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I recently stackexchange-url ("edited this question on Pets.SE") regarding fish compatability. The original author used mixed capitalization of "Betta" fish, but did not capitalize "neon tetra". The Wikipedia entry on Betta states the following: There is often much confusion in terminology regarding these fish. Siamese... | (1) When giving the 'scientific name': (Wikipedia): The application of binomial nomenclature is now governed by various internationally agreed codes of rules, of which the two most important are the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) for animals and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fu... | What are the capitalization / italicization rules for Betta fish? | english |
I was looking for a word to describe a sort of cloth sheath you could use to store a boule de pétanque . I found myself in the strange position of knowing the appropriate word in French ( housse ) and in Spanish ( funda ) but not in my native language. Both these words basically mean a covering . Those are the words us... | I think perhaps the term cosy is appropriate. A quick Google search reveals a number of items similar to your picture which are being marketed as a "phone cosy" For example, a red knit Phone Cosy. Another application of the term cosy is a tea cosy Seems to me you might be looking at a ball cosy, although it is more of ... | What would you call a "sheath" for a spherical object? | english |
Consider these two versions: You can live peacefully without your wants, but your life can be miserable with all your wants within your reach. You can live peacefully without your wants, but your life can be miserable with all your wants are within your reach. I am confused whether to include the linking verb are . | In order to add this linking verb, "are," you have to change the preposition to an adverb (or something similar), for example, "when." If you don't do this, the second sentence is incorrect. If you want to avoid unnecessary changes, just don't use "are" altogether. | What is correct between the two sentences? | english |
If we go by the word it should be anything which can move(mobile) on its own. The etymology section under wikipedia suggest so. But dictionary, wikipedia etc. says that its meaning is <code> car </code> . My question is can planes, trains be called automobiles. If no, how does this transaction happen(since etymology su... | Yes, an automobile is only a "car", the kind of road automotive vehicle for passengers that was first built in Germany in 1889. Also the noun with this meaning was well established before the advent of aeroplanes and airships. One early name for the new contraption was automobile carriage (German: Automobilwagen ) perh... | Is automobiles only a "car" | english |
There was the following sentence in the article of Time magazine’s November 25 issue under the title, “John F. Kennedy's Assassination and the Conspiracy Industry.” “This whiplash convergence of extremes — so sudden, so horrific, such enormity — makes the assassination of John F. Kennedy an almost uniquely deranging ev... | The beautiful , tranquility , the familiar are all mass nouns—“any quantity of it is treated as an undifferentiated unit, rather than as something with discrete subsets” ( Wikipedia ). They may be paraphrased as that which or everything which or all that is beautiful, tranquil, familiar. The mighty , ... | Does ‘the mighty’ take a verb in plural form as in “the mighty are rendered helpless”? | english |
I was wondering which form is the correct one, "technology development" or "the development of technology". For example: The pace of technology development affected me in several ways. The pace of development of technology affected me in several ways. In the second example I try to emphasize the speed of development mo... | First is ungrammatical, the second is just about grammatical, but in my view too wordy! You need the adjectival form of technology, namely 'technological'. 'The pace of technological development'. | "Development of technology" vs. "technology development" | english |
There was the following sentence in August 12 Time magazine article titled “Why Germany save the Euro,” which deals with the Germany’s roles in restoring the momentum of Euro economy: “There are those in Europe and beyond who’d like to see Germany go all in and write a blank check to the euro zone in exchange for great... | Going all out is used to convey the idea of sparing no expense He really went all out for this party. Going all in is used to convey betting everything at once- putting all your eggs in one basket as it were. He really went all in on that one. I hope he's right otherwise he'll be declaring bankruptcy tomorrow. | What’s the difference between “Go all out” and “Go all in”? | english |
I was recently asked to choose which of following two excerpts sounded better: Emotionally vulnerable and incarnate of self-sacrifice , the Tenth Doctor wavered between romantic and intensely protective relationships with his companions. Emotionally vulnerable and self-sacrifice incarnate , the Tenth Doctor wavered bet... | The adjective incarnate is used in an appositional or appositive adjectival phrase in your first example: ? Emotionally vulnerable and incarnate of self-sacrifice, the Tenth Doctor wavered between romantic and intensely protective relationships with his companions. The adjectival phrase modifies the subject, the Tenth ... | Sentence fragments as modifiers: "self-sacrifice incarnate, the 10th Doctor wavered..."? | english |
I am looking for an abbreviation for the word "current" to match the similar abbreviation "prev" for "previous" (it is being used specifically in the context of a sequence of items: previous --> current --> next). I'm considering "cur" and "curr", but the former brings to my mind the slur and the latter, as far as I ca... | cur. Just add a period to hint that it is an abbreviation. See http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cur : currency. current. | Abbreviation for current | english |
I have the following sentence: He grabbed the Duke's shoulder and turned him to face him. Without pronouns for disambiguation of the two occurrences of "him": Vigil grabbed the Duke's shoulder and turned the Duke to face Vigil. Both of these contain very ugly repetition that I would prefer to avoid. I've tried all poss... | Perhaps something like: <code> Vigil grabbed the Duke's shoulder and turned him about, so that the two were standing face to face. </code> | How to avoid this repetition | english |
What is the difference between " <code> about </code> " and " <code> around </code> " in following example ? <code> I'll see you around 6 O'clock. I'll see you about 6 O'clock. </code> Now, I usually the first one, but I heard the second one on the phone from one of my friends (native English speaker). Thanks. | No implied difference in meaning whatever. | Difference between "about" and "Around" | english |
Is there a verb I could use to condense "make consistent" or "consistentize" in one word? E.g. <code> another item to <consistentize> across different groups in our process is... </code> | standardise (but I have to add some padding or I can't post) | Proper verb to denote 'consistent-ize' | english |
I've seen this phrase in many literary works. Does it have the same purpose as like , as if , and as though (in the context of similes/metaphors)? For example: She might as well have been a skinny doll made of reed Is that the same as: She looked like skinny doll made of reed | <code> might as well been </code> is used to indicate that a situation is the same as if the hypothetical thing stated were true: E.g. for readers seeking illumination, this book might as well have been written in Serbo-Croatian so looked like stays close to the meaning indeed. | Using "might as well have been" in analogies | english |
