Should it be 10 US$ or US$ 10?

Whether it’s typed on commentary online or scrawled onto farmer stand signs, 10 US$ and US$ 10 are both widely used in the English-speaking world. The question is: which one is correct? By looking at the context of how it’s used, this question can be easily answered.

Stating a Price
When using a dollar sign to state a price by its number, the correct usage would be $10 – not 10$. Although we say “ten dollars” in that order, the unit symbol marking the 10 will precede the number. This is different than something like “ten cents”, where the cents symbol follows the number 10. This trend can be seen across several kinds of currencies, including the Euro.

Stating a Currency with a Price
The one exception to the price rule of thumb would be if someone is listing a currency. For example, stating that something costs “ten US dollars” would actually translate as 10 USD – perhaps 10 US$, if the dollar sign is used to replace the word “dollars”. In this case, there would be no exception for cents or smaller units – all statements made in currency are measured by the dollar figure. This is the same across all kinds of currencies. For example, the Japanese Yen, the European Union’s Euro, and the Mexican Peso are all the larger dollar units used to describe currencies and exchange rates.

Is “redact” an acceptable substitute for “delete” or “omit?”

To answer this question, we should look at the definitions of each of these words. Using the Merriam-Webster dictionary, we find the following definitions:

redact: (1) to put in writing; (2) to select or to adapt by obscuring or removing information for publication; and (3) to obscure or remove text from a document prior to publication

delete: (1) to remove something from a document, recording or computer files

omit: (1) to leave out, to not include; (2) to fail to do something

Reading these definitions shows us that the words “redact” and “delete” are similar and as such can be used as synonyms in specific situations. To remove something when redacting does contain the further implication that one is doing so in preparation for publication. Thus, a selective author may redact or delete an entire chapter before releasing his book to his publishing house.

That said, someone can delete something without any intention of publication. You may choose to delete half of the five hundred photos stored on your smart phone and it is certain that you are not doing so because you plan to publish the remaining ones.

What does “thot” mean and when was it first used?

The word “thot” has more than one meaning. Most basically, it is a lazier way of typing “thought” in conversation. By excluding the ‘ugh’, the word is theoretically easier to write and therefore used a lot in text conversations, instant messaging, and even on platforms like Twitter than require condensed messages. This version of “thot” likely came into existence as the social world shifted to a highly phone- and internet-oriented way of communication.

In more recent years, however, “thot” has taken on a new shape. Defined as “that ho over there”, this kind of “thot” is meant to describe a promiscuous but well-dressed woman. The plural, “thotties”, and the adjective, “thot”, make the word very flexible and pun-friendly. It is also easy to rhyme with other words, making it a catchy choice for many rap songs. In fact, rap is where this term originated.

Chicago is often credited for the creation and widespread use of the term “thot”. In Chief Keef’s song, “Love No Thotties”, the word and its versatility is used throughout the lyrics. As this word has gained traction in the music industry, so have other closely related expressions and puns. “Thot pocket”, “thot sauce”, and “penny for your thot” are just a few examples of how the word can be used. #YouKnowYouAThot is a hashtag that has made its rounds on the internet. The brevity of the word, its ability to be rhymed into funny puns, and its slang quality has made it popular on memes too.

How do you respond back to “Hi, How is it going?”

When someone greets you by saying, “Hi, how is it going?” they are asking you how you are doing or feeling. The phrase is a fairly common one in everyday American English. You will hear friends share the greeting, as will those who do not know each other well.

The correct response to this greeting is dependent on how you are feeling or what is going on in your life when someone asks you. To respond to this greeting, one would normally say something like, “It’s going fine” or, “I’m good, thank you.” These are appropriate responses to the question most of the time. However, if you are sick, unhappy, or going through a hard time, you might just as easily respond by saying something like, “Not great, but I’ll live.”

