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I'm very dyslectic, and English is not my native language, I'm looking for the spelling of a word that I'm pretty sure exists, but I'm starting to have my doubts as I can't seem to find it anywhere. The word sounds like (I think) au-menace, with 'au' as in 'audience', and then menace. Or maybe it's rather more like awe... | That would surely be ominous , pronounced <code> /ˈɒmɪnəs/ </code> , <code> /ˈɑmɪnəs/ </code> , or <code> /ˈɔmɪnəs/ </code> , depending. It is related to the word omen , and per the OED means: Of the nature of an omen, serving to foretell the future, presaging events to come, portentous. Of ill omen, foreboding evil, i... | How to spell 'aumenace'? | english |
I have seen this in a few films. I first noticed it in "The Truman Show" when Truman is pulling weeds or something in the yard, and his faux wife says to him "You missed a spot!" while smiling. I've also heard it in a few other places on TV and film. The odd thing is, it is apparently supposed to be funny (people laugh... | The three earliest occurrences in Google Books search results are from the late 1950s, and they seem quite random. From American Flint , vol. 47 (1957): Changes are being made every day around the plant—it sure seems good to see a clean and clear floor space. Hey Gerald, sweep over in that other corner— you missed a sp... | Where did "You missed a spot" come from? | english |
Talking about the trip I did a few years ago: I have been there and it was amazing. I had not seen a frozen sea until that time! Did I use past perfect correctly or should I just say "I did not see .."? Also is the "until that time" ok? | The verb forms are fine, but, depending on context, until then might be more usual than until that time . | Past perfect/simple question in an example | english |
I know that if I was supposed to spin a grammatically correct sentence with the same meaning, I would probably say: Does anybody else have any other concerns? However, is the sentence in the subject of the question correct as well, even if unusual?? | Anybody else does have any other concerns? To my mind it is not clear whether this sentence is a statement or a question: If it's intended to be a statement, then the use of "Anybody" is incorrect, because that implies a question, so it should be something like: Somebody else does have (some) other concerns I do have o... | Is inverted word order such as "Anybody else does have any other concerns?" correct? | english |
Back at university, I remember being told to never use personal pronouns in my dissertations. I was never given a reason, but I was told to avoid statements like The evidence leads me to believe. or After researching similar techniques I had settled on .... I remember spending a lot of time constructing sentences that ... | There is a discussion on the perceived advantages and disadvantages of the use of the passive voice in scientific registers at https://cgi.duke.edu/web/sciwriting/index.php?action=passive_voice . The article begins: Passive Voice in Scientific Writing Few topics engender such heated debates as that of active vs. passiv... | Use of personal pronouns in papers (research, etc.) | english |
In a movie I saw, a young boy told to an old man that he would be gone for a long time when something happens. I'm trying to figure out what the boy actually said and what tense should have been used (heard dubbed version). Could it be: You will have been gone for a long time by then. You will be gone for a long time b... | Of the three samples, the first (with its future perfect form) is more natural than the others. Absent special context, neither the second nor the third is a likely or plausible utterance by a native speaker, the third being least likely because of its stilted and negative form. I think the following form is more likel... | Future perfect or simple in this context | english |
Searched wiktionary but seems none of the explanations in it makes sense. | You'll want to look up the term break bad : (colloquial, southern US) to go wrong, of people or events, including to turn toward a life of crime or immoral activity The title of the series is a play on the phrase. | What is the meaning of "breaking" in tv show "breaking bad" | english |
I noticed that the demi-official USA national (soccer) team supporter's group has a name for the folks who lead their section of the stands in chants/cheers; a word I'd never seen used for that before: "Capo". I'm curious if this is just something they came up with on their own, or is this an actual common use for this... | Capo is an Italian word which first and foremost means head as in the anatomical part of your body. Consequently; a director, manager, president, chief, or even the boss of a company can all be called " capo ". From the AO US Soccer supporters' website: What would a Capo be expected to do? : Direct the entire crowd int... | Capo = Cheerleader? | english |
In the following sentence, It was great meeting you at X-Event in [the] beautiful Monterey Bay. is [the] required by grammar, or is it optional? It sounds more fluid and poetic without it but since Monterey Bay is a known location does it require the? On the other hand the refers to 'beautiful Monterey Bay' which is no... | The inclusion of "beautiful" does not alter whether the proper noun requires "the": We visited the beautiful Empire State Building. We visited beautiful New York City. You can, however, add "the" even if it was not appropriate without the "beautiful": CORRECT: We visited New York City. CORRECT: We visited beautiful New... | "The" usage on a subjectively modified known location | english |
Is there an antonym of client for the following context? The [?] performs services for his clients. Usually one would just specify the profession or job title: The contractor does home improvement for his clients. But is there a term that is as generic as client ? I thought of professional , but that obviously implies ... | You have pointed out some of the difficulties related to the broad range of possible categories of services involved. Lawyers have clients, as do carpenters, manicurists and numerous other professions and tradespeople. A term that is sometimes used is service provider . BUSINESS a company that provides a service, for e... | Opposite of "client"? | english |
Is there a noun-form of the word 'intrinsic'? If so, what is it? Intrinsicity? I suppose I could say 'the intrinsic nature of...', but it makes grammar awkward when there are multiple subjects to your sentence, eg: "In regards to your belief in the intrinsic nature of the insult which lies in calling someone a _ __ _ ,... | 'Innerness' is in the dictionary, but it's probably not satisfying. You can preserve the 'inner' metaphor with 'kernel,' or maybe 'heart' or 'keep' or something. 'Essence' has more to do with existence. 'Endogenous' leads to 'endogeneity,' which is a term of art in econometrics but might be useful in this context. | Is there a noun-form of the word 'intrinsic'? | english |
Is there a good translation for the German word " Leichtgewichtigkeit " (lit. "lightweightness")? According to leo.org and dict.cc, there is none, but according to these translations , there are several. What I want to express is that there is "...lightweightness compared to...". I don't want to use the adjective "ligh... | Lightweight can function both as a noun and an adjective. To describe your API, you could say: This API is a lightweight interface with minimal features. In technical circles, no-frills is another term used to describe minimalistic protocols. This is a no-frills API with minimal features. | Is there such a word as "lightweightness"? | english |
