How to use "distinguish" in this sentence

I wrote a sentence as follows: > Being able to do X distinguishes me between a programmer who works with code > and a system engineer who is capable of designing a revolutionary system > like Google and Facebook. What I meant by the above sentence is "X makes a system engineer who is better than a programmer who does coding for a living". Does my sentence convey the intended meaning? Is this a correct use of the word "distinguish"? Feel free to suggest any other alternatives.


What is a polite way to decline an invitation to hang out with someone?

If someone asks me to do something with them and I don't want to do that activity, how can I tell them "I don't want to hang out with you tonight" and not hurt their feelings? Normally I say something like, "Not really". I once had a friend say "We are not interested" when we asked them to go to a baseball game. To me that seemed really abrupt and somewhat rude. What is the best way to say "I don't want to go"?


General noun for lingual/verbal/written representation of data?

I'm a software developer and I try to take naming variables, functions, classes etc. rather seriously. I'm looking for a single-word noun that describes the verbal display or representation of data. It will ultimately be written as a TimeSpanTo[Blank]Converter For example, if I input "23" and output "twenty-three", I've converted from an integer to a(n) _[Blank]_ More specifically I'll be using this with time data, so a times stamp of "02:30:00" would display as _"2 and a half hours"_ If what I'm looking for doesn't exist, would lexicon or literal be appropriate? Any other suggestions?


How do I pluralise a word that has a masculine and feminine singlar forms, for a mixed group?

This may be an ill-defined question since it arose from trying to pluralise a word that has come from French, I wanted to pluralise a pair flaneurs of different genders. Flaneur comes from the French `flâneur`, which has the French feminine form `flâneuse` and plural `flâneuses`. When pluralising in English, should I ignore gender, use one over the other or use the french pluralisation? Is there an English rule for mixed gender noun pluralisations?


Can I say it this way " People are benefited by social networking "

Is it correct to say > People are benefited by Social Networking when what I really want to say is that > People benefit from Social Networking


Do you feel that should is the past of shall?

This is a very deep question and I ask you to ponder at it for a while. We know from the grammar that some modal verbs are the past form of another:               PRESENT            PAST          will               would          shall              should      Question: If you had _never been taught_ this table, and someone asked you now about their relation to each other, would you feel that **should** is the past of **shall** and **would** is the past of **will**?


Is "predicable" a noun or an adjective?

Is it "the policy is a predicable" or "the policy is predicable"?


Is it correct to join two complete sentences with a comma without coordinating conjunction?

1) If, for whatever reason, you don’t think the quoted price is legitimate, please kindly inform us of your target price. Our sales teams would be glad to work around your budget.   2) If, for whatever reason, you don’t think the quoted price is legitimate, please kindly inform us of your target price, our sales teams would be glad to work around your budget. Please kindly advise on the use of comma in the above two sentences. Any help appreciated.


What is the meaning of this complicated sentence?

So, the sentence is:               We are an exercise in cognitive dissonance.      The context is that of someone who holds two or more contradictory beliefs at the same time. My question is what does it mean to be "an exercise" in this sentence?


Does the phase "what's an honest man to do?" have a specific literary origin, or is it simply a common-usage rhetorical question?

I have seen the phrase used in this form or as a template for other rhetorical questions - e.g., "what's an honest economist to do?"; "what's an honest business owner to do?";"what's an honest Nigerian to do?" I cannot find any reference to its original use in literature, but was asked recently "who said that?" - and didn't have an answer.


Meaning of sentence with "vercingetorism"

This remark was made on an online forum. Preliminary online search was of not much help. > _(D)id you intend to deal with all this **vercingetorism**?_ This is certainly not a word from one of those obscure domains like psychology, medicine, etc., I hope. What does the above expression mean?


Opposite of Ground Up

Is there any opposite of "Ground up" phrase? Something like "Top-down : Bottom-up"


Usage of a comma before "and" in a fairly complex sentence

How would I punctuate the following sentence: > Furious, John strove to catch Jim by the shirt so that he might throw him > against the wall, but once more, Jim was too quick. Where I'm getting stuck is on whether or not I need a comma before the "but once more" part of the sentence. I have a similar issue on another sentence that is fairly complex: > When they broke apart, the old warrior bled from many wounds, and for the > first time in decades, there was something close to worry in his eyes. Here, my issue is whether I need a comma before "and for the first time in decades" or if I should leave it out.


Term shorter than "microblog" as generic equivalent of "tweet"

I _search_ rather than _Google_ and _vacuum_ rather than _Hoover_. Technically I _microblog_ rather than _tweet_ , but it just doesn't sound as snappy. Is there a short (single syllable?), established, generic term I can use in case I switch to identi.ca?


Yourself vs Yourselves

Which of the following is correct-   * Keep those smiles to yourself or   * Keep those smiles to yourselves When referring to more than one person


How does one use the Latin word "cum" in a sentence?

I'm talking about the Latin _cum_ , which I've seen used conjunctively, as in _A-cum-B_. What does it mean, and how do you use it?


What does "precipitate" mean?

In the poem “Sheltered Garden”, what does _precipitate_ mean on the last line of this stanza? > Every way ends, every road,   >  every foot-path leads at last   >  to the hill-crest --   >  then you retrace your steps,   >  or find the same slope on the other side,   >  precipitate. The annotations linked above suggests it refers to _precipitation_ , implying to go down the other slope. That sort of makes sense, but it isn't a meaning of _precipitate_ that I've heard before. Is there a better meaning behind the use of that word at the end of this stanza?


Is the phrase "man is mortal" grammatically correct?

Or, must it be "Every man is mortal"? How about "Tree is mortal"? In another sense, "A detailed description of a man", "A detailed description of man" or "A detailed description of Man"?


"Canary in coal mine" in a word

Is there a single word to describe the canary in the phrase "Canary in a coalmine"? The best I can come up with is sentinel, but I'm nearly positive there's a more precise option. **Edit:** To clarify I'm not looking for words that describe the canary but rather for a word the encapsulates the entire phrase. That is, I don't want to finish the phrase "the canary is a ...". I do want to finish the phrase "$PERSON was a ..." where the blank implies as many of the attributes of the proverbial canary as possible (e.g. going down the dangerous road first, warning those that follow, connotations of captivity, &c). I'm reluctant to use the phrase, or "canary" as it strikes me too colloquial/lighthearted for the work at hand. @senex suggestion of _bellwether_ and @bib suggestion of _tocsin_ are closest to what I'm looking for thusfar.


Why is a lieutenant general higher than a major general?

**Since in the military ranks, lieutenant is lower than a major. Why is it that in the rankings of generals......major general is lower than a lieutenant general?**


Is it Unions' Assassins' Guild or Union's Assassins' Guild? If my English serves me, I think both are right but have slightly different meanings. Can someone shed some light?


Antonym for “prestigious”

I am looking for a way to describe a business that has sacrificed traditional prestige for effectivity. I understand the most direct antonym is _unprestigious_, but I'm not sure this word conveys what I'm trying to express. I have considered the words “humble” and “modest” too, though in a business sense these words have different connotations attached to them, _e.g._ , small-scale, unassuming, unambitious, etc.


What is the difference between "Distribution Worker" and "Distributing Worker"?

I cannot differentiate when I should use a noun like "distribution" as an adjective to another noun, or when should I use an "-ing" participle as an adjective. Could you please clarify the differences in the meaning?


'r' sound before 'th' sound

I'm learning British English. The _r_ is usually dropped, so I never noticed a little thing, most of the time when I use an _r_ before the _th_ sound, my tongue does a kind of a tap or something between _r_ and _th_. When I say _brother_ or _brethren,_ for example (just with voiced examples, but the unvoiced do the same.) I really don't know what it is called or if it is normal. My tongue does a tap down on my mouth. I really am worried about this, because when I use American accent, it will be almost impossible. Saying 'More than four thieves' will be like a great challenge. I'm sure I'm doing the _r_ and _th_ pretty well, because on _th_ I spent five months practicing and the _r_ exists on my dialect: southern region of Brazil.


Why isn't "innard" a word?

_Innards_ is defined as "the internal organs of an animal". Then shouldn't "innard" denote a single internal organ? Or is this a case where a singular noun looks like a plural?


Can "R&D" be used as a verb?

Is "We do R&D" or "We do hardware R&D", where "R&D" is used as a noun, more correct than "We R&D hardware", where "R&D" is used as a verb?


Does "he's" mean both "he is" and "he has"?

It is alright to use the same contraction, 'He's', to mean both 'He is' and 'He has'? Example, " He's angry.", "He's been angry.", He's a beautiful house."


A more effective way to say, "Sorry, I was wrong"

I need an expression for the following context: I had been insisting on an issue, (believing in good faith that I was right) but later realized I was just totally wrong. What is the most effective way to say that I was " _wrong_ " without using this word? I am not looking for what can be the best attitude but for the best way to excuse myself without admitting I was wrong and without putting the blame on someone else.


Is the term "breadwinner" still widely accepted?

In my country, the term **breadwinner** is widely used. However, several years ago, if I remember it correctly, some TV personality said that the term **breadwinner** is not anymore the usual term to call a person who primarily earns for the family. If this word is not widely accepted nowadays, what word would be rather used?


"I dig my auntie" — what does this mean

My baby has a t-shirt with "I dig my auntie" on it. What does this mean?


"along with the rest of us" at the end of a sentence

Considering this sentence: _They will have to adapt to it along with the rest of us._ ... I feel like I want to insert a comma before "along" for emphasis. However, I think it's formally incorrect, but would be fine informally. My reasoning is that _along with the rest of us_ is a dependent clause at the end of the sentence, and that doesn't require a comma. Am I correct, or have I twisted myself in knots over it all?


How to ask for a name of some thing?

My question was titled: > What is this function called? Originally (my) title was: > How is this function called? I still think that my version was correct; I always state such questions this way. Which one is really correct?


Opened vs open?

