Medical scientists place "the" before the term sympathetic nervous system even when they are describing natural phenomena or talking about it in general. Conversely, they don't add "the" before terms like cardiac output. (I am aware that scientists do use the phrase the cardiac output when referring to a particular/specific person's cardiac output.) Similarly, physicists usually place "the" before terms such as weak nuclear force and electroweak force; however, they don't usually place the definite article before terms like resistance and voltage unless they are referring to some specific resitance or voltage. What's the reason for these usages?

Hi everyone!

I'm a master's student in applied linguistics, currently working on a syntax project about regional variation in English.

I'm particularly interested in the construction “The car needs washed”, which occurs in certain varieties of English.

I'd love to hear your intuitions about the following sentences:

a. The car needs washed carefully.

b. The car needs carefully washed.

c. The car needs to be carefully washed.

A few questions:

1. Which sentences sound natural in your own dialect of English? (a, b, c — you can choose more than one.)
2. If you accept A but not B, or vice versa, could you explain why?
3. Where are you from, and which variety of English do you speak?

Please judge the sentences based on what sounds natural to you, rather than what you were taught in school.

There are no right or wrong answers. I'm particularly interested in regional differences and would really appreciate your thoughts!

Thanks so much for helping with my research!

If be used in other ways too?

The light shone through her body.

The light shined through her body.

They’re supposed to underline the adjectives in a group of sentences. I’m hung up on sentence one: “My current favorite book is about baby animals.” “Favorite” and “baby” are obvious but is “current” an adverb here? Is “my” an adjective or something else? If “current” is an adjective, how do I explain the difference between “current” in “current favorite book” and “most” in “some of the most intelligent animals” in sentence three?

He thought, "What if I really can't do it?"

I work at a vet and often send a text to let them know their parasite control is ready for collection. I often run into a problem when it’s 2 pets so which is correct?

“Bella and Stan’s flea and worming is ready for collection”

Or

“Bella and Stan’s flea and worming are ready for collection”

Would really appreciate the help!

Which is better?

1. The problem occurs mid-fiscal-year.

2. The problem occurs mid-fiscal year.

I found an example on a grammar website "mid-19th-century" which points to the first option being correct, but I'm not finding a general rule.

Hello all! Just looking for some help for a question regarding usage of the noun 'court,' meaning a royal court.

In normal usage of the noun alone, there is no definite article when using it to express direction or place ('she was received at court,' and not 'at the court,' for instance, or 'I will make landfall Tuesday, and go straight to court'). What happens however if the noun has a classifying adjective?

I am watching a show whose action plays out between France and Scotland in the sixteenth century (it's Reign, a ridiculously fun completely ahistorical romp from the 2010s).

Because two locations are involved, there is a need to classify which court the characters are speaking about. They do so without adding the definite adjective, so they will say 'There is a scandal at French court' and 'I am going to Scottish court.' Is this correct? This is applied broadly across the spectrum, as in 'are there news of French court?' or 'meanwhile, at French court.'

It sounds wrong to me, but maybe I'm wrong. While the show is not the best written thing in the world, it aims overall for formal English, and the grammar is good - so this stuck out to me! But maybe I just haven't met this usage before.

Many thanks for all your help!

In short I am in a liminal period with this guy I am/was romantically involved with. He sends me this. I am not 100% sure if whether they are wanting to close the chapter or…Thoughts?

I had not ruled you out for the long run. I also had not decided to put you on those tracks yet. I was in the process of getting to know you and I had been enjoying our time together.

I sometimes confused about

This is something that I think about a lot, and I just wanted to know: why do people put 's for plural nouns? For example, I was reading something the other day that said this:

-> If you have any further Q's (meaning questions) please ask/answer the Q's

-> she bought some carrot's for dinner

What confused me were the discrepancies throughout because in another paragraph it would be phrased like this (without the apostrophe):

-> keep the Qs in mind

EDIT: I have now understood it is for clarity, so thank you! Would it be correct to use 's plurals in formal essays, articles, etc, or would it be correct to use - for example - PhDs?

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In a similar vein, when quoting evidence, is it better to use " " or ' ' as quotation marks (for example in essays and news articles, etc)? I've always used ' ' as I only use " " for speech marks, but if anyone has a reason, let me know!

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\By the way, in case someone has asked this before, I'm very sorry; I didn't know**
Thanks in advance!

why do we say “in a movie” for movies and “on a show” for shows like they are basically the same thing but you use two different words that really mean the same thing

I often see these used interchangeably

Why Are Tarantino’s Movies Great?

You absolutely must watch his movies!

Is Ridley Scott a good director? Everyone will have a different opinion, and everyone will be right. But to say that Tarantino is a bad director is a lie. He’s brilliant, and that’s an undeniable fact.

Plot:

Tarantino’s movies are always fascinating to watch. Whether it’s about gangster showdowns, a mesmerizing and unforgettable story set in a specific place, or a cold-blooded squad known as the Inglourious Basterds

Actors:

Tarantino’s films feature such expressive actors whose performances are flawless and leave you with a flood of emotions. Tarantino knows exactly who to cast in each role.

Dialogue: He keeps your eyes glued to the screen thanks to his amazing dialogue—whether it’s suspenseful moments or gangsters chatting about burgers.

They’re unforgettable and have long since become iconic quotes

Characters:

Tarantino’s characters are works of art. Ambiguous, incredibly interesting, unpredictable, and profound. These characters stay with you for a lifetime because they were created with the boundless love and soul of a master filmmaker

So I'm quoting lyrics for my senior quote but idk if I include the song title or not. Would it be, "Never be so kind, you forget to be clever. Never be so clever, you forget to be kind." -Taylor Swift (Marjorie) or do I just leave it out? I think it's the former but I'm not sure. Thanks in advance xx

if you "met" her in a cafe, you would never know her

if you "meet" her in a cafe, you would never know her

Which i need to use "meet" or "met"

Can anyone elaborate on this question I have. I’m sorry if the wording is confusing.

Hello! I’m currently writing a toast for my sister’s wedding. As part of my introduction, I’ve drafted “I had the great honor of growing up as bride’s little sister, a title that has never failed to precede me.” It feels a bit unnatural to me, but I’m wondering if that’s because I’ve been looking at this for too long 😂

Over time i will find myself finished school life

i know i can say "I will find myself finishing something...

But can i also use past tense with the same structure

Thanks for your answers

I'm really struggling with passive vs active voice. I have a hard time seeing it.

My grammar editor (edit: on my computer)is telling me this is passive voice:

"He was covered in blood from the elbow down."

Here is another example of something that is apparently passive voice:

"Phase shouted back, and though his features were hidden behind his mask, Specter could just imagine the disgusted look on his face."

And one more:

"He was met with more black drool and a yowling snarl that was loud enough to make his eardrums cringe."

I just can't figure out how to make these in active voice. Can someone help? I think if I were to see examples of what they should be written like I'd understand better!

Also, is it really so bad to have a passive voice every once and a while? Is it frowned upon. Should I be adjusting everything so that it's active voice? For reference, I'm writing a fictional story. Out of the 1500 words in this chapter these are the only three instances of passive voice I've found so far.

*Edited

Update
Thanks everyone for your advice! I love all of your various suggestions on how to identify passive vs active and I'm definitely feeling more secure in my understanding now. Sorry I dont have time to respond to everyone!