Tom, Jake and Jenny aren't looking forward to Thanksgiving. Why?

And "Hen" (their mother) isn't much looking forward to it either. Why? I can answer that question myself, it's because they're all turkeys.   * _Tom_ is an adult male turkey (also often referred to as a 'gobbler')   * _Hen_ is an adult female turkey   * _Jake_ is a young male turkey   * _Jenny_ is a young female turkey Very often when we decide to name our pets we give them human names, and we may even converse with them as if they understand us and are able to reply. I believe this is called anthropomorphism; _"considering animals, objects, etc., as having human qualities"_. And I can understand how we become attached to our pets, allowing them to live in our homes and they become for all intents and purposes, members of our families. Would it be true to say that in naming the male and female domestic animals (those bred for food, transportation, work etc.) many were personified by giving them names which are normally only given to humans? In order to avoid possible confusion; I am talking about classification e.g.; _hen_ the female chicken, _cock/rooster_ the male, and _chick_ the young; distinct words which are not common first names, whereas _tom_ , _jake_ and _jenny_ are.   As far as I am aware this does not happen in the Italian language. To provide a few examples;   * _papero e papera_ = drake/(female) duck   * _asino e asina_ = jack or jackass/(female donkey) jenny   * _cavallo e giumenta_ = horse/mare   * _gatto e gatta_ = tomcat/(female cat) queen   * _gallo e gallina_ = rooster/hen    * _tacchino e tacchino femmina_ = (turkey) tom/hen   * _canguro, canguro femmina e cucciolo di canguro_ 1 = buck or jake/(female kangaroo) jill/(young) joey I know not one instance where a domesticated farm animal in Italy is called by an Italian _human_ name. 1) Is this phenomenon peculiar to English only? Can anyone explain its origins? E.g. why were the adult and young male turkey both given male human names, why is a young female turkey called a jenny? 2) Are there other examples in the animal kingdom where the young and adult animals have been given "human names"? I can only think of two others but they are both adults: _Tom_ an adult male cat and _drake_ an adult male duck (I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I've heard Drake used as a name). Edit: I've included the terms for male, female and young kangaroos in the original list


What reasoning is behind the names of the trigonometric functions "sine", "secant" and "tangent"?

The meanings of these words are very similar: the _sine_ of an angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the opposite side to the hypotenuse; the _secant_ is the ratio of the hypotenuse to the adjacent side, and the _tangent_ is the ratio of the opposite side to the adjacent side. Since they have such similar functions, I wondered why _sine_ comes from the Arabic word for _pocket_ , _secant_ comes from the Latin word for _cut_ , and _tangent_ comes from the Latin for _to touch_. What do the etymologies have to do with the current meaning?


Lady Chatterley's Lover: "as rotten as high game"

I came across the following sentence in Chapter 15 of Lady Chatterlay's Lover, when the keeper talks about the English middle class: > ... full of conceit of themselves, frightened even if their boot-laces > aren't correct, _rotten as high game_ , and always in the right. What is "high game"?


"to have merchant's ears"

Is the expression "to have merchant's ears" an idiom or a recognized adage, meaning "pretending not to understand"? Please explain with examples or provide a better idiomatic phrase.


Why does "how" not follow the structure of the other interrogatives?

Most interrogatives start with wh- and come with the demonstrative pronomina:   * where - there   * what - that   * whence - thence But "how" is different. Is there a simple reason for this? (I posed a similar question on German Language and Usage: http://german.stackexchange.com/questions/1333/gibt-es-einen-grund-warum-das- antwortwort-zu-wie-namlich-so-nicht-mit-d-be )


Do "carat" and "karat" have the same origin?

Do _carat_ and _karat_ have the same origin? Is it correct to say that _carat_ derives from the Italian _carato_ , while _karat_ derives from the from Arabic _ḳīrāṭ_? Is it possible that both words derive from Italian _carato_ , but one is written with a _k_ to avoid confusion with the other?


"on the train" or "in the train"?

Which of these is correct: "I am on the train" or "I am in the train"?


Is it ever worth the time and effort to correct someone else's grating grammatical mistakes?

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?


"He was telling me that he is going..." vs. "He told me that he is going..."

Is it right to say He was telling me that he will go on a vacation next week. while recounting your experience? Even though "he told me that he is going..." seems more appropriate, I would still like to know if the above mentioned expression sounds okay or not.


Is there a rule for pronouncing “th” at the beginning of a word?

Consider the _th_ in _thistle_ versus the _th_ in _this_ : the former is unvoiced, while the latter is voiced. Is there a rule or reason for the differences?


Transform or transformation?

Is there a difference between the words transform (noun) and transformation? Let me describe my problem. I have a mathematical model which I can transform into a better model with help of a data matrix. Should I call this matrix a transform, or should I call it a transformation? An example sentence where I would use this is: > To recognize with the optimized model, first the transform(ation) is applied > and then the likelihoods are calculated.


Histonic cancer: Ok English? Or, Japanese English?

> Histonic cancer Would this term be understood by English-speaking medical professionals? Google shows only 53 hits, and all are from Japanese or Chinese sites. If it is not natural English, perhaps someone could recommend a more natural term. Translated literally from Japanese, it would be something like "tissue-type cancer" or "organ-type cancer".


why is the first sentence wrong out of the two given below?

*Her company is outperforming those of her competitors. *Her company is outperforming the companies of her competitors. The question is from a Manhattan GMAT book. It says there is lack of number agreement but I cannot figure.


Punctuation for a Shakespeare quote

I am putting a quote on a plaque, but am uncertain how to punctuate it. Any help would be appreciated. > This above all: to thine own self be true Do I put in a comma (which is in the original quote) or an ellipsis to show the quote continues? Or a period?


Counting stops without ambiguity

A typical conversation on a bus: > **Alice:** Have we reached our stop yet, Bob? > > **Bob:** No, Alice. Two more stops to go. > > **Alice:** Do you mean "two more stops, then ours" or "one more stop, then > ours"? I find it hard to express concisely and unambiguously how many more stops there are until we have to get off the bus. Any suggestions? _A few thoughts._ Obviously, "next stop" is pretty clear. I find "next but one" unambiguous too, but then "next but seven" is getting a bit awkward. What if the bus is sitting at a stop while you speak - should that stop count or not? I wonder if one could find a way of counting the number of _journey sections_ remaining, rather than the number of _stops_ remaining.


What does "brother mine" mean?

What exactly does "brother mine" mean? Is it the same as "my brother"? As far as I know "brother" is a noun and "mine" is a pronoun, so it doesn't make much sense to me why one can precede the other.


Can one use "much" as in the statement "I am looking forward to seeing you much"?

It would seem natural (to me) to say "I am very much looking forward to seeing you." Could you then get rid of the 'very' and put 'much' at the end to get "I am looking forward to seeing you much"? .. which somehow sounds on the border of odd and ok. What do you think?


What is the correct punctuation of the phrase: one size fits all

What is the correct punctuation for the phrase: one size fits all? I have seen two variants:   * 'one size fits all', and   * one-size-fits-all


Subjunctive and conditionals

This is another subjunctive and conditional question. I am interested in the formal, even archaic, uses, not just the modern uses (I am given to understand that the subjunctive is disappearing from use, for the most part). I am interested to know if my examples are accurate, if there is anything important I have missed, and finally there is a specific question on the use of the subjunctive in mixed conditionals. If you feel there is anything important that needs to be borne in mind concerning subjunctives, please include it. According to The University of Ottawa Writing centre (here), the subjunctive is used: > "...in dependent clauses to express unreal conditions..." My attempt: If I _were_ a skilled footballer, I should be rich. > "...in dependent clauses following verbs of wishing or requesting." My attempt: I wish I _were_ a skilled footballer. My attempt: I insisted he _call_ her today. Strangely enough, It doesn't seem to be used with "hope". > The subjunctive mood is used in a dependent clause attached to an > independent clause that uses a verb such as "ask," "command," "demand," > "insist," "order," "recommend," "require," "suggest," or "wish." My attempt: The king ordered the soldier be shackled, before he _escape_. (Setting aside the issue of whom the pronoun "he" belongs to, is "escape", as oppose to "escapes", correct?) > The subjunctive mood is also used in a dependent clause attached to an > independent clause that uses an adjective that expresses urgency (such as > "crucial," "essential," "important," "imperative," "necessary," or > "urgent"). My attempt: Melinda said that it is necessary that she _skip_ through the park; it makes her feel better. On the wiki page for conditionals (here), if identifies zero, first, second, third and mixed (second and third) conditionals. The zero conditional can make use of the subjunctive, according to wikipedia, but this is archaic: wiki example: > "If the prisoner be held for more than five days, ..." My attempt: When/If there _be_ light rain, the ground will be moist. The subjunctive is used in second conditionals, and I believe this is the same as the first example (expressing unreal conditions). Wiki example: > "If I (he, she, it)... were rich, there would be plenty of money available > for this project." The third conditional is used "to refer to hypothetical situations in a past time frame, generally counterfactual... Here the condition clause is in the past perfect, and the consequence is expressed using the conditional perfect." So, despite being counterfactual, or percieved to be counterfactual, there is no subjunctive (perhaps it is equivalent in form and therefore is ignored/"doesn't exist". Wiki example: > "If you had called me, I would have come." Having established this, I am confused by the mixed conditional. > ""Mixed conditional" usually refers to a mixture of the second and third > conditionals (the counterfactual patterns). Here either the condition or the > consequence, but not both, has a past time reference... When the consequence > refers to the past, but the condition is not expressed as being limited to > the past, **the condition clause is expressed as in the second conditional > (past, but not past perfect)** , while the main clause is in the conditional > perfect as in the third conditional: If we were soldiers, we wouldn't have > done it like that." (emphasis mine) Since the "condition clause" is from the second conditional, why does it not feature the subjunctive? My attempt: If I _were_ a soldier, I wouldn't have done it like that. I would like to thank everyone for their contributions; I am expanding the post due to feedback as there is clearly more to consider regarding the subjunctive. I am unclear as to the differences between the irrealis and the subjunctive. It has been pointed out that they are related; I get the impression that the irrealis is just the exception to the rule for how to form the subjunctive in the past: The present subjunctive, both are the bare infinitive: To learn: I insisted that he learn to appreciate hats. To be: I insisted that he be a hat connoisseur. The past subjunctive is the exception: all taking the simple past, except to be: To smell: I insisted that he smelt hats. To be: I wish that he were a hat-smeller. To me, it doesn't seem to have a different role. Another issue is the future subjunctive. Here, again, "were" pops-up: To manufacture: If I were to manufacture hats, I would never have to buy one again. To be: If I were to be a hat manufacturer, I would never have to buy a hat again. Were makes some (seemingly) random appearances... As for the archaic references, I wasn't too specific, my apologies. I suppose I meant more Georgian/Victorian/Edwardian eras than Shakespeare.


