All Questions
127,107
questions
0
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2
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37
views
How to use apostrophes when you end a sentence with ellipsis
Should this sentence have a possessive apostrophe at the end of it?
Unfortunately, the list below is similar to the original vendors.
1
vote
3
answers
50
views
Word to describe a general "area of effect" or a combination of authority, influence and effect over/on something
I am looking for word to describe someone's general "area of effect" or a combination of authority, influence and effect over/on something.
This is very hard for me to explain, but try to ...
- 255
-1
votes
0
answers
13
views
Omitting 'the', ellipsis, and definite articles [migrated]
Why is it possible to omit the the in this sentence?
The provider needs it in order to invoice us for the ongoing services.
-2
votes
2
answers
32
views
Can we use 'Since' in future perfect continuous tense? [closed]
I have read somewhere at Quora that we can't use 'Since' in future perfect continuous tense.
Is it true?
- 1
1
vote
0
answers
65
views
A paper describes a past participle as “pure”, does anyone know the meaning? [closed]
I read in a paper that the word loved is a “pure” past participle:
“*He was very loved. (Because loved is a past participle, very cannot be used to modify a pure past participle. Very much should be ...
- 111
6
votes
3
answers
727
views
Has the word "believer" always had the meaning of someone who believes in God or has it picked up that meaning somewhere along the line?
Has the word believer always had the meaning of believing in God or has it picked up that meaning somewhere along the line ?
When I say "I am a believer", without further context, does it ...
- 624
0
votes
1
answer
27
views
Why does the sentence use "doing this" instead of "doing it"
I have two sentences that I was unsure if I needed to use "doing it" or "doing this". Now I know that the correct one is the one with "doing this" but I don't understand ...
- 1
10
votes
0
answers
186
views
Why is “arrived girl” incorrect, but “recently arrived girl” is correct?
From The Use of Participles and Gerunds:
Such participles whose corresponding verbs are intransitive verbs. We usually do not say an arrived girl, a departed friend, etc., because they come from ...
- 111
-1
votes
0
answers
7
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Online dictionary that lists number of complements for verbs [migrated]
Is there an online dictionary that lists not only whether a verb is intransitive or transitive (e.g. Merriam-Webster does that), but also how many arguments it binds?
- 2,658
0
votes
1
answer
45
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How to Un-Abbreviate " Y'all's"
I shared an article in a group chat of my friends and wanted to ask for their opinions.
"Curious to hear y'all's thoughts?"
But I wanted to sound proper and smart.
If y'all = you all, then y'...
3
votes
0
answers
52
views
'To lie' and 'to lay' / 'to rise' and 'to raise' / 'to fall' and 'to fell' <-- Did English used to have more pairs like this?
My understanding is that there aren't many pairs of intransitive and transitive verbs in modern English. Off-hand, I know of three (though I think there are more):
lie vs lay
rise vs raise
fall vs ...
- 31
1
vote
6
answers
88
views
How to describe actions towards realizing a goal
I am struggling to find the right verb to describe taking actions to realize a goal.
Specifically, here is a sentence I am trying to write in an elegant and terse manner :
The government first ...
- 293
2
votes
0
answers
69
views
Why do we hit the books?
I have to hit the books tonight, that is I have to study for school.
According to the sources I could find online the saying “hit the books” has no clear origin. The more common assumptions refer to ...
- 1,687
0
votes
3
answers
88
views
Gender Neutral Alternative to "Tough Guy"
I am designing a board game in which you are a member of mafia and not a nice person. There is an action in the game named 'reputation' (or 'build reputation'). I need to write a short introductory ...
- 109
-1
votes
1
answer
25
views
Using "so" in formal writing to introduce questions, and its possible alternatives
Context: Suppose that in a formal academic writing we have talked about a problem and now we want to talk about its solutions. Is the following sentence appropriate for opening a paragraph?
So what ...
- 99
1
vote
3
answers
45
views
Possible meaning of "running past" on this phrase [closed]
I'm an English student and I have a question about this sentence. It comes from a song, here's an excerpt:
If you feel like giving up now
Turn it into a smile
You'll see new days are running past
...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
48
views
Is there a definition of "up to" where "up to 100% protection" is a meaningful statement? [closed]
OK, so I'm a math geek, and I realize that sometimes I interpret the world, uh, differently. For example, I see a package advertising that the contents were made with "real fruit", and I ...
