Saturday, November 20, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

An umbrella term for property crimes without the use of violence

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 01:21 PM PST

Is there an umbrella term (ideally, a single word) for crimes of illegally taking possession of someone else's property "quietly", not involving the use of violence, threats, or endangerment?

  • So it should include pickpocketing, shoplifting, breaking & entering (if no one is present in or near the building who could be endangered or alarmed), embezzlement, fraud, stealing money in electronic form using illegal access to computer systems, forgery of documents or money.
  • But it should exclude robbery, extortion, taking hostages, vandalism (because it is destruction rather than taking possession), and crimes involving high-speed car chase (because it endangers people).

Object + subject + verb pattern

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 12:32 PM PST

I have problems with the following pattern Object + subject + verb + preposition. For example, the simple sentence,

Things I've been struggling with.

The idea is that I'm not sure if that pattern is informal, or it's standard English. I would say something like,

I've been struggling with some things.

I recognize that in that sentence we must use an object, but I'm not sure when I can use either of the two patterns. This confusion happens when I encounter sentences with verb + preposition without an object after preposition. Another example would be,

I learned that the people that they work for often are the people they are afraid of.

Thank you for your help.

New feedback for/on/regarding X

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 12:12 PM PST

Let's say you have created a new publication, for instance on a blog. This new publication is entitled "Updates to the Subprocessors list". Users can write comments while reading this publication.

Now let's say a user writes a new comment and you are sending an email to all other users to notify them about this new comment. What is correct and the most common:

  • New feedback for "Updates to the Subprocessors list"
  • New feedback on "Updates to the Subprocessors list"
  • New feedback regarding "Updates to the Subprocessors list"
  • Something else?

evidentiality vs evidentiary authority [closed]

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 08:08 AM PST

I consider type A as evidence. When I refer to A in relation to B, is it correct to say: He didn't consider B, but considered the evidentiary authority of A. What I want to mean is he considered B as evidence, but considered A to be eligible to be formulated as evidence.

A phrase meaning trail blazing without being concerned about the consequences to others

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 11:18 AM PST

I'm trying to remember or think a new of s phrase to describe somebody who both forges a path a head of them, trail blazing in a way, but does so at the consequences of others.

This isn't just the classic line from Jurrasic park:

Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.

Which is both trail blazing and separately oblivious to the eventual consequences, rather than the trail blazing process itself being the cause of consequences. Like if the main issue at Jurrasic was making indigenous species extinct and not even bothering to check if that would happen before hand.

But I'm trying to articulate a meaning that better fits this sort of sentence:

They're (were a/an) ______, a bright star burning anybody in their path to success

Is there a phrase closer to that? I've considered:

They cut a wide swath(e), a bright star burning anybody in their path to success

But that doesn't fit exactly, nor does just trail blazing. The "burning anybody in their path" doesn't need to be drastic, but it's the careless/callousness I'm trying to get across. The person the phrase is for may even be aware of what they're doing has negative consequences, just without caring what those consequences are. Bulldozing was mentioned in comments, but that only fits for a slow deliberate action.

Am I thinking of a phrase that exists? If so what is it?

verbs (or infinitives) as objective? [duplicate]

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 07:20 AM PST

  • I / want / to sleep.
  • We / used / to swim.
  • You / agreed / to leave.
  • He / quitted / smoking.
  • She / deserves / to win.
  • They / had / to go.

Is it correct to assume that those sentences have 'subject - (transitive) verb - objective' structure? Which could even be turned into passive voice? (though no one would actually do it)

If not, how should these sentences be analyzed?

Possible but not recommended

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 07:22 AM PST

Is there a single word in British English that describes something that is possible (technically) but not recommended, not advised, better not or please don't do it?

Example:

Although it is technically possible, it would be unwieldy(...)

Is there any grammar like this: send something to somebody+v-ing

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 10:41 AM PST

I know my title is a bad one, and I can't figure another one.
I have a question. This sentence:

  • He sends another letter to Romeo explaining the situation.

Here he uses "explaining" not "to explain", I wonder why? I think there's a grammar like this: send something to somebody+v-ing. I have looked up the word "send", but I still can't find the answer.

Thank you for your help.

What's the 'name' for the variation of period units that end in 'ly'?

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 02:30 AM PST

If I call week, month, year, day = singular unit

weeks, months, years, days = plural unit

What do/can I call = weekly, monthly, yearly (though maybe 'annually'), daily - ?

PS: I'm aware of this similar question - What is the collective term for "Daily", "Weekly", "Monthly" and "Yearly"? - but the ask-er seems to be after something slightly different, judging by the fact they accepted an answer that I'm not looking for. The answer, and other answers, provide generic words like "frequency" which can be used to describe all of the variations of the unit. In fact, the table in my application's database is called "frequencies" and I'm filling it with columns "singular", "plural" etc.

