sleep!"... but that's neither here nor there... :-)   * Positive: "Yes" or "Yes, I do".   * Negative "No" or "No, I do not". But consider this: the questions are logically equivalent to:   1. You **have** a ticket, right?   2. You **do not have** a ticket, right? Here I am not so sure that a "Yes, that's right" response means the same thing to each question. (One could still, however, use "Yes, I do" as @F'x answer in How to answer a negative question without ambiguity? illustrates, to remain valid and unambiguous.) (As a side note, it is interesting to compare the same question in Chinese, where one literally asks "Do you have/not have a ticket?" and the common answers are:   * "[I] have"   * "[I] not have" ...which also removes the ambiguity... while at the same time straying from my original question:-) So why can I rewrite the questions so that they are essentially equivalent yet expect different answers?


title: "You have nothing to do" - "Yes I do" / "Yes I don't"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When a negative question is asked, what is the grammatically correct way to > answer?   >  How to answer a negative question without ambiguity? If someone says "You have nothing to do", what is the proper answer to say "what you just said is true": >   * You have nothing to do. >   * Yes, I do. > Or >   * You have nothing to do. >   * Yes, I don't >


> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  How to answer a negative question without ambiguity?   >  Response to “Would you not do it?” When a negative question is asked, what is the grammatically correct way to answer? If someone asks you _Didn't you come by car today?_ , what is the correct answer?


title: What is the practical difference between ignorant and naive?

text: Defined in online dictionaries, `Ignorant` means a lack of education, while `Naive` means a lack of worldly experience. What is the practical difference between these two? When would I use one and not the other? We could consider education to be the acquisition of knowledge, and experience to be knowledge acquired first-hand. In that case, these two words would have no practical difference, yet I have had people strongly disagree with me in some discussions. One person tried to explain that `ignorant` is when a person doesn't know about something, whereas `naive` is when a person does or should know about something but fails to act on the knowledge or fails to acquire the knowledge before acting. Could someone please clarify?


title: Are words like 'dog whistle', horse box', etc compound nouns?

text: Why do we say 'dog whistle' but 'dog's lead'; 'horse box' but 'horse's bridle'?


title: Can the eldest sibling of three males call his younger brother "my older brother"

text: Had this conversation with a 26 year old male. He has finished a degree at Uni and told me I was wrong when I said you cannot call your younger brother your older brother. He is only older son to your mother who would refer to her three sons as "my youngest son, my older/elder son and my oldest/eldest son. He was so passionate about this (my three sons also told me I was wrong) I had to stop but at 47 I am wondering what is correct.


title: What does 'turn things over his fingers' mean?

text: Below is the first paragraph of Salinger's "The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls". I wonder what **to turn things over his fingers** means in this context? I imagine the little boy juggling things, but I don't have a clear scene in my mind (why would one need to roll forward to juggle?). > His shoes turned up. My mother used to tell my father that he was buying > Kenneth’s shoes too large for him, or to please ask somebody if his feet > were deformed. But I think his shoes turned up because he was always > stopping on the grass, rolling his seventy-five or eighty pounds forward to > look at things, to turn things over his fingers. Even his moccasins turned > up.


title: Why "Game Over" not "Game Is Over"

text: According to basic grammar, there should be a _be_ verb in front of the _Over_. So why do all games display _Game Over_ instead of _Game Is Over_?


title: cried and begged

text: Below are two options in my grammar questions : > 1.The newly released 3D Disney movie was supposed to be the best of all time > and Joe’s little sister **cried and begged him to take.**   >  2\. The newly released 3D Disney movie was supposed to be the best of all > time and Joe’s little sister **persistently begged him to take.** It says second choice is more correct. So, What is wrong in first one ?


title: in spite of him/his

text: > Jane told Marcos that in spite of (him/his) being small, he would definitely > be a great asset to the team because of his athletic abilities. In the above sentence, which of him/his is correct and why ?


title: Using adjectives & nouns placed before nouns

text: I'm really confused when using adjectives and nouns. Nouns often have their adjective forms. When I want to modify a noun, I have to chose one form to use. Is there any rule? It's said that adjectives are used to express implied meaning while noun forms are used to provide real, easily understandable meanings. Is this correct?


title: "Were you seen by him" vs. "were you be seen by him"

text: I am confused about which of the two is grammatically correct: >   1. Were you seen by him, he would have been surprised. >   2. Were you **be** seen by him, he would have been surprised. >


title: "Listen to music" or  "listen for music"

text: Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?   1. The music for which we heard last night at the concert was exceptionally good.    2. The music to which we listened at the concert last night was exceptionally good.    3. The music which we listened last night at the concert was exceptionally good.


title: Life cycle, life-cycle or lifecycle?

text: I notice great variability in how this concept is expressed. Does the term vary depending on the context? Should one use one variation when discussing biology, for example, and another when talking about product phases? Wikipedia uses different forms in way that seems random. So, too, does the New York Times, based on basic search. An earlier discussion of the variations in connection with technology notes that "A compound generally starts open (life cycle), migrates to hyphenated (life-cycle), and ends up closed (lifecycle)." Are we at the closed stage for the term in a general sense?


title: "personal issue", "private issue", "personal affair", or "personal business"?

text: I need to send my boss mail explaining that because of a personal issue I need to handle, I can’t attend the conference. Which of these phrases would best express that I have my own business to deal with:   * personal issue   * private issue   * personal affair   * personal business What are the differences between those expressions?


title: Ambiguous plurality ("One or more items was/were skipped")

text: Given a sentence in this format, which would be correct? > One or more items was skipped. > > One or more items were skipped. I'm leaning towards the latter, but maybe it doesn't matter? (Hey, that rhymes!)


title: What is the correct definition and usage of the acronym "ETA"?

text: Does "ETA" stand for "Estimated Time _to_ Arrival" or "Estimated Time _of_ Arrival"? I most commonly hear phrases like "ETA 20 minutes", but I've also heard "ETA 4:30 PM". Is one usage correct and the other wrong, or are both okay?


title: When will you be in through? What is the meaning of this question?

text: I could not figure out the meaning of this question. Could someone explain me briefly? This statement was in "answering audience questions" which is a presentation guide line.


title: Is “Who is he?” ok when we don’t know the sex?

text: Suppose I see someone coming whose gender is unknown; how should I ask who the approaching person is? Should I say “Who is he?”


title: "At the flicks" - where did this term come from?

text: How did the term "flicks" come to relate to "movies" or "cinema"? Where did "flicks" come from?


title: A word or phrase describing "cheap talk" or "cheap issues"

text: Cheap talk like a kind of talking back of actors'/actresses' lives or an interview about their secret lives in some popular magazines or cheesy show off like reality shows you can find in TV channels. Making a drama or love story of any simple or ordinary happening in its fake version only to take attention or advertise for someone or something. We have an interesting equal in Persian/Farsi language which is "Yellow Matters". Do you have something like this for it?


title: 'Therefore' in an illogical logic sense

text: I have a co-worker that is always saying "Therefore, A B C" when the "A B C" isn't a conclusion from any sort of deductive reasoning. For example, > Me: ... thus, that's how it works.   >  Her: I think you are wrong about that. Therefore, I know I'm right. I was wondering if this use of _therefore_ is appropriate. Should _therefore_ only be used (much as in the symbolic logic sense) when what's being concluded is beyond a reasonable doubt?


title: Can you decide grammaticality from the sentence alone?

