title: Can "And so?" serve as a request for completion or continuation of the thought?

text: Can "Yes. And so?" serve as a request for completion or continuation of the thought? For example: > Merry: Jack, you can speak Japanese, French, Korean and Arabic. > > Jack: Yes. And so?


title: How acceptable is "asinine"

text: The relation between asinine and ass is pretty apparent, and I know that ass isn't a very acceptable word, but is asinine? If it were used in an essay for school or during discussion would it be considered vulgar or inappropriate? > Alexy's course of action in this text was rather asinine.


title: What's a gender-neutral way of referring to a nurse?

text: Good afternoon all, In Japanese there is a word called "看護師" which basically is a gender-neutral way of referring to a _nurse_. I was wondering, Is there such an equivalent word in English? Is there a gender-neutral way of referring to a _nurse_ ?


title: On or upon + gerund

text: Which preposition are we supposed to use - on or upon. i.e. "On/upon closing the door, set the alarm on."


title: When is "instead" optional?

text: > This is time when you're not working but playing. Is instead required in the sentence above? When can instead be dropped?


title: What is difference between implicit and explicit?

text: I have seen these words all the time in IT/Computer programming. Examples: "How to **explicitly** render a template" and "do not **implicitly** assign to the local variable". I am dyslexic and hard time to interpret the meaning of both words.


title: "Containing" or "consisting of"

text: My memory is shocking lately and would like your advice on choosing a word. See, I am building an app for a client, and there's a notification area that says (or will say), something like this: > New Order containing 6 items. But then I thought, should I replace "containing" with "consisting of"? So it reads: > New Order consisting of 6 items.


title: Correct pronunciation of "herbs"

text: In the past, I used to say "Herbs", then I was corrected and told that the "H" is muted and one should say "Erbs". Watching some video, the instructor keeps saying "Herbs". What is the right pronunciation?


title: "Helpful" means vs "Helpful" mean's

text: My son was marked down for the following sentence: > Helpful means helping other people. The error was with _means_. The teacher corrected the word to **mean's**. > Helpful _mean's_ helping other people. Is this correct? Keep in mind he is in 3rd grade.


title: Why is a door prize called a "door prize"?

text: I entirely understand what door prize means, but how did this name come about? Is this some kind of slang?


title: Why and when to use "end-of-period"?

text: I came across some manuals that refer to **end-of-period.** I wonder as to when and why they would use this style? Please support your answers with examples.


title: Are these commas correct?

text: I am unsure about the first three commas in the following sentence: > In this paper, I will explain, on the intuitive level, how to use different > methods of light polarisation to obtain interesting physical phenomena. Is it the right usage?


title: Is the following title correct? Document streams Segmentation and Classification

text: "Document streams Segmentation and Classification"      What I mean by this title is that i have a stream or a flow of documents and i want to separate these documents and classify them into for example insurance, receipt documents. Does it sound correct in english? Thank you.


title: What is the difference between 'try' and 'attempt' when used as nouns?

text: Why is it possible to say > The speech is an attempt to pacify all parties concerned. but not *"The speech is a try to ...." Although they are interchangeable in > I will give it another try/attempt > > It was a good try/attempt


title: What part of speech is "run"?

text: A JobInstance refers to the concept of a logical job run. In the above sentence, is the final word "run" a noun? and which word does the adjective "logical" modify? job or job run? Is the word "job run" a compound noun?


title: Differences in use of "mandate" and "remit"

text: What are the differences in use of _mandate_ and _remit_? For example, Googling for _the remit of_ gives me examples like: > The remit of the BBC is to entertain, educate and inform. whereas if I google for _the mandate of_ , I get things like: > The mandate of the Federal Reserve is to promote effectively the goals of > maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. Both describe what a given organization should do, but what are the differences?


Tom had already eaten when his friend arrived. Tom had eaten when his friend arrived. Do I need to add "already" in sentences above?


title: Why can 'kick back' mean 'get relaxed'?

text: I came across the following sentence in today's NPR news: > In 2011, boomers start turning 65, the age when Americans traditionally stop > working and kick back. A dictionary at hand gives the definition of kick back as "1. (literally) kick back, retort. 2. pay rebate. 3. relapse into illness. 4. get relaxed, put oneself at home." Interpretations 1 through 3 are understandable to me. But I don't understand why 'kick back' came to mean definition 4, "get relaxed, put oneself at home." What is the etymology for this expression?


title: "I would like to ask you a favour" vs. "I would like to ask you for a favour"

text: Which form is to be preferred? >   * I would like to ask you a favour. >   * I would like to ask you _for_ a favour. >


title: "Production" vs. "manufacturing"

text: What are the connotations of _production_ and _manufacturing_? In what situation would you prefer one over the other?


title: Old times or old time?

text: Which one is correct? If none of them are, could you be so kind as to provide a correct alternative? > This song reminds me of the old times. or > This song reminds me of the old time.


title: Origin of "the nature of the beast"

text: _The nature of the beast_ is a well-known phrase or saying which means something like _an essential property of the thing_ , particularly when the property is a vexatious one. For example: > I don't like the fact that people always downvote my answers on > StackExchange, but that's **the nature of the beast**. What's the origin of the phrase? Is it biblical? Does it stem from some Hobbeseian metaphor? I had a look online, but couldn't find anything about the origin, and my copy of Brewer's is five miles away.


title: Backshifting in the that-clause of 'make sure'

text: Do you normally backshift a verb in the that-clause of 'make sure' when the 'make' is 'made,' 'could make,' 'would make,' etc.? Please take a look at the examples below. Are my thoughts on the right track? > _A man is asking his travel agent to get seats next to each other's for him > and his wife on a plane._   >  [1] If you could please make sure we (sat/ sit) together, I'd appreciate > it. **My thought:** Either is fine. You could backshift 'sit,' but you don't > have to. > > _A man asked his travel agent to arrange consecutive seats on a plane for > him and his wife, and they did._ > > [2] They made sure we (sat/ sit) together. **My thought:** If sitting has > not yet happened, you can say either, but if it did, you only can say 'sat.' > > [3] They made sure we (would/ will) sit together.   >  **My thought:** If sitting has not yet happened, you can say either, but if > it did, you only can say 'would.'


title: "He is me" — is this grammatical?

text: Referring to a picture, the question is "Who is he?" The answer I got back was "he is me". Is that correct? Shouldn't it be "It is me"?


title: what is allegory how is allegory used in poetry? Can you give some simple examples?

text: **Allegory and its usages? Simple Examples for allegory.**


title: Practical meaning of "Sale"

text: Its not uncommon that you walk on the street you see there are big malls hanging big billboard containing only " _Sale_ ". Sometimes, _Summer Sale_ , _Winter Sale_. In every case you get XX% price off there. ![Sale Billboard](http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/designzaptik/designzaptik1112/designzaptik111200092/11447360-high- res-big-sale-billboard-with-background-3d-rendered.jpg) If I ask you **_Hey, is there any sale running on Nike?_** what do you think?   1. I asked you if _Nike is currently selling products_. -- well they always sell. So whats the point of this question then?   2. I asked you if _Nike is currently selling products with discount_. -- this might be a meaning. I am not asking you to provide the meaning from dictionary. I know that. I just want to know the interpretation of that question to most people. In fact the practical meaning of _Sale_.


title: Why don't we need "the" in "from lack of sleep"?

text: > From lack of sleep Since we're talking about a specific lack, namely lack of sleep, it seems that the article _the_ should be there. That is, > From the lack of sleep.


title: Two past perfect verbs in the same sentence even though sequence is indicated

text: A group of environmentalists helped direct several small sharks that **had lost** their way after they **had swum** through polluted waters to migrate South. Swimming comes before losing the way, yet both verbs are in past perfect. I'm told that this sentence is correct. Is this sentence correct and what about the past perfect should I know to explain this usage?


title: Number of morphemes in "saw" (As in, I saw the cat)

text: Does the word "saw" contain more than one morpheme? If so, how is this possible in such a short word? Are there any other words of this length that have multiple morphemes? I have just started studying linguistics and morphology, so I am probably just missing something, but I don't understand how it could be more than one.


title: Can other words replace "consideration" in "with all due consideration"?

text: The following is a multiple choice question in an English test: > The employers prepared, with all due _______, for a conference with the > Trade Union. > > A. _caution_ > > B. _concern_ > > C. _certainty_ > > D. _consideration_ I feel A ("with all due caution") is ok, but I am not sure.


title: In a headline written with initial capitals, should "outside" be capitalized?

text: I'm writing a headline for an article ending with "outside the organization." According to our style book, we capitalize on headline. Should "outside" be capitalized in this context?


title: Meaning of "it will do you in"?

text: What is the meaning of the expression "it will do you in"? I came across this sentence: if you are not careful, it will do you in.


title: A word describes the person whose homeland/origins cannot be assurely identified

text: I am looking for adjective describes the person whose origins cannot be identified based on his appearance features, accent, background ... etc. Some people has typical appearance features of middle Africans, Scandinavian, Chinese, Latin and so forth. I am aware that there is no strict line defines whether persons is coming from this area or that (e.g. a Scandinavian looking could be from USA). But generally speaking, if you met someone and you could not locate his/her origins due to overlapping and confusing features, what word can describe that person? I am looking for something more specific than (mixed).


title: Are there any common phrases in the English language that use metric units of measurement?

text: We've got things like 'inch closer' or 'miss by miles' but nothing common that uses the metric system as far as I know.


title: English abbreviation for: added by redaction

text: In Dutch, for example in a newspaper, when someone is quoted, the redaction might decide to explain something, or add more information. This would be done using the 'red.' abbreviation (for redaction). Like this: > "Karen was very sad when Rodger ( her dog, red.) died..." Does such an abbreviation exist in English, and is this something that is actually done in English texts?


