Sentences excluding "being"

I am wondering about a certain type of sentence construction which seems to somehow exclude the word _being_. For example, > A native English speaker, he was well suited for the task. > > Well versed in the English language, he was well suited for the task. These are different in essence: the first includes the noun in the first sub- clause and the second does not. Are any or both of these grammatically sound?


Why is it "an yearly"?

In the book _The Wealth of Nations_ , (Adam Smith, 1776), the words _an yearly_ are used. Why was this an exception to the indefinite article rules? Chapter VI, Book I: > At the rate of ten per cent therefore, the undertaker of the one will expect > _an yearly_ profit of about one hundred pounds only...


Literary device: frequently referenced object which never appears

What do you call an object or a person which is frequently referenced but never actually appears? For example, Godot from ‘Waiting for Godot’?


How would you punctuate something like this?

> She took a step away from me. Then a second. And a third. Are periods acceptable here?


I <verb> and am <rest of sentence>

I sometimes find myself writing something like this: > XXX is a project I admire and am very interested in. The "I `<verb>` and am `<something>`" feels strange here. It somehow sounds more natural in the 3rd person "he admires and is very interested in". Am I just imagining - is it OK to use this construct, or should I use something completely else?


Using a comma in a sentence with multiple "and"s

The sentence I'm having trouble with is: > Track monetary and material donations and compose gift acknowledgement > letters. I am trying to express that I keep track of both _monetary and material donations_ **and** also _compose gift acknowledgement letters_. Should there be a comma after _donations_?


For an interface I'm working on, there's a command available to a user called "Put Item On Hold." Or possibly it should be "Put Item on Hold," since the style guide I'm using says that prepositions shouldn't be capitalised unless they're part of a verb phrase. Is "on" part of a verb phrase in "Put Item on Hold?" Is it a preposition? I _think_ the answer is yes, but I can't help but think there's more to it that I'm not thinking of.


One word for "short trip"

Is there any one word for "short/small trip/tour"? Or relatively similar word?


Proper use of 'request'

I am trying to find the best way to state the following.   1. You may need to request this information _with_ your optometrist.   2. You may need to request this information _at_ your optometrist.   3. Something else entirely. Can anyone help me out?


Origin of "come in handy"

Where did the phrase "to come in handy" originate, and what exactly does it mean? My understanding is that it essentially means _to be useful_. Is this correct? As far as origins, I have no idea. Etymonline did not seem to know, either.


Should the second part of a semicolon-separated sentence be capitalised?

In another question this example of semicolon usage is given: > When dinosaurs agree on something, they often high-five one another; > dinosaurs are all about high-fives. However, I have also seen the following style before, where the second part acts like a regular sentence with the first word capitalised: > When dinosaurs agree on something, they often high-five one another; > Dinosaurs are all about high-fives. I can see the reasoning: the semicolon is bridging two sentences. Which one, if any, is correct? Is it simply a style issue?


When did the alternative meanings of 'beard' start being used?

I read that beard can mean something like "confront someone".. When did a word that means a little facial hair turn into a hostile verb?


What was the idiom for multitasking before chewing gum was invented?

A colorful idiom for someone who can only do one thing at a time is > he can't walk and chew gum at the same time Obviously, this only makes sense if you know what the heck _chewing gum_ is. Was there a similar phrase in vogue before chewing gum became popular? For that matter, when did _walk and chew gum_ enter the lexicon? Is it true that this is a sanitized version of Lyndon B. Johnson's description of Gerald Ford? (The original purportedly had "fart" instead of "walk".)


When I show screenshots and I want those who see the screenshot to focus on the area of the screenshot I marked as surrounded with a quadrilateral (usually a rectangle), I would say "see the area _encircled_ in red". It turns out that this is an incorrect usage of the word "encircled", as it means "to surround somebody/something completely in a _circle_ ". Is there a word similar to "encircled", but meaning "to surround in a rectangle or a quadrilateral", instead of a circle?


Is there a simple word -> noun/verb/pronoun table?

I'm after a basic list of words and their "role" in language. It could be plain text, excel, csv, but all I want is, eg:               cat noun     run verb      etc. Simple as that. I'm teaching a young friend who's also a bit poor on the "parts of English" (as am I - I don't even know the collective noun for "nouns/verbs/adjectives etc") some basic programming, so we thought we'd make a simple Google spreadsheet lookup table language tester. This is NOT a programming question - that part we can do, but having drawn many dead ends with either over-complicated web pages (ie: dictionary sites wrapped with adverts and extra html) or endless "hackers dictionaries" (just massive word-only lists) I wondered if anyone here had any ideas. Sorry if this is the wrong place, but it's called "English language" so I thought it might fit. Thanks.


Meaning of “crossing someone”

What’s the meaning of _cross_ in this sentence: > She had a very stern face and Harry’s first thought was that this was not > someone to cross.


What are the meanings of ' and beyond' in 'beyond' in 'Building forms and beyond'?

Here is the context: > This chapter covers > > Generating HTML with UI component tags > > Building forms and beyond > > Snazzing it up with templates and themes > > Surveying the components


What is the best way to idiomatically translate this pun into English?

I'm trying to translate some text from Russian to English. The text discusses both chairs and power over people (it is a fantasy work discussing a Chair of Power for a Lord). At one point, it has a pun using the word " _посадить_ " (" _posadit_ '"), which works in Russian, because that word has two meanings:   1. Literally, it means "to sit (someone) down"   2. idiomatically, "to put in jail" (e.g. so the person sits in jail). **Is there a way that this pun can be - at least approximately - translated into English?** * * * The full sentence is: "And this [Chair] is for the Dark Lord, so he can sit everyone" "And this [Chair] is for the Dark Lord, so he can jail everyone" Original russian: "И один - Властелину, чтоб всех посадить".


What does the phrase "Real mature with that one" mean?

What does the phrase "Real mature with that one" mean (US English I guess)? Please see ux question #226, second comment, which reads: > Real mature with that one. – Charles Boyung Mar 10 '11 at 19:20 How can it be rephrased? Is it a crude expression? In what cases can it be used? For an example of "real mature" by itself, see page 199 of **Enlightened** , by Allyson Richards, where narrator comments "Real mature, Doc, real mature" after a doctor speaks with his mouth full.


"Forget" vs. "would forget" vs. "forgets"

Is the format of this sentence correct: > If he had to describe himself in 5 words, he’d say he’s curious. And then > forget to give you 4 more words. There were some conflicts between a colleague and me, whether or not the sentence should be one of the following: >   * If he had to describe himself in 5 words, he’d say he’s curious. And > would then forget to give you 4 more words. >   * If he had to describe himself in 5 words, he’d say he’s curious. And > then forgets to give you 4 more words. >


What is the plural of "scenario"?

What is the plural of "scenario"? I have always used "scenarios", but have recently come across "scenaria" and "scenarii". Should I be treating it as an Italian or Latin word?


Single word meaning a statement which is proving itself wrong

Eg. > Saline water does not contain salt. So it is a **__** statement. What is the word that should fill in the blank? This statement is clearly making itself wrong in its later part. What should it be called?


What is the verb form of 'to apply sequins to'?

I was talking with my boyfriend today about getting an altar cloth for some tarot cards and he said, "Good, you can bedazzle it yourself!" To which I said, "I wouldn't bedazzle it, I would sequent it...or is it sequin it?....I would apply sequins to it." What is the correct verb form of 'to apply sequins to'?


"All of a sudden" vs. "all of the sudden"

According to Google (63 million results), it should be _all of the sudden_ , though, 22 million results say otherwise, which one is correct?


How to pronounce "s" at end of word when next word starts with "s"

How do we pronounce "s" at the end of the word when the next word also starts with "s"? For example, > She has some apples: Do we need to add "s" after _has_ and before _some_ > like "she has s some apples"? > > He is single: Do we need to add "s" after _is_ and before _single_ like "he > is s single"?


Meaning of "hammer a socket on it and pop it off"

In a discussion on a pick-up truck car wheel theft, one person gave an advice to the victim that he "should have bought some locking lugs". This advice was disapproved by someone else in the discussion and said that it's not useful, "all you have to do is hammer a socket on it and pop it off, not hard to do." I'm trying to visualize how this works. What is a socket, how does it look like? All I know of a socket is the ones on a wall that you put a plug into in order to connect electrical equipment. Another relevant definition I found is "a device intended to hold an electric light bulb mechanically and connect it electrically to circuit wires." I'm not sure what this is, but I don't think it's what he's describing. So you hammer this _socket_ on the locking lugs, by the way, after looking it up I realized that the person may have misunderstood about locking lugs and I think he meant _locking lug nuts_ , which is a fastener used to secure a wheel on a vehicle that requires a special wrench to remove it. So you _pop off_ this lug nut after you hammered a _socket_ on it. _Pop_ I checked means "to suddenly break open or come away from something often with a short, loud noise". So I'm assuming this involves some kind of tool as well in order to _pop_ it off? How does this work, what am I visualizing? What is a _socket_?


"Committed to supporting X" vs. "committed to support X"

I'm trying to edit a speech and found a commonly used phase which I'm not sure if I should amend it or not. The sentence goes like this: > [a subject] is committed to supporting [a project]. Should I amend it to the following? > [a subject] is committed to support [a project]. Is the original version fine? Does the meaning change if I amend it?


Usage and acceptability of the word "queer"

This dictionary.com definition pretty much sums up my understanding of what the word _queer_ is supposed to mean. However, in modern times (at least here in the US, perhap someone else can speak for other regions), it seems the word has been appropriated to solely mean _homosexual_. Is it still acceptable to use the word in the sense of "odd", "strange", or "unusual", or does it now only carry a derogatory/offensive connotation? Would using it in this sense be considered offensive?


Can changing the order of adjectives alter the literal meaning of a phrase?

Someone recently pointed out to me that most English-speakers will say "I saw a big brown spider," rather than "I saw a brown big spider". However, the second sentence has the same literal meaning as the first. Are there instances in which adjectives are non-commutative, so that permuting the order of the adjectives changes the literal meaning of what's being said?


