Meaning of "handbags" in the context of a fight

Apparently a tussle between two English footballers was described by an official spokesperson as > 'I was there. There was no punches thrown. There was a lot of noise. Samir > was talking in French, Manu wasn’t. They didn’t touch. **It was handbags.** > There were words and that happens after most games,' he said. Is this a BrE usage?


Idiom for restlessness

A Chinese colleague just told me of a Chinese idiom for anxiousness or restlessness. They will often refer to someone who is overly restless as an ant standing on a heated pot. I'm pretty sure there is at least one English idiom for restlessness/anxiousness, but for the life of me I cannot think of it right now. Is there indeed one or more common idioms for restlessness in English, or am I imagining things? :)


What is the word for a pair of bytes?

_Bit_ is a portmanteau of _binary digit_. A _byte_ is 8 bits. A _nibble_ is 4 bits (half a byte). Is there a word for a pair of bytes?


Should I use past perfect tense here?

I was thinking about a certain situation. Suppose that one week ago, I played basketball once, and that today I was talking with a friend. > I: I played basketball once last week. > > My friend: Did you have fun? > > I: Not bad, but I didn't play well because I haven't played in a long time. I am really not sure whether I should use "haven't" or "hadn't" here. Please let me hear your opinions.


Can one preposition directly follow another in a sentence? The sentence in question is: "I am so impressed by the one-on-one time that we can **take advantage of with** the executives-in-residence program." I can just change the sentence, but I was also wondering about the rules of grammar in regards to this case.


Is there a word that describes when you are unable to remember the word you want to say?

I vaguely remember seeing this word years ago, it started with "log-". I want to know what this word is because I have this problem all the time (as many others do), where the word I am thinking of is right at the tip of my tongue but I just can't remember it. It's a bit fitting for this situation, isn't it?


Which one is correct: "1yr" or "1yr." or "1 yr"?

I need to put one of the above on one of my app's buttons. Bonus question - does the same rule hold in plural? That is if I write "1 yr.", do I write "15 yrs." as well?


Is "most superior" correct?

I am reviewing an article, and the author uses the phrase > ... this algorithm achieves the **most superior** fairness ... Initially I thought the phrase is not correct, just like saying that something is _more better_ than something, but I did a google search and got more than a million hits (using quotes). So my question is: is the use of "most superior" ever correct? If not, why not?


Is afeast or possibly affeast, afeest etc. a word?

My English (vai Liverpool)-Canadian mother used this word to mean 'disgusted by' or 'repulsed by.' Example: "he is **_afeast_** of mixed foods." meaning you think mixed foods are disgusting or inedible. I have been unable to locate any use or reference to this word, even in the unabridged dictionary, although I have seen 'afeard,' and similar variations, as archaic versions of afraid.


What does "Are you related to the candidate?" mean?

I'm filling an employment reference form and I'm not sure what this means. Does it mean, are you related in terms of kinship or related professionally. It also asks to state your relationship. Thanks


Usage of "to" in "I've got some slides to talk to"

In Lucy Kellaway’s 2012 Golden flannel Award, the Preposition Award is given to a usage of _to_. > But the winner is the innocuous word “to” as increasingly heard in > presentations: “I’ve got some slides to talk to” – the unfortunate > implication being that the speaker has to talk to the slides because no one > else is listening. Am I right in thinking that the speaker originally intended to mean some images for projection on a screen? If so, what is the appropriate preposition in this sentence. “About” perhaps? Is this usage of _to_ really often heard?


Why does the word "inadvertently" mean "not knowingly"?

The root is _advertently_. That means “knowingly”. Fair enough. The root of _advertently_ is _advertent_. That means “attention”. Hmmm … quite close. The root of _advertent_ is _advert_ , which means “advertising”. Okay, I am missing something here. What does _advertising_ have to do with _advertently_? Are these the real root words?


What is the female equivalent for "uxorious"?

I know the word **uxorious** that is used to describe a husband who dotes on his wife excessively. What is the corresponding word for a wife who loves her husband dearly? I cannot pull anything out of my memory... and I feel it is very harsh on men if such a word weren't there! Example:   * He was an uxorious man who assiduously took care of all of his wife's needs.   * She was a **__** woman who assiduously took care of all of her husband's needs.


"Transition to" vs. "transition into"

What is the correct phrasing: > transition into vs > transition to Can you explain why? Here’s the context: > In partnering with us, businesses can transition to/into a digital > publication etc.


Can we use "likewise" instead of "also" in formal writing?

When we write academic paper, can we use "also"? If it is a bit informal, is it ok to use "likewise" instead of "also"? Or, are there any possible expression in such situation?


What does the term "86'd" relate to?

What does it mean when someone or something is referred to as being "86'd"?


Where does the food industry term "86" come from?

Such as in "that item is 86, we need to buy more"


"Would have" in conditional clauses

I have been taught to use the _if I had_ form in conditional clauses referring to the past: > If the president had asked me, I would have told him the same thing. As far as I can tell though, the _would have_ construct is sometimes used in conditional clauses as well, so it wouldn't be incorrect to say: > If the president would have asked me, I would have told him the same thing. What is the difference between the two and the proper use of the latter?


"At" or "in": Places

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "Got it at" or "Got it in?" When referring to a place, when does one use the preposition "at" and when "in" (such as "at school" versus "in school")?


"give me an offer" vs "make me an offer"

Which is correct: "give me an offer" vs. "make me an offer"? Is there some difference in meaning?


What's an idiom for something that you've heard many times?

I'm trying to write something for my blog, and I need an idiom that will replace me saying, "I've heard people say that all the time, it's the same old story."


How Can I Use "Concordant" In A Sentence?

I was looking for an alternative to "unanimous" and had found "concordant" in the thesaurus. What would be the best way to use this word? For example, in an essay it would be okay to say "the texts had unanimously agreed on how **_**". Would this be the same for "concordant", as in "the texts had been concordant on how **__** ". Could any examples of the word be listed below?


Accomplishment vs. Achievement (implicit superiority)

I elsewhere saw the difference between the two explained thusly: accomplished denoted "completed for someone else's benefit", achieved "completed by oneself". I consider it a one off, but can anyone confirm if there is an implicit superiority in language usage. This would be useful in the positive sense one would say "... an accomplished career".


Inversion with intro adverbial

Looking into inversion, I found a website listing different types of inversion, but I can't understand _intro adverbial_. The website says that inversions in this case are optional, and gives the following examples: > Into the room ran the lady. > > First comes love, then comes marriage. > > After A comes B, then comes C, next comes D. > > Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Now, these examples are extremely hard for me to "restructure", I hope I can receive some help, this is the best I was able to come with: > Into the room, the lady ran. > > First comes love, marriage comes then. > > After A comes B, C comes then, D comes next.


A word that means the rate at which a system progresses away from equilibrium

I am trying to think of a word the means the rate at which a system is moving away from equilibrium. The best example I can think of is a chemical reaction; say you have a pile of wood. If the wood is burning rapidly, this number is negative and its magnitude is large. If wood is being steadily added, the number is positive. If the number is zero, wood is being added at the same rate at which it is burning away. ** context ** The use case is a software engineering one, but abstract. Items are accumulated, and items are consumed and discarded. If items are being accumulated, you eventually run out of disk space. If items are being consumed, eventually you free up all disk space. What I am trying to convey is the _speed_ with which the system is approaching one of those two outcomes. The outcome you're headed toward is identified by the sign of the number. So I'm looking for a physical metaphor that I can model the terminology after.


Should it be 'Is there are' or 'are there'?

I am confused between 'Is there are' and 'are there' which one of them is correct? For example 'Is there are/are there any time before 1 o'clock?' Thank you.


"of the" before adjectives

I am writing a technician text and oft have a sentence with a lot “OF THE” before adjectives like a: _First example: This is a black spring OF THE new lock OF THE left door OF THE yellow car. Second example: The X component OF THE magnetization vector OF THE 180 degree domain wall incide the sample._ Those sentences sound not nice, is it correct to use “of the” so oft???


Is there any difference in meaning if at all between "to write IN pen" and "to write WITH a pen"?

I would like to know whether there is any difference in meaning if at all between "to write IN pen" and "to write WITH a pen"


Proper usage of "take your time"

What is the proper usage of "take your time"? Can we use it in the following context? > Rachel sent me an email saying that she is busy and will not be able to meet > me until the following week. In a reply to her, can I use "take your time"? > That's fine. **Take your time.**


"Questioned" or "asked"?

What is the difference between _questioned_ and _asked_? > I asked him how are you? > I questioned him how are you? Will the two sentences have a different meaning if I use _questioned_ instead of _asked_? I think the difference may be in politeness because _asked_ looks more polite than _questioned_.


More formal synonyms of "snob"

To me, the word _snob_ seems rather informal, although it appears in dictionaries, and I am unable to find anywhere on the internet a more formal word than _snob_. Are there any sophisticated synonyms of _snob_? _Snob_ is new to me and adding sophistication to it would make it more formal.


What is the difference between "in terms of" and "as far as is concerned"?

What's the difference of their emphasis? Often I felt these two are very similar. For example, In terms of quality, A is better than B. is similar to: As far as quality is concerned, A is better than B.


Pronunciation of "candidate"

Dictionaries generally show two pronunciations for the word _candidate_ : /ˈkændɪˌdeɪt/ and /ˈkændɪdət/. Macmillan dictionary shows both are used in either American or British English. So does Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. What is the prevalent pronunciation of _candidate_? Which one is more used in British (and American) English?


Difference between "plotting" and "drawing"

What is the difference between _plotting_ and _drawing_? I am a foreigner and I have been doing maths for years. Sometimes, I feel that difference but if someone suddenly asks me about it, I cannot describe that feeling.


How to interpret "...the disinfectant burnt her inside out, of course"

A character in a play is talking about how a girl committed suicide by swallowing strong disinfectant, but it's "burnt her inside out" that I'm questioning. It may be possible to interpret it in both ways, but if any, which one out of these two: "...burnt her inside out" - "inside out" as in she was burnt from the inside out. "...burnt her inside out" - "inside out" as in an a tee shirt that is inside out. Which one is more likely to be correct? Can one interpret it in both ways?