title: "Must Not" or "May Not" - which is the most correct

text: I work in the IT industry and often read software and standards specifications that start with a section with definitions for certain words used in the document. Recently I came across the following in section 1.3 of pdf document SSEK Version 2.0 by Andersson et al [verbatim except for added dashes]: > The keys words SHOULD, MAY, MUST and MUST NOT in this document are to be > interpreted as follows: > >> SHOULD – This word mean that there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances to ignore a particular item, but the full implications must be understood and carefully weighed before choosing a different course.   >  MAY – This word mean that an item is truly optional.   >  MUST – This word mean that the definition is an absolute requirement of the > specification.   >  MUST NOT – This phrase mean that the definition is an absolute prohibition > of the specification. The question is whether the last definition really is correct, or if it should have been MAY NOT instead to have the defined meaning.


title: What is "Loan principal"?

text: I'm using an English financial application to keep track of my spending. When trying to categorize a transaction as a student loan payout, the closest built-in category I could find was "Loan Principal Received". What does that mean? The definition (according to Google) is > The total sum of money borrowed If I receive monthly student loans throughout a year, would it be correct to categorize those "income" transactions as "loan principal received"? Would it be more correct to create my own category and call it "loan payout"?


title: What is the meaning of bedshape?

text: I was listening to a song called 'Bedshaped' of English band 'Keane'. But, I couldn't find any meaning of it from any dictionaries. Maybe I can guess, but I would like to make sure about this. How do you think about the meaning? And, also, 'legs of stone' got me confused. Here are the lyrics below. You'll follow me back With the sun in your eyes And on your own Bedshaped And legs of stone You'll knock on my door And up we'll go In white light I don't think so But what do I know? What do I know? I know!


title: can the term "pro rata" include cutting for non-use in the middle of a period?

text: Suppose somebody pays pro rata every three weeks. I understand that if they cut short during that period, "pro rata" means the amount is recalculated according to how many days they use and only goes up till when they stopped. Suppose a company like a phone company takes into consideration if somebody's phone has been inactive for 7 days within a 3 week period. So within that three week period, there were 7 days, before which, they had their phone active. After which they had it active. But during which, they didn't. And the company is fine for refunding for that 7 day inactive phone period. Would the term pro rata also apply to if the company deducted 7 days of charges from the cost of the three week paying period? Or does the term pro rata only apply to contiguous/consecutive days between the point of stopping, and the end of the (in this case 3 week) paying period? this is not a question about company policy, as company policy is to refund for the 7 days the phone was inactive. This is a question of whether the term "pro rata" applies to that. though on a related note, if the company didn't refund for the 7 days the phone was inactive, would they still be able to say it was pro rata?


title: Which collocation should I use with "replacement"?

text: I am doing an English language test. Can you help me with this question? > “We will deduct $5.95 from your available funds **__________** of the lost > Gift Card.” > > a) upon the replacement   >  b) is replacing   >  c) during the replacement   >  d) as we issue you the replacement Is it A or D?


title: Where did the "Near East" go to?

text: I was reading some essays the other day written in the late 1940s and early 1950s, in which the phrase _Near East_ (meaning Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, etc) recurred quite frequently. It then occurred to me that I hadn't heard that name recently, as it seems to have been replaced by _Middle East_. So I wonder: when, and why, did the _Near East_ become the _Middle East_? It hasn't moved, after all.


title: “Firstly, secondly” vs. “Firstly, lastly” when listing just two points

text: Normally, if we which to illustrate our points, we can use firstly, secondly, lastly (or last but not least or finally). > There are a few pieces of information we need to notice:   >  Firstly,   >  Secondly,   >  Lastly, But consider that we have only two points, are we going to use > There are a few pieces of information we need to notice:   >  Firstly,   >  Secondly, or > There are a few pieces of information we need to notice:   >  Firstly,   >  Lastly, It seems like _firstly→secondly_ does not have an ending, and _firstly→lastly_ seems to be too fast to end. Is there a better way to talk about them for when you have just two points to make?


title: "a variable of type int" versus "a variable of an int type"

text: In programming books, I noticed that "a variable of type int," and "a variable of an int type" are often used interchangeably. Which one is the correct one?


title: Should "append to" be "append too"?

text: Which is correct? > append parts c to parts b or > append parts c too parts b I know too is used when there are supposed to be amounts, but appending something to something else is adding something to / too it. Can someone please explain this to me.


title: What is the difference between “close” and “close together”?

text: Examples: >   1. His eyes were small and close (together). > >   2. The two buildings are close (together). > > I can’t really understand the difference. Perhaps the second version is more emphatic.


title: The usage of “banzai”

text: I started to reread a pretty old mystery of Thomas Harris, “The silence of the lambs,” which I once gave up reading because of difficulty of understanding the narrative studded with technical jargons of abnormal psychology, entomology, police and security terms, and so many idioms and slangs unfamiliar to me. I was interested to find an apparently Japanese-origin classic word, "banzai," not "bonsai," being used in the following passage, in which Ardelia Mapp, a roommate of Clarice Starling, a trainee of FBI Academy at Quantico who is the heroine of the story gives an advice to Clarice not to skip the next day’s Criminal Code exam: > “Mapp had made the Law Review at the University of Maryland while working at > night. Her academic standing at the academy was number two in the class, > **her attitude toward the book was pure banzai**. > > "You're supposed to take the Criminal Code exam tomorrow and the PE test in > two days." – ibid. P.121. OCD (10th ed.) at hand defines “banzai” as; exclaim: 1. Japanese battle cry. 2. A form of greeting used to the Japanese emperor. We Japanese stand up and shout “banzai” when watching TV featuring the scene Japanese baseball (women’s soccer) team wins the world baseball (women’s soccer) games. We also use “banzai” for the meaning of “total surrender” in association with the gesture of banzai holding up and down both hands when crying “banzai.” However, neither of OCD definition and our notion of “banzai” seems to relate with the usage of “banzai” in the above quote - Her attitude toward the book was **pure banzai**. It appears to me “banzai” is used in the meaning of “extraordinary” or “super” there. Google Ngram indicates that the word “banzai” first appeared in circ. 1900 and its usage peaked in 1950 just after the end of the Pacific War. Its usage is low at 0.000036177% level in 2000 as against 0.0019679775% of “extraordinary”. What does “banzai” mean in the above context? Is it commonly used in that way?


title: Correct Present Perfect Usage: Is it Disappearing?

text: Certain verbs such as drink, speak, and swim seemed to be misused more and more with this tense. Is this a regional phenomenon or common in all English speaking countries? For example, in southern Illinois and western Michigan many people say, I have spoke, I have swam, or I have drank and opposed to using spoken, swum or drunk.


title: Which is grammatically correct: "woke up by the..." or "woke up to the..."?

text: Which is grammatically correct? > Sophia woke up by the rattling sound of her washing machine. or > Sophia woke up to the rattling sound of her washing machine.


title: What does the phrase "putting them in time out" mean?

text: I have a sentence, but there is an expression I can't understand. Could someone explain it to me? Here it is: > "You should treat your employees like adults instead of _putting them in > time out_ like a child." Could someone direct me to a list of explanations of similar expressions: _come out_ , _take off_ , and so on


title: What is a synonym for "profile picture?"

text: I can't think of anything that's one word that's distinctive over any other kind of picture. It needs to be something that's specific to an online profile or account.


title: Use of noun "immovable" and its plural form

text: I'm not sure about the plural form of _immovable_ (immovables). By the way, is "immovable" a word that English speakers use when referring to "real estates, properties etc."?


title: Five percent VS The five percent

text: Five percent VS **The** five percent. Which one is correct and why? Because i.e. this page exists http://www.thetwopercent.com/ or the famous slogan ;) "we are **the** 99%.". However, on the official apple website: http://www.apple.com/environment/renewable-energy/ is this without the article: By the end of 2012, we’ll meet the energy needs of our Maiden, North Carolina, data center using entirely renewable sources. To achieve this, we’re building our own facilities that will provide **over 60 percent** of the clean power we need. It’s another example of Apple’s commitment to designing for energy efficiency — from the ground up. or here: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/survey-81-percent- teachers-think-tablets-help-students-84895 Unfortunately there is some bad news as well: Only **about 22 percent** of the teachers said that they have access to the right level of technology. Nearly two-thirds — **about 63 percent** — explained that budget issues are the "biggest barrier to accessing tech in the classroom." (In low-income communities, that statistic jumped **to 70 percent**.) And these are the well known websites apple and nbc. I do not understand at all. Are both ways correct? When should I use the definite article and when I shouldn't?


title: How to say "bolillero"?

text: In lottery games or bingo games, sometimes an object like this is used: ![bolillero](http://i.stack.imgur.com/dUAxT.jpg) What is the name of this? In Spanish we call it _bolillero_ but I didn’t find the definition in Enlgish.


title: Are "might" and "should" past tenses of "may" and "shall", respectively?

text: According to the dictionary definitions (e.g. in Merriam-Webster) , "should" is the past of "shall" and "might" is the past of "may": But are these modal verbs really used as such? I know they are frequently used with other meanings (as confirmed by their other definitions in the dictionary), but my question is if they are really used with their original meaning of past tense for "shall" and "may". I give two examples below. Do the present and past versions have the **exact** same meaning (except for the tense, of course)? 1) MAY / MIGHT **Present:** When he is at school, he may not go to the bathroom without asking for permission. **Past:** When he was at school, he might not go to the bathroom without asking for permission. 2) SHALL / SHOULD **Present:** He thinks that they shall go the restaurant. **Past:** He thought that they should go the restaurant.


title: Where does "acutilobate" originate from?

text: I see the claim that _acutilobate_ is a “dictionary-only” word, for example seen in the 1913 _Webster’s_ dictionary. How would a word get into a dictionary that only appears in dictionaries and is not really a word in use? Once a word is in a dictionary such as _Webster’s_ doesn’t that confer it life and wouldn’t it generally begin to enter the language in actual use? Websters defines it as a botany term: “Having acute lobes, as some leaves”. Where did _acutilobate_ originate from as a word?


title: what's the difference between "Remarks" and "Note"?

text: When I make a table, there is a column we left for the things we forget to write down on it. What would we call this item? Remarks or Note?


