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Definition: Some |
SomeAdjective1. Quantifier; used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity; "have some milk"; "some roses were still blooming"; "having some friends over"; "some apples"; "some paper". 2. Unknown or unspecified; "some lunatic drove into my car"; "some man telephoned while you were out"; "some day my prince will come"; "some enchanted evening". 3. Relatively much but unspecified in amount or extent; "we talked for some time"; "he was still some distance away". 4. Relatively many but unspecified in number; "they were here for some weeks"; "we did not meet again for some years". 5. (informal; slang) remarkable; "that was some party"; "she is some skier". Adverb1. (of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct; "lasted approximately an hour"; "in just about a minute"; "he's about 30 years old"; "I've had about all I can stand"; "we meet about once a month"; "some forty people came"; "weighs around a hundred pounds"; "roughly $3,000"; "holds 3 gallons, more or less"; "20 or so people were at the party". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "some" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Bill Bryson (born 1951) is an author of humorous books on travel as well as no less humorous, though heavily-criticized books on the English language. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, He was educated at Drake University but dropped out in August 1973 while on holiday in England and began working in a mental asylum. Here he met his English wife, who was a nurse in the asylum, and they settled in England in 1977, remaining there through most of the 1980s. Living in North Yorkshire and mainly working as a journalist, he eventually became chief copy editor of the business section of The Times and then deputy national news editor of the business section of The Independent. He left journalism in 1987. He has returned to the United States and lives in Hanover, New Hampshire.In 2003, in conjunction with World Book Day, voters in England chose Bryson's book Notes From a Small Island as the book that best sums up England's identity and the state of the nation.
Bryson has written two works on the history of the English language, Mother Tongue and Made In America. However, these books have been criticized for their abundance of factual errors, urban myths, and folk etymologies. While Bryson is passionate about languages, he holds no degree in linguistics.
List of works
Books on travel
- The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America
- Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe (1993)
- Notes from a Small Island (1995) (travels in the United Kingdom, adapted for television by Carlton TV in 1998)
- A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (1997)
- I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away (US Edition) / Notes From a Big Country (UK Edition) (1998, columns about moving back to the USA)
- In a Sunburned Country (US edition) / Down Under (UK edition) (2000, travels in Australia)
- Bizarre World
Books on language
- Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way (1989)
- Made in America: an Informal History of the English Language in the United States (1994)
- Troublesome Words (English language usage guide for writers)
Books on science
- A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003)
External links
- Official Bill Bryson Web site
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Bill Bryson."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Irreducible complexity is a concept popularized by Lehigh University biochemist Michael Behe in his 1996 book Darwin's Black Box. Behe rejects the generally accepted idea that life on Earth evolved through biological evolution, and that some intelligent designer (implied to be God, but never stated) must have designed life. As such, Behe's book supports what is known as intelligent design theory,The idea of irreducible complexity is as old as the theory of evolution itself; examples ofsupposedly irreducibly complex systems are often described among those opposed to the theory of evolution.
= What is irreducible complexity? =
The term "irreducible complexity" is somewhat ambiguous. It is used loosely to describe any very complex organ or organism found in nature. More precisely it is used to describe systems that are not just very complex but "a single system which is composed of several interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, and where the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning" and a "system [that] cannot be produced directly (that is, by continuously improving the initial function, which continues to work by the same mechanism) by slight, successive modifications of a precursor system, because any precursor to an irreducibly complex system that is missing a part is by definition nonfunctional" (Michael Behe)
Believers in the intelligent design theory use this term to refer to biological systems and organs that they believe could not have come about by a series of small changes. They hold that for such mechanisms or organs, anything less than their complete form would not work at all, or would in fact be a detriment to the organism, and would therefore never survive the process of natural selection. Proponents of intelligent design argue that while very complex systems and organs can be explained by evolution, organs and biological features which are irreducibly complex cannot be explained by current models, and that an intelligent designer (implied to be God) must thus have created or guided life.
The debate on irreducible complexity concerns two questions:
- Can irreducible complexity be found in nature?
- What would the significance be if irreducible complexity did exist in nature?
Can Irreducible Complexity be found in nature?
Behe and others, including some evolutionists, have suggested a number of biological features that they believe may be irreducibly complex.
