Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Is there a specific word for warm breath?

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 05:14 AM PST

Your breath feels cold when exhaled with pursed lips, but warm when blown with an open mouth.

Now is there a specific word for that warm and moist 'type' of exhaled breath?

What is the meaning of "Converge" in this sentence?

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 04:09 AM PST

By 1860, the settlement of the American West along with timber shortages in the East converged with ever-widening impact on the pine forests of the Great Lakes states.

Here's what I think: In this sentence, the intersection of the settlement and timber shortages leads to the ever-widening impact on that forest. But literally, I would take it this way: The settlement together with the shortage converged with the increasing impact. However, it doesn't make sense this way, because it means that the settlement with the shortage is getting closer with the increasing impact.

How to understand the meaning of CONVERGED WITH in this sentence?

What is the equivalent of a demonym, but for organizations?

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 04:15 AM PST

For example, the demonym of 'Mexico' is 'Mexican'.

What do you call the equivalent for people who are part of an organization? And do any rules apply in the formation of the name?

E.g.

  • Reddit -> Redditor
  • Github -> Hubber
  • Corpus Christi College, Oxford University -> Corpuscle
  • Cambridge University -> Tab

I'm looking for a good English nickname for employees and students of the mainland European university I work at but I can't find any literature on the formation of these names because, ironically, I don't know the name of the concept that I'm looking for.

What do you call a logo panel with many signs of many companies?

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 04:03 AM PST

I can't find the word for this... Imagine you enter a coworking centre and there is a wall with little plaques where they display their customer's names and/or logos. How would you call that?

In Spanish we call it "directorio" but there is no direct translation for this.

Clicking on something or clicking something?

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 03:17 AM PST

  1. By clicking this button...
  2. By clicking on this button...

Which option is correct or can I use both?

What signifies a reporting clause?

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 12:42 AM PST

I know reporting clauses are punctuated thus:

She said, 'We are about to close you know?'

but what if the phrase prior to the speech is not explicitly about how she speaks. For example, is it:

She looked cross, 'We are about to close you know?'

or:

She looked cross. 'We are about to close you know?'

And what about:

The shop was gloomy inside, 'We are about to close you know?'

TIA!

What is the definition of distant family? [migrated]

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 11:48 PM PST

I am not sure whether or not family collocates with distant, but my teacher gave me a list of words and phrases to write definitions for. I searched the internet for the definition of distant family but it was all in vain. I really hope you can help

What tense is relevant for this situation?

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 12:03 AM PST

My friend was writing a short story for class, and was writing in past tense for a flash-back style paragraph. At this point she was writing about timeframe B from timeframe A where B A on a timeline - hence, past tense. She then wanted to write about timeframe C where B C A on a timeline, from the perspective of A - hence past tense - but where C is being spoken about in an unknown future of B - think 'little did she know'. See attached image for a visual.

enter image description here

What tense would this be considered, and can someone give me a tense-structure for a sentence?

At sixes and sevens

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 05:05 AM PST

If things are in a mess, they're all "at sixes and sevens." Now, who says this in Britain? Would a working-class person say at sixes and sevens?

for those who will study…→for those to study…?

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 03:31 AM PST

Sample test: "Learn through use" is a good piece of advice for those ______ (study) a new language.

The given answer is studying.

My thread: "studying" is a perfect choice. But I was wondering if "to study" also makes sense, which means "those who will study".

Question: Is "to study" acceptable?

Placement of the phrase "three years ago"

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 01:25 AM PST

"This question was posed to a friend I respected greatly three years ago."

In this sentence, what does the "three years ago" refer to?

  1. Does it mean the question was asked three years ago?
  2. Or does it mean that I respected my friend three years ago, and now I no longer respect him/her.

Thanks in advance.

The last time I [...] was back to January. "in" or "back to"

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 08:47 PM PST

Somehow my brain came up with the sentence: The last time I [verb] was back to October.

I want to emphasize it was long time ago.

I know the correct way of saying is: The last time I [...] was in October.

Nevertheless, is back to still proper English?

What is the relation to the pre- and post- words of an event?

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 03:59 PM PST

What would be the connection to words indicating the 'pre-' stage and the 'post-' stage of an event or action. E.g. 'preparation' and 'packing up' are similar in that they're sort of the mirror of each other on each side of a party, but they're not opposites of each other, they work in conjunction with each other. I can't think of many examples of what I'm trying to explain- I have an image in my mind of the relationship though.

Present Perfect + Because [closed]

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 03:30 PM PST

Is this sentence grammatically correct?

Because science has changed my mind, I could no longer hold on to my old beliefs.

Is a verb transitive when used only with an indirect object? [closed]

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 04:00 PM PST

I am learning about indirect objects and transitivity in French, but I believe that my question is also valid in English. Therefore, I'd like to sort this out in English.

If a verb is used only with an indirect object (and no direct object), is that considered to be in transitive form?

For example, "I speak to Bob", not "I speak the truth to Bob".

Another example: "I walk to the store", not "I walk the dog to the store".

