Active usage of "taken aback"

The expression _to be taken aback_ is very common; a typical example sentence (that I just made up) would be > I was taken aback by the way she laughed. However, I sometimes find myself wanting to say this in the active voice: > The way she laughed took me aback. Something strikes me as not wrong, but decidedly _nonstandard_ about this, but I don't know _why._ The set expression is _X was taken aback by Y_ , which should be transformable by normal English grammar in to _Y took X aback_. Searching in Google Books, I found 23,300 results for "took me aback" and 377,000 for "I was taken aback", which corroborates my intution that while both are grammatically possible, the active version seems less acceptable or at least less common in the register of written English. So, my question:   1. Am I correct that "taken aback" is sort of nonstandard in the active?   2. If so, why? And are there any parallels to other expressions that are pretty much only ever used in the passive? I can't really think of any.


How do you count on fingers in English speaking countries?

Is there any "standard" way of counting on fingers in English speaking countries? In my country (Czech Rep.) we count and lift up fingers like this: 1-thumb, 2-index, 3-middle finger, 4-ring finger, 5-little finger. I was surprised when I first watched some native English people counting like this: 1-index, 2-middle finger, 3-ring finger, 4-little finger, 5-thumb. Is it typical/standard? Or is it different for UK, US, Canada, Australia? Or is it just purely individual? And do you continue with the other hand in the same way (6-index on the other hand, 7-middle..., 10-thumb)?


I am currently reading "A Study in Scarlet" by Arthur Conan Doyle. On page 33 is a sentence I don't understand: > Well, if a man can stride four and a-half feet without the smallest effort, > he can't be quite in the sere and yellow. **What does "in the sere and yellow" mean?** * * * Note: It seems to be related to this part of Macbeth: > I have liv'd long enough: my way of life   >  Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf;   >  And that which should accompany old age,   >  As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,   >  I must not look to have; but, in their stead,   >  Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath,   >  Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not.


Addressing a former office-holder by that office's title

When is it appropriate to use an "expired" honorific to address or refer to a person? In the U.S., former state governors are occasionally referred to as "Governor So-and-so", although they have not held that office for several years. I see this happening most often when the former governor is actively campaigning for a new office (usually U.S. President), and my impression is that it's done only by someone with an interest in the campaign (for or against) rather than a (relatively) neutral party like a newspaper. Certainly this could be used as a jab: in a political campaign for high office, addressing one's opponent by a former title — lower than one's own — could imply that the opponent is not qualified for the new job. It could also be used the other way around, to remind listeners that a candidate one supports used to hold an important title. I'm curious whether there are formal rules for this in the U.S., or at least style or journalist guidelines, for various offices. Are ambassadors, for example, entitled to some sort of emeritus honorific?


Another To vs For questions

Another question regarding to vs for usage, please help me find out in the quoted sentences which one of them should I use. > Now awaiting John's response to questions regarding comments to/for the > extra-work proposal. I think the scope of the sentence is self-explanatory but I'm in doubt about the preposition, is this a case like those where one could use them interchangeably ? > Isn't this familiar to/for you ? The same doubt arise like before, here I'm asking a friend of mine if that situation isn't familiar as I think we have experienced one quite similar in the past.


How much destruction should be in my mind's eye when I picture a city being "sacked"?

I've been reading some early medieval history lately, and much of the narrative, of course, encompasses warfare, which seems to have been almost ubiquitous in those times. Anyway, in these histories I read, many times I have come upon a city being described as being "sacked" by various personalities. Now, when I picture that state of such a city, I typically think of a town burnt to the ground, alongside good helping of wanton destruction and rape. In any case, the most important part of my mental image is the idea that it it takes a long time to recover from, and that there's a lot of destruction. In one particular history I'm reading, however, I keep coming across cities being sacked, many times in a row, sometimes within the same year, which leads me to believe that my mental image of a sacking is a bit off. What should it be? Most particularly: Is anything actually destroyed during a sacking, or is it simply a forced transfer of power alongside an occupation?


Why is it  "the day is young", not "still early"? What is the history of the phrase?

Mark Halperin’s article on the Missouri Congressman and Republican Senate nominee Todd Akin’s gaffe in August 20 Time magazine ends up with the lines: > “So far, not publicly calling for Akin to leave the race, as Scott Brown > did. But _the day is young.”_ I am interested in the phrase, “the day is young,” which I understand means it’s still early to tell what will happen next, or the end result. Google Ngram shows this phrase _emerged_ in 1840, and its usage has sharply declined after peaking during 1910–1940. What is the history of “the day is young”? Do you say 'the day (or year) is old'? By the way, we have a popular saying, “ _The day is long_ ,” in Japanese. But it has a rather positive meaning of “You can do (achieve) still a lot of things before the day is over,” for example, “Let’s have another drink, Taro. The day is long,” after having one. Can’t I use “The day is young” to this effect in English?


Grammar check. Native speaker's opinion needed. The sentence "The object that is sent the message is called the target" seems incomplete at best. Could a native English speaker confirm this? It is hard to know what is meant A bit confused here.


What is the difference between "presentation" and "demonstration"?

What is the difference between _presentation_ and _demonstration_?


Is the "is being employed" bit in this sentence grammatical?

> Mr. Peter **is being employed** at our company as "Marketing Supervisor" as > of 01.01.2010 till date with a monthly salary of 0000.0000


Can an adverb be a noun at the same time?

In this sentence: > Ben and Jen went home. Is _home_ both an adverb and a noun?


How do you say 'Twisted' Congress power balance?

Currently Japan’s ruling party (Democratic Party) holds a majority in the Lower House, but fewer seats in the Upper House than the opposition party (Liberal Democratic Party). We call the state of power balance as such a ‘Nejire Kokkai’ in Japanese – Twisted Congress meaning the Congress in 'twisted (reversed)' power balance by verbatim translation in English. What is the proper counterpart to this Japanese term for “Twisted Congress” in short (one) word? I was asked this question recently by one of my friends who is English learning enthusiast like me.


on Wall Street vs on the Wall Street

Why is the article before "Wall Street" extraneous?


Partisans interest - meaning

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/al-qaeda-chief-urges-westerner-kidnappings- prisoner-exchanges-114335980.html > "The Ummah (Muslim world) must support this jihad with all that it can, and > the mujahideen (Islamist militants) must unite around the word of Tawhid > (unity)," said Zawahiri, an Egyptian-born doctor. > > "So everyone should prioritize the interest of Islam and the Ummah over his > organizational or **partisans interest** , even if he gives up for his > brothers what he sees as right." What does **partisans interest** mean?


How do we write years before AD 1000?

For years with 4 digits, usually we write it this way: > George was born in the year 1732. > > or > > George was born in 1732. What about years with three, two, or even one digit? Are the below examples still valid?   1. George was born in the year 732.   2. George was born in 732.   3. George was born in the year 32.   4. George was born in 32.   5. George was born in the year 2.   6. George was born in 2.


Is ”If I leave, it’s because Bob has arrived” ambiguous?

> If I leave, it’s because Bob has arrived. Does this mean:   * Bob has not arrived yet. When Bob does arrive (shortly), I may leave.    * Bob is here now and requesting my attention. Therefore, I may leave shortly.  Or is the sentence inherently ambiguous? Is there a name for this subjunctive–future-tense ambiguity? MAJOR EDIT: Apparently, this sentence was even more ambigious than I thought! The situation: I'm chatting online with someone. I say: "If I leave, it’s because Bob has arrived." My meaning: when Bob arrives, I will stop chatting with you, and attend to Bob. My chat partner's interpretation: Bob has already arrived, and, any moment now, you will attend to Bob and stop talking to me.


A word to describe knowing something completely

We just can not think of a word to describe this situation where you understand something completely. There is nothing you do not know about it. If anyone knows or has something close then that would be great.


Missing words in English

For a while I ponder on some words that I have not been able to find. I always wondered why, since English is so huge compared to my native Danish where we _do_ have the following two words:   1. A word for a 24-hour period. I found the Greek one: _nychthemeron_. "It is sometimes used, especially in technical literature, to avoid the ambiguity inherent in the term _day_."   I of course know the word _day_ which we have in Danish too, but we also (along with other languages) have a specific word for a 24-hour period.   2. The adjective of _solidarity_ — so we have _sympathetic_ but not _solidaric_  — can anyone tell me why we can be sympathetic to a cause but have to show solidarity?   Is _solidary_ to _solidarity_ what _sympathetic_ is to _sympathy_? Any usage examples?   I am interested in any etymologic reason why it is not _solidaric_ (Greek root versus French root?) In Danish I can say _I am solidaric to your cause_.   I cannot hear myself saying _I am solidary to your cause_.


Term for buzzing or hissing sound often created by vibration

Specifically, I am referring to the hissing, buzzing, S-like, or fuzzy sound that is created when electronic speakers play sounds or music near their volume or frequency limits. I recall having learned a term for this at some point in the recent past, but cannot remember it despite significant time spent searching online. If I recall correctly, this is a sound produced within the speaker, not just sound caused by the speaker vibrating adjacent objects.


What is the difference in usage between "for instance" and "for example"?

What is the difference in usage between _for instance_ and _for example_? Are they just interchangeable? I suspect they are not strictly but cannot seem to find an authoritative explanation.


"An other" vs "another"

I just edited this answer on unix.sx. The original sentence was > But it won't transform it to **an other** format. I changed this to > But it won't transform it to **another** format. The second form is standard, but is the first correct?


Correct spelling: Updatable or Updateable?

Which is the correct spelling of the word? For example, "The file is not updat(e)able.". Btw, I did go to google and ref.dic.com for this first, and they both seem to indicate that they are both correct. If they are indeed both correct, which is more widely accepted?


A word for discrimination based on education or area of expertise

I was wondering if there is a word for "discrimination on the basis of education / area of expertise". What I mean is a word to describe someones attitude toward geeks of some kind. Example: I want to find a word that ungrounded feeling of inherent intellectual superiority toward a group of people with different education, e.g mathematicians towards physicists and vice versa.