Is there are rule when to use _opened_ vs _open_? I always get confused even though I've been speaking English as the dominant language for more than half my life. E.g. >   * Is the door open(ed)? >   * Which file do you have open(ed) in your editor? >


Why is shippable spelled with 2 p's

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What is the correct spelling: wrapable, or wrappable? My mother "corrected" me and said "shouldn't shippable be spelled as shipable"? My gut feeling said two p's, but I couldn't think of a reason why. So I googled it and it is spelled with two p's, but I still don't know why. As far as I am concerned it could just as well be spelled with one 'p'.


It's not proper.. no such thing as "unseeming(ing)ly"?

I'll keep it simple, as I've learned - the hard way - that _schtick_ does NOT go over well, around here. So.... `unseemly |ˌənˈsēmlē| adj.` > (of behavior or actions) not proper or appropriate: an unseemly squabble. Yes, logically, I already know the answer to the following question... but _what good is this site?_ if one cannot use it to utter such a type of silly pondrance? (Uh oh, _"pondrance"_ isn't a real word, either… Maybe today is not my day to be asking English questions, lol… ) > **Is there not such a word as`"unseeming(ling|ing|in?)ly"` ?** ``   >  _Or something,_ of that sort? As with most of my "pondrances", lol… I'm sure this question will fan the fires of rage within most of you - and prove further what an obtuse and wholly-ruined boy I am… but I'm like that. Yes, you can't have me!


Are all fees becoming "nominal"?

I have noticed a trend that where in the past one would simply use the word "fee", now the phrase "nominal fee" is always used. As far as I understand, the word "nominal" literally means "in name only". So a "nominal fee" would be a fee so low that it is not really a fee at all, but is a fee "in name only". For example a swimming beach in my area has a website where they say "the beach is open to the public for a nominal fee of $8". In my estimation, $8 is not in any way low... if anything it is average and is probably more on the high side for swimming. It would have to be on the order of $1 or $2 to be considered "nominal" in my estimation. Is this a case of misuse of a term, where people think the word "nominal" always goes before the word "fee" and don't understand its meaning?


"Down the shore" versus "at the beach"

What is the difference between _down the shore_ and _at the beach_? Does the latter imply you are physically on the beach?


Will be going to get engaged

Is it okay to say: > He will be going to get engaged to his ex-girl friend. Is there a better of saying this?


“There is a window in the wall.”vs.“There is a window on the wall.”?

My question is which preposition should be use here. Besides, can I say “the wall with a window in it”? Or do you think “the wall with a window” is good enough?


Where should I put “this afternoon” here in this sentence?

Sentence1: If, this afternoon, it is as sunny as it is now, we will go out. Sentence2: If it is as sunny this afternoon as it is now, we will go out. My question is which sentence is better. Where will you place “this afternoon” here if you write the sentence?


Is it appropriate to use “would” here?

Suppose that my boss had a talk with me yesterday morning. He told me “You will have a meeting next week.” After a while, I called my wife and told her what the boss said. At the time, can I say to my wife that my boss told me I would have a meeting next week? I was wondering if the “would” can be used here. Do you think there are any other tenses to express the same meaning. For example, I told my wife I have a meeting next week, or I told my wife I will have a meeting next week. As for the three sentences above, which one is correct and which ones are incorrect? Please explain the reasons. Thank you very much.


Language Gibberish

Sometimes, in humor (or an attempt thereof), people will make up gibberish in a certain language in an attempt to poke fun at a language or its speakers. Made-up French, German, Italian, Chinese, most of us have heard this. My first question is, does anybody have any examples of non-English speakers making up "English" gibberish? English is my native language. I am very curious about the perception of how English sounds by non-English speakers. _Edit: I previously stated that I believed it was difficult for a speaker to create gibberish in their own language (or at least, I've never heard it). The link posted by Josh Jolly below proved that incorrect. So, more accurately, it seems there is a significant difference between mimicking a language one is fluent in vs. a language one does not know at all. The former has a bias towards constructs known to have significance (e.g. common word roots), while the latter has a bias towards perceived common sounds independent of their context._ I find this whole concept of gibberish incredibly fascinating. One has to perceive a language that they do not understand, make judgments (often grossly inaccurate) about its defining sounds and tone, then construct sounds that mimic that, but all this is done by a mind that is trained to perceive and construct sounds in their native language. A French speaker may fail to notice subtle sounds and inflections that are meaningful and significant to, say, a German speaker, and therefore a native French speaker and German speaker may end up producing completely different results when making up "Italian" sounding words. So, my second question is, is there anybody here who is fluent in other languages besides English that has any interesting anecdotes about the differences in gibberish among speakers of different languages? Does made up "French" sound significantly different in, say, Japanese than it does in English? A non-French-speaking Japanese speaker and English speaker may perceive and process French and produce "French" gibberish in entirely different ways. Examples, especially in comedy, would be appreciated. **Update:** As an example of this, consider the French gibberish spoken by British comedian Kenneth Williams (via Leon Conrad's answer below) vs. American comedian Louis C.K. (or American comedian Reggie Watts, a master of gibberish, at 0:40 in this video). As I mentioned in a comment below, while I have no concrete evidence, it seems to me that when imitating French, Americans tend to include more fricatives (particularly v, z, ʒ) while Britons tend to focus more on nasal vowels (the video examples support this). I wonder if this is somehow related to exposure to different intensities of sounds like 'r' (a difference that commonly comes up when British and Australian English speakers mock American or Canadian English)? I of course acknowledge that "humor" is subjective, and it is indeed true that prejudice and racial humor is a common source of this type of gibberish. That aside, I do find the process fascinating.


What is a single word for “already made path”? For example "to walk in a person's [already made path]"


Is the word "wotcher" British slang? What does it mean?

I was reading a Harry Potter book the other day and one of the characters greets Harry by saying "Wotcher, Harry". What is "Wotcher"?


Appropriate punctuation for removing letters in offensive words

Letters in offensive words are often removed to make words less offensive, like f----ed, or n-gger. (Though this isn't just for offensive words—see G-d). What is the best typographic punctuation for the dash? A standard -, or an en- dash (–), or an em-dash (or dashes) for multiple dashes (e.g. f——d)?


Is ‘on (in) a tear’ a popular idiom?

I was drawn to the phrase, ‘on a tear’ that I heard in audio in this week’s Barron’s magazine (June 6) reporting the good sales and profit performance of U.S. sneaker chain, Foot Locker: It says: > Foot Locker is proving that expansion isn’t everything. The sneaker chain’s > sales per square foot have been **on a tear** even as the company’s store > count shrinks. That‘s done wonders for Foot Locker’s profit margins and > stock price. As I’m unfamiliar with the idiom, ‘on a tear,’ I consulted English dictionaries in both print and online. None of Cambridge, Oxford, Merriam-Webster English dictionaries and Oxford American Dictionary carries ‘on a tear’ as an idiom. I suspected it could be “in a tier,” but it doesn’t add up in the context. However, I found ‘on a tear’ in Collins English Dictionary and urban dictionary. Collins defines ‘on a tear’ as; (slang) showing a sudden burst of energy. ex. Final domestic demand, then, was _in a tear_ now plug in foreign trade, an important matter for Canada. urban dictionary defines it as; on a streak or series, usually a winning streak. Will sometimes be used semi- sarcastically to define a losing streak. ex. The market went up 14% in the least four weeks. The market is _on a tear_! – And, Google Ngram shows that the usages of both ‘on a tear’ and ‘in a tear’ have been observed since early before 1840. The incidences of ‘on a tear’ is on rise from 0.000001 in 1970 to 0.0000025 after 2000 and onward, but incidences of 'in a tear' have been flattened out at the low level of 0.0000012 - 0.0000016 throughout the tracked period. Now here are my questions:   1. What is the plain and exact meaning of ‘on (in) a tear’ in the context of the above quote?   2. Is ‘on (in) a tear’ a popular idiom?   3. Why none of major English dictionaries such as CED, OED, OALED, MWED accommodates this phrase as an idiom in spite of a long presence of the phrase as shown in Google NGram? **Addendum:** The Barrons’ magazine seems to be fond of using "on a tear." It repeated this phrase again in its June 19 news-report (through AFN radio broadcast) reporting a marked improvement of U.S.'s largest closeout chain, Big Lots’ sales performance. It says; > (the chain’s) Sales growth in Canada is **on a tear**. Any signs of the > progress will likely allure investors back to Big Lots.


Meaning of "get your head out of your ass"

What's the meaning of _to get your head out of your ass_? > P1: Scientists turn blood cells into stem cells v. never gon die yall. > > P2: F-k population control. > > P1: Science can save us if we ever get our heads out of our asses.


Is Invasion of the Body Snatchers a misnomer?

In the phrase "invasion of Vietnam", Vietnam is being invaded. It seems whenever I see "invasion of (SOME COUNTRY NAME)" in any English text, the country in question is being invaded and is not the invader. That is why I am confused by the movie title. Is that a misnomer or is it that "invasion of X" can have two meanings?


Vowel is to diphthong as consonant is to?

While reading about diphthongs in a different question today, I noticed that while the word "diphthong" doesn't seem to contain any actual diphthongs, it does contain 3 sets of consonant groupings. When I was younger, I used to think consonant groupings actually were called diphthongs. I know now that I was mistaken, but I do wonder - **is there a single word that describes consonant groupings?** After doing some searching on Google, Wikipedia and this site, I'm unable to find a definitive answer besides "consonant cluster" or "consecutive consonant". Those terms may be the only accurate ones available, but I would be mildly disappointed.


Is the word "yearling" appropriate for a recurring event?

The Stack Overflow / Stack Exchange sites have all a "yearling" badge. > Active member for a year, earning at least 200 reputation.   >  This badge can be awarded multiple times. So each year, if the reputation has progressed at least from 200 points, you get a "yearling" badge. Yet Merriam-Webster defines yearling as **one that is a year old**.   Which makes sense on your first year participating to one of those sites. But does _yearling_ still apply for your second, third or more years of participation to come?   If not, what would be a better term for that kind of achievement?


Inconsecutive or nonconsecutive or ...?

I want to say that the data is not like 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159 but can be 154, 156, 157, 159. How do I negate the word "consecutive"? I was not able to find it in the dictionary. I have found both variants but the resource is not very reliable.


