Monday, September 6, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

"Device" vs "Delete" pronunciation

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 09:27 AM PDT

Why has the American English changed the pronunciation of "device" to /dəˈvaɪs/ while the word "delete" has retained its British nature which is /dɪˈliːt/ ?

Both words are just too close to allow for such a discrepancy.

What is it called when you build up a statement as something positive, and then make into something negative? [duplicate]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 05:44 AM PDT

Is there a specific word for when the beginning of a statement is positive, and then you you turn it into a mockery or ridicule?

Examples:

"I really do love Rick, he is my favorite comedian, because he makes the rest of us appear funny."

"It's fun to be your new teacher. I said to the principal that I wanted the best class of the school, they weren't here, unfortunately."

"You know what the best thing about (City 1) is? It's just takes one hour to get back to (City 2)."

Obviously it's sarcastic, because it ridicules in a smart way, but is there another word to describe this specific type of sarcasm, when you build it up as if it was a compliment, and then the ending shows that it is not. It's not really irony because you say exactly what you mean. Maybe ambivalence?

Is it "period from January to December" or "period of January to December"? [closed]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 06:49 AM PDT

Is it "period from January to December" or "period of January to December". I wrote "period of". I got corrected by my seniors to write "period from". Need some help to understand the grammar here. Please explain your answer with logic.

Using the phrase “strong use of the word…”

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 04:58 AM PDT

Conventionality, what quality is being measured as either weak or strong when this phrase is used? In other words, does one use a word strongly when she applies an adjective to herself or to something else that might overstate the case a bit? As in, strong means that the thing in question which the adjective is being employed to describe doesn't quite measure up to the level of prowess or ability which the adjective is meant to denote.

Or is it strong as in pejorative? As in strong language implies strong emotions such as anger or resentment are behind the word.

For instance, I'm wanting to write to my old English professor and saying something to the effect that it might be a strong use of the word "student" by referring to my self as one of his former students. What I'm wanting to communicate is that I'm not sure I'm worthy of the designation student since I did not apply myself as I now wish I would have, and thereby fell short of the idea of being a student proper. So, in my mind "student" is too strong of a word to use to describe my participation in his classroom. But is this the kind of idea the phrase "strong use of the word" is conventionally used to measure or describe?

'Get the chance to' or 'get the chance'? [migrated]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 05:31 AM PDT

Which sentence is correct?

What is something you want to do but rarely get the chance to?

Or

What is something you want to do but rarely get the chance?

Meaning of a mail reply for reference check [closed]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 12:59 AM PDT

Background:

I have an unpleasant history with my previous employer, especially with the HR which led them to not giving me any relieving letters but a letter of termination an year back. I have struggled to find an employment since then and have been unemployed for about a year now.

Recently, an opportunity knocked my door and they want to do a background check on me and require the reference of HR from last working org.

Okay, so I wrote an email to the HR in hope of having moved on for an acceptable reference check. Here is the reply I got back:

Dear [My Name],

If I get any background verification mail from the respective agency with regards to your employment details with [My Last Working Org. Name], we will revert them for the same.

Thanks & Regards,

[HR Name & Designation]

Is this email saying,

"no worries, we will revert back with an acceptable reference!" or,

"dare if someone sends a request for employment check, he or she will get to know about the unfortunate incident at the company involving you!"(or something negative of that sort)

Can anyone explain?

Note: I don't know if its relevant but the country in question is India.

“From whom” usage [migrated]

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 11:46 PM PDT

Is the following sentence grammatically correct?

My friendly neighbor, from whom I borrowed a ladder last night, is a nurse;

The correct answer seems to suggest that

My friendly neighbor, whom I borrowed a ladder from last night, is a nurse.

I would prefer the first sentence, but is it grammatically correct?

Word for "One who is proctored" [closed]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 01:52 AM PDT

My university has a policy of assigning a proctor to each student for the duration of their study. The proctor is supposed to be something akin to a mentor/guide. I am looking for a word that describes my relationship to them. i.e. something like proctee? However, Merriam Webster did not appear to have a word like it.

My intended use is something like

Respected Sir,
I am [so and so], a fresher at [so and so].
I am one of your [insert plural form of word for "one who is proctored"].
(and so on and so forth)

Compound words and phrases should be perfectly fine.

How free is basic English word order in poetry [closed]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 01:12 AM PDT

I understand that basic English word order is strictly SVO, and alternate word orders are extremely rare, if not nonexistent, in regular speech and prose. In poetry, however, can this be broken? So would a sentence like

"Holds the chest his treasures."