Meaning of 'jumps across' in sentence

The sentence is, > The English teacher jumps across the room with a large stick. Does it mean the English teacher really jumped from one position to another position?


Plural possessives of words not ending in s

So I know the difference between "the dog's owner" and "the dogs' owner," but I'm wondering how to write the possessive for a word like maxima. Is it as easy as "the maxima's positions" or is there some other weird English exception? Thanks.


Convolve vs. convolute

I understand that for common usage these words have distinct meanings. However in mathematics there is a process called convolution, and sometimes you hear "you need to **convolve** X" and sometimes "you need to **convolute** X". Similarly with related terms e.g. "to **deconvolute** the data" and "to **deconvolve** the data". From a bit of Google snooping I get the feeling that they are simply interchangeable, much like oriented/orientated. (Although the spellchecker flags "deconvolute" but not "deconvolve" in the above paragraph). Indeed, searching "convolve" in Wikipedia redirects you to the Convolution article I linked above. Are these words interchangeable? If so, is there so regional difference between their usage? I am compelled to snobbishly adhere to British English, after all. **EDIT** : The answer of user545424 doesn't convince me. For instance, there's an incomplete debate amongst engineers here with one saying that _convolute_ is more common, and others mentioning that _convolve_ doesn't even appear in dictionaries. A Google Ngrams search also suggests that _convolute_ is more prevalent, despite a decline in that and a rise in _convolve_. However, these last two cases are inconclusive because of the split between the common context of these words and the mathematical procedure named as such, where I'm only interested in the latter. Does anyone else care to present an argument backed up with sources?


What is the plural of "ostrich"?

I've noticed that it is often "ostriches" or "ostrich" according to different sources. Does it vary by the dialect of English? Normally I'd use Google to determine something like this, but unfortunately the search for "ostrich" plural is overcounted because of references to the singular "ostrich". Dictionaries laying around were inconclusive. One listed plural as "ostrich" another listed "ostriches". In cases where the dictionaries disagree or where there are multiple possible solutions I tend to go with the more common answer. That is something that can be easily found by googling, but not in this case


Word for sharing or to encourage sharing

Is there any other word for sharing? or to encourage sharing? Thanks in advance. Edit: I need to write something to encourage sharing information. (Let's share our experiences - something like this). I want to use some different words than usual ones. Please help.


a broad range of vs a wide range

Could you help me to point out the differences in the following sentences. for me both sentences imply same meaning. > The Restaurant , offers a broad range of locally caught fresh seafood, prime > steak and meat dishes > > The Restaurant , offers a wide range of locally caught fresh seafood, prime > steak and meat dishes


Satisfactory solution to the spelling of regular past participles of new verbs ending in a hard C

In my region, a medical evacuation by air ambulance is referred to as a "medevac" (also spelled medivac). Although this is a noun, in my observation it is more frequently used as a verb ("I'm going to have to medevac you," the doctor said.). I want to spell the past participle "medevaced" but this reads -- to me -- as though it should be pronounced _medevassed_ (rhyming with 'vast') or even _medevayssed_ (rhyming with 'waste') because there's an E after the C, making it soft. With "old words" like the verb "to arc," there appears to be a solution. I have seen the past participle of "arc" spelled "arcked" (and the gerund "arcking") though both more commonly I have seen spelled without the K. Although this drives me crazy because "arced" looks like it should sound like "arssed," at least there is an established alternative, the addition of the K. But because "medevac" is a new word (according to Merriam-Webster the noun entered the language in 1966, and there still appears no agreement on how to spell it), and because "evacuation" does not have a K, I am reluctant to add the K that "arc" enjoys. Is there a way around this problem?


Does "smug" imply anything about correctness?

My local dictionary supplies this definition: > having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one's achievements I was recently told by someone that, "It is only 'smug' if it isn't literally true." We had a lengthy argument but the dictionary definition above didn't clear it up for us since it doesn't talk about correctness. Can someone say something correct or literally true but still be smug about it?


Why is Geography is sometimes pejoratively referred to "Advanced Colouring In" as a subject? I have seen people use it as a joke but I don't understand what the joke is about.


Why is it “A president,” not “The president” in the sentence, “Voters re-elected a president who promised to fight for ...”?

The New York Times article (November 9) titled, “The Fiscal Cliff Opener” begins with the following sentence. > “On Tuesday, voters re-elected **_a_** president who promised to fight for > higher taxes on the wealthy, for more public investment and for careful cuts > in spending. Three days later, President Obama challenged Republicans to > extend the Bush tax cuts for the middle class, right now, and said he would > not accept a deal that does not require the wealthy to pay a bigger share.” I think I learned that we should use “the,” not “a” for the antecedent followed by the relative pronoun i.e. "that clause" in English language class of high school – it was more than 55 years ago for me. Why is it “ ** _A_** ,” not “ ** _The_** ” in the sentence, “voters re-elected **_a president_** who promised to fight for higher taxes on the wealthy, for more public investment and for careful cuts in spending.” The article sounds like to me saying U.S. voters happened to _re-elect_ **_a_** president out of a lot of presidents who ever promised to fight for higher taxes on the wealthy, for more public investment and for careful cuts in spending **_as well as_** President Obama. I don’t think there were _so many_ U.S. Presidents who actually promised _a set of agenda_ for raising taxes on the wealthy, increasing public investment, and cutting spending, and President Obama was _just one of them_.


Some help in understanding Dickens

It's from a page of "Our Mutual Friend". The specific phrases/vocabulary I didn't understand are in bold, while the general gists which are lost on me are in italics: > 'I merely referred', Mr Podsnap explained, with a sense of **_meritorious** > proprietorship_, 'to Our Constitution, Sir. We Englishmen are _Very Proud_ > of our Constitution, Sir. It _Was Bestowed Upon Us By Providence_. No Other > Country is so _Favoured as This Country_. [...] > > 'And other countries?', said the foreign gentleman. 'They do how?' > > 'They do, Sir,' returned Mr Podsnap, gravely shaking his head; 'they do - > **I am sorry to be obliged to say it** \- as they do.' > > 'It was a little particular of Providence,' said the foreign gentleman > laughing; _'for the frontier is not large'_ > > 'Undoubtedly,' assented Mr Podsnap; 'But So it is. It was the Charter of the > Land. This island was Blest, Sir, to the _Direct Exclusion_ of _Other > Countries_ as - as there may happen to be. _And if we were all Englishmen > present, I would say, 'added Mr Podsnap, looking round upon his compatriots, > and sounding solemnly with this theme, 'that there is in the Englishman a > combination of qualities, a modesty, an independence, a responsibility, a > repose, combined with an absence of everything **calculated to call a blush > into the cheek of a young person, which one would seek in vain among the > Nations of the Earth.** '_ > > Having delivered this little summary, Mr Podsnap's face flushed, as he > thought of the remote possibility of its being at all qualified by any > prejudiced citizen of any other country; and, _with his favourite right-arm > flourish, he put the rest of Europe and the whole of Asia, Africa and > America nowhere_. (*Is the capitalisation of certain words meant to signify irony?) Thanks very much.


Acceptation of "acceptation"

What may be the meaning of the word **_acceptation_** for general English usage? The Merriam-Webster lists primary definition as "1: _acceptance_ ; especially : favorable reception or approval" and follows on with "2: a generally _accepted_ meaning of a word or understanding of a concept" Oxforddictionaries online lists only one definition: " _noun_ a particular sense or the generally recognized meaning ( **common acceptation** ) of a word or phrase." The OAADonline too records just one entry: "( _linguistics_ ) the meaning that a word or expression is generally accepted as having". Would it be acceptable to use the word _acceptation_ in the sense of _acceptance_ , as in: "acceptation/rejection of a paper submitted to a conference"?


Is "heinz sight" an eggcorn of "hindsight"?

I've spotted a new eggcorn in the wild, that isn't mentioned in the eggcorn database. At least, it certainly has some of the elements of an eggcorn but is it a proper one? I'll let you decide. > Im fairly sure in **heinz sight** he perhaps regrets the decision ... Unfortunately the interlocutor later asked the question > Why is it called heinz sight anyway? casting doubt on the plausibility of the replacement.


The meaning of 'a black plunge of'

I can't catch the meaning of this sentence: 'I had a black plunge of shame.' Here is the passage from "The Magus" by John Fowles: Someone had knocked on the door. I was staring at a wall. I was in bed, I was wearing pajamas, my clothes were folded on the chair. It was daylight, very early, the first thin sunlight on the tops of the pines outside. I looked at my watch. Just before six o'clock. I sat on the edge of the bed. I had **a black plunge of** shame, of humiliation; of having been naked in front of Conchis, of having been in his power; even worse, others could have seen. Lily. I saw myself lying there and all of them sitting and grinning while Conchis asked me questions and I gave naked answers. But Lily — he must also hypnotize her; this was why she could not lie. Google doesn't help.Thanks for help.


"Do a shop" for "go shopping"

This has puzzled me for a few years now. When preceded by _'a'_ , _shop_ becomes a noun. Does "do a shop" even make sense then? The correct phrase for me was always "go shopping", or similar. Can anyone tell me where "do a shop" came from and whether it's grammatical? Take the article in the following link, from an Irish broadsheet newspaper: http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/parenting/i-have-seven-children-and-my- weekly-shop-includes-200-nappies-and-20-litres-of-milk-3217903.html   The headline, which appears to be a quote(but is not contained in the actual article body) shows an example.   Take the following line from the article _"it takes two trolleys to carry the weekly shopping"_. If we were to replace _'shopping'_ with _'shop'_ , would it still make sense?


What do you call someone who was doing bad things, and he doesn't anymore?

I'm searching for a meaningful word or expression for someone who did bad things (for example, insulting others, stealing phones...) in the past, and he stopped doing it in the present. Or simply the process of stopping doing bad things.


Word that describes a dramatic device that disrupts equilibrium

I am seeking a word, should it indeed exist, that describes a dramatic or literary device found when a new character is introduced into a story which disrupts the natural equilibrium, driving the story. For example, in J. B. Priestley's _An Inspector Calls_ , there is a natural equilibrium at the Birlings' home. This exists, however, until the Inspector arrives - disrupting the natural order, it seems, and goes on to defining the narrative.


