Is there a term for the part of a sentence that is in the form "Customers who ..." or "Products that ..."?

For the purpose of building a dynamic user interface within an software application I wish to separate parts of a set of phrases which would be in the form of the examples below. **Examples:**   * **Customers who** have never paid a dime.   * **Vendors who** are not very reliable.   * **Products that** are way too expensive. Doing this is easy enough however I'm struggling for a term to describe the different parts of the sentence. The first part perhaps would be the _subject_ but what about the pronouns _who_ or _that_ (relative pronouns). Is there a phrase or term to describe the combination of the subject plus the relative pronoun that I could use as a single unit in discussion or documentation or am I better just to refer to it as something like a "customer pronoun pair" or "customer relative pronoun combination". As far as the second part of the sentence (the non-bold parts in the examples above) I'm sure there must be a more common phrase but I could use some help in identifying what it is. Another option perhaps would be to split the sentence into three parts to better describe the pieces but I'm not sure there is much value in it unless I could be convinced otherwise. My goal is to use these parts flexibly so that I can dynamically produce lists that appears something like the one below. > **Customers who:** > >   * have never paid a dime. >   * are way too cheap. >   * always pay on time. >


What is a 'snake-oil program'?

What is a _snake-oil program_? Source Stay Safe Online article


Colon usage in English

I have always thought that colons were used to clarify, expand, provide evidence for the preceding sentence, or show an example. I have heard that this is not true. (Truly, it is a shame if it is so: colons are my favorite punctuation.) Which of the following sentences uses the colon correctly: > There are three children in my class: two boys and one girl. > > There are three children in my class: Jack, Larry, and Susan. > > He is undoubtedly a true man: his beard is long and his hands are strong. > > It was a big fireplace: not one of those ornamental dainties you find in the > houses of snobs, but a real fireplace that had a utility surpassed only by > the greatest furnaces. > > She was a promiscuous fiend: she had seduced every guest who had dared to > pass her threshold with her fiery eyes and her wealth. > > This is the problem with your stubbornness: if you happen to be wrong, it > will be all the more embarassing. > > Never in my life have I been homesick: perhaps I am emotionally stronger > than others, or perhaps they have a better home than I.


Do adjectives typically reflect the meaning of corresponding nouns?

Is this a hard/fast rule, or are there exceptions? As he had done during oral argument in January, the Chief Justice used his opinion to discuss how words and their derivatives can mean very different things, or very similar things, and so need to be read in context. 'Corny,' for example, has little to do with 'corn,' the opinion suggested


Hypernym for all of the "watching" hobbies

There are various hobbies that involve "watching", e.g.:   * trainspotting — looking for trains   * birdwatching — looking for birds   * stargazing — looking for stars Is there a term which can be used to describe all of these hobbies collectively?


How should I understand "Although" in this sentence?

The following is an excerpt from a passage in _Scientific American_ : > Paleoanthropology has come a long way since Georges Cuvier, the French > natural historian and founder of vertebrate paleontology, wrote in 1812 that > "l’homme fossile n’existe pas" ("fossil man does not exist"). He included > all fossil primates in his declaration. **Although that statement seems > unreasonable today, evidence that primates lived alongside animals then > known to be extinct - mastodons, giant ground sloths and primitive > ungulates, or hoofed mammals, for example - was quite poor.** Ironically, > Cuvier himself described what scholars would later identify as the first > fossil primate ever named, Adapis parisiensis Cuvier 1822, a lemur from the > chalk mines of Paris that he mistook for an ungulate. It wasn’t until 1837, > shortly after Cuvier’s death, that his disciple Édouard Lartet described the > first fossil higher primate recognized as such. Now known as Pliopithecus, > this jaw from southeastern France, and other specimens like it, finally > convinced scholars that such creatures had once inhabited the primeval > forests of Europe. Nearly 20 years later Lartet unveiled the first fossil > great ape, Dryopithecus, from the French Pyrénées. I don't understand the conjunction "although" in the sentence in bold. When I looked it up in the dictionary, I found that it is used to introduce a subordinate clause which contains a statement which _contrasts_ with or modifies the strength of the statement in the main clause. However, I don't see why on earth "statement seems unreasonable today" can do this to "evidence was quite poor". It doesn't make any sense to me. How should I understand this conjunction?


The meaning of "Naturally Enough"

I have been reading a book about programming and since I am not very good with the phrases, I got confused. Please notice the following text : > ### Modules > > You may think of modules as extensions that can be imported into Python to > extend its capabilities. You import modules with a special command called > (naturally enough) import. What is the meaning of _naturally enough_?


How to say "I don't believe you" in a more academic way?

How to say "I don't believe you" in a more _academic_ way? I need to say it to my teacher and I do not know how to say it, not to make her mad...


"Contemporary" vs. "contemporaneous"

What is the difference between these two words? > contemporary: From the same time period, coexistent in time. > > contemporaneous: Existing or created in the same period of time. I know that _contemporary_ has a second meaning ( _modern_ ), but I'm asking about the above sense. Can they be used interchangeably?


Term for insulting words which sound grand?

I don't mean euphemisms or backhanded compliments (or the reverse). It's the words which _sound_ grand, but actually have a bad meaning (e.g., _jumentous_ : smelling strongly like a beast of burden). Is there any word to define this conceptually?


Present perfect or simple past in combination with past perfect?

I am grading student assignments and I ran into some unforeseen complications: > Children _have been suffering_ from post-traumatic stress and depression, > more than six months after the city _had been heavily flooded_. a) Is the use of the present perfect progressive acceptable. b) How about the past perfect after "after"? > Teenagers _have begun to suffer_ from depression _after they had seen_ their > grades drop. Is the past perfect acceptable?


Schedule on Tuesday

Take the following sentence. > We want to schedule your appointment on Tuesday. Does this mean they want the process of scheduling to take place on Tuesday, or do they want my appointment to be on Tuesday? In either case, what would be a concise way to express the other meaning?


Should it (always) be "contact me" or (sometimes) "contact with me"?

I think it should always be "contact me" as contact is a transitive verb and should be followed by an object. But could someone clarifies? Is "contact with me" correct usage in some context?


Usage of "?" mid-sentence

I know, this problem is quite ordinary, and given enough time, I might be able to figure this one out myself, but I am also a little bit pressed for time. I'd like to include the following sentence in an application paper for a conference: The philosophical question _What is truth?_ , and the seemingly “moral” question _What is good (behavior)?_ , ultimately refer to the same process... Simple question: Is the punctuation admissible in formal english? Thanks and best regards


"What is to become of them?"

> What is to become of them? = What are they to become? > > What has become of them? = What have they become? > > What will become of them? = What will they become? I was wondering if the three equivalences are correct. What kind of usage is that in general, not just for "become"?


What's the difference between "censor", "moderate" and "review"?

What's the difference between _censor_ , _moderate_ and _review_? Real-world examples would be much appreciated. Edit: thanks for the answers guys, from my understanding, censorship means the action to prevent readers from knowing stuff, moderating means making readers get an altered version of stuff, and review means feedback for editing. Is my understanding OK?


Word opposite of risk but still entailing uncertainty

The word risk is used to describe a situation in which there are several possible outcomes each entailing a possible loss, and one is not certain as to which of the outcomes will happen. What I want is an opposite of the word risk, which still describes a situation in which there are several possible outcomes and one is uncertain as to which of the outcomes will happen, but this time, each outcomes entails a gain instead of a loss. If you look for the antonyms of risk, you get words like security, safety, which I don't think entail the uncertainty as to the outcome.


"How's keen to do X" - what's the story?

I have checked a few idiom places and general google, but found only usages of this construct, not any explanations. Is this a silly corruption of "Who's keen", or is there something more interesting going on here? Does it express anything other than "Who's keen" informally? P.S. Check out the occurrences on the internet \- doesn't really look like "how keen are you", and the first few instances occur in otherwise more or less well spelled contexts. In fact, it looks a bit like how "ask" turns into "axe" with some people...


A saying for something that's good but also has a downside

I'm trying to transition from a list of pros to a list of cons, and would like to have some sort of transition quote. Something in the form of, "But, alas, (((something something quote quote)))" Everything that has a beginning has an end, something along the lines of that.


How to translate "to eat their own face off"?

I'm trying to translate an interview with Scottish musician (from Mogwai) Barry Burns and I stumbled upon one sentence which I can't understand. > If Rave Tapes, comes from reminiscing of 90’s dance parties and that whole > culture, did you consider having a release show in the kitchen of some squat > surrounded by guys in kappa tracksuits trying **to eat their own face off**? What does _to eat their own face off_ mean? Interview can be found here.


"Who-" nominal relative clauses as subject

What difference in terms of usage and style would be there between the following sentences:   1. Those who came yesterday have already left   2. **Who** came yesterday have already left   3. The ones who came yesterday have already left


Meaning of "The second step was to break the hold of Ottoman culture on Turkey itself."

From a Stratfor article: > The second step was to break the hold of Ottoman culture on Turkey itself. Does it mean to maintain the Ottoman culture or to break it from?


meaning of "A group of graduate students planned to picket a movie theater that would not show a sexually explicit foreign film"

meaning of: "A group of graduate students planned to picket a movie theater that would not show a sexually explicit foreign film" does it mean that students protested for showing a sexually film? or did they agree with showing this kind of film?


Why "soft" drink?

Why are soft drinks, such as lemonade etc., called **soft** drinks?


Should researchers be cited by name, or should only the work be cited?

I am currently editing an M.S. thesis. The author uses the following construction often: "Nanot _et al._ have demonstrated the existence of negative conductivity in graphene [8]." where reference [8] is a link to Nanot's work. Since roughly every sentence is referenced, this causes "last name pandemonium", in that someone (who no one cares about) is named in roughly every sentence. I would like to change the construction to the following: "The existence of negative conductivity in graphene has been demonstrated [8]." Is this better? Are there rules for when you cite a researcher by name vs. citing the result?


Is it okay to say "in their own terms"?