Which of the following sentences is correct? We are glad to provide a recommendation of a good work you did. We are glad to provide a recommendation for a good work you did. | Based on your clarifications, I think you can use 'recommend' in this way, but to make it sound more natural in SAE I'd reword your sentences to one of the following: We are happy to provide recommendations of X. We are happy to recommend X. To my ear the second option using the verb form is more natural, and it doesn'... | "Recommendation of" vs. "recommendation for" – what is the difference? | english |
Why do we say 'dog whistle' but 'dog's lead'; 'horse box' but 'horse's bridle'? | Yes, they are compound nouns. A "dog whistle" is a type of whistle, while a "horse box" is a type of transport. As for the "team colours" these refer to a specific set of colours used by a particular sports team. Using your Norwich City F.C. example, that organization as a collective whole (and not a single person or t... | Are words like 'dog whistle', horse box', etc compound nouns? | english |
"Would you regret of not doing something?" Is this sentence ok? using "of" is correct? or using "for" or nothing? Please help :) | I think it is incorrect. 'Regret' is a transitive verb, which some people mistake for an intransitive. You simply 'regret not doing something'. 'Not doing something' is the direct object. No prepositions are involved It believe it can take an indirect object e.g. 'I regretted it at the time', 'I shall regret it until m... | Would you regret "of" not doing something? | english |
I heard this line in the rap song Ghetto Bird by Ice Cube ( full lyrics here ) and I'm completely puzzled by its meaning. My homey's here to lick on a trick for a Rolex And let me try the four next Now the four I was driving was hotter than July looked up and didn't see it whippin' in the sky Saw a chopper with numbers... | Rapgenius annotations: lick on a trick for a Rolex rob a woman of her Rolex watch ALSO Now the four I was driving was hotter than july annotated: Ice Cube’s 1964 Chevy Impala is wanted by the police | "Lick on a trick for a Rolex" — meaning? | english |
I would like to know which one of the following is correct: Figures 1 and 2 indicate that... Figure 1 and 2 indicate that... Figure 1 and 2 indicates that... other possibilities? | Try substituting your terms for others while keeping the grammar, and it'll be a bit more natural. <code> 1. Cats Bob and Jim cough up hair balls 2. Cat Bob and Jim cough up hair balls 3. Cat Bob and Jim coughs up hair balls </code> I'm pretty sure you should be using the plural form (Figures, Cats) for the noun. I'm n... | "Figure 1 and 2" or "Figures 1 and 2" | english |
I would like to know which one of the following is correct: We ran the experiments on the XXX, which is to the best of our knowledge the largest publicly available sample of YYYs. We ran the experiments on the XXX, which to the best of our knowledge is the largest publicly available sample of YYYs. | They're both correct, but a little hard to read. You can use commas to parenthesize (or use parenthesis characters), thus: ... on the XXX, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the largest ... ... on the XXX, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the largest ... In this case, I'd suggest the first is marginally pre... | "which is to the best of our knowledge" vs "which to the best of our knowledge is" | english |
I have a sentence where I want to say that X is one of several things in a category, i.e. "...where X is an A, B, C, or D, etc." The elements A, B, C, or D are not exhaustive, so I want to include etc. to indicate that, but I don't know where to place etc. | The reason it's awkward is because etc. means “and other things”: et cetera . For your use, you need “or other things”, for which there is no Latin phrase in English (it would use vel, the Latin for or ) and consequently no abbreviation. This is a pity, because we are reduced to spelling out the alternatives. There's n... | How do you use etc. with or? | english |
Can anyone please explain if "doing" in "When doing something" is a base+ing verbal, or a present participle used as a verb in an elliptical sentence, or something else entirely. Here's an example of a sentence: " When training , athletes build their endurance by practising their sports for long, exhausting hours." And... | "When training, athletes build their endurance by practising their sports for long, exhausting hours." I would say it is a present participle. Training, athletes build their endurance... This is one of usages for the participle. In your case, to clearly indicate the relationship between the participle "training" and th... | What is the function of "doing" in "when doing something"? | english |
The "N" in "NAmE" confuses me very much. | Found it in another question: North American English stackexchange-url ("Why some abbreviations ended with a period, but some not?") | What's "NAmE" abbreviated from in "Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary"? | english |
Given this sentence: Studies confirm the longest product shelf life of 3 years. How do I make it correct and clear? The product has a set of shelf lives (it is a pharmaceutical product). Studies confirm the longest self life, and therefore all the others as well. The longest shelf life is 3 years. Is some sort of hyphe... | REVISED ANSWER: Initially I recommended rephrasing the original example's wording as Studies confirm that the product has a maximum shelf life of three years. But as Edwin Ashworth suggests in his comments, treating "shelf life" as a something with a range of possible durations from "shortest [or minimum] shelf life" t... | Hyphenation rules for product shelf life | english |
Today I heard somebody say, “This (technology) can be the difference between life or death,” and I winced. While “life or death” can be used as an adjective (e.g., modifying “situation” or “decision”), I believe that “between X or Y ” is wrong, because “between” should always be used with “and”. (Or an implied “and” , ... | You are in good company in wincing at between ... or . Garner in Modern American Usage (p103) calls the construction "a misuse that probably results from confusion between between ... and and either ... or ." Follett in Modern American Usage (p120) calls the combination of between and or "misguided". Fowler in Modern E... | Is “between __ ***or*** __” valid? | english |
Sorry if this is a remedial question for the level of English that I see here, but I'm writing an essay and need to know if this is correct. I'm trying to refer to a body that is owned by a fish. Is "fish's" correct? It sounds odd to me. | There's nothing wrong with this S-genitive, eg. as in the fish's body . It's also useful in combinations with the Of-genitive: "The whole is covered by two membranes, which are continuations of the flesh of the fish's body " Royal Society Philosophical Transactions Vol L, Part II, For the Year 1758. p589 | Is "fish's" correct to use when referring to something that the fish owns? | english |
I would like to see if the following sentence is correct: (context: the tool performs an analysis during which alarms may be raised) 1. we had set up the tool such that a raised alarm stops the whole analysis. Someone proposed 2. we had set up the tool as such that a raised alarm stops the whole analysis. 3. we had set... | (2) and (4) are certainly wrong. I felt uncomfortable with the use of 'such that ...' (which is normally adjectival) to stand in for the standard adverbial 'in such a way that ...' in the other sentences. I was not surprised by this comment from the AHD : Usage Note: The adjective such is often followed by that when su... | "as such that" vs. "such that" | english |
