Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange |
- How to use the verb 'torment' in a sentence?
- 'Stative / Dynamic'
- What is the proper way to say "trim off the line"? [closed]
- How to categorize 'perfect' and 'dead'? [duplicate]
- How many sentences are there in the excerpt below? [closed]
- What is the correct interpretation of this sentence? [closed]
- Is the sentence "This whiteboard won't erase" grammatically correct?
- All high school students should be encouraged to take part in community service programmes. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? [closed]
- 'took the lines in' [closed]
- worth the trouble paused nearby [closed]
- Why this usage doesn't seem right - "create speculation"
- Is it possible to omit 'to' from the following sentence, 'This letter was sent to him yesterday.'?
- HYPALLAGE: He nodded his agreeing head
- What's one word for the phrase 'the act of taking your head back on seeing something strange'?
- Does a list, introduced by a color and delineated by a semi-colon, require "and" for its final element? [closed]
- Is it common to use 'terminus a quo' in academic writing?
- One subject, compound object phrases - comma or no comma?
- Which of the following terms best signifies everything that is real but not phenomenal? [closed]
- Is there a single word in English that is the opposite of "can't bear to" do something?
- Is my usage of "any different" correct in this context?
- Are “inept” and “incompetent” synonyms?
- What is the word for the gesture when someone takes three fingers and kisses it into the air?
- "Where is the cat?" - What part of speech is the word "where"?
- A word meaning "a student who is repeating a class or grade"
- What does "cash down payment" mean? [closed]
- Equivalent of "both" when referring to three or more items?
| How to use the verb 'torment' in a sentence? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 10:00 AM PDT I would like to find out whether it is grammatically correct to use the verb 'torment' in the sentences below.
My question is whether one needs to use the verb with the preposition for or with? For Example : Tormenting [object] + with (something) Tormenting [object] + for (something) Please advice whether both examples can be used correctly, or if one of them is more grammatically correct than the other?  |
| Posted: 19 Jul 2021 09:23 AM PDT In 'have a meeting', is 'have' stative or dynamic? The reason I ask is that in "Longman English Grammar" by L.G. Alexander, p. 201, I read that 'have' meaning 'possess' can be replaced by 'have got' and combines with appointments, etc. And then I read an example "I have (got) an appointment with my dentist tomorrow." So my conclusion was - it is stative. But in "Advanced Language Practice" by M.Vince, p.11, I came across: "The team members are having a meeting tomorrow." and I felt confused. My next question is about the verb 'own' which I always thought stative until I read: "More and more people are owning bicycles." (Advanced Language Practice, M.Vince, p.4.) Would you be so kind as to explain this to me?  |
| What is the proper way to say "trim off the line"? [closed] Posted: 19 Jul 2021 09:13 AM PDT This is about papercraft. I would like to tell someone the cutting line on the paper should not remain on the finished piece and must be trimmed off. How to make it sound more like a native English speaker? Example: The cutting line should not be obtained on the finished piece. Please be sure to trim off the cutting line.  |
| How to categorize 'perfect' and 'dead'? [duplicate] Posted: 19 Jul 2021 08:25 AM PDT Is there a term for adjectives like perfect, ubiquitous and dead, that permit only certain modifiers? They're essentially absolute, but not quite binary. There's no range of ubiquity -- something is either everywhere or it isn't. Gems aren't very perfect. A witch can't literally be more dead than another witch, though of course she can be most sincerely dead. A property of such words seems to be that you can approach them as a limit, but not exceed or quantize them. So we might use almost or nearly, but not slightly or extremely. Almost perfect? Sure. Slightly perfect? Nope. Is there such a category, or am I just dreaming one up, stretching to fit?  |
| How many sentences are there in the excerpt below? [closed] Posted: 19 Jul 2021 04:50 AM PDT I pulled this excerpt from here. The question I want to ask is how many sentences are there in this excerpt?
