Questions tagged [contemporary-english]
This tag is for questions about English as it is used in our own day and times. This differs from the more general Modern English by being more restricted.
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From where comes the connotation of descent in "downtown"? [duplicate]
In English, when speaking about going to the center of the town, it's a matter of going to the "downtown" so, my question is about the origins of the connotation of some "descent" (...
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Question about pronunciation in British accent (Modern RP) [duplicate]
In the British accent (Modern RP), the word "often" is pronounced as "ɒf.tən" with the "t" sound. What about words like "soften", "fasten", and "...
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The verb beware in a subjunctive clause
I know that nowadays in English the verb "beware" can be used only in imperative clauses and in bare infinitival constructions to warn or to guide. I've understood that nowadays "beware&...
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"I wondered if you were free this evening." - Does it sound like a normal polite question? [closed]
Below are sentences taken from the Oxford English Grammar Course (Oxford University Press 2015). The title of the section is "Requests, questions and suggestions".
I wonder if you need any ...
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How recent is the usage of “concerning” meaning “worrying”?
I’m used to “concerning” meaning
relating to or having to do with; in regard to; about
Now I see it more often in the sense of “worrying” as in “this is very concerning.”
Is this a particularly new ...
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Can fastly be preferred over using "fast" just after any subject? [closed]
Recently, I have attempted a multiple choice question test that contained the following question regarding synonym of "quickly:"
Q. No. 15 (in image) He quickly got up from the bench. [...
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What is it called when indefinite pronouns are used as determiner?
AFAIK it is correct English grammar to say something along the lines of
Familiarize yourself with everything Apple.
What is this use of "everything" called? Is it just a short colloquial ...
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Use of the conjunction "so" at the start of a sentence, without relation to anything said before [duplicate]
I have recently noticed that some people nowadays are using the word "so" at the start of a sentence.
For example - there is currently a question on the Law site which begins:
So I live in ...
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In headlines, how did the comma become a substitute for "and"?
I'm seeing an increasing number of headlines where a comma is used in place of the word 'and'.
Mother enraged after suspect walks free after attacking her, one-year-old baby in a parking lot
The ...
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How does "I'll have your job!" translate to getting someone fired?
Maybe it's reading a story on reddit about an entitled Karen, or maybe it's talking to an upset customer that starts to threaten you, or maybe you're expressing frustration at someone else not doing ...
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Better definition of 'Observatory' that includes modern usage
Commonly when we hear 'observatory' we probably think of an astronomical observatory. Merriam-Webster defines 'observatory' as:
a building or place given over to or equipped for observation of
...
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Nous vs Noos in English [closed]
While searching online I found that nous is a Greek term that means intellect, intelligence, mind...etc. Also, in some sources, I found that noos is an alternative spelling of nous.
Is "nous"...
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What is a way to say "take pride" without the implication of arrogance?
I want to say "our team takes pride in the quality of our output," but I don't want the audience or my teammates to get the sense that we are arrogant, flawless, or ungracious. How else ...
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I know that "What do you here?" is a valid sentence, but I can't quite parse it to explain to others
I've always been bothered by how people say the translation of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is terrible and full of errors, and the number one thing they point to for the error part of the ...
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Is there a name for how some people pronounce their s slightly differently?
I've noticed how some people pronounce the s sound in words using their upper teeth teeth and lower lip (instead of the conventional mostly internal way). This makes it sound almost lispy.
I don't ...
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Is it common for native English speakers to confuse "18th century" with "the 1800s"?
As a non-native English speaker, I've only ever referred to "1700-talet", meaning "the 1700s" or "the 18th century".
In English, it's by far most common to say "18th ...
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Why have some younger & (in particular) highly-educated Americans recently begun to pronounce -t- as -d- in words where glottal -t- is idiomatic?
I'm not talking about "bidder" for "bitter" or "sidding" for "sitting," or "ladder" for "latter," etc. I'm talking about "Manhaddan,&...
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What is the part-of-speech of "intimates" in this article? [closed]
Commander Robert Broadhurst told MPs yesterday that there were "several intimates" from the Chinese that the London leg of the Olympic torch relay would have been switched to another capital ...
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Is the at-sign in Instagram handles pronounced? [closed]
I realize that this question is likely factually unanswerable, but I am curious about opinions and argument for either option.
Say I want to write at the end of an article that I want my reader to ...
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Current Usage of Fanny
We are thinking about giving our daughter the name Fanny.
We are Germans, based in Germany but we're really curious about the current usage of this word in Great Britain.
We are familiar with the ...
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Is there a valid form of "aggregate" meaning "that can be aggregated"? Is "Aggregable" a word? [closed]
A thing that can be composted is compostable. I'm trying to describe a thing that can be aggregated. The probably self-invented word I'm using is "aggregable" and I'm struggling to find it ...
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Why does "I'm sure" used in a sentence sometimes reduce apparent certainty?
Take these two sentences as example:
This road is closed during football games.
I'm sure this road is closed during football games.
Why does the first sentence convey more certainty, when the second ...
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In what regions is "Do you work tonight?" clear and acceptable usage?
In my answer at ELL regarding a question of whether someone is working that evening, I suggested the alternative:
Do you work tonight?
There was a comment about this being incorrect usage, because &...
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Would you use 'bender' to describe a person? [closed]
We know 'bender' as a period of time which one spends excessively drunk (or maybe high), and "a person or thing which bends," and Bender, the robot on "Futurama," but would -- or ...
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Is the term "animate object" still used?
