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127475

"Have been born" vs. "are born" vs. "were born"

> We are native to this country. We have been born here to serve it. Is the use of "have been" acceptable here? I think the simple past _were_ is more appropriate. Also, what about: > We are native to this country. We **are born** here to serve it Does that sound grammatical?

118802

Fox and dog terms as applied to women

My curiosity here arises from the fact that it seems bizarre that "fox" and "dog" (not terribly dissimilar creatures - see Belyaev's fox experiment) would have such opposite meanings when used in reference to women. According to the online etymology dictionary fox n. > Meaning "sexually attractive woman" is from 1940s; but foxy in this sense is > recorded from 1895. In addition to the noun form, foxy, "stone cold fox" and vixen (a female fox) all carry connotations of sexually-alluring women (though vixen, as seen below, seems to have a more negative origin): > The figurative sense "ill-tempered woman" is attested from 1570s. The > spelling shift from -f- to -v- began late 1500s (see V). Referring to a woman as a dog or a "female dog" is an insult (for the most part). dog n. > Slang meaning "ugly woman" is from 1930s. Assuming that humans do not find foxes more sexually attractive than dogs as a matter of course, I'm wondering how the origins of these meanings may have shaped their divergent connotations.

13051

What is the difference between "safe" and "vault"?

What is the difference between _safe_ and _vault_ , where both the words refer to a place where to put things you want to keep safe? As additional question, why does _vault_ seem more frequently used in computer jargon? For example, the Mac OS X has a _File vault_ , and _vault_ is the word used from anti-virus programs to refer to a place where infected files are kept.

91237

Appearance of "is is" in speech patterns

> **Possible Duplicate:** > “The thing is, is that…” > Why do some people say “the reason is is that,” with “is” twice in a row? For the past few years I've been noticing a curious phenomenon. People are quite commonly saying things like "... the problem _is is_ that we don't have access to ...". It appears that the first "is" has been grafted onto the semantic unit of "the problem" and is no longer being perceived as being present, so the speaker has to add the second "is". I first thought that this might be related to situations where a repeated "is" is valid, such as ... the question is "Is this our only option?" ... but it seems to occur mostly in constructs of the form ... the [x] is that ... instead. I seem to be very sensitive to this and hear it several times a day, often on local or national news broadcasts. In fact, it's now jarring (in a good way) when I hear someone NOT repeating "is". 1. Is there a name for this phenomenon? 2. Is it as rampant as it appears to me?

133136

What is the grammar of the double 'is' in these examples?

Some sentences have a double 'is' in them. I know that we must have the verb to be in a nominal sentence, but these sentences have a double 'is'. Can anyone tell me which 'is' acts as the verb to be as part of the nominal sentence - and therefore whats the grammar of the other 'is'? Examples: 'What it **is is** a legal device which confirms the working of a release from debt which would otherwise be invalid.' (This example was taken from the BNC online language corpus) Here's two examples that I would hear in Britain: 'Why don't you take the job?' 'Well, what it **is is** that I hate dealing with customers.' 'What's this strange machine?' 'Well, what it **is is** a new type of coffee maker.'

85510

The problem is is that

> **Possible Duplicate:** > “The thing is, is that…” Does anyone know when or why people started saying things like > The problem is is that... or > The thing is is that... It's as if they are using _isthat_ as a combined single word. Does the word _isthat_ exist in any modern dictionary? I can't find it anywhere.

117652

Repeated word use - Terminology

Can anyone tell me what this type of repetitive use of two words together in a phrase is actually called? For example: * "What it is, is..."

155952

What's up with "is is"

I keep hearing people who do not ordinarily stutter or stammer say "is is" when they mean "is". Is this a known mental disorder?

36683

Why do some people say "the reason is is that," with "is" twice in a row?

Does anybody have any conjectures as to why this quirk is so common? For an example, see this TED talk by Kevin Slavin.

54175

What is the origin of the slang term “book” meaning “leave” or “hurry”?

This verb is used in expressions such as “I’ll see you later – gotta book now”. _Dictionary.com_ has: > 1. Slang. b. to leave; depart: _I’m bored with this party, let’s book._¹ > Anybody know the origin of this slang term?

94543

Verb agreement of "heaps"/"lots": uncountable nouns

I am a non-native English speaker and I recently started noticing that most people do not do the correct agreement of the verb with the noun when saying "there is"/"there was"/"here is". They say, for example, > **There's two** things in my pocket instead of > **There are** two things in my pocket as it should be. In discussing this issue in two distinct occasions I was asked whether the word "heaps" also should be preceded by the plural form of the verb (and the same for "lots"). I could not answer it, but I think the answer depends on whether the noun is countable or not. So, for example, I could say > There **are heaps** of glasses on the table. > There **is a heap** of glasses on the table. but if the noun is uncountable, I am not so sure. I would think that the only correct option is to say > There **is a lot/heap of** water in the glass but native speakers say > There **is lots of** water in the glass Is the latter correct in terms of usage ("lots of"/"heaps of" + uncountable noun) and in terms of verb agreement ("there is" + "lots"/"heaps")?