Why is it "wide *of* the mark" instead of "wide *off* the mark"?

One says that something is "off the mark". For instance, an opinion or comment. But when it is way off, why is it "wide of the mark" instead of "wide off the mark"?


Which is correct: "full context" or "complete context"?

> "For the full context, see this." vs. > For the complete context, see this." Are both identical in meaning? Do I need the article "the"? Please explain.


whale as a verb

This post uses the expression: > These days forcing everything in 3D is no particular advantage. Graphics > card can **whale on** 2D problems just as efficiently as 3D ones. It's just > a question of writing some different shader programs. What does it mean? And is it a phrasal verb, "to whale on [sth]" like "to keep on going" or is the preposition simply connecting the verb normally? "to whale [on sth]" like "to stand on the floor"


"Shag" for "chase and bring back, fetch" in AE

Does "shag" have any currency in modern day AE to mean "chase and bring back, fetch (an escaped animal/prisoner)"? Is its use limited to the pursuit of runaways, or can it be extended to a broader meaning to "chase and bring back, fetch"? Also, can it be followed by "after", and then switch to the sense "chase in order to bring back or to stop/catch) as in "He shagged after the ambulance", and (with reference to a baseball game) "He shagged after the ball"? Consider the following examples: > One day one of my squad managed to shag a runaway camel. source > > What Mr. Richter does is shag the escaped four wheel buffalo. source > > I don't run bases and don't shag after the balls. source > > ...to shag runaway frogs...source > > http://www.thefreedictionary.com/shag


Distinction: "What can I do you for?" vs. "What can I do for you?"

Usually, when being served the phrase "What can I do for you?" is used but sometimes I also hear "What can I do you for?" in quite the same context. So is there a difference or is it just a slip of the tongue? **Edit** I also heard it amongst others in _'Allo 'Allo_ and once in _The IT Crowd_.


Single word for 'never return'

Is there a single word for 'never return' or 'will never return'? e.g, > She's gone and will never return. Sorry if it's a poor example I'm not a native speaker of the English language. So, if you find any mistake in what I have written, you are free to fix for me or tell me.


Meaning of "Make what's-her-name feel special this Mother's Day."

Especially, the "what's-her-name" part.


Meaning of "To all whom these presents come, greetings"

You see this a lot on formal government and institutional documents such as declarations and diplomas. What, exactly, is being said?


Part of speech of "very," "extremely," "really," and "quite"

While working on developing the lexicon in one of my constructed languages, I encountered a slight difficulty in using standard classifications for words like _very_ , _extremely_ , _really_ , and _quite_. To demonstrate this, here is an example sentence with a noun, an adjective, a verb, and an adverb: > The bad dog howled angrily. If any of those parts of speech is replaced by a word like _very_ , _extremely_ , etc., the sentence does not seem to be grammatical. For example, > The extremely dog howled angrily. --( _Extremely_ does not work as an > adjective) > > The bad very howled angrily. --( _Very_ does not work as a noun) > > The bad dog really angrily. --( _Really_ does not work as a verb) > > The bad dog howled quite. --( _Quite_ does not work as an adverb) Thus, this set of words does not seem to fit any of the main part of speech roles. (A similar experiment could be used to eliminate parts of speech which more obviously do not fit, such as prepositions, demonstratives, articles, conjunctions, and so on.) (Some of the words do have several meanings where they can be other parts of speech, > The very day you eat of it you will die. > > Are you really going to lick that ice cream off of the floor? > > Do you like Mozart? Oh yes, quite. but I am disregarding those other meanings.) However, I noticed that these words do work when they modify modifiers, i.e. adjectives and adverbs, as can be seen in the following example sentences. > The very bad dog howled quite angrily. > > All of the extremely smart girls will very quietly figure out a quite clever > solution. > > Is he really that stupid? Just for my purposes of labelling the words in my language, I just invented a term that I think fits their role in the sentence: _meta-modifier_. I did notice that dictionaries list these words as adverbs. Since adverbs can modify participles, which can be classified as adjectives, > The filthily clothed man tried to hug me. it makes a little bit of sense. But, AFAICT, adverbs cannot modify other adverbs or non-participle adjectives, but _very_ , _extremely_ , _really_ , and _quite_ can. So my question (finally) is, **are these words really adverbs** , and if not, **how can these words be classified**?


Confusion with Use of "Though"

Today I came across this sentence: > Though I don't sell photos taken by me it still makes me feel > good/appreciated/wanted I want to know exactly what this sentence means. I assumed two possible meanings:   1. He doesn't sell photos taken by himself but sells those taken by others. And that makes him feel good.   2. The fact that he doesn't sell photos taken by himself makes him feel good Which one is the correct interpretation?


What's a word for having your identity stolen? In other words, "robbed" is to your stuff as _X_ is to your identity.


Why do we say "is it" when asking a question rather than "it is"?

What it says on the tin, a foreign friend of mine has asked and I can't tell him; apart from it sounding horrible. For example:               "Why is it raining today?"      Instead of:               "Why it is raining today?"


Is there a difference between "Speciality" and "Specialty"?

My work colleagues and I have been having a discussion about doctors (we work in healthcare), and we're split down the middle as to whether a specialist doctor would have a speciality, or a specialty (no "i"). Is there a specific use for each word, or can they be interchanged?


What is the etymology of "cavalier"?

I ask this question because Webster runs a lot of top 10 lists that interest me from time to time. The current list I was browsing is called "Ten Painless Ways to Improve a Conversation". The second word of the list is the adjective "cavalier", meaning "disregard" or "showing no concern". This puzzled me since the noun means somebody who is a gentleman or a type of cavalryman. Why would the two words have such differing meanings? This led me to search for the etymology of cavalier, the noun having come into use in the 1600-1700s by the French and Englishmen. The etymology for the adjective is confusing at best; here a quote from EtymologyOnline: > Sense advanced in 17c. to "knight," then "courtly gentleman," which led to > adj. "disdainful" (1650s); earlier "gallant" (1640s).(snip) How on earth could "courtly gentleman" lead to the adjective "disdainful"?


What is the difference between "bring" and "bring back" in this case?

In the dictionary, bring means "to take something or someone with you to the place where you are now, or to the place you are talking about" and bring back "to take something or someone with you when you come back from somewhere". Is the place the difference? "Bring" is limited to the place you are now or talking about and "bring back" any place? In general I don't see any difference between these sentences: > Could you bring something back to the kids? > > Could you bring something to the kids?


Can you "encounter" an "assumption"?

I need to say that there are hypothesis/assumptions about a certain word (Foobar) - that it means something. But I can't seem to form this sentence properly. Here is what I got so far:               One can encounter assumptions that "Foobar" is "good-for-nothing", "lazy" person. But     that cannot be true ...      The construct "one can encounter assumptions" seems wrong to me - both because of the **encounter** word and the **assumptions** word. I tried **one can meet** , **one can find** \- for the first part, and **suppositions** , **propositions** for the second - but none of them seem to make any sense. I hope this is confusing enough :-)


Are there rules for constructing portmanteaux?

Lewis Carroll popularized the use and creation of (what may be considered to be) a _special form of_ compound or conjoined words. I propose that these are different than other compound words (e.g., per the comments, _“grimdark”_ from _grim+dark_ ) Since the concept of a **portmanteau** is by nature poetic and inventive, I think it is most productive to focus on the notion of disallowed constructions. For instance, I think that a portmanteau:   * cannot use a classical prefix or suffix as one half of the constructed word.  (unbor, as _un_ \+ _bor_ -rowed )   * cannot have parts that are, themselves, whole words  (e.g. understanding) Either way, do rules exist in the construction of portmanteaux? Do all portmanteaux by nature have a light-hearted tone? Must they “sound good”? Or does their “lightness” arise from the wit used to create them? ( **edit** : incorporated comments)


Why Isn't Citizen 'Citisen' in British English?

In British English vocabulary, most words with 'z's are replaced with 's's. For example, capitalization to capitalisation. Industrialization to industrialisation. But for some words, like citizen, for example, it has a z instead of a s. Why is this like this?


Which is correct: "Set up something" or "Set something up" or "Setup something"?

As a programmer, I often have to use this expression: > Set the application up. or something like that. But I'm not sure what the correct grammar is, and what this grammatical area is called in English.


When is it appropriate, if at all, to use the suffix "ish"?

When is it appropriate, if at all, to use the suffix `ish`? Consider the following: > She was a largish woman According to Google the word _largish_ is defined as _somewhat large_. However, Merriam-Webster seems to redirect the search phrase to _large_ instead. I have seen people abuse this quite a bit. When does one draw the line when using this suffix? Or does it have no place in formal english?


I have not gone. But I *have* gone!

Let's pretend that you recently started working for a company. This company has a yearly Christmas party, and you are wondering whether you're expected to go. You: > Are we expected to attend these Christmas parties every year? Coworker: > I have not gone before, and my boss still loves me. As a native English speaker, there seems to be a frustrating ambiguity. Your coworker could mean: > **I have never gone** , and my boss still loves me. Or: > **There have been one or more years in which I didn't go** , and my boss > still loves me. In English, it seems that "I have gone" doesn't imply having _always_ gone, but "I have _not_ gone" does imply having _never_ gone. Is there a concise way of indicating the opposite of "I have gone"? _Edit:_ By _opposite of "I have gone"_ , I meant the _opposite of what it conveys_. "I have gone" conveys: > One or more times, I have gone. The opposite would convey: > One or more times, I have not gone.


What is "backshifting", as applied to English grammar?

I saw this term, _backshifting_ , in an answer to another question, that was not endorsed by the community: > [T]he process called backshifting...signal[s] that the speech is not > direct/quoted but rather it is indirect/reported. That sounds very interesting, but unfortunately, I can't be sure of if this given definition is correct, as it _is_ found in a downvoted answer. So: What is _backshifting_ , and how does it apply to English? As always, plenty of examples are requested!