What does "sales play" mean?

I've seen the phrase "sales play" on IBM site (see link). What does it mean?


"They know not of what they speak."

Is this phrase wrong? Shouldn't it be, > they know _naught_ of what they speak?


What is the appropriate word for "following trail" or similar in English?

In this scenario, suppose someone gives me a _down vote_ , for whatever reason. After that someone else comes and sees the down vote and thinks _this should be down voted_. Another _down vote_. Another person comes and does the same. What do you call this phenomenon in English? I want to use it in an article. If it has an ironic tone, all the better. I want to use the word as in the following sentences.   * My question again got _word_ -ed (past participle).   * Everyone in this site loves _word_ -ing   * Oh, another _word_! **N.B.** : Please don't hesitate to up-vote or down-vote this question or even flag or close-vote it. This question has nothing to do about the question's status itself. I am just looking for a word. When I get it I'll accept the answer and up-vote it.


Australian regional shibboleths

I have been living in Australia for 7 years now, and still haven't been able to pin down the local regional accents. I can tell a "Town" from a "Country" accent, but I can't reliably tell which state a speaker comes from. The only shibboleth I am aware of is "The Melbourne Noy" which is how some but not all Melburnians pronounce the word "No". Also, think of Kath from "Kath and Kim" saying "Look at moi, look at moi!" Unfortunately, this pattern isn't restricted to Melbourne or even Victoria. So does anyone have any other tips for recognizing Australia's regional accents?


What section heading for a CV, regrouping things you do for the community?

In a university researcher's curriculum vitæ, it is typical to split items between categories such as _Education_ , _Research activity_ , _Publications_ , _Teaching_ , etc. I want to include as a separate categories the things that you do for the community, in my own group and at large (i.e., people from my research domain). This includes things like peer review of publications and funding proposals, organizing seminars and workshops, etc. _( **Edit** : it is part of my job, not volunteer work outside of the scope of my job.)_ The term I came up with for the name of that category was “Collective responsibilities”, but I am not satisfied at all with that. What name would you suggest in this context?


Meaning of seeming contradiction

This is a paragraph from Kent Beck's book on Test Driven Development: > Clean code that works – now. This is the seeming contradiction that lies > behind much of the pain of programming. Test-driven development replies to > this contradiction with a paradox – test the program before you write it. What is the _seeming contradiction_ in the first line of the above paragraph? If I take the meaning of _seeming_ as _apparent_ , I don't see the connection between _seeming_ and contradiction in the above paragraph. What is it that is apparently contradictory in that line?


Is "doesn't count for squat" an impolite phrase?

I recently used the phrase "doesn't count for squat" (meaning worthless) in a StackExchange comment, and then wondered if I was being impolite. I considered if "squat" was just a euphemism for "shit", then I probably should find another expression for polite company. (I wouldn't say to someone "it isn't worth jack" in polite company, for the same reason.) Related: Where did the phrase "diddly-squat" come from?


better and best as forms of adjective and adverb

Why do both 'good' and 'well' have the same suppletive comparative and superlative forms in English? What were the steps in that historic process? Were these two words borrowed with these forms or is it something that occurred in OE? Unfortunately I can't find a clear answer to this question. It is not clear either when exactly 'good' began to be used as an adverb and 'well' as an adjective.


What do we call one step in a resolution?

Lets say, I have taken a resolution. And there are 5 steps in the process of accomplishing the resolution. Is there a word for each of those steps? A word other than "baby-step", "target", "milestone"?   * Milestone sounds bigger than resolution itself.   * Baby-step doesn't have the same seriousness as resolution.   * Target sounds more like and end-point. But, we are looking at something that's somwhere in the path to the target.


Can we use a bare infinitive after the copula freely?

> But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked > door of his cupboard) was **jump** behind the big trash cans outside the > kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- > jump. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) > > A great thing to do is **dance** the night away. (English Syntax and > Argumentation, Bas Aarts) As long as there is a to-infinitive in the subject just like the two examples, can we use a bare infinitive after the copular? (I want to know if there are some regulations in using bare infinitives: for example, the subject has to have ‘all, what, anything, etc’)


"I am going to attend" vs "I am attending"

Which of these two statements seems to be more appropriate? >   1. I am attending a meeting tomorrow. >   2. I am going to attend a meeting tomorrow. > I am quite not sure which one to use.


Is there a term for a word coined to fit the rhyme/rhythm in a poem?

As in "Hickory **Dickory** Dock; the Mouse ran up the Clock..." (Perhaps there is a separate term for a real word used nonsensically ( **Hickory** and **Dock** ). Is there a word for this sort of usage?)


What would the job title be for someone who organizes parties?

I'm currently searching for the right term for someone who   * Organizes or   * Promotes Parties, "Clubbings", Events or similar. I understand that there's a difference between someone who _promotes_ a party and someone who makes the organization, but maybe there's some common word as the vast majority of those people are one person companies.


Using the contraction of "are"

Are there limited number of words we can append a `'re` to? Are the following words correct:   * where're   * here're


Pronunciation of "twenty" in US English

I often hear how people from the United States pronounce "twenty" as "twonny" in movies, etc. Why? Is this an alternative pronunciation?


What do you call those areas in airports where people usually stand to see planes take off?

I'm referring to this: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/WqTKJ.jpg) ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/XyspJ.jpg) (I thought of pre-boarding platform or waiting area though I'm not very sure if I'm correct).


"help someone convince" vs "help someone to be convinced"?

* * * His study of revolutionary writings and the injustices he saw **helped him convince that** Mexico should be free from colonial rule. * * * Do you think that sentence is correct? If not, what do you think should be corrected?


"To Cut Stick" Origin

I am reading _Uncle Tom's Cabin_. When Eliza realizes she and her son will be split up by a business deal, she runs away with him during the night. In the ensuing commotion the next morning, a boy named Andy says to a man named Sam, > "Why, you don't know, I s'pose, that Lizy's _cut stick_ [emphasis added], > and clared out, with her young un?" In the source above the annotation to this quote cites "to cut stick" as meaning _to make off_ , a term that can mean _to depart in **haste**_. Further, other sources offer the following definition for "to cut stick": > to make off clandestinely or precipitately I have my suspicions of etymology, the most defensible being that "to cut stick" has to do with making some piece of a runaway's paraphernalia, such as a bindle or walking staff. But I have been unable to find any sources to corroborate or contradict this possibility. Do any formal sources shed light on how _to cut stick_ is related to running away secretly and quickly? **Edit** : After some more research, I think I may have come up with a more defensible suggestion. It may be that the idiom is similar to _cut class_, which has no physical imagery (i.e., the students are not literally cutting anything). A direct analogy with _cut class_ seems unlikely, given the definitions I've found of stick, since the use of _stick_ most likely to mean _location_ or _event_ is the pluralized form _sticks_ (definition 14) >   * **sticks** _Informal_ >     1. A remote area; backwoods: moved to the sticks. >     2. A city or town regarded as dull or unsophisticated. > But _stick_ can mean "a threatened penalty" by definition 12. It may be that the phrase _to cut stick_ implies running away from a punishment, hence the haste and secrecy. But this seems like a reach because none of the definitions I found of _to cut stick_ explicitly mention punishment.


How should an author cite a page and line number range that spans across multiple pages?

Authors are occasionally required to cite to a reference by page and line number. For example, many adjudicatory boards require briefs to cite to references by paragraph number, if possible, and otherwise by page and line number. The citation might read: “(Source at 5, lines 10–14)” However, what should it look like when the cited passage ends on a subsequent page? (Source at 5, line 20 through 6, line 2) ?? (Source at 5f., lines 20–2) ?? (Source at p. 5, l. 20–p. 6, l. 2) ?? These all look awful; there must be a better answer. Does your answer change if the page numbers and line number are similar? Page 20, line 20 through page 22, line 24? If you are able to cite to a style guide, that is preferred. I tend to favor Chicago Manual of Style ("CMoS"), although almost any commonly used style guide should work. I did not find the answer in CMoS.


Let's say I'm asking people about characteristics of their ideal workplace. > "Ideally, how old would the company you work for be?" > > "Ideally, how many people would also work at the company you work for?" Personally, this sounds rather awkward. I'd attribute it to the item in question being "the company you work for" as it ends with "for". Any clean- sounding, easily understandable alternatives here? I was thinking about "How old would your ideal company be?" or "How long would your ideal company have been in business?" but these don't really convey the fact that the person would actually be employed there.


"We are confirming your order within 24 hours." vs "We will ~ "

* * * Simply select from our online catalog and we are confirming your order within 24 hours. * * * Is this sentence wrong? I would get that as "We are monitoring your orders", but it seems that I can't use "confirm" for that meaning. Am I right?


One word/phrase describing hostel and mess management

I am currently involved in a project, where the system is required by an educational institute for **managing students' hostel fees, hostel stay and mess charges.** I am looking a _suitable title_ for the project. > I seek a word/phrase that reflects **students' stay in a hostel and its > management**   >  (or)   >  **management and/or disclosure of related information.**


Are the phrases "once for all" and "once and for all" equally acceptable?

> I don't want to see you again! It's over, once (and) for all. Are both forms acceptable? Is one of them old-fashioned?


Word for Hanging Water

Is there a word to describe a gathering lump of water hanging on a surface that has not yet produced a droplet? Imagine a small pool of water without the surface upon which it's resting.


"Whole day" or "all day"?

Which phrase is more correct when I want to tell a client that I'm on Skype 24hrs? > I'm there all day. > > I'm there whole day.


Difference between “bunch of” and “group of” with regard to people

What are the contexts for using _a bunch_ and _a group_ when describing a handful of people? Please take both spoken and written English into account. For example, when is it more appropriate to use "a bunch of people" vs. "a group of people"? And are "a bunch of people" or "a bunch of friends" appropriate in an essay? Under which circumstances would either be preferred over the other?


What is the Proverb or Quotation?

Is there a proverb or quote in English that has similarity with this one: > "If the big two ox fight then the rubble gets the brunt." This is a Maldivian idiom that explains how juniors get affected when elders quarrel or perhaps, when two ministers fight public gets the brunt etc.