"Never say die?"

What's the deal with this idiom? I know what it means, but cannot wrap my head around its ~~grammar~~ structure. The sentence structure of > "Never say die" looks like that of > "Never admit defeat" but it does not make the same grammatical+semantical sense. Is it an archaic use? Is it a contraction of a longer phrase? Was it originally misspoken by someone of note and survived memetically? What are its roots? Edit: Well, the comments made me realize that I worded my question poorly. I'm not saying I think this phrase is ungrammatical. I'm asking how the heck "saying 'die'" came to mean what it means.


'Fill an appeal' or 'file an appeal'?

I encountered both expressions but I am not sure which is correct. Should I use "fill an appeal" or "file an appeal"?


Does the word "government" in English mean the courts as well?

Does the word "government" in English refer to the cabinet and the ministries, or the courts and legislature as well? Is there a difference in usage depending on country? Can you say "the government resigned", "the party has three people in the government", "the government filed an appeal to the court" or can you replace the word "court" with the word "government"?


Is there any difference between "clear conscience" and "clean conscience"?

> I want to have a **clear** conscience so that I know to judge clearly what > is right or wrong. _vs._ > I want to have a **clean** conscience, therefore I will not do such an ugly > thing. The dictionary tells that 'clear conscience' is the same as 'clean conscience'. Both are idioms. However, my intuition is that a clear conscience is more about giving a clear judgment, whereas clean conscience is more about avoiding bad deeds and being free of guilt. I might agree that 'clear conscience' covers the two meanings, but I would say 'clean conscience' would better be restricted to the meaning as in the second example. Am I wrong?


Can I use "strong feeling" this way?

> What do you think, is it beautiful or not beautiful? –Sorry, I do not have > strong feeling for it. I doubt the use of “strong feeling” is not perfectly right here, because to have strong feeling for something is equal to “to like something very much”. Usually, people like beautiful things, and dislike ugly things, but to answer the question about whether it is beautiful or not with “I like it or not like it” is a little bit question-begging.


What does "spam in a can" mean?

From _Planet 51_ : > I never had the right stuff.   >  I'm a button pusher, Spam in a can.   >  I don't even fly the ship. It's all automatic.   >  I only got this far on charm and my rugged good looks. Is "spam in a can" an idiom? Is it just for space and astronauts etc. or is it a common expression? And what's the exact meaning of it?


Is there any pragmatic implication in ‘Beaky has enjoyed London’ here?

It says on a grammar book that in some cases, the present perfect form has pragmatic meanings. > Joan has broken the teapot. (I have to get a new one.) > > I’ve had a bath. (I’m now clean.) Is there such implication in the following “Beaky has enjoyed London.”? Or is Hagrid merely reporting the fact? (A letter from Hagrid (in London) to Hermione (at Hogwarts) just after losing a case) > Dear Hermione, > > We lost. I’m allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. > > Execution date to be fixed. > > Beaky has enjoyed London. > > I won’t forget all the help you gave us. > > Hagrid. ( _Harry Potter 3_ [US Version]: p.291) **N.B.:** Beaky is Hagrid’s pet, a treasure to Hagrid, which was judged dangerous and received a death sentence. In the book, there’re several teardrops smudging the letter.


"What" pronounced as "wurt"

Is there any particular American dialect that does this? I have heard this kind of pronunciation on some American TV shows, mostly featuring teenage/college kids, and it appears more prevalent among female speakers. Often, the girls who feature such pronunciation also exhibit qualities of Valleyspeak in their speech and I am wondering if they are related. Am I hearing things or is it actually an identifiable and well-known pronunciation habit? Is there any established pattern that associates it with any particular dialect?


Does a helping verb have to be followed by the main verb to form a complete sentence?

A friend wrote: "I just feel that now is a good time to reiterate that pluralization does not require an apostrophe." In reply I wrote: > Sometimes it does. "Mind your Ps and Qs" doesn't need them; however "Mind > your p's and q's" does. He replies: "Your p's and q's what?" I'm 99.9% sure that I don't need to write "need them" at the end of my sentence in order for it to be a complete sentence, but I hate being wrong more than I like to correct people so I just want to make sure.


Can the preposition "in" be used instead of "for" in the following sentence?

English grammar books say that when you express a period of time in present perfect, the prepostions such as "for" or "since" should be used. Example sentences: > I have lived here for 20 years. > > I want to do something I haven't done for years. > > I have studied French for three years. Can I use "in" instead of "for" in these sentences? Are they interchangeable?


Can the "don't" contraction be expanded when used as a command?

I refer to the usage of "don't" as an imperative to tell someone what _not_ to do. As in, > Hey! Don't you dare touch that button! When it is used in the interrogative or as part of a statement, "don't" can be expanded like most other contractions. It either just breaks up right in the sentence, or surrounds the subject. > **Don't you** love me, Juanromeo? -> **Do you not** love me, Juanromeo? > > **I don't** love you, Marijuliet. -> **I do not** love you, Marijuliet. However, I have no idea how one breaks up the imperative. "Do you not dare[...]" sounds like it's a lead up to a question, "You do not dare[...]" comes across as a statement moreso than a command, and "Do not you dare[...]" just sounds silly. "Don't" is a bit unique among "not" contractions (at least that I know of) because it is the only one that can be used in an imperative sense. Couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't, haven't, isn't, doesn't, aren't, can't... none of these can be used in an imperative sense because you cannot command someone to could, should, etc. Is it possible to expand the don't contraction when it is used as part of a command? Or is its unique case such that it exists as its own linguistic construct?


What does "bore down" mean?

I found the following sentence in today's _New York Times_. > Inaction and delays by New York as storm bore down. The city's decision not > to declare a snow emergency, transit officials' delay in invoking a full- > scale emergency plan and a seemingly late bid for help may face scrutiny. What does the "storm bore down" mean? Does it mean the "storm was pressed down"? Please teach me.


How to use "Knock [him/them] out of the water" — is this a common (if at all used) expression?

I can't seem to find much about this expression online, and its usage eludes me somewhat. I'm guessing that it's supposed to mean that someone is being overcome by another party, a winner in a debate or some form of sparring? Example sentence: > They could swing their big money around and knock them out of the water. Does that make sense?


About the use of the definite article "the" before a word starting with capital letters

I am writing a scientific paper. I have made several assumptions which are properly ordered. When I cite them, shall I use, i.e., "... by the Assumption 1,..." or simply "... by Assumption 1,..."?


Spelling of the word "connoisseur"

From what I gathered on the Web, "connoisseur" is spelled that way because it is derived from the old french verb "connoître" (to know) which has now been spelt "connaître" for close to two centuries. Thus, the spelling I would expect as a native french speaker would be "connaisseur". Is there an historical reason why in the last two centuries the correction in french has not been accepted by the English speaking community ? Bonus question: "connaisseur" would most probably be understood in the context of a conversation with a native speaker but I have personally never heard or read anyone using it and it sounds odd. Why would it be used I'm English in the first place ? Is it for the same kind of false sense of culture it gives to the speaker that drives English speaking people to include french words in their conversations ?


Use of personal pronouns in technical writing and possible alternatives

I'm currently in the process of revising my graduate thesis in Computer Science. One section of the thesis specifically addresses design decisions I made and changes I made based on test results. In this section I describe the actions I took in a first-person active voice. Example: > In this chapter I present a cognitive walkthrough of the interface based on > the criteria Polson et al. originally presented. I also took further > direction from suggestions for performing cognitive walkthoughs which the > same authors later presented in the form of a practitioner's > guide(citation). My faculty adviser has approved my draft, but one of my committee members said that he doesn't think personal pronouns should be used in technical writing. There are some cases where I can easily eliminate the personal pronouns and maintain an active voice (e.g. the first sentence in my example.) However, there are cases where I can't see how to do so without reverting to a passive voice. Is it really bad form to use personal pronouns in technical writing? I have seen it quite often in conference papers. What alternatives do I have if I want to maintain the active voice? Is it better to use the passive voice than use personal pronouns? I'm particularly confused because my technical writing instructor taught me that one should always describe the author as doing or presenting something rather than the paper.


How to cite a website where the author/publisher are not readily apparent?

I would like to quote information from this website. There is a title "Battles:", a website name: "Napoleonsims", but almost nothing else. How would I find the author/publisher/etc.? Assuming I cannot find the proper citation information, how would I cite this information?


Does "prescriptive" have solely a negative sense in some communities?

