Monday, October 25, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

What is the meaning of the phrase "slam home"?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 11:50 AM PDT

I can't find a definition or any synonyms for the phrase "slam home" in cases like:

It slams home a sense of what the wars were like.

or

To slam home the point, a guy from the State Department read our evening's agenda.

or

Bonior used a quote from the Free Press to slam home his point.

Can you introduce a direct quotation with "that" and not accommodate conjugation and pronouns?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 11:28 AM PDT

I've heard this many times recently in public, copy-edited discourse, where I don't expect to find grammatical errors, but it doesn't sound right to me. Let's say my mom says to me, "I want you to clean your room." I can report what she said with a direct quotation:

My mom said, "I want you to clean your room."

Or I can report it indirectly:

My mom said that she wanted me to clean my room.

My question is, can you introduce a direct quote with "that" without accommodating it? e.g.,

My mom said that "I want you to clean your room."

Is this acceptable? This sounds wrong to me since "that" makes it sound indirect, and that I, the speaker (not my mom), want my listener (not me) to clean their room. I thought it would need to be like this to be correct:

My mom said that "[she] want[ed] me to clean [my] room."

(of course, the brevity of this example quote hardly justifies this, but ignore that)

What is the meaning of "be places"?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 09:14 AM PDT

Recently I saw the sentence "Sometimes I just am places". What does it mean?

Actually, it was used when one of the characters in the movie asked his friend "why are you here?", and his friend answered "Beats me. Sometimes I just am places."

My son and I having fun or My son and me having fun [duplicate]

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 08:50 AM PDT

I thought I knew it all when it comes to I and me, but on this one I did a double take.

On a photograph caption, a facebook post, my friend wrote "my son and I at the party". It didn't have a verb, and it didn't need one, it was just a description. If it had been "my son and I ARE at the party" I would be happy with I not me, but why am I not happy when the sentence doesn't have that verb?

I also posted a photo of my son and me, and I wrote simply "my son and me having fun" - not "my son and me ARE having fun", which I know would definitely be me not I ! (right?)

If the sons weren't in the photo, I would have thought it would be "Me at the party" and "me having fun".

I'd love to know the rule to be able to explain this!

Thank you :-)

As a note, we're all British.

Word that combines "indicator" and "metaphor"

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 11:37 AM PDT

I feel like there's a word I can't put my finger on that captures the idea of: an object or entity which can be taken as a case study of a larger phenomenon, a lens through which to view the phenomenon, an embodiment of its principles or contours, the broader phenomenon "writ small," as it were.

The context is: Someone asked the question "When did Stradivarius violins become [such a big deal, the best of their class]?" And someone else pointed out that society does the same thing to non-musical entities like cars, people, institutions (hyper-celebrates one entity to the exclusion of all peers), but I wanted to defend the relevance of the original question to music history by suggesting that the reception history of the Strad (and the violin in general) can be taken as a [missing word] of the reception history of "classical music" (ya know, with scare quotes). That is, in the way the Strad went from a valuable commodity commissioned by nobility, to a 19th-century focal point of the aesthetic elevation of music as an art object, to a pivotal "household name" in the mid-20th-century movement that both democratized classical music and simultaneously charged it with even more class distinction than ever... we can understand the course of the forces shaping the commodity that is "classical music" by following the history of the Strad.

So what I'm looking for is a word (or phrase, but I feel like it's a single word) that combines the idea of "metaphor" (object through which you understand something else) with "indicator" or "representative." I'm also hoping for an explicit connotation of learning a lesson, reaching a conclusion, or achieving new understanding.

Words that have fluttered around my mind and are not quite right (edited to elaborate on words suggested here):

  • telltale (in the nautical sense): Has an unneeded implication of forecasting future trends
  • bellwether: I don't need the causative implication that X leads Y
  • embodiment or incarnation: On the right track, since I'm looking for the notion that "X has the properties of Y, in microcosm," but these have the added meaning that "The whole of Y is contained in X," or "everything true about Y is also true of X," where I'm going for the other way round. (Note, I wound up going with "embodiment" for the moment.)
  • typical example: I'm hoping for a word that doesn't make X a peer of Y, but a subset of it. In other words, X isn't a type of Y, but a part of it, or at least a smaller thing through which the larger Y may be understood. E.g. "The Colt Peacemaker is a ___ through which to examine the history of the American West."
  • icon, symbol: I'd love to have the word work equally for something un-iconic and un-celebrated. "This obscure painting is a ___ of the entire Impressionist movement."
  • prototype: Can have the causative implication that X is the model for Y, that Y derives from X. Also, makes X an instance of Y.
  • archetype: ditto
  • metaphor: This serves the "we learn about Y by looking at X" model, and really might be as close as I get. But it carries no implication that X and Y are in any way related.