Past  perfect  progressive and past perfect

When is it possible to use past perfect instead of past perfect progressive to show that the action is still in progress? I was just looking for more examples like the one below where either form can be used. > When the action began before the time of speaking in the past, and continued > up to that time, or stopped just before it, we can often use either form. > SOURCE > >> It was now six and he was tired because he had worked since dawn＝It was now six and he was tired because he had been working since dawn. I think in my examples they can't be used interchangeably. > I had been eating dinner, when the doorbell rang. (The action is still in > progress now, or has just ended) > > I had eaten dinner, when the doorbell rang. (A finished action) > > I had been cleaning my place when she arrived. (The action is still in > progress now, or has just ended) > > I had cleaned my place when she arrived. (A finished action) > > I had eaten and I had cleaned imply that the actions have finished, but I > need to show that they are still in progress. I think I should remove 'now' and write that the action was still in progress at that moment in the past and it didn't finish or finished just before it or just finished.


How does 'don't give a toss' differ from 'don't give a damn'?

I was told it is very unusual to say 'I don't give a toss'. If so, why is that?


"In preparation for" or "In Preparation of"?

What´s the difference in use between "in preparation of" or "in preparation for"? They seem both correct. Context: > The team practiced how they would respond to bad weather in preparation of > Election Day.


Origin of word "pad" in the mixing/recording industry

I ask this assuming there are enough people with experience with electric instruments, mixers, and other recording equipment to make this relevant. On any mixer, one of the first buttons that can be used to modify a signal is the `PAD` button. To pad something, usually means to augment or supplement the thing. So turning on the `PAD` button should make the signal stronger (louder), but this is the exact opposite of what actually happens. The `PAD` button is used to decrease the signal strength by a fixed amount. My guess is that it comes from the idea of dropping something. You would drop it on a pad to soften the impact. But this is just a guess and I would like to know where it actually comes from. Websites about live audio and mixers don't usually delve into the origins of the terms they use, so I have found no help there.


What noun describes a redundant phrase like "temporary pause"?

The phrase > temporary pause is unnecessarily long; just 'pause' is enough. Does a _simple noun_ exist to use to describe this type of usage? 'Redundant' or 'wordy' are good adjectives but I can't think of a good simple noun. (suggesting 'redundant usage' isn't what I'm looking for). I'm looking for something analogous to 'oxymoron' but as it relates to the redundancy of the phrase.


A word for a thing that is unproven because its context has yet to be observed

What is a word for something that can be said to be "unproven", but because the context in which any such proof would appear does not yet exist? I can think of _contested_ , but are there any others?


Etymology of the phrase "chicken out"

I've learned the meaning of _chicken out_ from the dictionary, I am curious about its etymology. If any body knows, please explain it to me. I have done my part of research by Googling "etymology for chicken out meaning". However, I didn't get any helpful results.


Mixing British English and American English

I'm a non-native English speaker and as such, I was taught one variety of English In school--in my case, American. However, I've also been extensively in contact with British English, and now I prefer some spellings, like _-re_ instead of _-er_ in theatre, _ou_ instead of _o_ in colour, or manoeuvre instead of maneuver (I also have conciously changed my pronunciations of certain syllables, but that's different). What would you think if you found someone who used American structure, but certain British spellings consistently (not at the beginning of an essay _center_ and later on _theatre_ )? Edit: If it isn't too odd, is it excessively pretentious? Thanks in advance for your time.


Why is "the" dropped in "I go to school by bus"?

Why is _the_ dropped in "I go to school by bus"? Why isn't it "I go to _the_ school by _the_ bus" if both _school_ and _bus_ are countable? Does the rule that a countable noun must have an article have an exception here?


What does “Church’s darkest existential problem in an era of existential problems” mean?

There was the following sentence in Time magazine’s (December 11, 2013) article titled, “Pope Francis, the people’s Pope.”]] > “On December 5, in a long overdue move, the group of eight named a new > commission on sex abuse, the problem of priest preying on children they had > vowed to protect. **It is the Church’s darkest existential problem in an era > of existential problems**. The commission aims to study better ways to > protect children, screen programs that involve children and suggest new ways > to create safe environments and choose the priest to lead them.” > http://poy.time.com/2013/12/11/person-of-the-year-pope-francis-the-peoples- > pope/ I’m not clear with what the word, “existential” specifically means in the above context. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines ‘existential;   1. Connected with **human existence**.   2. (Philosophy) connected with **the theory of existentialism**. Which definition of the above does better apply to the “existential problem(s)” of the above quote? Are there any other interpretations than the above two?


Does "Head of Curriculum and Instruction" make sense?

I saw "Head of Curriculum and Instructuin" on a namecard. Is this business title is okay as English? This person is a high school teacher and manages the curriculum section.


Is the verb 'inquire' bitransitive?

People say the verb **_inquire_** can be bitransitive (i.e., ditransitive) and also monotransitive. I can find many examples of its monotransitive use, but none about bitransitive. Could you show me how it is used as a bitransitive verb?


Where shall I put the comma in this sentence?

I'm not sure whether I should write like this: > Try A or, a more famous one, B. Or like this > Try A, or a more famous one, B. Or try other forms to avoid expression like this. Does anyone have ideas about this?


Regional pronunciation of “calliope”?

I’m watching _Auction Kings_ and a lady from Atlanta (who does not have much of a southern US accent) is putting a calliope up for auction. What caught my attention was the way she pronounce it: /kæliːop/ (cal-ee-ope) instead of /kəˈlaɪ.əpiː/ (call-I-oh-pee). It didn’t stop there either, otherwise I would have chalked it up to it being just her unfamiliarity with the word. The owner of the gallery, Paul (who has a mild southern accent, similar to Matthew McConaughey), pronounced it the same way during several shots of him filmed after the auction, and numerous other times during the episode. In fact, in one scene, Paul pronounced it like that in front of a musical-instrument expert who was called in to appraise it, but the expert did not correct him (I note that the expert did not say the word at all throughout the segment, possibly to avoid embarrassing Paul on television). Two of the bidders also pronounced it like that as did the owner again. I particularly noted the pronunciation because this show was the third time this week that I heard it pronounced this way. The auctioneer however pronounced the way I expected. (This reminds me of when I was young and saw the name _Penelope_ on paper for the first time. I read the whole book pronouncing her name in my head as Pen- eh-lope—and thinking that the girl was unusual because of her strange name.) I checked several sites ( _Merriam-Webster_, _Dictionary.com_, _Wikipedia_) and none of them list an alternate spelling. I thought that maybe it’s just a case of people hearing a new term pronounced incorrectly and repeating it, but Paul and the gallery manager pronounced it like that several times after the auctioneer pronounced it correctly. Is there a regional (specifically southern US) pronunciation of the word _calliope_?


Time / Verb Usage Question

I've got the following question and I don't actually think the answer makes sense: Choose the correct time words and form of the word (do): He ... ... (do) masterclasses with a top DJ, so I think it will be soon! Choices: before, currently, first, just, last, lately, long, since, still, yet. Any ideas?? I can't make it make sense without the word "started".


"travelling" vs. "traveling"

Is the correct spelling _travelling_ or _traveling_? I’ve seen both in common usage, but I can't find an authoritative source that says one way or another. Is this a difference between British spelling and American spelling?


What term includes words and parts of words?

Is there a single term which includes words and parts of words, e.g., the term could be applied to any of these:   * the word “international”   * the root “inter-” taken independently of the words it fits in   * any segmentable part of a word, e.g. “in”, “ter”, “na”, “tion”, “al”, which is in this case segmentation by syllable The term could, but need not necessarily, include letters.


Is "by personal circumstances" correct?

I want to say that I can't help to do something because I have some personal needs. Is this a correct sentence? > I can't help you by personal circumstances


Types of clauses

I am trying to understand how many types of subordinate clauses are recognized in English. I couldn't find a complete list anywhere, so I tried to make my own. My question is: do all of the following clauses exist? Did I get their right names? Did I miss any? > adversative clause --> " _While they should have thanked her_ , they yelled > at her" > > causal clause --> " _As I don't know_ , I can't say" > > comparative clause --> "It is _just the way I imagined it_ " > > concessive clause --> " _Although I knew it_ , I could not remember it" > > conditional clause --> "I would tell you, _if I only knew_ " > > consecutive clause --> "The riddle was so difficult _that nobody could > guess_ " > > declarative content clause --> "I have the feeling _that you know it_ " > > exceptive clause (?) --> "They will tell you, _unless they don't know > either_ " > > exclamative clause --> " _What a brilliant idea you gave me!_ " > > exclusive clause (?) --> "They will do it _without you even knowing_ " > > imperative clause --> " _Please tell me_ " > > (indirect) interrogative clause --> "I wonder _if you know_ " > > (direct) interrogative clause --> " _Do you know?_ " > > final clause --> "I asked the question _(in order) to learn more about it_ " > > instrumental clause --> " _By asking_ , you may get an answer" > > limitative clause --> " _As far as I know_ , this clause exists too" > > modal clause --> "They answered the question _as accurately as they could_ " > > objective clause --> "I know _the answer is not straightforward_ " > > place clause --> " _Wherever it is_ , I'll find it" > > relative clause --> "He asked a question _that was promptly answered_ " > > subjective clause --> "It is necessary _that you be there_ " > > time clause --> "I asked _after searching everywhere_ "


What's the semantic difference between "overrated" and "overvalued"?

I often see those two words used together like "overrated & overvalued". That implies that they have different connotations. I wonder if that's really the case or they are used together just for emphasis. Although there is a slight difference between the meanings of "to value" and "to rate" I wonder if that's reflected on their "over" counterparts.


'Artisanal': what is its modern cultural history?