title: *all of us's friend

text: There's this funny gap I tried to write a paper once upon a time when I studied linguistics, and I'd like to know if anyone has insight into it. The construction in question is the possessive determiner with 's in English. It's a noun phrase made up of a noun phrase followed by 's, and its extremely liberal in the noun phrases it allows:   * Jack's house   * Tom and Mary's music collection   * several stories' endings   * the bus's headlights   * the guy I talked to yesterday's cat   * a lighthouse in the bay's coordinates   * don't you know who's snide comment But there are certain noun phrases that are not allowed -- those that end in personal pronouns:   * all of us's friend [a friend of all of us]   * you and me's picture [a picture of you and me]   * the gift I gave to them's receipt Anyhow, I'd appreciate any thoughts on this and/or pointers to papers that discuss it.


title: What does "urge to kill" mean?

text: I've got an answer to my comment at Stack Overflow, and I don't get what it means. I've googled and looked over several dictionaries with no help. Seems like it is some specific slang/phrasal verb, which I cannot find. > **zerkms:** @OMG Ponies: I have an idea of writing small .net application > that formats any sql query accodring to the rules you've thinked of/invented > (to get a practice in lexers/parsers). What do you think of this? ;-) > > **OMG Ponies:** @zerkms: Urge to kill... rising... :p


title: Meaning and origin of phrase "wear heart on sleeve"

text: What does the phrase "wear (one's) heart on (one's) sleeve" mean? I would appreciate if you could also tell me the origin of the same.


title: nowadays with verb or verb+ing form

text: Does anyone know why B is better than A ? > A. Nowadays, public health is a topic that starts to get growing attentions. - > B. Nowadays, public health is a topic that is starting to get growing > attention.


title: Proper verb for power outage

text: What verb is used for power outage? > Power goes out everyday in the morning. Is "goes out" correct verb for power outage or there is any other verb for it. And what verb is used for power come back.


title: "The day of" into "a day of"

text: Is this grammatically correct? > The day of rest became a day of violence when a bomb exploded in a Belfast > cafe. Or is this better? > A day of rest became a day of violence when a bomb exploded in a Belfast > cafe. "Day of rest" refers to Sunday.


title: "List of items" is correct. Is "items list" correct?

text: Actually, my question is a bit broader. AFAIK, the latter is generally incorrect: "item" is adjective so it should be singular. However there are some well-known exceptions like "sales manager". Could anyone explain the rule here: when is plural form acceptable? **Update:** looks like here is an answer. Any comments are welcome, however.


title: Onomatopoeia for foxes

text: "What does the fox say?" Onomatopoeia, and Alien Languages claims there's no onomatopoeia for foxes: > But you don't find fox onomatopoeia in this context. Foxes tend to do one of > two things: either they are silent, or they speak like humans do. It's > certainly a testament to the fox's slyness that it's attributed with human > speech, which fits quite well with its trickster qualities (and of course > there are many myths that have the fox transforming itself into human shape, > too). The article goes on to cite a Wired article claiming that some of the sounds made in the Ylvis song The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?), such as "Chacha- chacha-chacha-chow", are accurate, but it doesn't indicate that they are commonly used onomatopoeia. Are there any commonly used onomatopoeia for foxes in English?


title: What "pining and repining" meant in 17th century?

text: ...like in : may be dying or even pining and repining" or "dragging the pining ang repining victim to the grave"?


title: Can we use past perfect progressive in the context where present tense is predominantly used?

text: As I understand, past perfect is used to express an action that had happened before something else in the past. But in the paragraph I came across, there appeared past perfect progressive in the middle of nowhere. Please refer to the paragraph below. In the popular movie Good Will Hunting, a janitor working at MIT, one of the best universities in America, solves a complicated math problem that was written on a board by a professor. The janitor, Will Hunting, **had been studying** mathematics on his own. The professor, Gerald Lambeau, realizes that Will has a very special talent. In the following scene, he explains the situation to another professor, Sean. To me, it sounds more right to say "has been studying" because it is describing something that started in the past and extends to the present point("solves"). Can anybody explain how past perfect progressive is possible in this paragraph?


title: "I'm just like anyone else" or "I am not like other people"?

text: I am translating a Russian phrase, original meaning of which was: > I am the same as all other people. A suggested translation is: > I'm just like anyone else. I think it should be: > I am not like the other people. What are the differences in conveyed meaning between these phrases? Please, help me to clarify...


title: Meaning of "semi-pro"

text: I was watching The Big Bang Theory series and when Sheldon and Leonard went to a sperm bank and Sheldon changed his mind about giving sperm, Leonard told him > What, are you kidding? You’re a **semi-pro**. What does _semi-pro_ mean here?


title: "While" as a non-temporal adverb

text: Is it correct in formal writing to use _while_ as a non-temporal adverb? For instance > Phenomenon A is generated by XXX, **while** phenomenon B is generated by YYY Should I rather use : > Phenomenon A is generated by XXX, **but/and** phenomenon B is generated by > YYY Note that I do not want to imply that A and B are happening at the same time.


title: "Why wouldn't to use foo bar?"

text: "Why wouldn't to use xxx?" or "Why wouldn't do to use xxx?" - are these correct questions in the following context:               - Why wouldn't to use xxx? / Why wouldn't do to use xxx?     - Because I/we hate xxx!


title: How to speak English fluently?

text: I have studied English grammar for a long time. And the problem is now that I do not read and speak English very well. I'm really worried about that! How can I learn to speak fluently?


title: Is “blog-avatar” a proper word?

text: I’m envisaging something just like your avatar or profile picture but for **a blog entry.** Each blog entry has a single picture which will be displayed as a small thumbnail for each item on the list. I mean can I use the word _avatar_ for this representation of a single blog post, like 5 different blog posts will have 5 different avatars? Or should I call it a _blog avatar_ , or are there any other words to describe it correctly?


title: Usage of "but" in a sentence.

text: I'm reading Robinson Crusoe and came across many of these constructions with "but" in it. I can't help but thought they were a little unusual. I don't consider myself fluent in English, that's why I ask. Here is an example: > This I saw no remedy for _but_ by making an enclosure about it with a hedge; > which I did with a great deal of toil, and more, because it required speed. Second one: > However, as my arable land was _but_ small, suited to my crop, I got it > totally well fenced in about three weeks' time; By typing the second out I figured it is actually the normal textbook case of "but", just an, in my opinion, screwed ordering in the sentence. Is this what it means? > However, as my arable land was suited to my crop but small, I got it totally > well fenced in about three weeks time; Why did the author do this? Can you comment on the first sentence too? It's not a textbook-but-usage as I see it.


What is an alternative expression to "this"? As in: > Medicine is very important. **This** can be ascertained from the fact > that... I'm looking for a "synonym".


title: Did "et cetera" gain its popularity from "The King and I"?

text: Is it possible that _et cetera_ gained its popularity thanks to the 1956 movie The King and I? Since I wasn't around before 1956, I'm not sure how common "et cetera" was in day to day speech. Or was it still as common in everyday speech back then as it is today?


title: "Tourists" for visiting sports team

text: In news about English and "Commonwealth" team sports (e.g., rugby, cricket), I occasionally hear the visiting team being referred to as "tourists" (e.g., "the tourists won the match ..."). This usage is listed in very few dictionaries, probably because it is almost unknown in North America, and those are the sources I have available. I'm wondering what the connotations of that usage are. Does it simply mean "one who tours" in the very original sense of the word, or does it have sarcastic undertones, likening the visiting team to sightseers? Also, what constitutes a tour? If an English football team plays a match in another English town or, say, in Italy, are they also "tourists"?


title: How to abbreviate "deLuze"

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  How would you abbreviate surnames starting with Mc/O/D? How would I abbreviate Jane deLuze? If I were listing a numbe of people by initials, like John Doe or John Smith, I could use JD, JS etc.... but how would I do deLuze?


title: What does “As for Romney, the G.O.P. is over him” mean?

text: New Yorker (March 4) carries the article titled “Ann and Mitt Romney’s lost fairy tale” portraying an interview of Mr. and Mrs. Mitt Romney by Chris Wallace on Fox News on Sunday, which ends up with the following statement: > “Romney said, “We were on a roller coaster, exciting and thrilling, ups and > downs. But the ride ends. And then you get off. And it’s not like, Oh, can’t > we be on a roller coaster the rest of our life?” Maybe Congress thinks that > we can. As for Romney, the **G.O.P. is over him** —mostly. “ Though it may look quite obvious to native speakers, I’m at fault to interpret the phrase, “the G.O.P. is over him.” Does it mean that the G.O.P. forsook Mr. Romney, or the G.O.P. is the past tense to Mr. Romney ? Can it be possible for any major, decent political party to dump its former leader or champion like old shoes - 弊履の如く捨てる- in Japanese expression, simply because of his not making it, or vise versa? Is “over” used here in the same way as ‘over’ in ‘game over' or 'done’? I consulted OALED at hand. It provides 10 different definitions of the word, ‘over’, among which I find (6) not used or needed, and (8) ended. I wonder if either of them could be applicable to the ending phrase, ‘As for Romney, the G.O.P. is over him—mostly,’ but I’m not sure.


title: How should this sentence be punctuated?

text: I'm not sure how to punctuate the following sentence: > Besides the managers, Pete, John and Eric, also the secretary, Mary, came > along to the meeting. I think I messed up completely with comma usage. My idea's to fixed are the following   1. Besides the managers (Pete, John and Eric), also the secretary (Mary) came along to the meeting.   2. Besides the managers -Pete, John and Eric- also the secretary -Mary- came along to the meeting. The first one looks good, but I have the feeling that the parenthesis disrupt the flow of the reading. The second one looks not very slick. What do you suggest as punctuation for this sentence?


title: How do you capitalize and hyphenate "at a glance" in a title?

text: I'd like to use the following as a section title: Module At-a-Glance Is it capitalized and punctuated properly?


