Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

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• What is the meaning of the phrase to "wake up dead"
• What's the right way to refer to a collection of items?
• A hard to understand paragraph
• Using apostrophe + s and "the" - is it incorrect and why?
• What's the sentence type- compound/complex/compound-complex?
• Can one use transpire in the future tense?
• When to use (or not use) commas in a sentence with conditions
• Name for "filler" words that potentially convey lack of self confidence [duplicate]
• Confusion with plural usage form
• Around 1960 in Britain "Have you a camera?" or "Do you have a camera?"
• Is there a phrase for making someone do something that is your duty by making it look like it is their responsibility?
• The car's engine or the car engine?
• Meaning of ‘opposite’
• What does "I have been out late the night before" mean?
• Does the term "family" include the person themselves?
• Is there an adjective for deer-like?
• Is there a difference between 'They all had done something' and 'They had all done something'? [duplicate]
• How did "poll" ("top" or "head") semantically extend to "cut someone's hair"?
• Could have + past participle vs could
• "This practice can disrupt the children´s privacy, even though parents are not enough aware of its danger."
• Phenomenon, when a phrase (lit. trans. into English from other regional language) has obvious mistake(s) and still uncorrectable due to popularity
• Is "ho"/"hoe" basically an equivalent of "whore" which differs only stylistically?
• Can I "denote X by Y" in a mathematics paper?
• Comma Before Participal Phrase
• Can present tense be used without an adverb like "usually" or "always" when describing a habit?
• Word for "easy to dismiss"
• Use of commas when writing date range in a sentence
• How does the word "cardinal" relate to "cardinal numbers"

What is the meaning of the phrase to "wake up dead" Posted: 29 Mar 2021 09:35 AM PDT There are two examples I can think of, both music related. The first is "Is anybody going to San Antone" by Charley Pride: Sleepin' under a table in a roadside park, a man could wake up dead. The other is the title song from a bootleg album by Jimi Hendrix: "Woke Up This Morning and Found Myself Dead". There are other references that I'm not familiar with but found by searching - a TV show "Woke Up Dead", for example. I've always assumed it meant hungover or otherwise ailing, but I'm not sure.

What's the right way to refer to a collection of items? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 09:07 AM PDT Which of the following statements is grammatically accurate? What are the Financial, Operational and the Marketing plans? or What is the Financial, Operational and the Marketing plan?

A hard to understand paragraph Posted: 29 Mar 2021 09:15 AM PDT How can the Bolded part of the following text be expressed in the simple language? While the principals are a cut above this level of qualification the incompetence of the American government to do business requires a rethinking on our part of why there have been so many frustrating failures to deliver on their part.

Using apostrophe + s and "the" - is it incorrect and why? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 07:05 AM PDT I saw a colleague writing: Can you add the new option in the Salesforce's panel? English is my second language, but my intuition tells me that using the with 's in this situation is incorrect and you should use either: Can you add the new option in Salesforce's panel? ...or: Can you add the new option in the Salesforce panel? Am I right and if yes, why am I right? What are the grammatical rules that apply here?

What's the sentence type- compound/complex/compound-complex? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 08:52 AM PDT I'm sorry to inform everyone that I've deleted the question due to university policies. Huge thanks to the people who answered my questions, I really appreciate your help.

Can one use transpire in the future tense? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 07:40 AM PDT My partner used the phrase ".... something planned... whether it transpires or not remains to be seen.". Now, I don't know for a fact, but I feel that transpir(es/ed) is (or should be) used in the past or presesnt tenses, but not the future - i.e.: It transpires that she didn't know he was due to arrive. It transpired that he had reneged when he played the club card. All of the quotes from Collins are in this vein - i.e. no future usage. However, here it transpires (please excuse the truly awful pun!) that they have an example of transpire in the future: If you have watched one golf game, then you have seen everything that will transpire in every other game of golf. Any suggestions - particularly in the form of concrete references (URLs...) much appreciated.

When to use (or not use) commas in a sentence with conditions Posted: 29 Mar 2021 05:50 AM PDT Current Sentence: The steps in this procedure must be performed chronologically until the card has been found, or all the steps have been exhausted, and an adjustment to the system must be made. Proposed Edit: The steps in this procedure must be performed chronologically until the card has been found or all steps have been exhausted and an adjustment to the system must be made. So the writer has been told to follow the FANBOYS acronym when separating two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction. So the writer went comma-crazy. Assuming my edit is correct that the remaining clauses in this sentence are dependent on the preposition until, is there an easy way to explain this to the writer? I'm new to editing and honestly don't know the best way to explain this. Thank you for your assistance.

