"The (Cobra)" vs. "An (elephant)", articles with nouns denoting a class

[ 1 ] tells on p.5 that "Singular nouns denoting a class" are preceded by the definite article "THE" (Example: **"The Cobra is dangerous"** ), while on page 7 (Table 6. THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE) it tells that "Singular countable nouns denoting a class" are preceded by indefinite articles ( **"An elephant never forgets"** ). I could not get what is the difference between the two cases mentioned.   Why can't I write according to the same rules "A Cobra never forgets" and "The elephant is dangerous"? [ 1 ]   PRACTICAL REALISATIONS OF ENGLISH DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES p.5 (of 8)               =================================        4. THE DEFINITE ARTICLE       ----------------------------------         USES          EXAMPLES      -----------------------------------      Singular        The Cobra is dangerous          nouns       denoting       a class     =======================================      p.7 (of 8)               =================================        6. THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE       ----------------------------------         USES          EXAMPLES      -----------------------------------      Singular        An elephant never forgets countable           countable       nouns       denoting       a class     =======================================      Update:   Irene asks: > How about the following example: > > Is **the** happiness of **the** majority more important than **the** rights > of **the** individual? > > According to "First Certificate Language Practice" by Michael Vince this is > the only way to say it. But couldn't you also say: > > Is **the** happiness of **a** majority more important than the rights of > **an** individual? > > As I see it majority and individual both represent a class and an example of > a class.


Can "whatever" be split into two words?

I tend to write, "say _whatever_ they want", but I'm always tempted to write "say _what ever_ they want". Is it acceptable to split the word in this context?


Past - past perfect

In what way do I represent the task which I did yesterday night? I want to know the usage differences between "Past" and "Past perfect" tenses Can anyone give me idea to clarify this? > Last night, unexpectedly, I met my college mate in a shopping mall. Then, I > reached my hostel and had dinner. After that, I read a novel. It was very > interesting. Then, I called my schoolmates and spoke with them. At 11'o' > clock I went to bed


Is “play chess when others are playing checkers,” a well-known / well-used phrase?

I found the phrase, “he’s always playing chess when others are playing checkers,” in today’s (September 11) article of New York Times, written by Charles Blow under the headline of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” It reads; > “The Syrian debate is too serious to be subjected to the rules of > Washington’s game, even as it must be conducted by its gamesmen. It has > broken down the normal tribalism of left-right, liberal-conservative > constructs, and mixed folks into maddeningly contradictory coalitions. > > On one side are some of President Obama’s staunchest supporters, who are > always convinced that he’s the smartest man in the room, that **he’s always > playing chess when others are playing checkers.** > http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/blow-its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad- > world.html?hp&_r=0 Without consulting dictionary, I can assume that “playing chess” requires strategic thinking and in-depth analysis of the situation as compared with “playing checker," of which scenario is more simplistic and easier to play. www.marcensign.difines: While checkers is primarily played in the moment, chess requires a complex strategy that is often won by thinking ahead. Though I haven’t checked any English dictionaries yet, Google Ngram doesn’t show any incidence of “play chess when others are playing checkers.” What is the currency of “play chess when others are playing checkers.”？Is it a well-used and well-received phrase?


german tourist or German tourist?

I have learned that 'german' as a noun, written with upper case letter whilst 'german' as an adjective should be with lower case letter. Please guide me more by posting the rules if necessary, thank you.


Is there a word like cardinal or ordinal but for the “single, double, triple” series?

The words _one, two, three,_ and so on are the **_cardinal_ numbers**. Similarly, _first, second, third,_ and so on are the **_ordinal_ numbers**. Is there a similar term for the words _single, double, triple_ , and all the rest?


'Sometime back' or 'Sometimes back'?

How should I decide between "sometime back" and "sometimes back"? > Sometime back I received a call from Mr. X > > Sometimes back I received a call from Mr. X Which sentence is correct?


How can I politely express that "I have understood"?

When my professor instructs me during his/her office hour, I may simply show my understanding by "Got it" or "I see". But I wonder how to say that politely and professionally in written English, especially in an email.


Usage of "Who's to Say X", Followed by Defending X, or Attacking X?

I have seen two different uses of "Who's to say X". It appears to me, that the author could either defend X in a sarcastic or ironic way, or could attack X by presenting evidence contrary to X. My question is: is my understanding correct in that "Who's to say X" could be used in two opposite ways? Example 1: Who’s to say that we’re to blame for global warming? Source 1 In my understanding, example 1 means: I challenge you to prove we're to blame for global warming. We're probably not to blame for global warming. That is, there are external factors or circumstances outside our control which cause or at least contribute to global warming. Example 2: Medicare is portrayed as getting the best deal from the system because Medicare pays less per service. But remember how the system works. Who's to say Medicare doesn't pay less per procedure because it's being billed for many more procedures, because that's how providers are allowed to maximize their revenues from the payer known as Medicare? In fact, plenty of evidence suggests this is exactly how Medicare operates. Source 2 In my understanding, example 2 means: Medicare is commonly portrayed as less costly. I challenge you to prove it costs more according to this complex and not frequently-analyzed approach. Well, in fact, it does cost more! And exactly due to the aforementioned, not well-known technique! Is my understanding of the usage a correct one? Particularly, in example 2, I feel that my interpretation could be improved. Thanks for any help.


Usage of "having seen"

I am try to say that it's hard to determine something until you have done it. Is the sentence below correct? > It is pretty hard to quantify one’s feeling until having seen the show.


Is "Sheath" the right word for describing exterior covering of the plane?

Can I use this word? Or is there a more suitable one?


Is it "comedy" or "a comedy"?

For example in this sentence, do we need an article before _comedy_? > Improv is essentially [a] comedy.


Use of 3 ands when dealing with two short lists

I love cute and witty penguins and beautiful sunsets on the beach. Is this the correct way to say this? Normally i'd be fine using this sentence structure, but, supposing i'm writing something formal, is it grammatically incorrect?


Is it correct to say 'I gave off to students'

If you are a teacher and you cancel today's class, is it correct to say 'I gave off to students'?


on the/your way down

Everybody wonders who is on his way down or out within a company. Does on his way down and on his way out have the same meaning? The dictionary definition of on the/your way out is no longer being successful, popular or effective but I can not find the definition of on the/your way down. Thanks, fate


Meaning of "catch birds for"?

I am reading B. Traven's adventure _The Treasure of the Sierra Madre_ , which is about three men who secretly go prospecting for gold. On their way home with their new-found loot they cover their tracks by tearing down their mining camp. Howard (the most experienced of the party) verbally beams with pride over a job well done. Dobbs, another member, takes offense at Howard's response. The quoted section can be found here: > The mine was leveled to the satisfaction of Howard. Anybody now coming upon > the mine by chance would never think that a mine had been worked here, or if > at all, not during the last hundred years. > > "Doesn't it give you guys a real joy to look at the place now?" Howard asked > with pride in his voice. > > "All right," Dobbs said, "you have it your way and you feel happy, so > please, for the love of Mike's booze, leave us in peace with your feelings. > Sometimes I think you must have been a preacher, only the hell of it is I > can't figure out what church it was you wanted to catch birds for." When I found a definition of _bird_ (Definition 5.a) that is slang for _fellow_ , I took Dobbs' words _to catch birds for_ to be reminiscent of the Christian saying _fisher of men_ , meaning the minister is actively looking for people to convert. In past conversations, Dobbs has been known to use slang like _mug_ to refer to people. But being more familiar with the usages meaning _a young woman_ or _a person, especially one who is odd or remarkable_, I thought this usage unlikely and continued to look for another. So I wondered if Dobbs was making an allusion to bird dogs, who retrieve birds for their masters. (One might say a minister _retrieves_ the lost for a higher power, a superior in the church or for God.) This could be an insult to Howard, the slight being that Howard would be a subordinate instead of the senior/equal he was when mining with Dobbs. This insult makes sense in this context, because Dobbs has a history of viewing Howard as a taskmaster, as shown by Dobbs's outburst when he cuts his own hand at the beginning of the chapter. But this analogy of bird dogs seems tenuous and elaborate. I've searched Google for "catching birds," but the most relevant results are the proverb "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." I wondered if Dobbs was speaking of some duty, tradition, or superstition associated with ministers, but I have found nothing. What does "to catch birds for" mean?


Does using the phrase "operational state" imply that the referenced "thing" is inanimate?

Can it also be used while referring to animate "things"?


In my example, did I use the comma correctly?

The IV cannot be randomized in this case, but randomization allows for balance between two groups, one on each side of the threshold. Maybe the sentence I just wrote below is better? > The IV cannot be randomized in this case. Randomization allows for balance > between two groups, one on each side of the threshold. I believe both groups > are very similar except for drinking and death rate. Thus, I believe > assumption 1 is met.


Is there a comma in 'a 30-day, money-back guarantee'?

Do these take commas? I see it both ways, ie with and without commas. _a 30-day, money-back guarantee_ _a 60-day, no-risk obligation_ Thanks.


Difference between “intelligent” and “clever”

I know that dolphins are intelligent creatures, and young people can be intelligent as well. Students can be clever. But can a student be intelligent and a dolphin be clever? What's the difference between _clever_ and _intelligent_?


"What do we do?" usage

If one means _next_ , as if _waiting for orders or instructions_ , is it possible to use the expression **what do we do?** Or should we say _what are we going to do?_ Is there a reason to prefer one over the other? Is there a better way to use _next_ as in _waiting for instructions_?


An idiom for "beginning in the wrong end"

Say that in order to determine what `B` is, you analyze `A`. But then someone analyzes `B` in order to determine what `A` is. In my language, we would say that this procedure "begins in the wrong end". What is an appropriate English idiom or phrase here? The only one I can think of now is to say that the procedure has been "turned on its head". EDIT: I intend to use the appropriate phrase or idiom in a scholarly paper, so it needs to be polite enough for that context.