Is it correct to say "What was your name?"? The reason I am asking this is, generally the name of the person will not change. One should say "What is your name?" http://variationsonnormal.com/2010/05/26/sorry-what-was-your-name-again/


title: Question about headline "Inmate Dies Anyway"

text: I came across this headline: "Oklahoma Stops Botched Execution. **Inmate Dies Anyway**." (link) I was truly disturbed by the use of "anyway". To me, it implies a nonchalant attitude about something that is highly sensitive and controversial. Am I wrong? Is the use of "anyway" acceptable? **Update:** What made me post this question is the use of "anyway" in casual speech. For example, after a pause, one side says "Anyway, should we go to lunch?" So, I have this feeling about "anyway" being a less-than-worthy word that one would not use in formal settings. Am I still wrong?


title: Who says "mummy" and "daddy"?

text: Is the use of the terms _mummy_ and _daddy_ to (informally) refer to one's parents particular to a specific socio-economic class or culture? How does this contrast with the terms _mum_ / _mom_ , and _dad_?


title: Is this usage of "last" correct?

text: Let's say I have just written an argument for something in a text, and I then add: "Last argument implies that..." Is that correct? Or should I add "That/the last argument implies that" or "The previous argument implies that..." What is more correct, and more importantly, more formal? Thanks in advance.


title: Can one suppress the pronoun "one" in a list?

text: On another site it sometimes happens that I give answers like: > The first formula is correct but not the second one. This is probably grammatical, but I find the formulation a bit clumsy, perhaps because of the influence of other languages I am familiar with, where the pronoun _one_ is not used. So my question is whether a formulation like > The first formula is correct but not the second . or some other variant exists, which would be perceived as more elegant but still natural by a native speaker of English.


title: Let's suppose vs. Let us suppose

text: Imagine you are working on a formal research paper (several authors). At the time of making an asumption, what would be more correct: >   * Let us suppose that... >   * Let's suppose/assume that... > The latter sounds better and more natural to me, but I want to make sure.


title: Meaning of "welcome distraction"

text: I want to know the meaning of _a welcome distraction_. It has no meaning when someone reads it first. I want to know the exact meaning. Is there a distraction that we can welcome?!


title: "The horizontal and vertical transfers" vs. "the horizontal and the vertical transfers"

text: > The Horizontal and vertical tranfers in Local Governement Is this fragment grammatically correct?


http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD04xx/EWD498.html: > We can found no scientific discipline, nor a hearty profession on the > technical mistakes of the Department of Defense and, mainly, one computer > manufacturer. I'd always thought that words after "can" should be in present tense, but the above sentence doesn't sound _wrong_ so now I'm wondering if this rule even exists at all. Must the word after "can" be present tense?


title: Meaning of "affectionate abandon"

text: > You should treat your book with **affectionate abandon**. In this sentence what does _affectionate abandon_ mean? Is there an abandon that is affectionate?


title: Is “Rouse me not” grammatically permissible?

text: In _A Song of Ice and Fire_ by George R.R. Martin, he writes that the “words” [see footnote] of House Grandison are _Rouse Me Not_. Is this grammatically correct? Does English allow such word-scrambling in sentences? * * *   1. Where a House’s “words” serve as the House motto.


title: What's an alternative idiom to "rob Peter to pay Paul?"

text: I'm looking for an alternative to the phrase, but I can't seem to figure any out. What's an alternative to "rob Peter to pay Paul?"


title: The Interrupting Colon – ie a colon after a verb

text: I was taught that a colon never, ever follows a verb: it can follow only a complete sentence. Does anybody on this site support this type of usage? Can anybody provide links or examples of colons used after verbs? Have you ever used the colon in this manner in your writing? I did some investigating this afternoon and unearthed some interesting information. _The Handbook of Good English_ and _Merriam Webster's Standard American Style Manual_ support colons after to-be verbs. Awesome! This debunks the myth that colons cannot be used in this way. Does anybody agree with this? Two strong sources support this principle. _The Handbook of Good English by Edward D Johnson_ The question was, did he like zucchini? is correct; the past tense of the question may seem to make it indirect, but it is still direct. Note that _did_ is not capitalized; it could be, and some editors routinely capitalize in such a situation, but a capital is a surprise after a comma and in the example would give the question more independence and emphasis than the writer may want it to have. Note also the comma after _was_ , needed to set up the question, almost as a weak colon. We could, of course, actually use the colon and capitalize after it: _The question was: Did he like zucchini?_ Or we could add quotation marks—which makes changing the tense desirable—and then would need no punctuation before the question The question was "Does he like zucchini?" These alternatives make the sentence rather stately, almost dramatic; the writer may prefer the smoother, more casual _The question was, did he like zucchini?_ * * * _Merriam Webster's Standard American Style Manual_ _The Interrupting Colon_ (as they call it) Opinion varies regarding whether a colon should interrupt the grammatical continuity of a clause (as by coming between a verb and its objects). Although most style manuals and composition handbooks advise against this practice and recommend that a full independent clause precede the colon, _the interrupting colon is common_. It is especially likely to be used before a lengthy and complex list, in which case the colon serves to set the list distinctly apart from the normal flow of running text. With shorter or less complex lists, the colon is usually not used. _MWSASM Example:_ _Our programs to increase profitability include: continued modernization of our manufacturing facilities; consideration of distribution terminals; discontinuation of unprofitable retail outlets; and reorganization of our personnel structure, along with across-the-board staff reductions._


title: What is the meaning of "zen is the art of being at one with the two'ness"

text: > zen is the art of being at one with the two'ness What's the _being at one_?   What's the _two'ness_?   Why _two'ness_ not _twoness_? I just don't know the meaning of this sentence.


title: “A mutual friend”, "A common friend" or “A friend in common”?

text: When I was a student of EFL, I was taught the word "mutual" implies a reciprocal relationship where X does to Y what Y does to X. If John admires Peter as much as Peter admires John, we can say their admiration is mutual. That said, can I say that Charles and I have a mutual friend ?


title: Replying to a favour done by someone

text: Some people did me a big favour. What should I ask them after their help? I have tried to ask directly, using the following sentences: > What would you like me to do to pay back what I owe you?   >  What would you like me to do to make it up for you? I can only think of two of such ways to ask them; I am not sure if I am rude to do that, but in my culture it seems alright.


title: Term for place to post flyers

text: What is a term for a physical place to post flyers?


title: As a color name, would "chili" or "chile" be the same as "chilli"?

text: The South African flag Wikipedia article consistently refers to the reddish color in the SA flag as _chilli_ , both outside of and within quotes from SA's official interim heraldic description and the SA Constitution's plain-English flag description. (However, Heraldry#Tinctures does not list _chilli_ among the common heraldry colors.) I looked (not successfully) for references for _chilli_ as a color, and am inclined to think the color would be the same whether called _chilli, chili_ or _chile_. Does anyone know different, or have access to an authoritative reference? meta.cooking.SE considers the "Chilli, Chili or Chile?" debacle at great length, but implicitly treating chilies as foodstuffs, not colors.


title: Term for knowledge that is unintuitive but obvious in retrospect?

text: Once learned, some bits on knowledge are so intrinsic to one's job or skill that one cannot remember what it felt like without that knowledge (and therefore difficult to document or teach to newcomers). What is the name for this phenomenon?


title: Is it possible to say "as you can"?

text: Is it possible to say that "someone does something as he or she can" to express that he or she is doing it with full enthusiasm or is this just badly translated German? Edit: Unusual language wouldn't be a problem in this case.


title: Can you rephrase this sentence (about storing files)?

text: > Starting from this date all such files will be stored in folder B. Is it possible to re-phrase this sentence without changing its meaning in such a way that it would start from "Starting from this date the storing of all such files will ..."


title: Word for half-hemisphere / quarter-sphere?

text: A _hemisphere_ is a half-sphere, for example, half the Earth: northern, southern, eastern, western hemisphere. In a forum post related to a ESA satellite station in Argentina, I came across the phrase "having such an strategic and experienced partner on the _South West hemisphere_ ". Now obviously, the _South West hemisphere_ is not a hemisphere, but a half- hemisphere. Is there a word for a quarter-sphere, south as, in the geographical case, the north west, north east, south west, south east? Maybe something like _quadrasphere_?


title: What is the origin of "Why don't you..." as a suggestion or command?

text: Frequently, in spoken dialogue one hears the above phrase used as a suggestion to the listener (or sometimes more strongly, as a command):   * _Why don't you give me that book?_   * _Why don't you go to the store and get some more milk?_   * _Why don't you make me a sandwich?_ In these examples, the speaker is clearly not asking for the reason the listener is _not_ doing the action in question. It's true that the listener is not actually doing the action (yet), but there is no particular reason for the inaction. The listener is simply unaware of the speaker's desires. In the instances above, _"Why don't you ..."_ could be replaced with _"Would you ..."_ and the meaning would be the same. The latter sounds more natural to me. What is the origin of the _"Why don't you ..."_ phrase and when did it come into use? Is this a regional usage?


title: Is this a correct construction: "Up to some point in the past I was not aware"?

text: How should I construct a sentence that would mean _Up to some time in the past I was not aware of something_ (e.g., _Until a few days ago, I did not know that you arrived in the city._ )? Is the sentence correct? Please suggest a few more equivalent sentences with better structure than this.


title: What does “Beyoncé was outed for lip-synching” mean?

text: I’m interested in the usage of “out” as a verb in the phrase “She was outed for lip-synching” in the following paragraph of Time Magazine’s (February 5) article titled, “A lesson in crisis communication from Beyoncé.” > "As the story goes, without any introduction or explanation, the singer > entered the room, asked the press representatives to stand, and belted out > the national anthem in its entirety. In that moment, Beyoncé put to rest any > lingering image and reputation damage suffered when she was **outed for lip- > synching** the very same song at President Barack Obama’s recent > inauguration. Her swift and transparent response in front of the right > audience at exactly the right time is a textbook lesson for any entrepreneur > facing a crisis." -I liked the last line in particular. From the context of the quoted sentence, I surmise “be outed for” means “be revealed / exposed to be.” But when I checked English dictionaries on line, Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘Out’ only as preposition and adverb, Merriam- Webster defines it only as adverb. Oxford Dictionary provides definitions of ‘Out’ as verb as well as adverb, preposition, and noun to mean; [with object] 1\. knock (someone) out. 2\. (informal) reveal the homosexuality of (a prominent person). 3\. (West Indian) extinguish 4\. (dated) expel, reject, or dismiss None of the above three dictionaries includes the definition of ‘out’ in the meaning of plain exposure or disclosure. The Wisdoms English Japanese dictionary at hand also gives definitions of ‘out’ as verb, but in connection with homosexuals - coming-out:   1. vt. (1)(in the form of be out) being disclosed to be a homosexual. (2) extinguish (fire). (3) expel.   2. vi. (1) go out. (2)(accompanying will) emerge. become overt. What does “be outed for” exactly mean in the above quote? Is it a popular idiom to mean something hidden / embarrassing becomes open / public? Can I say "She is outed for having an affair with the actor," or “The country X is outed for finishing preparation for launching a missile with nuclear head” as a casual way of saying?


