Thursday, June 3, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

'Frame' or "frames' of reference

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 09:31 AM PDT

I am stuck on whether to use 'frame' or 'frames' of reference.

Example sentences:

This study seeks to add value to the theologies of the Hebrew Scriptures in both its Hebrew and Greek frame/frames of reference.

and

... exploring beliefs and ideologies when reference is made to the Divine in both its Hebrew and Greek conceptual frame/frames of reference.

Help me choose the right answer [closed]

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 08:58 AM PDT

‏I'm preparing for tofel so I found this question

Q.) -------------------- have at least four hours of hazardous materials response retraining is mandated by federal law.

a) all police officers
b) all police officers must
c) that all police officers
d) for all police officers

Which one is right and why?

Is there a way or a word to denote the status when you dislike someone strongly and you don't want to see them? [closed]

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 08:34 AM PDT

For example, you hate someone very much but instead of an ongoing resentment, all it takes is just that you avoid seeing them again. As long as you don't see them, you let it go, but once you meet them, you are certainly going to do something about it. Need a word or phrase.

Here is an example

I'm not going to the party because there are people I ______.

when I stopped eating red meat for 3 months, I was iron deficient , since I didn't have enough veggies either or since I didn't had enough veggies? [duplicate]

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 07:45 AM PDT

I always get confused about ​[ Asking if he has already had his dinner] did you had your dinner? did you have your dinner? Have you had your dinner?
I was iron deficient , since I didn't have (as in eat) enough veggies or since I didn't had enough veggies??

Please advice

Also can someone please recommend tools/ways I could correct pronunciation of words?

Is it a proper paragraph for introducing myself? [closed]

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 07:24 AM PDT

I have prepared this paragraph for introducing myself in my Linkedin about part:

"I was in love with computers since my childhood, Now I study Computer Engineering and love Programing, Algorithm and Technology as my main interests, I love Teaching and Content Creating too. I try to concentrate on all of these and even make connection between them! I always try to be passionate and do my best in them."

Here is my Linkedin page

now:

  • I placed an I in first of paragraph, can I omit other Is came after and write those sentences without I in first?

  • is "Algorithm and Technology" correct or I should write plural form "Algorithms and Technologies" instead?

Please help me to make it better and correct literature problems if it has any. Thanks!

Flight will operate or flight will be operated [closed]

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 09:06 AM PDT

Which one would be a better or grammatically accurate sentence?

Additional flights will operate weekly every Friday from July.

OR

Additional flights will be operated weekly every Friday from July.

Thanks

How to understand 'a sound principle'

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 07:02 AM PDT

A sound principle seems to be commonly used. But sound has several meanings, it can either refer to solid and strong or free from error.

Is a sound principle like a solid principle or a wise principle (showing good judgment)?

Is there a term in Journalism that means "words written as they will be printed"?

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 07:25 AM PDT

In charge of a workplace newsletter, I constantly receive E-mails with requests that I include notices in the next issue, but they will read like this:

"Please post an announcement for Bob's birthday party, on Tuesday. Tell people to bring one dish, it will be a potluck."

I want to encourage people to actually send us the text that they actually want to appear in the newsletter. I end up having to rewrite their message, which can introduce errors, which they will blame on me; and often the actual message isn't any longer than what they send me, so no extra work for them.

Is there a genuine term, probably a noun, in Journalism used to describe such "words, exactly as they will appear when in print"?

About usage of 'demarcation'

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 05:00 AM PDT

I think I am confused about 'demarcation'. Its definition in Webster dictionary is: something that marks or constitutes a boundary.

However, can it be replaced by simpler words like a boundary line?

For example: a sharp demarcation between public and private space, can I say:'a distinct boundary line between public and private space' instead?

I am confused with the usage of word 'by' [migrated]

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 03:01 AM PDT

I read a sentence : Have you ever been bitten by a dog? but usually when we use 'by' we don't put a/the/my before noun. Can somebody explain me why we did that here?

What's an idiom/expression for someone with unstable financial status? [closed]

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 03:52 AM PDT

Like "heavy pockets" for someone with a lot of cash.

Is it OK to end a paragraph with a colon? [closed]

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 02:19 AM PDT

As in the title, is it acceptable to end a paragraph with a colon instead of a period? I am thinking in particular about a paragraph introducing a new concept, which is then explained in detail in the following one.

The answer is perhaps style-dependent. As far as I know, The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) does not exclude this possibility, so I would conclude that it is OK. Do you agree?

EDIT: From the CMS, 17th Edition (Chapter 2, section 2.12)

Be sure to eliminate any extra character space or tab after the final punctuation at the end of a paragraph; the hard return should follow the punctuation immediately.