Etymology of the "Chicago Seven" construction

There are many examples of a construction of the form "City + Number" used to refer to an incident involving a particular small group of people. It is often used when it is alleged that the people in question are the victims of some sort of injustice. Examples:   * Little Rock Nine: nine schoolchildren whose attempt to enroll in a segregated school in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 required the involvement of Army paratroopers.   * Chicago Seven: seven defendants charged with crimes (later acquitted) for their alleged involvement in the protests surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.   * Birmingham Six: Six men convicted of bombing pubs in Birmingham, England in 1975, whose convictions were later overturned. I am curious about the origins of this usage. What is the first known example? Was there a "prototype" case which later examples were consciously modeled upon?


"Prices vary state to state" vs. "prices vary from state to state"

>   * Prices vary state to state. >   * Prices vary from state to state. > Is either more appropriate or ungrammatical?


Replacing "to" and other prepositions

One of the requirements of my English final includes removing all prepositions from a previously written essay. I'm having trouble getting rid of prepositions like "to", "in", "of", and other common preposition that seem like a requirement in writing. Could someone point me in the right direction? Thanks.


Please explain "I Am America (And So Can You!)"

As a non-native speaker, I found Stephen Colbert’s book title _I Am America (And So Can You!)_ a little hard to dissect. Why so can you? Why isn’t it _So Are You_? What’s the full phrase that _And So Can You_ implies?


Plotable versus Plottable

On rare occasions, whether it be a Tuesday or not, when I write about plots, as in graphs, I see spell checker complaints where both alternatives are rejected. Is it plotable or plottable?


2 words that describes a keeping an argument on track

I have an interest in philosophy, argument, and reason. The problem I'm having is I take on all kinds of opponents and so sometimes when I'm reasoning with people that aren't accustomed to how frustrating and pointless it can be to not have a contextual and topical consensus for the scope of the conversation, I'm forced to make many elaborate diversions from the argument scolding my opponent on the importance of staying on topic - etc. Its soooo frustrating. I'm kind of happy with the phrase "diverging from the topical/contexual scope" to try to bring the argument on track as quick as possible, but I have another even more frustrating issue in need of that perfect word/phrase :). I've been arguing with a psychologist lately and we have some interesting chats on the iPhone. I have trouble keeping her on topic so we can take something to it's logical conclusion, but I can sort of manage that. Its especially frustrating on the iPhone because you can only type so fast and so you must stay on topic and "play by the rules" as they say or its doubly frustrating. Every now and again she will take my frustration on her going off topic constantly as a reflection of "my inner angst and hurt emanating from my childhood". The more my frustration builds at what the hell that had to do with our arguments on the nature of consciousness, the more she pushes the point; "why do you have so much hurt, we need to get to the bottom of this" in a more and more condescending way. She sets up for herself a tautology that creates a false cause for any increasing frustration. If I can get her off my inner hurt, she brings it up again when she disagrees with a conclusion - "you're saying something illogical as a reflection of your inner conflict from your hurt". As you might be able to imagine it's an argument ending thing and I have to just say "look, I've got to go - talk later". I've even tried saying "yeah I'm hurt, but lets just finish this discussion first and talk about that next" simply to try to stop from talking about everything at once. Whats the word for this ploy that is inherently tautological and slightly ad hominem in nature and makes further discussion useless. A blanket statement? Another one I just thought of would be an ignorant person dismissing any argument a woman comes up with that disagrees with his being as a result of her being "on the time of the month". The frustration the woman would feel from being so cruelly disarmed would feed into the accusation nicely (tautological), much like the "your angry cause your hurt" ploy used by my opponent. Is there a tidy phrase or term for these tactics?


Does it make sense to say “We came to code”

My mother language is German and I am working as IT professional. I am about to write a small manifesto on some professional values for a group of people. Since writing source code is more or less the main activity of a programmer does it make sense to use “We came to code – and to build something valuable” as the title of the manifesto?


"Has the say on it"

I know the idiom _have the final say_ , but I wonder if we could use the same idiom without the word _final_ in it? For example: > He is the boss, he is the one _who has the say on it._ Could the above sentence pass muster with native speakers? Trawling through some google pages revealed a number of results, where the above expression was used with somewhat the same meaning. > Up to now, the government **has the say** on management issues and the > general lines of the commercial strategy are negotiated in four year > contractual plans. _\--Corporate Reorganisation in the European Transport > and Logistic Sector_


Is "heartfelt" reserved for sad moments, or can it be used for happy ones?

I'm writing an email about something nice (a newborn child), and was about to use the word "heartfelt". Just then, I noticed I may have heard the word almost exclusively in the context of a sad situation (condolence). Is there a good reason for my hesitation, or is "heartfelt" appropriate in either situation? If not, what's a better choice of a word? How about "heartily"?


Should not the tenses in the sentence be the same?

> In the third century BC, when Roman ambassadors were negotiating with the > Greek city of Tarentum, an ill-judged laugh put paid to any hope of peace. > Ancient writers disagree about the exact cause of the mirth…(Confronting The > Classics, by Mary Beard) The meaning of the second part of the sentence is unclear to me. The first part uses past progressive tense, whereas the second uses past, should not the tenses be the same?


An ambiguous usage: "Apologia for" vs. "apology of"

Suppose someone is using the word "apology" in the theological sense, i.e., a "defense". I'm inclined to use the word "apologia" because it immediately distinguishes it from the typical meaning of "apology", but I'm wondering if this is considered correct: "In Dr. Salien's apologia of Quebec French..." or is this better: "In Dr. Salien's apology for Quebec French..." You see the problem - Dr. Salien is _defending_ Quebec French, not saying that he is sorry for it.


Meaning of 'different and again different'

> Upon those who step into the same rivers, **different and again different** > waters flow. – Heraclitus


Referring to a gerund with a pronoun

Is it considered grammatical to refer to a gerund in the subject position with the pronoun "it"?   Example: > **Visiting** a dentist regularly is recommended as **it** can contribute to > overall health.


Word for a lighthouse enthusiast

I'm fairly certain I've heard/seen a word to describe someone who likes or studies lighthouses, similar to audiophile for someone who likes music. Does anyone know what it is?


To gain insight into or on?

Should I write: > To gain insight **on** this obstacle, she will begin to analyse . . . or > To gain insight **into** this obstacle, she will begin to analyse . . . Google shows (much) more results for "into" than for "on".


Is there a word for some kind of incorrect empathy?

Is there a word or phrase that means thinking or claiming you're in the same situation as someone when you're actually not? For example, if two people seem to be suffering in the same way, but then it turns out one of them has a means of getting out of the situation that isn't available to the other and they simply choose not to use it. The person without the option might turn around and say they're not really in the same situation, contrary to the other's belief/claim. The more fortunate person isn't necessarily pretending they understand or trying to trick the less fortunate one, they're just seemingly-ignorant of how they're actually better off. Insensitive, perhaps.


Parallelism with "in order to"

Which of the following is grammatically correct, or are they both gramatically correct?   * We use this product in order to increase work efficiency and to streamline testing.   * We use this product in order to increase work efficiency and streamline testing. I tried expanding the sentences, but I'm not sure if my expansions are correct either: \- We use this product in order (to increase work efficiency) and (in order to streamline testing). \- We use this product in order to (increase work efficiency) and (streamline testing). Help is greatly appreciated!


"Ride a bicycle" or "ride on bicycle"?

Which is correct, "ride on a bicycle" or "ride a bicycle"?


use of "also" vs. "and also"

In the following, which is better to write between two sentences: " _. Also_ " or " _, and also_ " : > _Another drawback in the convenient setting is that operational vector > fields do not have integral curves. **Also** , for kinematic vector fields > integral curves do not need to exist locally, and if they exist they may not > be unique for a given initial value._ Are there any grammatical errors?


X "has that" instead of X "can do that"

I've been encountering this more often lately. Two examples:   1. After witnessing an impressive athletic display (a spinning reverse dunk), the announcer says "Ohh I didn't know he **had** that."   2. Two radio DJs talking about how they're from the Bronx so they will always love Jennifer Lopez, even though she's sell-out: "Even when she said the N-word in that one song... she **gets** that."  Both struck me as unexpected and delightful. And more interesting than what I would have said ("I didn't know he could do that", and "she's allowed to do that"). My question is, has anyone encountered this before? What is the origin for this kind of construction? Is it standard in any other languages?


Word for inexplicable physical discomfort?

A while ago I saw a photo of a lotus seed that scarred me for life. Now whenever I see the picture of a lotus seed or something that even has a similar pattern I feel uneasy, shudder and get goose bumps. Sometimes the sound of nails on a chalkboard elicits a similar response. Is there a single word that describes this particular sensation of physical discomfort?


Is there a word or phrase for giving something to a highly respected person?

I am looking for a better word choice for **give** when we give something to a highly respected person (or an entity, such as an organization, a government, or a country). The basic sense of the word **give** is usually sufficient to describe the act of giving something to someone. However, in most Asian cultures, we usually use different words for giving something to a person with equal or lower social status (in this case _give_ is quite perfect), from giving something to a person who has higher social status, especially when that person is highly respectable in the society. (A venerable person might be an appropriate term here.) This "something" could be abstract, such as _respect_ , _loyalty_ , _an honorable title_ , or concrete, such as _money_ , _a souvenir_ , _a celebration_ , _a tribute_ , and so on. Some words I found in dictionaries are _offer_ , _dedicate_ , and _consecrate_ are close, but not quite. Is there a word, or a short phrase, for this verb in English?