What is a synonym for "attempted to jump start"?

I want to make this sentence more concise: > Chairman Mao attempted to jumpstart China's agriculture and industry. Could one replace "attempted to jumpstart" with a single word?


Origin of "A Great Man Once Wrote/Said"

I've seen many a quotation begin with _A Great Man Once Said_ or _A Great Man Once Wrote_ , and as I was writing something just now, I began with that before realising that I don't actually know where this lead-in actually comes from. A popular reference is the last line of the film Kick-Ass, and I've found a 1993 music album with this title, but I'm sure I've read this lead-in in much older literature before. Is there some well-known passage in a book or poem which first popularised this phrase? Or some other item of pop culture?


What is the term for "cousin of a cousin"?

My mother’s sister’s son is my cousin; let’s call him “John”. John’s father’s brother’s son — let’s call him Mark — is John’s cousin. Now, Mark isn’t my direct cousin as we don't share any immediate ancestors. What kind of relationship do I have with Mark? I think this too is some sort of cousin. I always thought this was second cousin, but it turns out, I have blood relation to a second cousin through great grandparents. So, what is term for my relationship with Mark?


Pedagogue vs. pedagogy vs. pedagogical

How do people choose to pronounce the _-agogue_ suffix in these three words? >   1. pedagogue >   2. pedagogy >   3. pedagogical > The first is a reasonably common word and its suffix is surely consistently pronounced as `/əgɒg/` ( _agog_ ). However, dictionaries suggest that the relevant bits of the other two words can be alternatively pronounced either as `/əgɒdʒi/`/`/əgäji/` ( _agoji_ ), or as `/agɒgi/` ( _agogi_ ). In other words, while people always use a _hard g_ for the first _g_ , they might prefer a _soft g_ for the second. The same can be noted for pronunciations of the various forms of demagogue and synagogue. Why this "discrepancy"? How do people decide to choose the hard or soft _g_ for **such uncommon words**? It might be *cough* logical to conclude that people who choose the _soft g_ do so due to their familiarity with the French-influenced _-logy_ suffix. However, I personally pronounce _pedagogical_ with a _hard g_ due to my preceding use of another _hard g_. Or is this simply an AmE-BrE divide?


"Less fast" vs. "less faster"

Which one is correct? >   * He runs less fast than I. >   * He runs less faster than I. >


Can all verbs ending in "-ise" be written with the suffix "ize"?

Are there any "- _ise_ " (or "- _yse_ ") words which **cannot** be (or are never) written using "- _ize_ "? I searched for prior questions, and came across:   * Correct use of "ise" vs "ize" at the end of words   * Correct use of "ise" vs "ize" at the end of words   * Are the endings "-zation" and "-sation" interchangeable? But I have seen no mention of the rule I was taught at school, which is that while verbs derived from Greek may receive the "- _ize_ " suffix, verbs derived from Latin may not. All the answers to the questions above simply focus on the fact that Americans prefer the "- _ize_ " form and the British tend to use "- _ise_ " for words with those endings. Have usage changed in the 21st Century? Can we spell all the following verbs with "ize"?   * advertise   * advise   * paralyse   * analyse   * despise   * exercise   * revise   * supervise   * surprise   * compromise If we can use either ending for some of the words, but not others, what is the governing rule?


Noun for "the acquisition and communication of ideas"

I'm looking for a noun for the "acquisition and communication of ideas". _Communism_ would be a viable phonetic choice if it didn't have the political meaning. If there was a word meaning "idea-ism" then it would be a potential choice too. For a sense of context, I'm trying to base a role-playing game on AD&D 2e (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons). There are schools of magic for wizards and one is known as _divination_. I wish to rename this school of magic to avoid ambiguity with clerics, who use divine powers for magic. The spells it governs include scrying and other communication-related abilities. I want to redefine its scope to include all spells related to messaging, communication, and the acquisition of ideas.


Agenda going from bold to bite-sized

What does "one's agenda going from bold to bite-sized" mean?


Correct English Grammar

Based on this message: > I hope you consider my application has awaken your interest and I am looking > forward for a meeting with you to explain deeply of myself. The message is used in the end of my resume. Do you consider the message as correct grammar? Today, I'm a newbie in English Language & usage.


I have to do it until/by tomorrow. Why both seem to be common?

I have always thought that the correct one is "I have to do it by tomorrow" as "by" is used for some point in the future while "until" is used when something longs until now/that time. Is that correct?


Going beyond something

> Some years ago, I started to go beyond being a simple user. The meaning I want to give to the sentence is that after "some years ago" I'm not anymore a simple user but someone with a higher experience in the subject. Is this sentence correct? What are alternatives to express the same?


Can "once" and "since" be followed by a V-ing clause?

Consider these examples: >   * _Since the board realized_ that the figures are increasing, they have > been searching for a new campaign. >   * _Once the board realized_ that the figures are increasing, they began > searching for a new campaign. > Can they be rewritten as "since realizing" and "once realizing"?


(GRE) Parallel Structures

The following is a sample question taken from the revised version of the ETS- administered Graduate Record Examination (GRE). I normally try hard to understand the logic behind selecting the choices offered by the answer key and often, after a few minutes, I come through. Here, however, I seem to be grappling with the choice and the explanation provided for the last blank; I fail to understand why "symmetry" is indicated as the correct answer. Can someone please explain the reason for that answer? > Sample Question: > > **It cannot be denied that without creative reasoning it would not have been > possible to (i) ___ _ of classical physics. Yet classical physics has no > contribution to make to the understanding of (ii) ___ __. This kind of (iii) > ___ _ is surprisingly common in logic as well as in life.** > > Blank (i)   >  A. dispute the value   >  B. lay the foundations   >  C. understand the basics > > Blank (ii)   >  D. creative reasoning   >  E. other sciences   >  F. the arts > > Blank (iii)   >  G. circular reasoning   >  H. inflexibility   >  I. symmetry > > Correct Answer: BDI > > Explanation:   >  The word ‘yet’ is the main clue. It indicates an opposite. Start with the > first blank and eliminate choice A. You can also get rid of choice C since > you can understand the basics of physics without creative reasoning. Now to > form the opposite we can choose D for the second blank. Now we paraphrase > what we have: creative reasoning was needed to get classical physics > started, but classical physics can’t help us understand creative reasoning. > Then we can select the final option. The statements we have so far are > parallel constructions (a sort of symmetry) and are not inflexible.


What grammatical structure is this parenthetical?

> An equivalent formulation, **generalizable to interacting systems** , is to > consider... I want to know what kind of grammatical structure the part "generalizable to interacting systems" is. It is not a participle construction, right? What is it?


“Comparing” vs “A comparison of ”

A professor criticized the language in a presentation. In particular he said that English preferred a noun phrase such as _a comparison of_ to a gerund such as _comparing_. For reference the entire sentence follows. > Comparing prominent symptoms in drug addiction with models of aberrant > learning may help us understand how those symptoms arise I have seen both forms used in the technical literature but his point was more one of general usage. I don’t intend to argue the point with him. I merely want to know if his point is more than one of personal preference.


"Ambitious to [infinitive]" vs. "ambitious about [gerund]"

What is the correct preposition to use with ambitious? >   1. I am ambitious to achieve success. >   2. I am ambitious about achieving success. >


"Regret" vs. "remorse"

I would like to better understand when I have to use _regret_ and when _remorse_. In Italian we have two words:   * _Rimpianto_ : used when I'm sad because I didn't do something in the past (e.g. I didn't buy a staff and now it costs the double).   * _Rimorso_ : used when I'm sad because I did something wrong in the past (e.g. I offended a friend and now we don't talk anymore). I read the dictionary and it seems that the word _regret_ can be used as the world _rimorso_. > A feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has > happened or been done. The word _remorse_ , on the other hand, confused me because it is defined as > Deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed. So, what are the correspondence of _rimorso_ and _rimpianto_ in English?


What's the meaning of "guest spot" in "We have a guest spot on the Tonight Show"?

I think that "solo spot" has the same meaning, but I don't know the meaning either.


"For all it's worth" or "for all its worth"?

Should I put an apostrophe in "for all its worth"? The meaning comes to about the same thing either way, as far as I can make out, and it seems like "it's" is more popular. But is there an accepted version? Or any reason for preferring one over the other, other than staying conventional?


What does 'Roodow (wrongly spelled, only the sound)' mean?

In Australia, I have met a lot of people saying a word (sound like) 'roudow' to respond (mostly to end, like 'alright' equivalent) a conversation. I have been searching around but haven't got any clue yet due to the spelling. Would you please kindly talk a bit about this for me? Thank you in advance.


"It takes" + infinitive vs. present participle

Is it grammatically correct to say "It took me five hours travelling to the US"? Most people would say "It took me five hours to travel to the US." I wonder if the infinitive is always the only option, or if a present participle is possible as well.


just/only usage

Isn't there a difference (or aren't there differences) with the following?   * I only drive to work on Fridays   * I drive only to work on Fridays   * I drive to work only on Fridays   * I drive to work on Fridays only Though C and D may be the same. Don't people usually mean C or D even if they say A? I ask because in "Word Crimes", Weird Al says "You should only write in emoticons" but I think he should have said "You should write only in emoticons" or "you should write in emoticons only", right?