Is "for short" correct?

In conversation I used the phrase "for short" in the context: > "I will call you _blank_ for short." I know I've heard the phrase before, but I'm wondering if it is actually acceptable English? If not, what is the correct alternative? **EDIT for clarification:** The structure of the phrase seems uncommon to me (maybe I'm wrong). The preposition-adjective structure doesn't seem to have many examples. However, the reverse structure seems to have multiple examples.


Everyone Else's Lives

It would seem as though this is incorrect, since we each only have one life. Is my intuition correct that it should be everyone else's life and not everyone else's lives?


A meaning for a proverb?

what's the meaning of the proverb "No man is an island entire of itself" by john donne?


The words India and England sound the same but why are the starting letters different?

For example why can't we use Endia or Ingland. Any specific reason?


Is it acceptable to italicize a compound descriptor instead of hyphenating it?

I'm having a disagreement about how to treat a compound descriptor like "This is one of those everyone-shut-up-and-go-away kind of days." It has been claimed to me that this descriptor can just as well be italicized, like so: "This is one of those _everyone shut up and go away_ kind of days." I have not been able to find any evidence for this, and I don't recall seeing it myself. Can anyone provide a source that advocates for italics? I've had trouble looking this up because most entries on compound words only deal with the kind that has two words ("blue-green dress"), and those are always hyphenated, not italicized. [Edit] The claim comes from a writer who disagreed with my correction of her work, and insisted that italicizing the phrase is just as correct. My subsequent inquiries have uncovered that this usage can be found in certain fiction novels (I haven't read them, but friends mentioned this to me), which leads me to guess that it's a result of poor editing and not an accepted usage. As these kinds of things do sometimes get taken up, it may one day be seen as the "correct" way [see the modern use of "artful" to mean "artistic"]. However, since no one has brought forth any convincing argument or source for the usage, at present I believe it's simply incorrect. Research: http://www.stat.ufl.edu/~presnell/Various/Strunk-and-White/etes_htm.htm http://www.uhv.edu/ac/newsletters/writing/grammartip2004.11.30.htm


Hour minute format pluralization in a specific context

Check the following screens: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bp40q2yqk4xatzc/11.png https://www.dropbox.com/s/cobof2uvk6htwv9/1.png you can see that I'm not consistent with the hour format. My question is that can I use the following format? Is it correct? "1h 1min" and "2h 2min" in the outer circle screenshoot 1 or should I pluralize like "2hrs 2mins" the same as the inner circle, "1hour 1minute" and "2hour 2minute" or do you think the pluralized form is better or sime kind of other form? My question is the same for screenshoot 2. According to this thread there is no pluralization in SI. What do you think?


"To be in limbo": Explanation needed

I have asked an English well versed friend to translate an usual expression in my mother tongue (as is, not so relevant for the post) who prompted me: _To be in limbo_. The only relevant point is that the expression I submitted for translation has nothing to do with religous matter. I need an explanation in layman terms of all usual meanings of the expression when used in every day life.


Advice on rhetorical usage?

_A rhetorical question is a question asked in order to make a point, without expectation of an answer._ Here is something similair, and I want to know if there exists a name for it, I'll illustrate it using an example (an epic dialogue). **1:** _You're ugly._ **2:** _You should look in a mirror._ **Here advice (not actually advice I guess, but I don't know the correct word) is given in order to make a point, without expectation of someone actually following that advice. Is there a name for this?** p.s - I'm sorry but someone edited the title wrongly which has caused (good but) mostly irrelevant answers.


"Freshman", "sophomore", what next?

I know first and second year undergraduate students are freshmen and sophomores respectively.   * Are there similar terms for third and fourth years, given most programmes are three or four year programmes?   * If no, is there any reason for coining a word only for the second year (i.e., _sophomore_ )?


He flew like the wind

In the sentence _He ran up the stairs_ _up the stairs_ is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverb to modify the verb _ran_ , But what about the sentence _He flew like the wind_? Is _like the wind_ a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverb to modify the verb _flew_ , or is this a case of misusing a preposition as a conjunction? Should this sentence be changed to: _He flew as the wind_? This sounds completely wrong.


Use of an Apostrophe in Maths Place Values

In mathematics, when you're discussing the concepts behind different number bases, it's often necessary to refer to a digit's place. For example, in the following "base 10" number (the number system most people normally use)               217      you'd say > There's a `2` in the hundreds place, a `1` in the tens place, and a `7` in > the ones place However, I'm uncertain where, (if at all), I should use a possessive apostrophe.   * `2` in the hundreds place   * `2` in the hundred's place   * `2` in the hundreds' place This seems like the perfect intersection of mathematics making up terms and debates about possessive apostrophes and plurals. Is there a general rule or consensus for this sort of usage?


Is there a name for a "when you do something, ..." phrase?

As in the title, is there a name for a phrase beginning "when something happens..." or "when someone does something...", and if so, what is it?


Does 'agemates' have a space or not?

How is it correctly spelled? > agemates or > age mates


Can we use this expression "be blamed"?

Dictionaries say that _blame_ is a transitive verb. Even though we already have the phrase _be to blame for something_ , can we use the following sentence? > Officials believe that more than one person may be to **be blamed** for the > fire.


Proper usage of the semicolon

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Any examples of where a full-stop can't replace a semi-colon? "I stepped outside to check the rain; it calmed down." or "I stepped outside to check the rain. It calmed down." If the former is correct, then it seems like a bunch of sentences can be joined with a semicolon.


Regards & Regard

We ofter use "Regards" at the end of our e-mail. In one of my mail I mistakenly wrote "Regard"(without a "s") which my BOSS didn't like! My question is what is the difference between "Regards" & "Regard"?


Technical term for "copy-catting nature"

There is a term for copy-catting nature for practical situations such as cars, systems, etc. For example an engineering project where some part is designed according to bird wing. This methodology of using nature as a model for something has some technical name but I cannot remember it now. What is it?


Pronunciation of 'educate'

In India, this word is quite frequently pronounced as _e-JU-cate_ (with a J-sound). In the dictionaries I have referred to, the pronunciation is the predictable _e-dyu-cate_. Is the Indian pronunciation common worldwide? Is there any reason for the shift from the dictionaries? Did some look up the phonetic representation, find _ɛdjʊˌkeɪt_ , but mistook this 'j' for 'Y'?


Meaning of "moving right along"

What does the slang _moving right along_ mean?


Using the word 'Only'

I am confused about using the word _only_. I often hear it being used in many contexts that sound wrong to me - but I'm not sure if it's me or them. Let me give some examples: > A: Where were you yesterday evening?   >  B: I was at the coffee house.   >  A: Hey, I was there _only_ ; how come we didn't meet? I guess the correct usage here would be `I was also there` or `I was there too`, right? How about this: > A: Did you complete that task?   >  B: No, but I am doing that _only_ The word _only_ is used here to stress on the fact that he is doing **that** (and not something else). I guess this usage stems from an equivalent usage in Hindi and other Indian languages. What's the correct way to express this? I feel _I am still working on that_ is not the same - it sounds more like _I haven't figured out how to do it_ , as opposed to _this is a difficult task, it'll take some time_ Another one: > A: How many questions have you asked in this forum?   >  B: I have asked only one question.   >  C: I have asked one question only. Who is correct - B or C?   I'm with B on this one, but I don't know if C is correct too. * * * PS: In case you haven't guessed it already, I'm not a native English speaker :)


What is a word that describes hurting people without meaning to?

What is a word that describes a person who hurts people without meaning to? As in not intentionally.


What is this touchscreen "kiosk" called?

Some shopping centers have a touchscreen "kiosk" with a map and store finder software that helps customers to find their "unfindable" store. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/bYpVS.jpg) Do these have a name? I have tried to find some examples on the web, but I don't know what to search for.


What do you call the love of ancient ruins?

I am trying to find one word that describes the love of old building ruins.


Difference between "clever" and "skillful"

What is the difference between _clever_ and _skillful_?


How to pronounce "I'm gonna"

I often hear "I'm gonna". but sometimes I hear "I'm ona" pronounced by a native speaker as "I'm gonna". Dose it make sense?


Subject and Object in Commands?

I'm having difficulty figuring out the subject and object in the following sentence: > Give me that pencil. The confusion is since someone is requesting the pencil, should they be the subject? In which case the pencil is the object? Or is the pencil the subject, and the person who is implied in the giving the object. How is it determined? Thanks.


Does the word ‘clobber’ have the meaning of “secure” or “garner” as a verb other than ‘hitting hard” and “defeat sb completely”?

In association with my question about the meaning of “chemical Mickey” in Time magazine’s article “The science of romance: Why we love,” (Jan. 28, 2008) http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1704672,00.html, there was the following sentence; > Men see ample breasts and broad hips as indicators of a woman's ability to > bear and nurse children--though most don't think about such matters so > lucidly. Women see a broad chest and shoulders as a sign of someone who can > **clobber** a steady supply of meat and keep lions away from the cave. I was amused to find the word, “clobber” which I understand only in the range of meaning, 1\. hit sb very hard. 2\. (usually passive) affect sb badly or push them. 3\. (often passive) defeat sb. completely as defined in OALED, being used in this way. What does ‘clobber’ mean in the above quote? 'Clobber meat'- if you had to, or if you are a butcher or a boxer - is understandble. But can I _clobber_ 'supply' - an abstruct concept, not meat - a concrete object, like shut down the supply line - logistics? In other word, I can clobber **"a lump"** of meat, but I cann't clobber " **supply** " of meat. I hope you understand the point I'm hunging up. Does the “Clobber” have the meaning other than defined in the OALED?


Covering cars or vans with advertisement images, what is this called?