**Motivation:** I recently used this phrase: > (1) people who read English prescriptive grammar books I was aware from personal experience that a significant number of people (maybe not a majority, but enough to notice a pattern) have, in the context of linguistics and related language disciplines, associated the terms _prescriptive/ist/ism_ with negative opinions. For this reason, I would have preferred to avoid this term, but it really was the most accurate and apt for my intended meaning. Someone had asked what they _should_ do with language, and I wanted to tell them what I thought the consensus on this matter was among people who, as a profession or hobby, give advice on how people should use language. To me, this information is contained in prescriptive grammar books (and places like EL&U, of course). I do not know what else or better to call them. Some other words that come to mind are less accurate to me (and _not synonymous_ ): _traditional grammar books_ , _grammar books_ , _popular grammar books_. And another option is I think almost surely offensive: _"correct grammar" books_. So I went with (1), thinking that my neutral content and tone would not suggest any negative intent, but some people were highly offended and accused me repeatedly of meaning something negative despite my insisting multiple times to _not_ mean anything negative. **Question:** Was this a fluke, or is there a context or community where these terms are always offensive by default? I understand that, if I said "She is smart for a prescriptivist", I would be taken by most competent speakers to be implying something negative about prescriptivists. I am not asking about such cases. I am asking about cases like (1) that might reasonably be defended as neutral or even positive, depending on context. Secondarily, is there another term in common use that I could use instead, to avoid potential problems? Wiktionary lists no derogatory sense of _prescriptivist_. Dictionary.com lists no derogatory sense of _prescriptivist_. COED has no entry specifically for _prescriptivist_ (nor do most other dictionaries I checked) but lists no derogatory sense for _prescriptive_. COED notes that _prescriptive_ is often contrasted with _descriptive_ , as I was intending it. OED lists no derogatory sense for any of these, but some of the quotes used have a negative tone. So if it is automatically taken as offensive by some, I presume it is a very new development or confined to a small community or special context. And I imagine that you guys are the ones that would know.


Do the following negations mean the same thing?

> I don't think you understood me. / I think you misunderstood me. Do these senteces mean the same thing? If not, what's the difference? **Edit:** I just realized that I asked something different from what I originally wanted. So I am also interested in the following comparison: > I don't think you understand me. / I think you don't understand me.


Why is "the test is failed" acceptable?

In software interfaces, technical documentation, scientific documentation and legal documents, I see phrases like: > The build is failed. > > The test is failed. > > If the test is failed,... It seems more appropriate to me that these statements should use "has" instead of "is." But, considering that I encounter this frequently, it seems to be acceptable English. Why? **EDIT** Examples, in-context: > Step 'master>Build Project' is failed. > > If at any time during the test the subject detects the banana like odor of > IAA, the test is failed. > > If a required recertification test is failed. > > The component contributes to system failure when a minimal cut set, > containing the component, is failed.


Is it correct to say <Artist name> on vocals?

I'm designing an album cover, and I'm listing the contributing artists and their instruments. I was wondering if it's correct to say that someone's 'on vocals'? I mean, it's easy to imagine that someone's 'on guitar' but how does that work for vocals? Thanks a lot.


Is Capitalising Every Word more common in music titles?

I'm aware that the titles of most creative works are given with nouns, etc. capitalised and "closed" words not (e.g. _The Chicago Manual of Style_ ) but I seem to see another approach much more in songs and classical music, where everything is capitalised no matter what (e.g. _O For The Wings Of A Dove_ rather than _O for the Wings of a Dove_ ). Are these fully capitalised titles more common in music, and why is this the case? **Edit:** Please note that I'm not asking about common rules for Title Case - there are lots of references online for that; it's about why the choice of Capitalisation On Every Word is more common for music.


that had -> having?

I want to make this sentence shorter: > Also, items that had poor parameter estimates were removed from the > analysis. Is it correct to turn **that had** into **having**? > Also, items having poor parameter estimates were removed from the analysis. It doesn't sound good to me. I would appreciate it if you could give me other alternatives.


others,the others,the other and another?

I have difficulty telling the diffirence among them.I wonder if there is the best way to know exactly when you use "others","the other","the others" or "another".


What is the history of cricket's fielding positions?

It always seems to me as though the fielding positions in cricket reflect two different systems which have grown up independently and been brought together. For example some positions on the leg side, where they are behind the batsman are described as '...leg' - 'short leg', 'square leg', 'long leg', etc. But in front of the batsman they are 'on' positions - silly mid-on, mid-on, etc. - no mention of 'leg'. There are others which bear neither 'leg' nor 'on' e.g mid- wicket. On the off side, no position behind the striker's wicket is described as 'off'. You have 'slip', 'gully', 'third-man', 'cover point' etc. But in front of the bat it is 'silly mid off', 'mid-off' etc. Others have no 'off' appendage e.g. 'cover', 'deep-extra-cover' etc. When a batsman makes an 'on drive' that implies that he hits the ball forward. If he hits behind he is said to hit 'to leg'. It just seems to me that at least two independent systems have been amalgamated here. Can anyone from a cricket-playing nation enlighten me on the history of fielding positions?


'Dim as dishwater', or 'dim as ditchwater'?

Is the normal expression 'as dim as dishwater' or 'as dim as ditchwater? When you google this it comes up as 'dull as dishwater/ditchwater'. There is a difference between being 'dim' and being 'dull'. The former means lacking in intelligence and sharpness, what Americans might call 'dumb'. The latter means uninteresting. So which is it - dim as dishwater/ditchwater - dull as dishwater/ditchwater?


Differences between no child vs no children

a) They have no child. b) They have no children. Are both a) and b) correct? Though b) seems more common.


How to say that event is happening now?

Imagine if I sit in the classroom and I want to say that some lecture is going in another classroom. I what to express that meaning using active voice, like   * Lecture is happening now  But for me, it sounds too pathetic for an ordinary event. Can you give some hint on how to say that kind of thing?


Is there a name for the relationship between two unconnected hypothetical arguments?

I was watching the Sound of Music and the song "How do you solve a problem like Maria" was playing and then they say "How do you keep a wave upon the sand" and "How do you catch a moonbeam in your hand" I am just wondering if there exists a term from the realm of logic to describe the connection between the latter two "How do you"'s and the first.


What is a "far cry"?

What is a _far cry_ , and what is its origin?


Grammaticality of the word "last"

I was handed an example of a formal letter, which was written in reply to an advertisement. This is the starting sentence: > Dear Mr Madrick, > > With reference to your advertisement in "The Times" of 6th January last,... Is this sentence correct? Especially the final word, 'last', seems to be misplaced.


Is this a polite way to ask questions?

I want to send questions to someone, I want to ask you if this way is polite and if there are better ways: >   * I want to ask you questions, your answers would be appreciated >   * I want to ask you questions, your efforts would be appreciated >   * would you please check these questions and answer me >


How popular is 'brefass' in modern American vocabulary?

This is an abbreviation of 'breakfast' that I have found myself paying extra attention to recently. In fact I have even heard my mother use it on a regular basis. Is this common in modern spoken American vocabulary, or is this purely the construct of a regional dialect? We are native speakers from the Great Lakes region of The United States. Other words that fall under the same category:   * "I don't know" == _dunno_   * "kitchen" == _kinna_ (rare)   * "library" == _Libary_ (With an extra accent on the 'i', L-EYE-barry)   * "school" == _skoo_   * "jewelry" == _joo-ry_   * "math" == _maff_   * "Italian" == _Italian_ (With an extra accent on the 'i' instead of the first 'a', EYE-talian)


Can parents "educate" their children? Or only teachers?

Many of my Asian students who are learning English say that parents can "educate" their children. However I'm not sure if this is a correct collocation in English. My understanding of "education" is that it is restricted to the classroom and schooling. Though of course parents can teach their children any number of things (and any individual can pursue their own "self-education"), I wouldn't call any of that "education" per se. "Parents educate their children", to my ears, does not sound like proper English. Any thoughts?


Why are words ending in "-um" and "-us" pluralized to end in "-a" and "-i", respectively?

Where does the practice of using _-a_ and _-i_ for plural forms of _-um_ and _-us_ , respectively, come from?   * _Bacteria_ vs. _bacterium_   * _Fungi_ vs. _fungus_


Is the word Keen, meaning wail, related to a Hebrew word referring to mourning?

I often come across words that are the same or similar between English and other languages. In this case, I'm curious about the word "keen", meaning to wail, and the Hebrew word "kinah" (plural "kinot") which refers to prayers said in mourning. Are the two related? Information about _how_ you found the answer would be appreciated so I can use similar methods in the future.


Correct usage of USD

I am currently writing an essay, I have to state there is a $1 million prize for something. What is the correct way of stating this amount? I have gone with "one million USD", do you think this is acceptable or is there a preferred format?


Can we use "from" after "stop"?

I want to know the difference between these two items: >   1. She couldn't stop herself laughing. >   2. She couldn't stop herself from laughing. > I assume that No. 2 is wrong, but it seems right!


Difference between "somewhere" and "anywhere"

>   * Do you live anywhere near him? >   * Do you live somewhere near him? > Is there any difference between these two sentences?


"Mary is so funny." What is the grammatical function of 'so' in this example?


Bare infinitive and gerund participle

> I saw him kick the stone. According to my reference book this sentence is grammatically correct even though the verb 'kick' is in present tense while the action has already happened. If I write like this: > I saw him kicked the stone. Is this sentence still grammatically correct? Or we must use kick in present tense since the verb saw already clarifies that this is a past action? Or are both right?


Using plural words when mentioning something in general

I am extremely weak at English grammar. I would like to ask the following sentence: 'To identify the contents of the crates or boxes, packing list will be prepared and attached outside the crates or boxes'. My question are the following:   1. Should it be 'crate or box' or 'crates or boxes', which is the original question.   2. Regarding scope of 'or'. When I write 'To identify the contents of the' does this sentence apply both to 'crates' and 'boxes'. Or since 'crates' precedes 'boxes' does the sentence apply only to the 'crates'.   3. When I wrote 'My question are the following', should it be 'My questions are the following'. Also would I be using the word 'following', if I am to mention only one question. Please bear with me. My weak knowledge of English grammar does not allow me to actually categorize my question in an appropriate manner. Perhaps someone would kindly enlighten me on the faults with my sentences.


I keep hearing "corn" as a synonym of "maize". This is widely popularized worldwide by popcorn. However, this is American English! In British English, "corn" can mean any type of "grain", especially "wheat", as in the Corn Laws. Why does "corn" mean "maize" in American English? Is there a historical reason to account for this change of meaning?


Is there a word for someone who is a lover of the incidental or coincidence?

Bit of a weird one. I'm trying to write a song at the moment and I have the subject sorted but now I want to find out if there is a word for it. I find myself tending to like melodies and lyrics that I come up with by accident or through coincidence than through actual structured song writing and was wondering if there was a word for this. If so I have a song title and also a bit more background to work with for the lyrics.


