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meaning of "conscientiously honed" [closed]

I was reading an article about propaganda and I met the phrase below "But over subsequent centuries, the use of propaganda was conscientiously honed". What does "conscientiously honed" mean? Thanks ...
chaviaras michalis's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
82 views

using question word regarding subjects in the verb "mean" [closed]

Is it correct to say the following: "What means gol (a Farsi word) in English? Flower means gol in English." Can you bring an example of asking question about the subject of the verb "mean"? Thanks
Najmeh's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
14k views

Better to use: "Lots of" or "A lot of water" is wasted.?

I know this was already questioned, but i want to ask, if it would be less confusing and better to use: "A lot of water is wasted." instead of "Lots of water is wasted. Where "Water" is ...
FrankMK's user avatar
  • 747
1 vote
0 answers
963 views

the use of "while"

Can "while" be used to link two situations that are not contary? (Other than the meaning of "at the same time") For example, (1) The earthquake in Korea occurred due to the earthquake in Japan. (...
user269215's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
97 views

Gentle alternative for "abused the crap out of something"

I really like the saying "abused the crap out of....." because it feels strong. Recently I am asked to prepare a speech and I don't think it's appropriate to use the saying. Are there any formal ways ...
See Jian Shin's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
70 views

Data Vs information [closed]

We have been using this for quite a long time,but still I need the minute difference so that I can use it based on context perfectly
user268902's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

Correct rule for placement of a parenthetical phrase in a sentence

What is the correct rule for placement of a parenthetical phrase in a sentence? Let me explain the problem with the following example sentence wherein any person would find the people placing the ...
Dinesh Kumar Garg's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

What does "until now" mean in the context?

I was doing a listening practice and came across the material: Professor: Recently there was an archeological excavation in Egypt, on the Nile River around where enters the Mediterranean Sea where ...
Bubblethan's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
6k views

"Ever + past perfect" vs "ever + simple past"

Hi there can any native speaker please tell me the difference between these two sentences. I have seen "past perfect" is rarely used In english. I know the first sentence is correct but in movies, ...
user266865's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
152 views

The double "for"

The last thing I wanted to have happen was for some to become upset and for cold feelings to come within us and ruin our will to cooperate. Is the second "for", before "cold", required?
Garry Kasparov's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
100 views

Can a phrase with an -ing come after a comma and another clause with an -ing?

Is this sentence grammatically correct? The teenagers drove to the party, some arriving in sports cars, others arriving in limousines. I'm familiar if the sentence ended after the "some arriving ...
HeyDoeFarm's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
1k views

Usage of the word "issue"

I'm confused about the usage of the word "issue". How does it differ from "problem"? Also, could you tell me whether this sentence correct: "There are different opinions on the issue of learning ...
Anjue Kru's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
283 views

English idiom for a solution that doesn't always work on repeat attempts

I can't quite think one up. The situation I have in mind is that the solution worked at one point, and it conceivably could have been repeated, but it doesn't necessarily upon repeat attempts. Does ...
Capcolorblind's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
765 views

Dropping an elbow

What does "dropping an elbow" mean? Here is the context from the blog post ("10 Ways to Be Closer to Your Siblings," number 7 in that list) that I was reading: Remember, though, that there are ...
Barney's user avatar
  • 111
0 votes
0 answers
25 views

Verb forms and usage of lie [duplicate]

My textbook tells me verb forms of 'lie' are : Lie, lay, lain, lying, lies. So, where does 'lied' fit in? Google search results show that 'lied' is simple past tense form and past participle form of '...
Mithun's user avatar
  • 73
7 votes
1 answer
115k views

"Forgot" vs "Have forgotten"? [duplicate]

I think you forgot something. I think you have forgotten something. Which is better? Is both correct?
Mithun's user avatar
  • 73
3 votes
3 answers
220 views

How to use "of" after being verbs

I found one sentence: Jockeys must be of diminutive size for their horses to compete. Why is there "of"? Is it wrong to say "must be diminutive size"? Could you explain the usage of this "of"?
Taishi 's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
101 views

Present Perfect usage instead of Past simple [duplicate]

I cannot understand why tutorials, examples, etc. contain examples like this: I have played or Have you been to Moscow? Why Past Simple cannot be used in these sentences? Where is the "border" ...
Guy Fawkes's user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
4k views

Shoes with no laces?