I have been working as a graphic designer for a while and we design and print advertisement material and cover cars / vans with it. What do we call this in English? I am preparing my CV and I don't know how to put it there. Thanks.


Why the "up" in "hang up the phone"?

Why do you hang "up" when you put the phone down when you're done talking? I don't get it and none of my friends do.


How to wish someone for the upcoming weekend

Is it correct to say "Wish you a happy weekend" or should I say "Wishing you a happy weekend"?


Is 'sorbet sex' a well recognized expression?

According to _The Guardian_ : > For years, men have enjoyed ‘sorbet sex’ as a way of cleansing their palates > between long-term relationships, but now women are joining the feast. I’m interested to know whether _sorbet sex_ is a well recognized phrase in the U.S. and in the U.K., and, if not, I would like to know what expression is used to refer to a casual sexual relationship undertaken between two serious relationships. The journalist, Beverley D’Silva, says that the expression is a phrase used in _Sex and the City_ , but _Wikipedia_ ’s “Sex and the City” page says nothing about that. Dictionaries I consulted don’t have an entry for _sorbet sex_.


Distinction between "ambulate" and "perambulate"?

At a cursory glance, these two terms appear to be synonyms. But that would strike me as unusual since one is a prefixed form of the other. (Prefixes are used to modify a word in a specific and consistent way. As a result, the prefixed form of a word has a different meaning than the word.) "Per-" confers a quality of thoroughness or fullness. But in the context of ambulation, this doesn't seem like a significant modifier (to me). Am I wrong, or are "ambulate" and "perambulate" synonyms?


"I would like to go to a youth center to help and (to) work with teenagers"

Which is correct? > I would like to go to a youth center to help and work with teenagers. > > I would like to go to a youth center to help and **to** work with teenagers. The question is whether _to_ needs to be repeated in the second infinitive.


Prepositions with fields (agricultural)

According to the Longman dictionay I use, you ought to say "in the fields", but I'm pretty sure I've come across "on the fields" before. Is it possible to use it? And if so, does it imply a change in meaning? I'm adding some sentences for example as requested:   \- Someone works in/on the fields.   \- Someone is in/on the fields.


Word a male can use to refer to a female that is not old or young (girl/lady/woman)

I'm a married male in my mid-thirties and meet a woman of a similar age and talk about business. I want to refer to this meeting later, and it feels weird to say "I met a _girl_ today...," (feels like it describes someone younger or it was romantic) or "I met a _lady_ today..." (feels like it describes someone older.) Is the best term just "I met a _woman_ today..."?


Is litotes merely negation or more?

I came across the figure of speech _litotes_ and it seems that it is the use of a negative to mean and emphasise the opposite. Now, take the following examples: > "I just tried the soup. It's not the worst soup I've tasted." > > "We tried to get George Clooney on our show, but he's not the most jobless > of actors." In the first case, the negation doesn't seem to directly mean the opposite. The soup may just be 'not bad', meaning worth a taste, but not necessarily GOOD or AWESOME soup. The second example seems more to be what litotes is about, at least by definition. Here the negation clearly means that George Clooney is a very busy man. Not that he's the 2nd or 3rd most jobless man, and hence fairly jobless. Am I right in therefore concluding that litotes uses a negative to firmly underline the opposite, rather than merely mean the negative? In which case if someone asks me "How's the new book by XXX" and I answer "Not bad"


Where does "flying in the face" come from?

To "fly in the face of" something means to be opposite it, with a particular connotation that is hard to describe. Where does the expression come from?


Looking for a word that describes when you say both possible outcomes

Sometimes someone will say "if we don't win, we lose" or "we will make it, or we won't" or another example is, "if i don't pass, I fail" It is when someone needlessly states the obvious alternative. I have heard the word before, but now just cannot recall it. Any help is greatly appreciated.


Does use of the term "Gordian knot" imply a heavy-handed solution?

I’m a PhD student currently struggling with the section of my thesis where I’m praising my supervisors. It is not that I’m having trouble summoning up the willpower to do so, but rather that I’m puzzled by a specific grammatical detail. I am planning to write something along the lines of > … a better team of consultants is hard to imagine when it comes to […] > untying theoretical and technical Gordian knots. _thefreedictionary.com_ defines the term as “an exceedingly complicated problem or deadlock”, which is exactly what I want to say. However, the etymology of the expression is obviously related to Alexander the Great coming across the knot in Gordium and “solving” the riddle of untying it with his sword. So, in using the expression in this way, do I imply that my supervisors tend to prefer brute-force solutions?


When noun phrase take the role of participial phrase, what name do you call it?

> The only marked event of the afternoon was, that I saw the girl with whom I > had conversed in the verandah, dismissed in disgrace by Miss Scatcherd from > a history class, and sent to stand in the middle of the large schoolroom. > The punishment seemed to me in a high degree ignominious, especially for so > great a girl—she looked thirteen or upwards. I expected she would show signs > of great distress and shame; but to my surprise she neither wept nor > blushed. **Composed** , though grave, she stood, **the central mark of all > eyes**. (Jane Eyre) I guess ‘composed’ has the function of participial phrase; ‘the central mark of all eyes’ has the same function. When noun phrase take the same role as participial phrase, what name do you call it?


Meaning of vitative(ness)

I've seen the following word used in a book about the history of writing, referring to a list of descriptive words written in 1900. Vitative(ness) is not in my Oxford dictionary, nor dictionary.com.


"Writer's writer" — who can say it?

When someone says: > This author is a writer's writer. I understand that as meaning the author is accomplished and generally excellent. It's a bit fuzzy in my mind how it can mean this, but I can roll with it. What I'd like to know is: can this be said without pretense by a nobody, by someone who is not a writer? Is that "reserved" to people in the profession to call each other? I also assume the same goes for any substitution of the word "writer", say with "philanthropist", "programmer", or "comic book artist."


Guide to English Articles

I'm looking for a full and complete guide to English articles like THE, A, AN, (none). Can anyone recommend me something like that? I'd like to finally learn this and never make a mistake again. Ideally, I'd like it to cover every single exception as well.


on the bus, in the car etc. vs. on a bus, in a car etc

I realize a lot of questions have been asked about buses here. While the thing with the preposition usage was resolved for me a long time ago, the usage of the articles is still confusing me. For example, which article would be more appropriate, if you were traveling in a vehicle and your phone rang and you wanted to avoid a conversation: > "I can't talk. I'm on **a** / **the** bus (in **a** / **the** car, on **a** > / **the** train) right now. I'll call you back later." My logic is: In a situation when we're not talking about the specific bus/car etc. and just stating the fact that we're traveling in a vehicle, the indefinite article should be used. So I would use "a". However, Google gives plenty of examples of both "a" and "the" used in similar situations. "The" seems to prevail, though. Can you please explain the difference between "a" and "the" in these phrases?


Is "cannot not say" standard English?

Is "cannot not say" standard English? In context, I would like to know whether "I cannot not say precisely what attracted them to the part of Giuliette" is grammatical. Also, does the phrase "cannot not say" interfere with the double-negation story?


Word to mean "then-current"

I'm searching for a word to indicate something that was current at some time in the past, but not necessarily now. For example: > The doctor's report of June 2008 set forth the patient's ?{ _then-current_ } > complaints.


Is this expression correct: "spring that force was applied to"?

Is this grammatically correct? > Pink line represents harmonic oscillations of the spring that force was > applied to. If not what's wrong and how to make it correct?


"taste for" vs. "taste in"

What is the correct usage of 'taste for' and 'taste in'? >   1. You have a good _taste for_ music >   2. You have a good _taste in_ music. >   3. Your _taste for_ books is pathetic >


How do you pronounce the surname Derges

How do you pronounce the english surname of a famous artist-Derges


Concurrently with or Sequentially To/Sequentially With?

> Drug A is administered concurrently with or sequentially to Drug B. I want to say in a formal manner that Drug A and Drug B are administered either at the same time or at different times, but I don’t want to say whether A or B comes first. Two questions:   1. What is the correct preposition after “sequentially”? “To”? “With”?   2. If drug A is administered sequentially to Drug B, does that mean that Drug B is administered after drug A? If so, how can this be expressed without limiting the order.


What does it mean to be "in the Elks"?

I am reading the book "Metaphors We Live By" by Lakoff and Johnson and in there, there ins an example sentence: Harry is in the Elks. Is the Elks a place?


Can a noun in the possessive case be the antecedent of 'who'?

In other words, are sentences like > _We had a party at Jane's, who is my cousin._ or > _He pressed his face up to Kate's, who flattened herself against the wall._ grammatically correct?


How do you pronounce 'vegan'?

Theoretically, there are four possible pronunciations of 'vegan' due to two syllables constituting this word, namely, 've'('vee' or 'vay'?) and 'gan'('gun' or 'gen' as in 'generate'?). The online dictionary merriam-webster.com provides several pronunciations of 'vegan' but as you can see that there are several comments about it at the bottom. Do you have any idea about this problem ?


Does this whooping whistling cheering noise have a name?

As audible in the first 27 seconds of this video, and frequently heard on the intellectual powerhouse that is TV show Take Me Out, people make this whooping whistling cheering noise – generally in vaguely hedonistic situations. Does it have a name?


How to say years period

I have trouble with a phrase: > Potential investors study were carried out for the period 2008 - 2012. This should mean that I've analyzed a documents published between 2008 and 2012. Is this the meaning that that conveys, or there is some better way to say what I mean to say here?


"30 day span", "30-day span", or "30 days span"

As in, "for each 30-day span, a late fee will be charged." I think the hyphenated version looks best, but is there some sort of authoritative word on that in a style guide?


The difference between "delimit" and "limit"

In an article I came across the following sentence: "To delimit the responsibility of the police means to delimit human reason" I was just wondering why did the author use "delimit" instead of "limit" in this sentence?


What is a word or phrase for when an artist cannot live up to his (or another author's) earlier work?

