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In sentences such as "I'm a little devastated" "He's a little obese" We tend to think of obese and devastated as being on the more extreme end of the scale when describing something, but what is it called when another word is used before it that sort of "downplays" it? Would calling these contradictions be appropriate,... | This is a form of litotes , which does not have to use double negatives, but always employs understatement . Depending on context, it might also be classed as irony , where what is meant is the opposite of what is actually said. In rhetoric, litotes (/ˈlaɪtətiːz/, US /ˈlɪtətiːz/ or /laɪˈtoʊtiːz/) is a figure of speech ... | What is it called when one word in a sentence "downplays" another? | english |
As you know pizzas are countable But when you add another word like, frozen, does it remain countable? Generally, when you add an adjective to a countable word are there any changes? | You can buy a frozen pizza from a supermarket. (countable) If you have friends coming over for dinner then you might purchase three different types of pizzas. Napoli (anchovies and capers) Margherita (cheese and tomato) Quattro stagioni (four seasons) So now you have three frozen pizzas to take back home and cook in th... | Are frozen pizzas countable or uncountable? | english |
I was interested in two word”, “puff piece” and “on the dance floor” both of which are shown in quotes in Maureen Dowd’s article titled “Reince is right” in August 7 New York times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/opinion/dowd-reince-is-right.html?hp It reads: "Films can dramatically alter the way famous people are v... | An extremely critical written article is sometime called a hatchet job a fierce written attack on someone or their work: she does hatchet jobs, not reviews It also might be called a smear a usually unsubstantiated charge or accusation against a person or organization —often used attributively a smear campaign, a smear ... | Are there slanguages counter to “puff piece”? | english |
I am filling in this form and on page two there are 2 questions (Q11 and Q12) that seem the same to me but probably are not. Q10: Your date of leaving UK Q11: Are you resident in the UK for the tax year up until the date at question 10? Q12: Were you resident in the UK for the tax year before departure date? What is th... | I think the difference is probably meant to be: Q11 is asking about the partial tax year immediately up until the departure date. Q12 is asking about the last full tax year prior to your departure date. In the UK the tax year runs from 6 April one year to 5 April the following year. So, if your proposed departure date ... | Difference between 2 questions | english |
consider the following sentence: Once all data are collected, it is exported as ... I am not sure whether it is correct to use the word 'it' in this context? | I would not write it like that. You are confusing the count defintion of data and the non-count definition. Either: Once all data are collected, they are exported ... Or: Once the data is collected, it is exported ... Don't mix them up. | plural and the use of it | english |
I read the "Catcher in the rye" and I found it difficult book for not native reader (Compared to for example Steve Jobs biography. There is a lot of guessing what the author means by particular sentence. Context : "Her mother belonged to the same club we did," I said. "I used to caddy once in a while, just to make some... | It means the mother played nine holes of golf [half the course] and took about 170 strokes. That's about four times as many as a low-handicap player. Go around means to progress along a defined path back to your starting point — as around a circle, around a course . | She went around in about a hundred and seventy, for nine holes - meaning | english |
A quote from the Economist: Part of this naturalistic approach is that the transistors in his systems often operate in what is known technically as the “sub-threshold domain”. May we use a instead of the here and if no, why? Google Books comes up with numerous examples of "known technically as a": The sound of h (aitch... | If there is only one, use the , if there can be more, use a Part of this naturalistic approach is that the transistors in his systems often operate in what is known technically as the “sub-threshold domain”. There is only one domain called "sub-threshold", hence the “sub-threshold domain” The sound of h (aitch) at the ... | known as (a, the) - which article to pick? | english |
I checked the difference between anywhere and everywhere in the Longman dictionary. I have understood that when the place is not important we have to use anywhere for example: You can find a man anywhere but not a businessman everywhere. But I do not know how to use this general rule in all times. For example, what is ... | You lose a pair of glasses. You start off by saying: " My glasses could be anywhere ." = I don't know where my glasses are. They could be here, there, up, down. In that room, or in another room. I don't know. The glasses are in one of those many different places. after a few minutes of searching you might say: " I've l... | what is the difference between everywhere and anywhere | english |
Is there one word for "take into consideration". I searched online, but didn't find any. For example, We also have to take into consideration the fact that the requirements might change later on. | Besides consider (“To think about seriously”), weigh (“To consider a subject”) may serve. For example: “We must weigh the likelihood that requirements might change later.” | One word for "take into consideration"? | english |
Germans make all their trips. We take some trips and make others. What is the difference for English speakers between "making a trip" and "taking a trip"? | In American English, we use "make a trip" to refer to an errand. We ran out of milk, so I made a trip to the store. We take a trip to reach a destination for the sake of the destination, usually in terms of a vacation or recreation. "This summer, we're taking a trip to Disneyland." | What is the difference between 'making a trip' and 'taking a trip'? | english |
Nana travels to America to have a surgery done. One that could put an end to her life-long affliction. But is her problem exclusive of her body? Or is rather a condition more related to her soul? What word could I use to replace "more related" in the passage above? I think the phrase more related won't have much impact... | I suggest "Is Nana's affliction merely physical, or could there be an underlying spiritual component?" Or, "Is Nana's affliction physical, or could it be more spiritual than physical?" Or, "Is Nana's affliction only physical, or could it be related more to her soul than to her body?" Any of the above could work. The th... | A word meaning "more related" | english |
What's the English name for those drop-like crystal prisms used to scatter the light from a chandelier? I was thinking to buy some on the internet when I realized I don't even know what to search for. | They're often called pendalogues (click on View chandelier sketch in that link for a "named parts" diagram), or just plain drops (which includes all sorts of shapes besides teardrops ). | What to call a chandelier's crystal drop? | english |
