Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

What is a "commercial" white noise machine?

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 11:28 AM PST

While browsing this company's units, I noticed a section called "commercial": https://yogasleep.com/collections/commercial-sound-products

My first thought was that this must be some sort of industrial-grade, ultra-durable units meant to be on 24/7 in stores and big offices, or in factories, or something along those lines. But reading the product descriptions, they say nothing about this. The descriptions for the products in the "commercial" category seem more or less identical to the ones in the other categories.

They do have a peculiar look to them, but they just look like they are designed slightly differently. What about them make them "commercial"? Am I confused about the meaning of the word "commercial"?

Describing pronunciations: "You say it like" or "as"? [duplicate]

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 10:29 AM PST

How do you say something in English?
You say it like/as/??? something.

So which word should I use here? Or maybe it will be more natural to say it some other way?

Question about horses [closed]

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 09:49 AM PST

I was out today with a friend and he told me "Hold your horses". What does that mean? Before I could tell him I don't have any he went for some stuff. Should I buy one? I really like him

a more common occurrence than any one would think who only knew me through your memoirs

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 11:08 AM PST

Quote:

"Because I made a blunder, my dear Watson—which is, I am afraid, a more common occurrence than any one would think who only knew me through your memoirs. The fact is that I could not believe it possible that the most remarkable horse in England could long remain concealed, especially in so sparsely inhabited a place as the north of Dartmoor. From hour to hour yesterday I expected to hear that he had been found, and that his abductor was the murderer of John Straker. When, however, another morning had come, and I found that beyond the arrest of young Fitzroy Simpson nothing had been done, I felt that it was time for me to take action. Yet in some ways I feel that yesterday has not been wasted."

Question：

"A more common occurence than any one would think" means:

A. something more common than everyone thought happened

or

B. something very rare happened

According to the context i guess the answer should be B. But i do feel confused with such expression.

Could you please help and explain to me how to correct the seemingly incorrect passive voice sentence pattern?

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 08:36 AM PST

Could you please help and explain to me how to correct the seemingly incorrect passive voice sentence pattern?

  • I would prefer it if we could be sat next to a window.

Verb placement in dependent clause

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 11:34 AM PST

Is this good grammar?

I think we all deserve to know what actually happened and what are our chances of getting our funds back.

My inner grammarian says that "are" should follow the subject which is "our chances of getting our funds back", thus giving:

... what our chances of getting our funds back are.

But that sounds even more cumbersome. What's the best way of putting this sentence together?

What are ATS in Betjeman's Henley-upon-Thames poem (beefy ATS without their hats)

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 09:14 AM PST

From the Betjeman poem 'Henley-upon-Thames':

When(*) shall I see the Thames again?   The prow-promoted gems again,   As beefy ATS   Without their hats   Come shooting through the bridge?

(*) sometimes quoted as "Oh shall I see..."

It was written during (or around the time of) WWII, for context.

Can 'classical' be used only for sophisticated cultures?

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 06:38 AM PST

I have read some arcicles about the difference between 'classic' and 'classical'. I understand that 'classical' things are much older than 'classic' things, and relate to qualified cultures.

To make the understanding clearer, I'd like to know whether 'classical' can be used only for sophisticated traditional cultures such as music, literature, art and scientific and philosophical theories (e.g. classical physics, classical economics).

Is there any example of more ordinary thing which can be classical?

Length of 150 meters OR 150 meters of length? [closed]

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 06:06 AM PST

Consider the two statements below; tell me which one is correct. Also how to correct the other one.

  1. The resort stretches across a beautiful island of 600 meters square area.

  2. The resort stretches across 600 meters square area of an island.

  3. The airplane has a length of 150 meters.

  4. The airplane has 150 meters of a length.

What does 'which' refer to in the sentence ''The article is processed by this module, which selects the most important word from it.''

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 11:43 AM PST

Is this a clear sentence?

The article is processed by this module, which selects the most important word from it.

In my sense, "which" refers to "this module" and "it" refers to "[t]he article". Am I right?

Please which is the most appropriate? [closed]

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 12:09 AM PST

Which of the following is the most appropriate?

  1. seek management approval
  2. seeks management's approval
  3. seek management's

Problem facing due being from a non English board in India [closed]

Posted: 15 Nov 2021 10:52 PM PST

I am from non English school board in India. This question to anyone from English board in India. Do you feel that English at work or real world English is difficult from textbook English?

Dialogue with multiple sentences before the “he said”

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 04:57 AM PST

Usually when writing dialogue, you write it as such:

"I am so glad it's raining," said John.

However, is it acceptable standard to write MULTIPLE sentences before the said tag? As in:

"How are you? I'm so glad it's raining," said John.

I could have sworn you can only put one sentence before the said tag.

Using of "him" in a Sentence [duplicate]

Posted: 15 Nov 2021 10:08 PM PST

The following sentence is from a newspaper. Is the word "him" used correctly? Shouldn't it be "his"?

"Before her death, John had filed a lawsuit against Mary on the grounds of him threatening and insulting her."

