All Questions
3,732
questions
2
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Is requesting a English word or saying back to its native language on-topic?
Currently my understanding is that is completely on-topic to request a translation of a non-English word or phrase to an equivalent word or phrase in English; e.g, single-word-requests,idiom-requests.
...
1
vote
0
answers
57
views
What are the highest quality textbooks for learning English grammar? [duplicate]
I am a native English speaker, but I think my grasp of grammar is too weak. So, I want to know what textbooks or reference books others deem worthy of using to deepen and broaden their understanding ...
3
votes
4
answers
491
views
Does the community think that we need a 'grammar, but too basic for ELU: almost any book on grammar will answer this clearly' close-vote reason?
A recent question on ELU:
Is a noun always preceded by a determiner?
I believe that this is so easily answered by looking at virtually any book on grammar (it could be argued that even dictionaries ...
1
vote
1
answer
62
views
The Reader Over Your Shoulder by Robert Graves
Does anyone know if there is a contemporary book that explores style in a similar way to The Reader Over Your Shoulder?
-1
votes
4
answers
297
views
Problematic migrations to ELL (an ongoing thing)
Why does ELU keep migrating this type of question? Are they too cowardly to close them?
A recurrent issue on ELL. It's like we are the poor relation that can have the awful questions dumped on us.
See ...
9
votes
0
answers
143
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2023: a year in moderation
It’s that time of the year again! As we wave goodbye to last year and welcome the new one, we have a tradition of sharing moderation stats for the preceding calendar year.
As most of you here might be ...
6
votes
2
answers
240
views
How to find particular topics in CGEL?
How can I find a topic I have a question about in CGEL? I often have problems but can't find the topic when I go to CGEL. Is there any better way to deal with a problem like this? How do you search in ...
-3
votes
2
answers
135
views
Stack Exchange cannot be excluded from the sociocultural evolution of language, correct?
Being a long-evolved language, missing definitions are rare within English. Nevertheless, meanings are sometimes missing, resulting in the formation of new words to fill those gaps. This occurs ...
3
votes
2
answers
223
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'Answerable by a dictionary' unsuitable for grammar questions
In a very welcome post, long overdue:
Replacing our "research" close reason: Final review
... one of the new close-vote reasons is given as "answerable by a dictionary."
Now, if ...
9
votes
1
answer
234
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What's off-topic about the question regarding the history of a slur?
The question When did Western newspapers stop using the term “Japs” in their publications? was asked yesterday and has really been riding the closure-rollercoaster:
Expanded details:
The first time, ...
47
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Thank you, Professor Lawler and Rest in Peace!
I am saddened to announce the passing of John Lawler on Saturday November 25. Many of us here were friends with him, and countless more helped by his answers. For those of you who aren't familiar with ...
7
votes
0
answers
48
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Please fix the standard sans-serif page title
Once again the site design has been disrupted by a standard change.
This is how Help pages used to look:
They now have really bold titles:
Because of the size of the heading, this unbalances the ...
6
votes
1
answer
142
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What resources do I need to consult before asking a question?
Many Stack Exchange sites require that users do some research before asking a question. Does English Language & Usage have such a policy? If yes, what resources should users consult before asking ...
4
votes
1
answer
85
views
Why is there no name on this comment except for "delete"?
The first comment under this answer is seemingly by someone with the name "delete". And yet, no tooltip/message appears when you mouse over this name. Screenshot:
For convenience, here is ...
2
votes
1
answer
74
views
Are we being encouraged to answer very old questions, or are they just being made more visually pleasing?
Some time ago, perhaps still, new answers to old questions were put under review (in a review queue), as if to imply: 'This question has been addressed, at length; what could possibly be the value-add ...
0
votes
0
answers
24
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Collection of English sentence-level grammar rules as semi-structured "data"?
I am looking for structured data of English grammar, however much might have been done. Specifically sentence-level grammar (as opposed to word morphology rules, though finding structured data for ...
14
votes
4
answers
623
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May I speculate in comments?
