Sunday, October 31, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

How can I make this sentence more parallel in structure? (Example below)

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 08:40 AM PDT

In particular, the consumption of water allows chemical reactions to take place, substances to be readily transported, body temperature to be regulated, and tissues to be protected and lubricated in the body.

I noticed that the three remaining points used to be + past tense of verb whereas the first one didn't really followed that structure...

Please feel free to rephrase the entire sentence too! Depending on what would be the best way to phrase it :D

I can't use english words when i need them! [closed]

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 05:52 AM PDT

I'm trying to improve my writing and speaking skills in English, and whenever I hear a native speaker talk , I can understand 99.99% of what they say, which means that I already know the words and expressions in English , but the issue arises when I try to speak , I just can't use what I can understand when I hear someone else speaking, if I can understand everything someone says in English, then why do I find it hard to fetch the vocabulary from my head and speak it?

Does "I'm not sure" always cast a sense of disapproval?

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 04:57 AM PDT

I've got a feeling that when I say "I'm not sure if X is Y", people often take that as if I were saying "X is (probably) not Y". Is it a reasonable interpretation?

Almost all times I use that phrase to express "I do not know", as the phrase "I'm not sure" appears to me neutral without any indication of posi/negativy (So to avoid the misunderstanding, I end up verbosely saying e.g. "I'm not sure, I simply don't know").

In the comment to https://english.stackexchange.com/a/533308/25295 @Isabel Archer said the following, which aligns with the way I use the phrase in question.:

I'd say that "I am not sure" can also be used in a broader context. For example, someone might ask, "Is today Monday or Tuesday?" and you might answer, "I am not sure." You're not saying you think something is not true; you're just saying that you don't know.

By the way I can only say I have decent experience in north American English.

What does "There is no one right way" mean? [closed]

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 12:45 AM PDT

I was reading Atomic Habits by James Clear and I couldn't understand this sentence:

There is no one right way to create better habits...

Is "There is no one right way" a phrase? What does it mean?

What is the word for people who have similar interests? [closed]

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 10:07 PM PDT

I remember seeing a word somewhere that I didn't know, and when I searched it up it gave me a definition along the lines of "those who share similar interests" but I can't recall the word. Anyone have any ideas?

What does " equally desperate measures" mean here? [closed]

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 09:08 PM PDT

In the first chapter of the book "We were liars", there is a sentence said " So much in love that equally desperate measures must be taken " i am struggling with understanding this " equally desperate measures"

"I think I will cook" vs "I think I'm going to cook" [closed]

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 08:51 PM PDT

When you say, "I'll cook tonight", you have just decided what to cook at the time of speech, while when you say, "I'm going to cook A tonight", you have already decided to cook A. What about when they are preceded by "I think"? Suppose that someone asked you "What are you going to cook tonight?", and you answered by saying either A or B, what do they mean and what is presupposed?

A. I think I'll cook some squash tonight.

B. I think I'm going to cook some squash tonight.

Hobbes spelling inconsistency

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 05:41 PM PDT

I was reading Chapter 2 of Leviathan, on Page 17 of my edition (but I'm not sure if most editions have the same numbering). Hobbes spells the same word two different ways, "brain" and "brayn".

This is the first instance:

... in sense, the Brain, and Nerves, which are the necessary Organs of sense ...

And this is the second:

... for the connexion they have with the Brayn, and other Organs ...

It'd be strange for either one to just be a spelling mistake, since a "y" is a pretty obvious difference, and the quotes are pretty close together. Is my edition just weird, or does this actually mean something grammatically?

Unsure of what is wrong in this sentence? [closed]

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 04:07 PM PDT

The sentence in question is:

...to logically solve problems, even in unique situations.

I am unable to realise where the problem lies within this statement, if someone can help me I would be very grateful.

Use of the word "unfurl" [closed]

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 06:38 PM PDT

I have a question about the meaning of the sentence below, especially the use of the words "a sequence" and "unfurled" in it. *Please note that the author who wrote this sentence came back to her home town after a long time since she moved to another town.

The pavement changed where a sign marked the end of city limits and a sequence I'd seen a thousand times unfurled.