Logical connectors [closed]

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 03:09 AM PST

I learn about logical connectors and hope for some help.

  1. They are not requesting any detailed information.Since, it isn't necessary.

  1. I used to love listening to her, while I could only understand about half of what she said.

  2. Even thoughI did well in class, I was a poor performer at game.

  3. Though working hard, I failed my exams.

  4. Although I worked hard, I failed my exams.

Am I using the logical connectors well in my sentences? Are my answers correct ? I am really not sure about my answers and I'd be grateful for your feedback!

Is "I would request you to" totally wrong in both American and British English when I want to want to request something from someone? [closed]

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 01:55 AM PST

I wrote an email to someone like- Thanks! I would request you to [do this] so that I can [do that].

They replied making fun of English by saying "okay I will thank you for that" so I thought maybe my sentence has the wrong tense. I don't want it to mean that I will request something in the future or I requested something in the past.

I know I could have written " I request you to ....", but I wasn't thinking straight.

Any help is appreciated. I need to know if it's incorrect in both American and British English in my context.

Important! Is there a term for misusing the pronoun “you”? [duplicate]

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 09:38 PM PST

This is somewhat challenging to describe but I'm taking a crack at it. I have the tendency to use the pronoun "you" when speaking to someone about an event, or story. I would almost describe it as a form of dramatics within my storytelling - and the only place I have really observed it is on reality television. Quite often the cast members on these shows will be recounting situations or events to another friend, after the fact, and it almost seems like a production tactic to get more sound bites. But it's something that people do, including myself.

An example for clarity:

Mary: "Did John end up calling?" JENN: "No. I can't believe him. Like why would you plan dinner with me when you're on a juice cleanse?"

JENN is clearly talking about John, but uses you for dramatic effect. If her delivery is intense or seemingly angry (presumably at John) Mary may mistake this misused "you" as being directed at her.

I've searched high and low, asked every person I know and nobody seems to know the term or word for this type of conversational misuse of grammar. Please, please share your thoughts!

"When my children are still kids" or "When my children are still young"? [migrated]

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 10:18 PM PST

What are the proper/good words would I say to refer to when my children are still kids? Context: my children are now adults, how do I say when I recall back when they are younger, when they are still kids?

Word for a feeling about something you weren't supposed to see

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 07:32 AM PST

I'm looking for a word or phrase that describes the feeling of seeing/knowing something that you weren't supposed to. Like learning someone's secret or reading their diary. I think I recall there being a word that describes this feeling but I can't find it anywhere. I'm thinking something similar to "guilt", but more specific.

What type of word is "maybe" that allows it to be placed at the start of a sentence?

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 05:55 AM PST

Maybe I will.

Is allowed.

Probably I will.

Is not-so allowed.

All I know is that they are both adverbs.

What is special about the word "maybe" that allows English speakers to use it in different ways to how we use "possibly" and "probably"?

Why is:

It's probably the best I've heard

so much more likely to be said (and why does it sound more correct) than:

It's maybe the best I've heard

What tenses are being used in this sentence construction?

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 09:13 AM PST

A new book* is being released with the tagline

If you knew how your love story ends, would you dare to begin?

I'm a native British English speaker, the author is, and I presume whoever wrote that is as well.

It isn't a construction I'm familiar with. I've tried substituting other verbs in, and haven't managed to get a sentence I would say yet. For example

If you knew you catch a cold tomorrow, would you go out?

If you knew a bus hits you in London, would you travel there?

I'd choose to say either

If you knew you were going to catch a cold tomorrow, would you go out?

or

If you knew you caught a cold tomorrow, would you go out?

I can't believe a publishing house would put that on the front cover if it's incorrect though. So what exactly is going on?

*For context, when the main character kisses somebody, she can see how they will die. She doesn't know whether it's the kiss that decides their fate, or she can just see what will happen to them. She stops kissing people. This is obviously a problem when she meets a man she falls in love with.

phrase or idiom similar to "To each his own"?

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 11:04 AM PST

I know "To each his own." and "Different strokes for different folks" but what I am looking for is a good, wise saying that

What works best for those in one situation does not always work best for those in another situation. Let each situation create their own optimal solution.

Just for your information, the issue is about legislative redistricting.

It's like "One size does not always fit all."

Can you help me find a better phrase?

What’s a better way to word “times are hard” [closed]

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 10:01 AM PST

In a sentence it would be "Even when ___, she remained persistent"

Comma, new sentence or semi-colon? Linking a statement with its justification/reason

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 12:01 AM PST

I need to edit this sentence of the form "[statement about an object], [explanation as to why the statement holds]", but there is no language that links the two clauses, like a "this is due to [...]". For example,

"There is dark cat hair all over my sofa, the cat is allowed on the sofa now."

