title: How is "æ" supposed to be pronounced?

text: The Encyclopædia Brittanica still uses the symbol "æ". However, I still hear everyone pronounce it as "Encyclo _pee_ dia", when their spelling suggests more along the lines of "Encyclo _pah_ dia" or "encyclo _pay_ dia". In a more general sense, should æ or Æ always be pronounced as a long e sound? When I see it used, it is in dæmon, æther, or æon. The wikipedia page makes it clear that they should be pronounced with another sound along the lines of ah or eh... confusing because I want to pronounce it as "ai" or "ay". Given the name "Aion" as a recent videogame, and the common pronunciation of a CS mailer-daemon as "Daymon", clearly others behave the same way. The problem lies in that æ used to be pronounced as ah/eh, and now seems to be pronounced as ay. Encyclopædia is the only exception... being pronounced as ee? How do I pronounce it when seen in English? ee, ay, or ah/eh?


title: What is "outbearded"?

text: I was reading Scott's _Woodstock_ the other day, and came upon the word _outbearded_. Searching with Google reveals nothing relevant and I am wondering what it means. The context is that Everard and a youth, Kerneguy (King Charles in disguise) are quarrelling, and are barely able to remain civil to each other:- > Everard, on the other hand, stung beyond his patience, and from the grace > and composure of the youth's carriage, still conceiving him to be either > Wilmot or some of his compeers in rank and profligacy, returned to the town > of Woodstock, determined not to be _outbearded_ , even though he should seek > redress by means which his principles forbade him to consider as > justifiable.


title: "Seemed to have [...]ed": is this structure grammatical?

text: I came across the following sentences:   * Defying expectations and maybe logic, people seemed _to have combined_ the countercultural sixties and the achieving eighties into one social ethos.   * I seemed to have broken the pattern, but all the time a classroom was waiting for me.   * Its personality, at the moment when I was about to leave it, seemed _to have detached_ itself from its inhabitants and all the human memories associated with it, and _to have become endowed_ with a friendly charm of its own. As usual, these sentences in The New York Times appear; and they appear together numerous others where the same structure occurs: _seemed to have [...]ed_. Can someone clarify if this structure is grammatical? Or should we reword the above sentences replacing the words "to have combined", "to have broken" and "to have detached" with, respectively, "to combine", "to break" and "to detach"?


title: What is the term for an idea that requires/creates its opposite?

text: An example would be that the concept of 'light' necessitates an opposite: 'dark.' The idea of one entails the other. Is there a term for this?


title: Is "subtle" a positive, neutral or/and negative word?

text: I wonder whether _subtle_ is a positive, neutral or/and negative word? Looking up its definition, it seems that the word means things unclear for good reason. For example, I  wonder if _subtle_ can be used to describe a class that is not easy to understand? If so, would that mean more of that the class is difficult to understand because of the complexity of its content, or due to the inability of the lecturer?


title: Does "was forced" automatically imply some identifiable external activity?

text: In the following sentence               The citizens were forced to render up their town to the conqueror.      what does `were forced` mean exactly? Does it mean that _some proactive party literally forced the citizens (like for example threatened to kill a hostage)_ or does it mean that _for whatever reason they concluded they had to perform that action_?


title: Verb Forms and Their Usage

text: What is meant by "present perfect", "past perfect", and "future perfect" verbs? How can I identify them or know which is which?


title: What does "The categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not find there because..." mean?

text: The following paragraph is quoted from Steven Pinker's "The Language Instinct" and it's originally presented by Benjamin Lee Whorf in his "Language, Thought, and Reality" > “We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages. The > categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not > find there because they stare every observer in the face; on the contrary, > the world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which has to > be organized by our minds - and this means largely by the linguistic systems > in our minds. We cut nature up, organize it into concepts, and ascribe > significances as we do, largely because we are parties to an agreement to > organize it in this way - an agreement that holds throughout our speech > community and is codified in the patterns of our language. The agreement is, > of course, an implicit and unstated one, BUT IT’S TERMS ARE ABSOLUTELY > OBLIGATORY; we cannot talk at all except by subscribing to the organization > and classification of data which the agreement decrees. I think I may know literally what does "The categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not find there because they stare every observer in the face" mean, or maybe not.But I don't see the logic it bears. My understanding is that we isolate the categories and types because they stare every observer in the face, what does that supposed to mean?


title: What does it mean to be "hard done by" - a phrase I heard from a Canadian friend

text: From the context of discussion, I took "hard done by" to mean "taken advantage unfair of" as in "He felt _hard done by_ by former friends." I had never heard the phrase before and have not heard it since. In fact I'm not sure my example sentence is properly constructed using two "by's". Is it generally Canadian? A Canadian regionalism? Or is it more widely used by non-American English speakers around the world? EDIT: Does the phrase include the word "by" and then require a second by for proper usage? If the meaning is akin to "betrayed", then does the sentence "He felt betrayed by his friend" equate to He felt _hard done_ by his friend ("by" is not part of the phrase)   OR   He felt _hard done by_ **by** his friend ("by" IS part of the phrase and so needs another by) Another example, is it: The situation made him feel _hard done_   OR   The situation made him feel _hard done by_


title: Why do many professional writers hate adverbs, and what should be used in their place?

text: In response to the death of Elmore Leonard the New York Times has posted a list of writing tips he composed back in 2001. Among them is the following: > To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. This is not the first time I have read of professional writers discouraging the use of adverbs. While technically (adverb!) appropriate English, why are they treated with such disdain, and what makes a good adverb substitute?


title: What is the difference between "Sofa" and "Couch"?

text: Is there any difference between the two? Which one is more common? Which of the two words is more appropriate if the _"piece of furniture"_ is big, comfortable and expensive?


title: When, and why, did breaks become brakes?

text: Reading an account of the Round Oak Train Crash, I came across this passage:- > A good deal of suspicion, to say the least of it, must fall upon the hind > guard, Frederick Cook, as to the mode in which the break of the last van was > employed on the journey towards Worcester; and this suspicion is by no means > lessened by the circumstance that he permitted half-a-dozen passengers to > ride with him in his van, and that he employed one of their number, > according to his own admission, to take the break off in two cases. And later > In descending the incline from Round Oak to Stourbridge, there were four > persons acting as breaksmen in different parts of the train... which fixes the spelling _break_ in 1858. But no dictionary definition of _brake_ I have been able to find mentions this older spelling. Does anyone know when and why the spelling changed? Is there some etymological reason for this?


title: What is the correct subject-verb agreement for chemical quantities expressed in moles?

text: I'm currently editing some chemistry test questions, and I have several sentences like the following:   * What is the total number of moles of HCl produced when _3 moles of hydrogen **is_** completely consumed?   * How many _moles of hydrogen **are_** consumed in this reaction? I originally flagged "are" in the latter sentence to be changed to "is" in order to be consistent, but intuition is leading me to doubt this. Does the "How many..." construction of the sentence make "moles" dictate agreement in this case? I suspect that "How many..." contextually sets the expectation that the subject is a count noun ("moles" in this case), whereas in cases like the first sentence, there is no clear contextual indication whether the subject is a count or mass noun. Does anyone know if there is a clear rule for cases like this? If not, would you stick with "are" in the second sentence or change it to "is"?


title: Butchering a simple "How do I" question

text: Of course, I understand that the nature of the Internet means that a given person is not necessarily fluent in the English Language. But what I don't understand is how people can mangle a simple question. > How do I go from X to Y? As questions go, this kind of question is quite an important one to be able to ask. And yet, more often than not, I see this instead: > How to go from X to Y It looks more like a heading that's about to be followed by an explanation, not a question. The strange thing is, though, is that so many people make this error. It's not like other mistakes that vary from person to person based on their own knowledge, it's like an epidemic: Either the person knows how to ask the question in its proper form, or they use the exact erroneous form shown here. One thing I've noticed is that often a person will try to directly use their own language's sentence structure when speaking/writing in a foreign language. But in all the languages I know, none of them have this kind of sentence structure. Where does this malformation come from?


title: Is "gift" accepted as a verb?

text: I have always argued adamantly, as long as the issue has been around, that _gift_ should never be used as a verb. However, someone whose English knowledge I quite respect disagrees. I’ve done some searching and I haven’t found a consensus; should _gifting_ be shunned?


title: Word for more than several, but less than many

text: What word or sequence of words can I use if I have more than several, but less than many? E.g. if I have 10–15 of something, it may not be many (depending on context), but it's too many to be several. What word or phrase can I use?   * There are many studies which show... (not true, in my context I don't consider 10–15 is many)   * There are 10 studies which show... (not correct, it's not exactly 10 and I don't know the exact number, nor is it relevant)   * There are several studies which show... (not correct, 10 is too many to be several)   * There is a number of studies which show... (means nothing? 0 is a number, as is 1000?) What is the correct word or sequence of words here?


title: Usage of YMMV: Can I use it in day-to-day conversation?

text: I found the word _YMMV_ in an answer to my question "How important to write down mission statement in learning English? Do I have to?", which I posted on January 6.   As _YMMV_ is a quite strange word to me, I consulted Urban dictionary, and found that it's an abbreviation of _Your Mileage May Vary_ , meaning _your results will be varied_ and that is often used in forum talk. However, is the expression _Your mileage may vary_ by itself a well-established idiom? Do baby-boomers use this expression casually in day-to-day conversation? Would I raise somebody's eyebrows if I use the abbreviation _YMMV_ in ordinary conversation? Please teach me.


title: Did the English language ever have noun genders?

text: And if so, how did they differentiate between male, female or neuter nouns? Did English ever have gender-specific (in)definite articles? (like der/die/das in German)


title: best way to express urgency status

text: If I want to express that I'm in urgent state what is the best way to say it?   like `I'm in haste! let me enter first please.` Update:   I want a word used for general purposes: like a child is late for his school, or employee is late for his work. ex `It's your work time! you must be in (some word)` .


title: Is there a single word that means "cause(s) of death"?

text: It seems like this word exists, but maybe it's because I know it in another language (non-Romance) that I thinking it exists. I'm drawing a blank on it. I'd like to write a sentence that says "He listed the [causes of death]: ...."


title: What is a misplaced modifier?

text: For example... The Animal Control representative described the lost puppy as a golden retriever wearing a silver collar weighing 150 pounds. In this case is "weighing" used correctly? My book says this sentence contains a misplaced modifier but I don't know which modifier is incorrect.


title: What does "new normal" mean?

text: From one of the survey result (IT related), I came across the following line: > Agile Development and Service-Oriented-Architectures (SOA) represent the > “new normal.” What does "new normal" mean here? Is it an idiom?


title: "Both of you" vs. "the both of you"

text: When we refer to two people, which is right — "both of you" or "the both of you"? Are both the same or is there any difference between them?