There is a phenomenon when an artist cannot create to the level of his earlier work or another artist's work. He is often compared to the earlier work and can't move beyond the achievement of this work. Is there a word (or a few words) to describe when this occurs? Some examples could be: > Mike Nichols was never able to make another film that measured up to _The > Graduate_. All works afterwards paled in comparison. > > Italian literature has never been able to escape the specter of Dante's > _Divine Comedy_ ; all authors have had to react to this magnum opus in their > own way and reflect it -- or deny it wholeheartedly -- in their work. > > Woody Allen's critics often refer to 'his earlier, funnier work'; in their > minds, his later dramatic works don't always measure up.


What's the counterpart of the adjective 'pending'

The completion of task A cannot be achieved until task B is completed. I can therefore say that task A is in a group of tasks whose completion is suspended 'pending' the completion of task B. I can classify them as 'Pending' But I want an adjective for the group of tasks that task B belongs to. A group of tasks, the completion of which allows other tasks to be addressed. Pended? Pendant? - just can't pin down a word that works for this! Any ideas please!


Is there a phrase to describe a ready-to-throw-away phone?

I am looking for a phrase that describes a really crappy mobile phone, which has become so dysfunctional that it is ready to be thrown away


What is the correct usage of “trailblazer”?

Let’s say I’ve invented a robot which moves a couple of meters front of me by looking to my direction. It kind of “guesses” where I’m going. So, if I call it a _trailblazer_ , will this be a correct usage? Is there any better naming for this kind of thing?


Gerund: Difference between “knowledge” and “knowing”

In these days I find out something about The Gerunds and now i want to know what's The difference between these nouns “knowledge” and “knowing”? And which one on is Gerund? Clearing: in my language or French language your Gerund become the Name of infinitive for example The name of infinitive of "To know" is "Knowledge" and when I search for translate of "Knowing" Translate the same thing of Infinitive, I want to know which one of them is Gerund? Knowledge or Knowing, if knowledge is Gerund what is Knowing? Thank you.


What to reply to a person saying "Good Morning" when my time zone is different?

When I'm talking to a person in opposite time zone and the person greets with "Good morning" or Good evening/afternoon as per his time, is it ok to reply "Good afternoon" (as per my time-zone) when he said "Good Morning", and similarly replying as per my time zone, at other times?


Those Two are Triplets

Is the sentence "Those two are triplets" proper? It seems like it would not be correct, because triplets come in 3 and this only references two people. A similar case would be "He is a twin." I think this is different though because twin is singular, and triplets is plural. If I was only pointing out one, "He is a triplet" seems correct. I feel that when using triplets, it implies 3.


Looking for a word which means: Taking something simple and making it into something complex

Let's say I have a very simple object, like a LEGO car (my cars were always pretty basic) and I remake it into a very complex object, like the Batmobile, what would be an appropriate term for this? I thought of `transform`, but that seems like it can go two ways and I'm specifically looking for the simple to complex route. What I by mean by complex is not necessarily overly complex for no good reason. I actually need the functionality of the much improved product.


Is “since-folded (TV network)” an accustomed English word?

Time magazine (August 29) reports that Sara Palin has launched her own Internet Television network in its Entertainment TV section. It says; > “Palin’s not the first candidate to lose an election and then embrace the > media. Aug. 1 marks the ninth anniversary of the launch of Current TV, Al > Gore’s **since-folded** television network, which Al Jazeera bought last > year.”- http://time.com/3044887/sarah-palin-has-launched-her-own-internet- > television-network/?xid=newsletter-brief I was attracted to the word, “ **since-folded** ,” and I thought it convenient word to be used in many other ways, like “since-folded shop / hospital / library / hotel / company/ program,” and so on. So I checked OED, CED, and Merriam –Webster English Dictionary to make it certain. None of them carries “since-folded,” nor does Google Ngram. How does "since-folded" differ from "long-folded (closed / non-operating)"? Is “since-folded” an 'accustmed' English word, or just one-off coinage of the article author, P.Nash Jenkins?


Free text, free style?

Sometimes information comes in a highly structured manner, such as a database with its tables, rows and columns; or a heavily formatted document with a strict hierarchy of sections, chapters, headings and subheadings. Some other times, however, information is weakly structured, and looks more like a continuous stream of text. What is a good adjective for this? I have seen the phrases "free-text" and "free-style" used in similar contexts, but I am not sure that they sound OK to native English speakers. Also, is there any other adjective that works better than either of these? Thanks.


"Are you happier?"

I was reading an English book. This is a snippet of a conversation below: > But please tell us... do you like your job? Are you happier? I am confused at _happier_. Why not use _happy_?


I hope you live / I hope you will live

What is a correct way to say it: _I hope you live for many years._ or _I hope you will live for many years_?   I am really confused by it since I've seen quotes of famous writers that said _live_ but an English teacher I know says it is not the correct way. Edit: a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald:               I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.


What is the difference between "an essay on something" and "an essay in something"?

In most cases you write "an essay on something" but recently I came across some "essays in something" Is there a difference in meaning? Is the "in" more formal?


What does the "that little bubble of accidental arrogance" meaning?

> ... as you initially did, that their design was just behind. It's nice to > see an idea that pops that little bubble of accidental arrogance. The above sentence is from Nick Johnson's blog on thinkvitamin. I don't understand and would like for someone to explain the meaning of the phrase, "that pops that little bubble of accidental arrogance". PS: I think the second _that_ after _pops_ is unnecessary; am I right?


A sensible mnemonic for "pseudo"

Whenever I go to use the pseudo- prefix, I always have to pause for a moment and decide what the correct e-u order is. Often times I get it wrong. Built in typo correction frequently helps, though there are some instances (irssi, ... written forms) where such a feature does not exist. I'm very interested in a witty/rhythmic/useful mnemonic to help me remember the correct spelling of pseudo- in full, or even something specific to the e-u ordering.


A word for more than one but less than 2

"How many friends should I bring? "you can bring one…….maybe '1 1/2' friends." The question was "plural" so is answered in a "plural" form, but logically refers to "singular" (=1). A single word that could refer to the (implied) integer between 1 and 2.


Can retransmit be used as a noun?

Example usage: > There have been three retransmits. Is there a more appropriate word?


Where does the phrase "red herring" come from?

I understand that "red herring" means something like a clue or indicator that is misleading. But where does this come from? What does a misleading clue have to do with smoked fish?


Capitalising Words in Parentheses?

Should the words inside a set of parentheses be capitalised? For example: > ... usually read for personal enjoyment ( **R** ecreation) or ... or > ... usually read for personal enjoyment ( **r** ecreation) or ...


What does "no longer cease to exist" means?

I understand what "cease to exist" means, but **"something" no longer cease to exist** doesn't make sense to me. English is not my first language(obviosly).


What does "8/7c" stand for?

I just saw an update on Facebook saying: > Watch Russell present LIVE at the 42nd Annual NAACP Image Awards. Tonight at > **8/7c** on FOX. What does "8/7c" mean?


How to convey to someone that food is losing heat?

The story is that I want someone to come earlier to the dining table as food is hot now but in ten minutes it would not be. How in American English can I say to someone to come early, as food on the table is getting cold or losing heat?


Are there or were there any other conjoined pronoun-verb combinations like "methinks" in English?

And why was this ever considered grammatically correct? Why not "Ithinks"? **Edit** : When I ask "why," I'm wondering for example, whether or not "me" has always been the first-person objective case in English.


Isn't this against tense agreement?

> When I got home yesterday, John called and said he will arrive next week. > (Wikipedia) Wikipedia says the sentence above is possible. Does it not break the tense agreement when there’s no quotation mark? I suspect 'will' needs to be changed into 'would', when there is no quotation mark in the sentence, like _John called and said, 'I will arrive next week_.'


How to phrase "two companies being the most successful one in their respective countries" as a noun-phrase?

How to express this in one sentence: there are two companies, one is the most successful in America, and the other the most successful in Canada. Can we say it like this? > they are **the most successful two companies in Canada and America**. or is it like this? > they are **the two most successful companies in Canada and America**. If both of the above sentences are wrong, how to express it?


What is the proper way to spell "inspiraysh"?

I've noticed a trend among "younger people" to shorten words by simply cutting the ending off. For example, instead of _inspiration_ they might say something like _inspiraysh_. What is the proper way (if there is one) of spelling such shortened words? **Edit:** It seems to me that the natural thing to do would be removing the last few letters: i.e. the spelling _inspiraysh_ would make perfect sense to me if the original word was _inspirayshon_. But in case of _inspiration_ this is not an option, since it would alter the pronunciation.


word to make someone feel bad or insulted

I am looking for a word that can correctly interpret a situation like this You boss constantly insults you, make you feel like you know nothing or if you are some idiot may be, has no empathy for your feelings, basically insults you around verbally and even in front of others, is bossing around and ordering things like "Go to your pc, find this and come back to me right now", "I am saying, do it right now" etc. What is the correct word for this situation. I am looking for more than one word.


Greetings in the beginning of an email

In my language, when I write an email to my professor, boss, etc, there is a greeting part in the first part of email right after "Dear prof. ..."(in my language of course), e.g. "How are you", "I hope everything is alright" and so on. But I don't have any idea how can I write a proper email with such a greeting in English? Or do I have to ignore it because the email is kinda formal? Thanks a lot.


What is the name for a comma delimited list with parenthetically labeled items?

Sometimes I run across a list where the elements are parenthetically labeled for future reference. Here is a fictitious example: > The People of the United States established the Constitution to (A) > establish Justice, (B) insure domestic Tranquility, (C) provide for the > common defence, (D) promote the general welfare, and (E) secure the > Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity. I would like to know if there is a name for such a structure, and what the common style guidelines are.


