Questions tagged [orthography]
This tag is for questions concerning the written representation of the English language, especially spelling and word breaks (including hyphenation).
1,504
questions
0
votes
0answers
10 views
Do I need a comma before “considering that”? [closed]
Should I place a comma here?
Accept the person you are, considering that...
If so, why?
-1
votes
0answers
12 views
Shouldn't “tamperproof” be hyphenated as “tamper-proof”? [duplicate]
I've been seeing "tamperproof" in writing, and when I search for it in dictionaries, there are just about as many results with the hyphen. But it seems incorrect without it.
Which is ...
3
votes
0answers
50 views
Did quotation marks have other applications or uses, like for emphasis?
I have frequently observed instances of quotation marks being used in interesting ways, often with rather funny implications.
Here are some notable examples of unnecessary or suspicious quotation ...
2
votes
5answers
242 views
Is the hyphen in the adjective phrase “just-[past participle]” mandatory?
I came across the following sentence:
The target can be resolved through one of the just mentioned record types.
I believe it should have been written as “… just-mentioned record types”, with a ...
1
vote
0answers
59 views
What do we call the shift in the orthography of words like “cuppa, fella, attaboy and attagirl”? [duplicate]
I know that words like
cuppa, fella, attaboy and attagirl
are contractions of, respectively,
cup of tea, fellow, that's the/a boy and that's the/a girl.
I wonder if there is a term which would ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
Why using 'They' instead of 'You' in this sentence? [migrated]
I have a question about this sentence I have found during my daily study rutine of English learning:
Anyone have anything they'd like to add to the agenda?
I don't understand why is used 'they' ...
6
votes
1answer
144 views
Why did word final S get replaced by “CE” in Middle and Modern English?
There are many words in English that have ce at the end in Modern English. The roots they have come from had s but replaced by ce in Modern English. Is there any reason why the s's got replaced by ce? ...
0
votes
1answer
35 views
'Frame' or "frames' of reference [duplicate]
I am stuck on whether to use 'frame' or 'frames' of reference.
Example sentences:
This study seeks to add value to the theologies of the Hebrew Scriptures in both its Hebrew and Greek frame/frames of ...
1
vote
0answers
23 views
Georeferencing vs. Geo-referencing [closed]
What would be the correct spelling:
georeferencing or
geo-referencing?
I'm writing my PhD on the topic and would prefer to write correctly, of course. Some research I've conducted already:
Merriam-...
1
vote
0answers
32 views
“quantum mechanical” vs “quantum-mechanical” [duplicate]
I'm currently writing a short report, where one (sub-)chapter heading reads:
The quantum(-)mechanical basics
I am now wondering, whether it is preferable with or without the hyphen. When googling ...
0
votes
1answer
40 views
Capitalization of “neo-scholasticism” [duplicate]
Is the word 'neo-scholasticism' capitalized in academic writing, or not?
It is lowercase in the Merriam Webster dictionary, but capitalized in the Collins English dictionary. So in a thesis, which ...
1
vote
0answers
19 views
possessive form of “Ralph's”? [duplicate]
What is the possessive form of "Ralph's", "Ralph's" being an American store chain?
1
vote
0answers
71 views
Why does ou change to o when adding the suffix -ous in words such as ‘humorous’?
Background
I realised today that humour when made an adjective by adding the suffix -ous, loses its -ou- spelling to -o-. There are some other words which have a change in spelling, such as miracle → ...
2
votes
1answer
101 views
When is the “Short A” sound actually spelled with an AE?
I was reading a book on English spelling (Dictionary of the British English Spelling System, by Greg Brooks) and it mentioned that the Short A sound (æ) can be spelled using the following graphemes:
...
3
votes
1answer
227 views
Why are “mobile” and “automobile” pronounced differently?
I just came across the words and then I looked them both up in the dictionary app, which shows the word "mobile" pronounces as /'məʊbaɪl/, whereas the other word-"automobile", ...
-2
votes
4answers
218 views
How do you tell a spelling mistake from a grammar mistake? [duplicate]
How do you tell a spelling mistake from a grammar mistake? For example:
Your the best.
