Saturday, May 29, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

What does "minority" mean in this speech?

Posted: 29 May 2021 03:59 PM PDT

[[26]]Mussalmans are not a minority as it is commonly known and understood. One has only got to look round. Even today, according to the British map of India, out of eleven provinces, four provinces where the Muslims dominate more or less, are functioning notwithstanding the decision of the Hindu Congress High Command to non-cooperate and prepare for civil disobedience.

Source: Presidential address by Muhammad Ali Jinnah to the Muslim League, Lahore, 1940

I thought 4/11 means Mussalmans are a minority

What does the expression "in with the loaves, out with the fairy cakes" mean?

Posted: 29 May 2021 03:32 PM PDT

In this recent news article I noted the following quote, attributed to a Cornish fisherman:

Another fisher, David Bliss, added: "It's a bit stupid isn't it, let's be honest. They've gone in with the loaves and come out with the fairy cakes.

What does it mean? I've tried Googling but mostly get recipes for fairy bread.

Are quantities of units considered singular or plural? [duplicate]

Posted: 29 May 2021 03:07 PM PDT

Whenever I recite recipes or measurements in my head, the quantity of units is usually plural, but I find myself using singular verbs. For instance, "three cups of butter yields 12 batches" or "when measuring speed, five people gives a 20% increase." I figured that since three cups is obviously plural, it should be "three cups of butter yield 12 batches" and "when measuring speed, five people give a 20% increase." But that just doesn't sound right at all, to my ears at least.
This might also just be a poor understanding of English on my part, since I didn't grow up with fluent English speaker, but I'm certain that I've heard other people (including my grammar puritan English teacher) talk like this before.

Pronunciation of 'dogged' [duplicate]

Posted: 29 May 2021 02:27 PM PDT

What's the correct way to pronounce 'dogged' ("He was dogged"/"dogged pursuit")? Is the 'e' silent or a schwa? Is it the same for the past of 'to dog' and for the adjective?

(What I tried so far: I asked Google translate to pronoune "He was dogged" and the e was silent; I looked it up in Merriam Webster's and it says the e is a schwa, but only for the adjective... I trust Merriam Webster's more than Google, but I still can't rule out that maybe the adjective is different than the past tense of the verb...)

Sinecurist synonyms

Posted: 29 May 2021 03:05 PM PDT

So my native language has a word whose definition is

a person who has become a public sector employee through a nepotistic relationship or political party affiliation, normally without the required skills or qualifications for that position.

I was trying to think of a word in English which at least partially covers this meaning. All I could think of was a sinecurist, but does anyone have any other suggestions? Preferably something a bit more informal and derogatory.

What does a "non-cooperate and prepare for civil disobedience" mean in this speech?

Posted: 29 May 2021 02:16 PM PDT

[[26]]Mussalmans are not a minority as it is commonly known and understood. One has only got to look round. Even today, according to the British map of India, out of eleven provinces, four provinces where the Muslims dominate more or less, are functioning notwithstanding the decision of the Hindu Congress High Command to non-cooperate and prepare for civil disobedience.

Source: Presidential address by Muhammad Ali Jinnah to the Muslim League, Lahore, 1940

What does "non-cooperate and prepare for civil disobedience" mean in this quote?

Does "No beggar, I," as a response sound smart or not? [closed]

Posted: 29 May 2021 11:29 AM PDT

I wrote the response, "No beggar, I," in dialog. A reader suggested that it made the speaker sound stupid. I thought it sounded sophisticated. In my head, it sounds like something that might have come from Shakespeare or something like that. I could of course change it to "I am no beggar," but I liked the way the first one sounded.

In my free time I enjoy tutoring English to younger students which is why I would love to become a teacher one day. - question about a comma [closed]

Posted: 29 May 2021 11:10 AM PDT

I am unsure as to whether there should be a comma or not.

Sentence A: In my free time I enjoy tutoring English to younger students which is why I would love to become a teacher one day.

Sentence B: In my free time, I enjoy tutoring English to younger students which is why I would love to become a teacher one day.

Also, should there be a comma before ´which´?

Can you see if there is any awkwardness in the brand slogan? [closed]

Posted: 29 May 2021 10:48 AM PDT

Is there any awkwardness in these sentences? These are brand slogans so I need a casual expression. I would appreciate it even if you recommend it with a similar feeling :>

1 Here we go up! Cycle never ends.

2 We PREPARE, We IMAGINE, We PLAY

put more weight on something

Posted: 29 May 2021 08:49 AM PDT

I found in the transcript of the debate between Russell and Copleston the sentence,

I'd like to put the main weight on the metaphysical argument.

