Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with english

What's American for 'undercoat'?

holgate — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:56:44 -0800

Can someone give me a primer on translating the British terms for wall / house paint into their American equivalents? I am no stranger to paint. At least, I wasn't until I moved from Britain to the US. Now I go into Lowe's Ace Depot and all the labels read "interior latex" and similar, which presumably makes sense to Americans, but doesn't help when I'm just looking for a tin of undercoat. Could someone with experience of doing paint jobs on both sides of the pond translate undercoat, gloss and emulsion into their American equivalents?

Help me subjugate the subjunctive, or I might get moody.

phrontist — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:33:02 -0800

Yet Another English Grammar Question: Which is correct? Based on my facial expression right now, you would think I [were/was] excited. The former sounds wrong, but reading about subjunctive moods makes me think it's right. Does it matter whether I intend to imply that I was not in fact excited?

Difficulty of writing and speaking English?

ragtimepiano — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:25:53 -0800

Is English much more difficult than most languages to speak and to write? I have a good friend who is a high school English teacher. He is frustrated by the many errors in the papers he grades. Some common errors: "Your" for "You are"; misuse of the apostrophe, such as "apple's for sale"; improper grammar such as "Me and him went to the game".
We are wondering if students in other countries speak and write incorrectly as much as American students do? I speak a little Spanish, and I realize Spanish is an elegant, easily pronounced and spelled language, with a grammatical structure that maybe makes more sense than that of English. But French? And how about the convoluted syntax of German?
Multi-linguists of the hive mind, what do you think?

I'm not sure what jobs I should be applying for.

Lakmir — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:52:43 -0800

What are some decent-paying jobs for someone who has B.A. degrees in English and in Psychology, and a lot of unofficial and very specialized technical knowledge but no "official" (i.e. paid) experience with such? Three and a half years ago, I graduated from a well-respected school with a bachelor's degree in English and another in Psychology. Of those, I've spent roughly two and a quarter working for a nonprofit in residential direct care - putting my psych degree to work for me, so to speak. There are a lot of problems with this: I'm facing major burnout, I work extremely long shifts, I'm slowly growing to hate the people I'm working with (the residents, not my coworkers), the pay is garbage and there's little or no opportunity for promotion. I'm not liking the field at all, and badly desire a career change.

In the meantime, I've also been doing a lot of hobby work on video games. Script writing and editing, localization programming (assembly languages), that sort of thing. I've gained a lot of really deep knowledge about old dead computers, some rudimentary management skills, and some really wonderful English narrative editing skills. There's also a smattering of MySQL knowledge that goes with the territory, a little bit of procedural C++, some technical writing (documentation and readmes), image editing, that sort of thing. I've been including this on my resume but it's not really "work" experience because I'm not getting any money for it, at least not in the eyes of most HR divisions.

Now I know the job market is impossible, but I have two degrees, a magna cum laude GPA, and am doing brain-breaking, psyche-draining work with an increasingly difficult population. I feel like I should be making more than $24K/year, you know? I need a change of job, but I don't know what sort of jobs I should be applying for.

So, my core question is: What sort of jobs I should be applying for? Administrative assistant? Researcher/analyst? Should I go for IT or web design, and if so, how much of a portfolio will I need to put together? I'm feeling increasingly lost and badly need to be pointed in the right direction!

As a corollary, how should I treat my technical stuff? It's vast and expansive, not to mention that it's the product of more than a decade's worth of blood, sweat, and tears, so I don't want to just make light of it with a few minor adjustments to a "Skills" list in a resume. But on the other hand, I applied at a temp agency not to long ago; they took one look at the stuff I've done as a hobby, pegged me for middle or upper management, and told me that I was overqualified for anything they had.

Here's some extra information in anticipation of responses from reading other questions. My chief loves in life are literature (both reading and writing), games of all kinds, music (both performing and listening), and problem solving. Further, I hate my job, but not only because I'm not making any money at it; the guys have all these little quirks that make everyone else mad, which they often knowingly abuse. So it's not necessarily about the money, but it wouldn't hurt to actually be able to start putting a little away...

Further, physical location is not an issue. I don't have much (if anything) put away but I can probably scrape together some change, and I have friends willing to lend me a bit of scratch to help finance a move.