The bombardier beetle
The bombardier beetle (Genus Brachinus) is an organism that has become somewhat of a standard bearer for irreducible complexity. These beetles have three chambers in their abdomen, two of which contain liquids that are chemically inert, but when mixed they create an incendiary combination. The third chamber is a reaction chamber into which the two chemicals are squeezed when danger is near, and then expelled explosively towards the perceived danger.
Proponents of irreducible complexity argue that without all the components present, the beetle would blow itself up or the remaining parts would serve no useful benefit. They cannot imagine how this system could have evolved, and thus assume that it must have been intelligently designed. By contrast, mainstream evolutionary biologists have discussed a number of ways that this system could have evolved.
The Bird Lung
The bird lung is quite different from other lungs, such as the reptile lung from which it is believed to have evolved. Transition from a reptile lung (bellows lung) to a bird lung (circulatory lung) seems unlikely since intermediate stages would be a detriment to the organism.
Adherents of intelligent design cannot imagine how this system could have evolved, and thus assume that it must have been intelligently designed. By contrast, mainstream evolutionary biologists have discussed a number of ways that this system could have evolved.
- Recently, conventional wisdom has held that birds are direct descendants of theropod dinosaurs. However, the apparently steadfast maintenance of hepatic-piston diaphragmatic lung ventilation in theropods throughout the Mesozoic poses a fundamental problem for such a relationship. The earliest stages in the derivation of the avian abdominal airsac system from a diaphragmatic-ventilating ancestor would have necessitated selection for a diaphragmatic hernia [i.e. hole] in taxa transitional between theropods and birds. Such a debilitating condition would have immediately compromised the entire pulmonary ventilatory apparatus and seems unlikely to have been of any selective advantage. (Michael Denton)
Flagella
The flagella of certain bacteria constitute a molecular motor requiring the interaction of about 40 complex protein parts, and the absence of any one of these proteins would make the flagella fail to function. Behe holds that the flagellum "engine" is irreducibly complex because if we try to reduce its complexity by positing an earlier and simpler stage of its evolutionary development, we get an organism which functions improperly. According to the principle of natural selection, it would die out soon.
Although Behe writes that he cannot imagine how this system could have evolved, mainstream evolutionary biologists have discussed a number of ways that this system could have evolved.
This topic is discussed in the article on the Evolution of flagella.
Light detection
The biochemistry of light detection requires complex interactions among many different molecules, each performing a very specialized job. Eliminating even one component of the biological pathway can destroy the ability to detect light.
Mainstream evolutionary biologists have discussed a number of ways that this system could have evolved. One mechanism which refutes the intelligent design argument is "scaffolding", where a set of biochemical reactions are used to build up a pathway and then are discarded, in much the same way that a building is built from the bottom up even though removing any of the columns would cause the building to collapse.
Other examples
- The cilium
- The ATP synthase molecule
- The woodpecker's hyoid
- The eyes of Strepsiptera.
- The blood clotting cascade in vertebrates
Opposition to irreducible complexity
Alternatively, it may be that irreducible complexity does not exist in nature: that the examples given by Behe and others are not in fact irreducibly complex, but can be explained in terms of simpler precursors. Some of the examples used by proponents of IC are either not truly IC but just very complex or they are misunderstood or misrepresented (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/bombardier.html). The precursors of complex systems, when they are not useful in themselves, may be useful to perform other, unrelated functions. Evolutionary biologists say that evolution often works in this kind of blind, haphazard manner in which the function of an early form is not necessarily the same as the function of the later form. The mammalian ear (derived from a jawbone) and the panda's thumb (derived from a wrist bone spur) are classic examples of this.
Evolution can act to simplify as well as to complicate. This raises the possibility that apparently irreducibly complex biological features may have been achieved with a period of increasing complexity, followed by a period of simplification. Consider the example of a brick wall, which is not irreducibly complex. If you remove bricks at random from the wall, one at a time, eventually you end up with something that will fall down if you remove one more brick. Such a structure could not have been created only by adding bricks one at a time.
Behe has been accused of using an argument by lack of imagination, or constructing a "God of the gaps". Behe acknowledges that simply because scientists cannot currently see how an "irreducibly complex" organism could evolve, it does not prove that there is no possible way for it to have occurred. Again, there are suggestions to how organisms such as the Bombadier Beetle may have evolved (see http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/bombardier.html).
