title: How to form this tag question?

text: We always use a positive tag question after a negative sentence: > You shouldn't take this medicine, should you? We use a negative tag question after a positive sentence: > She must leave early, mustn't she? But when there is a negating prefix on the adjective (impatient vs. patient) after the verb "to be", then the sentence is negative in meaning. Does this mean the tag should be positive? Which is correct, A or B? > A: I am impatient, am I? > > B: I am impatient, aren't I? > > A: The class was dismissed, was it? > > B: The class was dismissed, wasn't it?


title: What does "sweet spot" mean?

text: Not the sport definition, but this one: > In our survey, the **sweet spot** for Windows are organizations with 300 to > 1000 employees.


title: How should we write the phrase "one of a kind"?

text: I have seen two kind of written format of "one of a kind" phrase,   1. one of a kind   2. one-of-a-kind I'm confused, which one is the proper way of writing "one of a kind" phrase?


title: Can we use both British English and American English in the same article?

text: Can we use British English trends and American English trends (such as spelling, or turns of phrase) in different sentences in the one topic?


title: How can one determine if the opposite of an agent noun exists?

text: We know that the employer employs the employee and that the tutor tutors the tutee, but how do we know if the shooter shot the shootee? Is there a simple way to determine if an agent noun can be made into the object of the agent noun's action? In some cases, this is plainly obvious. We have runners but definitely not runnees and we have jumpers but not jumpees. There ought to be a way can we easily determine if the shooter shoots the shootee since a _shootee_ is intuitively the person who gets shot by a shooter. _Note: Since the meaning of shootee can be intuitively determined by any English speaker, it isn't technically **incorrect** according to a descriptive linguist, but how would a prescriptive grammarian feel about it?_


title: Use of dash or comma in bulleted list?

text: I have been charged with taking over a monthly prayer letter which had been managed by several different staff members. Each had a different way of handling a bulleted list. One used a dash while the other used a comma. One used a period at the end of each statement while the other omitted punctuation. I appreciate feedback as to the proper format for separating the students' names from the prayer requests as illustrated below (comma or dash?) and also if punctuation (periods in this case) are correctly omitted from each request. Students: • Iris - asking for prayer for her older sister to make right choices in life • Velzi - that her family remains united • Isabel - for healing for her mom who is not feeling well lately • Jenny - for her family • Zoila - for her as she gets ready for the new school year OR Students: • Iris, asking for prayer for her older sister to make right choices in life • Velzi, that her family remains united • Isabel, for healing for her mom who is not feeling well lately • Jenny, for her family • Zoila, for her as she gets ready for the new school year


title: "What does it mean?" vs. "What does that mean?" — what's the difference?

text: I tried to find an answer to this question. But no luck. Can somebody explain it to me? An American friend of mine said, "I've never heard about 'What does it mean?', I've always used 'What does that mean?'". My other English friend said: "It depends on context." I asked, what context? He tried to explain but couldn't. So now I'm asking you: What is the difference between "What does it mean?" and "What does that mean?" in common speech?


title: Parsing the first two lines of "Western Wind"

text: The 16th century poem "Western Wind" goes as follows: > Westron wynde, when wilt thou blow,   >  The small raine down can raine.   >  Cryst, if my love were in my armes   >  And I in my bedde again! Or, to in modern spelling and punctuation: > Western wind, when wilt thou blow,   >  The small rain down can rain?   >  Christ! That my love were in my arms   >  And I in my bed again! What I'm trying to understand is the sentence "Western wind, when wilt thou blow, the small rain down can rain?" I cannot for the life of me parse this sentence to understand what it's actually saying. How should this sentence be parsed; or, how would one paraphrase it to be more clear as to the actual meaning?


title: "stopping to refill his cup when she did"

text: Consider the following sentence: > She got up to get some of the coffee he had made, stopping to refill his cup > when she did. What does the subordinate clause in this sentence mean? Does it mean when "she" has got coffee, she stops getting coffee and starts to refill "his" cup or some other meaning? But my interpretation seems a bit strange.


title: "Thunderstorm" vs. "tempest" in common usage

text: When did "thunderstorm" replace "tempest" in common English usage? I ask the question because my great-great grandmother, who lived in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, used the term frequently in her dairy of the year 1905.


title: "Arm stroke movements" vs. "arm stroke motions"

text: I have the following phrase: > This article analyzes freestyle arm stroke movements. However I wonder if using _motions_ wouldn't be better: > This article analyzes freestyle arm stroke motions. Or are both forms interchangeable? The context is competitive swimming.


title: "Irony" vs. "happenstance"

text: If I were to leave my country because there is a high chance that I will get shot here, and then got shot in the country I immigrate to, would that be ironic or a happenstance?


title: Why is the word "misadventure" not "misventure"?

text: I came across a news article mentioning a coroner's diagnosis of death as "death by _misadventure_ ". And I wondered what the word **misadventure** actually meant. Here's the dictionary definition : > **misadventure** [ˌmɪsədˈvɛntʃə] n > >   1. an unlucky event; misfortune > >   2. (Law) Law accidental death not due to crime or negligence > > This surprised me, as I would have expected it to essentially mean "an **adventure** that went wrong". That doesn't seem to be the case. It seems to mean "an incident that went wrong". So wouldn't it make more sense for the word to be **mis-venture**? Why is this not the case?


title: "are created equal" - helping verb or linking verb?

text: In the following clause, > **that all men are created equal** , is "are" serving as a linking verb (in which case you could say "the created (to be) equal men") or as a helping verb for main verb _created_ (in which case one could ask...I think, not completely sure about this, sounds kind of weird... "how did the men create?" and you could reply "to be equal")? Or better yet, is there any correct answer? [I tried to start thinking about this... one question I had was, is it possible for men to "create" (in the sense that "create" == "spawn", or something like that)? Or does create mean something else in this case? Or am I missing something blindingly obvious?]


title: A phrase for something that is beyond our reach or unattainable

text: “Sir Francis Chichester was knighted by the queen. But for his other circumnavigating counterparts, a knighthood is _beyond reach_...” What is an alternative term for _beyond reach_?


title: Present perfect and present perfect continuous

text: Do you agree with the explanations to this question and statements? Judy: How long have you been in Canada? Claude: I have been studying here for more than three years. or I have studied here for more than three years. 1.Depending on where the two friends meet in Canada or in another country, the question can imply that speaker B is or is not in Canada at the moment. The first answer implies that the speaker B is still in Canada or was recently in Canada. (Maybe to suggest that she was in Canada recently it would be better to use 'there'. I think 'here' suggest that the person is still in Canada) The second answer implies that the person is not in Canada anymore.The action is complete. I asked this question on a different site but I haven't got a useful answer.


title: What highway exit does "Next Exit" refer to?

text: Example: If you have not yet reached exit number 5 is the "next exit" referring to exit 5 or exit 6? "This exit" is clearly exit 5. Similar to the "next Tuesday" question Which day does "next Tuesday" refer to?


title: Why is it called "blind baking"?

text: This weekend I learned all about blind baking a pie crust on the Cooking SE site. They were stumped on why, exactly, it's called "blind baking", however. For the uninitiated — the highlights of the Cooking answer: > Blind baking is indeed just baking without a filling — it can be fully or > partially. Typically you do this because your filling will either need to > bake for a shorter time than your crust (a quiche for example) or not at all > (a pie filled with some kind of pre cooked/set custard). It can also be done > to help 'set' a crust against a filling that will make it rather soggy. > > I have no idea _why_ it's called blind baking, but the English.SE site is > notoriously good at word origins. Anyone have any theories or ideas?


title: What does "part of a settlement" mean here?

text: > Locke tends to get linked up with rebels...He is a part of the settlement. > (heard from an English professor) He was talking about John Locke's life. How to understand "he is part of the settlement"? Does it mean that he participates in the process of reaching it, or that this settlement highly influences his life?


title: Patience satisfied

text: I'm looking for a word which describes the resolution of patience. Example 1: If someone is waiting (being patient) in a room for his/her name to be called and it finally happens. This also might include the act of running out of patience Example 2: If someone is waiting (being patient) in a room for his/her name to be called and the office closes before the patient is called and the patient is forced to leave. What is that resolution or action called?


title: What do you do to a gap?

text: > I failed to find a way to **reconcile** the gap between reality and my > ideal. I tried two expressions, 'bring down the gap' and 'overcome the gap', but I realized that the gap cannot be brought down or overcome. Therefore, I changed it to 'reconcile'. What would be the right word instead?


title: What is the full form of RSVP?

text: I just wanted to know what is the English full form of "RSVP", a word which we usually use on invitation cards? I read somewhere it's a French word. So I wanted to confirm if it has any English full form and if it does, what it is? I googled the same but didn't get the correct thing, so thought of asking here.


title: Is "Agreed." a complete and correct sentence?

text: Is it correct to write, > Agreed. instead of, > I agree. I am confused by this single-word sentence. Why is it in the past tense? Or is "Agreed" a (past-participle) adjective, like "Gone" or "Done"? Can I thus write, > Concurred. > > Consented. > > Withdrawn. > > Been. Sample conversation: > He: "Agreed." is a complete sentence. > > She: Concurred.


title: Is just "no." a valid sentence?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Shortest complete sentence in English I seem to remember (back in the day) being taught sentences must have an object and an action and that the shortest possible was something like "do it.". Can someone please formalise this and explain whether simply "no." is valid?


title: Verbless sentence

text: I thought I heard my teacher said: 'Don't construct a sentence without a verb.' Is there such rule in english grammar?               She looks like 70 years old. Perhaps older.      How about the question above? Is it correct? Is there any book that can be used references for wide range of topics in grammar(including syntax, morphology et cetera)? I have finished oxford grammar in use recently and think it wasn't enough for me.


title: What is an antonym for the term "straight-A student?"

text: I'm looking for a word or phrase that implies stupidity in the context of academics in the same way the term "straight-A student" implies intelligence.


