All Questions
125,992
questions
0
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2
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45
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why he may have taken the documents
I am reading an Economist news report about the recent FBI raid on Trump's mansions in Florida and one sentence appears to catch me out:
The most explosive detail is the three statutes under which ...
- 11
0
votes
2
answers
27
views
Spelling out an acronym if first seen in the table of contents and do you spell it out in the paragraph title as well so that they match?
If a subject title is first spelled out in the table of contents, do you still spell out that same acronym when you get to the paragraph title within the document so that it is matching the table of ...
- 1
-1
votes
0
answers
13
views
What does it mean to take effect to somebody? [migrated]
I heard this phrase in a song called "LA love" by Fergie, she says "the whole damn world took effect to Ferg". There's no definition in the dictionary. Is it just slang that nobody ...
- 1,438
-1
votes
1
answer
30
views
Describe an event that will be held at a time other than its standard one
How to describe an event that is usually held in a specific time-frame but this time and based on the extraordinary conditions should be held at another time?
Specifically, FIFA World Cup usually held ...
- 5,266
0
votes
2
answers
26
views
Term for introducing a new work/idea that is different in some aspects relative to previous ones
How to introduce a work, e.g. a publication or report, in a field in which there are many similar works but the new one considered the topic from another perspective that is not common among previous ...
- 5,266
-2
votes
0
answers
21
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To reduce relative clause [closed]
The modified cars, which have been modified by company's engineers, are absolutely fantastic.
This is the full sentence.
Can it be possible to reduce in this way?
Having been modified by company's ...
-1
votes
0
answers
28
views
Is the punctuation correct here? [closed]
The text in question:
From the examples listed, you may be thinking two things: “supporting local football
communities seems like the best way to go,” and “what did they achieve?”
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
39
views
Can prepositions have a dual function as complement of a verb and a dependent of an NP?
One of the main purposes of a preposition is to express a relation between two constituents of a sentence. For instance, in the sentence
Surprisingly, she only has a single photograph of her husband.
...
- 616
4
votes
10
answers
2k
views
What is an expression you can use for when you're getting close to the end of a time-sensitive project?
I want to say something like,
I am getting down to the chopping block
but that means more like, I am deciding who to keep and who not to, it conveys being harshly decisive.
That's not quite the ...
- 167
-1
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0
answers
27
views
-1
votes
0
answers
21
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Do I capitalise the first letter when describing a character, rather than their name or a pronoun, directly after their speech? [closed]
So is it:
"You looking at something?" the black figure grumbled.
Or is it:
"You looking at something?" The black figure grumbled.
-1
votes
1
answer
26
views
Use of quotes when wondering
You are probably wondering, “why is this so? Surely the soil is the same wherever you go!”
Is this grammatically correct? Or should quotes not be used here?
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
18
views
It'd be nice if you stay [closed]
It'd be nice if you stayed.
or
It'd be nice if you stay.
I wanted to eat that cake before I went to school.
or
I wanted to eat that cake before I go to school.
(I'm at home but denied to eat the ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
40
views
Where to put the direct object
Is it grammatically acceptable to use the words in the order they are put in the sentence:
People shouldn’t take at face value every bit of information they might find in blogs.
-1
votes
1
answer
35
views
Is it a verb or a noun?
I'm not sure if this is going to be a fruitful question or not, but what is the word riposte in the following sentence being referenced as, a verb or a noun?
I like your riposte.
Is the sentence ...
- 99
0
votes
1
answer
37
views
Isn't it wrong to say "good-paying jobs"?
I notice that the White House likes to use the phrase "good-paying jobs" (e.g. it's mentioned 5 times in this recent press release). But isn't that grammatically incorrect? (the correct ...
- 2,699
0
votes
3
answers
27
views
Inversion with the word 'whatsoever'
Is it possible to make an inversion with the word 'whatsoever'?
For example, is this sentence correct?
Whatsoever should you keep your mobile phone switched off during the performance.
