Monday, November 8, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

What is the grammatical function/ part of speech of "to increase funding" and "to help countries adapt?"

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 10:04 AM PST

What is the grammatical function/ part of speech of "to increase funding" and "to help countries adapt?"

The United States has been under pressure to increase funding to help countries adapt to climate risks already upon them.

Is this tense usage correct, "you'll continue acting"?

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 09:51 AM PST

if you'll continue acting like...

I understand "if you continue to act like..." seems more logical, but is there a fault in the first sentence?

Puzzled by the meaning of "how it was that" and the different meaning of "should have done"

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 09:14 AM PST

Original text:

How it was that he should have guessed what she meant at that very moment I cannot tell.

Can we cut down the sentence to the following?

How he guessed what she meant at that very moment I cannot tell.

I thought "should have done" alawys means pretty much what you said "you were supposed to do it", and it generally implies that "you did not do it".

In this case, does the "should have guessed" have a difference meaning like "managed to guess what she meant", "did guess what she meant"?

Comma after prepositional phrase

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 09:04 AM PST

There seems to be a general rule that a prepositional phrase of five or more words should be followed by a comma. But is this rule always correct? The second of these two sentences looks better to me:

For example, if you are using a lathe, then after completing the first two steps, you should check the spindle.

For example, if you are using a lathe, then after completing the first two steps you should check the spindle.

What does "Hollywood is hype, New York is talk, Chicago is work" mean? [closed]

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 08:38 AM PST

I found the phrase "Hollywood is hype, New York is talk, Chicago is work" (said by Michael Douglas) on the site about theaters in Chicago. However, I'm afraid that the original one might not talk about theaters since people use it in other subjects as well. I tried to search for the original context where he said this, but there is nothing much about it. Could you please tell me the meaning of this phrase? (or what does it talks about)

Can I change the order of clauses in the following sentence?

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 08:37 AM PST

I don't think it's correct to change the order of the clauses in the following sentence when we are going to show the result of an action:

The bomb exploded, destroying the building.

But present participles can also be used to give the reason for an action:

Knowing she loved reading, Richard bought her a book.

Here I'm not sure if we can use the participle clause after the main clause:

Richard bought her a book, knowing she loved reading.

Comma Use Confusion

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 07:58 AM PST

  1. She can become enraged, even murderous at times.

  2. She can become enraged, even murderous, at times.

Which of these is correct and why?

Why is it the headings but an address? I thought it is the heading because we can see it quoted, but the address is also given… [migrated]

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 05:04 AM PST

I came across one article on BBC and don't really understand the usage of THE article there. There is a description of a postcard:" On its front was a cartoon of a rabbit asleep in a crib underneath the heading: "You're one to-day."

However, later there is a sentence:"On the reverse was a stamp bearing the head of King George, postmarked 27 September 1946. Next to that was an address: Miss F Kaye of 12 Northumberland Mansions, Luxborough Street, London, W1."

Why is it the headings but an address? I thought it is the heading because we can see it quoted, but the address is also given…

Could you please help me ?

Which tense should follow “I've just heard” and why? [duplicate]

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 04:35 AM PST

There is a sentence

  • "I've just heard that your dog died/has died".

What tense should be used and why? Past Simple or Present Perfect?

calquing of English pseudo-cleft sentences

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 03:33 AM PST

I have a problem with understanding the bold sentence from "introducing translation studies ". Could anyone please help me with its explanation?

"The most important point for ST thematic analysis is that the translator should be aware of the relative markedness of the thematic and information structures (see the discussion in our section 4.3 and also Hatim 2009). Baker points out (Baker 2011: 141) that this 'can help to heighten our awareness of meaningful choices made by speakers and writers in the course of communication' and, therefore, help decide whether it is appropriate to translate using a marked form. Again, what is marked varies across languages. Problems in copying the ST pattern into the TT have been treated by many scholars over the years. Thus, Vázquez-Ayora (1977: 217) emphasizes that calquing a rigid English word order when translating into a more flexible language such as Spanish would produce a monotonous translation. Gerzymisch-Arbogast (1986), in her detailed study of German and English, considers the German calquing of English pseudo-cleft sentences (e.g. What pleases the public is . . . What I meant to say was . . .) to be clumsy."

is the first vs was the first [duplicate]

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 03:03 AM PST

Which is correct?

George Washington was the first president of the United States.

or

George Washington is the first president of the United States. (He will always be the first president of the United States and will always be true)

I have read from a book that the present tense is used in stating general "truths", like for example "The Pacific Ocean is the largest Ocean in the world." , "Harvey is my brother", "Antarctica is covered with ice."

and it sounds wrong to say "The Pacific Ocean was the largest Ocean in the world." or "Harvey was my brother", "Antarctica was covered with ice." Using "was" sounds like there have been changes.

How to use Cambridge English Corpus for a sentence?

