1
vote
1answer
8 views
About using said in dialogue
I want to know if there are any rules regarding using said before or after a name. For example, "I am going to the bank," said John or "I am going to the bank," John said. Which is correct
1
vote
1answer
11 views
Conventions for parenthetical inclusion of articles
Somewhat related: "A/An" preceding a parenthetical statement
When writing mathematics, one sometimes wants to write things like
x is not contained in (the closure of) the space Y.
The ...
3
votes
2answers
40 views
How to quote in this situation?
Mark said, "it would ruin our school's reputation!"
If I want to quote Mark here,
Mark noted that doing so and so would "ruin _ school's reputation."
If I want to emphasize that Mark ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
Indirect quote without quotation marks, two spaces after comma?
I seem to remember the usage of a kind of soft quotation, with no quote marks, but a capital letter and two spaces after the comma. Has anyone seen this? Does it have a name? Example:
I asked him ...
-1
votes
0answers
63 views
Commas and “but”
I was always taught that one of the primary uses of a comma is for when you're divvying up unnecessary parts of sentences (I'll just go ahead and assume that was right). So, when I'm constructing ...
2
votes
1answer
35 views
How does one parenthetically amend a noun in a sentence so that both the singular and plural form are included?
In a complex sentence with two subjects, each taking separate actions, the second subject is item (singular), which I want to amend to item(s) with a parenthetical s.
How do I direct the rest of the ...
1
vote
2answers
49 views
Time - meaning of “10 of 8”? [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
What does 'ten of six' mean in regard to time?
In a Family Guy episode (The Hand That Rocks The Wheelchair), Meg asks "is it 10 of 8?", apparently looking up at ...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
“Wednesday week”
I know that the English will say "Wednesday week" to mean a week from Wednesday. Is there a name for this sort of construction?
Also, I have a friend from India who will say "today morning". Is ...
1
vote
2answers
61 views
Why are checks cancelled when approved?
A friend of mine just asked if I had paid him back for some money he lent me. I told him the check was cancelled on the 9th. Concerned, he asked, "why'd you cancel the check?"
I replied, "I didn't ...
4
votes
4answers
251 views
Pay for doing a favor
In my mother tongue (Gujarati) there are two phrases describing the adverse effects of doing a favor. What are their English equivalents, if any?
The phrases are:
આંગળી આપેને પ્હોંચો પકડે (someone) ...
0
votes
2answers
39 views
Sentence using “hamartia”
Can any one tell me how to use the word hamartia in everyday writing? I have searched a lot but failed to find any sentence using this word. Any help would be appreciated.
0
votes
2answers
48 views
Is 'but rather' considered grammatically correct?
Is this comment that I made here grammatically correct?
In Latin, when a group of males and females is combined, the neutral plural form is not used, but rather the masculine is.
1
vote
6answers
81 views
What word can I use for unclear music?
I am listening to the radio, but due to some signal error there are lots of disturbances in the music. What word can I use for this unclear and noisy music?
2
votes
4answers
32 views
Correct use of will & would?
What would be the correct use of will & would in these sentences?
1) What will happen if I say to my boss that I will not come tomorrow?
2) What will happen if I would say to my boss that I will ...
3
votes
1answer
57 views
Inconsistency in Strunk and White regarding serial comma
From Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, Chapter 2, Lesson 2:
In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a
comma after each term except the last
Thus write,
...
0
votes
1answer
24 views
“At day five”, “on day five”, or something else?
When considering a set of days and writing about them in a 'diary mode', what preposition should I use in the following example:
He died at day 5 of the treatment.
He died on day 5 of the ...
0
votes
2answers
47 views
What does “potted” mean in “Potted Potter”?
There is a play called Potted Potter which is a parody about all seven Harry Potter books.
What is the meaning of potted in this context?
2
votes
4answers
81 views
Present perfect passive voice
I have to put this sentence in passive:
She took a long time to write the composition, but at last she wrote it.
Trying to write this in passive, I wrote the following, and want to know if it ...
0
votes
0answers
29 views
Meaning of “Country air” [closed]
I am going to translate an english song in italian language and I have a doubt with this phrase:
Take in the country air, you'll never win
I'm looking for "country air" but I don't find anything ...
0
votes
3answers
52 views
“Fetch some water in a quiver” or “Get some water in a quiver”?
What is the most effective and correct way to use the sentences?
1) He requested his friend to fetch some water in a quiver.
2) He requested his friend to get some water in a quiver.
Is there any ...
3
votes
3answers
45 views
What does the phrase “switched on” mean in this context?
Recently a colleague of mine said to me that the "Guys who are switched on really annoy me?". Since I am not a native speaker, I do not know what he meant by "switched on". Can you fine folks shed ...
1
vote
2answers
64 views
“We do is to complain” or “We complain about it”?
I was just reading a News paper. and found this sentence:
Our impatient host could not understand that our security personnel are under
so mush pressure in such tense red alert situations. They ...
0
votes
2answers
51 views
In the last hundred years and the last time
Should 'the last time' always be followed by past simple and in the last hundred years by present perfect?
Eg., The last time I went to South America, I visited Brazil and Peru. I spent two weeks ...
2
votes
4answers
96 views
What is the origin of the noun “satellite town”?
A satellite town is a town that is located in the outskirts of a major city. What is the origin of this name, satellite town? What does "satellite" exactly mean here?
1
vote
0answers
25 views
The different between “look at” VS “see” [closed]
What is the difference between look at and see For example:
Can I look at it?
Can I see it?
and
Let's go to look at him?
Let's go to see him?
