title: Why does English have an indefinite article?

text: I've seen many non-native speakers of English not making use of indefinite articles, presumably since their first language did not contain them. Thinking about this, and about the fact that even in English we get along fine without a plural indefinite article (only singular), I wonder why the indefinite article in theory is helpful. It seems to be an arbitrary particle, without the use of which we lose no meaning: > A tall man saw a black dog. --> Tall man saw black dog. This sounds stilted; but if we switch gears to plural nouns, it sounds better without articles because English has no plural indefinite articles, only singular: > Tall men saw black dogs. The presumption here is that we could understand the nouns in the above sentences as if they had invisible indefinite articles. Therefore, no article = indefinite article, as in many other languages, and as with English plural nouns. My basic question is this: What does the indefinite article accomplish? I'm not asking if we should stop using it - obviously it's here to stay for the time being, but is there something I'm missing that supports its existence? Was there a logical reason it came into being, or did it have a subconscious debut? (OK, I'm a language cynic, but deep down, so are you. ;) Apparently the article _an_ ( _a_ being a variant) derives from the OE _ān_ meaning "one, in a weakened sense". Is there any further etymology of the indefinite article, or did its usage arise around 950 A.D.? Did English always have an indefinite article? I'm asking because I want to see intermediate usages if possible: usages of _a_ while _a_ was still being born.


title: "less than" - wrong understanding or mistake?

text: As English is not my mother tongue, I am not sure whether I really do not understand the text below or if there is a mistake with "<" and ">" (less than, more than). Shouldn't it say "...were eligible for the intervention trial if >80% of prescribed doses were taken"? Otherwise the whole text doesn't make any sense, right? ![a scientific text](http://www.easteregg.ch/lessthan.jpg)


title: What is the meaning of the phrase “The morning constitutional”?

text: What exactly is the meaning of the phrase “The morning constitutional”? Is it an early morning walk or the first visit to the bathroom during the day? What is the origin of this phrase? What is the word “constitutional” doing here?


title: “I have come to” vs. “I have came to”

text: I am not a native English speaker, and I learn from people. I often hear people say “ **I have come to a place** where there is no end…”.   I am wondering, isn't the right way to say it: “I have **came** ” (I know that sounds awful, I am asking what's proper)?


title: Is "Girls will be girls" the counterpart of "Boys will be boys"?

text: It seems that "Boys will be boys" is a well established idiom and, according to Cambridge Idioms Dictionary, 2nd ed, as it is written on The Free Dictionary, it is " _something that you say which means it is not surprising when boys or men behave in a noisy, rude, or unpleasant way._ " However, searching on Google Books I found plenty of books whose titles contain the phrase "Girls will be girls" and I found, too, a film named "Girls will be girls". So I began to wonder if "Girls will be girls" is a phrase that begins to take on an idiomatic meaning in English. Is it so? If yes, in what circumstances do Americans or Brits use it? And, what do they want to say when they use it?


title: Is there a name for someone that accepts a risk and then complains when it occurs?

text: Example: Frank is going to buy a house The real estate developer, Jim, warns him, there's a 30% chance your house will drop a lot in value in the next year. Frank buys the house. The value of his house drops a lot in the next year. Frank tries to sue Jim. You would call Frank a...


title: perfect continuous or simple perfect in negative sentences

text: I want to know the difference between present perfect continuous and present perfect in negative sentences. My textbook says (namely, English Grammar In Use, 2nd edition) 'use simple for negative sentences'. Surprisingly, it does not explain the reason. After some googling I found that continuous forms are also used, but I couldn't get the precise distinction. Please help.


title: Usage difference between modest vs decent?

text: The Dictionary definitions are below: > Modest = not excessively large, elaborate, or expensive. > > Decent = appropriate; fitting Please consider below sentences > He has a modest three bedroom house. > > She is a very modest woman. Can I replace the _modest_ with _decent_ in the above sentences? If not what is the difference between usage of _decent_ and _modest_ > He has a decent three bedroom house. > > She is a very decent woman. I have been observed there is some overlap between these two words. My question is how much overlap is there between these two? Are these are interchangeable always?


title: When phrases with the same words are combined by "and"/"or"

text: How are phrases with the same words joined by the conjunctions "and" and "or" to avoid repeating the same ones? If I intend to say sentence 1 below, which of sentences 2 to 5 has/have the same meaning?   1. What are the differences between the North Pole and the South Pole?   2. What are the differences between the North and the South Pole?   3. What are the differences between the North and the South Poles?   4. What are the differences between the North and South Pole?   5. What are the differences between the North and South Poles? Would you rewrite the following sentences to make them more concise?   * There are a red flag and a blue flag.   * South Korea and North Korea are located on the Korean Peninsula.   * Which continent is bigger, North America or South America? Thank you.


title: Positive euphemisms for desert?

text: Looking on thesaurus.com I can find only synonyms for "desert" with negative connotations. Are there any synonyms with positive connotations? Specifically, something that invokes the sense of clean desolation and unspoiled nature.


title: What is the typography term which refers to the usage of bold, italics, and underline styles simultaneously?

text: I remember seeing such a word before, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. I'm googling and having no luck. The classic web comic Pokey the Penguin used this technique quite a bit.


title: Sometimes the article precedes the noun and not the adjective

text: I have a question that baffled me for a while now, and I'd be a happier person for an answer. Why in sentences such as > It's not that big _a_ deal. And > He was as nice _a_ friend as you were. Or > Your awesome of _a_ father, told me that. does the article position itself between the adjective and the noun instead of the usual start of the phrase: > I have _a_ big house to play in. Much obliged.


title: question about the future tense

text: In a sentence like > How do you get to the train station? What would be an appropriate answer (tense wise)? Could you say both of these two: >   * I’ll drive you. >   * I’m going to drive you. > I think both could be correct: the _will_ one if you say it right after you’ve asked the question, and the _going to_ one if it’s planned and you’re having that chat a week before or something.


What's the difference between "I see nothing" and "I don't see anything"? In what condition each of them is more appropriate?


title: Using the word 'option' meaning 'a variable', not 'an alternative'

text: There are two meanings of the word 'option', that I have encountered:   1. A variable that takes one of the multiple possible values. (e.g. "You should set the resolution option to 'default'")   2. An alternative, one of the possible values of a variable. (e.g "In the resolution menu choose the biggest available option") Are both of these meanings acceptable? Is the latter one more common than the former?


title: Word or phrase for "online supporting documents"

text: In a conversation on a particular topic, I want to ask the other person to provide online supporting documents about his views on the topic. They may be _websites_ or _blogs_ or _wiki_ etc, but they should have global acceptance. I mean those documents are hosted or run by a globally accepted consortium, or an enterprise or may be it belongs to some government. In short, to provide online documents that have global acceptance for his views on that topic. So what would be the appropriate _word_ or _phrase_ I should use to say this sentence?


title: "Already" at the beginning of a sentence

text: Is it considered good form to use the word _already_ at the beginning of a sentence? For instance: > Already in 1930, certain people were watching television in their homes. I have seen it used in many history books and even in a speech by President Obama, but a friend of mine who is an excellent writer and one of the most prolific Wikipedia editors said that it was not good practice to use it like that.


title: Accredited school versus accredited degree

text: Is it proper use of the adjective "accredited" to say or write "an accredited degree?" I can't find it used in this manner in a dictionary and I feel like the adjective in this sense should be applied only to the school or institution. In other words, one earns a degree from a accredited school, but not an accredited degree. However, I see it all over the internet as "accredited degree" and the company for whom I'm copy-editing wishes to use it in that manner. Just wondering which is correct..?


title: Is there a word that means both opening and closing a door?

text: As in, > Please do not ___ _ this door after midnight. _Operate_? _Move_?


title: "can't afford to (or don't want to)" or "can't afford (or don't want) to"

text: Is one of the following preferable to the other: _can't afford to (or don't want to)_ _can't afford (or don't want) to_


title: What is the origin of the place name "Unthank"?

text: I was reading this question What is the reciprocal verb of "to thank"?, and naturally the (non existent, but surely quite useful) word _unthank_ came to mind. I then recalled there are several places in England and Scotland called _Unthank_. Does anyone know why they are called this rather strange name? Presumably it isn't due to the ingratitude of the inhabitants.


title: What's the 'fixed constant nature of sensible things'?

text: > Aristotle makes the claim that, "the fact that a thing is itself" allows for > "a fixed constant nature of sensible things" Does it mean:   * sensible things **look like** fixed and constant, or   * sensible things **are** fixed and constant? What does _nature_ mean?


title: What's the proper pronoun when performing an action in IRC?

text: In IRC chats you can "perform an action" with the /me command. It changes the way the text looks so that it's a little more third person and narrative. Here's an example:               chmullig: I'm really hungry     sam: You should eat some cake     chmullig: You're right, I should!     * chmullig eats some cake      However if we wanted to use a pronoun, what would it be? `chmullig eats his cake` or `chmullig eats my cake`?


title: Compile vs Compiles

text: I wonder, should I say, "Will the following program compile?" Or "Will the following program compiles?" Is the verb "compile" treated differently than other verbs?


title: What's the meaning of "lapdog"?

text: What's the meaning of lapdog in this context? > Cablegate revealed that some countries cooperated with the U.S. more than > others, for example. Sweden played **lapdog**. Austria annoyed the U.S. etc. I looked up _lapdog_ in the Longman dictionary but couldn't find it. Is it a newly coined word?


title: Need a nominalized synonym for the word "include"

text: My dictionary lists the following verbs as synonyms for "include": >   1. activities include sports and drama incorporate, comprise, encompass, > cover, embrace, involve, take in, number, contain; consist of, be made up > of, be composed of; formal comprehend. antonym exclude. > >   2. don't forget to include the cost of repairs allow for, count, take into > account, take into consideration. antonym omit, leave out. > > But I need a NOUN not a verb.


title: What does the word 'carcareal' mean when referring to policies?

text: In The Enigma of Capital: And the Crises of Capitalism by David Harvey on page 240 the author alludes to an "... anti-democratic, money-saturated and carcareal drift of capitalist state policies..." which, as far as I can see, is the only time the word 'carcareal' occurs in the book. I've searched Google and some on-line dictionaries but so far haven't found any definition or use of the word in a similar context that would give me a clue what it means. To me the context makes me think of the word 'carcass' and connotes morbidity and death but that's a wild guess.


title: Etymology for the phrase "butterflies in stomach"

text: How did the phrase "butterflies in stomach" originate or what is the story behind this phrase?