"Heard of anything" or "heard anything"

I always think when you use _hear_ , _of_ should follow it like _heard of anything_. But I saw > I haven't **heard anything** from him. Is that correct, or should it be > I haven't **heard of anything** from him.


Need clarification about some metaphors/slangs used by a girl I met online

Hi I was talking to this girl online and she uses lots of metaphors and slangs out of which few of them just gone over my head so I would appreciate if you guys could help me out understanding the real essense/meaning of that. I will state the context too to give you an idea. 1) I am sooo ready for the heat! (context- this was just the starting of our chat where we both introduced each other and she was quite fascnicated by my profile and pic.) 2) Please tell me out at wash??!! I'm sooo ready!! What about you? Do you work? (Context- This came on the same day chat right after when she told me about her work and asked mine as you can see in the same statement. I didnt get the first two phrases in this statement.) 3) My oven is finally hooked up so I stopped by the store and just finished eating salad. (Context- This was from the later day) 4) wow you are fiesty today!!! (Context- She asked what did I have for lunch, I said food then she replied this) Thanks Sid


"Occupation" and "professional occupation (plus calling and career)" vs. "vocation" and "professional vocation"

Is "professional vocation" an acceptable alternative to "professional occupation", and to "professional calling or career" also? You might want to consider the following sourced examples for this: > What is your current vocation? How many years have you been currently > involved in... source > > What is your current vocation? High school English teacher at Westfield > High. source > > While her vocation is teaching school, one of her hobbies is baking amd more > often than not she makes cookies. source > > John began his professional vocation as a teacher. source > > Johann Graff started his professional vocation as a butcher...source > > Mickey Cottrell (Producer) began his professional career as a repertory > actor.source > > Judge Ramirez began his professional vocation as a civil servant, commencing > his career as an attorney...source If indeed "vocation" is a valid option to meaning "a specified occupation, profession, or trade", and to "a calling or career" also, is any ambiguity unlikely with its second meaning, i.e. "a certain feeling of suitability for a particular career or occupation"?


Is 'Apart from by...' grammatically correct

While writing a news report, I found myself phrasing a sentence like this: "Apart from by the managing director, the report would be reviewed by three specially constituted teams." Though I immediately changed the sentence into active, I wondered if "Apart from by..." was grammatical. I searched for the exact phrase in Google. It turned out about 222,000 results. But I could not find any 'reputable' source (at least not in the first few pages).


What English words employ the Spanish suffix '-ista'?

The Spanish suffix '-ista' denotes someone associated with something. This has been adopted into English in one example I can think of, namely a 'fashionista'. One would have expected many more but I can't immediately think of any that are regulary used. Can anyone else help, please?


Punctuation of this: Their movements, quick and effortless; mine, lumbering and heavy

I'm not sure how to punctuate this: > Their movements, quick and effortless; mine, lumbering and heavy. Maybe I got it right. Any thoughts?


What do you call the little plastic dowel-like protrusions that keep two pieces of plastic together?

That is, you have two parts to mate and those thingies are supposed to help. You can find those in appliances, model kits, computer cases (to keep the bezel and the aluminum case proper together) and the like. General example: ![What are these called?](http://i.stack.imgur.com/VU038.jpg) The projection fits into a hole, and then it's kept in place with a screw or bolt. ![Computer case.](http://i.stack.imgur.com/u47FF.png) A VHS cassette: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/MYKMv.png) ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/19x0x.jpg) Sometimes you have a flanged projection which doesn't require that, as it simply snaps in place sort of like this: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/9Pnqw.png) (Sorry about the poor draftsmanship, that crooked Christmas-tree-like monstrosity is supposed to be a flanged cylinder.) What are they called? _Dowels, projections, lugs_ don't seem correct. I'm writing a technical manual and I want to be extremely precise.


Can't understand the meaning of "facile" in these example

I found the meaning of facile is easy, getting something without effort. http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/facile I have read those sentences. But can't understand it clearly. I'm trying to understand where is facile used mostly. What does it mean by > facile optimism   >  facile response   >  facile manner   >  facile ground   >  facile argument > > Facile optimism which we pointed to throughout much of the 1980s is still > there. I took all these from sentence.yourdictionary.com Can anyone post some sentences using facile? It would be helpful for me to understand facile better. Please don't post sentence with same meaning of facile, rather post sentence with different meaning of facile.


Is ‘No detail is too small’ a frequently used phrase, or just a cliche?

I came across a headline of the article of today’s New York Times (Feb.22) giving tips for selling a second-hand apartment, that says > **To sell an apartment, no detail is too small** I think ‘‘No detail is too small’ means ‘you cannot be more attentive to the details of things to do it better.’ The phrase reminds me of the old cliché, ‘The God resides in details’ used in secular sense. But ‘No detail is too small’ sounds novel to me. Is ‘No detail is too small’ a common English phrase? The headline is followed by the following sentence: > Jamella Swift, a Citi Habitats broker, was trying to anticipate every detail > that would prevent a potential buyer from purchasing the two-bedroom condo > she was selling in Brooklyn. She put a full-size bed in the bedroom so > buyers wouldn’t think the room was too small. She dragged in a Lucite coffee > table to create the illusion of a larger living space and set up three floor > lamps to supplement the recessed lighting. Ms. Swift hoped that the $5,000 > she had spent would help her land $395,000 to $425,000 for the apartment.


Is the phrase "There are many hungers it is better to deny than to feed" correct?

The "it is" seems out of place to me. I'd rather have it written as "There are many hungers that/which are better to deny than to feed".


What are the specifics of King's quote?

Stephen King (author of "The Shining") in his book "On Writing", writes: > American grammar doesn`t have the sturdiness of British grammar (a British > advertising man with a proper education can make magazine copy for ribbed > condoms sound like the Magna goddam Carta), but it has its own scruffy charm I'm interested to know what King means by "sturdiness" here. Can anyone give some examples or more insight into what exactly King is talking about?


Difference between "ease" and "easy"

I want to know the difference between _ease_ and _easy_. Please give me some examples of places to use these words.


Learning Phrasal verbs and idioms

I would like to learn about phrasal verbs and idioms in English.Which book(s) would you recommend for them?


Is "below par" good or bad?

I realize a lot of English expressions derive from sports: "his presentation was a slam-dunk," "she really fumbled through that," or "that's pretty much par for the course." I don't play golf, but I believe "below par" means really good. But doesn't describing something as "below par" mean really **not** good?


What does ‘Receive’ mean in ‘Bush did not always receive a timely consideration of his option'?

The Washington Post (Feb 3rd) introduces upcoming Donald Rumsfeld’s memoir in an article titled ‘Rumsfeld remains unapologetic in his memoir.' I felt the word ‘receive’ was used in the following sentence pretty different from the usage I’m familiar with, such as ‘receive a mail (guest, impression, meaning, benefits, TV broadcast)‘. What does ‘receive’ mean in the following sentence? > Bush did not receive a timely consideration of his option, nor effective > implementation of his own decision. Why could it happen on the Earth that the former President didn't or couldn't (even not always) 'receive' his own option and decision once he made? Does it mean 'seriously deal with'? Is the usage of 'receive' in this notion very common in English, because I can't find an exact counterpart gloss to fit this case in Japanese English dictionaries at hand? > Bush 'did not always receive, and may not have insisted on, a timely > consideration of his options before he made a decision, nor did he always > receive effective implementation of the decisions he made,' Rumsfeld writes.


Participle phrase; is the grammar correct?

> Beatrice, nine, sent a letter to the actor **asking** for piracy lessons to > help lead a mutiny against the teachers. What does the _asking_ participle phrase act as? Why is participle phrase used instead of multiple clause?


Etymology of "far out"

Where does the expression "far out" come from? As in: > I had to phone someone so I picked on you / Hey, that's _far out_ so you > heard him too! / Switch on the TV we may pick him up on channel two


Etymology of "crossgrained" (perverse, untractable)

A secondary meaning of _crossgrained_ is > "Perverse; untractable; contrary; difficult to deal with. ( _eg_ ) She was > none of your crossgrained, termagant, scolding jades. - Arbuthnot." What is the etymology of this usage, and when was the word first so used? Note, _crossgrained_ most commonly means "Having the grain or fibers run diagonally, or more or less transversely and irregularly, so as to interfere with splitting or planing". That this is by far the most-common usage of the word can be seen via examples for _crossgrained_ and _cross grained_ from ngrams. ngrams also shows that the form _crossgrained_ is used far more often than either of the forms _cross grained_ or _cross-grained_ ; but neither wiktionary nor etymonline includes _crossgrained_.


What does 'and counting' mean in 'China has over $3 trillion (and counting) worth of ...'?

Further to my previous question on the expression in Time magazine’s November. 10, 2011 article “China’s Century or India’s?”, there was the following sentence in the same article: “The country (China) continues to run a huge current account surplus and will be posting only a slight budget deficit this year. It also has over $3 trillion ( _and counting_ ) worth of foreign-exchange reserves and, in a world in which the developed nations are engaged in beggar-thy-neighbor currency devaluations, a steadily strengthening renminbi.” I don’t understand the meaning of “ _and counting_ ” in the line, “It also has over $3 trillion ( _and counting_ ) worth of foreign-exchange reserves.” What does it mean? Does “and counting” add special significance or precision to the statement and $3 trillion figure?


What do you call someone with the same occupation as you, but works for a different company?

What do you call someone who works in the same field or occupation as you do, but in a different company or organization?


Should "Big Data" be capitalised?

In paragraphs should the term "Big Data" be capitalised? I seam to be finding contradicting information as it is a name for something but also a common term. **Which is correct?** > When the volume and complexity of this cannot be supported by off-the-shelf > IT solutions, custom IT frameworks are needed; this results in the data > being classed as Big Data. **or** > When the volume and complexity of this cannot be supported by off-the-shelf > IT solutions, custom IT frameworks are needed; this results in the data > being classed as big data. Please also explain why - not just which is right!