From a New York times article about a summer program for poor students: The valence among Vinay, Arshdeep and MD, and the 80 or so other mentors and their mentees forms the backbone of a new summer program called Practice Makes Perfect. (source: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/mentoring-students-to-prev... | Valence the capacity of one person or thing to react with or affect another in some special way, as by attraction or the facilitation of a function or activity. Which is related to Valence In chemistry, valence, also known as valency or valence number, is the number of valence bonds a given atom has formed, or can form... | What is the meaning of "valence" in this sentence? | english |
In New Yorker’s article (August 6) titled, ‘Bezos and the Washington Post: A skeptical view,’ the writer, John Cassidy wraps up his article with the following statement: Will he (Bezos) be ordering his editors to publish articles defending Amazon’s business tactics and criticizing those who question them? - - -. Such a... | Cassidy's sentence is something of a mash-up, and needs to be pulled apart to understand it. He's using transparent in the sense of obvious (as in a transparent lie ). Jeff Bezos "ordering his editors to publish articles defending Amazon’s business tactics and criticizing those who question them" would be counterproduc... | Why is 'transparent' tactic ‘‘counterproductive and contrary to one’s belief in the First Amendment’? | english |
I'm curious if the order implies anything here. I'm pretty sure "Mom and Dad" is standard in English. The issue was hard for me to google, so I'm asking it here: Is using "Dad" before "Mom" incorrect, or is it just not often seen/bad practice? I see both, but "Mom and Dad" is far more prevalent. Edit: What puzzles me i... | Word collocation. Words get paired and their order becomes fixed. It's like bread and butter . You never say those words the other way round, do you? Likewise: Ladies and Gentlemen Mum and Dad cats and dogs black and white backwards and forwards thunder and lightening peace and quiet Some pair words can be joined with ... | "Mom and Dad" vs "Dad and Mom" | english |
I want to say that I banged my head against wall because some one said something stupid, how to put it in a sentence? Is <code> I banged my head against wall 'on' this stupidity? </code> or <code> I banged my head against wall 'for' this stupidity? </code> | Sentence one is definitely out. Sentence two can be saved with some word changes. For example, "I banged my head against the wall over this stupidity." Or, "I banged my head against the wall because of this stupidity." Or, "I reacted to this stupidity by banging my head against the wall." Or, "I reacted to his/her/thei... | what is the most appropriate structure of this sentence? | english |
I'm assisting a daily phone meeting with people from Asia, Europe and North America. One of the Americans is using "Sir" sometimes to address the team leader. Is it appropriate to address a colleague in the same job rank, by "Sir"? | It's a tricky one - especially on a voice only call. Personally, I would never use the word 'Sir' to anyone and haven't done since we had to call our teachers that at school. Certainly to use it in a formal manner could imply deference. I have a couple of US friends and colleagues who use 'Sir' quite liberally, never d... | Is the "Sir" title appropriate to use in business meetings? | english |
Often times when I go to fill forms and apply for programs at government agencies or other places, they often ask me whether I have another name that people call me. I'm Chinese and I use my native name in my legal documents, IDs, etc. and Theo is what my friends and other poeple call me. If people asks me next time, i... | Yes. This would be a correct way to say this. | I "go by" this name | english |
I am having a discussion with my friend. I said, "Many times I have seen him washing his car." He says it should be, "Many times have I seen him washing his car. Much like "Often do I see him", and not "Often I see him." While I agree with him on 'often,' I am skeptical about 'many times.' I hope somebody can help. | Subject-Auxiliary Inversion (with Do -Support) only happens with some adverbs. Most adverbs don't indulge. In particular, neither - * Often do I see him nor - * Many times have I seen him are normal colloquial American English. Adverbs can appear almost anywhere in a sentence, especially its beginning and end (though d... | Inversion with "many times" at the beginning of a sentence | english |
I wonder when verbs like think or know are followed by that ; I encountered both forms, is there a difference? For example, I know that he did it. // I know he did it. Are the two sentences both correct? | Yes, they are both correct. I'd use the second because that's more idiomatic and shorter than the first one. There are times when you don't need "that" in a sentence and this seems to be one of those instances. | I think/know vs. I think/know that | english |
I've been engaged in debate for some days now, about a discussion in a panel of a Captain America comic book. In the comic book, Bucky, his sidekick, says that "you have been running a mile a minute since you got the super soldier serum". Given that Captain America can (occasionally) run that fast, some people are of t... | The literal meaning of running a mile a minute seems irrelevant to the action portrayed in the panel; instead the metaphorical meaning suggested in the question (that Captain America has been working to the point of exhaustion) is quite plausible and is reinforced by several pictures in the panel. In addition there is ... | When can a metaphor become a double entendre | english |
After showing me the house, Nana led us to the living room, and with Mongai's Take Me Somewhere Nice playing on in the background , we started on the Scotch we'd bought at the 7-Eleven. The dim light and the soft Is the comma correctly positioned before the italics in the example above? Or I should place the comma afte... | It may be preferable to eliminate the comma and instead insert a period. The first sentence seems like a separate event from the second sentence. After showing me the house, Nana led us to the living room. With Mongai's "Take Me Somewhere Nice" playing in the background, we started on the Scotch we'd bought at the 7-El... | Comma after or before "parenthetic" and? | english |
Which of the following sentences is correct? The new features of the software are given below: OR The new features in the software are given below: | As noted in a comment, both are grammatical, and ngrams for features in the software, features of the software shows that “features of the software” occurs in books far more often than does the other form. Also consider saying “The software's new features are given below:”, “The software's new features include”, etc. N... | new features in vs. new features of | english |
When something is normal to a plane, is it also inclined with respect to that plane? Or does incline imply a non 90 degree angle to something? The flow is normal to the plate. The plate is inclined with respect to the flow. Is it clear from the 2nd sentence that the plate is not normal to the flow? | Inclined does not include normal . ODO has incline verb 3 [ no object, usually with adverbial of direction ] lean or turn away from a given plane or direction, especially the vertical or horizontal: the bunker doors incline outwards &n... | "Normal to" and "inclined" | english |
My understanding is that "rental" is a word implying that income is being received from a property one owns and leases to a tenant. "Rent" is used more in the sense of what a tenant pays a landlord. I am looking specifically for a two or three word phrase to be used in a list of possible sources of income. Which option... | Neither seems particularly natural to me. Personally, I'd recommend: Rental property income Although according Google Ngrams, " rental income " is the most popular of the three. | "Rent income" or "Rental income" | english |