I am wondering if the following sentence is correct: We add the information their study provides with to our article. The context is: their study provides with some information. And we add the information to our article. I want to keep the word "add", and someone told me that "provides with to" sounds wired... | The verb provide has two different subcategorisation frames: provide something [ to somebody ] provide somebody with something In the first, the material provided is the object, in the second the recipient is the object. Both are valid, and both are in common use. The difference between them is the with phrase, which m... | "provide" vs. "provide with" | english |
I was talking to some friends and I said "I ate (/et/) chocolate yesterday...". Then my friend corrected me: "you ate (/eit/) chocolate...". I repeated my sentence with the /eit/ pronunciation and we moved on. But later at home I checked some dictionaries and online debates on the subject, and now I'd like to know if i... | That's just a regional pronunciation. It's non-standard but not completely uncommon. If I had to guess, I'd say rural midwestern America, where a lot of the different vowel sounds all get pronounced the same --although Peter Shor's comment above seems to imply it might also be a Cockney accent. (I'm not all that famili... | The pronunciation of "ate" | english |
I am sitting in a restaurant and the waiter is available for me if I call him. He is there but not imposing. In a high end restaurant, the waiter would be serving while maintaining the quietness and comfort of the restaurant's atmosphere. What would be an appropriate adjective to describe the waiter? | How about "Unobtrusive" ? Or perhaps " Inconspicuous ." | What would you call someone who is there if you need him but who is not imposing? | english |
As far as I know British people "go to the theatre" meaning "go to see a stage play" but for Americans theater is a place where you can watch either a movie or a play. So would an American say "Would you like to see a play?" instead of "go to the theater?" Another question When someone says "Chicago is famous for theat... | In the US, theater has two distinct meanings in this context the legitimate theater, as distinguished from films, TV, etc. (often with the) and a place where plays, operas, films, etc. are presented; esp., a building or outdoor structure expressly designed for such presentations When talking about seeing a live dramati... | Going to the theater vs. seeing a play | english |
All, I see these words are used many times literally or verbally. But I really don't know what is the difference between them. Please review one of them which I got from a read. After an obligatory Hello World–caliber application, we construct a more sophisticated application that implements a daytime server. | Sophisticated implies a level of elegance and intelligent design that might not be present in something that is just complicated . Also, a simple application could potentially be sophisticated if it had a lot of capacity despite its simplicity. | What is the difference between sophisticated and complicated | english |
I wrote this sentence: The unregulated internet we are accustomed to won out over another vision for the World Wide Web: a tightly controlled, "government-sponsored broadband network that would have delivered video from TV stations and other approved content"—another FCC-regulated medium like radio or television. A TA ... | Point your TA in the direction of the UK’s University of Sussex, which publishes a Guide to Punctuation by its late Professor of Linguistics, R L Trask. Of the colon, he wrote: The colon is used to indicate that what follows it is an explanation or elaboration of what precedes it. That is, having introduced some topic ... | Must an independent clause follow a colon (if it's not a list)? | english |
When learning how to make comparisons, students of English as a foreign language are first told to use the structure "as [adjective/adverb] as". However, at higher levels, they are told that both options ("as/so [adjective/adverb] as") are correct. I've been wondering if there are any differences between them, but I ca... | Yes. So is an alternative to as in this construction in negative contexts, but not otherwise. I don't use it in my idiolect, but many people do. | Comparisons: "so [adjective/adverb] as" or "as [adjective/adverb] as" | english |
From a poem of G. M. Hopkins titled " The Shepherd’s brow, fronting forked lightning, owns ": THE SHEPHERD’S brow, fronting forked lightning, owns The horror and the havoc and the glory Of it. Angels fall, they are towers , from heaven—a story Of just, majestical, and giant groans. What does "towers" mean here? Angels ... | The use of towers here is a metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes a subject by asserting that it is, on some point of comparison, the same as another otherwise unrelated object... In simpler terms, a metaphor compares two objects or things without using the words "like" or "as". Thus, the angels are... | "Angels fall, they are towers": what is "towers" here? Froma poem by G.M.Hopkins | english |
What's more grammatically correct? I knew she would be standing here, waiting for me. No, not so much as waiting but *expecting me to be here. or I knew she would be standing here, waiting for me. No, not so much as waiting but as expecting me to be here. | The first structure is correct. I knew she would be standing here, waiting for me. No, not so much as waiting but expecting me to be here. No need for as in the second part. The first instance of as used is a part of the idiomatic expression not so much as itself and not a prefactory to waiting . The more common idiom ... | "Not so much as...but..." or "not so much as...but as...?" | english |
For our website I need a translation for the expression "BTW verlegd" (Nederlands / Dutch). When a company (seller) in the EU sells something to a foreign EU company (foreign buyer), the VAT can be moved over. The seller doesn't calculate VAT, so in effect it's VAT free. The foreign company has to pay VAT in its own co... | VAT & customs topics In principle, a foreign company that is liable for VAT in the Netherlands, should invoice Dutch VAT. However, if the client is a company based in the Netherlands, no VAT may be charged on the invoice. In that case the reverse charge rule of article 12, paragraph 3, of the Dutch VAT Act is appli... | Translation for "btw verlegd" (NL) for EU business - meaning VAT moved? | english |
In this article on Cracked.com , I discovered this gem of a phrase: ...Batman is the personality-shelf where Bruce Wayne stores the crazy-plates... ...and I thought it was a fantastic phrase. Then I looked at it some more, and I wondered if it was just a simple metaphor, or whether there was a name for this kind of ima... | It's an analogy using coinages formed from similes: To be a plainer metaphor it would not have been as you suggested, but rather: …Batman is the shelf where Bruce Wayne stores his plates… The problem being, that it's too far from the intended purpose for anyone to get the metaphor. A simile that states the comparison m... | "...Batman is the personality-shelf where Bruce Wayne stores the crazy-plates..." - is this just a metaphor, or is it something else? | english |
