title: Religious use of "exegete"

text: I've noticed quite a number of religious professionals of late have used phrases such as "let's exegete this text" or "we need to exegete Paul's meaning here." Of course, an exegete is one skilled in exegesis, but I have never heard of "to exegete" being in accepted usage. Wiktionary included it as a possibility, but I would hardly consider that an authoritative source. Roger Wibberly critiqued a book titled _Medieval Music as Medieval Exegesis_ in _Music and Letters_ 82.2 (2001): 291-293 and argued that "the often-used verb 'to exegete' strikes a note of literary discord within a generally elegant text." Is the verb "to exegete" becoming accepted usage? Obviously, it has been used consistently in at least one published source and is currently being widely used in religious circles.


title: Verb to describe "to enable or to disable"

text: I'm looking for a word that describes "to enable or to disable". This related question found the hypernyms _mode_ and _state_ , but I am looking for a verb. I.e. a word for "(potentially) change mode/state". I guess _to switch_ is a good match, but unfortunately in JavaScript (my target language), `switch` is a reserved keyword. What alternatives are there?


title: "Unsubscribe to" vs. "unsubscribe from"

text: Marketing emails often come with an unsubscribe link in the footer. This is what Twitter uses: > You can also unsubscribe to these emails or change your notification > settings. "Unsubscribe from these emails" seems far more natural to me because unsubscribing is an act of removal. Add **to** , remove **from**. Is there a consensus on this?


title: Returning for the nth time

text: Suppose I went to the supermarket three times. Is my third trip considered my "second time returning there" or my "third time returning there?" Thanks. (I know this question sounds silly, but English is my second language...)


title: Is it spelt "naïve" or "naive"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "Whereas" as an alternative spelling of "whereas" I've always wondered which is the correct spelling: "naïve" or "naive"? Are both correct, and it is just a whichever-you-feel-comfortable-with?


title: Should you always use the accent in foreign words like "résumé"?

text: You can see in the aboutCV page of Stackoverflow Careers site that the word _resumes_ is mentioned — not _résumés_ or _résumés_. What should be the common practice here?   What about other words like _café_?


title: Authoritative source on the diaeresis trema rule

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "Whereas" as an alternative spelling of "whereas" I've got an impression that there is (or was) a rule in English: If you have a rarely used word with two vowel letters in a row, corresponding to two vowel sounds in a row (as opposed to a diphthong or single vowel sound marked by two letters), you have to mark a second vowel with a trema. For example: _coöperation_. As rarely used word gets more popular and recognizable, trema is dropped from the spelling. In contemporary English _cooperation_ is spelled without it. Is there an authoritative source on this rule? I guess, any linguistics work would do, Wikipedia would not. Something that I can cite and not be laughed at.


title: What is the / is there any meaningful difference between the two spellings 'naive' and 'naïve'?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Should you always use the accent in foreign words like “resume”?   >  “Whereas” as an alternative spelling of “whereas”   >  Is it spelt “naive” or “naive”? Merriam-Webster lists both spellings without any comment on validity / usage. The second variant seems to be the French original, and the other the "anglified" version. Is there even a slight, maybe stylistic, difference?


title: What is the proper way to spell résumé?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Should you always use the accent in foreign words like "resume"?   >  Diacriticals and non-English letters in anglicized loan words: keep 'em, > dump 'em, italicize the words, or what? This may have already been asked, but I couldn't find it. If so, I'm very willing to close this question. What is the proper way to spell _résumé_? Should it have any accents? Are the accents correct? In English, is it acceptable to omit the accents altogether?


title: "Whereäs" as an alternative spelling of "whereas"

text: Wiktionary shows _whereäs_ as a valid alternative spelling of the word _whereas_ (see here). It gives the following quotations to illustrate the usage: > **1** Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses, Report > of Proceedings — Milan (1905) > > _After a dry season, the influence of heavy rains becomes manifest more > quickly and more progressively in the less wooded basin, **whereäs** the > reverse is found in the basin which has a larger forest area._ > > **2** Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift > (1984) > > _Notice that since the range of χ is limited by (5), **whereäs** that of x > is unlimited, the transformation (6) does not cover the whole of the space- > time represented by (1_). > > **3** Hiroyuki Sonoki et alii, Heart and Vessels — Nipradilol, a new > β-adrenergic blocker, reduces left ventricular remodeling following > myocardial infarction in spontaneously hypertensive rats (1997) > > _...after MI, **whereäs** propranolol promotes it._ That was the only dictionary where I found the word (with that spelling) though. And a Google search for **whereäs** returns only 209 pages. Is that really a valid spelling of the word _whereas_? If yes, where did it come from?


title: Difference between "pajama", "pyjama" and "paijama"

text: Which is the correct word: _pajama_ , _pyjama_ or _paijama_? Is there a difference between these three?


title: Roy Hodgson's "Church in the centre of the village" expression

text: Listening to the current England football manager, Roy Hodgson, speaking on the radio, he used a very curious expression while speaking about his team: > "We have to try to get back to putting the church back into the village" I heard it on the radio, so I can't remember exactly what the context was. I think he was talking about managing disciplinary problems within the team. (But we all know how waffly football managers can be in their interviews.) What does this metaphor mean, and how does it apply in these circumstances?


title: Looking for a better word in the sentence

text: "We encourage our employees to keep flexible hours and don't require them to track their time."      I think that the word 'require' is misplaced here. It can probably be replaced by 'ask'. Can I add any better word here?


title: Omitting the "I" from "I am" the second clause in a sentence?

text: For example I've written: > "I have an interest in rock climbing and am a member of the mountaineers > Society." My friend thinks it has to be: > "I have an interest in rock climbing and **_I_** am a member of the > mountaineers Society." which I think sounds bad. Which is right?


title: What does the President being “on the line with China” mean?

text: In his bus tour kick-off speech in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney said: > Everywhere I go, I meet people who represent the best of America. They are > hopeful, hard-working, determined and proud. But they are also worried and > anxious. They are tired of being tired. > > … > > When Americans rose up and demanded, “Stop borrowing money and sticking our > kids with the bill,” the President wasn’t listening. _He was on the line > with China_ , taking out another loan. I wonder what the President being “on the line with China” means. Was he actually talking with Chinese leadership on other issues which have nothing to do with Americans’ interest? It's unbelievable. I don’t get an idea of the connection among the three copy elements: “Stop borrowing money and sticking our kids with the bill,” “Obama was on the line with China” and “taking out another loan.” Wasn’t there a jump of logic, or word missing from his line?


title: Difference between "composite" and "compound"

text: Is there any difference between _composite_ and _compound_? Are these words synonyms?


title: What is the meaning of "just day hike"?

text: I can not get meaning of **just day hikes**. Here is a dialog which I have seen: > "I didn't see the whole thing, and I spend three days there walking > different parts every day, so I really don't know the size of it except that > it's massive." > > "So you just went hiking and then you camped overnight, or did you just > hiked for the day?" > > "Just day hikes, the tour I had been organized with had rented us a hotel, > just stayed in the hotel, slept there at night, and walked most of the day." Can anyone explain this?


title: Difference between "wedding" and "marriage"

text: What is the correct usage between the following?   * A wedding anniversary    * A marriage anniversary? What differences are there, if any.


title: Antonym of  "Landed with a thud"?

text: What would be the antonym of the expression "landed with a thud"? I've seen it in the context of "a new product landed with a thud, attracting very few customers".


title: Is this correct: "leaning against my back"

text: I'm writing in present tense, first person. I want to say that someone is sitting back to back with the main character (narrator). I utilized the following phrase: > The voice comes from someone leaning against my back. With that sentence, would you be able to tell that they are sitting back to back? If not, then what would be the best way to say this? Thanks.


title: Is it an "Ngram" or an "n-gram"?

text: I made an edit to a question and the portion mentioning the n-gram chart was reverted. I was reading the Wikipedia article about n-grams and added the hyphen based on that usage. This article says _Ngram_ is just Google’s branding for its Ngram Viewer tool. Which spelling is correct? In my mind _n-gram_ should refer to the word phrase, and _Ngram_ should be rephrased to _Ngram comparison_ when referring to a chart showing the comparison of n-grams.


title: "Yes marry have I" usage

text:
I was looking through the original text of a popular nursery rhyme “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” in _Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book_ when noticed an expression whose meaning I can’t understand: “Yes, marry, have I”. What does that expression mean? And speaking in general, does this text from the book issued in 1744 look archaic for modern English native speakers? ![Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, *marry*, have I,
Three bags full;
One for my master,
And one for my dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives in the lane.](http://i.stack.imgur.com/DquCz.jpg)


title: Is there a word similar to "condolences" that doesn't involve death?

text: This is related to the recent entry in the web comic xkcd: http://xkcd.com/945/ I never say, "I'm sorry," because people interpret that as if I feel at fault, when I don't. I've been simply saying, "that sucks," or, "that is very unfortunate". If someone dies you can say, "my condolences," and it's perfect; however, that obviously can't be used in a situation not involving death, like in the comic. Preferably I'd like something like, "I'm [x]," or, "I give you my [x]." I suppose sympathetic/sympathies would work, but is there any other word or phrase, perhaps something less aggressive so as to be unlikely to be considered sarcastic? I personally find myself feeling awkward every time this comes up. EDIT: Keep in mind, I very much dislike adding unnecessary bias to my reply. So saying things like, "that's terrible," is not something I'm a fan of doing. What if it was an icy day and the bus came 20 minutes late? I wouldn't say that's terrible, because I'm implying the bus did a terrible job, when it probably did a great job keeping it's passengers safe.


title: Is it correct to say "compiled an album"?

text: Is it correct to say “compiled an album”? I basically want to convey the idea that I originally had a set of photographs out of which I have selected a few of them and made an album. It would also be great if anyone can suggest some other phrase to convey the same idea.


title: “mark” in generational naming of products

text: What is the story behind the word _mark_ as a synonym for _version_ in products, such as Canon 5D Mark III or Aston Martin DB Mark III?


