niryuu/sni-each-converted huggingface dataset:
Question: I'm a non-native English speaker, and my automatic spellchecker seems to accept both therefore and therefor. Is one orthography preferred ? Is that a British vs. American difference ? Or an old vs. more recent orthography ? Or something else ? 
Answer: Therefor means for that. For example: Here we sell guitars and accessories therefor. Therefor is one of a whole series of adverbs: thereof (of that), thereafter(after that), therein (in there), etc. If you are familiar with German - the Germanic sister of English - you can find a direct analogy there: for = fur therefor, for that = dafur (literally, therefor) Therefore, as you must know, means as a (logical) consequence.
Output: yes
Question: I want to describe: a job-position that is given to someone as a way to appease the person, but the position holds no real function. Context: He was, due to his importance to the secret project, offered an honorary ____ with disproportionally lucrative payment. The job is given by the authority to the person as a way to basically bribe him with undeserved salary, because he won't be given any real task. The emphasis here is payment, and not power, so "figurehead" would be inappropriate. 
Answer: You could maybe use pencil pusher (informal, often derogatory) One who does routine office work; someone involved mainly in paperwork.
Output: no
Question: I was googling the reason for why it's called "shotgun" to ride beside the driver when it suddenly hit me - why on Earth is the firearm called "shotgun"?! Is there any other kind of a gun than one used for shooting?! Why is it called "shotgun" instead of just a "gun" or a more technical term (9-gauge, barrel gun etc.)? 
Answer: There are other things that shoot 'shot'. Cannons fired grapeshot as an effective way to deal with infantry. This makes a 'shotgun' just a gun that shoots shot instead of a cannon that does so. This clever naming scheme is also visible for 'rifles' which are simply guns with barrels that have been rifled.
Output: no
Question: Most grammar checkers are capable of detecting the the misuse of "your" and "you're"; providing the necessary correction. I'm curious though, is there any sentence that can be constructed where replacing "your" with "you're" keeps the sentence grammatically correct, but changes the meaning? If this is not possible, what grammar rules are in place that prevents these edge cases from occurring? 
Answer: a. I love you and your bananas. b. I love you and you're bananas. This particular case depends on the your/you're coming after an independent clause followed by "and," since its feasibility depends on functioning either as a second direct object or as another independent clause. It also depends on the noun serving either as a thing that someone might be in possession of (the bananas we eat) or as an adjective or noun complement describing a person (bananas=crazy). Easiest if that noun is plural or uncountable. The same sentence could be constructed with nuts, garbage, and other nouns which I'll let you brainstorm because my stormer hurts. You can also (and thanks to @Barmar for drawing attention to this) use verbs, in which case they act as a gerund with the possessive pronoun and a present participle with the "you're." As in: a. I love you and your cooking. b. I love you and you're cooking. Or: a. I despise you and your smoking. b. I despise you and you're smoking.
Output: yes
Question: Should e.g. and i.e. have periods, e.g. "e.g.", or no periods, eg "eg"? Should they be italicized, e.g. "i.e." or not, eg "i.e"? 
Answer: I.e. and e.g. are written without periods in AMA style (10th edition).
Output: no
Question: I was told in a Latin class that the name Christopher has Greek roots that mean "one who carries Christ". I assume that the Latin connection here is fero, which is the verb to carry. With that in mind, does the name Jennifer have a similar derivation? If so what would she be carrying? 
Answer: It's a perfect example of a false cognate pair that is created by a sort of linguistic homogenization. When we come across foreign words, we pronounce them with our own sounds, mapping a foreign sound to one natural to our own ear that seems close enough for our purposes. Unrelated sounds and syllables from unrelated languages might in this way each get mapped to a single native sound/syllable. In this way, we come to hear the sounds and syllables as related when they are not. Mesoamerican languages, for instance, did not have a "v" sound. Consequently, when learning Spanish, the natives of Central America had a devil of time with the fairly common v sound and ended up usually pronouncing it as a b. The b sound is related to the v sound, so it wasn't a subtle shift. In consequence, very often to this day words like "votar" (to vote) get pronounced identically with words like "botar" (to throw out) giving rise to numerous puns. When native Spanish speakers from Latin America learn English, they are often heard saying things like "Thank you bery much," as a result. But "bery," and its false homophones "berry" and "bury" have no shared ancestry. As a last point of interest, consider English spelling. It is so difficult precisely because speakers of English and the academic sources that safeguard the English language (Oxford English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, etc.) have made a general decision to preserve as best as possible the original spelling of the words in their original languages, making only occasional modifications to bring them into some kind of conventional conformity. So the Greek suffix - is conventionally transliterated as -pher, whereas the ending of Gwenhwyfar gets transliterated as -fer and the ending of aquifer stays as the Romans wrote it: -fer. This makes our spelling a bear to get a handle of, but it also locks the secret of most words' origins right into the words themselves. That means, once one has understood a bit of Latin, Greek, some common Celtic endings and a bit of German, one can almost always discern the origins of the word just by looking at it. Of course, it also means that we have to spend years and years memorizing spelling word lists and still relying on spellchecker far more than we care to admit.