Is it possible to verb anything other than a noun? Although slightly meta, I noticed that English SE has verbing as a tag, rather than verbing-nouns.


title: What do I call a number that has a period in it?

text: My brain is standing completely still on this. I'm sure I've known this in the past. The difference between the number:               123      and               123.25      is obviously that the first number number is a "full" number. There is no fraction of a number that requires that the number be written with a period symbol and more numbers describing the fraction. What is a number _called_ when it can be written without a period, and what is it called otherwise? Also, what are the numbers behind the period symbol called? (So really this is a request for three words, not one. I hope that flies.)


title: Is "whatsoever" a formal word in written English?

text: > The authors make no mention **whatsoever** about... Is this sentence appropriate for formal writing?


title: unsigned 64bit integer vs. 64-bit unsigned integer?

text: I found several way to write the same thing, but it may be that only one is really correct, can you help me to find the correct sentence. I want to specify the type of a parameter for a function (a C programming API). What is the correct version ? 1,2,3 or 4 ? And for `bit`should I use `s` as their are 64 ? :)   * unsigned 64bit integer (1)    * unsigned 64-bit integer (2)   * 64-bit unsigned integer (3)   * 64bit unsigned integer (4)


title: Which one is it? "Damn" or "damned"?

text: I know that commonly in America, they use "damn" or "damned" to describe things.   Sometimes, more appropriately, it's even "darn" or "darned".   For example, > This damn/damned computer is too slow. But what I can't wrap my head around is when to use "damn" and when to use "damned"?   Or is only one of them correct?


title: Necessity of "in" and "the"?

text: Please let me know which sentence is correct. I have faced the first and third one in the Longman dictionary, but dictionaries are prone to typos and errors. So I couldn't be sure which one is correct and which one is not. Please help me know. >   1. The verb is **in the** past tense. >   2. The verb is **in** past tense. >   3. The verb is past tense. >


title: I work "in a grocery store" or "at a grocery store"

text: I am not a native speaker but both sounds good to me. Which one should be more accurate or in fact correct.


title: Is one of them wrong? "Working at a new job" vs. "Working in a new job"

text: Can "at" and "in" be used interchangeably without worry or is one of them specifically wrong especially in the case of: Working at a new job vs. Working in a new job? and Living in a new apartment vs. Living at a new apartment?


title: What's the antonym of "prioritize"?

text: If someone is asked to do something important, they might say "I'll prioritize that". But if someone is asked to put something aside to work on something else more important, what could they say? In the past I've used "de-prioritize", but I'm not sure if that's actually a word. Is it a word? Is there some other way to get this point across?


title: Bigot and Hypocrite - What's the difference?

text: What's the difference between the two.


title: What is the term for making a cross in the air (like when passing a cemetery)?

text: Is there a word for making a cross with your hands in the air? It's a four point motion that goes from head to chest, then shoulder to shoulder. An example situation where someone does this might be a funeral procession passing by.


title: What does “Less is never more” mean? Is it a popular saying?

text: I found the phrase “ _less is never more_ ” in Maureen Dowd’s article “An Irish Catholic wake-up,” dealing with vice-presidential debate on October 11 in October 13’s NY Times. It comes in the following statement: > “Biden was trying to do what Romney did well: come across as a senior > partner chastising a junior associate who screwed up. For this vice > president, though, _less is never more_. He mugged condescension as if he > were the star of a silent movie. But who ever accused Uncle Joe of > subtlety?” Does “ _less is never more_ ” mean it’s better to overdo than underdo, or is it vice versa? What does it imply in particular to Joe Biden case? Is it a fancy turn of word, or just a cliche? PS. We have a Japanese adage, 過ぎたるは及ばざるが如しliterally meaning "Too much is as bad as too little," which I presume to be similar to "Less is never more."


title: "Drove to the main road," or "drove off to the main road?"

text: > After helping with the dishes, Eri swung her purse on her shoulder and said > goodbye to her mother, promising she'll come back to see her soon. **Keys in > hand, her dad led Eri to the car, and then they drove (off) to the main > street.** Do I have to add _off_ in that last sentence? I've seen examples like that before. When is neccesary and when not?


title: unitize (unitise) or unify?

text: I am about to collect information from multiple sources and transform them into one language/terminology. I wonder what would be the correct term for this process? Maybe a different word would fit even better? Thanks!


title: How would you punctuation this sentence?

text: How would you punctuate this sentence? If someone gives you a hard time about ending a sentence with a preposition, feel free to respond to the criticism, as Winston Churchill, according to unconfirmed legends did, his tongue firmly in cheek: 'This is just the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put.' * * * Or would I use dashes and parentheses? If someone gives you a hard time about ending a sentence with a preposition, feel free to respond to the criticism—as Winston Churchill (according to unconfirmed legends did, his tongue firmly in cheek): 'This is just the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put.'


title: A word or term for a physical type of a prize?

text: Is there any phrase with the word "prize" that would describe that the prize is a material one? I.e. you would get some kind of a product or thing, not money.


title: Is there a verb for making a statement/sentence milder or "dumbing it down"?

text: Is there a verb which means the same as "to dumb down" or "to make milder", in relation to an account of something I had witnessed? More specifically, a verb which describes telling your account of something you witnessed in a milder form so as to not scare the other person and "play down" the event.


title: What is it called when your laptop cursor goes wild?

text: Working on the laptop all day, I want a word for when my cursor (pointer) just keeps going on its own even though my hand is nowhere close to the laptop mouse controls. Profanity is fine! Note that I have only witnessed this phenomenon when using the native mousepad or mouse control button on a laptop. If I plugged in a regular usb mouse this wouldn't happen. I have not noticed this on tablets yet. But I have had at least 20 laptops and happened with all of them. Usage: Coworker - "What is taking so long?" Me - "F*cking mouse thing, wait a minute." Would like to have a phrase to replace "F*cking mouse thing."


title: Difference between "aim" and "purpose"

text: The explanation in the dictionary of "aim" is "The aim of something that you do is the purpose for which you do it or the result that it is intended to achieve. "and the explanation of "purpose" is "The purpose of something is the reason for which it is made or done. " So are there any differences between "aim" and "purpose"? And which word should I fill in the blank? "But for the ___ __of communication, we dress in clothes of different colors."


title: Smart used as expensive, why?

text: I sometimes see phrases like "smart hotel", "smart restaurant" (especially in guide books). From context I usually understand it as "expensive but worthy". Is it correct understanding? Why is word "smart" used? I rarely see it used in that way outside of this context. I never heard "smart car" in that sense for example. **Edit:** Example of usage (that actually encouraged me to ask this question), this is quote from guide book about Morocco: "However, it is a waste of time trying to negotiate at peak of the high season, or in the very smart hotels, such as the La Mamounia in Marrakech". So it is even used in comparative form. Apparently this La Mamounia Hotel is one of the most luxurious and expensive hotels in Marrakech.


title: Is "as you need" different from "as you need to" in this sentence?

text: To utilize things as(when) you need to, but never be captivated by things.(self-made, a translation from ancient text in Chinese) I think "as you need" and "as you need to" is different in this context. Because "as you need" may be followed by noun, but "as you need to" is to be followed by verb. Which one do you think is more appropriate in this sentence?


title: A word for a complex problem that needs to be approached form different angles at the same time

text: For example: There is a problem A. To solve A x, y and z are needed. But you can't have x without y, the lack of y is problematic for z, without which x is impossible. Looking for a word that would describe this and would be more colorful than 'complex'. Thank you!


title: What does "what's the hangup?!" mean?

text: On this page: http://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=27645 There is a sentence: > All these database servers allow this, so what's the hangup?! What does `what's the hangup` mean?


title: What's the origin of “yo”?

text: I have some friends, and they say “Yo!” when I call them. I haven”t heard this response until quite recently (somehow), and I thought it was some word coined by rappers in their songs, and was adopted as a response by other people (like my friends, who happen to listen to rap). So I was rather surprised, when looking this up on Wiktionary, I read: > (military slang) Present! Here!   >   >  Sergeant: Smith?   >  Private Smith: Yo! I thought to myself, “Obviously this ain’t coined by them rappers!” Then, I saw a similar question on Yahoo Answers, with an answer stating (one link provided): > Yo is an American English slang interjection. The origins of the word may > possibly be traced back to 14th century England. However, it was highly > popularized after being commonly used among Italian Americans and African > Americans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Clicking on the link provided, it turns out to lead to Answers.com. But the funny thing was, the new source included this information: > An exclamation used as a greeting, to express excitement, to attract > attention, or as a general sign of familiarity (originating among young > African-Americans). (1966–) . I am inclined to think that the word _yo_ came from the 14th century, but have no real evidence to say so. Can anyone provide solid stuff? That is, did it come from a military response, or a word used among young African-Americans in 1966? **Edit** : I am asking specifically in relation to _yo_ being used as a response/reply.


title: Referring collectively to the teachers and students at a university

text: In designing a learning management system for a university, and I would like to define a user role which groups together teachers and students. Is there any word that refers to them collectively? The only word that I can think of is "participants", in the sense that both teachers and students participate in learning activities. Luckily, aside from participants, I only have "system administrators" in my system, so there is no notion of e.g. university administration staff.


