title: Symbol, punctuation, or abbreviation that indicates a "paraphrase"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the proper use of [square brackets] in quotes? This question is born of practical necessity - one that I encountered while quoting a reference in "another" Stack Exchange property's "comment field". Due to space limitations, I had wanted to "paraphrase" the following line.. > This is why Git will only let you checkout another branch if everything is > checked in – there are no uncommitted modified files. with > This is why all changes must be committed before switching branches. This _did_ allow my post fit nicely - into the properly dignified amount of allowed characters - but left me with only two spaces to spare. With those two, I reluctantly surrounded my mini-edit in `( )` (parenthesis). This is _fine, and all..._ but as the change was _mid-quote_ , and _mid-paragraph_ , there was no obvious way to clarify that this parenthetical portion was NOT as the credited author had intended - but was instead MY little handiwork. A quick _glance about_ found a dearth of good suggestions on how best to propery attribute - or even indicate - occurances of such paraphrasing, short of some kind of annotated bibliography, etc. What is the correct way to do this (syntactically, via a symbol, or with punctuation, etc.), especially in the context of modern / informal / electronic communications?


title: Lowercase Letter in Brackets

text: Please look at the following sentence with the bracketed lowercase letter. “Doctor Rogers' thesis states that ‘[p]atients often display psychosomatic symptoms.’ ” Is the author decapitalizing the word "patients" that may have appeared in the original, and he or she is denoting this via use of the brackets around the letter "p"? In your opinion, did the original appear like this (see below) with the unnecessary capitalization of the word "patients"? “Doctor Rogers' thesis states that ‘Patients often display psychosomatic symptoms.’ ” Thank you.


title: What punctuation mark should I use?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the proper use of [square brackets] in quotes?   >  What do brackets in a quote mean? When I add information beside a word in a Bible verse, what bracket should I use? Parentheses or square brackets?


title: Why are some words put in [...] rather than without them?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the proper use of [square brackets] in quotes? I have come across articles, interviews, quotes etc., where a singular word in put in the box bracket. Here is a quote by Bertrand Russel > I regard [religion] as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold > misery to the human race. If we follow rules of regular brackets, the sentence should be grammatically correct without the bracket. But that does not seem the case here. Does the box bracket follow rules different from those of regular brackets? Either way, how does one know when to use such brackets?


title: Does 'tense' fit into Lexicology?

text: I am trying to assess errors regarding lexicology in an English-as-a-second- language-learner's spoken English. Does the use of tense fall into the 'Lexicology', Phonology, Syntax or Discourse? I need something in the lexicology area to focus on!


title: Usage of contractions like "it's" and "that's" in textbooks

text: Is it considered bad style to use ~~abbreviations~~ contractions like "it's" and "that's" (instead of spelling them out as "it is" and "that is") in a textbook or academic publication?


title: Are contractions like "didn't" forbidden in written English?

text: > **Possible duplicate of:**   >  Using contracted forms (“don't”, “let's”) in a formal text   >  Usage of contractions like "it's" and "that's" in textbooks   >  Should contractions be avoided in formal emails? In Germany, our English teachers always taught us that contractions like "didn't", "he's", "won't" and so on are perfectly valid to use also in written English. The only difference to writing the long version, consisting of two words, was that it would only count as one word. However, in Singapore, where I currently am for an exchange year, if you use these contractions in a test, they will be marked as a mistake. The teacher says it is not allowed to use them in written English. So my question is: Are the German or the Singaporean teachers right? Is there any official rule on this? How is this marked in other countries' schools?


title: pronunciation for consecutive /d/ and /ð/

text: > Mr. Barnett has slamm **ed the** figure as outrageous. (Aussie ABC News) /d/ and /ð/ are made at different places, we don’t drop any one of them when pronouncing, like the news anchor, do we?


title: Term for one brother–sister pair marrying another?

text: While translating a book on the aboriginal people of northwest India, I came across a tradition of marriages, where one brother–sister pair were married to another brother–sister pair, as well as many similar traditions. They have a word for this kind of marriages in my native language, so I was wondering whether English has such a word, too. Does it?


title: "Smooths" versus "Smoothes"

text: I am interested in the rapid rise (since about 1993) in frequency of the spelling _smoothes_ as against _smooths_. An Ngram Viewer graph tracking the frequency of usage of the two words from 1800 to 2005 shows remarkably stable levels of usage for both _smooths_ and _smoothes_ for about 150 years (1844 to 1993); but then it shows _smoothes_ beginning a sharp ascent and _smooths_ declining significantly. Ngram shows the two frequency lines crossing in 2002. Simple Google searches for the two words yield about 2.82 million matches for _smooths_ and about 4.59 million matches for _smoothes_. In seeking possible causes for the shift, I've looked at a number of dictionaries. In the case of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary series, the Tenth Edition (1994) begins its entry for the verb smooth as follows: > **smooth** _vb_ **smoothed; smoothing; smooths** _also_ **smoothes** ... No previous dictionary in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate series, dating back to the First Edition in 1898, makes any mention of either _smooths_ or _smoothes_. The Eleventh Collegiate (2003) follows the Tenth's wording. In contrast, at least three editions of the American Heritage Dictionary—the First Edition edition (1973), the Third Edition (1992), and the Fourth Edition (2000)—give the related forms of the verb _smooth_ as " **smoothed, smoothing, smoothes** ," as does the Encarta World English Dictionary (1999). A Q&A page at Microsoft Support (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290943) reads as follows: > **23\. What is the grammar dictionary based on?** > > It is based on the _Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English_ and the > _American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language_ , third edition. I checked the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, New Edition (1987), and found that it doesn't provide a spelling for the third-person singular form of the verb _smooth_. It thus appears that for many years, on the sole authority of the American Heritage Dictionary, Word treated _smoothes_ as a correct spelling and marked _smooths_ as incorrect. According to Wikipedia's article on Microsoft Word (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Word), Word 95 (released in 1995) introduced "red-squiggle underlined spell-checking." (Oddly, my most recent version of Word—Word for Mac 2011—treats both _smoothes_ and _smooths_ as typos; however, all previous versions that I can remember, going back at least 10 years, favored _smoothes_.) The Oxford Universal Dictionary Third Edition (1944) has an entry for **smooth(e** , suggesting that it and the OED are constants during the period in question and thus probably had little effect on the shift in overall spelling preference. Meanwhile, Garner's Modern American Usage (2003) views _smoothe_ and _smoothes_ as simple typos, "doubtless on the analogy of _soothe_." From this very limited array of references, I see only two potentially significant factors that changed between, say, 1980 and 2005: the explicit inclusion in 1994 by Merriam-Webster's of _smoothes_ as an acceptable alternative to _smooths_ ; and the adoption (probably at some point in the 1990s) by Microsoft Word of the American Heritage/Encarta preference for _smoothes_ over _smooths_. A further detail of possible interest is that Ngram shows the frequency of _smoothe_ as declining slightly but steadily between 1985 and 2005, including the period when the frequency of _smoothes_ rocketed upward. The Tenth and Eleventh Collegiates omit any mention of _smoothe_ , and Word has always marked it as a typo. Is the shift toward _smoothes_ and away from _smooths_ an instance in which a computer program is primarily responsible for a fundamental change in an English spelling preference, or are other factors that I haven't identified just as important? Do any readers here have an especially old version of Word that they can use to examine its spelling checker's handling of _smooths_ vs. _smoothes_? And does anyone know how (or why) the American Heritage Dictionary came up with its preference for _smoothes_ back in 1969, when its First Edition debuted? **Note: I have edited my original question to include references to a 1973 copy of the American Heritage Dictionary, First Edition, and to a Q &A page in Microsoft Help identifying the sources that several versions of its grammar dictionary relied on.** **Further note [22-11-13]: I finally obtained a relevant copy of the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, and found that it did not corroborate the American Heritage Dictionary's preference for _smoothes_ over _smooths_. I have added that detail to my question.**


title: What does poking with a stick mean?

text: Please see the context from this blog of Joel Spolsky: > Since you have to poke at Windows Calculator with a stick, it doesn't have > to be as fast as Excel. What does he mean by **poking with a stick** ? Does it mean it is not used often or something ?


title: Is this the structure of verb + object + adverbial phrase?

text: In ‘point new Gryffindors in the right direction ‘, is this the structure of verb + indirect object + direct object, or verb + object + adverbial phrase? As a Korean, I’m easier to accept the former according to my language habit. So I’m confused which one is right? > Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to **point new Gryffindors in the > right direction** , but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors > and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. (from > Harry Potter book 1)


title: Is "rightsayer" a word?

text: Is "rightsayer" a word that describes someone that believes themselves to always be right?


title: Why can I say,'Why do you like her so much?' but not, 'Why do you like her very much?'

text: Why can I say,'Why do you like her **so much**?' but not, 'Why do you like her **very much**?' My answer is: 'Why' is evaluative and forces you to make (or consider) a comparison. Very cannot be used in comparative constructs. A friend of mine raised the point: That 'very' seems to work in the negative form. For example: "Why don't you like her very much?"


title: Changing case within quoted text

text: I'm familiar with the convention that square brackets may be used within quoted text to indicate _word[s]_ that aren't actually present _[in that exact form]_ in the original. It's often necessary where the original uses a pronoun, but you want your citation to identify the context-specific proper noun, for example. My question here includes the closely related usage whereby the square brackets indicate _optional [additional] text_. I'm familiar with this convention in the context of programming syntax, where **dir** [Drive:][Path][FileName] means that any or all of the elements **Drive, Path, Filename** can be omitted. But I was a bit confused by a recent ELU answer using square brackets to indicate that a lowercase letter in the original text had been changed to uppercase... > [D]uctility is a solid material's ability to deform under tensile stress My natural inclination was to see the [D] as indicating an optional letter (i.e. - the word could be written as either **ductile** or **uctile** ). So what I want to know is: > Is the _square brackets = case change_ convention [still] valid, and if so > is it under threat from the [later?] _square brackets = optional material_ > convention?


