Meaning of 'The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed'

According to M. Navratilova > "The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The > chicken is involved; the pig is committed." Alas, I was not able to understand the above quote, then I consulted the ODE, which says: > Involvement: The fact or condition of being involved with or participating > in something. > > Commitment: The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, > etc. But, after reading those definitions, I still don't understand. So, what do they mean 'chichen is involved' and 'pig is committed'? ![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/5nzFQ.jpg)


Should I use a question mark when the second independent clause of my sentence is not a question?

Is it appropriate to use a question mark at the end of a compound sentence where the first independent clause is a question but the second is a statement? For example: > Do you want attribution for that quotation, because I'm definitely sharing > it and want to know if I should give you credit? or > Do you want attribution for that quotation, because I'm definitely sharing > it and want to know if I should give you credit. I suppose this could work, but it's a little niche, as the second clause might not always be appropriate for a parenthetical. > Do you want attribution for that quotation (because I'm definitely sharing > it and want to know if I should give you credit)?


What’s the meaning of ‘tickled them in exactly the right place’?

In the sentence, what’s the meaning of ‘tickled them in exactly the right place’? > There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping > ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; > some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then > there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or **tickled > them in exactly the right place** , and doors that weren't really doors at > all, but solid walls just pretending.


Can ‘as’ be the object of a preposition?

In the sentence, can ‘as’ be the object of preposition? > I understand what it is to have a blended family. I can empathize with > people who've lost loved ones. I think that's part of our experience of > learning from **as** when we overcome things like that. This was uttered during a monologue in this YouTube video. (You can find her saying this between 2:56 and 3:07).


Adjective antonym of "discriminate"

In biology, hierarchical clustering is used to separate studied samples into different groups, thus if successful, the clustering criteria can be seen to "discriminate" between group A vs. B. I am stuck trying to find an appropriate word to convey that two samples are so similar that they are " _indiscriminable_ ". It appears as that's not a word featured in dictionaries. I have tried " _indiscernable_ " and that doesn't sound right either, neither does " _inseparable_ ". What is a good adjective to use in this case? Should I try to rephrase my sentence? * * * PS: Please consider that this question refers to academic writing (in other words, "formal register" only).


Connotations of Letter 'X'

In the English language, the letter _X_ has a connotation of mystery, intrigue, or excitement. Examples:   * _Planet X_ : A theoretical planet of mysterious origin, or an unknown planet. [ **Edit** : Bad example, the X here refers to Roman numeral 10.]   * _Mr. X_ : A person remaining intentionally anonymous   * _X-Factor_ : What makes something unique or exciting.   * _Xylophone_ : Possibly the most exciting of all instruments, begins with _X_. [ ** _Author's note_** : Meant to be humorous, but apparently only to me] How did this come about? What made _X_ the grapheme of choice, instantly recognizable as carrying this meaning? As a linguist, I could see it being how the grapheme _X_ is the only reverse digraph in the English language, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't apply to the general populace. Another idea is that there are some cool sounding Latin phrases with the preposition _Ex_ , e.g. _Ex nihil nihil fit_ , "from nothing comes nothing", or _Deus ex machina_ , "God from the Machine" (a literary device). I recognize, however, that the popularity of these could be a byproduct of the connotation of _X_ and not the other way around.


Should I use a colon or semicolon?

Which of the following punctuations is more appropriate? > Strict liability serves to uphold the rights of individuals: in this case, > the rights of the neighbor to the security of his property. or > Strict liability serves to uphold the rights of individuals; in this case, > the rights of the neighbor to the security of his property.


What is the difference between "get it over" and "get over it"?

I was wondering if there are grammatical differences between "get it over" and "get over it"? If "over" is an adverb, "it" as a pronoun must be between "get" and "over", which is what I learned from grammar; so in "get over it", "over" must be a preposition?


Is "farewell reception" correct?

I was recently invited to a "farewell reception," a gathering to celebrate a couple who are soon leaving the community. And it occurred to me that "farewell reception" is an oxymoron. Is "reception" used correctly here. Is there a better word?


"My interest in becoming" vs. "my interest to become"

I was writing a letter of application for a university. I wanted to start my letter by writing: > I am writing this letter to express my interest in becoming part... and then I got confused. I am not sure how the last part of that sentence should be. >   * ...in becoming part... >   * ...to become part... > What is the semantic difference between the two variants?


To draw the synthesis?

Can I draw a (or the) synthesis of something? (In a dialectical sense.) What would be alternatives if I wanted to use synthesis?


Pronunciation of double consonants

How do you pronounce double consonants in American English? For example:   * Daddy - Do you say "Da-di", "Dad-di" or "Dad-i"?    * Mommy - Do you say "Ma-mi", "Mam-mi" or "Mam-i"?   * Swimming - "swi-ming", "swim-ming" or "swim-ing"? I try to listen but I can’t catch it. Are there any rules to pronounce double consonants? By the way, I'd to know more about syllabic-boundary of double consonants. For example, I read two dictionaries online. For "Mommy" one pronounces "Ma-mi" and another one pronounces "Mam-i". It makes me confused. Can we say both? But when I hear by myself it looks like "Mam-mi", can I say that too? And about "butter" (it's interesting) which EnabledZombie wrote that it is pronounced "budder" (two Ds) but I saw in a dictionary, it wrote that it has to be pronounced "bud.er". There is only one D. How are they different? Or does it share "d" between 2 syllabics?


In my example, can I remove the word--"that"?

This suggests that the current MLDA is not effective. However, the estimates in this paper challenge that claim and show that the effects of the current MLDA is statistically significant in all cases we observe. This suggests that the current MLDA is not effective. However, the estimates in this paper challenge that claim and show that the effects of the current MLDA is statistically significant in all cases **that** we observe.


Synonym of 'election' with less political meaning

I will give some details regarding how I am going to use it. It has to go along good with the word 'room'. Consider a game where players (in a special room) vote upon a list of activities which they will do next. (activities are suggested and voted on by the players). 'Election room' or 'Vote room' remind me (and the people who have tested it with these names) too much of politics in real world. Basically what I am looking for is something with as little message other than 'you choose' as possible. Cheers


Pronunciation problem

I am from India. I am very eager to learn English. So I am used to add some English words with my language. But My friends says that you are having problem with your pronunciation. I tried a lot of times to pronounce well still I failed to pronounce. What should I do to pronounce English well? Kindly help me to overcome this problem.


Word for code/applications that call an API library

I have an API library, what do I call code/applications that use it? I want to avoid "client" because in my context, it is ambiguous with another concept. Also it doesn't have to be a single word, as long as it's short and not awkward to repeat a lot of times in a formal document.


'Hot water heater' versus 'Water heater'

I've heard ' _Hot water heater_ ' and ' _Water heater_ ' being used interchangeably to refer to an appliance which generates a supply of heated water. The wording of ' _Hot water heater_ ' feels redundant, as heaters usually make things hot. Is this phrase grammatically correct?


Word for "butting in on the Net"

I'm not sure if **rubbernecking** is the term I should be using, but what do you call the act of commenting on an Internet discussion, just for the sake of letting other people know that you want to butt in, but not actually add anything to the discussion. An example of this would be watching a heated argument on Facebook and you adding a comment, "Pass the popcorn", which is pretty annoying and does not actually add anything to the discussion.


What are the differences between "has" vs "has been"?

In past tense when is it better to use one over the other? _has been [verb]_ vs _has [verb]_ For example: > _**Your order has been shipped_** vs. **_Your order has shipped_** Is there a difference between the two?


"Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back"

Does the phrase "satisfaction guaranteed or your money back" make any sense from a grammatical standpoint?


Do two sentences below have the same meaning?

the voltage is higher than the amplifier required * * * the voltage is higher than it was required by amplifier


Etymology and meaning of "When does the narwhal bacon?"

There's a meme on reddit where the users tend to ask, > When does the narwhal bacon? The only correct answer to that question is > At midnight. What is the etymology and the meaning of this question?


"Background" or "basics" for the chapter title in my thesis

Is there a difference between _background_ and _basics_ when it comes to a thesis, in my case computer science, where the essentials are explained so the reader can understand the implications and argumentation in the following chapters? I am not sure which I should choose; I've seen both, but _background_ is used many times more.


Alternative terms for meaning "wake up"

What other terms or expressions can be used to say "wake up", either slang or not? I have read about "quake up", but as English is not my natural language I am not sure of how used is this expression. Can you list other expressions?


Best word for health problems

What is the best word for pain and health problems caused by a disease? I want to use it as term for a collection of symptoms, that I gather.   For example: [ _headache_ , _stomachache_ , _nausea_ ]   but without a diagnosis which disease caused it In German I use the word _Beschwerden_ for this. I checked different online translators, which gave these options: _discomfort, afflictions, ailment, disorders, complaints_ and _trouble_. But I think _complaints_ is mainly used when someone is disagreeing with something, right? By the way, when should I use the plural form? UPDATE:   I found these dictionary entries:   http://search.medicinenet.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?Searchwhat=1&query=complaints&I1=Search   http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/complaints?s=ts   http://www.merriam-webster.com/medlineplus/complaint   http://www.medilexicon.com/medicaldictionary.php?t=19380 Does this mean I can still use complaints?


"is to" or "is how to"?

Is it better to say "is to" or "is how to"? For example: > A challenging problem is to analyse the runtime effects. or should it be: > A challenging problem is how to analyse the runtime effects. Also, I know that it would sound more natural if I structured the sentence as "Analysing the runtime effects is a challenging problem.", but I want to emphasise that I am stating the challenges this way. I tried searching for similar questions, but I couldn't find any (kind of tough terms to search for).


Usage of the word "coordinated" in a professional report

Which is a more apt way of using the word coordinated in the given context:   1. I thank Mr. XYZ, who coordinated with me on the project. OR   2. I thank Mr. XYZ, with whom I coordinated on the project. Note that the sentence should relay prime importance to the author.


