Questions tagged [variants]
The variants tag has no summary.
68 questions
1
vote
1
answer
388
views
What is the meaning of '"It's nart'ral" in "Pollyanna" by Eleanor H. Porter?
From a part of "Pollyanna" written by Eleanor H. Porter:
Old Tom shook his head.
"I know. I've felt it. It's nart'ral – but 'tain't best, child; 'tain't best. Take my word for it, '...
3
votes
2
answers
797
views
What is the difference between fascistic and fascist
I've seen these words both used but not interchangeably. My guess is that fascistic refers to 'fascist in nature', e.g if a building is fascistic it is reflective of fascist ideology but not ...
- 39
1
vote
1
answer
391
views
Which is the more idiomatic: equivalence/equivalencies or equivalency/equivalences?
Most articles show the plural form of equivalence as equivalences. The wikipedia on logical equivalence uses this form.
However, I feel like I have seen equivalencies used in contexts like mathematics ...
- 111
-2
votes
2
answers
137
views
In which Englishes are "distant" relative clauses acceptable?
Are sentences like these
The man got beaten up who James saw take the train yesterday.
The potato was eaten that Hayley said she wanted.
with these meanings
The man who James saw take the train ...
user163011
1
vote
0
answers
742
views
Terms for grandparents and other relatives [closed]
I’m a teenager from the Midwest. Different people obviously refer to their relatives in many different ways, and I’ve noticed a wide variance in what people call their grandparents.
Many people who ...
- 890
5
votes
1
answer
793
views
"A hundred" treated as one word in speech (extra indefinite article)
I'm a teenager from Chicago. I've noticed some particular usages of the words "a hundred" by people around me.
During a running workout, one student was 100 meters from the finish, while ...
- 890
1
vote
0
answers
67
views
thematic variant: how to distinguish a dislocation and movement? [closed]
For example, the sentence
"I found something interesting in the yard -- a mouse eating cheese."
I am struggling with whether this is a right dislocation or postposing. Or neither of them?
...
- 21
0
votes
1
answer
113
views
"power of persuasion" (singular) vs. "powers of persuasion" (plural)
Which one would you say is correct and why?
[1] "power of persuasion" (singular)
[2] "powers of persuasion" (plural)
Newspapers and books seem to use both alternatives.
Merriam-...
user463574
0
votes
0
answers
30
views
Preferred abbreviations of 'versus' according to Anglophone country? [duplicate]
I am already aware that for example BE and AE have different opinions on using periods in abbreviations. Today, I am interested in variations among English speaking countries (specifically: UK, USA, ...
- 223
5
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Origin of "the likes of which X has [or have or had] never seen"
One of Donald Trump's favorite rhetorical flourishes was (and perhaps still is) the wording "the likes of which X has [or have] never seen." While president, he used it on a number of ...
- 174k
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Distribution of "yelp" for "yes"
I've recently come across two people online who consistently write "yelp" meaning "yes" or "yep" in chat. Due to anonymity and privacy, I don't know much about them. From ...
- 5,228
17
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Etymological origin and earliest recorded occurrence of 'saunter' in English
Someone just sent me a quotation from the explorer/naturalist John Muir, in which he makes the following etymological claim:
Do you know the origin of that word saunter? It's a beautiful word. Away ...
- 174k
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why do Christians in American deep south say "whenever" when they mean "when"?
As a midwestern American (Iowa), I want to understand the history, reason, and mechanics of why southern Americans say "whenever" when the word "when" would suffice.
For instance:
...
1
vote
1
answer
497
views
Rase: another spelling of raze (literary) [closed]
Is the spelling using s as opposed to z really literary as the Microsoft® Encarta® 2009 purportedly explains?
Raze
1. completely destroy place: to destroy or level a building or settlement ...
- 4,151
0
votes
1
answer
246
views
Alternative in parenthesis before or after?
When a sentence describes there are multiple alternatives, but one specific is the common one, it can specify the common in parenthesis. But there are multiple ways to do it.
For example, should it ...
- 781