- 32.4k
0
votes
1
answer
30
views
Difference between "Sustainable energy" and "Renewable Energy" [closed]
What is the difference between "Sustainable Energy" and "Renewable Energy?". Those words seem to be used interchangeably. I want to know its true difference amongst the two words. ...
2
votes
0
answers
81
views
“The buildings are owned by him.” Is this a verbal stative passive or an adjectival passive?
In terms of what I’ve seen: “Adjectival passives always have stative interpretations, whereas verbal passives can either have a dynamic or a stative interpretation.”
So…. If I have a sentence, such as:...
- 21
-1
votes
0
answers
11
views
They came to you, instead of the king. Because essentially, you are king [migrated]
Today I have read this phrase: "They came to you, instead of the king. Because essentially, you are king."
Why there is "the" here: "They came to you, instead of the king"...
- 99
2
votes
3
answers
212
views
+50
Preferred conjunction for integrated clause (e.g. "and one that" versus "and one which")
Consider the following two sentences:
Today I ate a very tasty lunch, and one that was also quite healthy.
Today I ate a very tasty lunch, and one which was also quite healthy.
The subordinate ...
- 243
7
votes
2
answers
371
views
Biden is both "proud dad & pop"? [closed]
I searched for Biden's twitter page and in his bio it states this: "46th President of the United States, husband to @FLOTUS, proud dad & pop."
Why would he say dad & pop? Isn't it ...
-2
votes
0
answers
38
views
"As serious as a stray bullet"?
This came out of my mouth earlier today (it just happens to be in my toolbox of sayings), someone asked where I got it from and I couldn't remember. I googled it a tiny bit, but nothing useful came ...
- 1
-1
votes
0
answers
20
views
How do I choose between two irregular verb forms? [migrated]
For example, from https://grammarway.com/ua/irregular-verbs:
Infinitive
Past simple
Past participle
abide
abode / abided
abode / abided
get
got
gotten / got
Are abode and abided the same? Can I ...
- 275
-1
votes
0
answers
27
views
She asked her sister to marry her boyfriend [duplicate]
In English, how do I determine and clearly specify who the "her" in "her boyfriend" refers to ?
Does it mean the sisters boyfriend or her own boyfriend ?
- 99
1
vote
2
answers
31
views
Using singular language to discuss generality [duplicate]
I am somewhat confused by the use of singular langauge to discuss generally true statements, for example:
A cat is smarter than a dog.
The intention of this statement is to say that in general any ...
- 173
16
votes
10
answers
3k
views
Is there an English word for "Kundenbekämpfung" (customer combatting)
Is there a better translation for the German word "Kundenbekämpfung" than "customer combatting" ?
I looked up synomys and translations of the noun "Bekämpfung", but ...
- 1,169
-1
votes
1
answer
39
views
Doing so vs Doing otherwise [duplicate]
While the wording in the below examples is not ideal, would it be correct in assuming (2) would be the best answer?
(1) Make sure to cut the cable at the correct length and do not re-use old cable. ...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
51
views
What's the difference between incalcitrant and recalcitrant
The word that leaps to mind for me is "incalcitrant", but when I try to look it up online I get odd definitions like this:
As adjectives the difference between recalcitrant and incalcitrant ...
- 248
-2
votes
1
answer
33
views
Why do you drive a car on parkway, and park a car at driveway? [duplicate]
Why?
Usually, we always drive a car on the road, often the road's called "parkway". Which seems to be opposite of driving. On the other hand, we park a car at parking lot or "driveway&...
- 115
0
votes
0
answers
6
views
Has or Has been [migrated]
could you please tell me if there's something wrong with my example below or it is grammatical
Example
[I can say that My English vocabulary has been improved a lot with the help of your English ...
- 1
1
vote
1
answer
57
views
What does the term "antisemitic" mean and how did it arrive at it's modern definition? [closed]
I ask this question for two reasons. One, it's being used a lot currently in western media and online spaces such as twitter, so maybe if I could fully grasp it's definition I could understand why it'...
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5
votes
6
answers
2k
views
How would one describe a sound of boredom?
Specifically, if a person gave a heavy short and gruff sigh, and said. "I'm booooorrrrreeeeed!" then made a sound that kinda had "uuuugggghhhhh" in it but as more of a sigh.
How ...