title: Exclusive "from" or "to"

text: If I want to let a customer know that she/he can only buy spare parts from us, and put this into legal documents by using the word "exclusive", which proposition should I use? "from", "to" or something else? The sentence I have in my mind is: > All spare parts shall be exclusive from [our company name]. Will the meaning be different if I change the preposition "from" to "to"? Is this correct? Or is there other ways to express it still using the word "exclusive"?


title: Where do people pronounce "ank" as /eŋk/ vs. /æŋk/?

text: Let's use "bank" as an example. Some Americans pronounce it /bæŋk/, using the vowel of TRAP. Others pronounce it /beŋk/, using the vowel of FACE. Where are these two pronunciations found?


title: What is the difference between "as per" and "according to"?

text: See the following two sentences. > As per my knowledge it is right.   >  According to my knowledge it is right.   1. Are both the sentences right?   2. What is the difference and use of "as per" and "according to"?


title: Explain the choice of the verb "dip" in "dip your lights"

text: Does the phrase "dip your lights" mean to turn them off or something else? Why is the word _dip_ used? Quote: > If you drive with your headlights on full beam in fog, the light will just > reflect back on you. Dip your lights — it will be much easier to see.


title: Origins of “head” as a synecdoche?

text: When, where, why and how did the term _head_ come to be used to describe quantities of cattle, animals, people, and so on?


title: The difference between "focus on" and "concentrate on?"

text: This is one question in my book: Our company don’t **___ ___** on profits only. A. Concentrate B. Focus The key gives B but I don't think there is a difference between them in this context. What do you think? Thanks.


title: What is the difference between these "clause separators"?

text: Here is an example sentence: > At the start of the day you may (if you like) make yourself a slice of > toast. Are the brackets appropriate to separate the clause "if you like" from the main sentence? Is there a fundamental difference between the following alternatives? > At the start of the day you may, if you like, make yourself a slice of > toast. (commas)   >  At the start of the day you may -- if you like -- make yourself a slice of > toast. (em-dashes) Are there rules which state when each should be used?


title: Why are all acronyms accented on the last syllable?

text: When saying acronyms out loud, almost always the last syllable is accented (no matter how long the acronym is): US*A*, U*N*, RSV*P*, etc. Accenting any syllable but the last makes you sound silly (try it). Why is this the case?


title: A question on superlatives

text: If we say, > 'Jim is the youngest of (his) six brothers" how many brothers does Jim have? Are they six as Jim is included, or just five?


title: Do Americans say 'cheers' to mean 'thanks'?

text: I find myself these days saying 'cheers' all the time as a kind of mild form of 'thanks', and I heard it said a lot round here (Northamptonshire, England). It's not even a commoner thing, I'd say the middle class are likely to use it a lot. Is it used this way in the US, or would you always consider 'cheers' as something to say when toasting?


title: The suffix -hood

text: I am using the suffix -hood as both base and suffix to derive poetical meaning in an interplay of the words "...child and adult hood." Though this may offend the ear of the modern day reader, I believe its earlier usage was separate from its base, and I'm not so sure it would, on the surface, be much of a technical blunder anyway. What do you think?


title: The Usage Domains of "why" and "how"

text: This question was inspired by the this thread over at physics.se. What are the correct uses of "why" and "how" as interrogatives? Do questions that begin with "why" necessarily pursue answers which lie beyond the realm of empirical data or natural fact? If not, is it possible to rephrase those "why" questions which _can_ be addressed by the experimental sciences as "how" questions without changing their meanings?


title: what does "You have to ignore the elephant in front of you" mean?

text: In context it is used: > The probability that a startup will make it big is not simply a constant > fraction of the probability that they will succeed at all. If it were, you > could fund everyone who seemed likely to succeed at all, and you'd get that > fraction of big hits. Unfortunately picking winners is harder than that. > **You have to ignore the elephant in front of you** , the likelihood they'll > succeed, and focus instead on the separate and almost invisibly intangible > question of whether they'll succeed really big.


title: "Fresh water" and "Sweet water" - are these phrases completely equivalent?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "Freshwater" as opposed to salty water I know that non-salt water is called fresh water. But also from time to time I've seen the expression `sweet water`, for example: > Lake Geneva is smaller than many other European lakes, however, with its > average depth of 153 meters, it is unusually deep, and happens to be, by > volume, the largest **sweet water** reserve in Western-Europe. Can we claim that these two expressions are completely equivalent?


title: Idiom/phrase which means "to pretend not to understand or know"

text: Sometimes (well, often) people pretend not to understand what's going on (or pretend not to understand what the other person means, etc.) when in fact they do perfectly well. For example, Person A is hoping that his friend Person B would let him crash at his place for a couple of days, but, so as not to appear too intrusive, he wants Person B to invite him instead of asking directly. So, he says to his friend: > Hey, Person B! I've just been kicked out of my house and I have nowhere to > go. I really have to figure out where to stay the next couple of days. Person B understands that Person A is hoping that he would offer him to stay at his place. But he chooses to pretend not to understand, and, instead of saying sorry and explaining why Person A cannot stay at his place, person B says: > There's a nice hotel near here, and it's not very expensive. I can give you > the address. Another example. Person B has secretly stolen the wallet of Person A. Person A has figured out that it was person B and when they meet, he says: > My wallet was stolen the other day. Person B says: > Really? Oh, that's so unfortunate! What idioms in English would one use to describe the behavior of Person B in the sample situations? I.e. pretending to be stupid or pretending not to understand something rather obvious, or pretending not to know something that you know; in other words, consciously imitating ignorance, indifference, or innocence. In Russian, the idiom is _to pretend to be a fire hose_ (прикидываться шлангом) or _to pretend to be a boot_ (прикидываться валенком). The Armenian idiom is _to pretend to be a donkey_ (իրեն էշի տեղ դնել). For me, these phrases are not quite unimaginative and cause a certain amount of amusement. I am hoping to find an English equivalent (or equivalents) that would be informal and/or sound funny(-ish), but that's not essential. Naturally, I tried to look up the translation in the dictionary before asking, but to no avail, presumably because the phrases mentioned above are rather informal.


title: Is "Motivate your answer" correct English?

text: Me and a friend were having an argument recently over "Motivate your answer". He said this: > see it like this, motivate = force that drives you, okay? motivate your > choices = arguments you considered that have driven you towards that choice So it appears to be a more literal translation, like: > Give reason to your answer. Is this the case, or is just simply wrong?


title: What does this strange sentence mean?

text: They do but flatter themselves. What is this sentence structure?


title: Do "the alpha and the omega" and "from A to Z" have the same meaning or something in common?

text: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, as one can read it on The Free Dictionary, says: > **alpha and omega** , noun:   >  1\. The first and the last: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the > ending, saith the Lord" (Revelation 1:8).   >  2\. The most important part. It is a noun that resembles to the Italian, literally, "from A to Z", an expression used to say that a certain thing is complete. "The report is complete from A to Z" means that it doesn't lack anything, and probably it is the same in English. After reading the above definition, in the light of what I said, I began wondering if the two expressions, "tha alpha and the omega" and "from A to Z", mean the same thing. 1) "I was forced to read the alpha and omega of 'The Principia Mathematica', written by Alfred North Whitehead" 2) "I was forced to read, from A to Z, 'The Principia Mathematica', written by Alfred North Whitehead" Can anybody explain the difference in meaning between 1) and 2)?


title: sow the seeds for (whence definite article? )

text: I have a quote from an article in The Economist: > But they could re-establish a grip on large parts of the south and east of > the country, give succour to al-Qaeda, and sow **the** seeds for a new civil > war. Please explain why we need to put the definite article before "seeds": it seems to be a generic reference, and so either "the seed" or "seeds" seems to be OK. There's no particular species of seeds that lead to civil war, a civil war may be caused by all kinds of "seeds" in the metaphorical sense; so why "the"? Do we need the THE because it is idiomatic usage in this case?


title: How do we call the style of a word/sentence with series of underscore?

text: In Computer Programming, the programmer most often declare a variable or function with series of underscores.For instance,   * english_dot_stack_exchange. Is there a style name for that kind of sentences/words with series of underscores/understrike/low line/low dash? **EDIT:** I would like to know the style's name.Just like **camelCase**.


title: How much use did the word 'delete' get before the technological boom?

text: For as long as I can remember, I've only used the word 'delete' in a technological context. I'm fairly certain, most kids--or the generation before them--know exactly what the word means. Did this word get much use in other literary works?


title: Why is "q" followed by a "u"?

text: Is there a particular rule that states that _q_ should always be followed by a _u_? Because in certain cases like _Qatar_ , or _qawwali_ , this so-called rule is violated. What do you folks say?


title: "Much obliged" — Old-fashioned? Polite? Pedantic?

text: I've heard someone say "Much obliged!" a couple of times, instead of the usual "Thank you!". A common phrase in Portuguese ("Muito Obrigado") and maybe other languages, but certainly unusual in English. My question is: is it old- fashioned? Polite? Or pedantic?


title: Weir vs. Low water dam

text: I came across the word _weir_ today. It appears that we here in the USA refer to this same device as a _low water dam_. I’m curious why we don’t use the same word the English do, instead preferring this unwieldy construction. Is it a matter of the people who emigrated here not coming from the parts of England that used weirs, and thus not personally having that word in their vocabularies? Or was there some subtle difference I’m not seeing that required a different term?


title: Is it correct to use the phrase "pay attention" with "that"?

text: Is it correct to say "Pay attention that..."? or must I use "Pay attention to..." For example: "An attention should be paid that this is a one-way street".


title: what is a word for seeing inside someone

text: I am looking for a word to describe the layers of a personality or person. I am trying to describe how one could actually see into another person.


title: "I didn't know you liked her" or "I didn't know you like her"

text: I have a friend who insists that > "I didn't know you _like_ her" is more correct than > "I didn't know you _liked_ her" if the liking is still taking place. But to my ear, only the latter sounds correct. Which of the above (if any) is correct and why?


title: Speculable or Speculatable?