Which is the right word to ask if this will create problem on a professional tone

I'm drafting a mail to my team informing them that I'm taking leave on some day and that I want to know if this will create problems or friction in working. I used > I’ll will be taking leave on June 18th (wednesday), please let me know if > this _might_ cause any inconvenience to business operations. I'm not sure if this is correct, as the word _'might'_ seems out of order. I replaced it with _could_ , _will_ , and _can_ , but I'm still not sure which to choose.


Order of pronouns and proper names in a sentence

Which is correct? > Because he reads, Bob knows a lot. or: > Because Bob reads, he knows a lot. Assuming the former, the follow-up question is, what happens with "when", "as", "after" and other conjunctions? Are these also correct? > As she read the letter, Alice smiled.   >  When she heard the news, Alice called Bob.   >  After she ate, Alice went for a walk.


Single word for person entitled to receive a sales commission

I need a fairly specific single word for a person who is entitled to receive a sales commission. "Agent" for example isn't specific enough. A short phrase is also usable. Adjectives ditto. The underlying field is accounting. This is actually for use as a database table name, which is why it needs to be fairly specific, but it's an English language question all right ;-)


To One's Betrayal

I couldn't quite make out this segment in a long sentence: **_Dad at some celebration where the Comrade President pinned on him a medal for services to the Communists’ betrayal ;_** Dad in the book is an official of the Communist Party. Could this "to one's betrayal" be of a similar structure to the phrase "to one's surprise" and thus forming an expression? "services" and "betrayal" are quite the opposite. Does this imply that awarding one a medal is not quite Communistic, thus constitutes "betrayal" according to the author? Or should "the Communists' betrayal" be considered as a mass noun referring to people who betrayed Communism? Thank you very much! Here is the full sentence and more context: _I took out the box of photographs and selected some with Dad on them, both alone and with us. Dad as a young man and in old age; Dad in a blue shirt and red scarf wielding a pickaxe on some socialist labour brigade; Dad at the rostrum; Dad at some celebration where the Comrade President pinned on him a medal for services to the Communists’ betrayal ; Dad just before his death._ \--Evan Klima, _No Saints Or Angels_


What is the correct Latinate prefix for honey-eaters?

In English, a vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy products can be referred to as an _ovo-lacto vegetarian_. By the same token, could a person who eats honey but is otherwise vegan be meaningfully called a _mell-vegan_?


Why do we use an article for "the mind," "the heart," or "the soul"?

A student of mine came across a website titled "Music for the Mind" and asked why we use a definite article. We are not talking about a specific mind. We also use definite articles to talk about "The heart," "The soul".


Is "since so long" correct?

> Because of our negligence towards the issue since so long, ... Am I using this correctly? I want to convey something like _1-2 months ago_ or _since around September_.


"Yet" to imply negative?

> Yet few colleges and universities have taken sufficient account... Does the sentence above imply a negative/opposite meaning? e.g: > Few colleges and universities haven't taken sufficient account...


When do we use 'revision' as a countable noun?

'Revision' might be countable or uncountable. I am a little bit confused.


What is the error called when two letters are mistakenly swapped?

Generally this may be called _typo_ but when particularly two letters of a word are mistakenly swapped, what is this error called? Some examples: > teh > the   >  fromat > format   >  comptuer > computer


Old-fashioned use of "because"

In books written in the nineteenth century, you can come across sentences like this (quoting from Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary): > _A Pilgrim Father was one who, leaving Europe in 1620 **because** not > permitted to sing psalms through his nose, followed it_ [the pilgrim] _to > Massachusetts, where he could personate God according to the dictates of his > conscience._ Another well-known writer in whose works I'm certain I found this kind of usage is Jane Austen. I'm not sure I understand this usage.


Should I use a period at the end of a headline?

I am working on copywriting for my website, and am wondering whether or not I should use periods at the end of my headlines. The headlines will probably be used both as headlines for news articles, and as calls-to-action in a marketing sense to promote the new features of the website. So I am curious both as to whether it is "proper" to use periods, as well as if there is incentive for or against it in terms of marketing and persuasive writing. An expert opinion? :)


What is the opposite of "enroll"?

_Deenroll_? _Unenroll_? I understand words like _cancel_ and _resign_ would work, but is there an appropriate antonym with "enroll" in it?


Was your fender "stove-in" after your car was hit by that truck?

Is _stove-in_ — smashed inward — an archaic expression? Is it a regional expression? I was speaking with someone from my hometown (Salem, MA), and he used the word during our conversation. Made me think about regional language quirks. Any ideas out there?


Expression for "a regular bencher" in sports?

How would one describe a player in a team that is not playing much, and is usually just on the bench for most of the games?


Which one is grammatically correct? Why?

I've a quick question about grammar within a sentence. I'd also like to know why it is like that if someone could provide an answer. Which one is correct? >   * Along with fishing, _I enjoy frequently writing._ While the ... >   * Along with fishing, _I frequently enjoy writing._ While the ... >   * Along with fishing, _I enjoy writing frequently._ While the ... >


How do you decline nouns borrowed from languages with several categories for declining nouns (or none at all)?

English has two grammatical categories of number. One is the singular, and the other is the plural. Many nouns in English have different singular and plural forms. When nouns are borrowed from other languages into English, the plural form in the source language comes with it (at least sometimes). However, not all languages have the same grammatical number categories that English has. I think that some don't decline at all for number. Some have more categories, like the dual and the trial[1]. If you import a noun from a language with more categories, do you use any different dual, trial, etc. forms that the noun has in the source language? What about if you import a noun from a language that doesn't have grammatical number? Do you decline it for number using English's "default" -s/-es scheme? This is mostly or entirely contrived (currently, anyway).   1. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_number#Types_of_number


Is there a name for the parts that are connected by a conjunction?

For example, the parts of a sentence that a preposition operates on are called "prepositional objects". I was wondering if there's a name for the parts that are connected by a conjunction? E.g. in "apples and oranges", would we say "apple" and "orange" are the _objects_ of "and"?


What does "to give out" mean when talking about a person?

Billy Joel, in the song She's Always a Woman, writes, > Oh, and she never gives out, and she never gives in. She just changes her > mind. I understand that by "give in" he means "cease fighting or arguing; admit defeat." What does he mean by "she never gives out"? The only meaning of this phrase that I am familiar with is "be completely used up," but that doesn't seem to make sense here.


Does Old Mother Hubbard rhyme?

> Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard,   >  To give the poor dog a bone:   >  When she came there, the cupboard was bare,   >  And so the poor dog had none.   > It's always bothered me that "bone" doesn't rhyme with "none", especially since the other verses in the poem seem to try harder to rhyme the 2nd and 4th lines. The third verse is worse: > She went to the undertaker's   >  To buy him a coffin;   >  When she came back   >  The dog was laughing.   > Is this a case of a shift in pronunciation? Or does it simply not rhyme? (Or, does it rhyme, but only in certain accents?)


Word or phrase for the state in the morning after drunkenness

I am looking for the (slang) phrase or equivalent of the word _drunkenness_ which contains the word _dog_. I mean the state of someone in the morning after the hard drunkenness.


Is "habitated" a word?

I couldn't find it in multiple dictionaries, but have seen it used by several people. However, I do not know if this is just due to the word "sounding right", or from the word actually existing. Does anyone know if this a real word, and how one would go about finding out if it would be a real word?


Using "reachable" instead of "available"

Is it possible to use _reachable_ as a replacement for _available_? I noticed that some dictionaries don't have the former term in their database. Is there any origin for this word?


Americans can eat Chinese, but Chinese can't eat Americans?

No offence!! Please take it just for knowledge. I heard one of my friends saying **Americans can eat Chinese but Chinese can't eat Americans**. He said so for fun, and everybody was just laughing. But I want to know how the English language comes into the picture. One thing, I guess, is that there is a game of plurals. Where Chinese in singular and plural has same letters, but not American? P.S Of course, it was about Chinese food.


What is the outcome of an evaluation?

As I understand an evaluation is the process. But what is the outcome? Or is evaluation both, the process and the outcome?


Is there a word for 'love letter'?

Some types of _letters_ -- i.e., messages that you write on a piece of paper and send to someone -- have their own name. In fact, for example, we call 'note' a short letter to someone, 'rejection' a letter that tells you that you did not get a job or were not accepted by a school, 'response' a reply to any question or letter, and so on. Even a letter sent regularly to members of an organization, containing news, has a name, 'newsletter', which is, as in the cases already mentioned, a single word. That being said, my question is, is there a single word which one can use to refer to a 'love letter' -- i.e., 'a letter telling someone how much you love them'?


How to cite a play with no line numbers?

First off, this may not be an appropriate question for this site. I'm not sure. But I'm kind of in a hole and I'd really appreciate some help with this. I need to integrate a quotation from _A Raisin in the Sun_. But, it doesn't have line numbers. The manual I use (Diana Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual, 6th Edition) says it should be something like this: blah blah happens when he/she says "blah blahdee blahdee blah"(1.2.48-49) With the parantheses being (act.scene.line-numbers). It also gives an example for if there are no parts or line numbers; it says to cite the page. But, this has parts, but not line numbers. What do I do since there are no line numbers?


small sense of joy/novelty from shared (http) links

I know I saw a word a few years ago used to describe _the small sense of joy/novelty/excitement we exchange when we send/receive cool links with others_. Now, I can't recall the word, or where I saw it. I am not sure whether it was a repurposed word, or a neologism. I have a feeling it may be related to frisson, but this feeling hasn't helped me find the word I'm looking for, despite searching several times over the past two years (and as such may be a red herring).