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 02:30 AM PST

I searched a word in the Cambridge English dictionary but couldn't understand an example of the word they had written, taken from Cambridge English corpus. It was may be due to the missing of context of it's neighboring sentences. Can I search this sentence in the Corpus somehow?

Is there no need for prepositional phrases to modify nouns? [closed]

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 02:10 AM PST

I'm asking about English, so I will ask with the simple number one.

There is double my one dog plus my one dog.

  1. There are four dogs ((1+1)x2) if "plus my one dog" modifies the noun.
  2. There are three dogs ((1x2)+1) if "plus my one dog" doesn't modify the noun.

What I'm asking about is this: Is there no need for preposition phrases to modify nouns? As I've know, prepositional phrases should modify nouns (needless to say about verbs and adjectives).

How translation scholar Baker compares two words?

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 05:40 AM PST

I have a presentation from the book "introducing translation studies" by Jeremy Munday and there is this part that I don't understand. It's a little too advanced for me. Could anyone please explain it?

Baker is typical of many translation scholars who make detailed use of the terminology of functional grammar and discourse analysis in that she devotes the most attention to the textual function. Explicit analyses of the ideational and interpersonal functions are fewer (though see section 6.4 later). "Baker focuses more on thematic considerations, comparing nominalization and verbal forms in theme position in a scientific report in Brazilian Portuguese and English "(Baker 2011: 178–9). Thus, for example, the ST begins with a pronominal verbal form (my emphasis):

  • Analisou-se as relações da dopamina cerebral com as funções motoras.
    [Analysed-one the relations of dopamine with the motor functions.]

The published English translation presents a normalized word order with the selection of an English passive form in final position (my emphasis):

  • The relations between dopamine and motor functions were analysed.

However, for this example Baker recommends a different order of elements (i.e. a different thematic structure) so as to meet the genre conventions of English abstracts. This involves the use of the nominalization analysis in first position as the 'theme' of the sentence, along with a different passive verbal form (is carried out):

  • An analysis is carried out of the relations between dopamine and motor functions.

How does she exactly compare "Analisou-se" and "analysis"?

Is the sense of 'indicate what is probable' in should obsolete in the phrase 'should've been' [closed]

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 11:47 PM PST

Is the sense of 'indicate what is probable' in should obsolete in the phrase 'should've been?

It doesn't seem as grammatically invalid if I use 'should've have' to indicate something that might be possible regarding something that happened in the past, but is it an obsolete sense when using that phrase?

What does "It's okay with you." mean? [closed]

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 06:24 AM PST

I told my dance instructor that I would sit out the next round of dance practice. Their response was "It's okay with you." What does this mean exactly? I am confused by this answer.

Is this grammatically correct: "I have these apple and banana"? [closed]

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 08:36 PM PST

Or should it be "I have this apple and banana"?

Is this sentence grammatically correct? A ten pounds sugar are in the kitchen [closed]

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 08:57 PM PST

Is this sentence grammatically correct?

A ten pounds of sugar are in the kitchen.

Why don't they use "is" instead of "are"?

Is there a word to summarize Intro and Outro videos?

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 09:26 AM PST

I want to use one word to call both type of videos, the introductory video, and the outro video.

In Spanish jargon sometimes I heard call it like "cortinillas", little window curtain.

Is there a similar word in English?

Differences between “Approach,” "Perspective," and “Paradigm”

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 07:29 PM PST

My question is related to this one: Differences between "methods", "methodologies" and "paradigms"

In lectures, we learned

In statistical practice, there are two main schools of thought or paradigms:

  1. frequentist
  2. Bayesian

Moreover, on the shelf we have books with titles like Decision Analysis: A Bayesian Approach or Machine Learning: A Bayesian and Optimization Perspective

I was wondering what are the differences between Approach, Perspective, and Paradigms?

Which is the correct phrase to use? On the app or to the app

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 04:01 AM PST

The context is "What kind of a book can be added on the app/ to the app?" When I typed the sentence "What kind of a book can be added on the app?" on Grammarly it was autocorrected "What kind of a book can be added to the app?"

Linking word for "in exchange"?

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 01:07 AM PST

I'm looking for a linking word that can connect two sentences:

Omitting the predefined parameter relaxes the potential charging destinations at a step to be the entire sensors, thereby expanding the potential trajectory space. ______, it requires the charging algorithm to strike a balance between extending the network lifetime and the efficiency of the MC.

I mean, I am doing action A to gain an advantage B, "in exchange", I have to accept a disadvantage C (I don't want to deal with it, but, it is acceptable since we gain advantage B).

What linking words I can use instead of "in exchange" in this situation? Actually, I don't even know whether "in exchange" exists or not :(

Is the "what" necessary in some sentences with the "as <adverb> as <clause>" structure?

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 12:00 AM PST

Is using "what" before the clause necessary in some sentences with the structure as <adverb> as <clause>?

For example,

The strawberry milkshake I ordered has twice as much strawberry flavouring as what I normally receive.

Or, would the sentence be better off if I just used "than" instead?