text: In the field of programming, we know a function is "safe to _speculatively_ execute" if it has no side-effects. Is there a single word which can describe this attribute? _Speculable_? _Speculatable_? Something else? (I prefer to avoid anything which does not include any variation of "speculate", in fear of drifting away from a term which is familiar in this context).


title: The meaning of "short of the cut-off"

text: I have heard this term a lot and in different places but I do want to know the exact meaning. Googling didn't reveal anything that I could understand the meaning.


title: Is there an English word which means 'entrepreneur'?

text: Can anyone think of a suitable English translation for the French 'entrepreneur'?


title: Has there been an interrogative word to ask for a quantity or amount?

text: English uses _how much/many_ to ask for an amount or a quantity. Has there been an interrogative word in Old, Middle, or Modern English to convey the meaning of _how much/many_ (i.e., an equivalent to the Spanish _cuánto_ or the French _combien_ )?


title: Where should I place the adverb?

text: Where should I place the adverb?   1. Potentially, it could be moved back to where it was.    2. It could be potentially moved back to where it was.    3. It could potentially be moved back to where it was. Should it directly precede the verb "moved"? Or ahead of "be moved"? Or in front of the whole statement?


title: Do we ask a waiter if we could have or get?

text: I have noticed a tendency among the younger generation, when ordering in a pub or restaurant, to say 'Please could I get beer-battered cod and chips', whereas I would and do say 'Please could I have beer-battered cod...'. Is 'get' nowadays acceptable English, even in a very posh restaurant? I mean one where you wouldn't order cod and chips!


title: "the writing is on the wall" vs. "the handwriting is on the wall"

text: This morning I heard on NPR someone mention that: "The handwriting is on the wall". I had a notion that it was a biblical allusion, which was confirmed by: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_writing_on_the_wall, but I don't know if there is a different in connotation. when I was a kid I don't ever remember the "handwriting" version and it seems strange to me... but it appears to be in common usage.


title: Technical writing sentence correction/suggestion

text: Is the following sentence grammatically correct? What could be an appropriate form to imply the similar meaning in technical writing? > _Use one of the following relations depending on whether X is used with or > without reference, respectively._


title: What does this sentence mean: "Troubles are poor things to hug. They've got too many prickers."

text: This is a sentence from a book for children. I'm trying to translate it into Chinese. Not sure what this means. DO we want to hug troubles or not?


title: Subscribe button label

text: In an administration panel, I have a "Subscribe" button, which will send a mail each time a new user registers to the application. What would be a correct way to name the button label? >   1. Subscribe to new registrations >   2. Subscribe to registrations >   3. Subscribe for new registrations >   4. Registrations subscriptions >


title: I should think you'd have

text: > -When you going back to kindergarten, Otis?" some one had asked. > > -"Me? Day Bernice gets her hair bobbed." > > -"Then your education's over," said Marjorie quickly. "That's only a bluff > of hers. I should think you'd have realized." _Source:_ Bernice Bobs Her Hair by F. Scott Fitzgerald I don't understand why the girl used "should think you'd have done" in the example. I understand that 'You would have realized' belongs to the third conditional. But why was it used with "should think".


title: "Call" vs. "Call at"

text: Consider > I will call your office some time in the evening. vs. > I will call **at** your office some time in the evening. Which is correct — the version with 'at', or the version with no preposition?


title: How refer to the "strands" of algae and their movement in a current?

text: I'm referring to the algae attached at the bottom of a river. The one with long "leaves/stands." How are those "extensions" called? And which verb to use to describe their movement with the flow of the rive (I need everyday terminology not scientific one.) Examine: > I saw some algae at the bottom of the river. Their [...] were [...] with the > current.


title: Is the English language used by the European institutions the British one?

text: I find here an article on the use of English within EU institutions. It says: "our publications need to be comprehensible for their target audience, which is largely British and Irish, and should therefore follow a standard that reflects usage in the United Kingdom and Ireland" (page 4). Is it true that the target audience is UK and Irish native speakers? Is it not English the _lingua franca_ of Europe and therefore is it not the non-British (and non-Irish) audience which is the larger target? Is there an academic guidance at EU level concerning the use of English as European _lingua franca_? (That is: is Euro-English to be more than subject for jokes like this one?)


title: Etymology of "embarrass"?

text: It would seem that the Random House dictionary and the World English dictionary have different ideas about the etymology of the word _embarrass_ , neither of which make it particularly clear as to how it got its current meaning: > **Random House**   >  1665–75; < French embarrasser < Spanish embarazar < Portuguese embaraçar, > equivalent to em- em-1 + -baraçar, verbal derivative of baraço, baraça cord, > strap, noose (of obscure origin) > > **World English**   >  [C17: (in the sense: to impede): via French and Spanish from Italian > imbarrazzare, from imbarrare to confine within bars; see en- 1 , bar 1 ] So which is correct, and how did it come to have the meaning of making somebody self-conscious and abashed?


title: When writing about a true court case. When should defense be capitalized?

text: **Example:** Christine returned to the defence council with my refusal of the offer to settle.


title: English parts of speech — better new treatments

text: Can anyone please recommend a better treatment of English parts of speech / word classes than that offered by most traditional grammars? Many of the latter stick with the sacrosanct 8 of antiquity, or perhaps allow for one or two more, while POS Tagsets may contain many hundreds of tags (catering for subsets such as plural nouns, verb forms etc). Demanding that we stick with eight for sentimental reasons seems like saying 'Let's just have four (chemical) elements, like they used to do, because that's easier.' Some parts of speech — 'function words' — are distinguished according to function — or called adverbs if they show a vague resemblance in some respect and we don't like having more than 8 (or 12 or 24) classes. However, having 750 classes as a working model does seem to be erring the other way. Does anyone _please_ know of a sensible (Goldilocks!) treatment?


title: A word for "somebody who is sponsored"? Sponsee?

text: Is there a word that means "somebody who is sponsored"? E.g. if I sponsor somebody, that person is my ______? Google results for sponsee have scattered definitions in unreliable sources, so it does not appear that is a real word. I'm looking for something similar, a single word, preferably American English. The specific context is a social group membership application where new members must be sponsored (as in definition 2, here \- _"one who assumes responsibility for some other person or thing"_ ) by existing members. I am looking for a single word to describe the target of such a sponsorship.


title: Meaning of "club"

text: Is "club" here used figuratively? > Mr. DiCaprio’s choices may be unusual, but he does have his own version of > sticking with what works. The characters are mostly tortured, unsympathetic, > larger-than-life guys created with the help of a tiny **club** of A-list > directors, most notably Martin Scorsese. A urine-collecting Howard Hughes in > “The Aviator.” A Zimbabwean smuggler in “Blood Diamond.” A mental patient in > “Shutter Island.” A dream extractor in “Inception.”


title: What is the term for using an ancestral given name as a surname?

text: This is NOT a question about people who have surnames that are usually found as given names, such as Rand Paul. My question relates to the process of Americanization of surnames. For example, I have done genealogical research about descendants of Harry Krewiansky who took the surnames Harris and Harrison, and descendants of Bernard Gogolinsky who took the surname Barney.


title: How did the prepositions up and down both come to be associated with writing?

text: Per this question "Writing things down" vs. "writing things up", it is clear that things can be written "up" (typically in respect to longer entries that are being thoroughly considered) or "down" (typically in respect to quick notes.) My question is more etymological - the prepositions used would seem to be directional. I would have thought "about" or even "on" would be more logical. And, while one can write "about" a topic or "on" a subject, the prevelance of Up and Down cannot be denied. So, how is it, etymologically speaking, that things came to be written up or down? Did these happen more or less simultaneously, or is it just a happy circumstance? And why up and down?


title: Single word for "embrace and extend and possibly corrupt ideas of a political movement"

text: What would be a single word for the process in which political parties (or other groups that have something to gain) embrace and extend (and maybe corrupt) the ideas of a political movement that started and grew outside of the regular channels? Recuperate?


title: Is there a term for the sound of a bicycle bell?

text: A bicycle bell is a percussive signaling instrument mounted on a bicycle for warning pedestrians and other cyclists. Wikipedia says that a bicycle bell produces a _"ding-ding" sound_ , and so, since I'm not sure that _"ding-ding" sound_ is the better choice currently in use, I wonder whether there is a single term with which one can more properly indicate this sound. After some searches I focused my attention on "clang", "to make a loud metallic ringing sound", but I'm not sure it is the right term. Thus, my question is, is there a term for the sound of a bicycle bell? * * * ![](http://i.stack.imgur.com/7CSza.jpg)


title: Context on using available vs accessible

text: Consider the following two sentences: 1) Please put the medicine in the living room so that it is **available** to everyone. 2) Please put the medicine in the living room so that it is **accessible** for everyone. If both sentences are correct, is there any difference in meaning between the two? It seems that _available_ and _accessible_ are more or less synonyms but can one always be used instead of the other?


title: Distinction between with/by means of

text: Consider the following examples:   1. Data are usually input _by means of_ a keyboard or scanner.   2. The variation of the distance was measured _with_ a magnetic position detector.   3. We can change this value _by means of_ the up and down arrow on the keyboard.   4. To move the visible region without resizing it, drag it _with_ the cursor. Under what condition is _with_ used instead of _by means of_?


title: Can Someone Tell me if This Sentence is a Pun?

text: My friend and I are walking along a nude beach. There is an exposed man directly in front of us. My friend asks me what time it is. My response is "It's 12 o' **cock**." Pun or bad joke?


title: What is the difference between "in my opinion" and "to my taste"?

text: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/to+my+taste http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/for%20my%20taste I don't see in those links any mention of opinion, it's not even a synonym. Are those two expression totally different and what is the difference? What about to use "to my taste" metaphorically for the same meaning as "in my opinion"?


title: "Named for" vs. "named after"

text: As a Brit, I'm used to the phrase **named after** being used to say how something got its name. For example, in Wikipedia's List of eponymous roads in London, we read that Addison Road is named after the English essayist, poet, playwright and politician Joseph Addision(1672–1719). But sometimes I hear or read **named for** , where it's clear from the context that the intent is the same. It seems to me that this latter usage is exclusively American. Is this so? And in what sense is **for** being used here?