title: When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive pronoun?

text: I assume that the following sentences are grammatically correct: >   * He resents your being more popular than he is. >   * Most of the members paid their dues without my asking them. >   * They objected to the youngest girl's being given the command position. >   * What do you think about his buying such an expensive car? >   * We were all sorry about Jane's losing her parents like that. > I'm still getting used to this possessive gerund structure. It sounded me so weird at first. Is the structure used in both formal and informal contexts? Are there any alternative structures that result in the same meaning and are more frequently used? (Examples taken from http://grammartips.homestead.com/possessivewithgerund.html)


title: Clinton becoming the first woman president would be ... or Clinton's becoming the first woman president would be

text: The following ia a quote from CNN News: > A Gallup poll Friday showed that 18% of Americans surveyed said Clinton > becoming the first woman president would be "the best or most positive" > thing about her winning the election. Is it possible to say "Clinton's becoming ..." instead of "Clinton becoming ...?" If both are correct, which is more common?


title: Is this usage correct: "my [verb]"

text: I have been thinking of this sentence: > All these factors culminated in my choosing [some life decision]. Is the usage of _my choosing_ correct?


title: Please explain the grammar behind these sentences

text: I have used these kinds of sentences in talking and writing for so long without really knowing the grammar behind them: > This resulted in **my getting** late > > It's unfortunate that even after **his trying** to convince her, she didn't > agree > > He couldn't resist himself despite **my warning** him


title: Is "We look forward to your spending time with us" a proper use of "your"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive pronoun? The phrase “We look forward to your spending time with us” is common in invites in my industry but it feels like “all your base are belong to us” to me. `:-P` Is it proper English?


title: Possessive Question

text: Would a hypothetical sentence be marked with it? For example, as opposed to: "It's your beating me in chess that angered me." a sentence such as: "It's like you beating me in chess: it'll never happen." It raises a circumstance that is in theory, so I don't think anything can be attributed to it. The chess match hasn't been won yet, so the listener does not yet "possess" the win. Another way I could expound upon it is as "A case of you beating me in chess." I don't think this would take the possessive because it's not definite. Or does it not matter? Would the possessive form of the pronoun be used regardless, and, if so, is it a set rule? * _EDIT_ *They're both gerunds, but the meanings are changed because of their syntax. The former represents a case where a reason is provided, involving an embedded gerund and the effect. It's the normal situation that's been addressed.  The second is a situation that has not been experienced while it's being said. In a sentence like "I'm frightened by his reddening." it's the typical gerund with a prevedent possessive, all in the present-tense. "The idea of him reddening." is another type of sentence, altoghether. And on purpose, too. I doubt the answer is the same as that question from the threas that was compared to this one. Try: "The situation of [a person] [verb-ing]." In other words, the situation where one is performing a verb. Suddenly, the possessive seemls unneeded. Compare it to: "A person's [own] [doing a verb](The respective activity attributed to their behavior.). Yeah, the constructions and implications differ, but the extent at which they do leads me to velieve the simple pronoun is actually preferred over the possessive, or should be. (I'm on my phone, so sorry about any typos.)


title: Putting "my" in front of a verb

text: Tough to choose a title for this question. Here's my sentence: "An outcome of this was **my** leading the development of a budget management plan." OR "An outcome of this was **me** leading the development of a budget management plan." I've heard it both ways, but I'm guessing one way is correct and the other is not. For now, I've revised the sentence to be "As an outcome, I led the development of a budget management plan." to get around the grammar question. I would also be curious to hear the explanation. Thanks.


title: case: 'my' or 'me'?

text: > Thank you baby for **my** being able to share this with you or > Thank you baby for **me** being able to share this with you Which is correct?


title: Must I use "their" or "them" in the following instance

text: Which of the following is correct? In the case of "their" being granted a bond the deal will go through. or: In the case of "them" being granted a bond the deal will go through.


title: "Because of our doing something ..." - Is this correct English?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive pronoun? I am a German mathematician. In some research papers I find grammatical constructions like the one in the title, e.g.: "Because of our ignoring the boundary conditions, the following analysis is easier." I wonder whether this is grammatically and stylistically correct English. I know there are some original constructs in "mathematical English", so if it is not standard grammar, it might very well be an import from another language. Can you help me?


title: Use of possessive or object pronoun

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive pronoun? >   *     1. Do you mind _me_ smoking? >     2. Do you mind _my_ smoking? >   *     1. There's little chance of _you_ getting a sunburn. >     2. There's little chance of _your_ getting a sunburn. > I was taught in school to use the latter of each pair, though have heard the former in daily life. Which is correct, or does it matter?


title: Would you mind me / my opening the window?

text: > Would you mind **me** opening the window? > > Would you mind **my** opening the window? Who uses which form, and why? Is this a difference in dialect? A difference between formal and informal grammar?


title: What is the correct form of a gerund?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive pronoun?   >  “Me being” versus “my being”   >  Usage of the gerund preceded by the possessive pronoun I don't really know what to call it but basically there are two forms that I have seen across different texts: > _My_ being here obviously upsets him. > > _Me_ being here obviously upsets him. * * * > _My_ taking interest in her research has had fantastic effects. > > _Me_ taking interest in her research has had fantastic effects. * * * > _Your_ coming here is quite disturbing > > _You_ coming here is quite disturbing * * * > Please forgive _my_ being aggressive. > > Please forgive _me_ being aggressive. I think I must have seen the latter more often but in my head the former makes more sense.


title: Analysing clause elements and their function

text: I have a problem analysing this sentence from the point of finite/nonfinite clauses, clause elements and their functions: > He does not want to destroy his parents' **dream of him achieving a > Cambridge degree**. I am especially interested in the: dream of him achieving a Cambridge degree. I know that 'achieving a Cambridge degree' is a non-finite -ing participle clause. However what is its function? and what is the function of 'of him'? Is it a postmodification?


title: You vs. Your -- as in "Jane is confused by you/your using the metric system"

text: Which of the following two sentences is preferred (and why)? > Jane is confused by you using the metric system. Or: > Jane is confused by your using the metric system. I've seen both but my intuition says that the latter is preferred. Is there a definitive answer? If so, what is the rationale for one being superior to the other?


title: gerund/possessive usage quandary

text: 1. He did not appreciate the men taking charge of the project. vs.    2. He did not appreciate the men's taking charge of the project. If sentence 2 is technically correct it seems awfully silly and affected.


title: I appreciate you(r) noticing this

text: I often use the pattern 'I appreciate your noticing this' but recently decided it sounds strange, and switched to 'you'. (I do this with different verbs; this is just an example.) Are they both valid?


title: "Me being" versus "my being"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Gerund preceded by possessive pronoun (e.g. "He resents your being more > popular than he is") Until a few months ago, I had always thought that sentences like this were correct: > They always hated me being an atheist. Only later to find out that the correct form is: > They always hated my being an atheist. I came to understand the reason behind this and started using the proper form, but as I've seen the latest futurama episode, I found out the problem is far from over. The main cast character, Fry, said the following: > Never bet against me being stupid. And now I'm totally lost. I've tried googling for an answer and all I found (by @Cerberus here or by others here, here, here and here) seems to disprove the fact of "me being" being correct. So I ask: did the creators of futurama make such a horrible mistake, or does this problem go deeper than meets the eye?


title: Can someone please tell the Usage of "its" in the following is correct?

text: Here is a quote from "Ever Wonder Why / the color red angers a bull? " (page 20). > It has been suggested that this reaction to red (my note: of bull which is > color-blind to a shaking cape in red) may be due to **its** being the color > of blood. My question : the above "its" should be "it"?


title: Is it grammatically correct to use the word 'your' before a verb in present progressive tense?

text: Can I say: > I understand **_your wanting_** to wait a while longer. I have heard it being said, but how correct is it?


title: Which of the following are gramatically correct when describing people's speech?

text: "I like horse," screams Hendry. "I like horse," scream Hendry. "I like horse," Hendry screams "I like horse," Hendry screamed (why used past tense) Say you are writing a story about people talking to each other. Which one will you use? For example, in http://www.fanfiction.net/s/569887/1/Little-Red-Riding-Hood- The-Wolf-s-Version people use past tense to describe speech. In most stories I read people use past tense. I wonder why. Here, another story also uses past tenses http://www.magickeys.com/books/noblegnarble/page9.html#pictop Is there any stories that use present tense so it's easier to understand? Is using past tense the de facto standard in grammar?


title: What is the meaning of "in the realm of"?

text: There is an expression " _in the realm of ..._ ". What does it mean exactly, and in what cases it is used?


title: What’s the difference between ‘as much, if not more, than’ and ‘as much, if not more, as’?

text: When I found _as much, if not more, than_ , I had an impression that _than_ might be wrong at first because the phrase looked like a variation of _as much as_. However, there’re a lot of examples of both of them on the Net. Do they have different meanings?   1. as much, if not more, than ( _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (5)_ [US Version]: p501) > He was no longer their sullen host of the summer; now he seemed determined > that everyone should enjoy themselves as much, if not more, than they would > have done at Hogwarts, and he worked tirelessly in the run-up to Christmas > Day, cleaning and decorating with their help, so that by the time they all > went to bed on Christmas Eve the house was barely recognizable.   1. as much, if not more, as (From Google search) > The imports in 1877 amounted to as much, if not more, as in 1876, though I > have not been able to procure the exact figures.


title: Antonym of "capital"

text: What is the antonym of "capital" (in the sense of city of governmental seat)? A related question: is there a term for referring to the whole set of cities that are not the capital within a country (or state, province)?


