Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Word for power fantasy

Posted: 03 May 2022 03:55 PM PDT

What's a phrase that can be used to talk about living out a fantasy of power? Getting high on power?

"Power trip" comes to my mind but I think there's another one

Do you think people crave the ______ ?

Which antecedent is "he" referring to in verse 27 of Daniel 9:26-27 in the KJV? Messiah or prince? Is it context only that determines it? [closed]

Posted: 03 May 2022 01:25 PM PDT

Daniel 9:26-27

26: And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cutt off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and into the end of the war desolations are determined.
27: And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the over spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

What is the opposite of "Member"? [closed]

Posted: 03 May 2022 11:34 AM PDT

The relation between a user and a group is:

The user is a member of the group.

What is the converse relation?

The group is a ___ of the user.

What word suits here? Does team or union work?

displaced vs replaced

Posted: 03 May 2022 11:42 AM PDT

I generally know the difference between the 2 words.

For example:

The housing project was replaced by a new high-rise

vs.

Residents of the housing project were displaced when developers decided to build a new high-rise.

But I'm having a tough time with this context:

The blueprint process is now obsolete. It was displaced by the whiteprint process.

Is 'displaced (by)' best, or is "It was replaced by the whiteprint process" more appropriate?

What is correct? "My cat's, Tiger's, food is on sale." "My cat's, Tiger, food is on sale." [duplicate]

Posted: 03 May 2022 11:14 AM PDT

What is correct?

My cat's, Tiger's, food is on sale.

My cat, Tiger's, food is on sale.

My cat's, Tiger, food is on sale.

As if as though

Posted: 03 May 2022 09:48 AM PDT

I am having a problem identifing which gramatical function as if (as though, like) has

As far as I know

  • After linking verbs, we have noun/ noun phrase/ noun clause and adjective/ adjective phrase which act as subjective complement.
  • "As if" is conjunction introducing subordinating clause, or adverbial clause

And then, the sentences I have just read (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/vi/grammar/british-grammar/as-if-and-as-though) leaves me confused.

The floods were rising and it was as if it was the end of the world.

It looks as if they've had a shock.

I cannot say "it looks" in isolation. So, I think of why an subordinating clause stand right behind linking verbs, where it has to be a noun or adj. Or I have made a mistake while analyzing those structures

It V[looks] ADV CLAUSE[(as if) (conjunction) + (they've had a shock) (clause)].

Please let me know as simple as posible because my language is not good enough yet. Thank you for any help.

What is the origin of the phrase "hero of their own story"? [closed]

Posted: 03 May 2022 09:46 AM PDT

I read a variation of it in the opening of David Copperfield. I'd always assumed it arrived with Campbell and new age psychology, but it appears to be much older. How old though?

How to share a project? [closed]

Posted: 03 May 2022 08:38 AM PDT

I would like to share a free project I am running online to teach English for free in Latin America: https://www.facebook.com/tutorjuan where can I share the page to help more people and invite them?

Why use subjunctive mood in 'all the force would be transferred back to the ship'?

Posted: 03 May 2022 08:31 AM PDT

When reading a discussion about whether the Titanic could have avoided sinking, I saw a sentence that puzzled me a lot, as following:

– it would probably have survived. [When a ship hits an iceberg head on, all the force would be transferred back to the ship], so it wouldn't have ripped open, but crumpled round, so only 2-3 compartments would have been breached.

My question lies in this part (as included in the square bracket): 'When a ship hits an iceberg head on, all the force would be transferred back to the ship.'

I have no question with the 'when' clause, but the latter clause: 'all the force would be transferred back to the ship'. This part seems to be in subjunctive mood. But why is it put in subjunctive mood? Is it unreal? Isn't it a fact that 'When a ship hits an iceberg head on, all the force will be transferred back to the ship'? I wonder why it has to be 'all the force would be transferred...'. What's implied of the author's intention in using 'would' instead of 'will'.

As far as I know, subjunctive mood can indicate 'unreal, imagined, unlikely things, hypothesis, and in some cases, to show politeness, as in 'would you do...'. This mood can also be a 'soft voice' and make a statement sound less assertive as in 'I would argue...'. So what exactly is implied by that sentence?

Which one is correct? No, mom or No mom [closed]

Posted: 03 May 2022 09:30 AM PDT

  • Have you completed your assignments? — No, mom /
  • Have you completed your assignments? — No mom.

Should there be a comma after 'no' and before 'mom'?

Choose the right word [closed]

Posted: 03 May 2022 07:23 AM PDT

Family structures are becoming more complex. There has been a decline in marriage and a growth in cohabiting. Over one in three (35 per cent) of all marriages are now remarriages. Step families are now the fastest growing forms in Britain accounting to one in ten of all families.

Write a short answer, please!

The situation with family structures is mostly___.

I need to indicate the same word / phrase that my teacher chose, while I have only 1 attempt

Should I write "Credit Card Monitoring System" or "Credit Cards Monitoring System"? [duplicate]

Posted: 03 May 2022 07:24 AM PDT

We are producing a system which is monitoring different credit cards information.