In a recent tweet, a former Democratic ethics adviser had some less than flattering comments for the current president (as is the norm in Washington.) When discussing the investigation, he said, ...
corsiKa's user avatar
  • 1,755
0 votes
1 answer
62 views

What to put in a future work schedule section's title of my pre-thesis

I'm writing my doctor's degree "qualification" (that's what we call in Brazil), I'm not sure if something similar is required in other countries, but it's like a pre-thesis that you have to present ...
HericDenis's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

The difference between the meanings of "assumption" and "hypothesis" in the mentioned context? [closed]

What is the difference between the meanings of "assumption" and "hypothesis" in the following context. Feminist researchers have also developed alternatives to assumptions, research questions, ...
Sasan's user avatar
  • 3,342
0 votes
1 answer
854 views

Singular they for an organization, company, country

Sometimes I stumble upon singular "they" when referring not to a person, but an organization, such as a company or a country, for instance: Company A is doing well: their shares doubled in price ...
Sergei Tikhomirov's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
192 views

Difference between set up and setup? [duplicate]

I have been working on some piece of code recently, and I noticed a subtle tweak in the usage of a word. When creating a method about setting things in place, I noticed it was called setUp. In this ...
Yassine Badache's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
684 views

Yet another question about the usage of 'lest' [duplicate]

I am not a native English speaker, but I consider myself to have a solid knowledge of the language, obtained through years of reading foreign literature. I am also an amateur writer, who's now ...
Eduardo W.'s user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
4k views

Is there a word, phrase or idiom for "a person who is incapable of thinking about the future"?

I need a word/ phrase/ idiom to describe a (real) person who is always living in the past and present, but is incapable of thinking about the future. He has often been criticized by someone for being ...
English Student's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
354 views

What is the correct verb for killing an animal for food? [closed]

What is the correct verb for killing an animal for food? Can it be "Slaughter" or "Butcher" or "Harvest" ? I am looking for a verb a farmer would use. For example: "I will "verb" two of my cows ...
Yjofna's user avatar
  • 35
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

"I'm sorry for all that I've done" or "I'm sorry for all what I've done"? [closed]

I'm not sure which is right: I'm sorry for all that I've done. I'm sorry for all what I've done.
Hongkai Guo's user avatar
45 votes
6 answers
11k views

What does "arruginated" mean?

From James Joyce's Ulysses: By inserting the barrel of an arruginated male key in the hole of an unstable female lock, obtaining a purchase on the bow of the key and turning its wards from right to ...
gaazkam's user avatar
  • 817
1 vote
1 answer
83 views

What's the implication of the word "scene"

In a TV documentary we heard the sentence "X announced that, whenever Y happens, they will react by doing Z, as in the following scene". After that we saw X doing Z. What is the implication of the ...
Zsolt Szilagy's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

foolish vs being foolish

I heard someone say, "You are being foolish." Is there any difference between "You are being foolish." and "You are foolish."?
Sleeping On a Giant's Shoulder's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
2k views

History of the phrase "strange fruit"

Appearances in the early 19th century, and before, tie some figurative uses of the phrase 'strange fruit' to religion and politics, and then later to US racism, particularly southern racism. For ...
JEL's user avatar
  • 32.8k
0 votes
1 answer
564 views

Can "Made" be used as adjective also? [closed]

Sentence: 1.Sweets are made from milk. 2.This building is made of stone and brick. In above "made" is adjective or "verb"? Since "made" is followed by "be verb form" in above sentences.
TheRising's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
248 views

What does falling to a team in basketball games mean?