94542

What are words that use to mean due date and cut date of a credit card?

Let's say my due date is on 15 of every month and the bank summarize my spending I made on 1 of everyone. For example, I have to pay all expense I made from January 2, 2012 to February 1 2012 on February 15, 2012. I have two questions here: 1. What to call the day that the back summarize a monthly payment, February 1 in this example? 2. Is there another word to call due date, February 15 in this case?

94547

A single word for an inanimate object that is very old and held in high esteem

What is an adjective for an inanimate object that is very old and held in very high esteem? Especially in the context of buildings for example: The government building is **___ __ ___** . Many people flock to visit it every year. Antique doesn't seem to be a good choice as it doesn't always give the meaning of something being held in very high esteem.

62085

What is “context specific”?

In the following sentence: > They neglected the fact that development necessarily is culture and context > specific and that the specificity concerns the observer as well. What does it mean that something is “context specific”? Or did I misunderstand, and it means that development _is_ culture? Should it be “development is _culturally_ and _contextually_ specific”?

2677

Person, Persons, People, Peoples

Can you please clarify the relation and differences between these nouns? For example, is it proper to use "persons" instead of "people"? Are they the same? As I believe that "people" is plural, how come there exists the plural of the plural (=peoples)? Does it have any usage?

46294

Correct usage of "persons" (vs. "people")

I had a little fight about _persons_ vs. _people_. Could you advise if both of the following are correct, if possible with reference to a dictionary? > 1. A table for two people please. > 2. A table for two persons please. > Besides that, how would you ask for a table in a restaurant? I read http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/persons and Person, Persons, People, Peoples, but they didn't really solve the question if both are correct. I also found the last paragraph of http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/person, which suggests that (1) is "more correct", but doesn't say (2) is wrong.

47682

Does the word "peoples" exist, and if so, when do you use it?

> **Possible Duplicates:** > "People" or "peoples" when referring to an indigenous population? > Person, Persons, People, Peoples I've seen someone using the word "peoples" today, with a vehement claim that it "is NOT grammatically incorrect". I searched on the net, but I got links (such as this) which suggests it is correct. Either way, is there a reference which could settle this issue ?

2444

"People" or "peoples" when referring to an indigenous population?

Let's say we are talking about the indigenous pukapuka who live in Pluto. What is correct: "the pukapuka people" or "the pukapuka peoples"? I've read somewhere the usage of "peoples" in this context, and it has surprised me.

189495

Would the word "peoples" be used to mean many different cultures?

I'm writing a book, and I don't know if I'm using the word peoples right. I'm fairly sure it IS a word, but I don't know its exact use.

156301

Determiners and Plurality in literature

Many times we come across examples like these :- > Hobbits are **an** unobtrusive but very ancient people... > > For they are **a** little people, smaller than Dwarves... ~ From The > Fellowship of the Ring, JRR Tolkien Is the first sentence grammatically correct? To me it seems 'an' shouldn't go with 'people'. Is it just a play of language by Tolkien or a regular form. When are such phrases correct and when would they be incorrect? In the second sentence, 'a' ruins the regular English and sounds weird. Again, are there examples from other writers? When are such sentences correct?

52738

The plural of "people"

> **Possible Duplicate:** > "People" or "peoples" when referring to an indigenous population? > Person, Persons, People, Peoples Is it possible to add "s" at the end of the word "people" to make it plural? If so, what does it mean?

137955

"Should character education be part of the curriculum that perspective teachers are exposed to in their credentialing program?" — is this too wordy?

> Should character education be part of the curriculum that perspective > teachers are exposed to in their credentialing program?

180136

Pronunciation of foreign words by foreign speakers

I've used English for a long time and it isn't immediately obvious to others that I'm native French. Whenever I speak a French word or place name in English I wonder whether I should pronounce it like English or French speakers would. (Of course I always use English pronunciation for common place names like Paris.) Using French pronunciation can sound pretentious, but English pronunciation can too, especially if part of the audience speaks French and knows that I am native French. This question is similar. My question focuses on native French speakers that speak in English to an audience of both English and French natives. Which pronunciation draws less attention?

20259

What is the difference between an apocalypse and a cataclysm?

What is the difference between an apocalypse and a cataclysm? I've been told that an apocalypse is an act of God, but we seem to use it as a generic term for any grand disaster. What is the difference in original and current usage?

4407

When should "farther" and "further" be used?

I know I learned the difference between the usage of **farther** and **further** in school, but I can never remember where each one should be used. Can someone help me out here?