Stay/keep abreast of

Somewhere in my essay it goes as follows: > There is a shared assumption that English is estranging people from their > own language, inclining them to subordinate it to English. Even so commonly > held, it seems a flawed assumption in view of the fact that the extent to > which most non-natives literally need to learn English barely surpasses the > routine, commonplace level of communication, and thus, English cannot keep > abreast of their mother languages, in that sense. My Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary loosely allows this ,at least as far as i see, saying: > abreast: ... 2. up to a particular standard or level before narrowing it down: > especially of knowledge or recent developments. In hope of finding a similar statement as mine, I came across the following example, flipping through the web pages: > The Japanese video game industry has certainly failed to stay abreast of its > western rivals on the technological front. The Guardian Jul 17, 2013 A native speaker said It sounds odd as English is not animated and cannot keep abreast of anything. But the same is true of "industry" which has appeared in the Guardian's example. Now, could mine too, be correct? and why if not, please? many thanks in advance


Looking for an idiom similar to 'pros and cons' but with different meaning

I'm writing an essay where where the protagonist faces betrayal & hurt etc (negative things) but along with that she also experiences compassion & affection (Positive things). All the emotions at the hands of different people, so I want an idiom or a saying (if one exists) which u know explains that 'Where there is bad, there is also good' or 'When bad happens, good also keeps happening simultaneously' or something like that! I'm sorry if I failed to explain u clearly, but my English is not really good because it is not my native language! Thanks in advance..


Negative in a question with various negative valence words

so I was walking to a very nice place in Berlin today only to find it empty yet again. I was asking myself why this is... and now I am confused. Which of the following forms of asking are correct? Which are proper English sentences and which are not grammatically correct? Finally which is the best choice (if that doesn't depend on opinion): > a) Why isn't there ever anyone? > > b) Why is there never anyone? > > c) Why is no one ever there? > > c1) Why is there never no one? > > d) Why is there never someone? > > e) Why isn't there no one ever? > > f) Why isn't there ever someone? I am obviously not a native, so please don't be too focused on words order (or edit the question if need be)... I really want to know what would be the best combination of words?


"I played two music" vs. "I played two pieces of music"

I have a Canadian friend who sometimes helps me improve my English. A few days ago she sent me a list of some words (nouns) which the plural form is the same of the singular. One of these words was "music". I said to her that I didn't know that "music" don't need the "s" at the end to function as a plural word, and that it sounds wrong for me to say something like this: "I played two music". Actually, I was suggesting that, for me, "musics" sounds more "correctly". Then, she said that "I played two music" is indeed wrong and the correct is: "I played two pieces of music" or "I played two musical pieces". Can you explain why, And give some more examples of ways to use the word "music" in the plural form?


"Figure 1 and 2" or "Figures 1 and 2"

I would like to know which one of the following is correct: >   1. Figures 1 and 2 indicate that... >   2. Figure 1 and 2 indicate that... >   3. Figure 1 and 2 indicates that... >   4. other possibilities? >


I'm looking for a word that begins with C,and means that a topic has been previously researched/studied

I don't actually know if one exists but it would make my life easier if anyone could think of one.


"which is to the best of our knowledge" vs "which to the best of our knowledge is"

I would like to know which one of the following is correct: >   1. We ran the experiments on the XXX, which is to the best of our > knowledge the largest publicly available sample of YYYs. > >   2. We ran the experiments on the XXX, which to the best of our knowledge > is the largest publicly available sample of YYYs. > >


What is the origin of 'aqualung'?

I don't mean the diving equipment, but used as a synonym to 'homeless man'. Is it used as a common phrase or just an invention of Ian Anderson.


Is “haphazard” a unique word?

Is **_haphazard_** the only word where _ph_ is not pronounced like /f/?


Meaning of 'swung around' in this context

I was chatting with my client, and he said the following sentence in between: > Oh, also **_swung around_** with the CreditCard folks, we'll need to do some > validation against their production system at somepoint to...not sure what > is involved for that to occur Although, the exact meaning of it is not required to understand the sentence, but when I looked it on dictionary, I couldn't find any verb that fits this. I can only guess that it means "he had a chat or conversation with the credit card folks".


Help with wording of a sentence

I want to construct a sentence that says the following: **Objects belonging to a king should be treated in a certain way, and what you presented is clearly an object of this kind.** I couldn't find a nice way to phrase it: > -Why did you paint the ball yellow? > > -Because you didn't ask me to paint the ball blue. > > -Well, all balls should be painted blue, I told so in the meeting yesterday. > > - _Then please write this on the bulletin board. Policies, which what this > clearly is, should be posted on the bulletin board._ How should I phrase the last sentence?


An adjective for the word "reference"?

What is an adjective for the word " _reference_ "? I want to write something as: > For your _reference convenience_ , I have attached the following documents. However, clearly, " _reference_ " is not an adjective for this sentence to be syntactically right. What would be an adjective to the word " _reference_ " to tell the idea that an action was done so that the recipient can _refer_ to something _conveniently_?


The name given to the trail of afterburn (of a jet perhaps?)

What is the name of the trail (of after burn) left by a jet? I know it's something nearly like "after burn", but I can't be sure as I've not used it for quite a long time!


Wouldn't have been alone

Listening to the BBC one of the journalists made the following utterance when discussing a historic figure, "The Khan". > A: For merchants the crucial issue was protection when traveling.   >  B: I think they _wouldn't have been alone when traveling._ Shouldn't this simply be "would be" or "weren't"?


Word to describe using sarcasm or a similar approach to lead someone to recognise their own mistake

When reading some work of a friend, I noticed the sentence "When in doubt ask me". Instead of simply pointing out that it could use a comma after doubt, I read the sentence aloud with no gaps or punctuation, as it is written. When I was corrected that there should be a pause, I smiled and remarked that there was no punctuation to indicate this and my friend realised their own mistake. When asked why I didn't just say that, I remarked that I was just being **__** for the sake of amusement. I used "spurious", but having re-read its definition, that is not the correct word to describe the way I acted, because it means: `Not being what it purports to be; false or fake: "spurious claims".` I don't think "sarcastic" covers what I did either and I'm at a loss for the word to use.


Is it “payment on/to/of something”?

Which preposition should be used in the following situations — _on_ , _to_ or _of_? >   1. payment on/to/of something. >   2. Here is the money to/of it. >


"Destiny" vs. "Fate"

I'm aware a search will turn up many discussions on the differences or interchangeability of these terms, but it would be good to get some answers here with an emphasis on the etymology of the two words. Does the usage history of these words add connotations beyond their dictionary definitions?


Can or should you use two ellipsis points in one large quote?

So if i were to quote an author and I want to add a later part to an earlier part by putting it in the middle of the first quote? an example : > The researcher, led by Woo-Suk Hwang, insist they cloned an Afghan hound, . > . . [and] [o]ne of the dog's co-creators, Gerald Schatten of the University > of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, described Snuppy . . . as 'a frisky, > healthy, normal, rambunctious puppy.' Would that be how to properly do it?


How to Make Up Comebacks when Somebody Calls You?

I heard when I called somebody they answered "You" or "Yo" . . Which one is correct? and what does it mean?


Paraphrasing to confirm that I understand

I'm looking for some precise and concise ways of saying: > I may or may not have understood you and will confirm by paraphrasing: > _[...]_ "In other words, _[...] **_?** " seems to be used often, but I feel like without the question mark it means: > I understood what you said and will prove it by paraphrasing: _[...]_ I realize the inflection of a statement is often the only thing separating "I think" from "I'm sure," but I'm wondering if there are other options besides "in other words." I say "paraphrasing" but it doesn't necessarily need to imply that I'll definitely be using different words, just needs to imply that I am not positive I understood. _Note:_ To explain some of the answers below, this was previously titled **_Echoing** to confirm that I understand_; however, I edited it as one user pointed out echoing means specifically a word-for-word repetition and that is not necessarily what I'm looking for.


Show I use "lay," "laid," or "lain" in the following passage?

> The ground was ice-cold, no hint of anyone having lay/laid/lain there at > all. Which one is the correct option?


He has only laid down for an hour today?

I would like to express that a person has only reclined for an hour so far today. Is it correct to say: > He has only laid down for an hour so far today. or is it perhaps: > He has only lay down for an hour so far today.


Relative clauses with prepositional verb phrase

>   1. The people **ø** you work **with** are your 'colleagues'. >   2. The people **that** you work **with** are your 'colleagues'. >   3. The people **who** you work **with** are your 'colleagues'. >   4. The people **whom** you work **with** are your 'colleagues'. >   5. The people **with whom** you work are your 'colleagues'. > Which sentence is the least likely and why?


Is it correct to say "We did a make"?

When we build software using Make or a similar build tool, is it correct to say "We did a make"? Also, do we need to say "The files were built using make" instead of "The files were made"?


Do subordinating conjunctions subordinate clauses with verbs only?

>   1. **While** in Rome, John took a lot of pictures. > >   2. **While** he was in Rome, John took a lot of pictures. > >   3. **Although** on vacation, John calls the office often. > >   4. **Although** he is on vacation, John calls the office often. > >   5. Many people have a disinclination to recognize the weakness of their > analytical skills **while** willing to admit their lack of computer skills > or other technical skills. > >   6. Many people have a disinclination to admit fault **while** recognizing > that they can’t possibly be in the right all the time. > > Both While and Although are subordinating conjunctions, I am confused whether they should be followed by a full clause (with verb) or not. Which one of the above examples are incorrect? I have seen many "while +ing," modifiers whereas Although **must** be followed by a clause which has a subject and a verb. Is that correct? Which subordinating conjunctions (as in ON A WHITE BUS mnemonic) must be followed by a clause with verbs and which ones are more flexible? Excuse my English - not a native speaker.


"glad to receive something" or "glad to have received something"?

which is correct? "I am glad to receive your letter." or "I am glad to have received your letter." The intent is to talk about a specific letter recently received in the past.


Neutral alternative to "deny" to mean "assert the untruth [of a claim]"

The term "deny" means to reject the truth of some claim. However, it often seems to imply the claim is in fact true, denial notwithstanding. > Smith continued to deny that he had shot Jones. I believe it is for this reason that Wikipedia lists it as a potential "weasel word" used to subvert the neutrality of encyclopedic articles. Is there an alternative to "deny" that does not carry this non-neutral connotation?


Contexts where a comma means “and”

A comma is commonly used as a short form of the word _and_ in newspaper headlines. In what other contexts is this convention common? This question came to mind as I was trying to parse the following clause from “A Visit from St. Nicholas”. The comma between _obstacle_ and _mount_ seems like it must represent the word _and_. > As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,   >  When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;   >  So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,   >  With the sleigh full of toys — and St. Nicholas too:


Is the -re "supposed" to be silent in the pronunciation of "macabre"?

