Saturday, April 10, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Is the error a misplaced modifier or a faulty parallel structu

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 08:52 AM PDT

A tall man dressed in a red suit, and draping a green bag from his shoulder, which hid his face from the CCTV device.

How should I correct this sentence.

Answer: A tall man dressed in a red suit, and draping a green bag from his shoulder, hid his face from the CCTV device.

Answer: A tall man dressed in a red suit, and draping a green bag from his shoulder, was hiding his face from the CCTV device.

'What we talk about' vs 'What do we talk about' or 'What are we talking about'?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 07:11 AM PDT

The question is raised because of the famous collection of short stories named

  • What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.

I wonder if it is legal or natural in English to say this instead of

  • What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Love

or

  • What Are We Talking About When We Are Talking About Love.

as many as have ever been

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 06:10 AM PDT

There seem now to be as many tribes, and as much conflict between them, as there have ever been.

-> Would it be safe to say that this as ~ as have ever been structure is used to make a statement that there haven't been as many tribes as well as the conflicts among them as there are right now in the course of our history? (used like a superlative)

About the usage of "so small" [duplicate]

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 04:31 AM PDT

Recently, I have been reading a book about TOEFL grammar. I came across this multiple-choice problem:

I have _______ money left.

(A) a great number
(B) so small
(C) only a little
(D) only a few

The answer given is (C). I don't understand why (B) is not the correct answer. Does anyone know the reason? Thank you very much.

Wh-question about the future [migrated]

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 07:00 AM PDT

So I have a question in my book:

When will the meeting take place?

Can I say the following instead?

When is the meeting?

We are talking about timetable kind of thing, aren't we?

Why does it sound incorrect that he like me is a teacher? [closed]

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 03:36 AM PDT

He like me is a teacher.

Why does it sound incorrect?

Perfect tense + +'for' vs. Perfect tense + 'over/during'

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 07:49 AM PDT

Page 423 of Collins Usage Guide reads,

If you want to say how long something has been the case, you use for: We've been married for seven years.

If you want to mention how long something has been happening, you use during or over:

A considerable amount of rain has fallen during the past two years. Things have become noticeably worse over the past two or three months

What's this difference due to? different type of verbs?

Is this additional information restrictive or nonrestrictive to my sentence?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 02:42 AM PDT

Apologies if this is a dumb question, but I need it answering.

I have this sentence:

During my time at school, I volunteered to help assist a student in class in order to stay focused and not get into trouble.

Now, is the phrase "in order to stay focused and not get into trouble" additional information, or is it essential to the meaning of the sentence?

The sentence does, however, make sense when you remove the additional information, so does this mean there should be a comma before "in order to stay"?

Thanks.

Which literary device swaps ideas between clauses?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 09:29 AM PDT

While thinking of an appropriate inscription for my dad's headstone, the following phrase came to mind: "He served his country with honor, and honored his wife with love." Can this sentence be described as being an example of any particular kind of literary or poetic device?

What part of speech is the that clause after 'I'm sure'?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 06:02 AM PDT

fellow grammarians.

When it comes to a clause, we'd naturally understand that each of them has a lexical class to it, and, the part of speech they serve as in a sentence.

Adjective + that clause has never been a rare usage. It's rather easy to get right the that clause in sentence 'It's important that this will be done' for example. The 'it' here is a formal subject, hence the that clause being the true subject. And the lexical class of this that clause is noun. Therefore, it is both a subject clause, and a noun clause.

But in the case of 'I'm sure + that clause', this gets me confused. 'I am sure' being a complete sentence which ends with a predicative, I don't know what the that clause after the predicative 'sure' serves to be in terms of part of speech. Sure, it should be a noun clause as always, but, what part of speech is it?

Thanks in advance!

When should I use "will" instead of "would"?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 01:32 AM PDT

Which tense of the modal verb is correct here?

I have seen these ads so many times before! Often the properties would be situated right next to beach.

I have seen these ads so many times before! Often the properties will be situated right next to beach.

Word to describe an informal, mutually beneficial interaction between two or more people

Posted: 09 Apr 2021 10:18 PM PDT

Context
Consider a language exchange group. In other words, people are teaching and learning foreign languages from each other. There are no monetary transactions.

I'm looking for a word that's friendly in tone to summarize this mutually beneficial concept. It should be more informal and "marketing" friendly than exchange. The best I've come up with is "mutual help," but it sounds a bit redundant to me.

Sample sentence
A community based on mutual help.