title: Changing subject and verb positions in statements and questions

text: We always change subject and verb positions in whenever we want to ask a question such as "What is your name?". But when it comes to statements like the following, which form is correct? >   1. I don't understand what **are you** talking about. >   2. I don't understand what **you are** talking about. > Another example >   1. Do you know what time **is it**? >   2. Do you know what time **it is**? > Another example >   1. Do you care how **do I feel** about this? >   2. Do you care how **I feel** about this? >


title: "A question in a question"

text: I've got two questions for you. Number one: I've always been confused about what I call "a question in a question" (maybe there is a technical term for that but I don't know it). What I mean is... which one of these two sentences is correct? 1) Can I ask you where **are you** from? or 2) Can I ask you where **you are** from? Then I have a second question which is quite similar to the first one: should I say a) I would like to ask you where **you are** from or b) I would like to ask you where **are you** from Thanks for your help.


title: "If you know what X is" or "if you know what is X"

text: Recently I encountered the phrase "If you know what is QQ then(...)". The writer wasn't a native English speaker(neither me). First, I thought it should be "If you know what QQ is ...". But then, I thought about the phrase: "If you know what is right..." I think the latter implies that you already know _what "true" is_ and you should find/select an object. Or is it related to the fact that "true" is an adjective? Or is it just wrong? So, I'm very confused. Can you help me? I tried to search for it, however searching for "what is" in search engines is really difficult! The nearest questions are this one and this one, but I don't think it's a duplicate. Thank you in advance.


title: "What's" in indirect questions

text: Lets consider the following: > The book doesn't explain, "What's the wisdom behind education?" Changing this to an indirect question becomes the following: > The book doesn't explain what the wisdom behind education is. Now, I found many instances on Google where structures like this weren't really converted to indirect questions. For example: > The book doesn't explain what's the wisdom behind education. > > "[She] doesn't say what's really on her mind." Edit: And consider the following: > What's the logic behind it. > > (a) I wonder what's the logic behind it vs. (b)I wonder what the logic > behind it is. (a) sounds better but why? And are these constructions acceptable?


title: Why is there no inversion in "Who do you think you are"?

text: Look at these 2 sentences   1. Who do you think is the richest man ?   2. Who do you think you are ? Try omit "do you think" and we can see the conflict. Because people often ask "Who are you". But with "do you think", it has no inversion I see they are the same structure, but why is there no inversion (subject and verb) in the second sentence ?


title: ''I don't know what" + direct object

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Changing subject and verb positions in statements and questions   >  Why do we put the verb to be at the end of these questions? Is the expression > I don't know what is an amplifier. incorrect? If so, is the correct version > I don't know what an amplifier is. and why is the first variant wrong?


title: Embedded question

text: I need to explain why this sentence is correct. My explanation didn't seem to satisfy the student. The correct sentence is > I've never eaten this before. Do you know what is in it? Specifically, it is the "do you know what is in it?" part that is confusing the student. Leave out the 'Do you know..' and it is a straight question, ie "What is in it?" Can anyone grammatically explain why the sentence is correct when we add the "do you know.."?


title: Why do we put the verb to be at the end of these questions?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Changing subject and verb positions in statements and questions Look at the following questions - can anyone give a simple grammatical explanation as to why we put the verb to be at the end of these questions: Can you tell me where the hospital **is**? Do you know where the children **are**? Do you know what the answer **is**? This is confusing to learners as they are used to seeing the verb to be in questions at the beginning such as: **Is** the hospital near here? **Are** the children in school?


title: Origin of the expression "Good governor."

text: In Season 3, episode 2 of the sitcom Modern Family, Phil uses the expression "Good governor" to express his incredulity when he realizes that his wife has an obsession about proving she is always right. I presume this is a variation on "good grief" and similar exclamations but wonder if anyone is aware of the origin of the use of the word "governor." Is it a Britishism that has entered US English, from the informal use of "governor" ("guv'nor) to talk about a person in a position of authority?


title: Adjective + to infinitive vs. gerund

text: I recall being taught that normally after adjectives we use the "to infinitive": It's easy to say. It's hard to do. But how do the following examples fall into this rule? "It was great talking to you." "It's been nice meeting you." I've been tutoring students in English as a second language, and I'm failing to find a "simple" justification for the two types of sentences (as, obviously, I am myself struggling to understand). Very many thanks! Mel.


title: Verb for the action analogous to embezzlement, with goods rather than money/assets

text: I am looking for a verb analogous to "embezzle", but concerning goods rather than money. "Theft" is of course valid, but it's too broad - embezzle carries the connotation of stealing _from your employer_ , or from assets that you had legitimate access to. (In case it matters: in this case, the character is stealing weapons from an armoury that he is supposedly supervising, and selling them privately.)


title: What is the word that actors use to describe the process of getting familiar with a script?

text: I'm looking for a word that theatre people use to describe the initial stages of reading through a script. It's something like _chewing the script_ or _singing the script_.


Which meaning of "impose" is "imposing" based on? From Wikionary, "imposing" means "Magnificent and impressive because of appearance, size, stateliness or dignity." "impose" means > (transitive) To establish or apply by authority. > > (intransitive) to be an inconvenience > > to enforce: compel to behave in a certain way > > To practice a trick or deception. > > To lay on, as the hands, in the religious rites of confirmation and > ordination. > > To arrange in proper order on a table of stone or metal and lock up in a > chase for printing; said of columns or pages of type, forms, etc.


title: The right usage of the verb "elaborate"

text: I'm writing a paper, please can you tell me which sentence is the right? >   1. The Pseudo-code is outlined in Fig 2 and we _elaborate_ it in the > following section. > >   2. The Pseudo-code is outlined in Fig 2 and we _elaborate on_ it in the > following section. > >


title: Where did the term "at-large" originate from?

text: I was listening to the radio and something caught my attention. The news jounalist made the comment, "The suspect is still at-large." It got me thinking... First, I can only assume that the proper spelling is "at-large" instead of "at large" because using the adjective term "large" as a noun doesn't make any sence in this context (at least in my head). Naturally I try googling it only to find further confusion in context of a suspect. **So, how did this term come to mean "Out and about", or "Free", or some other word(s) that would describe some suspect not in custody?**


title: What is an office that keeps records of marriages and divorces called?

text: What is an office that keeps records of marriages and divorces called in English? I guess Civil registry is the general term, but what's the specific word for the above mentioned office?


title: Does the word "former" as in "former employee" shed negative light on the subject?

text: Does writing, > Former technologist at Foobar, Inc. and Hello, World Ltd. have a deprecating tone to it? Say, as opposed to, > Previously a technologist at Foobar, Inc. and Hello, World Ltd. That is, is _former_ a word reserved for describing something (a state or position) once held but then revoked? It seems more _often_ used in such a light, but I'm not sure whether it's _meant_ that way.


title: Most appropriate term for round and x-marker on a (scientific) chart?

text: In a research paper, I'd like to refer to some specific markers on a chart. One marker looks like an x, and the other one is small circle. What would be proper terms? Circular marker and x-marker?


title: Can a person happen? Is "Zodanga happened" correct?

text: I was watching movie _John Carter_ where there was some dialogue like this: > — What happened here?   >  — Zodanga happened. Here Zodanga was a bad guy in the movie. I don't understand how **a guy** can **happen** at some place, like it was said in that conversation? We generally use _happened_ like this: > — What happened to you?   >  — Oh! I have been suffering from a head ache _or_   >      met an accident _or_   >      I haven't been sleeping lately, but we never say "Silvia happened to me" (as if Silvia was a bad person here).


title: Colon usage after an imperative sentence in survey instructions

text: Consider a survey question that asks a question and then gives instruction about how to respond. For example, > Is this a sample survey question? Check all that apply: > > __ yes > > __ no Is it best practice to end " _Check all that apply_ " with a colon because a list of options follows, or a period because the sentence giving instructions is finished?


title: Is "grounds" ever used for things other than coffee?

text: I've never seen the word _grounds_ (meaning _sediment/dregs_ ; definition 12 only) used to describe anything other than coffee; are there any other usages of _grounds_ of that meaning, or has it become a coffee-word? > **12\. grounds,** dregs or sediment: _coffee grounds._


title: What does “his A and C” mean?

text: From Steinbeck's _Cannery Row_ , > The nice bouncer at the Bear Flag threw out a drunk, but threw him too hard > and too far and broke his back. Alfred had to go over to Salinas three times > before it was cleared up and that didn’t make Alfred feel very well. > Ordinarily he was too good a bouncer to hurt anyone. **His A and C was a > miracle of rhythm and grace.**


title: Letters after a number, such as 1st

text: Is there a name for letters that follow a number, such as the "st" in 1st or "nd" in 2nd?


title: Offers home delivery vs home delivers

text: In which of these 2 sentences is the verb "Home deliver" used correctly, in compliance with the rest of the sentence? ABC **offers home delivery** of pharmaceuticals, compounded medications, and wellness diets to pet owners. VS ABC **home delivers** pharmaceuticals, compounded medications, and wellness diets to pet owners.


title: What is the proper name for "AM" and "PM"?

text: I know that AM/PM is for ante/post meridiem, but what is it actually called? Meridian indicator? 12 hour indicator? Something way more clever?


title: Why do you survive 'by the skin of your teeth'?

text: If someone does something 'by the skin of their teeth', it means they just barely managed to do it. What is this idiom supposed to be referring to exactly, and how did it originate?


title: Indefinite article in the "An [adjective] [number] [plural noun]" construction

text: I wasn't sure how best to phrase the title of this question. I'm interested in constructions of the following form: > **An estimated 50 people** died in the bombing. 'An estimated' could be substituted with adverbs like 'approximately' or 'about', so it seems that prepending the indefinite article to certain words produces an adverb. My question is why the indefinite article should function in this way. For one thing, the use of 'a[n]' when the following noun is generally plural seems odd. There are quite a few words that fit this pattern:   * An additional ...   * An approximate ...   * An estimated ...   * An extra ...   * A good ...   * A huge ...   * A mere ...   * A possible ...   * A record ...   * A scant ...   * A whopping ...