I'm looking for an abbreviation to indicate that I finished work for the day. Example usage: "I'm going home, its ... for me". I found some examples on the internet, but I'm wondering what's most common to use. EOB (end of business) EOD (end of day) COB (close of business) ... Wikipedia (End of Day) uses COB, but Googl... | From my experience, "COB" is a commonly used acronym to express delivery of a project or task by the end of business on a certain day. EDIT: You would only ever write this, not say it out loud to a colleague. "I will make sure to send you that spreadsheet by COB Thursday." I have rarely encountered the construction "en... | Looking for the most common abbreviation to indicate the end of a working day | english |
I am not a native English speaker. Somebody used this sentence when talking about me. Unless his parents are filthy rich everybody needs some form of income. While most dictionaries define it as "extremely rich", some define it as "very rich, possibly having become so by unfair means". The answer at stackexchange-url (... | I would not take offense at that statement. The actual comment in question was: I do mention that it is unkind to waste anybody's time, and interviewing if you have no intention of taking the job - lying as you put it - is wasting somebody's time. Besides of course he is really available for work, unless his parents ar... | Should I consider the phrase "filthy rich" offensive | english |
What prepositions do I use with "take offense"? Specifically: "I take offense at you over your words" Are at and over correct? | I would use I take offence at your choice of words Or Your choice of words offend me added value is to not attack the person but what he/she is saying | "Take offense" usage | english |
What's the opposite of close set eyes? wide set eyes? far set eyes? :D I heard this in the TV show Grimm. I got curious what would be the opposite | It would almost certainly be "wide-set eyes". Though I can't find any reference for the phrase, I find far more examples of it on a simple google search than I do for "far-set". And it makes a bit more sense. The distance between the two eyes is a width across the face, and really isn't 'far' by any means. Bear in mind... | The opposite of close set (eyes) | english |
Sentence - He is being in tension. Above sentence is Present Continuos. How can we use Being in other sentences. | "Being me, has its privileges". Dumbledore says this to potter in Half Blood Prince (film). Use below link as well : http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/being It's all there on Google | How to make Sentences using Being? | english |
In Icelandic, there is an expression "að viðra sig", using the analogy of clothes that smell of closet and the act of taking them outside to get some of that old smell out of them, that is used to describe a recluse who finally spends some time with other people. While I don´t expect the same analogy to be used in Engl... | I'm a fan of " emerged from his/her cave ." It seems to fit the concept described in the updated version of your question, of someone who is making a rare foray into society, rather than entering society on a permanent and ongoing basis. | Is there an English (British or American) expression or idiom that refers to a recluse finally socializing | english |
Here is a sentence: We would like to import auto parts from your company on a regular basis, provided your prices compare favorably with those of others. Is the sentence right? I think the word "compare" in the sentence should be replaced by "are compared", for in my view COMPARE is a PASSIVE statement. Can anyone tell... | The sentence is correct as it stands. The verb compare can be used both transitively and intransitively with slightly different meanings. The transitive compare means, roughly, to analyse or state the similarities (and differences) of items . For example: People often compare car prices online. As a transitive verb wit... | "compare" or "be compared" | english |
My understanding with the words exact , precise and accurate is that they are absolute. Meaning, there cannot be less accurate or more accurate. Is my understanding correct? If it's exactly 1 meter, then there cannot be more exact than 1 meter. Also, are these words (exact, precise and accurate) exact synonyms? I have ... | Both "precision" and "accuracy" are measured along a gradient of success. This is usually refereed to as the "degree of accuracy" or "degree of precision." When referring to a specific instrument, the measurement should be contextually obvious: This ruler is accurate within one millimeter. This cannon is so precise I c... | Should I say "more exact"/"more precise"? | english |
I have problems with learning about "Compound Tenses". Please help me. | A 'compound' tense is one which employs an auxiliary word, such as have. The Present is a simple tense 'I go', the past is also simple 'I went', but the Perfect is compound 'I have gone'. 'Have' is the auxiliary. Some compound tenses have two-word auxiliaries such as the Future Perfect 'I shall have gone'. | What does "Compound Tense" mean? | english |
I'm trying to put together a decent résumé and am looking for a meliorative word to describe someone who concentrates on keeping things simple for both himself and other people (boss, clients etc). This one had me stumped. | Practical 6. Level-headed, efficient, and unspeculative. He is a very practical person; completely practical in his approach to business A facilitator (this sounds modern and business-like) a person or thing that facilitates a person responsible for leading or coordinating the work of a group, as one who leads a group ... | A word describing a person who doesn't overcomplicate things? | english |
Example: There was a bright moon in the sky. If it weren't for the fog, the streets would have looked incredibly [...]. I can't think of the right adjetive (aside of clear ). Any other suggestions? | Sharp might be the word you are looking for. You might also omit incredibly and use "clearly outlined". | Adjective meaning "with good visibility?" | english |
I'm writing my first CV (resume) before applying for some jobs. Is the following sentence grammatically correct? I've finished my studies and currently looking for a job | I'll address the grammar involved rather than the tone / style (which isn't really an appropriate topic on this site – you need to look elsewhere for that sort of guidance). "I've finished my studies and I've moved back to Brighton." is fine grammatically (but rather too informal in style for a CV). It is a compound se... | I've finished my studies and currently looking for a job? | english |
Bathed in the moonlight, her skin looked even whiter than before. Bathed in the moonlight, her skin looked even more white than before. Are both forms allowed? Which one is more common and why? | The comparative form of this word is "Whiter." | "Even whiter than before," vs "even more white than before." | english |
I poped the movies on the player,then we were crying,laughing and chilling about the movies almost one night. | I would write: "I popped the movies on the player and we cried, laughed and chilled almost the whole night". The second mention of the movies is redundant because you've established at the start of the sentence that you're writing about the movies, so we can safely assume it's the movies which produced the diverse rang... | Is this sentence right? | english |
