All Questions
3,721
questions
4
votes
0
answers
28
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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 ...
Andrew LeachMod
- 101k
4
votes
1
answer
86
views
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 ...
LaurelMod
- 65.2k
2
votes
1
answer
71
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
67
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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 ...
- 806
0
votes
0
answers
20
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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 ...
- 470
14
votes
4
answers
592
views
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 ...
- 8,310
3
votes
0
answers
39
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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 ...
- 161k
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
76
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
104
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 ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
78
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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 ...
- 161k
8
votes
2
answers
207
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 ...
- 32.9k
2
votes
0
answers
80
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,...
- 37
0
votes
1
answer
134
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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 ...
- 61
1
vote
1
answer
54
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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 ...
- 101
3
votes
1
answer
63
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?
- 347
4
votes
1
answer
75
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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 ...
- 8,310
22
votes
6
answers
1k
views
Replacing our "research" close reason
Background
We have a massive problem with close votes. There's no sense in placing blame — we've been on this path since before even I joined the site, and we all thought what we were doing was best ...
LaurelMod
- 65.2k
3
votes
1
answer
86
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 ...
- 1,175
0
votes
0
answers
75
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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 ...
user486316
1
vote
0
answers
29
views
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
93
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 ...
- 2,496
2
votes
1
answer
51
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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?
- 327
0
votes
0
answers
33
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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?
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
94
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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
1
vote
1
answer
47
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....
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
82
views
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 ...
user485570
1
vote
0
answers
37
views
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 ...
- 101
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 ...
- 32.9k
2
votes
4
answers
183
views
Is Merriam Webster dictionary an outdated and unreliable dictionary?
An experienced user posted this comment under an answer that cited M-W dictionary.
Btw, MW is the worst, most out-of-date dictionary on the planet!, but GKP regularly sings its virtues in public, and ...
- 67.2k
1
vote
2
answers
72
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?
- 11
3
votes
2
answers
63
views
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 ...
- 101
1
vote
1
answer
116
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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 ...
- 9,963
3
votes
1
answer
123
views
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 ...
- 8,310
1
vote
0
answers
32
views
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,...
- 9,963
1
vote
1
answer
50
views
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,...
- 145
2
votes
2
answers
214
views
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 ...
- 9,963
1
vote
0
answers
36
views
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
123
views
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.
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
101
views
Kludge to trick SE to allow edits smaller than six characters by injecting invisible characters
It's impossible to fix small (but not insignificant) typos on SE without making other edits adding up to six characters. For example, think should be thick in a quoted line of a poem that makes no ...
6
votes
0
answers
144
views
What should be done with the questions that ask about the reason behind adjective order?
There are a bunch of questions that ask about adjective order, and most of them are closed as dupes of the original What is the rule for adjective order? asked 12+ years ago.
There are three questions ...
- 8,310
2
votes
1
answer
89
views
Can anyone recommend a book which covers syntax overall?
Just as I said in the title, I'm wondering if there is a good book which covers basic syntax overall. I've been learning English for fairly a long time, so I don't have a lot of problems holding daily ...
8
votes
1
answer
147
views
What is EL&U's policy about attributing links?
Today an editor added the source of every link I included in an answer of mine. They are a total of six links, only one contains a quote– fairly extensive–which was clearly attributed.
In the ...
- 90.3k
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Good free dialect quizzes?
I like the NY Times dialect quiz from 2014 and I'm thinking it would be fun to do as a group at work.
But the NY Times one isn't free; are there any good free ones out there?
- 101
0
votes
0
answers
75
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The singular of "the peoples" is "the people". Like in "the essence of a people". Was the question closed after a misunderstanding?
This is about German Singular "Volk" in English: "Das Volk ist mir zum Kotzen" = "The people make me sick" or "The people makes me sick"?.
It was closed, and ...
- 111
2
votes
1
answer
134
views
Are crazy icons here to stay?
Am I the only on ELU whose icons are all shifted, some to the point that it is difficult to tell which is which?
The issue has been raised on META where they mention a temporary problem when new SE ...
- 67.2k
4
votes
1
answer
87
views
What is the Journalism tag used for?
What is the journalism tag for?
I have a piece of journalism I want to write, and want advice, but I don't know where to do it.
3
votes
3
answers
294
views
Recognizing generic ChatGPT posts
For future reference, how was this determined to be ChatGPT?
Example:
I think only 10K users can see:
Can one say "take an integral" instead of "calculate an integral"? What other ...
6
votes
2
answers
128
views
Where can I find books from the late 17th/early 18th century about English grammar and phonology?
I'm interested in finding books that explain English grammar (as much of it and in as much depth as possible), written by scholars from the late 17th/early 18th century. Which do you recommend? Could ...
6
votes
2
answers
154
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Yet Another Reopen Request ("Yarr!" in pirate-speak! :)
The headline reason for this post is to ask for Each other’s work or each other’s works? to be reopened, but if possible I'd also like to know why it was closed.
I find it hard to believe "lack ...
- 140k