"Agreed" or "agreed to"

Should _agreed_ or _agreed to_ be used in the example below? > The member countries **agreed** the bailout package for the sovereign. NATO > will enforce the sanctions **agreed** in May. > > The member countries **agreed to** the bailout package for the sovereign. > NATO will enforce the sanctions **agreed to** in May. Is one more popular in some localities than others? EDIT: While the answers posted thus far seem to make it cut and dried that the first usage is simply wrong, I am hearing it an awful lot on BBC television news. And I note that in the Telegraph (UK website) Sep 9, 2011, we have: > I haven't ever believed that a single euro cent of the €109 billion agreed > in the Greece II bailout would ever change hands. From Reuters on Sep 28, 2011: > If deemed adequate by the inspectors, the new austerity drive will secure an > 8-billion-euro loan Greece needs to pay bills and salaries in October and > bring it closer to starting a second bailout agreed in July. This seems almost prevalent I am tempted to say it is a phenomenon.


What does “plenaried” mean in this phrase?

A recently-asked question, since deleted by its author, prompts the following question. In a 12 March 2013 _New York Times_ column called The Axis of Ennui, David Brooks concluded with: > What are the names of the people who are leading this shift? Who is the > Steve Jobs of shale? Magazine covers don’t provide the answers. Whoever they > are, they don’t seem hungry for celebrity or good with the splashy project > launch. They are strong economically, but they are culturally off the map. > > This revolution will not be plenaried. What does the last sentence mean? Adjective _plenary_ has senses that include “Fully attended; for everyone's attendance” and “(theology or law) Complete; full; entire; absolute”. The noun phrase _plenary session_ typically refers to “a session in a conference which is open to all (or a large number) of attendant speakers, who may each contribute prepared or ad-hoc material”. But what does “This revolution will not be plenaried” mean?


"Oblong to Allantoid" — is it valid?

I read in a paper: > One such genus is _Dinemasporium_ which ... characterised by superficial, > cupulate to discoid conidiomata with brown setae, and phialidic > conidiogenous cells that give rise to hyaline, oblong to allantoid, aseptate > conidia with an appendage at each end. In the phrase "oblong to _allantoid_ ", is the word _oblong_ valid for this context? If not, what other word would work? ** I am editing to thank you all. Although few people agreed to close this question (because they concern to the whole phrases), I should have told that I was confused for the phrase **oblong to allantoid**. It is clear now for me that oblong to allantoid means the range of _genus Dinemasporium_ is **oblong (Roughly rectangular or ellipsoidal-shaped) to allantoid (Sausage-shaped; spores that are long with rounded ends).** I also learned from this journal for the word oblong in the same context; _The conidia were subhyaline, oblong, and ellipsoid to allantoid._


"Scar Tissue" vs. "Scar Tissues"

When is it appropriate to use "Scar Tissue" vs. "Scar Tissues" > He applied ointment to the scar tissue. > > He applied ointment to the scar tissues. Are both correct or only the first one?


Antonym of "low-ball" as price

What is an antonym or popularly used phrase meaning the opposite of _low-ball_ used to refer to a price?


Where does the term 'double-jointed' come from?

I've read many times recently that Michael Phelps is double-jointed. The term is totally misleading because it suggests that someone with this condition has twice as many joints as others have. Actually, the term double-jointed is connected to something called Hypermobility and means only that the joints can stretch farther than normal. I wondered whether the word 'double' refers to the extent or degree of something in this context (not quantity), i.e. perhaps the joints can be stretched twice as much. How come they call it double-jointed?


What does the "yours" in "yours sincerely" mean?

"Yours" is usually a possessive pronoun with an implicit noun. What is the implicit noun in the case of "yours sincerely"?


The grammatical function of "How"

What is the grammatical function of "how" in this sentence: > He told us how to do it.


Usage of the phrase "couldn't help myself"

I am getting confused at the usage of the phrase "couldn't help myself." For example, let's say I played soccer in the evening. What should I say?   1. I couldn't help myself from not playing soccer.   2. I couldn't help myself from playing soccer. I'm getting confused with two negatives in the same sentence. Which one is correct usage?


Intransitive verbs with preposition in passive sentences

The words _listen_ , _shout_ , etc. are intransitive verbs, but why are they used in passive sentences with preposition _to_ , _at_ , etc.? e.g: > she was never listened to.   >  I don’t like to be shouted at. When intransitive verbs are used with preposition, are they considered as transitive verbs?


"Get an idea on/of something"

In general, is it better to say get an idea _on_ or get an idea _of_ something? Here are some examples: > In order to get an idea on how to build this house... > > In order to get an idea of how to build this house... In my opinion, the first example sounds better. Which one is grammatically correct?


Is there a light-hearted word or phrase for a hypochondriac parent?

The title may not be entirely correct.. Is there a word or phrase that describes a mother/father who is overly anxious about their baby's health? Not a word to describe both parents together, a word to describe one parent. Also, a word that could be used in describing the parent to others as well as directly to them. Something like _'Worrying Wendy, Delirious Dad, Medicine Mad Mummy'_. I suppose they must have coined a phrase for this in the medical profession.


"Who or where leave that to"

I was writing an email where I needed to return an item to a person who was not in the office the following day. So I came up with the following and I wonder if it's the the correct way of getting your point across or is grammatical at all? > As I have one of your books and you are not in the office tomorrow, I was > wondering **where or who to leave that to/with.**


Where does the expression "a wide berth" come from

Where does the phrase " ** _a wide berth_** " as in " _give it a wide berth_ ", meaning lots of room, come from? I know it as a nautical term. (Some of my female friends seem to think it's a chauvinistic reference to _birth_.)


The Origin of "Killing It"

Related to How did kil get its positive conntations. Which goes into the origin of "making a killing" and "killed the audience", but not this specific phrase. Musicians have a particular phrase for doing something very, very well (other individuals use it too, but it seems to crop up with musicians most). Peculiarly, "killing it" also seems to hold the conntation that it has been done so well, that it is no longer fashionable for anyone else to do a similar performance, becauce it has 'been killed'. And though I could not find a citation for this, this appears to be implied where I have heard it used in speech. That point aside, where did this phrase originate from?


Meaning and etymology of the “ite” and “ine/ene” endings of mineral names

I’ve noticed that a very large proportion of the names of mineral species and mineral groups end in **_-ite_** and (less commonly,) **_-ine_** or **_-ene_**. Here are some examples off the top of my head: _**-ite_** : wüstite, haematite, fayalite, cristobalite, toblerite, chalcopyrite, hydroxyapatite, magnesite, wollastonite, zeolite. _**-ine/-ene_** : cuspidine, olivine, nepheline, sapphirine, serpentine, pyroxene, spodumene. Why is this the case, (is there an infrequently discussed or assumed common knowledge rule amongst mineralogists?), and from whence did the abovementioned endings originate?


Headline Language

Is there a particular term for the abbreviated language used in headlines (removed of at least articles and conjunctions)?


Has "dilemma" ever been restricted to two options?

I was surprised to discover my dictionary had this entry for _dilemma_ : > a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more > alternatives, esp. equally undesirable ones The notion of _dilemma_ meaning _two or more_ flies against what I was taught about the word. The very idea of a _false dilemma_ is specifically based on the number two. Has my dictionary merely updated its definition to encapsulate the many people who use _dilemma_ for more than two equal choices? Or was someone in my youth being unnecessarily pedantic?


A word that describes getting your product 'represented' at a retailer

For anyone who's pushing to give a new product some visibility in the market, one way to achieve this is to have your product seen on the shelves of a retailer chain. I am not 100% sure what's the 'proper' way of saying this? _Listing_ a product is as close as I can get. It works with things like online catalogues, but does it work with physically putting the product on a retailer's shelves?


What does the "north of the northbridge" mean? Source: http://duartes.org/gustavo/blog/post/what-your-computer-does-while- you-wait I tried Googling it but nothing came up. Is it even a common phrase?


How do I cite a page in my own book?

Every so often I want to ask the reader to look back at a page in the current book they have in their hands (my Ph. D. thesis). If I write something like > Critically, breaking a mathematical task down into small, individually- > masterable steps can help the topic seem less daunting (Mighton, 2003) -- > compare Gowers's "quantum of progress" in research mathematics (p. 50). ... it looks vaguely like I'm trying to direct the reader to page 50 of Mighton's book; I'm not. Is there something akin to " _ibid._ " that I could use instead of the cumbersome > Critically, breaking a mathematical task down into small, individually- > masterable steps can help the topic seem less daunting (Mighton, 2003) -- > compare Gowers's "quantum of progress" in research mathematics (p. 50 **of > the current work** ). (or similar)? **Update** > Critically, breaking a mathematical task down into small, individually- > masterable steps can help the topic seem less daunting (Mighton, 2003) -- > compare Gowers's "quantum of progress" in research mathematics ( **Chapter > 3, p. 50** ). A variation on the suggestion from @terdon. Does this avoid the ambiguity I was alluding to, without being cumbersome? I'm not sure, but I'll mark the answer as accepted. I'd still love to know if I can use _c.w._ or similar as an abbreviation for "current work".


Do you "hit" or "press" a button?

I am currently writing an user manual for a software tool, providing step-by- step usage instructions. I am aware that _pressing_ a button is a perfectly fine expression. However, I'm trying to find synonyms for the term. _Hitting_ the button came to my mind, but this is something I more or less associate with, say, hitting the answer button on a game show. That is to say, a fast, maybe almost violent motion. Is this applicable to the simple (non- violent) clicking of a mouse button? To clarify the question in terms of platform and OS: The software is designed solely for PCs and (so far) exclusively for Microsoft Windows. Apart from that, I'd be happy about any suggestions of further synonyms for the term, if you know any.


Redundancy of words

* I always have doubts about sentences such as:  > The subway is not so far **from the restaurant and from the hotel** where I > decided to stay for a couple of days.   * Is it feasible to write instead: > The subway is not so far **from the restaurant and the hotel** where I > decided to stay for a couple of days.   * What about:  > The subway is not so far **from restaurant and hotel** where I decided to > stay for a couple of days.