title: "Enervate" and "intimidate"

text: What is the difference between the words _enervate_ and _intimidate_? Both mean _to weaken or to make timid_.


title: "no hell" or "no hang"?

text: I think "NO HELL" can be used to describe something that isn't bad, or not very tasty. Like a meal that tastes so-so but looked good. I heard at the dinner table last night that my wife said the corn was "no hang". What is the correct expression? Has anyone else heard different?


title: "Absent" as a preposition

text: I've recently seen some people use _absent_ as if it were a preposition. One example, which I found in the Christianity forum of Stack Exchange, is as follows: > A Sinful nature provides an irresistable [sic] compulsion to sin, but even > **absent** that, one can still partake in sin. I cannot find the prepositional use of _absent_ in any dictionary. Is it a new usage?


title: Difference between "inspiring" and "inspirational"

text: What is the difference between the words _inspiring_ and _inspirational_? In which context should one choose one over the other?


title: Horse of a different color

text: I recently heard someone use the expression "Now that's a whole different bag of dog food". While highly unusualy, the meaning was well understood by the audience. I know there is an actual idiom/expression used more normally than this one, but I cannot recall what it is. "Horse of a different color" comes to mind, but I don't think that's it. Is there another equivalent expression in common use? I'd prefer one centered around the words "whole different/whole new", since I believe this expression was a play one such a phrase.


title: How do I know when a word with "ch" is pronounced hard or softly?

text: I'm hard-of-hearing, so when I read, I pronounce things phonetically because I don't hear a lot of soft sounds (like /sh/). To my surprise over the years, I've been continuously corrected on words that have a "ch" sound in them. For example, "parachute" is pronounced "para shoot" \ˈper-ə-ˌshüt, ˈpa-rə-\ and not "para chewt". Are there any indicators of when I would use a hard "ch" sound (like in "choose")?


title: "Hypothesize" vs "postulate"

text: When writing a scientific or engineering paper, how do we choose between _hypothesize_ and _postulate_?


title: Does the verb "Unstar" exist?

text: I'm creating an application for the iPhone where the user has the ability to _star_ an item, i.e. adding a star to the item. Now I am wondering whether I can also use _unstar_? Or should I go with something different - if so, what?


title: What's the correct way to write "foodservice"?

text: The Cambridge Dictionary writes it in two words while the Wiktionary writes it in one. Wikipedia mostly writes it in one word, but sometimes in two. Should it be written "food service" or "foodservice"? Or is there a special rule over this? ps: I'd link to the Wikipedia article, but I don't have enough reputation. Sorry about that.


title: Word for a misused word

text: I am looking for a word that describes the mistaking of a word for one that sounds similar. For instance "you aren't allowed to do that, but I guess we can make a deception." Obviously, "deception" should be "exception." The words don't sound the same, but they're pretty close.


title: Word for describing the emotion of helping someone

text: I am looking for a word which describes the emotion that one experiences on helping someone (friend, colleague, family, stranger). This helping out is not in the context of charity, but more of as helping out a social/societal equal. Is there any such word ?


title: How to avoid repeating a word already contained in "RAID"?

text: I was recently answering a question on Super User about RAID. In this context _RAID_ means "redundant array of independent (or inexpensive) disks". I wanted to point out to fellow user that he should make sure that computer is set to boot from the array. I used syntagma "RAID set" but I'm not sure if it fits. I felt that the best way to say what I wanted would be to use "RAID array" but then we have the array array problem. I've seen that the _automated teller machine machine_ problem is solved by simply dropping the second _machine_ , but here I also had _RAID card_ so using just _RAID_ wouldn't work and I wanted to avoid just saying _array_ because I think that it's unlikely that any of the settings which would need to be changed would contain RAID in its expanded form.


title: What's a word for "quickly and not very carefully or thoroughly checking"?

text: If I want to say I just quickly check a paragraph of text and didn't find typo, but the checking is quick and not careful or thorough. What is a good verb for that?


title: Why are we supposed to say the “a” as an “e” in “any” and “many”?

text: I speak Australian English, but I seem to pronounce the words _many_ and _anything_ differently from how the vast majority of people here do so. I pronounce it using an _a_ sound rather than an _e_ sound like they do. Nobody has been able to tell me an existent rule that deems my pronunciation incorrect. Why would I be pronouncing this differently and thinking _meny_ and _enything_ sounds wrong? Please help!


title: Substitute for F*** in emphasizing disbelief, anger, etc

text: How do I replace F*** while expressing fully my disbelief, anger, etc? E.g., "I think Homer Simpson is incredibly sexy" My reply "Get out of here! That's f***ing ridiculous."


title: Is "something appetite" correct as a noun?

text: Trying to find a name for a restaurant using _appetite_ word. As my native language is not English, Do combinations such "Apple Appetite", "Pizza Appetite" make sense?


title: Mixed person subjects and verb agreement

text: Please consider this sentence. "Not for as long as I or Patricia Smith _live_ will you be allowed to forget that." In this sentence, I've chosen to write _live_ as I believe it is more correct as it agrees with the speaker, I. But try this. "Not for as long as I or Patricia Smith _lives_ will you be allowed to forget that." Now _lives_ agrees with Patricia Smith and sounds much more natural as it agrees with the subject immediately in front of it. The sentence is to be used in dialogue and can not be rearranged as it is precisely what the speaker wants to say. Can anyone throw any light on which would be considered the correct grammar, or whether you agree that the second option is wrong, but sounds right so run with it.


title: Catchall term for HTML, Javascript and CSS

text: A web server responds to requests **[1]** with three types of files **[2]** : HTML (the page structure), Javascript (the page code) and CSS (the page styles). Is there a single word or an expression that can describe all three types of files? * * * [1] _Web servers can serve all kinds of files, but keep to only those three_   [2] _The later two can be inside specific tags inside the HTML_


title: Questions about abbreviations

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "PIN Number" — why do we say it? Assume we abbreviate _"Orthogonal Multi-user Channel"_ as OMC. Is it correct to use the phrase _"OMC channel"_ since _channel_ is already contained in OMC?


title: What is this an example of: "I couldn't fail not to disagree with you less"?

text: Eisenhower used it constantly to fend off reporters. Is there a term to describe this type of phrase?


title: What does "sizing" mean in this example?

text: What does "sizing" mean in the following quote from http://www.wikihow.com/Press-a-Shirt: > Lightly spray the hanging shirt with sizing or spray starch (optional) then > remove the shirt from hanger. My understanding is that in "spray the hanging shirt with sizing", "sizing" seems to be some fluid that will be sprayed on the hanging shirt. But as far as I know, "sizing" means an action of changing the size of something. Thanks!


title: What's a good word for a "line of ink spread sideways"?

text: I want to know correct word for a "line of ink spread sideways."


title: How to phrase topic sentence

text: I am writing an essay on why time travel is actually possible; i.e. actually has a chance of happening in the future. I don't know what my topic sentence should be. "Time travel is possible" doesn't sound strong Would something like "Time travel has a significant probability of occuring in the future" be okay? I need it to sound strong.


title: Cadaver/corpse/body for a dead human body

text: Currently listening to the audio book "Digital Fortress", I came across the word "cadaver" in reference to a dead human body for the first time. Somehow it struck me as a degrading way of referring to it. So I started wondering what governs the choice of the three words _body_ , _cadaver_ and _corpse_ (and potentially _stiff_ and _lich_ ) for a **dead human body**. I.e. would _cadaver_ carry a more formal or medically correct connotation compared to _body_ or _corpse_?


title: Difference between "understand" and "comprehend"

text: Is there a difference in the meaning or the usage of the verbs _understand_ and _comprehend_? Which one would fit best in the following sentence? > In order to speak and **understand/comprehend** a language, there has to be > a representation of the words.


title: Alternative adverb to "sectarianly"

text: Is _sectarianly_ an acceptable adverb in the following sentence? > Northern Ireland is a **sectarianly** charged area of the world. If not what can be used as an alternative adverb? The word _sectarianly_ is not listed at www.merriam-webster.com but mentioned at dictionary.com as a link to _sectarian_. In addition, the British National Corpus does not seem to have any results for it.


title: What is the origin of "slam-bang"?

text: What is the origin of _slam-bang_? > I walked slam-bang into this character.


title: What is another way to say "working on"?

text: I don't want to repeat "working" in the following sentence: > We are working on a working arrangement.


title: Can one "go against" an objection?

text: There were a few examples on google, but very limited and mostly blogs and the like. I'm thinking that words like "ignore" tend to be used with "objections." But is there a word like "defy" that can be used with "objections"? "Go against" is the best I can think of, but it really just doesn't sound quite right to me.


title: Can you distinguish the permission to do something from the license, an official document?

text: According to the dictionary, licence/license refers to an official document which proves you are permitted to do something. What, then, is the word for the permission itself? I'm from Korea, and in Korean the document and the permission are two different things; that is, the formal permission by the authorities is called 면허, and the document is called 면허증.


title: Is there a grammatical error in the following sentence?

text: The monthly rent shall be enhanced up to 10% every year The monthly rent shall be enhanced by 10% every year Note : used 'up to' instead of 'by' in above sentence.


title: What is a word that describes both adding and editing data?

text: Often when making websites, I will create an HTML form object that I will use in two places: once on a page that allows a user to add a new object, and once on a page that allows a user to edit existing objects. What is a word that describes such a form? It isn't so much a management form, since managing implies that the object is already created. It isn't a creation form, since that implies we are only making new ones. More generally, it's common to have a workflow capable of adding new data and editing existing data. Is there a common English word or phrase to describe such workflows clearly?


title: Is there a single word for "taking (or take) one for the team"?

text: Is there a single word that sums up "taking one for the team"? In this instance specifically doing work alone that would normally be done by a small group, so that others can rest.   * Loyalty   * Dedication   * Integrity   * Sacrifice all seem to (me to) be sub-par.


title: What does “LFS” mean in “Charles Dickens wrote about his own LFS”?