Present Perfect Tense - Specific phrase

I am studying present perfect, and I found the following phrase: > Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate. What's the difference between this phrase and the next: > Susan don't master Japanese, but she can communicate. If Susan can communicate right now, and present perfect gives us a sense that something happened in the past and still happening in the present, so why not _Susan don't master Japanese_ …. I'm very confused about these things. I appreciate any help..


Is there a word for not taking the specific date into account when calculating an age?

Let's say someone was born June 1, 1984. Today is April 28, 2014. This person is 29 years old, as June 1 has not come yet. However, if I were merely looking at the years, I would say this person is 30 years old. What would the practice of `(current year - birth year)` be called?


Is the word, “kinda-sorta” accepted as a normal word to be used in writing?

I was drawn to the word, “kinda, sorta” which appeared in the article of Time magazine (April 27) under the headline, “The Clippers Should Have Boycotted Game After Owner’s Racist Remarks”: > The circumstances were unprecedented. The players, most of whom are black, > had to represent an owner whose allegedly racist views - the team **kinda, > sorta** questioned the authenticity of the audio - were now broadcast to the > world. > > http://time.com/78721/donald-sterling-los-angeles-clippers/ GoogleNgram shows that the “kinda-sorta”emerged around / in 1920, and its usage has been shooting up since 1980. However, answers.yahoo.com says: > "kinda-sorta" is not proper English. You shouldn't use it in any essays or > articles or anything proper that you might write. It will make you sound > unintelligent. Is it too naive for me to presume that the word "kinda-sorta" is usable in (not-too-formal) writing as well as in speaking, now that I’ve seen the word being used in one of leading English language journals?


How do we describe the molecule of Water (H2O) in English by the way of tradition/science or native/slang in the U.S.?

I don't know how to say the water molecule in English, Just use "Water Molecule" or any other scientific description?


What is Ethical Witnessing?

What exactly is "Ethical Witnessing"? What does it mean? **Some Context** We're reading a poetry book in school - about the Holocaust. So these Jews, and other people being abused and tortured played a part in the "Ethical witnessing." I also have to relate it to a personal experience, but what is it?


Spelling or grammar error?

If a person uses the wrong form of _your_ or _you're_ , would that be considered a spelling or grammatical error? I can really see it swinging both ways... A sentence with the incorrect use of the word is technically grammatically incorrect, but the root cause could be simple spelling error. If a person speaks a sentence with an incorrect use of the word in question, it seems grammatically correct. When you look at the reader's script, it is then determined to be a spelling error. When shown in writing, should the error be marked as a spelling or grammatical error?


Verb or phrase meaning "to serve as evidence of one's character"

I want to know whether there might be an expression along the lines of " **Convey X** ". Meaning, to serve as testament of X's character. I suspect that **convey** is not the correct verb, but I wonder if a suitable one exists.


In which dialect would "poll" mean "a person's head"?

I read that _poll_ means also, in dialect, _a person's head_ ; that is the second meaning that NOAD gives to _pool_ as noun. Is there, nowadays, a dialect where the word as that meaning?   If such dialect exists, which one is it?


"from the level of individual" vs. "on the level of individual"

Which is correct? This is important because it's the closing sentence of my entire thesis, so I must get it grammatical. > **1)** '' The motivation for many of these suggestions is the detail that > can be achieved by approaching the question **_from_** the level of > individual constituents.'' > > **2)** '' The motivation for many of these suggestions is the detail that > can be achieved by approaching the question **_on_** the level of individual > constituents.''


"Calling dibs" - what does it imply?

The term "to have dibs on something" or "to call dibs on something" plays a recurring role in American film and television (e.g. How I Met Your Mother), so it gets exported a lot. Wikipedia describes "dibs" as > [...] a common, "informal" convention to reserve or declare full or partial > ownership of a community resource, such as a chair [...] From the usages in the media I have seen, this convention also seems to contain some moral concept which is not described in dictionaries. For me, it looks like by calling dibs (or shotgun), the caller **actually receives the (implicit, moral) right to that resource** , and this typically goes undisputed by their rivals. Can you confirm the existence of this concept? Is this something that varies between groups of people (or maybe between regions), or is there a concensus on how to respond to this?


How should I pronounce name Sharvan?

How should I pronounce name _Sharvan_?


"It's a-me !" -- just an imitation of an Italian accent or something more?

I've seen and heard this at various times: > It's a-me! [first name]! (Most of the time, seemingly as a reference to Mario.) I was wondering what the intent was behind the construction "a-me". Is it just to transcribe an Italian accent? In that case, what is it about it that sounds Italian to a native English speaker? Or maybe is it conveying something more, like perhaps a lack of education?


How to understand this film name 'Tron: Legacy'?

I have checked a dictionary, 'tron' isn't a word in English. And someone translated into my native language: > Creat: fight record


What's the meaning of the "shed" in "watershed"?

It seems like a kind of house, if it is. I cannot grasp the meaning of **watershed**.


fashion or clothing industry jargon for a pattern’s age range: toddler, child, adult

In a database of clothing items, I need to distinguish between those cut for 'girls' and those cut for 'women'. There are no offerings for 'toddler' or 'children', but this category would encompass them if there were. What is a word for the categories infant,toddler,child,girl,woman? I am using 'life stage' right now. But it invokes thoughts of insects or something; I don't like that. Edit: Sorry, I was fishing a bit for words. The following are words I have tried and rejected. Size describes small,medium and large. But a girl's size small is different from a woman's size small. So 'size' is not the term. Age could be used, except it implies a numeric age. Cut might be the term used in industry, I am not sure. I think cut refers to something like shorts vs boot-cut vs capri.


A word or phrase that defines "Preconceived opinions based on experience or reason?"

If **Prejudice** is defined as Preconceived opinion **not** based on reason or experience. then what, if any, is the word that defines "Preconceived opinions that are based on experience or reason?"


How to pronunce the suffix "-less"

I know how to pronounce _less_. But in words with the suffix _-less_ , it sometimes sounds like /lis/, other times like /les/. Which is true?


not living up to expectations

I am looking for a single, or multiple term(s) conveying something not living up to expectations. Like in the sense of a new system is advertised as doing everything you need for a process at work; but, once you start using it, you discover it doesn't do exactly as promised. So, you have to create work-a-rounds.


How to fix sentences where it is unclear whom a verb is referring to?

From addicted2succces.com the following sentence reads awkwardly in my :opinion > He quickly noticed that all of the other friends he had hated hard work and > had no desire to improve themselves. When I first read it, I thought it meant the person had hated his friends, but then I realized the intended meaning is that all but one of his friends hated hard work. In situations like this, how can the meaning be made clearer without rewriting the entire sentence?


Where did the term "cheesy" come from?

Why do we call frivolous, lame or naff things cheesy?


A word or phrase for "someone who learns from their mistakes"

What would be a word or short phrase for "someone who learns from their mistakes"? I thought of _insightful_ , but am not satisfied with it.


What's a word for someone who takes advantage of an unfortunate situation as an opportunity for self-improvement?

In a good way, so no negative connotations. The best way to explain it is using the saying: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". This person would make "lemonade" when life throws "lemons" at them. It's a good thing. Is there a word that specifically describes this? Not optimistic. I wanted to add that I've actually thought about this for days. The closest word I found was "can-do", meaning "confident and resourceful in the face of challenges". However, it's too informal for my purposes.


Applications in vs. applications to

> I’m one semester away from completing my master’s studies of the > applications of eye tracking in/to interactive media. In this context, what is the difference between > the applications of eye tracking _in_ interactive media. and > the applications of eye tracking _to_ interactive media. Or is one of them completely wrong?


usage of 'never again'

Is it mandatory that 'never again' is not separated in a sentence? Do I have to write "I will never again do anything like that." or may I also put it "I will never do anything like that again."? If you may separate the two words, is there a rule when to separate them?


Is there any term for a person who has changed his name? For example, there was a man who was named "Jacob" when he was born, but when he reached the age of 18 he decided to change his name to "Joseph". Is there any term for this kind of person? Or at least for this kind of practice?


Can I say "disbursal of information"? Can one disburse anything other than money or assets?

So, as the title says:   1. Can I refer to the disbursal of abstract things like information?   2. Should I? If I were to write "the disbursal of information" to imply that people were being tightfisted with the information and treating it like an asset, would anyone get the intimation? Or would they just think that I meant to write dispersal?


Usage of Some: Does "some" require a plural or singular verb?


How to add clarity to an acronym that is already a word

Where I'm working we have an acronym spelled "was" and I'm wondering is there a way to clearly distinguish it from the verb? According to here "acronyms...usually do not require periods" so is this a good time to make an exception? It's already been entrenched in the corporate culture to pronounce it as "was" but in these situations do people say the letters of the acronym i.e. "w-a-s"?


Is the word “overwhelming” a positive or negative word?

I’ve seen the word _overwhelming_ being used to describe positive or negative situations, but it seems pretty confusing because I’m not sure about the real meaning or usage of the word, as I’m not a native speaker. How should I use it?


Analysis of Cost Efficiency - Economics of?

I'm in search for a title that says: You can exspect to read about how economic efficient different things are when compared against each other. As I need a noun, grabing the word `economical` and turning it into `economicality of` doesn't really cut it, because I don't even thing that is a proper English word. Is `economics of` the correct term? Somehow that gives a more internal feeling, as in economics of scale, and not as in > these things affect overall cost in such and such a way Is there a better term than the non-existent word `economicality`


In the end / at the end/ at the beginning

I need some help with this question from an English test for English learners : Fill with the correct word: > ____ of the play, everybody stood up and applauded. ____, it was a good > play. > > A. in the end - in the end   >  B. At the end- in the end   >  C. At the beginning - at the end   >  D. In the end - At the beginning I would choose letter "B" and I would like to know if you guys agree with me. also I would like to know this is also possible: > At the end of the play, everybody stood up and applauded. **At the > beginning** , it was a good play. I can use the bold expression without of?


"Spelling checker" or "spell checker"?

