All Questions
129,381
questions
-2
votes
0
answers
18
views
That's logic(al) [closed]
Can you tell me which is better? Here's what I've found through the Ngram Viewer: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=That%27s+logical.%2CThat%27s+logic.&year_start=1800&year_end=...
0
votes
2
answers
43
views
Is there a neat way to say the hour equivalent of 'today' or 'this week'?
I'm writing an online game, and I want to tell users what their highscore is since the beginning of the hour. But I don't want to say something wordy like:
Your highscore since the beginning of the ...
- 159
0
votes
0
answers
18
views
Usage of the expression 'How long!' when reuniting with someone [closed]
I'm curious about the usage of the expression "How long!" in the context of reuniting with someone you haven't seen for a substantial period of time. I've never heard people using it, but it ...
-3
votes
0
answers
33
views
3 free months or 3 months free
Recently my dad and I got into a debate over a Spotify advert which said "Get 3 free months of Spotify Premium". My father said that it was incorrect and should be "3 months on Spotify ...
0
votes
0
answers
10
views
growth of 11 million vs an 11 million growth [migrated]
I want to know whether a/an X million growth is the same as a growth of X million.
The number of households that live in a rented accommodation witnessed a growth of 11 million.
The number of ...
- 51
-1
votes
0
answers
22
views
Can you recommend to me some books or journals that will improve my level of writing skills effectively？ [closed]
Recently，I've been getting the habit of reading The Economist，but I know if I want to futher hone my English level，especially in writting，I have to read more extensively. Because I think The Economist ...
- 43
0
votes
0
answers
10
views
Does "I saw a blue car and bus" mean "blue bus" or any coloured bus? [migrated]
Does this sentence "I saw a blue car and bus" mean "blue bus" or any coloured bus?
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
58
views
Meaning of "get out" in "He gets out when he can"
In his famous hit Working Class Man, Jimmy Barnes sings:
He believes in God and Elvis
He gets out when he can
He did his time in Vietnam
Still mad at Uncle Sam
I can't make sense of the second line. ...
- 2,044
1
vote
0
answers
11
views
"I" vs "me" when subject of sentence is implied [migrated]
The image above says "The hard working employee and I on payday (Our paychecks are the same)".
I am convinced it should me "me", not "I", since the sentence without the ...
3
votes
4
answers
248
views
Idiomatic word/expression for someone ‘who doesn't feel the game’ - Translation of Spanish ‘pechofrío’
I'm having trouble translating the expression pechofrío (pecho frío, ‘cold chest’) from Spanish—specially Argentinian Spanish, I don't know if it's used in other countries. It means:
s. masc. Persona ...
- 214
0
votes
1
answer
56
views
Dozen means 12 and 10 [closed]
Using Google Translate (and also DeepL), it translates from Portuguese "uma dúzia de ovos e uma dezena de ovos" (12 eggs and 10 eggs) to "a dozen eggs and a dozen eggs".
(Click on ...
- 101
0
votes
0
answers
34
views
Meaning of "she has hern" in Faulkner's 'As I Lay Dying' [duplicate]
I am reading "As I Lay Dying" and have usually been able to look up the meaning behind the choice of words that Faulkner uses. However, I am unable to find a satisfactory definition of the ...
- 101
6
votes
2
answers
628
views
Origin of the phrase "crazy as a coon"—is it racist?
Encountered most recently in the Procol Harum song "Lime Street." Does the phrase refer to a raccoon, or is the word here used in the sense of the slur?
- 69
-1
votes
0
answers
36
views
Does "with" come before "but"? [closed]
There is such a usage in a book I read. The sentence is exactly this:
A man with but a cloak and staff.
Is this correct?
- 1
-2
votes
0
answers
22
views
What's the meaning of "would not" in "Therefore you would not normally use X"? [migrated]
The context is in a manual for reference.
Note that variable is the name of a variable, not a reference to that variable. Therefore you would not normally use a ‘$’ or parentheses when writing it. (...
- 1
-1
votes
1
answer
70
views
What is the word for wanting something bad to happen to make life exciting?
In a book I am writing, a girl wants to have PTSD or abuse so her life is exciting. Like, she wants to live in a book or TV show trope. What is the word for wanting a little kink in a boring life to ...
- 11
-2
votes
0
answers
28
views
Is Fridays for Future grammatical? [duplicate]
Fridays for Future identifies itself as "a youth-led and -organised global climate strike movement".