title: “Be” as an action rather than a state

text: I’ve heard, on rare occasion, a subtle differentiation between _be_ as a state (to passively embody) and _be_ as an action (to actively embody). The latter form often occurs in parallel with _do_ to add emphasis to the active nature of the verb.   * What do you **do** with all your money?     * **Be** rich.     * I **be** rich.     * *I **am** rich.   * What does the Pope **do**?     * **Be** Catholic.     * He **bes** Catholic.     * *He **is** Catholic.   * **Does** he always **be** idiotic like that?     * Yes, he always **does** ( **be** ).     * No, he **doesn’t** always ( **be** ).     * *No, he **isn’t** always (idiotic like that). Rhetorical questions demonstrate a similar, possibly related device:   * Why **don’t** you **be** sure first?     * If I take the time to **be** sure, I’ll be too late. It is not at all related to African-American Vernacular English and its use of _be_ as a tense marker. It’s also not necessarily indicative of a habitual action (e.g., _(will) be_ ). Is this standard? Moreover, is it predictable? Could it be a vestige of a distinction that used to be marked in English but has since been largely lost, or is it a wholly new development?


title: Linking sounds?

text: When one word ends in a consonant sound and the next begins with a vowel sound, can you tell me how you say these words in American English?   * **can I..?** ( _Can nai_ or _Ca nai_?)   * **take it** ( _teɪ kit_ or _teɪk kit_?)   * **push it** ( _pu shit_ or _push shit_?)   * **find out** ( _fain-dout_?)   * **bridge is** ( _brid- ʒ iz_ or _bri-dʒ iz_?)   * **Put it in** ( _put tit tin_ or _pud dit din_?)   * **like a** ( _laiy-ka_ or _laik-ka_?) Should the final sound always be shared between two words or should the final sound jump to the next word? What is the basic rule about that? Or does it depend on the accent? When I hear linking sounds in a long sentence, it’s difficult for me to understand. And is it strange if I say them without linking sound?


title: What is a word for the 7 deadly sins AND the 7 heavenly virtues all together?

text: Obviously, just for the 7 deadly sins you would use 'sin' and for the 7 heavenly virtues you would use 'virtue' or 'heavenly' but what word would you use to describe all 14 of them together?


title: "Looks more genuine than me/I writing"

text: In the following sentence, which is more appropriate — _I_ or _me_ , and why? > Sending separate mails will look more genuine than me/I writing on behalf of > everyone.


title: Meaning of "work ethics" in Australian English

text: Inspired by this question, I'm left wondering if the phrase "work ethics" has a slightly different meaning in Australian English than in other dialects. > I came across this term some time back: _Flexible work ethics_ in an ad for > an IT job. Anyone know what it could mean? Im sure its not as dodgy as it > sounds To my (US) ear, it sounds like the ad is looking for people willing to engage in ethically questionable business practices. I'd hope that's not the case, and that it's just a nuance in the meaning of "work ethics." My best guess is that "flexibe work ethics" actually means "willing to work flexible hours." A quick search reveals several job listings that use the phrase, mostly in Australia. Is this a case of differing meaning in a dialect, or is it just really, _really_ poorly worded corporate-speak?


title: What is a less offensive synonym for "retarded"?

text: I occasionally use "retarded" when chastising myself or other friends. I know it's not Politically Correct, but am I only allowed to say stupid? How long before we can't say that anymore? Other words like "ignorant" don't work well because well, I don't like that word because it's misunderstood (even though it works well for how I say retarded . . for me it's like if you don't know something you should know).


title: I need a word or a phrase to call someone an idiot, but with good humor

text: It's so easy to do in a chat room. I just do this: click here. I want to capture that same benign, eye rolling, gently mocking disdain - but I have to stick to small words. An example of an actual circumstance (true story) after which I might want to use such a phrase or word is when he ever-so-patiently explained to me that "rocket surgery" was an incorrect use of idiom. Perhaps a quote? I realize that this question is _at least_ borderline for the site. If you feel I've crossed that line please edit if you feel that the question is salvageable. EDIT: He's 56. Perhaps an instantly recognizable (to an American of his age) quote from pop-culture? Kind of like the way I might say, "Laugh it up, Fuzzball" to someone my age (46) who is very much enjoying the fact he's winning a card game?


title: How do you punctuate something you paraphrased?

text: Sometimes I need to adjust a quote for whatever reason. I don't want to steal somebody else's words, so I want to quote, but if it's no longer their exact words, wrapping it in "" doesn't feel right to me. For example, I just altered > if I couldn’t do it within 10 minutes, I couldn’t do it at all To squeeze it into a tweet. I wound up changing it slightly to > If I couldn’t do it in 10 min, I couldn’t do it at all I wrapped it in ~~ to try to show that it's not a direct quote, but wonder; is there a way to 'almost' quote somebody?


title: Word for student's notebook

text: What is the American word for a notebook that students have at school in which they do their homework assignments? I mean the notebook in which a teacher marks good or bad behavior of a student and which parents have to sign weekly.


title: Short description of an accomplishment

text: Sometime in the near future, I will achieve the (dubious) distinction of being "the person who has cast the most votes on questions and answers on StackExchange." I want to add a short statement about this to my SE profile. But the way I phrased it in the last paragraph seems awkward and somewhat ambiguous. To be clear, I mean that if you add up all the up/down votes people have cast on all the SE sites they participate in, my total is the highest (approaching 50,000). Something like "Highest-voting person on StackExchange" seems ambiguous to me - in addition to Q&A votes, there are moderator elections, close votes, deletion votes. And although "on Stackexchange" is probably ok, I'm not sure that makes it clear that I'm talking about total votes cast across multiple sites. Perhaps "Highest Q-and-A-voting person on all of StackExchange" would be ok? I might just wait until I reach 50,000 total votes and say something like "First person on all of StackExchange to cast 50,000 votes across multiple sites." UPDATE 21 SEP 2012: By the time I verified today that I'd passed the next-most-active voter, I'd also exceeded 50,000 votes. So I've included most of the answers in my updated SE profile (see link above), especially: > I am the most active voter on all of StackExchange. (That is, I have cast > the most total question and answer votes across all Stack Exchange sites.)


title: One word for "a person who takes happiness as his/her goal of life"

text: I'm unable to remember a single-word substitute for "a person who takes happiness as his/her goal of life"


title: “ameliorate” vs “alleviate”

text: The meanings for _ameliorate_ and _alleviate_ are quite similar, but I don’t think they are exact synonyms: what are the nuances behind choosing which one to use in a particular context? I’d like some example sentences to show where one of them **_can’t_** be substituted by the other.


title: pro-active/initiative-taking as an adjective

text: How can we describe someone who always takes the initiative? He is very **_**. The only word I can come up with is _pro-active_ but it sounds/feels a little awkward to me. Edit: Dictionary[dot]com has a list of synonyms: _aggressive, anxious, ardent, banzai, can-do, dedicated, eager, energetic, enthused, enthusiastic, excited, extremely enthusiastic, fanatical, fired up, fired up, intense, keyed up, lively, passionate, proactive, spirited, take- charge, zealous_ But nothing really strikes me...


title: Should this word be in quotes or in italic?

text: Let's suppose there exists a standard that documents fruits. This standard has already accepted apple and peach. Banana has just been accepted as a standard. When I say: **The proposal of banana has just been accepted as a standard.** How should banana be written? In quotes ("banana") or in italic ( _banana_ )? Because it is not the fruit banana that entered the standard, but the word.


title: Verb agreement with subjects of different grammatical number

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When a sentence uses an optional plural, should the rest of the sentence > treat it as singular or plural? I'm writing a technical guide and trying to define 'reader' as it relates to the subject of the guide. > The **reader(s)** is/are the user(s) who view the content. How do I get rid of all those conditionals? I've also considered, > The **reader** or **readers** are the users who view the content. ... which seems fine, but if we flip it, we get: > The **readers** or **reader** are the users who view the content. I've also considered the most obvious: > The **readers** are the users who view the content ... but I want it implicit that there can be as few as one reader. Am I just over thinking this?


title: Singular or plural verb when pluralisation is used in parentheses

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When a sentence uses an optional plural, should the rest of the sentence > treat it as singular or plural? Which is correct? > Buy an apple from the vendor(s) that **are** selling fruit. > > Buy an apple from the vendor(s) that **is** selling fruit. On the one hand, the content of the parentheses is supposed to be an aside, or in this case, a possible substitution for the word _vendor_. In that case, which verb should I use, singular or plural?


title: genitive case (difficult surnames)

text: When we write difficult surnames, e.g. Novak Djokovic, is it neccessary to use 's in the genitive case? Is it correct to write Novak Djokovic match-ball, or we must write Novak Djokovic's match-ball (that is difficult to pronounce)?


title: Sentences beginning with "so"?

text: This also came up on either a BBC or CBC science program, but not as a linguistically-oriented discussion. Over the last two or three years I've noticed a lot more people starting a sentence with "so": "so when we take the ...", "so I have this ...", "so the basic idea ..." and (uh) so on. What _is_ "so" when a sentence begins with it? When did it start? Is it just a "pause" word (and is there a word for that)? Is it grammatically correct? Am I the only one that finds it annoying? _Edit:_ Much of its usage in scientific discussions is as a "therefore".


title: slope-up or slope-down

text: Could the words _slope-up_ or _slope-down_ be nouns? I found them just as verbs in the dictionary, and _slope_ as a noun. But then I see sentences such as "That slope-up was amazing." Is it correct to use that as a noun?


title: Is the phrase "large number core machine" correct?

text: I would like to use the following phrase for a machine with large number cores. Is this correct? Please let me know. `large number core machine`


title: Single word for "never fails"

text: Is there a single word for "never fails"?


title: What is one word to describe the person being called via phone?

text: I'm a Customer Service Agent for a governmental assistance agency. We often have situations where clients numbers have changed, and someone else has been assigned the old number. When I want to make a note to my supervisor that the person I've reached is not the client and that the 'person I've reached' has requested in very virile, flammable language that they would like us to remove their number from our calling list/dB, it vexes me that all I can come up with is "the answerer," which sounds dumb, and "the number's new owner..."


title: What does "defy repetition" mean here?