title: Repeating "I" in an enumeration of attributes

text: Since I like staying up until late at night, waking up late, and generally [I] am more of a nocturnal type of person… Is the I in the square brackets necessary, or can it be omitted? Personally, I feel like it sounds better when left out, but some people told me otherwise. Please clear up the confusion, thanks!


title: What is the correct word to describe something that is like a frustum?

text: Does such a word exist? I came across this question while writing some software that used frustums, making certain parts of it... eh... frustumy?


title: Underlie, Underlay, Underlying and Underlaying

text: What is the difference between " _underlay_ ", " _underlie_ " and their present continuous forms (and adjectives) " _underlying_ " and " _underlaying_ "? And what is the right word to say something like: > The actual behavior of something depends on the underlying platform.


title: The interior is in pure white color

text: > The interior is in pure white color The 'in' is really required in this case? Is there any alternative?


title: Does a pedestrian walk 'in' the road, or 'on' the road (both are correct, but which is right?)

text: Having a bit of a debate about this with some foreign colleagues of mine. I've always used the phrase 'I'm walking in the road', they think that you should say 'I'm walking on the road'.. I'm not 100% sure why I use the word 'in', but there must be a reason for it! So... which is right?


title: What does “(Mitt Romney) wells up” mean?

text: There was the following sentence in a New York Times (January 18) article titled, “Peeling away the plastic”: > “Those who have seen “Mitt” - which debuts on Netflix on Friday - are agog > that filmmaker Greg Whiteley has accomplished what Romney himself, --- > Willard Mitt Romney seems all too human. > > **He wells up.** He prays with his family, kneeling on the floor of hotel > rooms, and plays with them in the snow. He refers to himself sardonically as > “the flipping Mormon” and frets that he could become a loser like Michael > Dukakis, who “can’t get a job mowing lawns.” Link to the article. I was drawn to the word, “well up.” Although neither of Cambridge or Merriam- Webster English Dictionary carries this word as an idiom, Oxford English Dictionary gives definition of “well up” as “rise,” together with examples, -Tears welled up in his eyes, -He could feel the hatred welling up inside him, -Pity welled up in her heart, Do the OED’s definition – ‘rise’ and examples apply to “He (Mitt Romney) wells up,” in the above quote? What does it mean? Is this sentence self-complete?


title: When are you 'You', and when 'you'?

text: When is it in spelling that the personal pronoun 'you' should be written with capital Y?


title: What is the opposite of "on drugs"?

text: When someone is _not under the influence of alcohol_ , you call them _sober_. Is there a similar word for _not under the influence of mind-altering drugs_? An example usage would be: > I am one of the few who listens to Radiohead or Dave Matthews while > ________.


title: Past tense of "mind" in "mind your own business"

text: With a saying such as _keep it to myself_ you can say the past tense as _kept it to myself_. How about _mind my own business_? Should it be _minded my own business_ , _mound my own business_ or something else?


title: What is the correct punctuation when quoting a question in the middle of a larger sentence?

text: There are several questions here on quoting a question within a sentence, but most of them deal with the quote being at the end of the larger sentence. What if it's in the middle? > In many cultures, "How are you?" is often asked at the beginning of a > conversation. I can't really think of any other way to write this, except maybe to add a comma immediately after the quote, but having a question mark in the middle of a sentence just kind of niggles at me a bit. Is this correct?


title: "With a crack like a whip" — common expression or not?

text: > With a crack like a whip, Dobby vanished. I'm studying English using the Harry Potter books. I can't seem to find this expression in any dictionary, however. Google returns no results at all (except for Harry Potter itself and one other, unknown, piece of writing). So, is this a commonly used and/or existing and/or correct expression?


title: What is the meaning of "twists and turns" in this sentence?

text: The car followed the twists and turns of the mountain road.


title: "of their being" vs "of there being"

text: I am reading a BBC article on "Why pressing ‘upload’ means losing your rights". On page 2 of that article there is a paragraph that reads: _Meanwhile, legal thinking on digital rights is slowly catching up with the absurdity **of their being** almost no current recourse for loss, deletion or the whims of a service provider; but its pace is massively exceeded by the rate at which material is flowing online, into the hands of businesses whose profitability rests on owning and exploiting everything you give them._ My question is what is the difference between "of their being" and "of there being", and are both acceptable and when? Both have millions of results on Google. I know **_their_** is used for possession but I don't understand how that fits in here. Thank you


title: Anyone and everyone - correct usage?

text: I'm just wondering whether both sentences would be correct: >   * I look into the eyes of anyone who looks at me. > >   * I look into the eyes of everyone who looks at me. > > Would it be correct to assume that when I used _anyone_ in that way it would mean I am questioning whether anyone looks at me. However when using _everyone_ I'm just stating the fact that I look into everyone's eyes. If both are correct I really like the distinction. Not possible in many other languages.


title: How to create a questions from past modal verb sentences

text: I have no idea why my question was closed as it was pretty clear (at least for a person of average intelligence) so I am trying again: There is a sentence, e.g: > He could have seen that. Will the question be: > Could he have seen that? And with how, will it be like this? > How could he have seen that?


title: Verb for being part of a team

text: One can _lead_ a team. But what verb is best used for not leading but just being part of the team? That is, what verb belongs in the blank in the following sentence: > One can **_** a team. I am considering _support_ or _join_.


title: A general word that decribes "the residue" left behind when a fluid runs over a surface

text: I'm looking for a word that describes the film left behind when a fluid touches a surface. For example:   * A blood drop runs down a wall -> it leaves a ...   * A puddle drying-out leaves a ...   * Oil that leaks from a barrel and sinks in the ground leaves a ...  The words I've came up with are: film, layer, residue (describes it best, but sound wrong), smear, trace, ... * * * Constraints:   * The word should be neutral/scientific   * Be applicable for all kinds of fluids and invariant to size   * Ideally, it should be specific to fluids ("layer" is too general - "layer of a cake")


title: How does the false-conditional work in "I made sandwiches if you want some"?

text: This use of "if" has a completely different meaning than its normal conditional meaning. Can someone explain to me how this construction works, and provide other examples of this sort of thing?


title: Is there opposite single word to ‘enunciate’?

text: Further to my previous question about the meaning of the word, ‘crisis an hour mentality,’ there was the following line in the article of Washington Post under the title, “For Obama, and Democrats, it’s crunch time.” > “His mea culpa was all the more notable because it came only a few days > after he had attempted to put a retrospective asterisk on those original > assurances, **enunciated** as he sought to sell his controversial health- > care plan to a skeptical public. According to Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, the word ‘enunciate’ means ‘to say or pronounce words **clearly**. Is there opposite single word(s) (e.g. mumble) to say ‘to say or pronounce words **unclearly**?


title: Part of speech for non reflexive "oneself"

text: The words myself, yourself, himself and the like usually function as reflexive pronouns. However, they are also used in context that do not fulfill the common definitions of reflexive. Neither the "agent = patient" paradigm, nor the "agent = grammatical object" definition. > The author read the book himself. What part of speech are those self referential words and why?


title: What is the verbatim definition of "stigmergy" from Oxford dictionary or similar?

text: I'm looking for the verbatim definition of the neologism "stigmergy" from the Oxford or other established dictionary including the phonetic transcription. There is a definition on wiktionary but I'm looking for a more formal source. If anyone has access to an extended dictionary that contains the word it would be appreciated.


title: Meaning of the saying "Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence."

text: Please, I would like the explation of the saying: > Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can > appreciate persistence. I translated it to my native language, but still didn't get it. What I think is that trees are big, but they started out as grass. Is that it?


title: "To support", "in support of" and "in support for"

text: > The doctor's association has threatened to go on indefinite strike **to > support/in support of/in support for** their teachers.


title: My family vs. my family

text: Is there any lingual way to differentiate between the family that I’m a child of and the family that I am a parent of? (I.e., the first family consists of my parents, my siblings, and me; the second one consists of my spouse, my children and me.)


title: Different from x Different to x Different than

text: In the following sentence: > "When I visited my old school after so many years, it looked completely > different in the classrooms and the backyard /from what/to what/than/ it had > been when I was a little boy."> Are the three options acceptable in spoken English ?


title: Prepositions used with "different"?

text: I apologize if this question has been asked before; I couldn't find it in a site search. I have this sentence about teaching children safety rules: The rules are different when you are together with your adults or when you are on your own. My question is about the use of _or_. Is the sentence correct as it is, or does a different preposition need to be used? _and_? _from_? _than_? My inclination is to use _than_ because the rules are being compared.


title: Why is 'the' before winter season?

text: In my opinion, 'the' is a definite article. It emphasis saying "that one only". Why then 'the' before winter season. There is only one kind of winter season. There cannot be different kind of winter season. For example, the food means that specific food, food - means general. The winter seasons means specific, whereas winter season is not specific, it is general only. I am confused here because someone has corrected me to use the before winter season. Please help.


title: Origin of the usage of "Man" as a word of exclamation

text: What is the origin of the usage of the word "Man" as a word of exclamation? > _Man_ this curry is delicious! > > _Man_ my feet hurt!


title: Does 'for' always comes after search?

text: Is it a rule that 'for' should follow after word 'search'? Does any form of search should be followed by for? For example, searched for searching for


title: "I hoped" vs. "I was hoping". What's the difference?

text: I can't remember to hear "I hoped..." in any movie I've watched. I always hear "I was hoping..." when people talk. Nevertheless I know both forms are correct in terms of grammar. So when "I hoped" is more proper then "I was hoping" and vice versa?


title: Word meaning A journey of self discovery and introspection

text: What would be an appropriate word for "A journey of self discovery and introspection" or possibly, "To discover that you are not how you conceptualized yourself"?


title: «'s» or «of the» which one should I use?

text: I want to know if «'s» sounds more natural than «of the...». E.g.: 'My computer's keyboard' or 'The keyboard of my computer'. Thanks in advance.


