Sunday, December 19, 2021

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Another word for "quietly confident"?

Posted: 19 Dec 2021 06:25 AM PST

A single word for "quietly confident", or "not saying much to draw attention to themselves but having a deep sense of security"?

Seeing intentions behind actions

Posted: 19 Dec 2021 05:47 AM PST

I need a word for people assuming intentions behind governmental institutions where there are none. This is more than a conspiracy theory, it might not even be denied, it's more about assuming intentions behind things that were said.

So for example, I heard self described "liberals" argue that COVID is actually a way to deal with peak oil, and the lockdowns are to reduce oil demand. I don't really see them seeing this as a conspiracy, there's no evil intentions, it's just something that isn't mentioned. What's it called to sort of assume or extrapolate intentions about behaviors of government?

I've been reading the book for two weeks [closed]

Posted: 19 Dec 2021 02:47 AM PST

Imagine a situation: I started reading a book two weeks ago. I read it every evening for one hour over the first week. Then I paused/stopped/finished reading but I didn't complete the book itself. A week has passed. I haven't read the book in a week. I'm going to continue reading the book in the near future.

Which sentences of these are correct? Which sentences of these aren't correct, why?

  1. I spent seven hours reading the book.
  2. I spent one week reading the book.
  3. I spent two weeks reading the book.

/

  1. I read the book for seven hours.
  2. I read the book for one week.

/

  1. I'd been reading the book for seven hours before I paused/stopped/finished.
  2. I'd been reading the book for one week before I paused/stopped/finished.

/

  1. I've been reading the book for seven hours.
  2. I've been reading the book for two weeks.

What would be correct "Businessman's club" or "Businessmen's club"?

Posted: 19 Dec 2021 04:59 AM PST

What would be correct "Businessman's club" or "Businessmen's club"? If there is a difference, British version.

(just in case, or "Businessman club" or "Businessmen club" or any other forms?)

What word means "to pick out the most important information"?

Posted: 19 Dec 2021 06:05 AM PST

I need a single word, a verb, that conveys the meanings:

  • to pick out the most important information"
  • or alternatively "pull out the best"
  • even "distinguish valuable information from less valuable information"

This is to describe the process when one is writing an abstract, only the most critical information from a paper is kept.

Verbs like "select", "choose", "pick out", "separate" don't seem to convey within them the meaning that you're selecting the most important.

The words "hand-pick" and even "cherry-pick" seem the closest I can find, but have a too informal tone. "Distill" also seems close, but is that only metaphorical or does it actually imply this meaning?

I have other chapter titles that are just single-words, and all verbs. This will be a chapter title, hence, am looking for a single-word.

What word will convey this meaning?

“suggested I just ate/eat a banana”

Posted: 19 Dec 2021 05:07 AM PST

The following is an extract from a passage, the emboldened sentence being the phrase of interest:

Coming in a minimalistic white pouch, the meal-replacement powder blends things like rice, peas and flaxseed. Add water, shake it up, and there's your lunch, dinner or breakfast, or all three. I ordered a week's supply, telling friends about my exciting discovery. Comments ranged from outraged to encouraging ('this makes a lot of sense'). My mum suggested I just ate a banana.

Although it sounds harmonious, I'm interested in knowing why exactly the word "ate" was chosen to be used as opposed to its present-tense counterpart (eat). Which grammar rule has a hand in this and where can I read more about it?

EDIT: To clarify, this has been taken from a CAIE (Cambridge) examination question insert. The entire passage (text A) can be found on page 2 of this document (and the sentence on line 10).

Is it okay to use 'to name a few' with a colon

Posted: 19 Dec 2021 03:04 AM PST

Is the following sentence correct?

The list had a variety of foodstuffs: oranges, apples, bananas and sardines to name a few.

Is it okay to use the phrase 'to name a few' with a colon, and also do I need to put a comma before 'to name a few'?

Someone who exploits your feelings for them to take advantage of you

Posted: 19 Dec 2021 05:48 AM PST

I need a word or idiom for someone who takes advantage of you because they know you like them. In relationships, I heard the word "user", as someone who uses their romantic partners for material gain.

More specifically, I'm thinking of someone who guesses what kind of people you like and then acts like that until you like them and start offering yourself to help with various things they need. Edit: for this one I could do with a name of a famous character from a novel.

Do I need an apostrophe in "These trees’ roots"?

Posted: 19 Dec 2021 04:57 AM PST

Do I need an apostrophe in "These trees' roots"?

For example,

"Wow!!! These trees' roots are so long!"

In this example the speaker can see both roots and the trees themselves.

I looked at this question: Apostrophe in "beginners guide" but there they are discussing the case when an apostrophe is added to a person or persons (beginners), while in my case it's trees. Can I just drop the apostrophe in my case? (You can't drop it in case with the Beginner's Guide, can you?)
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