text: I would like a generative BNF-style complete description for English grammar. Some of the more subtle stuff leads to awkward questions of grammaticality (a complete answer to this question, and all related questions, is a publication with a complete description of a comprehensible and comprehensive formal grammar which generates exactly the set of grammatical English sentences): Here is question 1: is grammaticality of verbs ever dependent on external context from other sentences? If so, then those constructions obviously require some semantics. The two sentences below are the context   1. John smiled at Lisa at Kinko's.   2. John asked Lisa for advice at Kinko's. After either 1 or 2, you say:   * I did what John did at Kinkos at James   * I did what John did at Kinkos of my friend I believe the second form is certainly not grammatical in case 1. How about case 2? I am not sure if the first sentence is grammatical even in case 1. Should they be   * I did what John did to Lisa at Kinkos to James? In other words, do the arguments have to match "do" or the verb that is implied by context by the "do"? More generally, are there any cases where the grammaticality of a sentence requires looking at other sentences for context?


title: Response time or response times

text: Which is grammatical? >   1. response time of multiple services >   2. response times of multiple services >


title: Should the statement after "then" be followed with modals?

text: Consider the following: > If you were to buy this, then ask me. Or should it be: > If you were to buy this, then you would need to ask me. Is the use of _would_ necessary here? If we go with the first one, doesn't it break the rules of conditional statements? Or how would you construct the hypothetical structure of the following: > If you want to buy this, let me know.


title: What is the meaning of "provably good"?

text: What does _provably good_ mean ? Does it mean not good for practical scenario and only good theoretically ? > None of the hash functions that we would be discussing in today's lecture > are provably good hash functions . I see it here at 39:06 time line.


title: How to determine the English structural validity of a domain name

text: I'm in the process of creating a parser which, using a few dictionaries (English language words, places and acronyms), splits the domain name into a set of potential phrases and attempts to decide which phrase is the most likely to be correct according to the intentions of the person who registered the domain. My current rules are:   * The place name must be at least 4 characters long.   * A maximum of 2 place names can occur in a phrase and must be adjacent   * Acronyms must be at least 3 characters in length   * Priority (in order) is:      1. least number of words     2. highest average character length     3. highest maximum word length For example, _refundslondon_ extracts to _refunds london_ , _refunds lon don_ and _refunds lond on_. It doesn't seem to work too badly at the moment, but from an English-language perspective, it would be nice to know if there was a way to determine (a) the validity of the sentence structure and (b) if certain words appear out of place, particular with respect to words that technically can't really go on the end of a sentence. Examples:   * _my_ probably shouldn't go at the end of a sentence   * _and_ probably shouldn't go at the start or end of a sentence ...and so forth. Any assistance would be appreciated!


title: Exsanguination or Desanguination?

text: My wife was working on her lines for a play ( _Dracula_ ) set in the early 1900s and one line caught my eye. It referred to the **_desanguination_** of the vampire’s victims. I’d always heard the term as **_exsanguination_** and never heard of _desangination_. A few quick Google searches seem to indicate that _desanguination_ is perhaps more archaic. The questions are these:   1. Is _desanguination_ considered archaic? For how long? Which word would have most likely been used by a doctor (the character in the play) circa 1900?   2. Are there any subtle differences in meaning between the two? If so, which seems more relevant to the results of a vampire attack? How’s that for a topical question on Halloween week?


title: "I was going to" expression. How to use it correctly?

text: > I was going to pick you tomorrow from the airport (not a big deal to me, > really), but remembered that tomorrow I'll be teaching the class, which ends > at 8. in above example, I am trying to say that earlier I planned to pick you up (tomorrow), but now I remember that I have prior commitments tomorrow, and hence can longer do it. What's the best way to say something like this and use _I was going_ expression. thnkas


title: What does "had had" mean? How does this differ from "had"?

text: For example, what is the difference between the following two sentences: > I had a bad day > > I had had a bad day


title: Using had twice

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What does "had had" mean? How does this differ from "had"? Is this correct usage? I had had enough food?


title: using had had in a sentence

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What does "had had" mean? How does this differ from "had"? I had had so many interruptions this morning that I scarcely had done any work   or   I had had so many interruptions this morning that I scarcely have done any work   or   I had had so many interruptions this morning that I scarcely did any work Am confused whether to use, did/ had done/ have done after the adverb scarcely. I already referred a post on had had usage which is entirely different.


title: They might keep knowledge of its potential to effect social change from being widely disseminated

text: The title is an excerpt from a GRE question: > Those who fear the influence of television deliberately ---- its persuasive > power, hoping that **they might keep knowledge of its potential to effect > social change from being widely disseminated**. > >   * promote >   * underplay >   * excuse >   * laud >   * suspect > I don't quite understand the structure and meaning of the **bold** part of the sentence, could you explain it for me?


title: "Purge" vs. "expunge"

text: Whats the difference between _purge_ and _expunge_ , if any? For example: > All the duplicate pages were expunged from the book. > > All the duplicate pages were purged from the book. Do these sentences have the same meaning as if they were deleted from the book?


title: Is there a name for the verb "to have"?

text: If "to be" is the copula, is there any special name for "to have"?


title: give / lose ground - meaning

text: > **Most stock markets _lost ground_ after their recent gains.   >  They're not prepared to _give ground_ on tax cuts.** These are all the examples I could dig up in my dictionaries. I don't quite understand the meaning because every dictionary says something different. Does give/lose ground mean fail completely or lose an advantage or both?


title: Is comma needed in this sentence?

text: Below is a sentence from my book review. "China" is the name of the author. Is it correct or incorrect to have a comma after the word _pay_? > China finds a way to dissect both a woman's desire to find love and her > penchant to make a man pay, if he plays around with that love.


title: Etymology of addict

text: From Wiktionary _addict_ means: > A person who is addicted, especially to a harmful drug   >  An adherent or fan (of something) Its etymology is: > ad- (“to, towards, at”) + dīcō (“say; declare”) How does its meaning come from its etymology?


title: Why is god, a common noun, capitalized?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When should the word "God" be capitalized? I thought god is a common noun, but many people capitalize it when it is not the first letter of a sentence or a title.


title: Why is the Christian god being spelled with a lowercase letter?

text: It's been going on for some time, but the phenomenon which was once seen as almost an act of _rebellion_ is now becoming more commonplace. God, capitalized, is increasingly seen only at the start of a sentence. Leaving aside whether one believes in a god, or in the Christian God Himself, why is this convention not being criticized? God is after all a proper noun, the name of a deity which for over 2,000 years we have all heard of, and know by that very name. It matters not that _god_ or _God_ may or may not exist. It is a name. And like any other name that belongs to a real person or a fictional character in a book, it ought to be spelled with a capital letter. I always feel uncomfortable writing about God with a capital letter, I always feel there is a hoard of die-hard atheists ready to accuse me of being a creationist, god forbid. (Should that have been: "..., God forbid"?) Is the spelling of the Christian "God" politically incorrect? Is God with a capital letter, grammatically speaking, an archaic tradition? And if so, why? **EDIT** : From the answers so far posted, no one has yet mentioned the political and social consequences this deceptively innocent, lowercase spelling may have had on us, on today's society. And this has lead me wondering, whether in the history of the English language there has been anything similar; any linguistic _subversion_ , spoken or written which was in reality a show of defiance toward an established authority such as a government or political leader.


title: How to name the supreme power in the universe, in front of various people who believe there is one?