title: A more formal phrasing of "in the future"

text: Is there a more formal or better way of phrasing " _in the future_ "? Example: > Please refrain from using said substance in the future.


title: Thesis help! This sentence is really bothering me. Please explain why I feel bothered

text: This sentence is really bothering me. Does this look right to anyone? If not, can someone write why? Thanks. > Only to the extent that John and Jane are willing to let go of the pretense > and show themselves for who they are will they be free to enjoy a true > marriage and enter honestly into the sacred covenant. I am not soliciting writing advice. I have made a good faith effort to research the question and have come to this site only upon mature consideration.


title: How do you use "i.e." in a sentence?

text: How does one properly use _i.e._ in a sentence? I'm not referring to Internet Explorer.


title: Starting a cover letter with "By this letter,…": correct?

text: In a cover letter (for a job application), is it correct to start the letter with "By this letter,…" (and then introduce the purpose of the letter)? this sounds a little strange to me, but there are some example of it on the internet. So, I would love to know whether this is correct, and if not, if there is a similar but more correct way of referring to the letter (as a form of gentle introduction) while introducing its purpose.


title: A vague definition in a dictionary, "shag：a sexual partner of a specified ability". Is there any better or plainer explanation?

text: I'm not a native English-reader, I'm Chinese. So mostly I get meanings of words by consulting dictionaries. I read this in a dictionary about the word _shag_ : > a sexual partner of a specified ability. _Sexual partner_ is quite understandable to me, but what does "of a specified ability" refer to? Sexual ability? Could there be any better explanation which would give me a plainer idea of it or are there words synonymous with _shag_?


title: Do punctuation marks take on the formatting of the preceding word?

text: If the last word of a sententece is in boldface, should the question mark be bolded as well? Which example is correct (see below)? _Example 1: **How much** did your hip, leg or foot **hurt?_** _Example 2: **How much** did your hip, leg or foot **hurt**?_ What about a different punctuation mark, like a colon, a comma or a period (see below)? _Example 3: **Explain:** are you currently sick?_ _Example 4: **Explain** : are you currently sick?_ _Example 5: If your hip **hurts,** please indicate the intensity of the **pain._** _Example 6: If your hip **hurts** , please indicate the intensity of the **pain**._ Thank you for your input!


title: Single word for "divine healing" or "spirit healing"?

text: I need a single word which can represent below phrases or meanings: > Divine healing   >  Spirit healing like there are phrases for _Long journey_ i.e. _Voyage_.


title: Applying the concept of 'trolling' to tall poppy syndrome

text: In Australia we have a concept of 'tall poppy syndrome' — which comes from a cultural assumption of egalitarianism. If someone puts on airs, or considers themselves more important than others, then it is 'culturally acceptable' to cut them down to size by using a cutting comment or criticism. When applying the concept of 'trolling' from Internet language in this context — is it 'trolling'...   1. to make the original comment that puts on airs,    2. to make the subsequent cutting comment, or   3. that constitutes both sides, i.e. (1) and (2), just from different perspectives? As 'tall poppy syndrome' doesn't really have a place in US culture, I'm going to ask a non-US person to answer this one.


title: "Need to" as an English Modal

text: In my studies of both theoretical and applied English linguistics, we studied English modals more than once. So a question came up on this site earlier today. I explained that "need to" is a modal. One of the users claimed that it is not. Question: Is not "need to" a modal?


title: Has the contraction “you’re” finally been replaced by “your”?

text: _Your_ is almost universally used these days for _you’re_ (“you are”). Is the misuse of your a result of ignorance, or is the contraction now formally dead?


title: Where do we get “queen” from?

text: _King_ comes from Old Norse _konungr_ , and _prince_ is from French _principle_ , but I have found no definite etymology for _queen_ as we know it. I have found assumptive connections such as to _keenan_ and _gna_ , but nothing definite. Is there any definitive etymology on *queen?


title: Isn't the word "uninstall" wrong?

text: I've never understood this. Why is the proper usage "uninstall"? You can't actually "unin" something at all and this isn't that case with most (all?) other use cases. Examples:   * You make someone sane, but you don't uninsane them.   * You make something accessible but never uninaccessible something.   * You can make something adequate but never uninadequate something.


title: Any differences between "slander" and "libel"?

text: Are there any differences between _slander_ and _libel_?


title: Words for Product Status labels

text: I'm working on an app that has to have 3 statuses for products. Here's what we've got so far:   * Active   * Maybe   * Dead Essentially Active products are always allowed, Maybe products can be allowed, but are essentially "use with caution" - "limited availability" might be one reason for this status, but others include "superseded by another product." Dead products are in the catalog for reference only and cannot be used - most likely because we literally can't make them any more (components not available, for instance). This is an internal app - not a public web store or anything like that. The labels above are what the product folks came up with. My programmer's mind would have used "Active", "Deprecated", and "Obsolete", but those are admittedly a little too technical for most of the users of the app - they would have a hard time remembering which of Deprecated or Obsolete means "you can't use this ever." I am OK with Active but strongly dislike the other two options, most especially "Maybe," so I am looking for some help coming up with one word alternatives. I was thinking of "disallowed" but had a hard time coming up with something between "allowed" and "disallowed." Any thoughts from the wise and knowledgeable EngStack crew? **EDIT** Since a few folks have answered along the lines of "Unknown" I should clarify that we know exactly what's up with these products, it's just that they're not exactly Active or Inactive (for instance).


title: What name for bowdlerisation with asterisks (e.g., “f*ck”)?

text: I have always been intrigued by the English use of asterisks to replace vowels in words considered as offensive, and the reasons it seems somewhat language- specific. My (very related) questions on this are:   * Is there a name for this process? This is encompassed by _bowdlerisation_ , but is there a more specific way to refer to it?   * This works fairly well for short words (f*ck, sh*t, c*nt), but how is it used with longer words, if deemed offensive (I can't think of any long word that would be very offensive, maybe that makes this a non-question)? * * * In my native French, words are typically bowlderized with first letter and an ellipsis: _“M..., tu es vraiment c...!”_ ( _Sh*t, you're such a dumb-*ss!_ ). It's a bit dated, though.


title: What did Charlie Sheen mean when he said ‘Tired of pretending like not a total bitchin' rock star from Mars’?

text: In the latest interview of Charlie Sheen in the NBC’s ‘The Good Morning America,’ Sheen said that he was tired of pretending he’s not a total bitchin rock star from Mars. Although I guess he is saying he is special, I can’t process this line with my brain as he says. Is ‘Tired of pretending like not --’ grammatically right? Can somebody parse this line for me? By the way, can I use the word, ‘bitchin’, quite casually in day-to-day conversation, and also in writing, if it’s not formal? The part in question in the interview reads: > Clearly, Sheen thinks quite highly of himself. ‘Come on, bro, I won Best > Picture at 20. Wasn't even trying. Wasn't even warm,’ he bragged to NBC. He > also said, ‘I'm tired of pretending like I'm not special. I'm tired of > pretending like I'm not a total bitchin' rock star from Mars. ... You can't > process me with a normal brain.’


title: An expression for undercharging

text: Is there an expression in English for what someone does if he/she charges well below the market rate for a product or a service? Here in Israel we call it "breaking the market" - a practiced shunned by practically everyone offering that product or service, since it may devalue the product/service.


title: Can I use the word "promise" with gerund?

text: Is it possible to use gerund after the verb "promise"? For example, in the sentence "He promised cleaning the window. I'd prefer to say: He promised to clean the window. But today I was told that this verb can also be followed by gerund in the meaning of "suggest". It sounds strange to me. Could you clarify this point? Thank you.


title: In the phrase "Throughout time, people have always had the desire to look more beautiful and fashionable", can the word "have" be removed?

text: Yes or no, and why? (This is an exam question.)


title: conditioning, conditions and circumstances

text: I am reading _The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People_ by Stephen R. Covey. And I come across the following saying that I do not quite understand. They are page 71. > They do not blame _circumstances_ , _conditions_ , or _conditioning_ for > their behavior.   >  ...   >  Because we are, by nature, proactive, if our lives are a function of > _conditioning_ and _conditions_ , it is because we have, by conscious > decision or by default, chosen to empower those things to control us. Could you please explain the meaning of _circumstances_ , _conditions_ and _conditioning_ in the above? Thanks.