As an AmE speaker, the word ' **artisanal** ' sounds very new to me. I see it every where nowadays on advertising and packaging for grocery store items like bread, cheese, olive oil, and I've seen it associated with whiskey and beer (presumably an adjective for 'microbrewery'). It's modern meaning is clear: 'artisanal' is 'made by an artisan' (rather than mass produced), or 'in the style of an artisan' (that is, mass-produced but with ingredients and process ending in a product that seems less industrial than others). For example, 'neo-Tuscan bread' and the word 'artisanal' appear on the same packaging for a loaf of bread. Google NGrams has: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/gkSjB.png) with a large increase since the 60's. Looking at the links there, the 70's are full of references, but mostly to 'artisanal fisheries' (which sounds like a euphemism for 'local' 'non-industrialized' or 'subsistence'. My question is is there any specific instance or set of instances where the marketers got hold of this? Was 'artisanal' used for other than fisheries back then? Was it used in the current sense of 'craft/hand-made' before the current marketing faux-folksy onslaught?


"Plural" is to "pluralize" as "possessive" is to...?

I recently asked a question where I used the word "possessivize" because I didn't know the appropriate word. Is there one that's more appropriate?


"Tone" vs. "shade"

* "Tone" and "shade" seem to refer to the darkness or brightness of a thing. So do they mean the same thing? Where is it proper to use each of them?   * When describing a person's skin, what is the difference between light-toned (as opposed to dark-toned and medium-toned) and fair-complected?


Pejorative terms for children or teenagers using the Internet

In Poland we have got many names for young children or teenagers using the Internet. For example we could see on the Internet that many have mangled the mother tongue and have been writing like this: > I’m CoOl, dON’t yOu ThInK : ***** swEEt The point is that they mix capitalized and normal letters. We call these people pokémons. I can see that this way of typing is also spread around the world so what do you call such people? Second issue. Spotty teenagers flooding the web, asking over and over what had been answered, disregarding net etiquette. Someone forged the term of ‘neo child’. neo stem from the name of the product — Neostrada — a broadband Internet from the largest Internet provider in Poland: Telekomunikacja. Neostrada was and probably has been the most popular way to connect to the Internet so in some period of time we experienced such neo children. Please watch this YouTube video to better understand what I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6DZOq2hulk (hope you like it :D) So, do you have a name for such stupid behaviours? Ah, what is more interesting is that not only children can be called ‘neo’. Adults can too if only their behaviour is similar.


Have a sexed up weekend ahead! - is this correct

> Have a sexed-up weekend ahead! This is what my friend told me. He wanted to convey that I have a good/crazy/exciting weekend. Does it make sense?


"Criteria" versus "criterion"

I came across several forums and articles saying that _criteria_ is plural and _criterion_ is singular. Some gave me the impression that _criterion_ is used to denote a set of rules. What is the correct use of these two words?


Etymology of "magma" in abstract algebra

_Magma_ is one of those beautiful words of Greek origin ( _μάγμα_ ) that arouses the child and the wild in me, making me think of volcanoes. I just found out, though, that it is also used in mathematics to mean a type of algebraic structure (a set paired with a binary operation on it)! I am very curious how this name was picked for this particular algebraic structure (which is also called by _groupoid_ ). Wikipedia attributes the coining of this term to Nicolas Bourbaki, but does not mention how they arrived at such a name. I have not been able to find the specific etymology of this sense anywhere else. What is its origin?


When I write about software development (IT sector), what is correct term: "at an early development stage" OR "at an early stage of development"?


Etymology of "history" and why the "hi-" prefix?

According to Etymonline, _history_ comes from the same root as _story_. If they are from the same word, where does _hi-_ come from? Is it just because of the English habit of taking names from other languages verbatim or is there something more to it?


Is this a complete sentence or two?

Given the example (from a British novel, _The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life_ ) > Well **what did I expect who said it would be easy**? I will not let this > defeat me. I will persist. Is the first sentence a complete sentence? If yes, then does _who_ take a role of relative pronoun? Can it be separated from the antecedent, _I_? Or are these two sentences and the writer intentionally omits a punctuation mark to get the protagonist’s rapid thinking across?


Past Perfect question forms with 'before' etc

A part of an entry about Past Perfect (424.1) in Swan's Practical English Usage 3rd Ed states that the past perfect is not necessary in the cases where we use conjunctions (e.g. after, as soon as) and are not 'going back' from the time that we are mainly talking about, unless we want to emphasise the separation of two actions. So something like 'After it got dark, we came back inside.' is OK. Sadly the book's got no example of a question using the past perfect this way. I doubt if we NEED to use the past perfect when we ask questions like 'Had you visited there before that trip ?' Is it also possible to say 'Have you ever visited there before that trip ?' And for 'Had you read the instructions before you turned the device on ?' Does 'Did you read the instructions before you turned the device on ?' sound good ? Are there any differences in the meanings of them ? My understanding now is that they all are not wrong but when using the past simple form, we just don't emphasise that the actions are separated, one finished before another.


What's a common interjection for the reaction to something creepy and disgusting (like some insects or spooky places, etc.)?

For example, A: - Look! There is a centipede on the table! B: - (interjection)!


What do you call this kind of usage?

Is there a term to name this kind of usage: _"Big" is an adjective._ _What I am thinking about is the adjective "big"._ _I am already quite annoyed by "big's" in your speech. You repeat it almost every 10 seconds._ as opposed to this common usage: _I saw a big house last night._ _We will solve a big problem._ _A big dog ran up to him suddenly._


Why are contractions considered unprofessional?

I've heard people specify not to use contractions in order to maintain a degree of professionalism. I've heard this mentioned by fellow students while in school as well. I've never heard this with regards to online writing, thank goodness, but I don't understand why it's considered informal or low brow to use them. It seems to me that not using them should be considered unprofessional. It's my understanding that language should be succinct, especially if you're trying to convey class or intellect. Avoiding contractions just seems like something only a child would do on their homework to add words to an essay.


Should an "and" be placed before the last item in a list if the item is followed by an "etc."?

Which of the following sentences is correct? >   * There are several types of email uses, such as professional, personal, > and promotional etc. >   * There are several types of email uses, such as professional, personal, > promotional etc. > I am not sure if there exists a difference between American and British English in this case.


Where to get a set of common English phrase patterns?

I hope that this computational linguistics question is not an off-topic here. For my little just-for-fun programming project I'm looking for common English phrase part-of-speech patterns to use to generate pseudo-natural-language phrases. But, unfortunately, I'm lost in the terminology, and can't figure out the proper keywords to google up what I'm looking for. What I look for is a set of patterns like this one:               <Noun> <verb> <adjective> <verb>.      ...or this one (which does contain some actual words instead of placeholders):               <Adverb>, the <adverb> <adjective>, <adverb> <adjective> <noun>      and the <adverb> <adjective>, <adverb> <adjective> <noun>     <verb> <adverb> over the <adverb> <adjective> <noun>.      So, any clues?


Is "Geeky" or "Pop culture" the right word?

Let's say I'm creating a website where I will post trivia of video-games, famous book from the 21st century and popular tv-shows. I need a domain name and I'm wondering if there's an English word I can use to describe my site. If I were to post a bunch of stuff about Pokemon, Twilight, Mass Effect, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Harry Potter, can I use "geeky" or "pop culture" to describe that or are there better words? Edit: I just thought of "Fiction", would "Fiction" suit my above examples too? Like "Fictiontrivia"


Interpretation of "Are you engaged?"

What's the meaning for _engage_ in the conversation below: > Are you engaged, Margaret?   >  Of course I'm not. Why do you ask, Nicholett?   >  I only wanted to practice my English.   >  Oh, I see. You want to make use of me. Is Margaret busy doing something, or did she agreed to marry somebody?


The phrase "to pour cloud water"

I've came across this article which uses the phrase "poured cloud water". Is this a well known expression? Searching Google, the first page shows me only places where this article is quoted. From the article the meaning would seem to be "to debunk", if it's a well known phrase is that accurate? And where does the phrase come from? Cloud water is rain, I guess. Why would raining mean something like that and in such a wording?   Could be that the writer invented it, but it seems strange to me.


"I knew him for..." or "I had known him for..."?

I'm writing a short story, and I'm unsure about the right tense to use. The first two sentences are: > I knew Mr. Brown for exactly 15 minutes. He had met me at the entrance and > was now accompanying me to the meeting. I'm not sure about the tense in the first sentence. Normally I'd write: > I had known Mr. Brown for ... However, then the first and the second sentence would use the same tense, which also looks weird. What is the right tense to use?


What is the expression to suggest a few dates and times to meet?

Let's say a friend of mine tells me the following: > Nice! Let’s meet up for a drink this week. And I want to say, "Sure let's do it. I will propose a few ..., and you tell me if either of them works for you." I cannot come up with an idiom or other expression that works.


What is the meaning of the terms: brown meat, black meat, white meat and red meat?

While reading an article, I saw this question: > Do you prefer brown meat or white meat? I definitely don't know what this means. Could you tell me more about it?


Is numbers countable or uncountable?

I would like to know if you say: Too much numbers or so many numbers. Is numbers a countable or uncountable noun? and why?


Is this usage of 'of which' correct?

I'm working on an employee manual and I came across this one: "Our team philosophy is to become the best of which we are capable." Is this a correct sentence? The point it's trying to get across is clearly that there are all these things of which one is capable and we would like to become only the best of them, so should it be, "to become the best of that which we are capable?"


"I only have discovered today" vs. "I only today have discovered" vs. "I have only today discovered"

Since I am not a native English speaker it's hard to find anything related to this topic on google. Which of the following word orders is grammatical? >   * I **only** have discovered today we have a test tomorrow. >   * I **only** today have discovered we have a test tomorrow. >   * I have **only** today discovered we have a test tomorrow. >


What is better style: "is linked" or "it is linked"?

Does "it" improve English sentence's style please? Which of the below is "more English"? _The table exists and **it** is linked to a correct server._ _The table exists and is linked to a correct server._ Where can I read about it? Thanks.


Are both of these Raising’s?

> [i] **Equi**   >  Billᵢ wants [[(for) Billᵢ] to leave at noon]   >  [Billᵢ wants [ __ ᵢ to leave at noon]]   >  [ii] **Raising**   >  [[(For) the casserole] to be done] seems   >  The casserole seems [to be done]   >  (Prof.John Lawler's article) [case 1] She was last to arrive.(OALD)   [i] Equi: She was last [[for her] to arrive].   [ii] Raising: [[For her] to arrive] was last. [case 2] They were the last to arrive.(OALD)   [i] Equi: They were the last [[for them] to arrive]].   [ii] Raising: [[For them] to arrive] was the last. Are both, case 1 and case 2, Raising’s?   I tilt my head once one way, then the other. May I get the idea clear?