Falsifiability and experimental evidence
Some critics, such as Jerry Coyne (professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Chicago) and Eugenie Scott (pro-evolution activist, Executive Director at the National Center for Science Education) have argued that the concept of irreducible complexity, and more generally, the theory of Intelligent Design is not falsifiable, and therefore, not scientific.
Behe argues that the theory that irreducibly complex systems could not have been evolved can be falsified by an experiment where such systems were evolved. For example, he posits taking bacteria with no flagella and imposing a selective pressure for mobility. If, after a few thousand generations, the bacteria evolved the bacterial flagellum, then Behe believes that this would refute his theory.
Other critics validate this defence, by pointing to experimental evidence that they believe falsifies the argument for Intelligent Design from irreducible complexity. For example, Kenneth Miller cites the lab work of Barry Hall on E. coli, which he presents as conclusive evidence that "Behe is wrong".
What would the significance be if irreducible complexity did exist in nature?
Darwin stated that if any organ can be shown to be incapable of being achieved gradually in little steps, his theory would be overthrown. This does not mean that Darwin is correct: the theory of evolution would not necessarily be totally overthrown, but it would prove to be incomplete. If irreducible complexity cannot be wholly explained by current models of evolution, then alternative models must be considered such as:
Irreducible complexity is a modern version of the argument from design, also known as the argument from complexity; both of these are teleological arguments for the existence of God. However, the immediate implications are simply that the current theory of evolution is flawed. (The approach of many creationists, though a logical fallacy -- False dilemma, is that since the theory of evolution was motivated to debunk religion, if evolution can be shown to be false then we can return to creationism and nevermind all the other possibilities listed above. Irreducible Complexity is therefore at the forefront of creationist literature.)
- Intelligent Design - the argument that irreducible complexity occurs through the input of some "intelligent designer". See Creationism.
- Francis Crick's suggestion that life on Earth may have been seeded by aliens.
- Lynn Margulis's "symbiotic theory"
- Stuart Kauffman's complexity theory, which promotes self-organisation as an additional factor in producing the complexity of biological systems and organisms.
- The hypothesis of quantum evolution.
The argument from irreducible complexity attempts to demonstrate that certain biological features cannot be purely the product of evolution. (Whether it is scientific or not, it should be noted that it is a common sentiment among the layperson, although not articulated very precisely.)
Another issue to consider is that even if there are no true irreducably complex systems in nature, the convoluted evolutionary paths that would be requried to produce them add orders of magnitude to the estimate of the time required for life to evolve.
External links and further reading
- Luther D. Sunderland. "Miraculous Design in Woodpeckers", Creation Research Society Quarterly, March 1976.
- Michael Behe, "Darwin's Black Box" (New York: The Free Press, 1996, ISBN 0684834936).
- Ruben, J.A., Jones, T.D., Geist, N.R., and Hillenius, W.J., Lung Structure and Ventilation in Theropod Dinosaurs and Early Birds, Science 278(5341):1267–1270, 14 November 1997.
- Dr Michael Denton, M.D., Ph.D. "Evolution: A Theory in Crisis", Adler & Adler (1996).
- A darwinian explanation of the blood clotting cascade
- Michael J. Behe
- John McDonald, A reducibly complex mousetrap (graphics-intensive, requires Javascript)
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Irreducible complexity."