Can someone please explain what it means by "a sequence I'd seen a thousand times unfurled" in this context ?

How I understand the word "sequence" is that it means a series of events that happen in an order. Having said that the author is seeing the landscape she had been familiar with as she drives up the street, I had the impression that she is recalling her memories of the when she used to see the same landscape a long time ago (please correct me if I am taking it incorrectly).

Moreover, I cannot comprehend how the word "unfurled" is being used here. As far as I understand what "unfurl" means is to "make or become spread out from a rolled or folded state, especially in order to be open to the wind". But I am having trouble understanding why "unfurled" with such meaning is relevant to this sentence.

What makes the spelling of "psychedelic" a mongrel spelling?

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 07:55 AM PDT

According to this Wikipedia article, Richard Evans Schultes thought that psychedelic was a mongrel spelling of the word. The other option was phanerothyme. Apparently, they are both constructed from Greek words for "spirit" and "manifest". In the case of psychedelic, psyche- is Greek for spirit, -del- is derived from dēlos, which is Greek for manifest. In the case of phanerothyme, phanero- is Greek for manifest, and -thyme is Greek for spirit.

How come there are two spellings derived from Greek, and why was one of them considered a mongrel spelling by Schultes.

Could I use the gender-neutral “their” for the antecedent “account”? [closed]

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 06:40 AM PDT

I've come across this sentence and found the pronoun-antecedent reference quite confusing:

I am led to believe that account is not genuine about their country of origin.

Is this a common or acceptable usage in the technology age?

I understand the concept of using the gender-neutral they/them/their for a singular individual, but I would not have considered "account" to be an individual. Does the fact that an account can (in these times be considered to) have agency warrant the use of the personal singular pronouns his/her/their, or should an account be referred to as "it"?

There was no other antecedent the author could have been referring to, and in many cases an account may be more than one person, so account holder or user doesn't always work.

Background information:

Merriam Webster offers this definition: 3a(1) : a formal business arrangement providing for regular dealings or services (such as banking, advertising, or store credit) and involving the establishment and maintenance of an account a checking account also : CLIENT, CUSTOMER They are one of our most important accounts.

Where do I use "of" and where do I use "to"? [closed]

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 05:02 AM PDT

The sentence in question is

He has studied accountancy and business at a university level and this is a definite indication of his understanding of the rudiments of this field.

I am uncertain if the grammar used in this sentence is correct. Kindly help me out.

What does "clearing" in this sentence mean? [closed]

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 02:14 PM PDT

I am reading an article with this sentence and I am struggling to understand what the sentence is describing.

We headed up the street, clearing the steep hill that passed the cemetery.

What does "clearing" mean in this context and which word is it modifying ?

Because one of the meaning of "clear" is the state of being free from obstruction, I took that the word "clearing" in this context is referring to "the street". So there was a steep hill that did not have the street, but then they cultivated the hill and built the street so that the street runs through it. So it is the street that is clearing the steep hill (when people drive on the street, there is no obstacle unlike the steep hill through which the street runs).

Is my understanding correct ?

What is the correct phrase for solving mathematical problems?

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 03:49 PM PDT

While attempting and solving maths problems, do we "Do" those problems? Is the usage "While doing algebra in high school" the correct phrase to convey that I have been taking a class of algebra and solving problems in algebra? What is the correct phrase, kindly help me out. (Pardon me if I have been completely incorrect in my usage, English is my second language and I am entirely unsure of how to convey my message in an article)

What is the meaning of "capoon cutcheny"?

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 09:10 PM PDT

While researching the Treaty of Wanghia between the US and China, I saw the Product "capoon cutcheny" in the drugs section of the tariff table. Since I am neither an English nor a Chinese native speaker, I thought googling might help. Interestingly, the exact term only appeared five times, all either this treaty or in reference to it. By researching both words I found that "capoon" means castrated rooster, but I did not find any reference to "cutcheny" other than in this Treaty or as a last name. Does anybody have any idea what it means?

Difference between 'do so' and 'do' without the 'so' [closed]

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 03:55 PM PDT

I understand that when I wish to repeat an infinitive form of the verb, it's correct to use 'to do so'.