How to know how to pronounce an "-e" ending based on spelling?

I’ve always wondered how the _-e_ word ending should be pronounced:   1. For example (correct me if I’m wrong), the words _apache_ , _Adobe_ , _Skype_ , etc. have the _-e_ ending pronounced like in the word _be_.   2. However (again, correct me if needed), the words _bite_ , _Cheyenne_ , _Bourne_ have a silent _-e_ at the end. Is there a way to guess the pronunciation, or do you just **need** to know it?


Be/keep/stay in touch

Are all these forms correct?   1. Let's be in touch    2. Let's keep in touch    3. Let's stay in touch Thanks


Meaning of "things are swept under the rug"

I was wondering what it means as analogy that > quite a few things are swept under the rug.


Verbs in a list separated by commas

I'm not talking about the basic items in a list (e.g. X, Y and Z), but a list of clauses (I think). Example: I am interested in things like _going to this place, going to that place, eating food, and other things_. In that example, do the verbs have to match for proper grammar? What I learned in university writing class was that the entire series has to have verbs that match: _going to this place, going to that place and going to eat_.


"This cake, what is my favorite, makes me happy"

Lately I have heard many people using _what_ in place of _which_ in adjectival phrases: >   * This cake, what is my favorite, makes me happy. >   * This cake, which is my favorite, makes me happy. > Is the first usage grammatical? Which is the preferred usage?


"Strait-laced" or "straight-laced"

Why do _strait-laced_ and _straight-laced_ have the same meaning when _strait_ and _straight_ have different meanings?


Does the word "table" have anything to do with a table?

I am curious to know why a numerical chart can be called a _table_. What is the relation to the table at which people eat?


Table VS counter?

What is the difference between _counter_ and _table_ , in the context of a surface that one might eat at (as in _the kitchen counter_ or _the kitchen table_ )?


problem about "that" / a conjunction? or r.pronoun?

I've a problem in the following text, please help me. > A _shroud_ is a piece of cloth _that_ a dead person's body is wrapped in > before it is buried. my problem is- is _shroud_ a proper noun? And what kind of _that_ is it? Conjunction? R. pronoun?


Is there a way to indicate that the errors in a quote are in the source material without using many '[sic]'s?

If a quote has many errors in it, putting [ _sic_ ] remarks will make the quote ugly and full of them. Is there a way to indicate that "all the errors are in the original material"? For example, the quote: > Hellow, can you tell with me in scype? Will become > Hellow[ _sic_ ], can you tell[ _sic_ ] with me in scype[ _sic_ ]? Is there a more elegant way to do this?


A peek into the sausage factory

I am looking for expressions close in meaning to the idiomatic "how the sausage gets made". Something that conveys the idea of looking at the hidden, gory details of some process. (Note: I know that particular expression works well. I am specifically looking for alternative ones.)


Where does the phrase "No skin off my teeth/nose" come from?

The phrase "it's no skin off my nose/teeth" is generally used to mean that something isn't much of a risk/concern. But where does it come from? Specifically with respect to teeth. What is tooth skin?


"meeting called to order" vs "meeting call to order"

Which do you think is more appropriate, "Meeting call to order" or "Meeting called to order" if it's used in a printed meeting program? As for now, the program looks like this:   * 13:45 [Doors open]   * 14:00 [Meeting called to order] [Opening Remarks & Welcome Guests]   * 14:05 [Business session]   * 14:10 [1st speaker] ... and so on.  A native English speaker from England says "Meeting called to order" is more appropriate, whereas some supervisor pointed out that it should be "Meeting call to order." To me, it looks a little confusing when "called" (past particle) and "to order" (infinitive) are used together. It's because past particle can be used for both 'passive' and also 'perfect' tense, while infinitive can imply 'future tense' for something that is yet to be taken place. Thus, I find "Meeting call to order" visually less troublesome, as "Meeting call" shows up as a noun phrase. So, my question is,   1. Which is more idiomatic and frequently used?    2. Are both grammatically accepted? And if not, which one is correct and why? If you could provide me with some explanation, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!


Exact meaning of "Tyranny of Distance"

In Australia, I often hear the phrase "the Tyranny of Distance", but I'm not exactly sure what it means. I know that the phrase originated from The Tyranny of Distance: How Distance Shaped Australia's History, and that the word "tyranny" is being used metaphorically, to indicate that something has a very strong influence. Is there an exact meaning to the phrase? Or has it become a cliche? onelook.com didn't have any entries apart from the book, plus an album named after a lyric from a song by a NZ band.


What's the meaning of "progressive additions"

Could you break the sentence down below especially the part of "progressive addition"? Progressive addition of 2 grams of the acid were made and resulted in reducing the pH succcessively by 0.34, 0.22, 0.16 and 0.10.


"General user", "End user" or "Normal user", which one is better?

On a website I am working on, people are classified into two groups: one is programmers who create programs with C# 4.0 and share with other people, the other is common users who use the programs to calculate. I don't know how to name the "other" group: "general user", "end user" or "normal user"? Which one is better?


How to differentiate between checked and selected items in a list

In computer terms, sometimes there is a need to distinguish between items in a list that are checked (e.g. lists that have a checkbox next to them) and items that are selected (e.g. user clicks on one or more rows in a table) because sometimes items can be checked and selected at the same time. What are some other words that can be used to describe them so that it is clear and unambiguous for other languages as well, because apparently checked and ticked are confusing between English and American speakers. I am looking for terms like 'marked', 'flagged', keeping in mind that they would ideally also serve as a noun and verb. Yes, it is one of those questions that gets stuck between both worlds. The reason to ask it here is because it is something that needs to be shown to a normal user, and that they would have to understand it. To programmers it doesn't matter as long as there is some rule to define the different behaviours (as you see on the screen). I wanted to know whether the term is appropriate for other languages, and also whether it is generally clear or slightly unambiguous or unintuitive. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/gJhLy.jpg)


What is the difference between phonology and phonetics?

Could someone explain briefly, with some examples?


The phrase "running into to you"

Is there any difference when one says _running into to you_ and _running into you_? If yes, what is it?


Mr. Smith is the president of the corporation who will not accept our proposal

My professor holds that this is a good sentence, since _who_ agrees with the subject, _Mr. Smith_. It sounds horrible to me. > Mr. Smith is the president of the corporation who will not accept our > proposal. Is this a good sentence?


What is the single word that means ''how the body feels as it moves"

I posted an earlier query seeking a single word that means how it feels in the mouth to form a word. It appears there is no such word yet, and so I am broadening my search. I am now therefore seeking that single word that references the sensory quality of the sensation of movement of ones body. Incorporating such things as the pleasure of stretching a muscle, the displeasure of moving awkwardly, the sensation when a body is flowing in dance.


The repetition of the preposition 'to' in this sentence.

Is there a work-around I can use so that I can avoid the close repetition of _to_ in the following sentence? > Clearly my advice-giver here does not know what it means for someone **to > decide to** pursue an education and success in a foreign language, far away > from home.


Does Tony the Tiger pronounce 'Grrreat!' as /grrreɪt/ or /gəə.reɪt/? I want to know what you think about his pronunciation in the commercial? (1) /grrreɪt/ where the liquid becomes syllabic (2) /gəə.reɪt/ where the epenthetic schwas are used


In which context does "anticipated" mean "came or took place before"?

In the _New Oxford American Dictionary_ I read that one of the meaning of _anticipate_ is _come or take place before (an event or process expected or scheduled for a later)_. In which context is _anticipate_ (or _anticipated_ ) understood to have that meaning? > ( **?** ) The meeting has been anticipated to this morning.


preposition + participle phrases

I think you always see sentences like these: Asked whether he intended to return soon(when he was asked), he replied that he would be away for about three months. or Squeezed by ice(as the steamer was squeezed by ice), the steamer could not continue her way. and maybe they are clear enough for you because of English being your native language but for me usually sentences like those are not clear enough so my question is that how do you like the following ? When asked whether he intended to return soon, he replied that he would be away for about three months. As squeezed by ice, the steamer could not continue her way. or As asked(as he was asked) he was forced to interrupt his work When squeezed by ice(when the steamer was squeezed by ice), the steamer was out of a fuel.


Idiom for the phrase "someone who gets what he deserved"

Is there an idiom for someone who gets what he deserved? Like someone receiving punishment for his evil deeds or someone getting awarded for his good deeds?


What does "indiscrete marriage" mean in the context of this sentence?

Does _indiscrete_ make sense in the following sentence? Is this word used as synonym of _indissoluble_? > The instincts and conduct of the young man who aspires to the eminence of a > dukedom, from which he seems hopefully removed by the precedence of several > relatives and an _indiscrete_ marriage which his mother made, are elegant > and impeccable. -- The New York Times, _Books_ (Alec Guinness Plays 8 Roles in 'Kind Hearts and Coronets," at Trans-Lux 60th Street). * * * Oxford Dictionaries, _indiscrete_ : "not divided into distinct parts".


"What is that?" vs "What is it?"

When describing my product (actually a computer system) in a presentation, what way is best (most understandable or natural) for writing the heading of the introductory slide, where “XYZ” stands for the name of my product? I've looked at: > • XYZ – What is that?   >  • XYZ – What is it?


Where does "three line whip" come from?

In parliament a three line whip is said to be applied when a party seeks to ensure every MP turns up and votes the party line. But why the term **"three line" whip**? And is there such a thing as a one or two line whip?


addressee-new vs discourse-new

Regarding terminology used by CEGL as referenced in this question, can anyone explain the difference between _addressee-new_ and _discourse-new_? My understanding of _addressee-new_ is that this refers to something being spoken of which has not previously been told to the person being spoken to. My understanding of _discourse-new_ is that this refers to something which has not yet been introduced into the discourse. How are they different? The only idea I can come up with is that the "discourse" must be about _something_. If I consider that "subject" to have any kind of objective reality, I can imagine new things happening to it, but wouldn't they then be _subject-new_?