Using diacritics in new-formed words

There is some historical usage of diacritics in English, like _naïve_ , _résumé_ or even _façade_. I've been once told that these are used to mark a different spelling, and it may be used like in _coöperative_ instead of _co- operative_ to split the 'oo'. I've checked with Wikipedia: > The main use of diacritical marks in the Latin script is to change the > sound-value of the letter to which they are added. Examples from English are > the diaereses in naïve and Noël, which show that the vowel with the > diaeresis mark is pronounced separately from the preceding vowel; Such a situation frequently happens in word formation, where joining a prefix that ends with a vowel and a word that starts with one. For example: _coinduction_ , _preimage_ , _prainvention_ , etc. Normally one could use a hyphen, but that might be undesirable, and without anything words like _bioracle_ (joining bi- and -oracle, whatever that would mean) could be understood as bio-rackle (I'm sure there are better examples). For example, _co-op_ is sometimes written _coöp_ , stretching it, _bioracle_ could be written _biöracle_ (I admit, it does not look good). I know this is not a real issue, as most prefixes are known and it is possible to recover the source given context. However, technically, is this correct? To give a more concrete motivation, would it be plausible that in some future version of English (e.g. in a novel) such use of diacritics would be more frequent?


'engaged in developing' or 'engaged in the development of'?

> XXX is engaged in **developing** and **commercializing** therapies for the > treatment of Alzheimer's patients. or > XXX is engaged in the **development** and **commercialization** of therapies > for the treatment of cancer patients. I want to know which one of these sentences is grammatically correct, pertaining to the use of a continuous verb after _engaged in_. Is there a difference between the two sentences?


Which is easily understandable?

[missing words here]would be utilized in the best possible way to achieve the goals of your organization, **while at the same time continuing to develop and gain experience.** [missing words here]would be utilized in the best possible way to achieve the goals of your organization, **while further developing and gaining experience.**


An antonym for "usability"?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is there another way of saying 'user-unfriendly'? Regarding the usability of some sort of system (whether soft- or hardware), what would be a good (and established!) word to express that something lacks usability. The best I could come up with was "non-usability" but I believe there existed an actual antonym.


"The word has a negative tone to it"- why "to it"?

Why do we use "to it" at the end of a sentence of this kind? > **A.** The word has a negative tone _to it_   >  **B.** The word has a negative tone Does **A.** indicate a focus on the intrinsic nature of the negative tone being talked about, or is it just unnecessary fluff at the end of a sentence? Do these two sentences have the same meaning? What is the term for this type of usage? Is it the same as when one says, "She has an air _about her_ " or "There's a sadness _to it_ "?


What does “I can just about stand learning something” mean?

I came across the phrase, “ _I can just about stand learning the filthy lingo_ it’s written in,” in the following sentence in the article titled “The Dragon’s Egg – High fantasy for young adults” appearing in The New Yorker magazine’s December 5 issue. > “Incoherent and often inaudible” was Kingsley Amis’s verdict on his teacher > (Oxford Professor, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien). Tolkien, he reported, would > write long lists of words on the blackboard, obscuring them with his body as > he droned on, then would absent-mindedly erase them without turning around. > “ _I can just about stand learning the filthy lingo it’s written in_ ,” > Philip Larkin, another Tolkien student, complained about the old man’s > lectures on “Beowulf.” I don’t understand what “ _I can just about stand learning the filthy lingo_ it’s written in,” mean. Is “can (be able to) about stand + gerund” a popular idiom or set phrase?


Is there a word for a verb which requires an adverb or prep. phrase in order to make sense?

_Put_ is the one I'm thinking of. It is always transitive, but even with a direct object, it still makes no sense without an adverb or prepositional phrase. > I put it _somewhere_. > > I put it _on the shelf_. > > I put it _down_. But never: > I put it. Is there a word for this kind of verb, and can anyone think of more like this?


"Known unknown" vs. "unknown known"

I was recently reading a review of Donald Rumsfeld's autobiography. The reviewer cited one of his famous phrases; he quoted it as "unknown known." Now my memory was that the phrase Rumsfeld used was "known unknown" not "unknown known" and it got me wondering: is there a difference in meaning between the two?


Does "What Have You Say" Mean the same as "What Have You"?

I have been listening to the commentaries to "Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers". I've just heard Grant Major say, > The horses were acquired, other than our own stable of horses, en masse, > from the farms that were around the place, pony clubs and _what have you > say_. This appears to be used in the same way that I might use "and what have you". Is this the same meaning? I believe Mr. Major is from New Zealand, as this was a New Zealand production.


Genesis of the phrase "life and times"

Commonly used in the formula _The life and times of ..._


Term for graphical representation of sound

![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/s6ys8.jpg) What is this called? How do we say _oscillogram of the sound_ in one word?


Word for "measured quantity"

What is a word which refers to any number of items that exist as measured quantities in something? This is like _measurand_ , similar to how _operand_ is some kind of _modifier_ to an overall o.


Using "and" with names that have "and" in them

> I taught him Microprocessor and Interfacing and Professional Ethics. Here _Microprocessor and Interfacing_ is the first subject, and _Professional Ethics_ is the second. The same professor taught me these two subjects. What is the proper way to write this sentence?


Need Help Understanding the Meaning of Certain Topics in a Writing Contest

**A questioner, @SyedSahl, attempted to present a question that many EL &U users thought unclear. Here I present my understanding of his question and my own answer. It goes like this:** I wish to write an entry for a writing contest. The contest requires a piece of 2,000 words, and gives the following four themes or topics that I may choose to write on. But because English is not my mother tongue, I am having difficulty understanding the topic "sentences". The topics are:   * The Meaning of Me    * Paved or Unpaved Ways   * Because This is What Matters, and    * The Bravest Place on Earth.  I am particularly mystified by the second one, "Paved and Unpaved Ways." Please help me by explaining what you think these topic titles mean, and what you think they are asking for.


Can the passive "to be amazed" be active?

I'm trying to find a way to write a sentence with active language where a character is amazed by something _without_ making the something the subject of the sentence. For example: > "Adam opened the door and was amazed to see Sarah." Is there some way to craft this sentence where Adam _amazes_ or something? Though, if Adam _amazes_ then he's the one doing the amazing and Sarah would be amazed. I'm trying to find a way for Adam to be the one who is amazed, but with a different word that I can use in the active voice. > "Adam opens the door and X to see Sarah," Where X is the word I'm looking for. Help!


Is there any connection between “machination” and Machiavelli?

Is there any connection between the term _machination_ and the writer Niccolò Machiavelli or is it just a coincidence that they are so similar? It seems logical because aside from having similar spellings, the terms _Machiavellian_ and _machination_ both mean cleverly sneaky and shrewdly planning. However, my research has been inconclusive and I cannot find a reference that _machination_ derives from the writer (or any first-usage dates for that matter). Here are the points for and against it:   * For an etymology:     * Identical meanings     * Similar spellings     * First known usage of _machination_ is 15th century which coincides nicely with Machiavelli’s lifetime (1469-1527) and spread of work     * The term _Machiavellian_ became popular in the 16th century, so it was not long after his death that people were know to start coining words in reference to him and his style   * For just a coincidence:     * Cannot find any references to Machiavelli being the etymology     * Some sources refer to a Latin root: machinatio So is there any connection, are they cognates, or is it just a big amusing coincidence?


Why does a verbose person talk "nineteen to the dozen"?

Though it is by no means common, I've heard this expression multiple times recently, and I'm wondering why it isn't "eighteen" to the dozen, or "thirteen", or "twenty". Where did "nineteen" come from?


Why is "you all" contracted to "y'all" and not "you'll"?

Is you'll also valid in the context of this video? Or is viper just setting new rules down in the English language?


Is complimentative a word?

Is 'complimentative' a word? There are a bunch of definitions online but I couldn't find it in the British National Corpus or the OED (from searching oxforddictionaries.com). Does this mean I should avoid it in academia/formal writing?


Religious sense of "minister"

Why would _minister_ be a function name for both a member of the government and a clergyman? Is the religious usage of _minister_ restricted to Protestantism or did it already occur in Latin? Are there other domains where the word _minister_ could be used?


Usage and example of the word “litotes”

I've come across the word _litotes_ , which means a rhetorical understatement. However, I’m having trouble understanding how to use it in colloquial English. Could someone please give an example?


cool vs cold (which can be used to express the temperature)

which word can we use to say that temperature ? example 1 - its too **cool** over here, example 2 - its too **cold** over here, i have heard that cold means too much cool but would like to know whether is correct or not. tnx


What does “T-securities” mean?

I came across the word _T-securities_ in the following comment of one of readers to the article of the Time magazine (April 19) titled “Don’t worry about the U.S. debt. - The world too vested in America to quit now.” > The debt growth could end tomorrow, if the government simply stopped > creating _T-securities_. Why would a government with the unlimited ability > to create dollars, need to borrow those dollars? Michael, please, try to > learn and understand Monetary Sovereignty. As far as I’ve checked, no dictionary including online dictionaries has entry of the word _T-securities_. Although I guess it means "U.S. Treasury securities," I’m not sure. Can anyone tell me what it presents for? Is this a new abbreviation? As I said, I cant find this word in any dictinaries.


Etymology of "snob"

Some dictionaries mention an origin involving shoemakers... But I can't say the link is straightforward, really.


How to use [sic] at the end of a quote?

The OpenStreetMap Sign Up page advises new users on its password policy: > With OpenID a password is not required, but some extra tools or server [sic] > may still need one. I've added `[sic]` immediately after the error in the middle of the sentence. When I read the sentence, I immediately thought "Which extra tools or servers need a password?" How do I express this while quoting the original text, so that I may bring attention to the error? Do I put `[sic]` inside the quote like this: > Which "extra tools or server [sic]" need a password? Or put it outside the quote like this: > Which "extra tools or server" [sic] need a password? Or do something else? (Would it be petty to call out a small error in this way?)


What do you call these area outside premises for employees to hang out?

Some business premises have these small areas just outside the building that employees can go during break to sit, smoke, and hang out. It has benches or picnic tables, garbage cans, and a cover for protection from rain, etc. What do you call these areas? Is there a name for them?


"Neither them nor us" vs "Neither they nor we"

Which is correct? "Neither them nor us went to the show." or "Neither they nor we went to the show." I think the second because Neither is the subject and so it should be in the nominative.


Opposite of expanded?