Is the "-re" supposed to be silent in the pronunciation of the word _macabre_? I'm aware that dictionaries give two pronunciations, \məkäb\ and \mekäbrə\, but is one of them just a fixed "error" of the other, when the loan word from French was first imported? In other words, which pronunciation is more historically true?


What is it called phonetically, when Americans change the pronunciation of "pronunciation" to "pro-*noun*-ciation"?

I used to have quite a bit of trouble spelling the word _pronunciation_ because it's a long word, and because the way I pronounce it misleads me -- I say "pro-noun-ciation" instead of "pro-nun-ciation". What would a phoneticist say I was doing when I change the quality of the vowel?


Why is the word "movie" shown in spell check?

The spell check in Chrome or text-editors show the word "movie" as a spelling mistake, why? ![movie shown as auto-correct error](http://i.stack.imgur.com/tI1FH.png)


"Contemporaneous" vs "simultaneous"

I've done a bit of searching but cannot find a definitive distinction between _contemporaneous_ and _simultaneous_. I personally use the words interchangeably. Am I correct in doing so?


Which is appropriate while addressing in-laws? > My mother-in-law and father-in-law are visiting us this weekend. Or: > My mother and father-in-law are visiting us this weekend.


Question about "And / Or"

I see this cropping up more frequently, particularly in legal discussions. My understanding was that OR included both logical clauses of AND and OR. Has it become necessary to specify "and/or" vs. plainly "or"?


How can I refer to a nose in a pleasing manner?

I'm trying to figure out a word that describes a nose in a pleasing way. I.e. > The smell of freshly baked bread wafted into the **__** of passers by. _Nasal cavity_ — too scientific, _beak/snout_ — too animalistic, _nose_  — too boring.


Should I use 'is' or 'are' in this sentence? >   * Are Joyce and I going to finish the posters? >   * Is Joyce and I going to finish the posters? >


Hyphenating "Evolution"

I've noticed that how the word "evolution" is hyphenated according to Wolfram|Alpha doesn't match the ones I find on other sites: The Free Dictionary, and Dictionary.com. As I understand, the latter is the correct one (ev·o·lu·tion). I think that the "wrong" versions (e·vo·lu·tion) better match the pronunciation. I want to think it's a matter of evolution of the language. Why is there a difference in how the word can be hyphenated? Which one is correct, and why?


Why is the initial "ts" sound (e.g "tsunami") pronounced as "s"?

Why is the word "tsunami" often pronounced as "sunami"? Can English speakers pronounce "ts"? Is it because the initial "ts" looks foreign?


"puzzled why" vs "puzzled as to why"

Is "puzzled why" correct as well? Is it just a choice of style? Or is there a difference in meaning? And if so, I'm curious (as to) what that difference is.


Is "observant" exclusive to vision?

The word "observant" means "watchful" or "perceptive": > A particularly observant child, he noticed even the slightest changes in the > classroom. is the example given by M-W. Specifically excepting the definition of "observant" that relates to following customs, is "observant" strictly visual? I ask because I was having a couple of pints with a friend of mine who is blind. We were discussing expressions related to vision that people use without thinking, and then apologize to him for. For instance, "Can you look over this paper for me?" He said that these expressions didn't bother him in the least, and thought it was amusing that people would trip themselves up over it. When I commented on his "observations", he remarked that that didn't bother him either, and further indicated that a person cannot be observant without vision. An increasingly drunken discussion of the origins and meaning of "observe" ensued, and now I have no idea which side either of us ended up on. I know that "perceptive" is one definition of "observant", so I suppose it may generalize to all senses. If that is the case, are there specific words to describe being (the equivalent of) observant in other modalities (hearing, touch, taste, etc.)? EDIT: I should emphasize that of central importance in the debate was the origin of the word itself: "ob" meaning _over_ and "servare" meaning _to watch_ , i.e., "to watch over". This origin ought to imply that _observe_ at its root is related to vision, but the counter-claim to that argument is that "servare" _itself_ is derived from PIE "ser" meaning _to protect_ , which would not necessarily have anything to do with vision. So if we're in agreement that _observe_ can be used for the other senses, has anyone found other words to describe "observant hearing" (for instance)? Maybe derived from "to listen over" or something like that?


Would one call this situation ironic, sarcastic or ...?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What are the similarities and differences between "irony" and "sarcasm"? Say I buy myself a CD of an album titled _Scratch_ and the actual CD has a scratch on it; possibly by mistake. Would I call this situation "ironic", "sarcastic" or is there another word for it?


What does “Swish of skirt” mean? Why is it a sexist expression?

Time magazine (March 13) carries AP’s report on North Korea’s radical reaction against ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills under the headline, “N. Korea criticizes S. Korea President’s ‘ _Swish of skirt_.’” The article begins with the following lines:’ > “The body that controls North Korea’s military is dismissing South Korea’s > new president, Park Geun-hye, with a sexist comment about the “ _venomous > swish_ ” of her skirt.” Though “Swish of skirt” means to me just the sound of the fluttering hem of a skirt, and no more than that, I suspect this has special meaning as the words are put in parenthesises, and moreover they were discharged from the war- mongering country. What insinuation does the word, S. Korea President’s ‘Swish of skirt’ have? Is “Swish of skirt” unordinary expression in English? Does ‘skirt’ really have a ‘sexist’ implication as AP says in today’s gender equality world?


Is "Thanks a ton" a commonly used phrase?

Is it correct to say so? Does this mean the same as "thanks a lot"?


Which is more common, using “who . . . is” or “whom . . . are”?

Which of these would you say? > The married couple **who** the police caught **is** on drugs. or > The married couple **whom** the police caught **are** on drugs. Why?


What does “it’s no game” mean?

I’ve recently heard David Bowie’s song where he sings > To be insulted by these fascists   >  Is so degrading and it’s no game. Is _it’s no game_ some kind of a metaphor or a widely used idiom, or maybe some kind of this particular song specific expression? Or should it be simply taken literally?


Meaning (and History?) of "back of"?

I've come across the term "back of" (meaning "behind" in a physical or metaphorical sense) in a number of different works from around the turn of the 20th century*. Was this a linguistic fad of some sort that (thankfully) died out somewhere in the Twenties? When used, it seems to convey some kind of rhetorical emphasis which I notice but do not _feel_ , if you know what I mean. It has a sort of _slangy_ feel. Is there a story here? ~~Also, it often consumes any article that might otherwise precede the next noun.~~ It suppresses a preceding preposition. _In back of_ is written simply _back of_. *. I'm an introverted intuitive and often I cannot access my full memories on a topic at first. So I don't presently remember which works they are, but if nobody freaks out about that and changes _the mood of the room_ on me, I may very well remember shortly.


Why 007 said "You weren't using it"?

I've watched 007 skyfall. Had one scene, that Agent was driving and 007 sat beside her. She drove very fast and then car side mirror was removed because crashed with something beside the road. after that 007 said: > "You weren't using it?" instantly (after mirror was removed about 1 sec - 3 sec) Can you explain to me why he use this tense for this situation and do you have any alternative sentences for this situation?


Using articles before titles beginning with articles

What are the rules for the use of articles before titles beginning with articles? Which of the following sentences is correct?   1. I went to **the The** New York Times office this morning.   2. I went to **The** New York Times office this morning.   3. I went to **the** New York Times office this morning.   4. I am reading **a The** New York Times article.   5. I am reading **a** New York Times article. Are "the The" and "a The" grammatical? If not, which is the article that should be dropped? Or is it simply a question of style? According to Google, there are 90.3 million instances of "the The New York Times" on the Internet including 340,000 hits within the nytimes.com domain. I'm sure that there are plenty of false positives, but there are genuine cases too such as in the following sentence: > Writers from **the The** New York Times Dining section share Thanksgiving > memories.


Difference between chastise and lambaste?

Is there a difference between chastise and lambaste? When should one use chastise and when should one use lambaste?


Is the word “Galapagos” transferable into adjective and verb to mean “outdated, fossilized” in English?

We have a word “Gala-kei-ガラ携” which is an abbreviation of “Galapagos (shortened as Gala” and “mobile phone (shortened as “Kei”) meaning outdated mobile phone as opposed to advanced smart-phones in Japanese. We also call a person who sticks to old way of thinking “Galapagosu jin –ガラパゴス人.” Jin means people. I heard in this site that most nouns can be used as a verb as well. For instance, an aggressive restaurant waitress retorts the patron by snapping back "Don't you 'young lady' me, smart guy," to the patron's growl,"You listen to me young lady," in the episode (http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2014/06/lunch-at-gitlitzs.html) in the New Yorker magazine I quoted in my previous post, "What does “There she blows’” mean?" Is the word “galapagos” transferable into adjective (e.g. _galapagos mind-set_ ) and verb (e.g. _galapagosize_ ) in English to mean “outdated” or "anachronistic" in the same way as ‘fossil’ verbalized into ‘fossilize’? If it’s not transferable, what would it be the equivalent English word to “Garakei,” Garapagosu jin” and “Garapagostic bigotory?


Is 'much better' correct usage?

We say much is Positive degree and Better is comparative. How can they be combined?


Meaning of "classes meet at their regular times"

> Classes meet at their regular times, and we're able to attend as many (or as > few) as we want. — Source Does _classes_ in this sentence refer to groups of students or different lessons such as art class, math class etc.? If _classes_ means different lessons, is the word _meet_ used correctly since usually people instead of things are put before _meet_? Is "Meetings met at their regular time" correct?


On vs At with date and time

This must be a simple question for a native speaker. I know that we use "on" with dates: `I'll see you on January 1st.` And we use "at" with times: `I'll see you at 17:30.` But what preposition has to be used when we speak for date and time: `I'll see you on January 1st at 17:30.` looks ok. But what in this case: `It happened on 2014-01-01 17:30.` Is "on" correct when we are specifying the date and the time?


Why is this usage of "to" incorrect?

I am in communication with a friend who is learning English. I noticed her using "to" in the wrong context, but I'm unable to explain which rule she is breaking. > I can't access **to** Gmail.