As far as I know, it is valid to say "they can produce music **_on_** their own terms" when you want to say that a group can produce music without having to answer to anybody but themselves. Is it also valid to say "they can produce music **_in_** their own terms"? Does this convey the same thing? If not, what does it really mean?


How does the "partial" in "I'm partial to" relate to the "partial" in "partial fraction"?

The two senses of this word seem very different. One sense is just another way to say _like_ , and the other is an adjective describing the state of being divided into different portions. I can't see immediately how they are related. How did the antecedents of this word evolve? What is the etymology?


Is there great difference between “Make a mountain out of a molehill” and “Much ado about nothing”?

I came across two approximate sayings “Making a mountain out of a molehill” and “Much ado about nothing” coincidentally in tandem in the home page of today’s (June 7) New York Times. >   * **Making a mountain out of a digital molehill** : The revelations this > week that the federal government has been scooping up records of telephone > calls inside the United States for seven years, and secretly collecting > information from Internet companies on foreigners overseas for nearly six > years, have elicited predictable outrage from liberals and civil > libertarians. > >   * Arguing their way into love : Joss Whedon’s adaptation of “ **Much Ado > About Nothing** ” draws out the essential screwball nature of Shakespeare’s > comedy. > > I understand “Make a mountain out of a molehill” refers to exaggeration about an existing matter and “Much ado about nothing” refers to a fuss about a matter which doesn’t exist. But they look somewhat akin to me in actual usage. Are they entirely different animals, i.e. expressions? Can’t I rephrase them interchangeably in conversation?


"I came from Italy" or "I come from Italy"

If I originally lived in Italy and then moved to the United States and currently live in the United States. Then somebody asked me where I am from. I say: > I **come/came** from Italy. Should it be present tense or past tense?


When "West" refers to a university, which university should it be?

I came across this sentence: > I met him at the coffee place where I was working after I’d dropped out of > graduate school out **West** , many states and several states of mind away > from the New England college town to which I’d returned. I'd like to know what "West" means. Is it a university? And when "West" refers to a university, which university should it be?


Expression for the connection between RNA strands

I'm searching for proper expressions that mean _connection of RNA strands_. Up to this time I came with _strands connection_ , _strands conjunction_ , and _strands ligation_. Are my expressions proper, or do you know other expressions?


Is there a better phrase that means "non-zero–sum game?"

A "zero-sum game" is a reasonably well understood phrase, though often incorrectly used as "zero sum gain." The opposite of this is a "non-zero–sum game," which I find rather unwieldy. Is there a better phase than "non- zero–sum game?"


"Far enough removed" vs. "far removed enough" vs. "removed far enough"

Which of the following word orders is grammatical? >   1. Games based on real life are sometimes not far enough removed. >   2. Games based on real life are sometimes not far removed enough. >   3. Games based on real life are sometimes not removed far enough. >


What is the word to describe that something is overly hyped?

What is the word to describe that something is overly-hyped? I mean something like _buzzword_ or _buzzphrase_ but of course those are not adjectives.


What is the actual word for Leaving Out an Examination?

I am from Nepal, our primary language is not English, so many times there are confusion on words which sound similar and have similar meanings sometimes. Recently, I got into a situation, where I heard that a friend had left his exam paper writing "dropped" on it, but he got C Grade. Upon questioning the examiner, he replied that the actual thing to write is "draw up" and not "drop" the exam. Please suggest me what is the actual thing to do? Is it "drop" or "draw up"? Hoping for positive responses. Regards.


"It did the job" meaning

Does it mean "it could be better but is ok" (small disappointment), or "it really worked!" (surprise and content)? Depends on the context? Also, is there a difference between "That did the job" and "It did the job"?


"What were you thinking..."

I want to ask about what emotion motivated someone to do something. Can the phrase "what were you thinking when you..." be used for this? It seems kind of unnatural to ask, "what were you feeling when you..." I googled "what were you feeling to" and didn't come up with anything. When I googled "what were you thinking to" I came up with lots of stuff, but they seemed to be all inquiries about the logic that drove them to do something, not the emotion that drove them to do it. If "what were you thinking to" and "what were you feeling to" can't be used, then what phrase can? The nearest thing I can think of is, "what made you do it," but that doesn't seem to be quite what I'm looking for.


Is "reblog" a word?

I have heard from many friends that grammatically "reblog" is not a word. It's something similar to "retweet" from Twitter terminology but Tumblr use it quite frequently. Any ideas?


Is "over-exaggerated" correct English?

Isn't "exaggerated" enough? Is it right to say "over-exaggerated"?


Why we capitalize all race names but our own

This question about alien species and planets brought up something I've been thinking about on and off for years. We capitalize names of alien races like _Vulcan_ , _Timelord_ , _Cylon_ (well, maybe not alien), _Krell_ , _Nox_ , _Minbari_ , and so on, but we never capitalize _human_. So how did we end up capitalizing names for sentient species when we don't do that for our own race?


What does "When you get out to California" mean?

I’ve found this sentence in a book: “I told my friend in New York, if you ever get out to California, please visit me.” I have found an explanation "if you come here, a place that is in a western part of where you are." Is it right? Is it considered a phrasal verb, or is this just an American expression?


words and idioms for someone who loves to sit in judgement of others

What single words and idioms would best describe someone who loves to sit in judgement of others, almost making it a hobby to become a nitpicker. They are aware but un-acknowledging of their own deficiencies and of their non- eligibility as critics. They are overly critical of others, yet vehemently intolerant of any criticisms directed to them. I guess it is a combination of spite, rudeness and lack of insight. But they are not stupid. As examples you could imagine an unaccomplished reality TV judge (I’m not sure what credentials they possess) being spiteful and mean. This may not be a very good example because sometime the judges put on a veneer of [this attribute] for ratings? Or say a colleague at work who feels threatened by your skills? Or a meddlesome neighbour perhaps who is jealous of your success? Edit: Having considered the responses so far one apt overarching word I think is **hostile** , but perhaps there are better words or idioms? Another word that applies perhaps is **_caviling_**.


What does 'gotcha' mean?

What does 'gotcha' mean? When would you use it?


The usage of "Following"

Is is proper in English to use this structure: _"The following is an example of a case where this applies."_ In a lot of technical writing, especially from authors where ESL applies, I find them using above and below as adjectives, as well as "following" as a noun. I had always thought this was incorrect, but I am wondering if I am mistaken.


Is it common for English people to say "crap" instead of "crab"?

When you read "crab", do you think of "crap"? Is it usual to pronounce wrongly?


What's the difference between "shake up" and "shape up"?

What's the difference between these phrasal verbs? Would you say "organization shake up", "organization shape up", either depending on context and desired meaning or neither? How about "documentation" in place of "organization"?


Megafauna is to animals as what is to insects?

I'm aware of several species of "giant" insects, such as the Meganeura (giant dragonfly) and the Arthropleura (giant centipede) — but I was wondering if anyone knew of a loose term similar to _megafauna/megaflora_ that described large insects... _Megainsecta_?


meaning of: "necessity does not freedom make"

what's the meaning of this sentence: "necessity does not freedom make" in Freedom is possible only in society, not outside of it. But necessity does not freedom make. Rousseau’s promises notwithstanding – that we would be as free “as before” – counterfactual comparisons are irrelevant.


Does the phrase "out of one's mind" mean beyond one's average level in this sentence?

A sentence I read this morning, > The reason the running back got his new monster contract in the first place > is that he was performing out of his mind – and was bound, therefore, to > fall back to earth a bit. So the team made the same mistake that a lot of > stock-market investors make: they bought high. If so, how frequently do people use this phrase for such a meaning? Thanks.


What is this sentence pattern?

> Although **it** is not necessary, this detail may come in handy later on. Does this "it" mean "this detail"? Like: > Although **he** is the first black president, Obama has not yet made much > out of his blackness. At first, you don't know who "he" is, but later you find out that it means Obama. Is this construction common?


What's to do? vs. What's to be done?

In order to ask _What should be done?_ or _What should we do?_ using an infinitival clause, you can readily say _What's to be done?_ or _What to do?_. > (1) _What's to do?_ But I've heard (1) used in the same sense, which looks similar, at first blush, to either _What's to be done?_ or _What to do?_ but may well be syntactically different from either of those. (A) Is (1) contemporary and legitimate, albeit less common than the other alternatives? (B) Here are some of the constructions I think are similar to (1) in that the verb _be_ functions as something other than a linking verb. Please see if they really are similar ones. > (2) _What's to eat?_ > > (3) _What's to tell?_ > > (4) _Who's to blame?_ > > (5) _What's not to like?_ > > (6) _The guardrail is to prevent vehicles from driving off the road._ Edit: One way to find coherence among all of these is that you can insert the dummy "there" right after "is" and make their meanings more apparent. Edit: As for (6), however, I'm not quite sure whether the _there_ in _The guardrail is there to prevent vehicles from driving off the road._ would be a locative adverb (as opposed to _here_ ) or the dummy _there_ (as in _There's a book on the desk._ )


Cheque in your name or on your name?

I need to write something like > I will make a cheque on/in your name What will be the appropriate preposition for the above sentence?


To avail of an opportunity

If I were to be able to do something (say I'm a slave and am able to become free). What would it mean to "avail myself _of_ the opportunity"? What would this mean? Would this mean to take advantage of the opportunity, or to not? The word "of" is throwing me off, could someone explain the meaning here? The question is derived from this verse in the bible: > Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let that trouble you. But if > you are able to gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.   >  1 Corinthians 7:21


What terminology is used for English words coined by EFL speakers?

A _neologism_ is a newly coined word. Is there a term for a new English- language word coined by people in another country for whom English is a foreign language? While visiting China a few years ago, some Chinese friends introduced me to their new word -- _gelivable._ At first I thought they were mispronouncing or mangling _believable,_ but they explained that it was a word for saying that something was sufficient or enough or adequate. A bit of research reveals that the word is formed from a Chinese word, _geili._ http://www.china.org.cn/china/2010-11/12/content_21327924.htm I see the word described as a Net buzzword. A Google Ngram Viewer search yielded zero hits. My question is: what terminology is used for this kind of formation of an English (or at least English-sounding) word that seems to be used primarily, if not exclusively by people whose first language is not English?