Other options
Reciprocity - too transactional
Mutual benefit - similar to mutual help and a bit sterile

Is a man a consort of a queen, or to a queen?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 01:30 AM PDT

Consort of, or to?

Would we say "the Consort of Queen Elizabeth" or "the Consort to Queen Elizabeth"?

Confused by "presently came in for" in a sentence

Posted: 09 Apr 2021 09:14 PM PDT

I was reading Security Analysis and I was confused by the following sentence:

what was left of them presently came in for rough handling of the first Roosevelt administration

I know that the meaning of the sentence is "the only thing left for them is the first Roosevelt administration", but what does the phrase "presently came in for" mean in the sentence?

Is the use of 'takes' and 'came back' in this sentence correct?

Posted: 09 Apr 2021 07:10 PM PDT

"It takes an old friend who came back after 5 years studying in England to get her out of her shell"

context: the 'her' here never went out anywhere. it is only now when her friend is returning after years of studying abroad did she finally come out of her residence.

Is the use of 'takes' and 'came back' in this sentence correct? is the above sentence grammatically correct?

What is the meaning of the phrase: "to lean on the shovel"?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 12:44 AM PDT

I have recently come accross this phrase in a movie called The Cube. Here is the excerpt:

I leaned on my shovel for months on this one. This was a great job!

I couldn't find any dictionary references that would explain this phrase.

Is the word "essentially" an adjective in phrase "essentially nonlinear phenomena"?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 09:01 AM PDT

I need help. the word "essentially" seems to be an adjective in the phrase "essentially nonlinear phenomena". Is it? but "essentially" could only be an adverb! I'm confused and need help. Thanks a lot.

Singular or plural noun after "their" when subject is "those" (as in "those who were") Details follow

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 01:03 AM PDT

I'm helping a nephew edit a paper and while he says it isn't essential that it be grammatically perfect...😲 well. I don't know have to explain. You are my people. So without further ado, which option is correct:

A. This means that those who were indoctrinated at a young age may be hesitant to discuss their background.

B. This means that those who were indoctrinated at a young age may be hesitant to discuss their backgrounds.

I know the entire structure is awkward, and has to GO. But I became fixated on this issue, and would love the answer--more for me than for him at this point. Ha! Thank you in advance.

Ambiguous prepositional phrase in a legal document

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 07:12 AM PDT

In common speech or writing, disambiguation of objects of prepositional phrases can be inferred from context. However, there is no room for error in filling out legal documents! I came across this question:

  • Have you enrolled or will soon enroll in health insurance but your health coverage has not started yet?

The answer choices are: "Yes, I am enrolled", "I will soon enroll" and "No". I am currently enrolled in health insurance and it has already begun, but I have no idea how to answer this question (or whether I should skip it).

There is an ambiguity in the interpretation of this question. Logically, given propositions A, B, and C, the question " "A or B and C?" can be taken to mean either " A or (B and C) ? " or " ( A or B ) and C ? ", which are not equivalent questions.

Is there a correct interpretation?

Meaning of "a" in the idiom "to a man"

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 07:06 AM PDT

OED reads as follows,

TO: PREPOSITION

IV Followed by a word or phrase expressing a limit in extent, amount, or degree.

  1. Indicating a limit or point attained in degree or amount, or in division or analysis, and thus expressing degree of completeness or exactitude: As far as; to the point of; down to (an ultimate element or item), as in to a hair (hair n. 8 c), to the last man; to a man (including every man, without exception); within (a limit of variation or error), as to an inch, to a day.

Yet, I do not know what the "a" exactly means ("one" as in a countdown?).

Unfortunately the punctuation makes it really difficult.

According to Webster's, unlike to a man or to a nicety, neither to a day or to an inch are idioms.

Is there an antonym (a complementary antonym) for "spicy" or "hot" regarding food (I DO NOT mean "seasoned", but "hot")?

Posted: 09 Apr 2021 08:42 PM PDT

I'm talking about the burning feeling you get when eating chillis, raw onions, and other food. I'm looking for a way to explain that I do not like that burning feeling, be it onions, chillis, a spicy sauce or anything else that burns in my mouth. I will refer to this feeling as spicy-hot even though some of you might disagree, but I am looking for a better way to call food which gives me this feeling.

And if there isn't one word for this, how could one phrase a sentence explaining that one does not like food to be spicy-hot AT ALL, no matter how little. Some people refer to a little bit spicy-hot as not spicy-hot at all, because they are used to such very spicy-hot food so they do not consider some food as being spicy-hot even though others do.

