Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Could you help me find the main idea of this paragraph? [closed]

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 08:29 AM PDT

I'm stuck between choosing the first and second sentences. Can the main idea be a question?

How People Make Individual Food Choices

How do most people make their diet decisions? Individual choices are often based on former habits, cost and convenience, beliefs about health and nutrition, and ideas about physical beauty. Some people learn to like certain foods in childhood, and they don't change later in life. Many people have busy lives, so they buy or prepare food and eat it as quickly as possible. Some meal-planners think only fresh and "natural" food is nutritious, so they buy vegetables, fruits, and foods without additives (chemical substances) and prepare it in healthy ways. People with health problems – like high-blood pressure or diabetes (a blood-sugar disorder) - maybe on special non-salt or non-sugar diets. The nutritional requirements of very young or very old people may be different from the needs of others. Some cultures prefer a slim body to a well-rounded one, so people are always trying to lose weight. They may follow popular diets, such as a low-carb diet-an eating system high in protein but low in refined carbohydrates.

What does "wrong for good" mean in this context [closed]

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 07:56 AM PDT

"The history of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is now so complicated that every time I tell it I contradict myself, and whenever I do get it right I'm misquoted. So the publication of this omnibus edition seemed like a good opportunity to set the record straight—or at least firmly crooked. Anything that is put down wrong here is, as far as I'm concerned, wrong for good."

If a day is twenty four hours, why do we say "day and night"? [closed]

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 07:07 AM PDT

According to the definition, a day is defined as a period of 24 hours, especially from twelve o'clock one night to twelve o'clock the next night, yet there are sentences like "He has to work day and night". Why do we say "day and night"?

Thank you.

Volunteering as a volunteer photographer - too repetitive?

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 07:08 AM PDT

I want to write something along the lines of:

Jack actively gives back to society by volunteering as volunteer photographer at charity events.

Is there a better way to rephrase this?

Why are 'at least' and 'a lot' not single words?

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 07:07 AM PDT

I constantly have trouble with spelling the word-phrases 'at least' and 'a lot' .. they both should be a single word in my mind, which isn't correct.

They both seem to just be a single unit of meaning.

It's an English idiom thing that I just continually stumble over. Anyone able to correct that in my head once and for all – much appreciated!

Also, this is my first question, so if anyone has feedback on the tags I used, that would also be welcome. I wondered about applying the tag 'grammatical-number' for instance, but that didn't seem as correct as the five I chose.. not sure though.

Is "personal usage requires the user provision the device" correct?

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 08:01 AM PDT

I've come across this sentence in a piece of technical documentation:

Disabling personal usage requires the user provision the device as a fully managed device.

In my opinion this sentence is grammatically correct, but I've gotten into a dispute with a co-worker why "to" isn't strictly needed before "provision" in this case.

Can anyone confirm that the original sentence is correct and if so, whether there's a specific grammar rule that says why?

Whats the word for everything you have seen in your life? [closed]

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 07:54 AM PDT

Specifically what you've seen. Similar to "my experience of life" - my X.

a project involving training for children, teachers, and parents(,) was the most effective [duplicate]

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 03:26 AM PDT

is adding the comma before was necessary?

a project involving training for children, teachers, and parents(,) was the most effective

Comma position in complex sentences

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 07:44 AM PDT

Is the use of comma shown in the example below within the brackets is necessary:

Example 1 Projects consisting of six training sessions to staff and stakeholders, and supervised discussions(,) increased success chances.

Example 2 Projects that consist of six training sessions to staff and stakeholders, and supervised discussion increased success chances.

What can I call this side dish exactly in a menu? [migrated]

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 02:38 AM PDT

What can I call this side dish (I have to write it on a restaurant menu)? I have already written "cooked swiss chard" but I think it is not the exact definition. It is a mix of herbs that grow spontaneously on the fields, are then cooked and sautéed in a pan with oil, garlic and chilli. In Italian they are called "field herbs".

side dish

Polite yet Serious Email [closed]

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 01:56 AM PDT

I am having some major issues with the IT guy in my Office. He never does his job and in case he tries to sort out some technical issues on my laptop, he would take ages to do so whereby half of my issues are never resolved. Now he is telling me to try an fix the issue myself.