text: Even in writing this question, I have been deeply embarrassed : should I capitalize some words ? Although not a believer myself, I wish to perturb nobody, whatever his / her faith could be : my position is "as long as they are happy with their creed, and don't try to convert anyone by force, should they have gained enough power for it, it's all the best for everyone, why should I bother ?". The problem arises when I have to address several persons of different or unknown creeds : some have specific names, some others resent as a blasphemy to even mention a name. And I heard that there are 700 different Christian denominations in the USA alone, and how many rules apply, with all the non- Christian others ? And lately, that the word used by Muslims should not be used by any non-Muslim ... In the USA, "in _God_ we trust" is written even on more or less dirty banknotes ; in the UK, you utter the word only in church or for taking an oath. In French "Dieu sait où il est !" means "Nobody knows where he is is", it's absolutely innocent, an atheist could say that, just a way of speaking. Try to translate this word by word ! Some eyebrows would raise. **Have you a global, general solution ?** Thank you.


title: How long has "looney" been in use?

text: How long has _looney_ been used as an abbreviation of _lunatic_? Is it a recent addition or something substantially older?


title: Meaning of "No dark sarcasm in the classroom"

text: The phrase is, of course, from one of the good Pink Floyd songs: Another Brick In The Wall. I always wonder what could it possibly refer to in the context of the song and in general context. I mean, what kind of exchanges would you term 'Dark sarcasm in the classroom'?


title: Is there a word meaning "append", but at the beginning, not the end?

text: In computer programming, when you append a "string" to another, you add it to the end of the former string. E.g.               String string1 = "abcd";     String string2 = "efgh";      Appending the two strings would give               "abcdefgh"      But what if I wanted to add string2 before string1 to have the result:               "efghabcd"      What would be a good _name_ for that that reverse operation? What is the opposite of "append"?


title: Using “nor” without “neither” — special case

text: I wonder if this sentence is OK: > This person looks nothing like you, nor anyone. I know there are a lot of questions about _nor_ , but I could not find a sentence similar to this one.


title: For the title alone

text: Someone has voted for one of my questions with this comment: > +1 for the title alone. Which of these two possible meanings is the most correct:   * The title itself is so nice that I would have voted for the question whatever it was   * I vote for your title, but your question doesn't deserve it


title: Antithesis of "international"

text: If "international" is the generic word for anything that is global, what is its generic antithesis? As in: > This is an international affair/This is an **___ _** affair. And please, don't give me national, because I know that's what I'm not looking for.


title: A study of awake and awaken

text: It has been drawn to my attention that I may not be using the verb 'awake'correctly in the active and passive. Please could someone confirm that I have now got this right. In their simple present tenses they are: Active, 'I awake each morning at 6.00am'; and passive, 'I am awaken each morning by an alarm clock'. Past tenses therefore are: Active, 'I awoke this morning at 5.00am'; and Passive, 'I was awaken by the sound of thunder'. Perfect: Active, 'I have awoken early all my life'; and passive, 'I have often been awakened by a passing train' Pluperfect: Active,'I had awoken by the time the phone rang'; and passive, ' I had been awakened by noises downstairs'. Which other verbs behave in this way?


title: "Permanent resident in/of America"

text: When conveying this on foreign soil, which of these is correct usage: >   * Permanent Resident of America >   * Permanent Resident in America >


title: Explanation of "in favor of"

text: I have just read an article comparing two services, let's call them Maria and George. The article concludes "I choose Maria in favor of George". I do not understand this structure?! "I choose Maria over George" would be clear to me, but here I am not sure if it means Maria or George was chosen?


title: Why Côte d’Ivoire ⇒ Ivory Coast but Costa Rica ⇏ Rich Coast?

text: Why is it that we Anglicize some foreign proper nouns, but not others?


title: Emphasis of this double negative?

text: > Without which, we would be able to act at all. I’m hearing this in my own head as, “Without which, we would **not** be able to act at all.” So I'm wondering, is the former just a cleaner and less hectoring version of the second, with both meaning the same thing?


title: Use of plural with "respectively" when referring to a property

text: If you are referring to one property but are giving the respective values for two different things do you use the singular or plural form? Can the property be treated as a mass noun so that it takes on a cumulative reference?   1. The yields of 1 and 2 were 76 and 89%, respectively. The yield of 1 and 2 was 76 and 89%, respectively.   2. In control and treated cells, the mean values were 8.6 and 7.5, respectively. In control and treated cells, the mean value was 8.6 and 7.5, respectively. It's clear that the plural is used for cases in which two properties are listed (i.e., the yield and recovery rate of A were...) but it's not clear when only one propery is listed.


title: Cell phone? Cell? Mobile phone? What's the "correct" term?

text: What's that type of phone called that you don't need a cable for and you can use everywhere in the world (provided there's coverage ;-))? And what differences are there between the regions? USA/UK/AUS etc... and even within, say, the US (or even UK). I've even read rumors that in parts of the east of the US, people use the term "handy" (which is a really crazy German "Americanism"). EDIT: Clarification: The colloquial usage is more interesting (to me) than the "correct" official terminology (though that's of interest, too).


title: Is there a word for being so polite as to appear insincere?

text: I'm looking for a term in English to describe being so polite that one appears to be insincere.


title: Are there any studies on changes in British English to become more like American English?

text: With the spread of American popular culture (movies, books, franchises, etc.) and technical jargon (manuals, Web syntaxes, default spell-check settings, etc.), I'm wondering if there have been any studies on a resulting general change in the use of traditional British English conventions, particularly in places such as Britain and Ireland, in the direction of American conventions. In particular, I'm looking for the results of systematic studies on the topic, or strong evidence for change or lack of change of British English usage. (For example, the change of a few key conventions over the past 5, 10 or 20 years.) I refer equally to spoken conventions (e.g., "come and see" vs. "come see") as well as spelling (e.g., "centred" vs. "centered").


title: Is 'she-woman' an acceptable counterpart of 'he-man'?

text: If this is, as it is, a real English example, > I wanted to know what role his women played in persuading him that he was > this incredible _he-man_. can this > I wanted to know what role her men played in persuading hers that she was > this incredible _she-woman_. be proper, too? If _she-woman_ is not proper, can anyone suggest a word that, in that phrase, would be more suitable?


title: Can I start a sentence with "Established in"?

text: So, I am proofreading a text which starts as follows: > This is a bank established since 1900 with majority shareholding held by... and I feel like it can be improved. Can I change it to: > Established in 1900, this bank's majority of shares is held by ... As in, would it make sense grammatically? Is there any other way I can turn it around to make it sound better?


title: What is my co-worker asking?

text: My American co-worker sent this to our group chat: > Can an undatable man be transformed into a datable man? > > I am not asking if you think such a thing can be done in real life. > > I am asking if a real undatable man can be transformed into a datable man. English is my second language, and I'm having trouble making sense of the last two lines.


title: Do I need to add an article before the weekend?

text: When I’m going to have a weekend, do I have to say “ **It’s weekend**.” Or do I need to add ‘a’ or ‘the’ in front of the weekend?


title: What is the exact use of "X aside, Y."?

text: In today's _Yahoo! News_ , there is a report on small houses around the world, which contains the sentence, "Patriotism aside, there's much to love about Europe's devotion to small-space living." Isn't a sentence that begins with "Patriotism aside" supposed to go on to promote the domestic version? That is how I've always understood this "aside" construction. Or is it an expression with two opposite meanings, like the word "sanction"?