Word for the point where you can feel the music throughout your body

When you are listening to music and you continue to turn the volume up, there is a certain point where you just sorta feel "full" of the music. It is a fabulous feeling. Is there a specific word for this? I thought nirvana may apply but I wasn't sure.


How to use “should” to express surprise and expectation respectively?

_The value should be zero_ can be read as two totally different meanings:   1. The value is zero, and we have expected that it would be zero.   2. The value is zero. But we have never expected that it would be zero. How to use _should_ to express surprise and expectation respectively like this case?


"Take the weight off your feet": offensive?

I kind of have the impression that the phrase, "take the weight off your feet," is offensive towards _fat_ people (sorry couldn't think of any **PC** terms). Is my impression correct? or have I just watched too many sitcoms? [I did try googling this - but came up with nothing!]


Adjective to replace "small" in "small part"

I am looking for the replacement for the adjective "small" as in "small part", e.g: > I am dedicating the small part of my article to.... which would not over-emphasize the fact of being small, but at the same time keeping it clear that it is not the major and most significant part.


Capitalization of the enterprise IT industry

I often find myself in the situation of wanting to capitalize the phrase "Enterprise IT" due to its frequency of reference as the title of my industry. It feels appropriate when I write: "In Enterprise IT ..."   "The Enterprise IT industry..." I would not be surprised if my capitalization is off here. Could one of you help me with a definitive answer to the argument?


Should ‘Ground Zero’ (site of old World Trade Center) be capped in all references?

Should _Ground Zero_ (site of old World Trade Center) be capitalised in all references?


Where does the word "totty" come from?

There's been a nice bit of totty on TV over the holiday period; that is attractive women. > girls or women collectively regarded as sexually desirable: But what is the etymology of the word? It's often used in "posh totty". Was it originally an upper-class term?


What is the possessive of "you guys"?

Most people seem to stumble over this. The problem can arise with any multi- word phrase that needs a possessive but ends in S, and so sounds awkward using the clitic apostrophe-S. I've heard this particular one variously rendered as:   * You guys'   * You guys's   * Your guys' / your guy's What's you guys...your...guises...what's your take on it?


Proper tense and form of questions

Would the following questions demonstrate a proper usage of English? Please, write thorough explanations. > Do you start understanding English songs? > > Are you starting to understand English songs? > > Do you start to understand English songs?


Fallacy vs Misconception vs Misnomer

Consider the following general statement: > Somebody with very little credibility is likely to win a debate. Given that the opposite is most likely true, how can we best describe the above statement? Is it a fallacy, a misnomer, a misconception, or simply a mistake? If I were to persist in calling this a fallacy, how appropriate would this usage be? I note that Merriam-Webster defines _fallacy_ as "a false or mistaken idea", which would surely encompass delusional statements like the one above.


Alternative to "Merry Christmas"

The common greeting for the new year is > I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Since Christmas has religious roots, it may not be suitable for people who are not religious. Shortening the greeting to > I wish you a happy new year seems lame. What's a charming alternative?


when does the noun "time" become a countable noun?

I am writing an email to my friend and want to use this sentence: "I am having a great time." I would like to know whether the above sentence is correct. Also, I know that time can be an uncountable or a countable noun. I would appreciate if you could provide some examples of the word "time" in sentences and could explain the usage of the word in each case. Thank you, Mun


"On this occasion" vs. "during this occasion"

Which one is correct? >   1. I met my future wife on this very American traditional occasion. >   2. I met my future wife during this very American traditional occasion. >


What do you call this kind of entrance with a roof?

I have recently become fascinated in observing these "towers" used as a front- gate entrance for a house. Do these have any special kind of name? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/2jaFT.jpg)   (For a slightly larger picture, click on this link) They of course vary in appearance, especially the styling of the roof (i.e., roof angle and material).


What is student discussion place called?

Is there any English (or in other languages) word for a place where students of different colleges discuss about activities (events, reputation) of their colleges/universities


Is it possible to say "ASAP" instead of "as soon as possible" when we speak?

Or is it just an abbreviation that should be written just on paper? I heard Al Pacino say " _asap_ " on the phone when he was talking with his friend. What about **pm**? Could we say **p m** instead of prime minister?


Capital letters in headlines

I’m not a native English speaker. I’ve noticed that in titles or headlines, many words often start with a capital letter while others are still lowercase. As an example, the title of my question would most likely be: > Capital Letters in Headlines I already found a solution on how it’s done, but I still want to know why.


How to refer to "streetlights" that are in parks and skating rinks?

I'm writing a novel, and the story is set in a roller rink. Similar to the one below: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/OpQSR.jpg)   How to refer to the "streetlights" in the background? _Disclaimer: I'm not native English speaker._ (I would also like to know if the one in the picture is actually a skating rink).


Is it correct to use the word 'etiquettes' for plural?

One of my friends argues with me that the plural for etiquette is etiquettes and for fish it is fishes. I was taught since ever that etiquette is plural as fish does. To support his statement he showed some references of word "fishes" in novels and magazines, however, he couldn't find "etiquettes" anywhere that I would accept (www.morewords.com/word/etiquettes and wiktionary). The disagreement remained because in his argument, he says the word came from french where it is measurable/countable, so should be in English. My argument is that it is just a derived word and does not mean the exact same thing, etiquette in English is not countable/measurable. Or is it? If he is correct, may I please be provided with some solid references?


Why do certain words have the same type of spelling but different pronunciation?

There are words like 'but' , 'cut' etc pronounced in the same way, but 'put' is pronounced differently. _Put_ has the same structure as _but_ and _cut_ (One 'u' between two consonants). So why is it pronounced differently ?


Why do written English vowels differ from other Latin-based orthographies?

Written English vowels differ from other Latin-based orthographies. Consider what the written vowels in the romance languages represent. Also, for example, consider this simple comparision between a few German and English vowels:                German    English     -------------------      a = [a]   a = [e]      e = [e]   e = [i]      i = [i]   i = [aj]      Has this always been so? Is the pattern regular? When and why did the shift occur?


Are there rules of pronunciation for words in English?

I know that there is at least one language we can pronounce based on the word's form (Vietnamese) which means that once you know how to write it, you will also know how to pronounce it. But in English, are English words like Chinese words, meaning that we can't pronounce the word based on its form and we must know the sound of the word in order to pronounce it correctly ? (like Pinyin for Chinese). For instance, the word `read` you must know it's sound is `/ri:d/` in order to pronounce correctly.


Reason for ambiguous pronunciation

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Why do written English vowels differ from other Latin-based orthographies? I noticed that in English some words that have the same letters (except for the first), have a different pronunciation, like: > bat (short a) > > bet (same sound but shorter) > > let (same sound) or > me thee fee or > dog (long o) hot (short o) Is there a (historical?) reason for it?


"Brief" and "complete" — need an intermediate between them

Let's say you have some ideas and are going to share them on the Internet. You have a Twitter account, a blog and an ability to publish your thoughts in a magazine. You're writing three articles, all containing exactly the same information, but these articles differ in their level of detail:   1. The first is the shortest one, it's for Twitter. There are no details, so I'd call it a pretty **brief** article.   2. The second one is for your blog, it's several times longer.   3. And then the third one is pretty large, a couple of pages probably. It's well-detailed, so I'd call it a **complete** article. So, the question is — what's the right word for the case 2? Any other three words to reflect these differences also will do (these should be _single words_ , not phrases).


Word usage: Date before

How one can say that a date must happen before other date, for intance: > The X starting date should be prior to the Y starting date. Is this sentence idiomatic or there is another way of stating that ?


What does "jakery" mean?

I was listening to a New Yorker podcast and came across the phrase "jakery", referring to the White House Correspondant's dinner. What does this mean? A cursory scan of online dictionaries did not provide me with an answer, though the context seemed to imply "joking". The Urban Dictionary indicates that "Jakers" is a euphemism for Jesus, so that does not help much. There is an Irish cartoon named "Jaker! The Adventures of Piggley Winks" which may back up the Urban Dictionary's explanation, but seems a bit blasphemous for children's TV. Edit: full text (found on the site): _Three nights later, at the White House Correspondents’ dinner, he deflated Trump with stinging bonhomie. The truly astounding aspect of the dinner was not the political **japery** but Obama’s knowledge that, as soon as the weather in northern Pakistan cleared, his own black helicopters would ferry a crew of Navy SEALs to bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad._ Long and Short, Martha got it in one. It's still a new word to me, but at least now I understand it. Read more http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2011/05/16/110516taco_talk_remnick#ixzz1Lz72WE7Q


A word to describe movie that shown only on internet

Is is ok to use the word "internet movie" for a movie that people have to pay money online and view only on internet, actually view only on any device that can connect to internet and play movie file. Example. The hirer agrees to hire the actor and the actor agrees to be hired as actor to play an internet movie. (hereinafter referred to as “The internet movie”).


Is it Sparsest or Most Sparse?

Is the superlative of the adjective _sparse_ , _sparsest_ or _most sparse_? Can both be used? If not, then which one is correct?


Word(s) for close family friends

There may not be anything better than in my title, but I have an idea I'm missing something. Is there a good way of expressing close friends of a family. The original and closest friendship may be with a generation now passed on, but a family-like relationship still exists. The best I can come up with is honorary aunt/uncle/grandparent, but that's a little specific.


Apostrophe or assume the possessive?

This question has divided the office into two camps. Camp 1 believes the correct way to indicate the relationship in this sentence is to use the client's name as a possessive, as in "When UltraGalactic's employees call the Customer Service line..." Camp 2 believes the apostrophe can be dropped because "UltraGalactic" is modifying "employees," and therefore the possessive is assumed. Frankly, I don't understand the uproar over typing two additional characters, but I'd appreciate your feedback.


How do you pronounce "macrame"?

I've heard a couple of pronunciations "macra **may** ", "ma **craym** ", " **ma** craym". So, which is the correct one?


What's the Australian or British way to say 'Ticket collector'?

I know Indians say ticket collectors while in Australia people are confused with this phrase. Please let me know how you would say that.