Can the phrase "put more weight on something" mean "to attach more importance" to it?

For example, does it make sense to say the following?

Compared to person B, person A puts more weight on psychological aspects.

Using the article "a" for plural [duplicate]

Posted: 29 May 2021 08:13 AM PDT

I came across a sentence in my advanced book:

"Mobile phones are a public nuisance and should be banned."

I am aware of the structure

"The mobile phone is a ~"

Where the is used to refer to all mobile phones. Is the meaning of the second sentence the same?

What's the meaning of "for all that unwanted attention"? [migrated]

Posted: 29 May 2021 08:22 AM PDT

It is a perfect day for a bike ride. And for wearing fitted sweats afterwards to the supermarket for all that unwanted attention.

I'm not sure what she meant here with "for all that unwanted attention". Does it mean to get unwanted attention or to avoid it?

Georeferencing vs. Geo-referencing [closed]

Posted: 29 May 2021 07:45 AM PDT

What would be the correct spelling:

  1. georeferencing or
  2. geo-referencing?

I'm writing my PhD on the topic and would prefer to write correctly, of course. Some research I've conducted already:

Merriam-Webster

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary does not know the term: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/georeferencing (as of today).

However, looking at somewhat similar terms, I can see no clear pattern:

  • geo-economics (perhaps a more common word than georeferencing): the website notes, that geoeconomics is less common compared to geo-economics
  • geospatial (more closely related to the topic of georeferencing): dash form is not mentioned

Encyclopedia of Database Systems

Uses georeferencing (without dash): https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-0-387-39940-9_181

The same author also published a book in 2009 titled Georeferencing https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/georeferencing .

Scientific field

The authors use both spellings; however, most are non-native English speakers. Additionally, it is not always necessary that their texts were checked by a professional before publication. Following are two lists of some selected publications grouped together by their usage of the word georeferencing.

Using 1. option:

Using 2. option:

Similarly, geo-information is used by an international journal from the field https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijgi

How does long vowels being written as <VCe> cause Modern English to spell tense vowels this way?

Posted: 29 May 2021 11:41 AM PDT

Please see the sentences at the bottom, beside my red line?

  1. How was "a long vowel being written as < VCe > so common"?

  2. How does this appertain to the English convention "that this is a normal way to spell tense vowels"?

enter image description here

The letters <i> and <j> were in free variation: tiim tijm 'time', iuge juge 'judge' as were <u> and <v>: up vp 'up', euen even 'even'. The letter <i> was considered allograph of <y>. One phonological change involving vowels also affected the relationship of vowels were neutralized to /ə/, language and writing. In Middle English unstressed and sometimes lost; the writing, however, retained the etymological vowel. Thus in writing today, one needs to know the etymological spelling of a word. For example, the first and third syllables of the words serene and divine were both unstressed and the vowel in these syllables became /ə/: Mid. Eng. /sə're:nə/ and /də'vi:nə/. The final syllable is spelled <e> in both cases, but the first syllableis spelled differently in the two words, <se-, di->, reflecting the history of the words. Today, English speakers often stumble over pairs such as affect and effect; both words are normally pronounced /a'fekt/,but distinguished in spelling by the etymological vowel. In Late Middle English, unstressed <e> /ə/ was lost in word-final syllables: /də'vi:nə/ > /də'vi:n/, and /sə're:nə/ > /sə're:n/, but again the spelling did not change to reflect this change in pronunciation. The situation of a long vowel being written as <VCe> was so common that in Modern English the convention has arisen that this is a normal way to spell tense vowels: e.g., bite, made, rose, cute.

Henry Rogers, Writing Systems (2004), p 190.

'the one you said you liked best' - Analysis of a relative clause using CGEL

Posted: 29 May 2021 08:42 AM PDT

I'm currently reading "A Student's Introduction to English Grammar" by Geoffrey K. Pullum and Rodney Huddleston.

I'm bewildered by the following exercise, which asks us to identify the relative phrase, along with the relative element, its function and its antecedent.

Which is the one you said you liked best?

My analysis is as follows: Which is the one [you said [you liked best]]? I treat which as part of the main clause (even though one could make a point to the contrary, I basically treat it as This in This is the one you said you liked best.

you liked best — subordinate content clause

you said you liked best — relative clause

antecedent — the one

function of the covert relativised element (in the relative clause) - direct object

Does anyone with knowledge of the CGEL (The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language) framework have any input on this? In particular, I'm interested whether Which can be considered to be the antecedent, or maybe even part of the relative clause itself.

