This tag is for questions related to the English language as used in the United States of America.
-7
votes
2answers
649 views
What is the full form of the sentence “You never rolled?”
I heard this sentence in a movie dialogue:
You never rolled?
Is the complete form of the given sentence:
Have you never rolled?
-7
votes
3answers
600 views
Is “Honouree” correct in British English? [closed]
I seem to only find Honoree in the web, but Word spell corrector indicates me that I should write HonoUree. Which form is correct?
1
vote
3answers
70 views
Which word to use, “again” or “anymore”?
I'd like to describe an action which I'm used to do but I won't do it in the future. Which word is correct, for example:
Just a little more work, I'll never need that tool again.
Or:
Just a little ...
5
votes
3answers
277 views
The term 'vocal fry': where does it come from?
On a recent Language Log posting Vocal fry: "creeping in" or "still here"?, Mark Liberman discusses an (also) recent article about the phenomenon of 'vocal fry' and shows how it has been around for ...
3
votes
2answers
6k views
Date format in UK vs US
Why is the most common date format in the US like mm/dd/yyyy, whereas in Europe (including the UK) it's more common to have dd/mm/yyyy?
Looking around, I found that the US form is actually the more ...
7
votes
5answers
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 ...
-1
votes
2answers
139 views
Why does “issue” have a negative connotation in the US? [closed]
Why does "issue" have a negative connotation in the US?
I have used issue as a synonym of tema in Spanish.
14
votes
3answers
4k views
Saying “today morning” to mean “this morning”
As an American, I use the term this morning, but I’ve noticed some Asian Indian coworkers who always say today morning to mean what I mean by this morning.
Is this an Indian English “dialectism”? Is ...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
Formal way to wish and reply on Phone [closed]
What is the best formal way to greet on phone & what is the best ethical reply I can give (Needless to say I am non native english speaker & to hold conversation with my client this means alot ...
-3
votes
0answers
86 views
Is there an equivalent to the word “boffin” in British English but with a rather negative connotation? [closed]
A word quite similar to “egghead” in American English.
18
votes
8answers
1k views
Is the phrase “I just sucked it out of my thumb” used in American English?
I was born and raised in South Africa. We frequently used the term "to suck out of one's thumb", implying that an answer was just a wild guess or the notion had no evidence but was rather just ...
4
votes
3answers
809 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
104 views
Meaning of “watch your six”
What does "watch your six" mean?
Does it mean "watch your back", like in a dangerous area?
0
votes
3answers
81 views
What is the usual form of “Please do the needful”? [duplicate]
I was browsing the internet, and found that "Please do the needful" is not an appropriate sentence to use or write.
According to this link, this sentence used to get used in South Asia. What would be ...
7
votes
2answers
418 views
“courgettes” vs. “zucchini” under a historical perspective
In this TimLymington's answer it is said:
Interestingly, there is another vegetable with the same identity problem; what the British call courgettes and the Americans zucchini.
What is the ...
1
vote
1answer
164 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?
-2
votes
0answers
23 views
What is the difference between and the origin of “ill” and “sick”? [duplicate]
As far as I know ill is used more in British English, whereas sick is used more in American English.
I read on some forums that ill is more serious than sick.
Please support or contradict.
2
votes
4answers
399 views
“Café” vs. “coffee shop” in American English
When is café used and when is coffee shop used? Are there any differences? Which is more widespread?
0
votes
0answers
34 views
Usage of fueling vs. fuelling [closed]
A UK colleague created a header using "fuelling". My first reaction was that it was misspelled, because in the US, "fueling" is the more common spelling. And even here in this box, the double-l ...
10
votes
9answers
7k views
Difference between “slacks”, “pants”, and “trousers”?
I wonder what differences are between usage of slacks, pants, and trousers? Their meanings seem the same by looking up Google’s Internet dictionary and Wikipedia.
5
votes
3answers
228 views
What is the history of the oh-so-common English phrase, “come on!”?
I haven’t any idea of whence the phrase come on could have originated. There seems to be little purely denotative sense that can be made of the phrase. What were the circumstances under which it was ...
13
votes
4answers
4k views
Can or should “ask” ever be used as a noun?
"The ask is that you provide me with..."
I started hearing "ask" being used as a noun a few years ago. Is this a recent trend? Is it an East Coast thing, unique to North America, or just unique to ...
2
votes
1answer
120 views
“Perhaps” or “Maybe”?
As a non-native speaker of English, I was once told in London by a learned British man that I should not use 'maybe' for 'perhaps' in the UK, as by doing so, I'd be following an American usage (so ...
-3
votes
1answer
44 views
Practicing English [closed]
I want to brush up my English because I feel like there is a "hole" somewhere when I am speaking and writing. Can anyone suggest any rigorous textbook? I mainly want to for studying GRE but I want an ...
2
votes
8answers
351 views
What do you call a person who motivates or inspires?
My choices so far:
motivational source
inspirational source
source of motivation
source of inspiration
Being a non-native speaker, I don't know which one to use. What I want to say is that ...
0
votes
1answer
98 views
What does “though” mean in these sentences?
I knew these are American English sentences, and they are informal. However, I would like to know what exactly it means, or it simply means nothing, and people merely want to add something unnecessary ...
11
votes
3answers
3k views
“right” vs “correct”
Except when we use right to denote direction, what is the difference between these two terms?
Also, which one is the preferred construction between these two
Am I right?
or
Am I correct?
