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Does "feel committed to" require an infinitive or gerund complement? For example, which of the following is grammatical? I feel committed to following up on that. I feel committed to follow up on that. Answer "I feel committed to following up on that." Or likewise "I am committed to following up on that", etc. But as a verb, rather than an adjective: "I have committed to follow up on that." or "I committed to follow up on that", etc.

The phrase "order of magnitude" is used to indicate differences between quantities in terms of exponential powers. I've also seen it to indicate Big-Oh differences in algorithm run times. However, in computer science there is also a notion of classifying problems in terms of their qualitative difficulty. This is the categorization of P, NP, NP Hard, NP Complete, etc. I don't think saying that an NP problem is an "order of magnitude" harder than a P problem is well-defined. Is there a different phrase which suggests the qualitative jump in problem difficulty? Answer I think level is a suitable word. Specifically in the context of the polynomial hierarchy , one might informally think of a problem known to be NP-complete as one level harder than a problem in P (provided of course the hierarchy does not collapse at this level). More generally, level generally connotes stratification in terms of achievement/difficulty. It's a gamey word, for example: your ...

I am trying to fill in this sentence: “My company is looking to ___ a consultant”. Is the correct term “hire” or is there a different word that is more fitting when talking about a consultant? Answer Hire is appropriate for a consultant, or more generally for any kind of temporary worker. I’ve also heard “bring in/on a consultant” more than once, which sounds good to me—it conveys more of the “stop in for a few and help out” nature of consulting, I think.

Example: "The feasibility of this approach has recently been demonstrated using PET/CT technology in a small series of patients". Should this not be: The feasibility of this approach has recently been demonstrated by using PET/CT technology in a small series of patients.

What is the term for a word that has come to mean the opposite of its original meaning"

I was writing an email to my department, and was informing them about an art show my wife was having. So I wrote: Next week, in particular, is my wife Liana's show. But then I realized that I usually would write "my wife, liana, ...", but the apostrophe made it look strange. Then it occurred to me that maybe I should be putting the apostrophe on "wife" instead. After thinking about this for more than a few minutes, I decided to drop all commas and send the email, since I was wasting time. But I wanted to know what the correct punctuation would be in this case. Also, I apologize if this seems trivial or is a duplicate. I could not find a decent answer to this elsewhere. Answer When a possessive noun is followed by an appositive, the 's is added to the appositive, not the noun, and the comma following the appositive is dropped. So you would say, "Next week is my wife, Liana's show." See this link for more information on possessives.

I want to know the difference between the following sentences: He seemed to be angry. He seemed angry. I heard that when I use "to be" in the text like in above sentence, "to be" means "subjective". When without "to be" means objective. When somebody says "She seemed to be beautiful", It means she is beautiful to someone." When somebody says "She seemed beautiful?, It means that everybody thinks she is beautiful. Is that right?

Would the phrase 'With me being one of them' be grammatically correct? Sounds a bit odd in my head and I triple-checked mentally but couldn't tell if it was correct or not. 'With I being one of them' doesn't sound correct either. Has to be 'me' or 'I'. Those two are the only first person pronouns... if I recall correctly. Answer You have several options. I am repeating some of the other answers because it seems practical to have them all together: I hope my plagiarism will be forgiven! 1) Five people went to the party last night, with me being one of them. This is common and accepted, though not by all purists: it does look a bit informal to me (mostly owing to "with"), which might be fine in the context of a party. "Being" would be a participle; the construction would be called "fused participle", or "accusative with participle" in classicist terms. 2) Five people went to the party last night, with my bei...

Is −9 a smaller number than −8? And is −9 a lower number than −8? What is the difference between lower and smaller here?

All the textbooks I have ever come across during the course of my studying English emphasize that future tense should not be used in conditional clauses. For example, If it rains in the evening, we will not go for a walk. ( if it will rain in the evening... ) We decided to go for a walk if it didn't rain in the evening. ( ...if it wouldn't rain in the evening) However, in the following sentence I'm really inclined to use the future tense. Don't implement this feature if it will significantly increase the complexity of the user interface. According to all the rules I know of, the future tense is illegal here. However, my gut feeling tells me that the sentence is correct. If I am wrong, the question ends here. Otherwise please read on. I find the last example different from my first two because: In the first examples we must wait and see if the condition is true, and then make a decision accordingly, whereas in the last example, we must actually analyze/predict/forecast t...