156652

"fluent with search engines" - is fluency only related to languages?

I'm helping my friend write her CV in English and there was one phrase that felt natural to me at first, but then I was not exactly certain if it's correct: > fluent with search engines Is it allowed to say so in English?

20250

Which is more correct here: "find" vs. "have found"?

I recently came across this sentence from an e-mail I received and have pondering thoughts about it: > I have completed an evaluation of your application file and **find** that > the items listed below must be submitted. Should it be "have found" in place of "find" since the activity of completing the evaluation and finding the items occurred in the past?

143177

Is a “blue bird” the same as a “bluebird”？

Is “blue bird” in the following quotation from _Lady Chatterley’s Lover_ referring to an actual bluebird? > The lush, dark green of hyacinths was a sea, with buds rising like pale > corn, while in the riding the forget-me-nots were fluffing up, and > columbines were unfolding their ink-purple ruches, and there were bits of > **blue bird** ’s eggshell under a bush.

175080

What concepts are formed in a mind of a native English speaker when using the articles a, an, the?

I have been learning English intensively for 8 years and have been living and speaking in the UK/USA for the past 5 years. It has been 7 years since I have been thinking in English without the need of translation to my mother tongue, however I have to admit I cannot use the articles in English properly. I could learn all the standard rules (indeed I have), but there are many exceptions as it seems to me. I just do not imagine the right use of the articles automatically. When writing I frequently come across dilemmas or even trilemmas: a definite or an indefinite article or no article? I would like a native English speaker to describe to me in detail what exactly one imagines in one's head when hearing a word with no article, an indefinite article and a definite article. I think in the text I wrote here I managed to use the articles properly, however in more complex situations I waver. For example my current imagination can be described: 1. When hearing a word with an indefinite article, I imagine one item of something new I do not have in my consciousness right now or one item for which I am concerned only with its existence, any other item of that type would do. 2. When hearing a word with a definite article, I search the concept in my head which I already know about, have heard just now or is somewhere present around me or it is something specific that the other speaker tries to convey to me. 3. When hearing a word without an article I imagine it is either something I cannot count and then the imagination is similar to 1. Or it is the name of something, not necessarily a given name, but the name I use for that concept, e.g. father (referring to my father).

151462

all but.. none but.. usage

I'm a bit confused with the usage of _all but_ and _none but_ : > 1. " _We are all but defenseless_ " - should mean we are **definitely** > defenseless? > 2. " _None but misfortunes follow_ " - **only** misfortunes follow? > Were _all but_ and _none but_ used correctly here? How do you use them correctly? There seems to be a contradiction.

129189

Should I put an indefinite article in front?

> There are two main approaches to extracting information from less structured > or even free text web pages: classification-based approach and sequential > labeling-based approach. It is from my thesis. A revision suggestion from the committee is that I should add an indefinite article before "classification". In other words, change the whole sentence to: > There are two main approaches to extracting information from less structured > or even free text web pages: a classification-based approach and a > sequential labeling-based approach. The revised version would sound a little strange to my ears. Is it correct?

40965

What do you call this type of lock?

What is the general term for the locks in these photos?  The trademark name is _Codelock_ , and I would call them _electronic locks_ or _keyless locks_ , but is there another term, especially for the kind that operates by mechanical rather than electronic means?

40963

"Created them flawless/flawlessly"

Which is correct? > He created them **flawless**. > > He created them **flawlessly**. If _flawlessly_ is correct, what is it an adverb of?

40961

What are differences between a "panel" a "board" and a "think tank"?

I am sorry if my question is stupid, but I can't figure out the difference between these three.

129181

What is the origin and scope of usage of the phrase "Voodoo That You Do So Well"?

I heard it in the couple movies and podcasts, and was able to trace it to the Cole Porter song "You Do Something to Me" from 1929. I think it's where it came from, but I just want to be sure. Also, how popular it is among native speakers/Americans, and what group of people using it the most? Age, race, gender, type of a person if possible.

29764

Grammar behind the song title 'The Way I Are'

You might know the song called _The Way I Are_ by Timberland featuring Keri Hilson. I am very confused here. How does _The Way I Are_ make sense?

29767

Does "criticism" imply positive as well as negative?

I thought I was always taught at school that _criticism_ meant evaluation and opinion, either positive _or_ negative. These days, it seems _criticism_ , or to _criticise_ , is almost exclusively used to mean negative commentary. Dictionaries seem to acknowledge both variations, but has there been a semantic shift in the words recently, and what is the usual meaning? Wikipedia, for example, has many _Criticism_ sections which are generally a list of negative opinions. Whilst I know they are discouraged for this reason, would they semantically be better named _Negative Criticism_ sections? On the other hand, a film _critic_ is still assumed to give as many positive reviews as negatives, so this would seem inconsistent.

