Sunday, July 17, 2022

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Recent Questions - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Thieves who rob dead bodies on the battlefield

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 12:43 PM PDT

There are plenty of synonyms in English for thieves. I'm looking for a word or expression that describes people who rob dead bodies on the battlefield.

In the novel Les Misérables, by Hugo, Mr. Thenardier robs dead bodies in the aftermath of the battle of Waterloo.

Word for an outsider to a community that becomes an important part of the community

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 11:40 AM PDT

Is there a word for an outsider to a community that becomes a major part of the community? My simple example is Happy from Happy Gilmore, a hockey player that becomes a major part of the golf community.

I'm thinking more generally like if a writer from a non-writing background becomes popular within the writing community, such as Tom Clancy, an insurance agent that became suddenly popular with The Hunt for Red October.

Can ‘obtain’ be used in both ways here? [closed]

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 10:35 AM PDT

Freedom is obtained by the work of the agents themselves.

Freedom obtains by the work of the agents themselves.

Here I mean that freedom is acquired by the works of agents themselves.

Can 'obtain' be used in both ways in that sense?

Writing emails is difficult vs Writing emails are difficult [duplicate]

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 09:27 AM PDT

'Writing emails is difficult' vs 'Writing emails are difficult'. Which one is correct? And why?

I have some Questions in English [closed]

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 06:01 AM PDT

What is the right way to say these sentences?

Q1:
A. Why weren't you eating?
B. Why you weren't eating?

Q2:
A. Why won't you eating?
B. Why won't you be eating?
C. Why you won't eating?
D. Why you won't be eating?

Q3:
A. Why won't you eaten?
B. Why won't you be eaten?
C. Why you won't eaten?
D. Why you won't be eaten?

Thanks for any help

talking about general things - choice of tense to "set the scene"

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 05:07 AM PDT

This is a question that I've been struggling with for quite a long time. I have asked a similar question in the ELL forum already but I didn't get an answer there and it is difficult to find information about my issue because there is no term to describe this topic (or at least, I am not aware of one). That is the reason why I would like to try it in this forum again.

Many sources describe the usage of the different terms in the English language and I can use them in standard cases but I don't know which term I have to choose / I can choose when I want to speak about general truths and I want to set the scene for the general part. Normally, all the grammar books say that we should use the simple present for general truths and facts, but I have heard and read many sentences where native speakers used both simple present and another tense together.

Some examples to make it clear what I mean by "set the scene":

  • I drive fast when I drive alone.
  • I drive fast when I am driving alone.

Here "I drive fast" is the general fact (I always drive fast when I am alone in my car) and "when I drive alone" / "when I am driving alone" is a clause to describe the circumstance when I drive fast (I don't drive fast all the time but only when I am alone in my car). Which tense should I use in the second clause? simple present or present continuous?

  • It depends on the person who is judging.
  • It depends on the person who judges.

Please, compare my question in the ELL forum: https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/316338/general-statement-present-continuous-in-relative-clause

  • When someone sneezes, what do you say?
  • When someone has just sneezed, what do you say?

Here, "what do you say?" is a question about something that you say each time in response to someone else's sneezing. Therefore, the simple present is correct. But what is with the when-clause, which is setting the scene in this case? In my mother tongue (German) both ways are acceptable. The reason why I would like to know whether or not I can use the second one is that in some situations I would like to give the events an order (First event: Someone is sneezing. Second event: I'm responding with "Bless you!"). Compare the following example (First event: The person is being shot. Second event: Metal pieces are causing pain.):

  • When a person has been (or was ??) shot and hasn't got a proper surgery, some metal pieces can remain in their body and can cause pain even many years later.
  • When a person is shot and doesn't get a proper surgery some metal pieces can remain in their body and can cause pain even many years later.

The same here: In German, both ways are acceptable

A nurse is being told her tasks in the morning:

  • Normally, patients get their medicine at night but it is possible that the nurses that were working at night didn't have enough time. In that case, you have to bring the medicine to them.
  • Normally, patients get their medicine at night but it is possible that the nurses that work at night don't have enough time. In that case, you have to bring the medicine to them.

