Monday, March 22, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

What's it called when someone tries to stop you from doing something by telling you you to do it?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 09:50 AM PDT

Sometimes when someone tells you to do something in a sarcastic but serious way so that you do not do it like: "yeah, go to the party on your own — maybe you'll get hit by a car on your way back."

Is there a word to describe this kind of speech or maybe there is a specific word you use to call the person who talks like this?

Can you upgrade this sentence

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 08:53 AM PDT

I need this sentence to be up-graded but idk how. Here it is: How does the fly make an evil plan to take the potato? Can you add some adjectives for me?

What does "deviously" mean?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 08:49 AM PDT

Most online dictionaries I've found define "deviously" as in a devious manner, but "devious" seems to have three meanings:

  1. indirect
  2. departing from the correct or appropriate way
  3. deceitful, insincere

I find it difficult to apply any of the three meanings of "devious" when trying to understand "deviously" in the following quotes:

  1. Flynn keeps the accelerator firmly to the floor, ratcheting up the tension with wildly unexpected plot twists, contradictory stories and the tantalising feeling that nothing is as it seems. Deviously good

  2. The lawn still slopes deviously, and every day that I see it I am thankful for it.

  3. Of course, it is summer, and the sun is shining, and it is deviously tempting to turn away from the void.

  4. It's often funny, but at any given point, it's deviously unclear what we're laughing at.

How should I understand the meanings of "deviously" in the above quotes?

Which conditional is this sentence " I'd take care of you if you'd ask me to"?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 08:45 AM PDT

I'd take care of you if you'd ask me to.

Which conditional is this and here I'd and you'd mean "I would" and "you would"?

How to avoid they are, they are, they are

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 08:39 AM PDT

I have a sentence that has too many they are, however, I feel that if I remove them, the sentence is not clear.

How would you simplify it correctly? Here is the sentence:

Current education leaders are afraid to take the next step, they are frightened to face opposition, and they are uncertain about its future.

Thank you for your time and interest

What writing style/guide says to emphasize (using a bold font) topic sentences?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 06:20 AM PDT

See this webpage/demo.
I've seen this "technique"(?) being applied both in print and online.
I want to know if there's a specific style or guide that recommends it, or if it's just common practice.

Also checked (among others):

Do 'it' and 'there' refer to the correct parts of this sentence?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 08:38 AM PDT

In the following sentence, the 'it' in the bold part should refer to Acid Grassland and the 'there' should refer to the 'roughs' (rough areas on a golf course).

"The Roughs supports some of the best remaining areas of Acid Grassland but it won't be long before it is gone there too."

I think it is clear what the sentence means, but is it grammatically correct? The subject in the first clause is the roughs, so simplistically, the 'it' might refer to that.

How does one analyze the sentence and is there a better way of expressing it, if wrong?

Values manager vs. value manager

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 06:53 AM PDT

When writing software documentation I very often have to describe things like a value manager, a value cache or a device map. These are usually components of the software system.

In practice the manager does of course not manage a single value but many and the map does not map only a single device etc.

My question is: is it more common to speak of a values manager instead of a value manager and of a devices map instead of a device map etc.?

My wish/ my will, In an arrogant or stubborn way

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 05:39 AM PDT

So how can we say something like this

Do whatever you want, My wish I'll go there.

Is there any idiom or a word for such a phrase, where we can express my wish or my will in an arrogant way.

About the poem, "Had I not seen the Sun."

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 05:23 AM PDT

Had I not seen the Sun,

I could have borne the shade,

But Light a newer Wilderness,

My Wilderness has made

My question is about the capitalized "Light." Is it a noun or a verb, and what does it refer to, respectively?

And why is it capitalized?

Could we use (would have) with present perfect instead of past sample

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 05:48 AM PDT

I mean if I would use such type example would it be ok?
For example

if he has been here I would have told him the truth

Instead of

If he was here I would have told him the truth

How to express in physics if some value depends on a variable? Dependence, or dependency? And what about the plural?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 05:33 AM PDT

In physics, people very often measure some values which depend on some variable, say the air temperature as a function of time. I think the verb depend is used correctly, since dictionaries define "dependent variables" and "independent variables". The resulting data (mostly shown in graphs) reflect something which mathematicians use to call a function (which would have a rigorous definition), but since the measurement involves often numerous parameters, physicists commonly call the result a dependence.

Is this correct? I have not found any dictionary definition of "dependence" which would express this relation between the imposed variable and the result.

The plural seems even more problematic. One may measure the air temperature and humidity in parallel. Is it then correct to say that the given graph contains these two dependences? Dictionaries say "dependence" is a mass noun, so there would be no plural. The plural can be found in Wiktionary, but without any explanation. Or should we use the word dependencies? For "dependencies" I can not find a suitable dictionary definition either.