This iz the end.
I likes music.
She preatend to be asleep.
One method is to read the erroneous sentence aloud (...
4
votes
3answers
143 views
Publick or Public? in the 18th and 19th Century Britain
The spelling of -ck was more popular than -c in many words in Britain. But in America, Noah Webster proposed around 1800 to replace -ck by -c, which caused the widespread of this -c spelling in US.
In ...
4
votes
1answer
123 views
Term for intentional inaccuracies that better convey meaning?
Is there a term or concept that describes instances where an author/speaker intentionally or knowingly uses wrong spelling/pronunciation/grammar because it better conveys the intended meaning, and is ...
1
vote
1answer
82 views
Does English allow /eɪʃ/ in the end of a syllable (in the same syllable)?
The sound /ʃ/ is almost always spelled with more than one letter i.e. with a digraph unlike, say, /p/ which is spelled with a single letter (pan, pen, pie). I have noticed a particular pattern: vowels ...
3
votes
1answer
113 views
Which letters do not appear consecutively in English words?
Are there any letters in the English alphabet that never appear twice consecutively in a word?
For example: the word running has the letter n repeated consecutively in it.
What letters never appear in ...
0
votes
1answer
61 views
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)...
0
votes
1answer
67 views
Approach to or for? [closed]
My sentence:
---The exploitation of natural and ecofriendly resources could be an alternative approach to creating a sustainable environment.
Is the preposition correct or should I rearrange the ...
1
vote
0answers
28 views
Is counter example a valid form of counterexample?
In student writing about math, I see the term "counter example" instead of "counterexample" too often. Does anyone have good ideas about why people think "counterexample" ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
which is correct here, break or broke? [closed]
which one is correct?
"Steve was amazing before his leg break."
"Steve was amazing before his leg broke."
5
votes
2answers
225 views
Why does the word ‘suffix’ have a double ‘ff’ while ‘prefix’ has a single ‘f’?
While writing the word ‘suffix’, I stopped to do a spellcheck as a result of the ‘ff’. I did not do so with the word ‘prefix’ as I was comfortable with the ‘pre’ and ‘fix’. I looked up ‘ff’ vs. ‘f’ ...
0
votes
1answer
68 views
Cosmetics: Make up, make-up, or makeup? [closed]
When referring to cosmetics, which is correct? Make up, make-up, or makeup? And does it matter in case of a noun, verb, adjective?
The actor playing Frankenstein's monster wore 6 pounds of [makeup |
...
0
votes
1answer
91 views
Can we use “depot” as an adjective? [closed]
Can we use depot in this form: depotted books or depot books?
(I’m not sure about the past participle of this word.)
Or should it be used only as a “place” where books are supposed to be
stored, a ...
2
votes
1answer
79 views
Why “admit” with T but “admissible” with SS? [duplicate]
I have noticed that when the suffix -ible is added to "admit", it becomes "admissible" rather than "admittible".
There are few other examples:
"omit" = "...
2
votes
1answer
40 views
Is it ever acceptable to write slashes between multiple but separate prefixes?
For example, can I get away with writing bio/technological advances
have made?
Even if this is orthographically acceptable in one or another kind of
written English, would it better for ...
0
votes
4answers
63 views
Violence incidents or violent incidents? [closed]
In an academic paper I discuss violent situations. Is it correct to refer to this as 'violence incidents'? Or should I refer to it as 'violent incidents' instead?
-2
votes
3answers
187 views
Is narcist an accepted spelling of narcissist? [closed]
Wiktionary lists "narcist" as an "alternative form of narcissist." A few other online dictionaries list it as well, but none have much information on it.
It doesn't say nonstandard,...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
Does the em dash take precedence over the comma?
In a sentence like:
While I would love to do A, I cannot wait to do B.
If I add a set-off clause right before the comma, which of these is correct?
While I would love to do A—for reasons X—I cannot ...
0
votes
0answers
21 views
Why “equiped” as opposed to “equipped”? [duplicate]
Why do we use two p's instead of one when spelling "equipped"?