How to use "offset" when talking to a vendor?

I am having a problem with the word **_offset_**. This is what I'm going to type to my vendor: > If we do not receive your Statement of Account by 30 Mar '12, all payments > will be " ** _offsetted_** ". Is it OK to use _offsetted_ in this sentence?


How to express connection between several items

I want to express a connection from one thing to several other items in one phrase. Specifically, how can I correct the following paragraph: > Ghahremani et al (2013) showed that a significant negative relationship > exists between hindering factors, psychological, social, cultural, > managerial micro-scales, facilities, equipment and sport participation of > female teachers. to mean that there is a negative relationship between   * _"hindering factors and psychological, social, cultural, managerial micro-scales, and facilities and equipment"_ and   * _"sport participation of female teachers"_? Can "between" be used here or is there another way to say this?      May I also use "with" to re-phrase the above paragraph? e.g.   _..showed that there is a significant negative relationship between hindering factors and psychological, social, cultural, and managerial micro-scales, and facilities and equipment WITH participation of female teachers._


"Simultaneously" vs "concurrently"

Coming from a technical background I'm slightly confused. What is the difference between _simultaneously_ and _concurrently_? How do we use these words?


"Appear" followed by a verb: Necessarily a copula (linking verb)?

I’m wondering how I can structurally determine when a verb is being used as a copula and when it is not. Specifically, is the verb “appear” followed by a verb NECESSARILY a copula (i.e., linking verb)? One of my references (“An A-Z of English Grammar & Usage”, Longman, p.271), describes the following pattern for linking verbs: > > Other patterns typical of linking verbs > > (D) SUBJECT + VERB + TO BE + COMPLEMENT However, I cannot find a source that says that “appear” followed by any verb (such as in the following example) is always a linking verb: > Sarah appeared to have won.


Pronunciation of "loch"

How does one pronounce _loch_? I understand this is a term borrowed from the Scots. Dictionaries are not very helpful with the last syllable. What is the closest English mapping of _ch_?


Meaning of "long gone"

*The first artifacts were just wooden poles which have _long gone_ , but these were raised by men in times so ancient* I can't understand what "long gone" means here.


Why is "Good Friday" called "good", instead of sad or bad?

This Friday (Good Friday, April 22) is a day of sadness to the human kind. Then, why is it called _Good Friday_?


Why does Word not like this statement, "For each iteration"

Every time I type "after each iteration", Word tells me it has an issue with it. The specific issue is "Number agreement". What am I missing? My text is "XYZ must occur after each iteration."


Combined reference to multiple leave

Dictionaries(dictionary.com, OALD etc.) suggest that **_leave_** (absence from work) is a noun- uncountable, which means it has to be " **leave** " for plural. Also, searching SE to find Applying/earning/validating leave and What does the "leave" mean in "parental leave" and "unpaid leave"? did not help. The title I used might not be explanatory per se, I couldn't think of a way to better phrase it. I forwarded a combined leave request to my boss at work for several occasions at once. For instance, I requested for a casual leave on Friday, 6th July and Friday, 13th July and additionally a long planned leave from Wednesday, 25th July till Friday, 24th August. In reply, the approval e-mail read > Approved, forwarded **_leaves_** are granted. > > **N.B:** Please remain reachable on your cell phone and e-mail during all > your **_leaves_**. In my understanding, it should still be **_leave_** , but somehow **_leaves_** started sounding more correct as the reference was made to several instances of my **_leave_** (M-W illustrates an example and uses it for plural and wiktionary too). Is there a word " _leaves_ " for multiple instances of _leave_ if combined? Please quote a reference and any other usage. _**Edit** : added references which caused more confusion._


Should I use "software defect" or "software bug"?

The "bug" word seems to be so popular that it overshadows "defect" (in search results, in tags somewhere, even Wikipedia article is called "Software bug") despite of looking jargonesque. Is the word "bug" official term for this or it should be used only in informal occasions?


Has "segway" become an acceptable substitute for "segue"?

For a long time, I used the word _segway_ in relative contentment, as a useful word to mean "to transition to." As in: > We're getting off-topic. Let's segway to the next discussion point, shall > we? Then one day, and to my surprise, I was shocked, after making a comment on somebody's blog, to be haughtily corrected and informed that correct usage was actually _segue_, which apparently comes by the Italian _seguire_ , meaning "to follow." I was additionally told that _segway_ was a vulgar imitation used by know-nothings, a sort of word like _bonafied_ that instantly revealed one's class and relative ignorance. Wow! I had little doubt that the use of _segway_ was substatially bolstered by the hype and general pop-cultural awareness of Dean Kamen's famous flop, but back then, I'd always thought he'd fittingly named his vehicle after the word itself, and it was strange to me to learn that the Segway was in fact knowingly named after a corruption. On the other hand, this is a mistake I continually hear lots of people, even educated people, make -- cf. for example, whoever Joel is talking to at the 61st minute of the latest podcast. So has _segway_ become acceptable as a replacement for _segue_? Can _segue_ be considered all but dead? To be clear, as this is StackExchange, I'm not looking for, "ooh! I say it this way", and "no, I say it that way!" responses; I'm looking more for quantitative data, usage by established authorities (is the NYRB using _segway_?), and perhaps discussions from those who have written on this before.


Should I use "still" or "yet" in the following sentence?

> The atmosphere had relaxed a bit. Still/Yet, I couldn't stop thinking how > strange it was to watch my brother being insecure. Which on is the correct choice? I often get confused about which one to use. They seem interchangeable to me most of the time.


Word for "A person who has a busy life but still manages to do everything on time"

What's a suitable word for   "A person who has a busy life but still manages to do everything on time"? Thanks in advance.


Is "grammered" a word?

Can I get any details about the word _grammered_? Is there any relation between it and "grammatically corrected" or "grilled and hammered"?


What's the correct pronunciation of "epitome": "Epi-tome" or "Epi-tuh-mi"?

A friend said that epitome is pronounced as `epi-tuh-mi` and not `epi-tome` (with the tome like home). Who is right? Also, is the pronunciation purely dependent on the region where you learnt English?


'of a kind prescribed'

> In civil cases, in the Queen’s Bench Division, there is a right to a jury > under section 69 of the Supreme Court Act 1981 if:   >  ...   >  3\. any question or issue **of a kind prescribed** is raised [but none has > yet been so prescribed]. Would someone please explain clause 3? I tried substituting of a kind but I still don't perceive it. Also, what's the meaning of prescribed here? What's being prescribed?   I guess that 'raised' is the verb for 'any question or issue'? Source: P153, How the Law Works, Gary Slapper


What does “We should feel a ‘proxy regret’ for someone / something” mean?

I was drawn to the usage of the word, “proxy” in the following sentence of the article introducing the life and work of Vivian Maier (1926 -2009), a street photographer who took more than 150,000 photographs in her lifetime, while working as a nanny approximately 40 years in Chicago. > Some tellings of Maier’s story suggest that perhaps we should feel a **proxy > regret** , that we should feel sorry about her solitude, her rages, her dark > edges, her impecunious existence. Shall we make her a martyr or can we allow > that she may have had the life she wanted? How did she see herself? We know > that she was looking at that, too—the copious self-portraits prove it. > http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2014/05/vivian-maier-and-the- > problem-of-difficult-women.html#slide_ss_0=1 CED defines ‘proxy’ as: noun.c.u. Authority given to a person to act for someone else, such as by voting for them in an election, or the person who this authority is given to. OED also defines it only as a noun meaning;   1. The authority to represent someone else, especially in voting.   2. A person authorized to act on behalf of another.   3. A figure that can be used to represent the value of something in a calculation. None of the above definitions seems to be applicable to the phrase, “feel a proxy regret.” Is ‘proxy’ in the above quote used as a noun or adjective? What does it mean? Is it like ‘a sort of’?


What would you call these people?

What would you call a person who searches around the block looking for useful & used stuff to buy? Also what would you call a person who sells stuffs that are no longer being used at home?


Where do I use (and not use) "that?" (not a vs. "this" question)

Given this sentence, the _that_ **feels** unnecessary: > If I believed that I were in a position to do so, I would. I find these seemingly spurious instances of _that_ working their way into my prose all the time. Another example where it seems unnecessary: > I've been around people so critical that I ceased hearing them. My question is: What is the grammatical basis determining where _that_ is appropriate in sentences like these?


"on Mondays" v. "on Monday" with the adverb, "always"

Are all of these correct?   1. I wash my car on Mondays.    2. I always wash my car on Monday.    3. I always wash my car on Mondays. I know #1 is correct, and it means every Monday. However, I'm not sure if #2 is correct. If we use the adverb "always," is it necessary to put the "s" at the end of "Monday"? I think for #3 the use of "always" adds emphasis to the fact that it is every Monday.


Is "at least" a parenthetical expression requiring commas?

Is this sentence punctuated correctly with no commas surrounding "at least," or does it need them? Why or why not? Adverbial phrase? Essential or nonessential? I have been looking at it too long and can't tell anymore! > Well, there was the one time at least the mother had him in the store. **N.B. This is a transcript of actual testimony in a court case being transcribed, so the wording cannot be changed.**


A single word for “blind” and “slow on the uptake”

We have a word _tiomny_ in Russian which has the meanings _blind_ , _dim_ , and _dumb_. Is there a word (possibly slang) in American English which is as close in meaning to both _blind_ and _slow on the uptake_?


"Assailant" vs "Attacker"

Besides sports in which an attacker is an offensive player, is there any difference between _assailant_ and _attacker_? > a person who attacks somebody I guess _attacker_ can also be used for animals but not _assailant_. Is there anything else or are they fully interchangeable when describing a person who physically attacks somebody else? Can both words also be used when talking about psychological attacks, like insulting, bullying, etc?


What does "count off" mean as a noun?

I looked up Webster, Oxford and some other sources and fund nothing for the meaning of "count off" in the followig sentence. > Each track on the CDs that accompanies the book is presented with an intro, > **count off** , occasional instructions and piano part. The track is > immediately followed by a version without **count offs** , instructions, or > piano.