(And, as is so often the case in these questions, I'm open to the possibility that such a word is just a figment of my overheated imagination.)

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The transition from longbow to crossbow is a ____ of the changes in Medieval warfare as a whole. (Invented example, not necessarily good history.)

Past continuous or simple past tense

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 09:18 AM PDT

I was having a shower when the telephone rang. (Past Continuous for interrupted action) I was in the shower when the telephone rang.

Why is Past Simple used in the second sentence?)

a word for a sight that is amazing and awful [duplicate]

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 06:02 AM PDT

I'm looking a while for a word, I'm not sure if it exist so I am asking here.

The word is used to describe things that are amazing/awesome{in the old usage} but you hope would never happen.

An example situation is

"i would love to see an atomic bomb explode, to see the brightness and feel the tremors. But I hope it never happens, as the damage it causes would be significant and long lasting"

The alternate formulation, using the word, would be

"Seeing an atomic bomb explosion would be ____ "

A doubt it exist, but any suggestions are appreciated.

Paraphrasing a prepositional phrase [closed]

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 05:57 AM PDT

How do you paraphrase this sentence and why? Are there other ways to write it down? What are the rules applied here? I cannot understand how the second example is better than the first example.

Example 1

The teacher-led strategy of one-time education session is effective.

Example 2

One-time teacher-led education session is effective.

Single word for "loan return"

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 10:54 AM PDT

The example used in my firm is just called "loan return" (when someone gets payed back on their loan) but I was wondering if there is a single-word replacement for "loan return". Also a sub question I have is it more correct to say "single word" or "single-word"

Ilets task 2 not force children to learn a foreign language [closed]

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 05:23 AM PDT

School should not force children to learn a foreign language. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

My essay:

In recent years, due to the tendency of international integration, students are obliged to study overseas languages in most schools. Therefore, that matter was debated for its indispensability. However, I believe that studying a novel language is a judicious determination but based on the willingness of each person.

To begin with, a second language brings tremendous accomplishment to the apprenticeship. Essentially, the understanding through the period of studying that could break down the communication barrier. Indeed, people who have a basic knowledge of learning English that they can easily make friend with each other who come from various countries in the world. To explain it, the bilingual widen their friend's circle by talking in the most comfortable and "native way". Furthermore, the language exists a close relationship with the culture such as the way how to communicate, understand international art and literature, religion, cuisine, technical references, inferences, plays on words, and fashion that lead to expanding the culture of the mind. For example, the Japanese language has the word "komorebi," which means a phenomenon when sunlight is filtered through the leaves. So, with this word, a learner will get a Japanese approach to nature and beauty. Finally, according to the development of multiple multinationals, it is clear that the language certificates which is requisite necessary for enhancing the chance to apply for a job or get a high-paying job and take over a higher position.

From another point of view, besides the benefits of studying a second language provides to whom to learn it, foreign language study is a millstone around student's neck since it is regarded as mandatory. This is caused by some reasons, some children do not seem to have natural abilities to learn a language that means they need to double times or more than that to catch up with the speed of the lecture. It takes too much time to study another language which is not property to their particularities of work in the future. For instance, these works: Structural engineer, Construction engineer, Electrical engineer that doesn't require an in-depth knowledge of the foreign language but in order to function they learn academic vocabulary simply. Consequently, the student who has crammed up a superfluous language which makes them are under a lot of pressure due to overload schoolwork and other necessary activities. It is no doubt that the rate of problem mental health and physical health among students has increased which leads to lessening effectiveness in the learning process.

In conclusion, even though overseas languages are the ingredients to personal growth, children are still required to be optional instead of forcing them to study by the school because of their health.