title: Can "the least I could do" be negative?

text: A common answer to being thanked for doing something is "It's the least I could do," which by my understanding is basically synonymous with "It was nothing". Recently I received a gift as thanks for being generally helpful, and - included in the message accompanying the gift - the giver uses this expression. Taking the words literally leaves me with the impression of "I've been helpful over a long time, and in return you do 'the least you can' as thanks..." It seems kind of negative. Is this just something that shoud not be taken literally, or is the expression being misused here?


title: What’s the meaning of “surrender” here?

text: What's the meaning of _surrender_ as used in the Aerosmith song, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”: > _I could stay awake just to hear you breathing   >  Watch you smile while you are sleeping   >  While you’re far away and dreaming   >  I could spend my life in this sweet **surrender**   >  I could stay lost in this moment forever_ Is _surrender_ here the act of surrending in this sense from AHDE? > to give over or resign (oneself) to something, as to an emotion


title: At X's expense and of X's timber

text: The following string appears in Jenks, E. "The prerogative writs in English law" _Yale Law Journal_ 32:6 (1923): > ...the accused in the meanwhile [was] to be kept in one of the new gaols > ordered...to be built...in every county, in some borough or royal castle, at > the King's expense, and if possible of the King's timber. What does it mean for a prisoner to be lodged "at the King's timber"? Does it mean that the King pays for firewood?


title: "Decide/Intend on [gerund]" vs. "decide/intend to [infinitive]"

text: In analogy with "plan on [gerund]", do the gerund constructions above have any currency in AE, or are these chiefly dialectal and might sound folksy to most ears? E.g. > We decided on taking our next vacation to France. > > We decided to take our next vacation to France. . > We're intending on visiting Italy on our next vacation. > > We're intending to visit Italy on our next vacation.


title: Why use "the" for oceans/seas/rivers etc. but not lakes?

text: Possibly two questions in here: Are these sentence constructions logical, and if they are, why are they different? > I swam across the Ocmulgee River.   >  I swam across the Pacific Ocean.   >  I swam across the Red Sea.   >  I swam across Lake Winnipeg. I can't think of a way of phrasing the lake example while using an article with a proper noun. I thought at first it was because Lake Winnipeg is different; it's generic portion (the "Lake") comes first and the name of that body comes second, but _I swam across Falls Lake_ is the same. Yet the sentence _I swam across the lake_ sounds right to me. ...Why?


title: Khreshchatyk and Kostyolna streets, no definite article

text: Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26868119 > The interior minister also showed a number of slides and photos illustrating > where he said police snipers were firing from. He named two buildings on > Khreshchatyk and Kostyolna streets, saying other spots were still being > investigated. I would like to know why is there not a definite article such as **the** in front of **Khreshchatyk and Kostyolna streets**? Or, do you think, it's totally alright as far as grammar goes? If so, could you please explain the rules governing this particular usage? An example where street names are used along with articles. Source: http://rt.com/news/157884-shooting-mariupol-eastern-ukraine/ > The outlet also reported that “on **the Lenin avenue** , two people were > seriously wounded – one in the head and another in the stomach. A huge pool > of blood is next to the “Arbat” café. It’s not known whether the wounded > people have survived. Witnesses say they were driven away in a passenger > car. The fighting is on next to the main police department, gunfire is > heard. Two armored vehicles blocked **the Artyom street**.”


title: The Mt.Fuji vs Mt.Fuji. When do I use "the"?

text: Why do we say **The** Amazon river and not **The** Mt.Fuji? For example, I climbed Mt.Fuji. I swam in **the** Amazon river. I hiked along **the** Silk road.


title: Use of definite article before phrases like Heathrow Airport, Hyde Park, Waterloo Station, Edgware Road and Parliament Square

text: In this related question (Definite article with proper nouns, titles followed by a common noun), the OP asks if it is grammatical to use the definite article before phrases like _Advanced programming in Java whitepaper_ and _Microsoft Office 2010 product_. The accepted answer by @Kosmonaut was: > Yes, it is. This is because the "Advanced programming in Java" whitepaper > phrase forms a syntactic unit, with whitepaper as the head of the unit. The > definite article for a phrase always corresponds to the head of the phrase, > so using the definite (or indefinite) article for these phrases makes > perfect sense and is correct English. My question is whether the same answer applies to phrases like Heathrow Airport, Hyde Park, Waterloo Station, Edgware Road and Parliament Square. I ask becase it seems to me that airport, park and station, etc. sound like they are part of the proper noun itself, and not simply a common noun. Moreover, I think the _head of the unit_ in these cases would be the place name (first noun) and not the place type (second noun). If that's true, then I assume that no definite article should precede these phrases. Is that correct?


title: "Duplicate data" or "duplicated data"?

text: I'm making a presentation and I need to know if I should use "duplicated data" or "duplicate data". Is there any difference? I'm talking about removing observations of a database that are duplicates.


title: Disambiguating fictitiousness

text: I think that confronted with the statement: > The claim is fictitious. or even > The claim is made up. most people would interpret it to mean, _"The claim was actually made, but its content is made up,"_ but I think it could also be taken to mean, _"The claim was never made; its **existence** was made up."_ Is there some usage or variant of "fictitious" that unambiguously means the latter? Of course you can get around it by using a completely different sentence, like the one I just did ("The claim has never been made"), but I'm wondering whether there's an accepted alternative that keeps the nefarious connotations of "fictitious":   * The former ("fictitious content") could be a lie, invented to lend credibility to a weak argument. _"I wasn't in the area on the night of the crime."_   * The latter ("fictitious existence") could be a claim maliciously invented in order to attribute it to someone. The claim itself was never made by anyone, and (even if true) is fictitious in the "existence" sense (although attributing it to someone else is of course fictitious in the "content" sense). I wondered at first whether that might be why we have both _fictional_ and _fictitious_ , but it seems that _fictional_ is intended to be reserved for works of fiction.


title: "[...] up with which I will not put."

text: Okay, I'm probably being a bit slow here, but I don't quite understand this story: > Supposedly an editor had clumsily rearranged one of Churchill’s sentences to > avoid ending it in a preposition, and the Prime Minister, very proud of his > style, scribbled this note in reply: “This is the sort of English up with > which I will not put.” I mean, it made me laugh, but that was mostly because of how stupid it sounded, not because I actually understand what's going on here. Anyone care to explain it? In particular, which are the prepositions?


title: another term for " 'international' hotel"

text: I have an article which informs the readers that our company [a local provider] helped a "foreign hotel". This "foreign hotel" is not an international hotel. My original article title: **A Local Provider Has Extended Help To An International Hotel** The article title is a bit misleading because the hotel is not "international", what is the appropriate title for this replacing the 'International Hotel'?


title: English idiom equivalent to “Like a deaf man at a wedding procession”

text: I have been trying laboriously to find an equivalent idiom or a catchy phrase to the one we have in Arabic مثل الأطرش بالزقة which simply means, “He is like a deaf man at a wedding procession”. It is used when two or more people are talking about a specific topic and one person in that group (or someone who happens to join in) is completely ignorant about the topic and cannot follow the conversation. That person might then say, “I’m like a deaf man at a wedding procession”, or the others may say it about him. I was just curious if there was any similar idiom in English; or if not, is there anything in vicinity of it, or some catchy phrase which people usually say or any casual sayings?