Thank you
3
votes
1answer
52 views
Are there any rules in grammar as to why the letter 'r' is silent in some words?
How do I know when to keep r silent in pronunciation?
Examples:
Not silent
cry
free
friend
Silent
German
iron
learn
-2
votes
0answers
22 views
what is infinte in english? [closed]
here i am not getting about infinitive in English.plz explain with example of active and passive.i can not understand in which condition i hv to use below thing.
active: present continuous :to be ...
0
votes
0answers
17 views
what is the past tense of 'can'? [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
When do I use “can” or “could”?
Is either “can” or “could” more polite?
One of my grammar books says that "could" is not always the past tense ...
3
votes
3answers
49 views
Anglicization from Hebrew
How should one transliterate the well-known Jewish Holiday that usually takes place in December (or late November)?
Hannukah
or
Chanukah
0
votes
3answers
54 views
Difference between “chest” and “trunk”
According to several dictionaries, a "trunk" is a large case or box that can be used when travelling or for storage, whereas a "chest" is used only for storage. Is that the only difference between the ...
0
votes
1answer
55 views
Should I add a “the” before “headmaster” here?
Dr. Peter Spence, __ headmaster of the school, told us, “a fifth of pupils here go on to study at Oxford and Cambridge.”
Does it matter whether I add a "the" before "headmaster" here?
0
votes
0answers
69 views
How to reply to the question, “What's up?” [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
What is an appropriate response to “what's up” greeting?
If someone asks me "What's up, man?," how should I reply? What does it mean?
-1
votes
2answers
66 views
Not to release a version of a product that's schedule to be released and release a better version later on [closed]
Due to some reasons, DirectX 4.0 is never released. MicroSoft launched DirectX 5.0 instead.
So DirectX 4.0 is like a very special version of DirectX that is never made public due to some reasons.
So ...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
Differences beetween past perfect continuous and past continuous
I would like to know what the difference is between past perfect continuous and past continuous in the examples below.
We were playing tennis when it started raining.
We had been playing tennis when ...
2
votes
2answers
46 views
Can an adjective follow dynamic verbs (“leave”, “declare”)?
I know that an adjective can come after some verbs, such as: be, become, feel, get, look, seem, smell, sound. These verbs are "stative" verbs, which express a state or change of state. For example:
...
1
vote
2answers
40 views
Disdainful pity…?
My question stems from a conversation on sympathy and pity.
My girlfriend and I agreed that sympathy is feeling for someone, but without taking action or desiring to take action. Pity, then, overlaps ...
1
vote
1answer
32 views
Difference between “activities” and “techniques”
What is the difference between "activities" and "techniques" in teaching methodology?
2
votes
5answers
68 views
Which word I can use for abundant light?
Which word can I use to describe too much light, i.e., when I have switched on 3 bulbs while there was a need for only 1 bulb?
6
votes
5answers
187 views
What to call the lump on skin from mosquito bite?
What word can I use to describe the small lump on the skin seen after a mosquito bite?
0
votes
2answers
61 views
“Ask me anything” and “Ask anything to me”
There are some sentences I hear regularly:
Ask me anything
Ask anything to me.
If you ask me whether he was right, I would tell you "No".
If you ask me about whether he was right, ....
...
3
votes
2answers
41 views
Is it proper to use ordinal suffixes on fractions?
I know in more formal writing, spelling out fractions is preferred (e.g. two-thirds), and in math no suffix is used, but I frequently see ordinal suffixes being used on fractions (e.g. 2/3rds), even ...
1
vote
0answers
58 views
Is it OK to use a single parenthesis after each number in a list? [migrated]
Several times I've seen lists formatted like this:
My parenthetical pet peeves:
1) Referring to a single parenthesis as "a parenthesee" or something similarly beastly.
2) Smiley faces ...
1
vote
1answer
39 views
Should the abbreviated forms of Latin terms be placed in italics?
When writing English, one often uses Latin terms, such as exemplī grātiā, opere citātō, and id est, but in abbreviated forms, "e.g.", "op. cit.", and "i.e.". When writing Latin terms in English, one ...
0
votes
0answers
23 views
comprehendible vs comprehensible [closed]
Just got into a debate at work whether comprehendible is a word. It appears as I type this that comprehensible is preferred in Firefox's dictionary. However, when I used Outlook's spellchecker it ...
3
votes
1answer
66 views
“Learn to code” vs. “Learn coding”
Is there a semantic difference between learn to code and learn coding? Can both forms be used interchangeably?
5
votes
4answers
188 views
Can you say “are not we all?” instead of “aren't we all?”
Because "aren't" translates to "are not" I pose the question, can you use both interchangeably (in the context of "aren't we all?")? "Are not" sounds very grammatically incorrect in this situation.
...
2
votes
5answers
71 views
Can a proverb be a short dialogue?
What is the correct term for this kind of short dialog with a moral?
I heard this short story about a Native American woman and her grandson:
Grandma: There are two wolves in my heart. One is ...
0
votes
1answer
40 views
Is “We used enough due diligence to prepare” the proper usage of the term due diligence?
There is another question that has been asked similar to mine but I didn't find any of the answers had completely answered my question. I have a friend who said, "I think we have used enough due ...
3
votes
1answer
49 views
Origin of “the wrong end of the stick”
If someone has the wrong end of the stick it means they've misunderstood something.
If they've got the shitty end of the stick it means they've got a bad deal in some bargain or share-out. This ...
1
vote
1answer
88 views
What is a sleeve?
p1 "I have a load of quarters but my bank doesn't have a coin machine and I don't feel like giving Coinstar a cut of my monies."
p2 "Put em in the sleeves yourself."