I have used and come across the phrase "issual of tickets" but when recently writing something my Word dictionary tells me that "issual" is not an actual word. Is that the case? | I think it would make more sense to just say there was such a word... Apparently that graph represents only about 8020 results , so it was never that much used anyway. In case you have trouble accessing the 2 links posted by @Siva (I did), here they are again... 1: Times Of India Staff shortage at Food Distribution Off... | Is there a word "issual"? | english |
Raising your voice is speaking loud and clear (with emphasis), to point something out, mostly in a discussion (e.g. out of excitement). Raising your voice is speaking loud and clear, sharp, more of less angry/aggitated. I strongly believe option 1 is the only correct definition. I refuse to believe you can only raise y... | The best phrase I could come up with that excluded anger was "raised his/her voice in support." There are a fair number of google hits. I see there are Ngram instances as well. I'd certainly suggest that a voice might be raised in situations other than those of anger. | "Raising your voice". Correct definition and usage | english |
I was baffled when I happened to pick up an English drill book of my granddaughter who is high schooler, and found a question asking to fill the sentence, “I have just ( ) 15.” I’ve never thought of seriously what is the right word to use to express reaching a certain age. Though it must be a self-evident question, I, ... | Turned or become are the most common words I've heard other native British English speakers say. I'm one also, and I use those commonly. I don't know about American English (or Canadian or Australian). | What is the right verb to use in “I have just ( ) 15? | english |
I was reading an article : While Bitcoin's power lies in its ability to transfer fast and securely through software, the rest of the financial world does not operate like that (contrary to popular opinion). Money is surprisingly analog in many ways, and scarily digital in others. Is analog actually the opposite of digi... | Analog , meaning non-quantized (i.e. capable of smooth variation), has become the word most often used to express a contrast to digital by default, even in cases where it may not be strictly appropriate. (It often forms the modifier in a retronym , a new word or phrase used to distinguish the original version of someth... | What is the opposite of "digital"? | english |
I original message: Create a log file when mistakes occurred during transmission data between device and PC I think this wrong and should be: Create a log file when errors occurred during data transfer between device and PC Can you prove/correct it? | I'm not a native speaker, but even though your version of the sentence seems better, "occurred" sounds off to me, I'd go with Create a log file when errors occur during data transfer between device and PC As a rule of thumb, computers do not make mistakes. "Error" is always correct when talking about computers. As for ... | Error vs mistake and transmission vs transfer | english |
I have been reading a book about programming and i came across a sentence which says: but if you don’t reuse some of what you’re doing, you’ll eventually wear your fingers down to painful stubs through overtyping. And i don't get this part: What does "Painful Stubs" mean? Thanks. | Stub . noun: a truncated or unusually short thing: The text is humorously suggesting that if you unnecessarily repeat typing things that you have typed before, you will be typing so much that your fingers will be worn down to short stubs. To give you some visual aid, babies fingers are often described as " stubby ". | Helping with a book? | english |
In the event of fire,... In the event of a fire,... I see both variants ondifferent Web pages and I cannot understand which is correct. Could you please explain it to me. | In my understanding it should be: "In case of a fire",is correct; implying that if there is the occurrence or the instance of a fire breaking out... My feeling is that "in case of fire", may have started as an attempt at brevity and may have been integrated into everyday usage over time. | 'In the event of fire' or 'in the event of a fire'? | english |
Here's the scene. Two teens are sitting at a bank of a river and cutting some cretaceous fruits for moonshine. The guy: What is this? (meaning the thing he's cutting the fruits with) The girl: It's the barb from slasher tail. slasher is a nickname for a kind of dinosaur. Why does she say the barb not a barb?Clearly fro... | It should be a barb If there is only ONE barb on a slasher's tail the barb would be correct. Since there seem to be more , then it could be a misprint in the dialogue or the actor said her line wrong. Male Slashers have sharp barbs on the end of their tails which can slice open human flesh | quote from the TV show Terra Nova | english |
The Spanish suffix '-ista' denotes someone associated with something. This has been adopted into English in one example I can think of, namely a 'fashionista'. One would have expected many more but I can't immediately think of any that are regulary used. Can anyone else help, please? | The Spanish -ista suffix has in the last few generations become a reasonably common and at least semi-productive suffix in English. It’s nothing compared to our native -ist , but we do have a surprising number of imports with -ista . In Spanish, where there is not an -ist suffix but only -ista , the suffix is used for ... | What English words employ the Spanish suffix '-ista'? | english |
What exactly does "quality stand-down" mean? For example, We will have quality stand-down on the following work. I came across this expression in the context of software quality assurance. | "Quality stand-down" sounds to me like one of those nouns that sound impressive that don't actually mean anything. This example of the process in the US Navy (in the first paragraph of the article linked to) was described as "literally stopping every major submarine torpedo work process while they reviewed their day-to... | What does "quality stand-down" mean? | english |
Speakers of Purik-Tibetan may say "kangchu Tululululuuuuu" in order to comfort a baby they're cradling in their arms. To someone else, they might also say that they are "doing the Tululu". What's a good (and perhaps very general) word to refer to such a "phrase"? Unlike a lullaby, it's not sung (even though the repeate... | A speaker of English might say "kangchu Tululululuuuuu" to an infant child, as well. This type of nonsensical vocalization to a child is commonly known as baby talk. Baby talk, also referred to as caretaker speech, infant-directed speech (IDS) or child-directed speech (CDS) and informally as "motherese", "parentese", "... | Is there a word for phrases such as those that are used to calm a baby down? | english |
I'm not very sure if both mean exactly the same but I've noticed that the former is more widely use in Japanese novels translated into English. Whereas the latter is more often used in English novels (not from England but originally written in English). Examples: It was then that the thought occurred to him. That was w... | They have slightly different usages. The first places stress on 'then', as being the moment when something significant happened. The second says much the same thing but instead of stressing 'then', it stresses what happened; in the example 'he saw the man'. | "It was then that..." vs "That was when..." | english |
I stumbled at this construction today. Usually I have an intuition of English grammar from past reading that serves me well - but this time both of the versions sound right. "Most of our generation" is a collective, but singular entity. Does the verb conjugate as that of a singular or as a plural? It would also be nice... | Without going into whether 'generation' can be used directly for actual people or has to be considered and treated as an ellipsis of 'people of our generation', ask yourself which of these sounds correct: A quarter of the people are wearing coats. A quarter of the people is wearing coats. Then reconsider Most of our ge... | "Most of our generation only knows/know him by repute." | english |