title: Identifying accents of British actors

text: As an American, a large part of my impoverished experience of British accents comes from ancient BBC comedy imports on PBS. I'd very much like to identify the regional accents the following actors are using:   * the farmer Maurice Moulterd in Are you being Served? Again! (aka Grace and Favour) (the second series where they're running a country inn).    * Alice Tinker and Owen Newitt in The Vicar of Dibley   * Onslow from Keeping Up Appearances All four have distinct ways of speaking (not necessarily the same, but then that's the problem, I can't tell). Which accent does each of these four use?


title: Pedantic: Is the "triangle" instrument badly named?

text: Yes, this is a very pedantic question! Is the musical instrument called the triangle badly named? The instrument in question has three sides, but only two angles. Might the name tricosta or triparte be more appropriate? In some languages the name of the geometric shape for which the instrument is named does in fact mean "three sides" as opposed to "three angles", such as Hebrew (משולש). Therefore the name is in fact appropriate in these languages. This question only refers to the English name of the instrument, without consideration for translations, etymology, or use in other languages.


title: "Printfing" or "printingf"?

text: >   * At this point the program starts printfing the pot value. >   * At this point the program starts printingf the pot value. > Both sound wrong, and yet... one of them must be used.


title: 'to the contrary' - is this definition of 'but' correct?

text: Merriam-Webster lists 'to the contrary' as one of the senses of 'but.' > 3 : to the contrary < who knows but that she may succeed> Being worded like this, I'm having a bit of hard time understanding 'but' in this context. Is this just bad wording on M-W's part or am I not understanding something correctly, in which case I would greatly appreciate some spelling- out. For the record, I'm not a native speaker.


title: What's the difference between "along with" and "together with"?

text: I keep hearing this phrase in the end of news release on the radio: > Thanks for listening. I am Mike Widword along with Lizz Cai meaning that two anchors were involved in casting this news. I wonder why not say "together with Lizz Cai"?


title: Can these sentences have the same meaning?

text: >   1. This blouse is a bit of a fiddle to do up. > >   2. It's kind of complicated to do up this blouse. > > I've just came across the meaning of "fiddle" as "something difficult to do" and I tried to rephrase the sentence in order to get kind of a synonym.


title: Gesture is to physical motion as [blank] is to speech

text: I am looking for an equivalent word for gesture in reference to speech. 'Overture' came up in offline discussion but it isn't quite right.


title: What's the right preposition to use with the verb "enroll"?

text: The dictionary says that one enrolls in a university, but today I heard a person saying > "The student enrolled at the school." Is it right? Can I use both the prepositions "in" and "at"?


title: "1 in 10 are" or "1 in 10 is"?

text: Take the examples:   1. "One in ten children are dyslexic."    2. "One in ten children is dyslexic."   3. "One in ten children has dyslexia."   4. "One in ten children have dyslexia." The "one" is singular so 2 and 3 should be correct. But the "one in ten" is a fraction" so 1 and 4 should be correct. And yet I _think_ I usually say 1 and 3. Which is/are correct?!


title: 1 in 7 appleS becomeS green? or, 1 in 7 apple becomeS green? or, 1 in 7 appleS become green?

text: Which of the following is proper grammar usage? > 1 in 7 apple **s** become **s** green   >  1 in 7 apple become **s** green   >  1 in 7 apple **s** become green


title: Which is correct: "one or more is" or "one or more are"?

text: Should the phrase be "one or more _is_...", or "one or more _are_..."?


title: Should I use plural or singular fore 'more than one' and why?

text: I was writing the sentence and understood I do not know whether to use plural or singular: _If more than one attribute **was / were** found ..._


title: Grammatical? "One in 12 babies is/are immunized."

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Which is correct: “one or more is” or “one or more are”?   >  “1 in 10 are” or “1 in 10 is”? Which is grammatical and why? > About one in 12 Australian babies **is** not fully immunised. or > About one in 12 Australian babies **are** not fully immunised.


title: Should one ever use the word "please" in an order or demand?

text: A police officer who pulls over a driver might ask to see his “license and registration, please.” Similarly, a border official might ask for a “passport, please.” However, in these situations, the asked party doesn’t have the option to refuse. Does the word “please” imply that the addressee has the option not to obey the request?


title: Is the last comma in "A, B, and C, do X" correct?

text: Does the following sentence require a comma after the word "meal?" > Quizzing the waiter, complaining about the menu, and criticizing the meal, > detract from your advocacy.


title: Is the phrase "keeping the flat tidy and in good nick" grammatical?

text: > Our cleaning staff is keeping the flat tidy and in good nick. For your > convenience. Does that read correctly?


title: Aspirated letters vs. Silent letters

text: How are aspirated letters different from silent letters when pronouncing a word?


title: "Let's get it over (with)" — do I need the "with"?

text: I'm trying to understand why there is this "with". I can say "Let's get this done". So, why "Let's get this over with?" I would really appreciate if someone could explain that a bit.


title: What's the (unobvious) meaning of "I saw you coming"?

text: Watching an episode of Ruddy Hell, the phrase "I saw you coming" was printed on a shop and the shop owner used it when talking to the rich lady. The context was that he sold stuff second hand and even openly admitted that it was only worth "a fiver" when he bought it. He then exclaims: "But I saw you coming ..." which apparently is the excuse for a much higher price when selling. Now, I get the approximate meaning from the context, obviously. However, how would native speakers explain the exact meaning of the phrase?


title: England vs English

text: Why are country sports teams, for example, from England, referred to as 'the England Football Team' as opposed to 'the English Football Team'?


title: What tense should be used when looking at an old photo?

text: Commenting on a photo which was taken a few years back: Question: > Is this you? Should I reply: > Yes, this **is** a few years back. or: > Yes, this **was** a few years back. Which of the above is correct: _is_ or _was_?


title: Word that means "private word used by a group"

text: Here's an example: a group of my friends has a term we invented. It's a verb that means "to pronounce over-correctly", used of a word borrowed from another language when that word has a common anglicized pronunciation, but the speaker of the word chooses instead to pronounce in the source language. There may be a standard English word that has this same meaning, but our private word is derived from the name of a person we know who does this often, and so it's sort of an inside joke: "Oh, stop Trauthing, you pompous fool." The word I'm looking for describes such a private word. Sort of like a single word in an _idioglossia_ but with no surrounding language; the private word stands on its own. Taking a cue from _neologism_ I might coin the word _idiologism_ but that word apparently already exists (or so says google) and has a slightly different meaning since it's only used by one person. Is there a word for a coined, private word, which has a specific meaning only to a certain small group of people?


title: If a sentence ends with a place name that ends with an exclamation mark, what punctuation should follow?

text: There are a few place names in the world that end with exclamation marks; for example, Westward Ho! and Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!. I suppose there are multiple cases here:   * If an ordinary statement ends with such a place name, should it be followed by a full stop/period? "He went to Westward Ho!" or "He went to Westward Ho!." The latter, though ugly, seems strictly correct to me and at least makes it clear that the sentence is not an exclamation, even if the reader has never heard of the place name.   * In an exclamation, should an extra exclamation mark be added? e.g. "He went to Westward Ho!!" Is this, in fact, a restricted situation where multiple exclamation marks could legitimately occur together?   * In a question, I do not see any alternative to simply following the original exclamation mark with a question mark, although it looks like an interrobang: "Did he go to Westward Ho!?"    * Finally, just for completeness and to consider the most unpleasant case, suppose one wanted to express incredulity using an interrobang. Would one then write "He went to Westward Ho!!?"  (Naturally, I suspect that in some of these cases, unless one were quoting, the best advice would be "Recast the sentence".)