What does the intonation pattern on "online" mean or imply?

Posted: 29 May 2021 12:24 PM PDT

What does the speaker mean or imply with the intonation on "online" at 0:31 around? A negative and doubtful query? Does the intonation pattern on "online" completely fall at the end? Or, does it slightly rise at the end because it occurs before a pause - intonation unit?

Talk of the town be true

Posted: 29 May 2021 07:01 AM PDT

"Oh I see what she do

But I can do it better

And the talk of the town be true

That I'll make you forget her"

(And as follows: «How can you hate something that you ain't ever tried / You've got to lose control most every night / You see what they do / We can do it better, yeah, I'm talking to you»)

BE

Could you explain, if it's even explainable, why the form «be» was used here? A lot of people say that in songs authors often neglect the rules. It's true, but it happens when they'd like to make it sound more natural (or to stylize), even if it's not completely grammatically correct. It's not quite natural in a colloquial speech to say BE in the middle of the sentence, is it? Then, for poetry, is the use of BE more rhythmical than IS? I guess no. In the first line, ok, it is ) This is the song by Kylie Minogue, Australian singer, but was written by the English songwriter Nerina Pallot.

So I'm interested in motivation of the «be» here. My only guess here was: maybe a kind of subjunctive, no? I'm not an English speaker (of course :-) )

What's this window position called?

Posted: 29 May 2021 02:00 PM PDT

If there is even the English name for this, please tell me. enter image description here

Make or do a drawing [closed]

Posted: 29 May 2021 02:24 PM PDT

Please help me out: When asking young children to use their pencils or markers do they: 1.do a drawing or make a drawing? 2. If the instruction is to draw a circle( with their marker or pencil) do they " do a circle or make a circle?"

Etymology of the phrase "fine art"?

Posted: 29 May 2021 10:57 AM PDT

I'm reading in a book:

A work of fine art is "fine" not because it is "refined" or "finished," but because it is an end (finis, Latin, means end) in itself.

Can anyone corroborate that? Multiple online dictionaries seem to disagree and sites like Wikipedia don't even bother with the etymology of the phrase... 🤔

Expend vs. Spend: is my understanding of the semantic difference between "Expend" and "Spend" correct?

Posted: 29 May 2021 08:08 AM PDT

I, sort of, tried to handpick the best resources and dictionaries for the semantic comparison/distinction of these two words. From those, I will share the definitions by the dictionaries I mainly tend to use.

Cambridge Dictionary

defines Expend, as:

Verb [T]: to use or spend time, effort, or money.

defines Spend, as:

Verb [I or T]: to give money as a payment for something:

Collins Dictionary

defines Expend as:

Verb: To expend something, especially energy, time, or money, means to use it or spend it.

defines Spend as:

Verb: When you spend money, you pay money for things that you want.

Is my understand correct, that:

Expend serves a bit more generic purpose in the cases, where we want to apply semantics of the Consuming some finite resource, be it a money, energy, fuel, or etc.

whilst

Spend defines exclusively the meaning of Spending money for something?

What's the expression of "necessarily satisfied" in mathematics?

Posted: 29 May 2021 04:20 PM PDT

I want to say:

Consider a>b, if b>c, then a>c is necessarily satisfied.

Will it be better by using "must"

Consider a>b, if b>c, then a>c must be satisfied.

or with nothing

Consider a>b, if b>c, then a>c is satisfied.

Thank you very much!

More clearly, I want to use "satisfied" because a>c is a constraint where "a" is a variable while "b" and "c" are constants. I want to express that since "a>b", if "b>c", then constraint "a>c" should not be considered. So how should I express this? Thnaks for your suggestion.

Can a dependent clause be connected to another dependent clause to form a meaningful sentence?

Posted: 29 May 2021 11:03 AM PDT

I encountered with a sentence:

Because even tiny islets can be the basis for claims to the fisheries and oil fields of large sea areas under provisions of the new maritime code, which is already stimulating international disputes over inhabited islands.

The sentence is definitely wrong but I was wondering if 2 dependent clause can form a sentence or an independent clause is a must.

Crosswalk (cross-walk) as a verb

Posted: 29 May 2021 06:01 AM PDT

I have seen the word crosswalk (cross-walk) used as a transitive verb in the sense of align, compare, connect, link, relate, etc. ("Crosswalk your labor categories to the tasks in the statement of work.") ("We will crosswalk your estimated costs to each of the contract tasks.") I cannot find this usage in any dictionary, but I have seen it in some legal decisions and government documents, and I have seen some scholarly articles that mention or describe various kinds of "crosswalk analysis."