What are some of the earliest acronyms and did they know it was an acronym at the time? Answer Here is an old one: You may know that the emblem of paleo-Christians was the fish. The Greek word for the fish is "ἰχθύς" (Ichthys). And here is what it stands for if you are one of the first Christians. ΙΧΘΥΣ I (I, Iota) : ΙΗΣΟΥΣ (Iêsoûs) « Jesus » Χ (KH, Khi) : ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (Khristòs) « Christ » ; Θ (TH, Theta) : ΘΕΟΥ (Theoû) « God » ; Υ (U, Upsilon) : ΥΙΟΣ (Huiòs) « Son » ; Σ (S, Sigma) : ΣΩΤΗΡ (Sôtếr) « Saver ». INRI And on the same theme, the acronym INRI (so often seen on crucifixes), but Latin this time: I : IESVS : Jesus N : NAZARENVS : Nazarene R : REX : King I : IVDÆORVM : of the Jews As you can see, acronyms are no recent invention. As for what was the first one, this is probably lost forever.

I find this expression strange because it's clearly widely used, but seems sort of "unofficial", the "official" version, meaning the one described in dictionaries and grammar books, being playing games with , not on . Both expressions seem to be current and valid, according to Google Books. I'm just not entirely clear on the context and the usage. My understanding is that playing games with implies some sort of tricky, mischievous behavior, which may or may not be intentionally malicious, like office politics or standing someone up on a date ("Jane didn't show up...again. Is she playing games with me?"), while playing games on implies a form of studied deception. ("The ad said that the comic book was in mint condition but there are barely noticeable tears... are they trying to play a game on me?") Answer This is what the Oxford Online dict says play on: exploit (a weak or vulnerable point in someone): he played on his opponent’s n...

Both the words "thrifty" and "stingy" have obviously different meanings - for example, the fictional character Scrooge is stingy, while someone following a budget is thrifty. Both imply saving money; how could I explain to someone what the difference is between these words, say, in a single sentence? Answer It is not exactly the case that they both imply saving money. Thrifty does imply that one tends to save money, by means of careful attention to judiciousness in one's expenditures, particularly by always trying to buy things at the lowest possible cost, but also by keeping an eye on getting the highest possible quality for the given cost. Stingy , on the other hand, means miserly, not generous, tending to hoard one's money, and tending to avoid spending one's money at all , not merely injudiciously. So stingy isn't really saving money in the sense of not spending more than one should, but rather keeping money by just hanging onto it at all co...

What is the proper possessive form for a surname that ends with “z”? Is it z’ or z’s ?

I have read in a newspaper, the writer is using 'to becoming'. eg: "We're on track to becoming developed nation." Is this sentence really correct?

Not too long ago, Apple Computer used the phrase "Think Different" as an ad slogan. Is this a grammatical error (that is, it should be "Think Differently"), or are they trying to say something else (and what would it be)? Answer Merriam-Webster claim that different as an adverb dates at least as far back as 1744.

My professor has written a statement like this: function is non-negative at all the vertices of the structure S and positive at some vertex for a publication. It is a peer-reviewed publication so it should not have mistakes but I find at least two different meanings for this statement: Does it mean "function is non-negative at all of the vertices in the structure S and positive at some vertex" ? Or does it mean "the function is not non-negative at all in the vertices of the structure S" ? Answer It means "[The] function is non-negative at all of the vertices in the structure S and positive at some vertex". The of isn't necessary though it may help to clarify the meaning. There may be some confusion between the phrases not negative at all and non-negative at all . Some examples may help to clarify what I mean. Note that these sentences do not have the same meaning as your original sentence. This sentence asserts that the function is never negative. ...

I'm looking for a term for audio in form of the word visual . Visual is defined as of or relating to the sense of sight What could you call the sense of hearing? Also, what do you call this form of a word? (i.e verb, noun ...) It should fit the x in the following sentence: Is it possible to fall in love with someone without visual or x contact? I'm not a native English speaker, so I couldn't find the terms for searching this. Answer Aural - of or relating to the ear or the sense of hearing. It's an adjective.

What is a single word in English which means to look down on others (due to their younger age, lower socio-economic position, lesser experience, etc) Not look down upon everyone else in general, but look down upon some particular person due to a feeling of superiority of oneself over them ( this superiority may come from the fact that one feels has more money, talent, etc)? By "look down upon" I don't mean just the feeling of having superiority over another, but acting to them in a manner that reflects this pride as well (for example, perhaps he acts very rudely to them, since he feels superior to them and feels he can get away with it, or he feels it doesn't matter at all due to his superiority) Answer You can consider condescend (to sb) . If you condescend to somebody, you show feelings of superiority and you can even be patronizing toward that person. So, you actually show it in your actions and this can be called a condescending behavior . to treat someone as if...