How do you say the coming week in the weekend?

Now it is on Saturday(25 May 2013), how do you say the coming week(the week from 27th-)? Next week or is it already this week? Is there any other ways to say the coming week?


Where do "shenanigans" come from?

Shenanigans, or shenanigan, also with several variant spellings, can be dated to 1855 USA in both the OED and Etymonline, but the OED simply says "Origin obscure" and Etymonline throws a few guesses into the ring: > Suggestions include Spanish _chanada_ , a shortened form of _charranada_ > "trick, deceit;" or, less likely, German _Schenigelei_ , peddler's argot for > "work, craft," or the related German slang verb _schinäglen_. Another guess > centers on Irish _sionnach_ "fox." Can anyone provide anything more concrete? (Note: Another question asks specifically about “I call shenanigans” but not _shenanigans_ itself.)


Prepositions for use with engagement

If an _engagement_ is **with** an object, is a _disengagement_ also **with** the object, or is it **from** an object?


"if" used to introduce facts

I have learned that "if" is used for more or less likely possibilities while "when" is used for things which are considered facts. Now I read a bit similar to the following in a book. > My sister had stolen my beer. Last time, my brother had taken it, and I > would have expected this to be the case now, too. If it was my sister who > took it it was because of the bad example my brother had set. It has been made clear by the text before that my sister has taken the beer, so there is nothing "if" about this part, as far as I can tell.   * Is it common to use "if" that way?   * Is there a name for it/or what it does here? EDIT: The original sentence was in a history book and the "if" introduced a historical fact. Unfortunately I can't seem to find it anymore which is why I came up with this rather mundane example. But I do know for a fact that my sister took it.


What is this part of a bow tie called?

What is the part of a bow tie marked in the picture called? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/xtXsN.jpg)


Born into the right house

What does it mean to be "born into the right house". Sample: "He is born into the right house".


Where does the word “snogging” come from?

Where does the word **_snogging_** come from, in the sense of canoodling? I’m looking for it etymology, not for its connotation or phonoaesthetic properties, as the answer of the other question provides. The OED says that its origin is unknown, as does Etymonline. The latter claims that the word “is said to have originated in British India”, but says nothing more than that. Citations in the OED date back only to 1945, so this came to us within living memory: we ought to be able to track it down. Here are two of its later citations:   * 1966 P. Willmott _Adolescent Boys_ iii. 40, — I went upstairs with Jill and we did a bit of snogging on the bed.    * 1975 _Weekend_ 4 Feb. 19/1 — If a cinema manager tolerates snogging among his audience he is liable to lose his licence. All the derived terms like _snog_ and _snogger_ ultimately lead to _snogging_ , which leads to a dead end. ## So where is _snogging_ from, really?


Where does the word “wankers” come from?

![Wanker poster](http://i.stack.imgur.com/nazTY.jpg) The term _wanker_ is derived from the verb _wank_ in the sense of to masturbate. However, neither the OED nor Etymonline can trace it further back than that: both claim it is of “obscure origin”, which just means they don’t know. As with my question on _snogging_, this term seems to have come into vogue around the mid-20th century, but nobody knows where or how it started. So where does the verb **_to wank_** come from?


Where did the word “quim” come from?

Both the OED and Etymonline offer no clue as to origin of the slang term _quim_ , meaning _minge_. The OED’s earliest citations are from the 18th, which isn’t quite as old as Adam, but has certainly been around for a long time. Here are two of its later citations:   * 1966 P. Willmott _Adolescent Boys_ iii. 50, — I got my hand on her tit and I thought well, that’s all right. So I thought I’d try for her **quim**.    * 1974 H. R. F. Keating _Underside_ ii. 25 — Is it worse to have it on me belly than to have it in me **quim**? Of course, the Urban Dictionary connects it to _queef_, but that’s no help at all. What is the real origin of the word _quim_?


Where does the word “minge” come from?

The slang term _minge_ in the sense of _quim_ dates from the beginning of the 20th century. However, neither the OED nor Etymonline has any idea where it came from. Here are two of the OED’s citations:   * 1936 J. Curtis _Gilt Kid_ viii. 80 — I’m going to give you a kick in the **minge** if you don’t shut up. 1974 _New Direction_ IV. iv. 19/2 — They’ve all..scented and talced their **minges**. Which is all very nice and all, but what is the origin of the word in this sense?


Where does the word “spliff” come from?

![zigzag papers](http://i.stack.imgur.com/71Fs8.png) Neither the OED and Etymonline has any answer to the etymology of the word. The latter does suggest it may have an origin in the Caribbean, but offers nothing better. The first citation is from 1936 only. Here are the last two citations:   * 1975 _High Times_ Dec. 137/1 — Like Marley, he’s a **spliff-toking** Rastafarian.    * 1977 _Transatlantic Rev._ lx. 192 — Coon rolled a massive **splif** and blew clouds of ganja gremlins through the hatch. What’s the origin of the word _spliff_? Might there be precursor that makes sense only if you know the various creoles of the West Indies, or even just the Rastafarian culture?


Correspond to vs. Correspond with

Is there any significant difference between `Correspond to` and `Correspond with`? I only mean in the sense of "matching", here, rather than "communication". I've looked at a few sources, but I can't seem to find a good explanation that makes it clear in which context each form would be used. Some sources suggest that only `Correspond to` is used in the sense of "matching", whereas others suggest `Correspond with` can also be used in that sense (and sometimes also with slightly different meaning).


Where does the word “jism” come from?

Another word of mysterious origins of _jism_ , in the sense of spunk. The OED mentions it is sometimes spelled _jizz_ , and may even be the precursor word to _jazz_. ![jazz pix](http://i.stack.imgur.com/e2SHL.jpg) But neither the OED nor Etymonline gives any etymology for this word. The oldest citation is from 1847, and there are many citations from the 20th century. So where do we get the word _jism_ from?


Is there always a comma befor and after a year in a sentence?

What is the correct punctuation of comma usage for this sentence - I began my general studies in June 2010 at OTC in Springfield, Missouri.


Can you say "are not we all?" instead of "aren't we all?"

1. Because "aren't" translates to "are not" I pose the question, can you use both interchangeably (in the context of "aren't we all?")? "Are not" sounds very grammatically incorrect in this situation.   2. Can you say "you need not go there" as opposed to "you needn't go there"? Basically, I thought you can say "you need not" instead of "you needn't" but that you can't say "are not" instead of "aren't" (in the context I've provided) because I've never heard the second. My friend believes that if you can use one example interchangeably, you can use the other as well. So,   1. Can you use example '1' interchangeably?   2. Can you use example '2' interchangeably?


Dropping the 'have' before a past participle

1. We have heard what you told us.   2. We've heard what you told us.   3. We heard what you told us. As far as I know, the first two are OK. There have been enough discussions here on the subject. The third variation however does not seem right but does seem to be entering into common usage. It sounds better if it's followed by something like "and we did something about it." Is there a rule covering this? **Clarification as requested by user @RegDwigнt** I work in government in Australia. I see these three forms used interchangeably for the same purpose. The first two are, as have been observed, the same for all intents and purposes (only included for completeness as I note that there have been one or two differences of opinion here...). So: _"We have heard what you told us and are taking action"_ or even... _"We have heard what you have told us and are taking action"_ (didn't mention that one the first time) _"We heard what you told us and are taking action"_ Each means - As a result of the feedback that we have received, we may do something.


Self-Learner vs Self-Taught vs Autodidact

Which of these three terms is the most relevant in a resume? Should any be avoided? For clarity, I do understand the irony of pretending to be a self learner posting questions on StackExchange, thank you.


What is a word for a long period of hibernation before growth?

I am looking for a word or phrase that would describe something as existing but waiting for a catalyst. Or growing very slowly until a a large growth spurt. I'm thinking of the way that seeds can sit healthy until they get wet and planted and then grow quickly.


't' pronounced as 'ch'

In some words, the pronunciation of _t_ is actually closer to _ch_ , as in _fortune_. Is this is a recognized phenomenon in English pronunciation? Does it have a name? What other prominent examples can be cited as examples of this phenomenon? Why does it happen?


"In" + gerund: "Pip joins the procession in carrying the casket"

> Pip joins the funeral procession, planned out by Mr. Trabb, the tailor, in > carrying Mrs. Joe’s casket through town. Is this sentence grammatically correct? One of my teachers proofread my work, and her corrections were unclear.


Is there a term for "midnight" that is like "noon"

"noon" is the term for the middle of the day, round about 12.00 to 13.00, and "midnight" is from 24.00 to 1.00, at night. "midnight" is just basically a prefix added to "night", whereas "noon" is a completely different word. Why is it "midnight", and not some term like "noon"? Is there actually a term for "midnight", that is the equivalent of "noon"?


What's another way of saying "I failed to mention"

I failed to mention I faced a similar situation with... I don't like the message I'm presenting


Using "of" twice in a sentence

Is it correct to use _of_ twice in the following sentence? > The problem of absence of remote facilities is addressed in the article... What is the best way of writing this sentence?


"Result" vs. "Results" in verb form

In an article I read, there was this line: > And most simply, using and consuming fewer products **result** in less > waste. I know sentences aren't supposed to start with the word "and," but I'd like to focus on the bold word: "result." When used in this sentence, "result" sounds wrong. It seems to refer to "using and consuming," so shouldn't it be "results?" > And most simply, using and consuming fewer products **results** in less > waste.


Should I capitalize Twitter links?