Is there a word that means "nearly synonymous"?

Google was no help. It found many synonyms for almost, nearly, close, etc. Is there a noun that means "not quite a synonym"? Examples: car : wagon hide : lose


Verb for creating an icon

I am having some difficulty wording a title for a paper of mine. I am going for something like, "Automatic text iconification". Which means an automatic method of giving text a symbolic representation. However, online dictionaries are not helping:   * **iconification** is found on wiktionary but not webster or reference.com   * **iconify** is not found on webster and the case seems weird if I used "iconifing" What word/tense do I use to make this correct?


Word for someone who jumps ship when things get hard?

What is the word that captures the attitude of escaping a circumstance when things seem to get hard or are going bad.


What is the origin of the phrase "Gag me with a spoon"?

How does a phrase such as "Gag me with a spoon" originate? I understand the sentiment as a real concept — gagging oneself with a spoon causes a choking sensation without actually constricting breathing. It's uncomfortable and disconcerting. But, how did this become the go-to dismissive phrase of the 80s?


Does "commute to" refer to both there and back from work?

I want to tell someone the following:   "I bring an e-reader with me on the bus every day so that I have something to do during my commute to work."   Does the phrase "commute to work" clearly refer to the trip there **and** the trip back from work? Or is it more proper to say "commute to and from work" in order to ensure that it is clear that I mean both directions?


Why is the phrase "Never again" associated with the Holocaust?

I often hear or read the phrase "Never again" used as a reference to the Holocaust. It is the motto of the Jewish Defense League and in the title of at least one historical account of the Holocaust. For what it's worth, the same reference was made in a South African political cartoon about the Israel- Palestine conflict, and by the character _Magneto_ at the climax of the most recent X-Men film. More recently, the phrase has been used to refer to genocide in general, but I'm pretty sure it started as a Holocaust reference. My question is, what is the origin of this reference? Was it from a speech following World War II? A letter or prominent book? The best I've ever found is this article at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University, which opens: > According to the great historian of the Holocaust, Raul Hilberg, the phrase > “Never Again” first appeared on handmade signs put up by inmates at > Buchenwald in April, 1945, shortly after the camp had been liberated by U.S. > forces. Is this correct? Did use of the phrase spread from here? I hope no offense is taken because of the potentially sensitive subject. I have asked here because its a question about the etymology of a phrase.


"Be able to," "can" in reduced relative pronouns

I am trying to remember whether the sentences below are correct:   1. I don't know this guy being able to complete this task.   2. I don't know this guy can complete this task. I think the first one is correct. (I know they don't mean much but I am asking in grammatical manner.) I am also trying to remember how to reduce the "who" within the following sentences:   1. I don't know this guy who has been doing this all along.   2. I don't know this guy who has done this all along.


Word to describe a mathematical variable that repeats, like an angle or time

In mathematics a variable can be said to be _constrained_ if it must lie within certain bounds, for example:               0 < x < 1  (the variable x is constrained: it lies between zero and one)      However some kinds of variables (such as an angle, or time of day) can be constrained with an additional property that their values form a closed loop: if I increase the value past the upper bound it reappears at the lower bound. For example:               11 o'clock + 2hours = 1 o'clock      Is there an adjective or name to describe this kind of 'circular' variable?


Is it an oxymoron when SOME definitions of a word with SOME qualifier sounds silly?

Viz: Is 'peaceful demonstration' an oxymoron? The OP suggests that _Jumbo Shrimp_ is an oxymoron because Shrimp can be used to denote a small person. My take on this is that Jumbo means large in one definition and Shrimp is a crustacean in another definition so Jumbo Shrimp is just a large version of a crustacean and does not always mean _Large Small thing_ I cannot think of another good example where a qualifier to one definition of a word is an oxymoron and to another is not.


How come “enemy mine” be a short version of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”?

I have found at several places (e.g., here) that > Enemy mine is a short version for the proverb: > The enemy of my enemy is my friend. This makes little sense to me, as the essence of the proverb, i.e., the double enemy relationship, is lost in _enemy mine._ My best guess so far is that this once was > Enemy of mine and the double genetive (see, e.g., this question) really indicated a double dependence. But I am neither really happy with this nor can I confirm it.


What is more appropriate — "hanged" or "hung"?

Say that you are using some software, and it hangs. In this case, what should I say: >   1. ... when we execute this command, software X gets hanged [ _or simply_ > hangs]. >   2. ... when we execute this command, software X gets hung. > From what I know (from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language): > _Hanged_ , as a past tense and a past participle of _hang_ , is used in the > sense of “to put to death by hanging,” as in _Frontier courts hanged many a > prisoner after a summary trial_. A majority of the Usage Panel objects to > _hung_ used in this sense. In all other senses of the word, _hung_ is the > preferred form as past tense and past participle, as in _I hung my child's > picture above my desk_. But I'm not 100% confident on what is more appropriate.


What does "step up" mean?

Japan steps up cooling operation. This is from BBC.


Meaning of "presently" (US vs. UK)

Citation: > ‘Presently’ should be used with care until the Anglo-American difference of > meaning has been resolved. What difference?


Is there any difference between "offense" and "offence"?

"Offense" vs. "offence", which is more correct? If both are correct, are there any differences in shades of meaning and/or usage?


What does "You might be better off thinking of something" mean?

I found this sentence in my programming book: > You might be better off thinking of the block and the method as coroutines, > which transfer control back and forth between themselves. What does _be better off_ mean?


Meaning of "to pivot to do something"

I found the use of the verb _pivot_ in a context I can't quite understand: > We will now pivot the company's effort to date and focus on becoming a > comprehensive provider of ... What is the meaning of the verb _pivot_ in this context?


"White" vs. "a white" vs. "a white person"

Should I say that "Will is white" or "Will is a white" or "Will is a white person" to refer to his race? Also, is it considered acceptable to say someone is black or white in a college paper?


"My always account"

What does _my always account_ mean? The text where I read it is the following: > Hello, I am [username], I would need to recover my always user [account > name], I have 4 years with yours, is lot of history, never happens any > inconvenience from me, my friends in drupal all people knows me for [account > name], and I need my user unblocked, so please consider it as a favour to > me. Based on the text, I am inclined to think the person didn't use _always_ in the correct way; is it really so? Is it grammatically correct to use _always_ in that way, or is it normally used (even if in specific dialects, like Indian English, or British English)? Would the phrase _my always account_ be understood even if it doesn't refer to a user account on a website?


Should the abbreviation for "identifier" be capitalized?

I'm a programmer and I often see the abbreviation _ID_ (capitalized) in technical documents and code. Is this correct, or should it be _id_?


Is it "What should he have done?" or "had he done"?

>   * What should he have done? >   * What should he had done? > Could you tell me which one is correct? (If any.)


What's a word for somebody you’ve never met?

I’m trying to think of a word for somebody I’ve never met, but who has influenced me. Like Steve Jobs, I’ve never met him, but he continues to teach me. He’s like an invisible hand to me. An unmet teacher. I can’t nail the word down!


Is "Fellow" informal? If yes, what's a formal equivalent?

In this article I read that: > Fellow – Avoid using "fellow" when you mean "a person." Calling someone a > fellow is more formal than calling him or her a dude, but "fellow" is still > a colloquialism. This question ensures that "fellow student" is correct, but I need to know whether it is formal usage or not. I am writing a formal application and want to refer to a fellow university student. Should I use "fellow student" or do I have a better choice?


How do I address a committee?

I need to respond to an e-mail sent to me by a committee (e.g. ABCD Organizing Committee). In the distant past, I would use something like "Respected Sirs" but that seems archaic now. How would I address such a committee now? ### Context: The committee's e-mail to me started of as "Dear FirstName LastName, " and then proceeded to extend a formal invitation. Also, I decided to go for "Dear ABCD Organizing Committee"


What is the process called to change "fire" → "fiery"?

It's clearly not "conjugation", and I'm not even sure which keywords to use for google to help on this. Without having time to dedicate my next few days to read though linguistics textbooks, I thought the experts here might know. Is it just "the adjective form"? There must be a name for the process that takes a noun and turns it into an adjective.


3 Final Questions on BrE Punctuation ... Proper Insertion of Commas (BBC)

I have three final questions regarding comma placements inside/outside the quote marks in BrE. The following are sentences that were excerpted from the BBC News. _Separatism was a "serious threat", he said._ [I understand that the comma is inserted outside the quote marks because it's not part of the actual quoted material here.] _"I want to make Ukraine a modern European country," he said._ [But in this one, the comma is inside. It's not part of the quote in and of itself. Why? The example above has the comma outside.] _"Mr Obasanjo", he said, "why did you accuse Mr Jonathan of failing to deal with the many problems facing Nigeria?"_ [And with this sentence the comma is outside (after 'Mr Obasanjo'). Shouldn't it go inside because it's not part of the quote?] _"Mr Obasanjo," he said, "Why did you accuse Mr Jonathan of failing to deal with the many problems facing Nigeria?"_ [With the cap-W in the second quote, this would indicate that the original sentence had a full stop after 'Mr Obasanjo', ie Mr Obasanjo. Why did you accuse Mr Jonathan of failing to deal with the many problems facing Nigeria?" The comma after 'Mr Obasanjo', in this case, would substitute for the full stop.] I'm trying to understand this whole concept. Would you have punctuated these three sentences à la the BBC?


"When what you really should do is ***"

I was wondering whether the following sentence is grammatically correct: > It's remarkable how many ideas for interesting programming projects pop up > in your head when what you really should do is **to study**! Is _to study_ used correctly? Or should it just be _study_?


Is it Comic Book or Comics Book?

Which one is proper `Comic` Book or `Comics` Book? Are both of them grammatically correct? If so, what is the difference between them?


How can someone become fluent and improve their writing skills? I've been learning English for many years and I still face many problems especially at writing(academic writing and writing in general) I truly would like to be able to write my thoughts in an eloquent way. It has really reflected badly on my self-esteem; so, is it possible for someone whose English isn't their mother tongue to learn the formal language? I want to take TOEFL but I always hesitate and cancel it...So, any tips, especially that I cannot afford traveling nor being tutored(I'm relying on books and internet. I'm a self-learner) I'm 20 and I feel it's too late :( P.S. I read books, watch movies, listen to songs in English but I'm still not able to increase my formal vocabularies and improve my writing.


