Friday, September 3, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

How better to describe exact time in future

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 09:30 AM PDT

What tense is better to use ?

I'm sending you the sheets tomorrow at 5pm. (As it was planned before saying.)

I will send you the sheets tomorrow at 5pm.

Or there is another alternative in my mind

The sheets will be sent tomorrow at 5pm

Sarcasm without contradiction between literal and appeared meaning

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 09:23 AM PDT

What exactly is the definition of sarcasm? As I've understood it, verbal irony is when the literal meaning of a sentence differs from the appeared meaning (it is opposite/close to opposite). If the irony is directed at a person in a slightly "mocking" way, it is called sarcasm (MasterClass). An example of sarcasm according to Literary Devices is "Zombies only eat brains. You're safe". I do not understand how this is considered sarcasm. The obvious meaning of this example is "you have no brain/you aren't smart" but then how is it sarcastic? It is only a rephrasing of the basic meaning (you have no brain). You could have added "you are safe because you have no brain", and the meaning of the sentence would remain the same, but it is implied already. The literal meaning and the intention are the same/synonymous. It's like writing "you're not smart" instead of writing "you are stupid". The statements basically mean the same thing, they are only formulated in different ways. I understand that "you are safe" is a more positively charged sentence than "you have no brain", but does that make it sarcasm? They are still considered synonymous, not the opposites of each other? If sarcastic sentences should be read as the opposite of the actual phrasing, then this example should be interpreted as if the person is not safe, meaning that they have a brain (since that is the opposite of what is written, but it is obviously not what is the intention of the sentence). If it is only the rephrasing that makes it considered sarcasm, then by definition "you are not so smart" should also be considered the sarcastic version of "you are stupid". It feels very strange, because the sarcastic version would be the opposite of what you mean, so in the latter example it would be "you are smart". It was not only this sentence I didn't understrand the sarcasm in, all the examples was just smart reformulations of criticism. In what way is this sarcasm?

Link to MasterClass: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/learn-the-differences-between-irony-sarcasm-satire-and-paradox#what-is-sarcasm

Link to Literary Device: https://literarydevices.net/sarcasm/

Is it correct if I complete a sentence with "Before"?

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 09:20 AM PDT

I'm asking for the correct format of this sentence:

Can we go for a walk? - My friend -

Sorry, but I have a python course and I need to complete it before. - Me -

Is it correct to say this?

What common name can be used to classify LaTeX and office suites together?

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 07:13 AM PDT

If someone wants to put LaTeX and office suites (especially the applications related to document preparation: Word, Publisher, Powerpoint, etc.) together in the same line in his CV/resume in the following way:

Programming Languages: C++, Python
(*): LaTeX, Microsoft Office, LibreOffice

What should be put in the place of '(*)' here?

The name Word Processors might seem to be a good candidate. But note that LaTeX is not a word processor!

From the chatrooms in TeX and EL&U SE, I have got some suggestions such as Document Processing Systems, Desktop Publishing Systems, Digital Typesetting Systems, etc.

Which common name or hypernym is currently more preferable and acceptable to use in this context?

Should or should not a grouped item adopt a neutral singular pronoun?

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 05:43 AM PDT

I have looked at previous questions but they do not answer my question. The answers relating to "staff do not relate to this question and only have a fleeting similarity in the fact that Staff can be a group. But according to my dictionary, it can be a singular member (depending on location). Whilst "Is there a correct gender-neutral singular pronoun" Whilst it is not directly related, it does at least address the issue of Singular they,

Here is an example in the Cambridge English Dictionary.

A string quartet was playing Mozart.

Is this correct? or should it be "A string quartet were playing Mozart.

Is a quartet an "it" or a "they"? By popular convention " if they were then it was".

But should not a musician's humanity take preference over a group's singularity? But my conscience is clear, I am sure they are not, it is or even they is a Quartet.

The Question "Is there a correct gender-neutral singular pronoun" Whilst it is not directly related, it does at least address the issue of Singular they, but the highest marked answer (436 to date) says

However, "singular they" also enjoys a long history of criticism. If you are anxious about being criticized............ I would advise rewording to avoid having to use a gender-neutral singular third-person pronoun.

In my case, I am not concerned with gender as such and before I find out what the Quartet "do" or "does" every night. I prefer to know if

it plays every night

or

they play every night.

The definition of a "Quartet" being

a group of four people who play musical instruments or sing as a group:

However, grouping is not only related to teams, bands, etc Which inherently contains people and also has a gender but to animals who may have or not have according to use (cows, bears) and objects which are genderless.

