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I was drawn to the changes of the headline of today’s New York Times’ article reporting JPMorgan Chase established a program to hire a lot of sons and daughters of Chinese dignitaries. The headline I saw first in this morning in its online edition was “Bank charted business linked to China hiring.” It was “Bank tabulat... | The intended meanings of the three formulations (using 'charted', 'tabulated', and 'tallied') are isomorphic. Roughly: J.P. Morgan entered in a tally (chart/table) the business resulting from the hiring (of the offspring of Chinese leaders). For me comprehensibility improves from zero to about 0.9. Perhaps 'charted' is... | What benefit was there by replacing “chart” with “tabulate”, then with “tally” in the NYT headline: “Bank charted business linked to China hiring.”? | english |
Is there a word for making a cross with your hands in the air? It's a four point motion that goes from head to chest, then shoulder to shoulder. An example situation where someone does this might be a funeral procession passing by. | The verb is cross and you "cross yourself." I hope that makes it clear. cross v.tr. 6. To make the sign of the cross upon or over as a sign of devotion. | What is the term for making a cross in the air (like when passing a cemetery)? | english |
My question pertains to the usage of 'a more perfect union' in its original context-- the preamble to the U.S. Constitution. I want to say that this is a metaphor, because the authors are using the word 'union' in a specific figurative sense. However, this seems a bit strong, because it's not a comparison between two d... | I suggest that the authors intended "a more perfect union" quite literally. Remember, when the Constitution was composed a legal union, bearing that name, was already in effect, de facto since the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union were drafted in 1777 and de jure since they were ratified by the final state,... | How would you characterize the phrase 'a more perfect union'? | english |
Consider the quote from "What is a Grantor Trust" article . This trust is revocable, which simply means it can be altered, modified, and otherwise changed or even terminated during the life of the grantor, provided that the grantor has full mental capacity. As far as I could figure out from other forums words "alter" a... | It's your typical legalese. You'll note that lawyers love to use such legal doublets (cease and desist, furnish and supply, e.g.) or triplets (cancel, annul and set aside, e.g.) which for the rest of us are simple synonyms and thus pleonasms. | Alter vs Modify vs Change (in Legal Documents) | english |
“If I had to explain to a foreigner why Yamamoto’s action was a problem,” Miyadai said, “I don’t think I could do it.” Source the "was" of "why Yamatomo's action was a problem." Is it fair to say that this has two possible interpretations, that is, it is purely past and that it is because of the sequence of tenses due ... | If you are puzzled by the use of was , then it might be easier to understand it outside the context of a relative sentence. In ‘I had to explain to a foreigner why Yamamoto’s action was a problem’, the clause that begins with why is in effect reported speech (or, in functional grammar terms, a projected clause). In exp... | What do you think of the tenses here? | english |
I'm trying to make a tagline for my website, can I say "download files at super fast speeds "? Is this grammatically correct? | Yes. Many speeds are recorded at (plus something) "The Hong Kong Observatory put the storm's maximum ten-minute sustained winds at 260 km/h (160 mph) prior to landfall in the central ". (Wiki) "She types at (a speed of) 56 words per minute." A child's vocabulary grows at an average rate of (however many words per year ... | Can you say "at speed"? | english |
"You should kill trolls on sight" "You should kill trolls on site" Which is correct? I'm not a native speaker, so I don't really have much intuition for these idioms, but semantically both seem to make sense. The first one means kill the troll when you see it (i.e. immediately), and the second one means kill the troll ... | "On sight" means upon seeing them. If you disapprove deeply of trolls, you might kill them on sight. "On site" denotes on a specific location, e.g. a building site , a web site etc. If you disapprove of killing living things (even trolls), then you should definitely only kill them on fantasy sites . Your statement, in ... | "On sight" or "on site"? | english |
Can anyone please provide a simple explanation of the phrase "in before" with some common-usage examples. Is it appropriate to use this phrase in a context such as "This happened and then this happened in before I realised that I have to do this."? | The short answer: No, that is not appropriate. You should just use ‘before’ in that sentence. ‘In before’ is not really a phrase as such. It is just the adverb/preposition ‘in’ followed by the preposition/conjunction/adverb ‘before’ (word class for ‘in’ and ‘before’ written in subscript after each occurrence): He opene... | What does "in before" mean? | english |
I reviewed both: stackexchange-url ("Definite article before scientific terms") stackexchange-url ("Use (or non-use) of articles before abstract nouns") and I still cannot decide. According to the previous post my sentence should be: If the number of I/Os of my circuit design exceeds the threshold which is required for... | If the number of I/Os of my circuit design exceeds the threshold which is required for the fast operation, then ... strongly suggests contrast with 'the other possibility' (the slow operation). If the number of I/Os of my circuit design exceeds the threshold which is required for the fast operation of my circuit, then ... | definite vs. none article before abstract concept; again | english |
What are we supposed to call a number that is not free and we have to pay for it? Paid call? Toll call? The call is made in the hometown. | A charged call. There is variation in different semantic areas: a toll road, toll bridge a pay toilet (I should add that 'toll call' is used in two senses: 'long-distance and charged' and merely 'charged'. I've seen 'local toll call' used to disambiguate. I should think that the US prefers 'toll' and the UK 'charged' –... | What do we call something that is not toll-free? | english |
I have this sentence Persons performing tasks which affect product quality should have appropriate skill and knowledge. in which I am not sure whether who or which is grammatically correct. | It is the task which directly affects product quality, not the person; therefore, the correct word would be which . By the way, affect should be used in your sample sentence, not effect . From the Oxford Dictionaries , effect (as a verb) means: verb [with object] : cause (something) to happen; bring about The prime min... | Should it be 'which affect' or 'who affect'? | english |
The word "tomboy" is used to express the idea of a girl who behaves in a boyish manner. It's not usually considered a negative term, or at least not very negative, and generally just means the girl enjoys more athletic activities and doesn't concern themselves with acting very 'feminine'. On the other hand, the nearest... | Language Locks The key problem with finding such a word is that our entire culture and language is set up to view masculine traits positively and feminine traits negatively. It’s just as built-in as thinking of left being something sinister (like a left-handed compliment) and right as something that is good and proper ... | "Tomboy" but in reverse | english |