title: Different forms of the possessive

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Apostrophe "s" vs "Of" I want to know what's the different between the ownership usage: > "He's her mother's son" > > "He is the son of her mother" What's the difference between using "'s " and "of"? Also, because I don't know exactly how this should be called I call it ownership. But what's its proper name? Another example is: > "Dragon's Year" > > "Year of the Dragon" What's the difference?


title: Uses of saxon genitive with the word Google as the owner

text: I would like to know which one of these expressions is the most correct and why? > Google´s car > > The car of Google When I refer to the driverless car Google has invented.


title: Analysis's output vs output of the analysis

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Apostrophe "s" vs "Of"   >  possessive connecting word for inanimate object Once again I'm not sure if I should use possessive or atributive or neither of them. >   1. Please, send me an e-mail with the analysis's output. >   2. Please, send me an e-mail with the analysis output. >   3. Please, send me an e-mail with the output of the analysis. > Which one of them is the most idiomatic?   There is any rule or recommendation about when one must use possessive/attributive or the one mentioned above in example 3.?


title: When do we use "of" rather than " 's" to show possession?

text: It is a very simple word but I am quite confused when I write formal documents. I do not know exactly when to use the **of** rather than **'s**. For example: > The value of the mean or The mean's value. > > The domains of statistics or The statistics' domains. > > The example of data or data's example. I have searched on Google. Both cases seem widely used on many websites, so I do not know which one is well received by native speakers. Are there guidelines for choosing one over the other?


title: Can 'whose' be used for objects?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is the word 'whose' referring to an inanimate object correct in this > sentence? Is there a more appropriate word? Basically I'm wondering if a sentence like this is grammatically correct: "Meaning is thwarted by its delivery, whose poetry is relative to taste." I cannot avoid it with, "Meaning is thwarted by its delivery; its poetry is relative to taste" because 'its' seems to refer to 'meaning.' There needs to be a word like 'whichs' or something. Or is there? Please clarify my question if you know the proper grammatical labels for what I'm talking about; I know them not.


title: possessive connecting word for inanimate object

text: > **Duplicate of:**   >  Is the word 'whose' referring to an inanimate object correct in this > sentence?   >  Usage of “whose” not referring to a person.   >  Referring to some attribute of an inanimate object — use “who's”?   >  What is the possessive form of “what”?   >  Other ways of saying “whichs”   >  Possessive “that's”   >  'Which', 'whose' or something else? Today I wanted to say something like > A camera whose wires go through the wall. but it sounded funny. _Whose_ to my ear only applies to people, and perhaps animals. Is there a single word I can use in its place? I can say something like "A camera that has wires..." but I just wondered why another word didn't come readily to mind — or perhaps more accurately, I wondered why I wanted to use _whose_ with the camera! Bonus: what is the grammatical name for the word _whose_ in this sentence? What part of speech is it?


title: Using "whose" with non-animate nouns

text: > **Duplicate:**   >  Is the word 'whose' referring to an inanimate object correct in this > sentence?   >  Possessive connecting word for inanimate object   >  Usage of “whose” not referring to a person.   >  Referring to some attribute of an inanimate object — use “who's”?   >  What is the possessive form of “what”?   >  Other ways of saying “whichs”   >  Possessive “that's”   >  'Which', 'whose' or something else? Let us consider the following sentence: > Japanese language uses ideograms _whose_ Chinese origin is not disputed. Is it correct to use _whose_ in relation to ideograms or should I use _which_ better?


title: Can't figure out how to say this sentence

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  possessive connecting word for inanimate object Can't figure out how to build this sentence. Say I have a form someone needs to fill out and one of the cells that he needs to fill (called TABLE) is the name of a table (in a database). When he gives me the form back I'll give him another form called, say F1, containing information related to all changes made to the table specified in the TABLE cell. If he asks me "what is the TABLE cell for?", is it possible to explain it on one sentence? The closest I've got so far is: > The table to which changes made the returned F1 will refer to. Does it make sense? Should it be: > The table to whose changes made the returned F1 will refer to . OR > The table to which's changes made the returned F1 will refer to. English is not my first language so I'm unsure.


title: Can “whose” refer to inanimate objects?

text: I was baffled while using this sentence: > I went into some blog site **whose** sole purpose. . . . My question is about _whose_. Is it correct to use it there?


title: Can “whose” refer to an inanimate object?

text: > We lit a fire **whose** fuel was old timber wood. Is the word _whose_ referring to _fire_ , an inanimate object, correct in this sentence? Or is there a more appropriate word?


title: Can the relative pronoun "whose" be used for animals, things and countries?

text: When I was a student of English as a foreign language, more years ago than I care to count, I was taught that the relative pronoun “whose” could only be used for human beings, i.e., when someone possesses something. My teachers were native speakers from England, then. Since that time, I’ve seen “whose”, as a relative pronoun, used in several contexts where no human beings are mentioned, e.g. with animals, objects, countries, abstract nouns, etc, in American newspapers and magazines. Unfortunately, I can’t remember any of the sentences and cannot give examples. What is acceptable in written and spoken English, and what isn’t, concerning the use of “whose” ?


title: "of which" with more nouns

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  possessive connecting word for inanimate object I would like to know whether this could be said by using "of which": > Search for a car whose color of the hood is red.


title: Whose VS. which

text: I'm not a native english speaker (so forgive me for my poor language skills in general :) ) and I'm puzzled by this "whose / which / of which" issue. I have a sentence like this: "BLAA is a project _whose_ purpose is to build and...". To me it sounds that it should have which instead of whose. I was always tought that whose refers to a person and which to a matter, and based on that I would use which but all the articles I read about it seem to say that whose is the way to go. What to do? And please keep the explanations in KISS form ;) Thanks! -Heidi


title: "He loves baseball like his father does" OR "He loves baseball like his father"?

text: When I was learning English (non-native speaker here), I was taught that there is concept called "parallelism" in English grammar, which in my own understanding means that if I want to combine two or more ideas into a sentence, the ideas need to have similar forms and structures. Therefore, the following sentences conform to the parallelism: > He loves baseball like his father does.   >  He can play baseball like his father can.   >  He plays baseball as good as his father does. However, as I grow up, I keep encountering spoken and written sentences that omit the final verbs: > He loves baseball like his father.   >  He can play baseball like his father.   >  He plays baseball as good as his father. Now, the latter forms sound as naturally fine to me, to the point that the first of the following sentences sounds better to me than the second one: > He is a good baseball player like his father.   >  He is a good baseball player like his father is/was. Is it alright to omit the final verbs from the "X like Y" and "X as [adjective] as Y" sentences?


title: Hire an employee (a consultant)?

text: I am trying to fill in this sentence: > “My company is looking to ___ a consultant”. Is the correct term “hire” or is there a different word that is more fitting when talking about a consultant?


title: Comma — a punctuation error?

text: Consider: > This book provides a solid psychological understanding of these experiments, > and adds a few expansions and conclusions of its own. It also provides … My question regards the comma. I have been told that having the comma there is an error. According to Wikipedia this seems to be the case according to “some style guides”. The reason is that the stuff after the comma is not independent; it’s dependent on what comes before. What do you think? It would seem to me the comma helps a lot, because those two “and”s without any comma make the sentence rather cluttered. That’s why I put the comma there. So I’m not sure.


title: Can a negative be used to express a positive, such as "mangoes are sweet and so aren't papayas."

text: Is it incorrect to use the positive/negative construction when the intent is positive/positive? In other words can these two statements be viewed as equivalent: > Mangoes are sweet and so aren't papayas.   >  Mangoes are sweet and so are papayas. When I mean _so is_ , I say _so isn't_. When I mean _so are_ , I say _so aren't_ , etc. Is this a regional quirk? I regularly speak this way, and I believe my wife is the first to have ever questioned it (I'm 55 years old). I happen to be from Northern NY near the Canadian border.


title: When do we need to add 's' to a numeric year?

text: I have found some statements using the format _years_ instead of _year_. When do we use _years_ like _1950s_ and _2010s_ , rather than _year_ like _1950_ and _2010_? > Fish stocks here began to decline in the **1950s** , and within 20 years, > there was no brown trout left.


title: "Except for" vs "Except In"

text: What is the difference between the following two? >   * We didn't have a chance to meet, except for the campaign. >   * We didn't have a chance to meet, except in the campaign [or "except for > in the campaign"]. > I would also appreciate if there is a better way of conveying the same message.


title: Still More Syntactic Confusion

text: I sometimes encounter sentences like this > Mussolini ordered the Italy invaded Albania. It seems incorrect to me but I want native speakers to prove. **UPDATE.** The sentence above is taken from Wikipedia. That's why it is unmodified. But what about this one: > The manager ordered the subordinate painted fence.


title: What does 'sphere of [something]' mean?

text: Reading a journal article, I encountered these terms:   * customer **sphere** of privacy   * customer **sphere** of security   * privacy **sphere** of implementation   * security **sphere** of implementation I know the rough meaning is: privacy connected with the customer, and so on. But what's the exact meaning of **sphere** here? And what's the pattern for the use of this kind of **sphere**?


title: What does this quotation mean?

text: > Many an opportunity is lost because a man is out looking for four-leaf > clovers. I have no idea what the quotation means. Is there any special meaning about four-leaf clovers that I may be unaware of?


title: How do you show possession with the word "year" ("year's" vs."years")?

text: So, I develop for a company that does workplace-surveys. And one of our report-formats has just been translated into English. And with it a description on how to read the reports. This description contains the following sentence > When historical reporting is included, the column for this year's survey > will be thinner, and the column for last year will appear behind it in grey. Is this the correct spelling of _year's_ in this context? I'm not a native English speaker/writer, but I do consider myself fluent, and this spelling tickled something in the back of my brain. If it matters, the report format only displays a maximum of two years at a time (this year, and last year).


title: What does "class" mean in this quotation?

text: > I've learned one very interesting thing about money...it doesn't buy class. I have no idea what the word "class" means in this quotation.