text: In association with my question about the meaning of “found-in-a-cabbage-patch look” in the Time magazine’s article, “Playing Favorites,” there was an episode that Charles Dickens experienced a bitter humiliation from his parents’ favoritism to his older sister when he was young. It reads: > “Charles Dickens wrote poignantly about his own LFS, which he experienced > most accurately during a period in which his family had only enough money to > send his older sister to school while he worked in a boot blacking factory. > Even as a highly celebrated adult, he never fully got past the experience.” What does LFS stand for? Does it mean some traumatic syndrome? I checked the definition of LFS on Google. There were so many definitions of acronyms of LFS that I was unable to close in on the pertinent definition.


title: He admitted that it took... Or, He admitted having it

text: Consider the following example: A man wrote a book in 2 days. He admits it. Should I say:   1. "He admitted that it took him 2 days to write the book"   2. "He admitted that it had taken him 2 days to write the book"   3. "He admitted having it taken 2 days to write the book"


title: What's the difference between "lingo" and "jargon"?

text: To what extent, if any, do _lingo_ and _jargon_ differ?


title: "No problem" or "no problems"?

text: I study English and I ran into a problem. What version is correct:   "no problem" or "no problems"? P.S. Is "ran into a problem" correct?   P.P.S. Is version correct word for this situation? May be "variant"?


title: Can "casted" be the past tense of "cast"?

text: 'The Hindu,' an Indian daily, reports: > Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitely _casted_ his vote at > Chimanbhai Patel Institute opposite Karnavati club. Does the verb _cast_ has a form as _casted_?


title: A more formal word for "tech-savvy", relating to IT technologists in particular

text: Good morning. I'm struggling with formalizing this sentence: > Online password managers are popular among _tech-savvies_. This is too casual--I would like a better word for _tech-savvies_ , preferably describing someone knowledgeable about IT/computers, i.e. a _power user_ of sorts.


title: "tabloid" or "tabloid newpsaper"?

text: Is it considered informal to refer to tabloid and broadsheet newspapers as a "tabloid" and "broadsheet", as opposed to "tabloid newspaper" and "broadsheet newspaper"? I'm writing a piece in the style of a broadsheet editorial for my coursework, and trying to save words, but I still need to write within genre and want to know if "tabloid" or "broadsheet" on its own sounds too colloquial for a broadsheet publication.


title: The logic behind "better safe than sorry"

text: It struck me that the phrase "better safe than sorry" is somewhat illogical, or perhaps more accurately, it is _so_ logical and obvious that it seems to carry no meaning at all. My problem with this phrase is that is compares two things (being safe, and being sorry), one of which is obviously good, while the other is obviously bad. Clearly, being safe is better than the "base state", which in turn is better than being sorry. This is in contrast with another common phrase "prevention is better than cure", in which both prevention and cure presumably carry some cost, and the costs are compared in a very logical manner. Could someone please explain why "better safe than sorry" makes sense? (assuming that it does)


title: ___, ___, and I am/are…

text: What is the proper way of saying: "Jim, John, and I am going to the beach." Whenever I say "Jim, John, and I are going somewhere", I stumble over "I are going". Should it be "am" or "are", or should the "I" come first, or should it be "me". When reading everyday messages, I usually see people write "Me, Jim, and John are going somewhere", avoiding the stumble, but that doesn't seem correct at all.


title: Adjectives with Latin etymology when noun has non-Latin etymology

text: As a non-native English speaker, I always wondered why, for example, you say _moon_ , but then you say _lunar_ (same goes for _side_ and _lateral_ , _hand_ and _manual_ and so forth): in some cases, the noun is not the base of the adjective, which derives from the Latin root instead. What is the reason for this phenomenon?


title: Meaning of 'All doubtless nourish the soul, but not all fatten the wallet'

text: I was going through an article on The Economist about returns of higher education and comparison of returns of various fields of study when I encoutered aforementioned phrase. It was quoted in the context of comparing the returns from liberal arts and humanities to those from engineering degrees. Can somebody explain what it means? I get the 'fatten the wallet' part, but what is meant by the first part of the phrase?


title: What is the correct pronunciation and spelling of "asterisk"?

text: Every now and then I get caught out by a spellchecker around the word _asterisk_. I can accept that this is the correct spelling, however I hear a lot of people pronouncing it as _asterix_ also. Is it just me and this is a gradual changing of the word and most people are doing it or am I hearing things because I make the mistake myself? Is the popularity of Asterix the Gaul responsible for this mispronunciation and spelling or is it due to natural changes that happen in any language?


title: Are there any tools for finding words that commonly modify other words?

text: For example, the most common modifiers for the word "car" might be "used", "stolen" and "rented". I think this could be a very useful tool when you are writing and you are looking for a particular word, but you can't remember what it is. A web tool would be ideal, but that's not necessary


title: Can a number be given the attribute 'physical'?

text: This question initially arose while translating a technical document from German. The original text was 'physikalische Heizzonenummer', literally 'physical heating-zone-number'. My immediate reaction was to think of heating zones which are numbered 1 to n but which can be addressed in other 'logical' ways. However, the German does seem to mean that the number itself is 'physical'. For me, a number is a concept and cannot be physical (except for those digits you can screw on to your front door). You can have a group of physical apples or heating zones but a number allocated to each one is surely in itself not physical itself. Am I wrong here? Perhaps the original German is a bit clumsy and imprecise but it just set me wondering about the concept of numbers. I would be interested to hear other opinions :-)


title: Why does the gorilla weigh exactly 800 pounds?

text: It is common in American English to refer to a powerful person or organization as an _800 pound gorilla_. The expression makes sense -- a gorilla of that size would certainly be intimidating -- but what's so special about the number 800? Seaching " _n_ lb gorilla" on Google for various values of _n_ results in many more hits when _n_ = 800 than when _n_ is any other quantity. Also, the Google Ngram Viewer finds notable occurrences of the phrase "800 pound gorilla" in texts starting around the late 1970s; other sized gorillas don't seem to be mentioned at all. The Wikipedia entry for the idiom claims that the phrase is rooted in a riddle ("Where does an 800lb gorilla sleep?") but that's just passing the buck. A 700lb or 900lb gorilla would be equally entitled to sleep wherever he wants to. Interestingly, the Wikipedia entry for Gorilla states that the average male gorilla weighs about 400lb, occasionally reaching 500lb in the wild. Only obese gorillas in captivity have attained weights of 600lb. So the number doesn't even seem to be related to gorilla biology (except that it is safely larger than any known gorilla, save King Kong). **Given that it's an arbitrary figure, is there any reason the number 800 would be more popular than any other?** More generally, is there any relevant research into why some numbers would be more popular or pleasing than other in contexts like this?


title: Hidden meaning in "Got milk?"

text: I often see question "Got milk?" in ads related to milk and milk products. Does it have any hidden (maybe "Urban Dictionary" kind of?) meaning, any humorous/playful allusions in popular culture, movies, etc.?


title: A word for old-fashioned, dirty bar/place (spit-and-sawdust)

text: Is there a (common) single word for an old-fashioned, non-modern, simple, dirty, untidy bar/place ? A noun would be preferable. * * * **Details:** There is an informal British term: > **spit-and-sawdust** Used to describe an old-fashioned or simple pub or bar, > of a type whose floor was originally covered with sawdust. First of all:   * Is this word only used as an adjective? Can it be used as a noun?   * Is it a common word? Can it be used for places other than pubs/bars? Secondly:   * Is there any AmE equivalent of this word? or a common word both in BrE and AmE?   * Can we say that "shabby" is an equivalent?


title: Latin for "to Hide Complexity" as Related to "to Abstract"

text: In computer science and programming we talk a lot about "abstraction" by which we mean to create ever "higher" level code to that accomplishes increasingly complex task with less programmer decision making. See Opposite of verb “abstract” and noun “abstraction” for some context. However, abstract means, "to drag away, detach, pull away, divert" which is not what programmers do when we create abstractions in software. For example, back-in-the-day, text was represented by sequences of of byte codes e.g.               078, 111, 119, 032, 105, 115, 032, 116, 104, 101, 032, 116, 105, 109, 101      ... which we "abstracted" to arrays of characters:               [N,o,w, ,i,s, ,t,h,e, ,t,i,m,e]      ... which we "abstracted" to become a string:               "Now is the time"      ... which in modern languages is actually a class or similar structure:               "Now is the time".methodThatManipulatesString      At each stage of "abstraction" the minutia of working with textual information didn't disappear, we didn't remove it, and we really didn't (arguably) turn the textual information into some higher platonic form. All we did was hide all the grubby details and then bolt on yet more functionality with it's own grubby details hidden away. If you dig down into any language or platform, the details are all still there. It is somewhat analogous to a mechanical watch. The watchmakers can tell the time by looking at the gears and springs of a watch but for the rest of us, they hid the watches complexity behind the hands and face of the clock. So, I'm looking for a term, preferably latin, conveys this idea. Programmers already use "encapsulation" but that just means, "to put in." I want a term meaning "to hide, but not remove complexity" preferably something linguistically and conceptually related to "abstraction" itself. I think it's important in training to make sure new programmers don't think that abstracted code contain less complexity under the hood than the non- abstracted code despite it's more simple superficial appearance.


title: Is "pronunciate" a word?

text: Is "pronunciate" a word? At first it doesn't seem to be, but why not? "Pronunciation" and "pronunciative" seem to be words, so it would seem natural that "pronunciate" would be. After Googling, I found the following here: > "Pronunciate" is a word that isn't listed in most dictionaries; > Dictionary.com does mention it, but it noted that "pronunciate" is used > rarely. If you use it, most people will think that you meant to use > "pronounce" but screwed up. Our tip is that you use "pronounce" instead of > "pronunciate," unless you want to look like a person who uses > "irregardless." "Pronunciate" can also be found on dictionary.com: > Definition: to declare or pronounce Furthermore, I have heard the use of this word fairly often in speech. I have always assumed it was a word. Despite all of this evidence, "pronunciate" seems to have very little usage (see dictionary.com link), and is not listed in most major dictionaries, including the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I have tried typing "pronunciate" on computers, and all spellcheck programs I have tried has flagged it as a typo. Is "pronunciate" a word? Is it ok to use it in a sentence? This will probably come down to whether common usage has created this word. In you answer, please back yourself up with applicable evidence/proof. Thanks!