I'm trying to say that each message can take some time to arrive (a delay), and that each such delay can have any value. So, which one of the following is the most appropriate? There is no bound on message delay. or There is no bound on message delays. or There is no bound on messages delays. Also, there is a number of... | Singular/plural is only marked on the main noun so "Message delay" is singular "Message delays" is plural The first of your sentences is probably what you want, since "no bound on message delay" = there is no bound on the amount of delay "no bound on message delays" = there is no bound on the number of delays | Plural of composite noun? | english |
In Robert Charles Wilson's novel "Vortex" he writes: <code> In the morning I toured him through Vox Core, heel to head. </code> I know the saying "head over heels", but this one is new to me. What does it mean? (Disclaimer: non-native speaker here) | The likely meaning is “from bottom to top”, with heel to head being used as a variant of from head to heel (ie, of Latin a capite ad calcem ), which is an older (and now less common) form of from head to toe or from head to foot . | What does the idiom "heel to head" mean? | english |
Are "He succeeded in business" and "He succeeded at business" both idiomatic? What is a good resource for learning idiomatic verb-preposition pairs? | Interesting question. When I tried to search for an answer to your question, I had many more hits for succeed at than succeed in , and no easy source wherein a grammatical comparison is made. Succeed in was often followed by a context (school, life), whereas succeed at was often followed by what might be considered a t... | "Succeed in" or "succeed at" | english |
As far as my understanding goes, English does have a predicate nominative for the copula to be as well as semantically related words (to become, to seem) if the entity in question plays the role of subject in the activity it is involved in. It is I who stole the hen's eggs. It does use the oblique case if the entity ha... | The circumstances in which anyone would say either ‘You are I’ or ‘He was I’ are hard to imagine. Conditional clauses offer a better test, where we are, I would guess, more likely to find if you were me than if you were I and if he was me than if he was I . In a section headed ‘Variation in pronoun choice after forms o... | Issues with predicate nominative | english |
November.30 NPR Books introduces Emily Dickingson’s poems on leftover envelopes under the title, “Emily Dickinson's Envelope Writings” “Readers always seem to want to get closer to Emily Dickinson, the godmother of American poetry. Paging through her poems feels like burrowing nose-deep in her 19th century backyard — w... | I think it is an allusion to the behaviour of farmyard animals. In the first case it is probably cows, and in the third case probably pigs, with both meant with some affection. In the Obama case it is meant disparagingly, and refers to Dino "kissing the asses of bankers" | What does “burrow (one’s) nose deep” mean? Is it an idiom? | english |
I've always been taught to write it alike the former, but personally, I think the latter looks better. Why is it that most people write it alike the former? | In my professional career, it was always 8 December 2013 . Just like that. How you choose to pronounce it is another matter. | When writing the date, why do we write "8th December 2013", instead of "8th of December, 2013"? | english |
I'm doing my term paper about wordbuilding. And I'm interested what is "mate" in the word "roommate"? Is it a second root so the word "roommate" is a compound, or is it a suffix? | All words ultimately lead to roots. Both room and mate would trace the roots. Mate =*partner* from mette =*guest*. Room is a Germanic word from Raum . In your example of roommate , it is a Noun+Noun compound word as in shipmate . | Is "mate" in the word "roommate" a root or a suffix? | english |
In Australia, No worries! is a very common way of saying You’re welcome . I wonder whether it is used this way in other English-speaking countries. The phrase’s meaning can be understood easily enough in context, so it should therefore be safe to use, but I’m still curious whether it would sound natural to non-Australi... | In England (and Britain generally, I think) it would be seen as definitely Australian. Not a bad thing, of course, but not 'natural' in your sense. | Would the phrase “No worries!” be understood outside Australia? | english |
Excuse me if this topic has been brought up before though I couldn't find it. It seems that there are many similar topics related to both defining and non-defining clauses but there is still one question that bothers me. I want to know about the difference between wh- pronouns (who, which, what...) vs. that in restrict... | As Janus Bahs Jacquet states in the comments, the difference is essentially one of formality. The Cambridge Grammar of English states the following general principle: In a wide range of informal styles, that is used instead of who/whom or which in defining relative clauses. (p571) This principle is confirmed by Swan in... | Difference between 'which' and 'that' in restrictive (defining) relative clauses | english |
I don't understand the part in boldface. The Oxford dictionary interprets "extend over" as "occupy a specified area or stretch to a specified point" , but I'm not sure if that definition fits here. However important it may be, in order to form a proper judgment of the natural state of man, to consider him from his orig... | You state "The Oxford dictionary interprets 'extend over' as 'occupy a specified area or stretch to a specified point'. ...that he always walked on two feet, made the same use of his hands that we do of ours, extended his looks over the whole face of nature , and measured with his eyes the vast extent of the heavens. T... | phrase "extend over" in context | english |
Which one is correct? An apple is green. Apple is green. The apple is green. Please describe for me. | An apple is green. This is correct when you are talking about a member of a group, something general, for example, fruit. An orange is orange, but an apple is green. A/an is an indefinite article. Apple is green. This is an unusual sentence, but it could be true if apple is the name of a green child (think Gweneth Palt... | An Apple Is Green | english |
Please consider the following: My wide range of abilities have helped my team succeed. My wide range of abilities has helped my team succeed. Microsoft Word identifies the first as a subject-verb agreement error. However, from my perspective, the "wide range" is not the subject, but rather a descriptor of the abilities... | In such cases, ‘. . . when there are agreement options, the singular verb seems to invoke the set, whereas the plural verb makes us aware of the individual items in it’ (The Cambridge Guide to English Usage’). That leaves the choice of both available to the writer, depending on the aspect to be emphasised. | Subjective subject-verb agreement | english |
what is the meaning of "The binding is fragile" ? I saw it in one of the harry potters movie. But didn't know what it means UPDATE: pretend that someone wants to take your book away from you and you don't want it to do.It insists and tells you why you say "The binding is fragile" Thanks. | Book binding often involves the use of glues. Many of the older glue formulations become brittle over time. | meaning of "the binding is fragile" | english |
