Ryan

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1,507 reputation
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bio website ryanhaberphotography.com
location Bethesda, MD
age 36
visits member for 1 year, 11 months
seen Apr 25 at 18:41
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I'm a technical writer at MicroStrategy in Vienna, VA.

I like running 5k, 8k, 10k, and marathons; watching movies; and reading philosophy or novels. My favorite activity, though, is hiking/backpacking/camping in wild areas and faraway lands ranging from Cambodia to my own backyard. And bringing my camera along is likely to make anything into pure joy.


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Jan
14
 comment What word means “the people in one's life”?
@Robusto, acquaintances has a similar problem, doesn't it? To refer to one's wife and children, specifically, as acquaintances is a pretty horrible understatement. That said, of course they are among one's acquaintances.
Jan
14
 comment The “of” in “the month of January”
@coleopterist, the NGram wasn't to prove anything, really. You wrote, "But it has nevertheless become acceptable through regular use." If that's true, and so is the NGram, then it must have become acceptable some time ago, but usage has been declining for 200 years, apparently.
Jan
8
 comment The “of” in “the month of January”
@coleopterist, Well, kinda, except Mexico, for example, has a few gulfs. There's no obvious reason why one should be Mexico's Gulf and the others not. For that matter, there is no place called "Good Hope" that might be the metaphorical owner of the Cape of Good Hope.
Jan
8
 comment The “of” in “the month of January”
I think the contrast between Romance usage and Germanic usage, given above, is a far better starting point for speculation. According to ngrams (tinyurl.com/b4vdrvu) "month of X" phrases have been declining in use, not increasing, over the last 200 years or so.
Jan
3
 comment Word for people easily influenced by propaganda
Fair enough, @FumbleFingers.
Dec
26
 comment What tense is “If I were a bird, I could fly”
Understood. Looking for an easy guide for someone trying to figure out how to make the construction. Really, it's any non-first person formation, but to say, "Use the past plural" yields the correct result.
Dec
26
 answered What tense is “If I were a bird, I could fly”
Dec
20
 comment Word for people easily influenced by propaganda
Fair enough. I think my use still works, though. wordreference.com/thesaurus/sheepish
Dec
19
 answered Word for people easily influenced by propaganda
Dec
19
 comment Usage difference between modest vs decent?
The sentence itself gives no context. Except to compare the word modest to decent, and ask whether the comparison is appropriate.
Dec
19
 comment Usage difference between modest vs decent?
@Marthaª, Merriam-Webster disagrees: mod·est [mod-ist] adjective 1. having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions. 2. free from ostentation or showy extravagance: a modest house. 3. having or showing regard for the decencies of behavior, speech, dress, etc.; decent: a modest neckline on a dress. 4. limited or moderate in amount, extent, etc.: a modest increase in salary.
Dec
13
 answered Usage difference between modest vs decent?
Dec
13
 revised Usage difference between modest vs decent?
Corrected incorrect grammar to the presumable intention.
Dec
13
 suggested suggested edit on Usage difference between modest vs decent?
Dec
6
 awarded  Nice Answer
Dec
4
 comment Does 'turn off (a person)' always have a sexual connotation?
Lolol. Too right.
Dec
4
 comment Does 'turn off (a person)' always have a sexual connotation?
Martha is right. We don't use the expression repel against and repel really doesn't do a double object. Her prejudice is especially good for a formal setting like an interview.
Dec
4
 answered Opposite of “blaming people”
Dec
4
 answered Is “free education to all” correct?
Dec
4
 answered Does 'turn off (a person)' always have a sexual connotation?
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