This tag is for questions related to the English language as used in the United States of America.
0
votes
1answer
25 views
“Compute column last line” vs “compute column's last line”
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
37 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
40 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? ...
0
votes
0answers
61 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 ...
-1
votes
0answers
28 views
How to custom Vbulletin forum title for SEO? [closed]
I want to custom forum title like this forum
www.webmastersun.com/forums/10-Search-Engine-Optimization
their forum name is Search Engine Optimization but on their webpage title is Search Engine ...
0
votes
2answers
65 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
87 views
Why does “issue” have a negative connotation in the US?
I have used issue as a synonym of tema in Spanish.
3
votes
3answers
286 views
In American English, Café vs Coffee Shop
When is café used and when is coffee shop used ? Are there any differences? Which is more widespread?
0
votes
1answer
89 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
66 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
57 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 ...
3
votes
4answers
394 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 ...
4
votes
7answers
242 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. ...
1
vote
2answers
70 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 ...
0
votes
3answers
66 views
Does a student own, hold, possess, or something else a transcript? [closed]
Does a student hold, own, possess, or something else a transcript?
My wife just asked me a question for which I do not have an answer. She asked me, "holder or owner of a transcript?" I wasn't sure ...
2
votes
3answers
121 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?
5
votes
1answer
113 views
Pool or billiards in 1890s American South?
Which term is more likely to have been used in Georgia around 1893? I found a British website which explains the origin of the modern game known as American pool ...
4
votes
1answer
96 views
“Exercise” but not “exercize”
Many words are spelled with -ise in British English and -ize in American English:
realise/realize
sanitise/sanitize
scrutinise/scrutinize
But exercise can only be spelled with -ise, never with ...
1
vote
2answers
81 views
How widely used is the word “tush”
In my dialect of American English, the word "tush" or "tushy" is a dimminuitive of "rear end" (e.g., something you'd say about a baby, not as harsh as "butt" and a word you aren't ashamed to say to ...
1
vote
0answers
67 views
What were fedoras called in the 1890s? [closed]
I am aware that fedoras were just coming into fashion in the 1890s. Were they called "fedoras" or was there some other name for them used back then?
1
vote
1answer
108 views
Is “gonna have to” an Americanism?
First of all, I have read the answers about "gonna have to" usage, and they are quite clear:
I am gonna have to vs I have to
and
why-prefix-a-request-with-im-going-to-have-to-ask-you
The ...
2
votes
1answer
162 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. ...
5
votes
1answer
126 views
Are constructions like “That's me out, then” primarily British rather than American?
Prompted by comments to this question on English Learners (about "That's you done"), I've been searching Google Books for similar constructions of the general form that's [pro]noun adjective (for this ...
-4
votes
1answer
96 views
“Haven't” vs. “hadn't”
Are there any differences in meaning between the two sentences?
We hadn't left the place yet; we will be there in 10 minutes.
We haven't left the place yet; we will be there in 10 minutes.
...
1
vote
1answer
134 views
How to pronounce '-ing' followed by a vowel
I'm getting into English recently and I'm a little confused by the way people pronounce a word that starts in a vowel right after a word ending in -ing.
For example:
You have to bring it up now?
...
-3
votes
1answer
102 views
Is it correct to say, “I strive for quality” [closed]
I'm trying to apply to a software engineer job, and I'm trying to write a phrase something like:
I always strive for quality. I try to improve and find a different way for every program that I ...
0
votes
2answers
113 views
Is this formal enough? “Should I expect to get a call from you sometime this week?”
I'm contacting HR person from a company after an interview.
She told me she will contact me right after the interview, but she sent me an e-mail she will contact me at a later time.
So I'm trying to ...
9
votes
3answers
621 views
“nt” pronounced as “n” in American English (as in “Internet”): what is it called?
I know that pronouncing "t" as "d" is called a flap t, but is there a name for pronouncing "nt" as "n" in some words, as is common in American English?
Examples:
"Internet" is pronounced as "inner ...
-1
votes
1answer
156 views
Where can I find a list of words whose pronunciation is irregular? [closed]
Most words in English follow certain rules of pronunciation for vowels (for example: "o" in a closed syllable is usually pronounced /ɒ/ while in an open syllable it's usually /əʊ/).
From time to ...