title: Another way to say 'also'

text: I use the word 'also' a lot when writing paragraphs. When I find myself using 'also' twice in the same paragraph, it feels a bit awkward. Is there another word or phrase I should be using?


title: Numeric abbreviations in business quotes

text: When writing a quote for an order for products, would you write 25K or 25M to refer to 25,000 parts or pounds or units?


title: What's the difference between micro-particle and micron-particle?

text: A simple Google search gave me:               Micro-particle 564,000     Micron-particle 309,000      Are they interchangeable or is there a difference between the two? Here is an example: > Air filters remove dust, pollen and other micro(micron) particles from the > air.


title: Any idiomatic expression in American English for eating too much?

text: Is there any idiomatic expression in American English for eating too much? I would especially want to have an expression that could be applied in a situation when the action of excessive eating is taking place at the moment of speaking. For example, if the idiomatic expression is, say, "to expand one's belly" then it could be used this way in the following situation: > Having spent the whole morning looking for Jack, Peter finally gave up and > decided to have a cup of coffee at the "Swagger's". As soon as he entered > it, he saw Jack sitting inside at one table and consuming probably the third > portion of his favorite smoked chicken. "Here you are/he is!" cried Jack > with anger. "I've been running everywhere trying to find you/him, but you > are/he is sitting here and **expanding your/his belly**! Very nice!"


title: What can be "in" a mountain?

text: I come from a language that heavily uses _in_ as a preposition, so I often overuse it in English. I am trying to differentiate between things that can be _in_ a mountain vs. things that can only be _on_ a mountain. Also, is there a difference between _in_ and _inside_ , because every time I make a mistake like that, people correct me and explain that what I've said basically means _inside_ the mountain. So, for example, can I say that a peak is _in_ a mountain rather than _on_ a mountain? And generally, can something be _in_ a mountain without being _inside_ it?


title: Proper technical terms and sentence structure regarding web apps

text: Could you help me with a particular sentence in English? I am not a native speaker. I am writing about my company from our official twitter account where mistakes are not forgiven. I want to say that we are moving from one software release model to another and I need it to be short (below 100 chars). Currently I have a sentence like this: > We have set aside the cloud-based version of XXX and will simply offer a > standalone app. What do you think? _XXX_ is the name of our product. I googled some parts and different variations of the sentence and there were very few results which lead me to think that there is something wrong. The specific parts I have trouble with – "standalone app" and "cloud-based version". Is it considered slang? What about "self-hosted web app"? Sometimes I over-think stuff like this and can't decide what's right or wrong.


title: Is there a word or phrase to describe the aging of graphics technology?

text: So I'm thinking of something along the lines of the idea of the "uncanny valley" in which technology reaches a point where it's very human/life-like but still "off" somehow, causing a revulsion or dislike of the object because of some sort of cognitive dissonance. I think the word or idea I'm thinking of is in a similar vein, but I have yet to hear a word or phrase to summarize it and I'm wondering if such a word even exists (if not, maybe we should invent it!). When I played Atari 2600 games as a kid, it took a bit of imagination to see a little pixel square as, alternatively, a knight in shining armor, or a lightcycle speeding around the game grid. Later games were more explicit in their details. I remember my first adrenaline-fueled, sweaty-palmed playthrough of Doom and how wowed I was by the graphics. The first time I played The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind I sat by the edge of a lake by the starting town and just watched the rain falling on the water, amazed by the view. I tried replaying Morrowind (Xbox version) again just for nostalgia's sake and found myself getting woozy when going up the stairs of a tower. The graphics just haven't aged well. But how can that be? In just a few years, my mind has become so accustomed to modern graphics that some older games are hard to even make out. What was once so realistic is now a muddled mess that gives me motion sickness! I'd love to learn more about this phenomenon, but I don't even know how to reference it without a long diatribe like the one preceding. Is there some turn of phrase that is used to describe this? I'd like to find if there's any research in this area but don't even know where to start in looking it up.


title: "Flushed out" or "Fleshed out"

text: I think this is a mispronunciation, but I'm not sure... Is "To thoroughly vet something" to "flush it out" or "flesh it out"? "flush" makes intuitive sense, but I've heard "fleshed out" plenty of times too.


title: What is the meaning of 'busts up a chiffarobe'?

text: According to this wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifforobe,                   "Chiffarobe" appears frequently in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird.[7]      For instance, Tom Robinson "busts up a chiffarobe" for Mayella Ewell      What is the the meaning of this phrase?


title: A statement of request in that implies an obvious answer is expected

text: Is there a name for a statement someone makes, in which they issue a command for feedback, or request information, but the answer they want is totally obvious? For example, your friend shows you pictures of his backyard pool, drinks, and girls who hang out with him, and says "so let me know if you're coming over this weekend". It's similar to a rhetorical question, where the asker knows the answer and is essentially asking himself. What would this case be called?


title: Grammar and sentence structure check

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What possessive forms are used for mutual 1st person ownership?   >  My wife and I's seafood collaboration dinner   >  Possessive for a third person and a first person > My and my husband Jack Millan’s parents are distant relatives and knew each > other. You get the gist of what I am trying to say. Is it correct?


title: Writing about contributions

text: If we were asked to write about the _contributions a person made to the study of computer science_ for example, is that different from if we were asked to write about the _contributions a person made to computer science_?


title: Use of medical words

text: When charting on a patient, and a choice is _high cholesterol_ , should both be capitalized?


title: A good example wanted of noun-adjective ambiguity

text: A well-known feature of the English language is that you can use nouns as adjectives: football player, relativity theory, car tyre, army chaplain, house keys, etc. etc. However, some nouns already have adjectival meanings, and if one isn't careful this can lead to unintended ambiguity. I'm looking for the best example of this phenomenon that I can get my hands on. To give you an idea of the kind of thing I mean, the best example I've thought of so far is, "I spoke to the fair organizer", which one would be well-advised to rewrite as, "I spoke to the organizer of the fair." John Baez came up with "Latin lover", which I like. But can anyone do better? Edit: I've decided that perhaps I can sharpen this question up after all. Every example I have come across so far is slightly unsatisfactory for one reason or another. What I'd ideally like is an example that people could imagine accidentally writing and wishing they hadn't. So here are some reasons that certain examples fall short of that ideal. "Light switch" isn't a good example because the intended meaning is so obvious that the unintended meaning (switch that isn't heavy) doesn't register. "Fair organizer" is OK but slightly forced and therefore not something I'd genuinely imagine writing. "Latin lovers" is nice but a bit jokey. Is there an example that doesn't have any of these defects (which are admittedly not too serious in all cases but I want to be fussy)? That is, is there some really rather boring sentence that sounds natural and that has one of these unwitting noun/adjective ambiguities? (NB I'm not looking for just any old ambiguity. The ambiguity should be between the noun as turned into an adjective and a different adjectival meaning of that noun.)


title: Using “you got it” in the sense of “you are welcome”

text: Normally I would assume the meaning of _you got it_ were something like: > You do understand it right.   >  You’ve achieved your goal. Or even > I’ll do it for you very shortly. But from time to time I hear it used as a replacement for _you are welcome_ , especially in bars, restaurants, or cafés. Is this just a more polite way of saying the same thing, or is it more related to informal speech?


title: "Smart casual" vs. "casual chic"

text: As far as apparel code goes, is "casual chic" just about the same as "smart casual", or is there a nuance I am missing?


title: Specific use of "where"

text: Do these two sentences convey the same meaning? >   1. What is more I detailed the difficulty that arises in such an > **investigation where it is** one person's word against another. > >   2. What is more I detailed the difficulty that arises in such an > **investigation, certain aspects of which are a case of** one person's word > against another. > > Sentence 1 is in a document and I'm trying to work out how ambiguous it is and whether it has the same meaning as 2.


title: Can I leave out the word "of" in a situation like "all of his works"?

text: Sorry if this has been asked before, but it's kind of hard to search for the word "of". Is it grammatically correct to say "I'm not familiar with all his works.", or is it necessary to say "I'm not familiar with all **of** his works."


title: What's the difference between Author or Writer?

text: What's the difference, if any, between the noun **author** and **writer**


title: What’s going on with “drink > drench”? Is it like “passage > passenger”?

text: **Edit** : I am looking for a particular linguistic term for this process (which here uses terminal palatalization to indicate such) of turning passive verbs like _drink_ into active verbs like _drench_. I know one such term exists, because I have seen John Lawler use it, but I cannot now find his posts where he did so. The OED does not mention this general phenomenon in the related etymologies. For all I know, it may be older than OE, perhaps even going back all the way to PIE. * * * English has a bunch of verb-pairs where the first one ends in a stop and the second in a palatal, usually with vowel-modification, like these:   * cling, clench   * drink, drench   * hang, hinge   * meng, minge (now dialectal)   * stink, stench   * tint, tinge   * wring, wrench What is going on there? It seems like some hidden regularity of some sort. What does it mean? For words that seem to be missing one of the pair, did those once exist? I’m thinking of words like _quench_ : what happened to * _quing_? Does this have anything to do with these pairs:   * message, messenger   * passage, passenger   * porridge, porringer   * pottage, pottinger   * wharfage, wharfinger Or is that something different and unrelated?


title: Differences between down south, east and west coast slang

text: I'm a Dutch student, and I'm researching American slang. I'd like to find out the differences between the down south, east and west coast slang. Could you give me some specific differences?


title: Why is "delight" spelt and pronounced the way it is?

text: This as everything probably has something to do with the GVS, but how?


title: Is it OK to use the phrase to stay for a week?

text: Is it possible to say: " I stayed there a week" or must one use the preposition for: "I stayed there for a week"?


title: This Company is the Driving Force of / Behind our success

text: Which will be the correct form? Driving force behind our company OR Driving force of our company Thanks.