When you're laying vs when you're lying; which one is correct? [duplicate]

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 03:23 AM PDT

I encountered with this sentence (A lyric actually):

I could stay forever when you're laying in my arms.

Is this sentence correct English? I know the difference between "lie" and "lay" and I think "lying" suits better in this situation. Or should I consider it as "yourself" is hidden after "laying"? That is, "when you're laying yourself in my arms".

Making the spoken or written text less abrupt/confrontational, more polite / better hedged (Business English)

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 06:38 AM PDT

I was given the task of adjusting sentences to sound more polite, less confrontational. I've been struggling with this for a couple of days and I'm not quite sure if I did what my teacher meant me to do. Is there anyone here to check these given sentences and maybe suggesting a better solution if needed? I would very much appreciate it.

The task is: To make the given statements more tentative and formal. You are expected to incorporate as many of the above seven strategies in one sentence as possible. You should try to replace informal words (e.g., big, unhappy, shocked, etc.) as well. " The strategies are continuous form, using would, qualifiers, intensifiers, not + positive adjective, we understood instead you said.

  1. We can't accept that.
    I'm afraid we cannot accept that.

  2. We must finalize the deal today.

    With respect, it seems that we have to finalize the deal today.

  3. That's wrong.
    It seems there has been a mistake.

  4. We want a bigger rebate.
    With respect, it seems that we were hoping to get slightly a bigger rebate.

  5. You obviously don't understand.

    It looks like we understood each other rather differently.

  6. You said there is a discount.
    Unfortunately, it seems we understood there would be a discount.

  7. We are unhappy with this offer.

    I'm afraid we are not completely satisfied with this offer.

  8. We won't agree to this.

    With due respect, we are not completely satisfied with this agreement.

  9. We want a guarantee.

    I'm afraid it seems that we would like to have a guarantee.

  10. We are dissatisfied.

    With respect, it seems we are not completely satisfied.

  11. Don't forget your obligations.
    Please remember to keep in mind your obligations.

  12. We're shocked you expect us to cover the costs

    With respect, it seems we are slightly surprised to cover all the costs.

Is it 'can you please send me the the files?' or 'please can you send me the files?'

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 09:02 AM PDT

My instinct feels the second one is more polite but I'm not sure if it is grammatically correct. Can someone answer this and explain which is the correct and polite way to frame this question?

'Come on, it's time to go home' here home is an adverb or noun?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 02:49 AM PDT

I have 2 options. A) Noun B) adverb then what should be the answer.

How did "join issue" mean ‘jointly submit a disputed matter to the decision of the court’?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 01:15 AM PDT

Kindly see the embolded phrase below. Etymonline is written too abstrusely.

issue [13]

The words issue and exit are closely related etymologically. Both go back ultimately to the Latin verb exīre 'go out'. Its past participle exitus became in Vulgar Latin exūtus, whose feminine form exūta was used as a noun meaning 'going out, exit'. This passed into Old French as eissue, later issue, and thence into English. The original literal sense of the word still survives in English, particularly in relation to the outflow of liquid, but has been overtaken in frequency by various metaphorical extensions denoting a 'giving out' – such as the 'issue' of a book or magazine. The sense 'point of discussion or consideration' probably comes from a medieval legal expression join issue, which originally meant 'jointly submit a disputed matter to the decision of the court', and hence 'argue about something'.

Word Origins (2005 2e) by John Ayto. p 292 Right column.

Can the verb 'taste' have a object complement?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 02:17 AM PDT

I know the other verbs of perception can have an object complement but I can't think of a sentence with taste.

Why does one "Plead Guilty" rather than "Found Guilty" or "Proven Guilty"?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 12:55 AM PDT

I am not sure if this is a Language Question or Legal Question, but in instances of news on court case it is always reported that a "Defendant Pleaded Guilty" but this does not clarify if the defendant admitted to guilt by himself or was proven guilty by evidence presented against him. From my understanding may be there are some legal or lingual technicalities that make the reporting so. Can someone explain why it is always that a Defendant pleads guilty rather than proven to be guilty or found to be guilty?

Need short help in translation

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 02:13 AM PDT

I need to translate the title of my paper into English.

"Analysis of aircraft perfomance significant for the work of air traffic controllers"

Should it be performances? It is meant as plural, but I don't know if it's a countable or an uncountable noun.

English is not my first language, so please help.

What do you call a **person** who is capable of doing anything and everything, humanly possible?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 01:25 AM PDT

What do you call a person who is capable of doing anything and everything, humanly possible?

correct use of 'hunting' (gerund or continuous or past participle?)