This is the sentence I have problems with: It was the second straight overtime game for Tulsa, which fell to Washington on Monday. source:link to article Obviously it's a sports report about WNBA. ...
marcel's user avatar
  • 73
0 votes
2 answers
413 views

Words like astronaut for dimensional traveller

I was looking for a word like astronaut but for dimensional traveling, so I looked up latin for Dimension and got ratio, so Rationaut (dimension sailor) I guess. However I did not like how that ...
9unk's user avatar
  • 25
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

Are you not hot ? And Are you hot? How to answer? [duplicate]

If I am cold. Then for the question: Q: Are you hot? Answer: No, I am cold. Q: Are you not hot? Answer: yes, I am cold. Is this correct? Or should I say NO for both ?
Mysterious_android's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
617 views

Making someone unable to do something . . [closed]

What would be a good verb for conveying the meaning of "making unable". For example, it can fill the following blank: high prices ..... us to buy anything.
F.K's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
1 answer
60 views

What's the Germanic word for "defendant"?

Defendant in German: Beklagte Defendant in Dutch: Verweerder Swedish, Danish, Frisian and Icelandic also have their own unique Germanic word for it, whilst English uses a French variant of it. My ...
E.Groeg's user avatar
  • 1,576
1 vote
1 answer
366 views

A word for non-physical forces that affect the physical world [closed]

I'm looking for a word that can be used to classify all forces that are attached to some sort of physical entity and affect the world around them. Forces in this sense is like Gravity, like it is ...
9unk's user avatar
  • 25
1 vote
1 answer
775 views

Please tell me if president should be capitalized here [duplicate]

So when I was promoted to president of the club, I took the opportunity to introduce new events. From my experience as president of Pre-med Club, I can confidently say that leadership is about ...
Garry Kasparov's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
516 views

Word for a ballad about a hero

I'm looking for a word that means a ballad that is specifically about a hero. I know an epic is a super long poem about a hero and doesn't necessarily have a set meter. A ballad is a song-like poem ...
Phlebas's user avatar
  • 231
2 votes
3 answers
543 views

Term to refer to the 'advantage because of someone's experience'

I'm trying to express the following situation: A college student has decided to change his field of study as his fellow students are already ahead of him because of the prior learning from their ...
displayName's user avatar
  • 1,899
3 votes
2 answers
924 views

Origin of "wannabe" and its precursors

The OED attests wannabe as slang in 1976 as a noun and 1986 as an adjective. A person who tries to emulate someone else, esp. a celebrity, in appearance and behaviour; a person who wants to belong to ...
RaceYouAnytime's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
52 views

Analysis of the Phrase "if you have questions, then I'll be available after class [duplicate]

I am looking for an analysis or explanation of the phrase "if you have questions, then I'll be available after class." Although this is structured like a conditional, it's not actually a semantically ...
Stella Biderman's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
47 views

Interchangeability of strike and establish

Can I use strike instead of establish? Like in this sentence: We don't know about the deals it may have struck with the other countries.
Trey's user avatar
  • 179
26 votes
11 answers
12k views

Is there a name for the expression "the end justifies the means?"

[Revised question] Is there a name for expressions or sayings such as "the end justifies the means?" After searching online I found that this expression is defined as consequentialism. But what I'm ...
Devil07's user avatar
  • 4,046
1 vote
1 answer
724 views

Quotes inside Quotes [closed]

I've always been taught quotes should go together as in the following example: “I’ll take that as a 'yes,'” he says. However, it sometimes seems to read and flow better as follows: “I’ll take ...
Tiffany Landers-Editor's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
5k views

Use of would in past tense

So I was writing a biography and my teacher (Who is not an English teacher, he is a math teacher) made several marks on my paper for my use of would. For example, I wrote, "He would publish his first ...
Hank Manks's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

A simpler version of "the likes thereof" [closed]

What's a simpler version of "the likes thereof"? (Meaning: things that are similar to it.) e.g. in the following sentence: I find SomePopularBook and the likes thereof interesting.
ispiro's user avatar
  • 309
0 votes
0 answers
72 views

Sequence of tenses while describing scientific finding [duplicate]

Currently, I am writing a statement of purpose for the graduate program, and I want to describe my research experience. In particular, I want to write the following sentence: I determined that the ...
SpinningCat's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
175 views

Reword a positive question into a negative one

I have a list of yes/no question. I want to associate a "yes" answer with a positive meaning (desirable) for all the questions, but I am having a problem with the last question of my list: Does the ...
Renato Sanhueza's user avatar

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