In biology, hierarchical clustering is used to separate studied samples into different groups, thus if successful, the clustering criteria can be seen to "discriminate" between group A vs. B. I am stuck trying to find an appropriate word to convey that two samples are so similar that they are " indiscriminable ". It appears as that's not a word featured in dictionaries. I have tried " indiscernable " and that doesn't sound right either, neither does " inseparable ". What is a good adjective to use in this case? Should I try to rephrase my sentence? PS: Please consider that this question refers to academic writing (in other words, "formal register" only). Answer You are very likely looking for indistinguishable : adjective not able to be identified as different or distinct: the counterfeit bills were virtually indistinguishable from the real thing

I want to ask someone that how was his journey but the drive is too short to be considered as journey. What other word I can use instead of it? Answer Trip , usually. Occasionally I've heard "short hop", but that generally refers to short airplane trips (which are no longer very short at all, thanks to the security lines).

Is there a word for the following fear: being afraid of doing something you don't want to do and you know you shouldn't. For example: if you're on a high place, you don't want to jump, but you're afraid that you'll randomly do it anyway. I have this feeling sometimes and I wonder if there's a name for this fear/phobia. Answer Those are called "intrusive thoughts" and are typical, but not exclusive, of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Intrusive thoughts, in the spectrum of OCD, are where a person generally suffers with obsessional thoughts that are repetitive, disturbing and often horrific and repugnant in nature. For example, thoughts of causing violent or sexual harm to loved ones. Because the intrusive thoughts are repetitive and not voluntarily produced, they cause the sufferer extreme distress - the very idea that they are capable of having such thoughts in the first place can be horrifying. However, what we do know is that people with Ob...

I was wondering whether the following sentence is grammatically correct: It's remarkable how many ideas for interesting programming projects pop up in your head when what you really should do is to study ! Is to study used correctly? Or should it just be study ? Answer Yes, it is correct, but normally we omit "to" from an infinitive when it isn't serving as a noun phrase. The effect of putting the "to" back in is to make the statement sound very strong. It works quite well if you imagine the speaker raising his/her voice towards the end of the sentence and really punching out those last few words.

Please explain the meaning of the second part and explain "otherwise than" in part b a person’s UK property business consists of: (a) every business which the person carries on for generating income from land in the United Kingdom; and (b) every transaction which the person enters into for that purpose otherwise than in the course of such a business.

Scenario: A friend wants to talk with me about something that makes her sad, but she's busy at the moment and wants talk later. I want to express that I'll be pleased to listen to her. Can I say: "Very welcome to talk to you"? I guess it's wrong, but how I can express it correctly? Should I use the word "welcome"?

In American English, we often add a drawn out "so" at the end of a sentence to imply an outcome. Example: Jane wanted to go out, but I was tired, so we didn't. Rather than say "we didn't" at the end, we often simply end the sentence with "so." When we do that, we see people reflect that in writing by adding an ellipsis to represent the missing words and the pointedly pregnant "so." Example: Jane wanted to go out, but I was tired, so... However, recently I visited Ireland -- County Cork to be specific. Speakers there do something similar, but they've cut to the chase. Rather than linger on the "so" like we Americans do, they seem to simply end the sentence with "so" and move right onto the next. It's almost like "so" becomes a pronoun for all they left unsaid that we could readily infer. Example: Jane wanted to go out, but I was tired, so. Besides, I didn't have the money anyway. This made me quest...

Which preposition are we supposed to use - on or upon. i.e. "On/upon closing the door, set the alarm on."

Context: I want to indicate people who keep travelling around the world (sometimes as part of their jobs and sometimes to volunteer during a crisis) without settling down at a single country. I came across terms like Global Citizens / World Citizens , but I want to know if I can use Globalite , albeit as a neologism, such that it will be analogous with Localite Merriam-Webster does define localite , but not globalite localite (noun) a native or resident of the locality under consideration Answer I think as a single word cosmopolite may convey the idea: a person familiar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures. In this extract , for instance, it is used as an antonym of localite: Cosmopolite channels are relatively more important at the knowledge stage, and localite channels are relatively more important at the persuasion stage in the innovation- decision ... and also here : Information Seeking Behaviour of Livestock Farmers Sources of Information It is evident fro...

In watching nature documentaries narrated by David Attenborough , I've noticed that in various compounds where Americans use first-syllable stress ( else where , in land , life -forms ), he uses second-syllable stress ( else where , in land , life- forms ). So, uh, what's up with that? Is that the (or a) usual pronunciation in England? Are there are any rules or patterns that determine which words show this variation?

