Saturday, October 23, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

What are the two /r/ sounds explained in this video?

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 10:51 AM PDT

This guy says here there are two ways of "making the /r/ sound". His explanation lacks academic rigor and necessary phonetic details. He claims the first way is: "It's like a /l/, with your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Tongue up, behind front teeth; lips relaxed." And the other way: "It's like a /v/, with your top teeth near your bottom lip. Tongue relaxed; top teeth against lower lip."

I tried but failed to reproduce the sounds he describes. I don't think my /r/ is either of those. (U.S. West Coast parents. Raised overseas. Most of my adult years have been spent on the East Coast)

I was under the impression that /r/ is effected most commonly as the voiced postalveolar approximant on either side of the pond. But what that guy describes doesn't seem to fit. So what are the two phones (sounds) in phonetics that he is likely referring to?

Why would someone email someone and tell them they deserve every bad thing that happens to them?

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 10:25 AM PDT

What kind of person tells someone they deserve all the bad things that happens to them.

Past perfect tense while talking about a specific year in the past

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 10:08 AM PDT

Is this a correct use of past perfect tense?

"In 2000, I had finished learning advanced Mandarin. I was then planning to learn Cantonese."

I want to understand if "had finished" is used correctly here or if it should have been only "finished" instead.

If my usage is correct, why is it correct? What are the rules of grammar that make it correct?

If my usage is incorrect, why is it incorrect? What rules of grammar does it break?

What's the difference between "we offer" and "we are offering"? [closed]

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 05:32 AM PDT

I'm wondering what sort of difference there is between the following two sentences.

A. We offer this service to our employees.

B. We are offering this service to our employees.

Does B sound more like a temporal offering?

I appreciate your takes.

Use of ellipsis (...) or (. ...)

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 10:11 AM PDT

The yelping stopped abruptly. As they reached the lake's shore they saw why - Sirius had turned back into a man. He was couched on all fours, his hands over his head. 'Nooo,' he moaned. 'Noooo... . please ...'

Source - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 20

My research - When using ellipsis, we always use three dots (...). Why is there a single dot before please?

Missing the article "The" at the beginning of the sentence [closed]

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 05:07 AM PDT

Do we have more tolerance of missing articles during texting?

Considering these two sentences

Movie starts at 8:30, other than that idk

Last day of classes is Thursday.

I'd like to ask if it is fine/common to we omit the article "The" at the beginning during texting / a conversation.

And if you think it is fine, do you think it is more common/ acceptable to miss the article "The" at the beginning than in the middle of the sentence?

Thanks.

"I suppose you don't have" vs "I don't suppose you have" [duplicate]

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 06:13 AM PDT

Is there any difference in meaning or tone between these two and are they even both valid to begin with:

I suppose you don't have the keys with you?
I don't suppose you have the keys with you?

Is it bad style to put two words ending in -ing next to each other? [closed]

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 12:08 AM PDT

Also, words ending in y, for example: "That's a really handy tool."

Is it possible to omit these phrases to make the sentence seem to be a paradox? [closed]

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 11:34 PM PDT

There are three apples in box A, and there are four apples in box B.

I want to make it seem to be a paradox for poetic reasons.

So can I say "I know there are three apples (in box A) and there are four apples (in box B)." The phrases in parentheses are parts to be omitted.

What does it mean by "foundered over financial terms and demands" in this sentence? [closed]

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 10:32 AM PDT

Could you please read the paragraph (incomplete) and tell me your answer?

This is an excerpt from an article on The Economist "Why does Tata Group want Air India back?"—

"In recent years it was losing nearly $3m a day. Operating costs far exceed the industry average. So do customer complaints. Perhaps realising this, the government began trying to offload Air India in 2001, but deals repeatedly foundered over financial terms and demands that the state retain a residual stake, and possibly residual control."

And my question is: what does the word "deals", and phrases "foundering over" and "financial terms" mean here? Also, could you please tell me what part does "demands" play in this sentence?

Grammar analysis [closed]

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 05:52 PM PDT

Which 'but' is a preposition? [BCS= Bangladesh Civil Service Exam]

A. It is but right to admit our faults.
B. What can we do but sit and wait?
C. There is no one but likes him.

Explain please

Term for a verse in which the last line is composed of the last words of the previous lines in that verse

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 06:36 PM PDT

I have been searching a while and I have a strong feeling there is a term for what I am describing but I cant find it!

