Monday, August 23, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

What does "why" mean in this context?

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 10:25 AM PDT

Have you ever thought of it Susie, and yet I know you have, how much these hearts claim; why I dont believe in the whole, wide world, are such hard little creditors - such real little misers, as you and I carry with us, in our bosoms every day. I cant help thinking sometimes, when I hear about the ungenerous, Heart, keep very still - or someone will find you out!

I found this in Emily Dickinson's letter. Does "why" here mean the "reason" Emily doesn't believe the world?

"Together with" : including vs. in addition

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 09:35 AM PDT

Together with John, there were 12 of us in the villa.

Together with John, there were 12 people in the villa.

Are both sentences ambiguous with the meaning "a total number of 13 people"?

What does "a line of research" mean? [closed]

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 08:58 AM PDT

I believe it's a science term. It would be great if one could give me both meaning and an example.

What does interrogative whereby mean in Othello? [closed]

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 08:54 AM PDT

What does interrogative whereby mean in Othello (I have seen two definitions):

"Clo. Thereby hangs a tayle. Boy. Whereby hangs a tayle sir?"

Larger context:

(Tragedies - Othello, the Moor of Venice III-i:2–13)

[They play, and enter the] CLOWN.

3   Clo. Why, masters, have your instruments been in  4    Naples, that they speak i' th' nose thus?  5   Mus. How, sir? how?  6   Clo. Are these, I pray you, wind instruments?  7   Mus. Ay, marry, are they, sir.  8   Clo. O, thereby hangs a tail.  9   Mus. Whereby hangs a tale, sir?  10  Clo. Marry, sir, by many a wind instrument that I  11   know. But, masters, here's money for you; and the  12   general so likes your music, that he desires you for  13   love's sake to make no more noise with it.

A waitress texted me 'I see you'. What did she mean [closed]

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 08:54 AM PDT

A waitress texted me 'I see you'. What did she mean?

Did she invite me at her restaurant? or she is complimenting me on my looks.

On the arguments of 'put'

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 09:33 AM PDT

I have noticed that the verb 'put' usually takes a direct object and a (typically) prepositional, non-core complement, as in:

He put the book on the shelf

Sometimes, the prepositional complement is replaced by an adverb:

He put the book away.

My question is: is the adverb here a predicative complement, or a non-core complement?

Is this sentence right? (Apple + time = rotten) [closed]

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 07:42 AM PDT

I want to write a sentence.

(1) Apple + time = rotten

(2) The Apple is rotten because it is on the outside too long.

Do you think (2) is same as (1).

Thank you.

What is the meaning of "eno"? [closed]

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 07:04 AM PDT

Little Emerald Mack is washing, I can hear the warm suds, splash. I just gave her my pocket handkerchief - so I cannot cry any more. And Vinnie sweeps - sweeps, upon the chamber stairs; and Mother is hurrying round with her hair in a silk pocket handkerchief, on account of dust. Oh Susie, it is dismal, sad and drear eno' - and the sun dont shine, and the clouds look cold and gray, and the wind dont blow, but it pipes the shrillest roundelay, and the birds dont sing, but twitter - and there's nobody to smile! Do I paint it natural - Susie, so you think how it looks? Yet dont you care -

I found this from Emily Dickinson's letter. I've tried to find the meaning of "eno'" but couldn't. What does it mean?

What does roland mean in mediaeval landscaping context?

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 06:49 AM PDT

In the following passage the word "roland" is used to indicate some central fixture of a town that is related to trees (or so I take it). I can't find the definition of this usage anywhere, though (only the etymological meaning of "famous land" and a celebrated Paladin).

Does anyone know the definition of "roland" in this context? https://books.google.com/books?id=Y6BQgsKTBGoC&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=hewn+roland&source=bl&ots=Fx3VQFt2EU&sig=ACfU3U3vfXgsqV_buPxXjGFL9cSF1R746Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjsjNz_kMfyAhVEZM0KHbQSDaUQ6AF6BAgrEAI#v=onepage&q=hewn%20roland&f=false

Help me understand this part from Long Way Down [closed]

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 05:21 AM PDT

GIVE IT TO ME    before  you hurt yourself.    Buck clicked something.    The clip slid from the grip  like a metal candy bar.    Fourteen slugs.  One in the hole.  Fifteen total,    he said,  slamming  the clip back in.    How many  should there be?    I asked.    Sixteen.  But, whatever

-from Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, pub Simon & Schuster 2017

What does it mean? What does "fourteen slugs and one in the hole" mean? Kindly explain the whole thing What happened to the last one if there were only 15?