I've always thought a _spelling checker_ is a tool that checks spelling. I know a growing number of people say _spell checker_ , but I've always considered that slang. Recently I did a search for the term and saw that many professionally-edited outlets use the shorter version. Has the shorter term become acceptable in formal writing? Does it generalize to the verb form as well?   1. I need to spell check my document.   2. I need to check the spelling in my document.


Is the conditional a mood or a tense?

Is the conditional a mood or a tense? I've heard it described in both ways. It seems more like a mood as it is often lumped with hypothetical constructions and the subjunctive mood. I could see it too as being a kind of nuance of the future though, as the conditional often implies something that will happen when other conditions are met. For example, "If I were a bird, I _would_ fly away." People have made a tag that says _conditional-mood_ , but it has only been used three times, so I'm not convinced.


Résumé section about myself

What would I correct name the section of résumé where I describe myself? Word- for-word translation gave me “Personal properties”, but it feels like something is wrong. **EDIT:** Information in this section looks like:   * can work in team   * sociable   * don’t have harmful habits   * etc... Not about my skills or interests, but about me as person.


"I'm home" or "I'm at home"

The second form looks more correct to me, but the first expression is present in several titles of movies and songs. Which form is preferable?


How to avoid past/future tense?

I'm writing a Software Design Document. It is being written in parallel to the development, so as some features are already finished they are written in past tense (the only way I know of articulating that is past tense). As for features which haven't yet been developed, I only know how to articulate that in the future tense. Is there a way to declare the same thing (I'm sure a verb is needed), without tense? And a common, colloquial, non-odd sounding way too? I currently have these 2 problems with being forced to use past or future tense,   1. When a feature is implemented, it must be updated in the spec doc. Not a bad practice, but if it is missed then it will be misleading and confusing, not a good thing.   2. I want the software design document to talk only about the specifications, since it is a specification document. I don't want to to be correlated to the progress of the project. For example, my statements about the specifications are as follows:   * The configuration file **produced** is in the Windows INI format.   * The user **will be** prompted to


Is there a word or phrase for the feeling you get after looking at a word for too long?

(Perhaps this only happens to me, but I doubt it.) Sometimes after looking at a word for a while, I become convinced that it can't possibly be spelled correctly. Even after looking it up, sounding it out, and realizing that there's simply no other way to spell the word, it still looks wrong. Is there a shorthand way to describe this feeling so that people will know what I mean without the long explanation?


Have I got a little story for you

There is a song called "Alive", by Pearl Jam. The opening line is: > Son, she said, have I got a little story for you Despite the subject-auxiliary inversion ("have I"), which would be expected in an English question, the subordinate clause is affirmative. What is the function of this inversion?


Word for when a country has a huge rich/poor divide, so people are deprived despite the prosperity

Examples of such countries are   * India (they have immense wealth, despite the pictures of the slums)   * Romania (only good jobs are in criminal gangs) Where the country has riches, but the people there don't have viable jobs they can take. I wouldn't call the countries deprived, but they are something.


Is there a word for telling the truth (technically) in order to misguide?

Let's say I caused a minor car crash some time ago and today I meet a woman. The conversation goes: > Woman: Hey, I remember that car with the scratch from the crash last week, > you must be the one who caused it. > > Me: Are you sure? It didn't necessarily have to be me, I see a car with a > scratch like this almost every day. What I was referring to was that I see the car every day when I drive it. Is there a word for this?


"Duffel" or "duffle"

I'm seeing an either/or in most dictionaries I've checked with regard to _duffel_ and _duffle_ when used to refer to coats and bags. It seems to come from a Belgian town spelled _Duffel_. What's your take? I'd like to be definitive.


Standalone usage of "tid" from tidbits

Watching an old episode of Home Improvement recently, > _Eavesdropping Neighbour:_ I was just hearing some **tidbits** of your > conversation. > > _Tim:_ Sounds to me like you heard the whole **tid**. This sounded as a dialogue writer's invention to me. Is there any known usage of the word "tid" to mean the "whole part of something" or does it have any standalone meaning?


Human verbs for things - bad style?

In writing on an academic topic concerned with IT systems and business stuff, my aim is to write with active formulations which liven the text. But I'm noticing that I tend to use human verbs for non-human things, as other formulations end in bloated or passive sentences. Some contrasts appear in the following examples. > The process depends on section Y.   >  The process is dependent on section Y.   >  A dependency between the process and section Y exists.   >  The domain program cannot rely on factor Z.   >  We cannot rely on factor Z for the domain program. Is using human verbs for things a bad style? If yes, how can I fix that? Any golden hammers? Always just using `is` makes the text not very fun to read.


Are there shibboleths specific to native Russian speakers?

I am doing these days a lot of collaborative writing with a colleague born and raised in Russia, and now working in the US. He has a very good English and yet, as we circulated various texts, I noticed that he tends to drop the definite article, _the_ , more than is acceptable. I attributed that to a trend of his native language. Because I will continue working with him for some time, I hope to be aware of other such possible errors influenced by his mother tongue (especially because I'm not a native English speaker either!). So, what are common errors (or shibboleths) of native Russian speakers when they write in English?


What is retraction in pronunciation?

As in: > [I]n English /t, d, n, l/ are _retracted_ before /r/. [ _emphasis added_ ]   >  — _Wikipedia_ , “Allophone”


Can I precede a noun with more than one determiner?

Is there a rule that a noun would take only one determiner at most? For example, according to “Determiner” at _EnglishLanguageGuide.com_ , both _both_ and _the_ are determiners. Can I write an expression like _the both cats_? Or do I have to use it in either _the cats_ or _both cats_ forms only? Is this usage correct? > I saw two cats this morning. The both cats were very young.


Distributive adjectives in sentences with non-count nouns

In the following sentence: "Wall and roof thickness are always considered when repairing a chimney." The sentence refers to the thickness of both the wall and the roof. Is the sentence above correct (i.e., even though "thickness" is singular and "are" is plural") or should the non-count noun "thickness" be repeated to match the plural verb "are"? i.e., "Wall thickness and roof thickness are always considered when repairing a chimney." Is there a rule regarding constructions like these? Hopefully, someone can help. Thanks!


Unless in third conditional sentences

"Jane wouldn't have found a job unless she had gone to London" is a natural- sounding sentence and has two different meanings, depending on whether Jane really did move to London or not: (1) "Jane wouldn´t have found a job if she hadn't moved to London" (i.e. She found a job because she moved to London) (2) "Jane would only have found a job by moving to London" (i.e. she didn't move to London so she remained jobless) On the other hand, "The situation would have deteriorated unless I had arrived" is not natural-sounding and can only mean: (3) "The situation would have deteriorated if I had not arrived"" (i.e. I arrived so the situation didn't deteriorate") My questions are these: Is "unless" only correct in third conditionals where the sentence remains true whether the condition occured or not - i.e. when it stresses logical realtionship between condition and result rather than telling us the actual result? Conversely, should we use "if ... not" instead of "unless" where we want to make the outcome clear?


Is there such a variety as "Standard Black English”, spoken by educated African Americans, or is it just a racist phrase?

Standard Black English – (1980, coined by Orlando Taylor) The Standard English of black Americans. > Taylor points out the fact that most educated African Americans speak > “standard black English”. They adopt the grammar of standard English, with > all the necessary inflections, but do so with distinctive black English > phonology. (John Baugh, 1990) The possible duplicate at Why is there "Black English" but not "White English" addresses the dialect as spoken in ghetos, but not the English of **_educated_** African Americans. In addition, although we can always listen to educated African Americans on TV these days, from Mr Obama to Oprah Winfrey or Colin Powell, and make up our minds about the subject, I would like to learn what is consensual among linguists.


How to correctly specify a range of temperatures in both Fahrenheit and Celsius?

Current icky wording: > ... they do best in temperatures between 40 and 125 degrees F. ( 5 and 52 > degrees C ) Using the "degree" symbol seems correct, but in a **range** should it be specified for each? Do Fahrenheit and Celsius have the same symbol? > 40º - 125º F, 5º - 52º C


A noun for “phony” or an alternative to "phoniness"

I visited some famous tourist hotspots in a country where I enjoyed some beautiful sceneries. However, once we were told some trees planted there were actually fake (the trees were carefully sculpted to appear natural), we felt betrayed by the **__**?


Are there any cases where "prepend" cannot be replaced by "prefix"?

"Prepend" is seeing a fair amount of use, both in programmer jargon and elsewhere.   Its use seems to come from a desire to create a word that is a direct parallel to "append." However, such a word already exists in "prefix." They seem to need to be used differently: > To dial an outside line, prepend a 9 to your number. versus > To dial an outside line, prefix the number with 9. Are there any cases where "prefix" cannot be used in place of "prepend"? Any other insights into this word and its origins?


What's the difference between "I am busy right now" and "I am busy at the moment"? I mean, is there any shades in meaning that would be implied in one, but not not in the other phrase?


"Their windows slot the ebony of their walls with lemon." What's the meaning of this sentence?

What is the meaning of the italicized sentence in this paragraph? > From basement to sky rise the tenements of an alien colony. _Their windows > slot the ebony of their walls with lemon._ Behind those windows, strange > life is moving, dressed with forms that are not of London or of England, > yet, in essence, the same agreeable life that you have been living, and > tonight will live no more. It's a part of the novel _"The hands of Mr. Ottermole"_ by Thomas Burke.


What is the origin of "bored out of my skull" phrase? I've seen it used quite a few times recently, but cannot pinpoint it to anyone.


word "related" usage

Is this the right way to use word "related"? please review below > This whitepaper is intended as a resource to help you make performance > related decisions for your applications that use the Entity Framework. I think "make decisions related performance" is the right way .


'Hark' and 'behold' call attention to what we can hear or see. Is there an equivalent for smell?

'Hark' calls attention to something that we hear - for example: > "Hark, the herald angels sing" (hymn of the same title, by Charles Wesley) 'Behold' calls attention to something that we see - for example: > "'Behold, the Lamb of God...'" (John 1v29, ESV) Is there an equivalent for smell? That is, is there a similar word to call attention to something that I can smell? For example: > __, the roast dinner is ready...