Based on formal criteria, which state that a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with either a full stop, an exclamation mark, or a question mark, then the excerpt above contains 8 sentences. However, I would question why
would be a sentence and
would be another, as the "The first time I had a chance to meet him was in South Africa after his release from prison." is more connected to "He gave me this unbelievable hug." rather than to "writing" thematically. The same goes for "He said, 'John Lewis, I know all about you." and "You inspired us.'" Surely, it can be said that a sentence doesn't have to end with a full stop, but may end with a colon. Thus "Upon Nelson Mandela's passing in 2013, . . ., writing:" is a separate sentence from "The first time . . . his release from prison." However, that approach would make the first sentence a fragment since the verb "writing" would lack an object. On the other hand, if we tackle this from the predicate-argument structure point of view, it can be argued that the long quote after "writing" (even the nested quotes) is in fact just an argument of "to write", rendering the whole excerpt a single complex sentence. But I also doubt anyone would agree with that.  |
| What is the correct interpretation of this sentence? [closed] Posted: 19 Jul 2021 04:45 AM PDT
What does this mean? I am confused.  |
| Is the sentence "This whiteboard won't erase" grammatically correct? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 07:09 AM PDT I often see such phrases, and I am wondering whether they are strictly grammatically correct or not. It seems to me that the subject is "whiteboard" and the verb is "erase", which as far as I can tell is a transitive verb, hence requires a direct object. On the other hand, it is obvious that the speaker is talking about some whiteboard which is incapable of being erased, so that the whiteboard is actually the object of a verb, which should have been passive, whereas the subject is lacking. The question is: Is this sentence grammatically correct or not? Cambridge Dictionary and AHD list only the usual transitive usage.  |
| Posted: 19 Jul 2021 01:29 AM PDT Today's society is becoming more globalised, so exchange programmes are no longer strange to us. And it is a common belief that studying abroad may not be helpful to students. However, I firmly believe that exchange programs should be encouraged in today interconnected world. It is because they allow students to develop their foreign language skills quickly and improve their career prospects. To begin with, students can rapidly learn another language through an exchange program. When students take part in academic programs abroad, they have to use the language of the country where they are living and studying. In this situation, they can become fluent very quickly. To illustrate this saying, a recent survey has shown that students who study internationally can become competent in a second language in a short time period. Meanwhile, students who do not participate in exchange programs may take several years to reach the same level. On top of that, exchange students have better job opportunities after graduation. When students study in another country, they are able to learn skills that would be beneficial in a global business environment. These skills make them highly desirable candidates for many jobs. In fact, in an international business setting, employees should have both an understanding of other cultures and good foreign language skills. Since students who abroad develop those abilities, they are considered to be more qualified than others. Therefore, many multinational companies prefer applicants who have experience of studying overseas. To sum up, studying abroad can rapidly improve students' abilities in a foreign language and enhance their job prospects. For these reasons, I think that we promote exchange programs  |
| Posted: 19 Jul 2021 04:27 AM PDT
A sentence from Southeaster, a novel by Argentinean writer Haroldo Conti, translated by Jon Lindsay Miles. What does it mean by saying 'took the lines in'? Thank you.  |
| worth the trouble paused nearby [closed] Posted: 19 Jul 2021 03:28 AM PDT When a limpkin or another bird he thought was worth the trouble paused nearby, he gathered up the shotgun with a straightening of his arm. The shot rang harsh and sad, like a punch across the vastness, rolling on and on across the undulating field, and then across the water, and after that the nearest islands. What is the meaning of the line in bold? Thank you.  |
| Why this usage doesn't seem right - "create speculation" Posted: 19 Jul 2021 01:40 AM PDT Here is the context.
Now, what is meant by last sentence is when people see a price of a stock going up, they tend to speculate without real knowledge as to why is it happening and might buy the stock. Is that the correct usage or is there a better phrase to convey the same thing? For some reason, which I am unable to articulate, I find that phrase not accurate. I feel its a usage like Thank you.  |
| Is it possible to omit 'to' from the following sentence, 'This letter was sent to him yesterday.'? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 09:09 AM PDT Is it possible to omit 'to' from the following sentence?
I mean,
Is it ok without 'to' ? If grammatically possible, please answer with the specific reasons.  |
| HYPALLAGE: He nodded his agreeing head Posted: 19 Jul 2021 09:34 AM PDT
What such interchange is shown in the example He nodded his agreeing head ?  |
| What's one word for the phrase 'the act of taking your head back on seeing something strange'? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 09:54 AM PDT I am writing a short story, but I am mostly stuck in one word substitution (as my vocabulary isn't that strong). So I want to know one word for the following phrase —
Sample sentence —
 |
| Posted: 19 Jul 2021 09:00 AM PDT The title really is the entire question, but for context, this question is especially concerned with academic science. So, e.g.,—
Is the 'and' not required? I mean... it's still a sentence, yes?  |
| Is it common to use 'terminus a quo' in academic writing? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 07:17 AM PDT I'm writing an academic paper and I want to replace the word 'starting point' with 'terminus a quo'. I'm not sure if this Latin word is commonly used. I'm trying to make my language more interesting but I don't want to use a word most people don't know. Any suggestions? Thanks!  |
| One subject, compound object phrases - comma or no comma? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 05:26 AM PDT My question is about how to punctuate sentences like the following: The system allows searching for variables using their long name and cryptic variable names and filtering the data sets based on a given variable availability. subject: the system main verb: allows object 1 (gerund+participial phrase?): searching for variables using their long name and cryptic variable names object 2 (gerund+past-participle-phrase?): filtering the data sets based on a given variability coordinating conjunction between object 1 and 2: the second of the two 'and' words Because the second 'and' is not followed by a subject + verb, this sentence appears not to require a comma. However, the presence of the first 'and', plus the string of gerunds and nouns this sentence contains, might cause the reader to have difficulty identifying the second object phrase. I encounter many such sentences in the editing I do, but I'm loathe to rephrase too many of the ones that might cause confusion. Hoping someone can help!  |
