Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2013 March 24

= March 24 =

how to rewrite the sentences using the principles of effective writing?
I am new to TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING. And would like to know how to write the sentences using the principles of effective writing. I can give five examples 1. You have not yet informed me 2. The chairman conducted the meeting in a routine way 3. We have decided to stop trade with them 4. The manager announced that DA will be enhanced from the next financial year 5. You have not yet paid the balance amount — Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.164.70.120 (talk) 16:22, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
 * This sounds very much like a homework question, and we don't answer such questions on the reference desks, although we can help with them. However, as it's worded, it can't be answered - "the principles of effective writing" doesn't mean anything.  I suspect what you need to do is convert the sentences to the passive voice, but you'll need to read and understand the question you've been asked before we can help you. Tevildo (talk) 16:53, 24 March 2013 (UTC)

What is this chinese foodstuff?
Hello, I recently bought a jar of what claimed to be "chinese hot chilli sauce" - [It looks like this.] However, when opening it it has stuff in there that looks like it's meat. The English label says that the only ingredients are "oil, hot pepper, black beans, szechuan peppercorn, sugar, peanut, yellow bean sauce, salt, favour enhancer". However I'm pretty sure it's got meat in. [This product] looks similar on their website but the chinese characters are different. Can anyone tell me what it is I've bought, whether it is incorrectly labelled, and what it actually contains? Horatio Snickers (talk) 18:31, 24 March 2013 (UTC)


 * What you've got there is a jar of Lao Gan Ma (of which we do not have an article, amazingly) (="old adopted mother") brand chilli chicken oil. It's supposed to have chicken. It seems to be a similar product to the second picture you posted, the label in that second link omits the character for "oil". This product listing contains a picture of the ingredients list in Chinese, which says "vegetable seed oil, chilli, chicken meat (with bone), MSG, salt, garlic, sugar and Sichuan peppers". If you were hoping for a vegetarian sauce, I am afraid it looks like you have been duped by irresponsible translators. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 18:42, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Yep. People who can read Chinese wouldn't be duped, though, because the jar in your own picture includes the character 鸡, which means "chicken". Angr (talk) 18:46, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
 * The phrasing is rather odd though, and ungrammatical. Some searching online indicates that the same product used to be marketed as "chilli chicken" (辣子雞), but after complaints about how little chicken it contained (only a few small pieces), they changed the name to "chicken oil chilli", I guess to emphasise that it is mainly chilli, with some chicken (oil) just for flavouring. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 19:03, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
 * As an aside, in the UK, there is a legal distinction between "X blah", "X flavoured blah" and "X flavour blah", depending on the amount of "X" that is present. (In fact, "X flavour blah" doesn't have to contain any "X" - it just has to taste like it) Bluap (talk) 23:56, 24 March 2013 (UTC)

Technical term for helmet crest
What is the technical term for a helmet's plumage or crest (such as on Greek or Roman helmets), if any? The only article relating to any helmet crest is the one about heraldry, and I could not find what I was looking for. 72.235.221.120 (talk) 23:30, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
 * "Crest" or "comb" are the terms used for that part of a mediaeval helmet - see Components of medieval armour. The only Classical helmet with that feature is the Thracian helmet - our article refers to it as the helmet's "apex". Tevildo (talk) 23:48, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
 * (Edit Conflict) Amazingly we have the cateogies Category:Ancient Greek helmets and Category:Ancient Roman helmets! From the Greek pages, the Attic helmet page refers to a "crest" and the Phrygian helmet page refers to an "apex".  From the Roman pages, the pages Galea (helmet) and Crosby Garrett Helmet both refer to a "crest" - the other pages don't mention it. Bluap (talk) 23:53, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Four out of five dentists recommend "crest". Clarityfiend (talk) 00:06, 25 March 2013 (UTC)