Using 'stand for' in reference to acronyms

I read that 'stand for' means 'To represent; symbolize,' and now I'm wondering whether it can be used in reference to an acronym. For example, is it proper English the following question ... 'Can you tell me what D.S.J. stands for?' ... in order to ask what 'D', 'S' and 'J' mean? I'm asking because it is unclear to me what the difference between 'to mean' and 'to represent' (or 'to symbolize') is. To me, a more natural way to ask the above question would be ... 'Can you tell me what D.S.J. means?' 'to mean' seems to me more proper than 'to stand for' which I would use almost only if an abstract concept, rather than an acronym, is involved.


What term describes the relationship between 'collectivism' and 'collectivisation'?

What is _collectivism_ , in terms of grammar, of _collectivisation_? Put another way: > Collectivism is the [which word?] of collectivisation? Another example word pair might be _centralism_ and _centralisation_.


What does "descriptive gauntlets" mean?

I saw it used in this context: > I am also fully capable of typing in complete sentences; descriptive > gauntlets just seem more efficient. Please explain the idiomatic use in the above sentence.


Is “attempt” a durative or a punctual verb?

I think it’s punctual because an attempt in my view is a specific action and not a process, but I’d appreciate your thoughts on it.


"To break eggs" or "to crack eggs"?

> **?** She cracked an egg into the frying pan. In this sentence, should _cracked_ be replaced with _broke_?   I take that _to crack_ means _to break, but without to cause a complete separation of the parts_. > The windshield of this car was cracked.


Deconstruction of the phrase "some variety of" to refer to a single type or class of object

In informal English, I often see the phrase _"some variety of"_ referring to a singular classification of a particular object of a sentence. For example: > That appears to be _some variety of_ plant. > > This class is just _some variety of_ higher-level type. Due to the boundedness of _variety_ as referring to _"a number or collection of different things, especially of a particular class,"_ is this necessarily incorrect usage? Despite the numerous distinctions in the English language between an object's singular and plural forms, this might indeed be the case, but by that same token, the phrase can be easily satisfied by substituting a size of one for the number or size of the collection. This satisfies the definition, despite the further qualifier _"of different things,"_ in which it can be logically inferred that the single term differs from nothing at all. I'm clearly over-thinking this, and the phrase is regardless vague and non- specific, but I'm more curious if it's correct according to the current, formal revision of the English language.


Which dash should be used to indicate "None", "No Answer", or "Not Applicable"?

Consider the following overview of an individual's profile: > **Name** : John Smith   >  **Age** : 29   >  **Marital status** : Single   >  **Spouse's Name** : - The dash given as "Spouse's Name" indicates that there is no name, because there is no spouse. What is the correct character to use for this dash?


Alternative expression to 'free from' meaning to disassociate oneself from something bad

Can anybody provide an alternative expression to the phrase 'free from' meaning to disassociate oneself from something or someone bad? For example, a company manager commits fraud and the deputy manager addresses him saying: 'I'm free from you and your criminal ways!' Meaning that he disassociates himself from the manager and the actions of the manager due to his disgust at the manager's crime.


What is "amp't" in "Am I or amp't I?"

In Terry Pratchett's Equal Rites, Esk, the main character, asks: "Am I or amp't I?" What does "amp't" stand for here?


What's a good synonym for "unwantedly"?

Hi all I was wondering how do we rewrite this sentence in a _nicer_ way: > This webapp makes me hit the "Cancel" button **unwantedly** , arghh! I was wondering what's a good synonym for the word "unwantedly". I'd remember that there's a word but it somehow ran off my mind.


What are non-ironic English expressions used with a meaning opposite to their literal meaning?

The phrase _lowest common denominator_ is a phrase that has a meaning opposite to its literal meaning. Are there any other phrases like that? What is the term used for such phrases? **Edit** : Obviously, there are endlessly many such examples in the general class of _irony_ ; we're looking for phrases that are used in meanings opposite to their literal meaning, but with no hint of sarcasm or irony.


Which is the correct spelling: "grey" or "gray"?

What is the difference? Or is there any? Which would be more British English?


Is "real-time" a term known to every English speaker?

_Real-time_ is a common term in engineering texts. It means a system that produces output within a very tight deadline. I am writing a proposal to be read by non-engineers. I just wonder if it is clear to everybody to say: "the algorithm needs to be fast to produce the results in real-time"? **Edit:** The problem is that this is a one-page proposal and the guys who are going to read it might be from social or bio sciences. So, I don't have enough space to define everything. I can replace "real-time" by something like "fast". But I just want to keep the things a bit technical but understandable to everybody.


A word that sounds like "scoshe" meaning "small amount" or "smidgen"

Google and the thesaurus aren't helping, unfortunately.


What does the "right" in the "The Right Honourable" mean? Why is it there?

I don't think the _right_ in the "The Right Honourable" means "correct", because I can't see how that makes sense in context. I considered _right_ as a British slang intensifier that means "really", but that didn't make much sense either, because as far as I know "The Right Honourable" is a formal title that slang of lower register wouldn't be found in. So my question is: What does _right_ add to the meaning of "honourable" here? Is there any particular reason it's there?


What does tight feedback loop mean?

What does creating a tight feedback loop mean ? I often see it in context of emails: > You can also get feedback on your personal attempts, creating a tight > feedback loop.


Meaning of the phrase "to name a few"?

What is meaning of the phrase "to name a few" in below sentence: > Our clients include Commonwealth Bank, Lexus, Tourism Australia to name a > few I rarely see this phrase, so I think there's an alternative for its meaning. Could some one can show me one?


What does "fill-in-the-blank" mean in the following context?

> She is a fill-in-the-blank at the radio station. Does it mean that she does anything she is asked to do?


What is the difference between "in-between" and "in between"?

Which of the following two is correct:                    The man is sitting in between the two women; or               The man is sitting in-between the two women.      ? What is the general rule? Related but different questions: What is the difference between "in-between" and "between"? and Is single-word "inbetween" becoming more acceptable? How far can it go?


"Gotta" pronunciation

Recently, I realized that pronunciations of the reduction _gotta_ in GB and US English are different. Could you suggest to me, please, any tutorial explaining pronunciation of this and other such shortenings? It would be nice to find something with audio also. Usual textbooks avoid this subject since it is related to informal language, and it is very hard for me to get correct pronunciation from movies or TV series.


What's the origin and reasoning behind the phrase, "I've got a monkey on my back"?

900lb Gorilla I can appreciate, but "I've got a monkey on my back" - two opposable thumbs down...


Use of the word "convergent"

This question is for people who know some mathematics. Is it correct to say > The sequence is convergent to 0. Normally we say: The sequence converges to 0.


"Would not pass" or "would not have passed"?

Here is a situation: (Jack and Dorothy are in the car) Silence. They pass Blumergton. Dorothy looks out of the window, her face is obviously surprised. Silence again. They pass Himilgreens. Silence again. Jack: "I must tell you something" Dorothy: "What is it?" Jack: "We are not going to Darwinhill" Dorothy: "I know that" Jack: "How come you know that?" Dorothy: "Otherwise we would've not passed Blumergton" or should it be "Otherwise we would not pass Blumergton" or should it be some other way?


Single word meaning "reverse delegation"

Is there a single word which means "reverse delegation" or "upwards delegation", which is a person passing work upwards to the highest level that will accept it? This question has also been raised here, but no acceptable answer was given.


Why is it "on *the* one hand"?

According to all dictionaries I can see and everyday use by native speakers, this is the correct way: > On _the_ one hand, it's larger; on the other hand, it's more expensive. What makes no sense to me instinctively is the use of the first _the_. What is _the one hand_? Shouldn't it be just _one hand_? Is this a grammatically valid construct I just don't understand, or is it an idiom that has changed to improve the presentation of the comparison described? It arguably sounds better with the additional _the_.


What would you write in this case? (a sign in a fitting room)

Once in a fitting room of one clothes store in Taiwan I saw a sign saying something like > Watch your lipstick carefully no to touch the clothes you are trying on. While the main concern was pretty much clear to me—the owner of the store didn't want to have lipstick stains on the clothes he was selling—I kind of suspected that the way the thought was expressed was wrong. I tried to come up with my own better version and failed. So, if you were the owner of that store, what would you write on that sign?


Why past tense in 'I got this'?

I came across the phrase 'I got this' in an episode of 'How I Met Your Mother'. In the episode, Robin kept saying 'I got this' whenever something came up that needs dealing with. I guess it means 'Leave this to me. I can handle it'. Urban Dictionary says it's short for 'I got this under control.' I think the omission makes sense. The thing I don't understand is why past tense is used here. When you use 'I got this', you are referring to something in the present, not in the past. Maybe you can get it under control, but you haven't gotten it under control yet. Why do you use past tense? Here is an example from Urban Dictionary: > You're are driving a truck full of your stoner friends. The car in front of > you slams on its breaks and all of your wasted friends are screaming that > they are going to die. > > You scream "I GOT THIS!!!" and then you stop your car just inches away from > the car's bumper. It is very clear that you had screamed 'I got this' before you actually got it under control.


Correct use of "rid of"

From what I understood, "rid of" is used when I want to express that particular object will be disposed of something. "Get rid of something," on the other hand, does not specify the object. According to the aforementioned, I found few examples that I do not understand: > Need to rid of this yeast infection fast? (Should not this be "get rid > of.."?) > He will rid of it. (Is that correct? It is neither "get rid" nor "rid > something of something.") I found both of these examples on the Internet; it can be easily informal. I would just like to know whether I am right here.


Word for firm logo sign installed usually in front of building

I am looking for a word to describe the big logo sign that one normally can see in front of a headquarters building, for example here: ![XEROX Parc street sign](http://i.stack.imgur.com/dveEz.jpg) I tried to google the words people use for this sign, but found nothing but "a sign".


"Engagement", "betrothal" — connotations?