If booklets are little books, what are pamphlets? Little "pamphs"?


title: Word for non-monetary price

text: Is there a word or phrase or expression for something that you ask in return for a product or service, when it is something other than money? And what is the verb that goes with it when someone “pays” the non-monetary price? (I can’t think of anything else other than “a favour in return”, with possibly the verb “to do a favour in return for the product”; or “a kickback”, which sounds fishier than I would like, and I don’t know what verb goes with that.)


title: Why is present continuous used in "A key goal is learning to read"?

text: > A key goal is _learning to read_ a matrix. Why is present continuous used here? As I understand _goal_ is a final state. So _learning_ is the process, to achieve something, not the goal itself. So this sentence should be like: > A key goal is to be _learnt_ how to read matrices. So actual goal is to know how to read them, not learning it. Is this correct? **EDIT** : I'm trying to understand, is the goal is the process of learning or the goal is the final state after you've learned, i.e. the goal is to know how to read, which is acquired by learning.


title: Thanks for sharing your great experience!

text: I want to thank a person for what he taught me. How can I say him this? > Thank you for sharing experience Is this sentence correct? Does not it contains lexical errors?


title: Pronunciation of Bank, Tank, etc.: Bay-nk, Ray-nk or Baen-k or Raen-k?

text: What is the standard US pronunciation for words such as the following:   * Bank   * Rank  At least in my dialect of US English (Inland Northern), the following seem like close transcriptions:   * Bank: bay-nk /beingk/    * Rank: ray-nk /reingk/ However, in dictionaries that I am referencing (Japanese dictionaries of English), the vowel is given as /ae/, as in the following:   * Bat: /baet/   * Rat: /raet/


title: Rule forbidding use of “is” at end of sentence

text: Is there any justification for using “is” at the end of an English sentence, or is there a rule that forbids this?


title: Why is the Norman genitive used instead of the Saxon genitive in this sentence?

text: > Moore makes you feel for him and, at the same time, she makes you want to > push off **the weight of Ira** — all his exposed, sappy neediness — far > away. Source (emphasis mine) I think this way. It can be rewritten thus: "push the weight off of Ira" meaning "get rid of the weight from Ira." To say "the weight of Ira" is "Ira's weight" is ungrammatical in my opinion. When "the" is involved, like this, it's normal to say "A's B" So from this perspective, to interpret this "of" as possessive is wrong. Am I right?


title: Word for a portmanteau made of two synonyms

text: Is there a word for a (possibly accidental) portmanteau of two synonyms? For example, say, you contract "liberty" and "freedom" to "liberdom".


title: What is the meaning of `Position Fulfillment`?

text: I can't understand the meaning of `Position Fulfillment` in Human resource context. Is it same as `Position History`? an example: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/GT936.png) Any help would be appreciated!


title: What does this "ridiculous" mean?

text: > It was ridiculous how adorable you are. A father said so to his daughter. Does this “ridiculous” carry a very strong feeling?


title: Is there a formal way to say we want to go to the toilet?

text: I've heard: "I've to go the potty", "I have to meet Mr John", "Nature is calling me, I have to go", "I've to go to the rest room". These sentences aren't formal, are they? Is there any other way that I can use it when I'm in a meeting?


title: What is "chopsing the ref"?

text: Adam Jones, the Wales and Lions prop, was reported as saying about his policy regarding the referee before yesterday's match:- > You have to get the ref on the right side of you. You don't want to be in > their face, **chopsing** at them, getting on their nerves and pissing them > off... _Chopsing_ is a new word to me. Looking it up, the only definition I can find is on the Urban Dictionary:- > 'Chopsing' is a Welsh slang term for arguing or saying disrespectful things > to someone. This seems quite an apposite definition, and works well given the context, but is there a more reliable source for this word? Are there any clues as to the etymology?


title: What is an adjective that means a person that easily trusts others?

text: I'm looking for a word that could describe a person who is very gullible and easily trusts people. My specific example is Fortunato from Edgar Allen Poe's story: The Cask of Amontillado Edit: the character's name is _Fortunato_.


title: What does "growing from strength to strength" mean?

text: as the title asks What does `growing from strength to strength` mean ?   A Google search yields meaning for the word strength and not the phrase. [It would be great if somebody can provide URL/search engine for looking for the meaning of such phrases] Context > During my own lifetime our popular cinema has auspiciously grown from > strength to strength Source : Acceptance speech at the Brisbane Doctorate ceremony


title: Meaning of "take the way"

text: Does the expression _take the way_ signify that you take a particular route with a specific destination? The sentence I came up with is > He **took the way** to the stadium. Is that correct?


title: Best resources for word popularity

text: I am looking for a good resource that can give me some idea of how popular or commonly used a word is. Some of these may be:   * WordCount.org \-- Indexes the words based on the popularity count. For example, the first word is `the`, and the word `amazing` has the rank 4459.   * Urban Dictionary \-- This does not index words, it just lets users propose their own interpretations of words. Sometimes those interpretations are funny, sometimes just plain absurd. But nonetheless, you can see how many responses a word has gotten and make some assumptions about it's popularity. Can someone tell me something better?


title: in or on for plural nouns?

text: Which is proper in the example sentences below? >   * We have trust IN his aunts, uncles, grandparents. > >   * We have trust On his aunts, uncles, grandparents. > >


title: Single word for 'I think it is right but not exactly sure about it'

text: Could somebody suggest a single word for 'I think it is right but not exactly sure about it'. I can say 'I am almost sure' but wondering if a word exists with same meaning. Thanks in advance


title: perfect tense: question on "unspecified time"

text: What kind of time descriptor can be regarded as an "unspecified time"? (So it can be used along with the perfect tense) For example, it's correct to say: > I have seen that movie six times in the last month. Can I say "I have seen that movie six times in May" instead? There's a quiz on the English exam paper: > In 1492, Columbus **_** on one of the Bahama Islands, but he mistook it for > an island off India. > > A. lands B. landed C. has landed D. had landed I felt that it's little weird to choose C, so I chose B. But I wonder if C is also grammatically right.


title: Why are the "hands" of a clock called "hands"?

text: Why are the _hands_ of a clock called _hands_? To me, this makes little sense; they do not resemble hands in any way, and if anything body-part related, they should be arms. So why _are_ they called hands?


title: As it did - meaning and usage

text: I found this interesting topics being discussed here. I also had some time back asked similar questions in the other forum. Here is the sentence - > Although his (Nirmal) detainment (in prison) lasted only a day or two, the > experience had a profoundly unsettling effect on Nirmal, following as it did > on his rejection by Nilimas's (Nirmal's wife) family and his separation from > his own. I understood the explanation from other replies, and would have applied same explanation to my quoted sentences as well, but the "on" after "as it did" and the "following" before "as it did", makes thing a but different in this case. Can you please explain this also? Thanking you in advance.


title: Longest English word without a vowel sound

text: I am not an English student, by discipline I am physicist, so am asking this question in innocence. I searched Google for the longest word without a vowel sound and I get these results: > The longest common word without any of the five vowels is RHYTHMS, but there > are longer rare words: SYMPHYSY, NYMPHLY, GYPSYRY, GYPSYFY However, English student don't agree, they say there is an `\i-sound\` and `\schwa\` in the word RHYTHM. I am confused, what should I believe, the internet or my English university students?


title: Is this an example of litotes?

text: In Macbeth's _Tomorrow_ speech > To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day > to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have > lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a > walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage > And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and > fury Signifying nothing." — Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-28) is the last line _Signifying nothing_ litotes? I have to analyze this segment for school, and I'm a little unclear of what litotes is in practice.


title: Is it correct to say "times" in this context?

text: Consider the following: > Math teacher: "How can we turn 42 into 420 through multiplication?" > > Student: "You _times_ it by ten!" Is this usage of _times_ correct? I hear it so often that I suspect it may be correct. I'm sure the reason for this (potential) mistake is that it _is_ correct to say: > "Ten _times_ four is forty." Does anyone know if this is correct or not?


title: How to say "Thanks for being my friend" for past friendship

text: I need to send a card to refer to past friendship. Is > Thanks for being my friend! grammatically correct? I would not like to use the past perfect tense to express this (e.g. _had been_ ).


title: "In the open sea everything must be recorded in the Log. "

text: Why the book where the record of a ship's speed, its progress, and any shipboard events of navigational importance is called Log?


title: Is there a principle for the word order of idioms e.g. Town & Gown rather than Gown & Town?

text: The second version sounds awkward but I don't know why? So is there any rule for these idioms e.g. reverse alphabetical order e.g. Walkie Talkie? Is there a name for these? Just found another Sooner or Later


title: What does "post-production" mean?

text: Pudget Systems has a computer called Genesis: > A cutting edge, highly reliable workstation optimized for post-production > and design. What exactly does _post-production_ mean in this sentence?


title: Why do golfers yell: “Fore”?

text: Feeling rather bogeyed, I'm looking for some fore-closure to this query — help!


title: "preposition: a word to annoy prescriptivists with"

text: What is the double meaning/meanings of this?


title: Is there a single-word verb meaning “to perform cunnilingus on”?

text: The single word for _to perform fellatio on_ is the verb _fellate_. Is there an analogous word for cunnilingus?


title: If "it is a good read" is correct, is "they are good reads" grammatically correct?

text: I can describe a book as "a good read." But can I describe a number of books as "good reads?"


title: What's the meaning of "subject of speculation"?

text: > He survived 10 attempts on his life, and at 82 his health was a subject of > speculation. What do the people speculate, _health_ or _subject_ ?


title: Is the phrase "fire and brimstone" used by Americans or it is only in Bible?