Let's say I say / write catched instead of caught or buyed instead of bought , etc. I know this is grammatically incorrect, but is it incorrect or perfectly fine to use it in every-day life ? English is not my first language so I am a little bit curious about this. Some people say it is correct and understandable, whil... | You answered your own question when you said it was grammatically incorrect. It is usually understandable but is considered wrong. That said, there are some verbs which have multiple forms. An interesting one is <code> sneak </code> which has both sneaked and snuck as past participles. Many people consider "snuck" to b... | Is it ok to use the irregular past tense of a verb as it were a regular one? | english |
When studying some old Christian history I came across something interesting so I asked it on Christianity.SE: stackexchange-url ("Why did the council of Laodicea condemn “Judaizing” Sabbath rest?") One of the answers claims: It [Judaize] was a phrase that originated in the council of Laodicea. So I first want to know ... | The OED says that Judaize come from: late L. jūdaizāre (Vulg.), a. Gr. ἱουδαΐζειν (Galat. ii. 14) So they just used the same word as they found there. | What is the history of the use of the word Judaize? | english |
I would like to check the correctness of two constructions containing enumerations. The first one is as follows. Let us note the following two aspects: First, here comes the first aspect. Second, here comes the second aspect. Is it acceptable to begin with a capital letter after a colon? Also, is it acceptable to keep ... | In §6.61, "Lowercase or capital letter after a colon," the Chicago Manual of Style says: When a colon is used within a sentence, the first word following the colon is lowercased unless it is a proper name. When a colon introduces two or more sentences, when it introduces a speech in dialogue or an extract, or when it i... | The use of the colon before enumerations | english |
I'm writing an email to an angel investor I met recently. The context is: Hi John, Pleasure to briefly meet you at the ... event last Thursday. I'm Alec who enquired about the best way of taking my iPhone app, ..., to market. The "I'm Alec who" feels clunky. How can this be better put? | I'm Alec who enquired about the best way of taking my iPhone app... Could become: I'm Alec, the person who enquired about the best way of taking my iPhone app... This clarifies that he, Alec, is (the person) who enquired. | How to better phrase "I'm Alec who enquired about..." | english |
For example - I got $300 I have $300 Which is more correct? Please advice proper use of these terms. Thank you. | Get has several meanings and usages, and the construction depends on which you are seeking. What follows is a discussion of US English only. In the first sentence you offer, it appears to be used in the past tense ( got ), transitively meaning to come into possession of; receive or earn Get (and got ) in this usage sug... | When to use “have” vs. ”get” | english |
Alice is exhausted, she ............. is running has been running had been running was running Can anybody please help me in understanding the answer to this question? | The expected answer is: A2. Alice is exhausted; she has been running. Swan in Practical English Usage (p458) notes that one use of this tense (the present perfect progressive) is for: actions and situations that have just stopped Swan explains: We use the present perfect progressive for actions and situations which hav... | What is the suitable option to fill the blank in the sentence below? | english |
I have heard the following used often Over the course of the semester, ... but a friend recently told me Through the course of the semester, ... Are both of these usages of the idiom acceptable? I feel like the second one is strange while the first one is acceptable. | The first is certainly acceptable. Although I've heard the second example used, in my opinion it's not correct. It may perhaps be most charitably read as "through[out] the course of the semester", which is fine. | "Through the course" vs. "over the course" | english |
I have trouble with an SAT grammar question: The delegates coming this far, they did not want to return without accomplishing something. I got it down to 2 choices: (B) Coming this far, the delegates felt they (C) Having come this far, the delegates The correct answer is (C); however, I do not understand the difference... | The relevant distinction between the two participial adjuncts is in the specification of aspect. Having come this far... is marked for perfect aspect. The perfect is used to indicate an event having occurred prior to some reference time (whether this reference time is at the time of speaking, or at some focal point in ... | Grammar question regarding correct usage of participial phrase | english |
I recently came across the word ' mochup '. I am unsure if this is simply a spelling mistake of the term 'mock-up', or if it is a technical neologism with a slightly different meaning. Searching on google for 'mochup definition' returns many results, but none seem to offer an actual definition as far as I can see. | It is a horrible misspelling, (forgiveable for a foreigner who's trying to learn) and it should not be re-used anywhere, as those letters don't even represent the proper syllable sounds to make it sound similar to the intended "mock up". mochup = "mow-chuhp" mock up = "mawk uhp" | Is 'Mochup' the same as 'Mock-up'? | english |
From stackexchange-url ("stackexchange-url The current description of "unclear what you're asking" misuses the pronoun "it" in the second sentence, and this issue has really been bugging me. Specifically, the pronoun is being used to refer to two different things in the same sentence, without any type of separation. Pl... | I agree that the statement is 'not quite right' but for a slightly different reason. There is no appropriate antecedent for the first "it". As currently written, the antecedent would appear to be "your specific problem", which is inappropriate. The sentence actually means: As the question is currently written ... [Havi... | Using "it" multiple times in a sentence | english |
This question comes directly from a line from the show Archer You, through some shady deal with the Border Patrol, sent us to south Texas to capture an individual named Moreno - Mexico's most notorious coyote - Which is español for people-smuggler...And also for coyote, turns out...It's a loanword...Or is it a calque? ... | That source is a bit suspicious, to say the least. First off, coyōtl is not an ‘Aztec’ word, it is a Nāhuatl word. Aztec is a group of languages, of which Nāhuatl is the largest dialect subgroup; the other major subgroup is Pipil (also called Nawat), but in Pipil, a coyote is cuyut , not coyōtl —i.e., the word was borr... | Is "coyote" a loanword AND a calque? | english |
The term "high and dry" has always confused me. As in the case provided by the Merriam Webster online dictionary : The inadequate supplies of vaccine left many people high and dry when the flu season arrived. I understand the meaning of the term, to be outside of the area of help, but I don't understand how this expres... | The answer is available at phrases.org.uk. This term originally referred to ships that were beached. The 'dry' implies that, not only were they out of the water, but had been for some time and could be expected to remain so. It was used in a 'Ship News' column in The [London] Times, August 1796: "The Russian frigate Ar... | Origin of the term "High and dry" | english |
