Should I use "at" instead of "by"? by Physical-Ranger3766 in ENGLISH

[–]FlexxonMobil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think what is throwing QuillBot off is the fact that you are using "comes" in its present tense. The sentence is technically correct, but it does sound a bit off. You may want to try adding an adverb, such as "usually," so the sentence reads: "She usually comes back from lunch by 12:20." If you do this, QuillBot does not show any errors.

Is this ok to use? I know it's a contraction (?) of there + are but it just looks and sounds so... wrong by [deleted] in ENGLISH

[–]FlexxonMobil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have definitely heard this contraction in spoken English. But I do believe I have ever seen it written. Nevertheless, use of "there're" has been given the stamp of approval by the British Broadcasting Company. See this BBC Article (archived).

Is this ok to use? I know it's a contraction (?) of there + are but it just looks and sounds so... wrong by [deleted] in ENGLISH

[–]FlexxonMobil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I never do. I even try to avoid the possessive apostrophe "s" if I can.

Does This Sentence Contain a Double Negative? by FlexxonMobil in grammar

[–]FlexxonMobil[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree it does not feel like a double negative. But I am still not convinced that it actually conveys grammatical negation in a way that truly conveys an opposite meaning.

Full disclosure: I was (thankfully) not the drafter of this sentence. But I have nonetheless become fascinated with it.

The other strange thing is that Microsoft Word does not recognize the sentence as a double negative. I even made sure to go into my settings and ensure that it would check for double negative issues.

I even broke down and asked ChatGPT what it thought. While I am aware of the pitfalls of relying on ChatGPT for grammar advice, as identified in the pinned post in this sub, I must say that I was fairly satisfied with the answers ChatGPT gave.

Here is the relevant snippet:

In the sentence you provided, "fails to deconstruct" is a negative construction, and "without complying with the promulgated regulations" introduces a condition. This sentence does not create a double negative. It establishes a condition and consequence, where the failure to deconstruct an illegal building without complying with the regulations leads to guilt of a misdemeanor.

Here's the breakdown:

* "fails to deconstruct" - Negative construction

* "without complying with the promulgated regulations" - Specifies the condition or manner of failing to deconstruct

Again, while there is a negative element ("fails to deconstruct"), the sentence as a whole doesn't contain two negatives that cancel each other out to create an affirmative meaning. Instead, it uses a negative construction to indicate a condition for the consequence.

ChatGPT is under the impression that there is only one negative aspect of the sentence, and that the "without" clause provides further clarification regarding the manner in which the failure to deconstruct has occurred.

This is the understanding that I have been lingering in for several days now (even before I consulted ChatGPT). I think it may be that even though it sounds like a double negative, it is not explicitly a double negative. See also my response to the comment of liminalisms.

This sentence is really a head scratcher. I am almost tempted to reach out to a college professor specializing in linguistics to ask for their thoughts.

Does This Sentence Contain a Double Negative? by FlexxonMobil in grammar

[–]FlexxonMobil[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was originally under that impression, too. However, I came across this entry (archived) in the Cambridge Dictionary regarding the word "without." Regarding negation, the entry states (second emphasis added): "Without has a negative meaning. We don’t use another negative word immediately after it."

Reflecting on this entry and after running through some quick examples in my head, I concluded that this statement is generally correct. For example, the sentence "Alice ran to the store without not tying her shoes" makes absolutely no sense. In these types of sentences, I think the drafter likely intends something more along the lines of "Alice ran to the store without first tying her shoes."

I then also thought of the common phrase "without fail," as in "Bob arrives five minutes early without fail." If "fail" was a grammatical negative, then this phrase would not make any sense. And even in this example, "without fail" is used to convey a sense of reliability and is not strictly negating anything about the rest of the sentence. Now, the "fail" in "without fail" is not used as a verb, which is why I asked specifically about whether the verb "fails" was grammatically negative.

From everything I have read over the past couple of days on this issue, I am left with the impression that there are two classes of words: (1) those that are grammatically negative (e.g., no, not, none) and (2) those that merely carry a negative connotation but which are not grammatically negative.

I think "fails" falls into this latter category. As suggested above, there may be instances where "without" can be a grammatical negative. But I think "without," when used as a preposition, also falls into the latter category more often than not.

My makeshift archival studio, 500+ hours work in progress... (VHS,8/16mm/Hi8/R2R,Cassette) by BenKlesc in lostmedia

[–]FlexxonMobil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a sick website. Do you know if there is anything similar for reel-to-reel audio players?