0
votes
0
answers
13
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How to quote and italicize properly in context of writing about information on a plaque or website? [closed]
The tombstone read "1984-1999".
The subtitle of the website read "Your No.1 resource for English learning".
The number on the page said "11".
Where can I learn the laws ...
-1
votes
1
answer
37
views
Interpreting "Begin at the beginning, the King said, very gravely, and go on till you come to the end: then stop."
I've come across the following quote by Lewis Carroll in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland:
Begin at the beginning, the King said, very gravely, and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
The &...
- 101
0
votes
1
answer
27
views
Ambiguity of adverbials
For this sentence:
People in my group are willing to share what they learn not only at work but also off work.
I want not only at work but also off work to modify learn instead of share.
How to ...
- 103
0
votes
0
answers
22
views
the use of "as" in "as likely to'
He, therefore, in proposing a great variety of employments, in manufactures or the care of plants and animals, allows for one third of women as likely to have a taste for masculine pursuits, one third ...
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0
votes
0
answers
27
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A question about turning noun strings into a more clear sentence [closed]
I enrolled the course Writing in Plain Language on Linkedin Learning. The following sentences are from the exercise files of it. The first sentence is the wrong one (in terms of how plain language ...
- 206
0
votes
2
answers
67
views
A long, obscure word with the meaning "abstruse, erudite, (of a text) difficult"
I have forgotten a particular word. It's very rare, but not so rare that it doesn't appear in online dictionaries—for instance, it appeared in Google Search's dedicated dictionary widget with its ...
- 19
1
vote
1
answer
40
views
Expressing the idea of killing, finishing/knocking someone off with the phrasal verb "to blip off"
Somehow I was in the knowledge of the fact that the phrasal verb "to blip off" could be used to convey the idea of "to bump off", "to kill", "to knock off" and ...
- 225
0
votes
0
answers
18
views
Differences about object and complement [closed]
Ive found the following two examples:
Your duty is to finish the work in time.
which is a complement.
And Ive found
I want to go.
in an article saying 'to go' is the object. But the verb "want ...
1
vote
1
answer
51
views
Does the term USING in the sentence act as gerund or participle? [closed]
Whether they are good or bad, we can draw a comparison using their behaviour!
Is using a gerund/present participle in this sentence?
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2
votes
4
answers
114
views
Do I have ‘a family of five’ or ‘a family of six’?
I have a mom, a dad, two sisters, and a brother.
Do I write “I have a family of six” or “I have a family of five”?
In other words, do I include myself in the count?
- 27
-1
votes
0
answers
16
views
Meaning of “Recall” [closed]
What does “Recall” mean here?
I even shunned physical therapy sessions after undergoing knee and hip replacements while working at the Persian Restaurant (one of my hip prosthetics was recalled, ...
- 41
0
votes
0
answers
8
views
what's the meaning of "hang on like a loose garment" in the context? [migrated]
For the socialists, no less than for the bourgeoisie, evecything involves the question oftaste, of a viewpoint and ofmoods. In socialism, as in bourgeois society, things are confined to the surface ...
-1
votes
0
answers
8
views
Is "divergent popularities" an acceptable phrase? [migrated]
Let's say we have two silent films released in the same year. One went on to become a classic, and the other one fell into oblivion. Should I refer to the "divergent popularities" or the &...
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-1
votes
0
answers
12
views
How come Mush Mouth gets shotgun? - Meaning [migrated]
How come Mush Mouth gets shotgun?
What does this phrase from the sitcom "Two and a Half Men" mean? (season 1, ep.15)
1
vote
1
answer
30
views
Disadvantages of X over, against, or versus Y? (Or something else entirely?)
"The advantage(s) of X over Y are numerous" is a perfectly valid and common phrase (as far as I know, at least). But what's the equivalent phrase for disadvantage(s)?
Each of the candidates ...
- 111
-1
votes
0
answers
10
views
What's the meaning of ‘pull through‘ in this sentence? [migrated]
Please, I'd like to know the meaning of pull through in the sentence below:
The new model is one in which products "pull through" profitable services that offer predictable recurring ...