When did this usage begin? In what field or profession?

Looking for a different word to use than 'Dear'

Posted: 29 May 2021 10:50 AM PDT

I wondered if there might be another word to use besides 'Dear' in a formal letter for business purposes. Many of the letters that I write to address people concerning social, economic, business or political issues require some polite form of address. However, 'Dear' seems a bit too affectionate to me when I might dislike the person actually.

I know that English is influenced greatly by many foreign languages including German, French, Italian, Gaelic, Danish, Swedish, Latin, Greek, Spanish and various other languages to a lesser degree such as the various Amerindian, Indian, and African languages.

Surely one of these languages has a formal term of address that is one word though it lacks any connotation of affection?

Any suggestions?

Word for disposable cutlery etc preferably without using "disposable"

Posted: 29 May 2021 11:24 AM PDT

Is there one word (or phrase) to describe all forms of disposable cutlery etc, such as paper cups, paper napkins, paper/plastic spoons and forks, plates, etc. ?

I thought of disposable cutlery itself, and apart from that the common synonyms such as tableware, but is there one word that describes this specifically, preferably without using the word disposable at all?

Edit:

I appreciate the answers I have got till now, but many of the solutions are of the form disposable < synonym of cutlery >. While that is fine, if possible, I would prefer to have a word or phrase not containing the word disposable. The idea is to remove the negative connotation that might arise with the word disposable. Thank you.

A query about the use of Generic Reference with nationalities

Posted: 29 May 2021 11:48 AM PDT

In English, generic reference takes three possible forms:

A. Cats are cute.

B. A cat is cute.

C. The cat is cute.

But the names of nationalities seem to me to make an exception to this rule. As far as I know, when referring to all the members of a nation, you can only use the C version: The Italians are musical, or The French are posh, or The British are cold.

Why is it that in this case only C is considered grammatically correct? If all the Italians, or all the French, or all the British are musical, posh, or cold, why can't we also say:

A. *Italians are... // *French are... // *British are...

or

B. *An Italian is... // *A French is... // *A British is...

?

Idiom/phrase which means "to pretend not to understand or know"

Posted: 29 May 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Sometimes (well, often) people pretend not to understand what's going on (or pretend not to understand what the other person means, etc.) when in fact they do perfectly well.

For example, Person A is hoping that his friend Person B would let him crash at his place for a couple of days, but, so as not to appear too intrusive, he wants Person B to invite him instead of asking directly. So, he says to his friend:

Hey, Person B! I've just been kicked out of my house and I have nowhere to go. I really have to figure out where to stay the next couple of days.

Person B understands that Person A is hoping that he would offer him to stay at his place. But he chooses to pretend not to understand, and, instead of saying sorry and explaining why Person A cannot stay at his place, person B says:

There's a nice hotel near here, and it's not very expensive. I can give you the address.

Another example. Person B has secretly stolen the wallet of Person A. Person A has figured out that it was person B and when they meet, he says:

My wallet was stolen the other day.

Person B says:

Really? Oh, that's so unfortunate!

What idioms in English would one use to describe the behavior of Person B in the sample situations? I.e. pretending to be stupid or pretending not to understand something rather obvious, or pretending not to know something that you know; in other words, consciously imitating ignorance, indifference, or innocence.

In Russian, the idiom is to pretend to be a fire hose (прикидываться шлангом) or to pretend to be a boot (прикидываться валенком). The Armenian idiom is to pretend to be a donkey (իրեն էշի տեղ դնել). For me, these phrases are not quite unimaginative and cause a certain amount of amusement. I am hoping to find an English equivalent (or equivalents) that would be informal and/or sound funny(-ish), but that's not essential.

Naturally, I tried to look up the translation in the dictionary before asking, but to no avail, presumably because the phrases mentioned above are rather informal.

Origin of "kicker" in reference to unexpected situation or detail

Posted: 29 May 2021 04:11 PM PDT

How did this use of the word kicker enter the English language, and is its use localized to any one region?

An unexpected situation or detail.

Examples:

John wants to climb the wall, but the kicker is that it is thirty feet tall.
Here's the kicker: my sweater, which cost hundreds of both dollars and hours, doesn't fit. The sleeves are a good six inches too short... Here's the kicker to the kicker: I don't care.
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