The word greedy comes from the Indo-European root *gher which meant something like to like/want ( source ). This is also the root for the incredibly common German word gern and other every day German words. I really let my fantasy roam freely but I was not able to find another English word with that origin. I would fin... | At your source (etymonline for greed ), if you enter gher or gher- or *gher- as the search term you can find other words that stem, eventually, from Indo-European root *gher- in its sense to like, want , such as Eucharist , yearn , hortatory , charisma . Note that PIE *gher- is shown in etymonline with several addition... | Searching for words with the same root as greedy | english |
What is the difference between "taking the initiative" and "making the initiative"? Context : I recently sent an email asking advice on whether I should " take the initiative to contact professor X". The person answered "Yes, you should make the initiative". | The phrase make the initiative is not grammatically incorrect. Make is a transitive verb and initiative is a noun that logically can be made . However, take the initiative is an idiom that is quite common in English. Make the initiative is effectively never used. Here is an ngram (a chart reflecting the existence of te... | "take the initiative" vs "make the initiative" | english |
I am editing a manuscript that mimics the style of late 19th-century British writing. To what extent were serial commas used during this time period? | I would venture to say, yes. (Just for the sake of completeness in this answer, I am considering the Victorian era to be from 1837 to 1901.) In this article about the Oxford comma, which is another name for the serial comma, the author gives two examples showing punctuation from the same British periodical, but 125 yea... | Should a serial comma be used when mimicking Victorian-era British text? | english |
Is "revelationary" a word in the English language?. If it isn't a word in proper English, then which word, if any, can be used for something that leads to a revelation? | You may be looking for revelatory of or relating to a revelation | Is "revelationary" a word in the English language? | english |
In the following sentence should there be an apostrophe before the s in "transfer"? I don't think so because it's not possesive but on the other hand the transfer should be singular so I'm not sure. Used for sending out e-mails each time an owner transfers an asset. | In the sentence you cite, transfer is a verb, not a noun. The structure is owner [subject] transfers [verb] asset [object] Owner is third person singular, and the present tense, third person singular form of the verb to transfer is transfers . | Unsure if an apostrophe is needed before an 's' in a sentence | english |
Is this sentence correct? Can we skip the meet up this week? | You need a hyphen or no space Can we skip the meetup/meet-up this week but I would prefer Can we skip the meeting this week and meet up next week So a meetup/meet-up or to meet up | Difference between "meeting" and "meet up" | english |
I want to indicate that some text has been made longer while emphasizing that no new content has been added. Desired usages: I need to anti-summarize this paper to reach the ten page minimum. or I can't believe the manager just anti-summarized my two paragraph email into a 35 minute meeting. | Stretched out : to extend, force, or make serve beyond the normal or proper limits ; strain: to stretch the imagination; to stretch the facts; to stretch food to feed extra guests; to stretch money to keep within a budget . I need to stretch out this paper to reach the ten page minimum. I can't believe the manager just... | Opposite of "summarize" | english |
Can anybody explain for me how this structure "is at its highest level" is correct. Example : Confidence in the British economy is at its highest level since the Coalition came to power amid signs the recovery is gathering pace | It means that: [The] confidence [of people] [in the British economy] is at its highest level since [date/time] [because there are] signs [that] the recovery is gathering pace. It's the confidence that "is at its highest level". The word "level" is actually superfluous (unnecessary), because you could say "confidence is... | Is this grammar structure "is at its level" correct? | english |
How would you rewrite the following sentence more properly? The sea is blue and the sky also. I know that there is a specific construction using so , but in fact I never used it... | The sea is blue and so is the sky | A construction using *so* | english |
In the New York Times’ (August 5) article titled, “How A-Rod doesn’t add up,” Doug Glanville, ex-outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers tells: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/05/how-a-rod-doesnt-add-up/?hp “Performance-enhancing drugs thrive in a baseball environment obses... | I think he is considering/confused by the balance beam in a pair of scales. | What does “cantilever” stand for in the line, “baseball environment obsessed with the cantilever between pitcher and hitter? | english |
As far as I can tell there are eight ways to abbreviate or write the contracted form "government". gov or Gov gov. or Gov. gov't or Gov't govt. or Govt. (with the full stop/period) Are any of these forms considered incorrect? In formal writing I know it is never advisable to write contractions but I imagine there must ... | Almost all of the reference books I consulted note that gov (or gov. ) can be an abbreviation either for government or for governor . In the United States at least, that dual meaning can lead to problems of ambiguity: many U.S. readers are likely to interpret the Gov in a headline such as "Gov Relaxes Rules" as being s... | How do you abbreviate "Government"? | english |
I already know that there are different spellings in British and US English for "programme". Usually, I refer to a computer program with the US spelling as all programming is done in US English, so it only seems appropriate. But what about the verb? Do you program something or do you programme something in British Engl... | In British English, the spelling program is used when referring to computer programs, but the spelling programme is used for all other purposes. The following entry is taken from a reputable British dictionary 1 (I have omitted the entries relating to non-computer meanings for the word): programme or (N Amer) program n... | When referring to computer coding, would the correct verb spelling (in British English) be "to program" or "to programme"? | english |
Less of this noise, guys! Less of that funny talk! Less of talking nonsense! Less of working late! Does it mean less or stop doing something? | Yes. The imperative expression "less of ..." means both less and stop. It is a form much loved of school teachers to mean "If you are unable to moderate the behaviour that you know is not permitted, then I will be required to take direct action to stop it entirely. We share the implicit understanding that I do not wish... | Less of something (British English Probably) | english |
Why is being used in the sentence below, and what does it mean? Lisa is upset about not being invited to the party Are they trying to use the passive voice? If yes, how would the sentence look if we use the active voice to frame the same sentence? | The example sentence is Lisa is upset about not being invited to the party There are two clauses. The main clause Lisa is upset about <code> np[S] </code> has a psych predicate adjective upset (which requires an auxiliary be ), and a gerund complement clause indicating the source of the upset , namely (Lisa('s)) not be... | Usage of "being" in sentence | english |