text: In the following paragraph, what does "defy repetition" mean? I know what **_defy_** and **_repetition_** mean, but don't know what it means when they connnected. Thanks. > You can create a database under the assumption that SQL looks after all the > problems of concurrency. It will probably work fine under test conditions: > Then, in the production environment, it starts losing data in subtle ways > **_that defy repetition_**. It is every Database Developer's nightmare. In > an excerpt from his acclaimed book, Alex explains why it happens, and how > you can avoid such problems.


title: Why is "today morning" wrong but "tomorrow morning" right?

text: I have heard "today morning" being said in the country I am from a lot. However here in the States people never use it and correct others who do. "Tomorrow morning" is acceptable though. What is the correct usage and why?


title: What is the name of that motion where one repeatedly bows to another with arms outstretched?

text: What I'm thinking of is usually not performed as a very deep bow as the torso doesn't really move far from the vertical. And when it's done, it's often performed in rapid succession, with kind of a facetious manner. The intended meaning is to pay homage, to say "I am in awe [of what you just did]." Does a specific word describing this motion exist?


title: Past or present to explain an active state in a past sentence

text: So, I have a sentence, more or less like this: > "Gil, who HAS a psychokinesis ability, studied math yesterday." or > "Gil, who CAN move things without touching them, studied math yesterday." So, with those sentences, I want to explain something that happened in the past, while explain a little about Gil himself. The thing is that I'm confused with the form I have to use for the "HAS" or the "CAN". I don't think I could use "HAD" or "COULD", because his psychokinesis ability is something he always has, till now (present). But I'm not sure present tense is right one. What form should I use? Sorry for my broken english.


title: What is the name for the inverse of an aphorism

text: For example, given a common saying or sequence of words, like > A picture is worth a thousand words One reverses the order and obtains > A word is worth a thousand pictures Is there a name for this kind of wordplay/whatever it is? I seem to hear them all the time, I can give more examples if needed.


title: Does Santy (Santa) exist outside Ireland?

text: It's common at this time of year for adults to ask small children _What's Santy bringing you?_ (awkward as this is for those of us who don't celebrate Christmas). Is this pronunciation of _Santa_ unique to Ireland?


title: Should "office mate" be one word or two?

text: Should "office mate" be one word, in the same vein as "roommate"? I haven't been able to find any reference that addresses this.


title: Subjunctives and "am"

text: Hopefully this one is nice and simple. Which is correct: > I would never say that I **am** superior to a cleaner. or > I would never say that I **were** superior to a cleaner. I'm rather confused -- any answers (and an explanation of the answer) would be appreciated.


title: Definite or indefinite article in "the/a devil's advocate"

text: I can't quite figure out which of the following expressions is more correct:   * He is the devil's advocate.   * He is a devil's advocate.   * He is playing devil's advocate. The combination of an article with the possessive is what confuses me. Exactly which word(s) does the article apply to? The first form seems to suggest either that he is an advocate of The Devil -- namely, Satan himself -- or even worse, that he is The Advocate of The Devil. (Kill him with fire!) The second form seems to suggest that he is an advocate of a devil (but not necessarily of The Devil, nor the only advocate out there.) This seems to fit better with the way this idiom is commonly used, but I haven't seen this idiom used very often with the indefinite article. It's usually used with the definite article. The third form suggests that he is playing a role named "devil's advocate", with no article attached to it. Similar examples: The King's speech, the Indian's prayer, the mother's room, etc.


title: Is "yearslong" a word?

text: New York Times just published an article where they use the word "yearslong": > Federal agents charged 18 current and former members of the Los Angeles > County Sheriff’s Department on Monday, accusing them of excessive use of > force and obstruction of justice as part of a sprawling, **yearslong** > investigation into allegations of misconduct and abuse of inmates in county > jails, federal law enforcement officials said. Is this a typo? Edit: A day later, NYT changed the paragraph and removed the word in question, but in the process, they have misspelled another word! Here's the new paragraph: > Federal **prosectors** on Monday charged 18 current and former members of > the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department with excessive use of force and > obstruction of justice as part of a sprawling investigation into allegations > of misconduct and abuse of inmates in county jails, federal law enforcement > officials said. This is too funny.


title: What did "make love" mean in the 1920s?

text: This 1921 article gives "Ten Pointers for Domestic Happiness". Pointer V reads: > Make love to your wife; continue to be her sweetheart. Neglect begets > indifference that is fatal to married life. Every true wife expects to be a > sweetheart, and rightly. More than bitter disappointment follows > disillussionment. Did "make love" here just mean "be loving; be nice; etc."?


title: What is the name of the profession "creating layouts for web sites and CSS and HTML" in English?

text: What do you call this profession in English: > someone who creates layouts for web sites in css and html


title: Is the expression, “the difficulty Perry has had planting doubts” about Romney right?

text: There was the following sentence in the _New York Times_ (September 24) article, titled “Perry and Romney set clear lines of attack”: > “His (Rick Perry’s) shaky debate performance Thursday night in Florida > underscored concerns among establishment Republicans and donors about his > electability and his skills as a candidate on a national stage — and _the > difficulty he has had planting serious doubts_ about Mr. Romney. He also > finished a distant second place in a weekend Florida straw poll." I was arrested to the line, ‘His shaky debate performance underscored audience’s concerns about --- and _the difficulty he has had planting serious doubts_ ” about Mr. Romney.’ Is the expression, “have ＋_ing” like “He has had planting serious doubts” common English usage? Shouldn’t it be either ‘he has (had) planted,’ or “he has (had) been planting.” I’ve barely seen the expression “have (had)” directly followed by a gerund or a verb in progressive form.


title: "Walk the walk" vs. "talk the talk" vs. "walk the talk"

text: Normally the idiom is as follows: > He walks the walk and talks the talk. Should it not be "he walks the talk", meaning "he does what he says"?


title: What is a good term for someone who refuses to debate an issue ab initio?

text: A neologism would be fine. I was thinking of “ruglifter”, as in someone who is wont to sweep dirt under the rug. edit: I was aware that using "from first principles" would render the question ambiguous, but I thought my run-on would clarify it. I was partly trying to avoid using a Latinism ("ab initio"), but I guess it is appropriate, so I've edited to use it.


title: Is “outpander” a received English word? Can “out” be used to any verb as one likes?

text: I saw the word, _outpander_ in the following sentence of Maureen Dowd’s article titled, “Liz: Cheney desist!” in March 6 New York Times: > Speaking by satellite to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee > conference here, Romney _outpandered himself_.   >  “I will station multiple aircraft carriers and warships at Iran’s door,” he > said as if he were playing Risk. Not afraid to employ “military might” (or > alarming alliteration), Romney wrote a blank check to Bibi Netanyahu --- I can guess what _outpander_ means from the definition of a dictionary at hand –OAELD defines pander (to sb) as "to do what sb wants, or try to please them, especially when this is not acceptable or reasonable." However, as far as I checked, no dictionary including Oxford, Cambridge, Merriam-Webster, even urban dictionary registers _outpander_ , nor does Google Ngram. Is _outpander_ a received English word, or usual Dowd’s coinage? Or, anyone can fix ‘out’ to any verb as a prefix as he or she likes just as we do with any verb＋able, like outeat, outknow, outlaugh, outsex?


title: "All our X" vs. "all of our X"

text: Is the word "of" optional in this instance? Is either of these considered preferable to the other? >   * Taste all our delicious treats. >   * Taste all of our delicious treats. >


title: Describe the two parts of a 'T' shaped intersection

text: I have architectural drawings that contains numerous instances of intersecting walls that form a **'T' shape.** To state the obvious, a capital 'T' has two parts:   1. the top line    2. a vertical line that buts up against the T's top What might each of these two connected walls or segments be called? I am asking for word suggestions. The words may or may not be math-based. Short words (short number of characters) that most people understand are preferred over obscure words that few people understand. **Edit:** I'm currently using 'T-Top' for one. That's okay I guess, but I couldn't think of anything short for the vertical piece.


title: What do you think about using an adjective before a person's name?

text: For example: James snatched the papers out of the flustered Jenifer's hands. You could say, "James snatched the papers out of the hands of Jenifer, who was flustered," but if the first sentence is acceptable, I think I would prefer it to the second.


title: What will be the possessive form of the word "Tipsy" used as a noun?

text: The Microsoft Word grammar check shows "Tipsy's" to be wrongly formed. I thought "Tipsy'" would do the job and it was shown as correct. However, it occurred to me that _Tipsy_ does not end in a 'z' or 's' sound, so now I am confused.


title: in an evolutionary light

text: > My observations helped me see human behavior in an evolutionary light.   >  My observations helped me see human behavior in the light of evolution. Do these two sentences have the same meaning? Are in an evolutionary light and in the light of evolution interchangeable?


title: A French Phrase Similar to "Expertise"

text: I am looking for a phrase that is used occasionally in English as a **near** synonym of "expertise". For some reason, "coup d'mentarie" keeps going through my mind, but I don't believe this actually means anything at all and it doesn't produce any results on the web. To clarify, I am looking for a word or phrase that sounds similar to this, whilst I am foggy about the language of origin and precise meaning. French is just a guess. :)


title: Is "voluminous" more commonly used to describe women's (not men's) hair?

text: Is the word _voluminous_ more commonly used to describe women's hair? What's the male counterpart? Actually I'm not very sure about my statement. But judging from Google Images. It seems like it is more commonly used to describe women's hair. What's the male counterpart of the word?


title: "What / who do think...." structure

text: Here's a list of examples I've seen: >   1. What do you think happened? >   2. Who do you think has killed him? >   3. Who do you think he killed? > How does this structure _what/who do you think..._ work? It seems a bit odd that you've got _happened_ after _think_ in the first example, _has killed_ after _think_ in the second. In third, who and what have got nothing to do with the first clause in the sentence but with the second. Can it be used in the past and in the future? "Who did you think (had) killed him? Who do you think will call him?" Apparently it can appear in the middle of any question when someone asks an opinion. Is that so? Are there more structures like this?


