Saturday, August 28, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Adding/Add active members to groups? [closed]

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 09:29 AM PDT

Given the context, which sentence is correct?

Some of our Telegram bot services:

  1. Adding active members to groups.
  2. Add active members to groups.

"out of racing" or "out of the races"

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 08:17 AM PDT

  1. Until recently the feminine touch was kept out of racing.
  2. Until recently the feminine touch was kept out of the races.

Can we say these sentences are correct grammatically?

Can the word "pollute" be used as "deprave" in this paragraph?

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 06:28 AM PDT

I heard the phrase "pollution of the mind", so I guess "pollute" can be used as "spoil", "ruin" or "deprave", which affects mental health. I am concerned whether I have used the right metaphorical meaning of "pollute" or not... I wonder if "be polluted with excessive handy entertainment" exists?

Here's the extract of my essay:

Second, the urban expansion increases pollution dramatically. Such groundwork processes usually leave pollutants, including bricks, metals, asphalt, concrete. Moreover, when wasted, they would affect the water and air quality. As a result, citizens could suffer from pneumonia, lungs diseases, and cancer. Additionally, our mentality might also be infected with bad habits. The lifestyle of such youngsters could be greatly influenced by the modern downtown. Cellular devices, high-tech equipment, and enhanced life services, although convenient, cause sedentarism and inactivity to a plethora of civic dwellers. Inhabitants are "polluted" in either way, whether by the contaminated environment or the excessive handy entertainment.

How many allophones possible of phoneme /ə/ are there in American English?

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 08:45 AM PDT

I am an ESL student. I want to speak American English fluently.

Due to influence of my local dialect in my country, I only discover that there is [ə ɐ ɪə ɑ] doubtably according to my ear, and native American English speaker speak with allophone differently in their dialect, As in:

  • Russia /ˈrʌʃə/ —> [ˈɹɐʃɐ] [ˈɹɐʃə] [ˈɹɐʃɑ]
  • Asia /ˈeɪʒə/ —> [ˈeɪʒɪə] [ˈeɪʒɑ] [ˈeɪʒɐ] [ˈeɪʒə]
  • Comma /ˈkɑːmə/ —> [ˈkɑːmə] [ˈkɑːmɑ] [ˈkɑːmɐ]
  • China /ˈtʃaɪnə/ —> [ˈtʃaɪnə] [ˈtʃaɪnɑ] [ˈtʃaɪnɐ]
  • Prussia /ˈprʌʃə/ —> [ˈprɐʃɑ] [ˈprɐʃɐ]

I think there are more allophones. Am I right? If so, please add more allophones and which is the most common one.

Understanding Trump card meaning [closed]

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 05:26 AM PDT

I have read in the news today

The U.S. government waiting to use their trump card.

Why trump card - Is he not defeated still? I thought Biden is now president then why use "trump"?

Is there a verb that means "to make someone feel special"?

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 09:31 AM PDT

Is there a verb that means "to make someone feel special"? I've used that same phrase one too many times in the same piece and would love to mix it up!

For example: "On your child's birthday every year, harness the power of family traditions to make your child feel special."

You could use something like "...harness the power of family traditions to delight your child" but that doesn't bring the same meaning.

From my perspective, to make someone feel special isn't just about making them happy or excited -- it's about making them feel that they matter to you and that you appreciate them for who they are.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!

Is 'request denial' a phrase?

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 05:12 AM PDT

So I and my mom are having a debate over whether 'request denial' is even a phrase in the English language. Is it used in the common language, and if so where is it used? My mother says that it could be used in this sentence:
'If you have any reason for this request denial, then please inform me'.

Can such a phrase like this exist?

Personally, I don't think that it's a phrase, but my mother seems adamant about and I just want to know if such a phrase even exists.

Is there a name for someone who thinks he's got very good taste but in reality lacks it?

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 08:51 AM PDT

Is there a name for someone who thinks he's got very good taste in general yet everyone else but him can easily see he is not?

I don't know if such a word exist so any similar word will do.

Get married: act vs ceremony

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 06:34 AM PDT

You can use marriage to refer to the act of getting married, Her family did not approve of her marriage to David.

You don't usually use marriage to refer to the ceremony in which two people get married. Use wedding.

https://www.wordreference.com/EnglishUsage/marriage

I don't understand the purported difference in meaning between the act and the ceremony of getting married.

Maybe using wedding here would be ambiguous, with a possible interpretation "they didn't like the wedding planner's whole organization"?

When to use past perfect?

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 12:54 AM PDT

I often find myself using past perfect in a sort of stylized way that I can't justify logically. I am writing a short description of the Matrix, and what I want to say is:

In the film, a programmer and hacker named Neo takes a red pill and realizes that everything he had believed to be true is a lie.