A support for analyzing the excerpt from the latest edition of the Economist

Posted: 15 Nov 2021 10:09 PM PST

Just need your insights on the analysis of the following sentence taken from the latest edition of the Economist from the Business section.

The original excerpt :

The American firm, which is building a gigafactory not far from VW's headquarters, presumably views Germany's system of powerful worker representation on boards as a cautionary tale.

My question is what is the difference between the original excerpt and the following ones :

Option 1:

The American firm which is building a gigafactory not far from VW's headquarters presumably views Germany's system of powerful worker representation on boards as a cautionary tale.

Option 2:

The American firm building a gigafactory not far from VW's headquarters presumably views Germany's system of powerful worker representation on boards as a cautionary tale.

Option 3:

The American firm that builds a gigafactory not far from VW's headquarters presumably views Germany's system of powerful worker representation on boards as a cautionary tale.

I am pretty much sitting on the fence when it comes to using the aforementioned options and I would appreciate it if you could shine a light on the nuances in using those options.

More formal way to say "all-nighter"

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 08:59 AM PST

What is a more formal way to say "all-nighter" in a sentence, such as "I pulled my first all-nighter, when writing a report with my group"?

Rewording "my first all-nighter" as "I stayed awake all night for the first time when writing a report with my group" sounds quite awkward (and is awfully long). Is there a more formal noun similar to "all-nighter" (which I can modify with the adjective "first")? Or perhaps a better way to reword the sentence?

What's the origin of "to string somebody along"?

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 08:25 AM PST

"to string somebody along", i.e. to deceive.

What's the origin of this phrase?

I always picture a cow being lead by the speaker with a piece of string.

Has been taking place vs has taken place

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 12:01 AM PST

Yesterday I heard this:

The funeral has been taking place (TalkSport Radio).

I was wondering why "has been taking"? Was the funeral finished (it seems so), or was it still on?

Is my usage of "any different" correct in this context?

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 01:04 AM PST

I'm reading a Webnovel and in this particular chapter, there is this guy who is on a high position and everyone around him(not including those who have a higher authority and status) is bending over to his authority and status.

And someone commented about if it ever crossed these kind of people's minds about everyone not existing simply to bend over for them or if their ego is big enough to bend reality itself.

So I replied to that, pointing out that everyone the guy has met who have a lower authority and status than him have been bending over to his whims and demands thus far therefore he isn't in the wrong to think that a newcomer won't do the same.

Here is what I wrote:

  • People of lower status than him have been bending over to his whims thus far so logically speaking he isn't in the wrong to think that ZY will be any different.

Note: ZY is an acronym for the newcomer's full name.

The first time I wrote my comment, I thought nothing of it but I have a habit of re-reading whatever I write online because English is my 3rd language and I guess I got tired of having to get whatever I say/write discredited simply because my English skill isn't up to par.

Anyways is what I wrote correct in this context? given what I wanted to convey.

“Pull in to” or “pull into”? “Head in to”, “Head into”, “head to”, or “head for”?

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 09:52 AM PST

My question may sound weird, but what which of these is correct?

"She pulled in to the parking lot" "She pulled into the parking lot"

"I was heading for school." "I was heading to school."

"I was heading in to the school" "I was heading into the school."

Thanks lots!

A single word for turning something Italian?

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 10:27 AM PST

I'm looking for an equivalent to "Anglicize", essentially, but "Italicize" has an existing definition that seems to refer exclusively to typefaces, which complicates things.

For instance, it sounds fine to say that the name Joseph is an Anglicized version of the Hebrew name Yosef, but it sounds weird to say that Giuseppe is an Italicized version of Joseph, because your brain just reads that as "it became cursive...?"

But it also sounds unwieldy to say "A version of the word made to sound Italian". Is there a more-or-less commonly accepted single word or succinct phrase for this?

Comma after a coordinating conjunction preceding a parenthetical at the start of the sentence

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 01:22 AM PST

Although similar questions have been asked before, I am still not clear as to official or, at the very least, preferred position from punctuation rules point of view on comma after coordinating conjunction that precedes a parenthetical expression or a conjunctive adverb at the start of the sentence.

Consider examples below (not the exact sentence but purely punctuation logic):

And[,] also, we will be coming to the party.

And[,] consequently, they failed to produce a report.

But[,] on the other hand, they can offer you advice.

But[,] unfortunately, the government has failed to address our country's economic issues.

Would you put or drop the bracketed comma if the pause is intended after the parenthetical but not after the conjunction? The comma would certainly be there after the parenthetical if the conjunction is dropped and according to both William Strunk, Jr, in Elements of Styles and Gregg Reference Manual, 10th Edition, the comma, in analogues situation, should be dropped after the conjunction in the middle of the sentence if conjunction is starting a 2nd independent clause and is preceded by a parenthetical. See quotes below from each.

Strunk:

If a parenthetic expression is preceded by a conjunction, place the first comma before the conjunction, not after it.

He saw us coming, and unaware that we had learned of his treachery, greeted us with a smile.

Gregg:

Section 142b

When the [transitional] expression or comment occurs at the beginning of the second independent clause in a compound sentence and is preceded by a comma and a coordinating conjunction, use one comma following the expression.