What are the common words to describe the different parts of the sea?

OK, this is an attempt: ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/metkg.jpg) > I remained there, gazing at the sea. Its color was light green in the part > closest to the shore, turned slightly darker in the middle, then abruptly > changed to dark blue in deeper waters. Are those words commonly used? Or is there a better and simpler terminology to describe them?


"To delete" is to "deletion" as "to discard" is to what?


"I like it a tick better" - proper English?

There's a German expression, "einen Tick besser", which means "just a little bit better". Does that same expression exist in English? I just wrote this comment on a Stack Overflow question: > I like his solution **a tick better** since it avoids any nesting. Is that proper English or does it sound weird?


How is "cf." to be pronounced?

The meaning of _cf._ has already been addressed in this question, but not the right way to pronounce or translate it when reading aloud as has been done for _i.e._ and _e.g._ in this question. Can anyone enlighten me? If the answerers want to explain the particulars of the pronunciation of other abbreviations, they are welcome.


Prima Facie: How would you use this in a sentence?

I understand that 'prima facie' is 'at first glance', but how would you start/use the word in a sentence? Thanks.


If someone says "Do not pass go" to you, what do they mean?

I have seen this phrase _do not pass go_ a couple of times reading Internet forums, but I don't remember figuring it out in context, as I've never played the game _Monopoly_. What does it mean?


"Fluctuates widely" or "fluctuates wildly"

I think changes to phrases that don't change their meaning are interesting. Example: _an ice cold beer_ and _a nice cold beer_ mean pretty much the same thing. I heard another one this morning on the radio in a story about coal. The phrase used is _fluctuates widely_ , but I know I've also heard _fluctuates wildly_. Looking at the ngram, I'm surprised to see that _widely_ is far more popular (although with 0 smoothing, it does fluctuate wildly. Where did either of these phrases come from? Which came first and which is more correct? _Wildly_ makes more sense to me in most contexts, but _widely_ makes sense too.


Is it correct to use "and" immediately followed by "or" or "or" immediately followed by "and"?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is using "and/or" recommended for formal writing, or is it frowned upon?   >  Alternatives to “and/or”? Is it correct to use _and_ immediately followed by _or_ , or _or_ immediately followed by _and_ as in the following examples?   * You can use x and or y.   * You can use x or and y. The meaning I want to say in the given examples is "You can use x or y or both".


Can I separate events with period to form past perfect?

Can I say the following? > The doorbell rang. He had finished his meal. I know I could join the sentences into one sentence to get the same meaning. I want to know if this would be correct if I write it this way? In this, the doorbell ringing comes after he finished his meal.


Is "considering taking" grammatically correct?

I've seen the following sentence in a newspaper. Is it grammatical? > He's considering taking early retirement. _Taking_ = present progressive was used near another present progressive?


How was 'Sundae' derived from 'Sunday'?

On Sunday, April 3,2011, Google displayed a commemorative graphic for the 119th anniversary of the first documented case of the _Ice Cream Sunday_. ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/uXr4g.jpg) (Image comes from: http://www.google.com/logos/2011/icecreamsundae11-hp.jpg) The Wiktionary entry for 'Sundae' says only that it is a modification of 'Sunday' and contains a link to the Wikipedia page. The Wikipedia entry for 'Sundae' contains a bit of history of the ice cream sundae, including competing claims for the origin of the ice cream sundae, but does not detail how 'Sunday' was changed to 'Sundae'. One origin story claims that the sundae was created to comply with Blue Laws in that locality, and the name 'Sunday soda' was changed to 'sundae' after demand caused the owners of a soda shop to serve the treat on days other than Sunday. The first documented case of the sundae used the 'Sunday' spelling. How did the spelling officially change from 'Sunday' to 'Sundae'?


Future perfect or simple in this context

In a movie I saw, a young boy told to an old man that he would be gone for a long time when something happens. I'm trying to figure out what the boy actually said and what tense should have been used (heard dubbed version). Could it be: > You will have been gone for a long time by then.   >  You will be gone for a long time by then.   >  You will not have been here for a long time by then.


"Photo playback" — can photos be played?

The phrase "photo playback" has about 35k Google hits, especially in production descriptions, but is it correct English? It seems that “playback” can be used with video and audio, because we can play a video or play a record, cassette, CD, etc. However, we cannot “play” a photo, and therefore cannot play JPEG etc. If “photo playback” is incorrect as a description of the function, what expression would be better?


Why do we use "or" instead of "and" when we mean both things?

The following sentence came up in a recent conversation with a Polish national: > I don't have a wife and any children. I corrected his sentence to: > I don't have a wife or any children. He immediately pointed out that "or" usually means only one of the statements need be true, and that he wanted to convey that both statements were true, i.e.: > I don't have a wife and I don't have any children. What is the rationale for using "or" in this case? [As a side question, should we be using "nor" in this case? I'm assuming not, though again I'm unable to explain why.]


Can I use the present perfect tense with a specific time expression?

Is it grammatical to combine the present perfect tense with time? _E.g._ > I've seen that movie two days ago. > > I've completed the 12-step program last summer. > > The deadline was two days ago, and I've finished the project ahead of time.


What does “Rah-rah statement” mean?

In the CBS’s “Face the Nation” aired on the last Sunday, co-anchor Norah O’Donnell asked GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan about inconsistency of his voting for defense cuts in last summer with Mitt Romney’s recent statement in an interview on NBC that Republicans were wrong to agree to a deal last summer that included automatic cuts to defense spending in exchange for the agreement to raise the debt ceiling. After quoting Ryan’s statement immediate after his voting, O’Donnell said “You voted for the Budget Control Act. In fact I went and looked, you put out a statement at the time it was passed and you called it a victory, and you called it a positive step forward. And now you're criticizing the president for those same defense cuts that you voted for and called a victory. The writer (Glenn Kessler) inserted the line “ _It is a rah-rah statement_ designed to win votes, but does not indicate that he called the defense cuts a victory,” before Ryan’s answer: “That's putting politics out of national security. “More to the point, I authored the bill, brought it to the floor, and passed it to prevent the president's irresponsible, devastating defense cuts from occurring by cutting wasteful Washington spending in other areas of government to replace these defense cuts.” I know “rah” is equivalent to hurrah, but what does “rah-rah” statement mean? Does it mean populistic statement? In what cases can I use “rah-rah” statement / remark reaction other else?


Opposite of writer's block

I recently experienced a patch where in I just had an urge to write and write. And when I sat down on my laptop, indeed I went on and on writing things I always wanted to. I felt like I experienced something that is opposite of writer's block. Is this a thing? Is there a term in English for this?


Why are *accept* and *except* commonly misspelled as each other? Are they homophones?

Why are _accept_ and _except_ commonly confused for each other when writing? This is unlike most cases, where misspellings come from homophones. In my idiolect at least, _accept_ is /ək.'sɛpt/, and _except_ is /ɪk.'sɛpt/. They are not homophonic, and are about as close as _butter_ and _bitter_. However, this pair seems strangely prone to misspelling all over the place. Are these words homophonic in standard English? I am technically not a native speaker (picked up English while really young), live in Canada, and people tend to comment me having a weird accent...


What is the meaning of "breaking" in tv show "breaking bad"

Searched wiktionary but seems none of the explanations in it makes sense.


The difference between company and enterprise

When i go to one company, i always encounter with `Company` term(ABC company, JSC). But when i work with solutions, i always encounter with `Enterprise` term(ERP, solution for enterprise,...). Are there anyways to separate them?


Fragmented questions

How should the following sentence be punctuated: > If it's not raining, where should we go? The lake? The beach? I ask because the last two questions are fragments.


Word for "feeling the same as someone"

What is the word for when you feel the same as someone, you see them in yourself or you are in the same situation? I think it starts with the letter C.


Right definition of “discursus."

I was puzzled to find out the definition of “discursus” incidentally in Readers Plus English Japanese Dictionary, one of the best-selling English Japanese dictionaries, which is published by Kenkyusha, a well-reputed foreign language dictionary publisher in Japan. It defines ‘discursus’ as; n. 理路整然たる討議、説明 (logically consistent and well-organized discussion or explanation), while it defines ‘discursive’ as; a. digressive. One’s sentences and stories passing from one thing to another; ranging over a wide field. To me, it’s strange that ‘discursus’ and ‘discursive” both of which are considered to be cognates derived from Latin `discurro’ meaning ‘running about’ come up in the reverse meaning: ‘discursus= logically consistent and well-organized” and ‘discursive =digressive, loose thinking.’ So I consulted with other English Dictionaries. All CED, OED, Merriam-Webster define “discursive’ in the same way as “digressive; Passing from one thing to another; ranging over a wide field," but none of them provides definition of ‘discursus.’ Spellchecker keeps trying to correct “discursus” into “discourse” while I’m typing this question. However, Wikitionary and Dictionary.com. carry the heading of ‘discursus’ with the same definition as an uncountable noun; (Logic) Argumentation; ratiocination; discursive reasoning. Google NGram shows that compared with a notable rise of the currency of ‘discursive’ (0.000669585% in 2007), the incidence of ‘discursus’ is negligibly low (0.0000009975%). Do you think the definition of Readers Plus English Japanese Dictionary of “discursus” is appropriate? Depending on your input, I’d like to request the editor of the dictionary to re-edit the definition of the word.


Is "after all" necessary in the following paragraph?

> Of all the people who wanted to join the trip, Anna was the the last I > expected would come. We barely knew each other at school **after all,** and > I was pretty sure she wasn't interested in me. Is the **after all** necessary? What's a situation where it's definitely needed?