What are the conjunctions in the following text? [closed]

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 05:09 AM PDT

So I need to identify the conjunctions in the following text. I will bold the ones I think are correct, but if anyone could point out any that I've missed (or that are incorrect, I'd appreciate it)

I'm also confused, can a sentence have two conjunctions - for example "before he can open the letter, however, Uncle Vernon takes it" - would both "before" and "however" act as conjunctions in this sentence? While I have seen before listed as a conjunction before, it seems, at least to me, in this particular sentence, "however" is the word joining the 2 clauses...but perhaps both would still be considered conjunctions anyway?

Ten-year-old Harry Potter is an orphan who lives in the fictional London suburb of Little Whinging, Surrey, with the Dursleys: his uncaring Aunt Petunia, loathsome Uncle Vernon, and spoiled cousin Dudley. The Dursleys barely tolerate Harry, and Dudley bullies him. One day Harry is astonished to receive a letter addressed to him in the cupboard under the stairs (where he sleeps). Before he can open the letter, however, Uncle Vernon takes it. Letters for Harry subsequently arrive each day, in increasing numbers, but Uncle Vernon tears them all up, and finally, in an attempt to escape the missives, the Dursleys go to a miserable shack on a small island. On Harry's 11th birthday, a giant named Hagrid arrives and reveals that Harry is a wizard and that he has been accepted at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He also sheds light on Harry's past, informing the boy that his parents, a wizard and a witch, were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort and that Harry acquired the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead during the fatal confrontation.

Upon arrival at the school, the students are sorted into one of four houses—Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. Harry ends up in Gryffindor, and during his eventful first year at Hogwarts he becomes close friends with two other members of the house, Ron Weasley, who comes from an old wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, whose parents are Muggles (those who are not magical). Harry also finds that he has an enemy in Draco Malfoy (Slytherin). In addition, Harry's prowess in flying on a broomstick makes him a star of Gryffindor's Quidditch team. Hoping to get Harry and his friends into trouble, Draco tricks them into leaving their rooms one night, a violation of school rules. While trying to avoid being caught, they discover a three-headed dog guarding a trapdoor. Harry gradually comes to the conclusion that Professor Snape, who teaches Potions, dislikes him intensely and is trying to get hold of whatever is behind the trapdoor. Harry receives his father's cloak of invisibility as a Christmas gift, and, while exploring under the cloak's cover, he finds the Mirror of Erised, in which he can see his parents. Later, headmaster Albus Dumbledore explains that the mirror shows the viewer's deepest desire.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione deduce that the treasure under the trapdoor is the Philosopher's Stone, which can transform metal into gold and can also confer immortality. They later discover that Voldemort has been killing unicorns in the Forbidden Forest and drinking their blood, another way to achieve immortality. The trio comes to believe that Snape is in league with the evil wizard. After learning that Hagrid revealed the secret way to lull the three-headed dog to sleep to a suspicious stranger, whom they believe to be either Snape or Voldemort, they are certain that the Philosopher's Stone is in danger. The three classmates use the cloak of invisibility on a secret mission to get the Stone themselves to keep it from Voldemort. After getting past the dog and defeating various protective spells, Harry reaches the room in which the Stone is hidden and is surprised to find the perpetually nervous Professor Quirrell there. Quirrell fails to figure out how to retrieve the Stone from the Mirror of Erised (the final protective measure) and forces Harry to try. When standing in front of the mirror, wishing only to protect the Stone and not use it for himself, Harry feels the Stone's weight in his pocket but refuses to tell Quirrell that he has it. Quirrell unwraps his turban, revealing Voldemort's face on the back of his head. Voldemort explains that he has been sharing Quirrell's body until he can get to the Stone and become fully alive again, and Voldemort/Quirrell and Harry fight for possession of the Stone, until Harry blacks out. He awakens in the infirmary and learns that Dumbledore saved him, the Stone is to be destroyed, and Voldemort escaped.