I'm looking for a comical word that has a meaning like big, humongous, etc. but nothing inappropriate that would contain swear words. For example, I could say: <code> Whoa! That's a ______ spider! </code> Slangs are acceptable, but not necessary. I'm looking for a word that might make a reader giggle at the type of adj... | A gigantical spider Gigantical is made up, it should be gigantic . However, if you are aiming towards a humorous tone, (you did say you wanted your reader to giggle) try playing around with words. A spundacular spider (inspired by spun , the past tense of spin ) The enormousness of a spider ( enormity ) A mammothal spi... | A comical/informal synonym for "big"/"large" but not inappropriate | english |
Are these words interchangeable? When would you use one over the other? For example, is it correct to say you "feel nervous" or "feel anxious"? Is it correct to say you are an "anxious person" or a "nervous person"? | Informally, anxiety and nervousness are practically synonyms. However, "anxious" has a stronger connotation that someone has a specific object of concern. For instance, you can be "anxiously awaiting" something, and the phrase "nervously awaiting" doesn't substitute for it without changing the meaning. Someone anxiousl... | "Nervous" vs. "anxious" | english |
Which of these is correct? What is the origin of this expression? I've searched here on the exchange and haven't found an answer. | The Facts on File Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins (1997) has this entry for "barefaced liar": Barefaced , "beardless, with no hair upon the face" may have been coined by Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream , where it is first recorded. Within a half a century or so it came to mean bold, audacious, impudent, ... | "Bald Faced Lie" vs. "Bold Faced Lie" | english |
From Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem, " The Furl of fresh-leaved dogrose down " Then over his turnèd temples—here— Was a rose, or, failing that, Rough-Robin or five-lipped campion clear For a beauty-bow to his hat I wonder what turned temples mean here. Should we read it as "his head girdled round (="turned") with a wreath... | P.S. I inquired at Wiktionary's Tea Room , and was kindly offered the following explanation by Equinox: I suspect it means something like "sculpted" (i.e. well shaped). See the sense at turn relating to shaping something symmetrically on a lathe. To which DCDuring added: There is a sense, extended from the lathe sense,... | "over his turned temples", from a poem by G.M.Hopkins | english |
I am looking for a word or phrase that communicates a program's phase after it's pilot phase (sorry for the redundancy) So if HUD has a pilot program right now, but I want to formulate a question of when will this program be (blank this is word I am looking for) Thank you | The phrasal verb go live is often used, as in (eg) “When will this program go live?” Also see wiktionary's entry for go-live as a noun. As a phrasal verb, go live doesn't specifically denote technology based programs, so can be used with any program that has a pilot phase followed by an operational phase. Also consider... | Phase after a pilot program | english |
The song lyrics are here , with the following: <code> The black brook calls It sings a chorus While the gathering swells The flames grow tall Right before us As drums keep pounding And the masses now are fusing Bodies pressed and tangled As we revel in confusion Our inhibitions thrown into the fire </code> Wiktionary l... | I would think black brook here is a body of running water , just any black=gloomy brook or possibly a particular brook epitomizing doom and gloom Incidentally there is a black brook Kidron which occurs several times in the Bible. E.g.1 Kings 15:13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she ha... | Meaning of the word "brook" in Rise Against song "Lanterns" | english |
In many languages, including English, the most important verbs are irregular. Examples include: to be to do to get to go to have to make The same applies (roughly) to many other languages I know about (Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Swedish) and presumably to many other languages too. Is there any reason why these eve... | These everyday verbs have another feature: they have been in the English language for a long time. The oldest verbs were ones that were borrowed from other languages, or have come into English from Old English, before the patterns of regular conjugation were formed. Consider to go and its past tense went . The followin... | Why are so many important verbs irregular? | english |
In another question here (stackexchange-url ("sanity of a plastic glass!")) the term "plastic glass" is being used which sounds somewhat odd to me, but has not been brought into question by any respondents. Maybe it is has to do with the fact that my mother tongue is German where a "Glass" is always made from glass, wh... | Only a slight addition to what's been said before, but I think it adds something. A plastic glass (in the UK) would normally be used to refer to a plastic substitute for a drinking vessel usually made of glass (e.g. for picnics/camping or at concerts), and would normally be transparent (though as with glass glasses, ma... | Is "plastic glass" as a container a valid expression? | english |
Further to my previous question about the meaning of the word, ‘crisis an hour mentality,’ there was the following line in the article of Washington Post under the title, “For Obama, and Democrats, it’s crunch time.” “His mea culpa was all the more notable because it came only a few days after he had attempted to put a... | The closest I can find would be mispronounce, but that has to do with pronunciation, so it obviously isn't the answer. Denunciate means to condemn. Annunciate has to do with announcing something. E as a prefix is a variation of Ex-, meaning out. I'm starting to see some similarities here. Possibly, the word we could us... | Is there opposite single word to ‘enunciate’? | english |
The words myself, yourself, himself and the like usually function as reflexive pronouns. However, they are also used in context that do not fulfill the common definitions of reflexive. Neither the "agent = patient" paradigm, nor the "agent = grammatical object" definition. The author read the book himself. What part of... | It’s an intensive or emphatic pronoun. Per Wikipedia: Intensive pronouns , also known as emphatic pronouns , re-emphasize a noun or pronoun that has already been mentioned. English uses the same forms as the reflexive pronouns; for example: I did it myself (contrast reflexive use, I did it to myself ). | Part of speech for non reflexive "oneself" | english |
I'm looking for the verbatim definition of the neologism "stigmergy" from the Oxford or other established dictionary including the phonetic transcription. There is a definition on wiktionary but I'm looking for a more formal source. If anyone has access to an extended dictionary that contains the word it would be appre... | stigmergy /'stɪgmərdʒi/ Entomology [ad. Fr. stigmergie (P.-P. Grassé 1959, in Insectes Sociaux VI. 62), from Gk. stigm-oi pricking + erg-on work: see -y3. ] The process by which the results of an insect's activity act as a stimulus to further activity. 1959 tr. P.-P. Grassé in Insectes Sociaux VI. 79 The stimulation of... | What is the verbatim definition of "stigmergy" from Oxford dictionary or similar? | english |