Please tell me what does "harsh mistress" mean in this sentence: > Nostalgia can be a harsh mistress.


title: Etymology of "Threshold"

text: I found myself accidentally writing "threshhold" today, thinking semantically on the meaning. Was there a time when "threshold" was spelt "threshhold"? Or is the etymology of this word really an esoteric combination of "thresh" and "old"?


title: Word-order and meaning - which is correct for this notice?

text: I'm creating some signs for the office car park, and one of these signs is to control access. What I'm trying to get it to indicate is that cars aren't permitted between 10 am and 4pm except for access. Which of the below mean what I want to say above?   * Except for access 10 am - 4 pm    * 10 am - 4 pm except for access Am I correct in thinking that the first one means "Cars allowed for access between 10 am and 4 pm only " and the second one is "No cars between 10 am and 4 pm except for access". I realize the ambiguity of the sign, and want to make sure what I'm saying is correct.


title: Is it ok to say "fill in the blank spaces"?

text: There is a dispute between two guys in our village. One guy says "fill in the blank spaces" is not right and instead "fill in the blanks" should be used. Now I know "fill in the blanks" is right but is there something wrong with saying "fill in the blank spaces"?


title: A word for when I expect somebody to provide me something to continue doing my work

text: What is the most suitable word (or a short simple expression) for the situation when I am blocked by another person/process and cannot continue my work until that process is done? I suppose "expecting" or "awaiting" don't actually work because these don't reflect the possible negative outcome from waiting for too long, without taking responsibility for it by the person blocked.


title: Slight difference in the meaning I cannot understand

text: I am working on a text regarding quality of computational systems. I am following an ISO standard where I found: > Verification Process is to confirm that each software work product and/or > service of a process or project properly **reflects** the specified > requirements. And > Validation Process is to confirm that the requirements for a specific > intended use of the software work product are **fulfilled**. I cannot spot the difference. The former checks whether it reflects requirements, the latter whether it fulfilled requirements. I would say that reflect requirement is like follow them=fulfill? Obviously not. Thanks


title: Use of "it" before "sufficeth to say"

text: Is the following the right way to use _sufficeth_ (assuming it is not replaced with something else)? > ... , but **sufficeth** to say that the primary method of measuring parallax > in stars is via "Annual Parallax" Isn't it missing a subject? > ... , but it **sufficeth** to say that the primary method of measuring > parallax in stars is via "Annual Parallax" * * * sufficeth: > Verb > >   1. (archaic) Third-person singular simple present indicative form of > suffice. > Context.


title: What does ranked two places below mean?

text: If a statement says "India is ranked two places below China" What place does India hold if China is ranked 1? Is it rank 3 or 4? Also, is there any difference between the following two sentences? > India is ranked _below_ China. > > India is ranked _behind_ China.


title: (almost solved) "all I had to see me through": Explain & how to look up?

text: **Edit** : Supplemented "through" in the title. I tried an intermediate summary after the original questions.   1. It seems that "all I had to see me" simply means "all I had", or "all that was available for me". Am I right? **Edit** : I saw a sentence like "[In the desert] the muddy, brown water was all we had to see us through the next few days."   2. By web search, I find this phrase is almost always followed by "through". This "through" is sometimes a preposition, like "through the week", but it can also be an adverb, i.e., followed by nothing. (If the period is obvious?) I also found an example of "along" instead of "through". Any comments?   3. ~~How would a dictionary give the entry? I mean the last pronoun. " _Verb_ \+ oneself" (reflective) is common, but in this case, it's not _oneself_. And under which word is it listed?~~   4. ~~Is it possible to analyze the phrase? My impression is this "have" is similar to let, make, etc, not "have to", but it's yet peculiar; all such uses I know are in the form "have him help them" and "have it stolen". "See" here means "encounter?"~~   5. Web search shows only several cases for each combitation of the subject and the tense. Is this expression so rare? (But it certainly _is_ in use.) Thanks beforehand. **Edit** : In fact, " **see** someone **through** " was what I should ask. I overlooked it in dictionaries, being distracted by the nearby "see through so/sth", which I'm familiar with. Thanks a lot, Frank and Håkan Lindqvist, for giving aids to my ambiguous question. As suggested by the answers, if __someone_ sees another through a period_ , they give support during difficulty. But (Am I right?) if _there's _something_ to see you through_ , you've got it to live with, but the _emphasis is on how much_. So it's likely to be used like: "I only had something to see me through" or "there was enough to see us through". In the former, you can at least survive, but you probably want more of it.


title: Is there any categorical name for these kind of words?

text: Words which are derived from Sanskrit (which is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism) Or Hindi into English. For example:   * avatar    * karma   * kama  What category are these words part of?


title: What does "stick a bulls-eye on your back" mean?

text: What does this mean? > It's too bright up there, you might as well stick a bulls-eye on your back. From the movie _Judgment Night_ (1993).


title: has scientists excited or has excited scientists?

text: I saw the following on the Facebook page of _Time_. Is "has scientists excited" or the perfect version "has excited scientists" correct? What's the difference if both are correct? > The recent discovery of a subterranean sea, deep inside earth, has > scientists excited.


title: The use of any with plural/singular words

text: I always thought with "any" I should use the plural, but on the internet I can find both:   * It can be found in **any book**.   * It can be found in **any books**   * Do you have **any books?**   * It can be said in **any language**.    * This can be understood by **anyone**.    * It has been used in **any form**. So, what's correct? Is there any rule?


title: What is "generation X" and "generation Y"?

text: Why are we called Generation Y? What's Generation X anyway? What about Baby Boomers?


title: Where did 'love someone to the bones' come from?

text: Where did the expression 'love someone to the bones' come from? And is the meaning 'love someone too much' correct for that?


title: What's the opposite of 'formless'?

text: In some meditative traditions, there are absorption states called jhanas. Four of them are formless jhanas - jhanas without form - and four of them are jhanas with form. Is there a word corresponding to 'formless', but meaning 'with form'? In the original Pali they're called rupa (with form) and arupa (formless) jhanas - would there be two English words corresponding to these? EDIT: 'formless' here is a quality of the absorptive state. It basically means without physical form, e.g. in the 5th one (dimension of infinite space), the sensations of the body might drop away, and one is focused on the sensations of space in all directions, not the things within that space.


title: What does "grandfathered in" mean?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "I'm only grandfathering you in because of Serena." Over here, Jeff says something using the expression "grandfathered in." What does that mean and how can it be used elsewhere? Is it somewhat related to maybe adding or filling in the previous or missing part of a family tree? Sort of like a `rebase` in Git.


title: Ellipses at the end of unfinished lists

text: After reading a question wrongly posted on programmers.SE and especially the post at PR Daily quoted in one of the answers, I have some doubts about the usage of ellipses. In French, ellipses are also used when there are several elements in a list, but only a few are enumerated. Example: > Stack Exchange websites include Stack Overflow, Server Fault, Super User... I always thought that in English, the usage of ellipsis in this context is _not very correct_ , would never be used in books or press, and must be replaced by "etc.", but is still used in email communication. At the same time, the quoted post from PR Daily doesn't mention this usage. So:   * Are ellipses used in emails by English-spoken people at the end of unfinished enumerations?   * If yes, what are the guidelines for this usage of ellipses? Is it totally wrong to use them for unfinished enumerations?


title: What does " Rape someone's mind" mean?

text: Can we use of it to express violence by words and talks against another one or trying to impress him/her by advertisement against his/her own willing? Is it formal or informal? For example: > Mona hates spiders and her ex boy friend sends her e mails of spiders' > photos everyday. Or when some of men try to talk to women in the streets against their willing or use of sexual statements in their talks with women who are not their girl friends or even friends, can we say they are trying to rape women's minds? Does it sound rational and correct and can you use of it in your writing? If not which better phrase do you suggest?


title: Appropriate preposition in "your preference of/for time and venue"

text: What is the most appropriate preposition for the following sentence? > I would like to talk to you. Please let me know your preference **of/for** > time and venue where we can meet. I would also be happy to get a better construct for the idea I am trying to communicate. Even this does not seem to give me any idea.


title: When is (it) a good time to call you?

text: >   1. When is it a good time to call you? >   2. When is a good time to call you? > Everybody tells me that both are correct. What is the exact grammatical difference?


title: Conditional statement

text: On Facebook, Libyans started inviting each other to something like random gift giving event on the occasion of Feb, 17, in Libya. It is a very good idea. Giving a gift to somebody else you don't know is a nice thing to do. "If I was in Libya, I would've done it." I saw the conditional statement above on someone else's wall. Do you think, the statement needs to be corrected? The person is currently not situated in Libya and apparently won't be in Libya in Feb 17. The invitation to the event has started already and continuing until Feb 17. The gift-giving a FUTURE event which is not taking place at the time of speaking. "I would have done it" refers to the act of participating in the gift-giving event which is again a FUTURE event. According to the rules of conditional statements demonstrated in the picture below. Which one of the sentences below would you choose? 1- If I am in Libya, I will do it. 2- If I were in Libya, I would do it. 3- If I had been in Libya, I would have done it. Ps: 1= expresses what will happen if something else happens. 2= talks about the outcome of a possible event. 3= talks about the hypothetical outcome of an event that did not happen. I am confused between 1 and 2. ![If Then Conditional statements](http://i.stack.imgur.com/fcYJN.jpg)


title: Is "uncarefully" a word?

text: Microsoft Word is telling me that is isn't. If it isn't, what is a suitable alternative?


title: What is a word for the sensation when during a conversation you realize you were both talking about different things?

text: Inspired by this chat message (text is below), I have sometimes wondered if there is a word for the feeling that a person you were talking to about a particular subject was using the same words as you, but was actually talking about something else, or was leading into a very different and seemingly unrelated subject. Typically, you feel like the person is crazy by this point. Is there a single word for this? Is there a two- or three-word phrase, maybe? * * * The chat message: > There should be a word for that double-take sensation you get when you > realize the conversation is further down the rabbit hole than you thought. > Like when you are having what you think is a normal chat about interest > rates, or something, and the other person mentions that we're all controlled > by lizards from space.


title: "Reply to this mail is _not_ necessary" - Can this be considered negative in any way?

text: A year back a person had once told me that he doesn't want to have any conversation with me at the moment. Today I sent him a kind of apology mail and added the sentence (in tile of this thread) at the end of the mail. I wanted to make sure that he doesn't assume that I am trying to bait him in to a conversation. Now, when I think of it, I am not sure if that statement can be considered as   **"Do not reply."**?


title: 'Sorry, have you got the time, please?'

text: In this programme from BBC _sorry_ is used in addition to _excuse me_ to get one's attention: > Sorry, have you got the time (please)? So I am wondering: 1) Is _sorry_ common for a native speaker to get people's attention (e.g. _Sorry, may I have a word with you?_ )? 2) Can _sorry_ be considered as an abbreviated form for _Sorry to bother you_ (and suchlike)? Thank you


title: What is the difference between "apart", "except", "other than" and "besides"?

text: Do the following phrases have the same meaning or are there differences? >   * Fortunately, apart from a broken toe, she was not badly hurt after the > car accident. >   * Fortunately, except for a broken toe, she was not badly hurt after the > car accident. >   * Fortunately, other than a broken toe, she was not badly hurt after the > car accident. >   * Fortunately, besides a broken toe, she was not badly hurt after the car > accident. >


title: "For no other reason than" vs. "for no other reason that" vs. "for no other reason than that"

text: I am looking for a comprehensive analysis of these three constructions: >   1. ... for no other reason than X. >   2. ... for no other reason that X. >   3. ... for no other reason than that X. > Which is used when? Is this a question of register, dialect, style? How does the usage depend on what X is? Which of the constructions is the oldest, and what is the linguistic reasoning behind the other two variations coming about and happily co-existing — reanalysis, corruption, eggcorning? I searched the Language Log, but to no avail. Google is of no real help, either — it returns few promising results, which upon closer examination turn out to be unrelated to the question at hand.