I know this is a very open-ended question, but I'm frustrated and desperate. Please help!

serious business!

streetdreams — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:20:04 -0800

Is there a word for a person who has been subpoenaed? If two people are subpoenaed, they are called co-...? They're not co-defendants. Is there an equivalent?

What's a good idea for a thesis paper combining English and Physics?

Archibald Edmund Binns — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:25:49 -0800

I go to a small Liberal Arts school in Pennsylvania, and part of the graduation requirements involve writing a substantial Senior Composition, basically a baby thesis (Original research requirements, rigorous, etc.) I'm double-majoring in Physics and English, and I'd love to be able to combine both of these subjects into one comprehensive paper, especially because if i can't, I have to write two separate ones. I've tossed a few ideas around (Analysis of Quantum Mechanics in Orson Scott Card's Xenocide/Children of the Mind; A series of several parables designed to illustrate some facet of quantum mechanics to the average person, etc.), but all of them are mostly English-based and only superficially deal with Physics. (The Physics professors tend to be the harder ones to convince, most English professors are happy to do something different). Any ideas?

"The human body can be drained of blood in 8.6 seconds given adequate vacuuming systems."

d. z. wang — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:17:28 -0800

Does "creepy" have specific meaning? I'm trying to understand what it means to be "creepy". Are there specific behaviors or traits universally recognized as creepy? Does it vary from person to person? Or is it just a catch-all term for unsociable behavior?

Is it possible for girls to be creepy? Is creepy behavior different for girls than for guys? Is it necessarily tied to interactions between genders?

And, is "creepy" different from "creepifying"?

Not looking for stories about creepy people you've met, unless you really have no other way to explain some aspect of creepiness. Hearing these stories is what got me writing this question in the first place.

English Help Please?

kylej — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:25:53 -0800

Help me fix some problems with my English essay (scribd link) please! The prompt was:

"Relay a specific incient or story about a time when you feel that you were true to yourself despite contrary influences"

Stuff I need help with:

1. Right now my essay is basically all story with little or no self reflection, is there anyway for me to add self reflection into the essay without messing up the narrative? Or do I need to change the style of my writing?

2. I had to make up some of the dialogue as this happened a few months ago. Does any of it seem fake/contrived?

3. I'm supposed to be economical in my use of language, do any parts seem overly verbose or unnecessary to main point of the essay?

Any general feedback about grammar etc is appreciated also!

If any has an questions about the assignment or my essay I'll be happy to answer.

On a side note, does anyone know another place on the internet where I can share an essay and get good feedback?

Thanks everyone!

What's a better adjective for someone who is not wearing a suit coat?

niles — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:54:16 -0800

Adjective-Filter! What's a good adjective to describe someone who is not wearing a suit coat? I'm writing a paper on group dynamics, and the president of my observed group is one of the few members to not wear a suit coat. I'm drawing parallels to President Obama's similar appearance, but the best adjective I can use to do so is the rather boring unencumbered. The reverse dictionaries I've tried are no help, and seem to think that I'm looking for synonyms for evening wear.

Is there anything better out there that means "jacket-less"?

Where can I publish old literary crit essays that are burning a hole in my pocket?

duncecap — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:59:13 -0800

Where can I publish some old literary crit essays that are burning a hole in my pocket? I was an English minor in college and have no advanced degree to back up my stuff, but a professor who I respected highly remarked at the time that I ought to hang on to the work b/c they were graduate level pieces. I guess he presumed I might go for an MA, but I never made it that far and now feel like the essays have just been wasting away in storage.

Is it possible to get these published somewhere? Moreover, how stupid is it of me to think that I can write new critical essays on other works, on my own, with only a Bachelor's? Please bear with my ignorance. I love critical essay writing and could do it all day long for fun; it would be nice to find a market for such an activity but know almost nothing about the world of academic journals.

To answer, you would have had to have been able to have answered this question...

Badasscommy — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:43:35 -0800

GrammarFilter: A friend and I have been discussing this construction: "would have had to go" vs. "would have had to have gone." It seems they are both correct and are almost always interchangeable, so it would seem the former, simpler version is preferable. Thoughts, explanations, examples otherwise? Are they both correct? The one case we could think of where the latter form is necessary is something like this: (murder investigation example ;) ) "Were it not for the contrary evidence, he would have had to have done it." In this case, "he would have had to do it" wouldn't make sense.