Name for "filler" words that potentially convey lack of self confidence [duplicate] Posted: 29 Mar 2021 08:32 AM PDT There are plenty of internet search hits for "filler" words, and how not to use them. I'm not asking about these. I would like to know if there is a name for language that people use which perhaps: aim to soften the sentence, make the sentence less formal, or are used subconsciously due to lack of confidence in what is being said / self confidence of the communicator. Some examples: "Just" when not used instead of "only": "I just thought you'd like to be reminded of your meeting" "lol"/"haha" equivalents: "I like how you looked today haha" Sentences that don't get to the point: "I was wondering when you would be able to look at my report" vs "When will you be able to look at my report?" Possibly these are all instances of beating around the bush. But it feels like there could be a more precise definition for these cases as what needs to be said is being said.

Confusion with plural usage form Posted: 29 Mar 2021 03:46 AM PDT So I'm quite confused as to what word do I use in these sentences: That equates to almost over 136,000 cars needing "repairs/repair". DIY hail damage repair kits really "isn't/aren't" a good repair option. Are you interested in learning more about our Assisted Living and Dementia Care "service/services"?

Around 1960 in Britain "Have you a camera?" or "Do you have a camera?" Posted: 29 Mar 2021 07:12 AM PDT Around 1960, wen we began learning English in Japan, we were taught British English. To our great surprise, we were forced to change into American English in the next grade. Japanese English teachers were also upset especially in pronunciation. We could not help laughing when they could not pronounce 'can't' or 'tomato' or 'body' with the American accent. The most striking grammatical change to me was the interrogative sentence, from 'Have you a camera?' to 'Do you have a camera?' This drastic change in English teaching was, of course, carried out under the considerable political and cultural influences of USA. From that time, in Japan, English textbooks written in American English have been predominant. After some decades of learning English especially through books written in British English, I came to doubt whether the British way of questioning was heard in the daily conversation of the British people around 1960. Can I have your information or experience to clear up this doubt I have long held?

Is there a phrase for making someone do something that is your duty by making it look like it is their responsibility? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 03:34 AM PDT In Hindi there is phrase for this which literally translates to "putting something (a task) on someone's head" and another which translates to "sticking a task on someone".

The car's engine or the car engine? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 04:34 AM PDT Is there a rule of thumb on how to deal with apostrophies in the following cases? Group name vs. Group's name Car brand vs. Car's brand And pretty much anything similar.

Meaning of ‘opposite’ Posted: 29 Mar 2021 06:01 AM PDT What does it mean by 'Look at these sentences with expressions from A and B opposite.'? This sentence is the instruction words of an exercise in an English exercise book. I don't understand the word 'opposite' here.

What does "I have been out late the night before" mean? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 05:49 AM PDT What does I have been out late the night before mean? Does it mean that I come back home late?

Does the term "family" include the person themselves? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 03:53 AM PDT The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the term family as "a social group made up of parents and their children." So it's my understanding that this would include me, my parents and any siblings. However, some people say "you and your family" as if they're two separate entities. The examples I see the most often are "I wish you and your family all the best" and "deepest condolences to you and your family." So does the term family include that person themselves? In other words, is the phrase "you and your family" redundant?

Is there an adjective for deer-like? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 05:51 AM PDT "Canine" is for dog, "Porcine" for pig, "Equine" for horse. Is there an adjective for deer-like?

Is there a difference between 'They all had done something' and 'They had all done something'? [duplicate] Posted: 29 Mar 2021 05:24 AM PDT So, I preparing for this test and one of the questions is this. The teacher remarked that they all had done it very badly. Why is this sentence structure wrong? I found this question in English learner stackexchange that expands more on the position of the word all in a sentence.

How did "poll" ("top" or "head") semantically extend to "cut someone's hair"? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 07:56 AM PDT I don't understand this semantic extension (cf. Etymonline) because it hasn't happened to "head" or "horn"! Unquestionably, "head" isn't the same thing as "cut someone's hair". Poll Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only POLL their heads. ( Ezekiel 44:20 ) E.g. you can't replace "poll" with "head", because "head" doesn't mean "cut someone's hair". Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only HEAD??? their heads. ( Ezekiel 44:20 ) poll [13] 'Head' is the original and central meaning of poll, from which all its modern uses have derived. The 'voting' sort of poll, for instance, which emerged in the 17th century, is etymologically a counting of 'heads', and the poll tax is a 'per capita' tax. The verb poll originally meant 'cut someone's hair', a clear extension of the notion of 'top' or 'head' (the derived pollard [16] denotes an 'animal with its horns removed' or a 'tree with its top branches cut off'); this later developed to 'cut evenly across', which is what the poll of deed poll means (originally it was a legal agreement cut evenly across, signifying that only one person was party to it – agreements made between two or more people were cut with a wavy line). Word Origins (2005 2e) by John Ayto. p 385 Left column.

Could have + past participle vs could Posted: 29 Mar 2021 07:03 AM PDT What's the difference between these two? How could I have missed that? How could I miss that?