Word or phrase for when you're hungry but nothing sounds good to eat

So I'd guess almost everyone knows this feeling: you're hungry but nothing sounds good to eat. I don't think there is a commonly known word or phrase, but anyone know of a word or phrase that has been coined to describe such a situation? P.S. I'm gonna try to get this one going... "I'm feeling picky." Just thought I'd do my research first :)


"Highest building of/in the world"

Which is correct? > The Chrysler building was the highest building **in** the world. Today, it > is the seventh highest building **in** the USA. or: > The Chrysler building was the highest building **of** the world. Today, it > is the seventh highest building **of** the USA.


Is there any relation between the suffix "-ship" and actual ships?

I am curious if there is actual relation between all nouns ending in _-ship_ , such as _relationship, citizenship, sportsmanship_ , etc. with the vessel for transporting people or goods over the sea?


"Is there something wrong?" or "Is there anything wrong?"

Is there any difference between "Is there something wrong?" and "Is there anything wrong?"? Also, you would say "He would like something to drink" but "Would you like anything to drink?", right? I'd appreciate if any one could explain the usage of "something" and "anything".


Meaning of "Circle around with"

All too often my boss will say to me "I'll circle around with you later" I assume it means "I'll catch up with you later" or something of the sort, but I feel the "circle" implies some sort of redundancy or endlessness loop of checking in on me. Is that right?


"Indispensible": is it correct?

Today, I saw a news headline on BBC News. It says: > Nuclear power is 'indispensible' says safety agency. As far as I know, the correct word should be "indispensable". Is it a typo (an example that shows even BBC can make mistakes in headlines) or is this an alternative version of that adjective?


Term for not recognizing faces

I remember a term for someone who has difficulty remembering faces. I was reading several years ago, _Alice Through the Looking Glass_ , and my friend told me that Humpty Dumpty had that disorder(he told me he had read it off somewhere, so I believed there is such a term): > “The face is what one goes by, generally,” Alice remarked in a thoughtful > tone.   >  “That’s just what I complain of,” said Humpty Dumpty. “Your face is the > same as everybody has—the two eyes, so ” (marking their places in the air > with his thumb) “nose in the middle, mouth under. It’s always the same. Now > if you had the two eyes on the same side of the nose, for instance—or the > mouth at the top—that would be some help. Is there really a term for it?


How to write a question with a suggested answer at the end

How do you properly convey in writing a sentence where a question is asked and followed by a suggested answer? For example, the question "What are we having for dinner?" is asked, and the guess "lasagna?" is given. Which is grammatically correct: > What are we having for dinner? Lasagna? > > What are we having for dinner, lasagna? or something else. I guess I should also ask, is it grammatically correct to say > What are we having for dinner — lasagna?


Where does "funk" and/or "funky" come from and why the musical reference?

Free your mind and your ass will follow - The Mothership has landed!! Why 'funk', of all words to describe such bootilicious music?


Can the word "citing" be used in the meaning "pointing to" or "referring to"?

I wonder if this usage appropriate? "He ordered to do so, citing practical purpose."


The meaning of “Trolling around”

From _Programming Entity Framework: DbContext_ by Julia Lerman, page 6: > Avoiding trolling around the guts of Entity Framework What does "trolling around" mean in this fragment? Entity Framework is the name of a framework for programming.


What word(s) describe a woman's voice as "sexy"?

I am looking for a word (or two words) to describe a woman's voice that is "sexy" in a slightly deep, smooth, alluring way. The best I could come up with is _mellifluous_ , but I'm looking for something simpler...


How is the pronunciation of r before th? Specific case: "north"

Some consonants such as _n,d,t_ are usually alveolar in English, except that they are replaced by dentals when they are before dental fricatives (th): _tenth, said this, in the…_. What about "r" before "th"?   * _Arthur_ : BrE /ɑ:θəʳ/, AmE /ɑ:rθɚ/   * _north_ : /nɔ:θ/, AmE /nɔ:rθ/ ; _northern_ My conjectures are:   * _a_ or _o_ are lowered in the mouth so that we have /ɑ/ or /ɔ/.    * the mouth becomes less tensed    * the _r_ is very loose    * _n_ in _north_ becomes dental!


How to refer to a period of time?

Which one is grammatically correct? I worked at X company ...   * from Aug 2005 to Sep 2007.   * from A up to B.   * from A until B.   * from A till B.   * between A and B.


What is the difference between "gift" and "present"?

What is the difference between _gift_ and _present_?


"I have been keeping ignoring you."

Does this make any sense? > I have been keeping ignoring you. Besides that it sounds awkward, my Chinese buddy who knows more grammar rules than I care to list said that the phrase is grammatically correct. Can anyone tell me why?


Does the word, ‘decorator’ have a special meaning other than a person who designs (or paints) the interior and exterior of houses?

I was intrigued to find the former President Nixon’s gaffe, “San Francisco is full of ‘fags’ and ‘decorators’” in an old article of _Time_ (June 9, 2010) titled “A brief history of political profanity.” It appears in the following statement: > “Richard Nixon holds the unofficial record for being the most openly profane > U.S. President. - - In a taped 1971 conversation between the President and > two of his sides, Nixon called Mexicans “dishonest, “ said that blacks lived > “like a bunch of dogs” and that **_San Francisco was full of “fags” and** “ > **decorators_.”** And that was just one conversation.” I’m curious to know why “fags” and “decorator” are placed in a pair and in parenthesis. CED defines ‘decorator’ simply as “a person whose job is to paint the inside or outside of buildings and to do other related work. OED defines it as ‘Am Eng. a person whose job is to design interior of houses by choosing colors, carpet and furnishing. There’s nothing profane or derogative with the definitions of this word. Does “decorator” have a special meaning other than the above definitions? I’m interested to know how someone would respond to President Nixon’s usage of the word, ‘decorator’ in his comment, if he or she happened to be a decorator.


Difference between "except" and "besides"

What is the difference between _except_ and _besides_? When do we use each of them?


'Blowback' with 'much'

Jawad Sukhanyar & Rod Nordland, _In Prison Release, Signs of Karzai’s Rift With U.S._ (NYT): > The amount of people advocating for a long-term relationship with > Afghanistan is pretty small in Congress,” Mr. Graham said in an interview on > Thursday. “No politician in America is going to get much **blowback** for > just pulling out of Afghanistan. [emphasis added] _Blowback_ is not a mass noun _per se_. Is the use of **_much blowback_** grammatical?


Suitable word or phrase to replace 'unique' when something is almost unique?

I have this sentence as part of an abstract > Verification of space weather forecasts presents some unique challenges > compared with other types of forecasts. I go on to detail briefly what those challenges are. Now, these aspects aren't, in truth, entirely unique to this area, but are still much more of a factor than in other areas. I am trying to succinctly replace 'unique' with something more suitable. I have toyed with 'peculiar' or 'idiosyncratic' but neither really appeals. 'Particular' might fit but I'm still not too happy with that. Unique works because in the context because I think it also conveys a sense of these challenges being interesting, which doesn't come across so much with the other words mentioned.


What does "If wishes were fishes we'd all swim in riches" mean? This phrase doesn't make any sense to me though I do understand the point it's making. But by the logic of the phrase, if a wish = a fish, why would we all just be swimming with the fishes?


What does 'Become a scarlet letter' mean for a Senator who took advantage of the ‘Tea Party’ wave in the mid-term election?

I came across a phrase, senators who become a _scarlet letter_ , in an article of today’s Washington Post (Jan.29) titled "Tea Party Caucus holds first meeting without some who had embraced banner."   The sentence in question reads as follows: > The Republican senators who rode the tea party wave to victory in the fall > are now weighing whether that label will help them on Capitol Hill or become > a scarlet letter. I understand _scarlet letter_ means the letter of A in red signifying adulterer, and it was used as figurative expression by all means. However in this case, I'm puzzled with whom (i.e. political group, faction, clique) do the Senators in question commit adultery, and who is their due (should-be) partner (husband or wife, i.e electral franchise or belonging clique)? Why can they be dabbed _a scarlet letter_? I read the whole article, but I couldn't figure its meaning out to the end. Can anybody explain?


"I park my car in the yard"

What is the origin of the different pronunciation of words like _park_ , _yard_ , _cartoon_ , _margarine_ in American and British English? In other words, why doesn’t British English generally pronounce the _r_ in such words? Or vice-versa: why does American English generally pronounce the _r_ in the same words?


Aren't adverbs related to the closest word? What about other modifiers?

Aren't adverbs related to the closest word? Does _nightly_ in _nightly business report_ refer to _business_? Update:   I am still confused.   Is relation of non-adverb modifiers different from that of adjective?   In First Certificate Language Practice by Michael Vince the "first" is related to the nearest modified word (without dephis application) I am not interested in specific case of "Nightly Business Reports" (only), I'd like to understand a rule/pattern with possible exceptions in order to reuse it in my writing.


Can the word "luxury" be used as a concrete noun?

I was wondering if we can use the word "luxury" to refer to a "luxurious item", For example, are the sentences below considered grammatical? :   1. I have a luxury.   2. I have one luxury.   3. I have three luxuries.


"Encapsulated by" vs. "encapsulated in" vs. "encapsulated with"

I am writing some text wherein I have to mean "wrapped with double quotes". Would any of the following expressions be correct? >   * encapsulated **with** double quotes >   * encapsulated **in** double quotes >   * encapsulated **by** double quotes > Or is there another way to phrase this?


What is the best way to convert "tongue-in-cheek" into an adverb?

I was thinking something like "tongue-in-cheekly" but it sounds awkward. Of course, alternatives are welcome, but I couldn't come up with one that conveyed the half-serious playfulness that I attribute to "tongue-in-cheek". Any thoughts?


How to use a smiley at the end of a parenthetical phrase

This might seem like a silly question, but this situation happens all the time during virtually any type of online correspondence. It's quite common to put something friendly/funny/tongue-in-cheek in parenthesis as an aside, and it's also often important to include the smiley to let the other person know you're being funny, so it's irritating to not know how to combine the two and make it look right. I often end up with rather unfortunate scenarios like this: > ... but sometimes people here just drive me nuts (not you, of course ;) ). I've seen people use a single space like above (perhaps the most common), no space at all, use square brackets instead of parentheses, and also incorporate the smiley into the closing parenthesis. So, what's the best way to handle this? P.S. We probably need a parentheses tag...