title: Plural nouns used as adjectives

text: _The query might return a list of selected items in a shopping cart, or posts in **active forums threads** , or whatever your web application needs to retrieve from your database._ _**active forums_** is functioning as an adjective here. It is obvious, of course. But what I can't get is why does it end in s making it plural? Could it be written like **_active forum threads_**? If so, what would the difference be? And I have certainly many times come across nouns ending in s used as adjectives but never really understood the reasons why there was a particular need to make them plural instead of leaving them in their singular form.


title: Suitable expression for value in defeat?

text: When someone loses a match, I want to tell him that this loss can make him strong, that in the end this will help him to be a winner. Is there any expression in English for **defeat is the prerequisite for victory**?


title: Is there a word for how one feels when thanked?

text: People say "thank you" because they're _thankful_. One would responed "you're welcome" because they are _what_? Is there a single word to describe a state of happily doing something for someone else for which they've received thanks?


title: How do I phrase "remote work" better?

text: I am helping my father write a report. > The report summarizes the work undertaken during the consultant’s technical > assistance missions to Statistical Agency of Kosovo and remote work during > the period SomeTimePeriod. The meaning is that my father went to a mission to Kosovo and then continued work from his home country. How do I say "remote work", "work from a distance"?


title: What is the exact term for resolving all sub-domains (*.stackexchange.com) to www.stackexchange.com

text: The related question is asked here, and I cannot figure out it.


title: Correct? "We make no prescriptions ..."

text: Can I use `"We make no prescriptions about ..."`? This dictionary doesn't give any definition of the word `"prescription"` apart from Medical or Legal jargon.


title: "king of" or "the king of"

text: Which is correct? > I am king of the world. > > I am the king of the world. Additionally, which would be the better choice, if I wanted to use the expression "king" to signify dominance in a metaphorical way or in slang. > I am king of the backstreet. > > I am the king of the backstreet. And is there a difference, if we are not king of a place but of a group of people? > I am king of (the) thieves. > > I am the king of (the) thieves. Is there a general grammatical rule for that?


title: How old is the phrase "What's your angle?"

text: I have a character saying this in a novel set in the 1920s. I suspect it was in use at that time, but I've been fooled before by this kind of thing. (I had to delete a sentence in which a 1920s character says, "It's out of left field" because that phrase is traceable only back to 1940 or so.)


title: How the understand the "too ... to" structure?

text: It is easy to understand when someone says: > The box is too heavy to carry. But the usage of " _too … to_" structure in "You cannot be too careful to go across the road" is weird for me, though I know what it means. Can anyone explain to me how to understand the real logic behind the usage of " _too … to_" pattern in the latter case?


title: Meaning of Down to the?

text: What is the meaning of `down to the`? E.g. in this statement: > In order to use this feature, the statements must be exactly the same \- > down to the number of spaces, tabs, capital/small letters. My understanding of the above statement is that the statement must be exactly the same, including the number of spaces, tabs, capital/small letters. Am I correct? If not please correct me.


title: What is the name of someone who was something before you?

text: I've completely forgotten the word you say when someone had your job or something before you, and then you took over. I'm trying to write a History Essay and my sentence is > The legacy of German's defeat in World War One hung in the air for years > after Hitler's **______** 's signed the Treaty Of Versailles I keep thinking its something like _oppressor_ or something but I'm stuck.


title: "at all time" or "at all times"?

text: I would like to praise a lady who is always cheerful. Should I use "She's cheerful at all time." or "She's cheerful at all times."?


title: "The heart can choke the mind when all its blood flows back unto itself."

text: This quote is Francis Underwood's, from House of Cards, Season 2, Episode 11. Would someone please explain it? Some context can be found here. I'd venture that it refers to love? It induces the blood to flow back onto the heart? Then no blood circulates to the brain and thus chokes it?


title: Word/phrase to mean something that just happens once

text: What is the word/phrase to mean something that just happens once? For example, > I have often been told/expected to do this and not to do that. I become > aimless and gradually lose the idea of who I am. I ask myself "What is the > point?" If life is just **once thing** , why can't I live my life in my own > way, the way I think is right and suitable to me? If I cannot, I would > rather live a shorter life.


title: Corresponding vs. appropriate

text: Let me give you some context first:   * Germans. We may have similar words with different meanings and use words just because they have a similar spelling.   * software company, writing software for hardware devices which are connected to the PC. Not the usual office equipment, but industrial devices. In our internal but also external documentation I often find sentences like > This feature is part of the corresponding software.   >  To be able to use feature XYZ, you need the corresponding device.   > In almost any case I found so far, _corresponding_ could be replaced _appropriate_ and I wondered why I am struggling with the term. One thing that came into my mind is the meaning of _to correspond_. A corresponding person would be someone who writes letters, right? The only reason that this meaning does not apply here is the fact that neither software nor device write letters. Then I conclude that the meaning has to be something else, e.g. _appropriate_. IMHO, _appropriate_ makes me think less. Is this only my lack of knowing the English language which makes me feel unhappy with that word in that context or would you also recommend replacing the word? Why? What is the slight difference and perhaps advantage of _appropriate_ over _corresponding_ here?


title: What's the difference between "jelly" and "jam"?

text: I've seen both words being used (peanut butter and jelly; peanut butter and jam), but I was wondering whether they were both words for the same thing, or if there's actually a distinct difference between the two.


title: Usage of [to be] + had

text: While discussing What does "I was had" mean? I've found there are some not so common usages of _had_ in English like: > I have/had been had (meaning "to get fooled") but further Google search exposed even constructions like > I am been had or even > I am had and of course > I was had from the question above. Are all of those grammatically correct? Can you give me some usage examples?


title: Ask question without using "?" in it

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  When is it appropriate to end a question without a question mark? I have heard so many times people use two way of asking question? Is there any way to ask question where you will not find the question but a sentence to ask question?


title: Is there a word for the new date of a postponement?

text: Is there a word to describe the new date of a postponement? I was in conversation with someone and I said to her: > "The show was postponed, and I'm worried I won't be able to make it to the ? > _reponement_." I looked at her and we both said, "that's not a word".


title: Conflicting views or emotions in the passage

text: What does the following passage from this NY Times article mean? > He [Theodore Roosevelt] transformed the 20th century; no, he overextended > the 19th. He was a progressive trust buster; no, an imperialist demagogue. > He was a defender of liberty; no, a power-hungry mountebank — a pioneer > environmentalist, a bloodthirsty hunter; a farseeing visionary, an energetic > clerk. Why is the author using positive words in the first half of the statement and then tries to end the statement using completely opposite or negative words? What does the author want to convey using the following passage? Is the author trying to evoke the conflicting viewpoints among the general population?


title: Reason for Subject-Verb Inversion: Only in cases where A is B, shall the Company do X

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Sentences using: [something] + have + they   >  subject-auxiliary inversions not associated with questions In the following, why does subject-verb inversion occur? Is it necessary? And what is this type of inversion called? Colleague’s original: > Only in cases where A is B, the Company shall do X. I changed to the following: > Only in cases where A is B shall the Company do X. Searching Google for “shall the Company” gives examples such as: > In no event shall the Company ...   >  Under no circumstances shall the Company ... And these all seem quite natural. “In no event” and “under no circumstances” seem to be prepositional phrases, yet I would say simply, with no inversion: > In the fridge, you will find some beer. Is the S-V inversion maybe some sort of archaic style that remains in legal or maybe religious texts? Perhaps a remaining German-style syntax?


title: What is the correct "noun-verb" order when preceded by "only when"?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Sentences using: [something] + have + they   >  Inversion in “Only when the virus introduces its nucleic acid into a cell > does disease occur” In a sentence like this: > Only when a gun is reliable, accurate and durable, **do I** trust my life to > it. Why do we swap "I do" into "do I"? Would both options be correct? I can't help myself but start parsing the last sentence as a question when the word order is as is.


title: Confusion about modal and auxiliary verb sentence structure

text: "Little did he realize that ..." What is the structure of this sentence with the past tense of the auxiliary verb 'do' in the beginning ? 2) "Otherwise, could we..." or "Otherwise, we could..." ?


title: "Not only should I" in declarative sentence

text: There is a phrase "Not only should I succeed but others should fail". And I saw it many times in similar structures that the order of words "should I" are as if they were in a questioning sentence. (In a declarative sentence the order is "I should") Can anyone give me an explanation why that is?


title: Why does a negative adverbial phrase trigger inversion?

text: When a negative adverb (or adverbial phrase) is placed at the beginning of a sentence, we exchange the normal placement of subject and verb. Why is that?


title: Only...did I... / Only...I

text: 1. Only after reading it carefully several times **did I begin to make** sense of the poem.   2. Only after reading it carefully several times **I began making** sense of the poem. I know that the first one is correct but I do not understand why. Other than sounding strange, why is the second one incorrect? Thank you very much!


title: "only then can you do" vs "only then you can do"

text: What is correct in a sentence: "Only then can you do" or "only then you can do" ?


title: Inversion in "only [adverb] have they"

text: I have seen this construction quite often: > Online ads have been around since the dawn of the Web, **but only in recent > years have they become** the rapturous life dream of Silicon Valley. What is the rule there?. When your sentence doesn't start with pronoun + verb, invert them as verb + pronoun?. I know it sounds awkward but is it possible (grammatically correct) to use something similar to: > Online ads have been around since the dawn of the Web, but only in recent > years they have become... And in any case, does this only work with have (or has)? Maybe it works fine with 'had' but I can't think of an example right now.


title: Verb to be before pronoun in declarative sentences

text: I saw this sentence in a newspaper cartoon: > Not only are you dysfunctional -- you appear to be completely spineless as > well. Is the verb _are_ in the right position?


title: Why must “has” come before the main verb here?

text: Wrong Sentence: > Never before in the history of the world **such a thing has happened** , I > don't think that will ever happen again. Right sentence: > Never Before in the history of the world **has such a thing happened** , I > don't think that will ever happen again. Why “has such a thing happened” is the right form, and why can't I use such a thing has happened?


title: Why do we use the word "Do" when connecting a sentence?

