This tag is for questions related to the English language as used in the United States of America.
2
votes
1answer
86 views
“On Tap” in the Sense of “Coming Up”
Starting with the Fifth Edition (1936), seven generations of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary have included (under the entry for tap) three definitions of "on tap," currently worded as ...
0
votes
1answer
206 views
Use of “Pretty cool, huh?”
Would it be grammatically correct to use "Pretty cool, huh?" or would you need to use e.g: "Pretty cool, right?"
I think that the "huh" would be asking a "what?", although that doesn't make sense in ...
0
votes
0answers
33 views
Software to change American punctuation to British [migrated]
My apologies if this is off topic.
American and British writing have different punctuation styles. Is there any software that can change American style punctuation to British? I am referring to ...
-2
votes
1answer
109 views
“Cant fight no more”, is this grammatically correct? [duplicate]
"Cant fight no more", is this grammatically correct?
If not, what is the correct way of saying this?
Thanks!
10
votes
1answer
343 views
What is the source of “Long time no see,” and when did it enter U.S. English?
A question from almost two years ago asked "In which countries is that “long time no see” greeting common?" The question drew a number of answers that were squarely on point, but also a couple that ...
6
votes
4answers
684 views
How to refer to an apartment on a specific floor?
Suppose that on the first floor of a building, there are three separate apartments numbered 1, 2 and 3 respectively. How can I refer to one of them when writing a postal address? I am wondering if ...
0
votes
2answers
108 views
whiskers vs sideburns usage in UK vs US English?
Is the word whiskers more like UK English and "sideburns" more like US English? I see the term originates from "Ambrose Burnside" who was American so the word "whisker(s)" can be older than the word ...
-1
votes
5answers
118 views
What is the word/reference for a paranoid reluctance to answer something because of bandwagoning superstition?
Let's say there's a large group of people who are under a negative influence but are forced to keep quiet about the fact or they may face brutal consequences.
My idea comes from the book "Watership ...
1
vote
2answers
111 views
Prepositions and Corners
Does one use "on" or "at" in the following:
Kate met him at the corner
Kate met him on the corner.
Or are they the same?
1
vote
3answers
128 views
“So many fewer people”?
How do I say this correctly? I can't figure it out. Do I have it correct already? I am trying to say that there are a lot less people. The opposite would be "so many more people".
0
votes
3answers
277 views
Word for a person whose vocabulary is very limited (as in like 100 words) [closed]
Is there a word for a person who hardly knows English as in like 100 words, but pretends they are an English major?
2
votes
4answers
263 views
“Fall term”, “autumn semester”, “autumn term” or “fall semester”?
Please clarify which is UK English, American English, and where and when to use which:
Fall term (American English?)
Autumn semester (UK English?)
Autumn term (wrong?)
Fall semester (wrong?)
1
vote
4answers
116 views
Is there a UK/US difference in the usage of in/to + verb (for example, “this tool helps in dealing with this/to deal with this”)?
I have done a translation and the Dutchman (who speaks American English) who wrote the book is going through the text often changing "in + verb" constructions to "to + verb".
For example,
this ...
0
votes
3answers
140 views
“I went to bed hungry” vs. “I went to bed hungrily” [closed]
What is the exact difference between "I went to bed hungry" and "I went to bed hungrily"?
1
vote
2answers
164 views
“Kamarka part” etymology? [closed]
I know of some people in south Arkansas and north Louisiana that use this phrase. An example of its use would be when you have almost used up something, you have reached the "kamarka part."
I hear it ...
5
votes
1answer
160 views
Cardinal British Dates - A Kiwi Original?
I had never heard the use of cardinal numbers in dates when speaking until I moved to New Zealand. It seems particularly prevalent in TV and radio advertising, but doesn't seem to follow either ...
2
votes
2answers
125 views
When did the term 'get lost' first come to use?
Have tacked this term to be an American idiom. Does anyone know when it came to popular use or was first used there?
10
votes
3answers
175 views
“You are likely to [verb]” vs. “you are like to [verb]”
In a recent answer to another question, a fellow poster just used the following turn of phrase:
The nearest you’re like to get is [word][.]
I only ever saw and used "you’re likely to..." myself, ...
0
votes
3answers
3k views
“Please note” vs. “please notice” [closed]
When I'm writing a text and want to ask the reader to pay close attention to a point, should I write "Please note" or "Please notice"? Is there any difference?
2
votes
3answers
199 views
Is “I'm not racist, but …” more common in Australian English than other dialects? [closed]
Is the phrase "I'm not racist, but ..." more common in Australian English than other dialects? The phrase is used as a prefix to something that's likely to be interpreted as racist, probably because ...
0
votes
2answers
322 views
“Do you have” vs “Have you got”
I am studying English and I want to know the main difference between “Have you got?” and “Do you have?” questions. Are they the same? Is one more formal than the other?
-1
votes
1answer
154 views
Why are there differences between US and UK English? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Where do accents and dialects come from?
I have heard a lot about US and UK differences in spellings and their accents but then why are there differences? What's their ...
2
votes
3answers
257 views
What is a common English expression for when you were very tired or out of it and said something extremely stupid?
I kept thinking of "spazzing out" but that doesn't quite seem to be it. An example is when you're very tired and kind of dozing off and you say something or ask a question that is incredibly stupid ...
-4
votes
1answer
398 views
What does “Take it further” mean? [closed]
I googled a lot and I didn't find a answer.
What does "Gonna take it further" mean?
1
vote
1answer
125 views
Do Americans use the term “garburator” or is there a better equivalent?
Is it obsolete to use the term garburator to refer to a garbage disposal unit in a kitchen? If it is, do we have a better term to replace it with?
Also, what is the etymology of this word?