I am looking for the word to use when saying the opposite of `expanded/expand/expansion` etc... Here is an example of how I want to use the word: > In the summer the wood expanded, now it is winter and the wood ( ** ___ > _**). Also if there are other antonyms for `expand` please let me know. Thanks in advance.


Gigolo is to man  as  what is to woman?

The _American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language_ (Fourth Edition) reads: > _gigolo_ , n. A _man_ who has a continuing sexual relationship with and > receives financial support from a _woman_. Is there an English word `[X]` which fits the following definition? > `[X]`, n. A _woman_ who has a continuing sexual relationship with and > receives financial support from a _man_.


What is the difference between these conditionals?

It's often said that non-native speakers have a poor understanding of the English tenses. I'm not one to disagree, but on the whole I've always thought tenses weren't that hard, until I got to the conditionals and the subjunctive. Since trying to learn a bit more about them, I've gotten really lost. At this point, I'm trying to understand the differences between these four _"constructions"_ :   1. If ever there were to be held a vote on X     2. If ever there was to be held a vote on X     3. If ever one were to hold a vote on X     4. If ever we'd (decide to) hold a vote on X For clarity: I'll be refering to these examples as _"constructions"_ , when I mention an _"action"_ , I'm talking about the verb or word group that follows the auxiliary verb(s). In the examples, the action, then, is _to hold a vote_.   I'm thinking these constructions are expressing four different things:   1. Whatever follows this, will deal with the outcome of this hypothetical action. Even so, the action is likely never to take place. Something like: _"If ever there were to be held a vote on the intelligence of sheep, The international community would really think we've lost the plot"_.    2. This , to me, expresses that at some point in time, it would have been possible for the action to take place, but it didn't. Though the rest of the sentence deals with the run-up to that action in a sort of know-it-all, historian trying to put things into context sort of way. _"If ever there was to be an all-out nuclear war, the Cuba crises was when that would've happend, and people were truly terrified."_   3. Simply expressing something that is, in theory possible, but will never become reality. The action is either tedious, requires too much effort or authority you don't have: _"If one were to get every able bodied person to jump down on the ground at the same time, the resulting earthquake would be massive"_   4. Same as 3, only in this case, it would be possible to undertake the action, but either its outcome is considered a given, or it's possible that the result of that action is something one would avoid, so it's never going to happen. It's a phrase that a politician might say: _"If ever we'd hold a vote on our raising taxes, people would be livid, we'd get the first unanimous result in democratic history and never get re-elected again"_ I'd like to know if I'm completely wrong here, and what these conditionals mean to the native speakers. Some sort of reliable on-line resource on the matter would be most helpful, too.


Paraphrasing a context

![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/fuyEg.png) What I can infer from the passage is, about about taking the possession by military force. Is it right? The above writing seems arduous to me to comprehend. I want to paraphrase it clearly but failed to understand the gist. Can you show me the easy path to get the passage explicitly?


Is there a list of words coined by authors such as Shakespeare?

There are some lists of words coined by specific authors, but what I'd like to find, if it exists, is a meta-list of words coined by canonical authors (Shakespeare, Milton, etc). At the very least, is there a list (preferably online somewhere) of Milton's coinages?


"S'il vous plaît" = "If you please"?

In Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot detective stories, Poirot uses the phrase _“if you please”_ a lot. Does this come from the French phrase _“s’il vous plaît”_?


What is the difference between Philanthropy and Philanthropism?

In a the context of a paper, there's a paragraph-title: "Philanthropism in American culture", I'm in general only familiar with the word _philanthropy_ , hence I'm not sure what an appropriate title would be.


What does the expression "to add another dimension to the situation" mean?

Does the expression "to add another dimension to the situation" imply that the situation has become more complex? In Arabic we would say something like "adds another dimension to the situation that has become more complex". But I know English tends to be very economic and implicit. So if I wanted to express that idea, would "adds another dimension to the situation" be enough? Or do I have to say that the situation has become more complex?


"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." Albert Einstein?

This is a quote commonly attributed to Albert Einstein, "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." However in searching for an actual attribution, I've found that there is some disagreement as to whether or not Einstein actually said this, something close to this which was then paraphrased, or nothing like this at all. Did Einstein actually say this?


Is this sentence "There are highly-compact places such as inside a vehicle" grammatically acceptable?

Or do I have to say "There are highly-compact places such as the inside of a vehicle"? Can "inside a vehicle" together be regarded as a noun? Please explain.


Beneath/Behind his innocent looks, he is an aggressive person/ lies an aggressive person

> [Beneath/Behind] his innocent looks, [he is/lies] an aggressive person Is there a better way to frame this sentence and are there better adjectives?


Is there a better term than "technology"?

I already started quite a fruitful discussion about the term _methodology_ over here, but today's topic is the term _technology_. Whenever words end in _-logy_ , my brain links them to the field of epistemology, because it does not primarily care about the thing itself, but more about the logic behind the thing. Wikipedia gives a good explanation how the meaning of the word _technology_ changed in the last 200 years, and mentions the German term _Technik_ which does not have an English equivalent, at least in the form where _Technik_ stands for the material item and not the method of doing things to create the item. Is there a more correct term than _technologies_ for grouping items that require knowledge of techniques (technology) to be created? E.g., what would be a more correct term to use instead of _technologies_ in the following sentence? > The Internet, planes, cars and mobile phones are technologies that shaped > the 20/21st century.


a word for "want you to be"; as in "want to [word] you"

> being deferential to authority is what they want to **teach** you > > being deferential to authority is what they want you to be (correct but not > beautiful) The second version is more correct but I want an `X you` form. What is a simple verb to replace teach?


Do the tug of war rules have a typo? ("Or" vs. "nor")

The Official Tug of War Rules (link is PDF, here is Google quickview link) say: > The rope must not be less than 10 centimetres (100 mm), **or** more than > 12.5 centimetres (125 mm) in circumference... Since it's declaring a negation, shouldn't it be nor?


Describing "not knowing what to do" (as a response to an unexpected event that happened)?

Is there a good word or a great expression that describes not knowing what to do (as a response to an unexpected event that happened)? > _Something uncanny happened_ , and I do not know what to do. > > A raccoon drank my cup of tea on the table (and there was still some tea > left in the cup). I do not know what to do. > > My mom told me that my father is actually me who will travel back in time > later and marry her and then procreate with her. I do not know what to do. > > Dr Perhaps called himself _perhaps_ and perhaps not surprisingly it was > perhaps his real name. So when Dr Perhaps asked me "Would you perhaps make a > guess on what perhaps my real name is?", I do not know what to do. * * * Mr Loy suggested the word "lost" to be used and I looked it up in the dictionary only to discover that > **Lost** (of a person) very confused or insecure or in great difficulties: > she stood there clutching a drink, feeling completely lost | I'd be lost > without her And that I think it's a bit different from not knowing what to do. But strangely it has the definition of "not knowing what to do" too. However I think when "lost" is used most people will assume it to be an indication of confusion or insecurity. So thank you Mr Loy but I'm looking for an even greater word or better expression if it ever exists.


Learn correct English pronunciation by non-verbal facial expressions

I met a guy who was born deaf and learned to pronounce and speak English by watching peoples muscle structure change in their face (i.e., their cheeks moving and lips being manipulated) Is there a way for foreign speakers, who struggle with some pronunciation because their native languages difference in pronunciation to do the same as the deaf man I met? Also, what are some good resources on this? I know you can't see the tongue and other factors that come into pronunciation, but was wondering, as my first question states, if it would still be helpful.


Word for lack of comprehension of something easy to comprehend

So, I was watching this Vsauce youtube video, which discusses Déjà vu, Presque vu, and Jamais vu. Now, all three concepts are something I'm aware of and have experienced, but it made me think of another experience that is somewhat simpler. There are times, especially back when I was in college, where I would read a paragraph of a text. After reading it, I'd realize that none of what I read "sunk in" - I don't understand what I read or maybe can't even really recall what I read. I'll have to reread the same sentence or paragraph 3 or more times before I finally grasp it enough to move on. Typically, these passages aren't complex - they don't have any long words and don't discuss any complex topics but still for whatever reason I just didn't "get it". After that line, I'm quite capable of continuing to read with no other issues, so it's not just a pure lack of concentration or being tired or whatnot. **Is there a term similar to Déjà, Presque, and Jamais vu for this phenomena?** Also, I apologize if the title doesn't perfectly fit the question...I was having trouble explaining the question in so few words...


Is “Would rather have had one’s tooth pulled than doing,” an idiom or common saying?

I found the following quote from Sally Ozonof the MIND Institute of the University of California, who discovered that some children who exhibit symptoms of autism recover completely in “Quotation of the Today’s” of New York Times (January 16): > "I know many of us **as** _would rather have had our tooth pulled than use > the word_ 'recover,' it was so unscientific. Now we can use it, though I > think we need to stress that it's rare." Is “Would rather have had one’s tooth pulled than doing (saying / using)” an idiom or common saying? In connection with this quote, what is the function of ‘as’ in "I know many of us _as_ would rather have had our tooth pulled ...”? Does it make no sense, if I remove ‘as’ from this sentence?


Which pronoun refers to a group such as an orchestra — "they" or "it"?

Which pronoun should be used to refer to, say, an orchestra? _Does it_ go on concert tours, or _do they_? Intuitively I’d go for “they”, but intuition is known to fail…


"There already is" or "There is already"

What is the correct word order of the verb _to be_ and _already_? > There is already a price tag. Or: > There already is a price tag.


Where did the “&” character come from, and why is it here?

I’m sorry if this was asked a million times before, but neither Google nor the ELU site has helped me out. I’m wondering:   * What’s the reason behind introducing this character?    * What’s the difference between it and _and_?


Noun form of "analytic"

I've been tasked with creating some custom website tracking for a CMS, similar to Google Analytics. I was going to title this area on the back-end as _Analytics_ but I got a spell-check red squiggle and that sent me to a Google search which resulted in me finding out _analytics_ isn't a real word. So is there a noun form of _analytic_ or am I just being stupid?


