Friday, July 15, 2022

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

English equivalent of German da- constructions

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:53 PM PDT

In German, the prefix da- can precede a number of prepositions, and in each case the compound da preposition is an anaphor, with the meaning of the preposition itself + it. For instance, the preposition mit means 'with' in a variety of senses (accompaniment, instrument, amongst several others); the compound version of this preposition, damit, means 'with it/that'. So

Wenn ich endlich damit fertig bin, kann ich draußen gehen

means When I am finally done with it, I can go outside. Naturally, the interpretation of 'it' - i.e. what it refers to, its antecedent - should be available from the context.

Now, you may well be familiar with the anticipatory 'it' in English. The anticipatory 'it' functions as a substitute for an extraposed subject. For instance,

It is rude to speak like that. [To speak like that is rude.]

It is such a pity that he is so clueless. [That he is so clueless is such a pity.]

I fin

etc.

In these constructions, 'it' is said to anticipate the subject. I probably ought to note that 'it' can sometimes be used to anticipate an object, as in I find it amazing that no one has yet questioned the politician on this matter. In these cases, the extraposition is obligatory.

In German, the compound da prepositions can likewise anticipate clauses. For instance,

Ich freue mich darauf, dass wir nächstes Jahr nach Deutschland fahren werden

means I am looking forward to going to Germany next year, but translates literally to I am looking forward to it, that we are going to Germany next year. Similarly,

Es hängt davon ab, wie viel Geld wir verdienen können.

means It depends on how much money we can earn (where 'it' here refers to whether or not they can go to Germany next year). Literally, however, it translates to It depends on it, how much money we can earn.

In German, the need for anticipatory da constructions arises from the fact that a preposition cannot directly take a clausal complement. In English, this is not so: English prepositions can take as complement all types of clause but one, namely the content clause. In the case of the content clause, an alternative construction may be used: preposition + the fact + content clause. Here are some examples of this construction, as well as of clausal prepositional complements:

I am looking forward to going to Germany next year.

I agree with what she says.

She is familiar with how the education system works.

We need to get used to the fact that the entire world has changed

etc.

Although this overview of German da prepositions is by no means comprehensive, it is sufficient for the purpose of this question. For more information, I refer you to the following: Libre Texts - Da- Compounds University of Michigan - Germanic Languages and Literatures Learn German with Herr Antrim

Now, without further ado, on to my question. In English, there exists a similar class of words to the German da prepositions: namely, the there compound prepositions. Amongst these are the following:

thereby, therewith, thereto, therefor, thereupon, therein, thereafter, therein, thereat, thereto, therefrom

Many of these compound prepositions are now archaic, or used exclusively in legal writing (or by quaint linguistic antiquarians). However, I am curious to know whether or not there were constructions in archaic English that employed the there compound prepositions in a similar way to the German da anticipatory constructions. In other words, did archaic English have anticipatory there constructions? Would sentences such as

His argument relies thereon(,) that all the accused are guilty.

and

I am looking forward thereto(,) that we are going to Germany next year.

have been grammatical, or indeed commonly uttered? (Naturally, the wording of the above sentences would have been different in archaic English, but I hope I have conveyed the thrust of my question.)

What does this sentence imply?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:14 PM PDT

We have met a long time ago before I was rich, but not before I was handsome.

Does it mean they met a time when the person wasn't rich and handsome ?

The last part 'but not before I was handsome' is confusing to me.

Are, or how are, polyuria and diuresis different? [migrated]

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 01:54 PM PDT

Most websites appear to state that they are identical, or provide unhelpfully similar automatically generated description of each.

What word means 'one of your responsibilities'?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 01:12 PM PDT

What word means 'one of your responsibilities'?

I'm looking for a word that means roughly 'an item in the job profile'. However I'm speaking in the context of an organisation's responsibilities, rather than that of an individual.

Is that adv. + noun. right in grammar? [migrated]

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 09:35 AM PDT

For example,

Such a procedure, however, must make use of the specifically human capacity for self-detachment inherent in a sense of humor.

Which is an excerpt of Viktor Frankl's 1947 book, Man's Search for Meaning

Would specifical or specific be better?

What is the nearest British English equivalent to 'Dumpster Fire'?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 12:46 PM PDT

Dumpster Fire is an informal term in the US for a chaotic or disastrously mishandled situation.

