Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Is it fine to describe a document as "lovely document"?

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 12:48 PM PDT

In a chat with my colleagues, they sent me a document that explains how to write good learning objectives and I liked it so I said "Lovely document, Thanks for sharing". Is that wrong?.

Thanks!

A digger or an academic

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 12:57 PM PDT

In one of Jeffery Archer's Prison Diary books (written ca. 2002) he asks a fellow inmate, a PhD student*, whether he is "a digger or an academic".

What is the meaning of "digger" in this context? I see occasional use of the term "goal digger", an obvious play on "gold digger", presumably someone who just wants collect the credential versus one who intends to pursue a career in academia.

Would that be a correct guess as to the meaning?

* He read marine anthropology at Manchester University

"Begin" + infinitive: in the past (perhaps) there has been some activity

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 12:18 PM PDT

In the first meaning of begin, it is possible to use the -ing form or the to + verb (infinitive) form after it:

She stood up and began playing or to play the trumpet.

With the -ing form we expect the trumpet playing to go on for a while, and assume that in the past (perhaps) there has been some playing.

https://www.wordreference.com/definition/begin

How is it possible for there to be some playing in the past when it has just began ?

Can't you say She began to play again?

How can I make this sentence grammatically correct? [closed]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 11:56 AM PDT

"I am now in the same position as you were in two years ago"

How do I ask what "number" Obama was president at? [duplicate]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 11:05 AM PDT

This is a very confusing thing for me. I know the title of the question isn't very clear but here is an explanation. I can ask the question, "Who was the 44th president of the USA?" and I would get the answer as Barack Obama. But how can I ask the inverse of this question? Like giving you the president and getting back "44th." In my native language this is very easy and translating it to English is damn near impossible. I'm very curious to know.

Please help me understand this sentence~ [closed]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

"Each jurisdiction needs to state clearly whether it is for what it is on the table or against it and there's no third option," he said.

From the above sentence I'm not very clear the meaning of the boldface sentence. Could anyone try rephrasing it so I can have a better understanding of it？Thanks.

"On a scale" vs "over a scale"? [closed]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 09:08 AM PDT

What is the difference between "something acts on a scale" vs "something acts over a scale"?

Ex.

  • A force that acts on a large scale.
  • A force that acts OVER a large scale.

THERE IS/ THERE ARE / SO - CONJUNCTION [closed]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 09:10 AM PDT

Which of the following sentences are correct?

Q.1:

  • There is a big fridge to store different types of food.
  • There is a big fridge so I can store different types of food.

=> I think both are fine but not so sure about it.

Q.2:

  • There is a big garden so my family can drink coffee here together.
  • There is a big garden so my family can drink coffee together.

=> I think the first one is correct.

Please help me choose the correct sentences in both cases, thanks a lot!

Is there a word to describe my son's step-mother as she relates to me (the ex-wife) ,other than step-mother to my child or my ex's spouse? [closed]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 10:10 AM PDT

Is there a word to describe my son's step-mother as she relates to me (the ex-wife) ,other than step-mother to my child or my ex's spouse? I am writing an article about my son's step-mother. I am looking for a term/word that would describe our relationship (step-mom to mom) other than my son's step-mother or my ex's spouse.

"We wait". Imperative? [closed]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 07:47 AM PDT

-What now?

-We wait.

"We wait" doesn't look like imperative to me. What is it in this context?

Is “I've been there” the idiomatic expression here, in “His Last Bow”? [closed]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 07:27 AM PDT

I'd like to ask about the sentence from His Last Bow by Conan Doyle.

".. It was on my first arrival. I was invited to a week-end gathering at the country house of a cabinet minister. The conversation was amazingly indiscreet." Von Bork nodded. "I've been there," said he dryly.

The first remark in the quote was spoken by Baron Von Herling, the chief secretary of the legation. And the second one is, as you can see, by Von Bork, an international spy.

I just wanted to make sure the meaning of this "I've been there", the Von Bork's remark.

This is of course an idiomatic expression which means "I have the same (similar) experience as you do" "I know how it is, how you feel because I too have gone through that", right? I mean, how can it mean otherwise when the baron only mentioned "gathering in the country house of a cabinet minister"? Von Bork had no way to tell which cabinet minister the baron meant. Hence Von Bork, being a spy, had similar experiences where some English politicians spoke too candidly. Am I right?

form: 'be'+'noun'+'passive verb' [closed]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 07:30 AM PDT

I can't find a reference and explanation for legality of the form:

 'be'+'noun'+'passive verb'

Example (is a shelter built):

  An igloo is a shelter built from blocks of solid snow.