Should I capitalize Twitter links? If yes and no, give examples of both. The direct example in question is the http://twitter.com/XonaGames bio. I could set it one of the following three ways. I have used real hyperlinks to approximate the best of how it looks and feels: >   1. Award-winning indie game studio, co-founded by @JasonADoucette and > @mdoucette. Music by @Imphenzia and @NickDragonas. > >   2. Award-winning indie game studio, co-founded by @JasonADoucette and > @MDoucette. Music by @Imphenzia and @NickDragonas. > >   3. Award-winning indie game studio, co-founded by @jasonadoucette and > @mdoucette. Music by @imphenzia and @nickdragonas. > > #1 is faithful to the actual Twitter account holders and their choice of capitalization. Note the mdoucette, that's me, is not capitalized. #2 modifies capitalization of all accounts to fit the majority. #1 and #2 both fight for attention, perhaps too much, with all the mid-sentence capitalization. #3 is lowercase for everyone. It reads more clear but loses distinction of multiple names that CamelCase solves in #2. And since all the account names are either company or human names, they would be capitalized normally and #2 fits this best. All that said, it is beginning to seem or feel to me (yes very scientific!) that Twitter names are the new email addresses or web URLs which now look much better without caps. Historically, everyone initially wants their company or real name to be proper upon the whatever the new technology is (email, URL, Twitter), but all the capitalization becomes lame. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's just too cluttered. A fake example is BillGates@Microsoft.com, where as clearly what is best is just billg@microsoft.com. Which is proper? Which is best? Is it opinion or do we have an accepted rule on usage? Please don't judge too quick and close this question down.


Why do we use 's when not abbreviating is/was?

I'm not English hence I don't know how this is called in the first place (that's why the title of this question should be changed) but what I'm referring to is this "s" used in English language to denote something belonging to someone/something or being related to something/someone: > I took my **father's** coat. ### 1st question I wonder what that **'s** stands for? Does it abbreviate some longer word as it does when it abbreviates is or was (ie. _He's tall_ )? ### 2nd question Why do we only use apostrophe when doing the same thing in plural: > I made **clients'** incomes grow. I know my examples may be bad/invalid but I would like to know some theory behind this as well as any exceptions to the rule if they existed... I know it's different when you refer to something of the first person. We don't say _I's coat_ but rather _My coat_. This probably is an exception.


"A total of 0.0606 moles of NaOH was" or "were"?

I've been trying to work out which of the following make best grammatical sense but have been looking at them for so long now that my mind has turned to mush and they both seem wrong. Which is better form: > A total of 0.0605 moles (3 s.f.) of NaOH **was** originally added to the > aspirin Or: > A total of 0.0605 moles (3 s.f.) of NaOH **were** originally added to the > aspirin I know that moles is plural but personally I think _was_ is the better of the two. I would appreciate some opinions on which reads better to people.


What are some of the better English reference grammars?

What is your favorite English reference grammar, particularly in terms of accuracy and completeness? Please note I am not asking for usage guides. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the best ones?


Guide to check thesis grammar?

I'm new to the site. I'm looking for some compherensive, easy-to-use guide with examples about the english grammar. I would like to improve the language of my master's thesis. Suggestions?


Recommendation for English Grammar books?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What are some of the better English reference grammars? I grew up in a non-English speaking country. During my elementary and middle school years, I self-studied the grammar of English via various books written by the most famous experts in my country, although these were beyond what were required by my curriculum. I am not saying my English is good enough now, but the study from the old days still helps me a lot for my life in U.S. later. After coming to U.S., I have often got my mind boggled by various usages of English either in talks or in prints, which seem to be inconsistent with what I have learned before. In my guess, the reasons can be a combination of any of the following:   1. what I have learned is probably based on British English;   2. the usage by American is not always rigorous, which sometimes put me into the dilemma of which to follow;   3. I might need some excellent English grammar books whose authors are trustworthy experts who are also native English speaker. So, my question is, as for my last point, what are your recommendations for English grammar books? I would like to read comprehensive and nice-organized books from being concise, to being detailed. I think books for middle and elementary schools are perhaps not what I am looking for. Thanks and regards!


Any better term than "Postscript"?

There was a Postscript section in my English Course-book, which simply teaches the colloquial English phrases as in "Give me a lift", "Let me have a look", "There is no point", etc. But "postscript" won't return any relevant results in Google, so I thought there might be a better expressive/suitable term for this phrases. Is there really?


Word or phrase that describes the biased perception of a group

Is there terminology for how a group is viewed by outsiders, as only radical members are the most visible? I believe such a term would exist within social sciences.


Does "had have been" exist?

Does "had have been" exist and what tense is it? > I **had have seen** her


Looking for the longest "non-variant" word

I'm looking for the longest English word that has no variants, where a variant might be   1. A singular or plural form   2. A conjugated form   3. A form in another part of speech For example, `mouse` would fail by all those rules: it has a plural ("mice"); as a verb, it has conjugated forms ("mousing", "moused"); it has an adverbial form ("mousy") and other noun forms ("mouser"). Obviously, pretty much any verb would be out, as would any countable noun that has a plural. I'm also excluding words that are just conglomerations of other words like "whatsoever". Right now, I've got some five-letter word -- "moose", "there" -- and "through", which has seven but I'm thinking should be excluded because of "throughway" and "throughput".


How would you parenthetically cite an author that appears twice in a works cited page? MLA

How would you parenthetically cite an author that appears twice in a works cited page? I would like to cite Wachs. Here is a piece of my works cited: Wachs, Juan, Helman Stern, Yael Edan, Michael Gillam, Craig Feied, Mark Smith, and Jon Handler. Gestix: A Doctor-Computer Sterile Gesture Interface for Dynamic Environments. Tech. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. Wachs, Juan, Yu-Ting Li, and Mithun Jacob. "Gestonurse." Gestonurse. Purdue University Industrial Engineering Lab., 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. Assuming that I would like to parenthetically cite the second source, how would I go about doing this to differentiate from the first source?


What is a "Churchill moment"?

I see the phrase _Churchill moment_ , sometimes _Winston Churchill moment_ all over the web. What does this mean? Has the meaning changed with time?


Face that launched a thousand ships

Last Wednesday, I went out to tea with several friends, and one of the men said that he had a new girlfriend. I asked him what she looked like, and all he said was,"She has a face that launched a thousand ships." What does this phrase mean? And what is its origin?


Can this 'aboard' be replaced by 'onboard'?

If the _aboard_ is postposed, can it be replaced by _onboard_ and have the same meaning? “a jetliner with 93 people **aboard** ” (This is from an English-Korean dictionary and has no full sentence.)


Are there any english letters that don't appear twice in a row in the same word?

For example the word "hello" has the letter "l" appearing twice in a row. Are there any letters that _never_ appear twice in a row? Edit for clarification: I'm asking whether or not every letter in the english alphabet appears next to itself in some word. Examples: A - Aardvark B - Babbling C - Eccentric D - Forbidden E - Keen F - Buff G - Bugged H - ?? I - Hawaii J - ?? etc. Is there a website or anything that would have a list like this?


What is a relish tray versus a veggie tray?

I have heard both of the terms "relish tray" and "veggie tray" used somewhat interchangeably. It seems as though there is some overlap between the two based on some simple Google Images searches (relish tray and veggie tray), though they do appear to be somewhat distinct. I am left wondering what the real difference is between the two - as well as appropriate (and inappropriate) uses for each.


A question on "case history"

I'm usually perplexed on whether it is the better usage of "case history". The following sentences shown three different way to handle this phrase: a) _In discussing the **case's history** , you assert that the hospital "remained neutral."_ [->] b) _How he flees to the police as a man seeking asylum and how the doors of his addled subconscious are finally opened by the patient gnomes in the Palais de Justice, make up the bulk of M. Simenon's frightening **case-history**. Readers who are upset by Gallic frankness should back away from that **case- history** at all costs._ [->] c) _Presented as the **case history** of a standard homosexual, this novel adds little that is new to a groaning shelf. Mr. Vidal's approach is coldly clinical: there is no real attempt to involve the reader's emotions._ [->] Anybody know which is the better choice: "case history", "case's history" or "case-history"? Or are there differences in meaning?


What is the origin of "holy smoke"?

What is the origin of _holy smoke_? To what is _holy smoke_ referring?


A word for someone who is left-footed but right-handed

Most people are either right- or left-handed, or ambidextrous. This handedness is usually followed by the foot they use for kicking, meaning that a right- handed person is usually also right-footed. Is there a word that describes someone who is right-handed but left-footed, or vice versa? EDIT: I ask because I am right-handed and right-footed when doing something that involves my whole body (such as batting, archery, etc.), but am left- footed when it comes to kicking. What does this make me?


Other ways of saying "except for one"

For example in the sentence > All datapoints, except for one, lie on a line. to me (not a native English speaker), the "except for one" part sounds too heavy. Are there other, lighter ways of saying this? Is the following correct? > All datapoints, less one, lie on a line.


Rhyme in Elizabethan sonnets

In sonnets from the Elizabethan period, "move" rhymed with "love" although they don't today. Recognizing that changes in spelling rarely keep up with changes in pronunciation, how were "move" and "love" pronounced in Early Modern English?


Proverb about the origin of the English language

Is there a nice proverb that highlights the foreign (e.g. German and French) origins of the English language? I remember that I've once read something like > English is the bastard child of a German mother, French father and... But I can't seem to find the source.


English equivalent of the Italian "Mannaggia!", "Che peccato!"

What is the English expression or exclamation to refer to something that has gone wrong or a missed opportunity, or something that we could have done better than we actually did? I'm specifically wondering about an English equivalent of the Italian interjections “Mannaggia!” and “Che peccato!”


"Badger someone"

I've heard the expression "to badger someone" in British English usage, and not being able to find out about its origins, I wonder if it is also commonly used elsewhere, for example, in American English?


Use of "you and I" in TS Eliot's Prufrock

I've long been a fan of T.S. Eliot's poem _The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock_. However, it seems to me that his use of "you and I" in the opening lines is incorrect. _Let us go then, you and I, when the evening is spread out against the sky_ My reasoning is that "you and I" replaces "us" and you wouldn't say "Let I go then", so it should be _Let us go then, you and **me**._ Is this Eliot taking poetic license or am I just wrong?


Redundancy in subjunctive?

