Prepositions and Noun Phrases

does a noun phrase followed by a prepositional phrase form another noun phrase? Example: The road to hell ‘The road’ and ‘hell’ form two separate noun phrases. Does, ‘The road to hell’ constitute as a noun phrase in its own right? if not why? What about something like, The road of power (i.e: using the … Read more

General term for something real as opposed to digital/virtual?

I’m looking for a term that encompasses physical objects, people, processes. Basically everything from the real world as opposed to the digital. I have considered entity, but I am not sure, whether it fits the bill. Also I would need an attribute to differentiate it from digital things like software. My context is general modelling. … Read more

‘Have licence’ vs. ‘Have /a/ licence’

I wrote in an essay: ‘We now have licence to move beyond [an idea].’ Grammarly flagged this up, saying that I should add an article before ‘licence’. Is this true, or is ‘licence’ interchangeable with ‘permission’ or ‘freedom’ in this context? Answer As usual, Grammerly can not think beyond the literal. Your sentence: ‘We now … Read more

What’s the difference between index and indicator?

My phrase is: “The main (indexes / indicators) of regional development”. Which noun should I use? I have searched for any difference in their meanings on the Internet, but didn’t find anything certain. From my point of view (and I suppose it may be totally wrong), an indicator is something what tells us about the … Read more

The meaning of “scoots” as noun in Irish slang

In the second season, episode 4 of Derry Girls, in the last two minutes, the girls are caught trying to get rid of ‘happy’ scones, flushing them through the toilet, which gets clogged. In the next scene, someone asks Erin kindly: How are your scoots now, Erin, love? Considering the scene before it, I’d assume … Read more

Is the “The Pirate King” another structure of “The King of Pirates”, interchangeably or “Pirate” is like an adj., meaning “The King that is a pirate”?

I have ambiguity with the meaning of some compound nouns, especially in the form noun+noun like: "The Pirate King", "The Lion King", "The Pirate Bay" and so on. EDITED: to put it in context: Consider this famous movie title: "The Lion King", is it literally another structure of "The King of Lions", meaning are they … Read more

Persistently low lab values vs persistent low lab values?

I cannot seem to find the best way to express this, both in terms of grammar and "correct sounding" feel to English/American readers (which I am not). So, this is the scenario: the serum concentration of two peptides, peptide A and peptide B, is measured in a group of patients. The level of these peptides … Read more

Is there a word for somebody who’s fond of hard alcohol as opposed to beer or wine?

I’m currently writing a birthday invitation in which I want to state that I’ll also provide hard alcohol for those who prefer it over beer. Is there a word to describe people with this preference? As it will be in an invitation, I’d prefer a word that comes across as witty and sophisticated without a … Read more

About repeating nouns, adjs, and prepositions

Example 1: Historical economic data, meteorological data, and hydrological data were collected from various sources. Data referred here are all historical data. Should I repeat historical, and are the repeated “data” redundant? Example 2: This result can be explained by A, and by B A and B can be two clauses or nouns. Should I … Read more