Synonyms: SomeSynonyms: some(a) (adj), about (adv), approximately (adv), around (adv), close to (adv), just about (adv), more or less (adv), or so (adv), roughly (adv). (additional references) |
| Antonyms: all(a) (adj), no(a) (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Plurality | Adjective: plural, more than one, upwards of; some, several, a few; certain; not alone. |
Quantity | Adjective: quanAdjective: quantitative, some, any, aught, more or less, a few. |
Smallness | Partially, in part; in a certain degree, to a certain degree; to a certain extent; comparatively; some, rather in some degree, in some measure; something, somewhat; simply, only, purely, merely; at least, at the least, at most, at the most; ever so little, as little as may be, tant soit peu, in ever so small a degree; thus far, pro tanto, within bounds, in a manner, after a fashion, so to speak. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Some |
| English words defined with "some": All and some ♦ for some reason ♦ in some manner, in some respects, in some way ♦ Other some ♦ some other. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "some": Leave some for Manners ♦ Some AI Koans, Some better, Some means or another, some random X. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "some": Trigonia. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Some" is also a word in the following language with the English translation in parentheses. Tswana (ten). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Some lucky boy's about to hit the honey pot. The winner will receive an evening of my company (Batman & Robin; writing credit: Akiva Goldsman) I need a father who's a role model, not some horny geek-boy who's gonna spray his shorts every time I bring a girlfriend home from school (American Beauty; writing credit: Alan Ball) Oh, well, not like me. But look, see those birds? At some point a program was written to govern them (The Matrix Reloaded; writing credit: Andy Wachowski; Larry Wachowski) Though the fire seemed to spread through the quarter, I stood on that deck, fearful he would come out again from the very river, like some monster, to destroy us both (Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles; writing credit: Anne Rice) Hey you fellas, how 'bout some beans (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre; writing credit: B. Traven; John Huston) | |
Lyrics | Some guys do nothing but complain (SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK; performing artist: Rod Stewart) 'Cause they want some more (GIMME SOME LOVIN'; performing artist: The Spencer Davis Group) Pour out some liquor and I remenise (Dear Mama; performing artist: 2Pac) Some day I will find, (Loser; performing artist: 3 Doors Down) In other words, ma, I'm due for some kisses, I'm due (I Do (Wanna Get Close To You); performing artist: 3LW) | |
Clever | Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. (references; author: Mark Twain) Some guy hit my fender, and I told him, 'Be fruitful and multiply,' but not in those words. (references; author: Woody Allen) Some people take too much of vitamin "I". (references; author: unknown) Some Pieces of Rock Hudson Sold at Auction (references; author: unknown) Everything you like is bad for you in some way. (references; author: unknown) | |
Tongue Twisters | Surely Sylvia swims!" shrieked Sammy, surprised. "Someone should show Sylvia some strokes so she shall not sink. (references; author: unknown) Ruby Rugby's brother bought and brought her back some rubber baby-buggy bumpers. (references; author: unknown) Theopholus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter, successfully sifted some thistles. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Gimme Some Truth (2000) Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973) Slip Us Some Redskin (1951) Put Some Money in the Pot (1950) | |
Song Titles | Some Dumb Duke (performing artist: Nate Bucklin) SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL (performing artist: Grand Funk ) Some Kind Of Lover (performing artist: Jody Watley) Some Folks Are Truly Evil (performing artist: LiR) Some Of Shelly's Blues (performing artist: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Pictured are instruments used in endoscopy. They are highlighted in an otherwise dark picture and lying on a textured cloth. Shown are flexible fibers, a small brush and a third instrument in some photos. The fibers transmit high intensity light through the endoscope shown. The brushes are used to take biopsies. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer). |  | Seen are a technician's hands performing a lab test. The test tube with some frozen breast tissue and some liquid are visible, as well as the techician in some slides. This is the estrogen receptor assay being performed at the time of mastectomy. Results suggest whether removal of ovaries or use of antiestrogen drugs are likely to be effective therapy. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer). |
 | Structures on the terminal abdominal segments may be used to identify some mosquito genera such as the presence or absence of hair tufts. Credit: CDC. |  | If some of the tufts on the median ventral brush are attached to the saddle, which encircles the tenth abdominal segment completely, the genus is identified as Psoraphora. Credit: CDC. |