Question I'm particularly interested in the meaning of apt, but while I was searching through some dictionaries and examples it struck me how close the words apt and fit seem to be. Thus: what exactly is the difference between apt and fit? Etymology As I understand from etymonline.com the word apt came from - next part... | "Apt" and "fit" are generally not interchangeable, as one or the other tends to be preferred in a given context. I think the degree of specificity is what distinguishes them. "Fit" tends to means "well-suited to a particular purpose ", while "apt" means "well-chosen" or "appropriate" in a more holistic sense. Here are ... | difference between apt and fit | english |
What's the deeper meaning of this phrase? not enough coffee yet on my end | Usually, if you hear this phrase in a professional setting or in a casual conversation, the literal meaning is that the speaker needs more caffeine in order to function properly. It is a way of explaining that they feel tired or that they are not performing as well as they could at the moment. That is to say, if they g... | The deeper meaning of "not enough coffee yet on my end" | english |
In some languages, for example, in Korean, it is possible to intensify the act of blooming. For example, using the phrase 핍니다 would imply blooming, for example, simply "The flowers are blooming". However, it is possible to intensify this by using the phrase 많이 핍니다 which would mean something like "The flowers are bloomi... | Yes. You're right that the modifier "a lot" sounds off. But "very beautifully" is fine. "A lot" can be replaced by "plentifully" or "abundantly" if you want quantity. Adverbs modify verbs, just as adjectives modify nouns. Are blooming is the verb; beautifully is the adverb. You can intensify the verb by intensifying th... | Is there a way to intensify "blooming" in "The flowers are blooming"? | english |
I am writing an essay on To Kill A Mockingbird and need a noun that is synonymous with "not taking advantage of anyone" as I need to be able to say: Scout learns [Insert the noun here]. | To my thinking, someone who does not take advantage of others is trustworthy or has integrity . similar words: honesty, truthfulness, reliability, dependability, honor, uprightness, (to be) principled, true, truthfulness, ethical, virtue, incorruptibility,, unimpeachibility, (to be) above suspicion; moral uprightness. ... | Noun that means "To not take advantage of anyone" | english |
I was at a dinner last night where some rather nice herb butter was served with the vegetables. Conversation close to me then turned to the English expression 'Fine words butter no parsnips'. It seems rather odd in English, because by tradition the English tend to use gravy with their vegetables. That is until one appr... | According to this article, the term is less about the parsnips and more about the butter. An alternate variant is "fine words butter no fish". I think the expression is contrasting the conversational effects of flattery, empty promises, etc. (cf. "to butter up") with their lack of practical utility. | Why do 'fine words butter no parsnips'? | english |
A friend of mine saw a gun at the store that was labeled as the "most quiet gun". Is this correct English or is it more correct to say, the "quietest gun"? | Short Answer: "quietest" sounds better to me, but both are grammatically correct Long Answer: For comparatives and superlative( <code> -er </code> and <code> -est </code> , respectively) forms of words, alwaysuse "most" for words with words for three or more syllables. For words with one syllable, always use "-est." Tw... | Which is correct - "most quiet" or "quietest"? | english |
I don't understand the bold sentence below. I guess it means "I should not attempt to find the origin of the human's organization by studying its evolution progress." What confuse me is that I don't know the prefection refer to. Could you interprete this sentence for me, especially the phrase through its successive app... | The opening lines of the paragraph imply it might be important to look at the origins of mankind to properly assess the “natural state of man”. The rest of the quote implies a belief that progress has occurred in a series of steps, or stages. In the bolded part, Rousseau says he will not spell out how organization of t... | How to understand the phrase "through its successive approaches to perfection" in the given context? | english |
When following the formal English rule of stackexchange-url ("Reverential Capitals"), any reference to God Almighty is capitalized, as are equivalent non-Christian entities such as "Allah" or the neo-pagan "Goddess" (and various similar entities from fiction, like the Creator from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time .) Does ... | No, only monotheistic gods are capitalised by those who adhere to this convention, not Zeus or other dieties. ...but the other gods were gathered together in the halls of Olympian Zeus. Among them the father of gods and men was first to speak, for in his heart he thought of noble Aegisthus, [30] whom far-famed Orestes,... | Are pronouns for non-universal divines capitalized? | english |
I have heard it used in a negative sense. For example, "rudeness does not become you" etc. Is this phrase used in a positive context as well? (like "generosity becomes you")? | becoming can mean the obvious - changing into, growing into, happening, coming about. It also has a second meaning - "to look well" The word started to be used in this manner in the early 14th century, from the earlier sense of "to agree with, be fitting" (early 13th century). Similarly there is "comely", which means h... | What does the phrase "it does not become you" mean? | english |
"Must not" vs. "don't have to" is a famous false friends for many languages. That said, what about a phrase like, say, "nobody must know": Does that mean that a) nobody is allowed to know, or b) that obviously nobody knows, or both? Is that sentence OK, poor style, or to be reworded to make unambiguous? How would I use... | Both. Without further context, " nobody must know " is ambiguous. Consider: Nobody must know about my new job. This is ambiguous. The speaker might be ashamed of his or her new job, and not want anyone to know. The speaker might also be remarking that everyone is simply unaware of his or her change in employment. This ... | Nobody must [+ verb] | english |
I'm a software developer and I'm trying to write a consistent "grammar" for an audit log feature. An Audit log is basically a list of actions that happened. As it's a part of the database I need consistent naming for the parts of the sentences. Now I'm not natively english, so I could use some help. Each example senten... | Anna 1 created[2] the_comment[4] on the_article[3] 4= direct object, 3 = object of the preposition on Mark 1 voted[2] on the video[3] 3 = prepositional phrase modifying voted Jessy 1 signed_in[2] John 1 added[2] Jessy[4] to the list[3] 4 = direct object 3 = to the list is a prepositional phrase modifying added Anna[3] ... | Need help constructing consistent sentences, and naming parts | english |
I have written the following: The credentials, checked by the gatekeeper, take the form of... But my wife says that "it would read better without the first comma". Is what she suggests allowed by the rules of grammar? | Yes, one comma is not good. However, removing both commas change the "reduced object relative passive clause" from a non-defining one to a defining one (ie 'The credentials checked by the gatekeeper take the form of...' = 'Those credentials which are/were checked by the gatekeeper take the form of...'). | Removing a comma from a comma-parenthesized subclause | english |