Usage of the article 'a' before bait in this particular instance

Is it acceptable to use the article 'a' before 'bait' in this sentence? Is there a difference in meaning here when you use 'a' or drop it? "You would not have sent it to me for no reason. It was a bait to lure me in, and I took it in spite of knowing it to be one." -Edit-  To give a little background information for this sentence, the speaker is talking about a short story that was sent to him along with a solicitation for a report on a particular topic. He says that at first he was not sure if he would accede to the request but the short story got his attention. So the short story is the bait here. Would it then be grammatically incorrect to say, "It was a bait"? -Edit-  Am to new to using Google Ngram Viewer as a source of reference, so not sure if I am doing this right. But a search there for "was **a** bait" and "was bait" gives the following results: http://goo.gl/OuuH4


Word for seeing both sides of an argument

This feeling can often be paralyzing in that you see valid points on either side; makes you not able to choose a side. _Seeing_ can also be _understanding_ , _supporting_ , _taking active part in_. I'm looking for words that don't imply a "Janus"/traitor tone or the ambivalence tone, but the (property of the) process that _precedes_ the paralyzing feeling and whose property is more reminiscent of walking a mile in another man's shoes. Tag says single-word but multi-word adjectives can be okay. I usually shy away from just adding -y to make adjectives. Sorry for the vague wording, I'll happily take suggestions on how to word this better. Thanks! :) Usage: "And above all, I hope ___ _ will become the preferred method to prepare for debate, to: ..." It's a two-sided process of analysis involving attacks and reconciliations of attacks. I was hoping for an established academic term for this, but perhaps none exist. I will embrace an inventive new word for this! This is a paper for peer review, so the meaning should be apparent to academics.


Word for 'Bingo' without gambling assocations

I'm building a web application for a client, however the gambling associations with the word 'Bingo' are something we would like to avoid. The game functions similar to traditional Bingo, with a grid of options that may or may not happen during the game. Ideally the word would start with a B for alliteration. Any ideas?


What is the antonym to ‘minimalist’?

There was the following sentence in New York Times (May 26) article titled, “No real hurry to tell the joke -Bob Newhart, Master of the one-sided conversation” > Bob Newhart has always been a gentle minimalist, which may be why he does > not get anywhere near the critical respect of fellow founding fathers of > modern stand-up, like Bill Cosby or Lenny Bruce. > http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/27/arts/television/bob-newhart-master-of-the- > one-sided-conversation.html?src=dayp Is there one word antonym to ‘minimalist’? If not, what is the shortest antonym to ‘minimalist’?


Some sentences in the beginning of movie "Forrest Gump"

In the beginning of movie "Forrest Gump", Gump said:               1. I wish I had shoes like that.      Why did Gump said "that"? Is it correct? And what about "I wish I had shoes like those?"               2. She said they was my magic shoes.      Why it's "they was" not "they were" nor "it was"? These questions have puzzled me for a couple of years. I had asked some friends who learnt English, but they didn't know either. They said: "Maybe Gump is not smart"


Difference between "unto" and "to"

What are the differences between "unto" and "to"? It seems that in many contexts where the word "unto" is used, "to" could be substituted and would be perfectly correct. It reminds me of flammable/inflammable, where "flammable" came into use because the "in" in "inflammable" caused people to think that it meant _not_ inflammable. Is this a similar situation?


What does "dorsal" mean?

I'm having trouble with the adjective "dorsal", as different authorities have seemingly conflicting opinions. Tortora and Derrickson write in _Principles of Anatomy and Physiology_ that the adjective for things pertaining to the upper surface of the foot is _dorsal_. They also claim: > **Posterior (dorsal)** : Nearer to or at the back of the body. [...] The > terms posterior and dorsal mean the same thing in humans Merriam-Webster writes: >   1. relating to or situated near or on the back especially of an animal or > of one of its parts >   2. situated out of or directed away from the axis > Wiktionary writes: >   1. (anatomy) With respect to, or concerning the side in which the backbone > is located, or the analogous side of an invertebrate. >   2. An anatomical term referring to the top surface of either foot and/or > hand. > What does the word mean?


Noun order: "He and we..." or "We and he..."? Similarly, "...him and us" or "...us and him"?

It's convention and polite to always list yourself last in a list. I say "John and I went to the store" and not "I and John went to the store." So does that mean that I should _always_ list myself last, even in the case when the pronoun that represents me is first person, plural (i.e. "us" or "we")? In my case, I'm writing a recommendation letter about my experience on a team with "John," who is the highlight of the letter. I hit a point where I was about to write something similar to: > John and we got a lot of experience working on the project. or > That project's experience really benefited John and us. Clearly, he is mentally separated from the others of us who were on the team, at least in this context, so I was just wondering if there were some grammatical conventions to govern this situation.


"then" vs "and then"

I was writing an email in Outlook and its grammar correction suggested I change this: > I need to do something, then I'll call you. to this: > I need to do something, and then I'll call you. Is the "and" needed there to be "correct"?


Does "exotic" have racist connotation?

Sometimes you hear people use "exotic" to refer to something foreign to them. It can be a place, music, food, clothes, or even a person. Some people argue that the word **exotic** has _racist connotation_ because of its past history so it should not be used in today's conversations. The question is does "exotic" still carry racist connotation or it has already put that behind and evolved into a non-racist word that can be used safely without labelling other people or cultures as inferior, non-native and distant? Also in case "exotic" is racist, what would be a good non-racist synonym?


Word for viewing angle

What is a word for _viewing angle_? For example, > The color of a birefringent surface varies with **angle you look at it > from**. It would be something like _attitude_ or _aspect_.


quoting and punctuating a quote within parentheses

How do I make sure to punctuate my quotes within parentheses correctly? For example: > Joe did not demonstrate insight into how he might alter his behavior to > improve his social interactions (e.g., “I don’t know what I did . . . they > just don’t play with me!”). Is the _e.g._ correct? What about the ellipsis? And is having the exclamation inside the quote and inside the parentheses all correct?


Etymology of "shagged [out]" (BrE exhausted, knackered)

I was intrigued by this comment to an earlier ELU post... > [ **shagged out** ] Meaning 'very tired', presumably originating from having > lots of sex but used generally to mean tired for whatever reason ...which led me to this dictionary.com entry... > **shagged** [shagd] adjective Informal   >  weary; exhausted (usually followed by out)   >  _They were completely shagged out from the long trip._   >  Origin: 1930–35; origin uncertain OED tells me the coarse BrE slang verb _to shag_ is also "origin uncertain" (perhaps relating to a rare/obsolete verb sense _shag=toss about_ ). Does anyone know anything more about this? Was that ELU commenter on the right track? * * * EDIT: Just to clarify. Effectively, I'm asking two questions: > 1: Are _shagged=tired_ and _shag=fuck_ cognate? (do they have a common > origin?)   >  2: If so, does that mean the commenter was right (i.e. - _shagged=tired_ > originally implied _post-coital_ )?


> 'Happy Christmas to all, all be epicures too.' Can anyone explain what, if any, precisely means, or adds, 'all be epicures too' after 'Happy Christmas to all'? Is it idiomatic English?


order of magnitude of words describing the size of a group

Are there any definitive, or even generally accepted guides which indicate the order of magnitude of:               pack     party     throng     rabble     horde     drove     swarm     plague      There is some agreement that "couple" is 2, and a "few" is usually 3-5, with these words I'm seeking a rough indication rather than an exact number range (though that would be good too!) ## update * * * Lets say:               4 < x < 8     2 < y < 20      And their values are randomized and sampled (a large number) of times so that we get an average and a standard deviation for x and y. Which is greater, x or y? Of course, there are circumstances when x > y and conversely when y > x. But, if you were told you had to fight your way through a number of zombies (and you didn't enjoy it and thus want to fight as few as possible), and you could choose to deal with x or y of them, x is probably going to be "less". Similarly, these words are "subjective". But despite their subjectiveness, there is a consensus on approximately how large they are. Can throng mean a trillion? Probably not it is usually used to describe a smaller number. Can throng mean zero? or one? No, it usually means a larger number. Well well. looks like despite the subjectiveness, there is an approximate region in which throng exists. We aren't going to get an exact, perfectly defined answer here. We may only get:               pack, party  ≈ 30 ± 25     rabble, throng ≈ 100 ± 60     horde, drove ≈ 10,000 ± 9,000     swarm, plague ≈ a million or more      Notice that the symbol used is the wiggly equals sign, which means approximately equals (although that might be subjective, its used with numbers so its in context). This hasn't defined a full order, it grouped them to give partial ordering. These numbers are just as an example. I am expecting someone to reason that e.g. horde and throng should be switched, or that drove is more like somewhere between 200 and 2000 etc. Even if you are very knowledgeable with english you may not be able to answer, I'm hoping that in the next year or two, someone will emerge who will cite numerous classical texts (for example) and explain that these words originate from there and are approximate equivalents to military groupings, e.g. roman soldiers who saw a legion's worth of barbarians would refer to it as (e.g.) a horde, as although it was the size of a legion it lacked the rank and discipline. Thus, please refrain from angrily stomping on this question as you do not have an answer, someone will. THIS question will become the approximate reference for poetic writers to approximate which word is most suitable to describe the scale of what they are writing of. There is no exact answer, but that does not mean that we have to surrender with: "oh well if we can't get an exact answer better just put its subjective". It is subjective, of course. George Boole said "All models are wrong, but some models are useful". This is merely a guide, a rough model. Please, think of the writers trying to decide whether to describe 10,000 orcs as a horde or a rabble; do it for them, if not for me.


What is the correct grammar to use for this common style of speaking?

Oftentimes when people want to emphasize something, an idea is repeated three times, but without closing it as a full sentence. I am not sure how to write this in a formal essay. Here is my example: > The effect is that radioisotopes are often thought of as something to be > frightened of, something with ominous powers, something that is an unseen > ninja equipped with a poison beam gun. You see the effect I am trying to make with the repetition of the word "something"; is there any proper grammar for this instance?


Skimming stones vs skipping stones?

I heard someone talked about "skimming stones" but read in a book about "stone skipping". Is one from the US and the other from the UK ? Is there **any difference** or do they have the **exact same meaning** ?


Capitalization of artistic trends

Do I need to capitalize "modernism" or "modernist"?