 | A survey of galaxy clusters by the Hubble telescope has found what could be some of the most ... Credit: NASA. |  | Probing some of the most distant and energetic galaxies in the universe, the Hubble telescope ... Credit: NASA. |
 | Close up view of some high clouds in Neptune's atmosphere. Credit: NASA. |  | These are the Anti-Atlas Mountains, part of the Atlas Mountain range in southern Morocco, Africa. The region contains some of the world's largest and most diverse mineral resources, most of which are still untouched. Credit: NASA. |
 | The Lena River, some 2,800 miles(4,500km) long, is one of the largest rivers in the world. The Lena Delta Reserve is the most extensive protected wilderness area in Russia. It is an important refuge and breeding grounds for many species of Siberian wildlife. Credit: NASA. |  | Plane table work with airport survey Probably early 1960's Probably some of the last plane table work done in the C&GS. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "Some ropes on a boat" by Rene Drost Commentary: "Some ropes on a old boat." | "Some fruit" by Thomas Johansson Commentary: "A picture taken i Stockholm with some fruit in a outdoor market." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption | Play | Caption |
 | 7/8 shuffle piece with keyboard melody and some glissandos. | | Pop style melody on piano with some distant reverbed tones. |
| Bowling ball rolling down the lane and hitting some pins. | ||
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Charles Lamb | The vices of some men are magnificent. |
Jonathan Swift | What some people invent the rest enlarge. |
Josh Billings | Some folks are wise and some otherwise. |
Marcus Tullius Cicero | By some fortuitous concourse of atoms. . . |
Marquis De Vauvenargues | To possess taste, one must have some soul. |
Nicholas Boileau | Some excel in rhyme who reason foolishly. |
Phocion | Have I inadvertently said some evil thing? |
Publilius Syrus | Some remedies are worse than the disease. |
Thomas Fuller | A good garden may have some weeds. |
William Shakespeare | Some griefs are med'cinable. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Magna Carta | 1215 | Common pleas shall not follow our court, but shall be held in some fixed place. (reference) |
John Locke | 1690 | People are not so easily got out of their old forms, as some are apt to suggest. (Second Treatise of Government) |
US Constitution | 1791 | The Virginia commissioners, after some correspondence, fixed the first Monday in September as the time, and the city of Annapolis as the place for the meeting, but only four other States were represented, viz: Delaware, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; the commissioners appointed by Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Rhode Island failed to attend. (reference) |
Amendment to US Constitution | 1795-2007 | No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of President more than once. (reference) |
Marbury v. Madison | 1803 | In some cases, then, the constitution must be looked into by the judges. (reference) |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | The rate of interest shall be 5 per cent. unless the Commission shall determine at some future time that circumstances justify a variation of the rate. (reference) |
Winston S. Churchill | 1946 | I do not believe we should all have slept so soundly had the positions been reversed and if some Communist or neo-Fascist State monopolized for the time being these dread agencies. ("Iron Curtain" Speech) |
Brown v. Board of Education | 1954 | In fact, any education of Negroes was forbidden by law in some states. (reference) |
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | 1963 | Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. (Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1936) |
Miranda v. Arizona | 1966 | Where the individual answers some questions during in-custody interrogation, he has not waived his privilege, and may invoke his right to remain silent thereafter. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Emma | Austen, Jane | Emma guessed him to be the drudge of some attorney, and too stupid to rise |
Through the Looking-Glass | Carroll, Lewis | But Hatta only munched away, and drank some more tea. |
A Christmas Carol | Dickens, Charles | After tea, they had some music |
So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish | Douglas Adams | Some were on stalks |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | In some other form, perhaps, I may hereafter develop these effects |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | Their breath, beneath that veil, is like some indescribable, tragic respiration of death itself |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | He tried to call forth some of its vivid moments but could not. |
King Richard III | Shakespeare, William | Faith, some certain dregs of conscience are yet within me. |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | Well, try to get some freedom to do. |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | I soon fell into some acquaintance, and was very hospitably received |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Some findings show promise. (references) | |
Side effects of some medicines. (references) | ||
Some kinds of tumors may recur. (references) | ||
Business | Some households do not have freezers. (references) | |
Some purchase only branded gift items. (references) | ||
Some distribute to domestic consumers. (references) | ||