For example, He wished to leave the house party, and I wanted to (do so) as well. Here simply using the 'do' without a 'so' would be odd, although I understand one can totally omit the 'do so' altogether, in this context.

My question is if the replacement verb doesn't have an infinitive component, is there any (formal vs informal or in terms of usage) difference between 'do' and 'do so'?

I present two sentences below:

  1. Historical evidence provides clues for determining when birds evolved and how they did so. (Vs) – I understand this can be written more concisely as 'when and how they evolved', but this isn't my query.

  2. The same sentence with the 'did so' replaced by 'did' –... when birds evolved and how they did.

Would there be any formal/grammatical differences between the two structures? Also, in what other contexts is 'do/did', etc., incorrect and 'do/did so' is correct and vice versa?

Is it correct to say 'a four doored car'?

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 09:15 PM PDT

If I describe a motor car as a 'four door car' I am making 'door' an adjective. It forms a compound adjective with the word 'four' and it adjectivally describes an attribute of the car, and is therefore singular as we do not inflect or pluralise adjectives in English.

Some people would hyphenate the compound adjective 'four-door'.

But I have overheard the expression 'four doored car' where the noun 'door' is (I assume) being made into a verb as we would make 'floor' into a verb ('the room was floored with linoleum' becomes 'a linoleum floored room').

Is this correct English ?

(I am referring to British English for context.)

Usage of the continuous aspect in these sentences?

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 02:01 PM PDT

I've been learning English for some years now, and I still couldn't can't wrap my head around how to properly use the continuous aspect. I did a bit of research before posting this question, desperately trying to make some sense of this, and I ended up with the continuous aspect generally indicates the action is not completed at the time of speaking or something along those lines. But I don't think that applies to these sentences.

Another overlooked consideration is whether they will be teaching in a monolingual or a multilingual classroom setting.

Adult students may be arriving to your class tired after a long day at work.

I was sick before filming this video, so I might be coughing a bit during my reaction.

I will probably be running through this video again after the first viewing.

I've been noting down similar ones because they don't match what the usual grammar books have taught me, which is just so mind-boggling. Until this morning, I remembered what a great teacher of mine once shared with me, utilizing the lyrics from "Way Back Into Love".

And if I open my heart again, I guess I'm hoping you'll be there for me in the end

My teacher said I'm hoping here signals some uncertainty with a hint of fear and anxiety in the girl's mind when she sang that. It would be a different story if she worded it as I hope.

So I'm wondering if that's the answer I've been searching for to save me from the confusion brought in by the sentences above? Thank you.

And is the difference between "I write this to..." and "I am writing this to..." when one begins an email, in a way, also based on how the continuous aspect work in those examples?

Etymology of “that” as both pronoun and conjunction

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 10:21 AM PDT

"That" can be used both as a pronoun and as a conjunction. For example,

I know that it is raining.

Give me that.

This is unique to English as far as I know. In French and Spanish, for example, the two uses of "that" are distinct (c.f. "que" vs. "ça"). Looking online, this is true for non-romance languages as well.

Is there evidence that English originally had two words for "that", depending on its context, but the words eventually merged? Wiktionary suggests such a merger would have occurred before the development of Old English.

Are these two sentences "sentence fragments"?

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 08:01 AM PDT

This all changes with the arrival of Genos, a 19-year-old cyborg, who wishes to be Saitama's disciple after seeing what he is capable of.

And thus begins the story of One Punch Man, an action-comedy that follows an eccentric individual who longs to fight strong enemies that can hopefully give him the excitement he once felt and just maybe, he'll become popular in the process.

Please can someone tell me if these two sentences are sentence fragments or not. I think they fully qualify as a sentence but I need a second opinion.

Word or phrase for an idea that is good in theory but not practice

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 04:22 AM PDT

There are two things I'm thinking about. First, implementing ideas into policy on a large scale. An example could be the idea of communism, a big argument is that communism seems ideal on paper but not in practice.

Second, implementing ideas into a routine or protocol. An example of the former could be a conflict between time management and reality such as trying to designate a certain amount of time to complete a set of tasks. Sometimes things take longer than expected and all the planners and schedules in the world can't fix that. An example of the latter would be employees being told to always wash their hands when they get dirty but if it is busy, sometimes it's just not possible to do that every time.

