Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

THis is a question regarding the use of "I ,me or mine or myself"

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 07:38 AM PST

What is the correct way to write the following sentence:

It is a favorite past time of my son and I, especially when attending ball games.

Is it "my son and me" or "my son and I" or "my son and myself" or "my son and mine."?

Remove duplicate use of "and" with different strengths?

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 07:36 AM PST

I wrote the following sentence in English:

Part of a development group responsible for releasing security solutions for Google's Security product and investigating devices while understanding their network footprints and integration with other systems.

But when I read it, it doesn't sound too clear or professional. What bothers me the most?

  • The use of "for" twice in one sentence.
  • The use of "and" twice, I want the second use of "and" to feel as more close connection that the first "and" because the main 2 responsiblitis are:

  1. Releasing security solutions for Google's Security product

  2. Investigating devices while understanding their network footprints and integration with other systems.

Can someone help me improve this to add it to my Resume (Is the use of commas correct too)? Thanks in advance.

Is "feed someone" a derogatory expression?

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 06:41 AM PST

I'm not a native English speaker. I'm not sure if the following expressions are offensive:

  • I want to feed you.
  • Please feed me.
  • I found an excellent creator here. Let's feed them!

Because I'm fond of Japanese anime culture. And in manga, the content of feeding someone with some food usually looks cute.

Recently I'm developing an app where users can feed others with foods.

Can I use the word feed to express behaviours like support, sponsor, etc?

Update

Here is one of my use cases (in my app):

Every app user can have a page showing their profile. And there's a panel on the page, where listed some foods and a button having a title named "Feed them". If someone clicked the button, they will be listed on the list named "Feeders" on the same page.

Is this poem grammatically correct and does it suit English poetry structure? [closed]

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 05:47 AM PST

       Anida

You haven't heard my reply,

coming out from it, a single lie.

Hence, deserves it do not I,

who you are accusing in sinful tie.

Shall my soul be cleaned when I die?

Or gods have turned a blind eye?

My goddess Anida made me cry!

Whom I trusted all hopes my.

I would like to know if the arrangement of words (verbs, etc.) is correct here. Is everything written correctly in terms of English grammar? Please, don't close the question.

About the definition of the word “study”

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 06:01 AM PST

I and some friends were debating about whether the following question is correctly formed or not. Are the multiple choices are accurate and suitable for the question? We all agree that answer number "4" is the correct answer, however ,we are wondering about answer number "3". We believe that when someone is studying , he/she is trying to get information about something. We believe it is a possible answer.

The question is: What is the definition of the following word: Study

  1. easy to see, hear, or understand
  2. to give or be a part of something with other people
  3. to get or discover information about something
  4. Research project
  5. something you bought
  6. say something is good

‘Two people have a baby’ interpretation

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 05:49 AM PST

Why do some people say 'Two people have a baby' can mean 'two people have a baby each' but others say it can't mean 'two people have a baby each' if there's no 'each'?

Two people have a baby.

A: It can mean two people have a baby each.

B: No, it can't mean two people have a baby each unless you use 'each'. It only mean two people have one baby together.

Was unprecedented or is unprecedented?

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 02:54 AM PST

I am writing about the GME short squeeze that happened in January 2021.

At some point, I want to say that short squeezes are nothing new in finance, but the way it was triggered was not seen before.

What would be the correct way to say this?

The way it was triggered was unprecedented.

or

The way it was triggered is unprecedented.

The reason I am asking, is that it is of course still unprecedented, as something that was once unprecedented can not become 'un-unprecedented', right? Using 'was' seems like the right way to go as that really emphasizes that it was unprecedented back than, but I just wanted to be sure if it would be allowed to use it that way.

Is there a term for "inner circumference"?

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 03:30 AM PST

A box will have an outer circumference and a smaller "inner circumference".

Is there a common word or technical term for an "inner circumference"?

This presumes that a "circumference" is typically assumed to be outer, which is my impression.

Urban myth but for non-myths [duplicate]

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 03:13 AM PST

What's some slang for "common public belief" that doesn't have any implications about the truthfulness of the belief?