Children | Kenya | KTN broadcasts some news programs in sign language. (references) |
Fiji | Corporal punishment is administered in some schools. (references) | |
Benin | In some parts of the country, girls receive no formal education. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Burundi | Some IDP's were difficult to access. (references) |
Algeria | Some unlicensed groups operate openly. (references) | |
Bahrain | Some small groups worship in their homes. (references) | |
Discrimination | Armenia | The religion law discriminates against some religious groups. (references) |
Taiwan | While the authorities are committed to protecting these rights, discrimination against some groups continues. (references) | |
Samoa | Politics and culture reflect a heritage of chiefly privilege and power, and members of certain families have some advantages. (references) | |
Economic History | Qatar | Some are descended from Omani tribes. (references) |
Benin | Some forests line the banks of rivers. (references) | |
Guatemala | Some provide a full turnkey operation. (references) | |
Human Rights | Korea | Some are eligible for overnight leave. (references) |
Israel and the occupied territories | Security detainees include some minors. (references) | |
Liberia | Some judges and magistrates are not lawyers. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Sri Lanka | Some Veddas still complain that they are being pushed off of their land. (references) |
Colombia | INCORA estimated that some 200 indigenous communities had no legal title to land that they claimed as their own. (references) | |
Honduras | Some 450,000 persons, constituting 11 percent of the general population, are members of various indigenous groups. (references) | |
Minorities | Liberia | Some tensions exist between the major religious communities. (references) |
Nauru | Nonnative Pacific Island workers experience some discrimination. (references) | |
Tajikistan | Tensions persisted between ethnic Uzbeks and Tajiks in some areas. (references) | |
Political Economy | DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | Some debts are over ten years old. (references) |
Lesotho | Some worker rights were restricted. (references) | |
Slovak Republic | Some anti-Semitic incidents occurred. (references) | |
Political Rights | Guatemala | Women held some prominent political positions. (references) |
Kyrgyz Republic | Voter turnout is some regions was extremely low. (references) | |
Malaysia | Gerrymandering diluted the votes of some citizens. (references) | |
Trade | Argentina | Below, some of the main ones are given. (references) |
Kenya | Some negative factors, however, still exist. (references) | |
Tunisia | EXPORT CONTROLS EXIST ON SOME LIMITED PRODUCTS. (references) | |
Travel | Kenya | Some roads are still impassable. (references) |
Denmark | Many also speak German and some French. (references) | |
Ghana | Most urban Ghanaians speak some English. (references) | |
Women | Kuwait | Some rapes resulted in unwanted pregnancies. (references) |
Bahamas | Some inheritance laws also favor men over women. (references) | |
Haiti | In some social strata, tradition limits women's roles. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Philippines | Some report never being paid at all. (references) |
Italy | Some trafficked women have been killed. (references) | |
Italy | Some prosecutions resulted in convictions. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | FIB, n. A lie that has not cut its teeth. An habitual liar's nearest approach to truth: the perigee of his eccentric orbit. When David said: "All men are liars," Dave, Himself a liar, fibbed like any thief. Perhaps he thought to weaken disbelief By proof that even himself was not a slave To Truth; though I suspect the aged knave Had been of all her servitors the chief Had he but known a fig's reluctant leaf Is more than e'er she wore on land or wave. No, David served not Naked Truth when he Struck that sledge-hammer blow at all his race; Nor did he hit the nail upon the head: For reason shows that it could never be, And the facts contradict him to his face. Men are not liars all, for some are dead. Bartle Quinker |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Andrew Weil | Rosie eats some poultry. We're not in total agreement. I eat a lot of fresh foods. Even when I'm by myself, I cook for myself. |
David Berkowitz | Not a lot. Once in a while some people come up. I have a number of friends from the area who come by and visit. |
Dennis Miller | The democratization of the stock market in some respects turned many workers into their own executioner. |
General Richard Myers | Let me recharacterize that. I think the mission was Pakistani-led with U.S. assistance, several agencies and some intel agencies. |
Gerald Ford | Some call me an elder statesman. I don't know. I don't mind telling you that I'm not ready to quit yet! |
James Lipton | What I didn't know that by sticking to craft we would blow open some doors that I never saw opened before. |
Lin Wood | They've used polygraphs on some individuals, I'm told. The Ramseys did not accept their offer to take an FBI polygraph. |
Rush Limbaugh | Let's have some class in the end zone. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George Washington | 1789-1797 | Time is wearing away some advantages for forwarding the object, while none better deserves the persevering attention of the public councils. |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | Among our Indian neighbors in the northwestern quarter some fermentation was observed soon after the late occurrences, threatening the continuance of our peace. |