I like it because of the way the term amplifies the meaning: the dumpster is not only full of undesirable cargo, but it is also mobile and on fire!

What is the nearest equivalent to this pleasing term in British English? I am looking for a term with significant recognised usage and similar comedic and meaning-amplifying properties.

Is there a better way to say "among other things" or "inter alia" in legalese?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 09:37 AM PDT

I'm a Polish-English translator and I work mainly with legal documents. There's a phrase in Polish: "między innymi" (abbreviated as m.in) that means quite literally "among others". It's used everywhere in legalese; mostly in numbered lists:

The program dedicated to the employees, pursuant to which, i.a.: (i) an Employee, at his/her request, may be assigned to work for another company in the Group for a period of 3 to 6 months; (ii) the Employee performs work during the assignment period under the supervision of the host company, but still under the Employment Contract.

"Między innymi" can be used in both formal and informal texts.

Now, here's what I think (correct me if I'm wrong): "among other things" sounds informal to me (because of the "things"). "Among others" usually refers to people. Neither of them can be abbreviated (?). Inter alia, or i.a. (is the punctuation/space correct? Also, is this abbreviation common and understandable to non-lawyers?) are both great, sure. However, I'd like to have more than this one option, especially when the document is intended for clients who don't always understand legalese.

I've thought about "including" and its variations ("including without limitation"/ "including but not limited to") don't work with all sentence structures.

Are there any more options for me to use?

Borrowing & Corrupting a concept [closed]

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 06:28 AM PDT

I'm looking for a word or expression that means to take a concept from one area, corrupt it and use it in another sphere. Any ideas?

Are both of the phrases express same sense? [closed]

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 06:07 AM PDT

Escape hatch=A hatch to escape. Chess board=A board to play chess on. Tin opener=Opener used to open a teen. Football Ground =Ground to play football in.

What is the difference between "as tall as" and "just as tall as"?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:45 PM PDT

What is the difference between I'm as tall as my father and I'm just as tall as my father?

I know they are similar, But they make sense to be a little bit different. What is that difference?

Phrases for transportation modes

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:14 PM PDT

I am writing a paper about car drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. And I would like to use transportation modes in my text as well. However, I am confused about some phrases:

  1. Is "Walk" or "Walking" the right word for a transportation mode? For example:

In this paper, we consider the modes motorized vehicles, bike and walk.

  1. Which one is right:
    The results of the modes motorized vehicles and bike or motorized vehicles and bike modes...?
    I would assume the same rule when I am writing about several modes or just one mode, right? Because it sometimes sounds wrong to my ears!

Is the sentence "Most Hungarians have a good English accent" grammatically correct?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 08:43 AM PDT

By constructing the sentence

Most Hungarians have a good English accent

I'm trying to say that most Hungarians can speak English well, without a strong accent. Now I understand that 'Most Hungarians' is a plural subject, so should the 'good English accent' agree with the plural subject? However, I'm not trying to say that each of them has their own distinct 'good English accents', I'm trying to say that they have a single English accent that is perceived as good by the general public. That is why I'm inclined to say 'a good English accent'.

Which one is grammatically correct?

Most Hungarians have a good English accent

or

Most Hungarians have good English accents

Another example that is still along the lines of the main question and also keeps me up at night is when I'm trying to say

Those three movies are a masterpiece.

I'm referring to the three movies as three separate movies, but I want to say that in general, they are a masterpiece. Or should I say, 'masterpieces'?

Am I wrong and just forcing a concept from my first language that just simply doesn't exist in English?

What do I need to use adjective 'active selected' or adverb 'actively selected'?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 03:32 AM PDT

In my commit message, I wrote something like:

-disabled search button if there is no active selected filter

and I got the following warning from my Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

A. Make sure that the adjective 'active' is correct. Possibly, it should be an adverb (typically ~Iy) that modifies 'selected'. Possibly, it should be the first word in 2 compound adjective (hyphenated adjective). Possibly, it is correct.

enter image description here

Could you please clarify the situation how to write it correctly? thanks in advance

What is a word for "to create a universe"? Can 'universalize' be used?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 08:25 AM PDT

Per Lexico, universalize means:

Give a universal character or application to (something, especially something abstract)
'theories that universalize experience'

Can this definition include the sense "to create a universe" within a context? Per Wiktionary, universal also means:

Of or pertaining to the universe.