| Which of the following terms best signifies everything that is real but not phenomenal? [closed] Posted: 19 Jul 2021 03:06 AM PDT I've just started learning about adding prefixes to existing words but don't understand that much about it...so if you have some place I can learn it better than I have so far, please provide some helpful links. In the meanwhile, here's my attempt at finding a word to effectively represent everything that's real but not phenomenal. Ontology includes everything phenomenal and not, but I can't find an established way of distinguishing everything that is 'not' phenomenal. Which of the following (or some other word) do you believe does that best: Aphenomenal - without, lack of, not Nonphenomenal or non-phenomenal - not, without Prephenomenal or pre-phenomenal - before, forward Antephenomenal - before, earlier, in front of For clarification, if there is a bug on a planet in a galaxy far far away, it is real but no one has 'experienced' it, so it is 'not phenomenal.' Phenomenalism and phenomenology includes theories and the study of phenomenal things, so adding those suffixes to whatever word we decide will symbolize theories and the study of 'not phenomenal' things.  |
| Is there a single word in English that is the opposite of "can't bear to" do something? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 07:03 AM PDT As the title suggests. In the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, a classic example of "could NOT bear to" would be when Charlie brings home some chocolate to his family and no one in the house at it, letting him eat it instead. To address some of the comments: When I say "could not bear" I mean, could not bear the idea of losing something. The key idea is loss or pity/sympathy: Examples: "He couldn't bear to let his little sister go hungry so he gave the last piece of bread to her." "She couldn't bear to let the child go hungry." "She couldn't bear losing him." "She couldn't bear to sell the house as it was her grandparent's house." "The migrant worker was the family's sole breadwinner so he didn't [bear to] buy expensive groceries and survived on 99 cent instant noodles." There is such a word in Chinese, and it is "舍得" which is a a positive/affirmation word (that is more emotional based rather than financial) that means "bear to" part with something, lose something. It can be used as a negation "can NOT bear to/not willing to part with/lose something" as well as an affirmation, voluntarily "willing to" lose something (however this has a somewhat bad connotation. It usually insinuates that the person is reckless, or is willing or forced to lose something they shouldn't lose/do). I have not found a suitable equivalent in English, which seems like it only has the negation version, "could NOT bear to". I'd like a word or phrase that removes the "not". Some examples of usage would be:
'Bear' does not sound right in these cases, especially since there is no past tense. In Chinese it would be:
 |
| Is my usage of "any different" correct in this context? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 01:04 AM PDT I'm reading a Webnovel and in this particular chapter, there is this guy who is on a high position and everyone around him(not including those who have a higher authority and status) is bending over to his authority and status. And someone commented about if it ever crossed these kind of people's minds about everyone not existing simply to bend over for them or if their ego is big enough to bend reality itself. So I replied to that, pointing out that everyone the guy has met who have a lower authority and status than him have been bending over to his whims and demands thus far therefore he isn't in the wrong to think that a newcomer won't do the same. Here is what I wrote:
Note: ZY is an acronym for the newcomer's full name. The first time I wrote my comment, I thought nothing of it but I have a habit of re-reading whatever I write online because English is my 3rd language and I guess I got tired of having to get whatever I say/write discredited simply because my English skill isn't up to par. Anyways is what I wrote correct in this context? given what I wanted to convey.  |
| Are “inept” and “incompetent” synonyms? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 03:17 AM PDT Sometimes I use the word "incompetent" describe someone who is, typically, in over their head and not smart enough to at least know they are in over their head. But a friend recently used the word "inept" to describe such a person. To me, "inept" refers to someone who is physically incompetent. Like a basketball player that can't play the game — yet is somehow in the game — is inept in my mind. And someone who is incompetent can be incompetent in many ways, physically and even logically. So are "inept" and "incompetent" interchangeable synonyms? Or is there more subtlety to their use?  |
| What is the word for the gesture when someone takes three fingers and kisses it into the air? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 08:18 AM PDT You often see this with Italians, especially when complimenting some food they just ate, but it has evolved into a more universal gesture. Take the thumb, index, and middle finger, gather them together, bring them to your lips, and kiss them, while moving your arm away and spread your fingers, while saying MWAH! Is there a single word for this gesture?  |
| "Where is the cat?" - What part of speech is the word "where"? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 01:19 AM PDT In the sentence, "Where is the cat?", what part of speech is the word "where"?  |
| A word meaning "a student who is repeating a class or grade" Posted: 19 Jul 2021 03:52 AM PDT Is there a word in English for a student who is repeating a grade at school or a (university) student who hasn't completed a mandatory course successfully the first time and is retaking the class?  |
| What does "cash down payment" mean? [closed] Posted: 19 Jul 2021 04:27 AM PDT In the quote below (taken from here), what does "cash down payment" mean?
 |
| Equivalent of "both" when referring to three or more items? Posted: 19 Jul 2021 09:00 AM PDT What would be the correct word to use when referring to three or more items, in the same manner as the word both? For example, using two words, with the word both:
Using three words, with a blank space in place of the correct word:
So, what would be the correct word to use in place of the __?  |
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