Abraham Lincoln | 1861-1865 | Continue to execute all the express provisions of our National Constitution, and the Union will endure forever, it being impossible to destroy it except by some action not provided for in the instrument itself. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | Some are more urgent than others, but all are necessary. |
Dwight Eisenhower | 1953-1961 | Some, impoverished by the recent World War, seek to restore their means of livelihood. |
John F. Kennedy | 1961-1963 | Of some five and one-half million Americans who are without jobs, more than one million have been searching for work for more than four months. |
Richard Nixon | 1969-1974 | Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matters that I believe affected the national interest. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | You all knew that some things are worth dying for. |
George Bush | 1989-1993 | Democracy brings the undeniable value of thoughtful dissent, and we have heard some dissenting voices here at home, some reckless, most responsible. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Raising standards will not be easy, and some of our children will not be able to meet them at first. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Some" is generally used as a determiner (general) -- approximately 99.89% of the time. "Some" is used about 171,186 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Determiner (general) | 99.89% | 170,993 | 58 |
| Adverb (general) | 0.09% | 146 | 26,107 |
| Unclassified Items | 0.03% | 48 | 49,194 |
| Total | 100.00% | 171,186 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "some". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Raamah | N/A | Biblical | Some sort of evil |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
| |||
Expressions using "some": All and some ♦ allow some weight to ♦ and then some ♦ at some distance ♦ at some length ♦ attach some weight to ♦ bandy some words ♦ be up to some mischief ♦ be up to some silly lark ♦ bear some resemblance to ♦ book with some meat in it ♦ by some mischance ♦ can you give me some small change? ♦ catch some shuteye ♦ catch some Z's ♦ do some sightseeing ♦ do some work ♦ draw some money ♦ explicitly encouraged and I hope you'll find it of some value. ♦ for quite some time ♦ for some reason ♦ for some reason or other ♦ for some time ♦ for some time past ♦ get some exercise ♦ get some fresh air ♦ get some information ♦ get some sleep ♦ get some z's ♦ give some thought to ♦ go to the bank to withdraw some money ♦ have some currency ♦ have some grub ♦ have some thought to ♦ have you some money? ♦ i want some water ♦ in some degree ♦ in some manner ♦ in some measure ♦ in some place ♦ in some respects ♦ in some way ♦ in some wise ♦ let some fresh air into ♦ look over some papers ♦ may i have some more? ♦ may i have some of this cake? ♦ native of some of the Pacific islands It is used by the natives as a candle the nut kernels being strung together The oil from the nut ♦ of some length ♦ order some more ♦ other some ♦ pinch some of ♦ put smb. to some troubles ♦ shed some light on ♦ shed some light on a question ♦ show some interest ♦ show some promise ♦ snatch some rest ♦ some some ♦ some ... others ♦ some achieve greatness ♦ some AI Koans ♦ some and some ♦ some coins ♦ some day ♦ some days ago ♦ some few ♦ some heat! ♦ some medicine ♦ some money ♦ some more ♦ some of her friends ♦ some one ♦ some or other ♦ some other ♦ some other day ♦ some other time ♦ some other way ♦ some others ♦ some people ♦ some person said ♦ some place ♦ some random X ♦ some students ♦ some time ♦ some time ago ♦ some time back ♦ some time or other ♦ some time since ♦ some time soon ♦ take some beating ♦ take some time ♦ that will take some doing ♦ there is some more wine ♦ there seem to be some difficulties ♦ three some ♦ tire some ♦ to gain some private ends ♦ to pass something on some one ♦ to pass something upon some one ♦ To put one's legs under some one's mahogany. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "some": some-body, some-examples, some-one, some-race, some-something, some-thing, some-thing-or-other, some-times, some-what, some-where, some-would-say. | |
Ending with "some": for-some, hand-some, it-some, light-some, m-some, nothing-some, own-some, shells-some, sugar-some, three-some, two-some, value-some. | |
Containing "some": take-some-of-it-or-leave-some-of-it, throw-a-dice-and-take-off-some-clothes. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "some"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | taamlik (a, a little, enough, fairly, quite, rather, relatively, somewhat, sufficiently, to, to some extend, to some extent), sommige (a, a few, any), nogal (a, a little, enough, quite, rather, somewhat, sufficiently, to, to some extend, to some extent), iemand (a, an, any, anybody, one, somebody, someone), enkele (a, a few, any), enigiemand (a, an, any, anybody, one, somebody, someone), enige (a, a few, any, whichever, whoever), 'n paar (a, a few, any). (various references) | |
Albanian | disa (any, certain, couple, divers, several, sundry, umpteen, various), ca (couple, several). (various references) | |
Arabic |