text: As far as I know "fire and brimstone" is an idiomatic expression of signs of God's wrath in the Hebrew Bible. Is the phrase commonly used by Americans or it is only used in Bible?


title: "Rather !" as a reply: old-fashioned? Colloquial? Unusual?

text: Is "Rather" as a reply (BrE), with heavy stress on the second syllable, old- fashioned ? Colloquial ? Unusual ? > e.g. "Did you enjoy yourself?" "Rather!" Can "pretty much so!" be its AmE counterpart?


title: "She was not happy." - Ambiguity of the 'to be' in English

text: I always think about this since in my language (Portuguese) the verb 'to be' has two meanings for which I will give two examples: "She was in the room." - here the verb to be has the meaning of 'estar'. and "She was not a customer." - here it means 'ser'. > Take "She was not happy" > > "Ela não estava feliz" - she was not happy at the moment. > > "Ela não era feliz" - she was not a happy person The question is: Is there a way to distinguish the meanings of 'was' in the example or do I have to go with "She was not a happy person".


title: Non-sexual meaning of "to have a hard-on for someone"

text: What does it mean to "have a hard-on for someone" in a non-sexual sense? I've heard it used in contexts that make it seem like the subject is acting aggressive or belligerent toward "someone". Is that right?


title: how the word "trait" is countable

text: I saw this sentence in a textbook: > His physical traits have been given. We know that an abstract or non-physical thing is an uncountable noun. In this sentence the word "trait" means characteristic. So why is it plural?


title: Sure-fire: where does it come from?

text: According to the Oxford dictionary: > Sure-fire: (adjective, informal) certain to succeed. Example: bad behaviour > is a sure-fire way of getting attention Where does this word combination come from and does it have anything to do with fire?


title: Can the noun “sheen” denote the simple outward appearance of something?

text: When I visited Sweden, I noticed the Swedish cognate _sken_ used to mean the simple outward appearance of something, (see http://tyda.se/forum?id=194961,) and this did not seem at all surprising to me, because I was already familiar with the same use of the word "sheen" in (my native tongue) English. Here is a made-up example: > In the 1990s, the company acquired a sheen of legitimacy while retaining its > former connections to certain organized crime networks. However, this meaning of the word does not appear in any dictionary that I know of. Is this an accepted meaning of the noun "sheen" as I always thought it was?


title: Help me understand the word 'deflect' in this sentence

text: > Belanger dances with an _undemonstrative panache_ that draws one's attention > as if by seeking to _deflect_ it; through finesse and understatement, he > manages to seem at once intensely present and curiously detached. This is a question in my GRE text book. There are 2 blanks, and you can choose the words given to best fit the blanks. I have put the correct words in the sentence, in _italic_. I think I do not understand the phrase '...by seeking to deflect it'.


title: When did the word "snafu" enter the colloquial vernacular?

text: Roughly when did the word "snafu" enter the colloquial vernacular? It was a military term, but at some point it came into fairly common use among the general population. If you can narrow it down to a decade or so, that's good enough for me. Additionally, if you could, tell me how you figured out the answer (teaching a man to fish and all...)


title: Is "release stress" acceptable in English?

text: Would it be correct English to say "release stress", for example: "If you do not find a way to release stress, you will get tired, you may even fall ill." Is "release stress" an acceptable collocation, or are there other ways to express the same idea in more idiomatic English?


title: What is the plural of "chewing gum"?

text: What's the plural of "chewing gum"? Hearing "do you have any chewing gums?" sounds wrong; I would say "do you have any chewing gum?", but looking it up, there seems to be a bit of confusion on Google. Some results indicate that "chewing gums" is the plural form of "chewing gum", while others say that "chewing gum" is an uncountable noun, and has the same plural as the singlar form.


title: I can't understand a sentence with "never more ~ than ~"

text: I'm a student studying English and I'm not quite sure that my question is proper to this site. Let me know if my question is improper. > Thomas Jefferson was never more typically a child of the Enlightenment than > in his youthful conviction that reason and inquiry may lead man away from > whatever is false, twisted, and capricious in human affairs toward the > truths inherent in the nature of things. The above is the full sentence, and I especially can't understand the following parts. > Thomas Jefferson was **never more** typically a child of the Enlightenment > **than** in his youthful conviction. I want to know grammar used in it, and want to know interpretation or rephrasal in clear meaning.


title: Usage of "n times" (two times,...)

text: Is it possible/common to say: > I'd like an apple **two times**.


title: Word that means "do research online"

text: There was a word I heard a long time ago in a video game that sounded something like "sleuthering", and when I looked it up it meant "to search or do research online" or something like that. I can't find this word now... The closest word I found is "sleuthing"; the meaning is close but it's not the same word. Does anyone have any idea? The video game is Metal Gear Solid 4, and the sentence went something like "Sunny did some 'sleuthering' for us and...." I can't look up cutscenes of the game because this line was spoken during an in-game "codec" call.


title: Goal "for" or Goal "of"?

text: > The goal **for** these negotiations is to reach a mutually-agreed long-term > comprehensive solution that would ensure Iranˈs nuclear program will be > exclusively peaceful. while we have a noun phrase "the goal" connected to another noun phrase "these negotiations", why isn't _of_ used instead of _for_?


title: To what do the "letters" in the title "a man of letters" refer?

text: The term _man of letters_ , as I understand it, was used in the 18th and 19th centuries to describe an individual who lived a marked intellectual life; who might, for example, own a large library, conduct independent scientific investigations on his own initiative, and be engaged in correspondence with leading literary and scientific figures of his time. However, I have been confused for a time to what the _letters_ in the appellation refer to. I have 3 hypotheses, in order of my confidence in them:   1. _A man of letters_ is referred to as such because of the voluminous correspondence such a man would be expected to keep, as befitting a man acquainted with the leading literary and scientific figures of his day; we might expect the study room of a man of a letters to be replete with mail from all over the country, and much of his intellectual _oeuvre_ might be completed within such letters. There are many prominent examples of this sort of thing; Darwin's letters contain much original work, as did Alexander Hamilton's.   2. The appellation to refers to the distinct British habit of abbreviating all sorts of personal and professional accomplishments with letters of the Latin Alphabet. For example, an _Alexander Trevelyan, BA, MA, Ph. D, FRS, KB_ might be appropriately described as a man of letters.   3. It refers to simply the sort the material that should fill such a man's life; books, pamphlets, tractates and so on. The letters refer more to his _literacy_ , than to his correspondence. Which, if any of these, is correct?


title: What does it mean to describe someone's chin as "pugnacious"?

text: If one were to describe someone's chin as "pugnacious", what would that chin look like? **EDIT** : In the context where I read it, it was used as a purely physical description I believe; it wasn't situation-specific. Therefore, I don't think it means simply _thrust out_.


title: Is it incorrect to say, 'Give me it'?

text: Is it incorrect to say, 'Give me it' ? I am told that it is and one should always say, 'Give it me'?


title: Can a verb in the -ing form take a direct object?

text: Here is the example: > We condemn such behavior that can risk damaging a company’s brand and > reputation. I think, the 'a company's brand reputation' is the object of 'damaging'. And the whole phrase is the object of 'risk'. is it right?


title: Is it acceptable to drop "having" in "having to do with?"

text: > I encountered a problem having to do with the connection… vs. > I encountered a problem to do with the connection… Is the second option a legitimate expression?


title: Should the word "Gentile" be capitalized?

text: I've read some texts and versions of the Bible using the capitalized form of Gentile and others using just a lowercase version. I couldn't find any standards on its usage.


title: Correct response to "Pardon me"

text: My young son recently started saying "Pardon me" after, for example, burping. We try to praise, or at least respond, when he does something right, as encouragement and as a form of learning. This caused a discussion on how one should respond in general. So my question is - what should be the correct, polite response to the phrase "Pardon me"? My guess would be the formal "You are pardoned." Answers should ideally ignore the fact that the response will be to a young child, otherwise "Well done" followed by applause would fit the bill.


title: Is there any proper word for a person who is very hard to please?

text: I searched on Google - but mainly find "difficult" / "demanding". I am just wondering if there is any more appropriate word?


title: An expression for trying to futilely apply old methods that once worked

text: We are looking for an expression that captures this idea: When someone tries to adapt an old way of doing something, holding on to the original core of their process, in a futile way, instead of discarding that approach and trying something novel.


title: What does "just above chance" mean?

text: > Each classifier in the group is a “weak” classifier (only just above chance > performance). What does "only just above chance performance" mean?


title: Hypocrisy definition clarification

text: According to Wikipedia: > Hypocrisy is the state of falsely claiming to possess virtuous > characteristics that one lacks. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others > and is thus a kind of lie. Hypocrisy is not simply failing to practice those > virtues that one preaches. According to a "define: hypocrisy" google search: > the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's > own behaviour does not conform; pretense. If I am a smoker, and I claim that smoking is terrible, nobody should smoke. By the wikipedia definition, I would not call this hypocrisy, by the google definition I would. Am I reading the english wrong here? The smoker still smokes, which does not conform with his said beliefs, however wikipedia says "Hypocrisy is not simply failing to practice those virtues that one preaches." Can anybody help me really understand these definitions?


title: Expressions similar to "at the expense of"

text: I'm struggling to expand my vocabulary. Could you please provide expressions alike to "at the expense of"? Words or phrases are all well-appreciated.


title: Transformation? Cleft?

text: I am wondering if the difference between "It is terrible." and "What it is, is it is terrible." can mostly be described in terms of transformations, grammatically. Is it a kind of cleft sentence?


title: Are the names of game tokens capitalized?

text: Are the names of game tokens considered proper nouns, and hence need to be capitalized? Apparently not for chess, as king, queen, bishop etc. are written in lowercase. But what about games whose terms and conventions are less ingrained, for example Settlers of Catan? Which would you use? > **A.** If you roll a seven, you can move the **robber**. _(treated as common > noun)_ > > **B.** If you roll a seven, you can move the **Robber**. _(treated as proper > noun)_


title: "commit suicide" In A Literary Way

text: > They have committed suicide. It sounds too cold. I am not writing a report. > They have ended their lives. It sounds too boring. * * * So how can I phrase it such that there is a sense of beauty?