Is there a word for making something or someone confess?

I am seeking after a single word for describing "make something or someone confess". Apart from a single word, welcomed are also idioms.


"Auspicious" vs "auspices"

The two words _auspicious_ and _auspices_ seem so similar yet have almost opposite meaning. Is _auspicious_ a good time or a lucky connotation while _auspices_ is said to be an omen? If I said the weather was auspicious, is this saying the weather (maybe a storm is foreboding) at the moment looks promising?


Is Senator Alan Simpson’s quote – "a sparrow's belch in the midst of a typhoon" in comparing budget cuts frequently-used quote by Americans?

I found an interesting quote in former Republican senator Alan Simpson's following remark in commenting budget cuts plans proposed by Obama administration. That is 'a sparrow's belch in the midst of a typhoon.' Is this a well-used saying? We have counterpart expressions to this in our country such as 'just a drop of piss in the ocean', 'wash a grain of sesame (or a burdock – I don’t know why it’s burdock) in the Pacific.' Do you have any other tart expressions to compare a small thing with a big thing or unimportant matter with important matter? "Former Wyoming Republican senator Alan Simpson weighed in on the country's fiscal situation, saying that anyone calling for budget cuts that did not include Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and Defense were 'issuing a sparrow's belch in the midst of a typhoon.'"


"Maintenance" or "Support"?

I would like to differentiate between free basic support services, included in the License (Software) and additional paid support services. In which case should I use 'Support' and in which 'Maintenance'? Are there other applicable terms with the same meaning?


"Good"="many" in "qualified with good years of teaching experience"?

What is the probability of "good" being interpreted to mean "many" rather than "positive" in this particular sentence: _All the teachers are Professionally qualified with good years of teaching experience._


Becoming the marathon "leader", is this a correct usage?

What do we call the athlete who is in first place , leading the marathon or running in front of the other runners in a race? Is **leader** an appropriate word to describe this runner?


Punctuation use for separating lists between "between" for clarity

What is the best way to punctuate the following two sentences so the reader is not confused? 1) For transfers between station A and shelf B AND processing device and automated stocker, use chain Q. 2) For transfers between station A, shelf B, and desk C AND processing device, automated stocker, and shelf Z, use chain Q. To be clear the transfer occurs between the following parenthesized words (station and shelf B) AND (processing device and automated stocker) in 1) and (station A, shelf B, and desk C) AND (processing device, automated stocker, and shelf Z). These sentences are part of a long sentence, so I simplified it for this question. Thank you very much for your help!!


What word can fulfill the most parts of speech?

I know there are several parts of speech:   * Noun   * Verb   * Pronoun   * Adjective   * Adverb   * Preposition   * Conjunction   * Interjection There might be others as well. Sometimes a word, depending on how it is used, can fulfill more than one of these classes. For example, the word "run" can be a verb: > I run fast. or it can be a noun: > Let's go for a run! What word, taking into account all its definitions, can fulfill the most word classes?


Why past perfect in the following?

The following is taken from a website. In the context below why the second part, "had signed", is in past perfect? > ... The case was scheduled to be tried before the justice of the peace in > the back room of the general store. The attorney for the railroad > immediately cornered the rancher and tried to get him to settle out of > court. The lawyer did his best selling job, and finally the rancher agreed > to take half of what he was asking. > > After the rancher **had signed** the release and took the check, the young > lawyer couldn't resist gloating a little over his success, telling the > rancher, "You know, I hate to tell you this, old man, but I put one over on > you in there..." source


"It's" versus "its" frequencies

My hypothesis is that in informal writing (say something like Stack Exchange questions) "it's" is massively more common than "its". Is this true? Are there any data to support it? Concrete percentages? ~~Is there a heuristic that a very simple program ¹ can use to detect when "its" would be appropriate?~~ The purpose of this question is that it is one of the more frequently confused pairs of words. I'm designing tools for flagging potential spelling mistakes, so if one was a lot more frequent than the other and I had indicators that the piece of text was poorly spelled then it might be a valid suggestion.


What is the meaning of "empty of joy"?

Please go through the below excerpt from "The Story of My Life" from "Helen Keller" > I have met people so **empty of joy** , that when I clasped their frosty > finger tips, it seemed as if I were shaking hands with a northeast storm. > Others there are whose hands have sunbeams in them, so that their grasp > warms my heart. What kind of feeling is **"empty of joy"**? Empty belongs to "Nothing". Joy belongs to "Something" with feelings. How come Nothing belongs to Something? Purely contradictory.


'I hope it rains' or 'I hope it will rain'

I've been through several books for teaching English as a foreign language, and these structures are usually presented as exact synonyms. But isn't there a difference? Just by looking at the verb tense, I'd say that using Present Simple gives the idea that the speaker thinks it is likely to rain, whereas using will places the possibility of rain in the realm of 'unlikeliness'. Am I on to something here or am I just splitting hairs? Honestly, I feel awkward telling my students 'yeah, they're interchangeable just like the book says' when I'm not convinced.


the person who is big -headed always says he is superior and mistakes others

There is a person who is big headed and says she knows everything. She often criticizes anybody who isn't as smart as her. What word could the person who is being criticized use, in order to say s/he is also smart?


Could "shingled" mean "pebbly"?

One of the definition of _shingle_ is > a mass of small rounded pebbles, especially on a seashore. You can say > a shingle beach (more common usage in UK than US perhaps) Is it also correct English to say > a shingled beach


Bear witness that I to the oneness of Allah do I testify - two I's

An excerpt from the lyrics for a song called "Mountains of Makkah" sung by Zain Bhikha > Oh Mountains of Makkah, Bear witness that **I**   >  To the oneness of Allah do **I** testify   >  For all that He’s given me, how can I deny   >  My purpose in life should be only to cry: I can't understand why there are two **I** 's in that sentence. Of course, we need that first **I** as the subject for the sentence, but the second **I** just seems out of place to me.


Is there any difference between "invite to" and "invite for"?

Is there any difference between _invite to_ and _invite for_ in terms of usage and meaning? For example: invite someone **_to_** lunch, dinner, a party, or a meeting but invite them **_for_** a drink or a meal


Rhetorical analysis — compare?

Can someone please explain similarities and differences between rhetorical analysis and close reading?


Blameshifting from self to another

Looking for a word that means accusing someone else of what you are guilty of.


What is the origin of "that's using your noggin"?

I find myself using the phrase **"that's using your noggin"** in various situations, even though English is not my native language. Most likely I picked it up watching some tv show. I understand that "noggin" means head, but it seems strange that **"that's using your noggin"** should be in widespread (in America, I assume) use, although it's not only used in this context. What is the origin of this expression?


Is "to" really part of the infinitive?

Consider this: > I **like to** eat here. vs > I **would** eat here. It appears to me that "to" has nothing to do with the infinitive form of the verb that follows. It is, in this example, an integral part of **like to** , not of **to go**. Is my thinking flawed? If you think it is, could you please explain which form of the verb "eat" is used in the second example, if not the infinitive?


Which one should I use ("suggesting" or "to suggest") in the example provided?

> **I can’t find anything suggesting** that one cannot take out principle from > Roth IRA account for education or housing purchases. Nor it’s indicated that > money are doled out in a form of a loan. Part in bold is under question. However, I would also appreciate your pointing out other errors too.


Is the "us" in "all that will be left is us" correct usage?

In this sentence taken from the movie AI is 'us' the correct form of the pronoun? It certainly sounds better than if it were written with 'we' instead of 'us'. Also, I can sort of see why 'is' is used instead of 'are', and I think this is why 'us' is used rather than 'we', but would be interested in a clear explanation. > All that will be left is us.


Abstain, Maintain : Abstinence, Maintenance spelling difference between verb and noun

Regarding the verbs Abstain and Maintain, why are they spelt differently as nouns Abstinence, Maintenance even though they seem like they would have similar spelling.


Meaning of "triple witching hour"

What does the phrase _triple witching hour_ mean? I have seen it in the financial news relating to stock markets. I sense it has to do with the convergence of three events, deadlines or periods that acting together place pressure ( _what kind? I don't know_ ) on the stock markets. Edit: What is the origin of _triple witching hour_?


"Comic" vs. "comical"

I am confused between these words. Dictionaries say they are similar, but I vaguely remember my schoolteacher apprising me of a difference between them. I would love if someone could elucidate.


Term to designate employee "current status"

Given the items below:   * On vacation   * On sick leave   * On maternity/paternity leave   * Employed   * Retired Related to a employee, what term nominates or best describes this group of items? Can i name it "employee status" or something?


Why are commas needed in the following sentences?

I have difficulty understanding comma usages in the following sentences: >   1. Mr Hirai had already announced that Sony's TV production goal would be > halved, from 40m units to 20m. (The Economist) > Why is the comma placed after "halved?" In the following sentence, which is also from a British newspaper, no comma is used: > As reported, the charge for crossing the bridge will be halved from £3 to > £1.50 for cars. > -2. And while unemployment is a modest 6.4% and declining, inflation has > picked up sharply, to an estimated 6.5%, more than a point higher than last > year. (The Wall Street Journal) Is the comma after "sharply" necessary? What the difference in nuance with and without the comma? > -3. The government of Prime Minister Naoto Kan has proposed doubling, to > 20%, the tax on capital gains and dividends. (The Wall Street Journal) Why is "to 20%" set off by the commas? Could anybody shed light on these comma usages?


Polite request regarding availability

How do I ask if a person is available and to inform me, in a polite way?


Definition of ontology

Does ontology refer to the study of being or the study of the nature surrounding being? I found conflicting definitions. nature: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontology   http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ontology direct: http://www.reference.com/example-sentences/ontology   http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ontology


Term for types of first person plural

I've noticed that there are two types of first person plural – one where the addressee is included, and one where she or he isn't. For example: With addressee included:   * Let us go.   * What's our plan?   * Where are we going? With addressee not included:   * We want you to come along.   * Are you with us? One can see that whether first person plurals _we_ or _us_ includes the addressee largely depends on context. My question is this: > Is there a term for these two types of **first person plurals**? Are there > any words in English that distinguish these two types? If this is more appropriate for Linguistics.SE (I'm not sure) here's an additional question: Does _any_ language distinguish between these two types of first person plurals?