Some words are made feminine by altering the suffix to be -ix . Examples: dominator → dominatrix executor → executrix rector → rectrix What is the origin of this variation? From my 5 years of Spanish, and what little I know of Italian/French, it doesn't seem to me to be from the Romance languages. Answer All of these words are loans directly from Latin, where -trix is the feminine counterpart of -tor .

The sentiments expressed in the tweets can be as accurate a measure as is found with traditional telephone surveys. The sentence above is grammatically correct. I wonder if it is still ok when I write like this, The sentiments expressed in the tweets can be as an accurate measure as is found with traditional telephone surveys. Why is it grammatical or ungrammatical? Plus, even if the second sentence is ungrammatical, can it be accepted in ordinary conversation? Thank you!

In answering the question Is there a term for “midnight” that is like “noon” , I came across the phrase noonday night listed as a synonym for midnight in my copy of Roget's International Thesaurus —attributed to Longfellow. I included the reference in my answer, but after reading the passage more carefully, I'm not so sure it is referring to the middle of the night. Searching this phrase turns up many usages by other authors, but I'm unable to determine from them what exactly is being referred to. I'm wondering if it could be a description of an eclipse, or some permutation of the midnight sun phenomenon. Can anyone offer some insight? What did this phrase originally mean and when was it first used?

Here's an example: Should I use it or not? OR Should I use it, or not? Which one is correct?

All English grammar coursebooks I have seen state that the Zero Conditional refers to something that is always true (and therefore is always certain ) and has the form “Present Simple + Present Simple”. But if I want to say something like that but putting a focus on the fact that I have in mind some past or future situation or event, can I use a construction “Past Simple + Past Simple” and “Future Simple + Future Simple” correspondingly? For example, I’m talking to somebody about our common friend who doesn’t believe that the lower the atmospheric pressure the lower the temperature when water starts to boil. We know that our friend was in the mountains last week and is going to visit the mountains once again in a week's time. And we know that he is kind of obsessed with checking the above-said phenomena and about a month ago announced that he would try to find any opportunities to verify whether that’s true. My question is: in this situation is it grammatically correct to say: If...

I know the rule for making the comparative and superlative form for two-syllable words ending in y , replace the -y with i and use -er and -est : hap . p y → happ ier → (the) happ iest ti . d y → tid ier → (the) tid iest fun.ny → funnier → (the) funniest Instead for two-syllable adjectives which do not end in -y, use more and most : bor . ing → more boring wor . ried → more worried care . ful → more careful tra . gic → more tragic However, there are inexplicable exceptions: The Free Dictionary says the comparative and superlative form of clever is cleverer and cleverest . Yet to my ears He's more clever than I thought sounds more formal and correct . Google produces a total of 15 pages for “he is more clever than” and 16 pages for the contracted form, “he's more clever than”. Similarly, Google yields 16 pages and 15 pages for “he's cleverer than” and “he is cleverer than” respectively, which suggests there is very little to choose between the two compar...

I've always wondered this but never asked. Given this statement: Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. Should it be or or nor ? This is on Wikipedia so they are probably correct in saying nor but why is this so? In my opinion it sounds like it should be or . The more I think of it the more I think it can be left up to interpretation or emphasis. For example, it could be interpreted to mean: Energy = ¬Created ∨ ¬Destroyed or Energy = ¬(Created ∨ Destroyed) Some help here? Answer Neither always goes with nor and either always goes with or , without exception. You certainly can retain or in the negative sense, but not in conjunction with neither . Thus, your notations would be translated into complete sentences thus: Energy = ¬Created ∨ ¬Destroyed ⇒ Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. Energy = ¬(Created ∨ Destroyed) ⇒ Energy can not be created or destroyed.

When asking a question you generally have to raise your voice at the end of the sentence, is it okay to stuff a question mark in order to show inflection? A couple examples: 'That really happened?' 'I'm going to miss it again?' 'You did that?' etc... Answer I think you are referring to cases such as: A: I'm so coming with you later! B: Err... No? In informal writing such as chat, it's perfectly acceptable, and other similar "stylistic" choices are fine. In formal writing it should be absolutely avoided, since to express the same function there are other ways to achieve the same result in a better form.

The ship 'heeled' or 'tilted' or 'incline' in strong wind and sank. Which word is correct and most common?