A sentence that I have read in a museum:

  • In any emigrant's journey, there is a turning point when they have left their home but not yet arrived. At this moment - a new life is beginning.

I would highly appreciate thoughts about the questions:

  1. How flexible can we use tenses in cases like in the examples above? If both ways are acceptable: Which one would you prefer in formal/informal speaking/writing?
  2. Is there any difference in meaning between the example in simple present and the example with mixed tenses?
  3. Can you think of an underlying rule or logic? (I really need logic to learn it)

The opposite of 'not lift a finger'

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 06:50 AM PDT

All dictionaries give examples with this expression in the negative:

  • He just watches TV and never lifts a finger to help with the dishes.(Cambridge)
  • He never lifted a finger to get Jimmy released from prison. (OxfordL)

and so on.

What I need is an expression that would mean the opposite. The sentence I need it for sounds something like this:

You will never be abandoned in this community. You only need to ________ [expression which would mean something like lift/move a finger] a little bit.

What I mean to say is that one only needs to contribute the minimum to receive support, the slightest effort. However, I would prefer if the expression would contain the image of a movement. Does moving one's finger imply slight effort in English?

When I looked at antonyms of the expression not lift a finger I found expressions that are too strong for what I need:

  • break your neck
  • Jump through hoops
  • put one's back into it

All these involve movement and/or parts of the body, but imply great effort. Is there any expression or phrase that would express the minimum effort needed as a contribution that would lead to receiving support?

'have our destiny worked out' or 'work out our destiny'

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 09:38 AM PDT

have something done

We've been taught two usages of the structure.

  • A. the things that you have others do for you. eg: I just went out to have my hair cut.

  • B. something bad happened to you eg: I just had my wallet stolen.

but I cannot figure out which usage this sentence belongs to:

  • We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be.

My questions would be:

  1. what does the 'have our destiny worked out' really mean?
  2. why don't we just say 'work out our destiny'?

Can the word 'partner' mean 'customer/client'?

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 09:01 AM PDT

My question stems from the fact that the word 'partner' is excessively used in the former USSR countries when referring to or addressing their customers/clients/buyers. Russian-speaking manufacturers/suppliers/providers/sellers etc. very often use 'our partners' in the meaning of 'our customers/clients/buyers' or start letters with 'Dear Partners, ...' - with the same meaning.

It's not so odd as far as Russian is concerned, but is it in English?

Many thanks in advance!

What is the best adjective to describe when a flag is flying perpendicularly like in this image?

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 10:05 AM PDT

enter image description here

It is Flag Day, and the US flag is on my brain. I can think of erect, unfurled, and at attention to describe a flag flying perpendicularly to the ground in a strong wind, but I feel like I've heard another word. Am I missing something?

Describe someone/entity who acted carelessly because of success

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 08:01 AM PDT

I need an idiom, phrase, or word that describes someone/entity who acts carelessly based on success.

I am trying to write a paper on the US 2008 financial crisis.

Quick overview: Banks handed out mortgage loans, then sold those loans. These loans were sold repeatedly to investors. When the money was paid to the banks, it was sent along to those who bought it. This was practically risk-free and gave profit. The banks started giving mortgage loans to those who usually couldn't afford it and were considered 'high-risk' to sell more loans and earn more money. Later, the mortgages couldn't be paid and investors lost money.

My paper is trying to point out how the banks' careless handing-out of loans led to the crisis. I tried to think of something that described the moment when they weren't thinking of the consequences because they were too successful. For instance,

Because the banks were too adj, they were carelessly handing out loans.

I thought of maybe 'blinded by success'...

Blinded by success, the banks careless handed out loans.

I'm not looking for careless, but rather a word that could also describe the part that they were overly confident from their success.

Are two (or more) to-infinitives treated as singular?

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 09:29 AM PDT

A friend said to me that two (or more) to-infinitives are treated as singular (whereas gerunds can be treated as plural depending on the situation). Is it true?

Or, in this example sentence, which verb should I use?

"To control the process and to make improvement (was/were) my objectives."