title: Pronunciation of "lorry", "worry" and "sorry"

text: I have always pronounced _lorry_ as "lur-ee" (as if to rhyme with _worry_ ), for as long as I can remember. Everyone else I know pronounces it as "lor-ee" (as if to rhyme with _sorry_ ). Which one is correct, and why would the pronunciation of the vowel differ between _sorry_ and _worry_ when their spellings differ only in a consonant?


title: Using "present perfect" for things that happen in future

text: Is it grammatical to use "Present Perfect" tense for something that is going to happen in future? As far as I know, the Present Perfect is used to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. Google Chrome however, is showing me the following message: > When Adobe Shockwave Player has finished installing, reload the page to > activate it. I wonder if the above sentence is correct because the installation process is something that will finish in future.


title: What is a "transparent" adverb?

text: A scholar writes: A transparent adverb can only be used after sentence negation or after another sentence adverb if it carries a stress: > Conrad has not really left.   >  Conrad has probably really left. I do not understand why "really" in those sentences is called a "transparent" adverb.


title: Is it okay to have a series of "which"s after a chains of interrelated nouns?

text: I have several fragments: >   1. Samsung 32-bit RISC ARM 1176JZ(F)-S v1.0 >   2. a processor code developed by Samsung >   3. the processor code uses ARM 1176JZ(F)-S v1.0 core >   4. ARM 1176JZ(F)-S v1.0 core is based on ARMv6Z architecture >   5. ARMv6Z architecture belongs to ARM11 family >   6. ARM11 family is a family of ARM architecture 32-bit Reduced instruction > set computing (RISC) microprocessor cores > I want to join them all into a single sentence: > Samsung 32-bit RISC ARM 1176JZ(F)-S v1.0 is a processor code developed by > Samsung that uses ARM 1176JZ(F)-S v1.0 core which is based on ARMv6Z > architecture which belongs to ARM11 family which is a family of ARM > architecture 32-bit Reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor > cores Is it okay to have a series of _which_ s after a chain of interrelated nouns?


title: Plural name apostrophe position

text: At my English lesson the native English speaker couldn’t tell what is correct and promised to search it for us! He told us that if James is one person then we should write > James' Book but if we had many James he didn't know to tell us what to write... Any suggestions?


title: Is ‘suit-wearing’ an adjective sui generis?

text: I was interested to find the term, “Occupy Wall Street’s **suit-wearing** cousin” appearing in a May 31 New York Times article titled _Facing down the Bankers_. It begins with the following line: > Dennis Kelleher runs Better Markets, a nonprofit that pushes for tighter > regulation of American banks, something like Occupy Wall Street’s _suit- > wearing cousin._ We have exactly the same wording as “suit-wearing” in Japanese – Sebiro-wo- kita X - 背広を着たX. But it is always used in a denigrating way, such as describing a vicious politician and a lawyer as a ‘ _suit-wearing hooligan_ (or _yakuza_ ), and greedy bankers as 'suit-wearing man-eaters.’ In fact a famous political pundit recently published a book in Japan under the title, “ _Suit-wearing hooligan, XX,_ ” denouncing a boss of a faction of the ruling Democratic Party by name. I checked Cambridge, Oxford, and Merriam Webster on line dictionaries to confirm exact usage of this word, but none of them has _suit-wearing_ as a headword. There is no incidence of the word, _suit-wearing_ in Google NGram either. Is _suit-wearing_ a word that stands alone as a full-fledged adjective, or is it just a simple combination of two words? Is it neutral by implication, unlike the derogatory Japanese usage?


title: On a certain level

text: What does " On a certain level " in " I am looking for my sister ... on a certain level" mean ? I have read it in a play.I checked it in some dictionaries but coulden't find its meaning.


title: Doubt about the subject in this phrase: I, me, or myself?

text: > At the end of the evening, the bar was almost empty, with only [I/?] and a > very cheerful and pleasant lady I met in the last minutes of the meeting. What is the correct form in this case? My assumption would be to say "I", and also to invert the two subjects, as in the following wrong case, followed by the correct form: >   * (*) me and her went to the pub >   * she and I went to the pub > If my assumption is correct, I have a different problem. I end up with the phrase: > At the end of the evening, the bar was almost empty, with only a very > cheerful and pleasant lady I met in the last minutes of the meeting and I. As you can see, the need to detail information about the lady pushes the "and I" too far to be reasonably meaningful in the context.


title: Meaning of "scour"

text: First, let me make it clear that English is not my primary language; I'm Brazilian and I speak Portuguese. I'm reading an RPG book ("Heroes of the Fallen Lands") and I crossed the verb _scour_ being used in many ways that I didn't quite understand. I assume the meanings are similar, but I can't put my finger in it.   1. You lead the fight (...) **scouring** them with the divine energy.   2. You call forth a mote of divine light that reveals and **scours** your foes.   3. Unleashing a burst of the divine radiance that **scoured** the primordials (...)   4. Drawing on the power of elemental cold lets you **scour** your foes. I assume all of those meant some kind of damage, but I can't understand how it is meant to be damaging. What would be the meaning of the verb on those senteces? If possible, please give some synonyms applicable to this case or even rewrite the sentences. **EDIT:** After at least 4 downvotes I discovered that being concise is not a good thing here. I checked Merriam-Webster, Google Dictionary, AudioEnglish, TheFreeDictionary, Oxford, Michaelis, Longman, and some other pocket dictionaries that I've used over the years. The main meanings that I found was rubbing or scrubbing something, not quite right since energy, light, radiance and cold aren't tangible things (at least not at first). So neither of those would apply. Some more obscure meaning that I found was to clear some place of outlaws or of something bad or unjust. That also doesn't apply to all 4 cases I brought, maybe to the first. On the context its clear that the light, radiance, and cold doesn't get rid of anything. That I thought about something purifying something, maybe in the sense of purging. But again, only in the first sentence this meaning would apply. Lastly, I thought scour also could meant rinse or washing something with lots of water (or other liquid). This could actually be a fit. Energy, light, radiance and cold can indeed wash over an area or over something. But it didn't seemed to be a usual way for this verb to be used and even more, be used FOUR times and many places of a book. Also, all the sentences can have the implication of some pain being inflicted, maybe by burning (cold and radiance burn). So I came here to find out if that could be the case, and what could a english speaker make from the sentences on a first read. That was also one of the motives I didn't brought any of the meanings I found, I wanted to have a first impression from a reader, not biasing them to any meaning. Again, pardon my conciseness...


title: Word suggestion for items that can be labelled with a serial number and items that cannot be labelled with a serial number

text: I am looking for a word (or a group of words) that describe items that can (or can’t) be labelled with a serial number/barcode. (I was thinking of “can serialable items” and “non-seriable items”, but I could not find _serialable_ and _non-seriable_ in dictionary.) Any suggestions would be appreciated.


title: Correct use of bound/bounded

text: I am not sure how to correctly use the word **_bound_** in this context: > All partial sums of two given sequences are bounded by a positive constant. > > All partial sums of two given sequences are bound by a positive constant.


title: Verbs to describe how light moves

text: I'm writing a sentence where pale gray morning light is being viewed through window blinds. I'm trying to think of a way to describe its entrance without sounding cliché. What are some good verbs to use for how light moves?


title: Can "No thanks" be used in place of "No need to say thanks"?

text: A colleague did some work for me (which was his job anyway) and when I said thanks, he said "no thanks". I was puzzled, and asked why he said that. He told me that an American once told him that saying "no thanks" is the same as saying "no need to say thanks", for situations where a person is thanked for doing his job. Sounds like nonsense to me, but I thought I'd ask it here just to confirm.


title: What word means to work yourself into redundancy?

text: I heard a word recently and totally forgot it. It means to work towards rendering yourself unnecessary. Something tells me it starts with an A. Please help,...my brain is going crazy :-)


title: Kvetch - Meaning

text: I was just reading a book (The Help) and came across a usage of "kvetch" that didn't quite fit with how I thought it was used. A publisher is talking about a person's writing style and comments that she likes the author's writing style because, "She likes to kvetch without complaining too much." Looking up a couple of definitions for kvetch they all seem to run along the lines of "to complain excessively/consistently". I was wondering whether people use kvetch with some nuance that the dictionary definitions missed and what that difference is.


title: I am allowed back in a week, am I banned or suspended?

text: The past few years I have noticed the increase of the word "banned" when a person gets suspended, especially in the context of American sports. 10 years ago I never heard that someone was banned for 1 game for doing X. Now it is a common headline. When and why were the two words swapped?


title: Is "Unless if" grammatically incorrect?

text: A friend pointed out to me recently that I have a tendency to preface some of my sentences with the phrase "Unless if..." For example: > Unless if we take the highway, we won't make it in time. She insists that this is grammatically incorrect. Is this, and if it is, how is this sentence wrong? Would this phrasing be still incorrect if, instead, I said: > Unless, if we take the highway, we won't make it in time.


title: Etymology of "ruggit"?

text: I did something stupid yesterday. "What a _ruggit_ ", I said to myself, meaning a stupid person. It occurred to me I hadn't heard the word for a while, so I looked it up, and found this source here > Someone a little mentally ambivalent - i.e. 'simple. But I noted the etymology given > (Ruggits was the local 'special' school) and I don't think it's right. I remember hearing the word in the mid- seventies, and the explanation I heard then was the same (a 10-year-old etymologist!), but I can't find any trace of a school with that name and don't believe it exists. Also, the source notes it as a south-western English term, and I was living in the south-east of England at the time; a school can't be 'local' to both areas. A possibility is that it is related to the Manx ruggit, new-born, but that seems a little farfetched. Or perhaps a corruption of rugrat. So, can anyone shed any light on the matter? Does anyone know why a _ruggit_ is so called?


title: How does "panegyric" work in "Tom is very panegyric while talking to his co-workers"?