Although the greeting is often meant as a way of checking on someone’s well being, to make sure they are feeling good, have good health, or are doing well in life, it can also be used as an off-hand comment. For example, if you see someone you know but weren’t expecting to see, you might greet them this way as a courtesy, to start a conversation, even if you aren’t really that interested in their response.

Another example of using this phrase as an off-hand comment would be when a relative comes to visit. You might greet them with, “Hi, how’s it going?” when they walk in the door, merely to acknowledge that they have arrived or to show that you care that they are around.

Recur vs. Reoccur

Maybe you’ve heard the word “recur” and used it in a sentence before without thinking. Most likely, you’ve also heard and used the word “reoccur”. But have you ever stopped to look at “recur” and “reoccur” side by side and wondering what is the difference between them?

There are differences between the two words, although they are subtle. Something the is “recurring” – meaning it “recurs” – is something that happens repeatedly. Often, this could be occurring repeatedly at regular intervals. On the other hand, something that is “reoccurring” and therefore “reoccurs” is something that happens again, but it is not necessarily repeated at regular intervals as with “recurring” things. Because of the predictive properties of “recur”, describing an event that is expected to happen again is generally considered “recurring”. Similarly, an event that is not necessarily expected to happen again would be considered “reoccurring”.

Some examples of event that recur versus the ones which reoccur would include an American presidential election. These elections recur every four years, but it is not expected that a recount will reoccur with every election. Similarly, in temperature climates, it is expected that winter will recur annually along with snowfall, colder temperatures, and leaves falling from trees. A record-breaking blizzard, on the other hand, is not an expected reoccurrence. The differences between these words are subtle, but that subtly can be taken advantage of to convey a more meaningful message. Knowing these subtle meaning differences will also provide useful insight while reading other texts.

What is the correct abbreviation for millions, billions and trillions in a financial context?

Large number units contain so many figure places that the numbers can be overwhelming to write and interpret. For this reason, there is a tendency to shorthand numbers with letters. This is not necessarily done in the Roman Numerals sense, where one hundred is represented by a C, fifty by an L, ten by an X, five by a V, and one by a I, and so forth. However, the purpose is somewhat similar. But what is the correct abbreviation for millions, billions, and trillions when used in a financial context?

Millions are most commonly expressed with the leading letter, M. Similarly, billions is represented by the letter B. As can be expected, trillions is therefore shorthanded by the letter T. In this way, numbers can be quickly abbreviated. Rather than writing $1,000,000, one can simply write $1M for one million dollars. $5,000,000,000, or five billion dollars, is therefore $5B. Finally, $10,000,000,000, or ten trillion dollars, is $10T. This kind of abbreviation is particularly useful for more complicated numbers that contain decimals. For example, $1,700,000 can be represented as $1.7M. $2,350,000,000 is also written as $2.35B.

These abbreviations are also useful when writing articles in the paper. For example, articles discussing investments or stock market values often use shorthanded numbers to express large values. It would be unrealistic to use large numbers in headlines, but, with abbreviated numbers, the headlines can be easily written and therefore read.

Is it “bear” or “bare” with me?

Is it to “bear with me” or “bare with me”? In order to answer this question, we must first examine the meanings of the two words: “bear” and “bare”. “Bear” is always used as a noun or a verb. As a noun, bear is a giant furry animal that roams in the forest and loves eating fish. But when used as a verb, “bear” can mean:
– To hold up, to support, to accept, to endure;
– To hold or remain firm under;
– To produce by natural growth;
– To hold up under;
– To press or push against;
– To hold or carry (oneself, one’s body…etc.)
– To be worthy of, to deserve or allow
On the other hand, “bare” is always used as an adjective describing a state of nakedness, lack of covering, or lack of adornment.
The second step to solve this question is to understand the meaning of the phrase “bear/bare with me”. In general, it is used as a polite colloquial way of asking or telling someone to be patient while you do or finish a task. This explanation quickly points out the correct word to use is “bear” and not “bare”. If we were to use the word “bare”, the phrase would become an invitation to be naked or undressed with the other person.
And in case you are wondering, bear is also the correct spelling for these phrases:
– Bear down on
– Bear in mind
– Bring to bear
– Grin and bear it
– Bear the brunt of

“Y’all” or “ya’ll”?