title: Why do we need an indefinite article in the sentence "The price is **an incredible 50,000 dollars**"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  ‘A[n] * [number] [plural]’ Construction Why do we need an indefinite article in the sentence "The price is **an incredible 50,000 dollars** "? "An" is singular, "dollars" is plural.


title: "an estimated 75 000 lives"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  'A[n] * [number] [plural]' Construction > Since the Crash Test Dummies, Vince and Larry, were introduced to the > American public in 1985, safely belt usage has increased from 21% to 70%, > saving an estimated 75 000 lives. Why is there the article before "estimated" while after it there is the plural form?


title: Word for discrimination based on handedness

text: Is there a specific word such as racism or sexism that describes discrimination based solely on handedness?


title: Why do some people refer to jars as "glass jars"? Aren't all jars made of glass?

text: A jar is defined as "a glass container with a lid" (MacMillan). At one time, people differentiated between glass and earthenware jars but to my mind, there are only glass jars these days. Is there a need to refer to a jar as a "glass jar"? Isn't it sufficient to simply call it a jar?


title: the first case ... is the court's decision

text: As I have said many times, I'm translating some wordy document, and here is another sentence that need shedding some light on: Thus the first case cited by the Court in Schwinn for the proposition that "restraints upon alienation . . . are beyond the power of the manufacturer to impose upon its vendees and . . . are violations of 1 of the Sherman Act," was this Court's seminal decision holding a series of resale-price-maintenance agreements per se illegal (Source:https://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/US/433/433.US.36.76-15.html, at the paragraph 48, line 4-5, please check it out for the context) Is it just me or this sentence is really saying that "the first case" is a "seminal decision"? if so, what does "case" mean here? (I mean, how can a "case" be a "decision"). And if not, please tell me the main structure of the whole sentence, and which are the subordinate clauses. Thank you.


title: Meaning of "true, with an asterisk"

text: How would one explain the following headline news in plain English? > Romney's attack on clean energy: true, **with an asterisk**


title: What to call the executor of an action?

text: I can't find the right word to describe the object that performs an activity/action.   * _Doer_   * _Executor_   * _Performer_   * _Actor_ The term is to be used in an application where you may choose an "object" (from a list), and then retrieve its activities. So what should I call the "object"? Context: The "object" may be anyone or anything which is to do certain activities. Think of a worklog where you'd like to log activities that has been done. Given the object type, you'd might have a different set of activities to log. Object (1. line support member) Activities { Create ticket, Assign ticket, Notify customer, Close ticket} Object (Purchasing employee) Activities { Receive order, Confirm Order, Ship Order}


title: Fullscreen or full screen

text: Can 'Fullscreen' and 'Full Screen' be used interchangeably? As in > Funny pictures in fullscreen   >  Funny pictures in full screen The context is a website, with full screen images in a fullscreen website.


Why is “wavelength” one word when “wave height” isn't? As another example, _wave speed_ is two words. But _wavelength_ is only one word. What is the reason for this? In Swedish and other contructs, both words are only one word:   * _våglängd_ (wavelength)   * _våghöjd_ (wave height)


title: "Arrival of Nightfall"

text: Does it make sense to say that something waited until the "arrival of nightfall"? It sounds a little awkward (maybe because nightfall _occurs_ rather than _arrives_?). Perhaps there is a better way to say it...


title: Mixing use of K for thousands and MM for millions

text: Traditionally, M is used as the symbol for thousands and MM for millions in the business world, particularly in accounting. However, there has been a growing tendency to use K as the symbol for thousands instead of M. Would it be considered acceptable to use K for thousands and MM for millions, effectively mixing symbols? For example, in a document that requires the use of symbols because of limited space in a table, I see "500K-1MM" to stand for "500,000-1,000,000". This document is written for a general professional audience. My thoughts are: If K and MM are used, it's bad style because the symbols are being mixed up. But if M and MM are used, non-experts might not even be aware that M is a symbol for thousands and get confused. It seems like that the safest choice to ensure comprehension is to use K and MM, but something about mixing the symbols just doesn't seem right to me. Thanks!


title: To be worse than nothing

text: Here is paragraph which I quoted from a book. The words "penny a liner", "mendicant", "scullion", and "cut-throat", were epithets so intentionally inexpressive and equivocal, as **to be worse than nothing** when applied to the author of the very worst stanzas ever penned by one of the human race. I can't understand the meaning of 'to be worse than nothing'. I don't know how things are gonna worse than naught(zero). or is it possible?


title: "Point to" and "point at"

text: I'm having trouble putting the difference in meaning between "point to" and "point at" into words and my Longman dictionary isn't helping, I'm afraid. I'm not a native speaker, but I feel there is a definite difference; however the only thing I can say is that 'point at' feels more aggressive whereas 'point to' feels more casual. Can anyone help?


title: What did the word "arcade" mean before video games?

text: I was browsing a document on the history of Leicestershire in the UK. About halfway down the page, in the "Leicester in the 19th Century" section, it said: > Silver Arcade was built in 1899. What does the word Arcade refer to here? Thanks! evamvid


title: What is the meaning of the sentence, "we should not roam about in the hot sun"?

text: I would like to know the meaning of "we should not roam about in the hot sun".


title: Which is correct "increasingly easy" or "increasingly easier"

text: I was wondering which of the following is correct `increasingly easy` or `increasingly easier`. I had a notion that `increasingly easier` is correct since we are comparing with the past. However, this and many other says differently. Googling with quotes gives these many listings: "increasingly easy" = 154000 "increasingly easier" = 71,300 Are both of them correct??


title: Deadly protests ousted vs. deadly protests WHICH ousted

text: Source: http://news.yahoo.com/putin-warns-ukraine-gas-supplies-urges- talks-155039695.html > Ukraine has been in crisis since months of deadly protests **ousted** an > unpopular pro-Kremlin president in February and set the nation of 46 million > on a westward course that prompted Putin to obtain the authority to use > force against the ex-Soviet state. I don't understand the reasons why a relative pronoun such as _which_ or _that_ was not used. My brain naturally wants to add one, otherwise it's difficult to tie the two parts of the sentence together. Don't you think that adding one would make the sentence sound much more clearer? > Ukraine has been in crisis since months of deadly protests **which ousted** > an unpopular pro-Kremlin president in February and set the nation of 46 > million on a westward course that prompted Putin to obtain the authority to > use force against the ex-Soviet state.


title: What is a 'Swivel Servant'?

text: English is not my first language. I googled and googled, but this was one thing I was not able to find. Can someone give me a definition of this?


title: Single word for 'How you are found'

text: I'm building a search engine for businesses and I'm wondering if there is a single word for 'how you're found'. The context is that I need a word to describe a group of properties that determine when the business will show in the search results. The best I came up with is 'Exposure' but my girlfriend thinks its too abstracted. Any help would be super!


title: "easy to seal tight" or "easy to tighly seal"?

text: I am talking about valves, and there is this specific valve which is cheap (not expensive), compact (not too big), easy to maintain (the valve is easy to clean and rarely ever needs to be repaired) and easy to 'seal tight' (meaning, it is easy to tighly seal the valve). The sentence which I wrote was 'These valves are cheap, compact, easy to maintain and seal tight.' My teacher highlighted this sentence saying something was wrong with the sentence structure and that 'easy to seal tight' is incorrect. Is it true that it is incorrect? If yes, how should I rephrase it so that the sentence structure is correct?


Does the game shown in the following picture have a particular name? (I ask because a similar game does not exist in my country and I would like know its rules.) ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/dBlY4.png)


title: What is the origin of "acorn"?

text: I am from the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, and this popped into my head today. Is the word _acorn_ (the nut of an oak tree) in any way related to the Dutch word for squirrel, _eekhoorn_ , the animal that collects acorns for food? Looking at _eekhoorn_ , one will have a hard time finding any logical meaning to the naming of this animal. There's _eek_ , which is not a Dutch word, and _hoorn_ which means _horn_. So it doesn't make much sense. But the pronunciation even in Dutch/Flemish is remarkably equal to the English _acorn_. Since many words have migrated country borders (like the NL _bolwerk_ and EN _bulwark_ ), I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same with _acorn_ / _eekhoorn_ , except for the fact that _eekhoorn_ is the actual animal that consumes the acorns. That would make it pretty unique, I think. By the way, _acorn_ in Dutch is _eikel_ , having different connotations which I won't explain here.


title: British pronunciation of "plait"

text: Having only seen this word in writing, I assumed it's pronounced "plate". howjsay (whose author is british) suggests the pronunciation that rhymes with "flat", but also offers the "plate" one. This thread, however, has several people who perceive the "plate" pronunciation to be completely wrong. So how would most people say this in the UK? Is it "plat", and would people in the UK consider the "plate" pronunciation wrong? Does it vary by location within the UK?


title: Am I using "namesake" correctly?

text: I am writing an essay about (among other things) Gutenberg's printing press and Project Gutenberg. I want to say something along the lines of "Gutenberg's press was so popular that current things are named after him." I tried the following. Am I using _namesake_ correctly? > As evidenced ahead, Gutenberg’s invention was so popular that he is still a > popular namesake. I want to keep _namesake_ in there because I think it sounds cool.


title: When did the term "Jay" come to mean an "unintelligent person"?

text: While I was reading an article about the etymology of _jaywalking_, I stumbled upon this phrase: > “Jay” used to be a generic term for someone who was an idiot, dull, rube, > unsophisticated, poor, or simpleton. When did people used to use the term _Jay_ as _unintelligent person_ (or idiot)?


title: Punctuation of sentence ending with the word "period" for emphasis

text: I really enjoyed _The Dark Knight Rises_ and want to send a grammatically correct tweet about it. Unfortunately correct punctuation of the following eludes me: > In other news The Dark Knight Rises was better than The Dark Knight. Not > just a good super hero or action movie just a great movie, period. What is the correct punctuation before the word "period?" Am I correct in using a comma or should an ellipsis or emdash be used instead?


title: Difference between “combination of ” and “combination between”

text: I have read both two uses:   1. The _combinations of_ a, b and c, taken two at a time, are ab, bc, ac.   2. We can not help but noticing a harmonious _combination between_ classic and contemporary. Are both uses interchangeable? Perhaps substitute _combinations among_ for _combinations of_ in the first sentence? Any idea is appreciated.