Is the phrase "leave all worries" right ? Or should it always be "No worries" when saying to someone who is disappointed with something ? | "No worries" is fine in speech, and you would want, perhaps, to follow it with something hopeful, such as, "No worries; you still have three more tests you can make it up on." - or - "No worries; there are plenty of fish in the sea." "Leave all worries" is formal and a bit poetic. It is used in songs; it is common to r... | is the phrase "leave all worries" correct? | english |
Nelson Mandela just passed away today. Many of my friends are writing tributes on their Facebook pages. One goes like this: I typically have an aversion to joining the masses on these matters, but far be it from me not to add to honouring of such a history-making, extraordinary man . If anyone deserves peaceful rest, i... | It's a 17th-century rendering of what we might say as "I would never do that!" The person is saying that they are far from the position of espousing a certain view. the origin appears to be in the King James Bible (Authorised Version), 1 Samuel 20:20 - "far be it from me that I should swallow up or destroy". | What sentence structure is this? | english |
Words to describe people with good/poor vocabularies. I am looking for words which I can use to describe characters and I would also like to describe their vocabularies, and explain how their vocabularies stem from their upbringing | Apparently there isn't a single good word for this. You'll go around and around defining your word. articulate : having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently. eloquent : fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing. fluent : able to express oneself easily and articulately. expressive : effectively conv... | Words to describe people with good/poor vocabularies | english |
Sorry, it was unknowingly. Sorry, it was unintentionally. | Yes, there is a difference. Unknowingly implies that the person didn't even realise they had done whatever it was. Unintentionally does not have that implication: they might or might not have realised they had done it, but either way they didn't intend to. Incidentally, neither of those phrases is idiomatic: Sorry, it ... | Is there a difference between 'unknowingly' and 'unintentionally'? | english |
What classification scheme exists for grouping words by their meaning, e.g., "words that describe food," "emotion words," and "types of people"? My concern is pragmatic; grouping words with similar functions can aid in word choice and usage. In other words, I am looking for a grouping method more general than a thesaur... | Interesting question. Being a natural-born teacher, I've always loved classificatory schemes, which could also be called compartmentalizing, pigeonholing, partitioning, creating rubrics, and probably a dozen other words I can't think of readily. I suppose you could start with any of the following and see where they tak... | How to categorize vocabulary for practical use? | english |
I'm looking for a word that basically means an element, alloy or compound. So if this was the word: <code> pickle (n) An element, alloy or compound. </code> Then copper, iron, steel, glass, tin etc... could all be referred to as 'pickles.' | A substance (b: A material of a particular kind or constitution; AHDEL) may be what you're after. | A word that means "element", "alloy" and "compound" | english |
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 | I agree that using the word "too" makes a big difference in this sentence. It's perfectly acceptable to my ear to say "It's too cool over here" in a context in which warmth is expected. In this case, I might also use the phrase "It's cold over here" to mean the same thing as "too cool" because it is supposed to be warm... | cool vs cold (which can be used to express the temperature) | english |
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. | The correct answer is "Neither they nor we went to the show." (Neither modifies the subjects; if the subjects were not named, it would stand in for the subjects, but in your case, the subjects are named, and neither/nor both require subjects, therefore cannot be the subjects of the verb went .) They and we are compound... | "Neither them nor us" vs "Neither they nor we" | english |
I am looking for the word to use when saying the opposite of <code> expanded/expand/expansion </code> 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 <code> expand </code> please let me know. Thanks in ... | Contract The wood contracted. See the second definition. v.intr. 1. To enter into or make an agreement: contract for garbage collection. 2. To become reduced in size by or as if by being drawn together: The pupils of the patient's eyes contracted. === edit Added antonyms and usage === For other opposites, try http://ww... | Opposite of expanded? | english |
You don't even have a chance. You don't have even a chance. You even don't have a chance. You had no chance. (where?) | Even is a scalar focus particle. It can have under its scope a noun phrase, verb, verb phrase, or some modifier of a noun phrase. The element under the scope of "even"-focus requires a certain intonation for the meaning to be properly understood. Take a simple example sentence like: Even you don't care. We break the se... | Is there a rule or something, that explain where to put ''even''? | english |
I'm not entirely clear how you would describe a verb that fulfils this function. I'm looking for a word equivalent to "gallicise", "americanise" or "hellenise", but for Spain equivalent. Is there such a word? What morpheme would you use for Spain? | The word is Hispanicize (or ise, for british spelling) http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Hispanicize | Is there a verb for "to make something Spanish"? | english |
I have found "Whistling into the wind" online but I do not think it fits because it seems to mean that your words are not heard, whereas the opposite should mean that you're being informed by someone of a 'fact' with which you strongly disagree. I generally respond, "you're preaching to the choir", when somebody 'vents... | I think casting pearls before swine is a good opposite. It means giving advice, guidance or direction to those incapable of appreciating or acting upon it. | What is the opposite of "preaching to the choir"? | english |
One of the most essential characteristics that all good leaders share is being open minded. One of the most essential characteristics that all good leaders share is the quality of being open minded. Both variations of this sentence sound awkward, I am not sure why. Can someone tell me if they are both awkward, pick whi... | There's a hint of pleonasm. I'd reduce it to: One of the most necessary qualities of a good leader is having an open mind. | "Being open minded" vs. "the quality of being open minded" | english |
I was corrected by another individual when describing the solution to a problem as a "math calculation". Is math implied when using calculation in a sentence therefore making my statement redundant? | It depends on the context. calculation can mean careful planning or forethought, esp for selfish motives or an estimation of probability; forecast It isn't necessarily redundant, per se, but I'd say that you'd be hard-pressed to produce an example in which it wasn't redundant if the context of math is understood. If a ... | Is "Math Calculation" redundant when describing how to solve a problem? | english |