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Sentences using: [something] + have + they   >  Use of “do” in affirmative statements I was reading a news paper article of Times Of India, and came across a sentence- > To begin with, a woman's right to property has already been established > under law. This means that she has equal rights to her parental property as > her male siblings. In such a scenario, according women an extra legal right > over their husbands' residential property - which too could be inherited - > is unfair. **Neither do men have** the same rights over their wives' > property nor can they claim emotional damages during divorce. Why there is a word **"do"** in between " _Neither_ " and " _men have_ ".? From my pointing of view It might be - " **Neither men have** the same rights over their wives' property nor can they claim emotional dames during divorce". I have also heard people saying that **"I do agree with your statement"**. Why could not it may be **"I agree with your statement"**. Is There any grammatical mistake in these sentences or both I can use interchangeably?


title: Subject-auxiliary inversions not associated with questions

text: > **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Inversion in “only [adverb] have they” Is there some rule governing the following, or similar, subject-auxiliary inversions (*"Rarely they do see the light of day", *"Never I have been so insulted")? > _In fancy sit-down restaurants, you can order a large meal and halfway > through the main course, take a little dead cockroach or a piece of glass > out of your pocket and place it deftly on the plate. Jump up astonished and > summon the headwaiter._ " **Never have I been so insulted**. _I could have > been poisoned" you scream slapping down the napkin. You can refuse to pay > and leave, or let the waiter talk you into having a brand new meal on the > house for this terrible inconvenience._ (link) > > **Rarely do they see the light of day** _; it's generally judged to be in no > one's commercial interest that they should. Just occasionally, however, like > a seemingly dormant volcano, they explode into the open._ (link)


title: "than do I" vs. "than I do"

text: I need grammatical explanations for the following two sentence structures: >   1. _The mistakes children make in learning to speak tell linguists more > about how children learn language **than do** the correct forms they use._ >   2. _Freedman's survey showed that people living in small towns and rural > areas consider themselves no happier **than do** people living in big > cities._ > If noticed, would someone explain me why "do" appears after "than" in the both of the sentences above? So, would it be correct if I say, "You explain it more clearly than do I"?


title: Pronunciation of voiceless alveolar fricative /s/ as ʃ (/sh/) in slang?

text: Observed some words get pronounced with a /sh/ rather than /s/ in certain situations.   * Stripes as "Shtripes" (from some "The Wire" episode)   * Screw it as "shcrew it" (from a rap song) In both situations, it seems to be a matter of emphasis, but is there some generic etymological root to this, e.g. a yiddish language background?


title: What's the difference between "hallow", "sacred", "holy" and "saint"?

text: _Hallow, sacred, holy_ and _saint_ seem to resemble each other but are not identical. So what's the difference between them? I have searched http://dictionary.babylon.com and spotted: > **Hallow** : sanctify, consecrate, bless, exalt, glorify > > **Sanctify** : consecrate, make holy; make free from sin, purify; become > holy > > **Saint** : person canonized by the Christian Church for his holy qualities; > extremely holy person, very righteous person > > **Sacred** : holy, worthy of reverence; sanctified, consecrated; pertaining > to religion > > **Holy** : sacred, consecrated; divine; devoted to the service of God or > religion; saintly, godly So to _hallow_ is to _make holy_ , a _saint_ is a _holy person_ , but _holy_ and _sacred_ are circularly defined...


title: Adjective pluralization

text: >   1. A 16-year-old girl. >   2. She is 16 years old. > I've read somewhere that the reason the _year_ in the first example is singular is that it functions as an adjective, and adjectives can't be plural. Looking at the second example, doesn't the _years_ also function as an adjective? If so, why is it in plural form?


title: Double-edged sword synonym

text: Can someone give me a few synonyms of "Double-edged sword"? I generally need a phrase that describes a situation that can go good and bad.


title: A short word for elementary yet interesting

text: What can be a one word for something which is not very advanced but is still interesting and elegant? I would be using this word in context for some math article I want to write. Shorter and accurate words would be preferred. Thanks :)


title: [S]he has the ears of a ...?

text: Often, when overheard from far away, I find myself saying/thinking: > [S]he has the ears of a hawk! Which doesn't really make sense as hawks aren't particularly well known for their sense of hearing. Is there a common saying, equivalent to "eyes of a hawk", relating to someone's sense of hearing?


title: What does "capacity" mean in this question?

text: > How long have you known this referee and in what capacity I'm filling my university application I met this question which befuddled me. Does it mean "are you familiar with the referee"?


title: How multiple quantifiers in a sentence are interpreted

text: > Someone sleeps everyday. Does this mean that there is someone who sleeps everyday or that everyday someone sleeps?


title: Is it acceptable to omit the last period of an acronym?

text: After reading this post, I was struck by the omission of the period (full stop) at the end of the acronym given. > A.V.C I've never seen this before here in the States. Is it permissible here? In England? Elsewhere? Is it common anywhere?


title: Is it correct to say 'Do one thing' when asking somebody to do something?

text: In Indian English, sometimes we say things like this: 'Do one thing. Take a left turn there'. Basically, I am asking somebody to do something, which comes in following sentence. What's the better way of saying so?


title: Difference between "circumvent" and "avoid"

text: What is the difference between _circumvent_ and _avoid_? Please provide examples.


title: Past/Present tense in a conditional statement

text: I'm not an English speaker. Even though I do understand conditional statements that are written by others but when it comes to my turn I still feel confused and don't really know how to organize it. >   1. If you had not been here I would have been here. >   2. If you were here I would be here. >   3. If you are here I will be here. > I understand the 'time line' of verb tenses like this: [past perfect] - [past] - [present perfect] - [present] - [future perfect] - [future] Following this if the conditional statement suggests the sequence of the events they should be : >   1. If you had not been here I would be here. >   2. If you were here I would've been here. >   3. If you are here I will have been here. > May I please have your help on this? I know it's quite basic but I couldn't find any clear explanation on the net.


title: Question about grammatical name and its function

text: What is the grammatical name given to, and the function of, the part of the sentence below in bold? > **Maneuvring a tanker** is likewise a daunting challenge.


title: Interviewer grinding me down

text: "Interviewer was grinding me down this morning". But if I had to say it in a manner like "I had to go through a lot of grinding in the interview" would it be correct? (without the word 'down' because the phrase is 'grind down'). Or would only ' _grinding_ ' here without ' _down_ ' would imply something DANCE related? (which isn't what I mean here obviously)


title: Is it true that iambic pentameter is "natural" to English? If so, why?

text: When I first read Dante's _Divine Comedy_ in high school, I remember once being puzzled at what I thought were strained rhymes in the translation, and mentioned it to my English teacher. In reply, she told me that it had to be so, as Dante wrote in a _terza rima_ rhyme scheme that was much more easily accommodated by Italian, and that writing in the iambic pentameter that English poetry "naturally" favored required breaking some of the very easy internal rhyme presented in the original. I left it at that then, but afterwards she repeatedly invoked the same idea of iambic pentameter's "naturalness" to English when we read Shakespeare and I think William Blake. Is she correct? Is iambic pentameter indeed "natural" to English? What linguistic characteristics of English make it so? I know many of these things boil down to, "that's just the way it is", but I guess in this question I'm just looking for a deeper explanation than just giving the simple fact.


title: Newest/latest/last version of a product

text: Are all the sentences below correct? Do they mean exactly the same?   * You can download the **latest version** of X from this link.   * You can download the **last version** of X from this link.   * You can download the **newest version** of X from this link.


title: "convey" vs. "say"

text: > It's easier than it seems, but I don't convey it well. My friend says that I should change that to read > It's easier than it seems, but I don't _say_ it well. However, this doesn't seem quite right to me. Is this grammatically correct? What is wrong with this sentence? "Say" and "convey" aren't the same thing, right? Someone can say something, but still fail to convey an idea, correct?


title: "Not much I can hand to you this very moment"

text: What's the meaning of this sentence? > Not much I can hand to you this very moment.


title: What is the meaning of 'is' in this sentence?

text: I'm reading 'Black as Snow' by Nick Nolan and encountered this sentence. > "It's never easy." _Libby laughed while clinking her cup with is._ "But it > works." What's the meaning of 'is' in this sentence? Plural 'i'? Typo?


title: Usage of the word "head"?

text: Why is the word "head" used in the following context? > Daddy he once told me 'son you be hard workin' man'   >  and Momma she once told me 'son you do the best you can'   >  but, then one day I met a man who came to me and said   >  'Hard work good, and hard work fine, but first take care of **_Head_** '   >  Smoke Two Joints - Sublime (perhaps they didn't originally write the song, > but whatever) First of all, is this related to the usage of "head" in "headshops"? I couldn't even find a clear answer on why this is the case, the wikipedia article on headshops says Jeff Glick opened "Head Shop" in New York, but does not explained why he called it that. Some other explanations I saw floating around were "because drugs make your _head_ feel good", "because it's for pot- _heads_ ", and something to do with the Grateful Dead and "dead- _heads_ ". These all sound plausible, but does anyone have the definitive story behind the use of "head" in this sort of context?


title: Do you agree with these intermediate gradations between “frank” and “evasive”?

text: While consulting the version of the _New Oxford American Dictionary_ provided with Mac OS, I came across the following “word spectrum”, which its says “show shades of meaning between two polar opposites”. While I generally appreciate its notes such as “The right word”, I was surprised by this spectrum: ![Word spectrum](http://i.stack.imgur.com/4pO0F.png) Some of the words in there appear next to one another, which I would truly treat as synonymous, like “honest” and “truthful”. However, I am surprised by the ordering of some other words. For example, I would have classified “upfront” even higher than “frank”. Also, I would classify words like “taciturn” and “of few words” as neutral on this scale, as I don't feel they convey any negative connotation. So, my question is (and I'm sorry it took so long to get to it!): **is this spectrum corroborated by usage in your experience?** That may depend on local factors, of course, which I'd be happy to be referred to.