Starting a sentence with "Starting with"

When you want to summarize a list of items, can you use "Starting with" at the beginning of a sentence in order to explain the first item? For example, is the following grammatically correct? > I love all kind of animals. Starting with kittens and puppies, the cutest > animals in the world. I'm rather fond of little ducklings as well. To further clarify, I would think this is grammatically incorrect and a comma is _required_ to connect _"starting with"_ with the first sentence.


When did the term "flip flop" displace the term "thong" in North America for a type of sandal?

To Australians like me "thong" means a kind of sandal such as recently repopularized by the _Havaianas_ brand but we know it means a kind of G-string in other English-speaking parts of the world. To most English-speaking people in the 21st century it seems "flip flop" (or "flip-flop") is the term for the sandal-like footwear. But several times I've come across suggestions that "thong" used to be used for this kind of sandal in North America.   * I'm pretty sure I came across it in the novel _A Confederacy of Dunces_ , written in 1960s New Orleans. But perhaps it was in another American novel from that era.   * There's this comment on the talk page of the Wiktionary "thong" entry: > Note: Usage in U.S., particulary Southern California. (Prior to 1980's, > perhaps later). Thong is exclusively footware (sandal), not related to > undergarments or bathing suits. The usage of thong as G-string (bathing suit > or underwear) is post 1980's?   * Etymonline states that _flip-flop_ meant "thong sandal," by 1972; but for _thong_ states: > As a kind of sandal, first attested 1965; as a kind of bikini briefs, 1990. As an amateur etymologist and lexicographer I'm very interested to know:   * During which years and which parts of North America were _flip flops_ called _thongs_?    * Does anybody still call them _thongs_ anywhere in North America?    * Did _flip flops_ only replace _thongs_ due to the latter term picking up the new sense of _G string_ around the 1980s / 1990s? Or to put it in a single question, **What is the history of the term _thong_ as a kind of sandal in North American English?**


... regarding the advertised position of a researcher in the ... department

Which of the following should I use: > I'm writing to you regarding the advertised position **of** a researcher in > the ... department > > I'm writing to you regarding the advertised position **for** a researcher in > the ... department I'm also interested in which of the following is more appropriate in letter writing to Europeans: > ... regarding the advertised **vacancy** > > ... regarding the advertised **position**


To have a game in hand

I have come across the expression _game in hand_ in an article on England Premier League, as follows: > Third-place City has a **game in hand** but the surprise result against > Sunderland, coupled with Sunday’s 3-2 loss at Liverpool, may be a setback > too far in its bid for a second championship in three seasons. I do not quite understand what _game in hand_ means in this context. What would be the correct meaning?


term for things centered around a person

I my work group often the decisions taken are heavily influenced by "becky", because she talks more..., is it correct to say that the group is 'beckycentric', i am looking for a term to describe that most of the time the decisions are her wishes.


Is there a word for four times as much, analogous to once, twice, and thrice?

Is there a word for 'four times as much', analogous to _once_ , _twice_ , and _thrice_?


What comes after thrice?

When you want to say something occurred only one time, it's "once". Two is twice, three is thrice. What's for four?


Is "wait up!" considered correct English?

I thought if you wanted someone to wait for you, you would say, "wait for me". However, I've heard/seen a lot of people speak/write "wait up" instead. Is "wait up" correct English?


Is "dawdle" a common verb in American English? In my limited experience I have never heard Americans use it.


Meaning of W in SFPW, or a synonym that starts with a W

**Big disclaimer: when I was proofreading my question it sounds like I am doing a crossword puzzle. So I added some extra information to avoid confusion.** I am making an Excel sheet that assists in Risk Assessment (this particular approach of Risk Assessment is based on the RA by Bosch Rexroth as described in the book _10 Steps to Performance Level_ ). Basically all you have to do is write a few values in certain columns and it automatically calculates the risk. The names of these columns are **S** , **F** , **P** , and **W**. As you might have guessed, these names are singular abbreviations. I added a description tag that is visible when the column is active. The descriptions are copied from the book mentioned earlier:               S    Severity of injury          <- Makes sense     F    Frequency with duration     <- Makes sense as well     P    Possibility of avoidance    <- Same here     W    Probability of occurrence   <- What?      I can imagine that _P_ was taken for _Possibility of avoidance_. But I am absolutely flabbergasted why the authors would use _W_ as abbreviation. I can't change _W_ to _O_ (occurrence) because I **must/am forced to** copy the example sheet as described in the book. I searched around for what _W_ could stand for, but the online acronym and abbreviation lists didn't provide an answer. Not being able to change the abbreviation, I decided to change the description. Which would be something like: > Wrobability of occurrence > > Woccurence probability I searched around in online dictionaries and thesauri, but I couldn't find anything close. Besides all this, I can only assume the authors had a **valid reason** to choose _W_ over something more "logical" as _O_. It feels like I am missing the obvious. * * * So in conclusion:   1. Does anyone know what the _W_ in _SFPW_ stands for? ( _SFWP_ is also used)   2. Or does anyone know a synonym for probability or occurrence that starts with a _W_?


The phrase "Check out"

"Check out this article" Where did this term come from and why those choice of words? I understand it perfectly semantically, but when you think about it it doesn't make sense, check out seems to mean to exit, e.g. “I checked out of the hospital, my toe was fine”.


What is the word for something that is based on a prototype?

If two objects (or "types") have the relationship where one is the prototype of the other, then the other is the **__** of the prototype. In this sentence, from the context of the prototype: > This will not be true for versions that are based on this version. I want to replace the words "versions that are based on this version" with one word. For example, in the context of one of those future versions, I could say "This was not true for prototypes." Examples of the kind of _prototypal_ relationship I am looking for: > Chair is to Stool   >  Protoplast is to Chloroplast Examples of the kind of _word_ relationship I am looking for: > Archetype is to Ectype   >  Supertype is to Subtype > > Prototype is to **_**


that's some good sh*t

I found a web site called http://shitformakingwebsites.com/ to find **excellent-quality** materials for work. I started wondering why "sh*t" can be used so positively here. I have a similar question about "nigga".


Origin of "let's take it offline"

When did people start using the corporate jargon "let's take it offline" (let's discuss that after this meeting in private)? According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the origin of _online_ is from 1950: > **online** in ref. to computers, "directly connected to a peripheral > device," is attested from 1950 (originally as on-line). If the word _offline_ in the jargon is the antonym of _online_ as defined above, then the jargon cannot be interpreted literally. It is often used in meetings where people are all physically in the same room.


"Have trust in" vs. "have trust for"

What is the appropriate preposition for the following sentence? >   * Is having **trust in** your employer important to you? >   * Is having **trust for** your employer important to you? >


What does "statistically unchanged" mean?

> The universe continually expanded but remained statistically unchanged as > new matter is constantly created. What is the _statistically unchanged_? Could you give me an example?


Why is karma a bitch?

I came across this saying "karma is a bitch" a few times while reading some comments online recently. I understand karma as a religious concept to mean "what goes around, comes around". I also understand that bitch is a derogatory word for insulting a woman. Why is karma being referred to as a bitch? Is this a new interpretation on what karma is about?


How to rephrase the term "physical sciences"?

A distinction is often made in the natural sciences between the _life sciences_ and the _physical sciences_. Semantically, I believe this is a false distinction. Since all life depends on a physical dimension, _life sciences_ would be a subset of the _physical sciences_. However, this defeats the point of the distinction, i.e. to distinguish between science where the system under study is necessarily living (biology), and science where there is no special treatment of living systems (physics and chemistry). Is there an alternative way to make this distinction?


Please help parse the sentence

This is quotation from Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". Some words are changed for the sake of political correctness xd Anyway... "People would come miles **to hear Jim tell** about it" I understand what's meant, but how should I parse it? I mean bold part.


'submerged' in this particular moment

How can I say this sentence more properly? Suppose I am with my girlfriend, and I say > "I want my whole life to be submerged in this particular moment". I don't think that _submerged_ is the right word. What I want to say is that I want my whole life to be in this particular moment that I am with my girlfriend. Can any one construct this sentence so that it sounds pleasant and correct?


What is a term for someone who doesn't know what they haven't experienced?

I'm struggling to find a word or short term for a person or group of people who do not experience jealousy/remorse/etc. due to a lack of something. For example, people from the middle ages could not be upset about the lack of cell phones because cell phones did not exist back then and they had no idea something along those lines could exist. It doesn't have to be the lack of a tangible thing either, the term I am looking for could represent the lack of anything. Another example would be how many young children do not understand the concept of racism. Since they have never been exposed to bigotry or prejudicial behaviour, they do not harbor negative feelings towards people who are different than them simply because they are different. My first thoughts were _naive_ and _ignorant_ , but those words tend to carry a negative connotation with them. It sounds unfair to call a person from the middle ages ignorant because they didn't have a cell phone or to refer to a baby as naive for not being a racist. Is there a better term out there?


What's "kind of shot that horse in the face" in Easy A?

In the film, Easy A, Olive has a conversation with her parents like this: > OLIVE: What would my punishment have been otherwise? > > DAD: Bed without supper, I guess. > > OLIVE: But I'm already finished. > > MOM: No dating, no dating. > > DAD: Yeah, no dating. No dating for you, young lady. > > OLIVE: I think my complete lack of allure already **kind of shot that horse > in the face**. Does anyone know the meaning of this phrase? What situation is Olive trying to describe?


Synonym of "button" as a technological term?

Do you know any appropriate synonyms for the word "button" in the context of User Interface design?


How to read in the 24-hour time system

I understand you read 2000 twenty hundred hours and 0000 zero hours. Then, how do you read 0001 and 0010?


Definition of "differentiate": Difference "in" and difference "between"

I've seen online dictionaries defining the word **differentiate** as (along with other definitions): >   1. to mark or show a difference in : constitute a difference that > distinguishes > >   2. To perceive or show the difference in or between; discriminate. > > Now, I understand the meaning difference _"between things."_ However, I don't understand what _"difference **in** "_ means. Does someone have an example usage that can help my understanding?