In http://research.google.com/archive/gfs-sosp2003.pdf Section 3.2: Suppose the client is pushing data to chunkservers S1 through S4. It sends the data to the closest chunkserver, say S1. S1 forwards it to the closest chunkserver S2 through S4 closest to S1, say S2. Also,I can't understand this: <code> through S4 close... | The passage is awkwardly written. First, as mplungjan notes, say is an informal way of saying “for example.” You wouldn't normally see it in writing. Second, the phrasing with through is actually “S1 through S4” and “S2 through S4,” indicating groups of servers: S1–S4 and S2–S4. Unfortunately, it's easy to misparse the... | What is the meaning of "say S1" | english |
In other words, which sentence is correct? At least one of them is not coming. At least one of them are not coming. | In English, grammatical number often follows the form of the sentence rather than its meaning, especially in cases where the meaning allows for a variable number in the subject. In those cases, the verb usually agrees with the syntactic number of the closest subject noun instead of the meaning of the whole noun phrase.... | "At least one" - singular or plural subject? | english |
Writers often highlight part of a quotation to emphasize the point they're making. They use a variety of phrases to indicate that the emphasis did not appear in the original text. In order of current usage: emphasis added italics added emphasis mine italics mine It appears that “italics mine” is the earliest phrasing a... | For an interesting view of how authors and book publishers viewed the practice of adding italics to quotations in the early nineteenth century, see the Preface to James Plumptre's book Letters to John Aikin, M.D. (1811). In it, Plumptre notes the objections of a friend of his (whom he had asked to review the manuscript... | Whence “emphasis mine”? | english |
OK, so the title sounds more like a cryptic crossword clue rather than something that explains my question, so please feel free to make it into something more sensible if you can (and remove this sentence)... Let's say we have two items, the items do not matter but for this example let's say the first is "fish" and the... | In the real example, You should probably use javascript or jQuery to accomplish this you can achieve the objective by reversing the order and adding a couple of words to emphasise the difference: You should probably use jQuery or just plain JavaScript to accomplish this. Thus jQuery implies JavaScript; you could have J... | Both or only the first, but never just the second | english |
Example caption text for a photo: Little Diane necklace 1a) No full stop is correct, yes? Now a longer example of caption text: Little Diane necklace. The photograph of the young Diane was taken after a polio vaccination and appeared in the local newspaper. She smiles bravely into the camera to reassure other children.... | End punctuation for captions is ultimately a house style issue. I would certainly expect a caption containing more than one complete sentence to have end punctuation. But sentence fragments are subject to idiosyncratic handling. At the magazine where I work, for example, we would leave unpunctuated a fragmentary captio... | Caption text punctuation: Full stops always necessary at the end? | english |
We have game what uses gems crafted from star dust as points. Can that gems be named as "Skyrocks"? Is this name clear enough? Or what can be better name? | When creating a game, you can call an object any thing you want. With that being said, skyrocks does seem a little odd. Why not star rocks, star gems, or star fire? Or maybe all three depending on the size crafted. | Can gems meant to be crafted from something like star dust be named as "Skyrocks"? | english |
I have toyed with using a colon and keeping the question marks or even ditching the question marks. See below: Admittedly I was apprehensive at first to approach the prisoner, all I could think was “What crime did he commit?”, “How was he going to treat a 21 year old girl?”, and “How can I avoid talking to him?”. But s... | Trevor is correct about the first comma in the first sentence. By linking two independent clauses with this comma, you have created the generally frowned-upon comma splice . Highly inadvisable. Thereafter, the quotation marks aren't really called for because you're not actually quoting anyone. Representing someone's th... | How to puncutuate when using self imposed questions in a declarative sentence | english |
I am French and I am looking for how to express the concept of the French word débrayable : Something débrayable is able to be manually configured as opposed of something which is always automatically configured. This word is often used about camera modes. Nowadays, camera modes (exposure, shutter, focus, meter...) are... | We often speak of overriding automatic or default settings and of the action or capability as (manual) override so débrayer would be "override" and débrayable "overrideable". Some automatic camera modes are overrideable. Automatic build settings are overrideable. But it I think a verbal use is more idiomatic: You may o... | Translation of « débrayable » for camera modes and automatic software processing | english |
Can anyone tell me the difference between pairs or couples? Especially I need to know if you say "a pair of puffins" or "a couple of puffins" if you mean a female and male bird. | The usual term for a male and female bond is a pair not couple. Speaking casually, "I saw a pair/couple of puffins the other day" would mean you'd seen two birds, of either sex. As a verb, birds are said to pair , meaning male and female bonding for the purpose of rearing chicks. But to couple means to engage in sex. | "Pair" or "couple"? | english |
How come both "being wanted" and "being unwanted" are both bad words. Yet, being "needed" and "unneeded" are antonyms? Nobody wants to feel wanted, yet they all want to feel needed. Compare these four sentences. As Nimdok was strolling though the New Brazilian Airport, he felt wanted. As a child, Nimdok felt unwanted b... | All four of these words need a "by whom" clause. Unwanted and unneeded refer to not being wanted or needed by anyone, and that's sad. "I feel needed" carries the implication "somebody needs me", which is good. The complication here is that "Wanted" sometimes refers to being wanted not by a general somebody, or by a fri... | How come nobody likes being wanted or unwanted? | english |
“often” vs. “oftentimes” Is “oftentimes” a pleonasm? My current understanding is that “often” denotes frequent occurrence. If “often” communicates frequent occurrence, then what need is there to append “times,” a temporal aspect already communicated by the word “often?” | It’s not really a pleonasm. It’s more of a throwback to times gone by. Both oftentime and oftentimes are nothing but extended forms of the shorter oft-time or oft-times , but which are still pretty old-timey in feel. The OED says that all four of these are now variously considered obsolete , rare , archaic , literary ,... | "often" vs. "oftentimes" | english |
I am writing an essay about my university experiences and a suggested correction from an English Ph.D. sounds wrong to me. The suggestion is In our meeting to discuss the spring semester of my junior year, my adviser set forth a challenge. She made a similar correction later, One graduate course had been sufficient to ... | Time periods can be used without articles. A different example: One graduate course had been sufficient to consume my time last semester . I personally find it awkward to use "fall semester" instead of "last semester" but it's the same basic idea. | Correctness of omitting a definite article or a preposition | english |