What are the meanings of these two words: lipstick-red and butter-navelled ? Do they mean the color of primroses? | I don’t know the context of what it is you are reading, but on the surface of it, I would say that it does refer to colour. Lipstick red being an obvious colour reference to the outer most part of the petals, vs butter-navelled (butter being yellow in most countries) in the center of the flower (the navel). A search on... | Two words in this sentence “Primroses, lipstick-red and butter-navelled.” | english |
Which one of the following is correct? only in the continental U.S.A. For all other countries... only in the continental U.S.A.. For all other countries... I am not sure if I need two periods after "U.S.A." or just the one. | The general consensus seems to be that there is never an acceptable use of two sequential periods. A period at the end of an abbreviation is adequate punctuation when a period would end the sentence naturally. If any punctuation mark other than a period is needed, that may be added. Similarly, within a sentence, as whe... | Is the second period necessary after an abbreviation? | english |
In France, when gathered with friends, it is customary to drink beers or other light alcohol around 7pm, and this time is called apéritif (or apéro ). Does this custom have an English (UK and/or US) equivalent? How would you say "on se verra à l'apéro"? | The term cocktail hour has been used in the US to mean the interval before the evening meal during which cocktails and other alcoholic beverages are often served However, this is not limited to beer and light alcoholic beverages, but may include wine or strong spirits as well. | English equivalent of the French custom "l'apéro" | english |
The name of the comedian Louis C.K. is pronounced LU-EE-SEE-KAY. Is the S pronounced as a part of the given name "Louis", or just the first constant of the of the letter C ? Is there a canonical way to pronounce the English name "Louis", or is the pronunciation dependent in geographic location or origin? Credit: this t... | Names are a bit tricky to give 'pronunciation' advice on, because anyone can choose to pronounce their name in any way they see fit. I have heard two pronunciations used for this name. "LU-EE", as you've shown, and "LU-ISS". The first one is the traditional french pronunciation, while the second is of English origin. F... | What's the right way to pronounce "Louis"? | english |
What is an objective, scientifically precise word meaning of or relating to God ? (To be clear, I mean scientific only in the context of having scientific precision , a word that would describe the phenomenon from an unbiased, if not objective, point of view.) Theistic , as it implies the existence of a single deity on... | Something "of, relating to, or proceeding directly from God or god" is divine . | Word for "of or relating to God" | english |
As I understand, the term wet dreams applies only to masculine gender? Then, unless it's unisex in nature, is there a specific term applicable to feminine gender? | As surprising as it may seem to some, women do have "wet dreams" or, to use the medical term, nocturnal emissions . I'll certainly agree that the term is used more often when talking about the male experience, perhaps because there are more obvious physiological signs and the fact that wet dreams are pretty much a part... | Female equivalent for "wet dreams"? | english |
Which of the following sentences are right:- A) One doesn't become cool just by playing football. OR B) One doesn't become cool by just playing football. sense of the sentence:- the sentence should give the following meaning Playing football does not make someone a cool person. | If your desire instead is to say that playing football IS part of becoming cool, but not the only part, you would say "one does not become cool just by playing football". If you mean to say that doing nothing BUT playing football does not make one cool, you would say "One doesn't become cool by just playing football". ... | Which is correct placing of 'just' and 'by' | english |
While wasting time on the internet (as I am wont to do), I came across a video in which somebody was criticizing a blog-post and corrected the statement * Keith does not a hint take. supplying his corrected version ** A hint does Keith not take. with the added explanation that the first sentence implies that there is a... | "*Kieth does not a hint take" is Shakespearean (or Elizabethan) syntax. Spoken today, that would sound formal and aloof. But it might work well in a poem, where a rhyme for "take" might be easier to work in than for "hint". It reminds me of German, where the verb typically goes at the end of the sentence. The "correcte... | "Keith does not a hint take" or "A hint does Keith not take" | english |
I've heard the idiom "right the way along" used many times in British literature and video, however, I'm slightly unclear as to what it means. It seems, at first glance, to be a British variant on "move it along" or "moving right along" or some such, but there are counterexamples. One of which is in a Monty Python sket... | @mplungjan is correct -- "right the way along" (and variants such as "right the way up" or "right the way down") simply means "all the way along". "right" in the sense of "complete" or "completely" is fairly common, especially in British English. | What is the proper use of "right the way along"? | english |
I wish to express Although it may sound good, its assumption is questionable and risky. I remember vaguely that I have read it as such from somewhere I cannot remember: Good as it may sound, its assumption is questionable and risky. Is it correct? Or it should be: Good as it may sound, but its assumption is questionabl... | A sentence can be correct but still sound awkward. For me, the first sentence falls into that camp. The second one sounds better, and the third is definitely ungrammatical. | Is this structure, Adj. as it seems, correct? | english |
When displaying menu options to a user on a website. When should I label links as My Profile or Your Profile I have several other links such as <code> <My/Your> Likes </code> and <code> <My/Your> Files </code> , etc.. | It depends upon how you construct the rest of the web site. "My Profile" suggests a site that is constructed with the idea that the user has invidiual membership to the site, and that the visiting user understands that "my" refers to themselves, and not any third party. "Your" implies the site itself as an individual, ... | Use of "my" and "your" when referring user's data | english |
I wrote the following: With a sigh, Erin put the newspapers aside. Why she could never find what she was looking for in the papers? It'd been a good thing she had stopped reading them (in/over) the last couple of years. Should I use in or over? Or just leave it as it is? | "In the last couple of years" is actually a shortening of "with*in* the last couple of years", which is saying that she stopped reading them at some point within that time frame. "Over the last couple of years" means that she had gradually ceased to read them within that time frame, perhaps that she had picked up a new... | "The last couple of years," "in the last couple of years," or "over the last couple of years?" | english |
I was working on a project where the two other person before me failed to get the job done as expected. Basically that was the reason they hired me, and fortunately I did it better than expected. How can I express it in a proper English in the cover letter when I'm applying for a new job? Just in the case that it might... | You can say you "Completed" the job, or that you "saw it through to the end", and that you "excelled at' the job to emphasize your aptitude in completing it. If you want to emphasize that you are the one who completed it, and that neither of the other individuals could, you could say you "made it work", which tells you... | How to correctly express a successful job (where others failed) in a cover letter | english |
