I'm writing the documentation of a software package which has an optional property.  In that context, which is more correct or more frequently used: non-optional or non optional?  Searching for the more frequently used form in google is difficult, because a non-optional search shows non optional results as well.  This is for writing software documentation that explains the usage of an optional property which some objects have.
83604
Do I need to put a "-" between "non" and an adjective? As an example in physics we say "a non isolated photon", "non tight photon"... The context is very formal (paper publications and similar). Is there a general rule? Are there some differences between countries?
54017
I am trying to define a command that takes two arguments, where one is optional. If the optional argument isn't given I would like the compulsory argument to be used for the optional argument.  For example:  \necommand{\foo}[2][#2]{#1 foo(#2)}   which would return:  IN: \foo[hello]{hi}      OUT: hello foo(hi) IN: \foo{hi}             OUT: hi foo(hi)   Ideally it would be nice to keep it simple and use standard LaTeX with no packages. Thanks in advance!
41842
I remember when staying a few months in the US years ago that I saw some people using the abbreviations below. However, I can't exactly remember in which contexts I encountered them, (whether I saw my teachers using them when writing something on the board, in papers or in personal notes etc.)  So my question is: Are those abbreviations below commonly used and in which contexts is it okay to use them (e.g. formal texts, personal notes,... or better only used in personal note taking?)         w/o without   w/ with   b/c because      PS: Are there similar abbreviations that are commonly used?
122696
Consider the following use case:   Please check the username and password are correct. Please check that the username and password are correct.   In this case, I would say that that is required because it feels more natural to me and so the flow is better. However, is the lack of that wrong in this case?  The question boils down to: when is that optional? See . A quick summary:   That is optional if the pronoun is the object. That is required if the pronoun is the subject.   I think that we fall into the second case: that is required because the relative pronoun is the subject. But I'm not sure if I'm interpreting these rules correctly. Can someone please advise?
24856
My non-native English speaking friend just asked me: "Data is..." or "Data are..."?  I said both but that's because I've been desensitized from reading/writing both (especially from writing code and adding quick comments).  My question: Is it acceptable to utilize either for a university paper? Or is one safer than the other (when confronted with stickler professors)?    Related questions:
5812
Why does the  exist in modern languages such as C# and Java? Is it purely a self documenting code feature, or does it serve any actual purpose?  For instance the following example:  Class1 obj = new Class1();  Class1 foo() {     return new Class1(); }   Is as easy to read as the more Pythonesque way of writing it:  Class1 obj = Class1();  Class1 foo() {     return Class1(); }   EDIT:  hit the nail on the head with the clarification of the question: Why did they choose this syntax?
6406
When verbally talking about methods, I'm never sure whether to use the word argument or parameter or something else. Either way the other people know what I mean, but what's correct, and what's the history of the terms?  I'm a C# programmer, but I also wonder whether people use different terms in different languages.  For the record I'm self-taught without a background in Computer Science. (Please don't tell me to read  because I'm asking this for the benefit of other people who don't already have a copy of 's marvellous book.)  Summary  The general consensus seems to be that it's OK to use these terms interchangeably in a team environment. Except perhaps when you're defining the precise terminology; then you can also use "formal argument/parameter" and "actual argument/parameter" to disambiguate.
9675
Some user interfaces feature titles such as:   My documents My photos My previous orders   While others opt for:   Your documents Your photos Your previous orders   Are their any guidelines addressing which is more suitable to pick in different situations? Is one more preferable than the other?
112799
In JavaScript, there are two values which basically say 'I don't exist' - undefined and null.  A property to which a programmer has not assigned anything will be undefined, but in order for a property to become null, null must be explicitly assigned to it.  I once thought that there was a need for null because undefined is a primitive value and null an object. It's not, even if typeof null will yield 'object': Actually, both are primitive values - which means neither undefined nor null can be returned from a constructor function, as both will be converted to an empty object (one has to throw an error to proclaim failure in constructors).  They also both evaluate to false in boolean contexts. The only real difference I can think of is that one evaluates to NaN, the other to 0 in numeric contexts.  So why is there both undefined and null if this just confuses programmers who are incorrectly checking for null when trying to find out whether a property has been set or not?  What I'd like to know is if anyone has a reasonable example where it's necessary to use null which couldn't be expressed using undefined instead.  So the general consensus seems to be that undefined means 'there is no such property' while null means 'the property does exist, but holds no value'.  I could live with that if JavaScript implementations would actually enforce this behavior - but undefined is a perfectly valid primitive value, so it can easily be assigned to existing properties to break this contract. Therefore, if you want to make sure if a property exists, you have to use the in operator or hasOwnProperty() anyway. So once again: what's the practical use for separate values for undefined and null?  I actually use undefined when I want to unset the values of properties no longer in use but which I don't want to delete. Should I use null instead?