As in, Emily Dickinson was a great woman poet or Emily Dickinson was a great women poet in order to mean Emily Dickinson was a great female poet Think I may have seen this adjectival usage of "women/woman" in a feminist art criticism paper, wondering if there's an accepted spelling...

This is a common IELTS speaking exam question: Do you play any sports? How do you answer that if you're a professional swimmer? In my mind 'playing sports' implies team sports ( I play football , I play basketball , etc.), you don't say "I play swimming". So, the point: Do you play any sports? I do/I don't... Yes, they do expect you to answer "do you..." questions with "I do, I don't...". Updated to clarify: Merriam-Webster's definition of "play" is: to engage in sport or recreation; to engage or take part in a game . This is a very generic definition that doesn't particularly help in answering this question. As I mentioned previously, the verb "play" is not normally associated with swimming (in my mind it is used with team sports). "Do you play...?" implies a yes/no type of answer – "Yes, I do play..." or "No, I don't play...". So, how should I respond? Does it limit t...

I am looking for a word that would describe being obsessed with the details of a larger entity such that the "looker" neglects to see the whole or (perhaps more importantly) the purpose of the whole. Basically, "not seeing the big picture". What can [more] succinctly describe this? Edit: I just found this post: An adjective for "able to see the big picture" . I think I want the exact opposite. Answer How about myopic , which means short-sighted and therefore, both literally and figuratively not able to see the big picture?

When a big disaster occurs in a country, you can often see messages saying: Pray for [Country X] Are people really writing this to incite people to ask their God for anything? For instance Japanese people (in majority non-religious) have started using this expression a lot. Among similar but non-religious, politically-correct expressions, what would be the expression that most closely express the same feelings as "Pray for [Country X]"?

I was creating a web form for a client who requested the highest-grade completed for primary and high school and then college. The original paper form had the following Circle highest grade completed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 College 1 2 3 4 For the web form, I turned these into two dropdowns. Labeling College was easy, but the 1-12 was harder. Due to space issues, I chose "Compulsory" as grades 1-12 in the US are compulsory, but my project manager felt it wasn't a layman term, so I switched it for K-12, which is what the Department of Education calls it, even though kindergarten is not included. So, my question is, is there a one-word (or very short phrase) equivalent to Primary + High School? Answer The answers and comments to this question have already demonstrated that it varies across the country. I would have answered that the terms "Primary School" and "Grade School" both refer to elementary, middle, and high school collectively. According to...

I have never really understood the connotation of someone calling their domicile a condo over the word apartment . I have a vague feeling the former is fancier and more up-scale, but are there any real differences I'm not aware of? Answer The question as asked assumes an established relationship between "condo" and apartment" that is faulty. This is partly the foundation for the confusion. Even after a lengthy discussion like that above still leaves people confused is because the "definitions" being offered are still unsatisfactory and not conforming to a reality people innately understand but can't articulate. A condominium (or "condo") is an ownership structure along with "cooperative" and "fee simple". A condo tells you, among other things, how ownership of the unit (residential, retail, commercial, etc,) and common spaces are divided or held. It does not describe any occupancy or physical characteristic of a unit. Any...

When starting a sentence with a lower case pseudonym, such as a screen name of a user account on a website, should it be capitalized? Or are there different cases where it would and would not be appropriate to do so? My curiosity was sparked by this meta EL&U page where a user comments that he does not mind if his name is lower-cased or not. Are there any established standards on this practice? Answer When writing professionally, the first letter in the sentence is capitalized, sole exceptions being when the capitalization could result in a misunderstanding. In such cases, the word is usually typeset differently. However, when writing in an informal context, you might want to take into consideration the preference of the user. For example, Randall Munroe prefers his username xkcd to remain lowercase ; however, as you've linked, some users like nohat do not mind it being capitalized. If you are unsure, I would suggest capitalizing it and adhering to professional writing style.

In the middle of a conversation he had with my father, [Mr. X] asked him: “What does your son want to do in future?”. “He wants to do religious studies,” my father replied. He talked on my behalf without talking to me about it beforehand. (This is not a quote from a book, it's my own translation from a weird language into English.) In the above context, when the child and his father are both present and the father doesn't let the child answer the question, is it correct to say "my father talked on my behalf without talking to me about it beforehand"? Is absence of the child needed? Is it polite for the child to say "my father speaks for me without talking to me beforehand" or does it have a negative connotation that the child is angry with his father because of what he has done?

I think that "solo spot" has the same meaning, but I don't know the meaning either.