Expressions for "something's benefits manifest only under certain conditions"

I want to express "something has benefits/advantages. But they manifest only when certain conditions hold or under certain restrictions or certain prices have to be paid". Is there any terms/expressions/sentences for this?


Is there an English word for "fargin"?

I have heard many people claim that Yiddish is a much richer language than English, and follow up with an attempt to prove their point by pulling out a Yiddish word they claim has no English analogue.   One such word I have often seen used as an example in this way is " _fargin_" or "פארגין", which means something like "to not withhold a favor from someone [for no reason]" or "not to begrudge [something from someone]."      Can anyone think of an English word that could be used in place of " _fargin_ "?


Is this phrase an appositive? And what case for the pronoun - We or Us?

One of my students wrote this sentence: > "We should do something, both we students and the society." When I talked to her, I said that "we" should be "us", so I wrote the sentence like this: > "We should do something, both us students and the society." My reason was because, if we take away the word "students" that the sentence sounds correct like this: > "We should do something, both us and the society." However, after more thought, I am not sure about "we" or "us" here. It might be related to the frequent issue of _"It is I."_ versus _"It is me."_ Or perhaps the phrase at the end of the sentence is an appositive for "we" for example: > "We, both we students and the society, should do something." If this phrase is an appositive, then I think it MUST be "we". So, if it is an appositive, I think the student's original sentence is totally correct: > "We should do something, both we students and the society." Does anyone have any opinions?   Is this phrase an appositive?   And, should it be "us" or "we" in the phrase? Your comments are welcome! \-- also, any reference (url links) to applicable examples are appreciated) Jeffrey (ESL teacher)


What is the meaning of the word "Cheero"?

I just got beat at Words with Friends by the word `Cheero`. I was only able to find a definition in the Urban Dictionary.               1. Cheero         A person that you are crushing on or like.         Oh he's not my Cheero, You have it mixed with the other one next to him.      Is this a real word, and if so what does it mean?


What's the pro and cons of using "though" at beginning and at the end of a sentence?

For example: (1) They have been talking for months. Though there is still no deal. (2) They have been talking for months. There is still no deal, though. Are they equal? Or should one of them be preferred to another one?


What is the preferred plural form of "bus"?

![Busses, or perhaps buses](http://i.stack.imgur.com/kVrw9.jpg) The OED states that both "buses" and "busses" are acceptable plural forms of "bus". Is one generally preferred over the other?


What exactly does "fap" mean? [NSFW]

Sorry for the ridiculous question, but I can't understand the difference between _fap_ and _masturbation_. Does _fap_ mean the whole progress?


"I have no charge on my cellphone" or "my cellphone is out of charge"?

Situation: The batteries in your cellphone are running out of charge. How would a native English speaker quickly and naturally describe this situation?


Articles in captions (tables, pictures, etc.)

I have some awful problems with editing picture and table captions in a paper I'm working on. Maybe some native speaker could give me a hand. One of the captions is for example: Figure 14. The dynamics of crime in X. **A** causal chain. It's under a diagram with which I want to explain the dynamics of crime in X - the diagram presents a causal chain. Should it be "A causal chain" or just "Causal chain"?


"Commitment" vs. "dedication"

I use both interchangeably. What's the difference?


Comma after location?

Does the following sentence have a comma or not? Why? > In the picture(,) you can see that the flowers were blooming. Is there a difference to these sentences? > In the car(,) you can see that human vision works at high speeds. > > At midnight(,) you can hear that a city is never quiet.


Plural of 'yes'

What is the plural of yes? Googling brings up many different suggestions from different sources.   * Yesses   * Yeses   * Yes's   * Yes' ?


What are some words I could use to call someone who is not good at work?

I asked this question because the other question on workplace.se. I realized that "enemy" is not the right word to express my idea. I was working with that person for about a year. He was bad at work and never followed the rules or standards. I didn't like him because of his performance, not because of his personality. What are some words I could use to call him?


Is “Alligators and Kangaroos” a set phrase to express an encounter with unexpected happening?

The Entertainment Movies section of Today’s (May 9) Time magazine introduces the Hollywood version of the children’s book, “The Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” under the title, “Watch The Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day trailer” with sub-headline: > The worst day of your life apparently includes car crashes, fires, > **alligators and kangaroos** http://time.com/92987/alexander-and-the- > terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day-trailer/ Though it seems a humorous and creative combination, is “alligators and kangaroos” a set, or frequently used phrase to describe an encounter with unexpected, shocking and ominous things? Can we replace it with other creatures at will, say, rabbit and bear, rhinoceros and tiger, and snake and carpenter bee?


I was embarrassed by you

When you say "I was embarrassed by you", is it ever possible for you to mean that "you embarrassed me"? In other words, is it possible to convey the passive voice by "I was embarrassed by you"?


He died [as?] a broken man

> He died a broken man. One of my students came across this sentence in an article, and a quick search for `"he died a * man"` yields a plethora of similar ones. I'm fairly certain this sentence is grammatically correct, and indeed it sounds perfectly correct to my ears. What's irking me is that I don't understand _why_. Is there a rule whereby intransitive verbs can become transitive in special circumstances? To further complicate the issue, my student thinks that inserting an **_as_** in there will make it clearer: > He died as a broken man. This sounds a little off to me, but again, I'm not sure why. If anything, the **_as_** -ified version sounds more grammatically plausible, as it were. So my question is twofold:   1. **What is the rule for this type of sentence structure?**   2. **What, if any, are the other verbs that can be used in this construction?**


Synonyms for "participant"

Is there a synonym for _participant_ suitable for a research paper? I have seen words such as _colleague_ , _member_ , _party_ , etc. in various thesauruses, but these do not fit with the meaning I am trying to convey. I am looking at using _participant_ as “someone who participated in an experiment”.


Adjective and Noun Placement

Is it better to say "We rescued the five people trapped" or "We rescued the five trapped people"? And why?


What's the US slang term for "following someone in a car"?

I heard this somewhere on YouTube and I wish I could recall where exactly. The person was recording himself from a dash-cam while driving, and when he noticed that a cop was following him, he said this to another person that was in a car with him > Hey, hang on. That cop is **_________** me. He used this slang word for _following me_ that I'm curious to know. I'm referring to American English slang.


A short title for a collection that contains items related to software features and requirements

I have a list of items that contain terms related to software subsystems and requirements. Here is my list:   * Archiving   * Automation   * Collaboration   * Customization   * Performance   * Publication   * Regulatory Compliance   * Reliability   * Security   * Standards Compliance   * User Interface I need to give the list itself a title. The list is going to be used within a project management software to allow categorization of feature requests. More than one item can be selected. A colleague of mine suggested the title _Tags_ (seems like a IDGAF answer) another suggested _Modality_. Anyone have any thoughts?


What do you call someone who needs to be approved, approvee?

I know: One who reviews = reviewer   One who undergoes a review = reviewee I thought: One who approves = approver   A person seeking someone's approval = approvee But I found that there is no word like approvee. What is the appropriate word for this meaning? More specifically, suppose X needs something to be approved and Y is the person who can approve X's things.   Now, Y is approver of X.   X is _what_ of Y?


What noun describes "turning a cardinal number into an ordinal number"?

If I take a singular noun like 'person' and turn it into its plural 'people', I think I'm doing _pluralisation_ (or, if you insist, _pluralization_ ). What am I doing if I take a cardinal number like '13' and turn it into an ordinal, like 'thirteenth'? I liked _ordination_ , but that already means some kind of religious thing. Should I refer to it as _ordinalisation_? I couldn't find ordinali(s|z)ation in a dictionary, and all the Google hits are from software packages.


Please "Mute your voice"!

I have not heard or used this phrase before, but can I use the sentence "please mute your voice" in conversation?


Translation of « débrayable » for camera modes and automatic software processing

I am French and I am looking for how to express the concept of the French word _débrayable_ : Something _débrayable_ is able to be manually configured as opposed of something which is always automatically configured. This word is often used about camera modes. Nowadays, camera modes (exposure, shutter, focus, meter...) are automatically computed (sensors). When a mode (exposure) can be manually configured, we can say the mode (exposure) is **_débrayable_**. Maybe the translation is _declutching_ , so we could translate the following: > **(fr)** Certains réglages automatiques de l'appareil photo peuvent être > _débrayables_. > > **(en)** Some automatic camera modes can be _declutching_. * * * This first part of the question is to explain the concept. Now I give the context I want to use this concept: It's about a software that automatically configures a build (compilation). And now, there is a new feature: the automatic configuration processing is **_débrayable_** => each project can specify any change within the configuration at the `prebuild` stage. **How would you express the concept of _débrayable_ ?** (this question was first asked on French Language & Usage) * * * * * * * * * **EDIT:** Thanks for your answers   But I made a mistake, the correct sentence in French is:   > **(fr)** Certains réglages automatiques de l'appareil photo ~~peuvent être~~ > sont _débrayables_. We could also say this next one, but it is not actually used in French: > **(fr)** Certains réglages automatiques de l'appareil photo peuvent être > _débrayés_. As _débrayable_ implies the camera mode is by default computed automatically, we can remove the word _automatique_ : > **(fr)** Certains réglages de l'appareil photo sont _débrayables_. Proposed translations: > **(en)** Some camera modes are ~~_declutching_~~. (mine) > > **(en)** Some camera modes are _overrideable_. (by StoneyB) > > **(en)** Some camera modes are _configurable_. (Roddy of the Frozen Peas and > moidib) > > **(en)** Some camera modes are _manually configurable_. (moidib) > > **(en)** Some camera modes are _switchable_. (proposed by Gilles but he says > it is weird) The french sentence maybe also be changed: > **(fr)** Certains réglages automatiques de l'appareil photo peuvent être > _désactivés_. > > **(en)** Some automatic camera modes can be _disengaged_. (by Henry) > > **(en)** Some automatic camera modes can be _turned off_. (by Henry and > Gilles) > > **(en)** Some automatic camera modes can be _switched off_. (by Gilles) or even: > **(fr)** Certains réglages automatiques de l'appareil photo peuvent être > _configurés manuellement_. > > **(en)** Some automatic camera modes can be _overridden manually_. (by > Gilles) > > **(en)** Some automatic camera modes can be _set manually_. (by Henry) > > **(en)** Some automatic camera modes can be _set to manual_. (by bib) > > **(en)** Some automatic camera modes can be _set to custom_. (by bib) > > **(en)** Some ~~automatic~~ camera modes can be _manually configured_. > (moidib, word _automatic_ not required) or last: > **(fr)** Certains réglages ~~automatiques~~ de l'appareil photo peuvent être > _débrayés pour être configurés manuellement_. > > **(en)** Some ~~automatic~~ camera modes can be disengaged and set manually. > (by bib) * * * About the description of my new software feature, I choose the option to change the French thinking sentence: > The software package XXX generates the files needed by the building process > (`Makefile`, `pom.xml`...). These generated files can be _customized_ > depending on your project specific requirements. Therefore, I used the concept of _customizable_ proposed by Roddy of the Frozen Peas (comment) and bib (answer). * * * All answers are valid. I have chosen the one from StoneyB because he fixed the mistake within my original French sentence - he replaced _can be_ ( _peuvent être_ ) by _are_ ( _sont_ ).


