All Questions
129,910
questions
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Which statement is more correct?
The parameters is getting updated when you change the project rate.
The parameters is being updated when you change the project rate.
Is there a difference between these two statements? Which ...
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0
answers
18
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Is this grammar correct? "New rules are adhere to"
Today I learned several vocabs including "adhere to".
Also the teacher said that "New rules are adhere to" is also grammatically correct and used normally.
However, I think that it ...
- 99
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0
answers
16
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What does “turn down an empty plate” mean?
Reading Raymond Chandler’s The Lady in the Lake and this quote puzzled me:
Tell Webber I was asking for him. Next time he buys a hamburger, tell him to turn down an empty plate for me.
What does it ...
- 101
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0
answers
17
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Is it true that "all the" means "all of the" and "some" can mean "some of the"? If so, why are they omitted in different ways?
As far as I know, "all the" is actually an informal version of "all of the", see, e.g., all + noun, all + the noun, all of the + noun, all of + noun, which one is right?.
Also, in ...
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1
answer
17
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What is the meaning of "partial cloaks"
What is the meaning of ""partial cloaks" in this sentence?
Partial cloaks that work like sophisticated camouflage -rather like the alien in the 1987 movie predictator — might be ...
0
votes
2
answers
25
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What's the word for when two worlds coexist in the same space simultaneously but one is hidden or veiled from the other?
Consider how the wizarding world is hidden from the muggle world in the Harry Potter/ Wizarding World universe.
Or in Hell Boy II. The troll market is hidden under a bridge. Red can see it but it's ...
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votes
1
answer
18
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What's the rule for singular vs plural in "A number of parameters is/are"? [duplicate]
I read this sentence earlier, and it struck me as incorrect:
A number of parameters is associated with an open connection.
My first thought was the is should be an are, but talked myself out of that ...
- 193
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0
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21
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Is “actual” both a false friend and a cognate from Spanish to English?
English definition of “actual”:
existing in fact; typically as contrasted with what was intended, expected, or believed.
Spanish definition of “actual”:
current, present, contemporary
These are ...
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1
vote
1
answer
58
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Is this a poorly constructed sentence?
"George Santos became the sixth member of Congress to be expelled from the House of Representatives on Friday." Time.com DECEMBER 1, 2023
The way that sentence reads does it suggest that on ...
- 644
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17
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Can I put down "I'm wondering about whether....." [migrated]
I'm learning about indirect questions, but I'm confused with the use of "wondering about".
I was wondering about one thing. Can Lisa fly a helicopter?（combine the sentences）
The answer is &...
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-1
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1
answer
44
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Pronunciation difference b/w Python and Pyramid
Why is "Python" pronounced differently than "Pyramid"? Is there a logic behind why the "PY" is pronounced differently in both?
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0
answers
23
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What's the word for when someone points something out then your view starts warping to fit what they said even if it isn't actually there [closed]
For example, someone spoils a show or says something is poorly written. Originally you may not have thought or noticed that but suddenly your view starts changing to become similar or the same as ...
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0
answers
19
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Not so good and Bangla [closed]
You must not have any question about the existence of GOD.
Is this sentence is correct?
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1
vote
1
answer
106
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"That clause" with "subject + verb" replaced by an infinitive [closed]
I have 2 questions about the 3 sentences below.
Sentence 1: Source: Novel "Holes" by Louis Sachar (1998) - Page79- Line 8 （You can find this sentence on Google Books.）
Tell Becca that when ...
- 91
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0
answers
62
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Can any member in this group kindly explain to me the meaning of 'Storying' in the context of narrative qualitative ethnographic research? [closed]
I keep coming across the term storying in articles on narrative research. The authors however do not explain how the term storying is different in meaning and connotation from the term storytelling or ...
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0
answers
19
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"That's all right" vs "Never mind" [closed]
I think both C and D could be the correct answer. What do you think?
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0
answers
23
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Conjugation of epitome and -ous? [closed]
What is the conjugation of the word epitome, with the suffix -ous? Over the years I've searched a few times and could never find it, even back before there was rampant censorship. I don't know why ...
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votes
1
answer
70
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What grammar construction is preventing the highlighted section from committing a "run on sentence" error?