The usage of "the" with "least"

The main issue here is how to sort out the usage of "the" with "least". Sometimes it's clear but there are cases when I am not sure whether to use the article "the" or not. ### _Least_ with verb >   * The man who actually won the car is the one who **wanted it least**. [No > “the”.] >   * The President seemed to be the one who **knew least** about the crisis. > [No “the”.] > (The sample sentences are from a dictionary.) But: >   * I **earn the least** out of all of us. [Again from a dictionary.] >   * Which subject do you **like the least?** [Found randomly on the > Internet.] > I have come to a vague idea which can explain it to some extent. For example: I earn the least out of all of us. = I earn the least (amount of money) out of all of us. So, when “the” is used it adds an idea of substantivisation i.e. “the least” is a noun. However, it seems like there are cases when my explanation doesn’t work. E.g., "Which subject do you like the least?" I don’t see how it can be interpreted as a noun. I think it should be "Which subject do you like least?" ### _Least_ with participle >   * I'm not **the least surprised** that she's leaving. [Taken from a > dictionary.] >   * The reply will discuss the one you are **least interested** in. [Found > randomly on the Internet.] > I think it should be: "The reply will discuss the one you are the least interested in." _I am not sure if my ideas are correct_ , I am just making them known to you so that you can understand the way I think in respect to the issue and shed some light on the issue.


What is the term for an image created out of words? E.g. a picture of a tree created out of the word 'tree' for the branches and leaves etc. It's usually created out of the name of the subject which it depicts. Children do this 'word image' exercise a lot at school.


Can “another” be used with plural nouns provided periods or measurements don’t count?

_Merriam-Webster_ says about _another_ the following: > _being one more_ in addition to one or more of the same kind   >  —http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/another However, I come across such sentences as: “I am giving another three books away”, “give me another 2 flowers”. I think it’s fine to say “give me another twenty minutes” as it is a period of time, but I wonder about “another two books/flowers”. Is it grammatically correct? Another thing which seems to be suspicious is that I can’t find such examples in dictionaries.


Questions in indirect speech and verb tense change

Today I had another English lesson and all students were instructed by teacher to ask each other few predefined questions and then to report them. I got the following questions:   1. "What kind of computers do you have?", which I reported as "He asked me what kind of computers I have."    2. "What music do you like?", which I reported as "She asked me what music I like." My logic is that in these cases the situation hasn't changed in the five minutes since the question was asked (I still liked the same music and my computers still weren't stolen) and it is OK to use the present tense here. But my teacher corrected me and insisted that I should always use past tense without any exceptions. What am I missing here? ### Update I've checked 'English Grammar in Use' by Cambridge University. Quoting Unit 48, "Reported speech 2": > It is not always necessary to change the verb in reported speech. If you > report something and the situation hasn't changed, you do not need to change > the verb to the past: > > direct: Paul said, 'My new job is very interesting.' > > reported: Paul said that his new job is very interesting. > > (The situation hasn't changed. His job is still interesting.) > > You can also change the verb to the past. Another example from the same book, "Additional Exercises, Reported Speech", 25.5: > What's your job? > > How much do you earn? Valid answers are: > He wanted to know what my job was and asked me how much I earned. > > He wanted to know what my job is and asked me how much I earn. The last example looks very similar to my own.


"You and your" vs. "Your and your"

Which is correct, and why? > identifying **you and your** competitors’ relative market performance or > identifying **your and your** competitors’ relative market performance Each entity is in possession of “relative market performance”, so I think grammar dictates both be _your_ , but it sounds godawful.


"Al" as a reduction of “Alexander”

Can I use _Al_ as a reduction of the name _Alexander_? Is this reduction clear to native English speakers?


Why isn't the tonic syllable in "varies" not the same as in "variety"?

I've always pronounced "varies" as /veəˈrɪz/ but recently heard someone say /ˈveərɪz/ in a video. I'm brazilian, so that causes me some confusion as I'm not used to speaking English on a daily basis. What is it that makes "variety" have its tonic syllable placed differently?


Does emphasis ever change the fundamental pronunciation of a word?

A friend of mine has a theory that changing the emphasis from one syllable of a word to another never really affects the "core" pronunciation. So for instance, consider the word _umbrella_. The emphasis usually falls on the second syllable: um · BREL · la. But if you decided to emphasize the first syllable instead: UM · brel · la, that doesn't really change what those syllables sound like; it just gives greater force to one of them. The first syllable is still a short-U sound in either case; it doesn't suddenly become a long-U sound because of an emphasis change. Is my friend's theory correct? Or are there any counterexamples to this, where changing the emphasis actually does alter the fundamental sound of a syllable? (e.g. a legitimate emphasis change -- not a mispronunciation -- that changes a long-A sound to a short-A sound, for instance)


What's the difference between 'just' and 'fair'? OED gives slightly different definitions, but they are not distinct enough as to be clear (to me). Is the difference simply idiomatic, or is there a semantic difference that I am not aware of?


Infinitive of 'shall', 'should'?

What's the infinitive of the verb when I say "I should go," or "I shall go"? Is it a verb actually, now that I think about it? If not, what is it?


Up to versus one's responsibility

Can "up to" be used to convey the idea of one's responsibility like in the quoted sentence below: > It is up to the system to set all the needed variables. Is this usage natural or is there any other way to transmit the same idea? Is “The system is responsible for setting the necessary variables” (as suggested in a comment) better?


What is the etymology of 'pimp' in English?

What is the original meaning of pimp in English, as shown in the image below? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/NItfa.jpg)


Use of the apostrophe in a genitive

is the use of the apostrophe in the following sentence correct: ... The data users' wish to visualize comes in many formats, all of which cannot obviously be directly supported. ... I am convinced it is a genitive and requires the apostrophe. Some of my colleagues don't agree... Thanks in advance.


Italicizing foreign language words in an English Essay

I am writing an essay about German history, and I'm unsure whether German words should be italicized or not. The essay is in English, but I use words like Reichstag (German Parliament Building), Führer (Hitler's title, means "leader"), and Reich (kingdom). I'm seeing conflicting sources online that say:   * italicize first use of the word   * italicize every time   * don't italicize   * italicize if they would be unknown by the reader Basically, should I italicize German words, proper nouns, or names (and to what extent)?


What's the word to describe work that is a waste of effort?

I am looking for a word to describe projects, work that is insignificant? I can't remember that. It has to be just a word that describes "work that is a waste of effort".


Improvement on James while John had had

You guys may be familiar with the sentence > James while John had had had had had had had had had had had the better > effect on the teacher. I was just thinking about this, and wondered, couldn't it be improved upon by adding one more had? Something like: > James just as John had had had had had had had had had had had had a very > good effect on the teacher. Punctuated: > James, just as John had had "had had", had had "had had"; "had had" had had > a very good effect on the teacher. Or paraphrased: > James, just as John had used the past participle, had also used the past > participle; The past participle had had a very good effect on the teacher. I've been really interested in this lately and have been trying to see if I could add an extra had, and I think I succeeded. Thoughts?


Should a comma be used before 'then' when it's the last word in a sentence? _•Bob said, "If she goes, I'm not going, then."_ The example below appears to be incorrect. _•Bob said, "If she goes, I'm not going then."_


Other ways of saying "letting me know" or "telling me about"

I want to say “my advisor has been very helpful, from helping me decide which classes to take to letting me know/telling me about the resources available to me”. I think saying “letting me know” or “telling me about” is too clunky. Are there any other ways of saying this?


"Upright he held it, lords, that held it last", meaning?

In Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus when asked to become emperor Titus refuses answering that the _sceptre to control the world_ (i.e., power) "upright he held it, lords, that held it last". What is the meaning of this last sentence?


What does "down with homework" mean?

I was watching The Simpson series. In season 7, episode 12, Bart exposes a t-shirt on which the phrase "DOWN WITH HOMEWORK" is written. Then the entire students in the classroom start a riot all of a sudden. ![The "down with homework" phrase on Bart's t-shirt](http://i.stack.imgur.com/yyUt3.jpg) What does this phrase mean? Why does it start a school riot?


Is there any archaic word for "finally"?

So I was wondering whether there is any archaic word that means "finally" or "at last"?


The phrase "never even" in spoken English - Bookish ? Old-fashioned ? Sophisticated?

"She never even said good-bye !" instead of "She didn't even say good-bye !" in informal conversation. Would someone using it sound bookish ? Old-fashioned ? Sophisticated ?


Any rule  for pronouncing “e”?

I hear three different sounds for the letter _e_ in _precious_ , _bean_ , and _Peru_. Is there a rule that covers the different pronunciations that a written letter _e_ can represent in speech?


How to describe students who don't study hard

I want to describe a situation here: > The students who study hard usually get better grade, but in contrast the > students who didn't study hard usually get poor grade. However, I don't want to use "the students who didn't study hard" to depict the other students.(Because lots of vocabularies repeat again.) Any alternatives?


Is there a verb for identifying a married woman who is known by her maiden name?

Whenever the maiden name is different from married name for women, is there a verb for identifying a married woman who is known by her maiden name?


Why “Would you mind if I asked you something?” is correct?

Instead of "Would you mind if I ask you something?" Why past tense, I don't get it?


Meaning of "Early days I know but may help."

I am reading an email from my client about the changes that he wants me to make. In the end, there is a sentence: > Early days I know but may help. Can someone explain the meaning of this sentence? "Early days I know" means he already knew it earlier? "But may help"?


Is this 'off' also an adverb?

In this example sentence: > He needs more time **off** duty for relaxation and rest. the Longman dictionary says that _off_ in the given example is an adverb. If the sentence was: > "He needs more time off," I would understand that _off_ is an adverb. But in this case, _off_ is followed by a noun, _duty_. Is this _off_ also an adverb? From Longman: > **off**   >  5 not at work, school etc because you are ill or on holiday: _He needs more > time off duty for relaxation and rest_.


"Wonder if won't"

> I wonder if Diaz won't be scared of the KO power The quote is about Diaz fight with Daily. Daily has a big KO power, so the person is not sure if Diaz won't be scared of it and choose not to fight standing. "If" and "won't" look weird to me when they are so close together. Is that correct?


Usage of the word "vi"

In the game League of Legends, the character Vi is known for her violent, aggressive, fight-loving nature, and isn't shy about expressing it. When asked what her name is short for, she has a different response each time, with each relating to this nature. > "Vi? Stands for Violence!!"   >  "Vi? Stands for Vice!"   >  "Vi? Heh... stands for Vicious!" Beyond being a humorous joke, is the fact that these words have a similar theme more than a coincidence? Is _vi_ a root word or prefix that has some meaning which causes this relation? Are there other words that begin with _vi-_ that also fit this theme?