Say I developed something called "Methodology for Establishing Remaining Life of Components". Basically, at work, we have components (or equipment). I wanted to develop a way to identify how much longer the components / equipment can last before they ware out and cannot be used. It takes into account "the degree of dam... | Looking at this reference here , methodology is defined to be a. A body of practices, procedures, and rules used by those who work in a discipline or engage in an inquiry; a set of working methods: the methodology of genetic studies; a poll marred by faulty methodology. b. The study or theoretical analysis of such work... | would this be considered a 'methodology' or a 'method'? | english |
I'm French and work with a German colleague. I often hear the expression "put in place" which to me corresponds to the French expression "mettre en place". This expression means more or less "set up things to get something to work". For example: I put in place all the shelves so you can store your books. Is this gramma... | "In place" is an idiom, meaning: In the appropriate or usual position or order: With everything in place, she started the slide show. In the same spot; without moving forwards or backwards: While marching in place, the band played a popular tune. "Put in place" can be a combination of the literal "put" and the idiomati... | Is "put in place" a correct English expression? | english |
So I want to say "I angrily closed the laptop." Like this: Instead of using the quote above, what else can I say? | An informal sentence could be: "I slammed the laptop shut". | What's another way of saying "closed the laptop"? | english |
In astronomy the term 'secular' is used to refer to something long lasting and fairly continuous. Apparently it can be used in economics and earth sciences for a similar meaning. How did this usage come about, from the more (colloquially) standard meaning of, 'non-religious'? Edit: @mplungjan points out that the etymol... | 'Secular', as mplungjan or another good dictionary will tell you, comes from the Latin saecula . There is no perfect translation for this, but 'age' , as in 'spirit of the age' is fairly close. And that is the cause of the opposite meanings. To an economist or a journalist who is used to thinking of a decade as long en... | Origin of scientific 'secular' - meaning long lasting | english |
The adjective 'dynamical' is widely used in astronomy, perhaps science in general, but it seems like it has the exact same meaning and usage as 'dynamic', and further, seems to be the same part of speech. Is this even real word? Should it have particular uses? Should it be not allowed to play with other words? | My brain eventually suggested that 'dynamic' refers to something changing (i.e. non-static), while 'dynamical' refers to something involving dynamics. Searching along these lines, stackexchange-url ("I think this answer really hits it (english.stackexchange.com/a/31650/23771)"). To motivate the need, or validity, of th... | 'dynamical' vs. 'dynamic' | english |
"Please hand me the comb." My textbook says to identify what 'me' is, I was able to do that for sentences in which the subject before the verb but I cannot do that for this sentence? I know that hand is the verb, and the comb is the object but what would me be? The indirect object? | Me is the indirect object. The subject is you (who is acting), the direct object is comb (what is being acted on), and hand is the verb. | The subject is after the verb in this sentence? | english |
In each of the years 1995, 1996, 1998, and 1999, variable X grew by 20% year-on-year. But in 1997, X fell by 50%. What might explain this counter-trend fall in 1997? What might be a better word in place of "counter-trend" here? Googling "counter-trend", it seems like this is somewhat commonly used in investment, but I ... | The 1997 results are an anomaly , so you could render the last sentence as: What might explain this anomalous fall in 1997? | Synonym for "counter-trend" | english |
When I need to deliver someone an unfortunate news, what would be the opposite phrase to: I'm happy to inform you... or I'm delighted to give you this news... | I found the option that best suits my purpose: I regret to inform you... | What's the opposite of "happy to"? | english |
Only boss a'me, is me. What is the meaning of "a'me" in the above sentence? | The 'a' is just a representation of the word "of" as it might be pronounced. In other words, it's just "of me". | What does "a'me" mean? | english |
So is it a good use of the word aloof to say "She is not aloof to their harsh judgements"? The intent is to say that a person is aware of the perception others have of them. Thanks. | Depending on what the actual state of affairs is, you may use one of these.There are slight subtleties in the difference of meaning and usage. Unaware which means ' having no knowledge of a situation or fact '. She is not unaware of their harsh judgments. Oblivious which means, ' not aware of or concerned about what is... | Aloof proper usage | english |
In semi-poetic writing, I have had occasion to deviate from the standard prose list practice (interpose commas or semicolons between items, with an "and" preceding the final item), by utilizing a second or third and to separate three or four items. That is, Bob likes beer, wine and liquor. The variant would be: Bob lik... | It's called polysyndeton , and creates a polysyndetic co-ordination. Polysyndeton is the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted (as in "he ran and jumped and laughed for joy"). The word "polysyndeton" comes from the Greek "poly-", meaning "many," and "syndeton", meaning ... | Is there a better name for this than "emphatic and"? | english |
I'm designing a simple CMS in which users (non-experts) can, among other things, choose from a select group of typeface-combinations. Although not entirely correct ( I believe?) I could also use 'font combination' to explain the feature. What would be the best way to describe the feature to English speaking that are no... | If your system allows the user to select the typeface (Times New Roman, Courier, etc.), the weight (normal, bold, italic, etc), and the size (10pt, 11.5pt, etc), then you can both correctly and concisely refer to the process of defining these three options as "font selection", and be widely understood. Even if your sys... | 'typeface' or 'font'? Which term is better known to a layman? | english |
If one wanted to say something like <code> no commas </code> : Hello Pete, how are you? or <code> commas </code> : Thanks, Julia, this will be helpful! would he need commas separating the different elements in the interjection or just the comma separating the interjection from the rest of the sentence/clause? | You would need commas before the interjection (if it is at the end of a sentence); before and after the interjection (if it is in the middle), including names; after, if it is at the beginning of the sentence. Examples: Celia, would you take that call? (Interjection at the beginning) Will you, Aisha, do that assignment... | Commas between interjectional elements | english |