What do you call a name that is pronounced differently than expected?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 04:56 AM PDT

What do you call a name that is pronounced differently than most people expect? This can happen with names of people or places, where the owner of the name, or the residents of the place, get to pick the pronunciation, since it's "their" name.

For example:

Versailles in Kentucky, USA is pronounced vur-SAILS, not ver-SIGH. Anglicization of French names is frequent in English-speaking countries, but it is often unexpected, especially when the French pronunciation is so commonly known.

Michaela pronounces her name as Michelle (mih-KAY-luh becomes mih-SHELL).

Bervely pronounces her name as Beverly.

I don't know if there is a such a word, but it might be used like this: "Versailles, Kentucky is an unexpectonym."

What is the origin of "dressed up like a pox doctor's clerk"? [closed]

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 04:55 AM PDT

I have a vague recollection of reading that the phrase was first used in Australia in the 19th century.

What is the appropriate word to use between learnt or taught in some sentences?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 06:16 AM PDT

I am conflicted with the use of learned and taught in some sentences.

I understand that "teach" is to instruct someone or to pass on knowledge, and "Learn" is to gain knowledge from studying, experience, or being taught.

So for me, it makes sense that you use "teach" when someone or something is providing you (or someone else) with knowledge and "learn" when you (or someone else) receive knowledge from studying, someone teaching you, or your (their) experiences.

I am struggling to determine which word is more appropriate in the below setting: A person's experience in teaching Maths hasn't given him any knowledge for fatherhood.

Which sentence is more appropriate, and why?

  1. Being a Maths teacher hasn't learnt him anything about being a father.
  2. Being a Maths teacher hasn't taught him anything about being a father.

#1 seems correct according to the definition, but people tell me it is wrong. #2 seems incorrect according to the definition, but people tell me it is right.

Plural + of + Plural [closed]

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 06:53 AM PDT

Can you please clarify the rule of using plural before and after the preposition "of".

For example:

  1. the activitie(s) of individuals are unhealthy. or 1.1 the activity of individuals is unhealthy.

  2. the strategies of one-time session(s) are effective. or 2.1 the strategies of one-time session are effective.

I feel that the phrase is awkward when I use two plural in one phrase.

Present participle in sentences like "workers using"

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 04:19 AM PDT

I was wondering whether these sentences are grammatically correct and whether they mean the same thing.

  1. There are no workers who are using these tools right now.
  2. There are no workers using these tools right now.
  3. There are no workers who use these tools.

Can present participle be used like this (in the second sentence)? And if so, then is there any distinction (if we omit "right now") whether the second sentence means the same as the first or the third one?

Edit: Removed commas before "who" in sentences 1 and 3 as they were incorrect, but not my main point of interest.

Can a single comma close off two asides?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 11:51 AM PDT

Example:

The text's references to Joyce, as well as to Hemingway, who would often fight other pub-goers on behalf of the Irishman, made no mistake about this.

It seems fine to me, but I just remember reading that commas should always come in pairs in these cases, so was wondering if there was anything I should be aware of or if the commas can share duties as they do here. I don't see any other solution besides rewording or setting off the larger bit in dashes or something, but wanted to confirm.

Whats the word you use when damages happen to someone and they get something for it? Like I break someone's leg and I have to pay them money for it? [duplicate]

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 08:04 AM PDT

I'm really annoyed because this is a word I cannot think of. I was talking to someone and they got money stolen and I said to them ''I hope you get the money back for...'' and I can't think of the word. It's similar to repercussions but it's when someone gets a 'reward' when something bad happens. Like they're entitled to... if you crash into their car. Please help lol

Edit - thank you so much to the person who commented, the word I was looking for was compensation.

Capitalization rules for nicknames and name-replacing honorifics

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 11:29 AM PDT

My intuition is to capitalize any word that used in reference to a person in place of their name: Mother, Father, Grandma, Grandpa, Doctor, Captain, Professor, Sir, Ma'am, Boss, etc. But my research seems to indicate some of these are proscribed: sir is capitalized only when it's being prepended to the name of a knight, and ma'am is never capitalized.

What's the rule—or, if guidance differs, what are the rules—here?

