Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange |
- I cannot find the IPA nor any reference to the word "dogged" (verb) in ANY dictionary. They only refer to "dogged" (adv/noun) [closed]
- Separating month and year with a slash [closed]
- can someone check the grammar for me? [closed]
- I know more on computer or about computer
- Is there any alternative for "just...alone"?
- Why is "second to last" not documented with the meaning of antepenultimate?
- One can only live
- Who is saying the line
- Is using gerund with relative pronoun possible? [duplicate]
- Which one is correct for the form of noun? [duplicate]
- Why is double -ll- used after a vowel digraph in "surveilled, surveilling"?
- "Mirage of factors"
- To the most part vs for the most part
- All my Xs and Ys with Plural X & Singular Y
- "Paint yourself blue”
- What's the word for something that you don't want to do when you're doing it but you want to do it when you're not doing it?
- Adjective to describe object that has connections between its elements
- Are the uses of the word eidetic not involving the word memory?
- Why is the intransitive form of "obtain" so common in academic writing and so uncommon elsewhere?
- What is a word for when you enjoy something, but wish you didn't. Or you don't want to enjoy something but you end up finding it funny anyway?
- Does "first day/time-slot" refer to Monday and not Friday?
- Is there a term for someone who takes a long time explaining simple things?
- How would you describe a car kicking up clouds of dust as an adverb of a car heading somewhere?
- Is there a verb-form of "affirmative action"
- What is the meaning of this expression "in measure to"?
- Using a verb twice to describe a chain of action
- Plain language phrase for a group whose members are not interchangeable
- In contemporary use, does 'white noise' enjoy common figurative meaning?
| Posted: 09 Oct 2021 07:58 AM PDT Overproduction and marketing problems dogged the industry from the 1880s into the 1910s, and few distillers survived the national prohibition experiment that began in 1920 and continued until its repeal in 1933.  |
| Separating month and year with a slash [closed] Posted: 09 Oct 2021 07:33 AM PDT Is it correct to use the format "month/year" when specifying dates? For instance, can I write 09/2020 instead of September 2020?  |
| can someone check the grammar for me? [closed] Posted: 09 Oct 2021 07:08 AM PDT The pie charts illustrate the percentage of household expenditures in both Japan and Malaysia in 2010 Overall, the highest expenses mostly came from other goods and services in two countries, nearly less than a third in this year. Housing and food also took the second minority. The percentage figures for spending transport and healthcare were doubled those for Malaysia As can be seen from the graph, in Japan, the highest category was housing, which was 21% and it was smaller than in Malaysia with 35% of total expenditures. Other goods and services has a substaintial propotion, is less than a third in Japan and Malaysia. Food in both nations were similar, about 24% and 27% respectively meanwhile, healthcare was the lowest figure with a small proportion at 3% and 6%. But when it comes to transport in Japan, it took 20% of the total and 2 times higher than in Malaysia  |
| I know more on computer or about computer Posted: 09 Oct 2021 06:46 AM PDT Which is right I know more on computer Or I know more about computers  |
| Is there any alternative for "just...alone"? Posted: 09 Oct 2021 06:25 AM PDT I wonder if the following phrase in bold makes sense. Are there any more common alternatives?
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| Why is "second to last" not documented with the meaning of antepenultimate? Posted: 09 Oct 2021 08:33 AM PDT All dictionaries I have looked at give the sole meaning of second to last as next to last (or penultimate and, in BrE, also second last). However, second to last is also used to mean the antepenultimate item in a series, especially in technical/scientific usage (see examples below). Can anyone provide documentation of this meaning in a reference work or do dictionaries omit this usage because they judge it to be incorrect (and if so, why not include it with a usage note)? I do not think previous related questions document this meaning adequately. Related ELU/ELL questions:
Dictionaries with second to/from last meaning only next to last or penultmate: Examples from Google Books where second to last and next to last are not the same (i.e., second to last = antepenultimate):
A fair number of dictionaries don't have an entry for "second to last," which may foster to-each-their-own usage. The above examples essentially self-define how the authors are using term, even if incorrectly. My own hunch is that some may assume that because there are two well-known expressions, next to last and second to last, they must mean different things. The logic seems to be:
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| Posted: 09 Oct 2021 03:57 AM PDT One can only live water for about 10 days because almost 60% of one's bodyis water. What is conveyed by the part "live water for about"  |
| Posted: 09 Oct 2021 05:22 AM PDT (1) Harry and Hermione dashed across to him. (2) 'Ron - are you OK? ' (3)'Where's the dog? ' (4) 'Not a dog,' Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. 'Harry, it's a trap -' (5)'What-' (6) 'He's the dog... he's an Animagus ...' Ron was staring over Harry's shoulder. Harry wheeled around. With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them. First, who is saying what? I can't determine, Harry or Hermione? And how do you determine, please tell me, it will help. And why "behind them" not "him"? He was a man.  |