The question is short and simple. Say I use <code> i.e. </code> in my formal publication. Which is correct? ... by the interior landmarks, i.e. elevators and escalators. Or ... by the interior landmarks, i.e. , elevators and escalators. What about <code> e.g. </code> ? Is it always followed by a <code> , </code> ? | The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation recommends using a semicolon before and a comma after that is , for example , i.e. , and e.g. For example, You will need writing materials; e.g., pens and pencils. | Dot (.) usage in Latin Words? | english |
I'd like to use the expression find sanctuary instead of find refuge . Would it be fine? | I don't see why not Have a look at this NGRAM ) Find refuge is used more and has less religious connotations Ngram of find refuge vs find sanctuary | Can one say "find sanctuary"? | english |
I remember some time ago learning a word for phrases where, over time, people forget the second (or first) half. So for example, the phrase "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is often shortened to "When in Rome" — which makes no sense by itself, but the meaning of the phrase is still understood. While "do as the ... | This phenomenon is generally called an "ellipsis" . But this word can also be used to describe a typographical sequence of three dots ("..."), often used to indicate missing speech rather than describe an incomplete saying. If you want to be more precise (and technical) and avoid confusion, you can use the word "anapod... | What is the word for two-part phrases where the second (or first) half drops off? | english |
Is there a word that describes the combination of feeling sad for an ending of something, but excited at new prospects. The closest I had was "bittersweet change" Examples: 1) At the end of a holiday, I'm excited to go back home, but sad that the holiday is coming to an end. 2) I'm coming to end of my placement year jo... | ambivalent 1. Simultaneously experiencing or expressing opposing or contradictory feelings, beliefs, or motivations. You might also say you have mixed feelings about it. | Word for sadness at something ending, but excited about new | english |
I wrote an App and published it. In this sentence, how to pronounce app correctly? a-p-p or ei-pu ? | <code> App </code> is short for <code> Application </code> so just chop off the <code> lication </code> and pronounce it <code> A-p-p </code> , which rhymes with <code> rap </code> and <code> sap </code> . Similar to <code> ap </code> as a short version of <code> appetizer </code> , although that is just slang whereas ... | How to pronounce 'App' correctly? | english |
Having the following sentences: I did not get it to work. I did not get it working. Is there a difference in the meaning? What usage of "GET" is this (I would be happy for dictionary entry reference). IMHO the first one is "cause" (like I got him to do that ). But I cannot find a reference to "get sth + ing". | There can be a subtle difference. If I were creating something, e.g. writing some new programming code; putting some electrical or mechanical components together to achieve a particular objective; installing and setting up a new TV set for the first time [1] ; then, if unsuccessful, I might say "I didn't get it to work... | “Get something to do” vs ”Get something doing” | english |
I have a question about the present perfect. Here's a sample dialogue. A: Hey, John...Are you listening? Hello?? B: Oh hey Mary...I've been occupied with this dreadful thought. A: What might that be? B: I don't even have the courage to talk about it.... In the dialogue, B says, "I've been occupied with this dreadful th... | This has nothing to do with the past/present perfect. "I was occupied by this thought" or "I was running for hours" produces the same effect This is another case where the past participle is inherently passive but the present participle is inherently active. Change "with" to "by" in the first example. The thought occup... | Present perfect | english |
I have a question. Does this mean the consequence or the continuous state? A half century past the beginning of the movement, it's been invested with an aura of mystique. I think it can be both... What is your take? Thank you. | To my eye this is a resultative present perfect; but it is very easy to see why you might think it is a continuative present perfect: The verb here is ambiguous. Has been invested may be parsed as either the present perfect passive of the eventive verb INVEST or as the present perfect of the stative verb BE + the prese... | Present perfect and its interpretation | english |
I know that diacritics are often retained in loanwords in formal writing (cf. naïveté ), but I haven't seen this done with direct adaptation of Latin words; i.e., per se . In Latin, per sē comes with a macron, indicating the longness of the vowel. This practice is uncommon (unused?) in English, but so are accents and d... | In §11.94, Diacritics—specialized versus general contexts , the Chicago Manual of Style advises (emphasis mine): Nearly all systems of transliteration require diacritics—including macrons, underdots, and overdots, to name just a few. Except in linguistic studies or other highly specialized works, a system using as few ... | Usage of macrons in Latin loanwords | english |
My understanding is that the "par" portion of "subpar" comes from the sport of golf, as in the phrase "par for the course". However if this is the case, then the construction of the word doesn't seem to make sense. In golf, the farther below (i.e., sub ) the par you are, the better you've done and the better your score... | Dictionary.com defines par as: an average, usual, or normal amount, degree, quality, condition, standard, or the like: above par; to feel below par. In this case I don't believe that "subpar" actually derives from golf at all - "subpar" and the golf "par" both derive from the general definition of the word. Source: htt... | Why is "subpar" not "superpar"? | english |
I want to know whats the meaning of part 2 Afterp( the perceiving...) Four a.m. in the Woods Darkness softens, a thin tissue of mist between trees. One by one the day's uncountable voices come out like twilight fireflies, like stars. The perceiving self sits with his back against rough bark, casting ten thousand questi... | "The perceiving self" is the author of the poem, or more generally, one who is self-aware. He is sitting against a tree's rough bark and wondering about the future ("casting ten thousand questions"). The curtains part in an instant (the length of time it "takes to gasp"). (Curtains are probably the "tissue of mist," wh... | Who can explain this poem? | english |
I'm not a native English speaker, and I though asking "Where could he/she had gone?" was very common. But when I searched that phrase in Google I got only 6 results. Is there a more simpler, more common way of asking that question? | You got only 7 hits because you have the ungrammatical “could had gone” instead of the correct “could have gone”. If you fix your had into a have , it will be fine. | Simpler and more common way of asking "Where could he/she had gone?" | english |
I thought it’s unusual for me to be able to come to the end of Maureen Dowd’s’ article without any second thoughts on her particular turn of phrases when I’ve read today’s NYT article titled “Reindeer Games,” in which Dowd dealt with Michigan Congressman Kerry Bentivolio’s plan (or dream) to impeach President Obama for... | This is a reference to " driving while black ", the term used to describe the "crime" for which black people are frequently pulled over when they are someplace police think they don't belong. Of course the police will claim they didn't come to a complete stop, failed to signal for a turn, drove too slow, etcetera. But ... | What does “Barack Obama’s real crime is presiding while black” mean? | english |