"The ones" or "those"?

I recently corrected > "ghettos, such as _the ones_ found..." to > > "ghettos, such as _those_ found..." Was I correct or are both versions right?


What's the difference between "good on you" vs. "good for you", with a sincere meaning something like "you've done a good thing"?

In the northeastern USA I usually hear "good for you," as in > You passed the test? Good for you! [congrats] > > Good for you, for stopping to help! [you are a good person] Online I often see the variant "good on you/good on ya" written, as in > You passed the test? Good on ya! > > Good on you for stopping to help! (I was able to find this discussion about the phrases, but there seems to be little agreement about which English speakers use which variant. We've also got a definition here of "good for you".) Is there a difference in usage between the two phrases - are they used in different ways? Or, do they mean the same thing and are used by speakers of different dialects?


Capitalizing subfigure specifiers

I'm writing a caption for a figure that includes a few sub-figures: > A duck (left) and tiger (right). (Left) The duck has wings and a funny bill. > (Right) The tiger doesn't look like a duck at all. My question: what's the proper way to capitalize "left" and "right" here? (As it is it's inconsistent, which is probably the worst choice)


Why is it a school/shoal of fish, dolphins, porpoises and squids for example, but rather a pod/gam/herd/mob of whales?

Would it be incorrect to say 'a school' of whales?


How do historians reference the people alive in a given century?

I suspect historians have a more concise way of referencing [[the people alive in the 17th century]] than _people alive in the 17th century_. Do they call them _17th centurians_ , for example?


Present perfect and simple past

Here's a conversation: > Speaker1: I have already seen this film.   >  Speaker2: When have you seen it? [OR] When did you see it?   >  Speaker1: Last month. Are both of the responses from Speaker2 correct?


"Take something into account" vs "Take into account something" — are both correct?

Are the two usages both correct? Personally, I'd prefer > take something into account but I have heard some professors and academic textbook authors prefer > take into account something. Am I good to use what I prefer or the latter one is _more correct_?


What does 'on-premises' mean?

Here is the example sentence. > Windows Azure Caching was developed from an **on-premises** Caching solution > that shipped with Microsoft AppFabric 1.1 for Windows Server. What does 'on-premises' mean?


The meaning of "parallel xxx products"?

In the following sentence, > **Parallel xxx products** in the market will impact our sales. What is the definition or meaning of "parallel xxx products"?


what is the difference between 'similarity to' and 'similarity with'?

I think of expressing that two things are similar by using the word of _similarity_. I know I can say 'A bears some similarity to B'. Can I also say 'A bears some similarity with B'? If both are correct, is there any difference?


How would I call a surface of equal energy?

There are already several terms I know to denote surfaces on which a certain quantity is constant:   * equipotential surface: a surface of equal potential energy   * isobaric surface: a surface of equal pressure How would I denote a surface of equal energy without falling back on _equi- energy surface_?


origin of "5 seconds flat"

Does anyone know the etymology of this expression? > "He ran down the street in five seconds flat" I found this explanation of meaning at Wordreference but would like to know where the expression comes from: > "In seconds flat" is an uncommon way of saying in no more than a few > seconds. What kind of word is _flat_ in this instance? Is this a UK expression or used worldwide? Sorry, I know that's 3 questions, but they're all connected.


Beautiful Disaster

I want to know a word that describes the phenomenon of something being both beautiful but terrible at the same time- like a tsunami or the eye of a tornado.


Where does the phrase a "lick of" something come from?

The phrase a "lick of" something means a small quantity of something. What I want to know is where does this phrase come from?


"So...that" sentences

One could say: I was so tired that I slept for ten hours. You could also say: I was so tired, I slept for ten hours. The second one is more colloquial I think, but is it acceptable grammatically? If so, is a comma the correct use of punctuation there, or does it have to be a semi-colon maybe? Or no punctuation at all?


Do you say "I have gone diving before" or "I have been diving before"?

Which is correct and common expression, "I have gone diving" or "I have been diving" "Have you ever gone diving?" or "Have you ever been diving?" As for skating, snowboarding, snorkeling and snowboarding, should I use "go" or "been"?


Convoluted Synonym for “Convoluted”

Does anyone know of a complicated, preferably large word that is synonymous with _convoluted_?


Meaning of "advance" and "develop"

The context: > P1: We lost nearly a decade of research because of the moratorium on > embryonic stem cell research. > > P2: The moratorium [on embryonic stem cell research] aided in the > advancement science made elsewhere on stem cell research so don't get your > panties twisted. Definition of _advance_ from OALD: > If knowledge, technology, etc. advances, it develops and improves. I understand the term _develop_ has many senses and I am unsure of which is the proper definition of develop for this context from the dictionaries.


Is this a logically symmetric relation: "X must be consistent with Y"

Does it follow that if I make the statement "X must be consistent with Y" that "Y must be consistent with X"? I'm hoping to hear this answered from a linguistics perspective, specifically related to information packaging and the use of the modal. I fear that this community may say "this isn't a good English question" just as much as the mathematics community might say "this isn't a good math question." I've omitted the context here intentionally because the context itself is a bigger can of worms. What we can know from the structure itself: are these equivalent forms, or is this a false equality?


Should we use "opinion of" or "opinion on"?

What preposition should we use after _opinion_? Which of the following is correct: >   1. What is your opinion on this book? > >   2. What is your opinion of this book? > > Also, what is the correct way of saying the following: > We surveyed drivers' opinion on this device?


What is the feminine noun for 'benedict'?

I came across the word 'benedict' recently: > Benedict: A name for a newly married man, esp if formerly a confirmed > bachelor Is there an equivalent feminine noun for a newly married woman? 'Bride' won't do, as we need to refer to woman after the marriage.


What's the opposite of "envious"?

What's the opposite of _envious_? For instance, I felt X when I got accepted into MIT and my sister did not. Or, when you feel bad for being lucky, when someone else is not. By googling, I found _unenvious_ but I'm afraid the word might not exist at all, because the Cambridge dictionary has no entry for it. I feel bad in the first example because my sister and I wanted to study together at the same university. I'm quite happy that I got accepted, but sad at the same time because my sister did not.


Shouldn’t we use "lots of" with plural nouns and "a lot of" with singular ones?

Is it correct to say "there are a lot of aspects" like here (see the first comment) or here? Shouldn't be "lots of" used instead? I was sure that the correct form is "lots of" for the plural form.


What does “tearing your résumé apart” mean?

I gave my résumé to a person and she replied back as follows: > When you look at the below list of issues, you'll probably think I'm tearing > your résumé apart. I guess I am, in a way. But, I swear, your résumé is > pretty good. Now I am confused whether she meant she had "torn it" literally or that she had analytically broken it up into pieces.


Meaning of “But I repeat myself” in Mark Twain's quote?

There is the following sentence in the conversation between Florentyna Rosnovski, the heroine of Jeffrey Archer’s novel, _The Prodigal Daughter_ , who was first elected as the Congressman of Illinois and her husband, Richard Kane, Chairman of a New York bank. > She captured the Ninth District of Illinois with a plurality of over 27,000 > votes. Richard was the first to congratulate her.   >  "I’m proud of you, my darling." He smiled mischievously. "Mind you, I’m > sure Mark Twain would have been as well."   >  "Why Mark Twain?" asked Florentina, puzzled.   >  "Because it was he who said: _'Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you > were a member of Congress._ **_But I repeat myself'_**." – _The Prodigal > Daughter_ , Page 302. I can’t get the idea of the last phrase, “But I repeat myself,” following the preceding subjunctives – Suppose you are idiot or a member of Congress. Is Richard simply saying “Whoever you are, I won’t change.”? What is the meaning of it as the punch line of a famous quote from Mark Twain?


"Plugging in X" vs. "plugging X in"

Does one say > Plugging in that value into the previous equation... or > Plugging that value in the previous equation... or something else?


Difference between "always" and "all the time"

Do _always_ and _all the time_ mean exactly the same thing in these sentences? > Why are you **always** so busy? > > Why are you so busy **all the time**?


Saying “today morning” to mean “this morning”

As an American, I use the term _this morning_ , but I’ve noticed some Asian Indian coworkers who always say _today morning_ to mean what I mean by _this morning_. Is this an Indian English “dialectism”? Is it common in local English dialects throughout India and other formerly British-dominated (South-)Asian countries, or just in certain parts? Do any English dialects outside of South Asia use this phrase?


What's the origin of the expression "Them's the breaks"?

What's the origin of the expression "Them's the breaks", meaning "that's how the cookie crumbles"?


Idiom for scientific charts & graphs on a subject

I have many charts & graphs which represent a single topic from a diverse points of views, using various parameters. For example, on the subject of `Building a House`:   * Graph which represent the cost (`$`) against the time   * Graph which represent the cost (`$`) against the eco-friendly level of the house   * Graph which represent the number of rooms against the work which needs to be invested per-week in order to clean them.  and many more. In the example, the parameters are: cost, time, eco-friendly level, number of rooms etc. How do I define this set of graphs in a couple of words?   Is it called "statistics"? "Cross-section data"?


Usage of "whereabouts"

Is a noun "whereabouts" used not only for something moving (e.g. person) but for something still? For example:               Do you know his whereabouts?      vs               Whereabouts of the building they searching is still unknown.


what do you say when someone is at your door?

When a mail man knock at the door, I was sleeping. I was going to put on my clothes, then open the door. Then I said: "coming". I suddenly felt like it was "come in". So what do you say when you want to let them open the door themselves and come in? What do you say when you want tell them you are going to open the door for them soon?


cover letter as web developer

I want to apply to web developer (asp.net) position . Here are my cover letter : 'Dear… I’m Hung Nguyen, I have over 4 years experienced in developing web application using latest technology including : ASP.NET , MVC, SQL Server, Javascript, Jquery, Angularjs… and over 3 years in developing mobile app for Android and iOS platform . I’m a hard working guy, always have can-do attitude in my mind, passionate about solving difficult problems, clean programming and application performance improving, embrace new things, and self-study every time possible. I think my skills will best suite with position you’re recruiting. I want to contribute to the development of company and together can expand my career, looking for challenge positions. I look forward to hearing from you. Can someone edit it for better ? Thanks very much .


