Thursday, May 27, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

what deos it mean, "the felt site"?

Posted: 27 May 2021 10:17 AM PDT

what does it mean, 'the felt sites' at the below sentence. "Guidoboni et al. [2007] classified five sites as "felt." For the present inversion, intensities of V were assigned to the felt sites inside the area of Figure 3a (the three arrows indicate San Giovanni in Persiceto, Novellara, and Padova). Thus, 51 total data points were used."

First word during the presentation [closed]

Posted: 27 May 2021 09:28 AM PDT

what are the appropriate beginnings of the presentation when the chair of the meeting introduces the speaker? It should consist of a greeting and thanks for the introduction.

Good morning, everyone and thank you for your introduction.

is strange. The first part of the sentence is for all, and the second part is only for the chair of the meeting.

Thank you for the introduction and good morning everyone.

is weird because the greeting should come first. Do you have any ideas for an optimal first sentence? Thank you

Talk about A more than B vs talk more about A than B

Posted: 27 May 2021 09:25 AM PDT

Which sentence has the correct grammar?

  1. I talk about A more than B.
  2. I talk more about A than B.

I think the first one is correct, while my friend uses the second one.

Dr. Karp's interview may ask children if they miss their biological parents or how long it has been since they saw their parents last time, all of which would sway them toward talking more about their biological parents than do other adults in the village.

The above sentence is what my friend wrote. I think the word, do, is redundant. Am I correct? Also, which one, "talk about A more than B" or "talk more about A than B", should we use in this sentence?

What is the equivalent in English of the French "pipotron"?

Posted: 27 May 2021 09:46 AM PDT

I cannot find a good translation in English of the French word "pipotron". Could you help me?

In French, it refers originally to an automated process to randomly generate sentences. Now it is a pejorative word describing a text mostly void of content (filler text) that looks like it was generated by a bot. This kind of text can mostly be found in marketing material, with lots of fashionable words (like "cloud computing", "innovation" or "disruptive"). I'm looking for this second meaning of the word "pipotron".

From "pipeau" (noun) and "pipoter" (verb): to say a lot of random, meaningless, misleading or hard to follow statements, in order to confuse or deceive the listeners. Commonly used by salesmen and politicians. It's pejorative. And from "-tron", same meaning as in English, to indicate that is an automated process.

The closest I can find is "bullshit (material)", but it is vulgar while "pipotron" is not.

How should I write this sentence in grammatically correct way? [closed]

Posted: 27 May 2021 08:12 AM PDT

This is my sentence:

Do you know what temperature and humidity in your room are?

Should I invert in your room and are? I don't know, maybe it will be more accurately: "Do you know what temperature and humidity are in your room?"

How should I write this sentence?

What's a word for a person who advocates always speaking literally? [closed]

Posted: 27 May 2021 07:44 AM PDT

When someone asks about my roots, I look at my feet and answer "I don't have any roots, I'm not a vegetable". And when someone asks me if I drink, I tell them that because I am a mammal, I would be dead if I didn't drink. Is there a word to describe people who only like literal communication?

Sentence structure: When should I use the "do" like in this sentence? [migrated]

Posted: 27 May 2021 07:40 AM PDT

From the sentence:

"They are nice and flashy on the outside, and they tell you all the great things that are inside but very rarely do you actually get to see inside the box. "

I feel natural that the "do" is placed here, but what is this situation called and how do I know when to use it?

big thanks!

Preposition needed: did not survive a certain timepoint

Posted: 27 May 2021 07:39 AM PDT

I have a sentence as follows. This should say that the patients who died during the observation period were excluded from analyses. Should I use a preposition after "survive"? I did a research but found nothing useful.

Patients, who did not survive at the end of the observation period, were excluded from the analysis.

Patients, who did not survive beyond the end of the observation period, were excluded from the analysis.

Patients, who did not survive the end of the observation period, were excluded from the analysis.

Meaning of "is the same size and"

Posted: 27 May 2021 07:20 AM PDT

The following sentence comes from https://android.googlesource.com/trusty/app/storage/

The key value is a hash of the file name and is the same size and the block number size for the file system.