I'm trying to indicate unlimited interaction between two applications. Would the following work? Our developer API allows you to interface with [product] without limitation! | The English construction seems perfectly acceptable, however, the substance of what you are saying seems problematical. "without limitation" means that I can interface in any way or method that I choose; yet I must use your API which is a limitation. In addition, it is probable that there will be a limited number of fu... | Can two automated systems "interface" between each other? | english |
I will arrive in Sydney on 16th September. or I will be arriving in Sydney on 16th September. As a formal email, which one should I choose? or is there a better one? | Use the first if your plans are fixed. Use the second if there is any uncertainty about them. | will arrive or will be arriving? | english |
A word processor is the machine equivalent of a typesetter; what is the human equivalent of a copier? This word could describe the jobs of monks who copied the Bible, for instance; they did not author it, but they are writing it. ' Writer ' often has the implication that this is original work. | I think you're looking for the term "scribe". See http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scribe scribe a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of printing. a public clerk or writer, usually one having official status. Also called sopher, sofer. J... | What is the word for a human 'copier'? | english |
There was a question on the test that I was not sure which option was correct. The question is "Fill in the blank choosing the most appropriate word." Duke is not ( ) we think him to be. who / how / where / what It seems to me that "how", "where", "what" could go into the blank, as I thought we could say; We think him ... | All of these could be correct depending on context. Your three examples show a good understanding of the different meanings. You could also say: Duke is not who we think him to be. (We thought we knew Duke but that is not his real name, he is a spy.) I suspect the question was testing your knowledge of the correct rela... | who / how / where / what | english |
I'm trying to understand this simple concept. As far as I understood it, back to the days when I was a student, "an" should be used only before vowel words, that is, only before the following words: "a","i","o","u". Yesterday my sister asked me a question related to this subject and I wasn't sure if my answer was corre... | Words of one or two syllables beginning with ‘h’ are normally preceded by ‘a’. They include ‘hotel’, ‘hostel’, ‘host’, ‘hearty’, ‘hero’ and ‘hardy’. (Some speakers may say ‘an hotel’, because ‘hotel’ is also a French word, in which the ‘h’ is not aspirated.) Words of three or more syllables beginning with ‘h’ in which ... | Using "An" and "A" in a sentence | english |
Is there any difference between have to”, “must”, and “should”? If there is some difference between them, when do I have to use (nor not use) each of the constructions below? have to do something must do something should do something | Yes, there are differences. These three modals refer to deontic obligation of various varieties. Like all modals, they're used in many idioms, all irregular. And they have different syntax, too. There have been many dissertations written about modals and necessity/obligation, so I won't belabor the point here. I'll try... | What is the difference between “have to”, “must”, and “should”? | english |
I am reading on many many websites or videos something like: "All rights goes to their respectful owners" "Jack and other characters mention are property of Dreamworks and respectful owners" "All characters are copyright to their respectful owners" "All Photos belong to their respectful owners and are being used..." I ... | You're quite right, it should be respective , have a look at the definitions for respective and respectful : re·spec·tive adj. Relating to two or more persons or things regarded individually; particular: successful in their respective fields. and re·spect·ful adj. Showing or marked by proper respect. | respectful owners ? Is that right? | english |
I am looking for a hypernym for trimester and quarter . | timespans ? periods ? (warning: I am non native speaker and too low rep to comment) PS if you downvote, please explain why, so I can learn. Thank you Shyam and all! btw the title and body of the question has been edited and no more exacly reflects the original question, imho | Hypernym for "trimester" and "quarter" | english |
There are many homonyms in the English language, words that are spelled the same and pronounced the same but have different meanings. A few examples: A grizzly bear can bear great weight. I stake out the house while perched on a stake . I took a bow after shooting my bow . Take your pick of any pick or shovel. I came t... | Dictionaries have long had to contend with this issue. The word run , for example, has 50 or so meanings as a verb, and another 30 or so as a noun, but they all are grouped under one single dictionary entry. On the other hand, bow has three separate entries. Most print dictionaries denote this using superscripted numer... | Are homonyms considered single words? | english |
What does "sit in the back of the bus" in the following sentence mean? It has been taken from Harvey Milk's "The Hope Speech." The first gay people we elect must be strong. They must not be content to sit in the back of the bus . They must not be content to accept pablum. | The expression " sit in the back of the bus " was used here to indicate unfair treatment. In this case, unfair treatment against gay people. It probably became famous due to the Montogomery bus incident happened in 1955 where Rosa Parks, an African-American civil rights activist, was arrested for sitting in the front o... | What does "sit in the back of the bus" mean? | english |
The wikipedia entry on homonyms contains the following diagram: In the very center of that image is a category labeled "identical words" which is separate from the rest but is at the intersection of "Same spelling" and "Same meaning". So, apparently there are words that are spelled identically and have the same meaning... | "I believe it's intended to be the triple intersection of same meaning, same spelling, and same pronunciation. That's all there is. In other words, any word at all (say, uncle) is identical with itself. So the contents of that intersection is any pair of words that mean the same, sound the same, and are spelled the sam... | What are "identical words" as distinct from homonyms? | english |
What does this mean? To be honest, all your stuff is like 100% on point with the vibe we've had going. I don't know if it is a compliment or the guy just cursed me :D | In this context "on point" means that your "stuff" is completely in line with the standards, expectations or aims of the speaker. Most likely your work or whatever it was is along the same lines as his. from www.urbandictionary.com : on point : to be perfect; to satisfy; whatever it was, it met the person's standards I... | What does "on point" mean in this context? | english |