I am not asking about cases where one of these words is used with an article such as the. In these cases, the standard seems to be no capitalization: the doctor, the captain, the professor. Nor am I asking about the case where one of these words is prepended to a name, as with of the chivalric Sir mentioned above. In these cases, capitalization seems standard: Doctor Jones, Captain Smith, Professor Brown.

What I'm wondering is this: what makes the sir in "yes, sir" any different from the Dad in "hi, Dad"? They're both titles used in place of someone's name, but one is capitalized and the other isn't—what rule governs that? And which side of this rule do things like the C/captain in "aye aye, C/captain" fall onto?

Is it that sir is normally only used in vocative address, whereas Dad is also used in third-person reference?

According to Capitalizing Personal Titles as Substitutes for Names, at least some style guides recommend say that formal titles like chancellor and chairman should be capitalized only if they precede a name... but what about Father as used in vocative address to a Catholic priest? If it's capitalized, it's an exception because it violates this rule; but if it's not capitalized, it's an exception because it's an (albeit fictive) kinship term, and kinship terms are universally capitalized in the vocative.

Comma before "and" with two seemingly imperative clauses

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 05:06 AM PDT

Could some knowledgeable individual please tell me whether this sentence needs a comma before the "and":

"Share the good times and stay together with the family at the Grand Hotel in LA".

I am aware that two imperatives are separated by a comma when they are of a certain length, but here, "Share the good times" and "stay together with the family" both complete/rely on the final part of the sentence "at the Grand Hotel in LA". It is basically "Stay together with the family at the Grand Hotel in LA" and "Share the good times at the Grand Hotel in LA" as another. Does this mean that a comma is not called for because they both relate to the final part of the sentence, or is it still required?

I really hope I explained that well enough for you to understand. Any help would be very much appreciated, and lengthy explanations are extremely welcome (rules and all)! Thank you, everyone.

ADDITION: This would maybe demonstrate what I mean better: "Experience dining at its finest and get a great night's sleep at the Grand Hotel." Would there be a comma before "and" here?

Is there a good phrase for an "alternating effect" of X on Y?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 04:46 AM PDT

X has a positive effect on Y under one condition (let's say for younger people under the age of 30) but X has a negative effect on Y under different condition (e.g. for everyone else).

No article before a noun

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 07:51 AM PDT

I've recently noticed that in some cases, the definite article before a noun is dropped. I assume this is only characteristic of spoken interaction. The first time I noticed this was while watching a gameplay on Youtube. This is the sentence that caught my attention:

Family pic used to hang here. I can't actually remember which one.

As far as I'm considered, it there should be an article before picture, either "a" or "the".

Here's another case which I noticed today while watching Mr. Robot on Prime Videos (Amazon):

He definitely got it from radiation at the company he worked at, though I couldn't prove it.

Now he's dead.

Company's fine, though.

Since "company" is known from previous context and is mentioned again, I would expect to see:

The company's fine, though.

Initially I thought that the article is pronounced carelessly so as not to be audible but now I actually think it's just ommitted. Am I correct?

Sorry if this is a duplicate.

Why does master mean 'man' and 'boy'?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 09:15 AM PDT

Why does master mean both 'one having authority' and 'a young boy'?

Merriam Webster definition of 'master':

  1. One having authority over another
  2. A youth or boy too young to be called mister
    • The eldest son of a Scottish viscount or baron

Oxford Dictionary Online definition of 'master':

  1. A man who has people working for him, especially servants or slaves.
  2. A man in charge of an organization or group.
  3. A skilled practitioner of a particular art or activity.
  4. A person who holds a second or further degree.
  5. Used as a title prefixed to the name of a boy not old enough to be called 'Mr'
    • a. A title for a man of high rank or learning.
    • b. The title of the heir apparent of a Scottish viscount or baron.

The definitions in italics are supplied for context, since that root might shed some light on the issue.

Etymoline etymology:

late Old English mægester "one having control or authority," from Latin magister (n.) "chief, head, director, teacher" (source of Old French maistre, French maître, Spanish and Italian maestro, Portuguese mestre, Dutch meester, German Meister), contrastive adjective ("he who is greater") from magis (adv.) "more," from PIE mag-yos-, comparative of root meg- "great."