title: Finding the extraposed subject in "It is plain to see that you don't like dogs."

text: > _It is plain to see that you don't like dogs._ Here, what does _it_ refer to? _To see that you don't like dogs_ or _that you don't like dogs_? If it refers to the former, then the sentence means: > _To see that you don't like dogs is plain._ If the latter, then it means: > _That you don't like dogs is plain to see._ Since both do make sense at least semantically, I wonder what would be the better syntactic analysis of the sentence. Or whether either would be an equally possible analysis. Also, would your answer change if (1) _plain_ was replaced with _easy_ in the original sentence? (2) _to see_ was replaced with _seeing_ in the original sentence?


title: Telling the time

text: In Ireland we say:               "Twenty-five to ten" (9:35) (21:35)     "Twenty to ten" (9:40) (21:40)     "A quarter to ten" (9:45) (21:45)     "Ten to ten" (9:50) (21:50)     "Five to ten" (9:55) (21:55)     "Ten o'clock" or just "Ten". For example, "I'll see you at ten so!" (10:00) (22:00)     "Ten past ten" (10:10) (22:10)     "A quarter past ten" (10:15) (22:15)     "Half ten" and sometimes "Half past ten" (10:30) (22:30)      You can also drop the hour value, if it is obvious, for example:               "Is it half past yet?" (you can't say "Is it half yet?")     "It's a quarter to, I must go!"      When being exact:               "It's a minute past nine" (9:01) (21:01)     "It's thirteen minutes to ten" (9:47) (21:47)      a.m and p.m. are not used. Instead to differentiate between 9:35 and 21:35 you would say:               "I'll see you at twenty-five to ten tomorrow evening so."     "I'll pick you up at twenty-five to ten in the morning."      This is very consistent for all age groups and all parts of Ireland as fas as I know. How do you tell the time and mention which dialect you speak in your answer? How much of the Irish way of telling the time would sound alien or even confusing to you?


title: Is there a word that means near-daily?

text: I am trying to write a document that describes the frequency with which we perform a task. It is usually done daily, however I don't want to be tied to having to do it daily. Is there a more professional word I can use to mean _near-daily_?


title: A term to describe "thinking something bad is good"

text: Let's say someone has an idea that he/she thinks is really good, but in reality it is actually not a very good idea. How can I describe this kind of mentality?


title: Capital letter after ellipsis

text: I was talking to a friend of mine over Skype, and I typed this: > Ok... Now I want more pork pie. I'd like to know, should there be a capital letter after the ellipsis `…`? Should it be written the way I typed it: > Ok... Now I want more pork pie. Or should it be a lowercase `N`: > Ok... now I want more pork pie. Do ellipses break a sentence so that a new one must be started after them (hence the capital N), or do they behave similarly to commas and dashes in that they serve as a "pause", with a lowercase N?


title: correct way of cooking

text: What is correct Sometimes I cook for myself or Sometimes I cook myself. This sounds like cooking self, which is not true. I've heard ( most of times ) people use second phrase. Which of the two is correct ?.


title: I'm 25 (years old)

text: When you say "I'm 25" to mean that you're 25 years old, would you consider "25" a noun or an adjective?


title: What are the pieces used to fill in a template called?

text: If I have a template (say a generic letter) that is filled in with various pieces of data (say, the name of the addressee), what is a general term for those pieces of data? For example:               Dear {firstname},     This is just a friendly reminder that the book {booktitle} will be due on {duedate}.     Thank you.      What would I refer to `{firstname}`, `{booktitle}` and `{duedate}` as?


title: What are the technical symbols used in the margin of a page called?

text: I research Latin texts which discuss a peculiar medieval practice: the addition of minute graphic symbols into the margins of the page, for example in order to indicate passages of interest, flaws in argumentation or for some other technical purpose. The Latin-users had a very clear technical terminology for such signs: they called them _notae_ (sg. _nota_ ) and the verb that they used to talk about this addition was _adnotare_ (plus there was a whole range of words that could be formed from these two). Modern English does not seem to have a term that would have the same technical meaning and I have a constant problem with both native and non-native English speakers when I am trying to write or speak about these _notae_. I have tried the English word markup (and its derivates), but this did not find favour with my audience. Translation as signs or marks is too vague and broad to be helpful. I cannot use the Latin word _nota_ indefinitely, especially since I cannot make a verb out of it that would make sense in English. **What would you call this 'thing'?** An example of the technical signs in question: http://daten.digitale- sammlungen.de/bsb00054504/image_69 (PX- and PO-shaped symbols in the right margin)


title: "What a good news" vs. "such a good news"

text: I have just got a great news. I don't know what to say: > Such a good news. or > What a good news. The context should be formal (I am talking about hiring).


title: What is a "small minority"?

text: I can see this being argued either way. 1% is a small minority because 1% is a small number. 49% is a small minority because, albeit a minority, it is only barely.


title: Sa'ad : Correct spelling in English and French

text: We are considering naming our child the Arabic name Sa'ad (سعد). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saad The Arabic spelling has an ع which I am not sure how to spell. I have seen it spelled as Saad which has the potential to be mispronounced. The wikipedia lists it as Sa'ad, where the apostrophe separates both syllables. I currently favor this spelling. My question is: Is there a spelling other than Sa'ad which is more descriptive of how to pronounce the name properly?


title: Substitute X for Y

text: An awful lot of people seem to use the phrase "substitute X for Y" to mean "replace X with Y", while I've always used and understood it as "replace Y with X". This makes sense to me, given that a substitute is the replacement, not the thing which has been replaced. I thought I might be able to figure things out from a dictionary, but now after seeing two sorts of definitions, I'm even more confused:   1. to put or use in the place of another   2. to take the place of; replace The first one suggests that the object will be the substitute (replacement), the thing put into place, while the second suggests that the object will be the thing which has been replaced. Is one of these usages more correct in any sense? (I know this is probably a pointless question, since people will continue to speak the way they speak.) Is there perhaps a difference between American and British English? And most importantly, is there any reliable way to tell what someone means when they ask how to substitute honey for sugar, or is the verb simply guaranteed to cause confusion?


title: Who "substitutes" whom?

text: Context: Equation 1 requires substituting A for B. Does this mean all "A" in equation 1 is replaced with "B" or vice versa?


title: Another word for an 'upgrade old version to new'

text: I am trying to present on a new technology/system that is based off something old... I am struggling to have a catchy title. I want to say something along the lines of: > 'the old-technology upgraded' or > 'old-technology with a face-lift' ...


title: Are "heterosexual" and "straight" exact synonyms?

text: Of course, **heterosexual** and **straight** are interchangeable in most contexts, but there are times when I find myself wanting to make the distinction of whether the attraction to the opposite sex is _exclusive_. In my experience, _straight_ certainly means "exclusively attracted to the opposite sex." Thus, a straight woman is attracted to men, and not women. It would be incorrect to describe a woman who has been involved with both men and women as _straight_. But could one describe such a woman as _heterosexual_? I feel as though, given the literal meaning of the word roots, one ought to be able to use _heterosexual_ to mean "attracted to the opposite sex" without implications about lack of attraction to anyone else. (Same thing goes for _gay_ vs. _homosexual_.) Is this idea backed up by usage - do some people, sources, etc. utilize this distinction in meaning - or does English not have an easy way to express it?


title: Does "not uncommon" mean "common"?

text: When somebody uses the phrase "not uncommon", do they mean "common" because of the double negative? I was recently informed that "not uncommon" could imply that something was anything but uncommon (e.g. rare), whereas I thought that _rare_ would be a subset of _uncommon_ and that saying it was not uncommon must mean it is common.


title: What's the proper American English and British English word for the wind shield used on beaches?

text: In England, the beaches can be windy. I have seen people put up a "wind shield" like this. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/fMgSl.jpg) I haven't seen people use this in America or Europe, but I haven't been to many beaches there. I'd call this wind shield, simply because it shields the wind. But in America, windshield means the frontal glass of a car. Is there a more proper name for this in British English, American English and other English (South African, Australian, etc)? Thank you


title: Verb to use to describe a photograph "losing" its colors?

text: At first I wanted to just write: "A photograph slowly losing its colors." But I think _losing_ isn't the right verb here. What can I use instead of _losing_? (I want to keep the word _colors_.)


title: Is "from whence" correct? Or should it be "whence"?

text: I just saw a parody on the Lord of the Rings, where one of the characters says: > it must be cast back in the fire from whence it came! This struck me as odd, since I expected them to say "whence it came"; but now I find that "from whence" seems to occur as well. Does anybody know whether this is correct, or whether it has been correct at some point and subsequently fell into disgrace (or vice versa)?


title: Does Shakespeare use the word "whence" incorrectly?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is “from whence” correct? Or should it be “whence”? From the Shakespeare's Sonnet XLVIII, > ...   >  From **whence** at pleasure thou mayst come and part;   >  And even thence thou wilt be stol'n I fear,   >  For truth proves thievish for a prize so dear. Isn't the definition of _whence_ is "from where" or "from what place" which when converted from the phrase above will be "From from where at pleasure..."? Does Shakespeare use the word _whence_ incorrectly?


title: Is the phrase "...no longer" being properly used in the following sentence?

text: > And the even stronger feeling of detachment upon reaching mine **no longer > knowing who I was.** Is this use of "no longer" grammatical? Should I add a comma before _no_?


title: Why put the verb before the subject?

text: The opening sentence to _The Hobbit_ by J.R.R. Tolkien reads, > In a hole in the ground there lived [verb] a hobbit [subject]. I wonder if there are accepted stylistic purposes for such a structure. When is it natural, and when is it unnatural?


title: Creating words with "-able" suffix

text: What are general rules of thumb for creating adjectives with _-able_? I wanted to denote an object as having an ability to be tiled, but "tileable" and "tilable" both yielded as incorrect words by spell check and standard English dictionary used by Mac OS X dictionary widget. Is "tileable" or "tilable" a correct word/form for denoting an object having an ability to be tiled?