If we were to presume that the quartet was playing if we are not in a "Subjunctive Mood", what should we say about things like my trousers. Would we? Could we? use the singular they?

"Was that pair of trousers ok?... No they was too short"

as opposed to

"Were those trousers ok?... No they were too short"

But maybe I overreach, should we not establish if the band

is playing in Europe

or

are playing in Europe

Note

In English grammar, third-person pronouns refer to people or things other than the speaker (or writer) and the person addressed. In contemporary standard English, these are the singular third-person pronouns:

He, she, it, one (singular personal pronouns in the subjective case) Him, her, it, one (singular personal pronouns in the objective case) His, hers (singular possessive pronouns) Himself, herself, itself, oneself (singular reflexive/intensive pronouns) In addition, his, her, and their are the singular third-person possessive determiners. Unlike first-person (I) and second-person pronoun (you), third-person pronouns in the singular are marked for gender: he and she, him and her, his and hers, himself and herself.

Is there a name for the deliberate use of incorrect grammar? [duplicate]

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 03:39 AM PDT

I'm thinking of the phrase "As sure as eggs is eggs", which I heard used by a well-educated speaker recently. Of course, they were aware that grammatically the plural eggs requires the verb form are, but I wondered whether there is a name for the intentional use of so-called 'bad grammar'. Another example is the deliberate use of 'ain't' by British English speakers.

What does "Espresso yourself! Ad gets latte love" mean?

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 01:04 AM PDT

I know Starbucks UK launched a new campaign to promote acceptance of sex change in young teens by encouraging them to give baristas their "new" name when they purchase coffee so it can be "called out" in the store.

Regarding this, Metro.News said "Espresso yourself! Ad gets latte love." What does this mean? Is that a figurative expression? (I thought maybe "espresso yourself" intends to mean "express yourself.")

Please help me understand it. Thanks!

Are the words "interesting" and "pleasing" correlated or similar? [closed]

Posted: 02 Sep 2021 11:52 PM PDT

I would just like to know becuase I have been wondering

Which one is correct for the use of "input"? [migrated]

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 02:20 AM PDT

Which one of the two sentences below is correct?

  1. The input is 20 apples.

  2. The input are 20 apples.

Tech Youtube channel name ideas! [closed]

Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:54 PM PDT

I need a Unique name for my tech Youtube channel(English channel) which may contain "TECH" in it or anything which suits. As I'm gonna start a tech reviewing Youtube channel soon where I review about smartphones, laptops and other gadgets. Many have their YT names like Unbox therapy, Beebom, C4etech, mrwhosetheboss, Tamil tech, etc. Likewise, some YT Channel name ideas would be great from you all.

What does "67% above average engagement rate" mean?

Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:28 PM PDT

I saw an advertisement for the new release of Xbox (The title is "The Birth of Gaming Tourism"). And there is a phrase that read "67% above average engagement rate" to explain how effective the campaign was in terms of marketing, I guess.

But I cannot figure out what that means exactly. Does that mean the average engagement rate is over 67%? Or the above engagement rate is 67%?

Please help me understand the meaning. It would be very helpful to me. Thanks!

What kind of error is using Women instead of Woman

Posted: 02 Sep 2021 11:26 PM PDT

An online argument.

Guy says "You are looking for a women".

Girl replies "talking all that sh*t with bad Grammar".

Guy replies "Spelling is not a part of Grammar".

Another guy says "when someone uses a wrong word through spelling, while intending to use another, it is a grammatical error.

Is it a grammatical error, or a usage error? If grammar is about structure, how is this a grammatical error?

Generalized Terms for Categorizing an Occupation Label

Posted: 02 Sep 2021 10:00 PM PDT

This feels like a longshot, so pardon me if it's an ill-formed question for this forum…

I'm trying to define a two-phrase structure that describes any person's role or occupation. Here are several examples to demonstrate the scope of its use:

  • Commanding Officer, USS Nimitz
  • CEO, Cool Stuff Inc
  • Waitress, Joe's Bar
  • Student, Pinewood University

Each role label has two parts: The first I could probably call the "title" for the role. However, the second part covers a wide variety of contexts (a business, an institution or organization, a military post or ship, etc.). I'd like to find a general term for the second portion of the label that applies to any of those situations so that all roles can be defined by a Title and a [Something]. The [Something] would provide the context for the title, but the term "context" seems too general to clearly convey the type of information I want the term to portray.

