Tagged Questions
1
vote
2answers
122 views
“My job is not to worry about those people” — what does “not” refer to?
In the famous leaked video, Mitt Romney says
My job is not to worry about those people
An equivalent sentence probably is
It is not my job to worry about those people
Some media in my home ...
2
votes
1answer
134 views
Interpreting “not bad”
In conversations people often use "not bad". How to interpret this?
Are they feeling good or just not bad or somewhere in the middle?
Does it depend on the context?
E.g.:
X: How are you doing ...
3
votes
3answers
148 views
What does the word “no” mean before a noun-adjective word? [closed]
I see some examples :
- No cheese
- No errors
- No good
I understand how to use "any", but "no" before a noun is weird (especially "no" before an adjective). Can anyone explain them?
0
votes
3answers
121 views
Is “tell neither X nor Y” equivalent to “not tell both X and Y” or “not tell either X and Y”? [closed]
Given the sentence "John told neither the boss nor the secretary.", which of the following has the same meaning?
John did not tell both the boss and the secretary.
John did not tell either ...
2
votes
2answers
2k views
“Repairable” vs. “reparable” vs. “irreparable” vs. “unrepairable”
I've been looking online at these three words, but I'm not able to determine their relationship and the rules surrounding their usage.
I believe this is true:
Repairable: Just what you'd think, ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
“Can’t help but” vs. “can help but”
Is "can’t help but" considered to be a confused mix of the expressions "can but" and "can’t help"? If not, what is the difference between "can help but" and "can’t help but"?
1
vote
1answer
142 views
“Who cares [if/that] it [is/isn't] true” — which to use when?
Imagine the following scenario:
Person A: I love this movie so much! The story is so beautiful!
Person B: Well, the story isn't true.
Now, person A has a few options in how to follow the ...
3
votes
3answers
581 views
“Never saw” versus “didn't ever see”
Do these sentences have different meanings?
I never saw such a thing.
I didn't ever see such a thing.
I never saw him dancing.
I didn't ever see him dancing.
My ...
3
votes
2answers
365 views
Is this correct: “Of [something] I have but none”?
This might be a pretty weird question, given that I'm using awkward grammar. Take into account that I'm trying to play with the language.
The question is, would the following be correct?
Of milk ...
3
votes
1answer
887 views
Is there a difference in meaning between “does not seem to” and “seems not to”?
Consider the following sentences:
Try not to be alarmed if a rule doesn’t seem to work for a specific sentence.
Try not to be alarmed if a rule seems not to work for a specific sentence.
...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Question tags — “did you” vs. “didn't you”
Typically, when we ask for confirmation/denial of a statement, we say something like the following:
We turn left here, don't we?
You have a cat, don't you?
We've met before, haven't we?
...
3
votes
4answers
443 views
What exactly does “All Items Not On Sale” mean?
Here's a quote from Bill Bryson's "The Mother Tongue":
Imagine being a foreigner and having to learn ... , that a sign in the
store saying ALL ITEMS NOT ON SALE doesn't mean literally what it ...
1
vote
3answers
573 views
Difference between “unlikeable” and “dislikeable”?
Is there a difference between unlikeable and dislikeable? It feels like there is, but I'm uncertain how to explain it.
2
votes
4answers
655 views
What is the meaning of “ought not”?
Consider this example:
A few strong branches over water reach for what they ought not reach.
Which of the meanings comes closest to “ought not” in this sentence?
Is it “doesn't have to”, “should ...
1
vote
4answers
940 views
Using “any” with positive sentence [closed]
Everyone can do it.
Nobody can do it.
The both sentences are very clear. I understand what they mean.
Anyone can do it
But I feel a little confused about this sentence. What does it mean?
...
1
vote
3answers
584 views
“All X are not made equal” - ambiguous meaning?
A phrase commonly heard in English (at least informal English) is something like the following:
Well, this car is good, but all cars are not made equal!
This would be commonly understood by most ...
0
votes
2answers
564 views
Do “asymmetric” and “dissymmetric” have different meaning?
I get that usually a- (or un-) and di- prefixes mean different things, e.g. uninterested and disinterested. However, both asymmetric and dissymmetric refer to the lack of symmetry (which the NOAD ...
26
votes
6answers
13k views
What is the correct way to use “neither” and “nor” in a sentence together?
Given these facts:
The tool cannot be found in the kitchen.
The tool cannot be found in the bathroom.
Which is the correct sentence to represent the situation above?
I can find the tool ...
15
votes
4answers
2k views
Isn't the word “uninstall” wrong?
I've never understood this. Why is the proper usage "uninstall"? You can't actually "unin" something at all and this isn't that case with most (all?) other use cases. Examples:
You make someone ...
6
votes
1answer
3k views
“They're not” vs. “they aren't”
How dissimilar are "they're not" and "they aren't"?
Is it dependent on context or are these exactly the same?
They are supposed to be going, but they are not.
They are not going.
10
votes
1answer
764 views
The construction of “Known but to God”
The Tomb of the Unknown Solider has the engraving "KNOWN BUT TO GOD", as presumably no man knows his name, but shouldn't it read "unknown, but to God", as the default for everyone is "unknown", with ...