Sorry, I realise this is a lot and perhaps no one is willing to help, but if anyone is able to help me out on this, I'd appreciate it a ton! Thanks

"The received size" vs "The size of the received data"?

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 07:23 AM PDT

I know The size of the received data is a correct phrase. I just wonder:

Can I use the shorter and concise form: The received size?

Is it grammatically correct?

Will a native speaker think it natural?

"I take on board your thoughts" in a formal setting

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 06:06 AM PDT

I was recently chatting with a prospective business partner (UK) and in the email exchange, mentioned a potential activity I will be engaging in, let's say X, in relation to a previously discussed contract arrangement. I don't want to go into details here, but X was meant to address some of the concerns he had about the arrangement. I then described the motivation for X, call it Y, and asked for his thoughts on it. Overall, this was a very short mail.

In the part of the reply dedicated to this issue, he wrote:

"I take on board your thoughts on X and agree with you on Y".

I'm wondering how to interpret this. Am I being politely told that he's not really sold on X? I've never really encountered this phrase before and I'm wondering if it could be considered a euphemism for lack of interest?

Is the setup word used correctly? [duplicate]

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 05:07 AM PDT

I have a question regarding this sentence

Keep your account safe and setup two-factor authentication now

Is the setup word used correctly?

What does 'sweep' mean in the context "The Taliban swept to power"?

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 05:22 AM PDT

My question is brief : What does 'sweep' mean in the context "The Taliban swept to power"?

I sweep the floors at work everyday but not once have I swept to power.

Does "much of a (countable noun)" mean the same as "much (countable noun)?"

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 09:45 AM PDT

(a): The countries did not have much of a choice when it came to vaccines.

(b): The countries did not have much choice when it came to vaccines.

Are the sentences above semantically identical? Are there any differences between them? Which one is more natural?

I am particularly curious about whether these two expressions--much of a (countable noun) and much (countable noun) without an indefinite article--are always interchangeable.

"This is your rear-window heater." Is this a "your" with "typifying generic force" or is it something unique to marketing?

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 04:51 AM PDT

I've just gotten behind the wheel at the car dealership. The sales rep continues talking: "This is your rear-window heater and here is your electronic parking break." This use of your rubs me the wrong way. (The rep may be projecting a sale, but I'm mentally rejecting a purchase. Neither the car nor the heater are mine.)

A bellhop opens my room and gives the tour of the amenities. "This is your climate unit, and your entertainment center is over there." This feels marginally better and more appropriate, because it's something that's temporarily mine to use. The same would hold for an explanation in a rental car that I'll be driving.

The closest I have come to identifying this usage is Quirk et al., A Comprehensive Grammar p.283:

Another determinative word used with typifying generic force is your

Your average football supporter is not interested in comfort.

In contrast to the, this use of your is associated with familiar speech; but it resembles the in its focus on the 'typical specimen' of the class.

Is my salesperson's usage just the same (but perhaps too) familiar speech? Or is (what I think of as) the "creepy your" different, and does it have a name? If so, is it specific to marketing language?

Passive voice non-existent in the active [closed]

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 07:26 AM PDT

III. Passive, to be concerned.

This occurs in some senses which are non-existent or obsolete in the active; in other senses it is much more used than the active.

https://www.oed.com/oed2/00046215

Are there passives without a corresponding active?

Both their three cars

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 04:57 AM PDT

Both indicates that the action or state denoted by the verb applies individually to each of two entities. Both books weigh more than five pounds means that each weighs more than five by itself, not that the two books weighed together come to more than five.

https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=both

Is both their three cars ambiguous with the meaning "each owns three cars, six cars in total"?

What about the three cars of both('s?) or both's three cars?

BOTH (OED) https://www.oed.com/oed2/00025622

Word for "object of malignant joy"

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 08:37 AM PDT

I would need a literary synonym of toy, but which would also have the nuance of object of malignant joy. I would like to use it in the context of someone becoming the toy (?) of some evil powers because of lack of strength of character.

I considered plaything and toy, but they are too modern, and besides, they do not have the intrinsic nuance of malignant joy.