Notice that the sentence is in the present tense overall, yet I'm using the past perfect in the second clause. This isn't usually done. Usually, past perfect is used from a past point of reference.

So why am I doing this? To use the present perfect here would sound weird. I suppose I should just go with past simple "everything he believed to be true", but it doesn't have the same backward-jumping punch, if you know what I mean.

Are there any examples of such "nonstandard" uses of the past perfect? I feel like I've seen this before. Is there any defense for it?

A period of at least thirty (30) continuous days from the date

Posted: 27 Aug 2021 11:55 PM PDT

One of the conditions in a contract is mentioning:

The hydro power plants to be built to have been completed, commissioned, in operation and successfully generating power for a period of at least thirty (30) continuous days from the date of completion of the Proposed Acquisition.

Is the period mentioned referring to the period before or after the date of the completion of Proposed Acquisition?

To my understanding based on the sentence, the period here is referring to the period after the date of completion of the proposal. But overall it give me a sense that the period is referring to the period before completion date of the proposal.

Which tense is correct and what is the difference between the two sentences? [closed]

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 02:23 AM PDT

Context:

You call your sister and ask the question below. What is the difference between:

I just wanted to check in and see how you are doing?

and

I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing?

Which tense is correct and why?

What is the difference between "on a cold winter morning" and "in a cold winter morning"? [closed]

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 01:01 AM PDT

What is the difference between "on a cold winter morning" and "in a cold winter morning"? Which is correct or which sounds more natural?

Office Relocated [closed]

Posted: 27 Aug 2021 10:37 PM PDT

I have been relocated from Office A to Office B, and someone XYZ is the chairperson in Office A on my position now.

Please assist me in how should I write the above circumstances in a concise sentence.

Present tense or past tense?

Posted: 27 Aug 2021 10:00 PM PDT

I just wanted to check in and see how you are doing.

Or

I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing.

Should the tenses match?

Adjective meaning 'attempting to draw sordid or lurid information out of someone'

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 08:35 AM PDT

I was speaking with a friend today who is a policeman. I asked him how his week had been and he replied "I don't have any good stories for you this week". I wanted to say: "I'm not being _________", meaning "I'm not asking in order to draw out of you / pry about / solicit information concerning sordid or shocking happenings," but I was unable to bring the correct word to mind. I have spent time mulling it over and I cannot put my finger on the right adjective. And now it is really eating away at me...

How does structuralism linguistics play an important role in defining word categories in the book CGEL?

Posted: 27 Aug 2021 07:21 PM PDT

I read the older work of Rodney Huddleston (co-writer of CGEL) in which he implemented structural linguistics in defining the word categories in a language: he said "The fundamental principle of what we are calling the structural approach to linguistic analysis is that the units and categories postulated for the grammar of a given language are determined by the syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations that obtain within the sentences of that language (Introduction to the Grammar of English, page 50).

So I'd like to know how structuralism linguistics plays an important role in defining word categories in the book CGEL? From what I understand, one can look at the relationship between forms in a sentence (syntagmatic relationship) and one can also compare one form to another (paradigmatic relationship), so that they come up with grammatical properties of a word category: for example,

enter image description here

By comparing the construction a. and b., one can conclude that the subject has these grammatical properties:

  • Its default position is before the verb.
  • In interrogative clauses, it typically occupies a distinctive position just after the verb.

Is this the example of how paradigmatic relationships help defines a word category, or do I just understand the whole concept wrong?

Why is "1 apple" singular but "0 apples" is plural? [duplicate]

Posted: 27 Aug 2021 07:54 PM PDT

It seems counterintuitive based on plurality rules to have a nothing quantity be plural...

Another example: "It ranged between 1 item and 0 items for a month!"

Is there a more natural/casual synonym for "Implemented" that does not imply progression?

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 12:16 AM PDT

Summary

The right word would be a close synonym for Implemented and make sense on its own as a status description in tables and filters, but more natural sounding in this context and without the implication of progression that Completed has. I could maybe work with a two-word phrase but would much prefer a single word.

"The changes to the shift were ___ after the request was accepted and approved"

or

"The request was ___ after it was accepted and approved"

Context

  • Users of my software can request to trade a shift with another user. This trade is subject to both being Accepted by the other user and Approved by their supervisor (which can happen in any order), and could be rejected by either.
  • Users can also receive requests from higher-ups for modifications to a scheduled shift, which the user can accept or reject.

Either type of request can be described as "Rejected" if it did not go through, but I'm looking for a single word to describe the ones that did go through. I can't use Approved or Accepted, as in the case of trades those are separate statuses that need to both be true before the trade can take place.