So if you're making a game that a person who plays Limbo might like, you should.... I heard this in one of the videos by Totalbiscuit. He's a game commentator on youtube. I'm pretty sure the guy is from Newcastle. Just in case if it matters. Limbo is a video game. My question is, is it ok to have a relative clause insi... | There is no grammatical rule against attaching relative clauses to other relative clauses in English. In a highly inflected language like classical Latin, it is possible to insert a seemingly indefinite number of clauses to others, as anyone who has been assigned to translate a page-long sentence of Cicero knows. But E... | relative clause inside another relative clause | english |
The neon signs brought a city feel/city air to the countryside. Which alternative is more adequate? Or is there a better option? The example above means that the neon lights made the countryside feel like the city. | Both are acceptable. An 'X Feel' accurately describes any sort of situation where something feels as though it is like the subject in question. An 'x air' has a similar meaning, because one of the meanings of the word " air " is "A peculiar or characteristic impression; an aura", which is what you are trying to say. | "City air," or "city feel?" | english |
I'd like to know whether there is a single word for "remote, distant places" in no allegorical sense, but with a positive undertone. | If you would not consider rural areas to have negative connotations (and faraway places are unlikely to be urban cosmopolitan), then the Australian words wayback and outback are applicable. Another word is outlands the outlying districts or remote regions of a country, provinces: a foreign land: a name unknown in the o... | Single word for "faraway places" | english |
If somebody asks a question in the singular, how do we give a plural answer? Here's an example, with three different possible ways to answer. (The part of the answer that has the plural sense is marked in bold ): Q: What's the most important thing to you? A1: The most important thing to me is my friends. A2: The most i... | These are cleft sentences where there is a separation the grammatical and the logical subject, and both A1 and A2 make sense. In A1 the verb agrees with the grammatical subject: The most important thing to me (singular). In A2 the verb agrees with the logical subject: my friends (plural). The odd one out is A3 "The mos... | Answering a singular question with a plural answer | english |
I recently microwaved a plastic glass to get rid of micro-organisms on it. I accidentally dropped the glass after taking it out. I said "Damn it! This glass is not sane anymore!" Am I right in saying that? Usually the word sanitary is used in contexts like that. But, is it still right if I use the word sane? Does Ameri... | I'd say the plastic glass was no longer germ free . I can't imagine myself in a situation saying a contaminated object is "not sane". Come to think of it, contaminated , is the word you should have used. | sanity of a plastic glass! | english |
From The Habit of Perfection by Gerard Manley Hopkins: Nostrils, your careless breath that spend Upon the stir and keep of pride , What relish shall the censers send Along the sanctuary side! What is the stir and keep of pride here? Stir = commotion? Keep = stronghold (metaphorically, the body)? And what they may mean ... | R. B. Martin, in Victorian Poetry (p. 768), glosses keep as maintenance (that is, with its sense as in upkeep ). Note that reading keep as work and effort is consistent with reading stir as bustle and bother. Both those readings are consistent with the apparent intent of careless breath and pride . | "the stir and keep of pride" in G.M.Hopkins' poem | english |
This sentence is really bothering me. Does this look right to anyone? If not, can someone write why? Thanks. Only to the extent that John and Jane are willing to let go of the pretense and show themselves for who they are will they be free to enjoy a true marriage and enter honestly into the sacred covenant. I am not s... | The sentence you have chosen for consideration is a construction where two degrees are asserted to be commensurate. Consider the following from Shakespeare's Henry V : By how much better than my word I am, / By so much shall I falsify men's hope You could rephrase it as: To the extent that my deeds surpass what I have ... | Thesis help! This sentence is really bothering me. Please explain why I feel bothered | english |
I have a question. Which sentence is better? I have sent electronic copies of all my documents to your University. I am sending electronic copies of all my documents to your University. Could you please review my documents and determine whether I qualify to be admitted to postgraduate studies. Would you please review m... | For the first pair, neither one is inherently better - they mean different things. #1 states that you have already sent the documents ( past tense ), while #2 states that you're currently sending them, perhaps as attachments in the same email ( present progressive tense ). For the second pair, both are acceptable, but ... | Which sentences is better? | english |
As an example, consider the two sentences: There don't seem to be any doctors here. and There doesn't seem to be any doctors here. To my ear, the first sounds great, and the second is painfully awkward. So which is correct, grammatically? I've found lots of disagreement on this around the Web, with various sources citi... | The relevant article in ‘The Cambridge Guide to English Usage’ says: Existential there couples with either singular or plural verbs ( there is / there are , according to the following noun phrase) . . . This formal agreement is strictly maintained in academic writing. But in narrative and everyday writing, there is and... | "there doesn't seem" vs. "there don't seem" | english |
Today I cooked something, but the taste was not good (horrible, in fact). When my roomy tasted it, she said You gotta long way to go. I asked her what exactly it meant, she replied "You need to learn a lot". But so far I only knew it meant "You will be successful in future". So, can anybody tell me what exactly "A long... | Your friend is right. She meant: "Your road to success (in cooking) is long." | Is "a long way to go" the same as "you need to learn a lot"? | english |
The activation and deactivation of features at runtime poses challenges for ... Is the above sentence correct? Or does activation & deactivation require the plural, i.e., "pose"? | Either one works. You can view it as a single unified set of actions, as in Throwing and catching is a fundamental skill. Breaking and entering is a serious crime. Fish and chips is delicious. Or you can view it as two separate actions: Throwing and catching are fundamental skills. | "poses" or "pose" in this sentence? | english |
English can use a lot of verbs in a reflexive context. Even ones that usually are used intransitively. I laugh myself silly. However, it seems like there are very few – perhaps no – verbs that ONLY work in a reflexive context. Are there any? | Following are verbs that, according to the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (p1488), have " a reflexive as the only (or virtually the only) type of object permitted ": absent (from), avail (of), busy, comport, ingratiate Collins Cobuild English Grammar (p146) adds: pride, content calling them " true reflexive ... | "Reflexive only" verbs | english |