Word which describes a thing which is to be considered

I'm after a word to use as a heading for a list of questions which need consideration. This list of questions is adhoc and will not be repeated - they are specific to a single document which, once it's served it's purpose, will never be reused. "Considerations" means something different, I keep coming back to phrases and am now suffering mental block. "Ponderings" seems to imply it is something that I've thought about but these items are things I want other people to think about. Phrases which describe the word I'm after would be things such as:   * Things to be considered   * Questions to be considered   * Things to be thought about My particular list is to do with a human resources issue and, having addressed various issues elsewhere in my document, I'm left with a residual list of questions which need to be considered such as:   * should ZHCEs accrue annual leave whilst taking annual leave?   * should ZHCEs be allowed to transfer annual leave across leave periods?   * under what circumstances should ZHCEs be allowed to take leave before it has been accrued? Any ideas?


What is the difference between "to oblige" and "to obligate"?

What's the difference between oblige and obligate? Speculating, is the latter an Americanism of the British former? Or is there any distinction about what/who has caused someone to be oblig(at)ed to do something?


"A less preferred approach"

I want to indicate that one approach to solve a problem is less preferred than another approach. How to phrase it correctly? Is it grammatically correct to state it this way? > Modeling x and y is a less preferred approach.


Good Job Yourself

Ray: Good Job, Ken!   Ken: Good Job, Yourself! "Good Job, Yourself" - is this one of ways to say "you too"?


Grammaticality of "I have a car, neither does Sara"

Can we say "I have a red car. Neither does Sara." or must we say "I have a red car but Sara doesn't."? I have read this on a website and they said that the first sentence is incorrect but I don't think the same so I need your help.


"In avoiding failure" vs. "For avoiding failure"?

> 1: In avoiding failure, we must be careful. > > 2: For avoiding failure, we must be careful. What are the subtle differences between the two sentences?


Is there difference between "go with" and "come with"?

There is no social shaming that comes with knowing nothing about our local politicals. (Joe Clein Column, Time Magazine, August26) Can I change "come with" into "go with" here? It seems to me that "go with" is too much used as an idiom to mean something essentially or normally goes together with something else. But here the author is just to negate any necessary relation between the two things. Is the difference between "come with" and "go with" based on, or related to, the difference between "come" and "go"? Maybe the difference between them is just a product of habit?


what does "harmony" mean in the context in Marshall McLuhan's global village video?

I found this interesting video here http://nickbogardus.com/post/10698767773/mcluhan-on-the-global-village > "The global village is a world in which you don’t necessarily have harmony. > You have extreme concern with everybody else’s business and much involvement > in everybody else’s life. It’s a sort of Ann Landers column writ large… huge > involvement in everybody else’s affairs. So the Global Village is as big as > a planet and as small as the village post office." > > Marshall McLuhan So my understanding is that "harmony" means every chord manages their own, while a global village everyone is connected. But "harmony" has another meaning, if everyone creates a sound by random it's likely only noise, everyone have to adapt specific sound patterns (e.g. the triad C-E-G ) in order to create "harmony". So in this sense, to create harmony, you do have to concern others. So is the word "harmony" used properly in the above video context? Or am I missing something here? Can anyone share more about the usage of "harmony" in daily English?


Reduced color or paint

When I apply less amount of paint, how is the resulting color (or paint) called? Reduced color? Mitigated color? Diluted color? Modified color? Limited color? Decreased color? In other words, when I literally put less paint on the paper (for example, by applying it in thiner layer or by making lots of tiny dots), how to describe it in one word?


Is there a single noun that describes "need not"?

There are four types of deontic modality, which can be expressed by the following modal expressions:   1. Can   2. Need not   3. Must not   4. Must Out of these, 1, 3, and 4 respectively corresponds to the following nouns:   1. Permission   2. ???   3. Prohibition   4. Obligation Is there a simple word that corresponds to type 2?


Wedding invitations in British English

I'm an American calligrapher living in France, designing a suite of wedding invitations for a Spanish bride living in London! Complicated enough? I can't really go to the bride with questions regarding traditional wording in the UK, though some quick google searches have shown me that in England they don't follow Emily Post's rules... Could someone help me with a few of these?   1. In America, one is invited to a _wedding_ , not a _marriage_. It would be possible to request the pleasure one's company at a marriage ceremony, or a celebration of one's marriage... but NEVER simply the marriage. I've searched and haven't found any real authority on the British English of wedding invitation etiquette, and so I thought I'd ask here. Many online purveyors of wedding stationery with .co.uk addresses seem to prefer "marriage" instead of wedding, though this seems grammatically incorrect...   2. I've always written out the date and avoided numerals for formal invitations-- "on Saturday, twenty seventh July, two thousand thirteen", but I'm seeing mostly Arabic numerals on .co.uk addresses (2013). Is this standard? Also-- the one example of a longhand date that I've seen on a UK site showed the year written as "two thousand and twelve". Two thousand twelve would be standard American, without the _and_. Can anyone clear this up for me?   3. the last line of the invitation, which mentions the reception venue: "and afterward at the Crescent Room" ---- I'm seeing "afterwards", which sounds awful to me, but is perhaps standard English?


"Roll" vs. "roll up"

Are these two verbs the same? According to Longman, they are the same. Here are some made up sentences: > I rolled this (up) into a ball.   >  Let's roll (up) our sleeves. (I made up these sentences just to ask if they could mean the same.)


Gold or golden nugget?

I can't figure it out. I've seen both been used, but a nugget is presumably gold, or can golden be used as well?


Is there a word for "re-parent"?

The definition for "parent" includes: > an ancestor, precursor, or progenitor. > > a source, origin, or cause. Is there a term that describes changing the parent of a child object to a different source, origin or cause? My first thought was "re-parent" or "reparent" but neither seem to be well accepted terms.


Why is “a” necessary before "Mr. X" and "Mrs. Y"?

There is the following sentence in the scene a reputed lawyer, Thomas Cohen gives advice to 16-year old client William Kane, the son of deceased bank owner on the issue of inheritance of his father’s property in Jeffery Archer’s popular fiction, “Kane & Abel.” > “Mr. Cohen continued. ‘The answer to your second question is that you have > no personal or legal obligation to Mr. Henry Osborne. Under the term of your > father’s will, your mother is a trustee of his estate along with **_a_** Mr. > Alan Lloyd and **_a_** Mrs. Millie Preston, your surviving godparents, until > you come of age at twenty-one.’" I wonder why it is **_a_** Mr. Alan Lloyd and **_a_** Mrs. Millie Preston. Here Mr. Alan Lloyd and Mrs. Millie Preston are too obvious to both parties concerned, and different from the case of being told by your secretary, "A phone from **_a_** Mr. Smith Brown.” What significance is added to by prefixing ‘a’ to the name in this particular case?


Word for "credit stealer"

While reading the novel "One night at call center", I came across this: > He's such a loser who steals credit of others. Viroom, we must teach a > lesson to this _credit stealer_. Now, I just want to know the synonym or a word to call people who steal credit of others, as in if a person A has done a task, but person B poses to the world that it was done by him and takes the credit instead.


The battery, etc., is (are?) included.

When “etc.” is used with a singular subject, such as in the following sentence, should the verb be singular or plural? > The battery, etc., is included.


meaning of - rite - at the companies names

There is bunch of companies that use `rite` at theirs names, like `Rite Aid` or `Shop Rite`, I was thinking about it like Right => Rite They looks like similar to pronounce, and you could think `Right Aid` or `Right Shop` but later on I found really meaning for `rite` that obviously makes the sense. So I wonder what's the right meaning:) that usually native speakers keep in mind when they think about `Rite Company`?


the function of the preposition "of" in a phrase ", those of the dynamic nature of,"

I'd very appreciate if somebody can help me understand the exact function of the preposition in the phrase between the two commas! > Everywhere we find the same leading motifs; the concepts of organization > showing new characteristics and laws at each level, **_those of the dynamic > nature of_** , and the antitheses within reality   >  (Bertalanffy 1952, recited by Golley 1993:33). (source)


Akward sounding paragraph

> The valves, **by way of the flaps** are able to control the flow of blood > through the heart because the flaps open and close during the contractions > of the heart. I think the bolded part especially, but also the sentence as a whole sounds a little bit awkward. Is their a way to make it more coherent?


Why does unremitting mean going on without interruptions? Here I think _un-_ means opposite. _remit_ means "send back". So _remitting_ means the action of _remit_. There seems no issue of whether interruptions are involved.


"Skim" vs "Scan"

I've looked up the words in a bunch of dictionaries and each one says something different. As I understand they're a kind of synonyms.   1. **I scanned the article for his name.** \- meaning, I read it quickly to find a his name?   2. **I scanned the article** \- meaning, there's no information about what I looked for but still I looked for something particular such as a name, not just I read it quickly ?   3. **I skimmed the the article** \- meaning, I just read it quickly?   4. **I skimmed the article to find his name** \- The structure of the sentence (mainly the prepositional phrase) comes into play and now it means the same as the first example? Am I wrong? They're just synonyms?


"with her" vs "to her"

Will it mean the same if I say: > I tied the knot with her. and > I tied the knot to her.


English equivalent of Greek saying

My Greek friend has told me a Greek saying, which roughly translates to: > The thief screams to frighten the landlord Effectively it means: _You are only making a fuss so that nobody accuses you, and you are the one who is guilty._ This seems like a very universal concept, and I was surprised to realise that I couldn't think of the English equivalent to this saying. Is there one?


What is a suitable word to describe a place where two rivers meet?

I've googled for a while and on some sites I've found the word "watershed" as the proposed word. Is it the word that best suits it?


Why would you write "ain't"? Isn't it a contraction only used in spoken English?

I often hear in English conversation or movies the contraction "ain't" (for "isn't"), but I am more surprised to see it in writing (and I am not referring to a novel, where I can understand its usage: convey common oral expressions in a text) See this question (on a technical forum) for instance:   "There ain’t `ListBox.SelectionMode=“None”`, is there another way to disable selection in a listbox?" Is it appropriate in that context (formal written technical question)?