title: Comprehension help required

text: I was given the following question for comprehension pasted below: > What does John mean when he says that he would only win his own money? And I answered that John meant that Marry won't be betting any money, so he will be winning only his own money. Professor marked it incorrect. Can you please what exactly is the problem? I have marked the relevant information in bold letters in the comprehension passage. > "Hullo," said John, "it's raining again. What a nuisance I Now we shan't be > able to play tennis this afternoon." > > "No," said Mary, "I suppose we shan't. Let's stay at home and stick some > photographs in our book, shall we?" > > "Do you really want to?" said John rather doubt. fully. "I thought you said > you didn't like doing it because it was so messy." > > "Oh,' replied Mary, "I'll just watch you sticking them in." > > "Oh, no, you won't," said John. "You've done that to me before. You'll have > to do your share, my girl I " "All right. Then what about playing cards? > You're keen enough on doing that with your friends at the club." > > "But you don't know how to play," protested John. "That's all right. You can > teach me, can't you? You taught me to drive a car." > > "Well, it's not much fun teaching someone to play cards. The whole point of > playing cards is the chance of winning." > > "You'd be sure to win if you played with me, because I don't know how to > play. Surely that would be better than playing with your friends, because > you sometimes lose there." > > **"But if I did win when I was playing against you, I would only win my own > money."** > > Mary laughed. Then she said. "All right, I think we'll just have to go to > the cinema. There's a good film on at the Grand, isn't there?" > > "Not the Grand," said John. "The Splendid." > > "Oh, yes," said Mary. "I keep on getting them mixed up. The Grand's the one > down by the river, isn't it?" > > "Yes," answered John. "After we've been here a few more weeks we'll know > everything there is to know about this town: it's small enough. Well, we'd > better go, or we'll be too late for the matinee. Have you got your umbrella > back from Jane yet, or will you have to go on sharing mine?" > > "No, I got mine back. I came across Jane in a shop this morning. She was > carrying my umbrella, but she put it down for a moment while she looked in > her handbag for some money. So I picked the umbrella up and started to walk > out. The shopkeeper was horrified. He said, 'Madam, that umbrella belongs to > this lady!' 'No, it doesn't,' I answered, 'it belongs to me.' 'That's > right,' said Jane. 'It does.' You should have seen the shopkeeper's face! He > didn't know whether to believe his eyes or his ears-especially as Jane > pretended never to have seen me before: you know how she loves a joke!"


title: Is the word legs singular or plural?

text: Which one of these two sentences is correct ? "Legs is spelled with l" Or "Legs are spelled with l"


title: Finite verbs / Do vs Be

text: Which is correct?   1. "You were always looking out for me. You always do." or   1. "You were always looking out for me. You always are."


title: "Ideal" vs "archetype" vs "role model" vs "prototype"

text: While learning synonyms, I encountered these words. I'm trying to understand the nuances between them. From my understanding:-   * _Role model_ is someone whom you admire or try to emulate (generally a living being)   * _Prototype_ is an original model from which copies are made. However, I don't fully grasp the difference between _archetype_ and _ideal_. From my understanding, _archetype_ refers to a perfect example of a particular person or thing. So does ideal. For example, to complete the sentence: _"Every classical heroine is always chaste and serves as a(n)_ __ _for women, who are expected to emulate her_ , which of the above-mentioned words fits best? Please point out where I went wrong.


title: Word order in defining and non-defining relative clauses

text: With defining relative clauses, there is a different word order according to the status of the relative pronoun in the sentence (that is, it can be either the subject or the object of the relative clause). >   1. The relative pronoun is the subject. The word order is --> subject + > verb + object > >   2. The relative pronoun is the object. The word order is --> object + > subject + verb > > Does this rule apply to the non-defining relative clauses as well? Or is there any other rule to follow?


title: “It is, a done deed”

text: ![“we love free music / we know you do too / it is, a done deed”](http://i.imgur.com/W9YEJ.jpg) Comment on imgur: > Actually that's an appropriate use, comma used for the purpose of producing > a short pause to add emphasis to what follows. Is the comma in _it is, a done deed_ correctly used?


title: "Optional but recommended" vs "optional"

text: I am writing an API with some mandatory parameters and some optional parameters. However, some of the optional parameters are _highly recommended_ to the point of being essentially mandatory for any type of practical interaction with the API unless the user is very skilled with his queries. How would I thus word the three categories of options: >   1. Mandatory >   2. Recommended >   3. Optional > or >   1. Mandatory >   2. Optional But Recommended >   3. Really Optional > or something else? What do you suggest? The first list is a bit unclear in my opinion, but the second list is too wordy. **Is there a word which embodies _Optional but recommended_?** Note that my preference would be two categories ( _Mandatory_ and _Optional_ ), but it seems that users need this distinction to be made.


title: Discordant vs controversial vs non-concurring

text: Do these three words mean the same thing? From my understanding, **discordant** means not agreeing or out of tune. This is similar to **non-concurring** (as concurring would mean agreeing on something). Also, **controversial** means something which gives rise to disagreement. How do I understand the subtle difference in meaning when the wors are so similar?


title: “A new pair of ” or “A pair of new”

text: 1. a **new pair of** shoes / pants / scissors   2. a **pair of new** shoes / pants / scissors I can’t find which one of those two it should be, and I’ve seen some debate about it. “A new pair of shoes”: Could it imply that the shoes previously were part of a different pair? But on the other hand, if it’s a pair of shoes, why would one have to state that both shoes are new when saying _a pair of new shoes_? Which is correct, or doesn’t it matter?


title: "In the event of rain, the parade is canceled." Is it correct?

text: I have found a conditional sentence "In the event of rain, the parade is canceled." on page http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/in+the+event+of I have thought that main clause of such conditional sentence should contain future or imperative mood. For example:   * In case of an emergency, push this button.   * In the event of a fire, alarms will sound. But in this sentence main clause contains present. Is it correct? Is correct similar sentence with future: "In the event of rain, the parade will be canceled."? What the difference between these two sentences if both correct?


title: Origin of "half a mind" and "a piece of my mind"

text: Both of these expressions/phrases have similar uses: I have _half a mind_ to confront that person. I'm going to give them _a piece of my mind_. Were these separate but similar expressions translated from non-English phrases and became part of our vernacular or were these sayings "invented" by English speakers?


title: Part of speech of "that"?

text: In this sentence: > Its shape resembles that of a kangaroo’s hind foot. What part of speech would _that_ be?


title: Difference between: "would be", "will be", and "is/are -ing"

text: Which one is correct?   1. Heard you would be going.    2. Heard you will be going.    3. Heard you are going. What differences are there?


title: Word for the number being added-to OR subtracted-from another number

text: In division, we have a dividend and a divisor. According to this page, we also have   * minuend and subtrahend   * augend and addend   * multiplicand and multiplier which are rarely used because order doesn't matter for the latter two. Is there a term for the "second" number in _any_ arithmetic operation? It would be a word that could mean "subtrahend," or "addend," or "multiplier" interchangeably. Something like "mathematicaloperationend."


title: Is there a difference between "innocent" and "not guilty"?

text: I have always thought the antonym of "guilty" is "innocent", but apparently it's just "not guilty". Even juries seem to agree. But why? Aren't they antonyms? Or is there a subtlety I'm missing here?