Meaning of "the lock of someone's personality"

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 01:54 AM PDT

I'm reading The Sellout by Paul Beatty. It says:

There weren't many memories left. Most, like the suit of armor from which Spanky recited Mark Antony's soliloquy in "Shivering Shakespeare" under a barrage of peashooters, the lock of Alfalfa's personality, the top hat and tails Buckwheat wore when he conducted the Club Spanky Big Band and made "hundreds and thousands of dollars" in the "Our Gang Follies of 1938, ..."

What does "the lock of Alfalfa's personality" mean here?

Em dash next to displayed equation [closed]

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 06:52 AM PDT

I want to use an em dash to set off a parenthetical text for emphasis. However, the text in question is adjacent to a displayed mathematical formula.

What is the proper way to do so?

I am aware that mathematics should always be punctuated to achieve correct grammar in the sentence. However, in this case there are two valid possibilities (as an example, see attached picture) and I do not know which one to choose.

I have checked the Chicago Manual of Style and I could not find any answer.

EDIT: I am not seeking advice on how to rephrase the particular sentence in the picture. My question is more general. Namely, assuming one wants to use em dashes next to a displayed mathematical object, where should the em dash be placed?

enter image description here

An equivalent to an expression in my native language?

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 01:11 AM PDT

In Thai, there's an expression: "เสียแล้วเสียไป" which means basically "so I've lost (something), don't care". Basically it means "don't mind your loss (of whatever)". What's an equivalent expression in English?

Word order in declarative statements

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 12:58 AM PDT

In these examples, why does the first sentence feel uncomfortable, compared to the second?

  1. It's fascinating to use this camera to see how will be the back of my garden.
  2. It's fascinating to use this camera to see how the back of my garden will be.

See here also

  1. They want to see what the state is of their accounts.
  2. They want to see what the state of their accounts is.
  1. I need to know when appeared the baker.
  2. I need to know when the baker appeared.

What's the rule here for the placement of the verbs? It seems not to be as logical as "following an S-V-O model".

Important is vs important are

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 01:33 AM PDT

Which number does be want to agree with? Is it with important or customer relations?

What's most important is good customer relations.

What's most important are good customer relations.

Which one is correct, and is there a rule for this type of construction?

The phrase "do the lions"

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 01:53 AM PDT

I was recently reading an account of Zola's exile in England after the Dreyfus affair and I came across a phrase I couldn't quite parse:

That gentleman, as I had surmised, was a trifle astonished at our appearance. But I told him that my friends were a couple of French artists, who had been spending a few weeks in London 'doing the lions' there, and who had heard of the charming scenery around Oatlands, and wished to view it, and possibly make a few sketches.

I can tell from the context that it's roughly equivalent to "seeing the sights", but I'm at a total loss as to how the phrase came to be (shortened form of "lions' share"? Lions of Trafalgar?) or what it means more specifically.

I've found it in this sense in several books of the late 19th century. It's not exactly common, but the way it's used suggests that a turn-of-the-century reader would have been expected to understand it without further explanation.

My other thought is that it might be a recurring OCR error, but I can't guess how it read originally if that's the case.

Is anyone familiar with the phrase or able to explain its origins to me?

Thanks very much.

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

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 06:19 AM 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.

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

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 06:31 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.

How does the original meaning of "but" ("outside") relate to its current 2021 meanings?

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 06:48 AM PDT

How do the principal 2021 meanings of "but" relate, if any, to its original meaning of "outside"? E.g. how does "no more than; only" appertain to "outside"?

CONJUNCTION

  1. Used to introduce a phrase or clause contrasting with what has already been mentioned.
  1. [with negative or in questions] Used to indicate the impossibility of anything other than what is being stated.
  1. [archaic with negative] Without it being the case that.

ADVERB

  1. No more than; only.

but [OE]

But originally meant 'outside'. It was a compound word formed in prehistoric West Germanic from *be (source of English by) and *ūtana (related to English out). This gave Old English būtan, which quickly developed in meaning from 'outside' to 'without, except', as in 'all but me' (the sense 'outside' survived longer in Scotland than elsewhere). The modern conjunctive use of but did not develop until the late 13th century.

Word Origins (2005 2e) by John Ayto. p 84 Left column.

Connotation of "Fool" is perhaps that it is by choice?

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 07:07 AM PDT

There are words that imply that the person is unintelligent because of genetics or accident but I am looking for a word that describes a person who behaves in an unintelligent fashion because of pride or because they believe they are more competent than they actually are.

But if such a person sat down and evaluated things, they would realize, for example, that maybe they don't have what it takes to get a doctorate and so they would go into a profession for which they are better suited, and therefore, would no longer be a fool.