Is the term "animate object" still acceptable to use, for example for a grasshopper? I remember objects being broken down into either animate objects or inanimate objects back when I was in ...
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When do you use 'nom de plume' vs. 'pen name' vs. 'pseudonym'?
Dictionaries usually treat nom de plume as synonymous with 'pen name' or 'pseudonym'. Example from Merriam Webster's dictionary:
Definition of nom de plume: a name that a writer uses instead of his ...
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Is tl;dr used very much outside of the computer programming community?
I read tl;dr a lot in computer articles. It is used to give a condensed version of a long report. (It may mean, "Too Long; Didn't Read.")
Is it safe to use that term or jargon in common ...
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"every" + possessive + noun
I naively asked a question about the use of "every" with possessives on the ELL thinking there will be a very simple answer. I was pretty sure that saying either
Every your thought is ...
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What does "flood had made" mean?
A yawl is in the Thames and then
The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest. The flood had made, the wind was nearly calm, and being bound down ...
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What is the precise meaning of "bottom scroll"?
This is an extract from the book "The Boy From the Woods" by Harlan Coben.
Hester quickly craned her neck toward Matthew and tried, through the haze of the studio spotlights, to meet his ...
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Questions about history and usage of the word "paren"
This is related to an earlier question: "parentheses" vs "parenthesis" but is about etymology of the related (and apparently informal, per wikitionary ) word "paren" and ...
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"around" = "on the subject of"
In recent months I have on a number of occasions heard people use the word "around" when they mean "on the subject of."
E.g. "I can answer your questions around your ...
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Under what circumstances may the noun 'ambush' not be preceded by any article?
In particular, I wish to know if they were attacked from ambush and they were attacked from an ambush are equally in fashion. The articled form is is definitely more familiar, but look at the first ...
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How did words like rubbish, ribbon and cabbage get "BB"?
Certain words that have double B in Modern English didn't have "BB" in the word they are derived from.
Rubbish: "c. 1400, robous, from Anglo-French rubouses" (Etymology Dictionary)...
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Modern synonym for turnstile?
Are there any widely used modern synonyms for turnstile? You know, the gate you need a ticket, badge, or barcode in order to pass through. Nowadays, I don't see any with an actual metal-pole turning ...
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Why did some English verbs lose nasal endings?
I saw this ending in many words of Old English origin where a word has -an in Old English but then lost in Modern English.
Examples: habban, climban, sceþþan, singan, offrian etc.
I noticed another ...
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Is it grammatical to use ellipses to indicate a character reminiscing?
Is the usage of ellipses correct here?
He sat on his wooden desk, fixing the reel on his cassette. When he played the cassette, his mind played the memories of the past ...
[a paragraph outlining the ...
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"In the first instance" ... active in contemporary populations?
On a site, I happened to use the phrase "In the first instance" ...
(Not that this is relevant, but notice the many upvotes suggesting that presumably, it reaches baseline understandability ...
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Which is the correct sentence using the word 'Let'? [duplicate]
In the following two sentences, I think that the first one is more precisely correct:
(1) Let G be a graph with n vertices, and S be the set of all subgraphs of G.
(2) Let G be a graph with n ...
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What's the difference between "another" and "someone else"?
1: If Henry is busy, get another person to help you.
2: If Henry is busy, get someone else to help you.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines another this way:
not the same thing, ...
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Can "If" mean "since"?
Here's my example: "If we all agree on the basic terms, can we do a proper agreement next week."
Can this be construed (in the proper context) as: "Since we all agree, can we etc."?...
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Recent derogatory usage of the term ‘inkblot’?
I have observed the use of the term ‘inkblot’ in online forums for criticizing writing which is deficient in coherent logic and/or elucidation, e.g. “your incoherent inkblots notwithstanding.”
In this ...
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can you say "he is in a lively chat with her"
My question is about style. Does it sound natural if you say that someone "is in a lively chat/conversation with someone" or is it better to say "he is ENGAGED in a lively chat with her&...
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On a certain pejorative in contemporary British English
According to the OED https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/67623) "faggot" and "fag", used to refer to gay men in a derogatory way are "originally and chiefly North ...
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Usage of "she" instead of "he" for inclusiveness [duplicate]
Ten to five years ago I was reading MSDN Magazine, and in a few articles I stumbled upon sentences like "The user should... She needs to...", with "she" referring to the user. ...
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Is it ever correct to say "if I be..." in present-day English?
We are taught that in "type 0" and "type 1" conditional sentences, the tense of the condition clause (aka the "if" clause) should always be the normal present tense, as ...
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What does 'after midnight on Wednesday' mean?
West Midlands Police said the devices were found outside an address in Coronation Road, Tipton, just after midnight on Wednesday.
MSN news : Bomb Squad Called
It is now Wednesday. To me, 'midnight ...
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Formal salutation of a servant to a child?
Let's say I have someone like Alfred Pennyworth. Such a person would obviously address the man and woman of the house as "Sir" and "Madam". (For example, "Would sir care for a beverage?")
How could ...
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How can I research the first recorded usage of a particular sense of a word, especially not the most commonly used sense or most 'basic' sense?
I'm interested in finding the first use of the word "creative" when used in the sense of an advertisement's text, graphics, etc.
How can I research the first use of a word like this when it'...
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What is the convention for use of "volume" or "amount" in reference to quantity of data?
"Volume" is commonly used to refer to indefinite and definite (usually large) quantities of data or rates of data throughput (e.g., "The volume of data we delivered on each date is provided in the ...
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