Does "is the same size and the block number size for the file system." mean 1)The key value is the same with block number size Or 2) "Every key value is the same size. And it is the block number size."?

Which interpret is right? Why the author use "same size and" here not "same with"?

What will be a good idiom/noun form for "external problems"?

Posted: 27 May 2021 06:54 AM PDT

Question from a economics researcher: What will be a good idiom/noun form for "external problems"?

The idea is, to charge for some services, there is no problem inside the company, as all the managers agree that they should be charged. But, (predictably) the customers do not want to pay, as they got used to getting the services for free.

We want to give a label to this situation where the problem lays outside of the company. Your suggestions are highly appreciated.

What is it called when in a two-phrase sentence the second is unrelated to the first?

Posted: 27 May 2021 07:19 AM PDT

When we talk, each sentence that follows is related logically to the previous sentence, for example, we say:

"I get up in the morning (sentence 1) and brush my teeth (sentence 2)"

Sentence 2 makes sense to follow after sentence 1.

What if we say something like this:

"I get up in the morning (sentence 1) and dogs can't fly (sentence 2)"

Here sentence 2 makes no sense and is unrelated to sentence 1. Another example:

"It's cold today but my house is clean".

Is there a name for such phrases?

2nd conditional sentences [duplicate]

Posted: 27 May 2021 05:05 AM PDT

If I went to the shop and they did not have food, What would you eat? Does "did not have food " refers to "did not have food in past" as well as "does have food in present"? Or should I say "does not have food" to refer to present?

The term for a word for which the meaning is colloquially well understood, despite having a poor definition?

Posted: 27 May 2021 05:32 AM PDT

There are some words which everyone will understand what you mean when you use them, even though they are in fact ill-defined. Is there a term for this?

Examples of such words include gene and health/healthy, which has a poor molecular/exact definition but if you use it people will nevertheless know exactly what you mean.

Thank you!

Words with unusual pronounciations of initial letters F, R, S, and V [closed]

Posted: 27 May 2021 04:16 AM PDT

Just for fun I'm compiling an "improved" phonetic alphabet.

I'm stuck on some of the letters.

enter image description here

What would be "suitable" words for F, R, S, and V?

(Other improvement suggestions welcome.)

Are there any quotations that sound like this? [closed]

Posted: 27 May 2021 03:18 AM PDT

"Im an ________ and proud of it."

I will set up a call on next Thursday - acceptable? Or "for"?

Posted: 27 May 2021 05:23 AM PDT

I am not sure whether the "on" preposition is correct in this case, and whether the sentence itself makes sense: can't it be interpreted that I will set up the call next Thursday (when actually I want to set up the call to take place on next Thursday?)

Difference between "don't need to/needn't" & "don't have to" & "needn't have to"

Posted: 27 May 2021 02:47 AM PDT

Example:

I can manage the shopping alone. You ____ come with me.

Are those just the same thing? I mean it sounds natural if I interchange each of those, but let's see the example from my book:

  • Everything will be OK. You needn't worry. (It is not necessary)

  • Everything was OK. You needn't have worried. (you worried, but it was not necessary)

Does that mean needn't have to is used when something is done and needn't is used when something is going to happen or what?

What about don't have to?

And consider about this:

You ______ anymore. Which one should I put? "will" and "was/were" are not mentioned. In this case I don't know if the thing is going to happen or has happened.

Are "i.e." and "e.g." initialisms?

Posted: 27 May 2021 05:31 AM PDT

I was told that abbreviations consist of initialisms (FBI), acronyms (NATO, a.k.a.†), and shortened words (ad, bike).

† As Pete Kirkham have correctred me, for most people a.k.a. is an initialism.

But what about i.e. and e.g.? At the first glance, they look as initialisms, but typically we pronounce them as "for example" and "that is", not literally, like "eye ee".

So which subclass of abbreviations they belong to? Initialisms or maybe something different, and why? Are there reputable sources to classify them?

Is it men's or mens'? [duplicate]

Posted: 27 May 2021 04:32 AM PDT

Do I use mens' or men's if I wanted to say:

The swords of the men gleamed in the light.