I remember that we have learnt a structure, what has always been really strange to me. We can say that "I recommend to do something" However in the strange structure we can say something like(I am not sure): "I suggest you(/your) not being here". So it is built up: <code> [object] [verb] [indirect object] [gerund] </co... | I recommend that you read first about the so-called 'simple catenative' structures in English ( http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_catenative_verbs ), and then check on the 'complex catenative' construction (Huddleston & Pullum). There has been an extensive debate on the actual cases involving recommend... | I recommend your reading this question | english |
Suppose a motorbike driver jumped above 2 cars in a show, and a crowd of girls gave him an applause. He then tried jumping over 100 cars, and lost his life halfway by falling into the row of cars. What do you say to this state of feeling, this false self confidence that he wasn't aware of its falsehood? | Complacency is the correct word to describe the act of the motorcyclist. Chambers defines complacent as: Showing satisfaction, esp when self-satisfied, usu with insufficient regard to problems, dangers, etc The following sentence can describe the motorist aptly. The complacent motorist lost his life in a freak show of ... | A word for "false self confidence" | english |
A satellite is an object which orbits another, what it the word for a object which is being orbited? The moon is a satellite of Earth, the Earth is a _ _ of the moon? | The thing that an orbiting body orbits is called that orbiting body’s primary . Quoth Wikipedia: A natural satellite , or moon , is a celestial body that orbits another body, e.g. a planet, which is called its primary . | Opposite of "satellite" | english |
"Look and feel" is a term commonly used in UI, software and web design , yet we have job titles such as Web Designer, Visual Designer, Front-end Developer, UX Designer but no Look and Feel Designer. Visual Designer is probably the closest, but I've always thought this title doesn't capture the full range of what this d... | I'm going to go out on a limb here, answer my own question, and say no, there is no word for "look and feel" . Thanks to the other two answerers for their ideas. Those thoughts serve to confirm to me that there is indeed no specific word for this concept. | Is there a word for "look and feel"? | english |
I ran into an interesting grammatical question while coding yesterday. We were doing a change to some in-app text, on a page where checks that are no longer valid are registered. The original text read "Stopped/Voided Checks", because the reason for checks to be stopped is because they have been voided, so the two word... | It isn't a complete sentence to begin with so I wouldn't worry too much about the rules of grammar and go with clarity. If stopped and voided checks are largely the same thing, the usage of "stopped/voided" denoting interchangeability in the terms seems appropriate. As forged checks appear to be a different category, a... | Use of comma in separating ideas in a phrase | english |
Google Ngram Viewer On the page above, there is such a sentence: Graph these case-sensitive comma-separated phrases between 1800 and 2000 from the corpus English with a smoothing of 3. What does smoothing mean in that context? | RTM: http://books.google.com/ngrams/info What does "smoothing" mean? Often trends become more apparent when data is viewed as a moving average. A smoothing of 1 means that the data shown for 1950 will be an average of the raw count for 1950 plus 1 value on either side: ("count for 1949" + "count for 1950" + "count for ... | What does "smoothing" mean in the context? | english |
Today’s (August 24) New York Times carries an article titled “Progress has seemed fitful for many at March” with the lead-copy; “For Daniel R. Smith, 81, who attended the March on Washington in 1963, the country has a ways to go in realizing the dream of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/... | To your first question: yes and no. To "have a ways to go" could be an indefinite distance but on the short-side of distance; it could also mean an indefinite distance but on the long-side of distance. As to which one depends on further development of the thought in subsequent sentences. For example, in the Civil Right... | Is “have a way to go” a just shortened form of “have a long way to go”? | english |
I’m trying to create the following phrase: It is important not only to <code> ____ </code> but also to <code> ____ </code> in general. But the way I’ve written it above doesn’t sound that good to me. Since I’m not a native speaker, could anyone please help me to improve this? | The “not only X but also Y ” correlative conjunction gives copyeditors no end of headaches. The problem commonly encountered with it is that X and Y are supposed to be grammatically parallel, but frequently people mess this up, so it doesn’t read right. So copyeditors are forced to recast the sentence. In the examples ... | How to use the “not only . . . but also” construction? | english |
I answered two questions incorrectly during my SAT prep class, and they seem to contradict each other. The first question was: The district manager agreed to promote the employee who he saw improve sales by the end of the year. (A) who he saw improve (B) who he saw was improving (C) who he will see improve (D) whom he ... | Those are not the same structure at all. The first is equivalent to The strict manager saw him (that is, the employee) improve sales. If you see him do something, then you still see him. While the second is equivalent to: The show’s producer thought he (that is, the actor) would be suitable. If he would be suitable, it... | Question on who vs. whom | english |
I am looking for a word like industrial but with the root of business. Something that fits in here: the [industrial(your word here)] applications of mathematics I looked for adjectives from business but found nothing. How would you express what I am looking for? | There's no specific adjective form of business . Instead, business is generally used as a noun adjunct (or attributive noun) : the business applications of mathematics | adjective from business | english |
Can I start a sentence as follows? Allowing to detect only circular shape objects, objects, classified mistakenly as trees, can be avoided from the modelling process. or may be can we write it as: Objects, classified mistakenly as trees, can be avoided from the modelling process allowing to detect only circular shape o... | This is a better way of putting it: Allowing detection of only circular shape objects, objects mistakenly classified as trees, can be avoided from the modelling process. | Can start sentence with "Allowing to" | english |
I found a stackexchange-url ("Meta Stack Overflow post") in whose answer Servy says: it's sock puppeting and is a very serious violation "Sock puppeting" is a picture. But why a sock ? Is it like playing with your own sock? | Simply, a sock-puppet is a puppet which has been created using a sock. In this context, a sock-puppet is one person pretending to be another. What you see is the puppet but the actions and voice are those of the person controlling the puppet. On messageboards and websites a sock puppet is the online alter-ego of somebo... | What does "sock puppeting" mean? | english |
Sometimes people tell me that I should avoid using "you" in formal writing and insist on telling me to use "one" ("One should not use 'you'" as opposed to "You should not use 'you'"). Are there any rules governing the use of these two words in formal writing? | Using "one" when you want to address a person in general, not specifically the reader. This was considered good practice in general. Consider this: <code> When the stakes are high one is often tempted to cheat. </code> Verses: <code> When the stakes are high you are often tempted to cheat. </code> You might prefer the ... | Use "you" or "one" in formal writing? | english |