His mother died during his sophomore year, his father when he was a senior.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/29/the-lost-giant-of-american-literature
3
votes
1
answer
72
views
When and where did 'hospice' in the sense of 'palliative care facility or program for the terminally ill' originate in English?
Merriam-Webster's Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, first edition (1898) has this entry for hospice:
Hospice, n. {F., fr. L. hospitium hospitality, place where strangers are entertained, fr. hospes ...
- 161k
-1
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0
answers
27
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What is the word describing a good Googler? [duplicate]
We read a recent article that had the new word describing someone who can Google and get good results versus others who can never find the answer by Google searching. Do you know the word? We can’t ...
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0
answers
13
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“the room whose door is broken” vs “the room which door is broken”? [migrated]
Which exactly is the difference in meaning and usage between choosing whose versus choosing which in this first sentence?
He chose to live in the room [ which / whose ] door was broken.
How do these ...
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0
votes
1
answer
33
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Meaning of a complex word [closed]
What do you understand when you see a board "Intelligentsia Confluence" in front of a hall in an educational institution?
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34
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Why did Jimmy ask, 'Do you think people are more offended by swearing in the States?'? [closed]
— Have you really shagged Jack Nicholson?
— Yes.
— Well done.
— What was he like?
— The Joker was wild.
— Nice.
— The Joker was what? She's even got a line on it! ...Do you think people are more ...
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1
answer
62
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Synonym for free or costless where non-monetised exchange is involved
I'm looking for a word similar to "free" or "without cost", but that makes it explicit only that no money is exchanged, while still allowing (or implying, or explicitly specifying) ...
- 523
3
votes
4
answers
296
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Is "There danced a man in the hall" a grammatical alternative to "A man danced in the hall"? What verbs are possible here? [duplicate]
Does the following sentence sound grammatical to you?
There danced a man in the hall
With the meaning: A man danced in the hall.
And compare it with
There died a man in the hall
Which one sounds ...
1
vote
4
answers
138
views
Is the term "Hot dog" a misnomer? If not, then what makes a term a misnomer?
I recently engaged in a lively debate with a friend about whether the term "hot dog" qualifies as a misnomer. My argument stemmed from the fact that a hot dog doesn't actually contain dog ...
-1
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0
answers
37
views
What will be the reduced adjective clause for future indefinite passive voice sentence?
What will be the reduced adjective clause for future indefinite passive voice sentence:
“You can’t heal a heart that will be broken multiple times”?
I found this interpretation somewhere: “You can’t ...
0
votes
1
answer
46
views
Conditional structure – “hadn't have gone”? “hadn't have met”? [duplicate]
Recently I saw two interviews, one with Victoria Beckham, the other one with Elton John. They were talking about their past experiences and that's the phrasing they used:
But it wouldn't have ...
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votes
4
answers
116
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Is there a word for something that was formerly a social norm but is no longer acceptable?
I've been reading a lot of various classic literature, and at times there is the sort of casual misogyny or racism that was commonplace and (within certain cultures) the social norm at that time. Such ...
- 101
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1
answer
31
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Words that you cannot use intensifiers with
My question is what is the name for words that intensifiers cannot be used with. Words like unique or impossible. Something cannot be more unique or more impossible than another thing. I forgot the ...
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1
answer
35
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Is there a commonly used root for "Inclusion" and "Exclusion", or some way to specify the status of being "Included" or "Excluded"? [duplicate]
"Inclusion" means for something to be part of a group
"Exclusion" means for something to not be part of a group
Whether something is in the group or out of the group is obviously ...
- 1,467
4
votes
1
answer
71
views
Origin of the idiom "a few trombones short of a marching band"
I've heard the following idiom being used a few times recently but am unsure where it's come from:
He's a few trombones short of a marching band.
I don't know exactly what it means and I can't find ...
- 141
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0
answers
33
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How would you use commas to separate adjectives of equal rights? [duplicate]
I am very confused about these separate adjectives of equal rights.
The example I got was
The Colt's strong, swift defense enabled them to win.
