Discussion Groups / English Usage / October 2009

I say, I say, I say, my insect's got no nose.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8282395.stm

I guess ESP here is Extra-Sensory Perception.
I believe "will" used in the sense of "certainty" here, not in any
future sense. Am I right?
Thus, does

The long infinitive "to say" in the quotation confuses me a bit, esp
in terms of sequence of tenses.
Was he saying something at the same moment?
Or, did he just intend to be saying something in the future (a more

"Onto drugs" seems rare.
Was he "into drugs" or "on drugs?"
---
She tells me one of her instructors was onto drugs.

A 19th-century company was the largest in the world to integrate
flax-spinning and flax-weaving to make linen cloth.
I wrote "the largest integrated flax-spinning and -weaving business",
but the more I look at that the odder it looks.

Sara, I sent you a message at the address you post from but received no
answer.
At http://alt-usage-english.org/AUE_gallery/lorimer.html there's a link
to your book that no longer works. Is there a new URL, or would you

What is the name for those see-through sheets one uses to superimpose
diagrams into projector images?
--iain

Greetings, dear All,
I've got a few urgent questions on statistics; in fact, so urgent that
I don't have the time to study them in books. I would highly
appreciate it if you provided with explanations as soon as you can. I

The word "set" has over 100 meanings or uses. - from the American
Language section of www.odd-info.com

From Tuesday's Wall Street Journal:
   ... emit far less carbon dioxide than some of
   their peers, particularly companies that operate
   large fleets of coal-fired power plants.

Which of the following is correct, please?
I'd be willing to bet that both of them was illiterate.
or
I'd be willing to bet that both of them were illiterate.

What do people think of the use of "trove" as a noun without "treasure"?
Etymologically, the word "trove" in "treasure trove" is an adjective meaning
"found", its placing after the noun reflecting its French origins, but
somewhere along the line it seems that people started ...