To me, a comma seems inappropriate here. There should either be a full stop in place of the comma, or a semi-colon, or the addition of "because", "this is due to the fact that", etc.

Any thoughts?

Heavily raining or Raining heavily?

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 02:48 AM PST

Sentences :

  1. It is/was heavily raining here.

Or

  1. It is/was raining heavily here.

In a conversation with my friend I said that "Oh! Its heavily raining here".But he/she has corrected me as have to use "raining heavily" instead of "heavily raining".He/She corrected me to latter usage due to the common usages from daily chats with the people.So which usage is correct or more correct and why ?

Simple phrase for the business model of 'secretly' worsening terms of service?

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 09:02 AM PST

Let's say an online service worsens its subscription terms (e.g. charges extra for some hidden fees) once they reach some sufficient market saturation. Many users will not read the general terms of service updates, etc and only notice many years later. This is not really fair business and many users will feel betrayed once they realize that the service that used to be good has cost twice as many in the last few years etc.

What is this step called when a business switches from competitive to greedy without real upfront communication? The word or phrase does not need to necessarily reflect bad intent just this kind of 'making money by worsening the terms at the expense of long time customers'.

Example usage (I will use 'greedy switch' as placeholder):

John is regularly reviews his subscription plans' terms to make sure the business partners don't [do this greedy switch].

Jane recommended this banking service to her friends for its good terms a few years ago but since then they [greedy switched] and we are better of without them.

Should I use a comma or semicolon to separate the items in this sentence

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 01:03 AM PST

We have planned to modify the product mobile phone and address the following sustainable development goals: Responsible Consumption and Production, Good Health and Well Being.

or

We have planned to modify the product mobile phone and address the following sustainable development goals: Responsible Consumption and Production; Good Health and Well Being.

Which one of the above is correct?

Specific word for social app user?

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 11:04 PM PST

I am looking for a specific word to describe people who are active on social media apps: FB, Whatsapp, etc.

The nearest word that I found while searching online is netizen. Cambridge Dictionary describes it as:

a person who uses the internet

But, it does not fit the idea I want to represent:

______ are human beings without four limbs. They demand and demand, but can't act in real life.

Which adjective best describes a person who seeks complex ways of solving a simple problem?

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 07:02 AM PST

What adjective would best describe someone who seeks complex solutions to simple problems? For example, one who would design the tree-swing in any other of the ways described below except the last one.

Tree-swing problem

Why is "x" used as an abbreviation for some nouns?

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 08:02 AM PST

This question is related, but is not a duplicate, of Why do some words have "X" as a substitute?.

I have noticed that a few nouns can be significantly abbreviated with an "x" at the end. Some examples come to mind:

  • Transmit → Tx
  • Receive → Rx
  • Passengers → Pax
  • Tickets → Tix

There are likely others in existence I'm not aware of. Most abbreviated nouns ending in "x" seem to be used only as technical jargon (in this case, Fax, Fax, Transportation, Entertainment, respectively). What is the history of using "x" at the end of a word to severely shorten it? And, does the usage of "x" in this context have a single word to describe it?

Term for when a rhyming word is unspoken?

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 09:27 AM PST

I was watching a cartoon and part way through a song came on, and it had these two stanzas:

Why do you have to look up to her
Aside from in a literal sense?
Don't you know that a power that big
Comes with a bigger expense?

And can't you see that she's out of control
And overzealous?
I'm telling you for your own good,
And not because I'm-

But in the second stanza the character omits the second half of the rhyming couplet, while keeping to the same five syllables. This is a narrower term than broken/subverted/mind rhyming where the word may be either replaced or omitted: these are hypernyms, but I require a term only referring to cases where the rhyme is omitted.

This is also done in songs where the omitted half of the rhyming is a swear word, often with the intent of the listener completing the intended word mentally.

What is the term for this technique? I don't think it's enjambment as the word doesn't just run over, but ends.

Etymology of "compiler" (computer term)

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 05:38 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.

What does "Y/Y" mean?

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 03:14 AM PST

In a power-point presentation about interent trends, the abbreviation Y/Y is being used:

25MM+ people (+14x Y/Y) use Duolingo app to learn new language

12MM+ teachers / students / parents (+15x Y/Y) use Remind101 to send 500MM+ messages

Sadly, the video does not work, so I'm not sure what the abbreviation stands for. What does it mean in this context?

Is "homework" countable?

Posted: 20 Nov 2021 08:25 AM PST

I was wondering if "homework" is countable? I remember it is an uncountable noun when I learned English in middle school.

Suppose now I would like to ask my teacher to hand back my graded "homeworks" of last three times. How shall I ask him?
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