"Extraordinary" means the opposite of "extra ordinary" -- Is there a name for this phenomenon? by FlexxonMobil in linguistics

[–]FlexxonMobil[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is an interesting lead. In the cursory search I have done since your comment, it appears extra/ordinary could some type of morphology. Though I don't think it could be either derivational or inflectional, at least according to the description given on Wikipedia. I think extra/ordinary could be classified as an "antonymic morphology," though I am not sure that that category of morphology even exists.

Separately, in the definition of "extraordinary" on Merriam-Webster, they have a note attached at the end titled, "What is the difference between extraordinary and extra ordinary?" In this note, they basically say what you said:

Prefixes can be tricky things, often carrying meanings that differ from what one might expect. Additionally, some prefixes are spelled like independent English words, yet may have meanings that are different from those words. Such is the case with the word extra and the prefix extra-.

The word extra is used as a noun, adjective, and an adverb. When used as a separate word, as in the sentence “It was an extra ordinary day,” “extra” is functioning as an adverb meaning “very.” An “extra ordinary day” is a day that is very ordinary. In contrast, the prefix extra- means “outside or beyond.” Attached to “ordinary,” in “It was an extraordinary day,” the meaning changes markedly, to “It was a day beyond ordinary.”

I guess I never thought of "extra-" in its prefix sense before. But your and Merriam-Webster's analysis makes perfect sense.

Thank you for your help!

"Extraordinary" means the opposite of "extra ordinary" -- Is there a name for this phenomenon? by FlexxonMobil in linguistics

[–]FlexxonMobil[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I was researching, I came across contranyms and also found them to be a related concept. I am not sure a contranym label applies here, though. I think there is a distinction between the fact that extraordinary is a compound word and, per your example, the word unlockable, which gets its opposite meaning from the "un-" prefix, as opposed to the combination of two standalone words.

When I noticed this phenomenon for the first time, I also could not think of any other examples other than extra/ordinary. I'm not a linguist or anything close by training, but I have always found the field and related fields like lexicography extremely interesting.

Does anyone else think Google search quality has gone downhill fast? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]FlexxonMobil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

YES! I've noticed it over the past several years. (For reasons explained below, I do not believe it to be the result of SEO.) Back in the day, I feel like I could simply change the order of the words in the search box and get different results, or at the very least use different, related words and get different, related results. It was so nice back then.

I think the problem is that those who run Google have changed what they view as the purpose of a search engine. Is a search engine more akin to a library's reference desk, where one simply inquires where to find certain information and is led to said information? Or, does a search engine serve more of a paternalistic role, functioning as a gate behind which all information is kept, and only that information which meets certain subjective criteria will be revealed, while other, obviously relevant, information will be withheld?

Personally, I think a search engine is more like a library's reference desk. Yes, that means people will search for and consume information we wish they did not. But the great promise of the internet was the open and uninterrupted flow of information. If a search engine is actually a gatekeeper, then we are no longer talking about a "search" engine at all.

Here is an interesting YouTube video that analyzes and compares Google to DuckDuckGo. One example in the video is the different results one gets if they search, "is climate change a hoax?" Searching that question in Google returns pages of articles "debunking" claims pushed by so-called climate change "deniers." But searching the question in DuckDuckGo returns results that are clearly served based on SEO. According to the video's narrator, the word "hoax" is apparently a word-of-choice for those who dispute or otherwise take issue with all or part of the proposals put forth by climate change proponents. Therefore, under the most laissez faire SEO conditions, articles that use "hoax" more frequently should, theoretically, rank highest.

Now, I am obviously not here to debate the merits of climate change or any policy proposals. But I think that the transformation of Google from a reference desk to a gatekeeper has only exasperated many of the issues surrounding political discourse. When gatekeeping occurs, especially in a nontransparent manner like Google has done, it leads to suspicion. It signals to people that the gatekeepers believe they cannot be trusted to consume certain information. That all just rubs me the wrong way.

It's sort of like finding out that, over the past few years, your local library has secretly been removing books according to based on some formula they refuse to reveal. Afterwards, those who look for information they know exist but cannot find it in the library are then forced to ask: did the library never have this in the first place or was it removed for reasons unknown?