title: Academia -- Correct Interpretation?

text: When someone says, "It's all academic" or "This one's academic", I believe that, certainly within the realm of sports context, the outcome of a game has finally been decided. The end result is a given; there is no doubt who the victor will be. Example: > With 20 seconds on the clock and having a 12-point lead, the Ravens will > emerge triumphant. This one is academic from this point forward. Sound logical? To have a discussion about something that is a moot point is an academic discussion: > If I had $5 million, I'd buy two mansions and a Lamborghini. But I don't have this kind of money, so it's all academic anyway. Another example: > Despite fervent begging by the shoplifter, I informed him he would be > arrested for petit larceny and the police were on their way. It's now all > academic. > > Correct to all examples given? Thank you.


title: Infinitive vs. Past Simple for short technical annotations

text: I use source control management software at work. When I commit some changes, I annotate them with the bare infinitive like this:   * "add new feature", "fix bug #10012" I note that some of my colleagues use past tense instead:   * "new feature added", "bug #10012 fixed" Or sometimes:   * "added new feature", "fixed #10012 bug" Which of these annotations is grammatically correct? Are any of them weird or simply wrong?


title: Should I use past tense or present tense when writing check-in/commit comment?

text: This question is quite specific but I am not sure which verb tense I should use when committing/checking in code. If I fix a bug and checking in the code, should I write:   1. Fixes bug on feature A   2. Fixed bug on feature A I always use past tense because the bug was fixed before I check in but it looks a bit strange when I look at file history. Should I use one over the other and why?


title: Class [has been / was] removed.

text: If I want to make a very short remark as a comment to a fragment of computer program, what would be the **best style** of the three variants below please?      Class `ProjectControl`...   1. ...removed   2. ...was removed   3. ...has been removed This is meant to be a note about one of many changes made as the last modification. Thanks.


title: "I can have it mailed to you if you wish."

text: recently a visitor at work forgot his mobile charger at my desk. He wrote me an email asking if it's still there. For some mysterious reason I answered: "Yes, indeed. I **can have it mailed** to you if you wish." I tried to express that I can ask someone (the receptionist) to do so. Meanwhile I am quite unsure if "I can have it mailed" is any form of understandable English at all :))). Is this a correct, common phrase? Cheers, Alex


title: "Unbalance" v "imbalance"; "unbalanced" v "imbalanced"

text: When talking about a body, do you say it is _unbalanced_ or _imbalanced_? Here _unbalanced_ sounds right to me. However, do you say you want to fix the _unbalance_ or _imbalance_ in a body? Here _imbalance_ sounds right to me. I can find the same definition for both but does it sound wrong to switch between the two within the same paragraph? For example: > He ran with an **unbalanced** body.   >  His **imbalance** was caused by a curved spine.   >  The heavy bag he carried **unbalanced** his body too.   >  His **unbalanced** personality didn't help either. This sentence sounds to me to be using the right forms (is it?) but is it wrong to shift from one form to the other within the same paragraph (assuming they are both acceptable)?


title: Solution of/to/for equation

text: A recent question to when to use _of_ and when _for/to_ for _solution_ suggested that _of_ appears only in context of chemistry, and the word means something very different then. But I recalled almost universally finding > `-2` and `2` are the solutions of the equation `x^2 = 4` I consulted the dictionary and to my surprise I found: > **2.** _Mathematics_ A value or values which, when substituted for a > variable in an equation, make the equation true. For example, the solutions > **to** the equation `x^2 = 4` are `2` and `-2`. I consulted the ngram and it made me even more confused than before. ![ngram](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Uv0a8.png) It seems like _solution to the equation_ is a relatively new trend, but picking up. So, what's the official stance on correctness of the preposition to go with solution in mathematics?


title: What part of speech are "plus", "times", and "minus"

text: In mathematics one will often say "This plus that" or "This times that". This means "This added too that" and "This multiplied by that". Multiply, Add, Subtract, Divide - All are verbs. But what part of speech is "times" or "plus". It's wrong to say "times this by that" or "plus this with that". So they do not seem to be verbs, but they imply an action.


title: How can I improve this introduction?

text: _Hi, I'm bernk. I'm here to make interacting with digital products a positive experience for us all. Why are you here?_ More importantly, does it read positive or negative to you?


title: Is a "perfect participle" right?

text: Suppose I've received a document from my colleague and then I want to make a report to my chief in which I want to mention it. Would the following construction be correct? > According to the document **_been received_** from John it's... Or should I just put it like this? > According to the document **_received_** from John it's... PS: Excuse me if I've confused _participle_ with _adjective_ , I really don't know the proper name for **_received_** in this case.


title: Why is there a "mean" in "Greenwich Mean Time" (GMT)?

text: What's the meaning of the word "mean" in "Greenwich Mean Time"? Shouldn't we simply say something like "Greenwich Time"? I don't understand what the word "mean" is doing there.


title: Capitalizing quotations with initial omission?

text: Let's say we wanted to omit the first four words of the following quotation. > "I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that > decision." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt Generally speaking, it is recommended that one should not include an ellipsis at the beginning of a quotation. > "we learn who we really are and then live with that decision." ~ Eleanor > Roosevelt Should the above be capitalized to follow standard rules of capitalization, or left as is in order to retain its accuracy?


title: "I won't" vs. "I'll not"

text: _I won’t_ and _I’ll not_ are both short forms of _I will not_. Both are used in English. Are there any situations where one is preferred over other?


title: Is this an inversion? If so, why would you use an inversion in this case?

text: Here's a quote from a CNN transcript, wherein a consumer psychologist says the following: "What is relatively new **are** shoppers turning on other shoppers." If "what is relatively new" were the subject, she would have said "is" as opposed to "are". Hence, it's an inversion having "shoppers" as the subject. Am I right? If I'm right, then the question: why use an inversion in this particular case? Specifically, why use "are" instead of "is"? For the whole transcript, see: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1211/22/cnr.03.html I did some follow-up research on what-cleft construction and would like to update my question by adding the following: Swan says in Practical English Usage at 130, "A what-clause is normally considered to be singular...a plural verb is sometimes possible before a plural noun in an informal style." And Swan shows this example: "What we want **is/are** some of those cakes." (Emphasis in original.) According to Swan, therefore, both "is" and "are" are possible, correct English in his "cakes" example. Also, he states that "are" is an informal style, which means that "is" is more formal. Do you guys agree with this and is this applicable to my CNN example as well?


title: Does “work for someone” ever carry negative connotations?

text: Can I say that _I want him to work for me_ in the sense that _I want him to work at my company_? Does it have any negative connotations, like association with slavery or objectifying the person? Is there a better but _short_ way to say the same?


title: "Account currency" translation

text: I'm not a native English speaker and I'd like to translate the following sentence: "Here you can see your Account Terms including the freight and payment terms, minimum order value, and account currency." Could you please explain what "account currency" is? I would translate it as a type of an account which accepts payments in different currencies, but I'm not sure if that's true. Is it a type of an account which accepts all kinds of currencies? Is it the currency ($, €) that's used in the account? Is it an expression that describes the account in any way?


title: English equivalent of the Hindi phrase "छुपा रुस्तम" (chupa rustam)

text: I'm looking for English word[s] that come close to छुपा रुस्तम (chupa rustam), literally "hidden warrior". It's attributed to a person who is very clever but does not appear so. If I remember correctly, it's not used for deceitful nature.