I would appreciate any suggestions for a general term I could use to describe the second, "context" phrase within such an occupation label.

Name for gap in a line caused by everyone stopping, and then having the front of the line start moving again?

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 07:21 AM PDT

You know when cars stop in a line and then the first car starts moving, causing the rest of the cars to have a big gap at the end? What is that phenomenon called?

A similar example is a line of kids at school. They all stop in a hall, everyone catches up, and then when the front takes off walking the last one or two students in line have a huge gap in between them and the rest of the line, which has moved on.

How long does "half an hour" mean? [closed]

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 12:53 AM PDT

Consider the declaration A:

1] I'll be gone for thirty minutes.

as compared to

2] I'll be gone for half an hour.

. Similarly, consider declaration B:

1] I'll be back within 30 minutes.

versus

2] I'll be back within half of an hour

Two questions: How does the contextual impact alter the syntax, if at all, between A and B (".. gone for" vs. ".. back within"), particularly as pertaining to choice of nearby words; and What is the semantic difference, if any, between sets 1 and 2 ("half an hour" vs. "thirty minutes")?

If there is a difference, then how is it quantified? Is "half an hour" equivalent to 30 minutes, or does it connote a range---and if the latter, then what range? Does the range vary depending on context? Could it be as high as plus-minus 5 minutes (i.e. between 25 to 35 minutes), plus-minus 10 minutes (i.e. between 20 to 30 minutes), or something else?, and dependent on what?

What are "the dear years" in Redgauntlet?

Posted: 02 Sep 2021 10:29 PM PDT

"Wandering Willie's Tale" is a short story embedded within Sir Walter Scott's novel "Redgauntlet" (1824). It's written in Scots and/or Scottish English (I'm not certain where those lines are drawn!). The story begins by introducing the character of Sir Robert Redgauntlet:

Ye maun [must] have heard of Sir Robert Redgauntlet of that Ilk, who lived in these parts before the dear years.

What are, or were, the "dear years"?

How to positively describe somebody who misled you by accident

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 02:41 AM PDT

Consider this scenario, of two people talking:

A: Did you go to the shops?
B: No, it was closed even though you said it would be open
A: Oh no, I misled you!
B: No, you didn't mislead me, you just _____ me.

'A' was mistaken, but they didn't mislead 'B' (intentionally), but made a genuine mistake in trying to help out. I want 'B' to imply the help was appreciated even if it didn't help out in the end.

To be extra clear, I am only looking for single word answers. Suggestions of rewording the entire exchange are not valid for this question.

With regards to a group, when do we relate to the group (singular) and when should we relate to the members of the group (plural)

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 07:57 AM PDT

Here is an example in the Cambridge English Dictionary.

A string quartet was playing Mozart.

Is this correct? or should it be "A string quartet were playing Mozart. Is a quartet an "it" or a "they"?

I have looked at previous questions but they do not answer my question as they relate to the singular or plural form of the group (staff or staffs) which I do not dispute The group is singular

I don't really what to know what the Quartet "does" every night. However, I prefer to know if a quartet can play or if it plays every night. hence was it playing or were they playing. In either case, the quartet remains singular.

The definition of a "Quartet" being

a group of four people who play musical instruments or sing as a group:

If we were to presume that the quartet was playing, then, would it not then follow, if we are not in a "Subjunctive Mood", that we should say

"That pair of black trousers was too short" as opposed to "That pair of black trousers were too short"?

Even more confusingly, in our "soirée musicale", we seem to be dehumanising people, relegating them to being mere objects," whilst our trousers seem to be given the benefit of the doubt, even if "they" were too short". Should not a musician's humanity take preference over a group's singularity?

How is this William Thackeray comma usage explained?

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 06:33 AM PDT

In Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray we have the following sentence:

One of the great conditions of anger and hatred is, that you must tell and believe lies against the hated object, in order, as we said, to be consistent.

I was wondering if someone could explain to me how the first comma is grammatical, if it is. Every other comma seems to have a purpose. Maybe it's being used as a colon?

You have the watches, but we have the time

Posted: 02 Sep 2021 11:27 PM PDT

This quote is associated with the Taliban in reference to the US occupation of Afghanistan.

I understand the metaphorical meaning of the quote — i.e. the point that it makes.

But I am intrigued by the literal meaning. In particular, I can't work out what it means to "have the watch", nor what the "watch" refers to metaphorically.

Anybody know?

For the record, I've done some searches, but have only turned up explanations of the metaphoric meaning, nothing about analysis of the literal meaning.