What’s the difference between “Go all out” and “Go all in”?

There was the following sentence in August 12 Time magazine article titled “Why Germany save the Euro,” which deals with the Germany’s roles in restoring the momentum of Euro economy: > “There are those in Europe and beyond who’d like to see Germany **go all > in** and write a blank check to the euro zone in exchange for greater fiscal > and ultimately political power in Brussels. But Merkel and her team argue > that it’s not possible to make the required financial commitments without a > new European constitution that allows Brussels the power - - -.” Both Cambridge English and OAEL Dictionary define ‘go all out’ in the same way as an idiom to mean “to put all one’s energy or enthusiasm into what he/she is doing,” but neither of them includes “go all in” as an idiom. Google Ngram shows the usage of “go all out” which surfaced in circ. 1900, peaked to 0.0000125730% incidence level around 1960, and then dropping down to 0.0000079294% in 2008. On the other hand, the usage of “go all in” is almost insignificant level (0.0000003849 in 2008) throughout its tracking record. Ngram Go all out vs. go all in What is the difference between “go all in” and “go all out”? Can we use “go all out” in place of “go all in,” of which currency appears to be very marginal as observed in Google Ngram, in the context of the above quote?


"Proceed to doing something" or "Proceed to do something"

This may be a very easy question to many of you and may not deserve to be here. But it has been bothering me for a long time.. Should I add _ing_ behind the verb after _proceed to_ just like how it should be after _look forward to_? > Now proceed to writing on the paper. Or should I just express it this way? > Now proceed to write on the paper.


Correct usage of "see" vs. "watch"

>   1. I have seen them grow up. >   2. I have watched them grow up. > Though the intended meaning is conveyed in both sentences, I want to know which in this case is a better fit, _see_ or _watch_.


Adjective or noun in "the former"

Is the dictionary wrong? Here's an example; you decide (use the rules of grammar and common human natural-language sense, not the rules of logic, which rely entirely on antecedent definitions): > The United States, England and Canada have a lot in common. The **former** , > for example, used to own the other two! _Former_ here seems to me to be a noun. But according to m-w.com and wiktionary.org, this can't be true because it is just an adjective! How can this be?


Let's get -- Is this a grammatical sentence?

Is this a grammatical sentence? Is it idiomatic for "Let's go?"


Level of illiteracy, ______ of innumeracy?

What noun would one use in the titular phrase? To my mind, level sounds absolutely correct for the former, but very out of place in the latter. Instead, I think degree fits better for innumeracy. I generally trust my sentiments in these sorts of things, but I was wondering if english.se would agree or disagree?


"in" versus "at"

> 1 - I'm at home. > > 2 - I'm in the home. > > 3 - I'm at the home. I understand that the above three sentences are correct. If all the above are correct, then why this one is wrong? > 4 - I'm in home. What is the difference between "I'm at home." and "I'm in home."? when to use "in" and when to use "at" in sentences?


Etymology of chandelier as relating to fortifcations

Wiktionary gives a third sense for chandelier: (obsolete, military) A portable frame used to support temporary wooden fences. I can find quite a lot of uses like this from 1800s and earlier, but I can't find any etymology besides the standard one which applies to lights/candles. Anyone know the connection? Thanks!


a word for "to make something bland and boring"

And also, what is a word for when sb walks quietly as though being fearful. Kind of like "Surreptitious" but not because one wants to keep it secret. Example: these people won't harm you, nor do u have any reason to be afraid of them. Don't walk.... Like that! Edit:i mean to put the two questions here because I think somebody who might have an answer may not stumble upon both. I'm new here, and I admit I haven't read the rules clearly. Sorry!


Is “left-handed compliment” considered offensive?

Is the phrase “left-handed compliment” considered offensive against left- handed people? Wikipedia and Wiktionary don't mention it being offensive, but I want to make sure. I’m aware of “two left feet” to indicate that someone’s a bad dancer, but that’s describing yourself, and you may actually be right-handed, whereas “left-handed compliment” may be describing the speech of someone else who may or may not be right-handed. I’ve also heard of sinister, but a person using the word could reasonably claim that they didn’t know that it is derived from left-handedness.


Word for descriptive complimentary closes in letters

I've tasked myself with writing more letters (of the dead tree variety); because of this, I was intrigued by a certain take on complimentary closes, whilst enjoying a re-read of Dracula: > Your loving   >   >  Mina And: > ...no more just at present from your loving   >   >  Lucy Is there a name for this (admittedly subtle) variation on the usual complimentary close, wherein the signature is an extension of the close itself? I don't recall ever having seen this used in modern writing, but I'm curious as to when it fell out of favour. Naturally, it's rather hard to search for this sort of thing.


What's the difference between "percent of" and "percentage of"?

Is there any meaningful difference between, say, "Frequency as a percent of the total" and "Frequency as a percentage of the total"? Is one considered more correct? (Dictionary.com gives "percentage" as the second definition of "percent", which smacks of circular reasoning.)


If a person holds prejudice against people because of their nationality, would that be considered racist?

Would it be considered racist if a store owner believes all Canadians are thieves and does not let any Canadians into his store? Racism pertains to discriminating based on race, and (correct me if I'm wrong) Canadians are not a race. What would be an appropriate word to describe an individual such as the store owner? The discrimination is specific to Canadians, not foreigners in general. I'm looking for a word that could be applied to someone who lives in the country they discriminate against. For example if a Canadian announces "all Canadian culture is stupid!" what would that be called?


“via” vs. “through”

Could you please explain what the difference in usage is between _through_ and _via_ , which sounds like a Latinism? Are they completely interchangeable?


To devote vs. dedicate yourself: which works better for being studious?

In regards to studiousness, if I were to advise students to focus on their studies, should I say: > Just dedicate yourself. or rather > Just devote yourself. Am I right to feel that _devote yourself_ sounds a bit too religious?


Etymology of lisp

A lisp is a "a speech defect in which **_s_ is pronounced like _th_** in thick and z is pronounced like th in this". Its etymology reads: > Old English wlispian (recorded in āwlyspian), from wlisp (adjective) > 'lisping', **of imitative origin** ; compare with Dutch lispen and German > lispeln What does _imitative_ mean here? Onomatopoeic? Considering the word's definition, how is that even possible? It seems like a rather cruel etymological in-joke.


Where and when did the negative connotations of "manipulation" appear?

When we think of manipulating objects, we might think of a juggler, magician, chef, etc. When we think of manipulating _people_ , however, it almost always comes with negative connotations. These fascinate me as we're perfectly prepared to have our behaviour altered by _charsimatic_ people, but not manipulative ones. When I look up the origins of the word, the online etymology dictionary tells me it comes from Latin of _filling the hand_ , to _manipule_ , meaning a measure, to _skillful handling of objects_ , to the skillful handling of people. I'm also familiar with NLP, Neil Strauss's "The Game", and Cialdini's "Influence". Was there any negative connotation of _manipulation_ before these? Are there any other words that carry a more definite negative that I'm not aware of?


A word or phrase to express "écrivain engagé", a committed writer?

I'm looking for an English expression as I'd like to form a special interest group on the international level. In French, the expression is _écrivain engagé_. This is along the lines of "literature of commitment" which is defined as follows: > "Literature of commitment" is the act, for a writer or artist, to formulate > commentary or criticism, even though he is supposed to write up a > dissertation with beauty being the only objective, this commentary being a > way to serve a human ideal. This concept is opposed to that of art being > carried out solely for artistic purposes and mostly developed around the > twentieth century. I've come across "committed writer" but the hits on Google seem to indicate that it isn't used in the same fashion. George Orwell is the kind of writer we're thinking of here.


Can't understand "disava" word

I can't understand one word in this video, time 1:18: > ... Number two, and this is hugely important, dis??? yourself immediately > ... Can someone help me to identify the word?


Usage of 'had been' or 'were'

I was doing an exercise. I completed the sentence as following. > If you **were** my child, I would have demanded that such an irresponsible > teacher be fired. But the answer given in the book is following. > If you **had been** my child, I would have demanded that such an > irresponsible teacher be fired. I am not sure if my answer is wrong. The latter sounds better and I can see the relative merit of it.


Is the word "dorm" acceptable in a thesis?

I'm writing a thesis about students living in dormitories and I would like to know if a _dorm_ is an acceptable expression for a dormitory? I don't live in GB nor in USA and the thesis is neither about students from GB nor from USA, so I don't see any difference between _residence hall_ and _dormitory_.


How to define someone who does not like/want to get a job or do anything in life?

In Portuguese, my natural language, we have a lot of words to define this kind of people, like _mandrião_ , _calaceiro_ , _calaça_ , _indolente_ , _malandro_ , etc. We have also lighter words like _preguiçoso_ that is the equivalent to "lazy" in English, but _lazy_ has other meanings and can be used to someone that does things at low speed. What words are there in English that have more aggressive power than "lazy", to call a person like that? I thought _loser_ but that has other meanings as I see.


English word conjugation rules

I am a programmer whose most recent project involves Natural Language Parsing and I need to be able to conjugate English Verbs and Nouns. I already have a list of Verb Irregulars but I am struggling to find a set of "rules" if you will, for conjugating regular English verbs. I know there are a few, various rules such as: "if the word ends in 'X', then the plural form would end in 'Y'" with the most basic being add an s to the end. I am looking for the rules for finding the: Base form, Past simple, Past participle, 3rd person singular, Present participle Gerund Also, I would be looking to do the same for finding the plurals and possessive forms of any given noun, along with a list of regulars. I have had no source of results or luck in my searching in this area and any help with conjugating (for lack of a better word) nouns would be very helpful Sorry for what appears to be the lack of searching, trust me I have looked.


What is the generic word for a TV broadcast?

What word should I use to translate Russian word "телепередача"? I mean a distinct interval in TV broadcast dedicated to a certain topic and united with the same format such as a talk show, newsreel, an analytic monologue/dialogue, a learning TV class etc?