Please tell me the difference between these two questions: how how so Do those two mean the same thing? If they do not, please explain with examples. | The difference is that How so? is more of an answer than a question and can only be used as a response to another person. It can't be used as part of a wider question, whereas How is extremely versatile: How are you / How many stars in the sky / How do you make butter from milk etc Both phrases can be used as an answer... | What’s the difference between “how” and “how so”? | english |
What are the best places to use these three verbs: rescind repeal annul Are these all exactly similar in meaning, or are they supposed to be used for different purposes? | Even though the words are synonymous, some of them are used more traditionally in some contexts. For example, laws are usually repealed , marriages are usually annulled , and orders are usually rescinded . In other cases , it's not so clear . (Click on the links for relevant Ngrams). EDIT NOAD has this usage note under... | Are “rescind”, “repeal”, and “annul” perfect synonyms? | english |
Bidentate (also called didentate) ligands bind with two atoms, an example being ethylenediamine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denticity Is "an example being ethylenediamine" a inappropriate appositive? As far as i know, appositive is usually to define the preceding noun. My youngest sister, Meghan, will be visiting soo... | Yes, grammatically speaking, the sentence you reference smells as bad as ethylenediamine. As the sentence is written ethylenediamine is set in apposition to "two atoms." The sentence from Wikipedia begins to fall apart with the first set of parentheses. The writer meant to say something like this, "Bidentate, also call... | Appositive or other things? | english |
I see people in movies saying Are you done? and Are you done yet ? And I wonder what that the addition of yet might mean or suggest in the second version which is absent in the first one. Are those two versions completely equivalent, or is there some subtle distinction? | The use of yet here emphasizes that it has taken a reasonable amount of time or that it has taken too long and implicitly expects an answer in the affirmative. “Are you done?” is just a question to find out whether he is done with it, whereas “Are you done yet” says you had better get done soon if you aren’t already. | Any difference between “Are you done?” and “Are you done yet?” | english |
In Maureen Dowd’s article titled “Who’s that candidate in the teal toenail Polish?” in New York Times (August 3), http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/opinion/sunday/dowd-whos-that-candidate-in-the-teal-toenail-polish.html?hp she quotes the following comment of New York City mayoral candidate, Christine Callaghan Quinn: “... | The candidate for Mayor of New York in question is not afraid to assert herself. In fact in the article she is described as: “a big pushy broad,” as she puts it, who pushes for New York. Someone who pushes her ideas forward and is prepared to defend her proposals, even if it means upsetting and antagonising her opponen... | What does someone “pushes back and crack some eggs” mean? Is it a popular turn of phrase? | english |
I've come across he shams sick Can I say he shams an idiot or he shams pain in his back ? Do I have to use a person or a thing after sham? I know it's a rare word but nevertheless | You should be able to substitute the verb feigns for any transitive use of shams . So He shams idiocy. rather than He shams an idiot. IMO, He shams sick would be better as He shams illness because sick is not an appropriate object. | sham + adjective / noun | english |
Here are three ways to say the same thing. I wonder if there are particular rules regarding to the position of adverb phrases: Then play those passages over and over again in your memory Or, Then play those passages in your memory over and over again Or, Then play over and over again those passages in your memory I thi... | The last one sounds bad because it puts an adverbial phrase between the verb and the direct object. I believe opinion varies as to whether this is grammatical; some people think it is always ungrammatical . My opinion is that it's not strictly ungrammatical, but that you should only do this as a last resort when the di... | Positioning of adverb phrases | english |
In the foreword to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, the following sentence occurs: You will find quantum tomfoolery, cosmic belly laughs and more absurd one-liners than you could quorble a stank at . I haven’t the slightest notion of what quorble and stank at mean there. Browsing through dictionar... | It’s the HHG2G, which is known for being silly and nonsensical at times. They don’t mean anything except in so far as they are literary nonsense . In this case I would say they are meant as a nonsensical parallel construction to “shake a stick at”. | What does “to quorble a stank at” mean? | english |
On ELL a user has stackexchange-url ("asked") how to parse the emphasized -ing form in this sentence from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone : Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air. I am puzzled how to answer. Zigzagging could be taken as an adj... | McCawley doesn't say much about it, as far as I can see, but it appears to be a variety of the complex of serial verb constructions around motion verbs and their inchoatives and causatives, like the various serial verb constructions mentioned in this freshman grammar exam question (#4, restricted to come and go ): Bill... | Participial clause? | english |
What does it mean and what is different between Shan't & won't I need the answer with example thank you | In British English, "shan't" is used as a denial of permission while "won't" is just a statement of fact. In American English, "won't" is used in both cases while "shan't" is very rarely used. | What does it mean Shan't & won't | english |
Consider to take fruit in something For example: I take fruit in my life. I feel like I have heard this term used before, but because I couldn't find an example with Google, I wanted to check whether this makes sense to other people or whether I’m just conjuring this out of my own brain. The intended meaning here would... | Well, the in sounds funny: “taking fruit in something” sounds like an off-kilter calque, or a mis-recollection, where fruit is standing in for pleasure or enjoyment or advantage. But taking the fruit(s) of something (as opposed to in something) to mean enjoying it has a long history. So if that is what you really meant... | Can “take fruit in” something mean you enjoy it? | english |
Quite often I see derision about ideas by people who label them as 'too academic'. Often this appears to result from laziness or an unwillingness to stretch their thinking. What's the logical fallacy where people dismiss what you say as irrelevant to the real-world? | At its most general this is a fallacy of relevance. Precisely which one would depend on how it’s presented. If your interlocutor were to say “You’re one of them academic types, so you must be spouting nonsense” it would be ad hominem . If they said something more like “Sounds like that academic-talk, we all know how tr... | What's the logical fallacy where people dismiss what you say as irrelevant to the real-world? | english |