Is there a term that is similar to sexist or racist but refers to gay people? "Homophobic" comes to mind, but that's more a fear or disgust of homosexuals versus discrimination based solely on sexual orientation. To be specific, I'm looking for an -ist/-ism word, but I'm not sure if one exists. Answer heterosexism might be what you are looking for. According to M-W : : discrimination or prejudice by heterosexuals against homosexuals This idea is expanded in the wiki article under the same name that states: Heterosexism is a system of attitudes, bias, and discrimination in favor of opposite-sex sexuality and relationships. It can include the presumption that other people are heterosexual or that opposite-sex attractions and relationships are the only norm and therefore superior. Interestingly (also on the wiki page - I highlighted the single-word terms): Given this lack of semantic transparency, researchers, outreach workers, critical theorists and LGBT activist...

In the movie "A Walk to remember" Jimmie's father says the following to his son-in-law who got into medical school. Actually Jimmie is dead when he says, We are proud of you, son. Jimmie would have been proud of you, too . I wonder if the use of "would have been" is correct in this case. Shouldn't it simply be "would be"? I mean why past of would instead of present?

What I mean is: if the person wearing the pants assumes a masculine/dominant role, then can we say someone assumes a feminine/submissive role by saying they wear a skirt in a relationship? Especially if they were not given a choice and have to accept their subordinate role? Is it possible in English? It's not my first language and I would appreciate the comments.

Is there a word to describe a person who gets hungry easily? If there is, are there any antonyms for it? Answer Someone with a fast metabolism generally gets hungry more easily, as s/he burns up consumed calories more quickly than does someone with a slow metabolism . You could describe someone who eats small amounts frequently as a grazer or a snacker . (See also: Teenager.)

A quick Internet search suggests that pied-piping in relative clauses was a natural feature of English even though it is loved by prescriptivists; it existed in older stages of the language, and it was declining by the 17th century, but it was preferred by some prescriptivists and survived into the modern times. What is the history of pied-piping in relative infinitive constructions as in the phrase a room in which to read books ? Was it actually more common (or obligatory) in the past as in relative clauses, or did prescriptivists make it up, thinking that the grammar of English should be like that of Latin?

Someone who, in normal settings, dresses like this: (Without falling in the category of a transsexual or a cross-dresser.) Example sentence: S/he wears _______ clothes and costumes all the time. Maybe s/he is a _______. Sources: Mad Hatter , Japanese Goth Answer I would use Flamboyant . A person with a showy style. The word doesn't just apply to clothing but to any extravagant style of behaviour. As others have said, in times gone by the words fop and dandy would have been common. However, they would nowadays be taken to referring to the Regency period.

Ok, see the word " conscious " has the IPA /ˈkɑːnʃəs/ in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary However, when you listen clearly, you will feel like it should be /ˈkɑːn t ʃəs/ not /ˈkɑːnʃəs/. So it should read /tʃ/ rather than /ʃ/. In some other dictionaries, which use different transcription systems, they give the entry "ˈkän(t)-shəs" , for example in the Merriam Webster online dictionary . Here we see it with a /t/. So, should the IPA for the word " conscious " be /ˈkɑːnʃəs/ or /ˈkɑːntʃəs/? Answer Short answer When we move from a nasal consonant /m, n, ŋ/ to a /f, θ, s/ or /ʃ/, we often accidentally make a /p, t/ or /k/ between them. This is because our tongue is making some kind of /p, t, k/ articulation left over from the nasal sound while the nasal cavity is simultaneously blocked for the articulation of the following sound. Such consonants are called epenthetic consonants. They are rarely included in transcriptions for words in learner's dictionar...

Why do we always put "I" or "me" at the end of a list of nouns in a sentence. For example we would say "John, Sam, and I are going to the mall" instead of "I, John, and Sam are going to the mall" Is there a grammatical/logical reason for this, or is this just a convention that we're accustomed to? The sentence would make just as much sense no matter where "I" goes in the list. Answer I don't think it's true that you always put personal pronouns last at the end of a list. For example, "you" tends to be listed first ,as in: "You and Mike did a good job on that project." I think that emphasizes that the practice is a matter of courtesy. You list the person you are speaking directly to first, yourself last, and everyone else in between: "You, Bob, Mary, and I were the only ones left."

In Spanish we've got something called "Oración unimembre" which refers to a sentence with only one kind of part (the one with the verb or the one with the subject). I don't know the way it is in English. I know you add subjects to things we don't, like the sentence "It is raining". For us the sky can't work as a subject who rains. I was writing in English when I came to this sentence "System shutdown in 60 seconds" I didn't realize that something was missing. In fact, I continued typing till Word corrector told me I should change that. I think the correct formulation may be "The system will shutdown in 60 seconds" or something with a verb in it. However, I don't get the grammar problem. I think you can get the meaning perfectly from the original. My question: am I wrong? Am I missing something? I've just saw the title of my question is also a kind of sentence like the ones I'm talking about and could be the answe...