title: What's the grammatical function of "not" and "to" in this sentence?

text: What's the grammatical function of _not_ and _to_ in this sentence? > It is legitimate for Slovenia not to allow the merger. How do I analyse the verb phrase? _Allow_ is the headword, but what are _not_ and _to_?


title: Equivalent of “married” for people in a relationship?

text: When asked the question “Are you in a relationship?” an appropriate answer would be “No, I’m married.” However, if asked “Are you married?” you may say "No, I’m in a relationship.” But my question is, what is the equivalent of the word _married_ for people who are in a relationship?


title: depends on or dependant on

text: Consider the following: > The response time of a service depends on the network traffic, > > The response time of a service dependant on the network traffic. Which is correct?


title: The files are "ready to download" or "ready to be downloaded"?

text: Both ways seem to be used quite interchangeably even though the first one doesn't seem grammatical to me (English is, however, my second language so I could be miles off here). What do you think?


title: early on, later on - How to explain "on"?

text: I have been thinking about these adverbials for a long time to understand this connection of "early/later" with "on". These adverbials are used for introducing a sentence or they are placed at the end. My first explanation was "on" is a kind of intensifier, almost meaningless. Now I tend to see this "on" as a clear marker to indicate that "early/later(adj/adv)" are used as adverbs. But all the same I don't find a formula from which I can derive these adverbials by using the two words. ... early ... on ... / ... later ... on ... - What words could one use to get a formula that means "early/later on"?


title: Is "Mankind" used with "is" or "are."

text: I saw an old quote saying "My friends are mankind." Is this correct? The word "are" is generally used with multiple objects, so it works properly with friends - ie, "My friends are great" is correct. But "mankind" is singular - saying "Mankind are great" would definitely be incorrect. Would "My friends are mankind" be proper grammar, or would it need to be changed to "my friends are the whole of mankind" in order to change mankind into a plural?


title: What's the passive form of "A lives (or resides) in B"?

text: I could easily say "Currently, there are six people living in that manor", but how do I turn it into passive sentence so that the manor becomes the subject? I was trying to make a sentence about a group of five people renting an apartment house together.


title: Question regarding the usage of "Bang"

text: Can anyone shed some light on the origin of the use of the word "Bang" to imply a positive adjective? For example, here are three colloquial phrases which use the word bang to lend strength to the meaning: > That's a **bang-up** job you've done!   >  That's **bang** out of order!   >  It's **bang** up to date. Meaning, respectively: > That's a _really great / the best_ job you've done!   >  That's _really_ out of order!   >  It's _the most_ up to date. * * * _UPDATE_ I've just thought of another one: > They had him **bang** to rights. (i.e. He was most definitely guilty) I'm still confused as to where this usage originated. Brian Hooper suggests they could all be a variant of bang-up, which sounds plausible. It would also appear from the comments that a few of these uses (which I can attest are real and recognisable phrases. Well, in England, at any rate) are unfamiliar to our American friends. So perhaps these are colloquialisms that haven't migrated for some reason, or perhaps they are more modern constructions. I will continue to search. * * * _UPDATE 2_ I've come across some interesting information regarding the origin of the phrase - it appears in one of Dickens' works, Sketches by Boz, where the term Slap-bang is used to refer to a cheap restaurant. The deal was that both money and food were slapped down on the table because it was a cheap establishment. From this we get the terms slap down and bang down, which seem to have evolved into bang-up and slap-up respectively as their positive opposites. Slap-up seems to be heard only with regard to food (a slap up meal), whereas bang-up seems to have become a more general expression of positivity. This still doesn't quite satisfy me with regard to the other uses ( **bang out of order** and **bang up to date** ), but it's a decent start.


title: What is the context in which 'ice breaking' is a good thing?

text: If you are on a frozen lake and the ice breaks you basically plunge into cold water. That could end badly. What is the explanation for 'getting to know everyone', or 'getting the conversation started' gets to be called 'breaking the ice', or any action that causes dialogue to start gets to be called 'icebreaker'? There are other phrases like 'thawing of relations', or 'warming up to each other' which are used to describe people starting (starting again?) to get along. But is 'icebreaker' just a mistake that became popular and then accepted?


title: Which variant of English should I use when my target audience is the world?

text: I know that all variants of English (American English, British English, etc.) can be generally understood by everybody who knows any of the English variants. However, there are some regionalisms that can lead to ambiguity.   What are the things I must be aware of when the target audience (of my writing: book, blog, etc.) is the world?


title: The usage of " inside-out and outside-in "

text: > **Do we have both the usages of inside-out and outside-in?** **inside-out** means: with the inner surface turned outward. So basically they are the opposite meaning? Perform inside-out and then perform outside-in on an item A, then I suppose geometrically that we can turn A back to A itself? And can we call this process of inside-out and outside-in as the $2\pi$=360 degree self-flipping? Thanks.


title: Correct word for Unsubmitted?

text: Looking for a correct word instead of **Unsubmitted** referring to Orders that have not been submitted yet. Unsubmitted seems incorrect since it has not been submitted yet giving the misleading notion it has been retracted or removed. I was thinking 'Pending' but it sounds like the orders are being held pending a decision but the orders just have not been submitted by the person/user. Is there a more accurate word in the future tense for orders that are to be submitted?


title: Put two and two together...and got five?

text: I know the phrase "put two and two together", and in fact someone has already asked a question regarding its origin. However, I recently heard someone say the phrase with an addition of the humorous "and got five". Is this part of the original saying? If not, was it coined and by who?


title: Is it correct using "even" and "still" together?

text: Is it correct using even & still in one statement? eg: > "even after a warning, he is still doing the same" I think either is redundant, isn't it?


title: Can your use of Latin-derived words indicate your social class?

text: It is certainly true that educational level and social position usually walk together in most societies. Not considering that, however, and based only on how often one uses Graeco-Latin versus Anglo-Saxon derived words, is it possible to identify someone’s social status in England from how frequently he uses Graeco-Latin derived words? In other words, upper middle-class people would tend to use these words much more often than the poorer working-class, irrespective of other educational level markers. I am not looking for opinions, but for statements based on data and statistical analysis, just like the one below. LEXICAL BAR - A term coined by linguist David Corson in the 1980s. > In English-speaking societies coincidences of social and linguistic history > have combined to create a lexical situation that is unique among languages: > most of the specialist and high status terminology of English is Greco-Latin > in origin and most of the less abrstract terminology is Anglo-Saxon in > origin. English in this respect, relative to other languages, has a fairly > clear boundary drawn between its everyday and its high status vocabularies. > > ... > > The bar is partly a function of the historically introduced and social > class-based orderings of society that are associated with the division of > labour: it separates the lexes of the members of conservative peripheral > social groups from the dominant and high status léxicon of the language. The author goes on to offer examples of the differences in the linguistic style of young people on opposite sides of the bar: "I dunno, there's times when I think there are a few laws I'd like to stop but....don't know any I'd like to bring in." (London, poorer working-class 15-year-old) and "I don't think I'd introduce many new ones but I would abolish quite a few. (London, upper middle-class 15-year-old) References: 1. Corson, D., The Lexical Bar, Pergamon Press, 1985.


title: What do you call a letter saying that you are amenable of a request?

text: I am writing a letter to express my acceptance of a request from my employer. Their request is for me to stay longer in the company because the supposed effectivity of my resignation is 30 days from the filing date. In exchange of accepting the request, I don't have to pay the cash bond they imposed because of me not finishing the contract. What do you call this type of letter? And what are the usual content of the body of the letter?


title: Why do we use "gubernatorial" as an adjective?

text: Both "govenor" and its adjective form, "gubernatorial", _originally_ derive from the same Latin word _"gubernare"_ (to govern) yet we use root "govern" in all contexts ("govern", "government", "governor", "governing", "governmental"...) except for "gubernatorial." Why is "gubernatorial" the odd man out? Also, is this just an American thing? In Australia, we also have governors but I've never heard the word used outside of the context of American politics.


title: "Alphabeticalized" or "alphabetical zed"?

text: In Google, if I search for the word _alphabeticalized_ , many links show that there is a word _alphabeticalized_. But in MS Word 2007 , if I type _alphabeticalized_ then it underlines that word and suggests _'Alphabetical zed'_ as an option. What's the correct spelling?


title: Term for the link a seller sends to a buyer to make payment

text: Oftentimes when buying stuff online, the buyer receives a URL (like a PayPal link) from the seller, which the buyer then clicks to make a payment. Is there a concise name for such a link?   * "URL that seller sent to buyer for making the payment" is too long   * "Payment link" could make people think that the seller sends a payment to them   * "Link for user to deposit payment" is a bit better but still long


title: Can something be "extremely mediocre"?

text: This doesn't sound quite right to me, but I can't explain why. I can understand an extreme sense of mediocrity one can get from something but does that justify the usage of "extreme" with "mediocre"?