In many other credible dictionaries, universalize refers to a more succinct definition: "to generalize, to make available universally". For example:

to make universal : Generalize - Merriam-Webster

When I did a Google search for dictionary "to create a universe", no word with this meaning came up. What would be a suitable word/verb for 'to create a universe'?

Possible example sentence:

And he created a universe, gazed on the vastness and magnificence around him, and said 'I _______' (created a universe).

Unsymmetric Double Emdash

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 01:57 PM PDT

In most cases, the emdash is used symmetrically to add Parenthetical Details.

Example:

It turned out that the three sisters ( Alexa, Siri, and Cortana ) were actually robots.
It turned out that the three sisters — Alexa, Siri, and Cortana — were actually robots.

It can also be used unsymmetrically to add Details at the end of a sentence.

Example:

The winner was the last : Cortana.
The winner was the last — Cortana.

Now, confusion arises when these two uses get mixed up in the same sentence.

I've joked many times — it may not be a great business model to give things away and hope people will voluntarily support them — but this is how I've built my career so far!
SOURCE:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/22/07/09/0129230/jimmy-wales-solicits-donations-for-his-ad-free-social-network

Problem : It looks like the Symmetric use, but it is actually the Double use of the Unsymmetric use !
It can be interpreted in both ways !

Symmetrical Interpretation:

I've joked many times [that] "It may not be a great business model to give things away and hope people will voluntarily support them" but this is how I've built my career so far!

Unsymmetrical Interpretation:

I've joked many times — "It may not be a great business model to give things away and hope people will voluntarily support them — but this is how I've built my career so far!"

Questions:
(1) Is my thinking correct or valid ?
(2) In general, is there a way to remove the ambiguity without using more Punctuation like Parenthesis or Quotes ? Eg: By varying the size of the Dashes or the Spacing ? In a nutshell, can we indicate that Double emdashes in sentence are either indeed Symmetrical or indeed unsymmetrical ? Or is it inherently ambiguous ?

When is "more than one" singular or plural?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 03:13 AM PDT

I always learnt that "more than one" takes a singular verb because it is followed by a singular noun as in: more than one child has bad grades.

But what happens when it is followed by a plural noun? For example: more than one of the children [has/have] bad grades?

Grammarphobia says when "more than one" modifies a singular noun, it goes with a singular verb: "More than one person is going." But when it's followed by "of" and a plural noun, it takes a plural verb: "More than one of the people are going". -->https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2007/12/can-more-than-one-be-singular.html

on the other hand, this site suggests a different answer: more than one of the authors has received the Nobel Prize.

"More than one," although plural in meaning, always takes a singular verb. Another such idiom occurs when "one or two" acts as the subject: One or two was found in the kitchen. (However, "one or two were found in the kitchen" is also acceptable). -->https://crosstalk.cell.com/blog/10-tricky-cases-of-subject-verb-agreement

And what happens when the sentence is preceeded by "there is/are" or "here is/are?

So in the end what verb should I use? How can I correctly write these sentences:

  • More than one of the dolphins contracts/contract dangerous diseases.

  • More than one of them contracts/contract dangerous diseases.

  • There is/are more than one sick dolphin.

  • There is/are more than one of the sick dolphins.

  • There is/are more than one of them.

Normally I'd use the singular for all of the sentences above, but grammar sites made me lose my sense of grammar, of which I had little to no knowledge! Please help me.

What accent can I put on "u" to make it sound like "you"? [closed]

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:36 PM PDT

I have a made up name, "Bunar," and I want the u to sound like you, rather than oo. Is there an accent I can put above u to tell readers to pronounce it this way?

edit: feel free to explain how this is opinion based in any way

What is the original semantic difference between "projectile" and "missile"?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 09:02 AM PDT

Let consider context (e.g. historical recent past) where modern meaning of missile as a self-propelled ordinance with reactive or jet engine doesn't exist.

Then its original meaning is "an object which is forcibly propelled at a target, either by hand or from a mechanical weapon" (Oxford). How it is different historically it was from projectile (if it was), which same source defines as "a missile designed to be fired from a gun" or "an object propelled through the air, especially one thrown as a weapon".