"Pair" or "couple"?

Can anyone tell me the difference between pairs or couples? Especially I need to know if you say "a pair of puffins" or "a couple of puffins" if you mean a female and male bird.


"Need just [verb]" vs. "need to just [verb]"

I wonder if it's okay to use these interchangeably: >   1. You need just accept it. >   2. You need to just accept it. >


"Place" or "venue"?

Do _place_ and _venue_ have the same meaning? If not what are the differences and when do we use which?


Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: Is there a name for this kind of punny transference?

First came John Guare's play _Six Degrees of Separation_ , which was later turned into a film. It was about the web of interconnections that binds all of humanity together. Later came the well known trivia game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, which does for actors what Guare's creation did for the rest of us. But lately more people understand the idea behind "Six Degrees of Separation" through the Kevin Bacon game. The game has supplanted the inspiration for it. Now, it seems obvious to me (though I could be wrong), that Kevin Bacon was chosen at least in part because his name metrically and phonetically rhymes with "Separation" (at least the vowels do). "Six Degrees of Jack Nicholson" or "Six Degrees of Lord Laurence Olivier" wouldn't have scanned as well (or at all). So here's my question: Is there a term that succinctly represents the transformation of a word or phrase through assonance or rhyme into another word or phrase of similar meaning, but in which the latter version becomes more well known than the original? Failing that, perhaps this falls under a larger category of word or phrase substitution. I've been trying to think of more examples, but I can't at the moment, though I am sure they exist. N.B. I am **not** asking about any "real" reason Kevin Bacon was chosen, about the origin of the game, its history or rules or any of that. That information is covered extensively elsewhere. I'm only interested in the term for such a transformation, if one exists.


I've never understood the difference between these two terms. I understand the difference between semantics and syntax, or between semantics and grammar, but I'm not sure what's the difference between the meaning of the words syntax and grammar. Crosspost @Linguistics.SE: What's the difference between grammar and syntax?


A word for picking out minor mistakes in a discussion

The act of picking out minor mistakes in a discussion, it is being "xxxxx".


"there was" versus "was"

In a Lynda.com tutorial I came across such a sentence: "In camera uploads (folder) are all the photos that I had in my iPad". Instead, I would have probably said: "In camera uploads there are ...." Is that also correct? To generalize, I put the question this way:   1. Inside the box there were five apples.    2. Inside the box were five apples. Are they synonymous? Is there a slight or bigger difference? When do we choose one over the other? According to my research, they are both valid constructions. But when I asked a native British person, he said that he would never use the second construction because it seemed odd to him. I'm pretty confident with using 1st construction, whereas I'm not sure with the second one. Maybe they are synonymous in meaning but different stylistically. If so, please confirm. And it seems to me that 1st construction is much more frequent than 2nd one. Please confirm or contradict.


A word to describe something that has a clear-cut purpose and consequently works out of the box

I'm looking for a word that would convey the idea of something that adresses a definite problem set and consequently lets you do so without much effort. Here's an example:   * Hammers are designed to drive nails   * Hammers are consequently very easy to use to achieve that exact purpose   * (And not very good at doing something else) * * * A small twist: I'm looking for words that emphasize the "designed to" aspect. For example, `appropriate` wouldn't be entirely - well - appropriate because it conveys the idea that the tool happens to fit the bill, not that it was designed with the purpose of doing so.


Is it true that only the positions of the first and last letter in a word matter, the rest can be scrambled?

I read this sometime ago, > Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabridge uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht > oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and > lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can > sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter > by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe. I'm guessing that the Cambridge research probably doesn't exist, but is it true that we can normally understand a sentence whose letters are scrambled in this way?


Difference between nouns "strip" and "stripe"

Is there a specific difference between the nouns "strip" and "stripe", especially in the context of "a strip(e) of paper"? Are both equivalent or do they carry specific meanings?


How to avoid sexist language?

I have observed that I use a lot of sexist terms; it comes naturally to me! I have resolved to be "perfectly" non-sexist from now onwards. I would like to know how to avoid sexist language.   Yes, I've googled and found a lot of useful resources.   But I am looking for suggestions based on personal experiences.


A long sentence from "The Apple Tree"

> If she had long lost the blue-eyed, flower-like charm, the cool slim purity > of face and form, the apple-blossom colouring, which had so swiftly and so > oddly affected Ashurst twenty-six years ago, she was still at forty-three a > comely and faithful companion, whose cheeks were faintly mottled, and whose > grey-blue eyes had acquired a certain fullness. I really cannot get a shot at what the above sentence means. Can anybody give an explanation?


Is it suitable to use "trump card" in scientific papers?

Suppose you improved an old method with a novel technique. Is it OK to say that it (your technique) is your trump card in paper? If not, what is your suggestion?


Phrase meaning "North, but not directly North, from here"

I have 40 characters to give hints to users about the location of a "prize" (Broken up into two lines of 20 characters.) There is some ambiguity when I send the following hint:               The prize is somewhere        North from here.      I mean to imply that any location further North than this spot can have the prize. This includes any location directly North, to the Northeast, or Northwest. But, from this spot, the prize is neither on this latitude nor any Southern location. The problem is, the majority of users interpret this clue to mean the prize is _directly_ North from here, and feel cheated when they search all locations due North and come back empty handed. How would you convey, in 40 characters or less, that the prize is North from here, but not necessarily due North?


What does this quote mean?

What does this quote mean: > Oh, beauty is a beguiling call to death and I'm addicted to the sweet pitch > of its siren." The quote is attributed to Johnny Quid in the movie _RocknRolla_.


"Boneular" vs. "bonular"

My knowledge in morphology and orthography is lacking. I would like to know how to spell the neologism _boneular_ , from _bone_ (or _Backbone_ , a programming library used for creating Web applications) and _modular_. Would it be _bonular_? Or a less likely _boneular_?


"Timeboxing" versus "time-slicing"

What is the difference between _timeboxing_ and _time-slicing_? From what I can tell, it is the same concept, but timeboxing is applied to project management and time-slicing is applied to scheduling algorithms. Would it be wrong to talk about timeboxing a process?


Is there a noun for a used credit token?

It's possible to informally use the word _credit_ to mean a token that can be exchanged for something. Is there a noun that means a used credit token?


"Is there anything else we could/ will have done?"

What is the difference in meaning in these two sentences? > Is there anything else we _will_ have done?   >  Is there anything else we _could_ have done?


Text vs. audio representations of words

**"Word"**   This can refer to at least three things:   1. A textual representation of a ___   2. A sonic representation of ___   3. ___ , the superconcept containing 1 & 2. What are specific...words for each of these concepts?


Is there any difference between "has gone" and "went" in this context?

Is there any difference between these two sentences? > Mirek went to Europe on business.   >  Mirek has gone to Europe on business.


Where did Somerset get its name?

A person speaking right now on the BBC Radio 4 'PM' programme has just asserted, following the extreme rainfall, that Somerset got its name from the fact, in pre-Roman times, that it was only fit for habitation in summer. Is there any substance in this?


Ever wonder why the waiter at the restaurant you went to last week is now giving you dirty looks. Well, perhaps you didn't leave them a tip! Then, the question is: What is a person who never leaves a tip called? A bit of searching come up with "penny-pincher" ("unwilling to spend money"), but I'm unsure this is the best choice in this case.


What's the negation of "I used to be"? Surely not "I didn't used to be"?

What is the negative form of _"I used to be"_? I often hear _"I didn't used to be"_ but that sounds awfully wrong in my ears.


Making question and negative form with "used to"

According to the various grammar books that I have read, the question and negative , with "used to" starting with "did" has two forms. One for example is "Did he used to smoke Cigars?" and the other is "Did he use to smoke cigars?". I would just like to know which form is correct and widely used.


What is the proper tense for the negation of "used to"?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  What’s the negation of “I used to be”? Surely not “I didn’t used to be”? Should I say I "didn't used to" do something? Or "didn't use to"?


Didn't you USED TO or Didn't you USE TO?

I was somehow confused encountering this sentence: Didn't you USED TO work with Annie at Macy's?. Should we use USE TO here since we are using Did which needs the base form of the verb.


What part of speech are articles before possessive adjectives?

Today I was diagramming a sentence when I noticed something that confused me. I had a sentence that was basically like this: > A parent's greatest concern is rearing his children correctly. "Concern" is obviously the noun there, with "parent's" and "greatest" as adjectives modifying it, but what is "a"? It's an article which I thought were always adjectives, but it looks like it's modifying "parent's", which would have to make it an adverb since you can't stack adjectives, right? What is it? Can articles be adverbs if they're modifying possessive adjectives? Do you just stack adjectives for some reason? Does it somehow modify the subject "concern" for some reason?


"tear apart" or "rip apart" packaging?

What's the best verb to express that I opened the packaging of a product by tearing it off? Tear apart the packaging? Rip the packaging? Or is there any better verb or phrase to be used?