The preposition "on" is used to refer to a surface like "on the floor" or "on the ceiling" "in" is used to refer as a enclosed space like "in a country" or "in a city". Why do we say "the Indians were put on reservations" and not "in reservations"?


title: Difference between domain and dominion

text: Can anybody give me more examples on how to use these words? I know for sure than you should not use dominion as domain for the Internet but apart from that sight difference both words seem to be synonyms to me.               and Death shall have no Dominion by Dylan Thomas      **UPDATE** to Wordreference as a governed area they have the same meaning? So I guess "The domain of the Roman Empire" or "The dominion of the Roman Empire" are both legal. Am I right?


title: What are the connotations of "there" in "hello/hi there"

text: I'm an ESL speaker and I'm not completely familiar with the underlying meaning conveyed when adding _there_ to a greeting such as > Hello there compared to just > Hello (punctuation omitted for simplicity, but feel free to analyse with an exclamation mark/comma) or with "Hi (there)". What does _there_ imply?


title: When to use inverted word-order like "great an option"?

text: I heard this in a movie yesterday: > That is great an option! Why didn't he say: > That is a great option! How does grammar desribe such inverted phrases? Where should I use this inverted order instead of the usual "an [adjective] [noun]"?


title: To retroactively create?

text: Is there a verb that means "retroactively create"? For example: > John wanted to retroactively create a relationship with his estranged > father. I'm **not** looking for a word that means "retroactively improve" (e.g. gentrify). Apologies for the split infinitive, if it offends you. EDIT: I suppose I'm _really_ looking for a word that means "go back and change one thing into another thing." John has a relationship with his father: an estranged one. He'd like to change it into something better. Maybe this blurs the distinction between "retroactively create" and "retroactively improve," but I'm looking for a word more like the former. EDIT 2: The downvotes and sarcasm aren't necessary. I had a question and I asked it. Maybe there's not an answer... but there's certainly not a reason to berate me for inquiring. "Retroactively create" is, indeed, paradoxical. I'm looking for a way to say that a person has recognized a mistake, and has tried to "erase" it rather than fix it. Another example: > After the public realized the evidence was insufficient, the administration > tried to **___ __ ___ __** reasons for its behavior.


title: Correct capitalization of words beginning with "e-"

text: What is the correct capitalization of words beginning with "e-" (like e-mail or e-learning or e-assessment) when used in a title? Is it "E-Learning" or "E-learning" or even "e-Learning"? To clarify: This question is not about _hyphenation_ of such words (there are lots of other questions about that topic), but only about _capitalization_ , e. g., in titles or at the beginning of a sentence. For the argument's sake, let's assume the words _are_ to be hyphenated. ("Email" is a trivial answer.)


title: What's a positive word for "disruptive"?

text: When talking about disruptive business practices, we are speaking of things out of the ordinary or off the expected trajectory, which typically leads conventionally minded people to think it's a bad thing. However, in the case that the status quo is insufficient for the future, disruptive forces would be a good thing. Thoughts?


title: Why put a period after your name in the closing of a communication/E-mail?

text: I have several co-workers in Europe and all of them tend to put a period after their names in the closing of E-mails, e.g.: > Thanks,   >  Matt. I've never seen this, so I am curious if it is proper form to put a period after your name in a communication.


title: Varieties or varietals?

text: A “varietal” is a wine made principally from one variety of grape, such as Cabernet-Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, etc. In that sense, “varietal” is a noun. You can also say a “varietal wine”, as “varietal” is also an adjective meaning “relating to a variety” (a variety of grape, for example). It seems the correct noun to name the different kinds of grapes is “variety”, not “varietal”. You can say: “this variety is grown mainly in Argentina”. However, I frequent some internet wine forums and I have noticed that many members (all wine geeks) talk about grape “varietals” making reference to grape “varieties”. They say things like “this varietal is grown only in Chile”. The use of “varietal” as a synonym of “variety” is so pervasive that I have seen some wine forum members argue that it should be accepted. Other members do not agree and try to correct their peers whenever they make the mistake. Who are right?


title: Is there one word for "air-conditioner"?

text: I find the word "air-conditioner" quite clumsy. I wonder if there exists a simpler word meaning the same thing.


title: Is it accurate/correct/proper to call an abusive dictator a megalomaniac?

text: The definition of megalomania indicates that it is the delusion of power, wealth, greatness, importance, etc. So when talking about malicious dictators, especially those known for mass murder of their citizens, is it correct to refer to them as megalomaniacs? They clearly have some mental issue going on where they don't relate to their fellow man like the majority of the species, but since they do in fact have the power to do what they're doing, would megalomania not apply? It seems to me this is very context sensitive. If a regular person felt they had the power to call an emergency session of congress, that would be a delusion. If the president felt that, regardless of their ego, they do in fact have that power so it would not be megalomania. If a bloodthirsty dictator were to kill thousands/millions of their people, but had a very clear understanding of what they were and weren't capable of, that wouldn't be megalomania right? However if the same dictator thought they were a god and had the power to create or give life, that would. Am I interpreting this right?


title: What's the converse of "The straw that broke the camels back"?

text: A friend likes this lady for many of her nice qualities. But one of her small niceness-es made him fall for her completely. He referred to it as "The straw that broke the camels back" which I believe is not the phrase that quite describes it. What phrase was best suited?


title: Replacements for "i.e." other than "that is"

text: I frequently write technical texts, in particular mathematics. As the subject matter tends to be difficult, I have made it a habit to augment each potentially confusing phrase with a clarification. The abbreviation _i.e._ has become my trusted tool for this task. However, I have never been very satisfied with _i.e._ , mostly because I am beginning to use it like a unique grammatical construct, even though it is just an abbreviation. My problem is that I find the commonly cited synonym "that is" to be _worse_ , I think it breaks the flow of sentences too much. Let me demonstrate this with a typical example > Assume that this is not true, i.e. that there are counterexamples X and Y > such that the statements `Y < X` and `X < 2Y` are false. If I want to replace "i.e." by "that is", I have to remove the second "that" > Assume that this is not true, that is there are counterexamples X and Y such > that the statements `Y < X` and `X < 2Y` are false. but I find this version to be less readable than the original. The reason is that the _i.e._ invites the reader to repeat the preceding clause, i.e. the reader can enhance the flow by reading it as follows: > Assume that this is not true, i.e. ( _assume_ ) that there are > counterexamples X and Y such that the statements `Y < X` and `X < 2Y` are > false. If I wanted to enhance readability with "that is", I would have to repeat a part of the first clause explicitely in the text > Assume that this is not true, that is _assume that_ there are > counterexamples X and Y such that the statements `Y < X` and `X < 2Y` are > false. Such explicit repetition would grow old really fast, though. The underlying problem seems to be that the phrase "that is" carries no meaning by itself, it is again a shorthand for "which means that", "this says that" or "in other words". My question is: What are other alternatives to _i.e._ that can I use in the sentence above?


title: How to punctuate an example indicated by "say"

text: I'm wondering how commas should be placed around the word " **say** " and the following clause in a sentence like this: > If you have, say, a bucket, that you would like to fill with water, then ... This is how I _speak_ the sentence, with minor beaks at ever comma. But it looks odd in text. I've seen others use punctuation in other seemingly random configurations, including with no commas at all, which looks even worse. One of the reasons I can't work it out is that the bucket here appears to be acting like the subject, _and_ a separate clause (although one that can't be removed without breaking the sentence). Is there a "best" choice of punctuation for a sentence like this? And is there a name for this kind of built-in-example-clause-thingy?


title: Replicit? Or a word that sounds like it?

text: I've looked up "replicit" and it's not a word, or so I can tell. But I could swear that there's a word that sounds like "rep licit" which means "full of" or "abundant." "Rimplicit"? Nope. Does anyone know what the word might be?


title: Can I write June 15 instead of June 15th?

text: In writing, I have always believed I can use day numbers without the "th" at the end. I know they are pronounced, but have been taught I can write them either with or without this "th" at the end. Is this correct? And if so, is one of them considered to be better?


title: I used to have been born and never grown up since then

text: Does it make any sense to the native-speakers? If yes, how does it sound?


title: Contraction of "is not"

text: How exactly can you contract the phrase "is not"? More specifically, what's the difference between the sentences, "The dog isn't running." and "The dog's not running."? They both sound correct to my ear, but I'm not sure if the latter is grammatically correct.


title: "Why do people read books?" — "Because people read books to get information."

text: I work at a middle school in South Korea. One of the questions on the recent 2nd grade mid-term exam was "Why do people read books?". There are over 300 students in this year, so there were plenty of different answers. One of the answers was "Because people read books to get information." I believe it's wrong, but I want to explain to my students _why_. If anyone could explain the grammar, I would be very grateful.


title: How did the pronunciation of the word "derby" evolve?

text: Brits say "dar-bee" for both the town and the race, but Americans pronounce it as it's spelled. Did Brits used to say "der-bee" too and that's why it's spelled that way but they changed over time? Was it always pronounced like in the UK but American pronunciation followed the spelling for some odd reason? Is it borrowed from some other language so there's a disconnect between the spelling and the UK pronunciation?


title: How should I understand "all the more reason to"?

text: The following sentence is from a commencement speech. > _All the more reason to_ be grateful, this and every day, that we live in > America, where the talents God gave us may be used in freedom. I don't understand the phrase "all the more reason to" even after I looked it up on thefreedictionary.com, which returns the entry: > **all the more reason for (doing something) and all the more reason to (do > something)**   >  with even better reason or cause for doing something. (Can be included in a > number of grammatical constructions.) I don't quite understand the explanation: what does "with even better reason" mean? Can anybody say something more about this phrase?


title: Put it simple or put it simply

text: > Let's put it simply: If the central government wanted to "eliminate" the > Dalai Lama, why has it waited for such a long time? Isn't it foolish to take > action against Dalai at such an old age? I read this in Global Times. I gave a second thought on the usage of _put it simply_ here and suspect that _put it simple_ would be a better choice. Am I right? **Edit** : I have seen _put it simple_ and _simply put_ more often, which is why I asked here.


title: Wanderwort origins and the Indus Valley Civilization?

text: I have noticed that there seem to be many words that have travelled the globe due to trade, such as the word orange or rice, which have plausible origins in proto-Dravidian. Meanwhile, it is hypothesized that the language (if it is a language, which some people argue against) recorded in the Indus script is a Dravidian one. All this makes me wonder if these numerous possibly-Dravidian Wanderworts are indicative of the Indus Valley Civilization's success in trade. This page of Wikipedia lists 7 English words with possible Dravidian origins, notably:   * **Orange** , through Old French orenge, Medieval Latin orenge and Italian arancia from Arabic نارنج naranj, via Persian نارنگ narang and Sanskrit नारङ्ग naranga-s meaning "an orange tree", derived from proto-Dravidian.   * **Rice** , via Old French ris and Italian riso from Latin oriza, which is from Greek ὄρυζα oryza, through an Indo-Iranian tongue finally from Sanskrit व्रीहिस् vrihi-s "rice", derived from proto-Dravidian.   * **Sugar** , through Old French sucre, Italian zucchero, Medieval Latin succarum, Arabic: سكر sukkar and Persian: شکر shakar ultimately from Sanskrit शर्करा sharkara which means "ground or candied sugar" (originally "grit" or "gravel"), from proto-Dravidian. So, is it likely that the Dravidian language that these words came from is the language of the Indus Valley Civilization? Is this a poor, uninformed idea? or, alternatively, am I late to the party and this is already intuitively obvious to historians? What are your thoughts?