129185

Word for a "grand, symbolic action"?

What word would mean "a grand, symbolic action" more specifically, taken in an attempt to prove a point? For example, I am trying to figure out the word that would fill in the following sentence using the above definition: > "Charlie gave every last dime he had to charity, just to prove that he > didn't care about material possessions. That's one hell of a [ _word-for- > grand-symbolic-action_ ]!"

29763

What does "on its way out" mean?

What does this phrase mean? I think of maybe something is going to be really famous in the future, but now it's just not so popular. And it's on its way out. Is that correct?

40969

What is the proper substitute for "Batmanning"?

After planking, owling and leisure dive, now there is the trend which is called "Batmanning". Obviously it is a made-up word. Is there a proper substitute for it? What is the verb that defines the act when a bat hangs from somewhere?

62123

It's ideal for "you" or "yourselves"

> **Possible Duplicate:** > When is it correct to use "yourself" and "myself" (versus "you" and "me")? Are both _It's ideal for **you**_ and _It's ideal for **yourselves**_ grammatically correct? If not, why certain persons use 'you' while other ones use 'yourselves'?

188787

When to use "myself" or "me"

Which is grammatically correct? > * "Request you to register me for the course" > * "Request you to register myself for the course" >

185780

Use of reflexive pronoun (you or yourself)?

Given the choice in sentences: > * I appreciate the help from both yourself and Bob. > * I appreciate the help from both you and Bob. > Which is correct? I'm stuck because I can't seem to understand reflective pronouns. Can "yourself" only be used when the subject is also "you"?

184856

Myself / Me--Which is correct here?

I gave everyone at the company, including myself, a huge Christmas bonus. Is "including myself"—not "including me"—correct here? Thank you.

59357

"Me" or "Myself"- which one is correct here?

> **Possible Duplicate:** > When is it correct to use "yourself" and "myself" (versus "you" and "me")? > you and **_myself/me_** will enjoy the function being arranged in honor of > the new principal. "Me" or "Myself"- which one is correct here and why?

67210

You can contact John, Jane or me (myself) for more information

> **Possible Duplicate:** > When is it correct to use "yourself" and "myself" (versus "you" and "me")? In a conversation, how is is correct to say: > You can contact John, Jane or **me** for more information ... or > You can contact John, Jane or **myself** for more information ...

73008

Can "myself" stand for both "me" and "I" in "my mother and I/me"?

> **Possible Duplicate:** > When is it correct to use "yourself" and "myself" (versus "you" and "me")? In one of my older questions I asked for an explanation of the difference between “people like you” and “people like yourself”, where it's clear that **yourself** can stand instead of **you** in such sentence. What bothers me more is another, more difficult situation: * * * Let's define the correct sentence: > My mother and I were standing at the bus stop. Now, in the above sentence, can I emphasize my own person by doing the following? > My mother and myself were standing at the bus stop. * * * Also, trying with another sentence, but a bit difference: > They saw my mother and me standing at the bus stop. Can I do the same with this sentence too? > They saw my mother and myself standing at the bus stop. * * * If both of the above situations are correct, that means that _myself_ can be used instead of both _me_ and _I_ , thus becoming ambiguous?

118927

reflexive pronoun use

Which is better? "You" vs. "Yourself" (referring to God) "Draw us close to You." or "Draw us close to Yourself." "Bring us back to You." or "Bring us back to Yourself."

186511

"Ourselves" versus "Us"—sentence-specific use?

I'm confused about when to use _ourselves_ and when to use _us_. I looked at this question, but I'm not sure how to generalize that answer to the sentence I am working with. > We need to base our judgments about how safely people will act toward > ourselves and our children on how well we know them and their behavior in > the moment. My inclination is to tell the author to change _ourselves_ to _us_. Is that correct? > We need to base our judgments about how safely people will act toward us and > our children on how well we know them and their behavior in the moment. In the sentence, _we_ refers to parents in general as a whole in society.

89708

Jim and Myself?

> **Possible Duplicate:** > When is it correct to use “yourself” and “myself” (versus “you” and “me”)? > Doubt about the subject in this phrase: I, me, or myself? > Use of “myself” in business-speak Does it make sense to say that? For example: Jim and myself could not attend the party. If not, how would I say it? Thanks.

69001

"I am I", "I am myself", or "I am me"?

> **Possible Duplicate:** > When is it correct to use “yourself” and “myself” (versus “you” and “me”)? According to Google Ngram, "I am myself" is more common that "I am I", but which is correct? Also, the verb "to be" is intransitive. That means a subject must follow the verb. So does this mean "I am I" is more grammatical?

116349

Use of pronouns with "and"

Which would be correct: > Bill is making a cake for Karin and I or > Bill is making a cake for Karin and myself

1175

What should I call the English spoken in UK?