title: Can “come out” and “come down” be used in expression related to cheques?

text: Can I use them in expressions like these: >   * The bill came out to five dollars. > >   * How much did the bill come down to? > > I checked on the web, but did not find many matching results


title: Is “go on +verb root” grammatically right?

text: I came across the line, " _he went on explain_ (a metaphor) in the clip," at the end of the following sentence of the article, "How to insult your political opponents" appearing in New Yorker magazine (May 3). > "Crucify is kind of like how the Romans used to conquer villages in the > Mediterranean- they'd go into a little Turkish town somewhere and they'd > find the first five guys they saw and they'd crucify them," the official, Al > Armendariz, said in a speech he gave in 2010. "Then that little town was > really easy to manage for the next few years." This was a metaphor for the deterrent effect the E.P.A. was going for, " _he went on explain_ in the clip." I was in understanding that "go on" is followed by "to + infinitive" or gerund. Can "go on" take a verb root as its objective or complement? Is it right to say "he went on speak a gossip," "she went on play piano," "I went on write a letter"?   Conversely, are "he went on speaking/playing/writing," or "he went on to speak/to play/to write" wrong?


title: Is "all total" grammatically correct?

text: >   * We have three apples all total. >   * All total, we have 75 bananas. >   * How many cucumbers do we have all total? > I have heard many sentences like this. I always wonder, is this grammatically correct?


title: "Board" and "go/be aboard/on board" in AE

text: In AE, is it acceptable to say **board/go aboard** (and hence be aboard/on board) for such miscellaneous and various _vehicular (or mobile) devices_ as an elevator, a bus, a truck, a van, a people carrier, a car (auto), a carnival ride, a ski gondola, a toboggan, a sled, a sledge, a canoe, a tractor, an excavator, a baby carriage, a cradle, a crib, a coffin, and a time machine (the type of those featured in the movies _The Time Machine_ (1960), and _Time After Time_ (1979))? As far as your variety of English is concerned, is such usage acceptable? e.g. _Two of them **boarded the sedan**._ http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro- manila/03/09/13/robbers-kill-french-tourist-precinct-chief-axed _Atkins said she **boarded the elevator**..."_ http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?id=9327879


title: 'I got a dream' vs. 'I dreamt'

text: I need to know whether one could say he "got a dream of" something instead of saying that he "dreamt of" something. Would the former usage be grammatically correct?


title: How do you punctuate the following

text: How would you punctuate this phrase? > me personally or my friend Would you put commas around _personally_?


title: "Absent additional configuration"

text: I have come across the below sentence but it doesn't quite sound right. > Absent additional configuration, permits will be distributed at a fixed > rate. Is the first part of the sentence correct? If not, then what is a good way of phrasing it?


title: Classic contemporary design and contemporary classic design

text: I am trying to translate a word in another language that roughly translates to either one of the phrases above. Basically the term is supposed to describe a design that is timeless and a classic. I am not sure why the word modern/contemporary was included (could be a mistake), but I would like to know if either translation would make any sense in English. It seems to be an oxymoron, but maybe someone can suggest a possible meaning for either phrase.


title: What happened to the possessive form, its'?

text: When I was young, the possessive form of the word, it, required an apostrophe preceded by an S. An example our teacher used, which I've always remembered, was: "It's my work but I am its' property, rather than the reverse, by virtue of how essential the work has become." Over several years, however, I've seen the trailing apostrophe almost totally removed from usage. When and why did that rule change?


title: Caveats of punctuation of nested quotes

text: I've found "How to punctuate a quote within a quote?" where the correct punctuation for the given example of nested quotes was: > “He leaned close to me, and said in a gravely and drunken voice, ‘It’s not > easy.’” This shows the obvious point of not doubling the full stop, and having it contracted to the end of the sentence inside the quote. The question has been closed despite dealing with a matter not answered in any linked to questions (they were either about punctuation within normal quotes or about double quoting but not about both at the same time) - though I understand it might be thought to be obvious if the intuitive combination is the correct one. Unfortunately in my case I really suspect "intuitive" is incorrect. _"It’s not easy"_ is a sentence and so, a full stop comes at its end naturally. Now, is the same rule true if we use quotation marks for other purposes? Is the below correct? > “Why should I ever hear about this... ‘agency?’” ‘agency’ is quoted for being an euphemism here. Normally the quote mark belongs to the outer question. Is pulling it inside `‘’` correct or should it go between `’` and `”`? Next, comes a matter of how to contract multiple conflicting ending punctuation marks. The below example is most likely incorrect, but how would one properly punctuate: > He screwed his eyebrows, and asked, "Are you sure you heard 'Stop!'?". If the various quote levels contain sentences that require different punctuation at respective ends, how does one reconcile them?


title: Why do we say 'soup up'?

text: The phrase 'soup up' is slang that basically means 'to increase the power of' something. Why do we use 'soup' here? It seems similar to the phrases 'beef up' and 'pep up', which literally come from the foods beef and pepper, so is it as simple as the fact that it's a variation on those phrases that uses 'soup' as the food? But why soup? Is soup considered particularly 'hearty'?


title: Does ‘sugarplum’ have the meaning of ‘honey’ or ‘sweetie’?

text: There is the following advice for ‘defusing an argument with one word’ in a website: > In an argument in which the fight systems are fully armed you need to > provide an abrupt interruption. Have a look at the effect one word can make > and choose your own: > > “God dammit why do you do that?” > > " **Sugar plum** why do you do that?" > > That single phrase, spoken softly can completely change the flow of energy > in the conversation. It lets someone know the attack is over, communication > can continue. Some will of course continue to go off the rails, so you'll > need to use some judgment. > > http://www.learnmyself.com/LT-45/defuse-an-argument-with-one-word I’ve seen ‘sugarplum,’ the word representing for a candy being used in this way for the first time. Both OED and Wikipedia define ‘sugarplum’ only as ‘a small round sweet of flavored boiled sugar,’ or ‘a piece of dragée candy that is made of dried fruits and shaped in a small round or oval shape. No other meaning. Does ‘sugarplum’ have an extended meaning like ‘honey’ or ‘sweetie' as an addressing word?


title: Be "running late" and "run my appointment"

text: Consider this comment: > My doctor is awesome. He was running late with a previous patient so he sent > a new doctor to run my follow up appointment. Does "running late" here means he is going to be late, or he is going to take more time than usual? What does it precisely mean? Also, what does _running_ an appointment mean when he said they sent a new doctor to run his follow up appointment? Does it mean _to deal with_?


title: Is there a plural form of teeth?

text: Is teeth's a word? Would you say my teeth's enamel is coming off, or my tooth enamel is coming off?


title: Is there an appropriate word that I can use here like "eponymous"?

text: My sentence goes something like this: > The Johnson-Andersson-Paulsen theorem was first described in an 1865 paper > by Johnson, Andersson and Paulsen. It is clear by context that this particular theorem was indeed discovered by Johnson, Andersson and Paulsen, so I would like to avoid repeating their names while still clarifying who first described the theorem. Is it correct in this context to say "the Johnson-Andersson-Paulsen theorem was first described by its eponymous authors", or is there a better way to say what I mean?


I'm reading "The Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James, and I found the following two sentences. > "I suppose that after a girl has refused an English lord she may do > anything," her aunt rejoined. "After that one needn't stand on trifles." What does "one needn't stand on trifles" mean?


title: Can 'floccinaucinihilipilification' be considered a real word?

text: Can 'floccinaucinihilipilification' still be considered a real word? The only context that I have ever seen it used is as an example of one of the longest words in the English language. Also how would you use it in a sentence? Do we have to use literally in a context where estimating somethings value is being done, or can it be used more metaphorically where it is argued that something is meaningless (ie has no useful value (like arguing a word is useless)).


title: Meaning of "magazine" from 1845

text: My wife and I were reading _Institutes of the Christian Religion_ by John Calvin, translated into English in 1845 by Henry Beveridge, and we came across this phrase in the first book, chapter 5, section 4: > "a magazine stored with treasures of inestimable value" Obviously, the context implies that a magazine is some kind of container, or perhaps a location, in which things are stored. Our questions are: What kinds of things were normally stored in a magazine? Who would have owned one? Was it a small container or a large warehouse? We tried to find some information online, but we couldn't. Anybody have any ideas?


title: Was I correct to use the word "establish" in my tweet? Should I have included adverbial "as"?

text: English is not my native language, but I'm a willing pupil and in most cases I'm pretty confident in my knowledge, but sometimes I hesitate to use particular words. I wrote this tweet recently: > I amused. Person who cannot cope with "Cannot modify header information" > error should not establish himself a web-developer. I'm not sure if I made the sentence clear. Shouldn't I have used "establish **as** web-developer," or should I have not used the word "establish"?


title: No-nonsense grammar exercise book

text: I have want to improve my writing. Mastering grammar and spelling are building blocks of writing. Therefore I concentrate on grammar first. The books I use are: \- Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation \- Oxford Essential Writer's Reference \- My Grammar and I These books are very useful, but I am missing exercises. The grammar exercise books I found on Amazon the are of a lower level, and they seem not to have a solid structure like my books. Instead they are are littered with colours and pictures. Can anyone recommend no-nonsense exercise books or websites that match with the books I use?


title: idioms that mean being good at something

text: I am looking for a few idioms that mean either being good at something or simply being generally good. "Ace" is the word I have in mind, unfortunately not an idiom.


title: Is checklist or tick box (or something else) more common in British English?

text: When referring to a list of items that you check off as you complete, would the British say, "checklist," "tick box," or something else?


title: Difference between "Call to action" and "Call for action"

text: Not being a native English speaker, I feel that there is some difference in meaning between > Call to action and > Call for action However my research was unfruitful. Is there a difference between these two expressions?


title: "Popular with" vs "Popular among"

text: > Prof. Sat is not popular with/among his students. Which usage is correct here and why?