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0
answers
58
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What's meant by ". . . he went the pace extraordinary"? (go the pace ?) [migrated]
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XX, published 1892)
Passage 319
But before he was out of long clothes, the cloven foot began to show; he proved to be no ...
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46
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why is it a noun phrase and not an adjective phrase? [closed]
In the sentence "The boy is ten years old".
Why is 'ten years old' a noun phrase and not an adjective phrase. Doesn't "ten years old" give me more information about the boy. How do ...
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0
answers
14
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Continuous form of verb or Present participle?
Expanded version:
Nobody likes to talk with the man who is sitting on the rock alone.
Reduced version:
Nobody likes to talk with the man sitting on the rock alone.
How is it possible that in the ...
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0
answers
12
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Is the phrase "Those are all cars make Chevrolet." in the English language? [migrated]
How about these?
Those are all make Chevrolet cars.
and
Those are all Chevrolet make cars.
Are any of these syntactically correct English phrases?
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1
answer
50
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Trying to understand how to connect phrases/clauses with commas
Take this fragment for example:
The snow had come from the north, in the mist, driven by the night wind, smelling of the sea.
It is from John Le Carré's The Looking Glass War. I've seen writers do ...
1
vote
1
answer
47
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What do you call the person or character being spoken to in a poem or song?
This question asks what to call the person who is speaking in a lyric poem. The terms "narrator", "speaker", "persona", etc. may be used to refer to the "I" in &...
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0
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21
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meaning of " I once had it all...My palate was sated…Nostrils stimulated…standing venerated " [closed]
Hello English is not my first language . I came across this sentence that i don't understand :
I once had it all...My palate was sated…Nostrils stimulated…standing venerated
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44
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Meaning of "these thin boards divided the secret" [closed]
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XX, published 1892)
Passage 318
I had escaped the grounds and the cattle; I could not escape the house. A lady with silver hair,...
- 219
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1
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58
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Is 'where' accurate here, or is 'with' accurate? [closed]
I wrote in my manuscript:
'Let f be a k-face of D where $k \ge 4$.'
However, I feel that replacing 'where' with 'with' might be more appropriate. I'm a bit uncertain, so I'm posing this question. Can ...
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2
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79
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Is "all showing that the weapons were being used by the Free Syrian Army" an absolute?
At the same time, dozens of videos of the weapons were being uploaded from Daraya, all showing that the weapons were being used by the Free Syrian Army
**Source-New Yorker magazine
https://www....
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2
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95
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Is the noun modifier "among them a portable anti-tank rocket and a wheel-mounted recoilless rifle" an appositive or absolute phrase?
Higgins was looking at videos coming out of the Daraya region when he noticed several weapons that he had not yet documented in Syria, among them a portable anti-tank rocket and a wheel-mounted ...
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0
answers
37
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Which is better, 'Iberophile', or 'Hispanophile'?
I'm not sure, because according to dictionaries, Iberophile isn't a word, but it is the first result on Google for "lover of Spain"
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1
answer
32
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Adjectives with "these"
I thought I was doing a simple exercise (in attachment) from an English tutorial.
But I didn’t find the expected sentences in the answers to the exercise:
These expensive pants are too big
My black ...
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3
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1
answer
79
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How did "phenomenal" come to mean "extraordinary"?
Phenomenal nowadays is primarily used in common discourse to mean extraordinary, although it has a now-rarer secondary meaning which I suspect was originally its primary meaning:
a. known through the ...
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1
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45
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Another phrase for "he is a very easy person to scare"? [duplicate]
Can I have another phrase for the sentence/phrase;
He is a very easy person to scare.
Please I need this because I am writing a story which I'm going to produce when I'm finished...
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0
answers
27
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Square Feet versus Square Foot [duplicate]
The sentence is
The project would construct a 2000 square (foot/feet) kitchen.'
I put 'The project would construct a 2000 square feet kitchen.'
My senior reviewer changed feet to foot. Why?
If I ...
1
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1
answer
60
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The meaning of "The paradox of courage is that a man must be a little careless of his life even in order to keep it." — G. K. Chesterton
I recently came across this quote by G. K. Chesterton.
The paradox of courage is that a man must be a little careless of his life even in order to keep it.
(Note that the version I initially saw ...