How does 'so much as' develop to mean 'even'?

What's an intuitive derivation behind ODO's definition that helps to internalise its meaning: > **so much as** = [with negative] Even: I couldn't find the etymology for this adverbial phrase? Is this the correct term? Example from p 42, _Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law_ , Mark Shepherd > Unlike many of the essays that you will have written in the past, the LNAT > [a test] does not seek to test factual knowledge, **so much as** > understanding and the ability to develop persuasive arguments. Almost > without fail, there will be subtleties to the question that are not > immediately obvious and that will set apart those candidates with a genuine > insight into the subject from those with a superficial knowledge.


What does 'rare device' refer to?

What does _rare device_ refer to in the line 'It was a miracle of rare device' of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, Kubla Khan?


Why drop the “i” in “explanation”?

I often catch myself trying to write ? _expla **i** nation_, phonetically spelling the word in my head. To my chagrin I get part way through and have to stop myself. So I’m wondering why is the _i_ dropped? I can’t think of other words ending _‑ain_ that take the _‑ation_ suffix for comparison.


A word for not paying attention to detail, causing sloppiness

I'm looking for a word that signifies a lack of attention to detail causing sloppiness. For example, if I write an essay, and there are terrible grammar mistakes and sentence structure mistakes all over the paper, it would be because I was (or was not) being **_**. If I make a drawing and the eyes aren't lined properly and the shading is done poorly, it probably shows that I was (or wasn't) being ___. I wasn't paying attention to that detail. Words like "lazy," or even "attentive" could work, but those are too general. I could not be attentive in class or not be attentive during my meeting at work, but those don't take into account that the lack of me paying attention to the important details, caused my poor and sloppy error in whatever I was doing. Is there a word that matches what I'm looking for, or should I just go with the word "attentive" to say what I want?


Can you be sent on a quest or does it then become a mission?

A discussion on the Arqade sister site brought up an interesting question that I thought I'd share here. What is the difference between a quest and a mission? Given the roots of the words, **quest** from the latin _quaerere_ (to ask/seek), and **mission** from the latin _mittere_ (to send). It seems that you go to seek something on a quest, and a mission is something you are sent on. So, if someone _sends_ you on a quest, does it now become a mission? ( _i.e._ Can you be sent on a quest?)


"Indian-born Chinese" vs. "Chinese-born Indian"

I'm confused about these phrases.   * Does "Indian-born Chinese" mean that you live in India, and were born in China?   * Does "Chinese-born Indian" mean that you live in China, and were born in India?


Is it "the Yemen" or "Yemen"?

There's a film just out called _Salmon fishing in the Yemen_. I've also heard people talk about the country Yemen as "the Yemen". Is it wrong to call Yemen "The Yemen" - or does it date back to some colonial era, where that was what people said?


Meaning of "go down"

What's the meaning of go down? > Little did anyone know, the 47-year-old Silicon Valley executive was > actually engaged in a giant scam...He was finally caught by Target security > on May 8, and he was arraigned on Tuesday on four counts of burglary. > > sad pathetic way to **go down**.


Why is the English devil "old"?

Looking up the etymology of the Devil's nickname, _Old Nick_ , I came across this article in OUPblog written by Anatoly Liberman > For some reason, devils, at least in English, are often called old: **Old > Bogey** , **Old Scratch** , **Old Nick** , and even **Old Nick Bogey**. > [...] But who was Nick? This question has bothered numerous researchers. The author then goes on to discuss several plausible, and entertaining theories but one in particular gripped my attention: > A fairly recent hypothesis derives Old Nick from **Old Iniquity** , the name > of the devil in medieval plays. The derivation is clever, and the OED > mentions it in a noncommittal way, [...] Charles P. G. Scott, the > etymologist for The Century Dictionary wrote: “In considering the > application of the name Nick thus derived, and of other familiar personal > names, to the Devil, we are not to think of that personage as the black > malignant theological spirit of evil, but rather as a goblin of limited > powers, **a ‘poor’ devil, who may be half daunted, half placated, by a > little friendly impudence or homely familiarity.** ” The expression **_an old man/woman_** usually carries a negative connotation, someone who is harmless, and perhaps frail; a figure either to be pitied on or deserving of our respect. On the other hand, _old_ when positioned in front of kinship terms or first names has positive connotations, imagine the greeting between two close friends; e.g. "Hello old man!" and "How's me old mate?", when we mention our elderly relatives, "Dear old Auntie May" and to say that someone is reliable and trustworthy "Good ol' Barney, you can always count on him." Curiously, pictorial representations of God in the Occident from the 15th century onwards, depict Him as looking almost elderly. The social imaginary of the Christian deity is a bearded man with a lined face and flowing white hair (think Sistine Chapel) —the stereotypical traits of an old man— advanced in his years, although vigorous, intimidating and solemn-looking at the same time; yet God is never called _old_. In this case, was the term _old_ considered derogatory and disrespectful in the past? Whereas if one Googles images of Satan, the devil, Lucifer etc. one will see time and time again a youthful, strong, malevolent and powerful-looking figure, very different from the adjective "old". As far as I'm aware, the adjective, _old_ , is never used in Italian to describe the devil, instead Italians will often call him: _il male_ /MA-le/ (evil/wickedness), _la bestia_ (the beast), _L'Anticristo_ (the Antichrist), _Principe delle Tenebre_ (Prince of Darkness), _Satana_ (Satan) etc. and all of these expressions sound grotesque, frightening, and fearful. Now I am well aware that equivalent English expressions exist but there are no Italian equivalents for these English nicknames: _Old Nick_ , _Old Scratch_ , _Old Ned_ , _Old Roger_ , _Old Horny_ , _Old Harry_ , _Old Billy_ , _old boy_ (US term, according to the OED), which sound terribly innocuous, endearing and affectionate to my ears.   * Why did the English and Americans freely adopt "old" to describe Satan and not God?   * Were the nicknames _Old Nick_ , _Old Bogey_ , _Old Scratch_ etc. meant to be jocular, fearful or derogatory in nature?    * Did the word _old_ have different connotations before the 19th century?    * And finally, when was the adjective _old_ first used as a nickname for the devil?


"overly confident" vs "over confident"

I hear or read both phrases regularly, and they seem to have the same meaning to me. But do they have different meanings? Or is “overly confident” even grammatically correct?


"Get a scare" or "catch a scare"

A friend of mine insists that you can 'catch a scare', but I've only ever heard 'get a scare'. I googled the expression and mostly got 'catch a scare card' or 'catch a scare crow', with only one instance where 'cops get a scare from an incident'. So is 'catch a scare' acceptable as correct British English or correct American English?


Double or triple dots in "..and, oh yeah! IT'S FREE!"?

The title says it all. The context/layout on my site:               [introduction of a program]      [big download button] "     ..and, oh yeah! IT'S FREE!"      Do I need to put three or two dot's infront of "and". Or is the whole sentence incorrect?


Is “you’re the door on the right.” grammatically correct?

The _you_ is Harry Potter. I’m really curious about the grammatical construction and the reason why JKR chose it. > ”Mrs. Weasley, why – ?” > > ”Ron and Hermione will explain everything, dear, I’ve really got to dash,” > Mrs. Weasley whispered distractedly. “There” – they had reached the second > landing – “ **you’re the door on the right.** I’ll call you when it’s over.” > ( _Harry Potter 5_ [US Version]: p.62) **N.B.:** Mrs. Weasley has just led Harry to his room. She is in a rush because she has to attend a meeting downstairs. I think it means "your room is at the door on the right," but Mrs. Weasley might be making a mistake because she’s in hurry. I don’t know for sure, though.   1. What’s the true meaning of “you’re the door on the right”?   2. If it’s grammatically acceptable, is there any omission in the sentence?   3. If it’s grammatically acceptable, what situation do you use it in? And what’s the difference in listeners’ impressions between this kind ( _a-person-is-an-object_ type) of sentence and the more common version?   4. Would you give me some examples of _a-person-is-an-object_ sentences?


"Existence" in English and Persian

In Persian, things "have" existence, for example > To vojod dari = You have existence In English _existing_ is not something to have, it's something to be, > You exist Am I wrong in saying that? Why is there this difference? Is it an accident or it goes back to how people have interpreted the concept of existence or something else?


Term for someone who calls herself negative things that are not true

What is the correct term for someone who usually says negative things about herself (that she is fat,ugly or dumb) even though she knows that she is not?


What does “I’ll give you undercover!” mean here?

I have no idea on the meaning of “give you undercover” in the following citation. > “ ’S’ up, Figgy?” he said, staring from Mrs. Figg to Harry and Dudley. “What > ‘appened to staying undercover?” **“I’ll give you undercover!”** cried Mrs. > Figg. “ _Dementers_ , you useless, skiving sneak thief!” ( _Harry Potter 5_ > [US Version]: p.22-23) **N.B.:** _He_ and Mrs. Figg were supposed to guard Harry without Harry’s knowledge, but while _he_ was absent from the duty, _dementers_ (evil ghosts) attacked Harry, when Mrs. Figg’s identity was exposed. This scene is just after _he_ came back. (Dudley is a boy accidentally involved in the attack.) Here are my questions. I’d be glad if you could help me.   1. What’s the undercover’s part of speech?   2. Is there any reason she’s using the same word as he?   3. What’s the meaning of the whole sentence?


Is there a name for this ambiguity problem or for the construction that solves it?

I read a sentence, > John has published research in academic journals of philosophy and law. The author meant _John has published research in academic journals of philosophy and in academic journals of law._ But one could take the sentence to mean _John has published research in academic journals that cover both philosophy and law._ I remember reading an article about these sorts of 'and' constructions; I don't have any sufficiently specific keywords in mind to search for the answer. Do you know what keywords relate to these sorts of constructions?