If there is original song and same song performed by another artist, when to use term 'remix', 'cover', 'tribute to'? Is 'remix' more suitable for electronic version of song? What is the difference between 'cover' and 'tribute to'? Which word to use when someone performs a song (but not sing) that was originally by ano... | What you are looking for a is a cover , an existing song performed by a new artist, that is, not the original artist. A remix is a mixture of some sounds from the original with other sounds. A common example is a pop song to which a beat is added. A tribute is simply a song that is created or performed in honour of som... | Song: when to use remix, cover and tribute to | english |
This is a comment from a forum discussion: This is OT. You must cook every meal to perfect macros. You then must buy tupperware and drag it into work the next day. That is all you are allowed to eat for lunch. If you do not bring leftovers you must only eat at a local restaurant. What does the poster mean by drag it in... | In this context, the phrase “drag it into work” means the same as “take it into work”, but the first phrase has overtones the other doesn't. It implies it is a chore or is onerous or bothersome to take the leftovers, in their tupperware casket, to work. | What's the meaning of "drag" in this context? | english |
E.g. "geek" or "queer" were originally meant as an insulting term, but were taken by the recipients as titles of pride. Is there a term for this phenomenon? | Reappropriation is the word you are looking for. ... the cultural process by which a group reclaims— re-appropriates —terms or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group. For example, since the early 1970s, much terminology referring to homosexuality—such as gay and (to a lesser extent) quee... | English word for taking a derogatory term and owning it with pride | english |
How do you pronounce the << operator ? For example it is used in stackexchange-url ("here"). | In the context of iostreams, writers often will refer to << and > > as the “put-to” or "stream insertion" and “get-from” or "stream extraction" operators, respectively * . If you are using << for output in C++ programming then I would just call it "put-to". (Otherwise, that would also be used as the bitwise... | How do you pronounce the < < operator | english |
I'm watching Suits TV Series, and there was something that caught my attention. 2 guys meet, have a drink, chat, and then one guy says: I mean it's time I told you . I made a deal with Darby to take over the firm from Jessica. Why is "told you" in paste tense? What exactly does it mean? He is saying that news right now... | There is an idiomatic expression "it is time I verbed " (meaning "it is time to verb ") which is fairly firmly established in modern English, but it seems to be due to a grammatically incorrect reinterpretation of an idiom. I don't believe there is any grammar justification for using the past tense here. Look at this N... | what does "it's time I told you" mean and why past tense here? | english |
I'm reading a technical documentation so every quirky detail, that a normal human being easily realizes to be a typo or just a less well chosen formulation, can, in fact, be a profound base for a concept and can fundamentally affect the future design. In the said document I can find the term " numeric digit ". What is ... | It's just a number, 0-9, as you said. Use of the word "numeric" is just to specify 0-9 as opposed to, say, your thumb. | What is a "numeric digit"? | english |
Is this a correct sentence: We too gone through such a situation. I felt that a better alternative is: We had also gone through such a situation. Which is the correct usage? | In both your examples the word 'gone' should be replaced by 'been': We too have been through such a situation. Or: We have also been through such a situation. I think the second one feels more natural. | Is it correct to use "we too gone through..."? | english |
This is a comment that came out of a discussion on McDonalds: I remember working at McHell for over 2 years. 25 cars in the Drive-Thru was nothing. The worst part was a semi-full lobby/Drive-Thru and then a buss pulls in. That shit would get everybody rustled in the place... Shit being thrown everywhere, people yelling... | It's a shortened form of rustle one's jimmies . Urban Dictionary is often useful for this sort of slang in forum/group posts. Urban Dictionary “That Really Rustled My Jimmies” is an expression that is used to convey feelings of discontent or discomfort in response to someone else’s post in imageboards and discussion fo... | Get everybody "rustled" in the place | english |
The hospital informed us that both victims were happily recovering. The hospital informed us that both victims were, happily, recovering. What is the difference in meaning between the two? Aren't they the same? | The two sentences are not quite the same. The first sentence reports that the victims are happily recovering; the implication is that they are all smiles while their legs are in traction, because they are naturally of a sunny disposition, because they are pleased to be alive, or for some other reason. The second senten... | "Were happily recovering" vs. "were, happily, recovering" | english |
I'm trying to figure out whether it is valid to say the size of ... is predictively determined some sources on the web include predictively as a valid adverb, some don't. And what about predictably ? Thank you! | Assuming a person is speaking predictively, you might say, "With her pronouncements Ms. Knowitall was in her usual predictive mode." In other words, she was wont to make predictions as if she knew what would happen. You could then say of her, "She was speaking predictively again, which she is wont to do." Call me old-f... | What's the correct adverb for predict? | english |
These two versions below are used interchangeably where I live now in the United States: Make sure to do something. Be sure to do something. But I always have found the first version clumsy. I come from a strong linguistic background in the UK where there was an emphasis on grammar, and I can’t imagine my English teach... | Usage has changed significantly over the past few decades... ...as you can see, make sure to [verb] has already overtaken the (dated, imho) be sure to [verb] and doubtless soon make sure [noun] [verb] will overtake be sure [noun] [verb] (I've no doubt it did so long ago in speech; written forms tend to lag, and they're... | “Make sure to” vs. “Be sure to”: Is the first one correct? | english |
I would like to know if there is an appropriate word for "one flavor." For example: Monosyllabic: one syllable Monochromatic: one color What is the equivalent word for "one flavor," eg. "mono-gustatic" (obviously this is just a mock-up word for sake of the question)? Note: I am asking this in reference to wine (if it h... | Monoaromatic Having a single aromatic ring Sigh... I thought it up, found it on wikitionary. Thought: Great, it does exist! But the definition does not relate to taste but to an "aromatic ring". Noun: Any compound having a single aromatic ring, especially such a constituent of petroleum So, it's looks like the right wo... | Synonym for "one flavor" | english |
In that discomfort, breathing quicklime and tar, no one could see very well how from the bowels of the earth there was rising not only the largest house in the town, but the most hospitable and cool house that had ever existed in the region of the swamp. (One Hundred Years of Solitude, tr. by Gregory Rabassa) The that-... | No, the that-clause has no grammatical relationship with the largest . It's quite possible there was previously a larger house in the town (that's just been demolished, perhaps). What the final clause modifies is specifically the word most , but it's complicated by the fact that strictly speaking there's a deleted seco... | Is this that-clause a complement? | english |