Similar to "common sense", but I'm looking for a phrase that has more "urban myth" flavour. Not some rationale intrinsic to every human (as common sense might imply), but more so spread by word of mouth or such around the population and established collectively. The word should have the same feeling as "broscience", but not be about the gym specifically.

Street-smarts or street wisdom come to mind, but I haven't found them to be established terms for this. Street-smarts especially seems to have a different meaning, about dealing with danger.

_____ is that being cold weakens your immune system and makes you more susceptible to catching illness

_____ would see you running the other way as soon as ..., but actually....

Is it okay to say that hello what's up you [closed]

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 12:57 AM PST

I donno how to describe this sentence

A word for a person who waits until the next time they see you to tell you something, vs. a person who goes out of their way to tell you right away [closed]

Posted: 30 Nov 2021 11:44 PM PST

For example, if I knocked on someone's bedroom door to ask them for a favour, vs. if I just waited until they came out by themselves and then ask them. What do you call a person like that?

An antonym for 'Gestalt'?

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 02:56 AM PST

Gestalt, as defined by Lexico, is "an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts." Is there a word that effectively conveys the opposite, that is, a whole being less than the sum of its parts?

EDIT (1): A potential example may be a large and varied range of overlapping sounds that itself forms a discordant sound, e.g. a variety of instruments played out of rythm.

EDIT (2): Another example may be a 'complete' square, or diamond in this case, formed from two "criss-crosses"(X's), the top and bottom diagonals of which meet one another. Think an individual square of a 'square mesh'. However this square doesn't have clean edges, there still being 2 small projecting lines at each vertice. Think a noughts and crosses board with significantly truncated lines directed out from the square, such that they are too small to be noticed. In this case a square is recognized, however the projecting lines are not, in which case it may be considered less than the sum of its parts.

Is this a correct sentence? Y's vs his [closed]

Posted: 30 Nov 2021 11:09 PM PST

I chose Professor X first because my principal research interests relate greatly to his, and my secondary research interests relate mostly to Professor Y's. My principal research interests revolve around GH. My secondary research interests are in exploring PQ.

I feel there is something wrong with this sentence, but I don't know what, can you give your opinion please?

Instance implies time, but often used as “example” or “case” - what’s a good alternative word without time connection

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 12:24 AM PST

Since instance implies occurrence which implies time, then what are good substitutes other than case or example? Circumstance is also tied to an event which may directly relate to time too.

Hidden messages by reversing speech audio [closed]

Posted: 30 Nov 2021 10:44 PM PST

I want to create an audio file, of a monologue. When playing normally it should sound like a coherent sentence. But, when played in reverse some words would transform into other words. I'm not looking for palindromes, but examples of words that sound like a different word when played in reverse.

edit: I have just discovered Levidrome's. These are words for which the letters can be placed in reverse order to become a different word. However, I seek the spoken word equivalent of this.

Subjunctive "be" inversion

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 05:05 AM PST

Can i invert the protasis bellow :

If you not be, ...

Into :

Be you not, ...

Will it not —in an archaic sense— be mistaken for imperative and will it convey the same conditional notion?

Ad hominem for non persons

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 05:09 AM PST

An ad hominem argument is typically, according to Wikipedia, "a rhetorical strategy where the speaker attacks the character, motive, or some other attribute of the person making an argument rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself." It is in the name that this type of argument is an attack on a person.

What if the entity being attacked is not a person? Perhaps it's a legal entity like a business (and the 'argument' being made is about the quality of their offerings if you want to be pedantic). "The services offered by X are bad because their reviews are bad and they were fined recently for breaking a bunch of regulations." Or "don't trust Y, recall that Y used to be called Z but they rebranded to Y because their reputation was so bad." I'd give a real life example of the latter, but that might be a little... meta.

Does the term ad hominem still apply? Is there a better alternative?

Lord Acton's purported quote about "freedom faces four major challenges" [closed]

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 02:02 AM PST

I read a Chinese article that quoted a passage purported to be from Lord Acton, describing how "freedom faces four major challenges", using google translation (from Chinese back to English) the quotes are like these,

In each era, freedom faces four major challenges:

The strong man's desire for concentration of power,

The poor's resentment of unequal wealth,

The ignorant's yearning for utopia,

The unbelievers's confusion of freedom and indulgence.

