Saturday, October 2, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

I am woken up/i got woken up

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 09:53 AM PDT

Am i right "I am woken up/i got woken up" could mean "I woke up myself with out any agent involved"

And I am woken up/I got woken up" could also mean= i woke up by someone/something ( an agent was invloved)

What is the meaning of "coming off"?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 09:31 AM PDT

I like this photograph so much that I am going to have it coming off.

What is the meaning of "coming off"? And why do people use "coming" instead of "come"?

Help in finding resources for Reading advanced or convoluted texts which involve a lot of reasoning [migrated]

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 08:12 AM PDT

I recently discovered that I am very bad at understanding or parsing advanced syntactic questions where sentences involve

  1. multiple negations are involved
  2. Multiple quantifier phrases like "they were little given to"
  3. Multiple subjects are involved with advanced vocabulary and sentences are in such a convoluted way that they seem to refer to one subject but in fact refer to other ie., those where we need to do a lot of reasoning

I started learning grammar but I still struggle with this parsing where reasoning is needed. Can you guys refer any texts or books that can help me get exposure on these types of text?

What is an unambiguous expression for 3 3 3 3 3? [closed]

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 08:03 AM PDT

In some country there is a unit for countable quantity.

3 3 3 3 3

For example, they say "5 count-unit of 3".

But in English we just say "five threes". But then

3 3 3 3 3

and

5 3

are hard to distinguish.

I believe I heard someone saying '5 lots of 3', but I am not sure the expression is correct or suitable for 3 3 3 3 3.

Q1) what is unambiguous English expression for 3 3 3 3 3 ? Q2) Is '5 lots of 3' acceptable expression for 3 3 3 3 3 ?

Meaning of "survey" as verb in "To survey some methods"? [closed]

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 07:46 AM PDT

I read the sentence

To survey some methods.

Does it imply to examine some methods?

Right in front of relative clause, what prepositions are frequently used?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 07:11 AM PDT

I recently learned relative clause with preposition.

After some of my "English Deep learning process" so to speak, I got a mere sense that only few prepositions such as "in, on, at" are located at in front of relative clause frequently.

e.g.

Some systems on which programs require high performance should be managed well.

Conversely, I've almost never seen prepositions like "behind, above, below" are located at in front of relative clause, although sentences like

The professor behind whom I sat is teaching students in *** university.

I usually saw it in this way.

the professor who I sat behind is teaching students in *** university.

What prepositions are mostly used with relative clause and why this discrimination between prepositions happens?

Thank you!

Is there a term for numbers like 0.5, 9.15, 4.22?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 07:59 AM PDT

I know that in some country, there is a term for numbers like

0.5, 9.15, 4.22

I mean number with dot(.) in its expression.

I sought for the term in English. It was

Decimal Number

But the term "decimal number" means just base-10 number.

3, 19, 277

Above numbers are in base-10 form, so they are decimal number (even though they do not have dot(.))

Is there a exclusive term for numbers with (.) in its expression ?

A word that means harmful ideas or emotions by analogy to pathogen

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 07:01 AM PDT

In medicine, the word pathogen means an organism that causes diseases that are harmful to you if you are exposed to it, such as a harmful virus, bacteria, and fungi (in contrast to a micro-organism that might be good for you like a pro-biotic gut bacteria, or bad for you like strep).

I am looking for a single word that is a memetic analogy to a pathogen, i.e. an idea or emotion or other meme (in the memetic sense) that is harmful or toxic to be exposed to, such as a conspiracy theory or hate or an idea that makes you feel inferior.

I'm looking for something close to the social work term "adverse childhood experiences" (ACEs) which a standardized indicia of childhood traumatic experience that can lead to negative life outcomes, but not specific to children.

It might also be an echo of the idea of the "seven deadly sins" (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride) without the religious connotations and with an emphasis on being something that can be spread rather than something that is an inherent character flaw.

"available" in a vending machine context

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 08:23 AM PDT

There's a vending machine that sells three kinds of canned juices, of which each costs 10, 30, 50 cents, and currently aren't sold out. Now, if I put one quarter(25 cents) into the machine, is the 30-cent juice available, because it isn't sold out & I have more money; or is it unavailable, because a can of 30-cent juice is not buyable with a quarter, which is all I put in right now?

P.S. I currently have homework that tells me to implement the machine, and the directions: When a user inserts a coin, vending machine shows all types of available items (Assume that each item is never out of stock). I am perplexed.