Is there any significant difference between the following sentences?   1. Were it to be thought tasteless, I wouldn't do it.   2. Were it thought tasteless, I wouldn't do it. Is the former implying that such thought would be slightly less likely? I'm British, but this question niggles!


Alternative more-to-the-point words for "hot" (as in temperature)?

What word other than _hot_ can I use to make the distinction between _hot as in temperature_ and _hot as in very spicy food_? Especially in connection with food, the word _hot_ is **very** ambiguous (well, unless it's chili-spiced ice cream, I suppose). Many other languages have a distinction and use separate words. What about English? **Clarification:** I know that I can use the word spicy, I'm more interested in avoiding the ambiguity when using the word _hot_ (meaning temperature). Perhaps that was unclear.


What's the difference between "Yours sincerely" and "Sincerely yours"?

I have read online that "Yours sincerely" is British English and "Sincerely yours" is American English. Is this true? Or is the difference in formality? I think the first one is more formal and the second one should be used with people you know more (for example colleagues from the same company who know each, but are not friends outside of work).


Zero vs. definite articles in "filial piety of son to father"

> Patriotism that glues together a state is a natural extension of filial > piety of a son to his father. I want to mean the general piety a son feels for his father. Can I say directly "filial piety of son to father"? Or should I say "filial piety of the son to the father"?


Was the phrase "taking my talents" a common phrase before LeBron James used it?

Before LeBron James announced that he was "taking his talents to South Beach", was this common phrase, or did he create it? I seem to read or hear that phrase used very commonly now but I can't recall ever seeing it before.


> "This thing will hang me up if I live to be." What does this sentence mean? It's from Columbo S02E01. I can provide context if neccessary.


Autodidactic as a Verb

Is there an equivalent use of Autodidactic as a verb? Such as "John is an autodidactor". I couldn't find "autodidactor" or "Autodidact Eclipse RCP so I am better educated about how to use Eclipse RCP". I am trying to express the idea of self-taught as a verb.


Is a document "Roman Numeraled", "Roman Numbered"...?

If I am discussing a book that uses Roman numerals to break sections, would it be correct to say that the book uses > Roman numeraled sections or > Roman numbered sections? I can't find many credible uses of "numeraled", and "numbered" doesn't sound right.


Is this correct: "I'd have to have had..."

This sentence makes my head hurt a bit, and it doesn't seem right, but perhaps you guys could help me sort it out. > "If I would've gone to Canada, I'd have to have had some kind of winter > gear."


buy a kitchen? How could this be possible?

My Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary has the following example sentence: > You can buy the kitchen as a flat-pack for self-assembly. How could one buy a kitchen? It doesn't make much sense to me. The kitchen is a cooking place and is supposed to be part of a house, apartment, etc. and not sold separately.


Difference between "prodigal" and "profligate"

I have researched this topic a bit. One site suggested that _prodigal_ is having reformed after being wasteful, while _profligate_ is still engaging in such behavior. However on studying the origin of the words, I found that this might not be correct. The parable of the prodigal son was the first reference of _prodigal_ (from the resources I came across), and the parable is also referred to as the parable of the _profligate_ father. Seems like _prodigal_ is related to immorality somehow. And studying the etymology of _profligate_ , it seems to be linked to downfall. What exactly is the difference between the two?


Need help figuring out a word for a certain situation

I know there is a word for this! Person A is a seller. Person B is a buyer. Person A is worried Person B will take the her product and not pay. Person B is worried of the inverse. These two hire an unbiased Person C to mediate the transaction by taking the money from Person B and products from Person A and only releasing either item when both items are held by him. Many words that seem like they would work, such as mediator, seem to be very general: "to make people involved in a conflict come to an agreement." I am hoping there is a more specific term for this situation.


Is there a word to describe someone who is always defeated at my hand?

If A always defeats B, A is B's nemesis. If B always loses to his rival A, B is A's ____?


Too much complexity being bad - phrase or common anology for the concept of

Something I've been trying to express concisely recently is the concept that using (or making) something that is too complicated/complex for the user to understand/fix can be a bad thing. Is there a short phrase or analogy that expresses this concept? An engineer may choose to make a device that is "fool proof", something that can't be adjusted incorrectly, won't succumb to environmental conditions, recovers from several failure conditions, etc. The problem is that eventually that device becomes be a sealed container, using custom parts, with no possibility of disassembly and repair by the user. This could easily apply to software as well. The goal may be reduced materials, lines of code, reliability, elegance, etc. The problem is that the complexity becomes a barrier to entry for the user to understand it, and the user becomes dependent upon the creator. Nothing lasts forever, but if failure is sufficiently delayed the user(s) may outlive the creator. I've seen this concept in science fiction (e.g. the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, nuclear reactors still exist, but no one knows how to repair them).


APA 6th Edition - Quoting

The whole quote is: "We children didn’t quite fathom the significance of what happened on 27 May 1967. I do remember the shrieks of joy after the result was announced, laughter and a mass of tears. Mum told me we would be counted in the census now, along with the sheep and cattle. She also said we would be free people at last. I never quite knew what she meant, only that this was a big deal." But I only really want to take three parts out of the quote like this; “we children didn’t quite fathom the significance of what happened on 27 May 1967...Mum told me that we would be counted in the census now...She also said we would be free people at last” How do I do that correctly?


Parts of speech for "indoors" vs. "outdoors"

I'm trying to enter antonyms by part of speech into a database (for natural language processing) and have run into a problem with "indoors" vs "outdoors". One dictionary lists parts of speech for "outdoors" as adverb, noun, and adjective; another, as just adverb and adjective; a third, as adverb and noun. The first dictionary lists "indoors" only as adverb; the second, as adverb and adjective; the third, only as adverb. None of them list "indoors" as a noun. I plan on ignoring the dictionaries and entering the words as antonyms of each other as nouns, adjectives and adverbs, but before I do... Is there really some reason that "indoors" can't be a noun? (E.g.: "My wife loves the outdoors, but I love the indoors.")


On what grounds does one determine the grammatical acceptability of a sentence fragment group?

I have seen some debate on EL&U about whether or not sentence fragments are acceptable to use, and under what circumstances. I am not of the persuasion that they _should_ be used, but if I must concede that they are _permissible_ to use, I would like to know the rules that render them acceptable. For instance, it seems that most "acceptable" sentence fragment constructions function in a similar way to pronouns: they refer back to an antecedent. With pronouns, the antecedent is a noun, and with sentence fragments, the antecedent is a subject-verb group. Here is an example to clarify: "The dog bit the child five times. Every day." While I would prefer to solve the issue by using a dash ("The dog bit the child five times – every day"), how would one who allows sentence fragments justify the construction? What are general rules by which one can determine the acceptable construction of sentence fragments? My intuition tells me that not even fragment-lovers would accept constructions such as "The dog bit the. Child five. Times every day." . . . on what grounds would such constructions not be acceptable? To state it positively, on what grounds does one determine the grammatical acceptability of a sentence fragment group? By "sentence fragment group" I am revealing a presupposition that a sentence fragment derives necessary contextual data from a nearby complete sentence.


Life or lives in this context

I have this sentence: The best engineers optimize every aspect of their lives. Should it be "lives" or "life"? I'm thinking lives because engineers is plural. Thanks


Can "listening" be countable?

Can _listening_ be countable? Can I say _We will do a listening during today's lesson_?


Alternatives to "this doesn't add any value to that"

What are alternative ways to express that something that was added to a thing doesn't add any value to it?


Is there a rule or something, that explain where to put ''even''?

You don't **even** have a chance.   You don't have **even** a chance.   You **even** don't have a chance.   You had no chance. (where?)


Meaning of grave in graver trusts

> Any other rule of construction would abrogate the judicial character of this > court, and make it the mere reflex of the popular opinion or passion of the > day. This court was not created by the Constitution for such purposes. > Higher and **graver** trusts have been confided to it, and it must not > falter in the path of duty. What does the adjective 'grave' here mean? Is it the second definition here? Source: P76, America on Trial, Alan Dershowitz


"issue" as an intransitive verb

> The place of confinement would not be different, since in those days the > dangerously insane in the District of Columbia were confined in the same > jail as indicted criminals. (There was no insane asylum in the district > until 1852; between 1841 and 1852 the dangerously insane from the district > were accommodated in the Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, and before then > they were left in jail.) Counsel for the prisoner intimated, however, that > the court could “meliorate his condition, or change his custody.” Despite > the prosecutor’s agreement that the writ should **issue** , the court denied > the petition on grounds that clearly show the close relationships among the > various mechanisms of preventive confinement: I tried to determine myself the meaning of **issue** , but the definitions herein exemplify the transitive form of the verb. Above, it's intransitive? **Supplementary:** Thanks to Peter Shor's answer, I tried to reappraise this with definition 2: > `2.` Come, go, or flow out from `2.1.` Result or be derived from: Yet I still don't apprehend the meaning here. If I substitute either one into the sentence, then how does it still make sense? What would the writ come or result FROM? Source: P64, America on Trial, Alan Dershowitz


Verb for librarian giving book to library visitor

What's the appropriate verb to describe the action the librarian does when you borrow a book at the library, something like _hand_ or _give_?


How do you differentiate "thru", "threw", "through", and "thorough"?

How do I know which word to use in the correct context? How do I recognize these words when hearing them? Examples: > Jimmy **threw** the ring at Emiko. > > Elvis walked **through** the door. > > John was **through** with work for the day. > > Gareth was **through** with mosquitoes coming **through** the window! > > Edward was very **thorough** when cleaning the kitchen.


What part of speech is the "be + verb" here? What tense are these sentences in?

> I shall have him be killed. > > She is to be stoned for adultery. What are the constructions _be +verb_ called, grammatically? I feel like the above sentences are very adjectival in nature, more so than > I shall have him killed. > > She will be stoned for adultery. Is that correct? Also, are both couplets of sentences in the exact same future tense?


What is the meaning of "hypos" here in this passage from Moby Dick?

Yesterday, I asked a question over at the Gaming StackExchange, and eventually received an answer whose primary thrust was this wonderfully written passage from _Moby Dick_ : !["Moby Dick" passage regarding hypos](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Vmlon.png) My questions are: What does _hypos_ mean in this context? What was the historical usage of this word -- has it died out? How does its meaning here relate to what I presume is its Greek root ὑπό ( _hypo-_ )?