I am sending him an email with my Partner CC'd in, how can I politely but firmly tell him to do his freaking job. I am not getting pay to do his work.

Any suggestion on how to be diplomatic and at the same time tell it like it is.

Thanks.

What does "Become actors in the fight" mean? [closed]

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 01:45 AM PDT

There is a delay between the release of the alert and the moment at which citizens should become actors in the fight against virus, but this should not stop people from rallying round.

What do they mean?

Difference among the following structures: not only X but also Y, not only X but Y, not only X, also Y

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 01:41 AM PDT

I realize that there are a few threads on this forum dedicated to covering the parallelism aspect of 'not only X but also Y', so this post could possibly be added to an existing thread. I would like to apologize in advance if there is an already existing thread related to this topic - the only reason I am posting this query in a new thread is that I could not find an existing thread related to this slightly(?) nuanced difference among these three constructions.

Is there any difference among the following structures:

  • Not only X but also Y
  • Not only X also Y (without the 'but')
  • Not only X but Y (without the 'also')

I tried searching long and hard for this split, but couldn't find anything concrete; it would be greatly helpful if you could explain whether there is any difference among the 3 structures (from a meaning perspective) or whether they are interchangeable?

Resources for increased complexity in writing [migrated]

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 01:00 AM PDT

I have recently purchased a book called "The Describer's Dictionary : A Treasury of Terms & Literary Quotations"

It's an incredible book, but it's about "things" rather than, other words. Yes, I know that there is a thing called a thesaurus, but I also know that thesauruses have very general words.

Does anyone know of websites, books, forums, YouTube channels... Any type of resource that provides synonyms that are complex and involve more than one word?

I have been looking for a long time and generally all I can find is 1 or 2 posts every now and then for very specific words. Any help would be really great.

What should a Product Specifications Element Called [closed]

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 12:13 AM PDT

I don't know if here is a suitable StackExchange site where I should ask this or not ?

I have a product that have certain specifications, for example:

Pipe

  • Material: Steel
  • Thickness: 3 mm
  • Ends: Plain
  • etc...

All of the 3 mentioned lines are the specification of the Pipe, but what those lines should be called, Specifications (Specs) Elements, Attributes, Items ??

I need this to design specific models for an app I am developing.

Each & every in negative sentences [migrated]

Posted: 26 Oct 2021 11:32 PM PDT

There are three fruits - an apple, banana and melon. I hate the apple and banana, but I love the melon.

In this case, are the sentences "I don't hate every fruits of them" and "I don't hate each fruits of them" interchangeable?

Idiom: bed of roses

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:38 AM PDT

Does anyone know why this idiom came into existence ? On this website it says:

"A bed of roses" as an idiom originated in England and is quite an old expression. One of the earliest examples can be found in a poem called "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" written by Christopher Marlowe (also known as Kit Marlowe), published in 1599 after the death of the author.

And I will make thee beds of roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle

— Source: theidioms.com

When I think about this expression, wouldn't a literal bed of roses be rather thorny and uncomfortable? Unless the idiom is clearly talking about the fragrant smell and not the thorniness of the plant.

Should "that" be included in sentences such as "I hope that it rains today" [closed]

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 07:13 AM PDT

This one has always made me ponder. There are a huge variety of sentences that, to me, sound just as correct when including "that" as they do when excluding "that".

Here are some examples:

  • I hope that it rains today.
  • I know that you are a nice person.
  • I brought my umbrella so that I wouldn't get wet.

Does it make a difference? Are there cases where "that" should always be included or always be excluded?

I've done some searching but haven't been able to find anything addressing this specifically. I'm a native speaker, and I've asked other native speakers and nobody I've asked has any insight into this topic.

In the sentence " They want me to do this sober ", why is an adjective being used to describe a verb ( do )?