I'm not a native speaker, so frequently I don't know underlying semantic subtleties of synonyms; what connotations they bear, which may be antiquated or very official, which are specific to given region or group and such. Currently, I'm struggling with:   * engagement / betrothal,   * betrothed / affianced / engaged / to be married   * betrothed / a wife-to-be / husband-to-be / fiancée / fiancé Which ones would be proper for extremely formal occasion (royal pair)? Which ones are more informal? Can you outline differences between them, their general use? And in case I missed some other synonyms, could you supply them?


"Actually" vs "really"

> Sometimes I wonder if he is **actually/really** as lavish as he pretends to > be. I know that this sentence can work without either _actually_ or _really_ , but if we were to use one of them to make an impact on the listener, which one should it be?


Is it correct to say: too homogeneous?

This is the context: "I missed the diversity of church, it felt rather like a French-only church, or an under-21’s church may feel like—too homogeneous." I want to use the word homogeneousitic, but I know it's not a word!


"What ever happened to" versus "Whatever happened to"?

I recently asked > Whatever happened to ( _some noun from the past_ )? But then wondered if I should have preferred to split _whatever_ into two words: > What ever happened to ( _some noun from the past_ )? I came to English.SE to resolve it. I read the (related) questions:   * Whatever happened to "what ever" and whenever did it happen?   * Can "whatever" be split into two words? but was unable to glean which was preferred in my context. Is there a preference, or are they equivalent? Is there a rule I can learn?


What is the sense of the word "kettle" here?

I've just come across the word "kettle" in a news article used in a sense I've not heard it before. > "Police have formed 'a **kettle** ' at Millenium Bridge, according to some > of the protesters. They claim it is to prevent people sleeping on the > streets. Others suggest police are simply moving people on. " It doesn't seem to fit any of the dictionary definitions of the word. Please can someone explain.


What do you call someone who is asking for information?

A petitioner? I'm not sure... Any suggestions?


Can I mix singular and plural for a possessive?

I want to talk about a specific woman. She is the wife of one of my cousins. So I have several cousins, but not each of them has a wife, and those who have one obviously only have one. Can I say "one of my cousins' wife"? In which "one of" refers to "one cousin amongst the group of several men who are my cousins"? If I pronounce this sentence, people can hear "one of my cousin's wife", and then there is a mistake because I say "wife" instead of "wives", as they understand that one cousin has several wives. So could I write "one of my cousins' wife" or "one of my cousins's wife"? Or should I just give up and switch to "the wife of one of my cousins"? I can say it differently but I'm very interested in knowing what could be possible. Thank you!


OO language - no article?

> However, we haven't gone through the details of **OO language** in PHP. A friend of mine, who is a native English speaker, says that this sentence sounds okay to him - you don't need an article. Nevertheless you do say THE English language or THE Spanish language in English. Why is it not the case here?


Where did "elbow grease" come from?

I was reading a French blog the other day and I came across the phrase _l'huile de coude_ , meaning "elbow grease." Since "elbow grease" is something I've known about in English all my life (parental exhortations to put a little elbow grease into my cleaning efforts), I was somewhat surprised to see the same expression in French. That got me wondering about the etymology of the phrase and which language it occurred in first, and whether it transferred from one to the other. The online Etymology Dictionary states that the earliest English occurrence is circa 1670. My French friends don't believe it is an _anglicisme_. Any thoughts on the matter?


Comma confusion in this sentence

This of course wasn't the only functionality that came with iCloud, but regardless, developers weren't exactly enthusiastic. or This of course wasn't the only functionality that came with iCloud, but, regardless, developers weren't exactly enthusiastic. Are both correct?


Palatalization of "t" followed by "y"

I often hear "that you" pronounced (roughly) like "thatch you". I've taken on pronouncing it like that until my English teacher implored me not to do so. Is there a consensus on whether this is rude (or incorrect)?


Is “what in hejudas?” a common idiom or phrase?

I noticed the following phrase used in another question: > Is this a common idiom? If so, **what in hejudas** inspired such a phrasing? Obviously, this is similar to the phrases “what in hell” or “what on earth”. Does it have its own etymology? Does it relate to Judas Iscariot somehow? Is this a common idiom? If so, what in hejudas inspired such a phrasing?


Meaning of some sentences from sports pages of newspapers

I was studying some vocabulary about sports pages of the newspapers from a book. The book mentions that the sportswriters are masters of English language and states how well they attract readers to read on eagerly. For example instead of saying " **win by a big score** " some may use " ** _Purdue crushes winless Northwestern._** " Sometimes the name of a team is used in an imaginative way. The headlines that follow are metaphors, or figurative uses of names which I get the gist but I'm not sure if I understand the meaning precisely.   * Bears Sack the Pack. (Bears won)   * Flat Bulls give Rockets a lift. (Flat Bulls won?)   * Hornets shake, bake Bulls. (Hornets won)   * Hoosiers fake, shake, break Illini. (Hoosiers won) **Question** : Are the meaning of sentences true? Do the sentences specify how well did the teams won? Did they won by a big score or they barely got by or none?


What is a word for this hand signal of refusal?

When people decline something, sometimes they wave their hand back and forth as a gesture of refusal. What is a word for this?


Can this be considered a complete sentence? There lived a princess named Gretchen.


Can I say "I have been nourishing my passions"? Or something similar to express the figurative fact that "I have been developing and nourishing them"?


Make it a compound sentence question

Make it a compound sentence: > Enticingly served, it comes in four bowls. I had this today in my exam and I wrote `It comes enticingly served in four bowls.` Is this correct? If not, what is the correct version?


"I watched anime 3 days straight" — what does it mean?

When some one says "I watched anime 3 days straight", Does it mean they watched anime for three days sitting in one place _without taking bath, brushing teeth etc._ for three days, or does it mean that they watched anime for three days _including personal grooming, eating etc._ but didn't do any other useful work (like school, office etc.)?


Is "Lady Macbeth has plotted this out carefully and diligently" a correct use of "plot"?

> Lady Macbeth has plotted this out carefully and diligently. Can I use the word "plot" in such a way? I know most people would want to replace that with "planned", but I don't want to keep using that word.


What's the difference between “vita”, “curriculum vitae”, “maintenance history” and “résumé”?

As far as I know, the words   * vita   * curriculum vitae   * résumé   * maintenance history all mean a document that includes information about your life and your education that you give a company if you want to get employed. Are there differences in the usage? When would you rather say one or the other? Do they have different connotations?


what do you call a person who repeats the same mistakes over and over again?

A single word for the person who repeats same mistake again and again.


Why is "poignant" pronounced /ˈpɔɪɲənt/?

I felt a little bit strange when I heard _poignant_ pronounced as `/ˈpɔɪɲənt/`. It is also pronounced as `/ˈpɔɪgnənt/`, but the former seems to be more popular. A word _stagnant_ has similar spelling, but it is pronounced as `/ˈstægnənt/`. Why is _poignant_ pronounced like that? I guess that the `/ɲə/` sound is not so popular in English pronunciation. Are there any other words which are pronounced like `/ɲə/`?


How do you address people at the beginning of a conversation?

I will have a visa interview (for the US) in a few days and I would like to know how I address people in a conversation. Especially, I would like to know the differences between the following:   * Sir   * Madam, Ma'am   * Miss   * Misses   * Mister I have read the following questions/answers, but they don't explain the terms in context. I would like to know what the differences are:   * Disrespectful use of “mister”   * Madam vs. Ma'am   * When is Mr/Mrs appropriate?


Alternative to saying "Long pole in the tent"

Help! A former colleague got all of us using the expression "x is long pole in the tent" to mean:   * x is the person or issue that's preventing forward progress on a project   * x is the person or issue that will take up the most time on a project Besides not being a familiar idiom for some, the expression has sexual overtones. What would be a better alternative?


Usage of ostensible in this sentence

An obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust.      _**ostensible: stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so._** Does ostensible in this sentence mean that there is another definition for the term? **Update** :   Sorry for the ambiguity, What I'm trying to ask here is not the lexeme of "Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis"but the interpretation of ostensible in this sentence.


A word for clothes, shoes, accessories?

I'm looking for a word that applies to all the things a person can wear, e.g. clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. It musn't be too generic, e.g. _product_ , _item_ , etc.


"Buy the farm" meaning

In Alice Cooper’s song “Hey Stoopid” from his 1991 album, there is a verse that runs like this: > Now I know you’ve been kicked around.   >  You ain’t alone in this ugly town.   >  You stick a needle in your arm.   >  You bite the dust, **you buy the farm.** How can anybody, a junkie apparently, “buy the farm” when he is giving up in life? What does the verbal phrase _to buy the farm_ mean or connote in contemporary English?


Emphasising that a date is near

What is a good way to emphasise that a particular date is near or coming very close? For example, suppose today is the 22 of May and there is the submission date for a project is on the 25 of May. I could just say: > As the deadline of the submission is on the 25 of May, we should work > faster. The date 25 of May is near to some people but may not be near to others. If I add in the word "near" this way: > As the deadline of the submission is _near_ on the 25 of May, we should work > faster. Would my last sentence be grammatically and semantically correct?


One word that means change the sign of

I'm attempting to describe the process of changing the sign of a variable (in a math/programming context), but I'm not able to come up with a singular word for that process, even though it seems like there should be one. I presume I could use "negate," but that already has meanings in regards to logic, where you can turn an argument p into not p, and in regular English, where it means "to nullify" and "to cause negative results" - both of which, though particularly the first definition, are not completely accurate in regards to the actual process. Succinctly, is there a single word (as opposed to a phrase) that means "to change the sign of"?


Where is the root morpheme in Modern English ambassador, embassy?

If there were no such a word as embassy, I would consider ambassad as a root and -or as an agent derivational suffix here. But embassy makes me puzzled. If we accept that segmentation shold be done like EMBASS-Y, how can we define -ador in ambassador then? as a derivational suffix?


Where is the root morpheme in the Modern English word "absent"?