Correct Usage of Capital Letters

Suppose there is a Department of English (note: the name is not _English Department_ ) at Abc University. I want to know the correct use of capital letters in these sentences: >   1. The Department of English at Abc University is really old. >   2. The English Department of Abc University is really old. >   3. The English department of Abc University is really old. > I know 1. is correct, but I am not sure about 2 and 3. I am also confused about the appropriateness of the usage of _of_ in 2 and 3. Any help is appreciated.


To capitalize "department" or not

When using the word "department" after the name of a department, does one capitalize it? For example, "Advertising Department?"


How should "often" be pronounced?

I heard people saying "Of-fen" as well as "Of-ton". Till now I have been using the first one but few days ago I had an interviewer who pronounced _often_ "Of-Ton" while interviewing.


What does "gleaning the cube" mean?

If you also know the origin, please, share.


Is the adjective “vain” considered offensive when applied to a person?

I am given to understand by the _Chambers Dictionary_ and _Webster's_ that _vain_ can be understood as _thoughtless_ , _empty-headed_ , _useless_ , which all sound rather strong to me. Is it likely that a native English speaker takes offence at the following phrase? > You are vain. If not, does the word have any potentially dangerous usages?


Word meaning 'a system of unnecessary rules'

For example: A company that requires all employees to wear light-blue shirts on Fridays. A government that requires people to file paperwork every time a pet dies.


Does "tapall" or "tappies" mean "mail" in English?

I had been wondering about a non-native word in Tamil: **Thabal** , meaning _post_. This word has origins from elsewhere, and I had not been able to figure out the etymology. Searches in Internet had also proved futile. Meanwhile I came across this article in the newspaper yesterday, which talks about the story of the General Post Office in Chennai. It seems a certain English gentleman by name John Burlton wrote to the government seeking establishment of **Tapall** facility in Chennai (called Madras back then). > In a letter that Burlton sent to the Government, he said, “The proposal > which I some time delivered to Lord Macartney which I now have the honour to > send to you is to establish a regular Tapall (mail), upon a plan similar to > that at Bengal which will exclude the company’s servants from the privilege > of receiving their letters free of postage.” Another sentence also employs **tappies** : > The government replied, “Having taken into consideration the establishing of > a regular P.O. we directed our accountant to prepare a statement of monthly > charges of the ‘Tappies’ (Tapal) in Carnatic and Nothern Circars.” Was there any similar word for post/letter in the 18th century English, which has fallen out of usage since? Or has this word been borrowed from neighbouring states (the French or Dutch provinces)?


What is the subject of the following sentence?

> Food allergies are adverse reactions to an otherwise harmless food or food > component that involves an abnormal response of the body's immune system to > specific protein(s) in foods. This is a beginning sentence of a paper on food allergies. I was wondering what the subject of the verb _involves_ and have asked opinions from three English language experts who also have scientific knowledge, but their opinions vary. Their answers were as follows: Person 1: The subject is _food allergies_ and the verb should be _involve_. Person 2: The subject is _abnormal response_ and the verb should be _involve_. Person 3: The subject is _food or food component_ , so this sentence is correct. He also pointed out that the paper is written in British English (I showed him the following sentences and he got some clues from there) so here _involves_ means _evokes_ or _causes_. Which of these opinions is the correct one?


turned his back on

The following is a multiple choice question in an English test paper: > He _turned his back on_ them when they most needed him. > > The italicized part means: > > A. criticized   >  B. ignored   >  C. betrayed   >  D. deceived I know that "turn one's back on" can mean "refuse to help". I just wonder, of B and C, which one is closer to its meaning in this sentence. The word "ignore" in its relevant sense gives me the impression of "doing or saying nothing while something should be done or said", while "turn one's back on" and "betray" imply a kind of action, such as desertion or refusal. Which one would you choose? and why?


What does "length of the last" means refering to shoe size?

I think the title speak for itself, google translator was not very helpful since it understands the word last like "last place" This is the part of the text > In France, Germany, and most other European countries, the traditional shoe > size is the **length of the last** , measured in Paris points


What is a bileue?

I was looking up the word "god" in the Oxford English Dictionary On-Line, which led me to this entry: > **d. _the god of this world_** : the Devil, Satan. > > c1384 _Bible_ (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 2 Cor. iv. 4   >  In whiche the God of this world hath blyndid the soules of men out of the > bileue. What is a bileue?


The English usage of the subject pronoun "We"

Can "We" be used as an indefinite pronoun such as "Everybody" or "One" to refer to people in general. Example: _One cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs._ It is a (French) proverb originally with "You" as the subject pronoun. Is it correct to use "We" in this case to refer to people in general?


In what region is "thou", etc. used in dialect?

My mother often uses words like "thou", "thy", and "thine" in everyday speech. A typical example is: > "Thou art a jammy bugger!" She is from the north of England. I'm wondering whether this quirk of language is unique to her or if it's something to do with the area she comes from or possibly her age group. She's in her late 50's and comes from Yorkshire. I am just curious, because I also picked up this habit, and now that I'm living abroad and talking to non- native English speakers it's struck me how strange it is.


Is it appropriate to call a British person a "Brit"?

Specifically, is it appropriate for a _non-British person_ to call a British person a "Brit"? Whenever I see it from an American source it always feels too familiar or too informal, or both. But I can't tell if that's something real or just my own peculiar hang-up. How formal is the word "Brit," and how do people from Great Britain feel about others using the word? What about "Brit" as an adjective (e.g., this reference to a "Brit singer")?


Meaning of 'I get wrong'

Professor Lawrence Lessig in his blog writes: > Aaron had literally done nothing in his life “to make money.” He was > fortunate Reddit turned out as it did, but from his work building the RSS > standard, to his work architecting Creative Commons, to his work liberating > public records, to his work building a free public library, to his work > supporting Change Congress/FixCongressFirst/Rootstrikers, and then Demand > Progress, Aaron was always and only working for (at least his conception of) > the public good. He was brilliant, and funny. A kid genius. A soul, a > conscience, the source of a question I have asked myself a million times: > What would Aaron think? That person is gone today, driven to the edge by > what a decent society would only call bullying. **_I get wrong_**. **But I > also get proportionality**. And if you don’t get both, you don’t deserve to > have the power of the United States government behind you. What does _I get wrong_ and _But I also get proportionality_ mean in this context?


Synonyms for 'extra' (noun)

Recently I came across the word ' _extra_ ' in following meaning: "a person engaged temporarily to fill out a crowd scene in a film or play". I have a strong feeling that there should be some synonyms/other words with this meaning. What are the synonyms for **_extra_** as in the above?


"Passed" versus "past" instance in a published novel

A certain book by a famous author has been released in a new second edition. Unfortunately, it appears some changes have been made for the worse. For instance, in the first edition you read the following sentence. > [..] a message for you about the next age, and the one just past. This has been changed in the second edition to the following sentence. > [..] a message for you about the next age, and the one just passed. I'm inclined to think the first version was right because it can be read as involving the following omissions: > [..] a message for you about the next age, and the one [that has] just > [gone] past.


Interchangeability of idiomatic "wavelength" and "frequency"

Do these sentences mean the same? > We don't have the same **wavelength**. > > We are not in the same **frequency**.


A man's breast vs. a woman's breasts

Why is it that breast is used when referring to a man's chest, but breasts is used for a woman's? Could breast also mean a woman's chest, or do breasts have to be used when referring to a woman's chest? It seems strange that we speak as if there are two things when referring to a woman's chest but speak as if there is only one when referring to a man's.


Whats' wrong with the following sentence?

> One thing that despise me is when people cannot look me in eye. I believe that the statement is grammatically wrong since we are using passive voice in the sentence so it should be 'despises' instead of despise . Moreover , I believe the sentence doesn't make any sense. Its' hard for me to justify since I am not a native speaker of English language .


Word for something sad and funny at the same time

What's a word for something that is sad and funny at the same time?


usage of "at the latest" when expressing time

When using "at the latest", is this correct usage? "I will be in around 10am or 11am at the latest".


What is the best way to refer in English to a zoo all whose animals are carved in stone?

I of course don't have English as my primary language, so have some forgiveness. I would translate the name as   * "The Rock Zoo" (doesn't seem to make it)   * "The Zoo on Rock" (better)   * "The Zoo on Stone"   * "The Zoo on Stones"  Which one(s) is( are) correct and proper? Is there a better way to say it?


Can a result be "open"?

I'm not a native speaker. Is it good English to say > the result is (still) _open_ meaning that for whatever reason the result (e.g., of a study, of an examination) is not available yet, but will be in the future?


An ambiguity problem with "the first thing you remember"

I'm having an ambiguity problem with the following sentence: > What's the first thing you remember? If I'm right, it may mean either: 1) What is the first thing you can recall, the furthest in your memories, the earliest thing you remember? (like from your childhood = your earliest memory) 2) What is the first thing that comes to your mind just like that? (the first thing you can think of RIGHT NOW) Am I right? Considering I am, how would you rephrase the sentence, to get rid of the ambiguity problem?


Is English actually a pidgin or creole?

Because Middle English was a hodgepodge _mélange_ of Old English (a Germanic tongue) and Norman French (a Romance language), it seems like Middle English was actually a kind of _pidgin_ or _creole_. ## My question is: **Was it such, and if so, which one was it: a _creole_ or _pidgin_?** If so, when did it stop being such — or didn’t it stop being such? Related musings of my own that I don’t expect answers for follow. * * * I do wonder whether in today’s world of English becoming the _lingua anglica_ of common communication as French gave rise to the _lingua franca_ of yesteryear, such a creolization might not be recurring, at least in certain places with a dominant alternate language, such as in India or Singapore. I’ve found several articles on the notion, but they are unclear about what is happening today with World English and how that relates to what happened after 1066.   * The Last Lingua Franca: English Until the Return of Babel   * Just speak English?   * Business English Perhaps the English of tomorrow will look as much like today’s English as Chaucer looked like _Beowulf_.