Why is the pronunciation of 'ch' different in chamber and chameleon?

Sometimes ch is pronounced as /k/, as in chorus/chameleon. Sometimes as /tʃ/, as in chamber/chalk. Why is it so?


"Email me" and "mail to me"

Why is it correct to say "email me", whereas with the word _mail_ we say/write "mail to me"?


Can "drive someone home" be used when the vehicle is a motorbike? Can I use "ride someone home" with the same meaning as "drive someone home"?


Any term for someone who pretends to be neutral

Is there any term for someone who pretends to be neutral (in discussion), but in fact supports one of sides?


What does CT stand for in the context of a news article?

Does **CT** mean anything in an editorial context? A slashdot article summary is as follows: > For some time now, rumors have been floating around that Sony was working on > a concept for a mobile phone that also serves as a bona fide portable games > console... For Sony buffs, you'll be interested to know that there's no > Memory Stick slot here, but there is support for microSD cards." **CT** : > Which would all be well and good if it was real. I feel like the last sentence was tacked on after the article was already published. Is it just the initials of an editor or something else?


Correct grammatical use of persona?

Is the following the correct grammatical way to use ' _persona_ '? > I wonder what persona you have of me?


Do listeners understand different adjective orders?

I found Adjective order, but I keep wondering if listeners actually understand what I mean when I don't follow that order. For example, if I say, "a lovely long white coat," I may change it to "a long white lovely coat," or "a lovely white long coat." They both sound the same to me.


"beef cacky" and "cheese cacky" as physical descriptions

Can "beef cacky" or "cheese cacky" be used to describe the physique of a person? I don't know where does this come from, but I found a reference here:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH2Pg0W3lok&feature=player_detailpage#t=80s


Usage of implanted vs embedded

The sentence(not mine):- "We aim to use BTF guidelines and research articles to develop a dynamic set of flowcharts that would be _implanted_ in the system" I felt that embedded would be a better choice of word. Should I let it slide?


What does this "direct" mean here?

Source **We handle even our plain English with much greater effect if we direct it from the vantage point of a multilingual awareness.** What does this "direct" mean here? It doesn't make much sense. Does it mean "Look"?


How to list books in an essay (in-text)?

I would like to list in an essay three books that I read, I do not know how to do so in text.


Meaning of "to be sent clear"

I found this sentence: > They were lucky the linesman raised his flag in the 27th minute against > Javier Saviola after he was **sent clear** by Defour. Unfortunately, I don't know what _sent clear_ means nor have I been able to find its meaning online. Does anyone know what this means?


What is “dress” in “helped knights dress”?

In below sentence: > Pages also helped knights dress and carried messages. What is the grammatical relation of _dress_?


adverbs modifying noun phrases and licensing their own complements

> [i] Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how > hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages **ago**. (Harry Potter and > the Sorcerer's Stone) > > [ii] Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the > students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more > than to see them all **there**. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) > > [iii] The plane crashed killing all 157 passengers **aboard**. (OALD) > > [iv] The black men have long since hidden themselves **aboard** the Flying > Squadron, and I'm not at all convinced that the mob won't content themselves > with a redheaded dwarf instead. (Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants) The examples have an adverb that works as the peripheral modifier. or postmodifier, or postnoun modifier (source: CGEL,p436; English Grammar,Angela Downing, p509; Understanding English Grammar, Koll and Funk, p160), I think. From the examples, I got the feeling that the adverbs, the modifiers are very similar to adjectives in semantic and syntactic aspects - they seem to have even their own complements like in [iv]. From said aspects, I don’t find any difference between adverbial and adjective. But there seem to be some differences, for they don’t have adjective examples in dictionaries. How do I have to understand that adverbs modify noun phrase and license their own complement.


Other ways of saying "...began eating?"

I could only think of " _started on the food_ ," though I'm not very sure about it (I think I have to add _got_ to it?). Other suggestions? (this is for a short story I'm writing).


white-eyed boys

From Virginibus Puerisque by Stevenson: > I see women marrying indiscriminately with staring burgesses and ferret- > faced, **white-eyed** boys, and men dwell in contentment with noisy > scullions, or taking into their lives acidulous vestals. What could this "white-eyed" mean? Timid? I ventured on some googling, and found only rare instances, besides physiological senses. Such as "With an expression of white-eyed wonder, he saw me bounding up the road toward him."


What is the opposite of "skyrocket"?

I recently came across a situation where something was decreasing rapidly. My friend was led to say: > The price of fuel has really **skyrocketed downwards** lately. Something about this statement sounded wrong. Surely a _skyrocket_ must always go _up_ , by definition. What would be a more suitable word or phrase to describe something that is decreasing rapidly?


Grammatical function of noun compounds

While reading the 'Guide to the use of the dictionary' of the _Compact Oxford English Dictionary_ (yes, I read dictionary introductions, shame on me), I stumbled upon a section about hyphenation with regards to noun compounds, specifically upon the following sentence: > [...] hyphens are also used to show a word's grammatical function. [...] so > that you would write for example _I used my credit card_ but _credit-card > debt_. What is not clear to me is the sentence 'hyphens are used to show a word's grammatical function'. If I understand the concept of 'grammatical function' correctly, then this sentences doesn't make much sense to me, because then one would have to add hyphens to every grammatical object, because every grammatical object has a function in a sentence. Am I correct in saying that I can take this sentence to mean something like 'hyphens are also used when the grammatical function of noun compounds is to be an adjective of the following noun'? Or is there maybe some sense of the term 'grammatical function' that I am missing?


Blockchain or block chain? Double-spend or doublespend?

On the Bitcoin StackExchange site we have a discussion about a few words that you probably won't find in a dictionary right now but that are technical terms used in Bitcoin or cryptocurrency in general. As I am not a native english speaker myself I would like to know if there are any general guidelines that we should follow when deciding how to write them.   * The block chain (or block-chain or blockchain) is a chain of blocks, each block containing a number of transactions made on the network.   * To double spend (or double-spend or doublespend) is to attempt to spend the same money twice.


"Disjoint toolsets" vs. "disjointed toolsets"

I have only ever heard the expression _there are **disjoint** sets_, never that _there are **disjointed** sets_. I believe it should be _disjoint sets_ , but I don't have a good reason why. Does anyone have a more general rule that applies here?


The size of my confusion is "second to none"

Why "second to none" is being considered as "the best" instead of "the worst" (almost non existent)? To my understanding - "none" is "nonexistent", while "second to none" should be... well... almost nonexistent.


Being 'admitted' to the hospital?

Does one say "Hospitalization/hospitalized" when it comes to staying at the hospital because you're sick? Or is it "I'm being admitted at the hospital"? And If I was compiling a statistic of people going in and out of the hospital, could I say "entries" and "leaves"?


Differences between servant, maid, page, and attendant

In an airplane, the lady attending you is known as the _attendant_ , besides sometimes being called a _stewardess_ or _air hostess_. What does she do? Just serve you. Then what is that my _maid_ does? Nothing but serve me. Can I therefore call my maid, my _attendant_? What about my other servant? Can I call him my _attendant_ too, since I cannot call a male person my _maid_? Is gender the only difference? Then who and what are _pages_? I am looking for a clear distinction between these four terms.


Is there an equivalent of 'onomatopoeia' for words inspired by the appearance of thing?

'Onomatopoeia' is a reasonably common word used to describe words that sound like the sounds they're used to describe. I was wondering whether there was an analogous term for words that sound like what their meanings _look_ like — words like 'glint' or 'shimmer'.


"allow a home run to" or "allow a home run from"?

I came across a baseball news and noticed the author used some pitcher "allows a home run to" some batter, not "allows a home run from." The batter hit the home run, so it seems to me that "allow a home run from" is more meaningful.


Conditional Subjunctive and Conditional Indicative

I am confused. When should the conditional subjunctive and the conditional indicative be used? Conditional subjunctive: > If you were 23 yrs old, you could join the contest. Conditional indicative: > If you are 3=23 yrs old, you can join the contest. A follow up: In the conditional subjunctive, should the second verb be in the past tense?


What is the correct usage of “imperative”?

Consider the statement: > The drought we have suffered this year makes it all the more _imperative_ to > wisely use the stock of food we have. Is this a correct usage of the word _imperative_? What may be the errors in the above statement? How should I correct them (it is preferred that the word _imperative_ is retained)?


Why does the tense of a story sometimes suddenly change from past to present, and back again?

For example in _A Room With A View_ , by E. M. Forster, the tenses suddenly change from past to present or vice versa: > Chapter XV: The Disaster Within > > The Sunday after Miss Bartlett's arrival was a glorious day, like most of > the days of that year. In the Weald, autumn approached, breaking up the > green monotony of summer, touching the parks with the grey bloom of mist, > the beech-trees with russet, the oak-trees with gold. Up on the heights, > battalions of black pines witnessed the change, themselves unchangeable. > Either country was spanned by a cloudless sky, and in either arose the > tinkle of church bells. > > The garden of Windy Corners was deserted except for a red book, which lay > sunning itself upon the gravel path. From the house came incoherent sounds, > as of females preparing for worship. "The men say they won't go"—"Well, I > don't blame them"—Minnie says, "need she go?"—"Tell her, no nonsense"—"Anne! > Mary! Hook me behind!"—"Dearest Lucia, may I trespass upon you for a pin?" > For Miss Bartlett had announced that she at all events was one for church. > > The sun rose higher on its journey, guided, not by Phaethon, but by Apollo, > competent, unswerving, divine. Its rays fell on the ladies whenever they > advanced towards the bedroom windows; on Mr. Beebe down at Summer Street as > he smiled over a letter from Miss Catharine Alan; on George Emerson cleaning > his father's boots; and lastly, to complete the catalogue of memorable > things, on the red book mentioned previously. The ladies move, Mr. Beebe > moves, George moves, and movement may engender shadow. But this book lies > motionless, to be caressed all the morning by the sun and to raise its > covers slightly, as though acknowledging the caress. > > Presently Lucy steps out of the drawing-room window. Her new cerise dress > has been a failure, and makes her look tawdry and wan. At her throat is a > garnet brooch, on her finger a ring set with rubies—an engagement ring. Her > eyes are bent to the Weald. She frowns a little—not in anger, but as a brave > child frowns when he is trying not to cry. In all that expanse no human eye > is looking at her, and she may frown unrebuked and measure the spaces that > yet survive between Apollo and the western hills. What is the purpose for the changes? It made me confused about when the event takes place.


what is the word for saying bad words about other people

There is a word to call this kind of person: >   * habitually say bad things about other people, ONLY when the said people > are not present >   * always excited to spread rumors, especially the bad things about some > people he/she does not like > The word is something like "long tongue" or something like that, but I just cannot recall.