3
votes
3
answers
91
views
What does the phrase "I could care less," really mean? [duplicate]
What does the phrase "I could care less," really mean? When I look at it I think that it refers to an expression of indifference, but many people use it when they're implying that they don't ...
- 95
1
vote
0
answers
49
views
What is the reason for quasi-modals existing and why do they imply different meaning than the modals themselves?
What I mean is - Why do we have collocations such as "be supposed to", "have to", "be able to"? I understand that modals are defective, but maybe more fundamentally, why ...
- 91
0
votes
1
answer
61
views
What does this sentence by Henry James mean? It's from the opening of The Pupil
I'm reading The Pupil by Henry James and found this sentence difficult to understand.
Yet he was unwilling to take leave, treating his engagement as
settled, without some more conventional glance in ...
- 21
-1
votes
0
answers
68
views
"the odds against it happening are small" = it is likely or it is unlikey to happen?
Dare I suspect a mistake in the following sentence by a renowned British scientist?
If the universe is simply an accident, the odds against it containing any appreciable order are ludicrously small.
...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
7
views
Usage of "still" [migrated]
I am not a native speaker and I am experiencing an issue with the word still. I have some sentences here:
a. He is still a good friend.
b. He is still be a good friend.
c. He is still busy.
d. He is ...
0
votes
4
answers
89
views
Is there an idiom for "methodology to the detriment of outcome"?
In many fields, there is a primary task: write a program, compose a song, cook a meal, lose weight, grow a garden.
In support of this, there are:
Tools: knives, spades, exercise equipment, and apps.
...
- 1,652
0
votes
2
answers
70
views
What is the phrase or idiom for this "Member of neither group"?
Description #1
A person from a democratic country hates democracy and loves communism. So, he moves to a communist country.
People from the communist country don't like him as he is a citizen of a ...
- 217
1
vote
1
answer
38
views
Term for forwards/backwards phrase? (Not a palindrome)
My observation feels like it’s in the same realm but doesn’t quite fit under the spirit of the word-unit palindrome definition.
Is there a term for a phrase that swaps the first and last words to mean ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
26
views
Preposition “under” and “above”
Situation: Susan and Jane live in the same flat. Jane’s room is 201, on the 2nd floor, while Susan’s is 301, on the 3rd floor.
Is it correct to say “Susan’s room is above Jane’s and Jane’s room is ...
- 53
0
votes
0
answers
9
views
Is comma in front of "in which" is right or wrong?. (It's not a non-essential clause.) [migrated]
I have been confused about this sentence.
The first step is the phase, in which the students have to learn and write down all they know.
So comma in front of "in which" is right or wrong? ...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
6
views
15 day or 15 days? [migrated]
Is it grammatically correct to say "Enjoy 15 day free berthing"?
As far as I know, 15 day acts as an adjective here, hence is correct.
Correct me if am wrong please!
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2
votes
0
answers
24
views
Please explain this sentence: "Organizations the world over need your help!" [closed]
This sentence is from bugcrowd.
Organizations the world over need your help!
To me, it's such a weird usage of English language but grammarly doesn't find anything wrong with it. Yet, I don't ...
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1
vote
0
answers
16
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Is it correct to place "the" before a group of words, but not before each separate word? [migrated]
Disclaimer: English is not my native language.
A sentence like the following might appear in an instruction manual for a device:
"Press the "Start" and "Stop" keys at the same ...
- 111
0
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0
answers
54
views
Confusing paragraph in a psychology book
I am currently working on translating a book called Self-Compassion. Yet, I faced a paragraph (the bolded one) that I don't quite understand. Any help?
BEFORE EXAMINING SELF-COMPASSION IN MORE DETAIL,...
2
votes
2
answers
47
views
Where do I put the name of a noun, before or after? [closed]
Which one is better:
When function read returns an error, the program crashes.
When read function returns an error, the program crashes.
When read-function returns an error, the program crashes.
I'm ...
- 135
1
vote
1
answer
70
views
Is there a word that means “longing to become a plant”? [closed]
I’m looking for a word that captures the need to become a plant/tree
I know it’s specific but help me out.
- 19
0
votes
0
answers
20
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What is the term for those yellow/orange boxes in public where you defecate? [migrated]
Cubicles?? I can't seem to get the word on Google nor the picture. But I have seen them in the EU and US on movies.
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