Generate the answer for a given question. The question requires common knowledge of English. Make sure that the answer is in detail, long, consistent with the context, and requires general knowledge of English. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question. Give a proper explanation to answer, and if necessary, provide the definition of various terms. And conclude your answer if it's long. If you have used other resources (e.g., Merriam Webster's.) to answer the question, include citations in your answer. You don't need to paraphrase the context of your resources, but make sure that your answer is consistent and complete.

Q: I am writing a resume. I want to specify that I started my education in 2009 and as of now I am at the 4th grade (in other words, still learning), so how should I specify that in resume: 2009 - present 2009 till now Any suggestions?.

A: On resumes, the most common way to indicate that a period is ongoing is either 2009 present or 2009 to present The en dash is the preferred punctuation. Many word processors replace a double hyphen with an en dash once the next word is typed.
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Q: I'm referring to the peculiar habit I sometimes see in formal documents, where a number is given numerically after it's spelled out. It seems quite redundant: I need five (5) kumquats, stat! (Though it isn't always in a legal context, might it be related to this answer on this question?).

A: The redundancy is presumably intended to reduce typos, forgery, and other types of error or manipulation in order to make the intent as clear as possible. It is known professionally as a CYA. It's obvious what my intent is when I rather carelessly write an I.O.U. for sevum kumquats, but alas, sevum is not really a word and opens up our contract to litigation. Adding the numeral 7 in parenthesis after sevum clarifies the intent. Similarly, if I were to write an I.O.U. for 3 kumquats, one could easily change that 3 to an 8, but it is far more difficult to make three look like eight. The practice appears to be a legal tradition rather than a universally honored rule. If you've ever written a check (known as a cheque to the Queen), you've written out a number with words and followed it with a numeral (albeit without parenthesis).
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Q: Are there any differences between 'oval' and 'ellipse'?.

A:
I believe they can be used interchangeably in common English, but have specific (and different) meanings when used in mathematics. The online Cambridge dictionary contains the following definitions: Oval shaped like a circle that is flattened either at one place or at two opposite places, so that it is like either an egg or an ellipse Ellipse an oval; a flattened circle However, in geometry there is a difference. According to the Wikipedia page on ovals: In geometry, an oval or ovoid is any curve resembling an egg or an ellipse, but not an ellipse. In addition, from the Math Forum once the size of an ellipse has been fixed then its exact shape is mathematically determined. In other words, the line forming the perimeter can be drawn in only ONE way. This is distinct from an oval where the perimeter has only to be a concave curve, and there are many possibilities. Simply, an ellipse IS an oval, but an oval may or may not be an ellipse. Doctor Sarah, The Math Forum
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