I have read that saying British English is too specific, and that I should say English English. Is that true? When I say British English, what do people think I am referring to?

1174

"Half an hour" versus "half hour"

> I'll be back in half an hour. > I'll be back in half hour. Which is the correct sentence? Are there any differences between British English, and American English?

1173

Is there a fine line between symbolism and metaphors in literature?

Assume we have a literary masterpiece that is abundant in symbolism and metaphors. Within this masterpiece, the author uses a brook running through a glade of trees to represent a couple of things within his novel. Here is where I get confused with the true difference between what is a symbol and what is a metaphor. The brook supposedly represents a character within the book, so to me this means it's a symbol. Yet the path that the brook takes through the glade is also supposed to represent various aspects of the life of the character, which to me is a metaphor. So here is my question: can an object be both a symbol and a metaphor at the same time? If not, then how does one determine which of the two it is?

21498

“I like to do (be) something” vs “I like doing (being) something”

This is what I read in an answer to a previous question: > **Verbs Followed by Either Gerund or Infinitive** > > Sometimes the meaning changes according to the verb used. > > * <…> > * (dis)like > * <…> > I’d like to ask a more specific question: What is that change in the case of _(dis)like_ , exactly? What is the difference between, say, _I like being married_ and _(?) I like to be married_ , _I like to eat paper_ and _I like eating paper_?

145963

being p.p or to be p.p.? and the reason?

I like being taken to the park. I like to be taken to the park. Which one do you say? or do you say both of them? if so, when? Could you possibly elaborate your explanations? Thanks in advance

25075

Catenatives followed by infinitives and gerunds

What is the difference in meaning when the catenative verb “like” is followed by an infinitive, or by a gerund? For example: > Do you like ski jumping? vs. > Do you like to ski jump? Also, what is the difference between: > My brother taught me to read and write. vs. > My brother taught me reading and writing.

148339

what is the difference between to be p.p. and to be a simple verb?

I do not understand the difference between the followings except the part that I have already marked *. I know the * what it means but I can not understand its different with B. > * B: like to be taken to the park. > > * *:I like being taken to the park. > > * * * > * I like to be married. > > * I like being married. > > * * * > * I like to be forty. > > * I like being forty. > >

192662

I don't like [you to go there]

> 1. I don’t like you **going** there. > 2. I don’t like you **to go** there. > _Like_ can take both _-ing_ and a to-infinitive as complement. But can the expression that the matrix subject and the subject of to-infinitive are different, as (2), be used? OALD says “We'd like **you to come** and visit us” is possible. But I’m not sure if (2) is possible. * * * added samples after consulting Angela Downing's English Grammar, BNC, and COCA: > And her mother did not like **her to be out** for too long. (Angela Downing, > English Grammar, from BNC) > He did not like **her to leave** his side for more than a day. (T S Eliot. > Ackroyd, Peter. London, from BNC) > Christina did not like **them to receive** such a bad impression of Crystal > Springs. (BNC) > she did not like you to call them geraniums! (BNC) > However, schools did not like **students to feel** at home in arts and > science. (BNC) > Mrs Mantini did not like **Rachaela to sit and read** in the shop. (BNC) > Dear mamma did not like **me to use** them. (COCA) > David McCutcheon talked with therapists about the one thing he did not like > **women to do**. (COCA) > We did not like **them to run** free, leaving us at the mercy of their > floods. (COCA) > Dad did not like **kids to touch** his desk. (COCA) > The woman did not like **him to speak** of dying, death, burial. (COCA)

171988

"love to be with" or "love being with"

My sons have a good friend called Ben. I thought I could say, " My sons love to be with Ben". But when I said it to his mother, she replied to me by saying, "Ben also loves being with them as well." Can't we say "love to be with" or are both "love to be with" and "love being with" correct? Is there any difference between these two?

32591

"I love to [verb]" vs "I love [gerund]"

> **Possible Duplicates:** > Catenatives followed by infinitives and gerunds > “I like to do (be) something” vs “I like doing (being) something” What is the difference between "I love to sing" and "I love singing"?

23503

Is "still" being used correctly in "I love you still"?

I've heard this sentence in a song ('Build me up buttercup'): > When you say you will, **but I love you still** I'm used to seeing _still_ in front of the verb or auxiliary verb as in "I still love you". Can _still_ be used at the end of the sentence as in the song?

118899

What does "short" mean in "Did the flight crew simply land the aircraft short?"?