The question What does "make the Iacke go" mean? has received four answers, all of which propose theories as to what the phrase means. Under it are also some comments that, to me, raise an ...
4
votes
0
answers
42
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Can we reopen the question "Which format is most common for representing a number range in U.S. punctuation style and in British punctuation style?"
I have edited the question Which format is most common for representing a number range in U.S. punctuation style and in British punctuation style? so that it now asks a factual question about whether ...
0
votes
0
answers
43
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Recommend the best book for articles [duplicate]
Can you recommend the best book on English grammar articles?
The indefinite and definite articles a, an, and the?
3
votes
1
answer
86
views
What resources to use for understanding archaic English usage?
I am reading the book "The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood" by James Gleick. Every now and then an old/archaic English sentence, from some reference, is quoted in this text.
How ...
-4
votes
1
answer
109
views
How can it be true that this site works by popular vote when no one can vote until they get to a certain reputation?
How can it be true that this site works by popular vote when no one can vote until they get to a certain reputation?
The statement is not accurate. I saw a very inaccurate meaning of a gesture that ...
0
votes
1
answer
80
views
Should "Is a comma splice always a mistake?" be reopened as the face of two merged questions (both of which are now closed)?
The question "Is a comma splice always a mistake?" on the main site was merged (on July 3, 2023) with the question "Why is the comma splice an error?" also on the main site, as ...
8
votes
2
answers
210
views
Problem with the "Closed" message?
Part of the "Closed" message is shown below, followed by a current example.
Change the sentence "I don't know you" into a compound sentence
In my opinion "... and clarify ...
2
votes
0
answers
104
views
When are commas optional?
In revising a 1953 manuscript in which the author (a non-native speaker, a professor, quite proficient in English yet with a few lingering idiosyncrasies) and the original editor (OUP, New York branch,...
0
votes
1
answer
136
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Why do my questions on the etymology of idioms get closed, yet this one was accepted?: What is the origin of "out of sight" or "outa sight" i?
Every question I have asked about the etymology of an idiom gets pulled. Yet I found this one that stayed up. It's espcially irritating because sometimes before my question gets closed, I have ...
1
vote
1
answer
61
views
Where can I locate dictionaries or resources that provide explicit markings for silent letters in words?
As someone who speaks English as a non-native language, one thing that often perplexes me is determining when to disregard silent letters in pronunciation. Although it doesn't completely hinder me, it ...
3
votes
1
answer
66
views
Why was my question locked after edition?
Recently, I asked a question. Another user edited it a little. But now I see it's locked for about one hour. Why did it happen? Did I do a bad thing to deserve it?
4
votes
1
answer
76
views
What's up with the [usage] tag?
The tag usage redirects to word-usage, as the two are synonymized.
But I can still find the tag on certain questions.
When I search for the word-usage tag, many of the earlier results still display ...
28
votes
9
answers
2k
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Replacing our "research" close reason: Completed
Update: Closing remarks
The phrasing I suggested in an answer below is now live:
Background
We have a massive problem with close votes. There's no sense in placing blame — we've been on this path ...
3
votes
1
answer
90
views
Should there be an increasing number of close votes required to re-close a question that has been reopened?
This question was closed with three votes for "insufficient research" - although I'm unclear why, because even after doing all the "research" suggested in the answers, the correct ...
0
votes
0
answers
78
views
What research is required over common knowledge words?
For this question, it was closed due to a lack of research. Seems like an arbitrary reason to close, especially when no comment is given for what type of research is lacking. I think most word usage ...
1
vote
0
answers
30
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Would it be possible for the page to remember the depth to which a person has expanded their answer textbox on a particular response?
I would find it a great convenience if the page could remember how far I had dragged open the text-box for a response I had given. When I am working with a strange (new to me) keyboard, I tend to make ...
2
votes
0
answers
166
views
List of phrasal verbs by approximate usage frequency?
I have found two sources of lists of phrasal verbs in English: Textbooks for people learning English as a second language introduce a few of them every now and then, and dictionaries of phrasal verbs ...