However we are not sure if we should use singular or plural in this case:

  • "Credit Card Monitoring System"
  • "Credit Cards Monitoring System"

Thank you for your feedback!

Incomprehensibleness vs Incomprehensibility [closed]

Posted: 03 May 2022 03:11 AM PDT

What is the correct word incomprehensibleness or incomprehensibility?

Term for the period of time after a breakup?

Posted: 03 May 2022 05:27 AM PDT

What is the name for the period of time from the end of a romantic relationship until the person emotionally recovers? During this period a person feels emotionally fragile, often thinks of their former romantic partner, imagines what he or she could have done differently, often lacks the motivation to do activities, etc. Most people get over this period after a few weeks or a few months (depending on the intensity and duration of the romantic relationship).

A google search proposed the term rebound, but I associate rebound not with the period of time after a breakup, but instead with a new relationship that begins shortly after an old relationship has ended. Are there any other terms to refer to this period of time?

Is “I'm working totes” new slang?

Posted: 03 May 2022 11:44 AM PDT

I was reading a New York Times article about a Dollar General employee who was fired from her job in Tampa, Florida, when her TikTok videos went viral. In these videos, the retail store manager described the working conditions that she and her overworked staff had to put up with on a daily basis. Delivery trucks that would arrive, often unannounced, abandoning their huge supplies in the store's hallway, blocking aisles and shelves.

Company policy forbids employees to unpack the merchandise until Thursdays and Fridays, which means customers do not have enough room to push their carts. The store manager uses the word "totes" twice in the TikTok video.

And guess what I get to do? I'm working totes. So that way my totes are actually not sitting here on the floor in my hallway because they're supposed to be done in two days.

enter image description here

I'm pretty sure it's "totes", which Lexico says is short for "totally" as in "Do you like my new sneakers?" "Totes!" and "'this is pretty embarrassing but I was totes asleep'" Merriam-Webster says it is slang for totally, completely, and absolutely, definitely. My search also revealed that it can also be the plural form of tote bag, a type of canvas shopping bag with long handles.

I searched Google using the string "I'm working totes" and I got three results: one from Facebook posted 31 December, 2019, Tega Cay, SC, USA (South Carolina).

Amanda Elisabeth I'm working totes today and reminded me of old times!! Miss you both!!

and one from a subreddit called r/DollarGeneral, the following account, which was posted two years ago, provides no location.

This was a couple of days ago. And it has caused me to have a bit of a mental breakdown. I find myself still needing to rant, so here's how my Saturday went. […]
11-1 [p.m.] : It's so busy. Neither one of us can work the overstock totes I pulled out. But maybe I can when the new manger i have to train comes in.
3:15~ [p.m.]: Phone call at register. I'm working totes. Cashier has it. The other one is on break. A long line happens, sure I'll help by taking cards only. Cashier randomly says they gotta call the boss. I ask why. "Oh 'night manager' called. They're quitting."

I know that totes is American English, slang, possibly from Southern United States, but what exactly does it mean? Refilling shelves? Stacking? Unpacking boxes?

Moreover, I can't grasp the origins. How is totes derived?

Meaning of "where we should expect its heart" in this context?

Posted: 03 May 2022 10:39 AM PDT

What does "where we should expect its heart" mean precisely in this context? First to what does "its" refer to? To "university"? Then, what does it mean to say "should expect something's heart"? Does it mean when/if we try to/want to find its meaning/essence/goal/value, we would be left by void?

Rather than being one (insecure) discipline alongside others, theology should furnish an account of the nature and end of the intellectual life—and thus of the humanities (or 'humane studies', as he has it). According to Webster, all intellectual enquiry is necessarily informed by an underlying account of the nature and goal of the intellectual life. Remarkably, however, the university does not teach us anything about why the pursuit of intellectual goals (research, teaching, learning etc.) is indeed valuable. Hence, where we should expect its heart, we are in fact left with a void by 'the flimsiness and ignobility of its understanding of what it is about'. Theology, however, should recognise 'the place of intelligence within the economy of God's life-giving and restorative love for rational creatures'.

"you're alright, mate?" to a stranger. American equivalent for "mate"

Posted: 03 May 2022 01:07 PM PDT

I saw a youtube video of a guy standing at a street corner doing exercises for his social anxiety in London. Saying something like "How are you doing? You're alright, mate?" to a passing by stranger.

What would be an American equivalent to "mate" be?

I'd guess "man". But I was reading something just a minute ago mentioning that "man" would be used between friends not strangers and that threw me off because I used it with strangers all the time.

Is there a generic word to qualify dawn, sunrise, noon, sunset and dusk?

Posted: 03 May 2022 10:19 AM PDT

Is there a generic word to qualify times of the day that are defined by physical phenomena, namely dawn, sunrise, (solar) noon, sunset and dusk?

I'm looking for a word similar to how new, full, crescent... moon are called "phases". Or how equinox refers to both to the March and the September equinox.

Edit:

Usage:

The two instants in time when the plane of Earth's equator passes through the geometric center of the Sun's disk every year are called equinoxes.