title: Is "plastic glass" as a container a valid expression?

text: In another question here (sanity of a plastic glass!) the term "plastic glass" is being used which sounds somewhat odd to me, but has not been brought into question by any respondents. Maybe it is has to do with the fact that my mother tongue is German where a "Glass" is always made from glass, while a plastic cup would be be "Plastikbecher". (which would translate into plastic cup.) Can anyone confirm this for me?


title: To cut capers in the street

text: I understand that the phrase in the title means "to behave frivolously". E.g.: _A bereaved person does not cut capers in the street, and neither does a failed pupil._ Google gives around 3 links for the phrase, including Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (English edition)  and  Frederique ,  a novel by Paul de Kock . Google ngram  shows no hits between 1700-2000. **Question** Can you give me some idea of the origin of this phrase? And why it has hardly ever been used?


title: Describing contrary idiom usage

text: I periodically get emails inviting me to a "free" lunch for the purpose of hearing a sales pitch. Multiple times these invitations have included some quip such as "See? There _is_ such thing as a free lunch!". But the phrase "There's no such thing as a free lunch" describes, almost literally, the advertisement: the lunch is not free because I have to pay the rather steep price of hearing a high-pressure sales pitch. The author of such quips appears ignorant of their own ironic misuse of the idiom. Is there a name for this type of situation? CLARIFICATION: The question is not whether or not advertisers try to deceive. I'm asking if there is a phrase which describes "ironic misuse of an idiom".


title: Existence of "multi" in US English

text: I have kept the "Check Grammar" option in my browser **On** , so whenever I write anything wrong as per US English it gets underlined. This is also the case with "multi". When I use this word in combination with other complete standalone words like _multibillion_ , _multimillion_ or _multithreaded_ , the word "multi" gets underlined (in Red) which means it's not considered correct grammatically. But it's not considered an error when used in words like _multitude_ , _multilateral_ , etc. Again _lateral_ is a standalone word here but there seems to be no error. Is "multi" a wrong word in US English? (The said browser software was developed in the USA.) This link here provides the details about the word "multi" but all of the words used above are considered correct here.


title: Which way is correct "The item that is to be found" or "The item to be found"?

text: I'm trying to say that the item will be found in the near future, but has not been found yet. Which way of saying is correct in this context?


title: "Innocent" vs. "immature"

text: I'm trying to decide how to describe someone. He is not very wise, but that is also due to his ignorance. Should I use "innocence" or "immature" and can someone please explain the difference between these two phrases?


title: Terminology for a “group selfie”

text: A **_selfie_** is a kind of casual self-portrait. People often take selfies that include a significant other or multiple friends, and I’m curious whether there is any established terminology or slang for this kind of “group selfie.” The linked Wikipedia article indicates that they are simply known as “group selfies,” but I suspect that there may be an older or better established term. I’m also curious whether there are specific terms for “couple selfies” featuring a significant other or best friend. Formal English, slang, and jargon terms are all acceptable.


title: What's the meaning of "gas" here?

text: > Todays Alpha males are MMA/Jits fighters not meatheads who gas 15-30 seconds > after raising their heart rate. This aint the 80/90s bro. Is this some kind of thing bodybuilders inhale? How does it work?


title: "Exact a price" versus "extract a price"

text: I recently heard someone use the phrase "extract a price". He was referring to a scenario in which an action had an associated cost. To me, it seems the correct phrase should have been "exact a price". But, given the literal meaning of "extract", it seems his usage could have been correct. What's the deal?


title: Can "whore" mean "to hoard things"?

text: We're used to the word "whore" in reference to a prostitute or (less commonly) as a verb meaning to prostitute oneself. Looking in a few online dictionaries, this is the first and only meaning. However, I hear the word used more liberally these days. An "attention whore" is someone who desperately craves attention, which seems quite different from selling sex for money. Last weekend I was at a party and entertaining a 6-month old while the mom socialized. Someone said, "You are such a baby whore." The last two uses seem to imply that people now consider the verb "to whore" as "to hoard". Is this common usage now?


title: Word for supporter of dictatorship

text: Word for a **supporter** /believer in the cause **of a dictator** (but is not one themselves), or the concept of dictatorship in the general sense. Dictatorist? Despotist?


title: past perfect + would have + ed-participle / past simple + would + infinitive

text: Could you clarify difference between sentences: >   1. If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster > horses >   2. If I asked people what they wanted, they would say faster horses > In a similar vein: >   1. If you had asked me I would have followed >   2. If you asked me I would follow > They're all hypothetical, aren't they?


title: "Doctor Pérez did some surgery on my knee"?

text: What is the natural way to say in English that a certain doctor did some surgery on — for instance — my knee? In Spanish we say "El doctor Pérez me operó la rodilla". Is the following grammatical? > Doctor Pérez did some surgery on my knee.


title: What is the origin/formal definitions of the phrase "pros and cons"?

text: The phrase "pros and cons" is often used to weigh the positive and negative effects that would result from taking a particular course of action. When trying to explain to someone else why only actions (and not objects or people's reasons for doing things) have pros and cons [e.g. there are no pros or cons for grass; there are pros and cons for _having_ grass], I realized that I have no idea why this seems to be the rule. I have so far come to the conclusion that both "pro" and "con" are probably abbreviations, but I can't figure out what they are abbreviations of. Does anyone know? How does this create the usage rules detailed above?


title: Is "vapourise" considered incorrect, even in British English?

text: According to Wiktionary, the British spelling of "vaporize" is _vaporise_ , not _vapourise_ as one might expect from the word _vapour_ (and similarly, the Canadian spelling is still _vaporize_ , not _vapourize_ ). The words "laborious" and "coloration" suffer from the same problem, and yet "favourable" doesn't. Why is this so? * * * And in case you think Wiktionary is a disputable source, the Cambridge Dictionary has no entry for vapourise either.


title: "ou" versus "o" in spelling words like "color"/"colour"

text: Often, I have to decide whichever is better in mail, forums, letters. For instance:   * _colour_ vs _color_   * _behaviour_ vs _behavior_   * _humour_ vs _humor_   * _rumour_ vs _rumor_   * _honour_ vs _honor_   * _armour_ vs _armor_ The difference comes certainly from the country of origin of the writer — basically Americans write _o_ and English people write _ou_. Please confirm that. (By the way, all the words left side are underlined in Firefox, since the spell-checker is set to “American English”) What I would like to know — from a non-native English speaker perspective — is if it _really_ matters, nowadays with the new technologies and international exchanges, to make a distinction between "ou" and "o"?   Does it hurt the reader if they are both used in the same text, mixing _colour_ and _honor_ , or even worse, _colour_ and _color_? What is the current trend?


title: Is this sentence ambiguous?

text: I was reading my apartment lease recently, and I came across this sentence in the rent section: "Lessee will pay a penalty of $16.00 for rent that is unpaid before the 6th of the month." The paragraph previously states that the due date is the 1st of the month. So with that information, it feels like there are two interpretations, based on what "before the 6th of the month" refers to - the rent, or the paying of the penalty:   1. Between the 2nd and 5th (before the 6th), pay a $16 penalty. After that it increases by $1 per day as stated in the next sentence.   2. Pay no penalty at all until the 6th. This is the correct meaning (they've told me.) Is there really any ambiguity? I think maybe if they meant the first meaning it would have said "that is _paid_ before the 6th." Saying "unpaid before the 6th" may be a clear way of stating that you haven't paid _until_ the 6th, at which point the penalty applies. So is the first interpretation reasonable, or would it be an error on the part of the reader to interpret it that way? Either way I think they should probably reword it.


title: When are "if" and "whether" equivalent?

text: Are _if_ and _whether_ equivalent in sentences like the ones below? > How to determine if my saddle is too high?   >  How to determine whether my saddle is too high? > We should check if everything is okay now.   >  We should check whether everything is okay now.


title: Is this proper English?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When are "if" and "whether" equivalent? As a non-native English speaker, I would use the following sentence: > I am wondering if you have seen that movie. Is it correct to use _if_ here?


title: What does "Let me know if the problem persists" exactly mean?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When are "if" and "whether" equivalent? Which one is the correct meaning of _"Let me know if the problem persists."_? Or is it ambiguous?   1. If the problem persists, let me know.   2. Let me know whether the problem persists or not.


title: Use of "if"/"whether"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When are "if" and "whether" equivalent? I was told that one can use _if_ in constructions like: > ... if A, then ... But that whether should be used when there is more than one option, like: > ... whether A or B, then ... Is it good practice or common to use whether when giving only one implicit or explicit option? > ... whether A (or not), then ... > > ... whether A, then ...


title: “If” vs. “Whether”

text: Is there a grammatical rule that governs when we use “if” and when we use “whether”? Examples: I don't know if I want to go. I don't know whether I want to go. I don't know whether _or not_ I want to go. How do we know when to correctly use “if” and when to use “whether (or not)”? Thank you!


title: “whether” vs.  “if ”

text: How can I know when should I use _whether_ or _if_ in a sentence? I can not see any difference between _whether_ and _if_. When should I use each? For me, they are the same and I am not sure if there is a difference.


title: To determine if or to determine whether?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When are "if" and "whether" equivalent? Do these two have the same meaning:   1. To determine **if** something is correct.    2. To determine **whether** something is correct.


title: Referring to the work introducing the idea

text: When making relations of my contribution to the work of others, I sometimes deliberately want to avoid detailed description of the related work and state: "For details on derivation, see the **original** work." However, I'm not sure if the term _original_ is appropriate here, and I kindly ask you to provide some alternatives. Or, is the term actually the most appropriate?


title: Discrimination on the basis of profession

text: I was wondering if there is any particular word for 'discrimination on the basis of profession/professional rank'.


title: I'm currently specializing in Urology

text: If I'm currently studying to specialize in Urology, for example, is it correct to say, I'm specializing in Urology, or does it imply that I already did my exams and specialized in Urology?