Output: no
Question: Possible Duplicate: Types of things vs. types of thing When using the phrase "types of" or "kinds of," it often seems appropriate to follow with a singular noun (e.g., types of rock), but at other times a plural noun sounds better (e.g., types of sentences). Is there some kind of rule about this? 
Answer: Here's a rule of thumb with which to decide the correct usage in any given case. Turn the phrase around: I like all kinds of music = I like music of all kinds I like all kinds of apple = I like apple of all kinds I like all kinds of apples = I like apples of all kinds And so on.
Output: yes
Question: If someone is asked to do something important, they might say "I'll prioritize that". But if someone is asked to put something aside to work on something else more important, what could they say? In the past I've used "de-prioritize", but I'm not sure if that's actually a word. Is it a word? Is there some other way to get this point across? 
Answer: How about overlook, disorganize, or neglect?.
Output: no
Question: This is a question for English wordsmiths. Is there a word that "feels" like the word "ethereal" that means something ethereal that quickly disappears. Or is "ethereal" the correct word choice for this? Ethereal was the first word that popped into my head for this. From the various definitions that I've looked at for ethereal, it says delicate, beautiful, heavenly, etc. but not necessarily quickly vanishing, except for the secondary definitions related to ether that suggests it evaporates. I'm just wondering if there is a better word than this. I'm using the term "ethereal skill" to describe a certain type of pilot skill (instrument flying) that requires tremendous practice to achieve proficiency, and once proficiency is achieved it is a beautiful thing, but if you don't practice it regularly, that skill vanishes after a few weeks. USAGE: Instrument proficiency is an ethereal skill that once obtained must be maintained through constant and regular practice. 
Answer: evanescent is a good match - definitions focus on loss and vaporous qualities. It seems to be applied most often to the loss of things with positive connotation. MW defines it with : "tending to vanish like vapor", Cambridge with "lasting for only a short time, then disappearing quickly and being forgotten" Century Dictionary Online has a number of useful definitions and quotes. I like "Vanishing or apt to vanish or be dissipated, like vapor; passing away; fleeting: as, the pleasures and joys of life are evanescent. Also from Century, this quote: "He [Wordsworth] seems to have caught and fixed forever in immutable grace the most evanescent and intangible of our intuitions, the very ripple-marks on the remotest shores of being." - Lowell, Among my Books.
Output: no
Question: Wikipedia says: A postscript may be a sentence, a paragraph, or occasionally many paragraphs added to, often hastily and incidentally, after the signature of a letter or (sometimes) the main body of an essay or book. When all letters were handwritten, and adding a new thought to the letter would have likely involved rewriting the entire letter, a postscript had obvious practicality. Now, however, one can just as easily add the thought to the main text. 
Answer: You seem to have answered your own question, but it's perhaps worth pointing out that in both email and conventional mail a postscript can be a consciously chosen device for drawing attention to what it contains. What might look like an afterthought to the reader might be a deliberate ploy by the writer.
Output: no
Question: I want to ask whether I can use the word "Fuck" in a formal context. Apparently, the word dates back to the early 16th century, so it shouldn't be considered slang (although, it is misused as slang for other reasons), but regardless of its vulgarity, could I use it in a formal context with its original definition? I imagine that people will be surprised, but when realizing in what context I am using it in, then it will be more understandable and acceptable to use it. Firstly, I do not even know the definition of the word due to its vastness in meaning, I always thought it was an exclamation-like word meaning nothing (for it to mean sexual activities is a slang definition, is that not correct?), but used purely for emphasis. What does it first and foremost mean in its original/accurate and/or formal definition? I also know of another definition of the word "Fuck," which is "I will fuck you" as in "I will defeat you" (in context of fighting or combat), is that a formal definition as well? I mainly ask for this, because I need to use the word in this context, specifically and especially. Also, side question, is it possible not to always make it a vulgar word? Thanks in advance. 
Answer: It is very unwise to use "fuck" in any formal context whatsover (outside of technical discussion of language). The word either has strong and forceful sexual meaning, or it has the debased banality of over-frequent use by those groups of society who lack nuances and who express themselves repetitively and coarsely. In neither case does the usage fit with formal discourse. In short, although an excellent word to describe a very pleasant and necessary activity, it is rude.
Output: no
Question: I've found that expression on a website, and I don't understand it. At first I thought it was because the canary is yellow and the coal black... but it doesn't make much sense. 