title: Meaning of "have an agenda"

text: What does it mean when someone says _he has an agenda_? Is there a negative connotation to _agenda_? If there is, then why and what is a word that means the same thing but has a positive connotation?


title: "Amount" vs. "quantity" in generic?

text: It seems like both are used when referring to generic nouns:               Product:         name price amount total         ---- ----- ------ -----      or,               Product:         name price quantity total         ---- ----- -------- -----      So which one should I use? I've also seen someone use _amount_ instead of _total_ in case of shares:               Shares:         share price quantity   amount          ----- ----- -------- ---------                 *      *     price*qty      Should this be correct or not?


title: A good noun for a two-faced person

text: I'm in need of a word that describes someone who has two personalities (they don't necessarily contrast each other, good/evil).


title: Term for words that have different pronunciations depending on the part of speech

text: Is there a general term for a word that has different pronunciations depending on which part of speech it is taking on in a sentence? For example, "attribute" here is used as a noun > She has many good attributes; I think I will ask her out. .. and here as a verb > I attribute her good looks to the expensive face lotion she uses. However, the typical pronunciation is different in either case (the stress is on a different syllable).


title: What is the name of this system of proof correction marks?

text: I remember in English classes when my teacher had used this sort of system when correcting essays in the class. I never asked her about what it was and just complied and made the revisions to my essay according to the markings. I'm quite interested in this subject now—I've illustrated a reference of it and linked to it below. Can anyone tell me the name of this system, and where can I learn more about it? ![alt text](http://i.stack.imgur.com/idR5O.jpg)


title: What does "Red tape" refer to?

text: What does "Red tape" refer to?


title: Derogatory term for a rookie soldier

text: I am looking for a derogatory term that can be used to describe a novice soldier/conscript who is awful at army-stuff. Something like _cannon fodder_ but it should stress the incompetence of the described person, but it can't be a vulgarism. It is meant to be a unit name for a game set in a fantasy-medieval setting.


title: Using "c'mon guy" instead of "c'mon man"

text: Is it possible to use _c'mon guy_ instead of _c'mon man_?


title: 'To present' or 'to present with'?

text: I have a question on the usage of _present_ as a verb. Should it be always be followed by a _with_? Which of the following usage is legal/sounding good?   1. I presented my mother diamonds.   2. I presented my mother with diamonds. My take is that #2 is perfect, but #1 is not invalid.


What does the phrase "for the heck of it" mean? For example, I just found this in a book: > — I just dusted the dining room for the heck of it!   >  — How thoughtful of you!


title: Ye olde english alphabet question: Any other letters lost besides thorn, edh, and yogh?

text: According to this link, we are missing (in Modern English) at least three letters that used to be in common use in English. These are thorn, edh, and yogh. Are there others that were clearly **_in_** the English alphabet at some point and then **_not_** in it, or would the others simply be short forms and things that exist in some documents but which are not clearly known as “another letter of the English alphabet”? The link mentions that kids used to include ampersand in the recitation of their ABCs in English schools at some point, but let’s leave that aside for now, too.


title: Error Correction possessive noun

text: Wrong Sentence-All the candidates felt that this year's question paper was too easy. Right Sentence-All the candidates felt that this year the question paper was too easy. Why is "this year's question" in the sentence wrong???What are the rules to construct possessive sentences ?Is there any reference site where i can find out about possessive sentence?


title: How can I write out 1.5?

text: I would like to write out (1.5) in words and also (5.0). How would I do that?


title: Correct tense form after "if"

text: Let's say I use a misunderstood word in direct speech. After that, which is correct to use from the following?   1. _I can explain, if you don't catch the meaning._   2. _I can explain, if you haven't caught the meaning._   3. _I can explain, if you didn't catch the meaning._


title: What's the difference between a dangling modifier and a gerund phrase?

text: This was the first sentence of a New York Times article: > Petro O. Poroshenko, a pro-European billionaire confectioner, was sworn in > on Saturday as the fifth president of Ukraine, promising to put an end to a > separatist insurrection in the east that has divided the country for months. Why doesn't the portion "promising to put an end..." have to be placed next to "Petro"? Why isn't this a misplaced modifier? Whereas something like this is considered to have a modifier error: > Living beneath the ground, scientists discovered a bat colony. Are participial phrases at the end considered okay?


title: Is "teh" an English word?

text: I remember being told that "teh" (a common misspelling of "the") is actually a proper (though very old and no longer in common usage) English word. Teh was used as an example that if every single English word was included in a spell-checker it would decrease (the spell-checker's) utility (very few people know or use "teh", it's auto-corrected to "the"). I've checked both on-line and paper dictionaries and can't find it, can anyone confirm that it is an English word and what it's meaning is?


title: Why do we say that a plane is "en route"?

text: My primary language being French, I can clearly understand what _en route_ means ("on its way"). I can't see, however, why English-speaking people would use this French expression. Why is it used?


title: Are “this” and “next” demonstrative determiners?

text: **Question 1:** In the following, is _this_ a **demonstrative determiner** : > I will go to the store this week. **Question 2:** If so, then what class is _next_ in the following: > I will go to the store next week. **Question 3:** It seems that both serve the same grammatical syntax and function here; are they therefore classified the same? (If not, why not?)


title: Origin of | (pipe symbol)

text: What is the origin of the | (pipe symbol) in typesetting?


title: Difference between styles of English in technical communication

text: I have a collaborative software project with two other users. Nearly every technical report and documentation written goes through the following editorial changes to some of the sentences (examples below; note the differences in the parts in italics): ### User A (original version)   1. Example X _can also be_ written as Y   2. As _is often_ the case, ...   3. Such programs _are generally_ known as ... ### User B (revised version)   1. Example X _also can be_ written as Y   2. As _often is_ the case, ...   3. Such programs _generally are_ known as ... Now both users are native speakers of English. As a non-native myself, I'm confused between the right style here. Both seem correct to me, but I couldn't care less either way. The consistency with which the users write these sentences makes me wonder if it is due to US/UK English conventions. An alternative explanation might be the expected style of writing in technical communication. Can someone shed some light on this?


title: How to name liabilities owed by me and by someone?

text: If I have to pay an invoice it's my liability. If someone has to pay an invoice issued by me it's also liability. Are there any words that distinguish these two types of liabilities? Disclaimer: Sorry if that's obvious, I'm not a native speaker.


title: The antonym of political-savvy

text: People sometimes use "political-savvy" to describe someone who is aware of what to do or what not to do in an organization or company. I wonder which word would be the opposite of that? i.e. someone who doesn't have that set of political (business, communication) skills.


title: Words with Unexpected Meanings (like "restive")

text: I'd like to rationalise its startling "opposite" definition which acknowledges that "The original sense, 'inclined to remain still', has undergone a reversal." What induced this change? Moreover, is there a term for such words with ostensibly contradictory definitions to their appearance? This all induces me to think about "false friends," but here I'm asking only about English, and not comparing between 2 languages.


title: Commas after Conjunctions

text: So we've already discussed at length whether it's okay to start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, and it's pretty clear that it is (and I've already done it in this sentence). But (there we go again) it's very common to start a sentence with a conjunction followed by a comma, like this: > So, here I go writing the first example. This isn't limited to the beginning of a sentence. Although I've mostly seen it in the beginning of sentences, it's also common to see things like > I wrote the first example, and, then I wrote the second example. The origin of this is pretty clear; it's the fact that we take often pause in such situations in spoken English, and people who see commas simply as punctuation sprinkled about to create pauses would never second guess putting a comma here. It's my understanding that this is incorrect—that a comma should **not** follow a conjunction like this—but I don't have any definitive sources, so I wanted to make sure.


title: What's another way of saying "supposed to graduate in 2013"?

text: I am filling out a job application and I know there's an official word for it, but I just can't think of it. It can normally be found on transcripts.


title: “miss at” vs “miss by”

text: I want to know the meanings of the following sentences:   1. John missed at 50 yards.   2. John missed by 50 yards. Does #1 mean that John missed (a mark? or what?) at the place 50 yards in front of something (a mark?)? What does #2 mean? According to one explanation I read somewhere, #2 means “how far I am to the side of something”. But I don’t know what they mean by that. Does #2 mean that John missed something at the place 50 yards _away_ from something?


title: "Yet" at the beginning of a sentence

text: Can one use "Yet" at the beginning of a sentence as follows? > Yet, he came late. Is this grammatical?


title: What is the meaning of "drifting" in this context?

text: > Beatrice was driving like a very slow lunatic. She went twenty-five miles an > hour on the highway and kept **drifting** across lanes so the other cars > honked and swerved and ran into guardrails and stuff. Does "drift" mean a "slow steady movement from one place to another"? Well, I know that there is a motorsport that is called "drifting", but I think that this is not the case. But I believe that when you are in this motorsport, you drift the car, I suppose.


title: What is the converse of "hence"?

text: Imagine I have two sentences. The second one causes or precedes the first one, like: > It is raining. There are a lot of clouds. You can say: > There are a lot of clouds. Hence, it is raining. I want to know if there is one word to obtain this structure: > It is raining. ..., there are a lot of clouds. Is there a word I can put on the ellipsis? I know I could use a description (for instance "This is because"). Starting the sentence with "Because" is not allowed in my case.


title: Can someone please explain the following passage from Milton's Paradise Lost?

text: I understand all the words, but not quite the meaning of the following passage, from Milton's Paradise Lost, Book I: > 635 For me be witness all the host of heaven,   >  636 If counsels different, or danger shunn'd,   >  637 By me, have lost our hopes, Also, I'd like to know if there are some references online where one can look up passages from this book. My edition has some footnotes, but they're not very thorough. Thanks!


title: Explaining the comparative form of "numb"

text: The most common definition I have of numb is:   1. "Deprived of the power of sensation."   2. "Deprived of feeling or responsiveness." These definitions show up in nearly the same form in multiple dictionaries, yet I see comparative and superlative forms "number" and "numbest" listed as well. I understand numb to mean complete deprivation of feeling, and so here's my question. I had a student write the sentence: _His fingers got number the longer he stayed outside._ She asked if it was correct (because the spelling looked funny to her; it looked like number, as in "the number seven"), and I told her that numb didn't need a comparative form because it implied **complete** lack of sensation. I told her she could phrase a sentence _His fingers slowly became numb..._ to signify that he was getting colder, but that she should not use numb in a comparative or superlative sense. Can somebody explain to me the reasoning for the comparative and superlative forms of this word. As well, I have the same problem with "wet, wetter, wettest."


title: Should we say less or fewer "fruit and vegetables"?

text: _Fruit_ is uncountable but _vegetables_ is countable, so we should use less or fewer before them together?