What syntatic role does the noun 'desire' occupy in this infinitive clause?

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 05:00 AM PST

I know that infinitive clauses can be used as modifiers. Most of the time, I can easily identify their place. See this example:

[1] He found a place to sleep.

Although it isn't explicitly stated, my conclusion is that a preposition has been omitted for conciseness, that being 'in'. I can surmise this by changing the clause slightly:

[2] He found a place in which to sleep.

[3] He found a place to sleep in.

However, the following example confuses me:

[4] He had the desire to succeed.

Where does 'desire' fit in this clause? Could it be 'the desire with which to succeed'? It may be this simple, but it doesn't feel right. This also raises another question: does the noun phrase being modified by an infinitive clause need to play a part in the clause, or can the clause simply provide explanation (like a content/that- clause)?

To support this theory, relative clauses don't always feature the noun phrase itself. This is evident in the next example:

[5] He didn't understand the reason why she betrayed him.

The modified noun phrase, 'the reason', is not the antecedent of 'why'. This is a relative adverb, providing the answer in the form of an adverbial, such as the subordinating clause 'because [Insert Appropriate Explanation]'.

EDIT: John Lawler has informed me that 'the reason' is in fact the antecedent of 'why'. This was an ill-conceived presumption on my part.

A single word for instrument-playing?

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 11:59 AM PST

For eg., Tiya secured first place in singing/dancing/drawing.

How do we say it if Tiya secured first in playing an instrument? Is there any word for instrument-playing?

Is it "The only thing my father taught me (was/is) how to respect women?

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 02:48 AM PST

Which one should be used? Was or is? Which is more likely to sound odd?

Looking for a phrase, word, etc., to describe tendency towards choosing an easy solution

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 12:51 PM PST

I am curious whether a specific phrase or similar exist.

E.g., modus vivendi characterize "an arrangement or agreement allowing conflicting parties to coexist peacefully".

I am looking for a phrase that characterize a tendency to work towards an easy solution/avoid advanced situations. Like "tendency to choose an easy solution".

Edit for further clarification So I do health research. We just found in a large-scale study that the mortality rate decreased for intensive care unit patients during the Covid-19 lockdown. We have learned by manually reviewing patient records that ICU facilities have significantly altered selection of patients eligible for ICU admission. The predominant characteristics of these patients comprise diagnogses prone to more favorable outcomes compared to pre-lockdown ICU patients. Thus, there have occured a state of modus operandi prone to pre-hospital selecting of admitting patients with more favorable outcomes. I seek a short catch phrase to encapsulate this practise fit for a paper title in health care research.

Distribution of "yelp" for "yes"

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 02:01 AM PST

I've recently come across two people online who consistently write "yelp" meaning "yes" or "yep" in chat. Due to anonymity and privacy, I don't know much about them. From their speech patterns I'm guessing they speak AAVE, but I live in Australia and most of my exposure to AAVE comes from television. I'm not in a position where I can ask them about their backgrounds.

Has "yelp" been recorded as a variant of "yes" in certain people's speech? How widespread is this?

Phrase for a useful or comforting illusion

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 02:21 AM PST

Looking for an expression or a phrase for a comforting or useful illusion or simulacrum. Something that is widely held, yet seldom scrutinized. Something so common it defies scrutiny. Something workable, but based on a premise with minor flaws that impede progress. A concept, that when vocalized, would have us nodding our heads. Perhaps useful because of it provides a quick or easy perspective which is successful.

Possessive apostrophe in this case (company listing designs in a particular range)

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 01:08 PM PST

If a company called Peter Jones (made up name!) has a range called Peter's Pals on their site and then wants to list the designs like this: Peter's Pals Designs Is this correct? Should it be Peter's Pals' Designs

Or just easier to head is as Peter's Pals - Designs

Thanks

Is there any standard syntax for the colloquialism “it’s ___ is what it is!”?

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 05:05 PM PST

I really struggled to find any instance of this phrase online; it's difficult to search. Does it have a comma (i.e. "it's ___, is what it is!")? How would you write this verbal colloquialism down?

(The space is meant to indicate a word. For instance, the sentence might be "it's art is what it is!", where the meaning of the sentence is basically 'it's art' with the rest added for emphasis. I'm having trouble remembering any specific instances of it, but here's a made-up dialogue that illustrates its use: 1: "Blow up the ship? That's crazy." 2: "It's suicide is what it is!")

Why is that this way

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 03:03 AM PST

I realized all of a sudden that I don't understand why it works like this:

Your rope is going to tear!

And

Your rope is going to be torn!

In the first case to me it seems like the rope is going to tear something or somebody.

The second one I just feel doesn't sound natural, so I'm confused.

Which one is right and why?

passive voice in continuous tense

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 03:57 PM PST

Could someone please tell me what the passive voice is for the following sentence:

I was trying to study Chinese but I couldn't.

I think it will be:

Chinese was being tried to be studied, but it wasn't possible.

But I'm not sure, I would appreciate some help.
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