Answer: Miners used canaries to detect carbon monoxide and other gases in the mines. As long as the canaries continued to sing, the miners were safe. If the canary died, they'd evacuate the miners. I didn't see a reference included in your posting so lacking the context of the quote, I'd go out on a limb to say that what is meant is either literally a reference to that practice of gas detection or it is some sort of metaphor for some sort of early warning system as in the example below. An example of how this expression can be used metaphorically, from wisegeek.com: "Today, the practice of using a bird to test the air supply has become part of coal mining lore, but the ideology behind it has become a popular expression. The phrase "living like a canary in a coal mine" often refers to serving as a warning to others. The actual canary had little control over its fate, but it continued to sing anyway. In one sense, living this way indicates a willingness to experience life's dangers without compromise.".
Output: no
Question: I know that Sussex and Middlesex are in England. It looks to me as if there is a pattern in names. What does the suffix -sex mean? Where does it come from? 
Answer: The -sex suffix is from Anglo-Saxon / Old English, with the actual meaning being "Saxon". Sussex is essentially "South Saxon". Middlesex is "Middle Saxon". Essex is "East Saxon". Wessex is "West Saxon". Most of the wiki pages for these places will have the toponymy definition.
Output: yes
Question: "The worst student" is the student who is bad at things. In this case, "worst" simply describes the noun. Following this logic, your "worst enemy" would be the person who is very bad at being your enemy, thus is actually your best friend. Your "worst enemy" is actually the enemy who is very good at being your enemy. Thus, in this context, "worst" acts to amplify the inherent negative intent of the noun. "Worst disaster" would be another example of this. Is this just a matter of context or there some science behind the interprettation of a negative adjective applied to a negative noun? 
Answer: Don't confuse English language with the mathematical theory. The adjective worst qualifies the noun enemy with even more bad values. So, a worst enemy is more dangerous than a normal enemy.
Output: yes
Question: We were discussing something like pre-boss era, post-boss era. What word describes the era where the boss is still there? 
Answer: Peri-boss era. This prefix allows you to create delightfully clear parallel construction that covers all cases: pre-, before peri-, during post-, after Google [ pre- post- peri- ] for examples "in the wild". These prefixes are popular in medical terminology, such as pre-, peri-, and post-anesthesia.
Output: yes
Question: The question is quite straightforward: Which of the following is preferable? "I keep myself up-to-date on the latest technology." "I keep myself up to date on the latest technology." 
Answer: The simple answer is that the non-hyphenated version is more appropriate - and more commonly used - in the example sentence that you give. The hyphenated version is more commonly seen as a compound adjective, sometimes as a jargon phrase. Indeed, I have seen it used as a perjorative, sarcastic term, although that is not common usage. So in summary, up-to-date is used as an adjective describing a condition or status of an object or document, while up to date is used to describe a state of mind or a fashion.
Output: no
Question: Whenever I hear statements like "It was a great deal for he and I" and "Call Karen and I in the morning," I die a little. Such solecisms, as Twain said in another context (Cooper's prose style), "grate upon the fastidious ear." Moreover, I know that these things will likely become accepted usage in time, if that hasn't already happened. As someone who tries to be careful with words and speech, I feel almost a moral obligation to hold the line against this kind of decline. I'm not a word snob; I say "ain't" when it works for emphasis, and so on. I've tried suggesting the grammatical alternative to the above constructions, but even when I phrase my suggestion in the gentlest possible way it never works well and I almost always wind up feeling pedantic and priggish at best, and at worst I feel I've alienated someone. What's the general opinion here? Is it best to just let these things slide or to take up the fight? In sum, is there a good way to promote good grammar, or at least protect it from the most egregious violations? 
Answer: There is nothing wrong with having gut reactions to the way that people say things. I am completely aware that the standard/educated version of a language is arbitrary (i.e. is no more "correct" in any real sense than any dialect), and even still, I have pet peeves and things that irk me about people's language usage. I think these are unavoidable, just like my reaction to certain fashion choices that people make in their outfits. But, like with fashion, there is very little objective truth to my judgment about any of it. I try not to actually challenge people on uses that bother me; aside from the arbitrariness of language, every bit of evidence suggests that stopping language change in any significant way is like going to the beach and trying to stop the tide from coming in. There was a more in-depth discussion about this in a previous question. That said, I do believe there is a certain time and place where standards and clarity are important. In formal contexts, information is often supposed to be presented in a certain way, and, generally, these conventions benefit everyone. Also, following certain language conventions in these situations can eliminate ambiguity. If I am asked to proofread an academic paper that my colleague has written, I would make corrections for things that I would never object to otherwise.
Output: yes
Question: I am looking for a term to replace formulations like "the activities of the morning", "the rituals pertinent to the morning", "the morning report" (that one is from the Lion King, I couldn't resist). I tried perusing the internet search engines of my knowledge, including some searches on merriam webster's website, but I can't get a hold of what I am looking for. In fact, I will eat a better breakfast and pray every morning, now. 
Answer: matutinal adjective [formal] happening in the morning: We chatted over our matutinal coffee. [Cambridge Dictionary] Though normal people have morning coffee.