Were they full synonyms, were they used interchangeably or projectile had appeared later?

What is the origin of the joke 'a freckle past a hair' when one is asked the time of day?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 01:33 PM PDT

Growing up in Canada, I heard this dialogue a hundred times:\

Dude: "What time is it?"
Guy pantomimes watch-checking, but his wrist is bare
Guy: "It's a freckle past a hair."

Wiktionary even has a scant entry, except with the nouns flipped: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/a_hair_past_a_freckle

I've even noticed this joke fading; perhaps it is because of smartphones.

Is there a 'ground zero' for this phrase?

Word or phrase which means purposely playing below your skill level?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 04:11 AM PDT

I am looking for an idiom or expression which can be used to describe the action of someone deliberately playing below their skill level.

For example, a pool or billiards expert missing a few shots on purpose.

There are 2 situations where I am looking to use this expression, so, for any potential answer, I would like to know if it fits one or both of those meanings:

1. Negative Connotation

The player is playing below his/her skill level because they are trying to deceive (for example, getting their opponent to feel overconfident and bet money on the next game).

Example usage:

He's ______-ing! He wants you to believe that he's less skilled than he actually is.

2. Positive Connotation

The player is playing below his/her skill level because they want their opponent to have fun and not feel bad about losing by a heavy margin.

Example usage:

My father-in-law wanted to play chess so I had to __________ because winning in a few moves might have been a bit humiliating.

What I considered

  1. The expression "to dumb down" came to mind initially but it means something different.

  2. The verb "to hustle".

    Dictionary definitions seem to imply that it would work only for the case with the negative connotation, but I am not entirely sure.

    Cambridge Dictionary suggests several meanings of the word, but the most relevant one is:

    a dishonest way of making money

    However, I believe that in colloquial usage the word tends to have a neutral or even positive meaning:

    hustlin'

    The problem I have with this word is that it seems to be connected to money, but I would like something more general and not specific to making money.

  3. To go easy: This seems to fit the case with the positive connotation, for example, "I decided to go easy." So this is one I'm heavily considering.

  4. To smurf: This slang word fits well but it's only used in online gaming as far as I know.

Synonym for to-be-discovered?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 01:43 PM PDT

What is an academic synonym for "to-be-discovered" in "The issue can be examined through a variety of discovered and to-be-discovered methods"?

The point for using to-be-discovered here is that I wish to emphasize that in future there may methods that can examine better the issue even if current methods can not do so fully. So, the issue still deserves discussion.

Continue or continues?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 02:47 PM PDT

For an epitaph, would you write:

Her joy and love of life continue to inspire us all

or

Her joy and love of life continues to inspire us all

TIA

What do you call the gesture whereby you rest your palms on the side of your hips?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 06:46 AM PDT

What do you call the gesture whereby you rest your palms, the front of your fist, or your wrist on the side of your hips?

Kind of like these examples:
Woman with left hand on left hip and sword in right hand. Man with hands on hips.

Update: Guess I should've made it clear: I did Google "hands on hips gesture". I didn't get a concrete source to back it up, so I went ask here.

Etymology of the word "slave"

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 05:35 AM PDT

Webster says that the word "slave" goes back to the word "Slav", as the early slaves in Europe were all from among Slavs. Is this etymology generally accepted, or are there some other theories?

To sightsee ...or ..to go sightseeing?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 06:47 AM PDT

How common is it, nowadays, to say that one 'sightsees', rather than 'goes sightseeing'?

Where does the word “jism” come from?

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 03:19 AM PDT

Another word of mysterious origins of jism, in the sense of spunk. The OED mentions it is sometimes spelled jizz, and may even be the precursor word to jazz.

jazz pix

But neither the OED nor Etymonline gives any etymology for this word. The oldest citation is from 1847, and there are many citations from the 20th century.

So where do we get the word jism from?

Capitalize after slash at beginning (e.g. Risk/Issue management)

Posted: 15 Jul 2022 07:24 AM PDT

Should a word after a slash at the beginning of a sentence be capitalized?

E.g.

  1. Risk/Issue management
  2. Risk/issue management

I would guess the first one is correct because "Issue" would be an alternative beginning due to the slash.
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