I know these are a lot of different things and I don't expect a word that encompasses all of them. Anything even remotely related would be appreciated.

Noun IN/AT XXX Quality

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 05:00 AM PDT

How are the following two different?

1) Aerial photography at 8K quality

2) Aerial photography in 8K quality

These phrases were submitted as part of a proposal for an aerial drone company's English ad. However, I'm not sure about the grammar here. Would it be better to go with "IN" or "AT"?

Thank you very much.

Punctuating lists containing negative elements

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 04:00 PM PDT

I came across some sentences similar to these:

  • I would like my burger with no mustard, jalapeños, lettuce, and pickles.
  • I would like my burger with mustard, no jalapeños, lettuce, and pickles.

I can't immediately tell whether the "no" is intended to apply to all of the elements in the list following "no" or only the element directly following it (although I do think the penultimate word would more naturally be "or" if "no" applied to all elements). I would find it less ambiguous when some elements have "no" but others don't.

  • I would like my burger with: no mustard, jalapeños, no lettuce, and pickles.

I know the semicolon can be used as a "super comma" for lists where elements contain commas, but I have not found anything about using it with negations such as above.

To reduce ambiguity, would it be acceptable to use semicolons as separators for lists such as this? Would it be preferred?

  • I would like my burger with: no mustard; jalapeños; lettuce; pickles.

(This question is similar, but the answers don't address whether semicolons could or should be used.)

Usage of the expression “be up against you”

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 03:02 PM PDT

Can I use this construction with an inanimate subject? Please see the context

On one hand, you like your partner's rationality and coolness, which you lack so much. On the other hand, sooner or later, these qualities will be up against you, and you will feel suffocated in this relationships.

Syntactical ambiguity in introductory phrase reference: reference to main verb vs. object

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 04:14 AM PDT

Motivated by A, we outline our proposal for B.

Does "Motivated" refer to outline or proposal? It seems to me that a reader could infer one of two statements:

  1. A motivated us to create this outline, or
  2. A motivated us to create this proposal

As the author of this sentence, I am struggling a bit in how to fix the ambiguity, especially if (for other reasons) I would like to keep A in an introductory phrase.

From common sense, I suspect most readers would infer meaning #2 -- the intended one by the author. But, from a grammar point of view, I am not sure if the introductory phrase has to refer to the verb (outline) or it could just as well refer to the object (proposal)? So does such a construction always modify the verb? Or how could we specify if we wanted to modify the object only?

I.e., how could we cleanly manage the ambiguity in favor of meaning #2?

Usage of "specific number(s) of ~"

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 09:01 AM PDT

Let's say you have a sentence:

  • These presents are only for the people who have 2, 4 or 6 coins.

How can I paraphrase the sentence using "specific number(s)"?

(1)"Presents for the people who have specific number of coins"?

(2)"Presents for the people who have specific numbers of coins"?

(3) Both above are wrong and here is the answer!

Thanks in advance!

The amount of VS The number of, etc

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 10:04 PM PDT

Is it OK to use the amount of with countable nouns? I have come across the usage of it with people, but I am confused whether to use it with countables.

What about the proportion of? How different is it from the amount of and the number of ?

Thank you in advance for the answer.

Difference in usage of terms "company" and "firm"

Posted: 31 Oct 2021 08:15 AM PDT

In a meaning of officially registered and bounded business unit. Like "Microsoft" or "Apple" or "ZARA" or copy shop round the corner.
In some books on management/entrepreneurship authors use both words interchangeably without understandable logic. Somewhere I heard that "company" is mostly about a smaller business than "firm".
I tried to ask people around me (they are actually not native English-speakers, but more close to them than me - Netherlands) but their proposals sometimes were almost opposing.

In some cases ex. "law firm" it's more like a set phrase, but what could be a general approach?

What would be a suitable name for the game panel in tetris?

Posted: 30 Oct 2021 07:40 PM PDT

I am trying to develop a Tetris clone. However, I am unsure what to name the panel where the user places the pieces.

Game panel seems too generic since the entire frame is in fact the panel of the game. Are there any other options?
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