Sunday, November 7, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

OE hacele "cloak" vs English hackle?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 08:52 AM PST

What is the semantic connection between OE hacele "cloak" and modern English hackle "An instrument with steel pins used to comb out flax or hemp"?

Does the sentence "I need you to make these calls for me" contain an object complement?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 08:04 AM PST

I'm currently working on my paper and predicative constructions confuse me so much. The book I use tells that object complements can follow the verbs of wish & intention, but there was no word about the verb "need". However, I've seen that verb described as monotransitive and that's it. Does this verb actually belong to the verbs of wish and intention and thus can be followed by object complements? Or are there two objects? As far as I understand it, "need" seems to have a similar meaning to "want" in the following cases:

  • I need you to make these calls for me.
  • He needs everybody back.

I've also seen combinations like "need for someone to do something", so I'm really lost.

He has "a ways" to go?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 08:01 AM PST

I've always wondered why this phrasing is used in English:

He has a ways to go.

A ways? "A" ways? Why isn't it:

He has a way to go.

? Or:

He has some way to go.

? It really sounds odd to me, every time I hear it.

What do you call someone who gives a deliberate unhelpful answer to a question?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 08:25 AM PST

Person 1: "I need help with my Xbox console, it wont turn on! What should I do?"

Person 2: "Just buy a computer."

Why did you ask me if they have any allergies?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 06:36 AM PST

In this sentence, the person is referring to a question that was asked in the past but a condition that is current. Can the past and present tense be used in this case or should it be "Why did you ask me if they had any allergies?"

Meaning and usage of “acting along”

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 05:48 AM PST

I came across this phrase when I was reading a manga series. The demon king ain't acting along right? Basically, the speaker is inquiring about what's going to take to beat him.

Here is the dialogue.

Speaker: The demon king just how do you beat it?

Listener: Huh?

Speaker: The demon king ain't acting along right? If we take him down, then the attacks of people by monsters is sure to settle down a bit as well, am I wrong?

Are emojis grammatically wrong? Should I ever use them? [closed]

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:46 AM PST

Should I ever use emojis in my writing or not? Are they grammatically wrong to put?

Explain the language joke, please [closed]

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:30 AM PST

Professor: "Nobody ever heard of a sentence without a predicate."
Student: "I have, professor."
Professor: "What is it?"
Student: "Thirty days."

Why didn't spelling of words keep track of pronunciation changes during the great vowel shift?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:28 AM PDT

In the English language, words are written according to the way they were pronounced before the great vowel shift. Take e.g. the sentence: "I came from my house, now I'm here". If we pronounce this according the sounds of the letters in the words, then we get close to the correct pronunciation in the year 1400:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hqQpziIETo&t=341s

Or take the word "nightingale", which in the 1400s used to be pronounced as written:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWI_dFxbzyg&t=287s

So, why didn't the spelling change with these gradual changes in pronunciation during the great vowel shift?

Is Mind Boggling positive or negative? [closed]

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:26 AM PDT

When someone says "Mind Boggling", does it mean positive experience or negative, or depends on the context?

Apposition between the noun and the participial phrase

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:59 AM PST

There's "a glass broken by me." But I want to use an apposition between "glass" and "broken" as in sentence one.

  1. A glass, my favorite one, broken by me is on the floor.
  2. A glass broken by me, my favorite one, is on the floor.

Sentence one means an intact glass is my favorite one.

Sentence two means a broken glass is my favorite.

Am I understanding correctly? I'm afraid that two sentences may mean a broken glass is my favorite because participial phrases modify nouns anyway.

Edited: It's not a prepositional phrase. It's a participial phrase.

Is the sentence "You rise groggily, the campsite a casualty of merriment." grammatically correct?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:58 AM PDT

You rise groggily, the campsite a casualty of merriment.

Saw this on a story heavy game, I understand what it means but the grammar confused me. Is this a proper structure?

What's the difference in these "wish" sentences and which ones are correct?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 08:54 AM PST

  1. What's the difference in these "wish" sentences and which ones are correct?

I wish that day hadn't come

I wish that day would never come

I wish that day didnt come

I wish that day wouldnt have come

I wish that day wouldnt come

  1. Do these sentences have exactly the same meaning?

I wish that day hadn't come

I wish that day had never come

"I got slept" whether it mean i got slept on my own or someone put me to sleep? [closed]

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:06 AM PST

I got slept" is not exactly grammarically correct but if i have to interpreted its meaning then whether it mean "I got slept on my own" or "someone put me to sleep?

Any ideas for a gender-neutral or inclusive term for "Craftsmen"?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 08:12 AM PST

I understand Craftsmen may not technically be considered a gendered term, however, it has '-men' in it. So, I would rather use something else that doesn't exclude those who are maybe unfamiliar with the robust origins and technicalities of gender in language.

I am specifically looking for a (generic) noun that can be used for a person or group of people. Replacing '-men' with '-person' is not ideal since it usually sounds strange for most words, especially in this case.

Similar post, but not helpful: Gender-neutral alternative to "craftsmanship"?

Why doesn’t “water broke when it was ice” make sense unlike the previous statement?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 08:54 AM PST

"My mother played soccer"

Does this make sense? "The water broke when it was ice."

Not really. "Water" implies the liquid form, when it freezes, it is no longer referred to as water. So the sentence provided does not make sense.

But I learnt that there is no need to relate the timing cues of the relationship in that noun phrase to the verb phrase. (My mother played soccer when she was not a mother.)

(Editted)

I think there is no need to relate the timing cues of the relationship in that noun phrase to the verb phrase but also there is no need not to relate the timing cues of the relationship in that noun phrase to the verb phrase, so "water broke" can be true and false depending on situations.