How to teach my child the difference between "got" and "go" using phonics?

This is one of two questions regarding teaching my child to read using phonics. The **other** question is: How to teach a child using phonics in a different accent? I am a parent of a four year old boy who is starting to read at school (UK). The school is using a phonics system to teach the children to read. I honestly cannot remember if my school taught me to read using a phonics system or not. In any case, I find teaching my child to read using phonics difficult and alien. I realise however that it would be destructive to teach a different way of reading to my child to that to which he is exposed at his school. I want to reinforce and consolidate at home the teaching that he receives at school. That means that I need to learn phonics. While I am happy to get involved in this way, I doubt that I will have the time to get much further than the basics. Hence the very simple question of the title. My wife and I are both active in helping our son read the lists of words that he has brought home from his school to learn. How do we explain to our four year old, that the symbol "o" in "got" and "go" (for example) is pronounced differently, rather than being dogmatic about it? I feel that saying "Because it just the way it is", rather undermines his teachers' - and our - instruction. There are other examples, e.g. "no" and "not" etc. Please note: I am aware that teaching to read via phonics is a contentious topic. I am not looking for a debate on phonics. It's the system that is used in my child's school to teach him to read. I am uncomfortable teaching phonics, but that's the way he is being taught at school and I am keen to support his learning.


"There's a missing page" vs. "there's a page missing"

Sometimes we see the adjective "missing" used before nouns and sometimes after nouns. What is the difference in usage in this regard? For example: >   * There is a missing page in the book. >   * There is a page missing in this book. > What is the difference between these sentences?


usage of 'being able to'

When to use the word 'being able to' and what exactly it means? Example: 1\. Not being able to run the report 2\. that is the one which prevents us from being able to run the report Why not we say 1\. Not able to run the report 2\. that is the one which prevents us from running the report What tense does that convey?


What’s “maiden name” all about?

I was pondering the term _maiden name_ when talking with British English speakers recently. They don’t seem to have that term. So my question is two- fold:   1. Is there another term for _maiden name_ , especially in British English?   2. Does anyone find _maiden_ a little offensive? I mean, is it OK to call an unmarried woman a _maiden_?


What does "edgy beat" mean?

> _Ólafur Arnalds mixes strings and piano with loops and **edgy beats** > crossing-over from classical to pop._ What does the writer mean by saying edgy beats? Does the writer mean it's not exactly classical, nor pop?


How to use the expression "you love it"

This question builds off of another question (Meaning of fck you) but my question pertains to the expression "you love it". Here are three examples of its usage. **1] From Youth in Revolt (Youth in Revolt):** A boy named Nick met his colleague, a girl, in a music shop while purchasing a DVD and after a little talk, her boyfriend hugged her from behind in front of Nick. Then the girl chuckles and says: "Chad, fuck you". He replies — "Oh, fuck you, you love it." **2] From Bender (Bender):** "Shut up baby, you love it" **3] From the game Dragon Age 2 (Dragon Age 2):** Isabela: You know those stains never came out   Aveline: You are horrible, every inch   Isabela: You love it big girl, and you owe me for the bottle This expression, "you love it", seems to be gaining popularity. We've found other occurrences of it in songs. It's also a popular hashtag on Twitter where we see variants such as #YouKnowYouLoveIt and #YouGottaLoveIt. For those who really love to say "you love it", we now have a website at www.uluvit.com. While its meaning may be obvious to some, its usage patterns seem to have something subtle going on. Can we distinguish the different uses and explain when and how to employ them? Another interesting question is WHO can use the expression "you love it"? Can anyone use it or is it typically used by a certain type of person, for instance a certain personality type? Or can it only be used between two people with a certain kind of relationship? What are the prerequisites for the relationship in order for one person to be able to say "you love it" to another? Appropriate for a pick up line? Appropriate for a first date? etc.


Is there a word for the inability to hear a distinction between certain vowel sounds?

I cannot hear the distinction between certain sets of vowel sounds. Normally the words in each of these sets (and of several others) all sound identical to me: Don, Dawn; marry, merry, Mary; ah, awe; cot, caught; ferry, fairy. If the speaker's accent heightens the differences between them I might be able to tell them apart, but cannot tell which word is intended by which of the different pronunciations. I can do that only from context. This may not be uncommon in American English; maps of regional variations in pronunciation suggest that about half of the country pronounce Don and Dawn the same way. This would explain why I hear those names the same way, but only if I lived in that part of the country. What is this trait called? I wish I knew.


Lower class or low class?

I am writing the following sentence and do not know whether I should use lower class or low class: The argument of Serving in Florida is that ---- class life is a dehumanized form of existence. I will take suggestions that are synonyms to low class.


What could I say instead of "raise the roof"?

What is another way of saying, "raise the roof"? This slang phrase means something like, "get noisy and have a good time at a party," but it doesn't sound correct for some reasons. Why is that? What would be better?


What is the history of the use of the word Judaize?

When studying some old Christian history I came across something interesting so I asked it on Christianity.SE: Why did the council of Laodicea condemn “Judaizing” Sabbath rest? One of the answers claims: > It [Judaize] was a phrase that originated in the council of Laodicea. So I first want to know if this is true. I next want to know what the history of the word is. I'm pretty sure the council was not in English, so why would the translators choose the word Judaize? * * * I see a potential for this being off-topic because a proper answer will include a look at the original word used in the council. I will gladly accept help to edit this question.


How is "organic" different from "natural"?

Looking into my dictionary, one meaning of the word _organic_ is: > occurring or developing gradually and naturally, without being forced or > contrived And you see this word being used like _Organic Google Search_ or _Organic Food_ or things like that. My question is, can't we just use _natural_ instead of _organic_ , as in _natural Google search_ or _natural food_? What makes _organic_ different from _natural_?


Is "quaver" a blend word of "quake" and "waver"?

Dictionary.com has this etymology for _quaver_: > 1400–50; late Middle English **quaveren** (v.), **blend of quake and waver** But Wiktionary disagrees: > From Middle English **quaveren** , **frequentative form of quaven** , > cwavien (“to tremble”), **equivalent to quave + -er**. Cognate with Low > German quabbeln (“to quiver”), German quabbeln, quappeln (“to quiver”). > **More at quave, quab, quiver**. Given these differences, I am interested which statement is right.


Is it idiomatic to say "learn knowledge"?

> In this book, the author has introduced many good ways to learn knowledge. Is it good English to say _learn knowledge_? Is this a common collocation in English?


Is there a term for words that have a single meaning or are only used in a single context?

Certain words you hear in English are only ever heard in a single context. For example, _skirl_ is used to describe the sound a bagpipe makes. Etymonline generously says the word is "rarely" heard outside that context, but I can't recall ever hearing it used for anything else. I imagine one could use it figuratively to describe another godawful high-pitched screech (sorry, bagpipe lovers), but there's no other bona fide usage for it. What I want to know is stated in the title of the question: Is there a term for these one-off words? I'm sure there must be, but I can't think of what it might be. **Edit:** Judging from some of the head-scratching comments I've received, there seems to be some confusion. Perhaps I did not make my meaning clear. I'm not looking for a word to describe the single instance of _skirl_. I'm asking about a class of words like _skirl_. I know there exist other examples of words that are only ever used in one context, but I can't think of any others at the moment.


Any English phrase whose words appear nowhere else?

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  Is there a term for words that have a single meaning or are only used in a > single context? I want to find some English phrases whose individual words are seldom used outside of that phrase. That way its words show up in the phrase alone, but nowhere else.


Why does appraisal have so little to do with praise?

_Appraisal_ and _praise_ can be traced back to a common Latin root: _pretiare_ (“to reward”). One thing that I do not understand, though, is how they came to have such different meanings: **_praise_ is positive, while _appraisal_ is entirely neutral**. This latter was a surprise to me, when I first heard it, because I tried to figure out its meaning from the root I knew, and wondered why my boss would want to have an “yearly appraisal”: why would we meet one-on-one once a year, to give him the opportunity to praise my work? Or was it working the other way around, was I supposed to give him praise? Anyway, with that anecdote out of the way, the question is: can this evolution in meaning, from a common Latin root, be traced through history? Can we know (or guess) when the meanings started to diverge?


Word for - an item that belongs to a group or list

This is one of those word / phrase on the tip of my tongue things. What is a technical word or phrase for an item that belongs to a group? **Some Context** I am creating a relational table (database) and am trying to add a comment to describe the column as briefly as possible. (Limited to 60 characters.) Column name: `groupid` \- Sample comment `Organizational Group this item belongs to` The point of the comment is to indicate that `groupid` is a reference meant for visual / organizational purposes only and has no functional purpose in the software. Not a big issue, just bugging me cause I can't think of the / a word (or better way of stating this). * * * I don't know if this helps anyone, but some words floating around in my head right now (as I try to find the right word) are `catalog` and `chronological`.