Some consonants such as n,d,t are usually alveolar in English, except that they are replaced by dentals when they are before dental fricatives (th): tenth, said this, in the… . What about "r" before "th"? Arthur : BrE /ɑ:θəʳ/, AmE /ɑ:rθɚ/ north : /nɔ:θ/, AmE /nɔ:rθ/ ; northern My conjectures are: a or o are lowered in the mouth so that we have /ɑ/ or /ɔ/. the mouth becomes less tensed the r is very loose n in north becomes dental! Answer The point of constriction in retroflex consonants per se tends to be alveolar/postalveolar. I'm afraid I don't know of any actual data off hand, but I dare say it would not be surprising to find that the point of articulation of /r/ is very slightly fronted before dental consonants (but still within the alveolar region). On the other hand, while I guess physiologically possible, I think it would be hugely unusual for the articulation of a retroflex to be so far fronted as to warrant being called "dental". O...

What's the word to convey the meaning "not consciously aware of"?

I'm looking for a single English word that refers to: A person who has bad habits And used to do those bad habits Tried to escape them but then fell into them in perpetua I'm not sure if such a word exists. I've thought of: Hypocrite (but that doesn't contain any connotations of habit) Habitual (an adjective; whereas I want a noun) Any ideas? I'm pretty sure there's a word for a person who relapsed back into their bad habits. Answer Perhaps relapser . n. One who relapses, as into vice or error. It is usually related with illnesses but it is also used for people who relapses back into addictions. There is a term called " chronic relapser " for these kind of addicts as well. From Addiction Professional magazine: Numerous failed attempts at sobriety, or a return to drugs/alcohol after a substantial period of sobriety. While this is a simple and obvious criterion of a chronic relapser , the distinction of an individual who has attempted sobriety and fail...

In a recent debate with a colleague, a self-proclaimed feminist, she described feminists as seeking equality for all, and not simply just women. I thought that this was inherently wrong considering the root-word and the suffix dictate that the word should mean some sort of passion for women and their ideals, be it rights or something else. After doing research I see that a lot of people in support of feminism support the same ideas as my colleague. I'm not here to debate the truth of what they do support but simply the semantics behind the word. Is it wrong to use feminism as a descriptor of equality for all, even though it seems to be that it is becoming more understood to be just that? If so, can defining it by the general definition now be interpreted as misogynistic by those who follow the creed of feminism?

Is there a formal word to describe someone who sees not just the particulars, but also the bigger picture? Answer I have never come across a term which explicitly means "seeing not just particulars, but also the whole", without any other connotations. There are several words which come close to that concept, though. Perceptive , perspicacious , insightful , or sagacious could be a good fit for what you're looking for. Sharp or shrewd imply quick grasping of a situation. Clairvoyant means that one can see beyond what the normal human senses can register, though it is often used in a context of mysticism. Not always. Holistic , suggested by @brachomonacho, can be close, but it has some connotations that you might not want. Among other things, it often means complete or whole . See the thesaurus.com entry .

"Butt naked" or "buck naked" both refer to completely naked, or do they? Where the phrase comes from I have no idea but that would be of interest. This is a phrase I am too afraid to google and wouldn't know if I came upon an authoritative source. Answer They're both "correct", and they both mean "totally naked" (although "butt naked" can mean "bare buttocks"). The etymology of "Buck naked" is apparently lost to time, I'm afraid. To add to the list of suggestions already made: From the phrase "as naked as a buck deer" (which apparently is similar to the phrase "naked as a jay-bird").

The first printed page in the scanned online version of Analytical Solid Geometry by Shanti Narayan says, "the book was drenched". I'm positive it doesn't have anything to do with wetness. So what does it mean here? (There's nothing else written on the page. There are a couple of blank pages before and after this printed page.) All the examples I've found are from Osmania University Library in Hyderabad . Could this be a term specific to Indian-English or a mistranslation from Hindi or another Indian language? Answer This is not an official source, but according to Charles Wm Dimmick on alt.folklore.urban Google Groups , the explanation is more plausible than that the book got wet. It turns out that if I wait another few minutes the actual book is there, but the "THIS BOOK IS DRENCHED" =A0is the first thing to appear. Further research shows that this message shows up on about 40-50 books which were digitized by Osmania University, and means that i...