Can I say, "Your example was quite graphical"? A person wrote an answer to me on StackOverflow and provided a very good example with pictures. Saying "your example was good" or "nice" or "clear" seems to me to be too general. On the other hand, I've searched and didn't find any case of "graphical example" on Google.


title: Make/take a photograph?

text: In English we say _"take a photograph"_ whereas in some other languages one would say _"make a photograph"_. The French say _"take"_ even though they _"make"_ far more often than we do in English, and Germans say _"make"_. The Spanish are also in the _"take"_ camp, so it seems to be related to romance/germanic distinction, further afield, Russians say _"make"_ (I think). Some say that cameras steal your soul. Saying that a camera removes (one Spanish verb is literally _"remove"_ ) rather than constructs the photograph seems to betray a very different philosophy and attitude to photography as a creative process. So, how did we end up using _"take"_ rather than _"make"_?


title: How can I answer the question "What is the word, bird?"

text: I'm often asked a question "What is the word, bird?" by a manager of mine. I'm not sure what does it mean but I think it means "What's your last status update?" and I answer like I do have to do 1, 2, 3 ... What does this question means in Urban American English? And does it imply anything?


title: Good synonyms for "waste of time"?

text: Can't think of any off the top of my head, and the thesaurus comes up with bland results.


title: Is ‘toss a bone to somebody’ a popular English idiom?

text: I came across the phrase ‘toss a bone’ in the headline of the New York Times article (July 15) in its Business section that reads “As a Watchdog Starves, Wall Street Is Tossed a Bone.” I checked dictionaries at hands to find no entry of this idiom, though I found ‘cast a bone between’ and ‘throw a bone,’ neither of which seems to be near ‘toss a bone.’ In this search, I found the phrase appearing in the lyrics of Confederate Railroad in Youtube that goes: > "So _toss a little bone to_ the working man   >  Make it a law that we all get a raise   >  And prices go a little l..." From the context of the headline of NYT article and the foregoing Confederate Railroad lyrics, I guess ‘toss a bone’ implies ‘to give a bate, or little reward (incentive) to somebody.’ Am I right? Is ‘toss a bone to somebody’ a popular English (or American) phrase apart from the Confederate Railroad’s song?.


title: Meaning and usage of "big time"

text: > "Gabi agreed with rule changes big time."   * What does that mean? In which context is it appropriate to use and where it is not?   * Word order - is it always used at the end of sentence?   * Is it official english or colloquial only? Is it US, UK or Austraila specific, or general English?


title: Usage of 'not different'

text: Take a look at this sentence. > Many apps are not good. Even some of Apple's own apps are not different. I intend to mean some of Apple's own apps are not good. Is this correct?


title: Difference between "sleeping with Sean Parker" and "sleeping on Sean Parker"?

text: In the movie Social Network, there is a scene where Sean Parker corrected a sentence said by a girl who he just spent a night with: She was rather astonished when she realized the man standing in front of her was Sean Parker so she wanted to double confirm, "I just slept with Sean Parker?" Instead of replying her with a yes or a nod, Sean Parker said, "You just slept **on** Sean Parker." And he laid stress on the word "on". > Sean Parker: I founded Napster. > > Amy: Sean Parker founded Napster. > > Sean Parker: Nice to meet you. > > Amy: [Surprised] You're Sean Parker? > > Sean Parker: Ah ha! You see, the shoe is on the other... > > Amy: Foot? > > Sean Parker: Table. Which has turned. > > Amy: I just slept with Sean Parker? > > Sean Parker: You just slept **on** Sean Parker. Is there a different between "slept with Sean Parker" and "slept on Sean Parker"? What is the significance of emphasizing on the preposition "on"?


title: Is there a word for identifying shapes in other objects (i.e., clouds)

text: I"m looking for a word that describes the process or act of identifying a shape, symbol, or whatever from another shape. For instance, if you look at clouds, sometimes you see an animal, or shape. In TV, there was an episode where a person saw a divine image on a grilled cheese (i.e., grilled cheesus). Johnny Carson famously brought on a woman who had various shaped potato chips (of which he acted like he ate one, much to the shock and horror of the poor woman).


title: Disrespectful use of "mister"

text: Is it disrespectful to use "mister" with a person's first name? Examples: Mr. Tom, Mr. Phil, etc.


title: "Dead simple.." vs. "Really simple.."

text: I'm writing copy for a new web application and I'm having some trouble with it. On one headline I've written "It's dead simple ...", but while my client was reviewing it he asked if this is not too 'cool', and suggested "It's really simple ...". The context is: Web 2.0 application, really COOL with a beautiful bright homepage design! How can I convince him to use "Dead simple...", or am I wrong and "Really simple..." is better?


title: What preposition should one use with "redundant"?

text: I realize it's usually better to just say "A and B are redundant". But, I've also seen   * A is redundant _with_ B   * ... _to_ B   * ... _of_ B all with basically the same intended meaning. Are any of these more (or less) correct?


title: Order of "noun + describing noun"

text: Which one is correct or preferred?   1. The command _/reload_ is... < some description >   2. The _/reload_ command is... < some description >


title: "Regress" vs. "retrogress"

text: What do each of them mean exactly? Is either (or both) the opposite of "progress"?   Could someone please explain the difference? * * * To add some context: When I look up the definitions I see the definition for regress is "to return to a previous, usually worse or less developed state", whereas the definition for retrogress is "to go back to an earlier, esp worse, condition". They both look the same to me: antonyms of "progress".   But when I used the term "retrogress" at one point someone corrected me to use the word "regress", and I didn't understand what the difference is... so now I'm confused at how the two are different, and when to use which.


title: How did "to lie" (i.e lie about something) and "to lie" (i.e. lie down) end up being spelled the same way?

text: I'm hoping to find out the history of how "to lie" as in say something dishonest and "to lie" as in rest horizontally end up being spelled the same way. **To lie** _(lie, lied, lied)_ : a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood. **To lie** _(lie, lay, lain)_ : to be in a horizontal, recumbent, or prostrate position, as on a bed or the ground; recline. I looked it up on etymonline, but they didn't provide much insight into that question. It says one is from early 12c and the other late 12c. I'm not well versed in latin, so besides being able to tell that the roots are different in spelling, I couldn't make much from just looking at the roots, either. If there's such a significant time gap, does that mean one decided to intentionally let the spelling clash? Or was the person coming up with the word unaware of the other? What happened back then? Unless there's some clear reason (i.e. there's a meaningful connection between the two that I'm not seeing) why would one want the spelling to clash? I'm, of course, assuming nobody would intentionally want the spelling to clash. It would seem like they are way too common of words to end up clashing coincidentally. (At least from a 21c perspective, but may be they weren't back in 12c) Does anyone have insight into what is the history behind their spelling clash? Or can you tell by looking at the latin roots, something that's non-obvious to me?


title: What is a good way to learn about words whose pronunciations are very different from how they are spelt

text: It is embarrassing to be caught mispronouncing an aphonetic(?) word whose pronunciation is not intuitive. Are there any comprehensive word lists (may be the 5000 popular words that are commonly mis-pronounced) or resources for a non-native English speaker that can help with the correct pronunciation of "irregular" words.


title: Punctuation within a question

text: How do you punctuate "Are you Mr. Jones?" Is that correct or should it be "Are you, Mr. Jones?"


title: Word for parents of your child's partner

text: There are words for relationships obtained by marriage or partnership of family members: xxx-in-law. But, surprisingly, there is no word (that I know of) for the parents of your child's partner. **Or is there? Or did we forget it?** I wish there was a word for it (also in Dutch, my native language), because it is always hard to describe this common relationship concisely. For who is interested: the Malay language has **besan** : _relationship between parents whose children are married to each other_.


title: How can I refer to the population of a town keeping the name of the town?

text: There are words like New Yorkers, Londoners, etc.: _(1)_ they keep the name of the city/town; _(2)_ they refer to the people living in it. How do I fulfill both conditions for a small town called Somesmalltown? Say,in a sentence like: > 50% of _Londoners_ went to a football match on Tuesday? Phrases like "citizens of Somesmalltown" or "population of the Somesmalltown" seem to be out of place in this case, as I take it. Does a phrase like Somesmalltown`s people,Somesmalltown people or similar sound right?


title: Bow vs Bow - etymology of the differing pronunciation

text: OED states that both "a bow" as in the weapon and "to bow" or "a bow" as in to incline at the knee share a common etymology: > Etymology: Common Germanic: Old English boga, corresponding to Old Frisian > boga, Old Saxon bogo (Middle Dutch booghe, Dutch boog), Old High German bogo > (Middle High German boge, modern German bogen), Old Norse bogi (Swedish > båge, Danish bue) < Germanic *bugon-, < stem bug- of beugan, to bend. However the two words are pronounced quite differently. I was wondering when and why the two meanings diverged in pronunciation.


title: What is the word for situation when something was done in most probable way, despite the fact it could go differently by an accident?

text: For example: on my daily way to work I could trip and hurt my leg accidently, but if I arrive without being hurt, how should I describe it? I arrived _ _ _ ? _Luckily or happily_ are words that seem to fit above example, but what if the "happy" or "lucky" way of doing things is statistically insignificant? For example, if my daily way to work would require walking through tree districts with the highest crime rate, I could say _I accidently arrived without being hurt_ , but what should I say if things went as expected? I arrived _ _ _? Edit: Is there a word which fits both situations?


title: What is the origin of the term "in forever"?

text: Is it acceptable to use the term "in forever" when referring to a length of time, even though it is illogical? For example, "Ohmigosh, I haven't seen you in forever!" Or is this term one that we should strike from the annals of history?


title: What is the noun for “to resume”?

text: If "to assume" is an "assumption". What is the noun for "to resume". Resume as in: pause and resume; to pursue again.


title: How to rephrase "Deliberate failure"?

text: I have a document that I'm drafting that, at the moment, has a sentence that reads something like: > Remove X from all company computers. Deliberate failure to do so constitutes > grounds for punishment. "Deliberate failure" is bugging me. I want to imply that a person has to knowingly, willfully, _and_ repeatedly misbehave, but I don't want to imply that simply forgetting once is going to get them in trouble. "Failure" specifically makes it sound like mistakes will be punished. How do I restate this so that I clearly and explicitly imply that flagrance is the key here, in simple, concise terms?