3
votes
2answers
125 views
“Go shut the door” or “Go and shut the door”: AmE/BrE difference
The usage you put the verb (in its infinitive form) right after "go" is used in AmE but not in BrE, as I heard. For example,
Go shut the door.
However, I doubt this is true and want to know the ...
4
votes
2answers
127 views
Does the letter i serve as a consonant in words like “onion” and “view”?
Some more words: union, behavior, Daniel.
And the second i in opinion, familiar, brilliant, California.
I am especially concerned with American English.
1
vote
4answers
138 views
“I and others” or “others and I”?
I have traditionally learned that a first-person pronoun should always come last in a list, e.g.
Bob and I found this to be interesting.
However, it sounds awkward to me when this rule is used ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
When writing out large numbers in words, should commas be placed at thousand separators?
Would a number, say,
5,629,296
be written with commas:
Five million, six hundred twenty nine thousand, two hundred ninety six
or without commas:
Five million six hundred twenty nine ...
-4
votes
3answers
151 views
“You really take the biscuit!”
Is there an American version of "You really take the biscuit!"? As in taking the last biscuit, i.e. it's incredible how selfish you are.
6
votes
2answers
338 views
Why do American and British English use different quotation marks?
American English uses double-quotes, while British English uses single-quotes:
"This is a quote."
'This is a quote.'
Why do we use different quotation marks? When did this difference ...
3
votes
1answer
91 views
“Tabled”, US vs UK [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the meaning of the expression “We can table this”?
Here's an example snippet for some context.
Ann had an idea. We tabled her idea.
In the UK this means ...
16
votes
3answers
1k views
Why does “corn” mean “maize” in American English?
I keep hearing "corn" as a synonym of "maize". This is widely popularized worldwide by popcorn. However, this is American English! In British English, "corn" can mean any type of "grain", especially ...
0
votes
1answer
256 views
“Had spent” vs. “has spent” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
where should we use has/have been and had been?
[Company] had spent previous years a few blocks away from the new location.
This sentence uses "had spent", but to ...
4
votes
3answers
631 views
Pronunciation of 'aunt' in the US
I was under the impression that all Americans pronounced aunt like the insect, ant (/ænt/), or relatively similar sounding variants such as the southern aint (/eɪnt/). According to both Webster and ...
3
votes
2answers
138 views
OED Appeals: Antedatings of “party animal”
The OED has made a public appeal for help in tracing the history of some English words, including:
party animal
noun earlier than 1982
When the OED added its entry for party animal, ...
1
vote
1answer
58 views
Proper apostrophe usage? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the proper way to write the plural of a single letter? (another apostrophe question)
Plurals of acronyms, letters, numbers — use an apostrophe or not?
Take for ...
5
votes
6answers
913 views
What do students call their teacher in class? [closed]
Well, years ago I was an English teacher in an English Teaching Institute. In the country I live, students call their teachers by saying "Mr. Teacher" or "Teacher" (literally translated) in schools. ...
0
votes
2answers
113 views
Use of a pronoun in a neither/nor construction [closed]
Neither Ms. Perez nor Ms. Yanaka believes that watching as much television as her son Sam does will lead to anything productive.
Is her correct? or should it be their?
3
votes
4answers
220 views
What's the correct way to write the general location of someone in the USA? [closed]
I'd like to write where someone is from, on a website with an international context. The objective is to balance style, brevity and correctness. I only need country-level resolution, so if someone is ...
2
votes
1answer
275 views
Mixing British English and American English [closed]
I'm a non-native English speaker and as such, I was taught one variety of English In school--in my case, American.
However, I've also been extensively in contact with British English, and now I ...
5
votes
3answers
143 views
Is the “Beltway Stop" a popular metaphor meaning a concurrence of events or things?
I'm interested in the phrase, “Beltway Stop in the Oscar Race” which is the title of an article appearing in December 21 New York Times.
It comments on the concurrence of movies focused on the ...
5
votes
2answers
475 views
“Would you mind not to do something?”
I have had this question for a long time and I couldn't find any answers for it. I have often heard this sentence from an American interlocutor and also in some movies:
"Would you mind not to do ...
6
votes
2answers
207 views
Meaning of “Y-o-u-u Tom!”
In the opening chapter of Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom's aunt Polly calls out to him in a rather peculiar fashion:
She went to the open door and stood in it, and looked out among the ...
8
votes
2answers
298 views
What is the word for multiple letters that behave like a single sound?
I'm trying to find a list of something like this:
ck
ph
kn
ch
sk
etc. Basically, they would be pronounceable and are often used to make up words. I think there is a term for this. Like 'ph' can be ...
1
vote
1answer
69 views
Is “august public official” considered an idiom, and has august always been used to refer to public officials? [closed]
Reading this article they referred to Justice Scalia as an "august public official." The phrase is also used in the book "Parade's End" by Ford Madox Ford on page 423. I can't seem to find the ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
How to use a comma with double quotes? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Punctuation of direct speech, edge cases
I have learned that it prefers to place a comma inside double quotes in American English. For example, I like "Khao Man Gai," ...
-3
votes
1answer
79 views
Can I use the verb “rise” transitively, as in “rise its fame”? [closed]
I wanted to express this concept:
"In Brazil a new football star has born. Will you be able to rise its fame to superstar?"
Is this correct? Or is there an alternative and better way to say ...
13
votes
2answers
363 views
Is there an American term for a group of elitist schools, similar to the abbreviation “Oxbridge”?
I saw the word, ‘Oxbridge’, a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, in a comment to a question asking for a better word for ‘invigilator’:
Whereas the situation is reversed in the UK, and one in a ...
3
votes
2answers
221 views
Is there a word for people who love everything?
The closest I could get was xenophile. Also, optimistic would be a close second and I say that because I don't think that optimistic is a better description than xenophile because xenophile actually ...