"This practice can disrupt the children´s privacy, even though parents are not enough aware of its danger." Posted: 29 Mar 2021 08:02 AM PDT My EFL C1 (CEFR) students are writing an essay on the dangers of parents posting their children's picture on social media. One student wrote this sentence, it doesn't sound quite right, but I can't pinpoint what is wrong: This practice can disrupt the children´s privacy, even though parents are not enough aware of its danger. Is it the placement of "enough" or "enough + aware"?

Phenomenon, when a phrase (lit. trans. into English from other regional language) has obvious mistake(s) and still uncorrectable due to popularity Posted: 29 Mar 2021 05:02 AM PDT Let me layout an example to make the situation, described in question more clear: There is a popular road in a city of Gujarat, India whose name when literally translated into English means "Horse Racing" or for the sake of completeness, "Horse Racing Road". It's literal translation in Gujarati should be ""Ghoda Dod" Road" where "Ghoda" means Horses and "Dod" means running/racing. But, the translation has become to "Ghod Dod" Road, maybe due to fast usage of words or maybe just laziness to complete the first(or one) word and then move on to next one during a continuous conversation, and then maybe no one cared to rectify it. So, what is this type of phenomena or event called, are there more of these phenomenons in other regional/national languages too apart from english ?

Is "ho"/"hoe" basically an equivalent of "whore" which differs only stylistically? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 05:27 AM PDT On Russian SE we had a discussion about some Russian intentional misspelling one can encounter in Internet. As an example of such phenomena in English I've pointed to the following example: using "hoe" instead of "whore". An native English speaker first denied this but ironically provided a link to an article where following is written: ho (also hoe) informal, derogatory "A prostitute"; 1960s representing a dialect pronunciation of whore. Other user stated though: Ho(e) originated as a variant of whore (just like mo' is a variant of more), but their meanings have diverged somewhat. It's not uncommon slang to call your girlfriend your 'ho' (and just mean 'girlfriend'), but if you call her your whore, you are actually saying she's a prostitute. My question would be: is it so? Up to this day I was sure that it's an internet slang and nothing more.

Can I "denote X by Y" in a mathematics paper? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 04:03 AM PDT It comes as no surprise that the word "denote" appears quite frequently in mathematics, mostly in the context where succinct notation is being introduced for some object. As far as I understand, it's uncontroversial to say "Let N denote the set of positive integers". However, that does not quite convey the intended meaning (at least for me): It's the speaker(s) who assign the meaning "the set of positive integers" to the symbol "N". This tempts many (myself included) to instead say: "We denote the set of positive integers by/with N". This is often criticised as incorrect, but I've also heard it being defended. So, is the latter usage correct?

Comma Before Participal Phrase Posted: 29 Mar 2021 06:06 AM PDT I'm studying for the SAT and ran into this issue on a practice test. My prepbook says that commas shouldn't be used between an independent and dependent clause in that order. To me "creating..." constitutes a dependent clause. This is more apparent when the gerumd creating is replaced with to create. I'm not understanding why the correct answer choice (which I agree is the best answer) uses a comma before creating. This is not an official test from college board so a typo/error is possible in the answer choice. I simply want to know if this is the case. I'm also curious to whether the phrase "creating a landscape" would be a gerund or participle phrase in this sense.

Can present tense be used without an adverb like "usually" or "always" when describing a habit? Posted: 29 Mar 2021 09:04 AM PDT I understand we use the present tense when we describe habits. "My dog always sleeps under the bed." "It usually sits on the sofa." Does it make sense if I leave 'always' and 'usually' out? as in the sentences below, without any background information? "My dog sleeps under the bed." "It sits on the sofa." Are they complete sentences? or grammatically correct?

Word for "easy to dismiss" Posted: 29 Mar 2021 08:52 AM PDT I know that there is an adjective with that meaning. I just cannot think of it or find it online. I'd be very grateful if someone pointed out a word that means "easy to dismiss" or something similar. It intend to use it in a sentence similar to this: "His criticism is ______."

Use of commas when writing date range in a sentence Posted: 29 Mar 2021 09:23 AM PDT Should there be a comma after 2014 in the following sentence? From June 1, 2014 through April 30, 2015, there were 40 accidents on one stretch of road.

How does the word "cardinal" relate to "cardinal numbers" Posted: 29 Mar 2021 09:43 AM PDT Cardinal number In linguistics, more precisely in traditional grammar, a cardinal number or cardinal numeral (or just cardinal) is a part of speech used to count, such as the English words one, two, three, but also compounds like three hundred and forty-two cardinal (adj.) "chief, pivotal," early 14c., from Latin cardinalis "principal, chief, essential," from cardo (genitive cardinis) "that on which something turns or depends; pole of the sky," originally "door hinge," of unknown origin. What's the relation between the two?

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