Output: yes
Question: The phrase to boil down to something can be found in most dictionaries. However, to me, it sounds colloquial to write Finding an exact solution to Eq. 1 boils down to ... A real-life example can be found here, and many more here. Interestingly, many of the examples are by non-native speakers. Is it good style to use this phrase in formal writing? (I am prepared to hear that if people use it, then it is OK.) 
Answer: Boil down to is not informal. It can be used even in formal writing.
Output: no
Question: I want to tell my uncle that I am "f***ing around" but I certainly can't use the F word. I googled it but I didn't find the phrase/word I am looking for. I am wasting my time doing silly things and I want a phrase or word for that. Can anyone give any formal or polite phrase for that? 
Answer: As you are a Muslim, I give you the best words you need.Just say: I am busy with Lahv and Laheb It contains all the meaning you want to express. And maybe even more (btw as a Muslim, you better change a bit the form of your thoughts and therefore speech like f***ing aint a good option).
Output: no
Question: What's the difference between transparent and translucent? I am trying to describe this record pressing. 
Answer: Technically speaking translucent is semi-transparent. As simple as that. But translucent is only a technical term while transparent may be used figuratively i.e. something which is evident, clearly seen or understood. "Transparent policy, accounting etc.".
Output: no
Question: What is the antonym of the word destination. Here is some context: Every train has a destination and a ____? I was thinking it might be origin but I've never encountered that word used in this context so I'm not sure - there might be a better word. 
Answer: According to a Google search, the word origin is used as the opposite of destination on several pages on the Amtrak web site. Amtrak is the largest train operator in the United States. Here are a few examples: This schedule lists the Origin and "Destination" of various routes. The Interactive Route Atlas page says the following: Once you have selected origin and destination stations by one of the methods above, click on the 'Go' button to send your custom route request. The Multi-Ride Ten-Ride Ticket page says the following: Ten-ride tickets are valid for ten rides within a 45-day, 60-day or 180-day period depending on your origin and destination cities.
Output: yes
Question: I've been looking around the Internet. Some websites say that foods is incorrect but others say it is correct. 
Answer: Food in its commonest sense is a non-countable noun, with all the effects of that. It's already a plural. You would eat "some food" not "a food". You would say "less food" not "fewer foods". However, there is a less common usage where "a food" means "a type of food": "Cheese is a food made from milk" ... and in this form, you can pluralise it ... "Italy is the source of many delicious foods -- pizza, pasta, salami, biscotti..." For comparison, think of "a people" - Are there meta-plurals beyond "peoples"?.
Output: yes
Question: Possible Duplicate: Which is correct to say: "It's me" or "It's I"? Tonight I watched a movie (The Gospel of John) in which Jesus said (as quoted from the written Gospel of John), "It is I." How does this expression differ from "It is me?" 
Answer: "It is me" is ungrammatical. Transitive verbs, like speak take a subject and an object. Thus, You (subject) will speak to me. (object) The verb to be is not transitive, but copular. It takes a subject and predicate. Thus, It (subject) is I. (predicate) Also, it must be We'll soon find out who (subject) is who (predicate.) rather than We'll soon find out who (subject) is whom (object.) Edit: Please see @krubo's excellent answer below. Edit: RegDwight is right that "It is I" is very formal for speech, and few people talk like this anymore.
Output: no
Question: What is the difference between oath, pledge & vow and where should each word be used? An example should suffice. 
Answer: An oath works untill death a vow is a solemn promise.
Output: no
Question: My spellchecker insists on replacing "furthest" with "farthest". I was under the impression that farthest is strictly speaking in terms of distance, whereas furthest is more abstract. A poster on this forum gives the following example: The further [quantity] you walk, the farther [distance] you get. What gives? 
Answer: In a grammar book l bought recently I found an enty which read as follows ;Far-further, furthest. When I went to school we were taught that the comparative adjective Far became farther than ,when we talk about physical distance . Bari is Farther from Milan than Venice. Further is used in an abstact sense. He arrived further up in his career than his sister.
Output: no
Question: This is similar to a palindrome but, instead of a word/sentence that reads the same forwards and backward, is there a word for words/sentences that read the same right side up and upside-down? See picture below where the word "yeah" is written in cursive: 
Answer: That is called an ambigram. It is a typographical design that can be read in more than one direction. ambigram noun A typographical design consisting of text modified in such a way that it can be read in multiple orientations, as in mirror image, inverted, or when rotated. (ODO) Famously (?) used in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons.
Output: yes
Question: Is there a single word that means "Being merry at Christmas" but excludes being merry or happy at New Year? 
Answer: christmasyaynewyearsnay: Christmas Yay New Years Nay I think this sums it up in a very matter-of-fact way and is also how I feel regarding the matter =D.
Output: no
Question: What is the difference between "Did you find?" and "Have you found?" When should I use the first sentence, and when the second one? 
Answer: Did you find is the simple past and indicates that you are no longer looking for it. Have you found is the present perfect and indicates a link with the present, specifically, that you could still be looking for it.