The strawberry milkshake I ordered has twice as much strawberry flavouring than what I normally receive.

What should I use instead of "From my Knowledge"

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 05:03 AM PST

I'm trying to find a word for a summary about bullying, and speaking up . Since I know how it feels, what should I use instead of "From my Knowledge"

According to the article "Stomp out bullying!" by Jennifer Dignan they state,

Some students don't report bullying because the dont want to be labeled a "tattler"...Talking from my knowledge...

It is him who did it that we should blame [closed]

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 03:00 AM PST

The sentence reads weird. I want to emphasis that it is him we should blame, not me, not you, not anyone else, so I write the sentence like

It is him that we should blame.

It looks OK to me. But now I want to add some attributive to "him", like

It is him who refused to pay ....

And the whole sentence would be

It is him who refused to pay that we should blame.

Now it reads very weird. How do I save this sentence while retaining "It is him" part?

A word that refers to the feeling of anticipation of new opportunities that one thought previously unreachable

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 04:40 AM PST

Is there a word that describes the feeling one feels when one breaks down some metaphorical barrier and sees a path to satisfy a desire or develop skill one once thought unsatisfiable or unmasterable?

For example:

After learning to play the piano and mastering his first advanced piece, John felt X as the path to learning his favorite concertos, ones he thought he would never possess the talent to play, presented itself in front of him.

I tried googling around for it but didn't find much. I'll also accept a word from a language other than English if it fully captures the meaning.

First use of "jack-o'-Lantern” in reference to the Carved-Pumpkin?

Posted: 08 Nov 2021 08:06 AM PST

According to OED the etymology of "Jack'o'-Lantern" (as a name for the carved pumpkin) dates to 1834:

Jack-o'-lantern: also jack-o-lantern, jack-a-lantern, jackolantern, 1660s, "night-watchman;" (...)The extension to carved pumpkin lanterns is attested by 1834 in American English.

Of course the practice of carving out vegtables during the harvest seasons is much older then that. As seen in this A&E Television History article:

People have been making jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack."

enter image description here

Furthermore, as put in this Matt Soniak {MentalFloss} article:

(in the 1670s) it(jack-o'-lantern) began to be used to refer to the mysterious lights sometimes seen at night over bogs, swamps, and marshes. These ghost lights—variously called jack-o'-lanterns, hinkypunks, hobby lanterns, corpse candles, fairy lights, will-o'-the-wisps, and fool's fire—are created when gases from decomposing plant matter ignite as they come into contact with electricity or heat or as they oxidize. For centuries before this scientific explanation was known, people told stories to explain the mysterious lights. In Ireland, dating as far back as the 1500s, those stories often revolved around a guy named Jack. (SEE ABOVE)

Thus, one may assume to the late 17th-century English tongue the name "jack-o'-lantern" already had a connotation to the "Ghoulish". And it may be safely assumed by the early 1900s and latter-late 1800s the image of the jack-O'-Lantern was quite widespread, as those are the years where most of the german die-cuts and American postcards begin getting produced extensively. enter image description here

  • I have two questions: what is the earliest English appearance of "jack-o'-lantern" being used in direct reference to a carved-up pumpkin?
  • Were there any other names our English tongue came up with in reference to the all-Hallow's-Eve classic prior or even after? (and are there any references to it (even without the direct use of the name "jack-o'-lantern" in early-modern-English?) --For example in Henry the 4th part 2, I found a delightful and reminiscent description of a vegetable with a carved-out face spoken by the fat old knight, Sir John Falstaff:

when a' was naked, he was, for all the world, like a forked radish, with a head fantastically carved upon it with a knife: (...)the whores called him mandrake:

…down the primrose path

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 09:01 PM PST

What is the origin of primrose used in the idiom primrose path, as defined by the Oxford Online Dictionary?

primrose path

The pursuit of pleasure, especially when it is seen to bring disastrous consequences.
[Lexico]

Merriam-Webster's entry has sexual allusions

a path of ease or pleasure and especially sensual pleasure

The phrase is credited to William Shakespeare's Hamlet (1599-1602)

Ophelia: But, good my brother,
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven;
Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own rede. (Act 1, 3)

But I did not find any explanation for why primroses were traditionally associated with hedonistic and promiscuous behaviour. They seem so charming, sweet and innocent to me.

enter image description here

The Phrase Finder credits the coinage to Shakespeare but only adds the following

Shakespeare later used 'the primrose way', which has the same meaning, in Macbeth. This variant is hardly ever used now

  • Why did the primrose have such a negative reputation? When did English first use the primrose as a symbol of debauchery and overindulgence?
  • Was William Shakespeare the first to associate primroses with deceit and casual love affairs?

What is the origin of "Panama schedule"?

Posted: 07 Nov 2021 11:53 PM PST

"Panama schedule" describes an alternating 2-2-3 shift plan with 12-hour shifts over a period of 14 days, common in the military and some industries. What is the origin of this phrase?
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