2
votes
1
answer
56
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Why is my question about the etymology of "foundation" off-topic?
This question of mine got closed as off-topic, in spite of receiving way more upvotes than downvotes and also receiving a detailed answer. Why did it get closed?
0
votes
0
answers
36
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Which books should I refer to in my master's thesis about parallelism? [closed]
What books should I read for my thesis about parallelism in rhetorical devices?
0
votes
1
answer
101
views
Is there already a NL model, like Chat GPT or something, that is reliable to use for verb tense structure?
I'm trying to build a schematic table/diagram with all the possible combinations of:
verb tenses (Past Simple to Conditional 3)
form (Affirmative to Interrogative Negative)
auxiliary verb conjugation ...
1
vote
1
answer
68
views
Is the "second" ("secondary") definition any less the definition than the first one? What do you call this?
I submitted a research paper where I defined a word according to the definition provided by Oxford English Dictionary. The word has multiple definitions; this one actually has "1," "2....
0
votes
1
answer
85
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Question was closed as duplicate but is a different question
The question Why did English take the "mix pronunciations and spellings" route instead of one rule route like French, or separate languages/dialects like Spanish? was closed as a duplicate ...
1
vote
0
answers
46
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Looking for an online tool which provides a frequency of usage of any search phrase/sentence provided using large corpus of online text
I am looking for an online service which provides the frequency of a search phrase across all the literature in English that there is. Hopefully billions of lines of text. For example, if the phrase ...
0
votes
0
answers
49
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Request to reopen a closed-as-duplicate question: Can you write "... me's" (the possessive)?
Note: The question has now been reopened. I have added further examples of the group genitive to my answer to the question. This should help to distinguish it further from the hyphenated compound ...
3
votes
4
answers
339
views
Is Merriam Webster dictionary an outdated and unreliable dictionary?
An experienced user posted this comment under an answer that cited M-W dictionary.
You say Btw, MW is the worst, most out-of-date dictionary on the planet!, but GKP regularly sings its virtues in ...
2
votes
2
answers
73
views
What resources/reference can I use when converting sentences from American English to British English?
Which reference document can I consult for converting American sentences into British English? Is there a gold standard resource?
3
votes
2
answers
66
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Seeking cursive writing samples along with a typed version
I want to find some samples of English cursive writing along with their typed versions. Where can I find this?
This is for practice purposes: I want to attempt to read the cursive version and look at ...
1
vote
1
answer
181
views
What differences are between the American Heritage Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language? [closed]
What differences are between these two books:
The American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
?
Are they both for etymology, similarly to Oxford English ...
3
votes
1
answer
135
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What is the [reason-why] tag used for?
A recent question used the reason-why tag for what was really an etymology question, so I retagged it appropriately. (Or at least I think it was appropriate.) Now I'm wondering what the tag is even ...
1
vote
0
answers
39
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What differences are between general-purpose and Learner's dictionaries?
https://english.meta.stackexchange.com/a/2574/ says
General-purpose dictionaries
The online dictionaries listed here are broadly suitable for native
speakers, providing major definitions and examples,...
1
vote
1
answer
50
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Recommandation for a reliable and comprehensive source on word stress rules in English
I am looking for a reliable and comprehensive enough book or source on word stress rules in English.
I have searched the internet and found various interesting web pages, some not comprehensive enough,...
2
votes
2
answers
296
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What books about English grammar are the standard for linguists and what for non-linguists? [duplicate]
I was wondering what books about English grammar are:
the standard ones written for linguists or linguistics students, and
the standard ones written for people who are neither linguists nor ...
1
vote
0
answers
37
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Platform for online group classes
I'd like to attend some group classes online to improve my speaking. My goal is to take a test like IELTS or TOEFL. Do you guys know any platform that offers online group classes with a well ...
-5
votes
1
answer
125
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Is law language or not language [closed]
I was advised by an experienced club member that law is not language. Therefore, it can't be discussed on this website.