Implemented captures the meaning I'm looking for, but sounds kind of odd and clunky in this context. I swear there's a better word on the tip of my tongue that I can't seem to find by searching synonyms, but it's entirely possible that my brain can't remember it because it doesn't actually exist.

I'm currently using Completed as it sounds more natural, however it's not a perfect fit because it implies work done over a timeline with a start and end, and these changes are made immediately as soon as the program knows it should do them.

Other rejected synonyms: Executed, effected, carried out, applied, enacted, done

Less politically problematic alternative to 'princess' or 'snowflake'

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 12:21 AM PDT

I'm looking for a word to use in a self-deprecating context meaning 'overly sensitive or precious'.

I ordinarily might say:

I'm going to sound like a princess here

or

I'm going to be a snowflake here

But both of these terms are politically problematic - princess because it's gendered and sounds demeaning to women, and snowflake because it's a common alt-right insult.

Is there an alternative word I can use that isn't so problematic?

What's the meaning of the mentioned sentence?

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 03:00 AM PDT

That the seller has given clear understanding and guarantee at the time of this agreement that the said property is free from all encumbrances, attachments such as mortgage, gift, will, exchange, court injunction, disputes, stay, court decrees, lease, family or religious dispute or any other registered or unregistered encumbrance and attachment etc. In case of any proof, the seller will be liable and responsible for the same.

What is the meaning of the last line in this paragraph. It would be helpful if someone would make me understand the last line simply in context of the whole paragraph.

Punctuation before ending a quotation

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 10:03 AM PDT

I was reading an article and came across this sentence:

"Much wow, Bercow hid his opposition to Brexit so very well when he was Speaker.," Mark Wallace, executive editor of ConservativeHome, tweeted.

This quote is punctuated with a period and a comma. Is this a mistake?

When I was reading on English grammar, I was told to punctuate quotes in the following way:

"Much wow, Bercow hid his opposition to Brexit so very well when he was speaker," tweeted Mark Wallace, executive editor of ConservativeHome.

I did change the structure around, though. Perhaps it is necessary to put a period before the comma when using their word order?

Using ‘first’ pre-verbally: ‘When I first wake up, I...’, ‘When we first saw them, we...’

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 09:06 AM PDT

Sorry, I don't have a clear question so much as I'm just looking for info on this construction. I just realised how odd this construction is to think about, even though it feels perfectly idiomatic. It seems to refer simply to the first thing one does on realising the verb in the statement (as though it could essentially be rephrased, 'when I wake up, the first thing I do is...'). Do we know where/when that construction originated? I was trying to translate a piece of text into German and just suddenly realised the oddity of this! I'm just generally curious about this phrasing, so any thoughts or info on it would be greatly appreciated.

A word for making an event more likely or less likely

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 08:06 AM PDT

In discussions of probability we often find ourselves saying that we can make an event more likely or less likely. It feels wordy, like there should be a single word for that. I don't mean "preclude" or "necessitate." I mean a change of probability that doesn't reach 0% or 100%. For example, we might say:

If we increase the sample size, we [decrease the probability of] certain kinds of error. If we decrease the sample size, we [increase the probability of] certain kinds of error.

What goes in that bracketed space? Not "rarify," which means something else; and not "preclude," which we can never seem to accomplish.

Why is Lord Alfred Tennyson often written as Alfred Lord Tennyson?

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 03:07 AM PDT

Why is Lord Alfred Tennyson often written as Alfred Lord Tennyson? This occurs with and without a comma after Alfred: Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Alfred Lord Tennyson. Should Lord precede the entire name, and not just the last name?

Any and a with "there is"

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 04:46 AM PDT

Could you give an explanation why ANY is not used like this:

1) Is there any car in the street? 2) Is there any book on the table?

I know that it's OK to use A for such sentences.

3) Is there a car in the street? 4) Is there a book on the table?

Any and A do mean ONE, but there must be some difference between them. What is it?

What is the origin of "newbie"?

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 03:35 AM PDT

Also seen as "noobie", "n00b", etc.

Etymonline gives an origin by 1969, possibly in the military. Is there a more definite origin anywhere? I know it is was also common on the Usenet, but of course any such use must have been post-1979 when Usenet was invented.

I know that the suffix "-bie" (as in freebie, etc.) is not uncommon, but I'm looking for specific usages of that suffix with the word "new".

What are the important differences between Canadian and American (USA) English?

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 07:51 AM PDT

English is not my first language; the little English I know is mostly from the USA.

I know some of the differences between British English (or just English?) and American English, and the same with Australian.

In general terms, could you explain to me, or list the most important differences (if any), between Canadian and American English?
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