| Is using gerund with relative pronoun possible? [duplicate] Posted: 09 Oct 2021 02:57 AM PDT I have a question. As I remember I can't use the gerund/presentParticiple with the relative pronoun such as "when","who" and so on. But I met one sentence in the dictionary "be careful when getting on a bus". How is it possible? I think one must tell "be careful getting on a bus". Tell me if I am not right.  |
| Which one is correct for the form of noun? [duplicate] Posted: 09 Oct 2021 02:19 AM PDT
Note that there are two computers, one belongs to me, and the other belongs to him. I am confusing whether I should use "computers" or "computer" in the above sentence.  |
| Why is double -ll- used after a vowel digraph in "surveilled, surveilling"? Posted: 09 Oct 2021 04:56 AM PDT Why is the letter l double in the inflections of the verb surveil? It's not in those of (as)sail or veil, and AmE has canceled but mostly cancellation. It's a counterintuitive spelling similar to those of control. No wonder some people write it as surveille Per Decapitated Soul's answer to When is "L" doubled?:
Why is surveilled, surveilling an exception?  |
| Posted: 09 Oct 2021 05:43 AM PDT Today I came across the phrase "mirage of factors", used in the same way one would say "variety of factors". I thought this had to be a mistake, but a google search shows that this is indeed a niche phrase, returning ~23,000 results. My dictionary doesn't have a definition for 'mirage' that fits this usage, so I have to guess this is a minor turn of phrase. Has anyone else come across this phrase, and does anyone know its history?  |
| To the most part vs for the most part Posted: 09 Oct 2021 05:54 AM PDT Currently
results on Google. Are these two phrases interchangeable? If not, when would you use which?  |
| All my Xs and Ys with Plural X & Singular Y Posted: 09 Oct 2021 07:39 AM PDT I am trying to make sentences start with "All", like the following:
But, what if I had only one pan ?
Second Example:
What if I have only one sister ?
One way is to start with the Singular Item and then list the Plural Items:
One more way is to highlight and use "only":
EDIT : Adding two more examples starting with "All" but without "my" :
I am trying to find ways to start with "All" but remain grammatical and not sound ODD. ANSWERS & afterthoughts :
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| Posted: 09 Oct 2021 04:56 AM PDT
I silently chuckled at the imagery this ritual evoked. In particular, I was struck by the phrase paint yourself blue as it sounded weirdly familiar to my ears. However in my search, I didn't find anything that exactly matched, the closest were: paint yourself silly, which is the name of a popular store in Nebraska, and until blue in the face. Is "paint yourself blue" meant to be read literally, i.e. physically paint your body and face in blue? Or does it mean "go wild/crazy", "do something foolish/childish" without suffering any negative consequences. Is it an eggcorn? "a word or phrase that sounds like and is mistakenly used in a seemingly logical or plausible way for another word or phrase either on its own or as part of a set expression." as defined by Merriam-Webster. For example, sick sense instead of sixth sense and very close veins for varicose veins. And if it's not an eggcorn, can someone explain why "blue" seems the best choice? The colour blue is usually associated with the sky, the sea, or with feelings of sadness.  |
| Posted: 09 Oct 2021 08:54 AM PDT What's the word for something that you don't want to do when you're doing it but you want to do it when you're not doing it? To give a longer explanation, a word for an activity that you're like "I really do want to do this" when you're doing it, but when you're done with that activity, you reminisce about doing it, wanting to do it, and you go back to doing it. For example, studying would be like that for me. When I'm studying, I'm like "man, I really do want to do this." However, after I'm done studying, I constantly reminisce about studying, not because I feel an obligation to do it but rather because I want to do it (no connotation of compulsoriness included).  |
| Adjective to describe object that has connections between its elements Posted: 09 Oct 2021 08:52 AM PDT Example: a social network is [...] as users are connected by their friendships. I could think of a social network is connected but it sounds like the social networks connect to each other.  |
| Are the uses of the word eidetic not involving the word memory? Posted: 09 Oct 2021 08:53 AM PDT Title says it all. Are there ways to use the word eidetic that don't follow it immediately with the word memory? Seems like a waste of word with wonderfully unusual spelling.  |
| Why is the intransitive form of "obtain" so common in academic writing and so uncommon elsewhere? Posted: 09 Oct 2021 07:44 AM PDT There's a low-frequency use of "obtain" that's intransitive, and means something like "occur" or "hold true." Merriam Webster says:
This usage is pretty common in academic writing, especially science writing:
However, this sense is used so rarely in everyday speech that I didn't know it existed until adulthood, and trying to use it outside of academic writing usually just results in listeners thinking you've made an error (not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything). Is one of these the original meaning? How did the other one come about? And how did the intransitive version end up nearly exclusive to academic writing?  |
| Posted: 09 Oct 2021 08:53 AM PDT I need a word for this emotion and I can't think of one. Thoughts?  |
| Does "first day/time-slot" refer to Monday and not Friday? Posted: 09 Oct 2021 07:30 AM PDT I've had my professor's text, as follows:
Here is the question. I have two classes per week. (Mon & Fri) I will have my first class ever next Friday. But in a week, Monday comes before Friday right? Can anyone tell me your thoughts? Class A is Monday or Friday?  |
| Is there a term for someone who takes a long time explaining simple things? Posted: 09 Oct 2021 05:26 AM PDT Is there a term for someone who takes a long time to explain simple things, but goes through the complicated ones very briefly? We had a refresher course on a software we already use, the presenter took a long time to go over some basic forms that everyone already knew how to use, but explained the tricky stuff very briefly. At the end of the meeting the presenter got flooded with questions. I've seen this before. Is there a word / term /phrase for this? (Edit) Some comments from the participants:
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| How would you describe a car kicking up clouds of dust as an adverb of a car heading somewhere? Posted: 09 Oct 2021 04:04 AM PDT I am trying to translate a sentence from Turkish to English. I'm almost satisfied and it is something along the lines of
However, in Turkish, the act of "kicking up clouds of dust" is an adverb of the verb "heading", so it qualifies the verb and not the car itself. In other words, the way the car moves along the road is by kicking up clouds of dust, so it is heading to the city by kicking up clouds of dust. Do you think there's a way to make it into an adverb? Or maybe a phrasal verb that catches the essence of those two actions, both heading somewhere and kicking up clouds of dust? The verb "heading" is not mandatory, it can be "arriving", "coming" or something else that matches the meaning, and the meaning is the car is going towards the city and is arriving/about to arrive at its final destination. The best I can come up with is
but using "by" to connect those to actions seems like cheating and makes me feel I'm thinking in Turkish and not in English. For the curious, this is the original sentence (maybe it helps)
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| Is there a verb-form of "affirmative action" Posted: 09 Oct 2021 05:03 AM PDT "Affirmative Action" is a noun sometimes used to describe legislation and government-programs which given women, and people of color, higher-priority in college admission decisions, than persons of white skin and males. Is there a verb for "Affirmative Action?"  |
| What is the meaning of this expression "in measure to"? Posted: 09 Oct 2021 03:04 AM PDT What is the meaning of this expression "in measure to" in such a sentence as:
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| Using a verb twice to describe a chain of action Posted: 09 Oct 2021 09:08 AM PDT Is the following sentence grammatically correct:
I want to say that cats bother dogs and, also, that dogs bother ducks. Is this a correct way to do so? If it is, can this pattern be repeated indefinitely? E.g.
Which means that "Noun1 Verb1 Noun2" and "Noun2 Verb2 Noun3" and "Noun3 Verb3 Noun4" and so on...  |
| Plain language phrase for a group whose members are not interchangeable Posted: 09 Oct 2021 06:02 AM PDT There is a well known part of speech called "adverbs". However, many adverbs are not grammatically interchangeable with each other. From Wikipedia:
What can we call groups like this?
I'm looking for a generic term, not one specific to linguistic terminology. Noun, adjective, it doesn't matter. Feel free to completely reword the example sentence as long as the phrase is relatively simple. It would be good if the phrase could also be used as a label:
Heterogeneous has the meaning I want (not all the members are the same, but some can be; different from all members being different), but neither it nor any of its single word synonyms are plain enough for me: I think it's unlikely a single word will get the meaning across in a way that most people would understand, so a phrase seems more likely. The best I can come up with so far is "uneven group":
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| In contemporary use, does 'white noise' enjoy common figurative meaning? Posted: 09 Oct 2021 08:07 AM PDT In at least the ELU hyperlocal environment, the claim that 'white noise' has only one meaning seems to be mostly unchallenged. For example, as commentary on a recent question (now on hold) titled "White Noises...", where "white noises" was used with a common colloquial sense (as well as one or more potential jocular senses), this comment appeared (emphasis mine):
Later, another comment to the same effect showed up (emphasis mine):
The claims flabbergasted me. The idea that any phrase in common use in English could have only one meaning seems obviously contrary to fact. Equally absurd was the claim that a term (in common use etc.) could be "taken" and thereafter reject all subsequent changes and development of meaning. In this case, a simple lookup in OED (paywalled), a historical dictionary which is not renowned for up-to-the-minute lexicography, reveals that 'white noise' has at least two major senses. The first sense recorded in OED, shown in an entry updated a mere 4 years ago, is the well-known technical sense:
The second sense (op. cit.), attested as recently as 2014, gives the broader but (to me) common colloquial denotation:
In addition to those two senses, the second of which applies to my use of the term in the question title, I speculate on the basis of my "intelligence guided by my experience" (Rex Stout) that 'white noise' has acquired more figurative senses even than that given as sense 2 by OED, which derives from the original technical term (OED sense 1). Can anyone provide solid evidence corroborating my speculation that 'white noise' presently enjoys common, more figurative use than what is shown as OED sense 2?  |
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