Monday, March 7, 2022

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

What's the active form of "The ball was being kicked by a little boy"?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 11:27 PM PST

I believe the active form is "A little boy was kicking the ball" but when i choose that option as my answer for an english test, it was the incorrect option. The test didn't reveal the correct answer though. I still believe that my answer is correct, but i'm very doubtful. Is it correct or incorrect?

Is there a term for proper nouns with multiple capitalised letters?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 10:17 PM PST

I am looking for a way to classify proper nouns that have multiple capitalised letters within the same word. Most examples are company or product names such as SteamVR or LinkedIn.

If there is a term for this classification, what is it called?

filed after the above [closed]

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 06:39 PM PST

Can anyone help me understand, using of this short sentence?

I can't find a way how to compose that. I saw it in a report and simply can't understand.

This ... after the above...

Thank you

The person who received a complaint from someone

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 08:29 PM PST

I'm creating a policy and procedure in one of my subjects and am wondering is there another way of saying "a person that received a complaint". I know there's way for a person being complained about but not the receiver of the complaint for example;

The person who received a complaint will report the incident to the General Manager

Looking for a replacement for 'person who received a complaint'

Question Tag : Either he or she is coming,_____? [closed]

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 06:01 PM PST

Question Tag: Neither He now she is coming, _____?

What is the origin of the idiom of “to stick it to someone”? [duplicate]

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 06:20 PM PST

My cursory review so far has only been able to uncover the fact that dictionaries can't even have a consensus on the exact meaning of it, and they differ substantially in how they define it.

Collins — "to harshly criticize, punish, or retaliate against someone"

Dictionary.com — "[to t]reat someone badly or unfairly"

Idioms.thefreedictionary – " To intensely confront, punish, or retaliate against someone, perhaps vindictively or with unnecessary severity"

Urban Dictionary — "[to d]emonstrat[e] to the opposition you will not be a pushover[; i]n many cases, this term is associated with a positive cause, such as friendly competition in sports, or political statements or acts against oppressive policies."

I tend to agree best with the Urban Dictionary definition, but the primary question is the origin.

Is it an implied reference to the male part?

"Why, and how" VS "Why and how"

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 04:56 PM PST

In my essay, I have a question like this:

"Why, and how does the pH level affect the resulting popping boba?"

My mom said that the comma after 'Why' was not needed, like this:

"Why and how does the pH level affect the resulting popping boba?"

Is there a difference between the two? Is one grammatically correct/incorrect?

What’s grammatically incorrect in the phrase, “create the most impact the quickest?’

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 02:29 PM PST

The entire sentence reads,

Choose a specific process that would create the most impact the quickest.

In other words, the resulting impact occurs more rapidly and more powerfully than that caused by a different process.

I want to provide a reason why, grammatically, the sentence needs rewording.

Subject- and object-oriented secondary predicates

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 02:27 PM PST

Do the secondary predicates headed by ready in (1-3) associate to (i) the subject Josh, (ii) the object Bill, or (ii) either?

(1) Our protagonist Josh meets Bill (fully) ready for karma to catch up with

(2) Our protagonist Josh meets Bill (fully) ready for karma to catch up with him

(3) Our protagonist Josh leaves Bill (fully) ready for karma to catch up with

What does “recover equanimity despite some perhaps truly significant losses” mean? [closed]

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 02:05 PM PST

In the following quote "The angry are also scared. They may seem bullishly confident in their rage, but they smash things up out of panic. They have no faith in their own capacity to survive frustration and recover equanimity despite some perhaps truly significant losses. They lack a resilient sense of how error and damage may be repaired, borne and overcome with sufficient, love and time." what does "recover equanimity despite some perhaps truly significant losses." mean?

Key words in the phrase are equanimity which means: calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation. Despite which means without being affected by; in spite of. Perhaps which is used to express uncertainty or possibility.

My understanding of the phrase is that recovery is possible despite the possibility and uncertainty of significant losses.

Cheers!

Single word request for new romantic interest

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 02:25 PM PST

I'm looking for a word that describes more than a friend and less than a boyfriend. That is, describing the early stages of a romantic interest.

E.g. suppose a woman meets a colleague at work and they are attracted romantically. I want to describe this as more than "Her friend John..." or "Her colleague John...".

I'm looking for "Her _____ John..." to imply a romantic future and clear (mutual) interest, but they've just met and tension is still building.

To elaborate based on comments:

  • This is an omniscient narrator, for something like a blurb, where you're trying to get info across succinctly yet tantalizingly.
  • Context is mid-twenties colleagues in a US company.
  • "Crush" works pretty well (even though it doesn't convey the mutuality of it).

What would be the correct tense of "emigrate" here? [closed]

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 06:19 PM PST

Before submission, I often run essays through Grammarly's grammar check to ensure that there are no errors. After running my topic sentence through the grammar check, I was notified of an error. My initial sentence read as follows:

The graphic novel The Best We Could Do by Vietnamese-American author Thi Bui perfectly demonstrates how parents who emigrate from their native country often hold steadfast to the values cultivated there and, thus, pass them on to their own children.