text: > Tom is very panegyric while talking to his co-workers. From What is a sentence for panegyric? What's the meaning of this sentence? I have search the meaning of panegyric, but can't understand what it's saying here. Can anyone post some sentences using the word _panegyric_ to understand it?


title: Is it timespan or time span?

text: I'm speaking of the noun having to do with an interval of time. I need this for programming purposes and it appears some people use "time span" and others "timespan" so I assume both are correct.


title: "Mostest" vs. "most"

text: What is the difference between _mostest_ and _most_? Can they be used interchangeably?


title: "More is welcome" or "More is welcomed"

text: Which one of the following expressions is grammatical?   1. Please donate $5. More is **welcome**!   2. Please donate $5. More is **welcomed**!


title: Is this the right way to express concession using inversion?

text: Is it grammatical to say: > May the emotions be controlled, it is not easy to do that. Obviously what I want to say is: > Even if the emotions may be controlled, it is not easy to do that.


title: Is there any suffix expressing “demand a lot”?

text: For example, _a job that demands a lot of effort is effort-***_? Or _a program costs lots of money is money-***_? Or _a task needs high patience is patience-***_?


title: Should 'Today' and 'Tomorrow' be capitalised?

text: I always wonder whether 'today' and 'tomorrow' should be capitalised. Can anybody help me?


title: Why is she saying “bang him on the counter” when he is a small living thing?

text: It says on a dictionary that ‘bang’ means to hit violently or noisily. However, I think the following _bang_ means merely put or place because the object is a rat and because Ron ‘placed him’ after the witch’s words. But why is she saying “bang” in this situation? (Ron is talking with the consultant witch of a magical pet shop.) > ”It’s my rat,” he told the witch. “He’s been a bit off-color ever since I > brought him back from Egypt.” > > ”Bang him on the counter,” said the witch, pulling a pair of heavy black > spectacles out of her pocket. > > Ron lifted Scabbers out of his inside pocket and placed him next to the cage > of his fellow rats, …( _Harry Potter 3_ [US Version]: p.58)


title: How to use decades in this sentence?

text: I want to say ongoing research on matter `X` using the word decades. The research started from the date of discovery of matter `x` in 1982 onwards. This should be an opening statement of an academic abstract. My sentence is: > Over three decades following its discovery, matter `x` has been a focus of > ongoing research worldwide. or > For over three decades following its discovery, matter `x` has been a focus > of ongoing research worldwide. or > For more than three decades following its discovery, matter `x` has been a > focus of ongoing research worldwide. which one is more correct?


title: What does military plane’s escort (of an American Airlines flight) was “out of abundance of caution”’mean?

text: I listen to AP Radio News, and I heard the following report on September 12: “Two military planes were sent to intercept an American Airlines flight headed for New York from Los Angeles after reports of a disturbance. Federal officials say _the escort was out of abundance of caution_. The plane landed safely about 4:10 pm. A Federal official says three people locked themselves in the bathroom.” What does the escort was “ _out of abundance of caution_ ,” mean? Though I'm afraid my ears were wrong, can you put this line into plainer English?


title: "has a wrong format" or "has the wrong format"

text: If I want to say that the content of a file is not right, should I say: > The file has **a** wrong format or > The file has **the** wrong format I am not referring to file extensions. I am referring to the content. For example, if an HTML file is missing a ‘>’.


title: Is “Did you it?” a valid question?

text: My English teacher always asks “Did you it?” when she wants to know whether some student has done an exercise. I think her question sounds horrible, and I believe it is wrong. In my opinion, she should say “Did you do it?” instead. I would like to know whether “Did you it?” is in fact wrong.


title: "expecting a baby"

text: Can I say "we are expecting a baby" when my wife is pregnant or does that sound funny to native English speakers, saying it as a man? (In German, the phrase has become somewhat common, but it stills sound a bit funny to some. Some use it, some don't.) I don't like the sound of "my wife is expecting a baby" - it sounds too distant, like I don't care, but that's an intuition of a non-native speaker. What other (not overly formal) ways are there to express that one is becoming a family?


title: Is "irrespective of" interchangeable with "regardless of"?

text: > If Kinsella were to go on a binge, he would drink his way down to the last > penny of whatever money is available, irrespective of who it belongs to. > (The killing frost. Thomas Hayden, 1991) I think here "regardless of" can be used in place of "irrespective of". It seems "regardless of" covers all the meaning of "irrespective of", but not vice versa.For instance, I think in the following sentence, "regardless of" can not be replaced by "irrespective of": > In the future people will be selected for posts on merit, regardless of > gender or race. What do you think?


title: One word for someone who doesn't care about anything

text: A _pessimist_ is someone who always considers negative outcomes of a situation, whereas an _optimist_ always considers the positive outcomes. Is there a word for someone who, in any given situation, doesn't care about the outcome at all?


title: Is there any word for the upper inner part of a sock?

text: I was about to answer a question on this thread, and I wanted to refer to the inner upper part of a sock. Something like this: > Put a small label inside the inner upper part of your socks. But this seems very vague. Is there any single word or a good phrase for it? This will make it clear: ![this part of the sock](http://i.stack.imgur.com/ubyvE.png)


I want to say that I may die because I am angry. Can I say "I am angry to die" or "I am angry to death" to express the above?


title: What is the opposite of the ending "-cide" (as in "suicide", "pesticide")?

text: I'm looking for the antonym of _-cide_ (as in _suicide, pesticide_ , etc.). Essentially the ending to words that would mean "to create or embrace".


title: How to understand the pronunciation of "nod" and "node"?

text: As we know, "nod" pronounces /nɒd/ while "node" pronounces /nəʊd/ (In US style?). So why does the extra "e" change the vocal of letter "o" entirely? My mother language is Chinese, therefore, it seems to be little hard for me to understand the exact rules of pronunciation with respect to spelling. What resources (maybe books?) can I invoke if I'd like to precisely predict how a coined word or the one which is unfamiliar pronounce?


title: Is "computing cycles" a correct term in English?

text: I work in the software industry. At my company, we're trying to find an English term for the unit of cost for a computer process work, which consumes CPU, Memory, disk-usage, etc. Our PM has come up with the term Computing Cycles. I tend to think it's **incorrect** English. I found an article which uses the term Compute Cycles. Which term describes best that unit of cost? "Computing cycles," "compute cycles" or maybe something else? An example of using the terms:   * image resizing algorithm for 100 big pictures costs 150 Compute Cycles    * image resizing algorithm for 100 big pictures costs 150 Computing Cycles


title: Meaning of "Ship in volume"

text: From the following sentence: > Weintraub says that the distortions began with Jobs' first bullet points, in > which a slide claims that the iPad 2 is the "First dual core tablet **to > ship in volume**." Weintraub notes that the Dell Streak 7 has been shipping > since January, and the Xoom "is certainly **shipping in volume** as well." What is the meaning of "ship in volume" and what is the difference from regular shipping?


title: Why are "nation" and "national" pronounced differently?

text: I was wondering why _nation_ is pronounced _nay-shun_ and _national_ is pronounced _nah-shu-nal_. My question relates to the difference between pronouncing "Nay" and "Nah". The spelling of "nation" in "national" is the same as "nation", but the "na" parts of the word are pronounced differently. Is there some kind of rule or pattern for this?


title: Explanation of sentence

text: I don't understand this sentence.... I know the meaning of all words except distinct... I looked in dictionary.. but I don't understand..:/ Output the **number of distinct values when considered MOD 42** , one per line for each test case.


title: Difference between "greater" and "larger"

text: What is the difference between _greater_ and _larger_? For example, should we say for time, _the waiting time is greater than_ or _the waiting time is larger than_?


Is the expression "Liver's ability to detoxify alcohol was tested..." grammatically correct? Can it also be used for genes, for example: "C-MYC's role in cancer is well known". This is, can gene molecules, organs and other body parts be used as such in sentences like the ones in the examples?


title: Another word for agnostic when used to suggest independence through a lack of concern

text: As described here, in technical domains agnostic can be used to describe a state of affairs where one thing doesn't care about the specifics of another thing it's related to. For instance, in software engineering, one might speaking of a "platform-agnostic" solution. This suggests that the solution need not have any information about the platform it is executing on to be a solution - it's a solution independent of the platform. In the same way you can talk about things being "OS-agnostic" or "language-agnostic". I'm suffering tip of the tongue phenomenon. I think that there's another word that be used in these "X-agnostic" constructions that means specifically what agnostic is being used for here. When I try to sound it out, however, my brain keeps jumping back to "agnostic" or to "ambivalent", which is also not the word I'm thinking of. I think the word I'm thinking of can also be used to describe the relationship between a theory and a question if the theory is non-dispositional with regard to the answer to the question. "My theory is X with regard to that question." It's driving me crazy. What's the word I'm thinking of?


title: How to spell 'aumenace'?

text: I'm very dyslectic, and English is not my native language, I'm looking for the spelling of a word that I'm pretty sure exists, but I'm starting to have my doubts as I can't seem to find it anywhere. The word sounds like (I think) au- menace, with 'au' as in 'audience', and then menace. Or maybe it's rather more like awe-menace, where 'awe' is like in 'awesome'. In any case, the word means, if I'm not mistaken, menacing (an an adjective) but in a sort of looming, impending or imposing way.


title: Where did "You missed a spot" come from?

text: I have seen this in a few films. I first noticed it in "The Truman Show" when Truman is pulling weeds or something in the yard, and his faux wife says to him "You missed a spot!" while smiling. I've also heard it in a few other places on TV and film. The odd thing is, it is apparently supposed to be funny (people laugh, or canned laughter is played). It's odd to me because I don't understand the reference. It is either something that only people with certain DNA "get" or else it is an "in" joke and I am not part of the "in" crowd.


title: Using "though" at the beginning of the following sentence

text: > But during the trip, she hardly spoke with him. In fact, she hardly spoke > with anyone in the group. She would just follow us quietly to whereever we > went, like a little stray cat. **Though** she spent most of her time sitting > on the wooden steps that led to the beach, gazing vacantly at the blue > ocean. Is **though** the right option in the sentence above? Is it common to use it that way? Or should I use something else instead?