An example of what I mean is,

enter image description here

Thank you for your time, and any help would be greatly appreciated!

1 post OR 1 posts

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 01:29 PM PDT

enter image description here

I wanted to make a suggestion to change it to 1 post on MetaStackExchange but I want to know which one is the best choice or if it is even correct.

This is on the User profile, is it supposed to be 1 post?

Who are the two children that Addie Bundren loved in As I Lay Dying by Faulkner? [closed]

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 04:50 AM PDT

I only know that Addie loves Jewel because Jewel is the product of her and her husband. I have no idea who the other one is. If I have to pick one I would say Cash, since he is the first son she brought to the world. The last two were more like obligations for her sin.

A non-negative synonym for "unused" or "untouched" that doesn't have the sexual implications of "virginal"

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 08:42 AM PDT

I am writing some software that maintains a large data space, and we need to be able to tag areas that have never been touched/written to, and be able to request those areas.

When we request areas we can add flags to the request for what we want, and currently the flag I am using for getting any hasn't-been-used-yet area is "virginal" - but eventually this software will be used by a larger audience, so I'd rather avoid the connotations that are connected with "virginal".

Also, I don't want to use a "negative" word like "untouched" because I think the double-negative can be confusing if you, for example, request a region where "untouched = false"

I feel like there is a word that I'm just missing that is both positive and doesn't have connotations involving sexual purity, but I can't think of what it is.

Suggestions?

Regarding the use of the word 'affirmative' in this context

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 03:28 PM PDT

I am presently reading Lewis Henry Morgan's Ancient Society. I have come across a sentence, which I am having some trouble understanding.

It is difficult to describe an Indian tribe by the affirmative elements of its composition.

What does Morgan mean by 'affirmative elements' here?

When is the word "vaccine" uncountable?

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 04:00 PM PDT

According to the Oxford Learner's Dictionary definition for vaccine:

[countable, uncountable]
​a substance that is put into the blood and that protects the body from a disease

  • a measles vaccine
  • There is no vaccine against HIV infection.

I am confused about the description in the OALD. It said that "vaccine" is uncountable sometimes. When is vaccine used this way?

What is a 'nonexaggerated' word for egotistical?

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 12:30 PM PDT

Webster defines egotistical : characterized by egotism : having, showing, or arising from an exaggerated sense of self-importance. And other dictionaries add conceit and self-centered.

Webster defines ego: the self especially as contrasted with another self or the world, and it's use associated with self esteem or self care.

What word in this family includes a healthy amount of ego, that is not exaggerated? We all need to value self, and sometimes above others, but when it harms others unnecessarily, it become excessive on one extreme, or not enough on the other extreme.

I'm looking for a term that's on the ego spectrum from narcissistic (self consumed) to arrogant (puffed-up) to [the term I'm looking for] to self-negligent (lacking self-care) to co-dependent (consumed by the well being of others). Here's how I would use it in sentences:

His behavior was recognized as egotistical, but in fact was quite xxxxxxx.

We all need to be more xxxxxxx and less egotistical or oblivious to our own wellbeing.

His xxxxxxx behaviour was exactly what he needed for his own well being.

Strict separation of choice and structure

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 07:55 AM PDT

I am having difficulty in comprehending the below passage

Some social scientists, particularly those who are committed to individualism, like the strict separation of choice and structure found in game theory because it gives an active edge to choice. Individuals qua individuals are plainly doing something on this account, although how much will depend on what can be said about what is likely to happen in such interactions. Game theory promises to tell a great deal on this. By comparison other traditions of political philosophy work with models of human agents who seem more passive and whose contribution merges seamlessly with that of other social factors. Nevertheless the strict separation raises a difficulty regarding the origin of structures.

What is meant by structures here? What does game theory promise to tell us?

What is the meaning of "sharp edges" and to be "loved off"?

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 04:03 PM PDT

I just came across the fragment below, taken from "The Velveteen Rabbit", and there are a couple of things I'm not sure I understand. What is meant by "sharp edges" and to be "loved off"?

Your help would be greatly appreciated!

You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.