I was informed that my usage of "emigrate" was wrong and that "emigrated" would be better suited for the sentence. Why is this? Is it because the tense of "emigrate" needs to agree with the tense of "cultivate"? Intuitively, my initial sentence seemed correct. I also believe that using "emigrated" sounds clunkier than using "emigrate," but that may just be poor sentence structure on my part. Anyway, can someone explain to me why my usage of "emigrate" was wrong?

The title of academic publication [closed]

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 11:58 AM PST

Would the title "The Jewish Engineers" be considered inappropriate? I study Jewish history and many older (renowned) publications were titled in a similar way. I also want to capture readers attention (only if they are interested in Jewish people). PS. The publication is not in any way a negative portrayal of the Jewish people - quite the opposite. Thanks

What is a word for someone who abuses their workers?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 08:08 PM PST

I have been trying to find a word to describe someone who routinely abuses their workers, and perhaps even more than that, scorns them and sees them as inferior. My first guess was despot but I think that is more routinely used within the context of political leaders.

I appreciate any feedback.

What word could be used to mean "legacy" of something that did not already exist?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 11:34 AM PST

I am an ecologist writing a paper about disturbed forests (i.e. forests that are affected by things like forest fires, insects, and pathogens). It is common in my field to use the term "material legacy" to describe "stuff" that is left behind after a disturbance (like the seeds that remain after a wild fire). The word "legacy" implies that the materials in question existed pre-disturbance and then persisted afterwards; however, I am trying to come up with a term that describes structures that were not there before the disturbance, but are actually generated by the disturbance.

I've jokingly been using "spawn," but I don't think that will fly in a publication. I've also tested out "material currency" but I'm not sure if that's quite it either. Any ideas?

How can money seem to be human? [closed]

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 11:55 AM PST

I'm reading "Andrew's Brain" by E. L. Doctorow. I don't get the meaning of "Human" in this sentence:

When you look at money it doesn't seem anything but human.

This is the whole paragraph:

Well, you know, this is where the president put up bigtime donors for an overnight thrill. A calm enough couple they were, not at all overwhelmed to be in the president's company, the man some decades grayer than the woman. They were in the act of unpacking. When you look at money it doesn't seem anything but human. We all huddled over the desk where a copy of the Gettysburg Address was under glass.

We decided that if they do not leave the place in one day, we would surely force them out. To use 'do not' or 'did not' in this sentence?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 11:02 PM PST

We decided that if they do not leave the place in one day, we would surely force them out.
We decided that if they did not leave the place in one day, we would surely force them out.

Difference between using 'do not' and 'did not' in the above sentences?

Is there an adjective meaning ambitious and financially successful in contrast to thrifty/frugal?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 07:07 PM PST

Is there an adjective meaning ambitious and financially successful, in contrast to thrifty or frugal? Ambitious is close to what I'm looking for: someone who takes risks in order to improve their financial standing, but is likely to succeed.

Someone can succeed financially by being thrifty or frugal, but others spend money and take shrewd risks in order to launch a grand plan and be successful.

Example:

Arthur and Bertram both became wealthy, but whereas Arthur was thrifty, and gained by saving all he could and making careful investments, Bertram was ______: somehow, he found the most amazing opportunities, and jumped from one to the next. To watch Bertram was to see a rising star in action, knowing he would reach far but never over-reaching to the point of disaster.

"Ambitious" (and other words like "determined" or "striving") doesn't carry a financial connotation; words like "rich" and "successful" and "prosperous" don't carry the connotation of striving upwards.

"Entrepreneurial" and "competitive" and "aggressive" and "opportunistic" are closer....

Question on the use of the definite article

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 03:04 PM PST

In articles and textbooks about computer science, I often see the definite article used in the following ways.

In final testing, the program is tested at the end of its development process.

One advantage of compilers is that the program runs quickly once it has been compiled.

This use of the definite article is found elsewhere, too - for instance, in articles and textbooks about biology.

In IVF, the woman is first given hormone treatment.

My question is why the definite article is used in these instances. Unless I am mistaken, the definite article is used in noun phrases that refer to something that is able to be identified; in noun or adjectival phrases denoting an entire class of something (e.g. "The cat is a mammal", "The conversation meandered from the sublime to the ridiculous"); in certain names; or in certain idiomatic expressions (e.g. "He is listening to the radio").

Insofar as I can see, none of these uses fits the use of the definite article in the above sentences. The only use that here seems applicable to the above sentences is that for NPs denoting class, and even here it seems at best only loosely applicable: how is it possible for all programs - the entire set of programs - to run more quickly if only some programs are compiled, for instance?

Thank you.

How does your body fare?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 12:01 PM PST

What is the meaning of this sentence: "How does your body fare?" I'm not sure but could it be "How are you doing?"