Or

"The chests his treasures hold."

Be correct sentences in poetry? Just to be clear, I am not talking about sentences where the object is moved to the front and separated by a comma, like

"His treasures, the chests hold."

As these kind of sentences I know already to be normal and used, but I don't feel like this is truly OSV since it is separated by a comma, and it is just a regular SVO sentence with the object moved to the front for emphasis.

Another term for NEWBIES vs EXPERIENCED/PRO [closed]

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 10:18 PM PDT

What's an interesting tagline or caption for a game (say like a reality game show) composed of newbies vs people who are not necessarily pro but have an experience with the game (or similar to it)

Things I have thought of:

  • Contenders vs Champions
  • Newbies vs Veterans
  • David vs Goliath

‘to start’ and ‘to starting’, prefaced by ‘key’

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 10:07 PM PDT

I have the following two example sentences:

X is the key to starting their communication.

X is the key to start their communication.

E.g. Patience is the key to starting their communication.

Which is correct and, most importantly, why? Could both be correct/ why would either be incorrect?

I suspect that the first sentence is correct - as in a previous question asked here, wherein the 'looking forward' prefaced 'to start/ starting'. I also suspect X does not make a difference, that the characteristic word is 'key'.

"Good night", "sleep well", which one is more formal, which one is more intimate? [closed]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 05:19 AM PDT

"Good night", "sleep well", which one is more formal, which one is more intimate?

When does "t-y" become a "ch" and "d-y" does a "dj"? [duplicate]

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 06:54 PM PDT

  • 'That you' becomes 'Thach you'
  • 'Did you' becomes 'Dij you' (or something near this) But body, responsibility doesn't. When that happens?

Interpretation of the idiom "hold our own" in a speech to Congress in the 19th century

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 09:23 AM PDT

The Nez Perce was a Native American tribe living in Oregon. They engaged in a war with the United States in 1877 and were defeated. The surviving members of the tribe were relocated to Idaho. In less than two years on the reservation, many of them either fled or died. Chief Joseph went to Washington D.C. in 1879 to plead for another home and fair treatment for his people under U.S. law.

I do not understand his intent of the phrase "hold our own" in the following quote.

I see men of my own race treated as outlaws and driven from country to country, or shot down like animals. I know that my race must change. We cannot hold our own with the white men as we are. We only ask an even chance to live as other men live. We ask to be recognized as men. We ask that the same law shall work alike on all men. If an Indian breaks the law, punish him by the law. If a white man breaks the law, punish him also.

Every idiom dictionary that I have consulted has stated that "hold one's own" means to be competent in a particular endeavor. So, it seems to me that Chief Joseph is saying that due to his tribe's surrender, they must submit to U.S. laws, and he is only asking that his people be treated fairly under U.S. law.

Based on a historians interpretation of his speech, though, the intent of this idiom was to concede that his people had been barbaric on the reservation due to a sense of gross injustice. Chief Joseph had written previously in this same speech

If you tie a horse to a stake, do you expect he will grow fat? If you pen an Indian up on a small spot of earth and compel him to stay there, he will not be contented nor will he grow and prosper.

Unless this quote immediately preceded the quote containing the idiom "hold our own," I don't know how this can be interpreted as "abiding by U.S. laws."

For further clarification, the speech is easily found on the Internet.

Word or phrase to describe something that always happens as part of a routine

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 05:19 AM PDT

I need a word/phrase to describe something that is part of a routine and guaranteed to happen. It's kind of hard to explain but hopefully, the example will help clear things up :)

I'm writing a story, which is from the perspective of a pet cat, and in this particular section, the owner is leaving to collect groceries and the cat is at home, waiting for the owner to return and with cat food.

"The isolation and sorrow I experienced every week for these lonely thirty minutes was only made bearable by the [word/phrase]"

Originally I had "only made bearable by the promise of cat food" but I felt like it wasn't quite right. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Comma After Pronoun

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 08:00 AM PDT

Should there be a comma after "me" in the sentence "me, who likes to read"?

Synonym for meanwhile

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 05:00 AM PDT

I am trying to write an academic essay. But I am stuck in connecting two sentences. I want to find a substitute for the meanwhile connector because I have already overused it in the other parts of my essay. Could you please kindly let me know an academic-friendly suitable synonym or another connector.

