Author Topic: Dear Expert (Read 165311 times)

dkw · « **Reply #625 on:** February 28, 2013, 06:51:22 PM »

Quote from: BlackBlade on February 28, 2013, 11:50:18 AM

Plan can kinda go either way.

That's why I always use adjectives like "nefarious" with the word "plan". It clears that ambiguity right up.

Jonathon · « **Reply #626 on:** March 02, 2013, 07:15:08 PM »

Quote from: BlackBlade on February 28, 2013, 11:50:18 AM

Plan, plot, ploy. These words all mean similar things, are they all descended from the same word? Plot and ploy seem to mean plans where you are not up front with people that you have them. Plan can kinda go either way.

Plan is from the Latin planus, meaning a flat surface (same root as plane). It came to mean a drawing or diagram, and from thence to the act of creating a diagram.

Plot is from Old English but has an ultimately unknown origin. It originally meant a piece of ground but then came to mean a ground plan or chart, much like plan.

Ploy is from a Scottish or northern English dialect word of unknown origin.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #627 on:** March 03, 2013, 08:06:01 AM »

Does ploy have no relation to "employ" then?

Jonathon · « **Reply #628 on:** March 03, 2013, 11:52:09 AM »

Etymonline.com says it's possibly a shortened form of employ or deploy.

pooka · « **Reply #629 on:** March 03, 2013, 01:05:40 PM »

The iPad always puts a period after quotation marks. It really infuriates me.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #630 on:** March 03, 2013, 02:04:33 PM »

Dear Expert,

1: We are experiencing an unusually large number of logins.

2: We are experiencing an unusual large number of logins.

Which one of those works best. Would either be acceptable?

rivka · « **Reply #631 on:** March 03, 2013, 02:27:31 PM »

"Unusually" modifies the adjective "large", so it must be an adverb. "Unusual" is an adjective, not an adverb.

Jonathon · « **Reply #632 on:** March 03, 2013, 02:53:12 PM »

Rivka's right.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #633 on:** March 03, 2013, 03:15:12 PM »

OK, so the first but not the second.

rivka · « **Reply #634 on:** March 03, 2013, 03:22:27 PM »

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #635 on:** March 03, 2013, 07:09:21 PM »

I believe "hella" would work in place of "unusually," though.

Glad I could help.

pooka · « **Reply #636 on:** March 11, 2013, 10:23:26 PM »

Could it be "unusual, large number of logins." Though for that to be correct, the number would have to be in some way unusual. Like 666.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #637 on:** March 12, 2013, 10:29:14 AM »

Or Avogadro's Number.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #638 on:** March 25, 2013, 02:21:51 PM »

I just read an article that indicates that Americans and Brits spoke identically in the 1700's, but that the British accent has drifted considerably in the last two centuries, while the American accent is closer to the way the English spoke then.

I feel like the author may be overstating their case. I mean, I guess they are right about rhotic and non-rhotic stuff. But how much of our accent is really comprised of that one thing?

Jonathon · « **Reply #639 on:** March 25, 2013, 02:32:40 PM »

It's really just one aspect of English phonology, and phonology is just one aspect of language. In some ways American English is closer to British English of the 1700s; in other ways modern-day British English is closer. It's also important to point out that even in the 1700s, English was not some unitary thing—there were (and still are) all kinds of dialects with quite a bit of variation. Many of those who came to America (for instance, the Scotch-Irish) had accents different from those found among Londoners at the time, so even early on there were probably differences between American and British English. At any rate, I think you're right that they're making too much of one feature, and while it may be true that American English today is closer to 1700s English than British English today is, I think it's difficult to quantify such things.

If you want a good idea of what English sounded like in Shakespeare's day, for example (which is a little earlier than what we're talking about), check out this site.

rivka · « **Reply #640 on:** March 25, 2013, 03:48:23 PM »

Fascinating! How many syllables did "marriage" have? I lost count.

And "ee" (sweet, cheeks) was an "ay".

BlackBlade · « **Reply #641 on:** March 25, 2013, 06:24:05 PM »

That link was fascinating! Thanks!

BlackBlade · « **Reply #642 on:** April 15, 2013, 06:17:19 PM »

"Would you take out the garbage please?"

"Please take out the garbage."

Are both of those correct? I keep getting the impression 'please' often makes statements into questions. Since you are essentially asking, "If you please" when you say 'please.'

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #643 on:** April 16, 2013, 12:58:26 AM »

For the first, I'd put a comma before please. Then again, I've been known to be profligate with my commas. I learned in the First Grade that things like "Please copy these spelling words into your notebooks" and "I would like you to take out your math workbooks" does not make the statements optional. They are just as imperative as "You'd better copy these spelling words into your notebooks, or I'm going to call your parents in for a conference to discuss why you are not doing your schoolwork, young lady." Ma explained that part to me, and I took the lesson to heart.

Jonathon · « **Reply #644 on:** April 16, 2013, 09:25:25 AM »

Why wouldn't they both be correct? One's a question, and one's a command, but they both effectively mean the same thing. Adding "please" doesn't make a command into a question.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #645 on:** April 16, 2013, 03:50:26 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on April 16, 2013, 09:25:25 AM

Why wouldn't they both be correct? One's a question, and one's a command, but they both effectively mean the same thing. Adding "please" doesn't make a command into a question.

So how about, "If it pleases you, I'd like to ask you something."?

Although it's a statement, isn't there an implied question?

Jonathon · « **Reply #646 on:** April 16, 2013, 05:05:25 PM »

It depends on what you mean by "implied", but I'd say no. It's a conditional and a regular declarative statement. I'm not sure what the notion of an implied question has to do with correctness, though.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #647 on:** April 16, 2013, 05:22:05 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on April 16, 2013, 05:05:25 PM

It depends on what you mean by "implied", but I'd say no. It's a conditional and a regular declarative statement. I'm not sure what the notion of an implied question has to do with correctness, though.

I just have this nagging feeling that 'please' used to always making a sentence a question, but it's not used that way anymore. But thanks for your answers. You too Tante.

Jonathon · « **Reply #648 on:** April 16, 2013, 07:05:48 PM »

Quote from: BlackBlade on April 16, 2013, 05:22:05 PM

I just have this nagging feeling that 'please' used to always making a sentence a question, but it's not used that way anymore.

Nope. It just comes from the verb please and was used in constructions like "if it pleases you" or the older "if (it) you please" before being shortened to just "please".

BlackBlade · « **Reply #649 on:** April 16, 2013, 08:33:09 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on April 16, 2013, 07:05:48 PM

Quote from: BlackBlade on April 16, 2013, 05:22:05 PM
I just have this nagging feeling that 'please' used to always making a sentence a question, but it's not used that way anymore.

Nope. It just comes from the verb please and was used in constructions like "if it pleases you" or the older "if (it) you please" before being shortened to just "please".

Right, but the "If you please" part is essentially asking a yes or no question.

"It pleases me not."

"It pleases me."