And their common root is radicalism

With the comment from @StuartF and the answer I got at History SE. I now believe Lord Acton did not say that. And my question was closed because it was off-topic at this SE. So I am changing it making it appropriate for this site and hope it can be reopened for answer.

I like the googled translated version (even though Lord Action did not say it). I think it speaks about the challenges freedom faces even in present day. But my English is not good enough to make it more natural, more poetic. Can someone help me to do that ?

How to pronounce the "bunched /r/" sound?

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 06:06 AM PST

I don't live in English-speaking country. I try to learn English on my own. I am interested in aquisition the General American accent (GA). My question is about the American /r/ consonant ([ɹ]) and the American r-colored vowels ([ɚ]).

I have a problem with realization of the /r/ English phonem. I know that exist 10-11 or even more options to articulate this sound, but the retroflex and the bunched (aka molar, retracted, dorsal) versions are the most famous. I have learned the retroflex version of this sound. I am OK with the [ɻ], alveolar and postalveolar realizations.
enter image description here

Now my main interest is the bunched /r/. I have tried many times to pronounce this for 3-4 weeks but I can't. I went through all the videos and articles about this topic that I found on the Internet. I have seen the MRI. The tongue tip must not be curl and lift up, the tip of the tongue should be located at the bottom or just neutral. Each time I try the tip my tongue wants to go up. If I hold the tip of my tongue and don't lift it up then I'm making completely different sound.

bunched r 1

So, how to pronounce the clear "bunched /r/" without lifting the tip?

What I've tried: I looked at my mouth with a flashlight in a mirror, I used a pencil, I used a spoon.

Russian language is my native tongue. I don't have speech defects in my native language.

Non-ableist alternative to "blind spot"

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 12:04 AM PST

The phrase "blind spot" has been called ableist. For someone looking to avoid it, what are some good alternatives?

Sample sentences:

  • We need to be aware of our blind spots to make sure a competitor doesn't surprise us in the market.
  • Employee morale has been a blind spot for us in the past, but Sarah is doing a great job of tracking it now.
  • Quentin has good ideas when it comes to pricing strategy, but she has a blind spot when it comes to the best way to present a proposal.

"Such-and-such (a)" + singular noun

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 07:03 AM PST

I've found both versions, She lives in such-and-such a street AND She lives in such-and-such street

Are both uses of the determiner? Which is the right one?

OED entry for such

would a semicolon be appropriate?

Posted: 30 Nov 2021 11:06 PM PST

I'm really struggling with semicolons and I know I need an independent clause after the semicolon but I feel like that makes the whole sentences flow a bit sharp?

would this be correct: "My prior knowledge of this sector was limited; therefore, I was surprised to learn about the different strategies business used to outcompete different firms"

I know I need to get rid of therefore to make it independent but I feel like the vibe of the sentence would change?

please help and thank you!

Is there a term for the first page of a journal or diary where personal info is punched in?

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 03:03 AM PST

Looking for a term (if there is one) for the first page of a journal or personal diary or the page where personal information is filled in.

What word or phrase represents this notion?

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 12:02 AM PST

It is a traditional word or phrase which when used in the context of politics means that a territory or a nation, is capable of sustaining itself and flourishing by virtue of some inherent natural advantage. It is generally used to denote the geopolitical aspect of it, like a nation with lots of fertile land can obviously support more cities and a higher population. Or that a coastal city can trade and make money, and support itself in the process. Eg. The Mediterranean coast forms a ___________, which enabled multiple sovereign power centers to exist historically from Anatolia to Carthage. The western coast of India has for millennia been a ___________, which led to a differential economic development vis-a-vis the Gangetic plains.

How does one properly hyphenate compound adjectives that are locations?

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 01:08 AM PST

Compound adjectives preceding a noun are hyphenated, but how does one properly hyphenate locations? Please include sources.

E.g.

hyphenated, compound adjective: state-of-the-art technology

city, state compound adjective: Denver, Colorado-based company

location with multiple words: Mountain View, California-based company

example options:

  • Denver-Colorado-based

  • Denver, Colorado-based

  • Denver-, Colorado-, based

  • Denver-based, Colorado-based,
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