Which version is correct: "It's suitable FOR the purpose of your video" or "It's suitable TO the purpose of your video"? [closed]

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 03:01 PM PDT

Example: "Choose a speech style suitable to the purpose of your video"

Or maybe they are both correct and have different meanings?

Do we need "on" in this sentence?

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 11:00 AM PDT

In Steve Jobs's biography by Walter Isaacson, the author writes:

...another health issue that became increasingly problematic, one that medical researchers didn't focus on as rigorously as they did cancer or pain.

I feel like you need an additional on after they did:

focus on as rigorously as they did on cancer.

It wouldn't be necessary if there were no they did but maybe I am missing something?

changes from when clause to if clause [closed]

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 05:03 PM PDT

When I am ill, I go to the doctor.

If I am ill, I will go to the doctor.

If I am ill, I go to the doctor.

Which is correct?

APA style - citing nobility

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 12:25 PM PDT

I want to cite a written work by a European (specifically, English) nobelwoman, more specifically, a countess.

However, in order to make my question a bit general and to provide a comparison case, let me start with another example, Andrew Lloyd Webber who was made a baron in 1997. According to Wikipedia, he is properly styled as The Lord Lloyd-Webber.

However, I assume that is irrelevant when citing his work on the musical The School of Rock, so I would write in running text Lloyd Webber (2015) (without the hyphen), and in the bibliography, write

Lloyd Webber, A (2015) The School of Rock (original score). London: Rodgers & Hammerstein.

But perhaps I'm wrong (see below).

The case I'm currently concerned with seems at least a little more complicated. I want to cite Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace. She is usually known as Ada Lovelace. In the original work I want to cite, she is only credited by initials, and those initials are A.A.L, or variously (probably a typesetter's error) A.L.L. In any event, it seems clear that she is going by "Lovelace" in that work rather than by "King-Noel".

Therefor I assume that I should cite her as Lovelace (1842) in running text and as

Lovelace AA (1842) Translator's notes to M. Menabrea's memoir on Babbage's Analytical Engine. In: Taylor R (ed) Scientific Memoirs, vol 3, London: Richard and John E. Taylor, pp 691-731.

(dropping the King-Noel) in the bibliography.

However, since this differs from my intuition about the example above, I'd appreciate any advice that can resolve the issue.

Word to define person with bad social skills

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 10:48 AM PDT

How would you define a person without (or with very bad) social skills?

I don't mean a totally anti-social, but one that struggles to behave in a social context, and feels awkward or out-of-place when forced to stay and talk with other people.

Maybe that would be anti-social, but not by choice... Just thinking to be rejected/avoided by others, and that keeps trying to relate to others but fails everytime.

Is there a word that could describe this? Or else, what word would be the closest and more appropriate to help explain this?

Altough some answer overlap my question this question differs from mine. This question is not about understanding others and their feelings, but rather at behaving in social context, or being marked as a weird/awkward person that's avoided by others.

To raise/lower the blinds or to draw the blinds?

Posted: 23 Oct 2021 09:00 AM PDT

I'm an English learner and I'd like to know which verb should I use when using the word venetian blinds. Do you say 'to raise/lower the blinds' or 'to pull the blinds up/down?' or 'to draw the blinds'? + What would you say if you just wanted to turn the slats - would you say something like 'Close/open the blinds, please.'? It would be really helpful for me if you took the time to answer. :)

Is it appropriate to refer to a person of unknown sex by "it"?

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 07:53 PM PDT

I would like to treat a user as a non-gender noun and refer to it with the gender-neutral pronoun, it. E.g.,

The user defines two variables, x and y. It then multiplies each variable by a prime number.

However, on Wikipedia I found this:

The word "it", however, has an extremely impersonal connotation, even offensive, in common usage and is rarely used in English to refer to an unspecified human being or person of unknown gender. This is because the word "it" connotes that the person being specified is inferior to a person or is an object.

Is to appropriate to refer to a person of unknown sex as it?

Should I rephrase my sentence as follows:

The user defines two variables, x and y. The user then multiplies each variable by a prime number.

What is the origin of the idiom "let something rip"?

Posted: 22 Oct 2021 09:27 PM PDT

I would like to know the origin of the idiom "let something rip".

Does anyone know where this usage came from?

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