I also considered laughingstock and derision which, although literary and even slightly antiquated, are too abstract. I also considered scorn which I like very much, but still lacks the nuance of the man's inability to defend himself. I wish to express that these forces play with such a person, as a cat plays with its prey before devouring it. Is there such a word in English?

He gave himself over to riotous living and became the __________ of demons.

I wouldn't mind an archaic word, but it needs to be still understandable today.

"... His entreaties which are hearkened/hearkened unto by God"

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 08:38 AM PDT

The verb to hearken is an archaic verb which I need to use for my translation into KJV Bible style of English.

I see it used with the prepositions to and unto in the KJV, but never in this structure:

  1. His entreaties, (which are) hearkened by God, would always prevail.

This was my first version, but while elaborating the text with an English colleague, she pointed out to me the need of the preposition unto after hearkened. So the sentence would look like this:

  1. His entreaties, (which are) hearkened unto by God, would always prevail.

I know this is how verbs with prepositions are used in such cases, she is most probably right, but I still prefer the feel of sentence 1. Sentence 2 seems heavier and less successful, perhaps because of the juxtaposition of two prepositions (unto by).

The Dictionaries on the web are rather "stingy" on this verb (OxfordL, Cambridge, M-W).

The American Heritage gives a bit more information but the examples do not help with my question:

Usage Note: Traditionally, hearken means "to listen." The word has an archaic and formal air today, in part stemming from its extensive use in the King James Bible (as in Mark 7:14 "Hearken unto me, every one of you") and in traditional storytelling. In contemporary usage, hearken is more often used where one might expect hark, no doubt because of sound similarity: The movie hearkens back to the sci-fi films of the 1950s. The Usage Panel has mixed feelings about this. In our 2009 survey, just 48 percent accepted this example.

Is sentence 2 the only correct one? Is my colleague correct in saying that sentence 1 is incomplete?

Present perfect - future perfect in a subject question

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 05:03 AM PDT

So I know that future perfect cannot be used in conditions or time sentences..instead, it is shifted to present perfect:

We do it when she has returned.

But is the following a valid, natural language?

I do not know if she will have been returned next week.

I would like to express that I do not know whether or not she will be already back by then.

Or:

I am not sure if they will have been there by the time you arrive.

Would that work to put emphasis on the fact that they might have been there for some time by the time he arrives? Or simply "if they will be there" is enough/only possible?

What’s the reason for the zero article after a preposition and countable noun in “a change of X” and in “a switch from X to Y”?

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 10:01 AM PDT

I am a non-native speaker of English and therefore need your help. The question is: why do we use the zero article in the phrases "a change of X" and "a switch from X to Y"?

For instance:

  • a change of address

  • a change of government

  • a switch from student to teacher

The words following the prepositions set in bold (that is, address, teacher, student, and government) are all countable nouns, are not they?

So why do they get to be used without an article given that they are countable nouns?

How are they different from a change and a switch, which do have an article before them?

Is there a male counterpart of jezebel?

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 08:31 AM PDT

Jezebel means a shameless or immoral woman.

Is there a connate or coeval word for a man that would mean the same, as if it was coined to be the male counterpart of Jezebel?

"First off" vs "first"

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 05:43 AM PDT

  1. First off we need to write down a word; second we need...
  2. First we need to write down a word; second we need...

What's the subtle difference between "first off" and "first"?

Moreover, what's the exact meaning of the word "off" here?

Might "see you shortly" be used to mean in a week's time?

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 07:17 AM PDT

I wonder if it's appropriate to say "see you shortly" when we both know that it's going to happen in a week's time. What I'm trying to say is that I'm looking forward to see the person, but I already used "I'm looking forward" and I don't want to sound repetitive.

I only heard "see you shortly" to refer to periods of time shorter than a day, so my concern is that it might sound confusing when we are talking of an entire week.

Is the possessive of "one" spelled "ones" or "one's"?

Posted: 23 Aug 2021 10:04 AM PDT

I've been confused about this as long as I can remember. Should it be:

One should do ones duty.

or

One should do one's duty.

I'm guessing it should be the latter. But that doesn't sit well with the possessive pronoun 'its'. For example:

It is its own purpose.

vs.

It is it's own purpose.

Here, the former seems clearly correct.
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