The aspect of psychological resultatives

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 06:19 AM PDT

Take a look at the psychological resultatives:

(1) a. Facebook's apps have annoyed me into not using them. b. The lines of the prose are what fascinated me into making the painting. c. Staff did not look happy. Almost depressed me out of buying a sandwich.

Are they punctual or gradual events?

Are the following sentences acceptable:

(2) a. Recently football on TV has been annoying me so much that I stop watching it. b. This whole issue is worrying me so much that I can't cope.

Are you able to make up similar contexts for psychological resultatives?

Idiom/proverb reminding someone not mincing their words to be sporting when someone else responds in kind?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 07:11 AM PDT

In German we have the sentence "Wer austeilt muss auch einstecken können", translated to: "Anyone who dishes it out must also be able to take it", as seen here. I was wondering if an idiomiatic english equivalent existed, similar to this more or less direct translation.

(I asked this question over at German Language, but was directed here.)

the phrase 'the Americans' - subtleties [closed]

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 07:56 AM PDT

'Americans,' when you refer to them generically, lots of times go without 'the.' In-depth research finds that 'Americans' without 'the' is perceived more as a nation that is driven by individuals; individual differences are felt more in the noun phrase.

My question is why do you think 'the Americans' was chosen as the title for this photo collection: The Americans. The photographer Robert Frank traveled around the nation, extensively depicting daily moments of America's men and women, boys and girls in 1955 and 1956. My take is that while the noun phrase 'the Americans' carries a sense of the nation as a whole, maybe a bit lessening the salience of the existence of individual differences, it covers everyone on the land of the United States - completeness, and so that he wanted to tell the audience his book is all-inclusive, inclusive of everyone, relying on the latter nature of the phrase 'the Americans.' Maybe he also wanted to have the title carrying the sense of 'individual differences,' but maybe he took the completeness aspect over the other.

Am I on the right track? Is my interpretation of 'the Americans' sufficient?

Understanding these lines from a news article [closed]

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 03:54 AM PDT

I am unable to understand what these sentences mean.

  1. "A purely security-driven approach fraught with human rights violations has only added to alienation among the poor in these areas."

  2. "The Union government and the States must continue to learn from successes such as the expansion of welfare and right paradigms in limiting the movement and failures that have led to the continuing spiral of violence in select districts."

  3. "There are now two wannabe Chancellors and two kingmakers, and coalition talks are expected to drag on."

  4. "Mr.Scholz will now seek to bring together the Social Democrats, Green and Liberals, the so-called 'traffic light' coalition...."
    (Why are they referring to this as a 'traffic light' coalition, I mean the probable intuitions? Why are they using single quotes here?)

US Army's: "What's your warrior?" Is it grammatically correct?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 03:04 AM PDT

I'm playing AA:PG game, official game by US Army. They're using there a slogan: "What's your warrior?". Questions: 1. Does it mean anything? 2. It doesn't look like a correct sentence. Is it event correct?

Will "a" or "the" be presumed in this scenario?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 08:23 AM PDT

Suppose a native English-speaking witness in court is testifying about what she saw. The story, as previously narrated by the witness in her written statement, starts with a certain identified/named person, known to be a farmer, arriving at a certain place.

So, when asked to tell the story again, verbally, not looking at the previous statement, she starts: "Farmer came along and...".

Does she mean "a farmer" or "the farmer"?

Use of past tense or present tense with "to (not) understand"

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 01:41 AM PDT

I'm struggling to see which of the following sentences are grammatically correct ?

She just understood what you haven't understood yet.
She has just understood what you did not understand yet.
She just understood what you have yet to understand.

As we speak, "She" has already understood, but not the other person mentioned. They will eventually. So, I'm not sure which sentence is most appropriate?

Especially in X "class" or "classes"?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 02:46 AM PDT

I'm writing a document and am confused whether I should write "class" singular or "classes" plural. Grammar online checker seems to allow both. What is the reasoning behind?

especially in reading and grammar class.

or

especially in reading and grammar classes.

Do some people pronounce "women" same as "woman"?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 12:57 AM PDT

This is something i've noticed lately. Example 1, example 2 (1:10). (...i do not necessarily endorse these videos). I can clearly hear them say "all woman"/ "why do pregnant woman". I'm not a native speaker hovewer so i'm not 100% sure. Am i hearing it correctly? Is it a thing with some English accents?

Distribution of "yelp" for "yes"

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 01:56 AM PDT

I've recently come across two people online who consistently write "yelp" meaning "yes" or "yep" in chat. Due to anonymity and privacy, I don't know much about them. From their speech patterns I'm guessing they speak AAVE, but I live in Australia and most of my exposure to AAVE comes from television. I'm not in a position where I can ask them about their backgrounds.

