All Questions
130,642
questions
-2
votes
1
answer
114
views
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 ...
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
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 ...
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.
(...
-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 ...
-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
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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?
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 ...
-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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 '...
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?
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"?
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" ...
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,
...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
-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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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.
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 ...
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 ...
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."?
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 ...
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.
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.
...
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 ...
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 ?
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.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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.
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 ...
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 ...