title: Present simple and present perfect in this context

text: I have been told that the following are the same: > It has been twenty years since I last saw her. > > It is twenty years since I have seen her. But I somehow do not understand why; usually the present perfect is somehow related to present ("I have not seen her recently"). I would tend to say that he has been seeing her since then (twenty years ago). Also why does the first one contain "It has been" and the other one "It is". Does it matter?


title: When is comparative degree adjectives with no "than" preferable?

text: Are there any rules / recommendation to using comparative "larger" instead of positive "large" when there is no comparison? What are they (recommendation of course)? Examples: _"I, **__, take you, __** , to be my lawfully wedded(husband/wife), to have and to hold, from this day forward, for **better** , for **worse** , for **richer** , for **poorer**..."_ " _The main participants in this market are the **larger** international banks."_(Wikipedia)


title: When is it correct to use upper case letters for nouns that may only be unique in a given context?

text: First off, the title is misleading; feel free to improve upon it. I've noticed words surrounding titles often start with upper case letters, but I'm uncertain if this is correct. After reading this article I cannot find rules that justify the uppercase letters. EXAMPLES: 1) The student union building of many universities is abbreviated SUB but I often see the full name written as "Student Union Building". By itself "student union building" is not a proper noun since it doesn't refer to one unique entity but when speaking of a certain university it might. 2) Common buildings often have names beginning with upper case letters. For example, I've seen _fire hall_ written as "Fire Hall" and _city hall_ written as "City Hall" (example). 3) I have a ticket which reads "Winter Formal Dance". Is the capitalization of these words correct? If so, then why? Is it a matter of rules, or is the deciding factor whatever the owner decides? For example, if a swimming coach decides practices on Wednesday will be known as "Wednesday Practices", would it be correct to always write 'practices' with the upper case "P"?


title: Does "run around" also mean "run away"?

text: I got a note from a fortune cookie, which says:               " Never gonna run around and desert you"      I was wondering what does "run around" means here. Similar to runaway?


title: "When he went out he left the radio on so that his parents shall think that he was still in the house"

text: > When he went out he left the radio on so that his parents **shall think** > that he was still in the house. This is a past sentence. Why is _shall think_ used? Can I use _should think_?


title: Word beginning with "auto" which means "to watch over and over again in mind's eye"

text: I encountered the word I am searching for in R.C.Robertson-Glasgow's Crusoe on Cricket; but, since I do not have the book, nor online access to it, I cannot search for that word. The meaning is roughly "to watch an act over and over and over again in mind's eye" and in the context he mentioned of a cricket match that can be watched over and over before going to bed. Any help? Edit: In response to comments, I checked the list of all the words starting with "auto" and could not find it. If that is the case, then it could be a word, he coined.


title: "Demand that the dismissed employee be reinstated" or "demand is that the dismissed employee to be reinstated"

text: Which one is correct? > The demand of the workers' union that the dismissed employee **be** > reinstated, has been accepted by the management. or > The demand of the workers' union **is** that the dismissed employee **to > be** reinstated, has been accepted by the management.


title: What is a single-word synonym for "hobbyist writer"?

text: I am trying to find a single-word synonym for **hobbyist writer**. Any answers please.


title: When did "sci-fi" become popular?

text: When did the term sci-fi come into usage?


title: Which vs. What in regards to Continuous Numbers (like Temperature)?

text: As this question makes clear, "which" is used when there is a set number of choices available, while "what" is used when there is not a set number of choices available. Which term do we use, however, when we are referring to continuous numbers as opposed to discrete numbers? How about numbers that are technically continuous but are in practice discrete? Discrete number example: Which parking spot were you assigned to? (There are a discrete set of parking spots which one could be assigned to). Continuous number example: Which/what temperature do you brew your beer at? (There are an infinite amount of temperatures available; however, brewers typically brew between the ranges of 40*F and 85*F, so it would seem to be discrete. On the other hand, there are an infinite amount of numbers between two consecutive integers, i.e 41.1, 41.2, 41.22, 41.3333 ...) When referring to time, which is another example of continuous or discrete (there are 24 hours in a day, but an infinite number of units in between two consecutive hours), I always hear people use "what"-- "What time is it? What time shall I pick you up?"


title: A word to the wise?

text: I don't get the phrase "a word to the wise". Shouldn't it be "a word _from_ the wise"? Isn't the person with the word the one with the wisdom? Isn't the person receiving the word the one in need of it?


title: Polite swearing words?

text: I hate to swear, i.e to say "fuck you" or whatsoever of those words. However sometimes I get angry and I wish there are words that could be a polite replacement for those swearing. I wish there's a polite way to say "That was so fucking hard". I want to express such a frustration or so with a polite word but with the same strength of expression. & I actually wonder what would a good author use as a way to make such a strong expression. So my questions: 1 - what words could I use to swear in a polite way? 2- how would a good author swear in a good book?


title: "In the mid of 1990s" Is it grammatically correct?

text: What is the correct way to write the following phrase? > In the mid of 1990s What are the (writing) variants of that expression? (I just want to know, to diversify my writing.) Thank you.


title: Word for "A Song that Sets a Scene in a Particular Region or Culture"

text: This is a technical term in theater and movie arts for stereotyped piece of music that is played when to cue the audience that a scene is set in a particular location. E.g.               London --> Rule Britannia     Italy --> Ole sol Mio     German --> Ompa music     New York/Broadway --> No Business like Show business


title: "More than one" is to "plural" as "less than one" is to what?

text: We call the quantity of more than one (singular) _plural_. Is there any general word similar to this for a quantity less than one (singular)?


title: What are the guidelines for usage of "will" and "is/are going to"?

text: I use them interchangeably, however I'd like to know when one is better or more appropriate than the other.


title: Difference between "been to" and "been in"

text: In the following two examples, what is the difference between the usage of _been to_ and _been in_? They seem like they have the same meaning but I’m not sure. > -Have you ever **_been to_** Florida?   >  -Yes, I’ve _been to_ Florida many times. > > * * * > > -Have you ever **_been in_** Florida?   >  -Yes, I’ve _been in_ Florida many times.


title: Confused about the comma at the end of a sentence

text: Examples: > We haven't spent much time together(,) recently. > > I think you're good at dealing with problems. And not only yours—but > other’s(,) too.” I always get confused by this. Should the comma be in those places? Is there any technique to figure out?


title: Word for "to put something you earned into a project to make more money"

text: I forgot the word that means "to put something you have earned into a project to make more money". For example, > ABC ___ _ its profits into a new venture.


In the sentence "It's one of the best films that has/have ever been made." what should the verb agreement be ?


title: Term for the state of a deciduous tree during winter?

text: Normally I live in Australia where winters are quite mild. But right now I've been travelling in Asia and seeing all the trees which look dead but are not, due to it being winter, have got me thinking. There must be a term for the state a tree is in that has lost all its leaves and resembles a dead tree but will "come back to life" next spring. Like an equivalent of "hibernating"? Or "dormant"? I don't mind an everyday word or a technical word only botanists would know. I don't care if it's a single word or a multi-word term. Nouns and adjectives are both fine too.


title: Shoo-in vs Shoe-in and etymology

text: I noticed a USA Today article today that said "Mary Barra has been a growing force within General Motors. While she wasn't necessarily a shoe-in to be named to the CEO job...". I was pretty sure _sho **e** -in_ should be _sho **o** -in_ and m-w.com confirmed that for me, but didn't give any etymology. In other sources, I have seen references to horse racing and an argument for _shoe-in_ as a salesman would try to get his shoe in the door to further the sale. What is the etymology?


title: Perspectived or Perspective-Based

text: I want to use a word for showing that a different perspective from all possible perspectives is considered in something. Should I use perspectived or perspective-based? For example, should I use "perspectived method" or "perspective-based method?" I mean that a method that is dependent on the chosen perspective. i.e. according to the perspective chosen, it acts differently.


title: Quoting non-contiguous paragraphs

text: How do I quote two non-contiguous paragraphs from a longer article? I want to be clear that they're non-contiguous, but not have an editorial interlude between them. Here's an example quotation from an article by Clay Shirky, with how I _want_ to format it: > Over the decades, though, [higher education has] behaved like an embezzler > who starts by taking only what he means to replace, but ends up extracting > so much that embezzlement becomes the system. [...] > > When the economic support from the Golden Age began to crack, we tenured > faculty couldn’t be forced to share much of the pain. Our jobs were secure, > so rather than forgo raises or return to our old teaching loads, we either > allowed or encouraged those short-term fixes—rising tuition, larger student > bodies, huge introductory lectures. I thought about moving the bracketed ellipsis to its own line, which seems more proper but looks clunky. I'm also interested in how you might quote this if it weren't a block quote -- specifically, should you close the first paragraph with a quotation mark or not? (Also, this is in an email, not an academic paper, so I'm worried about readability rather than about adhering to an official style guide.)


title: What does mean "authority" in the sentence?

text: "These honourable Accessories [supporters] of the Heraldic Shield are said to have been introduced, (like Quartering) by Edward III, but they are of uncertain _authority_ until the reign of Henry VI." (Boutell, Charles., A Manual of Heraldry, p123) What does mean "authority" in the above sentence? At first, I thought it alludes to citations of references but it is meaningless in historical point of view. is it possible it means importance in there? There is another similar sentence: "A lion and an antelope, and sometimes an antelope and a swan, have been assigned to Henry IV. and Henry V., but upon no very reliable _authority_." (Clark, Hugh., An Introduction to Heraldry, p67)


title: What is the meaning of “runneth”?

text: What is the meaning of “runneth” in _My Cup Runneth Over_?


title: "God bless you" equivalent for fart?

text: In response to someone sneezing there are a few possible phrases you can say as a form of polite acknowledgement: > "God bless you" > > "Gesundheit" And others. But with a fart you laugh, deride or come up with something clever to say on the spot. Is there a commonly known polite word or phrase that says "I acknowledge your flatulence" similar to things said after sneezing?


title: A word that means beneficial for the individual or few but bad for everyone if everyone is doing it?