2
votes
2answers
60 views
A soft substance that can be used to seal a seam between a bathtub and a wall [closed]
I need to go shopping for a certain thing, but do not know a proper English word for it.
It is a soft substance usually sold in a tube that can be used to seal a seam between a bathtub and a wall. It ...
2
votes
3answers
120 views
Where does the term Cracker come from, and how disparaging is it?
My grandmother from Georgia openly refers to herself and other white southerners as "Crackers", and sometimes adds a state as in "Georgia Cracker" or "Florida Cracker". She says it means simple folks ...
2
votes
1answer
183 views
Why is there a difference in the adoption of “Kindergarten” in American and British English?
As someone living in the US, I've heard the term "Kindergarten" used quite frequently. However someone from the UK was mentioning to me that the term is really not used that much in British English. ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
“Compute column last line” vs “compute column's last line” [closed]
Is "compute column last line" correct? Or should I write it "compute column's last line"?
Regarding a program which computes the last line of a given excel column.
1
vote
0answers
48 views
What are the short answers in sad situations? [closed]
I'm not a native English speaker, but I have many English friends. So in conversations I always short of quick but formal answers or exclamations in a sad situation. Like;
Yesterday a strong tornado ...
0
votes
1answer
58 views
How to use quotes in a list with commas
This is a sentence that I wrote:
In the text, words such as greenbacks, ironclads, and blockade were used.
However, I think there should be quotations around the words. How would I place them? ...
2
votes
3answers
133 views
To give someone the 411
"To give someone the 411" is short for information but is this phrase common in the US and/or in Britain and is it still up to date or outdated?
30
votes
15answers
3k views
Words with opposite meanings in different regions
I can't recall it, but there is a word in American English which now means the opposite of itself in British English. What words are there that have opposite (not just different) meanings in different ...
13
votes
6answers
1k views
Are “betwixt”, “trebble”, etc., acceptable in American English?
I grew up speaking British English. The words I learnt were occasionally marked off in papers, despite their being English words. Are words like betwixt, trebble, learnt acceptable in papers for ...
4
votes
8answers
2k views
Which is correct: “soda” or “pop”?
Depending on where you go in the world, some people will refer to a carbonated beverage as "soda" while others choose to use the term "pop." For example, "Can I get you a soda" vs. "Can I get you a ...
6
votes
2answers
2k views
What is the origin of the colloquial term “bum” meaning a homeless person?
Just out of curiosity, I was wondering about the history of the term "bum" meaning a homeless person, not the UK version referring to someone's posterior.
Bonus: If you know the background on "Hobo" ...
2
votes
3answers
4k views
Pronunciation of foreign words in American vs. British English?
One of the differences between modern US English (hereafter referred to as "American English") and British English is the way in which we pronounce foreign words, particularly those of French origin ...
3
votes
4answers
424 views
Is it customary to call the former President George W. Bush “W.”, and Mrs. Bush “Bar”, in public?
Maureen Dowd deals with the comments of the former first lady, Barbara Bush in NBC’s the Today Show in her article titled ‘Silver Fox’s pink slip’ in New York Times (April 27):
“Asked on the ...
5
votes
5answers
237 views
“Plugable” or “pluggable”
When it comes to programming copy edits, there are lots of words that would otherwise be thrown out or replaced.
Hive uses a plugable design.
Should that be plugable or pluggable?
If the ...
-2
votes
1answer
113 views
If I am saying “Someone and Myself's (possession)”, what would the correct usage in this phrase be? [duplicate]
I was just wondering how to properly use the phrase, I am trying to talk about something that belongs to both my friend and myself so how would I say that? My friend and myself's? or a different way?
0
votes
2answers
78 views
“student list” vs “students list”? [duplicate]
What is more accurate to say when writing a noun before a list?
"student list" or "students list"
(also "student group" vs "students group")
0
votes
1answer
123 views
Goodbye - is it very formal?
I'm writing about cultural differences - not for scientific purposes - and am trying to find out about more and less formal ways of saying goodbye in English.
On a scale of formality (from least to ...
2
votes
2answers
71 views
What does the author mean by “door culture” in this context?
What does the author mean by "door culture" in this context? First-order effects I take to be a metaphor with economics. However, I don't understand how to translate my understanding of "first-order ...
4
votes
7answers
268 views
What is “plaice” in the US? Would love a good fish and chips
When we went to the market, at the fisherman's counter we asked for plaice with which we would make fish and chips. Now here in the States when we ask for plaice, they don't understand what we mean. ...
2
votes
4answers
195 views
“Hot cakes” or “flapjacks” in 1890s American South?
Which term is more likely to have been used by my main character, a young man from a wealthy Macon, Georgia family, in 1893?
0
votes
1answer
65 views
what does operator-dependent mean in medical term?
I am writing paper on liver transplantation.
And one of the term I came across is operator-dependent. Can someone help me understand it please?
I got the definition below from this site. I still ...
0
votes
4answers
6k views
Pronunciation of “Porsche” over time
Is there an official pronunciation for Porsche? I grew up pronouncing it with a silent final e ("Porsh"). However, I've increasingly heard it was pronunced with a neutral e sound at the end ...
1
vote
2answers
77 views
“Gotta” pronunciation
Recently, I realized that pronunciations of the reduction gotta in GB and US English are different.
Could you suggest to me, please, any tutorial explaining pronunciation of this and other such ...