I have a sentence to translate: The school shall notify parents in writing at the beginning of each school year, and upon any enrollment during the school year, of the obligation to ensure all children of compulsory attendance age attend school. wiki gives such definition of enrollment: "the process of initiating atten... | Why yes, it is a one-time process, but sometimes kids have to join school in the middle of the year (for example, if they move from one city to another). So upon the enrollment or at the beginning of the school year (meaning the kid is already enrolled), parents are informed about their obligation to control their chil... | What does "enrollment" mean here? | english |
I remember being taught in history classes to abbreviate century by writing a large capital C followed by the ordinal number as in: <code> C18th </code> without the full-stop (period). Recently I have noticed on ELU (it wasn't something I paid particular attention in the past) the lower-case c after a cardinal number a... | You're asking a question about style, as such you're more likely to find a satisfactory answer outside of the dictionary. The Associated Press Style Manual doesn't address century specifically, but says you should "Never use an abbreviation that will not be easily understood." Wikipedia's Manual of Style has a variety ... | What is the abbreviation for 'century'? | english |
A wild guess tells me that agenda vs agendum is like data vs datum (former is a collection of the latter), but what is the use of agendum in today's English? If part of my party's agenda is to get rid of all vegetables and to bring loud mufflers to the whole country, would each of those be a single agendum ? How would ... | A quick search on the web says you are correct. Personally, I have never heard that used before, nor was I aware that Agenda was really the plural of some singular noun. At work, we just call the elements of an agenda "items", and I think that political parties call their elements "positions", e.g. GOP's position on th... | Use of 'agendum' today | english |
The phrase "cold snap" is in common usage, as in: We're really going through a cold snap . I had to de-ice the car this morning. But I've never heard the phrase "warm snap" or "mild snap". Would those phrases be valid, or must a "snap" always be cold? | "Cold Snap" does in fact refer to the speed at which the coldness arrives. From this source - <code> Also, cold spell . A short period of unusually cold weather, as in The recent cold snap has threatened the crop . The first expression presumably likens snap in the sense of "a sudden bite or cut" to sudden unexpected c... | Can you have any kind of "snap" other than a cold one? | english |
What part of speech are the a my that your each every etc, or what category do they fall under? The reason I am asking this is that I am programming a sentence generator, and my sentence structure looks a bit like this: <code> [noundesc] [adj][0 to 2] [noun] [verb-ed]or[verb-s] [noundesc] [adj][0 to 2] [noun] </code> A... | These are determiners . Determiners were traditionally classified as adjectives, but more modern theories of grammar set them aside as a separate category. Determiners include articles ( a / an and the ), demonstratives ( this / these and that / those ), possessives, and quantifiers among others . | What part of speech are the words the, a, my, that, your, each, every, etc, or what category do they fall under? | english |
Can I write something like: among people from that country and among people from not I know it can be easily rewritten as: among people that are from the country and among people that are not But I just wonder whether the first writing is grammatically correct? If it is, is it formal or informal? | English structure always demands commutative symmetry, if an arrangement is commutative. That is to say, if the order of phrases can be switched and yet retain the same meaning, then their structure must be symmetrical. if a phrase can be factored into a parent and two or more child phrases, then the child phrases must... | Can I use the word "not" after a preposition? | english |
Is there a scientific term or psychological phonomenon for meeting your goals by imagining you have already met them? For example, if I wanted to be a corporate executive, then I might decide to act and work like I was already a corporate executive, in the hopes that one day hiring representatives might notice that I a... | I'm not sure if there's a special scientific term, but in general you would call that aspirational thinking or action. (from fuzzyanalysis: Self-Determination was my favourite answer, based on a Google search with 'aspirational' in it) | More Scientific/Psychological Terms for "Acting the Part" | english |
A graphics card or an algebraic co-processor is a specialized computing unit. A conventional CPU, which understands a lot more instructions, is a flexible computing unit. I'm not happy with using flexible in the second sentence. What are other possibilities? | General (“Not limited in use or application; applicable to the whole or every member of a class or category”) is suitable, as in “A conventional CPU is a general [or general purpose] computing unit.” Note that having “a lot more instructions” is not what makes a processing unit general-purpose; for example, RISC (reduc... | Opposite of "specialized" in the context of computing units | english |
Is there a word to describe a traditional interjection (in any language) made before drinking? Examples include: Cheers! (English) ¡Salud! (Spanish) Prost! (German) !לחיים (Hebrew) A close fit is toast , but this can also be used to describe any form of speech which is made before drinking, including long-winded solilo... | I have only ever seen it referred to as a toast . A toast may be as simple as raising a glass before you drink, or be a short comment ("L'chaim!") or, as you have pointed out, something more elaborate. Tribute, salute, salutation, wassail, drink can be used, but toast is more popular. | Word for an interjection made when drinking | english |
At the top part of the front page of my trading journal website, I have a phrase that I don't know whether is correct or not. Here's what it says: <code> Online trading journal software including trade planning and money management. The smart way to plan, journal and learn from your trades You get a structured approach... | You get a structured approach to becoming more profitable is grammatically correct. You might also consider, You get a structured approach enabling you to make more profitable trades , if it is the trading software which is the focus. | Which is most correct of these 3 phrases? | english |
Which one is right? the Wigner-Ville and Li-Katar distributions the Wigner-Ville and the Li-Katar distributions Assume that both Wigner-Ville and Li-Katar are distributions. | Either is correct, but the first is more compact and, to me, appears to be emphasizing that similarities are bieng emphasized while the second gives more separation between them, like you may be contrasting them...not really a gramatical thing, just my impression when reading them...perhaps over reading them... | Should you use two definite articles in "the Wigner-Ville and Li-Katar distributions"? | english |
There's one aspect which is confusing me, especially because of how it's done in my native language which is ukrainian. So question is how singular and plural forms are used with numbers ending with 1. - 1 view. No questions asked. - 11, 211 views. No questions asked either. - 0, 2, 5, 13, etc views. No questions here ... | It's 21, 101, 91 views . Always add an 's' if the number is greater than 1. | Plural/singular with certain numbers | english |