The sentence in the title is from a piece of news online: > Based on the debris field, the aircraft appears to have struck the rock sea > wall well before the start of the runway. There are some marks on the sea > wall, consistent with an impact of some part of the plane. Some aircraft > debris ended up in the water. > What we don't know: _Did the flight crew simply land the aircraft > **short**?_ I've looked up the Merriam-Webster dictionary and have found that "short" has the following meanings as an adverb: 1 : in a curt manner 2 : for or during a brief time _short-lasting_ 3 : at a disadvantage : UNAWARES _caught short_ 4 : in an abrupt manner : SUDDENLY _the car stopped short_ 5 : at some point or degree before a goal or limit aimed at or under consideration _the shells fell short_ ; _quit a month short of graduation_ 6 : clean across _the axle was snapped short_ 7 : by or as if by a short sale I think both (1) and (4) make sense. Nevertheless I would like to know which one is more accurate in such context. Could somebody explain the differences between (1) and (4)?

29927

Is integer a commonly understood term?

Is it common for an English speaking person to understand the word "integer" (i.e. the whole numbers ..., -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, ...)? Or should I not use that word outside the domain of mathematics or computer science.

169023

abbreviations as participles

When an abbreviation serves as a verb, the past participle generally takes an apostrophe followed by a _d_ : _KO'd ID'd OD'd OK'd_ What is the proper present participle? If _KOing IDing ODing OKing_ is correct, then why should the past participle require an elision? It seems to aid readability, so should the _-ing_ form be _KO'ng ID'ng OD'ng OK'ng_ ???

169020

We had the game controlled

I have come across these two sentences: > We had the game controlled. We didn't have the mental energy to finish these > games. Is in the first sentence used the construction have something done? If so, I don´t understand. I thought that by means of this construction „we describe situations where we want someone else to do something for us“. I would understand „We controlled the game“ or „We had controlled the game“.

27612

Is the phrase "the subcontinent" well understood?

In the past, I have used the phrase "the subcontinent" in conversations but it has not always been clear if people know what I'm talking about. I find it a useful term as it covers (amongst others) India and Sri Lanka; the IT industry has a lot of people from those countries thus it covers a lot of the people I work/play with. It would appear that English consider those countries Asian. I have also heard Americans referring to Indians as Asians, though not as commonly. This is not common in Australia. So, is this a term I can use safely?

129230

"Responsible for" vs. "responsible in"

Which sentence is incorrect and which one is correct? Why? > 1. She is responsible for answering the phone. > 2. She is responsible in answering the phone. >

193171

Proper term for knowing four or more languages?

If _bilingual_ means you know two languages, and _trilingual_ means you know three, what would be the proper term for knowing four, five or even six languages?

129239

Origin of "chuck a wobbly"?

**Chuck a wobbly** is Australian slang for someone throwing a tantrum, and I like it because it invokes amusing imagery. I'm not certain of its origins however. I can see how it may be equivalent to the similar-meaning idiom "throw a fit", where "chuck" is also Australian slang for "throw", but I can't be certain of what "wobbly" is supposed to mean. It's more difficult to nail down because as far as I know, "wobbly" isn't used in other phrases in Australian slang.

59031

Can I say 'co-student'?

I want to refer to a member of our lab, who is working with me on the same project, and I was wondering what would be the best term to use. We are both mainly students, but we also work as Research Assistants. I feel that **co-worker** might imply that we have a full-time jobs I also feel that **lab member** might imply that we do separate/different things since the lab could have many students. **co-student** seems perfect if this word existed - we're both students, but we also work together.

193175

use of "not on purpose"

I was told that "not on purpose" cannot be used in the middle of a sentence. For example: > I was showering and, not on purpose, I participated in the > #icebucketchallenge. I am aware of the fact that there are more elegant expressions such as unwillingly, unwittingly etc etc but my question is: is the above correct? Am I allowed to use "not on purpose" in such a way? I know there is no language police but there are, seemingly, rules. I posted a sentence in a forum with this expression and I was told it is incorrect to use it this way.

133279

what do we call the machine used in shops through which we swipe our ATM card to pay for something?

when you shop for things in a supermarket, clothing shop, restaurant, etc and you want to use your ATM card to pay, you slide your ATM card through a machine, what is that machine called in English?

174682

Is this sentence grammatically correct, and is it an example of the subjunctive?

Is this sentence grammatically correct, and is 'your ensuring' here an example of the subjunctive? "We appreciate your ensuring all workstations are switched off before leaving the office locked at night." It seems to me that "We appreciate your ensuring" could be swapped out with "We would appreciate it if you ensured", which suggests to me that 'your ensuring' is in the subjunctive mood (given that the subordinate clause of a conditional takes the subjunctive mood). I'm curious about this because the sentence looks and feels fine to me, but I've never seen an explanation of the subjunctive which included it's appearance in this form (possessive pronoun + gerund).

178106

Fluctuate vs. oscillate

I understand that you say `hesitate` in the moral context. But what is the difference between oscillation and fluctuation? Might be you could contrast these with swinging. Is there any difference when to use which?