"I have been there (for) once". Is the 'for' needed? [migrated]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 06:09 AM PDT

My friend told me that the 'for' is not needed. Is that correct? If it is, I remember seeing usages like "I will wait for you for once." somewhere else, but how is the 'for' used differently in these two sentences?

Article usage in two sentences [duplicate]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 05:44 AM PDT

Two sentences:

  1. She underwent emergency surgery.
  2. I had to undergo a medical examination when I started my new job.

Why in sentence one the article "an" is not required before "emergency surgery", but sentence two requires the "a" before "medical examination"?

In sentence one, I could put "an" before "emergency surgery", but it isn't required. Why is that?

My most gracious appreciation for anyone who can offer some insight. Thank you.

What is a word to describe someone who likes being together with others but not necessarily sociable or a "social butterfly"? [duplicate]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 04:37 AM PDT

To describe someone who always likes being in a group and doing everything together with people (i.e. too shy to do things alone) but not necessarily outgoing or sociable, or as they call "a social butterfly"?

example: I am a _______ / I am very ______

What do we call a price that is chosen by a customer?

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 11:28 AM PDT

I'm a native French speaker.

In recent years, there has been a new concept of price in French that is "prix libre". A literal translation of "prix libre" is "free price".

This concept means that a seller proposes that the customer has to decide what amount of money he is willing to give for a given good or service. It especially applies to some cultural events. It implies that you may purchase something with a "prix libre" for free (0$/€/...), but the seller encourages the customer to pay something. It is not really seen as a "tip".

My goal is to put this expression on a website where we propose to download a document at "prix libre".

Word or phrase for describing something negatively but only lightly to detract from how bad it really is

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 12:54 PM PDT

i.e. an old rusted car that barely starts

and the used car salesman says:

She's a little worse for wear, but [insert pitch]

acknowledging the car has negative qualities or traits, but minimizing the reality of how bad it really is.

Or a hair dresser slips leaving a bald spot shaved into your scalp

and the hairdresser says:

Have a rough spot there, but [insert platitude]

What are the salesman and hairdresser doing? Minimizing negative attention by acknowledging it mildly then moving on

Looking for a single word or phrase. If single word, it could be used as: "Have to be careful with that Jimmy, he's always [word]."

I've considered downplay, minimize, etc. And while it's close, I'm looking specifically for the acknowledgement of the negative attribute "in passing" as a way to downplay, or minimize.

Is there a term for sharing a word between multiple lines of a poem/song?

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 09:22 AM PDT

In Jonathan Coulton's "Sticking It To Myself," the first word or phrase in one line (bolded) often also serves as the last word in the next line without repetition:

And I heard everything you said
Those things to try to get inside my head
Is full ...

Sticking it to my-
Self-control
That's not the only thing I lack
A plan
Just my own gun against my
Back down now and let this hostage
Go away

This is as opposed to the chorus of The Wanted's "Glad You Came," which does something similar but repeats the word on the next line:

Turn the lights out now
Now I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time?
Time is slipping away
Away from us, so stay
Stay with me, I can make
Make you glad you came

What The Wanted's "Glad You Came" does by repeating the last words of one line in the start of the next line is called anadiplosis, but the name of the rhetorical scheme or literary device I'm seeking is that of the first example where the words at the end of one line are not repeated but instead themselves become the words that start the next line. Is there a name for this rhetorical scheme or literary device? If so, what is it?

"Throw it on the pile" - where did this idiom come from?

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 07:00 AM PDT

("throw it in the pile" or "just throw it on the pile" are also acceptable variants)

I have seen this expression being used a lot. Based on context and intuition, I figured it has an idiomatic meaning, something like this. "It" refers something that should normally be significant, but this idiom is saying that we already have so many of things like "it" that "it" is no longer important. Here, "it" can refer to any kinds of thing, physical objects, facts, abstract concepts...

I tried searching around, but all I get is a whole bunch of different places that use the same expression. This affirms the fact that this is a common idiom, but make it hard to figure out the source.

I tried to search on the idiom dictionary but got nothing.

So does anyone know the source for this? Also, is my interpretation of the phrase correct? Thank you.

(I have also seen visual gags invoking this idiom as well: a character in movie or cartoon casually throw something valuable - like gold, or medal - into a big pile of similar stuff)

You can find plenty of examples by just searching for the phrase, but here is a random webpage just to make it concrete: https://bookmachine.org/2012/04/05/pottermore-sells-1-million-in-three-days-rowling-instructs-minions-just-throw-it-on-the-pile/

Do we use reflexive pronoun after "Keep"? [closed]

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 04:32 AM PDT

Is this sentence correct : We must do regular exercises to keep ourselves fit.