Cohorting, is it a word? if not what should I use instead [closed]

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 03:15 AM PDT

In this context, I'm trying to express that Seamus accidentally was frolicking with the enemy. I guess a better way to say it is unintentionally interacting.

Domá turned to Seamus, "So let me get this straight. On your first day back in Ireland — you got caught by Vikings — lost Josie and Bally— and almost got yourself killed. Not to mention cohorting with both of my enemies and their conjurer. Does that sum it up?"

Prepositional/infinitive phrase connectors

Posted: 02 Sep 2021 11:08 PM PDT

When prepositional /infinitive phrases are used as sentence connectors i. e they come at the beginning of the sentence, what is their status in the sentence. Are they mere connectors and not a part of the sentence or they also are integral part of the sentence they introduce.

Example:- He is a hardworking man. Apart from this, he is also very diligent. Here "apart from this" is only a connector or also integral part of the sentence "he is also very diligent.

Similarly, "He wants to be rich. To achieve his objective, he is working very hard.Here "To achieve his objective"is only a connector or also an integral part of the sentence "he is woking very hard" acting as adverbial.

correct verb to be used with "aim"

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 08:04 AM PDT

is it correct to say to "meet aims"? I know we can say she fulfilled or achieved her aims , but can I also say " she met her aims"?

Mixing simple present and a present participle in the same phrase?

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 02:08 AM PDT

I'm writing an explanation of my duties in a job that I currently have, and I came up with the bullet:

Organize large groups of over 200 people, directing them to activities and allocating seating in theaters

Is it wrong to put both the simple present and the present participle in one phrase like this? I'm trying to say that part of my duty in organizing large groups is to direct them to activities and to theater seats. Should I be mixing organize with directing / allocating? It doesn't quite seem right to use direct / allocate here though. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

edit: I feel that I should be mixing simple present with present participles here because I'm not trying to say that I have 3 duties, but rather that one duty (organizing) includes 2 separate aspects (directing / allocating). I realized that I am trying to say "I organize large groups of over 200 people, which includes directing them to activities and allocating seating in theaters." However, is it okay to leave out the "which includes" part here because it is implied by the present participle?

Tenses to use when writing minutes

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 01:00 AM PDT

I understand that you must use past tense when writing minutes. However, there are some instances when I am not sure if past tense should be used as it would either change the meaning of the sentence or sound weird. Below are some situations which I have trouble with:

1.When something is in progress.

Example:

  • The team is checking on the machine. (Should it be: The team was checking on the machine)
  • Checks on the system are being done. (Should it be: Checks on the system was being done)

2.When Something is not Certain.

Example :

  • If there is sufficient data to support the efficiency of the new system... (Should it be: If there was sufficient data to support the efficiency of the new system...)

  • If the project is successful... (should it be: If the project was successful)

Thanks for helping.

How to pronounce ë in a name?

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 07:45 AM PDT

A Simple explanation on what the letter ë actually is and how it is pronounced? I know it's not an English letter so why does it appear in English names like Chloë for example?

What is the transparent part of an envelope called?

Posted: 02 Sep 2021 11:58 PM PDT

What is the part of a sealable envelope that is made out of transparent plastic and shows the address or a part of what is inside, called?

"A friend to all is a friend to none" - Aristotle. What does this exactly mean?

Posted: 02 Sep 2021 11:56 PM PDT

Why shouldn't a person be friendly to everyone? Is "being friendly" and "being a friend" being differentiated here?

Also, I consider a person as one's friend only if that person doesn't betray his/her other friends. So going by my rule of friendship, there won't be any problem if my friend is a friend to every person, since he/she is not going to give up on me and neither he/she will give up on his/her other friends when he/she us spending his time with me.

What is the main context under which this proverb becomes true?

What is difference between congregate and aggregate? [closed]

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 04:55 AM PDT

What is difference between congregate and aggregate? I see that those words deal with same things, but there are difference, and I don't see which?

"Free of" vs. "Free from"

Posted: 03 Sep 2021 09:20 AM PDT

The people were free from the barbaric dictator. Or: The people were free of the barbaric dictator.

The mashed potatoes were free from lumps. Or: The mashed potatoes were free of lumps.

I wish I could be free from this terrible cold. Or: I wish I could be free of this terrible cold.

It seems to me that the terms "free from" and "free of" can be used interchangeably. Do the two have distinct meanings? Is one more correct than the other? Are there exceptions?
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)