Is it

  • The men's swords gleamed in the light.

or

  • The mens' swords gleamed in the light.

Is it correct to use a comma before naming a list of items in a sentence?

Posted: 27 May 2021 02:24 AM PDT

The question is about the first comma use in the sentences below. I have not seen such comma-punctuation in a sentence that continues with naming several listed items. Is the first comma in these sentences grammatically correct? Or should we replace this with a colon?

I bought several items from the shop including, tomatoes, bananas, ketchup, chocolate, cucumber, bread, butter, green tea and milk.

I bought several items from the shop such as, tomatoes, bananas, ketchup, chocolate, cucumber, bread, butter, green tea and milk.

Is object raising always possible in the sentences with "worth" or "worthwhile'? (the usage of "worth" and "worthwhile")

Posted: 27 May 2021 04:10 AM PDT

In the following passage from a school textbook, can I change sentence in bold type to listed ones #1 through #8 below?

Unexpectedly, everyone in the crowd leapt to their feet with their hands in the air. They were bursting with excited shouts and unending cheers for Ethan. In this moment, all of Ethan's hard work and dedication was being rewarded with glory. Ethan's touchdown didn't win the game, but it will be worth remembering. By now you're probably wondering why.

  1. It will be worth remembering it.(the first "it"=dummy subject, the last "it"=Ethan's touchdown).
  2. It will be worthwhile remembering.(the raising of "it" the object of "remembering")
  3. It will be worthwhile to remember.(the raising of "it" the object of "remember")
  4. It will be of great worth to remember.(the raising of "it" the object of "remember")
  5. It will be worth it remembering.(the raising of "it" the object of "remembering")
  6. It will be worth it remembering it.(the first "it"=dummy subject, the last "it"=Ethan's touchdown)

The sentences above are based on the following reference.

It's not worth fixing the car. =It's not worth it to fix the car. =The car is not worth fixing. (Merriam Webster Learner's dictionary, "worth")

Also based on the following reference, is the following #7 & #8 correct with grammar?

In campaign filings, Mr. Booker valued his stake in Waywire at several million dollars, though people familiar with the company's finances said it was unlikely it would ultimately be worth enough to return investors' money.(New York Times)

  1. It will be worth enough remembering.
  2. It will be worth enough to remember.

From ‘cupboard’, a chair is taken out?

Posted: 27 May 2021 02:49 AM PDT

It seems to me that 'cupboard' in the 21st century is usually a closet or cabinet; a piece of furniture usually with shelves for storing food, crockery, and utensils. But early in the 20th century, 'cupboard' was in most cases a recess with a door and shelves for storage of not only of cups and saucers, but also daily things such as a small chair. Now isn't this called a 'storage room'?

If I am right in my definition of this word, in what decades of the 20th century did this change or transition of lexical meaning occurred?

I was much surprised to find the unfamiliar usage of 'cupboard' in these stage directions, which are from Belinda, a play written by A. A. Milne in 1922.

  • (Takes up a vase from a chair in cupboard arid shakes it as if draining it.)
  • Baxter (meeting Belinda coming out of the cupboard)
  • Belinda (bundling him into the cupboard and closing the door). Hush.

Antonym of operational in the sense of larger scope, and non-recurrence but not military

Posted: 27 May 2021 07:06 AM PDT

I'm looking for a word in that is an antonym of operational in something other than "does it function" and the online dictionary/thesaurus don't have it. Can you help me find the word, and tell me how you did it so I can find it myself later?

How I would like to use it:

  • The enumerated operational deliverables are one, two, and three; while the enumerated _______ deliverables are exx, wie, and tzee.

Webster gives the following definition for "operational":
enter image description here

My purpose uses it in the sense of day-to-day operations.

It goes on to enumerate antonyms and synonyms as follows:
enter image description here

These are really on the "does it work vs. does it not work" spectrum. They are not on the "day-to-day, recurring, small scope, tactical operations as contrasted against serving a non-recurring, larger scoped, more strategic goal."