0
votes
1
answer
35
views
What’s the meaning of “rebill” in the enclosed sentence?
The tote in question was a “rebilled” narcotic, where there was a problem filling the tote inside the vault where they are staged due to lack of supply.
- 561
1
vote
0
answers
27
views
Architectural firm vs. architecture studio
I regularly translate Hungarian articles into English, and an expression that keeps coming up is architectural firm. Now, these companies in Hungarian are called studios, thus some of my colleagues ...
- 349
0
votes
1
answer
34
views
What's an example of traduction?
The second definition of "traduction" given by Merriam Webster's website is
The repetition of a word or one of its derivatives or a term with a change in sense for rhetorical or ...
- 111
6
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Is there a single word for the "act" of praising a person with the intention of bringing down this person later?
Jack __ the other person.
I am looking for a word that describes putting someone on a high pedestal only to bring him down later. Any word that follows this chain of activity may also do, praise-...
- 75
0
votes
0
answers
18
views
English grammar "the something for something" [migrated]
I found on a bean can the phrase "the italian for healthy taste". I'm wondering if it's an English way to say or it's just a wrong sentence?
- 11
-1
votes
0
answers
6
views
Help with a question for a job application form. (proofreading) (not native speaker) [closed]
I would like some help in reviewing my answer for a question in my job application. I'm currently applying for a job as an English language tutor for kids (haha), and the form has the question "...
-1
votes
0
answers
16
views
Meaning of "Cut my thumb up"? [closed]
What is the meaning of "Cut my thumb up"? I heard it in Post Malone's song Reputation and I'm unable to find the meaning of this idiom/phrase on the internet.
Take my own life just to save ...
- 1
1
vote
2
answers
66
views
What is the meaning of "campaigner" in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes?
I am quoting from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Final Problem by Arthur Conan Doyle:
"Because you will find me a dangerous companion now. This man's occupation is gone. He is lost if he ...
- 527
0
votes
0
answers
20
views
What does "if she suspects the nature of my feelings for him, she means to put me on my guard" mean?
What does "if she suspects the nature of my feelings for him, she means (most kindly!) to put me on my guard" mean from "Pride and Prejudice"?
Here is the passage from which it is ...
- 1
0
votes
2
answers
40
views
How to use possessive for joined and separate ownerships? [duplicate]
How should I create possessives (for joined and separate ownerships) if each individual isn't a noun but a pronoun?
Knowing that: Peter and Dave's car means Peter and Dave own one car. And that Peter'...
1
vote
1
answer
49
views
What are the grammatical name and function of ‘five months later’?
What is the grammatical name and function of five months later as used in the following sentence?
Five months later, Steve strained himself to mould some more blocks.
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-1
votes
0
answers
34
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What is the passive voice of "He was born"? [duplicate]
I know that the above sentence which I have written can't be changed into passive voice. But someone has asked to answer this question. So I am interested to know this.
-3
votes
0
answers
24
views
words similar to rhotic, rhetoric and erotic [closed]
I found the three words to look alike: rhotic, rhetoric, and erotic. Are there any other words in the same line?
- 213
1
vote
0
answers
27
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Understanding defining and non-defining relative clauses in the context of mathematics
I am a student of mathematics and I have to write my thesis in English. A problem which occurs very often is the distinction between defining and non-defining relative clauses. In mathematics, this ...
- 131
0
votes
1
answer
23
views
Is the engineering definition of redundancy commonly understood
In writing for non-technical people (C-suite, Board of Directors etc.), is it more likely this audience would understand redundancy to mean additional components to take over for failed components or ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
15
views
Usage of the word "or" [closed]
The word "or" is commonly used to link alternatives. For example, in the sentence "You should use a pencil or a pen", the meaning is you can choose which one you want to use.
...
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
11
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Orwell on exaggeration in book reviews (help locating a passage) [migrated]
I am trying to locate a passage in which the author writes about the difficulty of praising books. He notes that praise has become so inflated that it's almost impossible to convey that a book is ...
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