title: "Protein-coding" or "Protein-encoding"?

text: The reason I am asking this is the following. Some time ago I performed proofreading of a book, and there was a phrase containing "Protein-encoding genes". I wrote a post on my blog, detailing why this is wrong, according to the assumption that "to code" means to write something in a given standard representation (like "I code a program" in the sense that I write a program in a standard representation of a programming language). Another example is Huffman coding, which is an algorithm for compression. To encode, on the other hand, means to transform something into something else, for example, base32 encoding transforms binary data into text, so it is possible to send it via email. Now I am not really sure about it anymore. What I can say for sure, is that genes do not perform any operation, they just store information, so to me "Protein-coding genes" makes a lot more sense than "Protein-encoding genes". I don't understand, in particular, the exact grammar of suffixes like "-coding". Is it a verb, an adjective, or something I'm not aware of ?


title: Complements and adjuncts

text: > Paul Austen’s novel sold immediately to the author’s eager readers. In the above sentence, which part is the _complement_ and which is the _adjunct_? I am confused as to whether the adjunct should be _immediately_ or _eager readers_.


title: Origin of the word “bootleg”

text: What is the origin of the word “ _bootleg_ ”?


title: What's the difference between "I must help her" and " I have to help her"

text: To me "I must help her" sounds wrong. I feel that I would rarely say this. On one website they say that 'must' is more for personal obligations (e.g. I must help my mother.) and that 'have to' is for external obligations (e.g. my boss says I have to finish the report.) Is it that simple (and vague)? Or does anyone have a better explanation?


title: “Let's burn that bridge when we come to it” – is this sort of idiom mixing considered a pun, and if so, does it have a specific name?

text: I couldn't come up with a short title, but the upside is that there is not much needed to be said in the body of the question! * * * For @dmr (and others), it mixes “let's cross that bridge when we come to it” and “burn one's bridges”.


title: Does one say "conciliate with death" or "conciliate death"?

text: I am trying to say that he came to terms with death but in a more formal way. How can I put it? Is conciliate the right word to use?


title: Achievement Verbs with the Progressive Aspect

text: I was reading a grammar and saw this. * * * Achievement verbs describe actions that occur instantaeously.   * He solved the problem.   * He spotted the airplane. These verbs fall into two classes - one is 'punctual', and the other 'change of state' (..cut..)   * Change of state - find a solution, cross the finish line - This involves a preliminary activity that culminates in the act denoted by the verb. Thus, a person searches before finding the solution, and runs toward the finish line before crossing it. (..cut..) With change of state verbs, progressive aspect may or may not be possible, **depending on whether the activity leading up to the achievement is treated as being the same activity** For example,   * 'His train is arriving at noon.' is acceptable   * '* She is recognizing the thief.' is not acceptable. * * * I feel that 'She is recognizing the thief.' is strange, but as I don't understand the bolded part, I can't get the reason. Would you help me with this?


title: Need help simplyfying sentences containing economic information

text: I am not very knowledgeable about economics and am trying to reword these two sentences: > In 1964 the CDC 6600 cost around $7 million USD, though some sources site > prices of up to $10 million. Given the relative value of the dollar in > today’s economy, the machine would cost very much more; depending on the > economic formulas used could cost $700 million. All prices are in US dollars. The point I'm trying to make is that $7 million dollars was a lot more in 1964 than it is today, but this is hard to convey because even today $7 million is a lot. According to here " $7,000,000.00 from 1964 ranges from $39,900,000.00 to $166,000,000.00." today. When writing money is it correct to write the first part of the number using digits, followed by the word? For example $10 million vs $10,000,000.


title: Difference between "smart" and "clever"

text: What is the difference between _smart_ and _clever_? As far as I understand the latter is offensive. But the Cambrige Dictionary gives similar definitions of _smart_ and _clever_.


title: "Lots and lots of...two different uncountable nouns"

text: I'm writing a story for little children and would really appreciate some help with the following sentence: > "There was lots and lots of red, and lots and lots of blue." Is that correct? Or should it be "there were"?


title: Meaning of "appeal" and "at the expense of reason"

text: > Sentimentality originally indicated the reliance on feelings as a guide to > truth, but current usage defines it as an **appeal** to shallow, > uncomplicated emotions **at the expense of reason** I cannot understand this sentence. What's the meaning of "appeal" in this sentence? And "at the expense of reason"?


title: Correct sentence ending: X asked, “Y?”

text: Is it correct to use sentences in the following format? > X asked, “...?”. That is, a simple interrogative sentence enclosed within quotes followed by a period. Which is the correct sentence? >   * He asked, “How do you do?” She colloquially responds, “NM.” >   * He asked, “How do you do?”. She colloquially responds, “NM.” > Are there any alternatives to the above sentence?


title: What do you call stand up comedy when not performed to a live audience?

text: Live comedy is often called stand up. What would you call a comedy video not performed to an audience? This could be characters performing a story, someone talking to a camera, or someone more abstract.


title: What does the line, “If there was a mistake made, it was probably ever doing one,” mean, and what is the implication / function of “ever”?

text: Today’s (October 26) New York Times reported that a spokesman of GOP presidential candidate, Rick Perry suggested possibility that Mr. Perry might not participate in all of the upcoming debates. According to the article titled “Perry May Curtail Role in Coming Debates”, Mr. Perry told Bill O’Reilly on Fox News, “It's pretty hard to be able to sit and lay out your ideas and your concepts with a one minute response,” and added, “So, you know, _if there was a mistake made, it was probably ever doing one,”_ As I’m not got used to the usages of “ever,” I’m not clear with the exact meaning of “it was probably ever doing one.” What is the implication and function of ever? Does this line mean “I may repeat the same mistake again”? Is the subject (it) in the subordinate clause the whole antecedent clause, or “mistake”? If it is the latter, why an inanimate object, “the mistake” can take “do one (mistake)”? Structure-wise, this line doesn’t seem to me to agree with grammar. Can you explain what this line exactly means, and if the line is grammatically acceptable or not?


title: many hours is? or are?

text: Time, distance, weight are treated as singular, like "3 hours is too long." Then, in this instance, "How many hours of sleep is/are needed to keep fit?" Is "is" correct?


title: Word for "other people who have the same issue/problem as I have"?

text: This is for a tech support or customer support case. I need a single-word tag labeling other people who share my issue.


title: What is the origin of "A cat in hell's chance"

text: What is the origin of the phrase: "A cat in hell's chance"? I understand it to mean "not a chance", but it seems a very curious saying and I wonder how it originated. > e.g. > > Bob: Do you think Liverpool will win the title this season. > > Geoff: Not _a cat in hell's chance_.


title: When there are several appendices, what is that part of a book called?

text: If a book has one appendix, it is `The Appendix`. Now consider a book with three appendices (or, if you like, appendixes), named `Appendix A`, `Appendix B`, and `Appendix C`. The part of the book, which is formed by these, is called   * still `The Appendix`, because it is that part of the book, composed of the "chapters" `Appendix A`, `Appendix B`, and `Appendix C`.    * now `The Appendices` (or, if you like, `The appendixes`), because there are three of them and that calls for a plural.    * something else (what)?


title: Free stuff -  "swag" or "schwag"?

text: My company gives out free promotional items with the company name on it. Is this stuff called company _swag_ or _schwag_? It seems that both come up as common usages—Google searching indicates that the bias is slightly towards _swag_. Can anybody provide any definite proof of the root of the word and which one is more correct?


title: Is "make no mistake" a mistake?

text: Is "make no mistake" proper grammar? Isn't "no" being used as a quantifier? Aren't quantified nouns supposed to be plural when the quantity is none? For example, I was taught to say, "one egg" and "zero eggs". So, I might conclude that "make a mistake" and "make no mistakes" is also correct. What am I missing?


title: Using "at odds with" and "akin to" in the same sentence

text: I am trying to use "at odds" and "akin to" in the same sentence but I am not sure if the sentence below is grammatically correct: > "I only heard in the past that this city was at odds with the other city's > eccentricity and more akin to this third city, in its interest in education > and culture"


title: Can you use "later on" to replace "next" and "then"?

text: Example: > At first, I though it was a star, but then I realized it was an UFO. Can I use "later" to replace "then" and keep the meaning more or less the same? > At first, I though it was a star, but later on I realized it was an UFO.


title: "You got it" vs. "I got it"

text: When I watch TV drams or movies, I sometimes come across the expressions “I got it” and “You got it” meaning “I will do as you ask”. I am wondering if there is any semantic or pragmatic differences between them. I think that “You got it” is often used when a man accepts the order from the boss. Is my guess correct?   1. > Hotchner: Take pictures as many as you can.   >  El: You got it.   >  — _Criminal Minds_ , S1E2 (00:14:36) >   2. > Mrs. Crawford: I would like a tiny bit of help, Mr. Crawford.   >  Mr. Crawford: You got it, Mrs. Crawford.   >  — _Criminal Minds_ , S1E7 (00:00:52) > >   3. > Cole: Get me out there!   >  Crewman: I got it.   >  — _Days of Thunder_ (01:37:56) > >   4. > SIMON: It has a proximity circuit, so, please, don't run.   >  McClane: Yeah, I got it.   >  — _Die Hard with a Vengeance_ (01:00:17) > >   5. > Beaver: Jonesy, don't try to lift that stuff.   >  Henry: I got it.   >  — _Dream Catcher_ (00:14:00) > >


title: Is there an English dictionary that distinguishes words as either abstract or concrete?

text: The words that express the tangible and visible things of our experience, such as _sand_ or _sea_ , are all nouns, as are those expressing intangibles such as _love_ or _idealism_. Also, some nouns, like _field_ or _grain_ , can be imagined both as tangible and intangible. People, generally, refer to these nouns with the terms _concrete_ (tangible) and _abstract_ (intangible). That being said, my question is, is there an English dictionary that--as well as identifying a word as a noun--additionally identifies the noun as either “abstract” or “concrete”? Are there any other resources that do this?