120502
A colleague asked me which of these sentences is correct, or if they are both correct which is better to use.   Are you using the current template version? Do you use the current template version?   I recommended using the first sentence but only because it sounds better to me.  Is there anything grammatically wrong with the second sentence or does it convey a different meaning to the first sentence?
103124
Is putting “the” before “most” in this sentence compulsory, optional, or a mistake?     Fascination with language and   attention to particular regions and   communities in America are the most common   themes for which Coen brothers’ works   are appraised.   If it is purely optional, how does its presence or lack change the tone of the sentence, in case it does?
10632
My wife and I are playing a game where you roll dice and move so many spaces in a grid "vertically or horizontally".   In the use of English it is very common to say, this or the other when it comes to making a choice  (exclusive or). Now I know that "or" can also be inclusive, for example "she couldn't read or write", or can be clearly used as an xor "you either come or not" making the statement true for only one of the options but not both.   My issue is where it is not clear whether it is an inclusive/exclusive or, the best example being our game.   I argue that you can move in either direction (inclusive) and the normal use of this conjunction in English should be inclusive unless specified otherwise.   Is this right?
3705
In my grammar book (English Grammar, HarperCollins Publishers), I read that none is occasionally treated as plural, but it is usually regarded as singular. Can you give me an example of sentence where none is used as plural pronoun?
122743
I have seen a similar question at  and the selected answer there implies that there is no difference in whether we use \documentclass[a4paper]{article} or if we use \usepackage[a4paper]{geometry}.  But my observations contradict the selected answer there.  Here is my code in file foo.tex:  \documentclass[a4paper]{article} \begin{document} Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Maecenas nec lobortis justo. Praesent ut scelerisque risus, sit amet mollis erat. Fusce at lacus at libero consequat consectetur.  Proin at vehicula ligula. Vivamus quis ligula id lacus aliquet ultricies. Vivamus tristique, velit vestibulum tincidunt fermentum, lacus sem euismod risus, ut volutpat augue dolor vitae est. Proin odio nunc, sollicitudin quis nisi a, sodales efficitur quam. Phasellus ex velit, porttitor vestibulum consectetur eu, maximus et nisi.  Nulla pharetra augue ex, quis scelerisque sem iaculis id. Aliquam in tincidunt quam. Praesent ac laoreet elit. Aenean varius ullamcorper dolor ac finibus. Proin est sapien, tempor nec mollis ut, ultricies et ante. Maecenas hendrerit velit non augue rutrum, mollis pharetra nisl auctor. Ut nisl mauris, porta ut nisi ut, elementum tristique nibh.  \end{document}   Here is another one in file bar.tex. The only thing that is different here is the usage of \usepackage[a4paper]{geometry} instead of \documentclass[a4paper]{article}.  \documentclass{article} \usepackage[a4paper]{geometry} \begin{document} Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Maecenas nec lobortis justo. Praesent ut scelerisque risus, sit amet mollis erat. Fusce at lacus at libero consequat consectetur.  Proin at vehicula ligula. Vivamus quis ligula id lacus aliquet ultricies. Vivamus tristique, velit vestibulum tincidunt fermentum, lacus sem euismod risus, ut volutpat augue dolor vitae est. Proin odio nunc, sollicitudin quis nisi a, sodales efficitur quam. Phasellus ex velit, porttitor vestibulum consectetur eu, maximus et nisi.  Nulla pharetra augue ex, quis scelerisque sem iaculis id. Aliquam in tincidunt quam. Praesent ac laoreet elit. Aenean varius ullamcorper dolor ac finibus. Proin est sapien, tempor nec mollis ut, ultricies et ante. Maecenas hendrerit velit non augue rutrum, mollis pharetra nisl auctor. Ut nisl mauris, porta ut nisi ut, elementum tristique nibh. \end{document}   But the output from both files are different. Here is a side by side comparison with foo.pdf on left and bar.pdf on right.         I have three questions:   Why are the two outputs different? Looks like it is due to different margins. Am I right? Do these outputs contradict the selected answer at  ? Is there a best practice regarding where a4paper should be declared?
47915
Does one need to use the article in this case?
90541
Often I'll see a website, especially when registering or filling out a form that says something like "Please only use letters and numbers in this field" or "Please try again."  Please is a pleasantry and I suppose it could make wording sound more "natural" but in this context I don't find it helpful at all. In fact often when I see "please" in a validation message it's not an optional requirement. In that case even in spoken English the "please" is misleading and incorrect as it indicates that you should do something, while omitting the please turns the same phrase ("Use only letters and numbers in this field") turns it into a command, which is correct.  Is there a reason to use statements like these? Are some situations more appropriate than others? It seems fairly prevalent but strikes me as inappropriate interaction.
48699
I've only written a small amount of JavaScript that runs embedded in a Java application, but it was tested using , has been mixed, and I've not noticed any problems yet.    Is there some conventional wisdom whether to use semicolons or not in JavaScript?