As a non-native speaker, I found Stephen Colbert’s book title I Am America (And So Can You!) a little hard to dissect. Why so can you? Why isn’t it So Are You ? What’s the full phrase that And So Can You implies? Answer It's a play on titles from self help programs which utilize ellipsis. For example I lost 20 pounds in 4 days, and so can you. This is a kind of strange ellipsis, because just tacking on "[lose 20 pounds in 4 days]" doesn't really create a grammatical sentence, but it's something like that. The ellipsis would be clearer if the sentences were I lost 20 pounds in 4 days, and you can [lose 20 pounds in 4 days] too. I am America, and you can [be America] too. And the ellipsis is not so great with "to be", either. Here's some discussion from Language Log: http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004522.html

Which sentence is more grammatically correct? He is being tried on what look like trumped-up charges. He is being tried on what looks like trumped-up charges.

Suppose I received a document from my colleague, studied it and then gave him feedback in a letter. How should I construct the following sentense? I have examined the document you gave me and... or it should be I have examined the document you had given me and... and just in case (though I hardly believe it is correct) I have examined the document you have given me and... From one point of view both he and I know when he gave me the document so one should use past simple. On the other hand past perfect might be used here to indicate that the moment he gave it to me occurred before I read it.

This is kind of a basic question, but I would appreciate your input. If you're describing a photo of you and a friend, do you write: "My friend and I" or "My friend and me" I understand the usage of "I" as a subject and "me" as an object, but what about the above case where there's no verb?

What are English equivalents for following Russian idiom: "best is enemy of the good"? In Russian it means that if you are going too much after perfection you may make things even worse instead of achieving of something good. Answer This is attributed to Voltaire as ‘Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien’, and occurs in English as 'The best is the enemy of the good.' However, there appears to be a preference for ‘The perfect is the enemy of the good’ in American English. Of the 36 records of ‘the enemy of the good’ in the Corpus of Contemporary American English, 22 are preceded by ‘the perfect’ (and, in one instance, ‘perfection’). 10 are preceded by ‘the best’ and 4 by ‘the better’. All four records in the British National Corpus are preceded by ‘the best’. It may be that the expression arose independently in the United States, but that in the UK it was a conscious translation of the French.

"I have never thought he was a thief" "I have never thought he is a thief." Why do we use past tense "was a thief" instead of present "is a thief"? [Edit - We would expect tense matching between 'have' and 'is'-- both are present tense. Yet the idiom is to use 'was' -- chasly] Thank you!

I've seen all three used and there doesn't seem to be a definitive one that I can find. I'm hedging towards Co-Founder as it's a title, but any clarity would be appreciated. Edit If it makes it any clearer, the intended use would be for business cards; so something like: Name Surname Co-Founder Some Company Answer All are acceptable, so you should follow your judgement. British usage generally favours rather more hyphens than American usage; I'd use co-founder since cofounder doesn't look all that natural. I'd omit the hyphen in landowner , though, so it depends. Longman and Collins tend to prefer unhyphenated while Chambers, predictably, insists on the hyphenated form. If you're using the word in a title (in which you can capitalize every important word) or at the beginning of a sentence, you should always use Co-founder , not Co-Founder ; such as: The Importance of the Co-founder in Contemporary America For all other usages, just use co-founder .

I did a Google search on the the sentence, "We grew warmer and warmer," and it only came up with a few hits, not even one page worth. So is this grammatically incorrect? Is there a better way to put this? Answer The phrase works absolutely fine in the context you describe.

The word ratchet is all over Twitter . Some real examples from just now: "All these ghetto ass ratchet ass girls at mchi are wearing these Santa hats, and they all claim to be Santa..." "I was lookin ratchet in my workout pic but for you to make it a priority to talk about somebody's habit that u be sneakin & geekin to do" "Yaassss finally getting ratchet tonight after being a good girl for a month 🙌" The @lovihatibot Twitterbot routinely finds it in searches for "I love the word [X]" and "I hate the word [X]", in fact it's the 14th most loved word and 15th most hated word (presumably use in one category feeding the other). Similarly it's the fifth most common in @favibot's searches for "[X] is my new favorite word". What does ratchet mean? Where does it come from and when was it first used? Was there a single person or event which popularised it, and when was it? Is it a "good"/positive...

In Oxford Learner's Dictionary, under allowance, it says that Roman soldiers received a salt allowance, called salarium, the origin of the word salary. allowance 2: the amount of something that is allowed in a particular situation But I don't know the meaning of the phrase "salt allowance".