title: "Expect of" vs. "expect from"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Expected of, or expected from someone Which of these two sentences is grammatically correct? Are both? What's the difference here? >   * What sort of work would be expected of me? >   * What sort of work would be expected from me? >


title: Superlative version or synonym of "Versatile"

text: I'm looking for comparative/superlative versions of **versatile** \- synonyms which should mean "more versatile" and "extremely versatile" Here's the background: Over on meta.so, I've proposed a new 3-tiered badge for users who have high rep across multiple SE sites. At bronze I'd call it `Versatile`. Can't think of titles for Silver and Gold. I only have "Multifaceted" and "All-rounder" right now. Any other suggestions?


title: how to pronounce 'Uriel'?

text: I have a student whose name is 'Uriel' and I'm just wondering how I should pronounce it!


title: "Missing in" versus "missing from"?

text: Sometimes "missing from" feels appropriate - e.g. "...was missing from the answer key." Sometimes "missing in" feels appropriate - e.g. "...was missing in the answer key." A search for guidance didn't yield much. How to decide when to use "from" and when to use "in" in this context? If the answer is that it depends, please provide examples to clarify on what the (more) appropriate choice depends.


title: The recognition of the word "Enough"

text: I came across a sentence and had bugged me ever since. I cannot identify whether the word "Enough" is an adjective, a pronoun, a determiner or an adverb although I highly suspect that is an **adjective** since it comes after a **linking verb** and describes the noun; so here it is: > Even the small amount she had taken was **enough** to warm her throat as it > slid down.


title: Looking for a noun meaning something you are given to work with

text: As part of a task in a psychological experiment I have a "transformation table" that contains two rows of letters:               A    B    C    D    ...     Z    R    K    Q    ...      The participants are given a selection of letters (e.g. "B") and must transform them with the help of this table (e.g. "B" into "R"). To explain this procedure there is an example that gives a sample letter and a sample transformation, e.g.:               ...    result     B      R      The text above the two letters should explain that the "B" is the letter that is given to the participants as "source material" or "input", and that the "R" is the result after the transformation. **What is the noun that describes the stimulus given in an experiment?** The verb used in this situation is "given", but there appears to be no noun with the corresponding meaning, since the noun "given" means something quite different, namely "a basic condition or assumption" (Merriam-Webster). And it is not a "prompt", because a prompt is not material to be processed. * * * The original German word I am translating this from is "Vorgabe". In this context it means "something that is given".


title: Antonym of "to telescope"

text: The verb "to telescope" conveys in a picturesque way the meaning that an elongated object slides into itself, so that it becomes smaller. I'm looking for an equally attractive verb to convey the opposite meaning, i.e., that an elongated object extends.


title: What single word describes the ability to think analytically?

text: I am trying to complete the following sentence: > This job requires both creativity and **X** Where **X** is a single word describing the ability to think analytically. What would the best word be?


Also I would like to say that during last 4 or 5 years something has become my main goal (at work). I do not know how which preposition is the correct one, whether to use "the" with "last years" and if "get" can be used for the change or something else describing slow change. > During (in) last (the) 4-5 years, it got (became? grown?) my main goal.


title: An analogy to describe an individual who merges traits he finds from others in order to develop his own identity?

text: I am writing a research paper in which my thesis concerns how a character matures through his merging of characteristic traits in his relationships with other characters. How can I introduce this topic with an analogy "attention- getter" that demonstrates this idea of merging things together to form something new? In another words, I'm looking for an analogy that compares how an individual who combines attributes that he acquires from his relationships can actually create a new, and better, identity for himself.


title: Alternative for "not popular"

text: On a similar website to Ebay we have "popular items" (items that have many views) and "not popular" for items that don't have many views yet. Can you provide some alternative for "not popular" or for both?


title: "time and time over" meaning

text: What does "time and time over" mean ? I encountered this verse in a Philip Larkin poem. > they come, they wake us time and time over.


title: putting moon glow on something

text: what does "putting moon glow on something" mean? I mean in this sentence I want to know what it means? "I know I'm putting all this fucking moon glow on it now,like it was special and all." I read it in a play.


title: Alternate ways to say someone is grumpy

text: My manager is a pretty moody woman. Whenever she feels annoyed or doesn't like what you are doing, she would show her displeasure on her face right away. By reading her face, you would know immediately if she is happy or if you should stay away. If she "wears" a grumpy face, you better learn to behave. In Chinese, if someone has a grumpy look, we say he/she is showing the colour or his/her face. Is there something in English that has the same meaning?


title: Perfect of modal "to have to" in infinitive-clause

text: Take the following sentence: > I claim to have had to have done something. As I understand it, it means that I was obliged at some point to have done/finished something at that time.   * Is that sentence grammatically correct?   * Is my interpretation correct?


title: Where do I make the pause in this sentence

text: I am a Catholic monk, in our breviaries, in the English edition, we have a response for the night prayer which goes: "Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit." How do I use this? Is it   1. Into your hands, / Lord, I commend my spirit. Or,   2. Into your hands, Lord, / I commend my spirit. You may find this question stupid, but, I am not a native speaker of English. Any help will be highly appreciated.


title: The use of commas

text: My friend wrote me an email with the sentence > Would the coming Tuesday at 12:15 be okay for you? I immediately thought there should be a comma, somewhere in the sentence. Well he doesn't agree with me and we have been trying to figure out who is correct. Am I correct and if so why and what comma rule does this fall under?


title: What's difference between "I was convinced she didn't know" and "I was sure she didn't know"?

text: In which situation would the first be more appropriate, and in which situation would the second be more appropriate? Which grammatical property distinguishes their meanings?


title: Is using a colon before a table of values correct?

text: Is it correct to use a colon before a table? For example: > The required configuration is provided in the table below:


title: Etymology of "blackguard rating" in the context of the British Army during the Crimean War

text: From Wikipedia: > I never had such a **blackguard rating** in all my life – I who have had > more than any woman – than from this Barry sitting on his horse, while I was > crossing the Hospital Square with only my cap on in the sun. He kept me > standing in the midst of quite a crowd of soldiers, Commissariat, servants, > camp followers, etc., etc., every one of whom behaved like a gentleman > during the scolding I received while he behaved like a brute.... After he > was dead, I was told that (he) was a woman.... I should say that (she) was > the most hardened creature I ever met." – Florence Nightingale in reference to “James Barry,” an army surgeon from the Victorian era who turned out to be a woman in disguise. Now what would a “blackguard rating” be? in the context of that time and place? What a peculiar and interesting phrase!


title: For ever and forever

text: What is the difference between the meaning and usage of _for ever_ and _forever_ in British English? From what I could gather from my online research, > _forever_ means : > >   1. (also for ever) for all future time; for always >   2. continually > and > _for ever_ \- Oxford has only Eng-Ger, Eng-It and Eng-Sp entries for > it(apart from being redirected to forever's definition), Collins says it is > an adverb meaning _forever_.


title: Why are semicolons so difficult?

text: I've had a look around for an answer to this question and just have not been able to find anything. Am I using a semicolon correctly in the following passage? > However, negative results for the three hypotheses would improve the > probability of the aventador theory; Specifically, the quadruple exhaust > pipes on the LP-700 may generate fluorescent flames. Or should it be: > However, negative results for the three hypotheses would improve the > probability of the aventador theory. Specifically, the quadruple exhaust > pipes on the LP-700 may generate fluorescent flames.


title: Name for a small, central unit of human memory

text: I am having trouble coming up with the word to describe a small memory which stands out amongst others. I thought of the word 'aphorism', describing a small and concise phrase, but I'm searching for a word more directly related to memory and in any concise, strong way - like an object, picture, or sound that can trigger or best capture the memory of a whole day or event. Thank you for any input on this! Edit: A phrase is fine, but a single word is ideal.


title: What is the name for the the habit of reciting song titles or clichés when anyone says the first few words?

text: I like literary and cultural references, but I can enjoy them without proving that I get the reference by reciting the entire title or quote. I know that explicitly sharing social experience is the modern poosking, but I find it gauche. I'm not elitist; I'm just introverted. So, is there a name for the compulsion to announce and explain references, subtle or otherwise?


title: Precedence of "and" and "or"

text: Do _and_ and _or_ have any particular precedence as they do in programming languages? What does the following sentence mean? > Will it be cold and rain or snow today? >   * Will it (be cold and rain) or snow today? >   * Will it (be cold) and (rain or snow) today? > Is the sentence completely ambiguous?


title: Why is "sergeant" pronounced "sargent"?

text: I remember when I first came across this word, I thought it was pronounced /'sɜr-dʒint/ (SER-jeent). Now I am curious as to why the first syllable is pronounced /sar/ rather than /sɜr/. I looked at the etymology, and found that the word has always had either _sir_ or _ser_ at the beginning, never _sar_. To top that off, _sergeant_ comes from the Old French _sergent_ , from Latin _servientem_ meaning _serving_ , the same root word that we get the word _servant_ from. To my knowledge, _servant_ has never been pronounced /'sar- vənt/. Why and since when has _sergeant_ been pronounced _sargent_?


title: Isn't Twitter's error message incorrect?

text: One of Twitter's error messages reads: > Something is technically wrong. Of course I understand what they mean, but am I wrong to interpret this as "strictly speaking, there is something wrong" instead of the intended "there is a technical issue"? What would be the ideal, succinct way to phrase this, maintaining simplicity and clarity?


title: Is there a word for two persons dodging each other on the street?

text: While walking on a path, sometimes two person try to dodge each other. Like one guy steps left, and at the same time, other guy steps left and then switches direction and so does the other guy. Is there a word to describe this?


title: Grammaticalization of third person singular -s

text: Is there any evidence that the third person singular -s can be traced back to a lexical item before it became an inflection ? I am trying to see if the theory of grammaticalization applies to its diachronic process. Any information would be most helpful. Thanks so much.


title: Is there a prefix that indicates that an event recurs four times a year?

text: "Semi-annually" describes an event that recurs every 6 months. Is there a similar term for an event that recurs every 3 months? (I'm guessing that "semi-semi-annually" isn't the correct answer.) More importantly, is there a resource or table somewhere that I can use in the future to construct prefixes for other intervals shorter than a year?