Because I read somewhere that we should not use reflexives with the following words: keep, hid bath, turn, stop, start, shave etc.

What is the word that means there is a difference in import of the same words when the exact same words are spoken by a different person

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 10:18 AM PDT

I have come across this word in a book; it gives the example:

If a layman says "I now pronounce you man and wife," it doesn't make the couple husband and wife.

But when the same words are spoken by a priest, it makes them husband and wife.

The word possibly starts with either "i" or "l".

What does 'Big Hand, Small Map' mean?

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 06:41 AM PDT

I heard someone saying that a few days ago, but provided the context, I still couldn't grasp what he meant with that.

By the way, I didn't find it on the internet either.

Making sense of dollars and "geetus"

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 12:39 PM PDT

Of all the slang words for money, one of the oddest to me is geetus. The word appears here in an article from 2013, although the word is much older than that.

Let's make no mistake about it. The reason this Killeen landmark is going away is not complaints, it's about greenbacks, geetus, Benjamins, whatever you call that stuff we need to get through life. This money man made the landowners an offer they couldn't refuse.

Green's Dictionary of Slang defines it as US slang meaning "money" and attests the range of use from 1926 to at least 2004.

The etymology is listed as unknown, possibly from "get us." Green offers a surprisingly large number and vast range of spelling forms for such a recent word:

  • geetus
  • geetas
  • geeters
  • geets
  • ghedis
  • gietus

Dictionary.com, citing The Dictionary of American Slang, offers a somewhat different definition (though this citation is likely inaccurate. See Sven Yarg's answer):

A person who tends to reverse or alter traditional Money

Pitchman must give the store a 40 percent cut on the "geedus"/ I'm spendin' my hard-earned geets (1930s+ Underworld & hawkers)

  • Dictionary.com citing The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.

The earliest uses I can find are all from California, which makes me wonder if the term originated on the U.S. west coast. One example:

Ernie Nevers followed the illustrious Wheaton iceman and made $35,000 in Florida without even looking at the liquid real estate. George Wilson followed the example of the other pair of famous All Americans but is still short three collars and a cuff of having enough "geetus" to start the haberdashy house he plans for Los Angeles.

Questions

  1. Is there any evidence beyond speculation that "geetus" possibly derived from "get us?" Is there any other etymological explanation?

  2. Did the term come from California, and is it associated with any other cultural context more specific than US?

  3. (Optional bonus): How does The Dictionary of American Slang definition fit in? What is meant by "A person who tends to reverse or alter traditional money?" Every sense of the word in use that I can find seems to refer to money itself.

Positive word describing something that is not high-tech?

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 12:57 PM PDT

The company where I work has developed a product that is very easy to use and that doesn't need a computer or electricity to run (in contrast to competing products). Now we are looking for a word or short phrase to use in our marketing that describes this.

One alternative is "low-tech" (as the opposit of "high-tech"), but some of my co-workers find that it has a negative feeling.

"Simple" has also been voted down in other contexts, as being too negative.

We would use the word/phrase in this kind of context:

[Product name]: Low-tech, low cost, high performance!

How would you describe something that is easy to use and doesn't require electricity?

(None of us are native English speakers, so we're not sure if our feelings about words are "correct".)

Edit: Our target market are scientists, so they are used to working with complex equipment. If you are not using it yet, the "ideal" is still to use this equipment. That is why "low-tech" might feel negative. We are trying to target those that can't afford the complex equipment or are tired of the complexity.

Are "kinda", "sorta", "oughta" and "sposta" acceptable in formal writing?

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 10:11 AM PDT

I get that sorta, kinda, sorta-kinda (this one I quite like though) oughta and sposta imitate speech but it still niggles me to find them "in print", especially when the overall tone is formal.

Occasionally, I have read detailed answers on EL&U in otherwise impeccable, faultless English, containing any one or more of these 'dialectal' expressions. I have asked myself what was the aim of the writer, when the rest of the answer is formal and technical in style.

Outside of EL&U are there examples of formal and scholarly texts which contain any of the above expressions? And, ironically, are these forms considered ungrammatical/non-standard when used in informal writing but perfectly acceptable in formal writing when written by an academician?

Tidbit
Google Ngram shows that kinda has been enjoying a massive rise in popularity since 1982, while the other colloquialisms have remained steady.

Is there a word for when an action has an effect opposite to the one intended?

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 07:38 AM PDT

Is there a word or phrase to express the concept of an action having the opposite effect of the expected outcome?

For example, a drug taken to cure headaches that actually causes headaches, or an advertising campaign designed to deter smoking that leads to an increase in smoking.
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