In a more general case, they seem interchangeable: "If the restaurant closed at nine, we would have had to go already;" "If the restaurant closed at nine, we would have had to have gone already." Are these both correct? They seem so to me, but they do feel different. Only I can't put my finger on it exactly. Is it just the difference between passive and active voice, like "we go" or "we are going?"

Resources on herbivore men?

parmanparman — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:07:39 -0800

What are the best online or print resources in English language about lifestyle and individuality of soshoku-danshi (grass-eating/herbivore men)? Not looking for news articles, thanks!

Tell me about this sentence construction

peep — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:23:06 -0800

Tell me everything you know about this sentence construction: "Are you finished your lunch?" In the past few months, I've heard the following three sentences while watching cartoons with my son.

1. "Are you finished your lunch?"
2. "I'm all finished my book."
3. "I'm finished the decorations."

At first I thought the sentence must have been misdubbed or something - like it was written "Have you finished . . ." and there was an error in recording the voice and they just left it. But three times (and on different shows)?

I'm in the US. Is this a regional thing, or common in English speaking countries other than the US? I'm 33, and I had never before heard this construction, nor seen it in print or noticed it in anything I've read on the web.

Have you heard this? Do you use it? Where are you from and what languages do you speak? Any details appreciated.

English Language Un-Filtered.

grapefruitmoon — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:32:26 -0800

What does English sound like if you don't speak it? I'm really fascinated by languages and I love just hearing how unique each language sounds. It's an odd quirk, but I do love just listening to languages even if I have no idea what's going on.

Only, I can't do that with English, because even when I try to just *hear* it, my brain automatically starts filling in the words. What are the distinct sounds of English, as opposed to other Germanic languages? Is there some kind of, oh, Swedish Chef type thing where I can hear what English sounds like to a foreign ear?

Butcher knife" or "Butcher's knife?

AAAAAThatsFiveAs — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:09:37 -0800

[EnglishFilter]: "Butcher knife" or "Butcher's knife?" I'm looking over a poetry manuscript and came across the lines:

“Pierre, get up here with your butcher’s knife.
We’re having frog’s legs for hors d’oeuvres tonight!”

Is there any convention regarding butcher/butcher's?

A quick Google yields 81,500 results for the possessive and 340,000 for the non-possessive. FWIW, the Wikipedia entry on the object is the non-possessive.

Thanks, Hive!

Books on 17th c. Anglo-Dutch maritime wars?

judith — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:40:59 -0800

Looking for good books/resources about the 17th century Anglo-Dutch maritime wars. For a project I'm doing, I'd like to get more historical detail about what the Dutch call the English Wars and what the English call the Dutch wars. While I am interested in the specific facts, I'm more interested in getting a sense of time and place, both for those who were at sea and for those at home in the two countries. Do you know any fascinating books (non-fiction or historical fiction) that reference these events?

Some say I have a way with words.

the NATURAL — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:16:31 -0800

You are a paid writer/screenwriter/columnist/blogger. What can you tell me about how to best break into this profession? Now, obviously, talent matters, and whether or not I have any of that good stuff remains to be seen. But are there tips/secrets that you could offer to an aspiring writer as they look to break in to this realm?

For what it's worth, I'm 9 months removed from my B.A., and looking at going back next fall for my M.A. (probably in English, either Lit or Creative Writing) and looking to start freelancing for a local lifestyle magazine. I keep a blog, mostly for my own amusement (clipping entertaining passages from my reading).

Where can I find movies or tv shows that are spoken in Spanish with English subtitles?

inatizzy — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:36:25 -0800

Where can I find some movies or tv shows that are spoken in Spanish with English subtitles? I'm going to be in Buenos Aires, Argentina for awhile and to help improve my Spanish skills I'd like to watch some movies or television shows in Spanish, with English subtitles. But I'm having a hard time locating any; the TV stations here tend to have the opposite: English-language programs with Spanish subtitles. (Which, while helping my reading skills, isn't helping my listening comprehension very much.)

Any idea where I might be able to find what I'm looking for? (In-person or on-line is fine, I have a pretty good internet connection here.)

Thanks!!