Term for easing up sails in a heavy storm

What is the correct verb (or phrase) to describe the action of reducing a boat's sail power in a heavy storm? So far, I've only come up with **reefing the sails** , but that refers to the furling of the sails around their respective beams. This is a rather slow process; I'm looking for something that refers to a quick, decisive action taken in an emergency -- for example, when the wind shifts suddenly or the boat threatens to capsize from too much force exerted on the sails. Personally, I would call it _easing up_ or _letting up_ the sails, but that's only a landlubber's guess.


Megalomania vs narcissism?

They look very similar. It's hard for me to discern the difference. Is there any difference between the two?


Is there a name for misusing a word (e.g., saying "Provincially, yes")?

I read a mail in which someone replied to the question "Will he be attending the party?" by saying "Provincially, yes". _Provincial_ means "of or concerning the regions outside the capital city of a country, especially when regarded as unsophisticated or narrow-minded", but neither the natural nor the pejorative meaning seems to fit here. What was meant? And is there a name for abusing the language in this way?


Etymology of 'ripped' as in 'ripped abs'

ODO provides the following definition for the word ripped: > 3\. _informal_ having well-defined or well-developed muscles; muscular:   >  _through his slightly-too-tight shirt you could see **he was ripped_**   >  _they’re going to the gym daily to get buff pecs, **ripped abs** , and > tight buns_ How did this sense of the word come about?


What are these types of sentences called, and am I missing any?

All the "pluperfect" and "preterit" (sp?) stuff makes my head swim. I have tried to make a list of all the different basic sentence types using a common theme. Could somebody identify the term for each one, and also inform me if I'm missing anything? I eat tacos I will eat a taco I would eat a taco I am eating a taco I had eaten a taco I have eaten a taco I would have eaten a taco I will have eaten a taco I ate a taco Me eat taco! <= cave-man speech


Starting a Question with "Why Not . . ." Inappropriate?

Microsoft Word has underlined a question I typed starting with "why not." Something along the lines of: > Why not walk to the hall every morning before the sun has risen and while > the streets are empty? According to Word, this is a non-standard question. Is it correct in a semi-formal article that's intended for the Internet audience? I thought it was standard enough.


Which department work is being carried out for

I am a non-English-speaking software developer who faces difficulties with the English language. I built a form for users submitting work for my department. The users should write down their name and the department the work will be done for. This field is labeled 'Department'. The problem is that they are putting my department as they think that is the department that will carry out the work. How should it be labeled correctly? 'Your department' seems incorrect, 'benefitting department' does not sound correct but it would be the closest to what I have in my mother tongue.


Usage: dismiss someone's concerns

I have a question about the phrase **_"dismiss someone's concern"_** Suppose the following is a paragraph that is from a recommendation letter: > I was worried about her performance due to the demanding nature of the > curriculum and the fact summer session has a faster pace than regular > semesters. But Michelle **_dismissed my concern_** by proving to be a person > who is able to successfully develop plans and implement them. Is "dismissed my concern" correct use in this context? I think dismiss is a negative word. I am looking for a better phrase to express the meaning Thanks


"Clustering in trades" or "Clustering of trades"?

Should I say "I examine the impact of clustering **of** trades by traders...." or "I examine the impact of clustering **in** trades by traders..." Some people are telling me **of** but **in** sounds better to me.


How to describe the rhetorical technique of dismissing the question?

I seek an elegant term for argument or technique of rhetoric that takes the form of **dismising the question, instead of responding to the argument**. I first assumed that this would be a fallacy of logic; I have looked at various articles, including Wikipedia's list of fallacies, and on several prior E.SE questions, but I'm not finding something that seems to capture this; I don't (yet) think I'm being too picky. :) I don't think it's exactly any of these somewhat related topics:   * avoiding the question, or shifting issues, or red herring;   * posing different questions, such as Straw-man, or its opposite;   * not quite _ad hominem_, because the question, not the poser thereof, is being attacked/dismissed. The two parts, in sum:   * Is there an elegant name for the act of dismissing a question as a rhetorical technique?   * (in terms of its usage) Should that argument be considered logical fallacy?


What do the question marks in this quote mean (or are they typos)?

I read the following in an article entitled "Duke resets after the 'annihilation'" By Laura Keeley of the Raleigh News and Observer, dated Friday, January 25, 2013. I've not seen question marks used this way before. I added a screenshot just in case the text gets changed. > “He’s like, ‘you guys don’t deserve to have your stuff here,’?” Williams > said of Krzyzewski. “?’You guys have to play more cohesively like a team.’?” ![Screenshot of text](http://i.stack.imgur.com/6vvfX.png)


Usage of the word Found

Can anyone please explain me the difference in usage of the word 'found' and phrase 'found out'?


strong will or strong wills?

Idiomatically we do say "a strong will". But can we say "strong wills"? The context is _The optimism and (the) strong will(s) of the handicapped children touched me deeply._ Also, do I need a "the" before "strong will(s)" in this sentence? Thanks.


Pre-clause, Post-clause

I have two possible sentences of the some situation and I am confused:   * Realizing he did not belong there, he left the meeting early.    * He left the meeting early, realizing he did not belong there. Does the second sentence lack the causation feel that the first sentence shows? The first sentence seems to say that he left early **BECAUSE** he figured out he didn't belong. The second sentence seems to say that he left early **WHILE** knowing that he didn't belong. For another situation:   * Shooting people on sight, he barged into the house.   * He barged into the house, shooting people on sight. For this pair, the first sentence means that **_BECAUSE_** he had just shot people on sight, he then barged into the house. The second sentences means that he barged into the house **_WHILE_** shooting people on sight.


What does the phrase "today's dollars" mean?

I do not completely understand the meaning of the phrase "today's dollars" in this sentence from a document on health care expenses: > "... they will need almost $400,000 in today's dollars by the time they > reach retirement age." I suppose it is somehow related to price level growth and inflation, right? Could you give a more detailed explanation?


"no longer...when..."--ambiguity?

I was reading this sentence and thought it ambiguous: _The trees must have grown since he died because they were **no longer young when** I first saw them._ This could mean: 1) The trees were already old when I first saw them. 2) The trees were not as young as when I first saw them. Option 1 seems to be obviously grammatically correct one. The reason I thought option 2 might be correct is because of the logical coherence between the two causes connected by "because"--the trees have grown because they were young last time but they are not young at the moment, hence the grown. This might seem a rather minute question, but I would really appreciate your clarification. Thanks!


How Would You Describe Someone With No Limbs?

Certain characters in certain media have no limbs. That is to say, they have a head, a body, hands and feet, but lack the parts attaching those various bits of their body. A good visual example would be the video game character Rayman. "Disembodied" and "Limbless" are both good words for such a character, but the former is a bit too extreme, and the latter might be mistaken as a lack of arm AND hand, or a lack of leg AND foot. Is there a word to describe this kind of character and their relation to their body/body parts?


Do you capitalize an alias that is in quotes? for example, what would be the correct way to capitalize the following statement: Mary became known as "the girl with the wooden shoe".


Karma, Kudos, ...?

I'm looking for a word that I can use to describe the following: > A point system where I give points to my kids to incentivise them to do some > tasks they don't really want to do. I don't want to simply call them 'points' or 'credits'. I'm currently between karma or kudos. Is one more appropriate than the other? Are there other words that would work better?


Which is correct: 'pass-through' or 'passthrough' or 'pass through'?

Which is correct: _pass-through_ or _passthrough_ or _pass through_? I googled to find the correct wording, but found the 3 and not sure at all what is the correct one and/or there is a some domain specific rules. I want to describe a process in which an information goes from input to output without any change.


father-in-law = step-father?

I've been reading _Middlemarch_ , and came across a usage of _father-in-law_ which, from context, must mean _step-father_. Later in the same novel, the phrase _father-in-law_ was used as we would use it today. So at the time, it must have had both meanings. When did _step-father_ replace one meaning of _father-in-law_?


"concern" instead of "business"; "operate" instead of "run"; "one" in front of a person?

I find the word "concern" attractive, because it is not as often seen as other words. Is it always safe to use it instead of "firm" or "business" -- even if the business is a small startup? For example, is the following correct? **DanSoft is a small one-man concern in Chicago. It is operated by one Daniel X., a long-time software enthusiast.** For similar reasons, I'm also attracted to the word "operate", and putting "one" in front of the name. What do you think? Are these three words "concern", "operate", and "one" appropriate here? Would native English speakers find them inappropriate? Maybe a little archaic? Too formal? Or just fine?


"What questions [is/are] your data team hoping to answer?"

Over at stats.stackexchange we are having a minor kerfuffle over whether a title is using incorrect grammar. It has been edited and re-edited several times. It would be great to get some arbitration and a clear explanation. The original title was "What questions is your data team hoping to answer?" which was edited to "What questions are your data team hoping to answer?", then edited back. See the question here.


Proper use of the phrase "of all time"

I have a client who insists on using the following sentence in his web site: > Lance Armstrong is the most successful American bike racer of all times. I think that "of all times" should be "of all time". Which is correct?


Why isn't "muscle" pronounced "muskle"?

It comes from the Latin _musculus_ (meaning _mouse_ ) and Latin has only hard c's. The "c" has somehow become soft or silent during evolution. Why did this happen? Also, if _muscle_ is pronounced _mussle_ , why isn't _muscular_ pronounced _mussular_?


May be not and may not be

I want to say something that means "maybe it is not correct", but by using "may". Should I say A. "it may be not correct", or B. "it may not be correct"? If one of these is equivalent to "maybe it is not correct", what is the meaning of the other one?


Semantic difference between "engine" and "motor"

Is there a semantic difference between _engine_ and _motor_? In some cases, would the use of one or the other word be technically incorrect?


Is it possible to 'give prosperity'?

Here's the sentence: > Who knows how the prosperity you give becomes the prosperity you get Is it possible to 'give prosperity'?