Yards, courtyards, and gardens in American English

As long as reportedly Americans commonly designate an area of land, usually planted with plants, trees, flowerbeds, etc., adjoining a house as a yard (front yard/backyard); and a plot of land used for the cultivation of flowers, vegetables, herbs, or fruit as a _garden_ — what do Americans call what is referred to by the British as a _yard_ , i.e. a piece of open ground, usually paved or laid with concrete or gravel, and often adjoining or surrounding a building or buildings? Is it also commonly designated by Americans as a _yard_ ( _front yard/backyard_ )? Or as a _courtyard_? Or is there another term to it? If indeed it's also called a _yard_ , isn't there — if context is unclear — any chance of ambiguity or misunderstanding as to whether it's a planted area or a paved/concreted/graveled one that one is referring to?


How did "-ish" suffix come to denote the approximate meaning of the word it is attached to?

I know it's currently more of a slang to attach and use it as normalish (see what I did here?) suffix, but still — was there any evolution for this? Also — maybe it had some special meaning?


Why are 'blueish' and 'bluish' both considered correct spellings?

My nine year old son fought hard on this and is taking a stand on spelling _bluish_ as _blueish_. I'm certain his teacher will mark it as a spelling error in his writing... Several dictionaries have indicated both spellings are acceptable. A character in his story says > What is that blueish white piece of ice floating in the freezing cold > Antarctic waters?


How to pronounce terminal "-al"

I'm confused about how to pronounce _-al_ at the end of the word. These words end with _-al_ and are pronounced without a "ə" sound.   * dig·it·al _/ˈdijitl/_   * men·tal _/ˈmentl/_ These words also end with _-al_ , but are pronounced with a "ə" sound.   * lo·cal _/ˈlōkəl/_   * glob·al _/ˈglōbəl/_   * herb·al _/ˈ(h)ərbəl/_ Why does the first group not have the "ə" sound, but the second group does?


What is an expression for something you particularly like?

I'm not a native English speaker. I want to find the English equivalent of > ho un debole per le ragazze svedesi that, in Italian, basically means "I particularly like Swedish girls." (It's just a random example; it might apply to many other things as well).   The point is that you want to emphasize the fact that you like, in this case, Swedish girls more than others.


"On the other end / side" of the phone line

What's the proper way to reference somebody who're you talking with by a peer- to-peer phone line, usually if you don't know who's there exactly? Russian language, for example, has the idiom               (они) на другом конца провода      which is literally               (they, who appear to be) on the other end of the [phone] wire      Note that it is in plural and it can be used even for wireless (i.e. cell) phones. What is the proper way to say that in English? I've stumbled a couple of times to usage "(at/on) the other end", "(at/on) the other side" in some texts, but I'm not sure that they're authentic, correct and relate to precisely what I'm talking about. I've checked the dictionaries, but I couldn't find anything relevant. Possibly related, but still doesn't give the exact answer on telephone line specific case:   * "Our end" vs. "our side" Definitely not related:   * "On the one/other hand" vs. "on the one/other side"


Possessive of crowds

The subheading of this news story says, _"Threatened showers don't mute crwods' enthusiasm"_ [sic]. Separate from the misspelling of `crowds`, is it appropriate for the apostrophe to go before or after the 's'?   * The enthusiasm of the crowd.   * The enthusiasm of the crowds. I feel that an argument might be made for both.


Is a participial phrase at the end of a sentence a dangling modifier?

In this sentence: > John walked outside, carrying a jug of water. Is "carrying a jug of water" dangling? If it isn't, what about the sentence: > John walked to the car, carrying a jug of water. In this sentence, is "carrying a jug of water" ambiguous, possibly referring to either "John" or "the car", or is it unambiguously referring to "John"?


What is the "final frontier"?

I know it is a reference of some sort to "space", but in what sense and why?


Helping someone climb

I know this is kinda stupid but what is the word for "helping someone climb by allowing him to stand on your hands" (to allow him/her see above some wall or climb something)?


What is this Dad going to say?

Here is a situation: Dad is talking to his 5-year-old son while watching TV: Dad: I really like this movie. Son: But I don't like this movie. Dad: I am a bit hungry. Son: But I am not hungry. Dad: You must be doing your homework at the moment, isn't it? Son: No, I won't do my homework. Dad (angrily): Stop **___ __ ___ _** So, what do you think Dad's natural response should be here? (I would really want to have it started with the word "stop", but if you think it won't sound natural in English, then you can drop it. It is very likely that this whole conversation will sound not natural - do, please, comment) Here I have some of my options - none of them seem to be natural to me:   1. Stop arguing with me! (But it’s not really an argument, as far as I can tell);   2. Stop saying things opposite to what I am saying! (Too long and kind of too complicated for an angry response);   3. Stop it! (Looks kind of too general to me and, perhaps, a bit soft)   4. Stop reasoning with me (It’s not really a reasoning, but just a case of one being stubborn);


Differences between "fortification nouns"

What are the practical differences between these nouns?   * Fort   * Fortress   * Fortification   * Stronghold   * Citadel   * Castle   * Palace **Context** In Norway we have a lot of old stone buildings, typically built for war in the 1600s. Most of the their names are translated to English using _fortress_ , but, sometimes, one of the other nouns are used. I have looked up these words in different dictionaries, but I haven't been able to determine the differences between them. When is it appropriate to choose one over the other?


Is there a name for letters that "cross the line" (hang low) when written in lowercase (g, j, p, q, y)?

Is there a fancy name for these letters that "hang low"?


What is a "Dublin Castle Knight"?

I was reading Surtees' _Young Tom Hall_ the other day, and came across this... > Sir Thomas, whose father had been a great army tailor, was a Dublin Castle > knight, but, like all truly great men, condescending withal - and no feast > or fete, or wedding, or christening, in Fleecyborough, or within a radius of > three miles, was considered perfect without Sir Thomas Thimbleton of > Thimbleton Park (so he called his villa and twenty acres of land). Does anyone know what a _Dublin Castle knight_ is? It doesn't sound terribly complimentary. Farmer & Henley, Partridge and Green have _Dublin dissector_ , _Dublin packet_ , _Dublin trick_ and _Dublin rules_ , but no knight. A search of the internet produces thousands of references to a song, whose lyrics I have perused but which doesn't appear to be relevant.


Does “uxorious” have sexual connotations?

I understand the literal meaning of _uxorious_ , but does it have sexual implications? That is, does it just mean that one is excessively devoted to one’s wife, or does it imply excessive sexual interest in her? For example, Lord Byron wrote: > _The same things change their names at such a rate;   >  For instance—passion in a lover’s glorious,   >  But in a husband is pronounced uxorious._ There it seems to carry a possibly sexual tone, but I’ve seen other cases where it doesn’t.


Words whose pronunciation remains the same with the last four letters removed

A friend told me that the English word _queue_ is the only word whose pronunciation remains the same when the last four letters are removed. I tried to think of others, but just couldn't. However, I don't feel this is true! (Just like when someone says the only word without rhymes is _orange_.) I was wondering if anyone can help? Edit: I am going to broaden things to allow more possibilities. The shortened version does not have to be an English word. For example, _thorough_ and _thoro_ I feel are close enough to count as removing three letters. Also, things like _though_ and _tho_ definitely count! (This is the best example so far by my standards.)


"What needs to be done" vs "What is needed to be done"

When you are looking at a task remaining, it seems right to me to say, "what needs to be done" in the simple present tense.   I have seen some people write "what is needed to be done." While I don't know what is wrong in the second sentence, it doesn't seem alright. Can you tell me why is it wrong?


Is this correct usage of a semi-colon?

I always have problems with the use of semi-colons. Is the following proper usage? They are connected but also standalone sentences. > I speak and write English fluently; as you can see from my CV, I have lived > and worked in the UK for over 5 years.


What’s the original version of “I see, said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw”?

What is the original saying of > I see said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw.


What is the origional saying of I see said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw

How does the original saying go... "I see said the blind man, ...?" Is it: As he picked up his hammer and saw Or To the deaf dog Or As he waved his wooden leg Or something else?


"Silent fail" or "silent failure"

When an operation fails silently, i.e. without providing a notification that it failed, is that operation a silent fail, or a silent failure? Example: Given a variable `x` that stores the value `1`, when we try to assign a different value to it:               x = 2       then the outcome of that operation can be:   1. a success (the new value was successfully assigned; the value of `x` is `2`),   2. a silent fail/failure (the assignment failed silently; the value of `x` is still `1`),   3. an exception (the assignment failed and an exception was thrown). My question is about word choice. I'm not sure which of these two terms is correct, or if both are correct, which is more suitable. Also, if you know a better phrase for this (for outcome 2), I'd love to hear it.


Right tense for conditional event in nondescript time?

What is the right tense to describe an event that might have occured, be occuring or occur in the future, if (not) for something that happened in the past? Unike, in the examples, which anchor the event to: > If you hadn't killed him, he would have killed countless innocents.   >  _(past, i.e. his killing spree would have started in the past and possibly > ended by now)_ > > If you hadn't killed him, he would be killing countless innocents now.   >  _(present i.e. his killing spree started before and would be occurring > currently)_ I'm interested in a form that does not suggest the time in relation to current moment, but only in relation to the moment of when the condition ocurred. **Edit:** Would this simple form be what I need? > If you hadn't killed him, he would kill countless innocents. Does this leave the event/period as future relative to the past event, but unanchored to the present moment of time as intended? Or am I understanding it wrongly?


On Paddington Station?

I was interested to read that Paddington Bear was found _on_ Paddington Station, not _in_ or _at_ Paddington Station. I would never have chosen this usage (I speak Canadian English). I had a look at Google Ngrams and found that **at** is by far the more common usage, with **on** and **in** coming far behind and with comparable usage. I did a similar search for _on_ , _in_ and _at_ Euston Station with similar results. Then I did the same search for Grand Central Station, which, unlike Paddington and Euston stations, is in New York. Here, **at** and **in** are neck-to-neck, with **on** coming a distant third. I assume, therefore, that "on X station" is a mainly British English usage. I'm curious to know _why_. What is it that one is _on_? Is it the platform that we're on? Surely not the rails? Does anyone know where the use of these three prepositions comes from wrt train stations? How does usage in other English speaking countries compare? Writing as a Canadian, I would lean toward the Grand Central Station usage i.e. _at_ or _in_ , but not _on_. How about other places such as airports? We're not _on_ Heathrow, are we? Are we _on_ the bus station?