You can see that sentence here at 24min 32second: Youtube: Undying Moon Gameplay Walkthrough

Is there an alternative term for "boyfriend" when talking about an elderly man?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 08:32 PM PST

An acquaintance of mine referred to her mother, aged 95, as having a "boyfriend", aged 104, in their assisted living facility. I find this word in this context inappropriate.

I don't know what age an adult has to be before calling him/her a boy or girl outside their own immediate circle becomes inappropriate, but surely it is before they hit 100.

What is an age-appropriate term for boyfriend (girlfriend) for adults, especially adults of an advanced age?

There must be a word or phrase (borrowed from the French ?) to describe this lady's companion. Cher ami is not found even in the OED, although the feminine form cherie amie is, with the definition "mistress". (Same link.) In any case, cher ami is too obscure for most people.

Companion may be the best word, but I'm hoping that the perfect word or short phrase exists, that conveys the romantic nature of the companionship, without calling an adult a boy.

Companion, according to Merriam Webster is

one that accompanies another : COMRADE, ASSOCIATE traveling companions also : one that keeps company with another his longtime companion

The OED has a definition that encompasses lover or partner, which is, I suppose, a vote for companion. See Definition I.3.a.

Why this is not a Duplicate: @Mitch pointed out that my question may possibly be a duplicate of this question. The two are on the same topic, but approach it from opposite directions. I am looking for an age-appropriate substitute for boyfriend (or girlfriend). The other question wants to validate girlfriend for a woman in her sixties. Another similar question has many answers (along the lines of sweetie, significant other), of which only beau is a candidate IMO, that is, not there yet.

Single Word Request: "The process of corporatising" (similar, not that word though)

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 05:04 PM PST

I remember using a word in the following context:

There is this street with small family businesses, and my cousin used a word to describe that in a few years time it would likely be replaced by large businesses, it had '-ation' and possibly '-isation'.

Why do conditional sentences with "would have had to" have an extra "had" in them?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 02:01 PM PST

Well, I was reading about Type Three conditionals. In the main clause we use if + past perfect (had), then in the second clause we use either the "perfect conditional" or the "perfect continuous conditional".

  • If past perfect, then conditional perfect.
  • If past perfect, then conditional perfect continuous.

Why then do some sentences use would have had in the main clause?

  1. If it had rained, you would have gotten wet.

  2. For example, if it had not been for the aid received by the European countries after World War II from the US under the Marshal Plan, they would have had to struggle tremendously to reach where they are today.

Could you please clear up the difference between would have and would have had?

Can the second sentence be written without had in its main clause?

What are parents with a living child called, compared to "Shidu" parents (parents who have lost their only child)?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 12:07 PM PST

The parents who have lost their only child are known as Shidu parents (失独父母) in China, I don't think 'normal parents' is a good phrase, do you have any suggestions? I want to use this phrase in a research article.

Is it more common for the noun "research" to be stressed on the first or second syllable among educated native speakers of American English?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 11:55 AM PST

Which of the two common pronunciations of the noun research is more common among educated native American English speakers?

  1. /rɪ ˈsɝt͡ʃ/ with the stress on the second syllable
  2. /ˈriː sɚt͡ʃ/ with the stress on the first syllable

What do you call someone who is affected by an action, whether positively or negatively?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 01:34 PM PST

If someone benefits from an action, you might call them a beneficiary. If someone is harmed by an action, you might call them a maleficiary (although that's not a common word). For example, "The charity's beneficiaries are local homeless people"

Is there a word for the whole category of people who might be affected (either positively or negatively) by an action?

The context in which I'm trying to use this is "It is important to think of your business's most important groups of ____, and whether they're being helped or harmed".

"Stakeholder" is similar to this meaning, although it has connotations more of people who are interested or involved in something formally, rather than people who are simply affected by it.

The exact sense and origin of "to stick it to someone"

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 10:12 PM PST

From a blogpost at BBC, Did internet kill the radio star?

David Lowery, lead singer for the bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, tells the BBC that illegal sharing of music files is sticking it to the "hippy freak musician", while internet service providers and other big corporations still get their profits.

I found some definitions: "to treat severely or wrongfully / to give someone a problem; to confront someone / to punish someone who did something wrong earlier."

But that does not clarify the use of the word "stick". So I'm still curious what is the exact etymology here. In what sense is 'stick' used: "to glue, to attach" or "to press something against something else"? Or "to beat with a stick"?

Does 'stick it' derive from, pardon my French, something like "shove it up your ..."? If yes, why does it use the preposition 'to'? And isn't it verging on very rude in this case? Seems to be already mild enough to appear on the BBC website..

what does it mean when some one says " I was calculating your cake penalty"?

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 01:59 PM PST

Someone sent me an email with the following phrase. I was wondering if this is a known phrase.

I was just calculating your cake penalty.
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