Output: yes
Question: The past tense of run is ran. However, you couldn't say something was being "ran" poorly i.e. the business was ran poorly. However, saying "runned" would be wrong as well. What would be the word to use in this instance: The government will be prevented from being ____ properly. 
Answer: You want to use the present tense for the word ran in the following sentence without using runned. The government will be prevented from being runned properly. I would say that you could use managed or maintained. So it will look like this The government will be prevented from being managed properly. or this The government will be prevented from being maintained properly.
Output: no
Question: A friend posed the following word puzzle to me: Can you think of a sentence that keeps the same meaning whether you use "it's" or "its"? He asserted that this puzzle does in fact have a solution. However, it has me completely stumped. I tried to solve an easier problem, to find a sentence which is still grammatical if you change an "its" to "it's", but all I could come up with is examples like "It's light!" (which is, strictly, more of a sentence fragment). What is the solution to the word puzzle? Or, is there some way I can "prove" that the puzzle should have no solution? 
Answer: The following took me about two minutes, so I wouldn't be surprised if it can be improved: "I can never remember what kind of fruit the tree in my garden has - until I look out of the window and see it[']s apples.".
Output: yes
Question: What did "Four-F." mean in the United States of the 1940s? Here is the quote from Catch-22: They had to send a guy from the draft board around to look me over. I was Four-F. I had examined myself pretty thoroughly and discovered that I was unfit for military service 
Answer: It's a classification for military service. 4-F means "Registrant not acceptable for military service.". The context clue here you might have used to deduce an area of inquiry would be the reference to a "draft board", which is part of the Selective Service System that determines the eligibility and thus the classification of potential draftees.
Output: yes
Question: A simple question that has sparked some debate, and I couldn't find a concrete answer anywhere. There seems to be two camps: The word plethora indicates plural, so therefore it should be "There are a plethora"; and the other camp says that there is only one plethora (which contains multiple), so it should be "There is a plethora". I've seen many examples of both. Is there a consensus, or is it just one of those things that can go either way? 
Answer: A plethora is singular, so one must say "there is a plethora of..." just as one would say "there is a bunch..." If you are dealing in several plethoras, you could use the plural: "there are plethoras of..." but this feels very contrived and artificial.
Output: yes
Question: Possible Duplicate: What are alternative responses for when someone sneezes? I know the history/reason why people say bless you to you after you sneeze. My question is, is there an alternative to bless you which can be used when someone sneezes? 
Answer: Gesundheit is a perfectly good alternative saying.
Output: no
Question: For example, my friend's anniversary is on 3rd August (03/08/2016-dd/mm/yyyy). If I interchange the Month and Day digit and write 08/03/2016 meaning 8th March, is there any special word for this kind of date in English? Like 'Reverse Date' or something. Ignoring the dates after 12th. Editing: I am not confused about date formats here. Think it like, If I want to wish my friend on 8th of March (instead of 3rd August), what should I say him? Like: 'Happy Reversed Anniversary'!? 
Answer: While it's difficult to prove a negative, having grown up speaking English and being fairly well-read, I feel safe saying: No, there is no commonly used word for this that would immediately be understood by the majority of people.
Output: yes
Question: Which is correct? The thief carried the knife carefully so as not to cut himself. The thief carried the knife carefully not to cut himself. 
Answer: I am not an English major but these answers seem wrong to me. I came here to see if "so as not to" was considered appropriate in any case. The comma makes it sound like the writer is trying to say that the killer was not suicidal and wasn't carrying the knife to intentionally cut himself. This is not what the author means. He means to say that the thief was carrying the knife in a protective manner so that it would not accidentally cut him. I would use, "The thief carried the knife carefully so that he would not cut himself.".
Output: no
Question: Let's say I'm always hungry, even after I have my meal(s). What would be a word to express that? IMHO, I think starving, famished won't be applicable as these words would only describe the current situation. 
Answer: "Voracious" derives from the Latin for devour (which also gives words like carnivore and omnivore). Voracious: having or showing a tendency to eat very large amounts of food (To me this seems like one of the less judgment-laden word choices.).
Output: no
Question: I frequently encounter phrases like this: "It allows to apply these features to customisable sets of fonts". My question is whether this is proper English or not? In my mind, "it allows the application of ..." or "it allows one to apply ..." sound much better. I suspect that this is a Germanism (that would explain why I hear it so often), but it would be nice to know for sure. 
Answer: Allow somebody to do something.
Output: no
Question: A knife has a handle and a blade. A spoon has a handle and a... Bowl? A fork has a handle and... Spikes? Prongs? I guess this can be extended to more esoteric cutlery such as sporks. 
Answer: A spoon has a bowl. A fork merges at its neck into a root carrying prongs or tines Source: Visual dictionary online 1 and 2.
Output: yes
Question: The US emergency telephone number 911 seems to be almost always pronounced as nine one one whereas the Porsche model is typically pronounced as nine eleven One reason I can think of for preferring "nine one one" for the phone number is that there is no "eleven" key on a phone. On the other hand, "0800" is often pronounced "o eight hundred". Is there a logical or historical reason for the different pronunciations? 