I know what does it mean by saying "It's raining" but what about "It rains"? what does it imply when I say "It rains" right after saying "It's raining"? I saw it in a novel and get confused. | "It's raining" is a statement of current facts, meaning the person is telling someone that it is raining. "It rains" is a statement of fact, meaning someone is asserting that rain is something that happens. If the latter is in response to the former, it could be an ironic statement. Someone saying "It's raining" having... | it's raining vs. it rains | english |
If Joe envied something, would it be proper to call that something "Joe's Envy"? Considering the usage in a team name but I am not sure if it makes sense. | No. Envy is an emotion. To envy is to experience that emotion in relation to something. The object of envy is not envy. However, from a literary perspective, you could still use "Joe's Envy" as a story or book title. Just not as the object of that envy. | Usage of the word "envy" | english |
What's the difference between form and shape ? I'm reading a philosophy book and these are used to denote different "things". I considered these words as almost synonyms. | You mention you are getting this out of a philosophy book, and I think the philosophical context is what might imply the difference. Philosophers might have a tendency to see "form" as reflecting the guiding principle of an object, or something connected with the meaning of it. "Form" used in this way carries a more or... | Difference between "form" and "shape" | english |
What is the difference between <code> tomorrow never comes </code> and <code> tomorrow will never come </code> ? A friend said that <code> Tomorrow never comes </code> is a saying. Then Why is the latter not a saying too? Are their meanings the same or not? | "Tomorrow never comes" is used when you talk broadly about situations in general. "Tomorrow will never come" is used specifically to a certain situation. | Difference between tomorrow never comes and tomorrow will never come | english |
Basically I was just struck with the term 'attorney at law' as being a somewhat odd English construction. I can't think of any other time where we refer to another profession this way. In other words, can one be an Attorney at Butchery, or perhaps an Attorney at Plumbing? Aren't all attorney's "at law"? Which also made... | This answers pertains to the United States, not Great Britain, nor perhaps Canada. "Attorney" and "Lawyer" are, for most purposes, synonyms. For questions of this nature, which involve some specialization and may involve jargon (in this case legal jargon or usage) one should consult a good specialist dictionary. An exc... | Why do we say "attorney at law" and what is the difference between attorney and lawyer? | english |
I am looking for one word which means both shocking and clever. Example sentence: Shocking and clever revenge story. | How about brilliant . It conveys that someone is amazed at the person's cleverness, as in saying, "You are absolutely brilliant!" or "Brilliant solution. Good work." You might also consider cunning if by shocking you mean scandalous. You could also try ingenious , but it does not convey shock as well as brilliant or cu... | one word for shocking and clever? | english |
This may be an extremely simple question. I know pretty much what do we do when we see any vowel but I am curious why were these two classes created in the first place. I beg pardon for another question : Why were only these letters chosen as vowels : a , e , i , o , u ? | Vowels and consonants describe sounds. The sounds came first and the letters we call vowels and consonants came later as attempts to record them in writing. So the question should really be about why human speech has some sounds which come uninterrupted from the vocal cords (vowels), and why others are modified in the ... | Why was it necessary to divide alphabets into vowels and consonants? | english |
The test itself lies in attempting to apply this new update to a card belonging to Judas, whom is a legitimate user of the system. Is Judas considered the subject or the object? I'm considering Judas to be the object and hence applying whom after the comma. Is this correct? I read about whom vs who at LINK , but I'm no... | The name Judas is indeed the object of the phrase in which it appears. However, this has no bearing on the selection of pronoun in a subsequent phrase, where the name can be used in a different function. If you apply the "whom/him" test to the phrase where you're actually trying to use who/whom, you'll get Who is a leg... | Whom vs Who: object Judas + whom | english |
Is there a good way to describe a social partner without romantic connotations? Especially when referring to dining. I know date and partner (on its own) generally both generally imply some sort of romantic connotation (feel free to prove me wrong). Is there anything besides dining partner or friend? Thanks! | I'd hazard that being your company is applicable to most situations, and is sufficiently separate from any romantic connotation which 'companion' might carry. Otherwise, it's largely dependant on the context, and on your specific relationship with the person. You can use vague relationships like 'associate' or 'compani... | Word for a social partner without romantic connotations? | english |
I am being prosecuted by my school for plagiarism. However, I had no idea I was plagiarizing. They claim I incorrectly cited my source. But I beg to differ. Generally, how does one cite a source's quote that is cited elsewhere in said source? The example for which I am subject to prosecution: Talking about the negative... | If you find material in document A that quotes document B, you must reference both documents in your cites. The rationale for this is that selecting what's important and relevant is work and you must give credit for that work. From the Yale College Writing Centre : If the source you’re reading quotes another text, and ... | Plagiarism: How to cite the citation of your source? | english |
In the model I'm creating, we've got four different kinds of salary. I'd like a confirmation on the correct taxonomy of these. The normal amount one gets every month. Should it be called fix salary or base salary ? The variable amount that depends on how much work one has billed to the customers. Should it be called pr... | In the UK we would call these: Base salary (or just "salary") Commission Benefits in kind (or just "benefits") Overtime | What's a good name for different salary types? | english |
Is there some word that I could use in place of precipitation when I don't know if it's raining, snowing, or hailing outside? Saying "there is probably precipitation right now" (in place of something more certain about the state of the precipitation like "I think it's raining right now") sounds stiff. For instance, if ... | You could just say "wet". This tends to be accepted in the English language quite happily, even when snowing as it still contains moisture. Alternatively you could say "bad" which is often associated with wet weather. | Another word/phrase for precipitation? | english |
Is there a word that mean's the equivalent (or close to) the expression "treat the problem rather than the symptom" ? If not, is there a concise way to say this? For example, in discussing healthcare costs i might advocate that we treat the problem (lack of exercise) rather than treating the symptoms of the problem (ob... | Root cause refers to the fundamental reason for the occurrence of a problem. As Wikipedia describes it : A root cause is an initiating cause of a causal chain which leads to an outcome or effect of interest. Another way of saying this, in more formal terms is ultimate cause , which is essentially the same as root cause... | word/phrase for "treating the problem rather than the symptom"? | english |