I realize that the word at one time did simply mean "an unintelligent person" but am I right about "fool" being a good word to describe a person who deludes himself about his own ability and so seems dumb? And if "fool" is not the right word, what is?

Indefinite article question

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 02:00 AM PDT

I am going through a lesson on articles. I've learned that a definite article is used to identify a particular person or thing. If you are speaking about someone or something you are already familiar with, you use "the" with the noun. An indefinite article is used to describe someone or something that is unfamiliar to you or about which you are speaking in general.

There is an exercise that involves changing a noun from plural to singular and using the appropriate article for each: I want to buy the roses.

I thought "I want to buy a rose" was correct, because "rose" is a general term, but that was wrong, and the correct answer was "I want to buy the rose".

Can you please explain why "a rose" is incorrect?

TIA

Survey: Do you say "I'm having Home Office today" in your country?

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 01:02 AM PDT

So here's the thing - people in my country just love to use this home office expression when referring to working from home. What's baffling me is this term seems to have already taken roots in several neighbouring countries (GER, NL, DEN), spreading across Europe like a plague.

So my question is... is this a standardized expression in business communication in your country? And if so, would you use it in the same manner as described below?

"You have to ask your boss if you want to take home office next week."

"I'm staying at home today because I'm having home office."

NOTE: I'm aware that Home Office refers to the Ministry of the Interior and that it probably sounds nonsensical to native speakers' ears.

How infrequent is “a non-zero chance”?

Posted: 02 Jun 2021 11:36 PM PDT

I misinterpreted the expression "a non-zero chance" as an emphatic way to stress that there was no possibility or likelihood of something happening.

  • there is a non-zero chance that they will pay attention to some of the responses…

  • there is a non-zero chance that the feedback may matter.

The author explained

NB: …the chance of them changing it is not zero and therefore must be more than that. I used a double-negative to emphasize that, while there is a chance, it probably isn't a good chance.

Me: It's confusing and ambiguous... why not just say "slim chance"?

NB: Because I prefer 'non-zero chance'; I like the phrasing of it. I like using double-negation as a way to minimize something. And for the record, thus far you appear to be the only person who has mentioned being confused by this phrase.

  • Does "a non-zero chance" mean 'more than zero'?

  • Is the author right? Am I the only person who could misinterpret this phrasing?

  • Is this phrasing peculiar to American speakers or do British speakers use this expression too?

P.S someone posted this link to an SE Mathematics question: Zero probability and impossibility but I didn't understand a thing

A single word for “one who boasts about knowing or dating famous people”

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 02:57 AM PDT

If I am not wrong, I once encountered a British word used (in slang I suppose) to describe a person who boasts about going out, knowing or dating famous people. Does it exist? In this case, is it common?

A figure of speech to illustrate the irreversibility of an action

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 06:07 AM PDT

I'm looking for a good figure of speech to suggest that something is irreversible.

It would be used in the following context: "I'm sorry, dear, but you said you hate her loud and clear, and there is nothing you can do about it now. _______________________________.

I thought of "once said can't be taken back" or "there are three things that cannot be taken back, the spoken word..." but these are not figures of speech.

Is there a word or phrase for someone who has difficulty telling his right side from his left side?

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 05:15 AM PDT

For some neurologic reason such person can't tell right side from left side. He may have a ribbon round his wrists to save him trouble.

What's the English equivalent for the German term "Salzamt", used when it's not possible to appeal a decision, or it's simply useless to complain?

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 06:03 AM PDT

In Austria, we sometimes jokingly say:

Beschwerden ans Salzamt!

Complaints to the Bureau of Salt

meaning that it is not possible to appeal a decision, or that it is simply useless to complain about something.

Is there an English equivalent to this?

Some examples:

  • Meaning which I am searching for: Someone complains about something you don't want to fix, or makes an unreasonable or impossible demand. You send them to the Bureau of Salt.
  • You have released something to the public but know that it is imperfect, or you have made a decision you know that is unpopular. Yet, it is the way it is and you cannot or don't want to change it. You disclaim: Complain to the Bureau of a Salt!, or alternatively, This can be appealed at the Bureau of Salt.
  • There is this entity (usually a government department) which made the decision your friend does not agree to. They keep complaining to everyone (including you). Both of you know that it is of no use. At some point, you're fed up and tell them to complain to the Bureau of Salt instead.

Is there a word that means "as its name would suggest"?

Posted: 03 Jun 2021 01:54 AM PDT

Does there exist a single word that more or less means "as its name would suggest"? For example, is there a word that appropriately might replace the bolded portion of the following sentence?

Computer Science, as its name would suggest, is the science of computation.

Something perhaps in the vein of the following?

Computer Science, unsurprisingly, is the science of computation.
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