-3
votes
2answers
82 views
Parenthesis and quotations having punctuation before AND after them [closed]
I'll have to come up with some examples to show you my question:
I know if a sentence is inside either, the punctuation is inside (I also know I use a lot of comma splices. I think of the way the ...
0
votes
0answers
27 views
English phonetics References [duplicate]
What are some great references on English pronunciation practices?
The book The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations was mentioned in an answer on this site.
Is it considered authoritative? What ...
0
votes
1answer
85 views
US English - need for determiners (a/an) in each item of a list (already parallel)
I have been all over every grammar site I can find (including this one) and cannot find a definitive answer. I am looking for a rule that says in a list of singular nouns, each noun must have its own ...
-2
votes
1answer
72 views
What is another word for “tuxedo” that was used in the 1890s American South? [closed]
A young man from a wealthy Macon, Georgia family attends a formal dinner at his college in 1893. What was his formal suit called back then? I'm thinking he probably wore a tailcoat, but I want to know ...
-1
votes
1answer
151 views
Is this a polite way to ask questions? [closed]
I want to send questions to someone, I want to ask you if this way is polite and if there are better ways:
I want to ask you questions, your answers would be appreciated
I want to ask you ...
7
votes
0answers
345 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 ...
3
votes
3answers
97 views
What is the history of the word “lobby”?
I would like to know if the word "lobby" would have been used in 1890s Georgia (United States) and to what exactly this word would have referred in that time.
2
votes
4answers
176 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?
2
votes
3answers
99 views
What word describes the shape of a whirlwind when seen from above?
What word describes the shape of a whirlwind when seen from above?
Swirl
Whorl
Radial
The shape they make when seen from above resembles a radial pattern or even a whorl.
-3
votes
3answers
109 views
What does “with all the discrimination of a shotgun” mean? [closed]
"If you scatter commas into a sentence with all the discrimination of a shotgun, you might make it to the foyer before we politely escort you from the building." Source: http://goo.gl/ZH6lO
Doesn't a ...
-1
votes
1answer
109 views
Interpretation of 'have' as stative or dynamic
Please bear with me. It's been a long time since I looked up grammatical concepts.
The sentence is:
I can quite clearly see the bewildered looks you will be having on your faces on reading this. ...
2
votes
1answer
66 views
Cologne or toilet water?
I am writing a novel set in 1890s Georgia (United States), and I am wondering whether the main character, a young man of eighteen, would refer to eau de toilette as cologne, toilet water, or something ...
-2
votes
1answer
64 views
Best wording to inform site visitors how many times current article has been “visited”? [closed]
What is the best wording to inform site visitors how many times the current article has been visited?
7x readed
7 times readed
7 times viewed
7 views
Or something else?
3
votes
1answer
155 views
Origin of using “gets to”
As I was writing an email to someone today, at the end of the message in jest I wrote:
Well, I best gets to workin’.
After I wrote it I looked at the phrase I best gets to. It came to me as if ...
3
votes
2answers
176 views
Have American English speakers always used the term “last name” instead of surname?
I am aware that speakers of British English generally use the term "surname" and AmE speakers use "last name." What I want to know is how long it has been this way, i.e. if AmE speakers ever used the ...
-2
votes
1answer
92 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?
-1
votes
3answers
75 views
“Testification” in US English
The usage of Dieter Wisclieceny’s statements and testifications from
the Nuremberg Trials as the basis for the interrogation and trial of
Eichmann is also accurate.
In Microsoft word, the ...
1
vote
1answer
106 views
How to know when the z can't be used instead of s in an ending? [duplicate]
I'm familiar with -se -ses -sation etc endings being British and the American equivalent being with z rather than s. However, I stumbled on the word "improvisation", which apparently can't be spelled ...
1
vote
1answer
176 views
What is the connection between motherhood and apple pie?
I know the idiom motherhood and apple pie is used to denote some principles with which few disagree. But what is the connection between motherhood and apple pie? I am not very familiar with American ...
6
votes
2answers
117 views
Etymology of 'Pizzazz'
A question from December 2011 asked What is the social context of "pizzazz"?. I'm curious about the word's etymology. I checked some reference books, but they showed very little agreement ...
5
votes
1answer
111 views
Why does the “e” in judge vanish in the word “judgment”?
The in the word "judgment", the "e" from "judge" is absent. Three questions on this:
Why is this?
Is there a name for such a contraction?
How and why does the "g" still retain its "soft" ...