I got a note from a fortune cookie, which says: <code> " Never gonna run around and desert you" </code> I was wondering what does "run around" means here. Similar to runaway? | To run around is an informal, almost slang-like expression similar in meaning to "fool around". To run around means when a spouse or lover is acting unfaithful and/or goes on dates with different people. | Does "run around" also mean "run away"? | english |
I encountered the word I am searching for in R.C.Robertson-Glasgow's Crusoe on Cricket; but, since I do not have the book, nor online access to it, I cannot search for that word. The meaning is roughly "to watch an act over and over and over again in mind's eye" and in the context he mentioned of a cricket match that c... | As it turns out the word was coined which is why it is difficult to locate. A UCI researcher named Brian Williams was kind enough to find out the word from the actual book. The word is: auto-invigilation. It is from the 1966 edition of Crusoe on Cricket: The Cricket Writings of R.C. Robertson-Glasgow with an introducti... | Word beginning with "auto" which means "to watch over and over again in mind's eye" | english |
That was probably a terrible title, but I'm looking for a word or phrase to describe this concept. We all probably have a relative like this, they feel that the world is "going to hell" around them - except that isn't true, we have 24x7 media and the internet, so the bad stuff that already exists is just much more visi... | The closest I can find to what you're describing is " news-induced " or " media-induced " anxiety. A quick search does not indicate widespread adoption of this as a catchphrase, but it seems like a sensible fit. "Stranger danger", as you cite, is something that arose out of a particular kind of bad news that was preval... | Is there a concise term for being over-aware of bad news happening? | english |
Etymolonline states that the word " suffix " is of Latin Origin. However, the Hebrew word for "end" is sof ( סוף ) pronounced like in "sofa". Since a suffix comes at the end of the word, I often thought that it may be the actual origin. Or is it just a coincidence? | It is pure coincidence, I’m afraid. ‘Suffix’ is a Latin word, and it can be split up into sub- ‘under, after’ and fixus , the passive perfect participle of figō ‘fix, fasten, stick to, bore through’. Literally, it just means ‘[something] stuck to the bottom/end (of …)’. Similarly, ‘prefix’ means ‘[something] stuck to t... | Is it possible that the word "suffix" has a Hebrew origin? | english |
I have seen this phrase many times, yet when I tried searching for coursing , the phrase was nowhere to be found. Example from The Free Dictionary: Coursing is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight and not by scent. Coursing ... | The definition of course is consistent with that of coursing . The present participle form is defined by Merriam-Webster as "the act of one that courses." Course is defined as the act of moving in a path from point to point . Hence, "poison coursing through one's veins" is equivalent to "poison moving in a path from po... | Poison coursing through one's veins | english |
Can someone plz tell me which is the right one and naturally a better one? You no need to worry about it You need not to worry about it Thanks | Neither is correct. Here are some grammatical alternatives with varying degrees of formality and nuances of tone: "You need not worry about it." "You needn't worry about it." "No need to worry about it." "You have no need to worry about it." "Don't worry about it." | which is correct? you no need to worry or you need not to worry | english |
I need to know can we use any single word which refers to the meaning of intended person. For example, in a shop we can have Salesman and Manager. I need to send a mail to anyone of person. I wish to have a single word which refers to intended person(either Salesman/Manager). Regards, Santhanam | In this particular case, I would suggest either phrasing it with the general "To whom it may concern" or with the more direct "Employee." | How can we refer a single person from a group of person in single word? | english |
Usage: My son was playing with his food. He dropped it on the ground and the dog ate it and he cried. He was ignorant of the consequences of playing with his food. | In addition to Carlo_R's good suggestion of reckless , you might consider short-sighted dealing with things that are happening now but failing to consider what will happen in the future: short-sighted plans Your question specifically asks about being ignorant of consequences . If you also want to consider ignoring cons... | Looking for word that means "Ignorant of Consequences" | english |
From OALD, entrench is defined as: to establish something very firmly so that it is very difficult to change Does establish here means to cause to be accepted or recognized? Edit: I came across the word from this passage: Some people feel that this term is a bit negative, given the association with hunting and death, a... | I would use this definition of established from Merriam-Webster: to bring into existence [ source ] By saying the idea is entrenched the author is saying that the idiom to kill two birds with one stone is widely understood in many societies, which implies the idiom is widely used. | What does "establish" mean in this context? | english |
When referring to an Australian context, as opposed to Aboriginal Canadians, or indigenous people worlwide, should "Aborigine" (and "Aboriginal") be capitalised? I tried googling, but the hits I found were usually from government or advocacy websites about aborigines, and may reflect political biases rather than expert... | Yes. In the Australian context “Aborigine” and “Aboriginal Australian” should appear capitalized because they are acting as proper nouns referring to specific group. When being used to refer to indigenous people in general they would not be capitalized. For example if you were to write: This is a fine piece of aborigin... | In an Australian context, should "Aborigine" be capitalised? | english |
In mathematics we use the universal and existential quantifiers (represented symbolically by ∀ and ∃, respectively) to make our lives easier. We can also use them in English. From a logical standpoint, these two sentences mean different things: 1. There exists a car for all people such that condition A is satisfied. or... | The structure of your two examples does establish the different meanings. In the first example, There exists a car for all people such that condition A is satisfied. the phrase for all people is an adjectival modifier explaining car . The placement of the phrase immediately following car helps establish that. In the se... | Order of universal and existential quantifier | english |
I was reading stackexchange-url ("an answer") on one of the sister sites of this site and came across this line : A common question, glad you asked it. Here is all you never thought you would ever not want to know about it. I read the second sentence three or four times but still confused at what it means. Can someone ... | "More than you'd ever want" is a common expression meaning, well, "this is more than you need or want." In this context, the author is warning the person that there will be more than eoungh information. "More than you would ever not want to know" is a humorous extension of this to say "I am going to give you so much mo... | Help in deciphering the meaning of this convoluted sentence | english |