Here is the context. The dictionary define one meaning of "of" as expressing the relationship between a general category and the thing being specified which belongs to such a category . Is it fitted here? Or rather, how to interpret "of that famous seat of philosophy" ? I shall suppose myself in the Lyceum of Athens, r... | I don't think that sense of "of" applies. "Platos and Xenocrates'" is a compound plural noun that stands for something like "examplar" or "prominent/great intellectuals". Second, the Lyceum of Athens is referred to as a place in both instances: I shall suppose myself in the Lyceum of Athens The second mention of the Ly... | Is this "of" means category relationship? | english |
When do you use hierarchical and when hierarchic ? For example, hierarchical database sounds much more native to me, even as a non-native English speaker. But why isn't it hierarchic database ? Edit: I just realized there are more words this question applies to: acyclical/acyclic, aesthetical/aesthetic, cosmetical/cosm... | Every single dictionary link I found redirects hierarchic to hierarchical . It seems as though there is absolutely no distinction between the meanings of two words and hierarchical is vastly preferred. NGram data fully supports this preference. Therefore, always use hierarchical . As for why it is hierarchical and not ... | "Hierarchical" vs. "hierarchic" | english |
In some time related sentences I saw expressions like in the morning and at night . For example I work in the morning and I work at night What is the difference here? Why does the writer use at with night and in with morning ? I also know that: at : In or near the area occupied by; in or near the location of in : Withi... | The choice of prepositions in these time references is idiomatic. And even idiomatic uses are not necessarily exclusive. In US usage, you can say both I work at night and I work in the night The former is the conventional, neutral expression. The later has a slightly more dramatic tone and may suggest that the work is ... | Difference between "at" and "in" | english |
I am thinking which one you should use A Lorem ipsun which is the Wigner-Ville transform. B Lorem ipsun which is Wigner-Ville transform. Some says that the first but I like the last one because it is shorter and because the first letter of the transform is capital. Should use the article the in the above example? I hav... | I don't think the examples and your actual case are analoguous. In your examples AA and BB, you are merely identifying two nouns, while in your actual prose, you are specifying a noun (apparently from some previous phrase not included in your post). Your first case: Lorem ipsun which is the Wigner-Ville transform. Is u... | How to use of "the" with some equations? | english |
What is the difference between "on doing", "by doing", and "in doing"? A difficult point to French learners of English as in all three cases, you would say "en faisant". Example sentences, taken from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English : What was your reaction on seeing him? Howard had put his own life in da... | The difference between "on leaving" on the one hand and "by selling" and "in trying" on the other hand is easy: "on leaving" is to do with time and means "when you saw him", whereas "by selling" and "in trying" are to do with the cause and effect relationship. But there is a difference: by = she sells insurance in orde... | gerunds: difference between "on doing", "by doing", and "in doing"? | english |
Someone provided me with a PowerPoint presentation and instructed me to convert it into a word document with sentences rather than point form notes. Here is what the PowerPoint slide said: "Control Measures -Provide an easy exit -Wear protective equipment" The slide talks about what to do when you are working in a tigh... | There is no reason why the expression take measures (take action to achieve a particular purpose) cannot take a modifying adjective. Take (adj) measures should work with any adjective. (If a word modifies a noun, it is an adjective.) So Take control measures is okay. | we take safety measures, do we also 'take' control measures? | english |
I'm writing a story for little children and would really appreciate some help with the following sentence: "There was lots and lots of red, and lots and lots of blue." Is that correct? Or should it be "there were"? | When you are saying merely blue or red as an object rather than a modifier,'was'shall be used. There was loads and loads of blue (colour) and loads and loads of red (colour). However if there were an object that blue and red were modifying and the object was more than one in number, we would use 'were'. There were load... | "Lots and lots of...two different uncountable nouns" | english |
Can the typography term "swash", meaning a flourish on a letter or character, be used as a verb? | A swash, in the context you've indicated, is a noun, so technically you cannot make it a verb. However, I'm sure if you don't care too much about proper grammar, people would understand what you are referring to and accept it, so long as they know what the typographical version of the word swash means. A word of warnin... | "A swashed H" - valid description? | english |
Both forms express an obligation not to do something (although one phrases it by declaring that permission is missing). I figure that must not sounds a little more urging but what I am interested in is this: Are both phrases semantically interchangeable or are there situations in which only one will work? If so, why? | The phrases do not mean the same thing, and while they may often be used interchangeably, this is not always the case. You must not put your fingers in the spinning gears! For adults, this is an admonition based on objective reality. It really means You must not put your fingers in the spinning gears [or you will get i... | Semantical difference between "must not" and "not allowed to" | english |
So he had to end his football career in getting a neck injury during match in 2007 | I do not like starting a sentence with "so" but I suggest ...so he had to end his football career due to a neck injury he sustained during a match in 2007. or ...so in 2007 he had to end his football career due to a neck injury he sustained during a match. depending on when the injury was and when he ended his career | Pls help me modify this sentence | english |
In Washington Post January 26, 2013 issue, Ezra Klein introduces the word, “Kludgeocracy” in his article titled, “Is America a ‘kludgeocracy’?,” which begins with the following sentence: In "Kludgeocracy: The American Way of Policy," Johns Hopkins political scientist Steven Teles argues that; "The great agenda of the n... | Well, if you break down the elements of the word, it'd go something like this: Kludge - you've defined it for us -cracy - is a word-forming element that means "rule or government by". The 'O' is part of linking the two elements together in the English language, when talking about etymology So basically kludgeocracy is ... | What is “Kludgeocracy” in short, in plain words? | english |
Is it valid to say 'I'm incredulous." all by itself as a standalone sentence? The intent is to convey that I am in disbelief. Thanks. | It's normally used when speaking with regard to someone else. The subject is also normally included. - 'He was incredulous at the news.' Speaking about yourself with no subject, except the implied context in which the phrase is stated, you might use "skeptical" - 'I'm skeptical.' Yes it is valid to say, 'I'm incredulou... | Incredulous proper use | english |