What does "F.I.T." stand for here?

Context (New York Times), > Despite all the sartorial trappings, guests dressed like any in your typical > off-the-rack hotel. On a recent Monday, there were **F.I.T. parents** in the > slate-gray lobby, and suits trading airport stories in the elevator. There’s > a chatty cocktail scene at the lobby bar, but Rare, the fiery orange dining > room, was desolate.


How should I express the idea of a website having very few visitors?

I just checked the Chinese Language & Usage site and found that there had been only one or two questions being asked per day. I need a word or an expression to describe a website like this. In particular, I'd like to fill in the blank in the following sentence. > The **_** of the CLU site makes me want to join the sales team and help > promote the site. The words I have thought of include _depression_ , _unpopularity_ , _inactivity_...None of them seems a good fit.


Meaning of "suits trading airport stories"

It's still from this sentence in New York Times, > Despite all the sartorial trappings, guests dressed like any in your typical > off-the-rack hotel. On a recent Monday, there were F.I.T. parents in the > slate-gray lobby, and **suits trading airport stories** in the elevator. > There’s a chatty cocktail scene at the lobby bar, but Rare, the fiery orange > dining room, was desolate. If _suits_ is a verb here, I think this sentence is grammatically incorrect, right? But if it's a noun, what's the meaning of _suits_ here? I don't understand the part in bold completely. Can you help break it down and make it clear?


How to describe "punishing" some text by making it less visible?

For example, downvoted answers on StackExchange. More-or-less normal variant seems to be "to gray out", but it's seems limited to gray colour (not to small font, pictures, strike-through or other methods of making the text visibly less important)... **Answers I like so far:** (in short)   * obscure   * fade/bleach/blanch/gray out/strike though (i.e. the specific effect)   * [be]dim   * deemphasize   * mute   * demote


Suggestion for English phrase dictionary?

I am not native English guy. One of the problem when I learn English is that I don't understand phrases, the phrase used cannot be found in the dictionary, which only contains single word. > Examples:   >  \- blow up   >  \- carry on   >  \- screw up Sometimes I encounter such phrase which I don't understand and my dictionary doesn't have it. Do you know any such dictionary, standard online? I just found an online one : http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Main_Page Would you please suggest more dictionaries?


Antonym of "superlative"

A friend of mine was talking about a film he has seen a trailer for and sarcastically heaping superlatives on it. He then wondered what the opposite of _superlative_ (as a noun) is. I suggested _sublative_ , which I hadn't heard of but made up based on the idea that _sub_ is the opposite of _super_. However the definition of sublative is > Having power, or tending, to take away. So is there a word that is the opposite of _superlative_ (the noun form)?


Should decades (e.g. '70s) be singular or plural

Are specific decades singular or plural? Which of the following is grammatically correct? > The '70s _was_ a great period for rock music. or > The '70s _were_ a great period for rock music. Please provide references if you have any.


What are initials?

I am filling a form for living in the campus on a university in Australia. The due date for sending this application is near, and I have asked the very same question to them in e-mail and haven't got an answer. I fear that I will not get the answer before the due date, so hopefully I have come to the right place to ask this question. Bottom of the contract it says "Resident initials here", now what's initials? I searched a bit and found out that it's the first letter of my name followed by first letter in my last name and surname. If my name is Muazam Al Ace, are my initial "MAA"? So do I write "MAA"? So my question is, are they asking for my signature or initials which does not make sense to me. One more question: "Resident’s Representative for Notices" - is it here I fill in my parents?


"You aren't in" vs. "You're not in"

> **Possible Duplicate:**   >  "They are not": "they're not" versus "they aren't" I noticed that _you aren't in_ and _you're not in_ are two ways to shorten _you are not in_. Are they always interchangeable? Are there situations where you would choose one over the other?


What are the different names of "canvas chair"?

I call chairs like this![enter image description here](http://i.stack.imgur.com/NkpNx.jpg) "canvas chairs". But I'm not sure if this is the proper name. Are there other names for this type of chair in America, Britain, and other English-speaking countries?


Where does the slang word "bad" + "ass" (badass) come from?

What is the origin of the word badass? Why a "bad" ass/"bad" + "ass"? What is an ass that is bad and how can an ass that is bad describe a tough person?


The origin of "It's just one of those things"?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, " _It's just one of those things_ " means: > said about an event or situation that you cannot explain, or do not like but > cannot change But what is the origin? Why do people use this phrase to express such a feeling?


What is the difference between "used to" and "I was used to"?

What is the difference in the meaning between the following two tenses? > I used to travel alone.   >  I was used to traveling alone.


'Questions' vs. 'Concerns' vs. 'Doubts'

This is a region-specific question--Indian English I have noticed when working with colleagues from India that they use the word 'doubts' where the typical American would use the word 'questions' or 'concerns'. This is most prevalent at the end of a meeting or discussion where an Indian colleague will ask "Do you have any doubts?" I have noticed the same word being used in the same way on several StackExchange forums (I assume from Indian users) and I'm curious how this word came to be used this way in India. I don't think I've ever heard this in British English (should that be the Queen's English?), so I _doubt_ it started directly during the colonization period. How, then, did it come about? * * * Edit-clarification for some very good point already provided in answers below: In current American English, 'doubt' could be considered to be a synonym of 'question', but the difference is that 'doubt' implies _lack of belief_ rather than _lack of knowledge_. For instance, a math teacher may explain that any number raised to the 0 power is 1. For the uninitiated it may seem counter-intuitive because raising to a power implies multiplication and any number multiplied by 0 is 0, not 1. In this case an American student might say "I have doubts", meaning "I don't believe you", rather than "I don't understand you."


Words for different types of leatherworking

I'm looking for as many words (and corresponding definitions) as I can find for different specific types of leatherworking. Archaic words are fine, even preferred. Of particular interest is a single word for repairs performed by cutting away damaged areas and stitching together with lanyard, if available. I'm looking for words related to leather _crafting_ and _repair_ , not so much production. Multi-word terms that aren't specific to leatherwork or may only be read as specific to leatherwork in context (like "rip work" for the specific term I describe above) are probably not useful to me.


Is "nonversation" a word?

Is there a word like " _nonversation_ "? Do people use this word in daily life? Where can it be used?


Where does "ta!" come from?

Where does the expression "ta" come from? Wikipedia has only this to say: > "ta!", slang, Exclam. Thank you! {Informal}, an expression of gratitude but no additional information or links about its genesis. I have only ever heard it from englishmen and -women. Is it used anywhere else in the world? How did it come about? What is its history?


Can this convoluted bit of "tax speak" be deciphered into plain English?

I am trying to understand a paragraph from a tax manual, and for the life of me I can't seem to understand what they are saying. The paragraph in question is from page 4 of publication 4681 > The amount of nonrecourse debt in excess of the FMV of the property subject > to the nonrecourse debt to the extent nonrecourse debt in excess of the FMV > of the property subject to the debt is forgiven. This is an academic question for me now, rather than something I need to know the legal meaning of. It is the worst piece of double-speak that I have encountered, and I was curious as to what the author was trying to get across. (The acronym "FMV" stands for "fair market value")


How do I pronounce "wrong" correctly instead of "long"?

When I say "wrong" people always mishear as "long". Pronouncing "r" and "l" correctly is always a big challenge for me. In Chinese we also have a syllable pronounced like "r" and a syllable pronounced like "l" and I can never pronounce them correctly. So how do I practice that in English?


"How come" vs "Why?"

What are the differences between the terms "How come ... we eat breakfast?" and "Why ... do we eat breakfast?" The words phrase based in _how_ seems really awkward to me, and I don't understand this convention.


When to use double negatives in written English?

I have always been a little confused as to when to use double negatives when writing (I am unsure if this is what they are termed in English, it is the term used in Mathematics). E.g. when to use: > "I am not staying!" Thus using two negatives - `not` & `staying` ...as opposed to: > "I am going!" Here using a single positive - `going`. Both sentences begin with `"I am..."` which infers that the person is going to do something, but then this can either be followed by two _negatives_ , so to speak; `"...not staying"` which cancel each other out and mean `going`, or it can simply be followed by the word `"...going."` In Mathematics a double negative is equal to a positive, and this also seems to be the case in the English language (and perhaps others). However when to use either one seems up for debate. There are plenty of other examples, e.g. `"I am not unregistered."` or `"I am registered."`


Punctuation with units

I remember reading somewhere that if a unit is abbreviated as _one character_ , there must not be a space between the number and the unit (e.g., _5m_ , _26K_ ). If the unit is abbreviated as _two or more Characters_ , there must be a space between the number and the unit (e.g., "10 km", "USD 5").   * Can you please help me find the source again?   * Is this recommendation correct?


How to write units?

In a scientific article, should I write "3m", "3 m", "3 meters", or "3 [meters]"?


What does "Plays pretty just for you" (a song's title) mean?

Should it be understood as "(He) plays, darling, only for you"?


Does “from the middle out” in Obama campaign ad mean ‘to start (growth) from,” or “to help out” the middle class?

In the recent ‘I believe’ campaign ad, President Obama talks to camera; > “I believe that the way you grow the economy is _from the middle out_. I > believe in fighting for the middle class because if they’re prospering all > of us will prosper. That’s the idea of America and that’s why America is the > greatest nation on earth.” What does grow the economy “ _from the middle out_ ” exactly mean? Does it mean to let start the economy growing from the middle class, and extend its benefits to other (upper and lower) classes,’ or it only refers to the middle? If we omit ‘out,’ from the line, does it ruin the whole sentence? What is the significance of having ‘ _out_ ’ in this context?


What does "insteadly" mean?

I have seen it couple of times in a chat room on the internet. What does "insteadly" mean? Is it a shortcut of "instead of"?