The events that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere are called solstices.

By analogy:

The time when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning and the time when the upper limb of the Sun disappears below the horizon are called [insert word].

"prepare" vs "do" vs "make": how to know when to use which in the "get something ready" sense?

Posted: 03 May 2022 01:05 PM PDT

This is probably a rather abstruse question about the usage of "prepare"; I haven't been able to find any resources that clearly demonstrate or explain the difference in distributions of the verbs involved. I can only explain the problem through example sentences.

A lot of my students in SEA are using "prepare" ALL the time when they could (should?) have used another verb. For example:

  • I have prepared two tips for you. (in a PPT on teaching tips)
  • I have prepared some coffee for us. (as in, they bought coffee and brought it with them)
  • I will prepare the copies for you. (when you need to get copies made)

These are just a few examples and as you can see, they are not always completely illogical choices of verb, but they just sound weird. The coffee example is perhaps the easiest to explain, but I often get stuck explaining the usage. As "prepare" means to do something beforehand, then students think they can use it for any activity they did before whatever event they're talking about now ... yet this isn't the case. (Or there are at least more natural-sounding ways of expressing the situation.). So when is the transitive verb "prepare" meaning 'get [something] ready' idiomatic?

In Singaporean English, what does the phrase 'Ok, Ken' mean?

Posted: 03 May 2022 03:57 AM PDT

I was in a training session today with a Singaporean trainer (lah!) and he kept using the phrase:

"Ok, Ken"

I checked the meeting attendees for a 'Ken' - but there was definitely no 'Ken' in the room.

He kept repeating it, also using the phrase:

"Alright, Ken".

Eventually I inferred that he must be using a contracted version of:

"Ok, I am confident that you can do this."

But I wasn't sure.

I didn't know whether this was a Singaporean English expression (lah!) or if he was just taking a Mandarin phrase in his head, and translating it directly into English.

My question is: In Singaporean English, what does the phrase 'Ok, Ken' mean?

The context was an IT Training course. For example:

Trainer: Here is how to install Azure Migration assistant and perform a Cloud Migration.

[Performs 25 steps]

Trainer: So that is how you use Azure Migration assistant. Ok can.

Or another example

Attendee: [Complicated question]

Trainer: It's easy!

[Talks through 15 steps]

Trainer: So that is how you do it. Alright can.

Is there a word for congruence between a software platforms' purpose/structure and the actual experience of using it?

Posted: 03 May 2022 04:05 AM PDT

Is there a word for congruence between a software platforms' purpose/structure and the actual experience of using it? For example, is there a word for the congruence of the purpose, structure, workflow of a collaborative learning software platform and the actual experience and process of using the platform for learning collaboration? Example: Our SaaS platform's deeper learning workflow is fully __________________ (congruent?) with the actual process of using deeper learning for professional growth.

More formal synonym of "bullshit artist"?

Posted: 03 May 2022 04:02 PM PDT

I need more formal ways to express three related terms: bullshit artist, BS-ing, and the art of BS-ing.

Edit -- providing some context:

The type of BS I need to talk about is the kind that inflates the success of a program. So, I found the following verbs relevant to the situation, by looking at synonyms of exaggerate: magnify, distort, misrepresent, falsify, stretch, embroider, boast, hyperbolize, and the best of all: lay it on thick.

Somehow I would like to capture the artistry aspect.

I will be speaking in public and I have to use formal language; it would be good if I could be subtle, too (but still get the idea across).

word that means "to understand deeply on an intellectual level"

Posted: 03 May 2022 05:16 PM PDT

I often have trouble expressing when I understand something on an intellectual level vs. on an emotional level. Is there a word in English (or another language) that would allow me to differentiate these meanings?

What is the oldest trick in the book?

Posted: 03 May 2022 01:30 PM PDT

Is there one trick that is the oldest? I understand the Oxford definition of the idiom but when was it first used and what did it refer to?

Is "drownded" a word?

Posted: 03 May 2022 02:57 PM PDT

Is there such a word as "drownded"? I would say "drowned" but I am hearing "drownded" so often I am beginning to wonder.

For example:

He went into the deepest waters and drownded.

Comma or semicolon after "No" when responding to a question

Posted: 03 May 2022 07:38 AM PDT

Given this question:

Will I have any migration issues with all of the files after the upgrade?

Which of these are correct?

No, the new software can still open the old files.

or

No; the new software can still open the old files.

Is "No" being used as an interjection here?

Appositives with possessiveness?

Posted: 03 May 2022 02:21 PM PDT

I would like to say something like

The boy, Adam's, favorite toy was a bike.

What is the proper way to say this?

"when would" vs "when will" [closed]

Posted: 03 May 2022 08:13 AM PDT

I'm trying to ask a question about the future. So which form of the verb "will" should I use?

So, when will it be there?
So, when would it be there?

When should I use "Would", "Would have", "Will", and "Will have"?

Posted: 03 May 2022 08:15 AM PDT

I hope someone, once and for all, can clarify (with examples) the difference in usage of will vs. would vs. would have vs. will have.
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