Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2014 February 19

= February 19 =

in surprised disbelief
I wonder if "She looked at him in surprised disbelief." is idiomatic? Or should I say "She looked at him in both surprise and disbelief"? Thank you! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 114.249.212.224 (talk) 04:04, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
 * The first form is fine. Looie496 (talk) 04:28, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
 * Agreed it's fine, if redundant. Disbelief implies surprise.  You can just say "in disbelief". μηδείς (talk) 04:47, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
 * Disbelief doesn't always imply surprise. If some well known troll came along here and made trouble and then claimed they were only trying to be helpful, we'd be disbelieving but not at all surprised.  "Surprised disbelief" suggests she was surprised not to believe him, as she'd never had any reason to doubt him before.  If that context fits, go with it.  If not, reword it.  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  06:45, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
 * I'll agree one might use disbelief to mean lack of credence; but in your example I would normally say we would be unbelieving of the troll's claims, not disbelieving. Unbelievers don't go to mass. Disbelievers rub their eyes and pinch themselves. μηδείς (talk) 17:48, 19 February 2014 (UTC)

lean back halfway
One more question. Would you tell me whether "lean back halfway" is acceptable, as in "She leaned back halfway on her bed."? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 114.249.212.224 (talk) 04:19, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
 * It's not acceptable to me, because I don't know what it means. The picture it gives me is that she is in bed with her legs horizontal and the upper part of her body at a 45 degree angle, but that seems like a pretty stressful posture. Looie496 (talk) 04:30, 19 February 2014 (UTC)


 * You can lean back halfway in a reclining chair, or in either an adjustable bed or if you have pillows propping you up. But if you have pillows propping you up you probably, along the lines of Looie, say something like she sat halfway propped up, because leaning halfway back in bed sounds like she's holding herself in that position unless otherwise explained. To lean back is an active, not a stative verb, and implies effort. μηδείς (talk) 04:45, 19 February 2014 (UTC)


 * To lean halfway back would put your back at about a 45 degree angle to the surface. To lean all the way back would put you flat on your back. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 06:35, 20 February 2014 (UTC)


 * Of course, in an aviation context, the term "lean back halfway" can have a completely different meaning... 24.5.122.13 (talk) 07:13, 21 February 2014 (UTC)

Comma splice?
Could someone check whether I'm correct in this reversion in the article Comma splice? Adrian J. Hunter(talk•contribs) 11:06, 19 February 2014 (UTC)


 * You are quite correct, and it was not a comma splice. A comma splice is simply a type of run-on sentence, but one that has at least a comma separating the two sentences rather than nothing at all.  The sentence in question was one sentence, not two, hence the question of run-on sentences does not arise.  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  11:17, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
 * Cool, that's what I thought. Thanks. Adrian J. Hunter(talk•contribs) 11:33, 19 February 2014 (UTC)

Word Order
When drafting reports/documents containing tables or figures, I often need to refer to the upcoming table or figure that immediately follows the text. Which of the following two is grammatically correct:


 * (1) The table below contains .....


 * (2) The below table contains .....

Is the word order a matter of choice, or is there a right/wrong order? Thanks Hia10 (talk) 12:09, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
 * The first one. Strangely, though, you can say either "the above table" or "the table above".  But only "the table below" works.  Go figure. --Viennese Waltz 12:31, 19 February 2014 (UTC)
 * You can also say "the following table", if it comes immediately after the text in question. "The table following" is just about possible, but rather stilted. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 13:02, 19 February 2014 (UTC)