Many regions of the United States have their own ways of saying “you” plural. Although “you” is the proper way to say this subject pronoun, local dialects choose to emphasize the plurality by adding other words or by altering “you” in some sense. In parts of Appalachia, “yons” or “yinz” might be used, whereas parts of the east say “youse”. Most commonly, however, is the word “y’all” – or is it “ya’ll”?

The word “y’all” is a contraction of “you” and “all”. When contractions form in English, an apostrophe is used to replace vowels that had previously been in an expression. An example of this would be “isn’t”. Because “isn’t” is a contraction of the words “is” and “not”, the apostrophe is used to replace the ‘o’ in “not”. That is why “isn’t” is not spelled as “is’nt”. The same rule applies to “y’all”. Since “you” is being contracted by the apostrophe, and the apostrophe is replacing the ‘ou’, the correct spelling is therefore “y’all”. Even Word processors acknowledge this spelling, despite its colloquial origin.

If one were to spell “y’all” as “ya’ll”, he or she would be implying that the word is a contraction of “ya” and “all” or something similar. Since “ya” is not a word and is clearly meant to be “you”, we know that it really is the “you” being contracted in the sentence. The apostrophe therefore stands in for the contraction of that word, and the word “all” follows without change. Y’all get it now?

“First come, first serve(d)”

It’s not uncommon to hear handouts being given on a “first come, first served” basis – or is it “first come, first serve”?

The answer is not necessarily as clear cut as one might hope. Part of this is due to the tendency to for speakers of any language to shortened and condense words. When analyzing the structure of the expression “first come, first served”, what is really being said is “whoever is first to come is the first to be served”. By looking at it in this way, it becomes clear that “served” is more grammatically correct than “serve”. This is an example of where ‘lazy language’ habits tend to drop “-ed” endings and other syllables in English expressions and idioms. By maintaining the “-ed” ending, the parallelism of the expression is also retained. This is another piece of evidence for why the word “served” should be used in this expression rather than “serve”.

Another interesting tidbit about the expression “first come, first served” is it’s also a service policy used by clients serving their customers. Abbreviated as FCFS and spelled out as “first-come, first-served”, this policy accepts customer requests to provide their orders as they arrive and without any other biases or preferences. This is also known as “first-in, first-served” and “first-come, first-choice”. This policy is also used widely in Western society as a standard method of seating people or serving queues. The name of this policy gives further support to the use of “served” in the expression.

Why are “scaring” and “scarring” confused by some dictionaries?

The word “scaring” and “scarring” are different orthographically by only one “r”, yet their definitions are like night and day. The word “scaring” is directly related to the word “scare”, meaning “frightening someone or something”. On the other hand, the word “scarring” is another form of the word “scar”, meaning “causing permanent tissue marks or injury”. Both the spelling and the pronunciations are distinctly different.

While an English speaker may understand the differences between these words, it has been noted that not all computers. Some users have reported using online dictionaries that are embedded with their software only to find that there are errors in the system. In some cases, looking up “scaring” or “scarring” will transfer the user to the wrong associated word, e.g. “scar” versus “scare”. How does this happen?

It should seem that some software programs utilize a stemming algorithm that can determine root words. For example, “saying” would produce the stem “say”, so the dictionary would redirect the user to “to say”. In the event of “scaring”, however, the stemming algorithm may incorrectly identify the stem of “scaring” as “scar” when it should in fact be “scare”. This error does not occur with all dictionary or software programs, but it is worth noting that such errors can exist. Be leery of such errors; if you encounter a word you aren’t as familiar with, you will risk being greatly misled from a simple glitch in a computer program. Use a handheld dictionary to ensure what is correct.