What is a good, short, word to describe a software engineer?

What should I call a person who write software, computer programs ? I know he/she is a software engineer, can I call him/her as "Coder"?


When should I capitalise eucalyptus or other genuses?

I'm reasonably familiar with the capitalisation and italicisation rules that govern scientific names, but am a bit confused about capitalising, or not, the name of a genus, e.g. Eucalyptus when used in a sentence. Which of the following is correct? > Where do Eucalyptus trees come from?   >  Where do eucalyptus trees come from? Is this correct: "Are eucalypts indigenous to Australia?"


What's the difference between degree and grade?

Maybe I am wrong but sometimes I am pretty sure to have seen something like "I graduated in my university with a degree of 105". Shouldn't "grade" be used in this case? I though that "degree" was used to identify a specific course, for example "master degree".


A word for "I am here!"

I will try to explain it as much as I can, so please bear with me. I am looking for a word which means/implies "I am here" but not for humans, please consider the sentence below: > Using "SomeCompany.com" instead of "somecompany.com" looks much better as > capitals letters make your company name _say "I am here"_ within the given > domain. What I am thinking is "stand out" as a possible word. But getting more ideas from experts is always the best.


"Verify with me" vs. "verify for me"

Which would be more appropriate when asking for address verification: >   * Can you verify with me you mailing address? >   * Can you verify for me your mailing address? > Though I believe this requires no preposition, so "Can you verify your mailing address?" would sound sensible as well.


Why is "being " used in this sentence "it being a rainy day" as a present participle?

The following sentence is somewhat confusing. > It being a rainy day, we had to abandon (or simply say cancel) the match. or > Being a rainy day, we had to abandon the match. I think one of the following sentences is sufficient to get rid of the confusion. >   * Since it was a rainy day, we had to abandon the match. >   * It was a rainy day, so we had to abandon the match. >   * It was a rainy day, therefore we had to abandon the match. >   * We had to abandon the match because it was a rainy day. >   * We had to abandon the match because of a rainy day. >   * We had to abandon the match as it was a rainy day. (might not be used in > this context) >   * The match abandonment (or simply say cancellation) was due to heavy > rain. > Does the first sentence have some special meaning or usage? In which particular situation should it be used?


What are these parts of the cheeks or face called?

Image source: http://neozeitgeist.tumblr.com/post/15761145451/hope-you-all- are-aware-that-for-my-life-being ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/h8pOy.jpg) ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/mb8xo.jpg) Do these parts of the cheeks/face have a name? If not, how would you describe a florid face where these areas have gone especially red? N.B. I'm trying to describe a drunk rather than a cute child.


Is this sentence grammatically wrong?

I would have never done that. Someone told me that ONLY "I would never have done that" is correct. I always heard both and read both. If it is not correct could you please tell me why?


Word for emergent image

What is this called? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Sooel.jpg) I know it's a collage, but is there more specific term for a collection of a pictures arranged in a way that creates the illusion of a "big picture" from amongst them? Bonus: What's a better word than "illusion" to describe that "big picture"?


Is something 'best possible' or 'the best possible?'

Which one is correct at the end of the sentence, **_best possible_** or **_the best possible_**? In a science paper (not in a title), should one write > This constant is **best possible** or > This constant is **the best possible**? Example. > Theorem: every positive number is >0. This theorem is (the) best possible. (Since you cannot write a number bigger than 0 instead of 0, that would make the theorem false.) An example for non-mathematicians. Suppose we talk of hobbits, who are at most 4 feet tall. If Bilbo is exactly 4 feet tall, then would you say > Bilbo is the tallest possible or > Bilbo is tallest possible?


Use of "my" and "your" when referring user's data

When displaying menu options to a user on a website. When should I label links as > My Profile or > Your Profile I have several other links such as `<My/Your> Likes` and `<My/Your> Files`, etc..


"The last couple of years," "in the last couple of years," or "over the last couple of years?"

I wrote the following: > With a sigh, Erin put the newspapers aside. Why she could never find what > she was looking for in the papers? It'd been a good thing she had stopped > reading them **(in/over) the last couple of years.** Should I use in or over? Or just leave it as it is?


Number "x" to "x" ascending or descending?

edit: sorry if this is a duplicate - I tried searching but didn't find anything! * * * Was reading _Do Fathers Matter?_ by Paul Raeburn and came across this sentence: > They tell us that among the australopithecines -- the earliest members of > the human family, who lived 4 million to 1 million years ago -- mates were > involved enough for males to have provided food and care for infants and > protection from predators. What really stumped me here was this part: " **who lived 4 million to 1 million years ago**." I swear I must have re-read this sentence ten times to make sure it wasn't myself that was getting this mixed up but shouldn't it be _1 to 4 million years ago_ (or _1 million to 4 million years ago_ , whatever). Should it not be the smaller number first and then the larger number? This seems like its - mistakenly - overcompensating for the whole BCE business....or I could be totally wrong.


Word to describe both adding and removing but not updating

I am looking for a word that can describe the act of adding/removing objects but at the same time avoid a word that has to do with updating. So, given   1. adding an object,   2. removing an object,   3. updating an object, I want a word for ((1 _and_ 2) _and not_ 3). So I guess words like _alter_ won't do. **Edit:** I am actually making an application, and I have three methods; adding, removing and updating. But there is some logic in both the adding and removing that is common. I then decided to make a fourth (helper) method. That's why I need this word so badly.


Why is there a "riding" in "Little Red Riding Hood"?

I get the _little_ , the _red_ and the _hood_... but how does the _riding_ fit in there?


"There are still problems" vs. "there still are problems"

>   * There are still problems. >   * There still are problems. > Is one word order more correct than the other and do they have identical meaning?


Belong to Vs. Pertain to

I would like to know if the meaning of `belong to` conform the meaning of `pertain to`. If no, what is the difference and when each one of them is more suitable? Update Well according to my search on some dictionaries I found there is some common synonyms between them, but non of the both words was mentioned as a synonym for the other   belong However, at this dictionary the both words can be interchangeable. Not sure which one is more trust worthy. Besides, non of the dictionaries mentions when each word is more suitable to be used.   I'm sorry I wanted to post more links but the reputation does not allow me at the moment.


Expression and phrase

Is it grammatically correct to say "I do not have as much optimism as I'd like to have."? - A statement issued by Speaker Joehner and reported by the Hill on 7/18/2014.


Word Frequency List Including Contractions

A quick search on the internet, gives me frequency lists for say the top 300 most commonly used words. But I haven't been able to find a list which includes contractions. I'm creating a form of shorthand based on frequency, where less strokes are used for more common words. Where can I obtain a list with contractions?


Word for an unavoidable sin

Is there a word to concisely say 'an unavoidable sin'?   Or maybe just a better way to say it. This is in the context for example of someone who habitually does some particular activity and then regrets it afterwards.


Is it proper to use "would" here?

I'd like to say something like: I'm going to change the code in the future, according to this requirement. Here is my version:               This code would need to be modified to satisfy this requirement...      I don't know if it is proper to use "would" here(or "will"?), or any better expressions?


What grammar does this fall under?

Q: Who is in the room? A: (1) Is Amy (2) It's Amy (3) Amy is (4) Amy Please explain the reason why each answer is right/wrong. I normally answer with (2), but however, the proper answer according to the teacher is (3). Now, I've never heard anyone answer like that nor have I ever read it. The only reason why I can think so it can't be (2) is because we can't refer to a person as [It]. And the reason why I think (3) is right is because we've just simply cut the sentence short, Amy is [in the room]. Can someone explain with proper grammar why the answer is (3) and not (2).


Is "what a terrible thing must be..." a common expression? Is there another one used more frequently?

Is it common to say, for example, > What a terrible thing must be for an earthquake to hit right on your > birthday. I searched the phrase _"what a terrible thing must be..."_ and got 0 results. So I assume there's another way to say this?


Is there a single word for "The excitement and enthusiasm at the beginning of a new job/romance" etc.?

In my native language, there is a single word to express the high energy and enthusiasm shown by many at the beginning of a new job/project/romance etc. Normally it is used with a bit of skepticism/sarcasm. I am looking for a single word or phrase in English that expresses the same


"I am on it" vs. "I am at it"

What are the differences between _I am on it_ and _I am at it_? What does the latter mean? I found the definition of the former on Urban Dictionary and understand that it means _I'm going to solve it shortly_. For instance: > A: This guy is making noise and I cannot concentrate on my work.   >  B: Don't worry, I am **on it**. I've also heard: > Oh, those reds are **at it** again. in the context of a feud between reds and blues. Googling did not help.


How to tell how a vowel should sound like in words?

Why does the 'A' in the word "cat" sound different to 'A' in the word "car"? If I want the 'A' in a foreign name like 'Pardis' to sound like the 'A' in cat, how should I write it?


How can I say last last month?

How can I say last last month? > the previous month of last month? > > the prior month of the last month? > > For example, What was the number of people visited stackoverflow.com in the > previous month of last month? 2 months ago is not the answer I am looking for.


Wholistic vs holistic

This reference states: > The two words "wholistic" and "holistic" have very different meanings, but > there is some confusion and they are often used in an incorrect manner. The > two words have very distinct meanings though somewhat similar in definition. > Wholistic refers to the whole, a whole item or whole body of a person or > thing. The word defines the consideration of the entire structure or makeup, > which includes the body, mind and the spirit in the case of a human being. > The word holistic is connected to holism, which focuses on the total entity > and the interdependence of the diverse parts of this totality. Holistic has > to do with the healing systems that are considered alternative like > homeopathy and Ayurveda that deal with the human body as an interconnected > whole And yet another search: > wholistic   >  adjective   >  adjective: wholistic   >  1\. variant spelling of holistic. Is there any difference?


Another word for a place being in 'ruins'

What another word for a place being in ruins (figuratively). Like a place hit with a tornado and is now in **____**?