text: I came across this word/concept when reading a philosophical book but I cannot remember where. It basically means if only a few people do something its ok, but if everyone does it it becomes bad for everyone. For example a good fishing hole. If only I or a few others go there, everyone benefits. If everyone goes then there are no fish and everyone loses. The word has a meaning to do with reaching some tipping point. If a few are firemen, that's great, but if everyone was a fireman that's bad as nothing else will get done.


title: What's proper English for 'experimentee'?

text: What is the English word / phrase for things / persons that are experimented on? I think of experimentee but I believe there may be more common words.


title: Use of ' to indicate missing letters/text

text: You can write > this ol' man 'ere when you mean > this old man here But can the ' be used to indicate whole missing sentence parts? For example: > 'been a pleasure! for > It's been a pleasure!


title: Why are "scaring" and "scarring" confused by some dictionaries?

text: _Scaring_ is related to the word _scare_ , while _scarring_ is related to the word _scar_. Why is it that some dictionaries get these two words confused? For example, when you use Mac OS X Lion's lookup feature on the word _scaring_ , you get the result for _scar_ instead of _scare_ : ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Gb6IR.png) Looking at Apple's built-in Dictionary app gives us a bit more insight into the source of the problem. If you search for the word _scaring_ , you get the following result: ![scaring](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Eklmw.png) Notice how it shows entries for both _scar_ and _scare_. Notice, also, that _scarring_ appears under the word _scar_. The entry for _scare_ has no form ending in _-ing_ : ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/c0y3w.png) Had this only been an issue in Apple's OS, I would think it's a bug specific to that system. However, this appears in other dictionaries as well. The second result on Google for the word _scaring_ is from The Free Dictionary, and their entry for _scaring_ takes you to the entry for _scar_. Why do some dictionaries get these words confused?


title: What is the appropriate response to compliments

text: Consider a circumstance when someone compliments during a conversation saying something like 'Your voice is so lovely'. I usually end up smiling and pushing it away. What can be the actual response to it. Also how to deal with such responses with a bit of humor knowing that its just blind flattering ;)


title: Is the "one's" and "their" used correctly?

text: It is important that one’s decision of their own life is respected.


title: Word similar to a friend

text: What is the word in English language to refer to a person who is only a friendly acquaintance but we don't hesitate to be just ourselves in front of them and sometimes, have deep conversations about intellectual topics yet we don't hang out often and talk only when needed to ?


title: Are there any general rules or guidelines for creating abbreviations for words?

text: **Are there any general rules or guidelines for how to create abbreviations of a word when there isn't any established abbreviations of it already?** Context: I'm writing an article in which I have to abbreviate the word "questionnaire" (it's going to appear in a figure and have to be cut down to size) and I just don't want to wing it if there actually is a more or less proper way to do it.


It seems like a basic concept, but I want to make sure. Can the antecedent ever be in a prepositional phrase? For example: > Jill likes running with Julie. She is a good person. Does _she_ refer to Julie or Jill?


title: How can I say "Staff Only" with a formal warning sentence?

text: I need to write a door writing that states formally, "students are not welcomed in this kitchen, please use the café..." I've drafted some examples but I was wondering if there is a formal sentence which may sound more formal (like a warning from the principal) and also more native. z.B. "staff only" "Students are not allowed" "We kindly request students to use the ... Cafe provided." or What about ""We kindly request students to use the other areas(opportunities) provided for the tea service."


title: Expression for advantages of solution being disadvantages of alternatives

text: Is there some expression for situations where you can conclude that a solution's advantages are the same as the disadvantages of alternative solutions?


title: "If not" vs "If it is not"

text: You were sent a package.   If it is not received please call customer support. or You were sent a package.   If not received please call customer support. Which version is correct? Is there a better version?


title: Describing a worsening crisis

text: How can I describe that the financial crisis got worse in two ways:   1. it involved more people   2. it increased in intensity Is there a particular phrase I can use that captures both aspects?


title: Parallelism question with adverbs

text: I'm trying to understand the parallelism error in this sentence: "The university's board of trustees, being worried over declining student enrollments and their failing to secure additional funding from the state, has formed a committee to determine what cuts need to be made to staff and programs." I believe the parallelism error is this: The board is worried over "declining student enrollments" and "their failing to secure". What exactly is the error? "declining student enrollments" is an adverb + adjective + noun structure right? Is "declining" an adverb here? Does "their failing to secure" need to be in that same adverb + adjective + noun structure too? Can I change "their failing to secure" to "increasingly insecure funding"? Is "declining" an adverb?


title: Help reworking a sentence to make it less ambigious

text: Are there any rules governing what the "which" refers to in a sentence like this: > Every five minutes, the Node.js application posts a JSON document to my > CouchDB instance which looks like: Above, the meaning of "which" was meant to refer to the "JSON document", but I feel that people might interpret it as referring to "CouchDB instance". I would like to retain the active voice, but feel like rewording it is _awkward_ : > Every five minutes, the Node.js application posts a JSON document, that > looks as follows, to my CouchDB instance: UPDATE: What follows the colon is an example JSON document like:                { foo: bar,        key: 2       }


title: Compound Adjectives and -ed

text: A colleague asked me this question, and I couldn't come up with an answer that satisfied him, so I'm wondering if anyone can help: Why does _a man with a short temper_ become _a short-tempered man_?   In other words, why do you need the _-ed_ at the end? Are there any special rules for this?


title: Correct hyphenation for conjunction of hyphenated compound adjectives

text: Consider the following sentence: > The labour-intensive and time-intensive part starts tomorrow. I want to write this without rewriting the word "intensive." Is this the correct way to do it? > The labour- and time-intensive part starts tomorrow. Note the hyphen hanging after the word labour. Or should there be no hyphen after labour? Can anyone point me to a reference that talks about this?


title: Which one is it all-time or all time?

text: all time or all-time, not sure which one it is. Are they different in different scenarios?


title: Origin of “up and at ’em”

text: The phrase `up and at ’em` (commonly construed as `?up and Adam`) is used a lot. Where did it originate?


title: "Were" or "was" in this sentence from a The New York Times article

text: I was interested in the following sentence which appeared in an article titled “Hemingway's Prize-Winning Works Reflected Preoccupation With Life and Death" in The New York Times, ON THIS DAY, (July 3, 1961). > Mr. Hemingway earned millions of dollars from his work; for one thing, **a > great many of his stories and novels were adapted to** the screen and > television. Is the fragment "a great many of his stories and novels were adapted to ..." ungrammatical, as I think it is? I would reword "were" with "was", but I'm not sure on this correction, because I'm not able to precisely identify the subject[s?] of the verb, and if I think that the subject is "a great many" the problem becomes entirely incomprehensible (to me), at all.


title: "Sparsity" vs "sparseness"

text: What is the difference between _sparsity_ and _sparseness_? Is it that the latter emphasises the extent to which something is sparse? I'm not sure I can see the thin line that separates them.


title: Is the expression “Be flattered that” right? Couldn’t it be “Be flattered to do sth.”?

text: Michigan State Rep, Lisa Brown’s comment using the word, vagina in her address against banning abortions in Michigan state House caused a big dispute, and she was rejected to speak on the another bill by the House speaker. According to NPR (June 18), she spoke on the floor: "I have not asked you to adopt and adhere to my religious beliefs. Why are you asking me to adopt yours?" she said. But what came next is what got her in trouble: "And finally, Mr. Speaker, _I'm flattered that_ you're all so interested in my vagina, but 'no' means 'no.'" I’m interested in the use of the word ‘ _be flattered’_ in the last line, “I'm flattered that you're all so interested in my vagina.” Is “I’m flattered that” a right expression? To me, a non native English speaker, it appears to say “I’m flattered to do (say, speak, tell you that ....) is more natural, if not grammatical, than saying “I’m flattered that ...” Is the meaning of “say” included in “be flattered,” not simply meaning “being urged “(to say a nice thing)?


title: What is the correct phrase to ask to determine which group a first nations person considers themselves to be part of?

text: I met a women who I gathered was First Nations (or something like that). I struggled to ask the question to elicit the response to find more about her heritage and culture. What is the word that distinguishes between different North American aboriginal people? I've heard them called "nations" but it would be ambiguous to ask "what Nation are you from?" because the "official" one would be Canada. For example would it be politically correct to ask "What type of First Nations are you?" or "Are you part of a certain band?". I was looking for an answer like "Cree" or "Salish".


title: Close to the Chest or Vest. What does it mean?

text: Hi fellow language enthusiasts, so what does "Close to the Vest" or "Chest" mean may I ask? Or more appropriately "Chest" or "Vest" because I also learn that Chest appeared First. But what does the phrase mean at all? Any help is eagerly appreciated.


title: Is Shakespeare really the source of our modern meaning for odd?

text: In a recent article, the Guardian states that > Shakespeare is also responsible for the modern meaning of "odd". What is the evidence for this? The textual evidence alone is thin and unconvincing. Is Shakespeare really the source of our modern meaning for odd as unexpected, strange, or unusual?


title: Downtime (Computers and people)

text: I know I can say **I'm having downtime.** How would you say it about a computer (system). **It has/ it's on downtime every night from 2 till 5?**


title: "Would it be" vs "Will it be"

text: I was writing an email to my colleague and as part of it I wrote > **Would** it be possible for you to help me with this? I felt a bit awkward after sending the mail. Should it be _would_ or _will_? I know that _would_ is a past form of _will_ but it is also used to indicate politeness. In this case, it was extremely important for me to sound polite and formal. Please advise regarding the correct usage. I have already seen these questions: "Would" vs "Will" and "Would" vs "Will", but I need some more insights as to when _would_ is used as part of a question asking for a favour.


title: "Drive" in compounds

text: _Sex drive_ means you want sex. Does _blood drive_ mean you want to kill people? Does _talk drive_ mean you (want to) talk a lot? I know it might not be something people say a lot if at all, but does it make sense?