As you can see, the word has both 'senior' meanings of a superior, someone who has mastered something, someone with a Master's Degree, etc. as well as the 'junior' meaning of a young boy, even though the roots are words like 'he who is greater'.

Also, the Oxford Dictionary Online includes 'A title for a man of high rank or learning' under the definition of 'a boy not old enough to be called 'Mr'.' In fact, a man of high rank or learning is clearly different from the 'young' master - the man could even be teaching the younger 'masters' (think 'schoolmaster', 'headmaster', etc.)

Questions:

  1. Why does 'master' mean both a man and a boy?
  2. Where did this juxtaposition of Oxford definitions come about?

What is the true gender-neutral equivalent of "man"?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 12:18 PM PDT

Man is a social animal.

This sentence is understandable, but has two problems:

  1. The gender-neutral use of man is nowadays often seen as sexist.
  2. The phrasing seems archaic.

Let's ignore the second problem and try to fix only the first:

*Human is a social animal.

This is just wrong. But why? It's exactly the same phrasing; the only change is that it now has a truly gender-neutral word instead of the pseudo-gender-neutral man. What's wrong with that?

To truly render that phrase in modern English, you need to either pluralize it or recast it entirely:

Humans are social animals.
Humanity is a social species.

Somehow the "generic singular" which works with man does not work with human. Why not?

Something is of/in the order of

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 05:38 AM PDT

What is the right preposition in

The human's weight is (of/in) the order of 10^2 kg.

Are both correct, or do they have different meanings? I found both in the internet and I found many discussions on this question without a solution. I guess SX is ideal to find a short solution.

What's up with the word "egregious"?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 06:13 AM PDT

According to Google's dictionary (and MacOS/iOS dictionary), egregious has the following definitions:

enter image description here

I've seen words with multiple definitions, but not ones that are exact contradictions. Some references state that "remarkably good" is archaic - is it possible that the meaning of this word has changed over time to be the exact opposite of what it once meant?

What is the difference between "meaning" and "definition"?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 04:15 AM PDT

They seem to be used interchangeably, yet somehow, I feel there is a difference.

Are there situations when one would use "definition" above "meaning", or "meaning" instead of "definition"? For example:

He gave the definition/meaning of the word "blow".

as well as

The dictionary gave definitions/meanings of all words starting with 'o'.

In the second example, why does "definition" sound more correct to me? Is there a kind of distinction when to use one or the other?

What does it mean to "pay X on the dollar"?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 06:15 AM PDT

When I hear money laundry lingo in TV crime-series, people sometimes fence stuff for so and so much "on the dollar". What does it actually mean? And where does the expression originate from?

Meaning of "Caucasian"

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 08:24 AM PDT

When I search the definition of Caucasian in the NOAD, I find the following definition (it's the first of three definitions):

  1. (often offensive) of or relating to one of the traditional divisions of humankind, covering a broad group of peoples from Europe, western Asia, and parts of India and North Africa. [ORIGIN: so named because the German physiologist Blumenbach believed that it originated in the Caucasus region of southeastern Europe.] • white-skinned; of European origin.

In a note, the dictionary says also

In the racial classification as developed by anthropologists in the 19th century, Caucasian (or Caucasoid) included peoples whose skin color ranged from light (in northern Europe) to dark (in parts of North Africa and India). Although the classification is outdated and the categories are now not generally accepted as scientific (see usage at Australoid and Mongoloid), the term Caucasian has acquired a more restricted meaning. It is now used, especially in the U.S., as a synonym for white or of European origin, as in the following citation: the police are looking for a Caucasian male in his forties.

Is Caucasian understood to have these meanings also in other English dialects?

Is it ever correct to have a space before a question or exclamation mark?

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 05:40 AM PDT

In written English (mainly online) I often come across sentences ending with a question or an exclamation mark with a space before it. Is it always just an error or a typo? Or there are cases when it is a correct English, for example after closing parentheses or some other punctuation marks?

"give me an offer" vs "make me an offer"

Posted: 25 Oct 2021 11:55 AM PDT

Which is correct: "give me an offer" vs. "make me an offer"?

Is there some difference in meaning?
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)