3
votes
1answer
49 views
Is there a specific for a voluntarily made monosyllabic sound from the mouth used to express humor/laughter/cynicism?
The sound I'm thinking of isn't so much a snort, it's not expelled from the nose, however, a sound used to express humor or amusement that doesn't quite hit the laughter threshold. I notice I do it ...
0
votes
1answer
53 views
Grammar Corrections
Correcting Grammar:
"The committee is not only working to preserve historical buildings, but also is interested in developing a local museum"
My Notes:
I was thinking that it violates ...
0
votes
0answers
29 views
Why doesn't US English drop the “o” from “subpoena”?
US English usually drops the o from the diphthong oe (or œ).
So for example the o in the UK English manoeuvre, diarrhoea, oesophagus are all usually dropped in US English.
Why then isn't the o in ...
2
votes
0answers
63 views
Why were full stops used in old texts after singular words or incomplete sentences?
This is a table of 17th-century mathematical notation standards by Samuel Jeake. It looks completely alien, compared to our modern notation, but that's not relevant. What is important to note, ...
1
vote
1answer
100 views
Chanterelle and Chantrelle, which is the correct name of the mushroom?
I always spell it as chanterelle until I bought a box of CHANTRELLE in Whole Foods Market. I looked up my dictionary, and yes, the word should be chanterelle. However, I also noticed that, the word ...
0
votes
1answer
73 views
Should I write 'organization' or 'organisation'? [duplicate]
I can not choose what to write for my project about being organised...
Should I write:
organization
or
organisation
Is it just a spelling difference between American English and British English?
(I ...
7
votes
6answers
650 views
Two 'x's in “anti-vaxxer”
I have always found myself impulsively and automatically spelling "anti-vaxxer" with two 'x's, and a Google search indicates that most other media sources did the same; however, I can't ...
0
votes
0answers
40 views
Final consonant doubling in Proper names
Webb, Rudd, Barr, Pratt are all proper names that have a double final consonant. What is the reason for this doubling?
0
votes
1answer
556 views
Is it “Thats why!” or “That's why!”? [closed]
I see it spelled both ways, what is the right way ?
So far I lived by the rule that apostrophe s means possession and without the apostrophe it is a simple abbreviation. Or is it more complicated ? (...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
Which sentence is correct and why? with 'to' or without 'to'
All I can do is to tell her not to go out during the weekend.
All I can do is tell her not to go out during the weekend.
32
votes
5answers
4k views
What is the difference between a dieresis and an umlaut?
In my personal experience, many native speakers of U.S. English are familiar with the term "umlaut" as referring to the double dots above a letter, though they are not generally aware of its ...
1
vote
2answers
479 views
Is respect awarded, accorded or afforded?
I was revising a colleague's work, and saw the phrase "awarded the respect it deserves". This struck me as incorrect, but I was struck harder still by an uncertainty as to whether it ...
0
votes
0answers
35 views
Two-weeks' notice
For me it's uncountable, either two weeks' notice or two-week notice.
Yet I've just come across two-weeks' notice.
I cannot think of any similar examples. Is this used of the hyphen grammatical ?
1
vote
2answers
255 views
What rule governs “panic->panicking” and why? Would it apply to all -ic verbs? [duplicate]
It seems odd that the continual tense of "to panic" is "panicking". Or "picnic->picnicking". When did the "k" get added, and why? Surely the natural ...
1
vote
1answer
73 views
If I want to use “bountying” in a sentence, how might I construct a spelling for it? If not possible, what word could be used instead?
I frequently add bounties to Stack Exchange questions. I do a lot of bountying. I find this question fascinating and in need of bountying, but alas, I do not know how to attempt to spell bountying and ...
0
votes
1answer
315 views
Why do some spell checker mark “copiable” as an error?
Some of my spell checkers (including the one in vim, and the build-in one in gmail) mark the form "copiable" as an error, and insist on "copyable". This doesn't seem to make sense; ...
-1
votes
1answer
88 views
Luscious, Vicious, Delicious, Nutritious? Why not Nutricious? [closed]
Why is nutritious spelled as such, and not as nutricious? What's the rule I'm missing here?