Answer: How a car manufacturer names its models is more of a marketing preference than anything, but in general you'll find that the Porche model is the norm. Ask any schoolchild to read aloud the number "911" and you'll get "nine hundred and eleven", not "nine one one". The telephone number 9-1-1 was, as you speculated, spelled out specifically to prevent people - particularly children - from getting confused looking for the "eleven" key on the telephone. I have heard this anecdotally countless times, but I'm having a hard time finding an authoritative source. Closest I can come are various "history of 911" websites like this one: Dr. Phil Shaenman, head of the U.S. Fire Administration's research department, authored a paper explaining that children should be taught to dial "nine-one-one," and not "nine-eleven." He pointed out that a child's conceptual abilities prevent them from recognizing the difference between "11" and "1-1.".
Output: yes
Question: Is there a noun or adjective for the following or similar: a pleading before a judge for clemency a prayer before God begging for mercy Is there a better word than "begging", "pleading", "petitioning", etc.? 
Answer: In the case of religion I would use the word "prostrate" or "prostration". This is when you kneel down with your body flat before a God or religious icon. I have used the word in non religious instances too but this may not be correct.
Output: no
Question: I am watching a UK TV programme called "The Apprentice". The candidates have to sell guided tours. Some candidates are terrible at giving these tours. They fluff their lines, or they haven't researched, or they make up "facts". Watching their ineptitude cause a feeling of discomfort. What is the best word for this discomfort? The German word schadenfreude means roughly "the pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others". The word I want would be almost an antonym of schadenfreude - "the discomfort derived from the mosfortunes of others". Except not the misfortunes but the uselessness of others. 
Answer: I quite like cringeworthy to describe this. I feel it on a weekly basis watching The Apprentice but keep coming back for more! For example "James singing nursery rhymes on the coach was so cringeworthy". From MW so embarrassing, awkward, or upsetting as to cause one to cringe.
Output: yes
Question: Is there a single word to describe birds that can fly? Am I struggling to think of a word because the default notion of a bird is that it can fly? So we generally only need to differentiate the ones that can't fly. I've seen the term "winged" in a few google searches, but to my mind an ostrich is winged, but it is also flightless. I guess I'm looking for the word you'd put into this blank: Penguins are flightless because they cannot fly. Ostriches are flightless because they cannot fly. Pigeons are ____ because they can fly. 
Answer: I think you can just use flying to describe them; flying birds sounds perfectly normal and isn't a tautology, nor does it only apply to birds in the air, cf. the title of the Wikipedia article 'Flying and gliding animals'. It's obviously an awkward choice for your example sentence, where another option, volant, could be used instead: 2: flying or capable of flying (source: Merriam-Webster).
Output: yes
Question: I've seen many people who say: This is a HTML page. Yet I've also seen many people who say: This is an HTML page. Are both usages equally correct? Or, which is the grammatically correct one? Possible Duplicates: "A" vs. "An" in writing vs. pronunciation Do you use "a" or "an" before acronyms? 
Answer: "H" stands for "hyper..." ; the "h" of all the words starting by hyper is never aspirated (an hyperbol, etc.). Then : an HTML.
Output: no
Question: I'm looking for a short word that could describe people who are always going to every event in town. It doesn't need to be an existing word, feel free to create one of your own. It can also be made of words related to events and parties. (ex: club, event, guest list, etc.) Edit The word will serve as a new term to describ these people in a favorable way. It will probably be used for an app name so it need to be catchy and fun. ( Preferably ) 
Answer: Glitterati popped into my head, although it might just apply to the smartly dressed attendees.
Output: no
Question: I am looking for a word or phrase which can be used in the sentence: It is a rather old, but _________________ technology. The word or phrase should address a technology that is totally investigated, researched in detail, and thoroughly optimised, so there is nothing more to find out or improve. 
Answer: There is a common acronym for this, used in computing and engineering, which is COTS - "commercial off-the-shelf" - i.e. you can buy it ready made without having to do any research to invent it yourself, and without needing to understand every detail of how it works. It is rather old, but COTS technology.
Output: no
Question: Possible Duplicate: This question has been asked at/on SO? Which sentence is grammatically correct? The papers are freely available at the journal website. The papers are freely available on the journal website. Using Google's search results: available at the website returns 72,800,000 results. available on the website returns 106,000,000 results. So, I inferred that both variants are popular. Is this method (comparing the number of results by Googling) sound? 
Answer: Speaking as a longtime computer geek, files are said to reside on a hard drive or on a certain machine. Since I know that a website is made of computer files, I think of a website as being on a machine and so any part of the website is also on that machine. A website's "address" is a "Uniform Resource Locator" or URL. These terms connote the idea of website as "place". In this case the file would be at the website location. So, if you think of a website as it is actually constructed (files stored on hard drives), you will probably say on. If you think in the location metaphor, you will probably say at. Personally I find myself saying "on" to other geeks and falling into "at" when speaking with normal people.