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 01:29 AM PDT

Thanks!

And is there a difference between the following two sentences:

"... a safari. Lion hunting provided material for ..."

"... a safari. Hunting lion provided material for two ..."

Thanks!

Different name for the strip of holey paper from a spiral notebook

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 08:23 AM PDT

When students rip out papers from a spiral notebook, the edge has a row of little holes. Unlike when I was young, these pages have perforations running down the right side so that the strips can be easily removed, making the paper much neater.

I taught at university my whole career and we called these annoying strips "shitlets." And it was my (and others') policy that submitted work was to have the shitlets removed. "Homework with shitlets attached will be returned ungraded. And if I find shitlets outside my door and your homework shoved under it, then I'm just going to shove it back."

In my retirement, I've picked up a part-time job teaching math at a little Christian school. I want to have the same policy, but I'm pretty sure that "shitlet" is on the list of words I shouldn't use in the classroom.

So is there another word for shitlets? Preferably one that is disparaging? If not, would it be too far off topic to have a contest on this list to coin a Puritan-friendly yet derogatory term for them? I'd be happy to post a bounty.

Why are service or maintenance contracts called 'warranties', when they aren't Legal Warranties? [closed]

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 12:24 AM PDT

The term 'warranty' is used to distinguish between a term (warranty) and a mere representation, and also to distinguish between terms that give no right to termination upon breach (warranties) and terms that do (conditions). Service contracts for electrical and similar items are not really good examples of the use of 'warranty' in the legal sense, although they are, of course, separate contractual agreements (for which one pays, often heavily), containing a number of terms providing for what will happen if a fault develops.

Reference: Sections 5.1.2, 5.4.1

  1. If the legal meaning of Warranty doesn't signify service or maintenance contracts, then why was Warranty used to describe relate to service or maintenance contracts? Why were service or maintenance contracts mis-named as Warranties?

  2. Why didn't another noun describe maintenance contracts, rather than overloading Warranty that already possessed a meaning? The more polysemous a word, the more baffling it can be.

When to hyphenate "well-prepared"?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 03:00 AM PDT

Should you hyphenate "well-prepared" when it is used as a verb, as in the sentence "The night of studying has well-prepared me for the test"?

Origins of the word "understand"?

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 01:11 AM PDT

I'm curious about the word understand and based on brief research its origins seem not very clear, https://www.etymonline.com/word/understand

Breaking up the word in two, under-stand, I could make a word-by-word translation into the Swedish word under-ställa, which is quite authoric and translates back into submit under.

It kind of makes sense if the word understand is used in an hierarchical context e.g. military etc. However, when trying to emphasize the kind of understanding that doesn't ask for obedience, but rather a temporary shift of perspective or "theory of mind", could the word understand be replaced with a better one?

An English word for deception without telling a lie? [closed]

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 07:46 AM PDT

For example

  • In Sim Lim Square cheat cases, a person paid $1k for iPhone insurance. He "agreed" to buy it because the price was not clearly written.
  • In some restaurants, prices are not written clearly and people can then be charged exorbitant prices.
  • Insurance costs can vary by up to 100 times because the cost is simply not written clearly.
  • Many politicians use deceptive language. Also, they tend to tell only the benefits without telling the negatives.
  • Say you are a scientist. You have 10 studies supporting your theory and 90 studies showing you are wrong. You only quote the 10 studies to people that can't expect.

All of these are deceptions that would make people choose really really "bad deals". Is there a word to describe such deceptions?

Lying? Sophism? Fraud? Scam? Pull a fast one? What?

The reason being

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 01:28 AM PDT

  1. The beaches are empty these days, the reason being that people are increasingly worried about high levels of UV radiation.

  2. The beaches are empty these days. The reason being is that people are increasingly worried about high levels of UV radiation.

  3. The beaches are empty these days. The reason is that people are increasingly worried about high levels of UV radiation.

I have 2 questions. Firstly, is example 2 correct as some native speakers claim. Secondly, is 'the reason being' always part of a non-finite participle clause as it is in example 1?

Opposite prefix to 'de'

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 07:24 AM PDT

Given a word, say deregulate, is there a prefix to denote the opposite, rather than simply saying regulate? It seems fairly illogical to have one but I was wondering if something existed.

Origin of "son of a gun"

Posted: 22 Mar 2021 08:18 AM PDT

Growing up there was a friend of my family who would often use son of a gun as a slang term. For example,

And that son of a gun has a 300hp motor in it.

Like any father, my Dad wanted to raise me right, so he banned me from using the phrase. He implied that the phrase was synonymous with son of a bitch. However in more recent years I've often wondered: What is the origin of son of a gun, and does it really have anything to do with illicit relationships?

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