Single word for the phrase "Investing more money to save the money already invested"?

People do that, they put in more money to save their money at stake. I'm guessing there's a single word for it. Thank you.


About inversion

Given the following sentence, > Nowhere on her title page or copyright page is there a suggestion that > anyone but Walker wrote her story. Can I invert it as follows without changing the meaning? > There is not a suggestion that anyone but Walker wrote her story anywhere on > her title page or copyright page.


Difference between 'taken back' and 'taken aback'

A sentence is written like this, > In this work of Pankaj Mishra, we are taken back to 18th century Europe > where ... > > In this work of Pankaj Mishra, we are taken aback to the 18th century Europe > where ... I understand that first one is more natural because 'taken aback' usually points to 'surprise' but the word 'aback' also mean backward. Thus the second construct should be equally natural, at least in this context. Isn't it?


Vocabulary: an event, usually an unplesant one, that might or might not happen

I kept searching for an English word whose definition I remember, but not the specific term. I have searched but cannot not find it. This is the definition: > an event, usually an unpleasant one, that might or might not happen in the > future Could you give me some hints?


“Confusing modifiers” reported where none are found

I have a sentence: > Take a look at this math problem and try to so solve it. The Grammar Checker told me: “This sentence contains Issue: Confusing modifiers.” But where?


Usage of 'content'

Can I answer the question 'How are you?' with 'I am **content** and happy. Thanks'. What is the use of the word 'content'. On the book 'You Can Win', Shiv Khera tells a story about a person like "He was happy because he was content, he was content because he was happy".


Does "Bitcoin" need to be capitalized?

Does "Bitcoin" need to be capitalized? In formal writing or informal, what is the current usage?


What is the meaning of 'Oshkosh by Gosh'?

I was recently watching a TV series named suits where a character said "Oshkosh by Gosh". I googled it and all I could find was the meaning of bagash from this site. Urban Dictionary - Bagash What does this expression mean? Also for people who asked in the comment for the episode, I don't know exactly which episode but the scene was like Harvey Specter and Mike Ross get high after smoking weed at Mike Ross's place from Suits Season 2.


"lives of people have remained a mystery" ...weird?

Consider this sentence: > The lives of people whose tools and pottery have been found on its [Lake > Titicaca's] shores have long remained a mystery. Does this sound weird? I'm particularly interested in the connection that "lives of people have remained a mystery". This goes in contrast with the fact that we actually know little about their lives. And even though they _are_ connected with something we perceive as a mystery, the time span of the mystery goes far beyond the actual lives. Does the tense use reflect this correctly? Or could/should this be phrased differently, more clearly?


the meaning of "pretty happening"

What does "they're pretty happening" mean in the following sentence? “These soccer players, they’re pretty happening,” the men’s designer Todd Snyder said. “David Beckham really set the bar. He paved the way for all of this.”


Does a name go before or after the noun it modifies?

The sentence > The user “John Smith” has been registered; go to the “User Profile” tab to > view the user’s details. reads more naturally to me than > The “John Smith” user has been registered; go to the tab “User Profile” to > view the user’s details. but I’m not sure why. In particular, it seems wrong for _John Smith_ to go before the word _user_ , whereas _User Profile_ can go either before or after the word _tab_ (although it seems to flow a little better when it’s before). What rules of grammar apply here?


How “Barely better-than-even-odd” success is better as compared with 50:50 success?

According to Washington Post’s Breaking News Alert (May 8), President Obama faced sharply divided counsel and, in his mind, _barely better-than-even odds of success_ when he ordered the daring May 1 commando raid that killed al- Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the president said in an interview broadcast Sunday. "At the end of the day, this was still a 55/45 situation," Obama told CBS's "60 Minutes" To me if the chance is 51 vs. 49, it seems to be “barely” better than even odd. But 55/45 chance looks not very, but ‘significantly positive’ mark if I’m asked to challenge. YMMV. Of course criterion of judgment varies by status and situation you are placed in and magnitude of consequence you expect. But _from purely rhetorical point of view_ , is 10% margin categorized in “ _barely_ better-than-even” range?


How to know what preposition to use

Say I want to use the word _cliffhanger_ in a sentence. > The show ended **on** a cliffhanger. Or, > The show ended **at** a cliffhanger. Not just this sentence; how do I know what is the correct preposition to use at what phase of a sentence?


"Previously" vs. "last time"

What is the difference between the following two sentences? >   * This is the vendor from which the item was purchased the last time. >   * This is the vendor from which the item was purchased previously. > Is there a better way to write them?


How do you say " I do not know why it is so" in an academic way?

The situation is, I'm comlaining about the problem concerning submitting important documents via Internet because it seems like that document was not properly submitted. However, I don't know if it was my fault because I didn't follow the procedure or because of the bugging system. I want to write a formal to my University about that, but I don't know how to say it in an academic way.


Marathon Event Question

How can I describe the marathon event more make sense? Assumed that I want to describe an marathon event:               Item: full, half.     or Category: full, half;     Or Dis: full, half;     or Group: full, half;      Which one is better to describe a marathon event? BTW, I noticed that from the official London marathon website, it divided by master category, etc... not by full or half.


Softened pronunciation of consonants, such as "t" or "s" followed by "y"

I noticed a certain softening of consonants in certain words/consecutive words and I haven't been able to find any resource on this matter yet. Some examples:   * letter "t" is not sharp at all, it seems to be close to close to "tsh" or "ť "  > tram ("t"), but you ("t y")   * similarly to "s" being similar to "ge" in "garage" ("ž")  > is your ("s y") _This is a subjective thing, maybe I'm hearing it wrong, feel free to state that; or maybe it's local, used in only some areas, but it seems rather frequent_ Is it true that these consonants are "soft" in some way, and can you describe the phenomenon or is there an online resource describing these specific pronunciations?


"Opportunity of purchasing" vs "Opportunity to purchase"

I am translating a phrase from Spanish and I would appreciate the input from a native English speaker: I translated a phrase as "to give the opportunity of purchasing", but I am in doubt whether it would be more appropriate "to give the opportunity to purchase". Which one is the correct phrase?


Do I keep myself "up-to-date" or "up to date" on something?

Question is quite straightforward. I want to say that "I keep myself up-to- date on the latest technology". Or is it better "I keep myself up to date with the latest technology"? Thanks


Wishing luck to third person

I want to express to an uninvolved person that I wish luck for some people involved in an endeavor. > I'm keen interested to watch the result and wish lucky for that. `Wish lucky for that` **or** `I do wish them best of luck`


Business meeting jargon- a "walkthrough" of a document

I'm writing a document and I need to discuss sessions during which one party presents a document and walks the other party through the document, reading each sentence out loud, asking for any comments or questions, and ending with a final edited document. Is there a standard business jargon term for this? Does "walkthrough" work? Thanks, Ilan


What's the literal meaning of "Real Estate"?

Today I realized that the word "Real" in "Real Estate" might be about "royalty" instead of "reality". English is a foreign language to me, so I don't really know the literal meaning and origin of the term "Real Estate". Might "Real" be an alternative term for "Royal"?


What is a word to describe one's force of personality

I'm looking for a general term to describe an innate ability to compel others to obey. This effect might take the form of seduction, charm, intimidation, inspiration, etc. I do not mean a measure of how _likable_ someone is; only how effective they are at convincing others to comply with their agenda. The closest term I can think of is 'presence', but I was hoping for something a bit more exact. ## Context I'm writing a roleplaying game in which the player has your classic attribute map:   * Strength   * Agility   * Intellect   * **(subject of this question)**   * Vitality   * ...


Can "of" be followed by "between"?

I've encountered following phrase: > a vocabulary of between 10,000 and 15,000 words Is this phrase correct? Can `of` be followed by `between` in this case?


Is the sentence "The world is getting smaller and international connections tighter." grammatically correct?

Is following sentence grammatically correct? > The world is getting smaller and international connections tighter. What kind of construct is this? Parallel structure?


Etymology of "-by" suffix in proper nouns

I am curious to find out about the etymology of the suffix **-by** in proper nouns such as the following: > Hornby, Gatsby, Bartleby, Barlby, Selby, Osgodby, Keisby, and Hanby


Are "w/o", "w/", "b/c" common abbreviations?

I remember when staying a few months in the US years ago that I saw some people using the abbreviations below. However, I can't exactly remember in which contexts I encountered them, (whether I saw my teachers using them when writing something on the board, in papers or in personal notes etc.) So my question is: Are those abbreviations below commonly used and in which contexts is it okay to use them (e.g. formal texts, personal notes,... or better only used in personal note taking?) >   * w/o without >   * w/ with >   * b/c because > PS: Are there similar abbreviations that are commonly used?


How to use fully qualified acronyms

Which is proper/acceptable? Take for instance this sentence: > We would like to use IBM machines. Now consider that I needed to fully qualify IBM... How do I make this not read strangely? > We would like to use IBM (International Business Machines) machines. or > We would like to use International Business Machines (IBM) machines. (Please note that IBM is not the real acronym but it's similar to what I need to pull off) **EDIT:** I should add that part of my question is that if it's incorrect or less correct to put [Fully qualified name] (Acronym) or [Acronym] (Fully qualified name)


Meaning and etymology of "Crabbit"

What does this phrase mean? > Being a **crabbit** is not gonna make it any easier for you.


"Tear(drop)" synonyms

I've been looking for the synonyms (especially poetic ones) referring to the nouns "tear" and "tear-drop". Unfortunately, there wasn't much for me to find. I've found two, poetic ones - _"brine"_ and _"lachryma"_. Are there some other (poetic or even archaic) synonyms?


Is "in the first place better used to emphasize one fact than combined with “in the second place" to introduce a series of facts?

I used to think that "in the first place" is to emphasizs something. When we see it in the middle of a paragraph, we won't expect "in the second place". But I then saw several cases of "in the first place....in the second place" used to organize sentences. Are they good to show up together to introduce a series of reasons or facts?