Output: yes
Question: What is an English adjective to describe the following skill: "able to learn new things quickly"? For example: Billy is very _________, as he learns new skills more quickly than an average person. 
Answer: Fast learner or quick learner.
Output: yes
Question: On a Physics specification, it says: 6.7 Know how to use two permanent magnets to produce a uniform magnetic field pattern. Isn't it "produce an uniform magnetic field", or is the existing "produce a uniform magnetic field pattern" correct? 
Answer: The word uniform begins with a palatal approximant /j/. The palatal approximant is a consonantal sound, even though the letter itself is a vowel. Since we use the pronunciation of the word following the article to determine whether we use "a" or "an", and because it is pronounced starting with a consonant, we use "a". Thus, the original sentence is correct. Just for the sake of completeness, the letter "u" can also have a vowel sound, such as in the word "umbrella", which begins with an open-mid back unrounded vowel //.
Output: yes
Question: Is the word "Customizable" a valid English word? Every time I write that word, the spell checker underlines it, and it suggests using "Customization" or "Customize". I'm not a native English speaker, but that word exists in online dictionaries so I wonder why the spell checker underlines it. 
Answer: The Oxford English Dictionary in its revision of March 2012 defines it as: That may be customized; able to be changed to suit the requirements of the user. Frequently with reference to computer software and hardware. The earliest citation is from 1960. If that definition of customizable suits your purpose, then there's no reason why you shouldn't use it.
Output: yes
Question: Is it correct to say "Wish you a happy weekend" or should I say "Wishing you a happy weekend"? 
Answer: Neither Wishing you a happy weekend nor Wish you a happy weekend would be used in normal conversation. As others have noted, spoken parting platitudes at the end of a week are normally started with have, such as: Have a good weekend Have a nice weekend etc. Change the adjective to be what you think most appropriate for the situation. On the other hand, if you are signing off some correspondence, such as an email, then Wishing you a happy weekend is more appropriate. Similar constructions include Wishing you a happy birthday Wishing you a merry Christmas Wishing you well To use *Wish you a happy weekend you need to add I to make the sentence grammatical. i.e. I wish you a happy weekend. A notable exception to this is the common postcard sign off Wish you were here where it is idiomatic to leave out the I.
Output: yes
Question: I was googling the reason for why it's called "shotgun" to ride beside the driver when it suddenly hit me - why on Earth is the firearm called "shotgun"?! Is there any other kind of a gun than one used for shooting?! Why is it called "shotgun" instead of just a "gun" or a more technical term (9-gauge, barrel gun etc.)? 
Answer: The "shot" in shotgun refers to the ammunition that the gun fires. Whereas a pistol or rifle fires bullets (single metal balls), a shotgun fires a shell packed with shot (hundreds of tiny metal balls).
Output: yes
Question: What would these words be called, and are there any related rules on how to use them and what they each mean? 
Answer: They are technically called onomatopoeia's, see here for a list of examples.
Output: no
Question: In technical literature as well as aircraft user interfaces where there is not enough space to write the whole word, the prefix "trans" is shortened to "x". Transmit -> Xmit Transfer -> Xfer I am interested to know what is the origin of this. I am curious because "Ex" and "Trans" do not have a similar sound. 
Answer: In addition to the other edifying answers and comments: from an information-theory viewpoint, given the rarity of initial "x" in English words, the presence of it (especially if unpronounceable) is a clear signal that there is something at play slightly out of the ordinary, and it will not be easily mistaken for anything else. That is, information-theory-wise, the chance of misunderstanding is low (more technically/precisely, the error-correction properties of this usage are excellent).
Output: no
Question: In a scientific article, should I write "3m", "3 m", "3 meters", or "3 [meters]"? 
Answer: This guide at the NIST site is a good place to start. In particular, you should write "3 m" as in "The bar is 3 m long.".
Output: yes
Question: Were Shakespeare books translated to contemporary English? Which version is more common? Is there a rule to choose which books will have its language updated? Are poems updated too? From which year I should expect that books have a "translation"? 
Answer: I think books regarded as suitable for children, such as Gulliver's Travels, might be the most likely to have their English modified. Then there's Huckleberry Finn: Required Reading Edition's much-mocked removal of the n-word and the like. I wouldn't quite call it a Bowdlerization as it's reflecting changing attitudes.