178658

Do I have to add LLC every time write my companies name in the same document?

I'm working on a quality manual for my company "Joe Blow, LLC"...do I have to use the LLC every time the company name appears in the manual?

114222

Which one of these words is more suitable for "having" or "accomplishing"?

I want to express the achievement of a goal such as "Buying a car", or "Learning a Skill". Can I say: > "I obtained a new car." > or > "I obtained piano playing skill." Is there a word better than _obtained_ for expressing this, one that works both for acquiring a skill and acquiring property (the car)? I'm looking for a word that combines both concepts, is commonly used, and is clearly understandable for both types of acquisitions.

65889

Origin of the expression "to run roughshod over someone"

What is the origin of the expression "to run roughshod over someone"? I have heard it being used by Mitt Romney, but I couldn't find if it has an American origin.

12830

Etymology of the "Rats!" exclamation

> rat > > (...) > > 1. rats, _Slang_ . (an exclamation of disappointment, disgust, or > disbelief.) > (source: dictionary.reference.com) Where does this meaning/usage of "rat" come from?

12834

"get" or "is" regarding the future

Which of the following would be correct? Is it a question of dialect? * "If this question gets answered, ..." * "If this question is answered, ..." (Inspired by this answer.)

8547

“I am hungry/hunger of/for knowledge”

I am not sure which one is the correct one: > A: I am hungry of knowledge. > B: I hunger of knowledge. > C: I am hungry for knowledge. > D: I hunger for knowledge. But my feeling says that A and B are the correct ones.

13662

How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number (e.g., the third prime)?

I want to make a question having an answer as follows: > 5 is **the third prime number**. The bold part is the answer. How to phrase the question?

21876

How to ask a question to get an ordinal number answer

> **Possible Duplicates:** > How to phrase an asking sentence that must be answered with an ordinal > number? > Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number Given that I want to know Barack Obama is the 44th President of U.S.A, how can I frame a question like: > The how manyeth president is Barack Obama?

95184

How would you phrase questions that require an "interrogative ordinal" which is absent in English?

> **Duplicate of:** > How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number > (e.g., the third prime)? > How to phrase an asking sentence that must be answered with an ordinal > number? > Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number > How manyth son to your father? > How will I ask this particular question? > How to ask a question to get an ordinal number answer > How can I ask a question with the answer “I'm eating the fourth apple”? > How do you say this in English? > How to ask “nth time” of something > Interrogative form of a sentence > What will be the question for “he is my second son” > How do you convert the sentence “George Washington was the first > president.” to a question? > How to frame a question to get answer about the turn that somebody has > taken in doing something? > Asking question about position of a person in a list > How do I ask this as a question in English? > A question for this answer > How do I ask what position in chronological order a person of a group is > in? > And others. English does not seem to have an _interrogative ordinal_ such as _how-many- eth_ and I can say most of you have heard of or taken part in debates over this issue before. While I heard some people call it a _serious handicap_ for English, I always thought there must be a way to get around the problem. But honestly, I haven't made much progress in getting around the problem. > Here is a statement as an example: _Abraham Lincoln was the **16th** > President of America._ > > Of course, we can't ask: _How-many-eth President of America was Abraham > Lincoln?_ I was wondering if you could share your ideas and suggest what you would consider the best way to ask questions to get an _ordinal_ as the answer.

47107

How to ask "nth time" of something

> **Possible Duplicate:** > Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number > How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number > (e.g., the third prime)? If the answer is > This is my 6th bid what will the question be?

77222

How do you convert the sentence "George Washington was the first president." to a question?

> **Possible Duplicate:** > How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number > (e.g., the third prime)? How do you convert the sentence: > George Washington was the first president. into a question, preferably one in the form: > * ** _Missing Phrase_ *** president is George Washington? * * * If no equivalent sentence that is not awkward sounding exists, **_why_** is there no English equivalent for the word _how-many-th_?

57545

Interrogative form of a sentence

> **Possible Duplicate:** > How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number > (e.g., the third prime)? > How to ask a question to get a cardinal number answer > Neil Armstrong was the first man on the Moon. I need to convert this into a question. If "Neil Armstrong" was the answer, the interrogative form would be > Who was the first man on the Moon? How do you ask this as a question if "first" was the answer? Another example would be > Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States

20773

Framing a question to which you reply with "I am the third born in my family"

> **Possible Duplicate:** > Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number would it be if i asked what is your relative position terms of birth order in your family

161924

Translating a sentense from Swahili to English

So there's this sentence that people have been sharing on facebook that's in Swahili and requires a direct word to word translation to English. Superficially it seems like an easy translation but once you try it, it get really messy and every thing you try just doesn't sound right to the ear. So if figured you guys might help or have fun trying. Kiswahili: > Mama, mimi ni mtoto wako wa ngapi English: > Mother, I am child yours what number Essentially what this statement is about a child wanting to know from his/her mother what position she's on of all her mothers children. For example there are nine children in your family and you are the fifth born but you don't know for some reason and you wanted to ask your mother how would you pose the question? I have tried > Mother, I am your what born? Mother, what number am I on your list of > children? Mother, of all your children I am what born? Thank you I advance and my apologies if this is a stupid question.