Is there software that can determine whether I speak with a neutral accent?

I have a query regarding enhancing my accent. I am searching for a software in which I speak a paragraph and it compares my speech to find out whether it is accent-free or not.


Is using i instead of I for first person singular really bad?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is it ok to use "i" in lowercase or should you always use "I" (uppercase)? Is using **i** instead of **I** for first person singular noticed as a bad syntax error or is it acceptable?


Is there a grammatical error in the following sentence?

There is either one or no errors in the following statement. > Every spring in rural Vermont the sound of sap dripping into galvanized > metal buckets signal the beginning of the traditional season for gathering > maple syrup. There are two things I don't see right, one of which is obviously the culprit.   1. Directly after "rural Vermont" [Shouldn't there be a comma after it]   2. "signal" [The subject is "sound" (singular), so the verb should end in an s. I'm more on the side of the second one rather than the first. Or there could be no error at all.


Are there any words in English that have a plural with a separate derivation?

There are some irregular plurals in English (child/children, goose/geese), but all of the ones I know of share the same root word. In some languages, there are some irregular pairs where the singular form does not have the same root as the plural form, such as in Russian (год/лет, человек/люди). Are there any such irregular plurals in English?


Is ‘toasty-roasted’ well-received English?

I found the word, ‘ _toasty-roasted’_ in the article of the Art section of Time Magazine reporting the reputation of the recently released movie ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ under the title, ‘Box Office: Why Cowboys & Aliens Got Smurfed. The corresponding lines read: > “A farrago of live action and animation directed by mixed-media master Raja > Gosnell (Scooby-Doo, Beverly Hills Chihuahua) and starring Neil Patrick > Harris as the main human, the Smurfs movie got _toasty-roasted_ by the > critics: a hapless 20% score on Rotten Tomatoes.” From the context of the above sentence, I (could easily) guess ‘get toasty –roasted’ means receive ‘harsh criticism or grossly underrated’ by the critics. If my interpretation is wrong, please correct me. Meanwhile I checked the exact definition of the word on both Cambridge dictionary and Merriam- Webster online, neither of which has registered ‘toasty-roasted.’ while the latter shows the definition of ‘toasty’ as ‘pleasantly and comfortably worm accompanied with the example - ‘The room was nice and toasty’ which appears to be remote from being 'toasty-roasted' to me. Is ‘toasty-roasted’ a popular English word? I’m asking this because I was unable to find the word in dictionaries available.


Failed Experiment?

Is it proper to use the phrase "failed experiment" at all? And if so, should it refer exclusively to experiments that had some ineluctable flaw in the process of their implementation or can it also refer to experiments that achieved the undesired result? This could have some bearing on the formality with which we interpret "experiment" as "scientific experiment", touched upon here, but my more basic question is the validity of calling something a "failed experiment": Does that imply that the act of experimenting _was itself_ a failure or that it _resulted_ in a failure. It would sound like the former, but I think the interpretation is often the latter.


is there any reason to write Computer Science, Department of

On some universities’ web pages, like Oxford university, they write: > Computer Science, Department of For me it is more intuitive to say: > Department of Computer Science Can somebody explain why a preference is given?


Where did the word 'dismantle' come from?

I know that _mantle_ has many different meanings... Noun:   * a garment (loose, sleeveless cloak/cape)   * something that covers, envelops, or conceals   * the part of the Earth between the crust and the core   * part of a shell in mollusks/brachiopods   * a wooden/stone frame around the opening of a fireplace Verb:   * to spread or cover a surface   * to blush   * to spread the wings and tail (of a hawk or falcon) over food So how did the word _dismantle_ *(to disassemble/pull down; to deprive of defenses)* come about? One would think that they are opposites!


Should I use "make" or "makes" in the following statement?

Should I use make or makes in the following statement: > Please explain why your experience and qualifications makes you the best > candidate for this position


American English Pronunciation of "o" sound long or short?

I'm always confused about how to pronounce words with letter _o_ in spelling. For example, in the word _boss_ , I always pronounce the _o_ as short o, when in fact it is long o. _Collar_ is short, but I always pronounce it the opposite way. What's the difference between words like _dog_ , _top_ , _caught_ and _cost_? /ɑ/ or /ɔ/ ? Are there any rules or law to decide whether to pronounce long o or short o?


Cleaning up / formatting verbatim quotations

Frequently, I have situations where I am in need of the ability to quote an individual who has written something verbatim that has some type of grammatical error. Although I would like to write it down verbatim, I do not want the spirit of the comment lost to the reader on the basis of an obvious grammatical error or short form. Here's an example: "lking forward to seeing more gbl etfs" Now, I know that this individual is saying "I'm looking forward to seeing more global exchange traded funds". However, this may not be clear to my reader without changing the text to reflect it. I've seen in newspapers, where they use some nomenclature "(...)","[x]" or rules for showing where they have changed a quotation in order to fit or clarify the quotation (most of the time, in context). My question is, where can I find these rules? What are they called? **Clarifying my Question:** I'm looking for rules for making the changes. I guess you would call it syntax. For example, how do you use [], (), ..., within a quotation to identify that a change has been made.


Collective noun for lightning(s) / thunderbolts

What is the collective noun for lightning(s) / thunderbolts? > A **____** of thunderbolts/lightning(s) Can we use the plural form of lightning with a collective noun? Or should it stay in singular form? For example: > The valleys of Grand Canyon were being struck by a **____** of lightnings > and rumbling like a giant open-air opera house with the following thunders. (Note: This would be a literary sentence than an everyday speech) ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/SCkx2.jpg) **Note:** A single lightning event is mentioned as a _flash_ and if it hits the ground or an object, it is mentioned as a _strike._ **Note 2:** Lightning is generally a mass noun but it can be used as a count noun also, especially in literary sense. OED has a definition for the literary sense as a count noun: > **_[count noun] literary_** a flash or discharge of lightning: _the sky was > a mass of black cloud out of which lightnings were flashed._ You can find literary usages in Google Books as well. Plural form was more common in 1800s and the usage has dropped dramatically but there are still some contemporary usages. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/aBJ5e.png) Lightning is used in plural form in technical contexts also. Below are the examples from a technical book called "Lightning Physics and Lightning Protection" (by By Eduard M. Bazelyan, Yuri P. Raizer) also. > The statistics of flight accidents show that aircraft of identical size may > differ considerably in the capacity to excite lightnings. > > * * * > > The lightnings people observe most frequently are descending discharges, > which originate among storm clouds and strike the earth or objects located > on its surface. Thunderbolt is a count noun. **Note 3:** Below is a similar question asked before:   Collective Noun for Fire The difference between fire and lightning in the context of countability is that fire is also both countable and uncountable but both senses have a common usage.


Is it grammatically correct to say 'Simple stuff shouldn't feel like an achievement'?

I'm not certain if stuff can be used as a singular in addition to its plural use so I can't establish whether this structure makes sense. The context is: picking your keys up off the floor shouldn't hurt because of back pain, which would make it feel like an accomplishment once you pull it off.


Mainly, First, second, third

It is correct? > Reduction first in starch, second in glucose and fructose concentrations. from "first", I mean "mainly". May I use "mainly" and "second"?


How to deal with unknown plurality

I have just seen the following sentence fragment in some new internal technical documentation: > ... thereby meaning the Logging **thread(s) ha(s/ve)** less work to do. I've highlighted the part this question is about. This pattern appears a number of times in the documentation. While from a technical standpoint it makes sense as it enumerates all the possible permutations, it seems less readable to me. The target audience is technical but don't all have English as a first language so I would like to make it as easy to read/skim through as possible. What is the best way to deal with this situation? Always use the plural form? The singular? Something else? A little clarification based on some of the answers/comments so far: the application in question is multi-threaded and the degree of parallelism is configurable (so one to _n_ ). Also Logging was given only as an example. There are other parts that are equally capable of being parallelised, so answers shouldn't focus on the feasibility of multiple logging threads.


Origins of round in "round of applause"

A **_round of applause_** is a short period or burst of applause. What are the origins of the meaning of _round_ in this phrase, and indeed the phrase itself? Are there any other phrases that use _round_ in the same sense? I know of round of artillery and round of golf, for instance. For these phrases we might just as easily say an _artillery round_ or _golf round_ , but I don't think I've ever heard the expression _applause round_. So, do they have different meanings?


What is the abbreviation for "state"?

Obviously, when I go to Google this or search virtually anywhere I get a list of state abbreviations. But I'm curious, what would the proper way be to abbreviate the actual word _state_?


Is the phrase "by way of notice" an acceptable use of the idiom/expression "by way of"?

Oftentimes when I write emails to notifying co-workers of any planned absences I will say something along the lines of: > By way of advanced notice, I will be out of the office on Tuesday, April > 1st. Is this proper English? Is there a better way to say this? If this is improper, is there ever a valid sentence in which you could say "by way of notice"?


what is the difference between "hook up with" and "have sex with"?

I would like to know the subtle difference between _hook up_ and _have sex_. I'm asking because _hook up_ seems have a subtly different meaning than _have sex_ : in the situations I've heard this word it seems to mean sex without compromise, while _have sex_ is more general. On the other hand, the dictionaries say hook up = have sex.


Why is it incorrect to answer "because I have to finish my report by the end of this week" to the question "Why do you work so hard?"

I am working on an English book to improve my English skills and the book only gives the answer without explanation. The instruction is "Choose the best reply between A and B." Question is: Why do you work so hard? Answer A: Because I am only happy when I am busy. Answer B: Because I have to finish my report by the end of this week. In my opinion both answers are correct in term of grammar but answers B gives more clarity of the reason why I have to work hard. Am I right? If no, why?


Swim into the water

Is it correct to say "I swim into the water" as a synonym of "I dive"? Thank you


"Minutes of meeting" or "Minutes meeting"

What is the right expression, "minutes of meeting" or "minutes meeting"?


Can you use "say" to refer to things on the internet?

When referring to something you read on the internet, can you use "say?" For example, can you say, "he said it on a forum" when speaking about a message someone posted. Or does say only refer to spoken words?