I just got this error message from some software Request does not fall under your permitted scope. So you are not authorized to update the same. This "the same" construction was particularly odd to me. I've been hearing it more and more in corporate contexts. Can anyone explain where it comes from? My instinct was that... | This is a legal usage which goes back at least two centuries. Searching for "the same" and "law" in Google books yields a large number of examples, such as this one from 1804: And further, That in case the sum or sums actually collected shall be less than the sum or sums expressed in such estimate, and collected as afo... | Origin or explanation of using "the same" when you mean "it" | english |
What's a single word for a party who is made a business proposal to, i.e. the person or persons to whom a proposal is submitted? | Suitor and solicited . The one who makes the proposal may be termed the Suitor: Business suitor Financial suitor Investment suitor The verbs of the action of the suitor either preceding or following the proposal could be termed court , woo , solicit . Therefore, we could use the term solicited party , e.g. solicited co... | What's the word for a party to whom a business proposal is made? | english |
Can I use "among" instead of "in" in this sentence? Test results showed that it could slow memory loss by as much as 17% in patients if taken regularly and in combination with other prescribed medication." If I can't, why? | No you can't. This is because the it referred to in your sentence slows memory loss in each individual patient, not collectively amongst multiple patients as a group. | Can I use "among" instead of "in" in this sentence? | english |
I've recently read that there are quite a few metaphors describing relationships between humans that are taken from the financial sector. However, examples were very scarce. On my list I have "invest" or "to value", "priceless". Relationships can be "bankrupt". I have a hard time coming up with other examples. Any sugg... | I've heard of transactional relationships, of people keeping a ledger of slights, of banking goodwill, of having a negative balance in the trust bank. Stephen Covey, who wrote "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", popularized the notion of an emotional bank account when characterizing leaders and using influence t... | Finance metaphors for relationships | english |
I am confused as to when to use "prefer to" and "prefer than". For example, we write: I prefer coffee to tea. So why can't we use than instead of to ? Also, can someone give me an example of a sentence where we use prefer than ? I exactly can't remember a sentence but I'm sure I've read it somewhere. | The English phrase is prefer to . Q. "So why can't we use than instead of to ?" That's just the way it is - that's the way the language has developed. Q. "Can someone give me an example of a sentence where we use prefer than ?" No. It wouldn't be correct English. "I exactly can't remember a sentence but I'm sure I've r... | "Prefer to" vs "prefer than" | english |
The first time I saw this antiquated form was in Steeleye Span's interpretation of The Elf Knight ballad, but I tend to see it now and then and I don't quite know how it is used. Lady Isabel sits a-sewing Fine flowers in the valley When she heard the elf-knight's horn a-blowing As the rose is blown What is the name, ro... | It's not a gerund; it’s an ordinary present participle describing an ongoing action. That is, the horn is blowing; it’s not “[she heard] a blowing [of the horn]”. Sewing is more obviously not a noun in the poem. The a- prefix is there purely for rhythm and metre. It signifies nothing. Perhaps surprisingly it doesn’t ev... | Noun verbs a-gerunding - the meaning of the "a-gerund" form? | english |
What is the difference (in meaning) between "dominant" and "predominant"? | Dominant may be more used in influence. e.g. newspapers play a dominant role in shaping public opinion And Predominant might be used more to mean 'more frequent' or 'more common'. e.g. the most predominant colour in this room is beige. However, you could also say the dominant colour in this room is beige - you wouldn't... | What is the difference between "dominant" and "predominant"? | english |
“London. Hello, Awesome” is a comparative culture essay written by a writer at large of the New York Times who returned to her post in New York office from England after 18 years, and it wraps up with the following episode she experienced back in New York: “I was at the Apple store the other day, asking basic technical... | I think the key to understanding that phrase you quoted is another quote from the article: In other developments, available phone numbers ran out, forcing the introduction of unpleasant new area codes. “Awesome” went from being a risible word used only by stoners and surfers to an acceptably ubiquitous modifier, the St... | What does “Awesome” mean when you are complimented by an Apple-shop salesclerk on your answer to a barrage of his questions? | english |
He brushed her ideas / accusations aside He brushed her ideas / accusations off She brushed him off / aside after breaking up What's the difference between brush off and brush aside ? I looked the meanings of these verbs up but they're kind of the same. Brush off - refuse to listen to someone, or refuse to consider som... | Thanks for the extra info. Selected definitions: brush something or someone aside to dismiss or pay no attention to it or them • brushed aside all my objections. 1 brush something or someone off to ignore or refuse to listen to it or them. See also brush-off . 1 brush-off noun (usually the brush-off ) colloq an act of ... | What is the difference between "brush aside" and "brush off"? | english |
to be healthy we must keep our bodies clean by having bath as water and soaps wipe away the germs and dirt from our body and keeps us healthy - i want to know that in that line what will be after "our"- "body" or "bodies"? | Welcome to EL&U. You might want to visit stackexchange-url ("English Language Learners"), also in the Stack Exchange group of websites. If you want to be consistent in your use of the plural bodies , I suggest you word the sentence as follows: "To be healthy, we must keep our bodies clean by taking baths with soap ... | what will be after "you" body or bodies | english |
What it says on the tin, a foreign friend of mine has asked and I can't tell him; apart from it sounding horrible. For example: <code> "Why is it raining today?" </code> Instead of: <code> "Why it is raining today?" </code> | Please visit stackexchange-url ("stackexchange-url To answer your question http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/clause-phrase-and-sentence/verb-patterns/verbs-questions-and-negatives Here are the question forms and negative forms for the verb be in the present simple and past simple: <code> I am Am... | Why do we say "is it" when asking a question rather than "it is"? | english |
Here's the scene. Jack and Angelica are in the captain's quarters on Black Beard's ship. They're both looking at a shelf full of bottles that have ships inside them. One of them contains Jack's ship named Black Pearl Jack asks "Why is the Black Pearl in a bottle?" Why does he say a bottle ? It's quite clear for both of... | He isn't asking why it is in that specific bottle. He's asking why it is in a bottle at all. | Quote from the Pirates of Carribean | english |
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