Is there a term for when a character is named after a trait they possess? Some examples are Hiro (from Heroes or Snow Crash); a person who is constantly talking named Gabby; or a teacher named Mr. Pencil.


title: What does "And she promises the earth to me..." mean?

text: I like the famous song. But I can't understand what does "to promise the earth" mean. Does she want to give the Earth to him? I suspect native English speakers find it a strange question. Maybe I don't know all meanings of 'promise'. Could anyone explain to me this line?


title: Is "nerdiosity" a real word?

text: I originally saw this question here, and it made me wonder.


title: Does a whole "compose" its parts?

text: I just wrote a sentence like this and I'm wondering I've used the word _compose_ correctly. > In order to find the length of the train, you'll need to measure the > individual cars it _composes_. Is this correct, or would it be better phrased as "... of which it's composed"? Should I use another word, like _comprise_?


title: Origin of term "letting on"

text: I understand what the phrase "letting on" means. It basically means to pretend, as in > **He continued letting on that he had a lame leg.** It can also mean to disclose or reveal the true meaning of something. Where did this term come from? When did it originate?


title: Why do we say "What do you do for a living"?

text: What does " **a** " (the indefinite article) imply in this context?


title: What does ‘Put one's big boy (girl) pants on’ mean?

text: I saw the phrase “put somebody's pants on’ in today’s ‘Quote of the Day” of Washington Post (July 17). It quotes the following remark of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital in an interview Monday (July 16) morning: > You know, this is a campaign for president of the United States. Mitt Romney > is running for president of the United States, and he and his campaign > leadership need to _put their big boy and big girl pants_ on and defend his > record. No English online dictionaries of Cambridge, Oxford and Merriam-Webster carries ‘put one's pants on.’ Google Ngram registers ‘put one's pants on” neither. I found an example of ‘Put Pants’ in the heading of the following text in Google: > “Put pants on before you "hangout" with President Obama on Google+ Google+, > impervious to the teasing of tech-bloggers, marches on. Now with more than > 90 million users, they just picked up a rather prominent one.” I don't know what the writer is talking about. Although the word, ‘put one's pants on’ doesn’t seem to me a word of very good taste, nor worth adding to my repertory, what does it mean? Does it mean to ‘behave in disciplined manner’? Is it a well-received English phrase as used publicly by DNC Chair, and specifically quoted in Washington Post?


title: Term for "avoiding reality"

text: Is there a single word which describes someone who is trying to hide from the truth? For example, when my acquaintance's father died, she went on living and believing that her father was still alive and was on an overseas trip. What is the term for this condition?


I don't know if this is a real word, but when I was in high school my teacher had a Word-a-Day vocabulary calendar. She read us a word one day with a definition of "To contemplate one's navel for cosmic significance" or something similar. I forget the word, and have not found it since. Seems like I remember the word starting with an 'O'. Does this word exist? What is it?


title: Is it okay to use a colon within a bulleted list?

text: Question 1: Are colons allowed in a list? >   * Business writing skills: data entry, email, presentation and press > release writing. > Question 2: Should there be only one _and_ in a sentence?


title: "In detail" vs. "in details"

text: Which form is correct: "in detail" or "in details"? I want to use it while describing an algorithm. First I give a general description of an algorithm and then more detailed description.


title: "anybody can dance" or "Everybody can dance"?

text: "Anybody can dance" or "Everybody can dance", which is correct? Or do they have same meaning?


title: absent/abscond - what etymology do they share?

text: I was doing some writing today, and during the final editing process I came across a typo: I had misspelled "absent" as "abscent". I couldn't help but think of the word abscond. I wonder if it's true that the only etymological relation "absent" and "abscond" share is the latin _ab(s)_ \- (And I guess my bigger question is whether or not that is even the case)? Any insight would be welcome, even if this is kind of a silly question. Thanks!


title: Conjunction Puzzle: Is this clause dependent or independent?

text: Third grade teacher here. I plan to teach students to distinguish between simple, compound and complex sentences — but only if I can demonstrate a clear and meaningful difference between the latter two! **Complex or Compound?** Each sentence in the following pairs is similar to its partner.   1. All dogs are mammals, _so huskies are mammals_.   2. All dogs are mammals, _therefore huskies are mammals_.   3. I come bearing soup, _for Kate is sick_.   4. I come bearing soup, _because Kate is sick_. Are the sentences above complex or compound? First, we need to decide whether each italicized clause is independent or dependent. To me, they all look dependent. If that is the case, there's not much need to teach about compound sentences. Is there a meaningful difference between the sentences in each pair that I am missing? (Are the FANBOYS as special as they'd like to think?) Thank you, Noa


title: What's the difference between the verbs "recruit" and "employ"?

text: What's the difference between the verbs "recruit" and "employ? Why is it used so in sentences "Our company is flourishing and we recruit more than a handred workers. Every year we employ 10 more."


title: Positive Synonym for Indecisive

text: Is there a word that describes a person who tries to get as much information as possible when making a decision for fear of committing a mistake that might affect both him and others in a negative fashion? The only word I could think of was indecisive, but it has a connotation that suggests hesitation and irresolution when making decisions, which is not what I'm going for, since I want a sense of absolute commitment when making the decision. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!


title: "Three-hundred forty-two" or "three-hundred and forty-two"?

text: So on this answer here: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12699791/finding- the-word-version-of-a-number/12700097#comment17146082_12700097 We were having the argument whether it is “three hundred _and_ forty two” or “three hundred forty two”. I am going by British and New Zealand grammar and I believe it has the _and_ in there. I have never in my life heard anyone say “three hundred forty two”, only “three hundred and forty two”. So when it comes to numbers, what’s the rule?


title: What does “head first” mean?

text: There are a serial programming books whose names begin with _head first_ such as _Head First Design Patterns_ , _Head First Java_ , etc. I'm not a native English speaker. What does _head first_ mean here?


title: "How does it compares"

text: I understand it should be > How does it compare because the do has stole the s, but what is the reasoning behind it? I don't want to make the same mistake twice, so I feel I need to understand the reasoning.


title: "Practise" vs. "practice"

text: As an Australian, I like to follow British forms of words such as _license/licence_ and _practise/practice_. I have no problem with _licence_ the noun and _license_ the verb, but I find it hard to keep _practise_ and _practice_ straight. To get better, I _practise_ my juggling. When I see a doctor, I visit their _practice_. But what about preparing a set of _practice problems_? Are they a set of problems that are used for _practising_ , being instead _practise problems_? Is there a use of the word _practice_ besides referring to, say, a doctor's establishment?


title: Grails have or Grails has?

text: There is a framework called Grails. Is that sentence correct? > The Grails have integration with jUnit


title: "Page section" or "page sections"?

text: I'm developing a web application and there's a menu for the user to add and edit content. It is called _Page Content_. _Page Content_ has a category which let the user select where the content for the will be placed. I'm not sure if I should name the category _Page Section_ (the category is about choosing a page section) or Page Sections (the category has many page sections). Some examples of the labels of the menu: name: Sections singular_name: Section add_new_item: Add New Section edit_item: Edit Section new_item: New Section' search_items: Search Section not_found: No Sections found all_items: 'All Sections' ), (is the usage of singular and plural right in the examples above?) Any suggestions?


title: Name for an inexact abbreviation

text: What is the name for a word that is shortened, but done somewhat incorrectly? As an example, the word **_distro_** is shortened from the word **_distribution_** , but with the trailing **_i_** changed to an **_o_**. Therefore, the word _distro_ is a `________` of the word _distribution_.   * variant?   * corruption?


title: Question about putting an adverb before a verb

text: I need to mention here that I red in an educational book that we normally or perhaps always put adjective before a noun. We do not say: A day beautiful, we say: a beautiful day. Wondeting if it is possible to put an adjective after a noun and an adverb before a verb as an inversion. **She beautifully drives** **A day beautiful is today** As my teacher one day told me that everything is possible in English just as the speaker or writer pleases!


title: As verb, "care of something" or "care something"?

text: I wonder when "care" is used as a verb, what differences are between "care of something/somebody" and "care something/somebody", besides that "care" is used as a v.i. in the first one and v.t. in the second one. For example: > Money is the least thing I should care (of). Which one is better here?


title: Word that denotes the belief that women are inferior to men

text: Is there a single word that denotes the belief that women are or should be inferior to men? For example, > That ideology advocates murder, rape, slavery, homophobia, xenophobia and > [insert the requested word here]. The word _patriarchy_ comes to mind but I am not sure if it fits in the sentence above. I am also thinking of _sexism_ , but it denotes prejudice based on sex, which, although in practice usually against women, can work both ways. Any suggestions?