Has "yelp" been recorded as a variant of "yes" in certain people's speech? How widespread is this?

I haven't seen any aliens in my life - does it imply aliens exists?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 05:00 AM PDT

Alien could be any word. "I haven't seen any aliens in my life". Does saying like this imply interlocutor thinks aliens exists?

difference between "can do nothing" and "cannot do anything" Just in case: "I have seen no aliens." - same meaning?

P.S. That might look like question on language in general, however AFAIK different cultures can interpret phrases differently, so I asked here.

Do you use a semicolon or colon before the word “that” in a sentence?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 02:06 AM PDT

I just wanted to ask if a semicolon or colon is appropriate before the word "that" in a sentence.

For example,

I want to tell him that maybe it is the fact that I have been guarded every second of every minute of every hour of every day that I have been here; that I cannot even relieve myself when nature calls without my guards knowing.

This is from a book I read. This has itched my mind a lot since a semicolon isn't supposed to be used when there is a dependent clause.

A sentence without a predicate in the middle of narrative given in past tense

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 12:06 AM PDT

From William Gibson's debut 1984 science-fiction novel, Neuromancer:

Crossing the arcade to stand beside her, high on the deal he'd made, he saw her glance up. Gray eyes rimmed with smudged black paintstick. Eyes of some animal pinned in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.

Their night together stretching into a morning, into tickets at the hoverport and his first trip across the Bay. The rain kept up, falling along Harajuku, beading on her plastic jacket, the children of Tokyo trooping past the famous boutiques in white loafers and clingwrap capes, until she'd stood with him in the midnight clatter of a pachinko parlor and held his hand like a child.

The whole text before and after that sentence is in past tense. Just want a clarification whether it is just "night that is stretching" or maybe something else that I missed at school. I'm bad with grammar.

What does “like an elephant's eye” mean?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 09:53 AM PDT

What does "like an elephant's eye" mean from "We seldom ever have an argument, but if it is, it's about something like an elephant's eye"? The sentence is from an interview, an old couple talks about their relationship. I googled, but can't find the meaning.

Thank you! :)

Word for something happening after it is mentioned

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 12:15 AM PDT

When something happens when it, or something related to it, was previously mentioned. It doesn't necessarily have to be wished.

It is almost similar to "speaking of the devil".

My friend talked about her high school reunion and I told her that I haven't seen my high school friends since I graduated. The next day, I bumped into my high school friend at a mutual friend's party.

When to use "form" and when "format"?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 01:00 AM PDT

Which is correct?

Please submit your ideas in text form.

Please submit your ideas in text format.

Format looks like it's derived from form, so what is the difference between these two words?

I consulted a dictionary, but the definitions look somewhat similar to me — both seem to refer to the way things are organised / configured / presented.

I'm not asking for writing advice or suggestions to rephrase or substitute words, I'm simply curious about the difference between the two words.

"Proceeding" as an adjective [closed]

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 05:07 AM PDT

I thought I've heard it being used as such before, but I cannot seem to find any dictionary (online) that details it as an adjective.

We normally use "precede" and its derivatives to talk about events that happen before, e.g. "The preceding event was lunch."

"Proceed" is a reference to events in the future, so I was wondering if we could use it as such: "The proceeding event is dinner."

Is there no such usage for the word and I'm just making it up?

Changing from 1st Person to 2nd Person in the same paragraph?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 06:33 AM PDT

I want to know if it's okay to change from 1st person (our,we) to 2nd person (you, your) in the same paragraph as follows:

TV need not dictate our lives. There is a choice. We can either submit ourselves to continue living in the 'twilight zone' or choose to unplug and live in the real zone. There are plenty of full filling activities waiting to be explored. Whether it's a new hobby, learning a new language, bonding with family or reading a good book – you may be surprised by how enriched your life becomes. What's more, if you have children they may one day, thank you dearly for replacing...

What is the origin of the phrase "bush league"?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 09:50 AM PDT

I know it's baseball terminology, but I've never heard anyone explain why a feeder or low-level league is associated with shrubs. Is there some relation in the phrase to "farm system"?

Does "All" imply one or more?

Posted: 02 Oct 2021 05:22 AM PDT

Does all imply that there is one or more of something?

  • Does the statement "all of the books are red" imply there is at least one red book?
  • Could there be zero books and the statement still be factually correct?
  • Is it inherently ambiguous?

Not sure if this is an English question or more of a math or logic question.

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