In a sentences like this: I know people who are good at this and who can help you. I can drop either the second who or and the sentence will still be ok and make sense. I can't drop them both though. I'm pretty sure about it. Correct me if I'm wrong What I'm not sure about is this kind of sentence because we've got 2 k... | Your first example involves serial, coordinated relative clauses. I've chosen examples I prefer to work with: */? I know some people who work with toddlers and who like grapefruit. I'd say this pairing of clauses would in most contexts be too semantically disparate to work. I know some people who work with toddlers and... | Double relative clause | english |
Do I write "non-power of two" or "non-power-of-two", where I assume "power of two" is a non-hyphenated compound word. I hope you can help! Thanks in advance. Ronny | I believe this is a case where understandibility should triumph over grammatical correctness. The rules of grammar probably indicate the first, but to my mind that makes it unclear whether the 'non' modifies the entire phrase or merely the first word. The second form is clearer, and so preferred. To change the example:... | use of hyphen to apply an adjective to non-hyphenated compound word | english |
<code> to build, to manufacture, to produce something </code> Are these synonyms, and what is the appropriate context for each of them? What would be appropriate in context of a complex product built in small series? | These are basically synonyms. Produce is the most general of these terms. Production could be willful and intentional as when producing boats, or passive as when producing an odor. It could refer to the inception of a new thing as in movie production, or showing something that already existed, as in "He produced a cred... | Build, manufacture, produce - differences and contexts | english |
Tomorrow is [dedicated/intended/?] for the registration. The context is the first day at a university. Does either sound okay? If they both sound weird, what verb is a better fit? | Of the two sentences you have provided, neither works very well, as they both describe tomorrow in the present tense. The best would probably be to say : "Tomorrow will be dedicated to the registration." or, equally good: "Tomorrow has been reserved for the registration." | "Dedicated", "intended", or something else in "tomorrow is dedicated for the registration" | english |
I have a bit of a problem finding the right way to say/write the following: Gained the academic title of professor of xxx. Is the choice of gained fine, or should I use some other verb that is used more frequently in this context? Maybe obtain or earn , or something else, is more proper? Also, should it be "the academi... | Question 1: I would say Earned, which is more commonly used with diplomas and degrees. Question 2: Not degree in this situation. Becoming a professor doesn't facilitate receiving a degree. It's most likely just "title" in this case. Question 3: Professor should only be capitalised if you put it before a name: "He is a ... | "Gained the academic title of professor" | english |
What's grammatically correct? Sometimes she used metaphors, others symbols and riddles. or Sometimes she used metaphors, in others symbols and riddles. What I'm trying here is to omit the word times . | Neither are correct in my opinion. It is generally used as sometimes this; at other times that or sometimes this, sometimes that | "Sometimes...others" or "sometimes...in others"? | english |
Does "Could I have hope of getting admission of your school with that score?" sound weird? | There is nothing wrong with the grammar, but for the fact that 'of' should read 'to'. One gets, or (better still) gains admission 'to' an establishment. (Though once you are in, you become part 'of' the place.) However, the sentence is excessively 'wordy'. 'Getting' is unnecessary. 'Would' might work better than 'could... | Does "Could I have hope of getting admission of your school with that score?" sound weird? | english |
I got the following sentence from one of the GRE teaching websites. But I am not able to understand the bolded part in it. Thwarting centuries of would be conquerors , the Aztec fortress of Chapultepec seemed impregnable, until U.S. forces under General Winfield Scott were able to take the fortress with surprisingly li... | Alone, the bolded section would not be a proper sentence. Let me rephrase this sentence for you. The Aztec fortress of Chapultepec thwarted centuries of would be conquerors, and it seemed impregnable. "Thwarting centuries of would be conquerors" is a phrase. This phrase has a verb, "Thwarting," but doesn't have a subje... | Meaning of "thwarting centuries of would be conquerors " | english |
How is the meaning of a sentences affected by chosing one of those words? For instance, what's the different between The screech cicadas reverberated through the forest. and The screech cicadas reverberated throughout the forest. | Through means going in or starting at one side and coming out or stopping at the other side of: a path through the wood Throughout means in every part of (a place or object) There is a good deal of overlap,and either would be appropriate in most circumstances. Through often has a sense of one end to the other , while t... | "Through" vs "throughout." | english |
For example, given the following sentence, is it proper to set the enclosed question in quotation marks? The first question to ask is, “should quotation marks be used?” Any additional comments about the structure of the example sentence above would be appreciated. | It isn't needed in this case. Quotation marks are used when you're quoting somebody (in the direct speech of course. If you're using indirect, then you don't use quotation marks). So if you were to say: He asked me, "Are quotation marks needed?" you would use them. :) | Should an embedded question be set in quotation marks? | english |
Like when you must pay for a plastic carry bag for your shopping in a superstore but it all goes to charity. Little contrived inconveniences designed to extract money from you. There must be a specific term to capture this phenomenon of soft enforcement? | Tithe is an excellent suggestion. Another alternative is earning to give . tzedaka(h) is a Jewish term for obligatory charity. zakat is a complementary Islamic term. | Word, phrase or idiom for enforced charity? | english |
I'm attempting to state the conclusion authors drew from a study. At first, I had written my sentence like this: Reardon, Arshan, and Attebery detail a study in which Texas teachers selectively diverted resources based on test scores, whose conclusion was that “there were little to no gains among the least academically... | Given the additional information you have provided, I would therefore rewrite the sentence to read: Detailing their study of some Texas teachers, who HAD selectively diverted resources based on test scores, Reardon et al's conclusion was that 'there were little or no gains among the least academically advantaged studen... | Whose conclusion vs concluding | english |
In my writing I often use a comma and the past progressive tense (I think) to make sentences more concise. For example: The new design was more intuitive and user-friendly, reducing user errors. Is this grammatically correct? Are there better alternatives? | This is grammatically correct. In fact, replacing the comma with an and will remove the validity of the sentence. "Reducing user errors" is a phrase. It has no subject, only a verb. This phrase shows another thing that the design does. The main thing the design does is that it is more intuitive and user-friendly. The p... | Using a comma to avoid using "and" | english |
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