Country names ending in "-ia"

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 10:23 AM PDT

Many countries have "land" as a suffix, like England, Poland, Switzerland, etc., which means 'the land of the English', 'the land of the Swiss', etc.

Many other countries have "stan" as a suffix, like Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, etc. 'Stan' means land in their language, it became 'the land of the Kazakh', 'the land of the Turkmen', etc.

My question is about "-ia": many counties have "-ia" at the end, like Australia, Serbia, Nigeria, Croatia, Russia, Tunisia, and many more.
Can anyone tell me where that came from, or if it has any meaning?

A word that describes all of my close friends

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 12:33 PM PDT

Is there a word that describes all of my close friends whom I go out with and we are best friends? Is "company" appropriate for this usage? Sorry if it is a dumb question.

There being and there to be

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 09:54 AM PDT

Now and then I come across the constructions indicated in the heading. I'm a bit puzzled regarding their usage as a complement:

I don't want there to be any more trouble. I'd like there to be more time to think. What's the chance of there being an election this year? What is the current thinking about there being more than one Universe?

Are they entirely interchangeable or is there some difference in the meaning? Apparently, it ought to be because sometimes it seems that one fits the context better than the other. For example:

So your experiences, which represent there to be an external world of physical objects (including your body), give rise to systematically mistaken beliefs about your world (such as that you are now sitting at a computer).

If I were the one who wrote this sentence, I would definitely have used there being, but the real author chose the other variant. So, what is the difference (if any)?

A specific word for stating something so obvious it is not useful to state

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 05:18 AM PDT

For example, answering the question "what is this?" with an overly literal response.The word I am trying to remember would be used in the phrase "Not to be XXX but unexpected events are unexpected. That's why we didn't expect it." (The word isn't 'tautological' or 'redundant')

Why do not we ask negative questions without a contraction on the not after the verb?

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 09:10 AM PDT

I have found multiple questions touching on this but not a single one that has a comprehensive answer. The information is all there but in little bits.

Exactly why is "Do not you sleep?" ungrammatical (except in poetry/with artistic license)? I understand that not can't contract after you: "Do you not sleep?" because not can only contract after a verb, and that it always does after do: "Don't you sleep?" but why does it (why must it) contract if it's placed after the verb in a question?

  • Don't you sleep? (common form)
  • Do not you sleep? (ungrammatical)
  • Do you not sleep? (less common form)

"You're too clever a man"

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 04:50 AM PDT

You're too clever a man to imagine this.

The above sentence was said by George Galloway, a man of excellent rhetorical skills.

Since he said it, I doubt it's wrong, grammatically. But, I wonder if there is an explanation for this. Because adjectives always come after the article not before it. e.g. You're a clever man.

How could this be, grammatically?

Is there a synonym for lazy with a positive connotation?

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 12:35 PM PDT

Is there a word or phrase to describe someone who is willing to do extra work in the short term to avoid work in the long run? I have seen "lazy" used for this, but I'd like to know if there's a more precise term.

"Machine" as a 1920s American term for "car"

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 07:45 AM PDT

I've recently been reading some of the short stories of Dashiell Hammett featuring the Continental Op. These stories were written in the 1920s and are about a detective investigating crime in and around contemporary San Francisco.

I noticed that the characters frequently use the word machine to mean an automobile, and I wondered whether this was common usage for the time and place. I had not heard it before. To a modern reader, it has an archaic sound, as if the car were such a new development that there was not yet a specific word for it. But of course by the 1920s cars were very common, so this does not make sense. It may also be slang; given their criminal associations, Hammett's characters tend to speak mostly in slang.

Does anyone have more information about this usage and its history?

Where does the pejorative meaning of "shower" come from?

Posted: 17 Jul 2022 12:27 PM PDT

shower British informal
a group of people perceived as incompetent or worthless

I think this term is becoming obsolete. It's certainly not something I've heard in the street recently. The first place I encountered it was the 1959 film I'm Alright Jack.

Major Hitchcock: They're a shower. Absolute shower.

According to wiktionary it comes from shower of shit but there is no justification given.
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