Output: no
Question: It is common in American English to refer to a powerful person or organization as an 800 pound gorilla. The expression makes sense -- a gorilla of that size would certainly be intimidating -- but what's so special about the number 800? Searching "n lb gorilla" on Google for various values of n results in many more hits when n = 800 than when n is any other quantity. Also, the Google Ngram Viewer finds notable occurrences of the phrase "800 pound gorilla" in texts starting around the late 1970s; other sized gorillas don't seem to be mentioned at all. The Wikipedia entry for the idiom claims that the phrase is rooted in a riddle ("Where does an 800lb gorilla sleep?"), but that's just passing the buck. A 700lb or 900lb gorilla would be equally entitled to sleep wherever he wants to. Interestingly, the Wikipedia entry for gorilla states that the average male gorilla weighs about 400lb, occasionally reaching 500lb in the wild. Only obese gorillas in captivity have attained weights of 600lb. So the number doesn't even seem to be related to gorilla biology (except that it is safely larger than any known gorilla, save King Kong). Given that it's an arbitrary figure, is there any reason the number 800 would be more popular than any other? More generally, is there any relevant research into why some numbers would be more popular or pleasing than other in contexts like this? 
Answer: Quite large gorillas in the wild are at most 550 pounds; so an 800 pound gorilla is one that's oversized, even fat. As Wikipedia states, this phrase first originated with a riddle, "Where does an 800 pound gorilla sleep?" Ans: "Anywhere it wants." Because this is the standard idiom, when people want to speak hyperbolically they will sometimes exaggerate the number to "1,000 pound gorilla", or some other, even larger number. In short: no, the number 800 does not have any special significance, except perhaps with reference to the typical (male) gorilla's average weight (450 pounds).
Output: yes
Question: When a user wants to delete something on a website, I would like to display a message for him/her to confirm. Which of the following is the grammatically correct way to say so? Are you sure to delete this item? or Are you sure you want to delete this item? 
Answer: Are you sure to delete this item? Sure means "certain, without doubt". Therefore this asks if they are definitely going to delete the item. This isn't something to ask the user; if anything it's something for the user to ask about the program; "will it definitely be gone". Are you sure you want to delete this item? This asks not about what will happen (which is a question about the program) but what is desired (which is a question for the user). This is the one to go for.
Output: yes
Question: is it 'a usual' or 'an usual'? 'A usual' sounds more correct in my head ('Today was a usual day.') than 'an usual', but u is a vowel. Which one is correct and why? 
Answer: Usual (pronounced /ju.u.l/ as in you) begins with a consonant sound and, as such, it should be preceded by a not an. As an aside, I cannot help but point out that the sentence Today was a usual day is not usually heard in regular conversation. Today was an unusual day is what one might hear, instead! Indeed, I rarely hear the construction a usual. The definite article is more commonly used, in my experience: That's the usual thing. In place of a usual, one would also be more likely to hear not an unusual: Today was a usual day / Today was not an unusual day This is a usual occurrence / This is not an unusal occurrence or This usually happens You are right in saying that a usual sounds weird. As speakers, we tend to avoid constructions which, though correct, do not flow easily from the mouth. In sum, the following are valid and commonly used alternatives: not [an] unusual the usual usually.
Output: yes
Question: There is a person in my current daily life who never admits his wrongs. He is always quick to blame others first and always believes that he is not wrong. Even when he is proven wrong, he still believes he shouldn't be sorry and isn't wrong. Is there a single-word adjective to describe this behavior? If not, a better way to describe this person would also make do. While stubborn and irresponsible fit, I feel like they don't tell the whole story. By this, I mean if I were to say to others that he is very stubborn and irresponsible, it is not implicitly implied that he blames others and never acknowledges his own fault. Edit: I believe my question is different because the person will also never acknowledge their wrongdoing. On top of blaming others, even after it has been proven to be their fault, they will not admit wrong doing. So aside from blaming others, they refuse to acknowledge the possibility that they have committed a mistake. 
Answer: If he calls attention to the same thing when someone else does it, the word would be hypocrite. Otherwise, weasel seems to have the connotation (when I hear it used) of falsely accusing someone in order to avoid being found out, though I don't see that specified in the definition.
Output: no
Question: I'm trying to find out what this symbol means and if it has a name: I've seen it being used in word processors. 
Answer: It's called a pilcrow. From Wikipedia: The pilcrow (), also called the paragraph mark, paragraph sign, paraph, alinea (Latin: a linea, "off the line"), or blind P, is a typographical character commonly used to denote individual paragraphs.
Output: yes
Question: I'm a non-native English speaker, and my automatic spellchecker seems to accept both therefore and therefor. Is one orthography preferred ? Is that a British vs. American difference ? Or an old vs. more recent orthography ? Or something else ? 
Answer: Therefore and therefor are completely different words. Therefor, an archaic word, means "for this", "for that", or "for it". E.g; ... ordering goods and enclosing payment therefor. Therefore means "for that reason" or "hence".E.g; Those people have their umbrellas up: therefore, it must be raining.
Output: no
Question: How do I say all sensitive information has been obscured, what is the correct word? For context this is data that contains encrypted passwords. While these are difficult to get meaningful info from, there is still enough information to get a password from this given enough time and effort. What I refer to is the password field replaced with "******" No information left. 
Answer: If that sensitive data is replaced with something else, 'tokenization' is a good word.
Output: no