A question struck me one day when I was writing a blog post and wanted to use the relative pronoun who on non-human subject such as a virus. I had seen many examples before where this pronoun, which is used chiefly to refer to humans, is being used on non-human subjects and they appear idiomatic: Edwina, the Dinosaur W... | You can quasi-justify anything, realistically speaking. But why bother? Not only is it linguistically and even grammatically iffy at best, it is going to throw off a good chunk of your more perceptive audience members if not for a mere second. For the purposes of communication, it would be hard to justify it as it does... | The use of "who" on non-human subject such as a virus | english |
I understand the meaning of the term "back-order": The item is not available, and will be ordered when it becomes available again. But I can't quite figure out why the prefix "back-" is used, when in other words it means either literally "behind", "reverse", or the anatomical "back". When I break it into its components... | etymology online lists "back-date, by 1881 (implied in back-dated), from back (adv.) + date (v.1) likewise, back up (v.) 1767, "stand behind and support," The noun meaning "standby, reserve" is recorded from 1952, and "back-log": arrears of unfulfilled orders" (1932) so, back-order evolved in the eighties as shipping d... | Why is "back-" used in "back-order"? | english |
When writing this sentence: So it's possible to do an XHTML quine, but not a HTML quine I noticed that I used <code> an </code> for XHTML but not for HTML. In the discussion on this thread , I've picked up on a few points: Use an when the following sound is a vowel-sound. The letter X is pronounced eks ... so an eks-em... | Generally, you use "a" or "an" based on the way you pronounce the acronym (and not its expanded form). The fact that "ex" is the start of either "extensible" or "extended" has nothing to do with the way the letter X is pronounced (which also turns out to be "ex"). So if you pronounce it "ex-aitch-tee-em-ell document", ... | A XHTML document or An XHTML document | english |
At work today I wanted to tell our guests that a car was waiting for them. Is there a formal way to say that? Are "The car is waiting for you" and "The car is ready" correct? | A formal way to say this would be "The car is now ready at your convenience." If the car comes with a driver, you might say "Your driver is ready at your convenience." It is implied that the car is also ready (or the driver wouldn't be). "At your convenience" means "at a time suitable for you." It is a very respectful ... | How to say in a formal way that a car outside of the building is ready? | english |
As you may know, when two states fail to come to permanent treaty terms, they may agree for the time being to a modus vivendi, an interim memoradum of indefinite term specifying usually mutually unsatisfactory but nevertheless tolerable conditions of peaceful continuance, pending a final agreement. The phrase modus viv... | While I agree with Kris above (you need a very sound understanding of the noun declensions and verb conjugations to create your own Latin phrases), I think it is fine to do so, though it is uncommon and somewhat misleading, connoting the wisdom of antiquity where there is none. Many, many Latin phrases were 'coined' we... | Modus vivendi, modus praevalentis | english |
I am starting to write my thesis and was told not to use passive voice. But the active voice pronouns "I" and "we" do not sound right somehow and I even found this link How to Write... encouraging active voice yet instructing not to use first person pronouns. So I am planing to mix active voice with passive voice, such... | This is a tough question. I have faced it myself. You are caught in a tug-of-war between differing schools of thought in the matter. Unfortunately, it is likely that at least one professor on your dissertational committee feels strongly in the matter. Fortunately, if you just accept your advisor's advice in the matter,... | Mix active and passive voice in the thesis | english |
I am working on a scientific paper and there is a graph in it showing how some points are moved.... The reviewer suggest me to change "Points movement" to "Movement of points". But I still could not get it why "Movement of points" is more preferable? Isn't it the shorter the better? Why not "Movement of the points"? (I... | Your query has hauled a rich bounty of useful comments. Let me summarize them for you. What @Edwin Ashworth is telling you : it is far more usual / conventional / preferable to employ the Passive Voice when you're writing a title for a graph. The passive voice certainly sounds more formal and proper in your usage conte... | "Points movement" or "Movement of points" or "Movement of the points" | english |
From Legend by Marie Lu: It’s early evening, but it’s already pitch-black outside, and the JumboTrons’ reflections are visible in the street’s puddles. I sit on a crumbling window ledge three stories up, hidden from view behind rusted steel beams. This used to be an apartment complex, but it’s fallen into disrepair. Br... | The apartment complex is in disrepair Something like | What does steel beams mean here? | english |
What is the difference between The Noun: Program and Programme ?? What should i use? | From daily writing tips American English always uses program . British English used program until 19th cent., when, under French influence, it became programme (unless referring to computers.) Australian English recommends program for official usage, but programme is still in common use. | Clarify the difference between "program" and "programme" | english |
I was told that saying Like I said isn't grammatically correct although it is used a lot. That we should use As I said instead. Is it true? | Like I said is much more informal than As I said , but the former isn't ungrammatical. In formal writing you may prefer to use as , but in speech or less formal writing like is fine. | "As I said" vs. "Like I said" | english |
I am talking about valves, and there is this specific valve which is cheap (not expensive), compact (not too big), easy to maintain (the valve is easy to clean and rarely ever needs to be repaired) and easy to 'seal tight' (meaning, it is easy to tighly seal the valve). The sentence which I wrote was 'These valves are ... | I would argue that the main problem is that you've set up a parallel structure within a parallel structure, leaving either an invalid structure or an uncompleted parallelism. The default reading is "these valves are: a) cheap b) compact c) easy to maintain d) seal tight". Clearly, "These valves are seal tight" is not a... | "easy to seal tight" or "easy to tighly seal"? | english |
I am from the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, and this popped into my head today. Is the word acorn (the nut of an oak tree) in any way related to the Dutch word for squirrel, eekhoorn , the animal that collects acorns for food? Looking at eekhoorn , one will have a hard time finding any logical meaning to the naming o... | This is actually an interesting question. The OED provides this tale: Etymology: The formal history of this word has been much perverted by ‘popular etymology.’ OE. æcern neut., pl. æcernu , is cogn. w. ONor. akarn neut. (Dan. agern , Norw. aakorn ), Dutch aker ‘acorn,’ OHG. ackeran masc. and neut. (mod.G. ecker , pl. ... | What is the origin of "acorn"? | english |
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