title: Some sentences for reference to clear the doubt regarding would

text: 1. Few people would have been surprised to know another case of corruption in India. (A sentence from a newspaper)   2. "I came in and ordered some shoes from you." 'Oh! yes, sir. When would that have been, exactly?'   3. His test appearance would have triggered jubilation in Ludhiana where his grandparents live.   4. Harbhajan Singh would have been joyed reading that he was at top of batting charts in the just concluded Test series.   5. Such cases have not been reported in Delhi. Although there is a good chance that like the Mumbai big team many would have been reluctant to go to police. My question: Why is _would + perfect infinitive_ used in the above sentences whereas it appears that they do not represent the third conditional? They appear to represent a case of prediction. Please suggest a good book in which the use of a modal verb is clearly explained in detail and particularly this use of _would_.   6. (A conversation between correspondent of a newspaper and a leader contesting election for MLA.) _Correspondent:_ Would any state have accepted an outsider as a chief minister? _Leader:_ I'm not an outsider.I belong to this state. My question is: Why is _would_ used here and not _will_?


title: Difference between  “robot”, “machine”, and “automaton”

text: What is the difference in meaning between a _robot_ , a _machine_ , and an _automaton_? I was inspired to ask this because I really can’t understand the subtle (or not so subtle) difference in meaning here.   * I believe that _robot_ is something that can operate on its own with AI (artificial intelligence).    * An _automaton_ is something like a black box: if we enter A, we know we will receive B (although we have no idea why).    * _Machine_ is everything mechanical.  What brings all this to my attention, and that maybe my understanding about the meanings of these three words is wrong, is this question.


title: A term that can be used to group towns and provinces together

text: I've been given some names of towns and provinces for a tourism web-site. Is there a hypernym that could categorize both of them together? I've been thinking of the word "locality" but I'm not sure if that's suitable.


title: A Pre/postposition that resembles Proximity, Multiplicity, and Miniature (or any of the three)

text: I am looking for a preposition or postposition that shows one or all of the following characteristics The order matters:   1. Proximity   2. Multiplicity   3. Miniature The word I am looking is something like "let" that is added to book to make the word booklet (that resembles miniature). But "let" does not show multiplicity and especially proximity. I was thinking of "Leaf", but I guess it only shows thinness and miniature. The most important feature I am looking for is proximity and closeness. Pls let me know If further explanation required. Thanks


title: "when I clicked on video file nothing has happened"

text: > when I clicked on video file nothing has happened. Is that correct?


title: Is the word a or an used if it is in front of 80%?

text: Here is the sentence I'd like to use: I reviewed the applications of those who passed the written test with an 80% or higher.


title: How did "stiff" mean cheating someone?

text: When someone gets taken advantage of, we would say "he got stiffed", where "stiffed" means "cheated". What is the etymology of the word "stiff" used this way?


title: What does "wax lyrical" mean in this context?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is there any other way you can "wax" as you do when you "wax > philosophical"?   >  What does "waxed rhapsodic" mean? > Sorry to keep this short, but some people can **wax lyrical** about this and > I'm not sure it's as mystical and magical as some will make out. I understand it intuitively, but would like to have the exact definition.


title: Is there any other way you can "wax" as you do when you "wax philosophical"?

text: The _wax_ in the phrase "wax philosophical" is a pretty strange bird. Its _wax_ is obviously not the ordinary definition of _wax_ , which my dictionary summarizes as an "oily, water-resistant substance", a definition which also serves as a fair summary of other, closely related "waxes", as in earwax or beeswax. Neither is, I think, the _wax_ in "wax philosophical" referring to another sense of _wax_ , as in _to grow_ , and which I know best in reference to the Moon "waxing and waning"; it means, as best I know, that the Moon is shrinking and growing in size. So is _waxing philosophical_ "growing philosophical"? Sounds pretty strange to me. The truth is, I only know how to use this set phrase, and can't really break it down into its constituents. It seems fairly archaic; the _philosophical_ isn't even in the standard canonical form of an adverb, with no ending "-ly". So I was wondering three things: What is the canonical definition of _wax_ as its being used here? In what other ways can you _wax_? Finally, if _wax_ is acting as a verb here, why is it _philosophical_ , as an adjective, and not _philosophically_ as an adverb?


title: What is the "sports" in "sports car"?

text: Why are nice cars called "sports cars"? Where does the "sports" come from? Is it simply because they are eligible for racing and racing is a sport (or is it)? Or is there some other origin?


title: Words with most meanings

text: I am not a native speaker and it sometimes surprise me how many different meanings some words have. An example is the word **call** \- when I was learning English I thought it was only "shout" or "to ring someone" but the list of meanings is almost endless: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/call . What are some other such words so that I can be careful when interpreting their meaning? As if I could execute the query "give me a top ten list of words with most definition lines on TheFreeDictionary".


> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Words with most meanings For example: > ### in·se·cure [in-si-kyoor]   >  _adjective_ > >   1. subject to fears, doubts, etc.; not self-confident or assured: _an > insecure person._ >   2. not confident or certain; uneasy; anxious: _He was insecure about the > examination._ >   3. not secure; exposed or liable to risk, loss, or danger: _an insecure > stock portfolio._ >   4. not firmly or reliably placed or fastened: _an insecure ladder._ > We find the word _"insecure"_ has four distinct definitions. Which English word has the greatest number of distinct definitions?


title: What does ‘shoe–leather journalism’ mean?

text: I found the word ‘Shoe-leather journalism’ in the following lead copy of the New York Times article (July 28) titled ‘In baring facts of train crash, bogs erode China censorship.’ > “China’s Twitter-like microblogs posted an astounding 26 million messages on > the crash, a potent amalgam of contempt, suspicion and shoe-leather > journalism.” Merriam-Webster com.dictionary gives the definition of ‘shoe-leather’ as ‘involving or using basic, direct, or old-fashioned methods', and shows shoe–leather journalism as an example without any explanation. Does ‘Shoe-leather journalism’ mean old-fashioned journalism or stereotype reporting style? Does it have something to do with a country’s governing system? What is the origin of ‘Shoe-leather journalism’?


title: If a person depends upon you, what are you for him?

text: Are you his _dependency_ , _dependendee_ or something else? What is this type of opposite word called? I believe it is not called antonym, as that would be _independent_.


title: Capitalising “river” or such geographical entities when preceded by “the”

text: In British English, it would be River Thames, River Jordan, etc, (as opposed to AmE requiring “River” after the name). So: > I swam in River Jordan. But, what happens to _river_ ’s capitalisation when _the_ is added? > I swam in the River Jordan OR > I swam in the river Jordan as in > I played the game Half-life **Edit** Damn! I just came across a PDF on Chicago Manual of Style. Agreed it's for AmE, but the first page itself talks about “the river Elbe” having a lowercase “R” because it’s “added by way of description”. Hence, my question stands. Does something similar apply to BrE or do we stick to capitalised “River” in all situations as long as it’s followed by a proper noun.


title: Floating in/on atmosphere?

text: Which of the following two are correct?   1. Melodies floating in relaxing atmosphere.   2. Melodies floating on relaxing atmosphere. My gut feeling says that it should be 1, but I am just a bit confused. Thanks.


title: “Comportment” vs. “deportment”

text: What is the difference between _comportment_ and _deportment_? I have tried looking up a comparison, but with very little results. The few discussions I found were contradictory. I also tried looking them up individually to do my own comparison. However, the definitions I found were almost indistinguishable. Even the example sentences made them seem like they could be used interchangeably.


title: Where to use the word "tumbleweed"

text: What is the correct place to use the word _tumbleweed_? Can we use it as a metaphor for a person who always irritates us?


title: Is it “good English” or “correct English” or something else?

text: Is it appropriate to say “I speak good English” or “I speak correct English”? I believe there can be varied replies depending on context, so let me narrow it a little; let’s say I want to convey how well I speak English.


title: I was sat thinking why you were stood there before I was took away by the word police

text: I know my sentence is dreadful but everyone now uses these words in this way, including my eight children aged 19—26. Yes, they are from Manchester but my husband uses _he was took_ and he’s from Leicester. This was never used when I was younger. Is there an easy way to explain why it is wrong, or do I have to accept it?


title: “feel tired” vs. “am tired”

text: Which of these two sentences is more appropriate in a given situation? > I am tired. > > I am feeling tired. I know this might be a very childish question, but English is not my first language and I just want to know more about authentic English.


title: "It isn't" vs. "it's not"

text: Is one stronger than the other? More correct? Just curious, one of the many abstract things to pop into my head on the drive home today...


title: "It isn't" or "It's not"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "It isn't" versus "it's not" When contracting "It is not Tuesday" are there any grammatical reasons to use either: "It's not Tuesday" or "It isn't Tuesday" If not, what do you prefer?


title: "It isn't" vs "It is not" (Google suggestion) - which one is more common?

text: Everyone agrees that: > Semantically "It's not" and "It isn't" mean the same thing: "It is not". No doubt here. See: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110704115859AAmQmxZ The reason why I'm asking is because Google is suggesting one way regardless the fact the one other one has more hits, see: "that isn't my problem" and "that's not my problem" ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/PrjFi.jpg) In general: which one is **more common** and what examples where it **makes difference** come to your mind?


title: Why is it "serviceable" but not "servicable"?

text: I came across this word in the answer provided by Robusto for the question about Thank you. Because the last _e_ in _service_ is not pronounced, I thought it should be deleted when _service_ is appended by _able_. I guess the reason for _serviceable_ may be related to the fact that the _i_ in _service_ is pronounced as [ɪ] but not [aɪ]. However, I am not sure, and I would like to know the reason behind that.


title: "Is key" or "is the key"?

text: I wrote this: > This means that, as with any distributed application, concurrency is key: we > have at least one flow of execution per node running concurrently with all > others, and [...] I was told to change it to "is the key". Is that right?


title: Why can positive statements end with a negative question and vice versa?

text: I had a hard time phrasing the actual question title—hopefully this doesn't mean it's too subjective—, but I'm curious about why positive (or negative) statements can be terminated by negative (or positive) questions: >   * You **do** like apples, **don't** you? >   * We **can't** all be rich, **can** we? > Why is it (arguably) common to turn a general statement into a question like this when the intent remains the same? Is this a common use of a rhetorical question? If so, what is afforded by not simply making a statement without turning it into a question?