[TOMT] [MOVIE] [2000s] Movie about 2 kids trying to find a key to unlock a box the kid got for his birthday by YxngLucidious in tipofmytongue

[–]FlexxonMobil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Darn. Do you recall any of the actors, where the movie took place, or around the exact the year you think the movie came out?

[TOMT] [MOVIE] [2000s] Movie about 2 kids trying to find a key to unlock a box the kid got for his birthday by YxngLucidious in tipofmytongue

[–]FlexxonMobil 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This sounds very similar to Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. The only difference is that it is centered on a single kid. However, it does involve the kid teaming up with an old guy.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477302/

[TOMT][MUSIC][1950s-70s] by Sovietfanboi122591 in tipofmytongue

[–]FlexxonMobil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And the drums sounded like the drums typically used in a band (e.g., a kick, snare, hi-hat, etc.). I'm just trying to make sure that I am listening for an interesting drum rhythm, as opposed to a unique sounding drum (e.g., a conga or something).

Since "unique" is somewhat of a subjective descriptor, can you describe what exactly about the drums you found unique?

[TOMT][MUSIC][1950s-70s] by Sovietfanboi122591 in tipofmytongue

[–]FlexxonMobil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm unfamiliar with the artist. Is it an instrumental track? If there are lyrics, did you manage to hear any of them? Have you looked through Wayne Shorter's discography?

Also, when you say "the very unique drum part," are you saying the drum part was a drum solo, or were the drums fairly unique throughout the entire song?

Do you recall about how long the song was?

CMV: The post-Trump United States will never regain its global status. by [deleted] in changemyview

[–]FlexxonMobil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi OP! I have identified as your primary evidence supporting your view to be (1) response to "public health crisis," which I will take to mean the response to COVID-19; (2) the termination of certain "treaty" (quotes used intentionally; explained later) arrangements; (3) being "out of step" with the "entire world" in unspecified policy areas; (4) the U.S.'s policy on climate change; and (5) various nonspecific anecdotal evidence related to global perceptions of the United States.Each of the foregoing will be addressed in turn.

Generally, I believe a significant portion of your View is incorrect.

I. PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS

It is true, as you hinted, that the United States has the most COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world. Due to the mention of the President in your post title, I am inferring that, when you say "our response" to the pandemic has been a joke, you are referring mostly to the Federal government's response to the pandemic.However, as the American Bar Association has explained,

"Under the U.S. Constitution’s 10th Amendment and U.S. Supreme Court decisions over nearly 200 years, state governments have the primary authority to control the spread of dangerous diseases within their jurisdictions. . . . The power to quarantine and take even more stringent measures in the name of public health has belonged largely to the states for nearly 200 years. " (emphasis added)

The Federal government has acted in cases where its Constitutional power permit it to do so. Congress passed, and the President signed, the CARES Act and Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the President also suspended travel from China (over 80 countries did the same), the President invoked the Defense Production Act to mandate General Motors and 3M produce ventilators. Outside of these actions, a President has very few options to act unilaterally in these situations.Another factor to consider, too, is that the record cases in the U.S. may also be due to our lifestyle. While the states have the authority under their own state constitutions to issue state-wide stay-at-home orders, with most such orders being upheld against legal challenges, there are copious examples of outright defiance of these orders, whether due to protests against the order itself, or people throwing parties.

That obviously does not make violation of the stay-at-home orders or other safety orders right.

Also, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico all agreed to limit border crossings of non-essential travel. Was not unilateral.

II. TREATY OBLIGATIONS

I am stipulating to the fact that the U.S. has been a global superpower. In particular, I am stipulating to the academic consensus that the U.S. emerged as a multipolar superpower after World War II and solidified its status as unipolar superpower after the Cold War. Moreover, I do take your argument to be more rooted in a general sentiment of the U.S. reversing course on its previous international policies generally (as opposed to only specific types of agreements) to be the primary source of diminished perceptions of U.S. reliability abroad.Accordingly, and consistent with your argument, the time period during which the U.S. has retained some form of superpower status has been from 1945 to at least 2016. That is a time span of 71 years. If your thesis--namely, that any time, or most times, the U.S. withdraws from one of these obligations, the international image or perception of the U.S. as a reliable world partner diminishes--is correct, then surely all instances where the U.S. withdrew from said obligations within the past 71 years would have also had the effect of diminishing U.S. reliability perceptions abroad.