Word for a sound of insult-with-a-smile

What is that sound called, when one produces a short demeaning (almost as if looking down upon the other person) sound, which might be followed by a very cunning smile. Example: A: The US is pressurizing Iran on genuine grounds. It has no horses of its own in that race. B: _That Sound_ , Are you really that dumb?


What's another way to say "Keep it on the horizon"?

What can be another way to say keep it before you or keep it on your horizon?


"Humility" vs. "humiliation"

What is the difference, if any, between _humility_ and _humiliation_? My friend's dad said _humility_ is good, _humiliation_ is bad, and the first link on Google says "leaders often confuse the two," but doesn't really define the two. I figured they both were the same (I must be a bad leader) because they both look similar. So,   1. Can I get a clarification on the difference between the two?   2. Is it bad to assume that employers during the interview process can tell the difference between the two? My thought is yes, it is bad to assume that because everyone knows what humiliation is (bad), but not humility; so they will automatically think you're talking about something negative.   3. How would you use _humility_ in a sentence?


prepare food or prepare dishes in AE

Question for American English - is it more usual to use "prepare food" or to use "prepare meals" or "prepare dishes" The whole sentence is: We prepare delicious dishes (food, meals) with special care and love.


Using "apologize" without "for"

Is it grammatically correct to use "apologize" as a verb without the preposition "for"? > apologize: to make a formal defense in speech or writing. "I apologize the event." Wouldn't this mean that I'm defending the event? "I apologize for the event." Wouldn't this mean that I'm defending the event on it's behalf?


Is saying "I'll do it to you" offensive?

My friend asked me for a tool to do something and I wanted to ask him if he wants me to do it for him but I mistakenly said "I'll do it to you". Is that offensive?


Open the rivers of Heaven?

I've heard someone saying "Their task in worship is to open the rivers of Heaven", and I understand that it means something like "Their task is to make worship extremely beautiful", but is there a close synonymical expression or something for "opening the rivers of Heaven"?


What is the difference between "left/right side" and "left/right-hand side"?

This question arose in the context of referring to locations in a figure, e.g.: > A dot is added to the left(-hand) side of the diagram. What is the difference in meaning (if there is one)? What is the difference in style? What does sound more elegant?


Get everybody "rustled" in the place

This is a comment that came out of a discussion on McDonalds: > I remember working at McHell for over 2 years. 25 cars in the Drive-Thru was > nothing. The worst part was a semi-full lobby/Drive-Thru and then a buss > pulls in. That shit would get everybody rustled in the place... Shit being > thrown everywhere, people yelling. Good times. What does _rustle_ mean when he says the buss would get everybody rustled in the place? I couldn't find a definition in the dictionaries that's appropriate to the context. And I'm assuming he made a typo and meant bus instead of buss?


A word that means that when two elements are mixed they become stronger

I need it to use it in a speech as a metaphor for synergy or the ability to actually be stronger when using the capabilities of both sides.


Is "seminal" safe to use in a formal text?

I am writing an academic text, and I want to describe an important book as "seminal", since it has made a profound impact on the field. However, the first entry on the dictionary.com page is "pertaining to, containing, or consisting of semen". Entry number 4, "highly original and influencing the development of future events" is the meaning I want to convey. Should I be worried about people confusing the two?


Differences between "A beautiful photo of an X" and "A photo of a beautiful X"

Which phrasing should I use, and when? > The article includes a beautiful photo of a waterfall or > The article includes a photo of a beautiful waterfall Both wordings get hits in google ngrams, and on an ordinary google search. My initial thoughts were "A photo can't be intrinsically beautiful, can it?", and therefore "A beautiful photo" doesn't make sense. However, I suspect that using "Beautiful photo" means that the entire scene is beautiful, whereas "Beautiful waterfall" could mean that the waterfall is beautiful, whereas the rest of the photo might be ugly. What differences are there in the two phrasings?


What are the correct ways to express parenthetical comments?

I've seen parenthetical comments that are inserted mid-sentence (like this) and I've also seen parenthetical comments that are inserted after the terminal punctuation symbol of a sentence. (Like this.) Are both valid uses, and are there any more ways to use them?


Emphasising sentences

It's pretty clear that using `do/did` we can emphasise a verb. Such as               I do recommend reading that book.      or               I did enjoy the movie.      But the question is, how to emphasise sentences like               I am keen to work with you.


Meaning of the phrase "In the wash"

One of our senior technical architects uses this phrase: > it will _come out in the wash_ We generally take that to mean "let's do the detailed/mundane stuff later — and concentrate on the key stuff now". Is this right? What's the actual meaning and correct usage of this phrase?


Are there any differences between "oval" and "ellipse"?


What are the differences between 'incident', 'issue' and 'affair'?

What are the difference between _incident, issue,_ and _affair_? How should one use them?


Data pronunciation: "dayta" or "dahta"?

I hear "dayta" more often, but what's the correct pronunciation?


Use of "whatever" vs "whatsoever"

The city posts signs near my house that read: > Dump no waste whatever The meaning is clear in context: don't dump any waste here. But the sign sounds incorrect. To me, it seems "whatever" should be "whatsoever." Is the sign correct? Is it using an archaic form of "whatever"?


What does "If she smokes, she pokes" exactly mean?

What does part > she pokes of phrase > If she smokes, she pokes exactly mean?


What is a heterosexual term for “cruising”?

_Cruising_ , the act of going out and about looking for a sexual partner, is generally only used in a gay context in the US. What is a term with the same basic meaning but without the homosexual connotation? **UPDATE:** To whet your appetites, I’ve also thought about _tryst_ or _rendezvous_ , but they seem lacking.


How do I style book titles in a block of italicized text?

Book titles, among others, are commonly written in italics. > She had read this quote in _Pride and Prejudice_. But what should I do if a title appears in a block of text that is already italicized, such as a character's thoughts? Do I reverse the italics? > _I've read this quote in_ Pride and Prejudice, she thought. Do I use quotation marks, instead? > _I've read this quote in "Pride and Prejudice,"_ she thought. Or do I use another approach altogether?


Use quotation marks for internal monologue?

In a similar vein to my previous question on styling written quotes, should I use quotation marks for interior monologue in narrative writing? It is common to use italics to denote thoughts: > _This won't be easy_ , she thought. But I would use quotation marks in this scenario: > "This won't be easy," she said to herself.


This is the whole sentence from which the phrase comes: > One way of making sure the pedestrians are safe is to increase signage of > the intersections. A keep clear sign will be erected at the junction of > Evelyn Street and Hill Street, **to enable traffic to exit at all times**. What does the phrase "enable traffic to exit" mean in the context?


"As many books as suits your schedule" vs. "as many books as suit your schedule"

> Read as many books as suit(s) your schedule. Singular or plural agreement?


How did nominal come to mean "within acceptable tolerances"?

The word "nominal" has a number of definitions. For example, the Free Dictionary gives seven: > nom·i·nal (nm-nl) adj. > >   1. a. Of, resembling, relating to, or consisting of a name or names. b. > Assigned to or bearing a person's name: nominal shares. >   2. Existing in name only. >   3. _Philosophy_ Of or relating to nominalism. >   4. Insignificantly small; trifling: a nominal sum. >   5. _Business_ a. Of, relating to, or being the amount or face value of a > sum of money or a stock certificate, for example, and not the purchasing > power or market value. b. Of, relating to, or being the rate of interest or > return without adjustment for compounding or inflation. >   6. _Grammar_ Of or relating to a noun or word group that functions as a > noun. >   7. _Aerospace & Engineering_ According to plan or design: a nominal flight > check. [...] > > > [Middle English nominalle, of nouns, from Latin nōminālis, of names, from > nōmen, nōmin-, name; see nō̆men- in Indo-European roots.] This consistent with the definitions in OED3 and other sources. Most of the definitions are clearly from the sense of "names" and "nouns" - and from that idea of something being only in name, but not in reality. However, the aerospace sense seems quite different. During a recent rocket launch, the announcer repeated phrases like "Height is nominal. Power is nominal." to mean these values were within the acceptable and expected ranges. The OED references these sources [Hat tip @tchrist]: > 6 _._ (See quot. 1970.) > >   * 1966 _Aviation Week & Space Technology_ 5 Dec. 30/1   >  The mission is to launch the 800-lb. Prime vehicle to effect a nominal re- > entry at 400,000 ft. following injection at 26,000 fps. > >   * 1970 N. Armstrong et al. _First on Moon_ vi. 124   >  An example of misuse is our use of the word ‘nominal’, which most of the > English-speaking world interprets as meaning small, minimal-and we usually > use it in the sense of being average or normal. > >   * 1970 R. Turnill _Lang. Space_ 94   >  _Nominal_ , a favourite word, meaning within prescribed limits; anything > from ‘perfect’ to acceptable. > >   * 1972 _Daily Colonist_ (Victoria, B.C.) 26 July 3/1   >  As one engineer said, ‘She is phenomenally nominal’ — nominal being space > jargon for operating-as-planned. > > I wonder if anyone can explain that derivation. Is it derived from the other senses of nominal? Is it influenced by the word "normal"?


"Verity" vs. "veracity"

_Verity_ and _veracity_ have similar spellings and meanings. Why? What exactly is the difference between them that warrants the need for these two separate words?


What's the more appropriate word for busy-ness?

I am looking for a word that captures the severity or extent to which someone is busy. This is the word to be used for showing a measure for the extent to which a person or team is occupied with stuff to do.


I recommend your reading this question

I remember that we have learnt a structure, what has always been really strange to me. We can say that "I recommend to do something" However in the _strange structure_ we can say something like(I am not sure): "I suggest you(/your) not being here". So it is built up:               [object] [verb] [indirect object] [gerund]      I am not sure that it was exactly like this, but I am eager to find out how it is called, when to use it and if I can use with all kinds of verbs. I hope your figuring this out.


A word for "false self confidence"

Suppose a motorbike driver jumped above 2 cars in a show, and a crowd of girls gave him an applause. He then tried jumping over 100 cars, and lost his life halfway by falling into the row of cars. What do you say to this state of feeling, this false self confidence that he wasn't aware of its falsehood?