title: "Referer" or "referrer"

text: First of all, I'm speaking of webpage referral. Second, let me quote Wikipedia: > The misspelling referer originated in the original proposal by computer > "scientist" Phillip Hallam-Baker to incorporate the field into the HTTP > specification.[1] The misspelling was set in stone by the time of its > incorporation into the standards document Request for Comments (RFC) 1945; > document co-author Roy Fielding has remarked that neither "referrer" nor the > misspelling "referer" were recognized by the standard Unix spell checker of > the period.[2] "Referer" has since become a widely used spelling in the > industry when discussing HTTP referrers; usage of the misspelling is not > universal, though, as the correct spelling of "referrer" is used in some web > specifications such as the Document Object Model. > > * * * > > [1] Hallam-Baker, Phillip. "Re: Is Al Gore The Father of the Internet?" > alt.folklore.computers, 2000-09-21   >  [2] Fielding, Roy. "Re: Referer: (sic)." HTTP-wg, 1995-03-09 It seems even the W3C isn't completely consistent:   1. http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=referer \- works   2. http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=referrer \- fails   3. http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/check?uri=referrer \- works What is the correct spelling to use ( _referer_ or _referrer_ ), either in general or specific situations?


title: Term for same root word but words with different meaning

text: Some words have the same etymology, root, but mean different things, such as mysterious and mystical. What are some other pairs (or more) that fall into this category, and what exactly is this category called?


title: Comma Usage in Dialogue

text: When I read novels, I've noticed many use a comma if it is followed by words denoting who said the words (like the second example). If what the character said is a full sentence, do we use a comma like the second example or a period like the first? "The boy jumped and we were shocked." John said. "The boy jumped and we were shocked," John said.


title: Is there a name for somebody you’re jealous of?

text: I'm trying to describe King Saul's suicide out of fear of his rival David, of- whom-he-is-jealous. Is there a better way to describe this?


title: Can I use misput?

text: Is it common to say "He misput his book in my mailbox/drawer"? If not, should I use misdeliver here? Any other expressions? Thanks!


title: Origin of @name convention

text: When people refer to me on stackexchange websites they call me @broiyan. Where did this convention arise from? If it were taken from my email address, the @ symbol would be at the other end of my name so that does not appear to be the source of this convention.


title: "At Amararaja Batteries Limited" vs. "in Amararaja Batteries Limited"

text: >   1. I have done my internship **at** Amararaja Batteries Limited. >   2. I have done my internship **in** Amararaja Batteries Limited. > Which of the above sentences is correct? I want to know when to use _at_ and when to use _in_.


title: In vs At "Place Prepositions"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Which one is right? He works at XYZ company or in XYZ company? I always get confused while using prepositions. Should I say" It doesn't matter whether you work in X company or ..." or "" It doesn't matter whether you work at X company or ...."


title: "Ear doctor's" vs "Ear doctor"

text: In one of Stephen King's books titled "On Writing" he writes: "The next week my mother called another taxi, we went back to the **ear doctor's** , and I found once more lying on my side with the absorbent square of cloth under my head. The **ear doctor** once again produced the smell of alcohol..." Can someone explain what is the difference between the possessive and non- possesvie usage of the word doctor?


title: Is "I am at the doctor's" a correct usage?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Store names & possessive Is the following sentence a correct usage to tell someone that I'm in the clinic to see the doctor right now > I'm at the doctor's


title: When do I use the possessive with "Tiffany & Co"?

text: Is there a grammatical reason for Tiffany & Co being made possessive in _Breakfast at Tiffany's_?


title: Why is Tesco often pronounced Tesco's?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Store names & possessive   >  "Ear doctor's" vs "Ear doctor" I have often heard members of the British public pronounce the name of the supermarket chain Tesco as "Tesco's" or "Tescos". Thinking that it was formerly called "Tesco's", as many old British companies are, I looked up its history and learnt that it is a concatenation of the initials of its early tea supplier's name (T. E. Stockwell) and the first two letters of the founder's surname (Cohen), and was never called "Tesco's". Is it because of confusion with other supermarkets such as Sainsbury's and Morrisons? If so, why have I not heard "Asda's", "Co-op's" or "SPAR's"?


title: Store names & possessive

text: Observation: It seems that it's common to turn a store name into a possessive, for example a store named "Palisade" gets transformed to possessive in speech like, "Hey how about going to Palisade's for breakfast?" Another example is Chutneys Grille in Seattle. Many (most?) store names do not get this treatment. It seems most common if the store name is:   * Abstract: "I saw a great concert at BOOT's last night."   * A person's name, or what looks like a person's name: "I got this at JC Penny's"   * Totally unknown word: "I get my hair cut at Foofum's"   * [UPDATE] Is it ungrammatical to do this? My assumption is that it's a short form of saying "BOOT's performance venue" (nonsensical though?), "JC Penny's shop", or "Foofum's salon". Questions:   1. Is this common, or is it just my home town or something? Or my imagination?   2. Why must we do this instead of simply calling the store by its rightful name? To me "I saw a concert last night at BOOT." is no less clear, and no more difficult to say. * * * Inspired by a previous question


title: "I worked in a chemists" vs "I worked in a chemist's" vs "I worked in a chemist"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Store names & possessive What is the correct grammar for saying that I worked for a chemists (that is, a shop that sells medicine)? Is it > I worked in a chemist or > I worked in a chemists or perhaps > I worked in a chemist's ? Had I been working for multiple different chemists, would it be correct to say > I worked for chemists during my first two years of university


title: Should I write Orwell's '1984' in full?

text: Should I write 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', when discussing George Orwell's novel in an essay, or '1984'? Is it considered unconventional, or overly colloquial to use the latter form? This question applies for any book title consisting solely of a number, although I can't call to mind any.


title: What do electricians and mechanics "do"?

text: * A carpenter does carpentry.   * A scientist does science.   * An engineer does engineering.   * A blacksmith does blacksmithing. (The grammar of these sentences may be poor; the point is to get the idea across.) So then:   * What does an electrician do?   * What does a (car) mechanic do? Or are there perhaps really no such words?


title: Academic writing: "one's"

text: Is it allowed to use the word "one's" in academic writing? For example: It can help improve one's vocabulary.


title: When to use "pending" vs. "impending"

text: Although someone has previously answered a question as to the difference between "pending" and impending", I'm still struggling on when to use which word, and if one is preferred in a more formal context. For example, I was talking about the upcoming FIFA World Cup Semifinal Match, and that I was awaiting one team's _"impending victory"_. Was that an accurate use? Should I have used _"pending victory"_?


title: Can "Be under no illusion" have both positive and negative connotations?

text: In a recent email I received was this line: "Be under no illusion that 2011 is Our Year." From what I understand "Be under no illusion" means the same as "Don't be fooled". So I would expect that it would be followed by comments such as "It's going to be tough, but we can do it together" or some similar sentiment. However, this statement is then followed by a positive statement. To me this contradicts the use of "Be under no illusion". Do I have the meaning wrong or is this one of those crazy phrases that can be used both as a negative and as a positive?


title: Are things embedded in a "bed"?

text: Consider: > "The identity process is culturally embedded." Is the following then possible? > "Cosmopolitanism constitutes the cultural **bed** of this identity process."


title: Syntactic problem on "wh" questions: grammaticality

text: I strongly need someone's help to solve this problem of grammaticality: I have to say why these examples are ungrammatical   * *Which book did you make the suggestion that the children should read?   * *Which book did you make the suggestion that the children should keep? In relation to this, we have the grammatical counterparts:   * Which book did the children read?   * Which book did the children keep? I am blocked because I think it is not a problem of subjacency, since it is only one bounding node being crossed (book). Maybe it is a problem of the type of verb, or maybe it deals with the issue of the relative clause [that the children should read].


title: Is this sentence a run-on sentence?

text: > The milk having soured, Martha drank her coffee black. Is this sentence a run-on sentence, or is it an (grammatically) acceptable sentence?


title: Is ‘Yes-ish’ a perfect alternative to Yes, or is it 'Yes ‘on condition’? Is it received English?

text: I found a word ‘Yes-ish’ in the answer (from PLL) to my question about the meaning of ‘Stuck to the script’ I posted today. As it is quite new to my ear, I consulted with Wikipedia before logging out the forum, which says: (Yesih) is yes with a condition or limitation, and similarly Noish (but this of course tends more to a .... Is ‘Yes-sh / Yessh’ often heard in day-to-day conversation among American people or found in casual writings. How ‘Yes-sh’ is different from ‘Yes’ in its implication, supposing it’s an informal or colloquial expression.


title: Comma before "and"

text: I read this sentence on an educational website: > Now times have changed and you are ready for situations involving forces in > two dimensions. Shouldn't there be a comma before _and_ , since the subject of the sentence has changed ( _things_ vs. _you_ )? > Now times have changed **, and** you are ready for situations involving > forces in two dimensions. What is the exact comma rule for joining two clauses with _and_?


title: Eliminate to be verb

text: How can I eliminate the weak "to be" verb (DOES) in the following sentence:               She does not assist in accomplishing...


title: Difference between mug, jug, jar, etc

text: When I try to translate the German word "Krug" into English, LEO shows me without further distinction:   * flagon   * jar   * jug   * mug   * tankard   * pitcher But as far as I know, they cannot always used interchangeably, right? What are the differences (maybe also regionally)?


title: Word that conveys being absent from an appointment

text: Is there a word that conveys being absent from an appointment? The closest words I can think of are "ditch" and "dump," but both are rather informal. I want to say something along the lines of: > I went in the office at 3pm to meet Bob, but Bob ditched/dumped me. I realize that it's perhaps more common to say, "Bob did not show up," but I want a stronger expression that connotes a willful act of neglect or carelessness.


title: How to refer to a list?

text: I have a list containing some information and I need to refer to that list. Is a sentence "From the list above ... " ok? Example:   * item 1   * item 2   * item 3 From the list above is obvious there is a variety of items.