Options that don't work:

  • strategy vs. tactics: It is primarily military terminology about the execution of war, or about very high (CEO-scale) corporate jargon. I think of operations as the things that keep the factory lights on, place clean and operating properly, the machines supplied with their inputs, and with room to output their outputs.
  • Functional vs. non-functional. This is about scope, not about functionality.
  • Deliverable. It could be argued that a deliverable encompasses both operational and the word that I am trying to find.
  • Material. I work with folks who will view it as input to a production process and not as an outcome of a particular type of work.

(update) About what should work:

  • it is a kind of deliverable, but deliverable is too broad, and material gets confused with the 5M+E/Ishikawa input. It tends to be one-off instead of recurring. Balancing books is operations, but making the certification tests for the new mark-3 widget isn't the same thing.
  • it is an antonym to operational, as in not sweeping floors or keeping lights on. It is about scope of functionality, not whether or not function exists.
  • it is more strategic than tactical in terms of scope, but the word isn't strategic because of the baggage that comes with it. Sometimes it is tactical, as in local goal oriented. Mostly it serves strategic goals.

Use of 'in which'

Posted: 27 May 2021 03:04 AM PDT

Is the use of 'in which' correct in this context?

...and Fc is the flux vector:

enter image description here

where U is the velocity vector, ρ the density, p the pressure, E the total energy, and Vc=V.n the contravariant velocity, in which n is the unit normal vector to the face.

Thanks for your attention. I'm looking forward to your reply

"being able [noun] to [verb]" usage

Posted: 27 May 2021 02:01 AM PDT

I was reading a contract and I found this usage of "be able to" very unfamiliar.

If during the execution of the Project any product from which intellectual and/or industrial property may arise, the Receiving Party shall immediately inform X of the content of such rights. These rights shall belong exclusively to X, being able the latter to register in the corresponding Registers as the owner of such rights.

I guess it's just an inversion of "X being able to" but I'm not so sure. I googled this and I think it's a bit old and probably not common.

Word for somebody that is prejudiced against people who identify as non-binary?

Posted: 27 May 2021 02:04 AM PDT

What is the most specific way to describe somebody prejudiced against non-binary individuals?

For context on what I'm looking for:

  • A person who hates somebody because of their race, is racist
  • A person who hates somebody because they are transgender, is transphobic
  • A person who hates somebody because they are homosexual, is homophobic
  • A person who hates somebody because they are non-binary, is (?)

a tense in a subordinate clause

Posted: 27 May 2021 04:32 AM PDT

I watched Ace Ventura - Pet Detective and didn't understand past continuous usage in the scene which can be watched here: ''https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuhPPOXnyKo'' (0:42).

''I wouldn't want somebody tracing my steps, pointing out all the mistakes I was making''

One thing I know this sentence is reduced ''I wouldn't want somebody tracing my steps, pointing out all the mistakes I was making (e.g., if I were you)''

But why ''was making''?

I believe it doesn't refer to the past since context refer to present.

Thank you for helping me out.

What's the better wording: "Please assign this to the person responsible for the job"

Posted: 27 May 2021 10:01 AM PDT

I'm trying to come up with a better wording for this sentence:

Please assign this to the person responsible for the job.

I want to say "Please assign this to the appropriate person", but that doesn't sound right.

What's the alternative to "person responsible for the job"? "The responsible person"? "the right person"? "the appropriate person"? None of these sound right to me.

Is 'compatriate' really an English word?

Posted: 27 May 2021 05:43 AM PDT

I recently saw the word 'compatriate' used in a newspaper article. Upon looking it up, suspecting a typo (or even an eggcorn: it is easy to see how compatriot would be mixed-up with expatriate etc.), I was surprised to see Wiktionary vouch for the word with the sole explanation: "Alternative spelling of compatriot".

However, not only did my googling yield extremely few credible uses of this spelling, none of the dictionaries I have access to have ever heard of it: both dictionary.com and Merriam Webster do not return anything.

While I don't want to cast unfair aspersions on Wiktionary's reliability, I find it slightly suspicious that no other online sources mention this spelling... And if it is an acceptable spelling, I would love to know what is its relation to the main spelling and whether it is tied to particular regional or historical practices.
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