title: Is 'worse' the only comparative that has neither -er nor more?

text: There was a question recently about comparatives and it got me thinking about how comparatives are formed. There are those that take -er and those that use _more_ to indicate comparison, but is _worse_ the only comparative in English that is intrinsically comparative? That is, it is not necessary to modify it by adding a suffix or a helper. Why is this the case? Looking at Etymonline seems to indicate that it came into English as a comparative already, which would I think explain its irregular form, but I don't know enough about etymology to know if that is a good guess. Are there other words like this, or is _worse_ unique?


title: is the phrase "leave all worries" correct?

text: Is the phrase "leave all worries" right ? Or should it always be "No worries" when saying to someone who is disappointed with something ?


title: for + present perfect or past simple

text: **Have you ever danced?** This is kind of a usual question. What if I wanna ask someone about his experience and find out how long it lasted. Can I say **Have you ever danced for 5 hours?** (and we're just sitting in a cafe and talking about it) Or I have to put it like this **Did you ever dance for 5 hours?**


title: Feel support - what does it mean

text: I'm looking for short phrases which include "support" word in such a way that I can prepend a company name before it and it will make sense. But i'm not a native speaker so I would like to check my idea first. So it is about "feel support". Does this phrase make sense at all? Or it is a mess. For example, could these be used as meaningful addresses: Londoncars.feelsupport.com Hostingspot.feelsupport.com ...and so on More ideas to consider (any help appreciates): knowhowsupport.com \-- Thanks, Anton


title: Is there a concise term for being over-aware of bad news happening?

text: That was probably a terrible title, but I'm looking for a word or phrase to describe this concept. We all probably have a relative like this, they feel that the world is "going to hell" around them - except that isn't true, we have 24x7 media and the internet, so the bad stuff that already exists is just much more visible and perceptible than it used to be. In the early 90's it was "stranger danger" and daytime talk shows having moms scared out of their wits that there was a child molester hanging around every corner, just waiting to snatch their loved ones away. (Nevermind the fact that the numbers of these crimes have stayed roughly stable, trending down for a long time) Today it's computer hackers and the NSA. How do you describe a person who is over-aware of bad news and has lost perspective, or the mental state of being in this condition?


title: Not too expensive v.s. affordable

text: I'm building a website and I need to choose between 'not too expensive' and 'affordable'. The sentence: > Reliable, stable, secure, great support and of course not too expensive! or > Reliable, stable, secure, great support and of course affordable! Which one is the best?


title: A word that can refer to an address but also for a contact in general

text: I'm creating a database that includes so-called sites. Those sites have an address and a shipment address; the addresses include phone numbers, but the postal part is the most important. On the other hand there are service people you can call on the cellphone. They don't necessarily have any relation to the site, in particular not with the main address or the shipment address. To keep my database lean, I want to have three fields of the same general type: "Main Address," "Shipment Address," and "Service Guy Address." What would be a better word in this context? I thought about "contact," but "Shipment contact" doesn't make much sense for the delivery people as they have their own database with much more extensive contact information.


title: What is the base of a subscript called?

text: In dingdong , "dong" is the subscript but what is the name for "ding"? Base perhaps!


title: What are synonyms of the word "metadata"?

text: Metadata is "data about data". Are there other words with similar meaning?


title: Word or expression for comments that are technically correct but unhelpful

text: I think all programmers among us will be familiar with this scenario. You spend several days writing some code and submit it to be tested by someone else. The points that they return, though valid, are not really the reason you wanted it tested. For instance, spotting a missing comma in an error message that you wrote. I often find myself searching for an appropriate phrase to describe this kind of comment. Perhaps an idiom exists for this particular occurrence.


title: Passive to active interrogatives

text: I am a high school student. While doing my weekly assignment, I came across a question which asks me to write in active voice > Have they been told to be ready? Can anyone help me out with this one?


title: "Lesson" vs "unit" in books

text: I am so confused about _unit_ and _lesson_ in books. I looked up Longman Dictionary and it said "a part of book". What's the difference between them in this case?


title: What's the origin of "off the cuff"?

text: as in I spoke off the cuff or an off-the-cuff kind of response.


title: 'tonnage of bombs'

text: > _ton_ , a unit of weight equal to 2,240 lb avoirdupois (1016.05 kg). > > _tonne_ , a metric ton. **'The tonnage of bombs dropped on Vietnam was more than that of WW2 and Korea.'** When 'tonnages' are not specified like this there is doubt about what they amount to, and I'm strenuously engaged with the problem of thinking in terms of 'tons' or 'tonnes'. Can anybody help me in understanding whether is better to think in terms of 'tons' rather than in terms of 'tonnes'?


title: Use of "it" to refer to virtual things

text: I work as a software developer. At times I have to talk about virtual, non- tangible things, like images for a website etc. In these cases, the pronoun that I use is _it_. E.g. > _Colleague:_ "Add the image that I mailed."   >  _Me:_ "Didn't get **it** yet!" I feel that using _it_ in this case isn't right as the image is a virtual thing that we cannot touch and hence there should be some other pronoun in this place.


title: Are certain English words cognates to Old English words?

text: For example, the English word _spoor_ comes right from the Afrikaans _spoor_ , meaning trail or track. This is from an identical Dutch word which is descended from the Proto-Germanic * _spurą_ , from which came an Old English word- _spor_. (Also _spurn_ ) Another example of this is with _valkyrie_ , the English word for the choosers of the slain in Norse mythology. Etymonline says it entered English in the 1700s, from the Old Norse. (From _valr_ \+ _kjósa_ , the Proto-Germanic roots of which are from where _choose_ and the Middle English _wal_ come from.) However, Old English had a word for the Valkyries too- _wælcyrge_. So my question is, can we call valkyrie and spoor (plus similar borrowings, like falcon when we had the Old English _fealca_ ) cognates of the Old English words, or are they just borrowings?


title: What’s the word to describe that I ——— your artwork?

text: When I see a famous writer, I will say, “Hi, I _read_ your book” (or “have read”?).   When I see a movie star, I will say, “Hey, I _watched_ your movie" (or “have watched”?).   So, when I see a artist, what’s the word in: “Hi, I ——— your artwork”?   (Maybe it’s a photo, or a painting or a sculpture.)


title: What is a "hens party" and where is this phrase commonly used?

text: Where does the term come from, where in the world is the term used? I came across the usage in this article, with this paragraph as quoted: > Keara O'Neil was on a shopping trip to find bridesmaid dresses for her > wedding and a frock for her hens night at the GASP Chapel St store on > September 24 when she had a dispute with a sales assistant named "Chris". So now that I've been sufficiently reminded to use Wiktionary and the like, I see that the reference is rather old to meaning "a women's party" and pretty much to mean the sort of thing where gossiping is expected to be a large part of the event. What I'm curious about now is: Since I don't hear this a lot in the US in the South, where _is_ this phrase used? How popular is it? Is it considered antiquated? Hyperbole?


title: Is there a verb that doesn't take the participle form when used in Present Perfect?

text: I remember about a month ago I was speaking to a friend and I said a Present Perfect sentence like "I have [VERB]". I forget the verb but I remember it was an everyday verb, not something exotic. But to my shock and horror, I have used not the participle form of the verb, but the past one, and it sounded more correct than using the past participle. (This was a verb whose participle form was different than its past form.) Could this be? Can you think of any verb for which this may be true?