24673

How do you say this in English?

> **Possible Duplicates:** > Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number > How to phrase an asking sentence that must be answered with an ordinal > number (e.g., the third prime) ? It is very common in other languages to use the literal equivalents of **"How- manyth"**. But some how English seems to not have that word? How do I ask a kid? > How-manyth son are you? (To know whether he is first or second born) Maybe one more example, > Mr. XYZ is how-manyth president of this company? (Is he Mr. XYZ 3rd or 5th or etc) What is the solution? I want a single word for this!? I know the round abouts, why not English has created a word for this?

173049

How to ask this as question

I am wondering how to turn the following into a question > "Narendra Modi is the 18th Prime Minister of India" How to ask this as question, so that answer will be **18th** I have tried searching these links but couldn't match my needs. How to ask "nth time" of something Framing a question whose answer is an ordinal number How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number (e.g., the third prime)? Some body could help me.. Sorry If I'm vague and dont lambast at me since this is my first post here.

86869

What will be the question for "he is my second son"

> **Possible Duplicate:** > How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number > (e.g., the third prime)? > How do you convert the sentence “George Washington was the first > president.” to a question? > How manyth son to your father? What will be the correct question to get an answer like "he is my _second_ son". Here the actual answer is the word ' _second_ ', which denotes the order. Can the phrase ' _ordinal status_ ' be used? Like "What is the _ordinal status_ of Mr. Singh among the prime ministers of India"? Is this correct?

131683

How to ask about ordinal place of an offspring?

Here is the question: I want to know what is the ordinal place of someone in her family. For example, I'd say: I'm the second child of my parents. and afterwards, I'd like to ask something along these lines: What nth child are you? (So that I'm expecting something like first, second, third, etc. child as answer). Just wondering how the question should be asked.

11481

Framing a question whose answer is an ordinal number

> **Possible Duplicate:** > How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number > (e.g., the third prime)? > I am the third daughter of my parents. How should a question that is answered with the above sentence be framed?

15108

How do you frame a question for this situation?

> **Possible Duplicate:** > Framing a question Let me explain the scenario. Say you have 'n' number of siblings (brothers/sisters) in your family,i.e your parents have n+1 children.A random person wants to know whether you are the 1st child or 2nd child or..so on, _without_ knowing apriori the value (n+1).Is it possible to frame a question for this?This has puzzled me for long because it is possible in many Indian languages to frame one which would prompt a response like this: "I am the 3rd child of my parents" Note:english.se warns me that "The question you're asking appears subjective and is likely to be closed."But asking it anyway :)

30879

How will I ask this particular question?

> **Possible Duplicate:** > Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number > How to phrase an asking sentence that must be answered with an ordinal > number? > How to ask a question to get a cardinal number answer My friend is the second child of her mother. How would I ask her that apart from asking - Are you the second daughter? - like i need to ask the order of her birth.. how will i ask it?

51055

How can I properly ask this question?

I want to ask a question so that I can get the answer which gives the position of the President. So the answer I want to get is: > Barack Hussein Obama is the **44th** President of the United States. or > **44th**. or simply > **44**. How can I properly ask this question?

104967

"manieth", is it acknowledged?

I believed that there is no question word in English for making a question when you want know the X in sentences like "Barack Obama is the Xth president of the US.". *Question words are words like "what", "who", "how many" and so on. Then I came across this word "manieth", which does not seem to be in any dictionaries I have. Is this even a word? If it is, how acknowledged is it? Futhermore, if there is any word or expression that means the same thing as "manieth", I would like to know what it is.

102618

How manieth as an ordinal number question

> **Possible Duplicate:** > How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number > (e.g., the third prime)? In my native tongue, Malayalam, there is a question word - "ethraamathe" - which we use to get an ordinal number as answer. In other Indian languages, and also in many foreign languages like Dutch and German, such a question word does exist. But in English there is no one word for such a question. I have once read in a Phantom strip cartoon book from US a sentence that uses _what number_. Using this expression it is easy to ask "What number president of America was Abraham Lincoln?" to which one would answer "16th". A professor from Oxford University has said in one of his letters to me that _what number_ can be used in informal speech. In his opinion, "Where in the numerical order did Abraham Lincoln come as President of America?" can be used in writing. I would like to know whether American and British people use _what number_ in their speech. Some Indians also use _how manieth_ as an ordinal number question.