title: Word for when something wrong is made to seem normal because it is common?

text: Someone made this statement: > You found the perfect partner (looks, finance, personality) but the sex is a > bust, would you cheat? I found it offensive that she was making the question 'would you cheat' look very normal but I didn't really know how to describe it. I pointed it out but she claimed there was no need to brush such a present day reality under the carpet. I considered it logically and eventually used the term _Argumentum ad populum_ to express the fallacy in her statement but **what I actually wanted was a word to use in describing her action** i.e. _making something wrong appear normal because it is common_. I couldn't come up with anything, any help?


title: Some, others and again others?

text: If I want to add a third option to the construct "Some..., others", what is the best way to put it? Some, others and again others? So: _Some people like apples, others like oranges and again others enjoy bananas._ This sounds a bit off, or not?


title: Why does "agree" only have one "g"?

text: According to Webster, "Agree" comes from Latin's ad + gratus. However there are other words such as "aggregate" and "aggression" that also come from ad + [something], and these words have a double "g" while agree only has a single "g". Why does "agree" only have one "g"?


title: The difference between Cool and Cold

text: I am not a native speaker of the English language but have been living in United Kingdom for last couple of years. Once I was with my friend who was an Irish and I said "Its cold outside" and he said that I was wrong and should have said "Its cool outside". I am still not sure why I was wrong? Could someone really differentiate the use of word "cool" and "cold" in that case?


title: How to pronounce "sheet" properly?

text: How to pronounce _sheet_ to minimize the risk of confusion with _shit_? Usually what one means is clear from the context, but it'd still be very awkward if it accidentally sounds like _shit_.


title: "He all but [did something]"

text: > **Possible Duplicates:**   >  "All but" idiom has two meanings?   >  "to be all but X" > He all but ran out of the building If I understand it correctly (English is not my native language), this sentence means "he ran out of the building", and the "all but" is here to stress the fact that he didn't do anything else (besides running). That being said, the first time I came across this construction, I understood it the other way round. Eventually, I inferred from context the above meaning, but even today, I still have a feeling that it's somewhat illogical. Where does this construction come from (and what does it really mean)?


title: What does the phrase "all but" signify in following text?

text: What does the phrase "all but" mean in this sentence? > Interpol has all but ruled out terrorism.


title: Can you clarify usage of "all but..."?

text: **Example sentence:** "As the concert ended, the atmosphere was _all but_ ecstatic." **Replace words with synonyms:**   * all = everything   * but = except **The sentence would appear:** "...the atmosphere was everything except ecstatic." Meaning, "the concert was _not_ ecstatic". It was all feelings _except_ ecstatic. I regularly hear similar sentences used in the way where "all but" means the exact opposite of my interpretation. The last straw of "curiosity : need-to- know" ratio broke when I heard it used in Band of Brothers--which very clearly implied the use of "all but" as a similar meaning to "very". There's undoubtedly a hole in my logic. **Edit:** Band of Brothers quote: "He was just one more casualty in a war that was supposed to be _all but_ over."


Does "but one" mean "only one" or "except one"? This phrase shows up in the song "Love is an Open Door" from the movie "Frozen". The relevant line is "Our mental synchronization can have but one explanation". EDIT: Shouldn't it be "Our mental synchronization can't have but one explanation"?


title: "All but convinced" as a way of saying that one is, in fact, convinced?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "All but" idiom has two meanings? It seems kind of counterintuitive, but saying that: > I'm all but convinced that ponies eat leprechauns. means > I'm **absolutely** convinced that ponies eat leprechauns. It seems that this is backwards; it would seem to mean "I'm everything except convinced that ponies eat leprechauns," meaning that I'm not convinced, but open to the possibility. What does this "all but _(adjective)_ " conjunction mean?


title: What does all came fine but 2 means

text: I sent an email to a client with this sentence: > Tried sending 39 packets this afternoon, all came fine but 2. I meant 37 packets processed fine but 2 were unsuccessful. Did I convey right?


title: "All but" idiom has two meanings?

text: Here's two ways I've seen the "all, but" idiom used: **"Close all tabs but this one"** (Any modern application with a number of tabs might have this as an option.) It means "close all the tabs, but not this one". **"With that goal, the championship is all but decided".** This seems to mean "you can say/do whatever (all) you want, (but) it won't change who wins the championship." Is one of these usages more correct than the other?


title: Is an indentation needed for a new paragraph?

text: Is an indentation (Tab button in Word) needed for a new paragraph when you start one? I was told to do that a long time ago but 3 years after I stopped doing it and have done it since. Are you meant to indent when you start a new paragraph?


title: What role does 'in' take in this sentence?

text: > Father: “It may not be exactly the car you want but..”   >  Daughter: “It’ll be rubbish, some old wreck that I’ll look totally stupid > **in**.”   >  (BBC, The Archers, 2013-04-26 Friday, 8’55”~9’01”) Does the ‘in’ make adverbial in the text, a supplementive as an adjective, or something else? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/ur3Cu.jpg)   source: The Lexicogrammar of Adjectives: A Systemic Functional Approach to Lexis, p201)


title: Are there any English sayings to the effect that little changes may lead to big changes?

text: Can you think of any sayings about change, especially ones expressing   * how a big change must begin with a little change?   * how certain institutions, ideas, or God remain eternally unchanged? * * * Note: the above is an edited version of @lovespring's question. See edit history for original question.


title: Let me pull up your account

text: Every time you call a customer service center they say: let me pull up your account, please. Is it correct to say that? Oxford dictionary explains **pull up** a little bit differently: > pull up 1 (of a vehicle or its driver) come to a halt: he pulled up outside > the cabin. 2 increase the altitude of an aircraft. > > pull someone up cause someone to stop or pause; check someone: the shock of > his words. Ideas?


title: Term for writing a number as "five" vs "5"?

text: What I mean is, if I said "Write the number **_** ", then you would write "5", "27", etc. Whereas if I said instead "Write the number **_** ", then you would write "five", "twenty-seven", etc. I'm not just looking for the oft-used expression "write it out"....I'm wondering if there are proper terms for these two options, possibly obvious ones I'm not thinking of.


title: Meaning of the word 'en'

text: While reading Paulo Coelho's novel, I came across a word that left me doubting whether it was of English origin. Following is the sentence: > She fell in love for the first time when she was eleven, en route from her > house to school. What is the meaning of the word _en_? Please elaborate on its meaning, origin and usage.


title: Meaning of a sentence using the perfect continuous tense

text: > a. They have been throwing papers. > > b. They have been throwing papers since the teacher left. Does the sentence (a) have the same meaning as sentence (b), even though the period of time is not stated in sentence (a)? Or is it that sentence (a) can only mean that they threw the paper and have stopped now?


title: How do I ask the question "Where is it made?" or "Where is it made in"?

text: Sometimes I feel confused about if I should add a preposition, like "come back to Seattle" or "come back Seattle". If I want to ask a question about where something is made, how to say the question "Where is it made?" or "Where is it made in"?


title: Measurements without a dimension (raw number)

text: I'm translating some documents to English which deal with some measurements. Most of the measurements have a unit dimension (length is in meters, weight is in kilograms, etc) but some of them do not have a specific dimension, e.g. Number of samples. What word to use to describe such measurements? The direct translation of the original terms leaves me with "undimensional", but I don't think that's it.


title: Do "download" and "upload" only refer to networks?

text: I know what it means to download something from a website or upload a video to YouTube. But do the terms "download" and "upload" only apply when referring to one device transferring data to another remote device over the Internet (or LAN even)? Say I was transferring a file to my USB flash drive or copying a file from one HDD to another HDD. Would this technically be considered downloading/uploading?


title: Meaning and origin of "at bay"

text: > The thief waded through the stream hoping to keep the policemen's dogs **at > bay**. > > The captain sailed knowing that the weather would keep the ill-equipped > pirates **at bay**. What is the source of the idiom _"at bay"_ , is it anything to do with baying dogs, or ships in harbour?


title: Did the word "literate" originally have religious connotations?

text: In an excerpt from a forthcoming popular science book I found this claim: > As Villarreal points out, the word literate originally meant “one who can > read holy scripts.” Really? I went and looked in the OED, and that was no real help, as it just said that it's from "classical Latin litterātus". The American Heritage Dictionary entry online has a usage note, which tells me something interesting in a usage note: > For most of its long history in English, literate has meant only "familiar > with literature," or more generally, "well-educated, learned." Only since > the late 19th century has it also come to refer to the basic ability to read > and write. _[...]_ but not only does this not mention "holy scripts", it pretty much seems to be a contradiction. Is the quoted claim completely off-base, or is there an argument to be made for it? (Note that the article excerpt doesn't explain who "Villareal" is, but I think it's this guy.)


title: Term for something similar to vetting, but when a decision is not necessarily involved

text: Whats the term for profiling someone or doing background research on somebody before you meet them. A reference to the behavior is Gary Walsh in the TV show VEEP where he whispers seemingly random information about somebody into the Vice Presidents ear before she meets the person. Then she is able to talk to them about their kids, dogs, hobbies, etc. I imagine diplomats are briefed like this before they meet other foreign dignitaries. I think it's both a verb and a noun, but I'm not sure. It's not vetting, but it's something similar. Vetting happens before a decision, this would be just to gain knowledge about the other person.


title: "Have been with for" vs. "Have been with in"

text: What is the difference between the following two structures? > Have you been back home **in** the last ten years? > > Have you been back home **for** the last ten years? Could we also replace the present perfect with simple past as in the following: > Did you go back home **in** the last ten years? > > Did you go back home **for** the last ten years? _(this one doesn't seem to > be in accordance with the law of the books, but I don't see any problem with > the structure assuming the person has visited once in the past 10 years at a > particular time)._


title: Etymology of "medicine" and its Native American usage

text: What is the etymology of the word _medicine_ and how did it come to be used by Native Americans to describe something that does not strictly meet the denotative meaning of medicine? Or is that just a Hollywood piece of nonsense?