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:15 AM PDT

In a movie, the interviewer wanted to interview someone, and then his friend offered him a drink, but the interviewer said " They want me to do this sober ". "They" refers to his bosses.

Shouldn't he say "soberly" instead of "sober" ?

Thanks in advance

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

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:10 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.

Looking for a word that means to get over something

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:02 AM PDT

Is there a word for when someone has gotten over or is no longer affected by something?

Like after a break up, when someone "moves on" it might mean they have effectively forgotten about the other person. Is there a single word this?

"If it were not for" and "if it had not been for": Which is more traditional?

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 04:56 AM PDT

Some use "if it were not for" to mean both the present and the past events, while others use "if it had not been for" for the past. For the former, see Oxford and be (verb) in OALD. For example, OALD's definition says "used to say that somebody/something stopped somebody/something from happening", i.e. it explicitly says it's the past event. See also this question in ell.stackexchange.

My first impression was that the former is more recent, but I now suspect the opposite may be the case. Has the usage changed over time (or over decades/centuries)?

BTW many sites say "If it were not for hopes, the heart would break." is the word of Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) but I cannot verify it.

"Throw it on the pile" - where did this idiom come from?

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 07:06 AM PDT

("throw it in the pile" or "just throw it on the pile" are also acceptable variants)

I have seen this expression being used a lot. Based on context and intuition, I figured it has an idiomatic meaning, something like this. "It" refers something that should normally be significant, but this idiom is saying that we already have so many of things like "it" that "it" is no longer important. Here, "it" can refer to any kinds of thing, physical objects, facts, abstract concepts...

I tried searching around, but all I get is a whole bunch of different places that use the same expression. This affirms the fact that this is a common idiom, but make it hard to figure out the source.

I tried to search on the idiom dictionary but got nothing.

So does anyone know the source for this? Also, is my interpretation of the phrase correct? Thank you.

(I have also seen visual gags invoking this idiom as well: a character in movie or cartoon casually throw something valuable - like gold, or medal - into a big pile of similar stuff)

You can find plenty of examples by just searching for the phrase, but here is a random webpage just to make it concrete: https://bookmachine.org/2012/04/05/pottermore-sells-1-million-in-three-days-rowling-instructs-minions-just-throw-it-on-the-pile/

Is there one word for "fade in, fade out"?

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 05:29 AM PDT

Is there one word for the meaning of "fade in, fade out"?

For example,

A scene on the TV fades in, and it fades out.

From The Free Dictionary

Phrasal Verbs:

fade in To appear or cause to appear gradually from silence or darkness, especially as a transition in a cinematic work, audio recording, or performance.

fade out To diminish gradually to silence or darkness, especially as a transition in a cinematic work, audio recording, or performance.

I want to know the one word for expressing the phenomenon.

Is the word 'honky' still used only pejoratively?

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 04:22 AM PDT

I know that historically honky was a pejorative term for a white person and that it may still be so but there is a 1973 song by the British band called Vinegar Joe titled 'Proud to be (a Honky Woman)' where this word is clearly used in a desirable sense.

Is this a one-off or have the attributes of the word changed?

Meaning and interpretation of Bilbo's "half as well" quote

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 07:09 AM PDT

In The Lord of The Rings, Bilbo says the following to his assembled guests at his eleventy first birthday party:

I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

What is the meaning of this quote? Is there more than one way to interpret it?

Plural of Ethos

Posted: 26 Oct 2021 11:23 PM PDT

What is the plural form of ethos? I have always thought it was "ethoi," but I'm not sure.

Why do people use ‘should’ in “It’s funny you should say that”?

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 07:20 AM PDT

I'm a bit astonished about this special use of should:

  1. (It's) funny you should say that.

What explanation is there for using should in that expression?

I think there would be no difference in sense if it were rewritten without that should, as in:

  1. Funny that you say that.

Is the second variant, the one without the should before say, also used?

If this second variant without should does actually exist, then does it always mean the same thing as the should version means or can the hypothetical second variant ever mean something slightly different?
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