title: "The machine" when referring to vending machine as source of candy

text: In an episode of Seinfeld, when asked where he got the Junior Mints he's eating, Kramer answers "from the machine". Would it be correct to say that in this case, "the machine" refers to all types of vending machines in general, and not to the specific vending machine that he happened to dispense it from? Thanks.


title: Should the phrase "Man up" be considered offensive?

text: Liverpool Football Club have recently released a list of banned phrases, that they want the fans to avoid using. (Read the story) One of these phrases is " **Man up**". Why is this phrase considered offensive, and who is likely to take offense?


title: What's the difference between "has had," and "had had?"

text: I was writing an essay for my school project, and I stumbled upon this type of grammatical situation and thought if anyone knew the answer to it? I've searched all over the internet but nothing satisfied my needs. Any help? Thanks!


title: One term for completed/cancelled and another for its counterpart

text: I have a task to design a filter panel for an application to filter out and list workflows. The main two categories for workflows are the ones that are running and those that are not running. Now, I have some problems finding the suitable term for the ones that are not running since that category includes workflows that are completed, cancelled, expired etc. I started out simply using the categories   * Completed   * Incomplete But if you're looking for a workflow that you previously cancelled it wouldn't feel correct to search for a workflow in the "Completed" category. I would like to have the categories described with one word, like _Completed_ and _Incomplete_. So suggestions like _Running_ and _Not running_ I'm trying to avoid. Does anyone have a nice suggestion on what I could call these categories?


title: Is there a hypernym for "horizontal" and "vertical"?

text: If I want to speak of _North, South, East, West_ in a general sense I could, for example, use the term _cardinal direction_. Which term is appropriate to sum up _horizontal_ and _vertical_ in the same manner?


title: -est vs. -st verb endings in Early Modern English

text: I've been Googling for a little while tonight, but I can't seem to find any rules on this. Irregular ("strong") verbs seem to be pretty set in their endings: goest, dost. But when I get to something like "bring", it seems almost like "bringst" and "bringest" are equally valid, and I can't find any examples to lead me to one sort of rule or another. If anyone could shed some light on this, I'd appreciate it.


title: Determining pronoun antecedents

text: What is the antecedent of the relative pronoun _who_ in the following sentence? > Hector Berlioz is one of those French composers who is famous for his > operatic music. Is it _one_ or is it _composers_? I vote for _one_ which is in the nominative case; _composers_ is in the objective case as the object of the preposition _of_. Does the nominative case take precedence over the objective case in this instance?


title: Etiquette of using the wrong sign-off in a formal letter?

text: I just sent a formal business correspondence to a company via email. The letter starts with "To Whom It May Concern", but I rather clumsily used the wrong sign-off (Yours sincerely). How much of a breach in etiquette is this? Will it make my whole letter seem unprofessional? The company in question is based in the UK. I would really appreciate some help!:)


title: Origin of the phrase, "Up close and personal"?

text: What is the origin of the phrase, "up close and personal"?


title: What’s the difference between “line” and “row”?

text: I’m not exactly sure under which circumstances is _line_ or _row_ the more suitable term. In Portuguese, they both translate to the same word _linha_ , which can be used for both a drawing line or for an item in a table.


title: Why does “klick” mean kilometer in US military slang?

text: Wiktionary says it is either likely a pseudo-condensed pronunciation of kilometer or onomatopoeic of the sound of a military odometer. > Though kilometers are not commonly used to measure distance in the USA, > “klick” is commonly used by the US military, which uses the metric system > almost exclusively in order to facilitate communication with allied forces. Here’s an example of the word being used in the film _Apocalypse Now_ : > We’re going up river about 75 klicks above the Do Lung bridge.


title: Can we use "RSVP" interchangeably with "RRSP"?

text: I received an email with the "RRSP" abbreviation. > "RRSP by 1 Nov 2011 to Willy Milly." Upon checking with Thesaurus.com, it is a synonym of "RSVP". Can one use "RRSP" and "RSVP" interchangeably?


title: What does the single letter 'P' in email mean?

text: I notice that many of my emails have this single letter 'P' beside a sentence and that sentence is usually about protecting nature. Example:               P Print Only When Necessary      What does the P mean? Is it just a typo error? **Update** The P is not "Please", it is a icon The icon can be find under the letter P in the following link: http://speakingpowerpoint.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/symbol-fonts-full- page2.jpg


title: Object or Complement

text: The professor wants to retire. Here 'to retire' is used as object or complement?   Also, in "The man gave Amy some good advice" Is 'some good advice' an object or complement?


title: Usage of verb "hang"

text: I'm reading a grammar book. The book has a section to determine the right subject and verb. In an example they use > From the ceiling hung the chandelier. Well, the verb is _hung_ , and the subject is _chandelier_. But I'm a little bit confused about the usage of the verb _hung_ in this sentence. Shouldn't it be > The chandelier is hung from the ceiling. From my Oxford dictionary, _hang_ means _to suspend or be suspended from above with the lower part not attached_. Obviously, the chandelier can't suspend itself. So there is a need to use the passive voice and omit the subject. In this case, the subject is not the chandelier, but the person who suspended. Or may be I'm missing something?


title: Smug know-it-all, but not quite

text: So there's this guy I know. And sometimes he acts in a particular way that I hope there is a word for (or at least a phrase). Let me describe: Situation: Dog bares teeth at his girlfriend, which is obviously a problem, but this dog would never bite, it's just his way of saying fuck off at the moment. (every attempt is being made to lessen this behavior) His response is: Discipline the dog, which is fine. But then, 24 hours after the fact (when the dog has completely forgotten the event) and without seeing the dog since the event, continues to say things like "Bad Dog" and make the dog feel shameful, even though it has no idea why. This is obviously not good training (any trainer would agree). When asked what the dog did he says: "I'm still mad from last night. The dog needs to be disciplined." And even with a discussion about the dog not possibly remembering the offense, he persists in a smug know-it-all kind of way. As if "I have all the answers, even though I have no experience in this, and the way it's being done is complete bulls***. So what I'm going to do is, without any consistency or discussion (and even though it's not my dog), implement this action as I see fit" So that's just one scenario, but there are several others. I'm less worried about the behavior of my friend (he knows about it and apologizes when he gets like that), but would like a concise way to describe it when it occurs. I feel like it kinda falls somewhere around "smug know-it-all", but that isn't quite it. The smug part is correct, but the know-it-all is rather more like an idea formulatted once by the party of concern then believed as gospel afterwards (they'll defend it to the death, though a second before it wasn't even a thought)


title: Is there a passive for the sentence "Be quiet."?

text: How to say "Be quiet.", which is a command, in passive voice?


title: A word for someone trying to make people underestimate him

text: If someone is trying to make people underestimate him for some purpose, what would be a word for this kind of person or action?


title: "Sofa bed", "hideaway couch", "hide-a-bed", "couch bed", "sleeper sofa", "day bed", and "studio couch" in AE

text: Which of these terms is (or are) more typical of AE to designate a convertible consisting of an upholstered couch that can be converted into a double bed?


title: Is a badly-written book a book [which has been] badly written?

text: This question is prompted by the earlier question Should I use a hyphen after -ly when modifying a verb in the past participle verb? Please don't close this as a dup unless there's a later answer there that answers my _specific_ question (or another relevant question that I haven't been able to find). My hypothesis is that adjectival " **-ly adverb + past participle** " combinations are more likely to include a hyphen when they occur _before_ the relevant noun. But my Google-fu is inadequate to the task of establishing whether this is true or not, and my knowledge of formal grammar certainly isn't good enough to know of any "rules" that might be involved here. Note the [optional] element in the example usage forming the question title. I don't see why... > _Coffee boiled is coffee spoiled._ ...should be grammatically any different to... > _Coffee boiled is coffee which is spoiled._ ...but I'm prepared to be disabused on that point. * * * Is the hyphen in my question title any more justified in the first **_badly written_** than the second? * * * EDIT: In case I haven't made myself clear, I'm _not_ asking for answers telling me that the hyphen is _never_ justified. Unless they're accompanied by evidence (not opinion) showing that in fact my hypothesis is untrue anyway, so it's meaningless to ask _why_ the phenomenon occurs.


title: Is "unsane" a word understood by a casual English speaker?

text: I have heard it used by some people e.g. Jacque Fresco. For example here: http://youtu.be/COei3ga-HH8?t=6m14s I know that people understand the meaning of the word "insane", but what about an average Joe and his understanding of the word "unsane"?


title: The grammar restriction of dash and parentheses

text: This is a follow-up to my previous question. The answerer mentioned that when parentheses are used for inserting contents in a sentence, the grammar flexibility is assumed to be higher. If that is true, what sort of flexibility is applied to other punctuation, especially em-dashes? Are parentheses and em-dash considered to be "universal" for this matter? Another question: is it recommended to assume such flexibility in formal wiring?


title: Which usage of the word "Gravity" came first?

text: The link between the two definitions for the word _gravity_ (a generally downward acting force, and a sense of danger/seriousness) seems obvious. However, I'm curious as to which usage came first. Was the word _gravity_ first coined to describe Newtonian forces and later used in a figurative sense; or perhaps physicists named the force using a metaphor based on the emotional weight connoted by the term? Anyone know?


title: Name for words that are counterparts to each other in some context but not antonyms?

text: What is the name for words that are contrasting counterparts or near opposites to each other in some context, but are not generally strict antonyms? Some examples with word1 word2 (example context):   * boys girls (sex or gender roles)   * man machine (discussion of technological division of labor)   * data control (standard digital hardware architecture)   * plants animals (high-school level cellular biology)   * shoes socks (standard layers of footwear)   * weapons armor (two distinct types of equipment in a game)


title: What is the difference between transplant and transplantation when they are used as noun

text: transplant is used as verb in a normal sentence. In particulary, transplant is used as noun in some sentence. Is there any reason why we should use 'transplant' as noun form although we have already noun form, 'transplantation'? What is the difference between transplant and transplantation when we use them a noun?