I'm looking for a single word that describes a person who often overreacts to things. | You could perhaps try touchy (meaning 1) (American Heritage Dictionary via the Free Dictionary):- Tending to take offense with slight cause; oversensitive. or perhaps hysterical (meaning 2) (Random House Dictionary via Dictionary.com):- uncontrollably emotional. or possibly histrionic (meaning 2) (Random House Dictiona... | Is there a single word for a person who overreacts? | english |
There are a couple of idioms whose meaning is from time to time or occasionally . Every so often (Every) once in a while (Every) now and then/again Every actually is a determiner (or, broadly speaking, an adjective) specifying a noun or noun phrase and means that everybody or everything of the referred group is address... | You've answered your own question: every is a determiner which is used to introduce the frequency of the action. The difference is that some actions are rare or infrequent or the period isn't strictly known. every day : once a day every 5 minutes: repeats with a period of 5 minutes every once in a while: repeats with a... | What is the role of "every" in idioms like "every so often"? | english |
To my understanding when expressing something is not fact I should use subjunctive, e.g. Without your instruction, we would be working now. I'm wondering if I can use subjunctive to express something that is possible for being a polite way. In my case, I'd like to reply to the recruiting manager like this: If I was for... | The subjunctive tense only exists inside of a conditional/dependent clause: "If I were instructed, I wouldn't be working now." "Our work demands that she instruct us." "If I were fortunate enough to get the job, I could pay my rent." It doesn't matter whether it's likely or not. | Can I use subjunctive when something is possible? | english |
I came across the phrase “a State Department spokesperson had walked back his (John Kerry’s) comments in the Time magazine’s (August 2) article titled, “Oops: John Kerry gaffes, Washington backpedals.” http://swampland.time.com/2013/08/02/oops-john-kerry-gaffes-washington-backpedals/#ixzz2aqtJvoJJ The article deals wit... | I've often heard walk back used idiomatically to mean backpedal from or retract a statement or promise. A search of the Corpus shows that using walk back in this way is more often spoken rather than written. | Does “walk back” have a meaning of ‘deny’ or 'keep distance from sb. / stg.' as an idiom? | english |
This is one of the New York Times writing rules.I don't know exactly what “zombie nouns” and verbs mean here. Can someone give some examples? Rule 6: Write With Non-Zombie Nouns and Verbs Delve into Strunk and White’s fourth style reminder “Write with nouns and verbs” by reading about what Helen Sword calls “Zombie Nou... | The New York Times article from which you quoted offers several examples and a definition: Take an adjective (implacable) or a verb (calibrate) or even another noun (crony) and add a suffix like ity, tion or ism. You’ve created a new noun: implacability, calibration, cronyism. Sounds impressive, right? What the writer ... | What are some examples of “zombie nouns and verbs”? | english |
I am not a native speaker of the English language but have been living in United Kingdom for last couple of years. Once I was with my friend who was an Irish and I said "Its cold outside" and he said that I was wrong and should have said "Its cool outside". I am still not sure why I was wrong? Could someone really diff... | It is a matter of degree (pun intended). Cold is colder than cool. He was telling you that (in his opinion) it was not as cold as you thought. Edit: Adding @called2voyage's excellent point: What he may have meant is that it was not cold enough to bother him. | The difference between Cool and Cold | english |
So I know that one loses self-control, but what if you mean to say that someone is responsible for that? Which verb would be OK to use? Perhaps: You disturb my self-control. You shake my self-control. You take my self-control. You vex my self-control. I can't find any instances of the first or last and only a couple of... | Of your examples, disturb and shake seem most natural. Take sounds incorrect and vex is usually applied to people, not virtues. We usually talk about a test of self-control (or a test of willpower ), so I would choose test , strain , or try . | Which verb should be used with self-control? | english |
In Persian we have this proverb which translated literally becomes: To stretch one's leg more than one's rug which means that you go beyond the circle of your authorities, or the circle of your capabilities. It simply indicates that you have some limitations, thus don't go beyond them. Like when you don't have enough m... | Bite off more than one can chew comes to mind If you want to tell someone not to overreach, you can say Don't bite off more than you can chew | Do we have an equivalent for Persian's proverb "to stretch one's leg more than one's rug"? | english |
I'm curious about the use/history of "hairy", as in Golly Dan, that was a pretty hairy math exam, wasn't it? My dictionary sources identify two definitions unrelated to hair: the first can be summarized as "causing fright or anxiety", which I semi-confidently assume relates to "hair-raising"; the other is "difficult to... | Robert Hendrickson, The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins (1997) offers this analysis: hairy. Hairy , as slang for unpleasant or rough, seems to be of Army origin, from about 1935, when a hairy patrol was an unpleasant one that met with resistance. Its origin is unknown, but the word may have someth... | Why do we describe a problem or experience as "hairy"? | english |
I'm not really sure if this would be better suited over on SE's user experience site, but here goes: Say I'm writing a blog post or, even better, a question on one of the various SE sites. My example blog post or question is about HTML, and I have three similar elements that I want to collectively refer to. If the elem... | When using words that cannot follow the usual rules of English inflection and orthography, it's a good idea to avoid using them in contexts that would require it. This is a common problem with trademarks too, and the same solutions apply. While you might informally refer to Kleenexes and Googling, you can avoid tradema... | How should pluralised inline code be highlighted? | english |
I'm currently working on my bachelor thesis in the major of Information Systems and I'm coding a small tool, which analyses other programs based on pre-defined conditions. So now I'm looking for an English noun, which describes "an object that fulfils a condition" . For example a condition could possibly check the type... | Nouns like trigger, fulfiller, satisfier all have problems as words to describe x in the question “Is object x of type Integer?” or in similar questions. In the question as just shown, x is a formal argument or formal parameter that stands for a name or value to be filled in whenever the question is instanced. In a spe... | A noun which describes an object that fulfills a condition? | english |
What is the most natural way to ask a hotel receptionist or a secretary to transfer your call to a hotel room or an office? Could you please connect me with room number 321? Could you please transfer my call to room number 321? and Could you please connect me with [name]'s office? Could you please transfer my call to [... | You could always use the phrasal verb "put through to", which is specific to phone calls. For example, "Could you please put me through to room 321?" | The most natural way of asking for telephone call redirection | english |
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