I found this quote in the Wikipedia article on pungency:

The pungent sensation provided by chilli peppers, black pepper, and other spices like ginger and horseradish.

That article also mentioned piquancy:

The term piquancy (/ˈpiːkənsi/) is sometimes applied to foods with a lower degree of pungency that is "agreeably stimulating to the palate." Examples of piquant food include mustard and curry.

I found this article about pungency that isn't related to capsaicin, but it still didn't give me a specific word or phrase I could use to explain it with. I also found a scale for onions and garlic on Wikipedia, the pyruvate scale.

Here are places I would want to use this word I don't have:

  1. A guy working at a falafel store: Would you like your falafel with wasabi?
    Me: No thanks I would like it completely _______ (not burning my tongue).

  2. The guy from the falafel store: onions?
    Me: No thanks I would like it completely _______ (not burning my tongue).

  3. The guy from the falafel store: chillis ?
    Me: No thanks I would like it completely _______ (not burning my tongue).

Is there a way to say "I'm a wuss and can't take anything spicy not even the mildest stuff NOTHING"? (Pardon my French.)

I have tried looking up hot and spicy on thesaurus, but I found nothing satisfying. I think "mild" is not a good fit, because one person's "mild" is another's "spicy". Also negating is not good, because people use "it's not spicy" as "it's not that spicy". Negating is also not perfect, because people do not consider many things as spicy and assume I mean no spicy sauce when I mean I want NOTHING that's going to burn in my mouth.

What does the word "reading" mean in the following sentence?

Posted: 09 Apr 2021 09:02 PM PDT

What does the word "reading" mean in the following sentence?

The book is not necessary reading, therefore, for those who already feel the full force of the modern demand for rationality, and are consequently willing to suspend their assumptions about subjectivity and objectivity in order to engage in a presuppositionless examination of the actual truth of being.

Confusion in usage of In / within

Posted: 09 Apr 2021 11:01 PM PDT

●In the given sentence which one is more appropriate out of in and within " The voice in / within you " ●If suppose i replace ' you' with 'me' which preposition out of in,within will be the most appropriate? The sentence thus formed is "The voice in/within me" ●Does the word after the preposition affect the usage of the preposition in this case?

                                                               Thankyou

Do we say "in" or "at" one's approach?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 04:07 AM PDT

The specific sentence is:

"Nasreddin Hodja is simple at/in his approach."

Meaning that the way he thinks on a specific subject is simple and practical.

Is there a word that combines aerial, aquatic, and terrestrial?

Posted: 09 Apr 2021 09:48 PM PDT

I know that something suitable to both land and water is called amphibious but I am looking for a word that describes something that is suitable to land, air, and water. I don't believe such an animal exists but I am still curious as to whether there is a word for it.

Do you use the term "sports meeting"? And what do you mean when you use it?

Posted: 09 Apr 2021 08:02 PM PDT

I have some students from China who use the term "sports meeting" to describe a day of sports competition between the various classes of students at their school. I suspect this is just a poor translation from the Chinese 运动会, but I want to check.

I am from the U.S., and I would call this kind of event a "field day." In the Oxford Advanced Learner's Chinese-English Dictionary, I find "sports day" as the British term with this meaning. "Sports meeting" does not appear in that dictionary.

So my question is, does anyone anywhere use the term "sports meeting," and when you do, what do you mean by it? Also, if you could say where you are from I would appreciate that. Much thanks.

EDIT: Since the first few answers have not quite been on point, I have put my question in bold face. I want to emphasize that I'm not searching for any new words here. I simply want to check whether "sports meeting" is used in some variety of English that I might not be familiar with.

Why the use of 'clock' in the following sentence?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 07:16 AM PDT

"Bob clocked Joe right in the nose."
In this sentence, "clocked" indicates that Bob punched Joe directly in Joe's nose.

How did 'clock' come to be used in such a way? Is it colloquial/vernacular to a specific region?

When to use conclusion and conclusions in a scientific article or report?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 05:51 AM PDT

I am writing a scientific report in English. For the final part, should I use conclusion or conclusions? I am a bit confused because in my memory it's an uncountable noun. But I saw many journal papers using either conclusion or the plural form conclusions.

Does that mean when using conclusions, there are more than one finding in the article?

Is there any difference between these two sentences?

Posted: 10 Apr 2021 07:14 AM PDT

Is there any difference between these sentences apart from structure?

The tiger is a ferocious animal.
Tigers are ferocious animals.
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