The location of the plant was not easy to reach, and to be honest about it, I wasn't very taken with the people who interviewed me.

The job seemed to have no future, and to tell the truth, the salary was pretty low.

In the first place, I think the budget for the project is unrealistic, and in the second place, the deadlines are almost impossible to meet.

However, in section 126b note, Gregg says the following:

Do not insert a comma directly after the coordinating conjunction unless a parenthetical element begins at that point

I told Calahan that we would not reorder unless he cut his prices by 20 percent And, to my total amazement, he did.

Surely the two guidelines he is giving contradict one another? Why does one need a parenthetical comma in the beginning of the sentence after a conjunction but not in the middle if the only difference is period instead of comma before a coordinating conjunction.

So, according to Gregg, this is correct punctuation:

I told Calahan that we would not reorder unless he cut his prices by 20 percent. And, to my total amazement, he did.

BUT:

I told Calahan that we would not reorder unless he cut his prices by 20 percent, and to my total amazement, he did.

Notice no comma in the second sentence.

You could say that the first parenthetical comma could be dropped on the grounds of prettiness / clarity to avoid excessive punctuation but in this case:

a) It's more logical to drop the comma preceding the coordinating conjunction (and retain the first parenthetical comma)

b) If we were to punctuate the 2 sentences like Gregg advises, then the two sentences read differently as in the first one we are forcing a break / speech pause after a conjunction. And surely, the sentences should not be read differently just because the period before the coordinating conjunction is replaced by a comma?

Is there a grammatical rule on this or in cases like that it's simply a style matter?

I am asking because I personally prefer to drop the first parenthetical comma after a coordinating conjunction on the basis that coordinating conjunction does not have any syntactic role in the clause -- it simply connects the two clauses acting as connector making anything that comes after it an introductory element which would only have one comma in the beginning of the sentence if the conjunction is to be dropped?

Also the natural speech pattern seems to suggest that and the rules above address this situation in the middle of the sentence but not in the beginning?

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

A side question: if dropping the first parenthetical comma does turn out to be a mere style preference, would that be acceptable in the formal written works like academic reports and papers (logic being, if the rule is acceptable, it's acceptable in every writing piece).

Etymology of "compiler" (computer term)

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 09:34 AM PST

A friend and I were debating on the origin of the word "compiler". A quick google search led me to discover that Grace Hopper coined the term. But I'm not sure how or on what basis did she coin the term, which is what I was wondering.

As far as I know, a "compiler" would sound like something that brings or put things together. But that's not a very accurate description of what a compiler does, which translates one computer language into another. So one would think that the term "translator" is more suited than "compiler". Despite that, the compiler term was coined, and I would like to understand why.

Why place a hand on the Bible instead of the Judge's genitals when taking an oath?

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 01:17 AM PST

Etymonline gives the etymology of testify as

...from testis "a witness".. + root of facere "to make"... Biblical sense of "openly profess one's faith and devotion" is attested from 1520s. Related: Testified; testifying; testification. (also, testament, intestate, etc.)

In Biblical times, to swear a most sacred oath, the swearer made his oath by holding on to the oath-giver's genitals.

Abraham... said to the senior servant in his household...Put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the Lord... that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites... So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore... (Gen. 24)

and

When the time drew near for Israel (Jacob) to die, he called... Joseph and said to him, "...put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will... not bury me in Egypt..." Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. (Gen. 47)

Rabbi Shlomo Itzhaki (aka Rashi) explains in his commentary:

Since one (a Jew) who swears must take with his hand an article related to a mitzvah... and circumcision was his [Abraham's] first mitzvah, and he had fulfilled it with pain, [Abraham's circumcised penis] was dear to him; so he took it. (bracketed expansions mine)

Others interpret (reason?) that this oath was sworn by holding the oath-giver's testicles.

The Latin word for "witness, one who attests" is testis, as well as testicles (from Latin testiculus, diminutive of testis). The Greek for spermaria is similarly derived.

So, how did testify, testimony, testament, protest, detest, contest, even Old and New Testament diverge so wildly from it's origins, to swear while holding someone's penis or testicles? Why don't we swear by our balls, soft bits, tallywags, twiddle-diddles, goolies, trinkets, bollocks, nuts, or cojones?

Was there ever a time when such little things didn't make such big promises?

Is it “the xᵢ’s” or “the xᵢ”?

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 06:28 AM PST

Let x1, . . . , xn be a collection of mathematical objects.

When I refer to them, do I have to say the xi's or just the xi?

Edit: In this article (written by an American mathematician), one can read

... is the set of all x's which have the form ...

Availability and Unavailability

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 08:45 AM PST

Is it right to say - Because of availability of someone meeting is cancelled or should we say Because of unavailability of someone meeting is cancelled.

Proper Timezone Acronym Usage - PT vs PDT or PST

Posted: 16 Nov 2021 01:59 AM PST

What is the difference between PT (Pacific Time), PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), and PST (Pacific Standard Time)? Also, is the time format "2:00pm PT" unambiguous?
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