I can't say whether the root morpheme in "absent" is "ab-" or "abs-". (From an etymological point of view, ab- appears to be a negative prefix -- from M.Fr. absent (O.Fr. ausent), from L. absentem (nom. absens), prp. of abesse "be away from, be absent" -- from O.Fr. absence, from L. absentia, noun of state from absentem (nom. absens), prp. of abesse "be away from, be absent," from ab- "away" + esse "to be"). On the one hand, "absent" may be analyzed and compared with "present" (pre-/ ab- sent), but in this case it's clear that we can't consider -s- as a common root for those semantically related words, because it doesn't seem to be the lexical core of these words at all. On the other hand in the case of "abnormal" and "normal" this negative prefix ab- is easily identified.


What is an adverb for "via the written word"?

I can say something is 'verbally delivered'. How would I say it is 'delivered via the written word', but with an adverb? E.g. something like 'literally delivered', as in, "using letters" - but that is an odd use of the term relying more on the etymology than the understood meaning of the word.


"I'm all mashed up inside."

> I'm all **mashed up** inside. Inside the Lost (TV series) a guy named Boone who got desperately injured imparted his physical situation to the doctor with the above sentence. The guy prefers to die, and tries to let the doctor off the hook. Does it specifically refer to a special physical situation? or it generally means suffering severe injuries? Does it have mental connotations?


Why do we have the word "passageway"?

Wouldn't the word "passage" suffice? (That isn't enough of a reason for "passageway" not to exist, though.)


What does this sentence mean in this paragraph?

> It is often claimed-by mountaineers needless to say-that mountaineering has > a more distinguished literature than any other sport or pastime. > **Certainly, the best of what is written in the major journals stands > comparison with the best essays written in the English Language.** > Mountaineering has produced a huge library of books, and a significant > number of them are of lasting importance. (Is mountaineering a sport? in > Philosophy and Sport, ed. by Anthony O'Hear) I do not understand the meaning of the second sentence at all. Also another parts of the article gives no hint about it; the author just presupposes that the reader should know what it means. Mountaineering, in the eyes of this Oxbridge professor, is a real sport which is for fun and diversion.It is even the most gracious one. Thus much I can say, please help me clarify what the second sentence means!


What is the meaning of "uber-"?

What is the meaning of "uber-"?


Difference between "spicy" and "hot"

I make a distinction between "hot" and "spicy" food ("hot" not referring to temperature). I consider "hot" food the kind that "burns" and "spicy" food that has lots of flavor, but that may or may not "burn", but has some "heat" to it and is flavorful. I've been told that there is no real difference between the two and that I'm crazy for thinking that Tabasco sauce makes something "hot", while something like curry, ginger, or cumin makes something "spicy". Please help me out a little here with a little clarification.


More than "partially", less than "completely"

I am re-phrasing several sentences in a manuscript we are preparing for publication and I have come across a sentence I am not quite happy with. Without going into the details, the sentence is about a model system where we claim that the model in question has several nice features and simplifies the problem at hand whilst _partially_ retaining the important characteristics of the original system. The take home messages here are:   1. The model is simple enough that we can work with it   2. The model does not reflect the reality entirely, and has some issues associated with the compromises made in order to simplify the problems in the original system.   3. However, the model is still relevant enough that it's worth working on it My issue with the word "partly" or "partially" is that it does not convey right level of conformity between the model and the original system. To my ears _partly/partially_ sounds like there is _some_ overlap between the models, but not necessarily enough to justify the amount of time and money invested on it. So my **question** is; is there a word that I could use in this scenario, one that is more than _partially_ but less than _completely_? **Follow-up question** ; when it comes to adjectives and adverbs where one can rank them, is there a good resource to check on, when one is in doubt? I usually use Thesaurus to find words that are related to one another, but I have not found one that actually ranks such words.


What does “pass over somebody for the nod” mean?

I heard AP Radio News reporting Republican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich won the endorsement of New Hampshire’s largest newspaper, which can reset the going of presidential race. The news was aired via AFN Tokyo at 7:00 am (Tokyo time), Monday. I _think_ I heard: > “Republican presidential hopeful, Newt Gingrich wins the endorsement of New > Hampshire’s largest newspaper, which _passed over front runner, Mitt Romney > for the nod_. The New Hampshire Union Leader’s editorial potentially resets > the race in the state with its first-in-the nation primary.” What does “ _pass over somebody for the nod_ \- the newspaper passed over Mitt Romney for the nod” mean? Is this popular phrase?


Professional term for "Apples to apples" comparison

Is there a term which would sound more fitting in an academic or professional setting for describing a comparison between two things highlighting the similarity of the measurement/comparison process?


What is Name meaning for Belinda

My name is _Belinda_. In my locality, it is a rare name. So, everyone asks for its meaning. I know that it is the heroine name of "Rape of the lock". When i googled, I found that it has the meaning of a **Serpent**. Really I felt bad about it. Did anyone give a serpent name to a child?. Or Whether it has any other meaning... Please clarify


Does the phrase "fine with me" have a negative connotation?

I have always thought that you could answer "it's ok with me" or "it's fine with me" when you agree with something that somebody proposed, like a meeting time. But apparently the phrase can have a negative connotation. According to this Urban Dictionary it means: > _I could care less._ Usually used when someone is being overly dramatic and > is explaining the extreme action they are planning to do in response to a > situation that they think you should care a lot about, but still somehow you > don't similar to "that's just fine with me" Since I wasn't sure if this source was reliable, I googled it and apparently the definition is correct: "We made our play, and I came out on top. Okay? Now, if you want to start the game up again, that's **fine with me**." The Italian Job (film) "I'd never have a hookup but if that's what someone is into, **fine with me**." Comment on a blog post Can I be misinterpreted when I say "it's fine with me" meaning that I agree with the proposal? My concern is that it can be understood as "ok, i don't really care."


Is "forte" pronounced "fort" or "for-tay"?

I've always heard people say something like > "Pronunciation is not my [for-tay]" ... but I feel that I've heard that the correct pronunciation is > "Confusing people is my [fort]" What is the proper way to pronounce this word?


Are apostrophes actually needed?

I don't mean to make it grammatically correct I mean does English need them? I can't seem to find a use case other than it's "legacy" in English, but that is never a reason to keep something around. For example, would there ever be a confusion of "hell" and "he'll"? What about "theyll" or "they'll" or "he's" and "hes". A friend brought up this use case: > Tim: "How do I get up there?"   >  Rodney: { "Well think." | "We'll think." } Except that is even flawed because technically "well" in the first example needs a comma after like: > Rodney: { "Well, think." | "We'll think." } This would clear this confusion up. I saw killtheapostrophe.com years ago and it got me thinking and so I brought it up with my grandmother, who has a Ph. D. in linguistics, and she agrees with him, however it got brought up again on Twitter and I was curious what others who love linguistics think about it.


What is the section before the commas called at the start of a sentence after words such as "well" or "however"

For example: > Well, that was his answer anyways. Or > However, the answer was wrong.


Did eBay take the name from a Pig Latin word?

Did eBay take the name from the Pig Latin word for _be_?


Do a/an have to match up when using multiple indefinite subjects?

Here's my quandary: Is the following sentence acceptable? > He waited to get an apple, orange or pear. Or would it need to read as the following? > He waited to get an apple, an orange or a pear. The second is obviously correct, but I am curious if the first example is actually incorrect — given it just sounds cumbersome.


"Ironic" vs. "ironical"

Being that this highly related question primarily asked whether _ironical_ is actually a word (and if it is used regionally), I'm interested to know whether there is a difference between it and _ironic_ and what that difference might be. @steven_desu touched on it in his comment, but I'd like to see a more complete answer to the difference between the two words (if any).   Are they completely interchangeable?   Is one more appropriate in certain situations?


Sequence of tenses question

What is the right tense of highlighted words in the sentence below? I feel that I'm writing it wrong. Perhaps you've been contacted before by a customer who **screams** that his site **isn't** working only to find out later that the problem **was** with his connection.


What's another way to say "which station should I get off?"

In the context of "Which station should I get off?" (asked when you're on the train), what would be another way to say this, without using "get off" (which has other connotations) and still colloquial (either American or British English)? I thought about "exit" or "alight". Are there other, better ways to say this? Thank you.


Use of an ellipsis

In a sentence containing a partial quote truncated before its natural ending, how is an ellipsis used and how is the sentence punctuated? From a comment on Stack Exchange Electrical Engineering: > @Olin: The OP clearly stated that: "Input A is ALWAYS on if input B is > ON"... It's just as clear that your circuit can't satisfy those > requirements, so how is my comment wrong? – EM Fields 50 mins ago In that instance the ellipsis was used to indicate that the quoted text had been truncated, but since the ellipsis proper wasn't part of the quoted text it's unclear - to me - whether the ellipsis should have been included in or excluded from the quote, and how the sentence should have been punctuated.


Word that means "control through secrecy"

I am looking for a word that represents the following scenario. Two people in a partnership, person A and person B. Person A has information that is necessary for the proper functioning of partnership, but this person chooses not to disclose it and is constantly subjugating (controlling) person B. On other words, amicable control and/or exploitation through secrecy.


What were the British equivalents of Webster's dictionary and the Simplified Spelling Board that standardized spelling and usage?

I am familiar with questions about when to double 'l' and differences between British and American spellings. However, I stumbled across this image. ![Page](http://i.stack.imgur.com/taW61.jpg) As you can see, several words end in the double 'l': **spirituall** , **generall** and **speciall**. From what I gather, much of English wasn't standardized until the 19th century. **Q:** Was there an equivalent to Noah Webster's dictionary and the (U.S.) Simplified Spelling Board for British English that would've affected these spellings (and others)? On a sidenote, the _-all_ ending seems to occur with some consistency from the 16th to 18th centuries. Was there a particular rule for this usage or was it "just how things were done"?