In recent years, most optimization research is dedicated to solving problems in the domains of business, construction, and supply chain management. Meanwhile, Simplex, Lagrange, and NewX are probably the most commonly studied methods in empirical works.

I have already checked online but I couldn't find much information googling. Really appreciate your help

“Whom” or “who” I wrote this for? [duplicate]

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 07:01 PM PDT

See title.

Is the correct sentence "Guess whom I wrote this for?" or "Guess who I wrote this for?" I prefer the former.

idiom or a smooth way to say that the game is the right level/scope for a person?

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 09:05 AM PDT

I'm looking for a way to say that a certain game is challenging enough (but not too much) and of the right scope. So far I came up with 'This game is in my league' but that doesn't sound quite right.

A question regarding present perfect continuous

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 07:03 PM PDT

I have been devouring information for the past three months.

I have read that perfect tenses should not be used in sentenced with adverbs or adverb phrases of past time. Is the sentence mentioned above incorrect?

usage of more common/more frequently/more often

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 07:02 AM PDT

Imagine this conversation between 2 persons :-
Person A to Person B: This event never takes place.
Person B to Person A: This event is more common (meaning takes place at regular intervals) than you think.

Person A to Person B: This event never takes place.
Person B to Person A: This event takes place more frequently (occurs more than once) than you think.

Person A to Person B: This event never takes place.
Person B to Person A: This event takes place more often (event occurs more than once) than you think.

Is the usage of more common/more frequently/more often correct in this scenario?

which preposition should i use with( delivery) ? in /for/by [closed]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 12:16 AM PDT

I have been wondering, which preposition should I use with this mcq

Given the COVID 19 pandemic, I am ordering my food ___ delivery.
1) for
2) in
3) from
4) by

I go for (in) as it expresses a state or condition, or by as ( delivery as a mean of transportation ) so what do you suggest guys?

I'm looking for phrases which could be used in a similar way to "Best of a bad bunch"

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 01:08 AM PDT

I'm trying to find phrases i can use to label four quadrant is a graph. The one i'm struggling with is low on the x axis but high on the y axis. The best I've come up with is "best of a bad bunch" but for political reasons i'd like something without "bad" in it.

The meaning of causative 'have'

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 03:01 AM PDT

(1) He had a specialist examine his son.

(2) He had his son examined by a specialist.

About this pair, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Page 1236) says:

we have equivalence between (1) and (2)

This I think means that we have equivalence in meaning between them.

But as for an apparently similar pair, Paul M. Postal says in his paper "On Raising" (page 320):

Thus, on one reading at least, the following are not semantically equivalent:

(86) a. Tom had Melvin interrogate the witness.

b. Tom had the witness interrogated by Melvin.

I don't see any reason for treating the examples in CGEL and 'On Raising' differently, so why is it that CGEL says the passivation doesn't change the meaning whereas Postal says it does change the meaning "on one reading at least"?

EDIT

In order to make it clear what Postal means by "on one reading", here's a summary of what Postal says in pages 318-320:

Right before the cited portion, Postal mentions "a dualistic analysis" found with "allow, permit, and order". By the "dualistic analysis" I think he means that these verbs of permission can have two different meanings, depending on whether to consider them to be 'raising verbs' or not.

So, I think Postal's "on one reading" refers to reading (86) as not having a 'raising' construction, because passivation wouldn't change the meaning in a 'raising' construction.

Apparently, Postal thinks that Postal's (86) can be construed as not involving a 'raising' construction, whereas CGEL thinks that CGEL's (1)/(2) can only be construed as involving a 'raising' construction.

Having said that, I think a more specific question is this:

Is there any reason for this different treatment? Or is either Postal or CGEL mistaken?

How to correctly write chains of nouns with plurals like "Messages List" and "Apple Count" for IT [duplicate]

Posted: 06 Sep 2021 06:15 AM PDT

Especially in IT it is often neccessary to write chains of nouns like messages list because one cannot use list of messages for a variable name in a programming language.

I can't understand how to construct them correctly for plurals, for example is it a "message list" or "messages list"? What grammar rules concern this subject?

As a maybe special case, I'm interesting in naming the number of something, for example the number of apples. It is common to use "apple count" (although count means counting, not quantity). What is right, "apple count" or "apples count", and why?

I found a little bit similar question. Maybe both forms are allowed?

Opposite of acronym

Posted: 05 Sep 2021 06:39 PM PDT

If U.N. is the acronym of United Nations, then United Nations is the what of U.N.? Is there an opposite of acronym?
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