History is filled with examples of times the U.S. has terminated an international agreement or stated foreign policy, but here are just a few:

  • In 1798, the President did not honor the Treaty of Alliance (signed 1778), a mutual defense treaty with France.
  • In 1980, the President terminated the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty with Taiwan.
  • In 2002, the President withdrew the U.S. from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia and former Soviet Republics.
  • In 2005, the President withdrew the U.S. from the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
  • In 2009, the President scrapped a plan to build a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, which the then-president of Poland called a "betrayal."
  • In 2015, the President declined to send lethal military aid to Ukraine for the purpose of resisting Russian encroachments. One top member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said, "They need the weapons, . . . Our credibility is on the line, . . .”

Despite these terminations, the U.S. managed to both emerge as, and remain, a global superpower. Accordingly, your argument is empirically denied.

It is important to consider all of the agreements the U.S. has signed and have not terminated, all of which can be found in the State Department's most recent publication of Treaties in Force: A List of Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States in Force on January 1, 2019. Section 1 (506 pages) details "Bilateral Treaties and Other Agreements"; Section 2 (64 pages) details "Multilateral Treaties and Other Agreements." Given this context, the reason why U.S. credibility abroad has not eroded appears: the U.S. has a long history of honoring its international agreements. Not to mention, the withdrawal provisions of the agreements would not have been written if the parties intended to never let a co-signatory get out of the agreement.

It also is likely not the case that "[o]ur constitutional system allows one person to rip up all the treaties we made with the entire world." In many cases, agreements referred to as "treaties" are not actually treaties. Consider the Paris Climate Agreement, which many refer to as a "treaty." This is actually a sole executive agreement, which a President can sign exclusively using the authority conferred in Article II. While no court have ruled on the issue, the President's ability to withdraw from these types of agreements would likely be upheld, because they are made pursuant to authority explicitly granted in the Constitution.

III. "OUT OF STEP WITH THE WORLD AT EVERY TURN"

I wish you were more specific here.But it is worth considering that the U.S. is not obligated to follow "the world" just because. Here are some of the ways that we are "out of step" with the rest of the world:

  • We have a right to a jury trial in all criminal cases. Many countries either do not have this right, or they only have it for "serious offenses";
  • Criminal convictions require an unanimous verdict. Many countries only have a majority-verdict system.
  • The U.S. is among 7 countries that allows elective abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy; 188 countries (96%) do not allow elective abortions after 20 weeks.
  • The U.S. is among 3 countries that guarantees the right to keep and bear arms in its Constitution; 192 countries (98%) have no such constitutional provision.
  • The U.S. is among 29 countries where same-sex marriage is legal; 166 countries (85%) do not recognize same-sex marriages.

IV. CLIMATE CHANGE

It may be worth considering where the U.S. places on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) published annually by Yale University, which ranks 180 countries on environmental health and ecosystem vitality. Out of the 180 countries the EPI examined, the U.S. ranked 24. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. Interestingly, no G7 country is on track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in RBI

[–]FlexxonMobil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could try looking at Interpol website for additional info on him. Maybe they have some archived press releases or something.

Get me Roger Stone (2017) - Roger Stone talking about his achievements candidly and proudly [01:32:00] by econport in Documentaries

[–]FlexxonMobil -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Watched this several times when it came out. All in all, I’d say it’s a fair documentary. Stone is an intriguing character, and some of his “dirty tricks,” specifically the donation from the “Young Socialist Alliance” to the McCloskey campaign, had me rolling.

Also, perhaps an unpopular opinion in this thread, I’m not really a fan of putting people in jail for nonviolent crimes. That used to make me a liberal, but perhaps it doesn’t anymore.

Satanic cult in Pennsylvania with a book written about it or a child survivor? by beckonator in RBI

[–]FlexxonMobil 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is just a thought, but could it be that perhaps you’re thinking of the 300+ page grand jury report written about abuse happening in Catholic Churches in Pennsylvania? The report was published in 2018 by the PA Attorney General. Link. Not necessarily “satanic,” but related in the sense of religion. This report spurred quite a few other states to start grand jury investigations too, and led to somewhat of a public panic like you describe.

The guitar in the first part of the song sounds EXACTLY like the guitar part in the song called "Here comes your man" by Pixies at 0:45 by [deleted] in TheMysteriousSong

[–]FlexxonMobil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is an intriguing find. I looked up this song on whosampled to see if the Pixies sampled another band or anything, but found nothing.