Origin of "quarters" in the sense of living area

I was explaining to my son that HQ stood for "headquarters," when he surprised me by dividing the word into "head" and "quarters." I had never considered this word thusly before, but it's obvious to me now: the _quarters_ for the _head_. But then as I explained that "quarters" was another word for a building or room, I realized how little it fits. We discussed it over our lunch circle, and came up with some theories:   1. It originally cost a quarter to rent a room.    2. Military bases were divided into four parts, each of which contained some buildings for particular functions.   3. Rented space was paid by the quarter (in the annual sense). Doing some research, this is what we found: An explanation of give no quarter says that _quarter_ developed from a fourth part of something, progressing from sky and space, to compass directions, to cities and towns, and that "there was a parallel development on a domestic scale and a part of a house also became called a quarter" but it sheds no light on how that came to be. So it remains plausible that "quarters" might be related to dividing a house into four parts, similar to #2. This discussion of quarter supports the idea that "quarters" comes from dividing a house into four parts, but also mentions "quarter days" which are days of the year "on which it is usually contracted that rents should be paid and houses or lands entered upon or quitted." This lends some plausibility to #3. But then there is this blog article that states unequivocally and unsourced-ly that the origin is none of the above, but in fact derives from a French word which means "separate from." How did "quarters" come to mean _housing or accommodation_?


Meaning of "but if one turns it thither ever so little" in context

I am reading the book _Pensées_ , and I can't understand a paragraph. Please help me review it. > The difference between the mathematical and the intuitive mind.—In the one, > the principles are palpable, but removed from ordinary use; so that for want > of habit it is difficult to turn one's mind in that direction: but if one > turns it thither ever so little, one sees the principles fully, and one must > have a quite inaccurate mind who reasons wrongly from principles so plain > that it is almost impossible they should escape notice. My understanding of this paragraph is that the writer wants to tell us the mathematical mind is not for ordinary use, and it is difficult to turn one's mind in a mathematical way because of the habit. (If this is wrong, please correct me.) The sentences after that ("but if one turns it thither ever so little...") is the part I didn't understand. What exactly does "inaccurate mind" mean in this context? **Edit:** One more question. What are the plain principles that anyone cannot escape?


Difference between nevertheless and nonetheless

I am never quite sure whether to use nevertheless or nonetheless; they seem almost synonymous to me, but I think I might be missing a subtle distinction. Is there a difference, and if so, how do I determine which is right in different circumstances? I am specifically thinking of sentences like this: >   * I am busy Saturday, **nevertheless** I will come to your party anyway. >   * I am busy Saturday, **nonetheless** I will come to your party anyway. > There is a question here that deals with a specific idiomatic usage, but I was thinking of the general type of usage, as given in the party example above.


I'm having so much fun watching

I'm trying to analyze the construction of this sentence: > I'm having so much fun watching.   1. _so much fun_ = NP, Direct Object of the verb _am having_   2. _watching_ = My question is, is #2 an NP (and gerund) functioning as an object complement of #1?


"Ability" vs. "faculty"

Looking up dictionaries I don't see a easy rule when to use _ability_ vs. _faculty_ in sense of a describing attribute . For example, "cognitive faculty" or "faculty of speech" seem to be standard terms, but then "learning or mental ability" seems more common than "learning faculty". The only pattern I see is that abilities are kind of innate(?).


What does “Blood money becomes bloodied money” mean?

There was the following sentence in New York Time’s (January 9) movie review of “Cold comes the night” that came under the title, “She’s hard as nails, he’s noir and nasty”: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/10/movies/cold-comes-the- night-starring-bryan-cranston-and-alice-eve.html > “The opening image of a snow globe can’t help but suggest “Citizen Kane,” > while some gore-slicked bills may bring to mind “The Grifters” or another > literal-minded entertainment in which **blood money becomes bloodied > money**.” I understand blood money means money paid to a hired murderer(s), but I don’t know “bloodied money.” How different is “bloodied money” from “blood money” and “bloody money”? Is “bloodied money" a synonym of the preceding "gore-slicked bills"?


How do I ask permission to override a course?

I need override for a course I want to take next semester. Instructor has asked to email him asking permission. What should I write in the email? > Respected sir/madam, > > I need prerequisite override for FOO101 Bar Spam course. > > WHAT SHOULD I WRITE HERE? > > Thank you! > > Sincerely, > > James Bond Note: I was going to say "Please do the needful". But its not recommended.


Do words "iron" and "irony" have anything in common?

I understand that the word _irony_ comes from Greek _eironeia_ and _iron_ comes from Old English _isærn_, but there should be something more to it. Why are both words so similar in modern English? Any thoughts, theories?


Present Perfect usage

Today I saw this quote from Michael Jordan, and the usage of Present Perfect in all of his past failed experiences got my attention: > I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. > 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve > failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. I cannot see why is it being used here; any help regarding its use?


"brush something up" vs. "brush up (on something)": What is the difference?

For example, we have two sentences: > I need to brush my French up a little bit. I need to brush up my French. and > I need to brush up on my German. My German is weak. I had better brush up. Could you help me to understand what role is played by the preposition _on_?


Diagramming Sentences with Causative Verbs and Predicate Adjectives

So I was recently relearning how to diagram sentences, but I ran across a sentence that had a causative verb and a predicate adjective and I had no idea how to diagram it. This is my best guess, but could someone tell me if I'm wrong? ![The sentence is **That made him angry.**](http://i.stack.imgur.com/tP7vX.png)


Subject + verb inversion

I have come across, more and more frequently, that writers move the verb forward in sentences like: Today some English teachers attend to grammatical niceties in a more analytical way than did their predecessors in stead of ...than their predecessors did. Is it an American/British difference? What is the King's choice (assuming he speaks the King's English)?


"One of those is flags"

Jeff Atwood ♦ has just posted something that I'm confused about > Stack Overflow, due to its size, has some unique problems. One of those is > flags I'd say that _those_ and _flags_ are both in plural, however shouldn't _is_ be plural too? It means, shouldn't it be > Stack Overflow, due to its size, has some unique problems. One of those are > flags I think it's right, because he's a native English speaker, but I'm just not sure why. Or is it just a mistake?


How can I say 'Before the (next) start of the academic year at a college' ? What does academic year mean?

How can I say that 'Before the next start of the academic year.'. Is 'next' a good word to use? Basically, if it's January at the moment of writing and I want to say when the next year of school starts. Does the 'academic year' means when the college/school/university starts their lessons, after the holiday, usually September/30 August? If you could clarify that, I would be really grateful. P.S. I'm writing a formal letter to a college


Hypernym for "profile" and "preference" in the context of dating or match-making

The context is love-matching or match-making. I am looking for one term/word to address a dating/mating condition that people would have when matching. It's more complicated and thorough than a simple mating condition because we are human so there are many many concerns both we have on others and other people have on us (who we are). Whatever-the-word-is includes people's own profile (who they are) and people's expections/preferences (who they want). This is _the thing_ that I want to address. I kind of found a word, _benchmark_. But it's just too geeky I guess, and remote. I suppose the first response when people see this word is "what the...". But to use other words like _preferences, mate conditions_ or _match criterion_ seems just not quite right.


"High aspirations" vs. "large aspirations"

When you intend to say someone has a strong desire to achieve something high or great, is it proper to say they have "high aspirations"? Or would it be "large aspirations", or something else?


What is the difference between "search" and "look up"?

This questions is coming from here. Is there any difference in meaning between the 2 terms?


Is using past participle instead of present one more polite?

On christianity.stackexchange.com I asked this question: "Is it true that John Paul the Second restored the practice of **selling** indulgences in 2000?" and one supporter suggested that I replace **selling** with **sold** as in this way it will sound less accusatory. While not being a native English speaker and at the same not doubting a bit about that supporter's command of English, I am still puzzled here about how changing the tense of the verb can make things sound less accusatory. In fact, I don't quite see how the question is accusatory in the first place. Perhaps, there is some subtlety in English grammar here that I am not aware about. Can anyone, please, explain this to me?


A single or double word that describes a group of casual but important guides or scouts

The word needs to describe group of people that you choose to influence you. It would be nice if the word was reasonably simple or hip as well. examples: guides, advisors, council, brain trust, concierge, sphere, tribe


Difference between misfunction and malfunction

Difference between _misfunction_ and _malfunction_? Is _misfunction_ a proper English word? If it is, what's the difference between the two above?


Name of Literary Technique: People acting normally while others disbelieve

Is there a name for the literary technique in which some people act normally about a topic or situation, while others (possibly including the reader) are incredulous? For example, at the end of _To Kill a Mockingbird_ , Scout can hardly believe Boo Radley is in her house and sees him as a figure of her imagination, while Dr. Reynolds acts perfectly normally, saying “Evenin’ Arthur, didn’t notice you to first time I was here” and treating him as a normal person.


"Much more simple" or "much more simpler"

Which is the correct sentence? > It is much more simple to resolve the memory leak issues. > > It is much more simpler to resolve the memory leak issues.


"Dead on arrival"

I was listening to the song "I'll be there for you" by The Rembrandts and I realised that at the beginning they say: "Your love life's D.O.A." I used Google to search the meaning of D.O.A. and according to Wikipedia: "[it] is a term used to indicate that a patient was found to be already clinically dead upon the arrival of professional medical assistance, often in the form of first responders such as emergency medical technicians, paramedics, or police." My question is...do English native speakers use this expression to say that something is really bad (e.g. your love life)? How common is it? Thank you so much for your answers.


What are the most common letters used in pairs after others in the English alphabet?

I have a question which is somewhat similar to _What are the most common consonants used in English?_ (on wikiHow). What are the most common seven letters that come second in pairs after consonants and seven ones after vowels? For example, it might be something like this:   * After consonants: E > R > A > I > O > U ...   * After vowels: R > T > N > S ...


Reverse deadline?

Is there a term or word for a "reverse deadline"? Deadline is normally the date or time before which something must occur. I'm seeking a term for the date or time after which something may occur. I am preparing instructions for announcing results which must be announced after a certain date. At the moment the text proposes to use the word 'deadline', but for the reasons mentioned above I will propose to reword it to "Results cannot be announced before..." but I would prefer to use a 'deadline'-type word instead.