Why is "win" often implicitly considered a conditional verb?

wackybrit — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 06:46:01 -0800

Grammarians: Is it OK to take liberties with the word "win" when publicizing a contest or draw? I see a lot of competitions that use phrases like these to get people's attention:

- Leave a comment on our blog and win an Amazon gift voucher.
- Design a logo and win $500
- Tell your friends about [store name] and win $100 in store credit

This "and win" wording bugs me because the "win" is speculative or conditional, but no words are stating this (for example, "Design a logo to be in with a chance to win $500" or "Leave a comment on our blog, you could win an Amazon gift voucher" make the speculation pretty clear). If you changed "and win" to "and get" in the above examples, people would be rightly peeved if they didn't get X for doing Y - so why is "win" implicitly considered conditional where "get" would not be?

I understand why in something like "Win $100" it's conditional because "win" is imperative, but when you say "do X and win Y," there's a "do X" and then "win Y" cause and effect (in my mind).

My interest in this is two fold. First, I'd like to run some contests and use this sort of snappy wording, but I'm worried about the ethics of it. Is this sort of wording ethical/legal? Second, I love the English language and am intrigued if this sort of implied conditionality is actually popular with other verbs (or has a name) and I'm just being obtuse! :-)

Reading a dialogue in a british accent.

Memo — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:02:04 -0800

I need someone to record this dialogue in a british accent. Where/How? I have an oral test this wednesday and practicing for it would be much easier if I had the chance to listen a native reading it.

I don't know a lot of people with that kind of accent and I don't want to bother them with this kind of thing so, I'm wondering, what alternatives do I have? Thanks.

It has to be RP/british because that's the english our course uses and evaluates. It doesn't need to be RP but it has to be clear/standard enough to pass as stereotypical british.

Long sleeve? Long-sleeved? Halp!

radioamy — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:35:20 -0800

Please hope me with this seemingly-basic English grammar/spelling question! Which is correct: "long-sleeve t-shirt" or "long-sleeved t-shirt"? Is there supposed to be a hyphen between "long" and "sleeve(d)? This keeps coming up at work and I can't find any online grammar resource that covers it. I was writing "long-sleeved" but several people corrected me*.

*I still think I'm right, but I need some concrete evidence. And if I'm wrong I'd certainly like to start writing it correctly!

Consulate personnel and dependents registry?

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:28:57 -0800

I am looking for any publicly-available staff-and-dependents records for the British Consulate in Los Angeles, specifically for the period 1965 to 1966. I have some info. In spring 1966 Prince Philip also visited both the country and Los Angeles in particular, so there is plentiful news coverage of associated social events in the Los Angeles area available though various news organizations' online archives. While interesting, this data is ancillary and really only useful to confirm info that would be in the putative data source I seek.

I'm most interested in learning if there is a place that I can find staff lists, something like a registry of Consulate personnel and dependents that would have been provided to the State Department or other US agencies. It would of course be most preferential if this theoretical registry were easily available online.

If only a professional, net-savvy librarian were to read this and make some suggestions! Thanks in advance!

Is there an adverbial form of the word 'smellable'?

voronoi — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:41:10 -0800

Is there a good adverbial form of the word 'smellable'? I'm looking for a word that functions with respect to the olfactory sense in the same way as 'visibly' does with respect to the visual sense.

In other words, I want to be able to say 'he was smellably drunk' in the same way as 'he was visibly drunk'.

If this doesn't exist in English I would be really curious to know of versions of this in other languages. Actually I'm interested in this whether or not this exists in English.

One fell swoop (rather than lots of shallow ones)

saysthis — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:56:43 -0800

I'm dealing with English/Chinese bilingual documents in OpenOffice, 100+ page ones, and I need to get all the Chinese characters out and into another document. I'm either looking at 2-3 hours of deleting, cutting, and pasting, or maybe there's a shortcut? I've got one Writer, one Calc.

The Writer, I just need to gut it all out so I have a clean English document without goofy GBK mucking up the formatting.

The Calc, I need to move all the Chinese out to a Writer document, strip out the cells, and get a clean Chinese-only document for a word-count.

H4LP! I don't want to be doing this all night!

My OOo, as far as I know, is up to date.

Chinese translation help

killdevil — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:08:18 -0800

硬背. Please translate this into English for me. According to Google's machine translation, 硬背 means "blindly memorizing." Is this correct? If not, is there a better way to express this precise idea in Mandarin?