title: "Weapon platform" or "weapons platform"?

text: For a game I need an "orbital weapon platform"/"orbital weapons platform" and wonder which one is correct, or sounds better for an English native speaker.


title: What does dig mean in "You are dug into a position"?

text: The context is : > I think you are dug into a position. And you think it's a sign of weakness > to change your mind.


title: Has elision revised the standard spelling of any words in the past century?

text: Elision ("the omission of one or more sounds in a word or phrase") produces the following: > going → _goin(')_   >  going to → _gonna_   >  Worcester → _Wuster_ (ˈwʊstər) However, this hasn't affected the accepted standard spellings of the examples above. Are there any cases in the past century where the standard spelling _has_ changed? (Note: I'm not looking for a list, just the existence of a documented change.) If not, are there any notable trends that indicate we may see a spelling shift in the near future for certain words or phrases–perhaps due to the increasing acceptance of txtspk and informal English in previously "formal" communication? A concrete example or two would suffice, but I'd prefer a link to a study or paper if one's available. To reiterate, I'm looking for **a change no earlier than the 20th century**. In the early 20th century, there were multiple efforts to simplify spelling (most unsuccessful). Arguably, it was to make the written word closer to speech, in which case elidid words may have been good candidates. Historically, that seems to be the case, yet it seems elided words don't catch on other than in informal speech. Still, at least one example of an elided word replacing the original exists, albeit centuries ago: > In speech, commonly elided in _he, him, his, her_ in unstressed positions, > especially following a consonant: _What did 'e do_ ; _Tell us 'er name_. > This elision affected the spelling and pronunciation of the Middle English > pronoun _hit_ , resulting in Modern English _it_. Lacking any concrete examples, perhaps someone can answer **why does pronunciation _not_ appear to pressure orthographic changes? Why do elision- based spellings, _while noted in dictionaries_ , remain "informal" or "colloquial"?**


title: "Change" for the future?

text: Is there a single-term for the _Change_ or _Update_ for the future? I am currently developing an application where the user will add an entry with an effective date but I am having a difficulty labeling that button. Let's say I label the button as > Add New Entry This doesn't seem right because the user will not add a new entry on the list of active entries but rather he/she will create an entry that will be active on a certain date, or one-at-a-time. > Update Entry This will not work because the action will not immediately update the entry, the entry will change on the effective date specified by the user. What is an appropriate label for such button?


title: how to handle EN US/UK differences

text: If you are from Great Britain, or other English speaking country (except US), or even most of European countries where you learn british-english and are working for an American company would you use, in your communications with them, English or American words, e.g. signalling (en-uk) or signaling (en-us)? **Edit** : also saying that, because I have seen texts where both syntaxes coexisted, probably multi-authors, so a global policy should be set in the company


title: Can a word be contracted twice (e.g. "I'ven't")?

text: I've seen a contraction of two words. I can't see why it wouldn't be possible to contract twice. Is it possible and how should it be punctuated? **Update** : Ok, to sum up the answers so far   * This appears in spoken British and American English   * It is from one of the lower registers of English   * Even if spoken this way sometimes, it isn't really written as a double contraction, except as written speech in fiction.   * And from my own googling in Wiktionary, it appears most written forms are old British words, often nautical like fo'c'sle.


title: Is "I'd've" proper use of the English language?

text: While reading a book, I came across the word _I'd've_ , as in: > I'd've argued against it. While it was obvious what it meant, it left me puzzled. Is _I'd've_ a proper word?


title: Are compound contractions proper grammar?

text: I've been told that compound contractions like _couldn't've_ and _I'd've_ are proper grammar. Are they?


title: Can you chain / combine contractions in correct English?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Can a word be contracted twice (e.g. "I'ven't")? I would like to know if it is proper to chain multiple contractions into a single word when they are in a continuous string. For example: "They are not ants." You have the choices: "They're not ants." and "They aren't ants." How about: "They'ren't ants." If this case doesn't suit your fancy, feel free to suggest a more appropriate example.


title: Does "it'll've" exist, and if not, why not?

text: From what I can glean, _it'll_ and _I've_ exist as standard contractions, but I am unsure of whether _it'll've_ either exists or is acceptable. "It will have" should be able to be reduced to "it'll've", shouldn't it?


title: Is "I'ven't" a valid contraction?

text: We can contract "I have" to "I've" and "have not" to "haven't". My question is, is "I'ven't" a correct contraction for "I have not"?


title: Is there any syntactic technicality preventing double contractions from ever becoming valid?

text: > **Possible Duplicates:**   >  Is "I'd've" proper use of the English Language?   >  Can a word be contracted twice (e.g. "I'ven't")? I think the contraction "we'd've" for "we would have" is disallowed, but it doesn't seem technically incorrect. It seems to work well with common phrases like "we'd've gotten killed out there". Of course, it's common in spoken English, but single contractions are quite common in written English, so I can't really see any reason that doubles shouldn't be allowed. Is there a non-historical reason that it's invalid now, other than that it's not in any dictionary? Could it possibly become valid over the course of time?


title: He overcame his defects ________ sheer force of habit

text: What is the correct preposition to be used in the blank?


title: Where were "should", "shall", and "must" in the 18th Century?

text: According to the following Google Ngram, in the U.K. the modals _should, shall,_ and _must_ were virtually missing from English writing during the 18th Century (I've added _will_ for a comparison modal which was unaffected). I have never seen this mentioned anywhere, and I couldn't find it in a brief web search. What happened? Was this a real phenomenon, or could this somehow be an artifact of Google Ngrams? Were these modals absent from speech, or just formal writing? More interestingly, how did they get reintroduced? A brief search shows that Shakespeare definitely used these words quite frequently. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/31tbs.png)


title: When to use "hit" instead of "go"

text: In some movie I heard someone say "I am hitting now" when he was leaving. Did he use "hit" instead of "go"? edit: " **I am hitting it** " is what I exactly heard in the movie. Two guys were sitting on a bench and one of them decided to leave.


title: such term or such a term?

text: I saw on the FDA website the following definition of cosmetics. What puzzles me is 'such term'. I have been taught that 'such' is used with singular nouns (e.g. such a book), plurals (e.g. such idiots), or uncountables (e.g. such nonsense). (i) The term "cosmetic" means (1) articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance, and (2) articles intended for use as a component of any such articles; except that such term shall not include soap.


title: "stop to do something" vs. "continue to do something"

text: A transcript of a recent speech by Barack Obama contains the following sentence: > Boston police, firefighters, and first responders as well as the National > Guard responded heroically, and continue to do so as we speak. The usage of _continue_ in this case contrasts what I have learned about the verb to stop, as in > We stopped to let the pedestrians pass the crosswalk, so the car did not > move. > > We stopped letting the pedestrians pass the crosswalk, so I accelerated. I suppose that these three examples are grammatically correct. People like me, who learned English as a second language, could misunderstand Obama's usage of _continue_ as > [...] and continue (with doing something) in order to do so I do not believe this is the actual intention. I conclude that this _to do_ vs. _doing_ issue is not a general pattern, but rather a restricted phenomenon. So my questions are:   1. Is it correct that the aforementioned phenomenon is only relevant for a few verbs? If yes, could somebody provide a list of these verbs?   2. Is it helpful, to regard the verb _to stop_ as a homonym, where one version of _to stop_ refers to a process of ceasing movement, while the other version is an auxiliary verb followed by a gerund?


title: "Checked shirt" vs "check shirt"

text: My son is learning English as a foreign language and I notice a mixture of British and American words in his vocab lists. Is there such thing as a _checked shirt_ , or should it be a _check shirt_?


title: "Shepherding" vs. "sheepherding"

text: What is the difference between _shepherding_ and _sheepherding_ (sheep herding?)? What is the difference between _shepherd_ and _sheepherder_? I had only heard _shepherd_ until I found _sheepherder_ on a page on the California minimum wage.


title: Another word/phrase for "meticulous"

text: I am looking for a word that describes a person's work as being detail oriented. For example: "His peers had confidence in his meticulous manner." Meticulous just seems too strong. The latin origin of the word is: > mid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘fearful or timid’): from Latin meticulosus, > from metus ‘fear.’ The word came to mean ‘overcareful about detail,’ hence > the current sense (early 19th cent). And when I use it in the sentence it doesn't seem right. Does anyone have suggestions for a better way to phrase this? Thanks.


title: Is libre the only English single-word adjective signifying 'liberty' without also meaning 'at no monetary cost'?

text: The Wikipedia entry Gratis versus libre contains the following text: > Libre /ˈliːbrə/ in English is adopted from the various Romance languages, > ultimately descending from the Latin word lībere; its origin is closely > related to liberty. It denotes "the state of being free", as in "liberty" or > "having freedom". The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) considers libre to be > obsolete,[2] but the word has come back into limited[3] use. Unlike gratis, > libre appears in few English dictionaries,[3] although there is no other > English single-word adjective signifying "liberty" exclusively, without also > meaning "at no monetary cost". If there truly is no such word, then I must grudgingly accept the ugliness of Libre. I must admit that nothing springs readily to mind. Is there such a word? EDIT: The basis of this question is that the people who coined (or revived) the term Libre didn't do so lightly. They were obviously of the opinion that it was necessary.


title: A better word for 'hot' (spicy)?

text: I never know how to order food correctly but succinctly the first time. :( Basically: I can't eat hot stuff (i.e. most pepper, similar spices, ...). On the one hand, I don't want to say _"Please don't make it spicy"_ , because I really don't mind spice (heck, a lot of them are great!) -- I just don't want it to be _hot_ spice. On the other hand _"Please don't make it hot"_ would seem to imply I'd like my food cold! Possibilities I've considered:   * _"Please don't add hot spice"_ just sounds weird   * _"Please don't add pepper"_ is the best I've thought of so far, but I'm pretty sure I've come across foods without pepper (or apparently so) which nevertheless tasted pretty hot.   And not just that, but it would also exclude bell peppers, etc. which I don't mind much. Any ideas for how to communicate this clearly? The fewer words the better, haha.