Can "a thin strip of Texas leather" be used in several situation? Or are there any similar expressions?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:47 AM PST

I'm Japanese. When I watched a show on Netflix in English, I came across an expression "a thin strip of Texas leather." As I couldn't find the meaning on any sites (online dictionaries or search engines) on the Internet, I took a sneak peek at Japanese caption (from the beginning, I should have done it!) and got it meant "a born and bred Texan."

The phrase is used in the show The Mentalist, in the episode "Copper Bullet." The context is:

Candlesticks seem a little odd, don't they? I don't understand.

I mean, for a thin strip of Texas leather like Peterson.

Doesn't strike me as a candlestick type.

Maybe he hired a designer.

Is this a peculiar expression for Texans? Or can it be used for any state residents where leather is produced?

Anyway, I felt this is a very strange expression... why "thin strip" and why "leather"? Are there any other similar expressions for other states?

"Watch" vs. "Watch as"

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 05:00 AM PST

He watched them run.

He watched as they ran.

What's the exact difference, in terms of the information/scene conveyed? He was watching the runners in both cases. Do they have different connotations? Or is it simply a matter of stylistic choice? Is one more preferred than the other in certain contexts?

let him do the job, what will be the tag question of this?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:05 AM PST

For the sentence starting with "let" we usually use "shall we?" or " will we?" or "won't you?" in this case, what should be the tag question of the following sentence?

let him do the job, will you?

or

let him do the job, won't you?

which one is correct and why?

Is there a word that means an action that is the death of an idea?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 08:28 AM PST

Something like the word 'antithesis', however instead of just meaning 'this is the opposite of that' I thought there was a word that meant 'doing this signals the death of this'.

I thought there was a word to describe this, but nothing comes to mind.

The meaning behind the phrase I'm thinking of is roughly 'if I accept to do this, it is the death of the purpose of my job'.

What are the differences between Vitriol, Vituperation, and Invective?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 12:30 AM PDT

I am having a really hard time seeing the nuanced differences between these three synonyms, especially vituperation and vitriol. I saw from my research that invective is used in more formal context with use of refined language (if somebody can add more to this word, I would be appreciate it). But I have trouble seeing the subtle difference between vitriol and vituperation since both suggest bitter, cruel, harsh abusive language.

What is the word for the feeling of loss that is experienced when you wake from a dream?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 09:06 AM PST

I seem to remember that there's a word for the feeling you get when you are having a dream that's vivid and happy, then you wake up and that's gone, it's a sadness and it's not necessarily fleeting. It may be one of those non-English words that has no English equivalent. Does anyone know?

Earlier sources or identity of person who coined the term "neutrois"?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 08:05 AM PST

A lot of work I've been doing recently has been around the emergence of various gender identities. "Neutrois" recently came to my attention, with more information about it here:

Most (if not all) of these sources claim that a person by the name of H. A. Burnham coined the term to refer to hirself (preferred pronoun) in 1995.

However, the earliest source I could find on this was an archived version of Netrois.com (then known as Neutrois Outpost) from 30 August 2000. The earliest archived version of the FAQ that states Burnham's coinage is from 7 March 2001.

I've checked HathiTrust, Google Books, and Newspapers.com so far and can't seem to find anything, so any pointers to sources to check would be very much appreciated! Additionally, any info on who Burnham was/is would be great too! I'd love to give credit where credit is due!

EDIT 1: So it seems that "H. A. Burnham" is "Holly A. Burnham" based on some Usenet posts in alt.transgendered. The earliest attribution I can find seems to be December 1996 though...

Are "subject" and "object" syntactic classifications?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 12:00 AM PDT

I would like to know where the classification of Arguments such as subject, object... comes from. I know that the roles classifications come from Thematic roles; however, how about those mentioned above?

I looked into both terms but couldn't find any reference pointing where they derive from.

Where did "Pew! Pew!" come from?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:05 AM PDT

To elaborate, I'm talking about the "sound effect" that people often make when imitating gunfire.

Eg.

"Pew! Pew! I shot you Billy, you're dead now!"

I suppose this developed from the "Bang! Bang!" to instead imitate laser guns, but is there a specific inspiration for this, or is it just "laser guns" in general?

Converting a sentence to passive with "would"

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:50 AM PST

I know how passive voice is created in general:

He is rich => He is said to be rich.

People say that he's not able to win => He's said not to be able to win.

There is a sentence:

He would like to increase our profit.

How can I make a passive of that, I am confused because of the "would". How to transform this sentence to a passive voice?

He is said to (?)

Describe the two parts of a 'T' shaped intersection

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 03:17 AM PST

I have architectural drawings that contains numerous instances of intersecting walls that form a 'T' shape. To state the obvious, a capital 'T' has two parts:

  1. the top line
  2. a vertical line that buts up against the T's top

What might each of these two connected walls or segments be called?

I am asking for word suggestions. The words may or may not be math-based. Short words (short number of characters) that most people understand are preferred over obscure words that few people understand.

Edit: I'm currently using 'T-Top' for one. That's okay I guess, but I couldn't think of anything short for the vertical piece.

Why is "oh" spelled "oh" and not "o"?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 01:25 AM PST

Oh my!

In the above example, to me, "oh" seems to suggest one should pronounce "o" as a short vowel, whereas "o", seems to suggest one should pronounce "o" as a long vowel. In other words, I would expect it to be spelled as:

O my!

I would expect "oh" to be used in this example, meaning to express "oops":

Oh o!

... or used an an expression of excited amazement, when watching beautiful fireworks for instance, like this:

Oh!

So why is "Oh my!" spelled this way?
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