title: Verb for "recreation"

text: Is there a verb that specifically means _enjoy some recreation_? I heard today (TV reference) a boss tell an employ to take a vacation, to "relax and recreate" (pronounced as the beginning of recreation). I've never heard this used before, and never really considered it a word. A couple online searches have yielded what I expected - recreate only as meaning "to create again", or "to re-enact". If this is not actually a word in this sense, is there a single verb meaning to _enjoy/experience recreation_?


title: Which phrase shall I choose, "take part in the project of or process of"?

text: Although it was compelled to enter the modern world by the Western countries, now China is taking part in the project of modernization more actively and has completed many great achievements in the domain of economy. In this sentence will it be better to say "take part in the process of modernization"? or should I say simply say "take part in modernization"?


title: what does "Needy-Greedy" mean?

text: Hi I was watching a online video and the lecturer mentioned "here comes the needy-greedy detail of this lecture" after the introduction. And I am not quite sure what does the needy-greedy mean here? lots of information which cater the audience's appetites?


title: Merry Easter to all of you!

text: It may sound strange, but why is _Merry_ not used with Easter? Is there a reason why its usage has been so firmly fixed with Christmas?


title: Noun for "identifying with someone"

text: What is a noun for _identifying with someone_? In Hebrew there is quite a good word for it. I'm not looking for _sympathy_ or _empathy_ , but a proposed definition of _sympathy_ does reflect my intent although the use of the word seems misleading: > Agree with a sentiment or opinion or > Sharing the thoughts of someone (not with someone)


title: Capitalization of the word "municipality"

text: When I am referring specifically to the Municipality of Durham, for example, and I write the following sentence: > The Municipality has approved Article 5.3 of the meeting agenda. Is the word "municipality" capitalized? Because I am referring to the Municipal Council. I am asking this question because I am under the impression that when we refer a governing body, as opposed to a region, the word should be capitalized.


title: a word like "visual", "auditory", except for touch

text: for smell it would be "olfactory". What is it for touch?


title: Is "many a times" correct?

text: I've been doing proofreading on a beta site and there appears to be a typo. Is there any usage of "many a times" that is correct, or is it always wrong to apply a singular "a" to a plural noun?


title: Difficulty v. difficulties

text: Which form of "difficulty" should I opt for in the following sentence: > They have immense difficulties easily accessing the texts. or > They have immense difficulty easily accessing the texts. I am inclined to say "difficulty," but I am editing someone else's work and they had originally put "difficulties." Am I wrong, or is he?


title: Meaning of "give someone intuition"

text: I learn English as a foreign language, and I recently found in online training videos phrases like > Let me **give you some quick intuition** ... In my native languages (Ukrainian and Russian) you can use intuition, you can trust it, but you cannot _give_ it to someone. Can anyone please give me some information about this specific use of the word?


title: Creating nouns from verbs

text: Is there a general rule for creating a noun based on an action? In the example below, there are two actions.               "Press button when you've resolved or gave up."      I'd like to express it using nouns like so:               "Press button upon resolution or XXX."      Is it as simple as " _giving up_ " or is there a better way (in this particular case of " _giving up_ ")? Can that suggestion (if any) be made general?


title: 'a bit of' vs. 'a lot of'

text: I am confused about these two sentences: >   1. That's a **bit** of a difficult answer to give in a few words. > >   2. That's a **lot** of a difficult answer to give in a few words. > > Which sentence is the correct one?


title: What is the etymology of "the"?

text: I was just having this conversation with a friend. Where does the word "the" come from?


title: Was Christian a proper name before Pilgrim's Progress?

text: I was going to ask this on Christianity.SE but it's not really a Christian Doctrine question; hope it fits here. I was reading John Bunyan's _Pilgrim's Progress_ where almost everyone is named for a virtue or a vice except the protagonists (Christian and Christiana). Were those names common at the time of Bunyan or was he the first to use them as a proper name?


title: Can I call me Anti-Anti-SpamBot or how?

text: Will it be comprehensible to take a nickname calling me Anti-Anti-SpamBot to convey the idea that communication on internet (like commenting in blogs, registration and posting in forums, etc.) became practically impossible without tools facilitating posting, like spam bots?


title: Which is the correct idiom: "Force of habit" or "course of habit"?

text: Which is correct, "course of habit" or "force of habit"? (This question is inspired by this post on the woot forums.)


title: What's the difference between an adjective and a past participle?

text: I'm really confused about the object > the doctor specialized will help you or > the documents required How can I tell in the future, if I have to use the past participle or the adjective? And what's the name of this structure?


title: use of caps for zip code

text: I would like to know which of "ZIP Code" or "ZIP code" is correct. One of our contributors has alerted me to the fact that the term is a registered name owned by the Postal Service, but, to my mind, it has become a generic term over time. What is the majority view?


title: Is a movie played in a theater or at a theater?

text: Do we say a movie is being played _in_ a theater or _at_ a theater?


title: "He walks as if he is drunk." Grammatically correct ? Any difference in meaning from "...as if he were drunk."?

text: Is it grammatically correct to use an indicative verb after "as if", or "as though" for that matter? > I've heard someone say: "He walks as if he is drunk." Would there have been > any difference if he had said "He walks as if he were drunk."? A second example might be: >   * It looks as if it is going to rain. >   * It looks as if it were going to rain. >


title: What does "evaluate" mean when used in Mathematical problems?

text: When solving Mathematical problems, I usually come across with titles like: > Evaluate the expression below.   >  Evaluate this: ∜[(log2(48 / 3) + 1)2 \- 9]   >  Evaluate the following integral. When I look up at dictionary, it says: > _to evaluate_ :   >  1\. to determine or set the value or amount of; appraise: to evaluate > property.   >  2\. to judge or determine the significance, worth, or quality of; assess: > to evaluate the results of an experiment. I looks like to be a sophisticated word from commercial terminology. Why don't they use a simpler an more common verb instead of it? Like these ones: > ~~Evaluate~~ Find the value of the expression below.   >  ~~Evaluate~~ Simplify this: ∜[(log2(48 / 3) + 1)2 \- 9]   >  ~~Evaluate~~ Solve the following integral. Is there a reason for preferring this verb over its alternatives?


title: Pronunciation of "-" sign, particularly in Unix commands

text: While talking about commands for command-line interface, I sometimes need to pronounce how command should be typed, like this one:               nc -l -p 1234      I used to pronounce `-` sign in this context as a "hyphen", or "dash", or probably "minus". But recently I got the video in which woman pronounces it like "tak" (starting from `3:00`). I tried to explore the dictionary for words like "tack", "tuck", etc, but still can't find anything what would mean the `-` sign. So, what is this word? And, what variants of pronunciation would be actually correct in this context?


title: Can you have more than one 'best' of something?

text: For example, can you say 'I have more than one best friend' and is that grammatically correct given that these friends are equally good?


title: The usage of ... number(s) of

text: Here we wish to make sure the usage of ... number(s) of ..., which one below is correct? * * * An even number of people An even number of cards Even numbers of people Even numbers of cards * * * An odd number of people An odd number of cards Odd numbers of people Odd numbers of cards * * * Six numbers of people Six numbers of cards Six number of people Six number of cards A six number of people A six number of cards


title: "A reality" vs "reality"

text: Which one is correct? _help [something] become **a** reality_ or _help [something] become reality_ What would be the reason to use / not to use the article?


title: When can a metaphor become a double entendre

text: I've been engaged in debate for some days now, about a discussion in a panel of a Captain America comic book. In the comic book, Bucky, his sidekick, says that "you have been running a mile a minute since you got the super soldier serum". Given that Captain America can (occasionally) run that fast, some people are of the opinion it is a double entendre. I am of the opinion that it is purely a metaphor, given that the context doesn't show him running and seems to be purely referring to how hard he has been pushing himself, regardless of what speed he can run at. Here is a link to the scan. Is there a way to tell if "running a mile a minute" in the example above is a metaphor, or a double entendre? If it is a double entendre, what makes it so as opposed to being just a metaphor?


title: Comma after or before "parenthetic" and?

text: > After showing me the house, Nana led us to the living room, _and with > Mongai's Take Me Somewhere Nice playing ~~on~~ in the background_, we > started on the Scotch we'd bought at the 7-Eleven. The dim light and the > soft Is the comma correctly positioned before the italics in the example above? Or I should place the comma after _and_?


title: Space before computer storage abbreviations

text: Forgive me if this has already been asked, I could not find it via search. My question is this: what is the proper way to append computer storage abbreviations to a number? For example, a 500 gigabyte hard disk drive will usually be spelled as "500GB" on web sites, with no space, but occasionally I see "500 GB", with a space between the number and the unit. Putting a space between the number and the abbreviation makes more sense to me, but since even Apple does not put a space between them, I am not sure. Which is the proper way?


title: Is there some guideline that I can point to about the overuse of bold and underline?

text: I am getting really tired of getting emails and PowerPoint presentations in which half of the words bold and underlined. There is also excessive use of exclamation points, all caps, and overly strong wording. I would like to send them a link to someplace authoritative that states that their writing style is tacky. Is there anything like that out there? I would even settle for a blog post somewhere so long as it argues the point well.


title: Question as a Retort?

text: I'm a huge Pulp Fiction fan, and the following is one of my favorite scenes, but it also irks me. (source: IMDB) > Jules: [Jules shoots the man on the couch] I'm sorry, did I break your > concentration? I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue, you were saying > something about best intentions. What's the matter? Oh, you were finished! > Well, allow me to retort. What does Marsellus Wallace look like? Can a question be a retort to something? I see retort defined as (dictionary.reference.com): >   1. to reply to, usually in a sharp or retaliatory way; reply in kind to. >   2. to return (an accusation, epithet, etc.) upon the person uttering it. >   3. to answer (an argument or the like) by another to the contrary. > All the above suggest some sort of a reply. But can a retort be a question, or even a counter-question ?