Every time I hear this name, I wonder, shouldn't it be called "Fridays for the ...
- 562
0
votes
2
answers
62
views
When did 'ut'/'uþ' from Old English and Middle English become 'out'?
When was the transition of the word form 'ut'/'uþ' to 'out'?
I'd like to know about the frequency or first attestations.
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
48
views
Can you say "history alumni"?
Does the word "alumni"/"alumnus" always pertain to a particular university or school, or can you say e.g. "history alumni" meaning all the people who graduated in history ...
- 109
2
votes
1
answer
59
views
Is it ever grammatically correct to use "hadn't had + V3"?
I know about the 4 types of conditionals, and this usage is not one of them. I have not seen any such example, but somehow it sounds a little correct, while seeming totally wrong. So I was just ...
- 31
0
votes
0
answers
28
views
Usage of the words "but" and "without" in a particular author's context [duplicate]
It's a sentence from "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" after Mark Twain: "I never seen anybody but lied one time or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow, or maybe Mary&...
- 225
0
votes
0
answers
26
views
'lead' or 'led' [closed]
I have seen this writing in Google searches:
"this has lead governments"
and
"this has led governments"
to me they both seem correct. But, I want to verify this properly with ...
- 115
7
votes
1
answer
830
views
Is "I'm fine to [verb]" grammatically correct?
For example, I found myself saying "I'm fine to wait" but realized it seems wrong. "I'm fine with waiting" strikes me as the correct alternative. In general "fine with" ...
- 71
3
votes
2
answers
278
views
What is the word for the fusing of, for example, "-ed" and the final consonant "d" to give the ending (with voice removed) of "bent"?
Instead of giving the past tense form bended, the verb bend fuses together bend and -ed and removes voice, producing bent.
Lent and sent are produced in similar fashion.
What's the word for the fusion ...
- 141
0
votes
0
answers
20
views
Past Simple or Present Perfect in meme [closed]
Why does this meme use the simple past tense? And will the meaning change if I use the present perfect? For example: I have seen what you deleted.
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
42
views
jam or jamming, gerund or infinitive in this particular case?
Sean wasn't as keen about maintaining his gun as a proper soldier should be, and that led to his rifle jam/jamming during the battle.
Is there only one right option here, or are both variants valid ...
- 1
-1
votes
0
answers
26
views
To capitalize "castle" or not [closed]
I am writing a story about Dark Castle. That is its name. So, my main character references Dark Castle throughout the story.
Example:
"We walked past the castle, and it stunk," said David.
...
- 1
1
vote
0
answers
111
views
Can verbs of perception have an adjective in the objective complement position?
I know as below.
[verbs of perception + object + bare infinitive / present participle / past participle]
But I found this sentence.
The note was heard loud.
Then can verbs of perception have an ...
- 101
0
votes
2
answers
69
views
What is this rhetorical device called (i.e. saying "the journal" while instead referring to an article inside the journal)?
In a question on a different SE site the title is as follows
Writing the introduction section of an academic journal
while the question is about writing the introduction section of a paper that will ...
- 117
3
votes
1
answer
99
views
Was the o in "go" and oe in "toe" pronounced differently in early 19th century Gloucestershire English?
No modern dialect makes the <o> and <oe> distinction, but when reading Medhurst's Hokkien dictionary of 1832 i came across (page 34)
Furthermore, <o> seems to be a monophthong and &...
- 131
0
votes
0
answers
58
views
How to translate "Travail de fin d'études" [closed]
In French-speaking countries, at the end of their studies, students write a paper or document their internship in a formal way. This, document is not a thesis as it does not propose an argument to ...
- 165
4
votes
1
answer
98
views
Word for dangerous semi-knowledge, equivalent of German "gefährliches Halbwissen" [duplicate]
In German, there is a phrase like "dangerous semi-knowledge" gefährliches Halbwissen. Wiktionary definition:
a degree of superficial knowledge that becomes dangerous or deceptive because it ...
- 171
1
vote
1
answer
46
views
"glad to V" vs. "glad (that) S V"
As an EFL teacher, I am currently teaching a unit on infinitives and one of the expressions covered in the textbook is "feeling adj. + inf" as in "I was glad to hear the news."
In ...
- 139
0
votes
1
answer
29
views
"provided that there be" vs. "provided that there is"
Which sentence is grammatically correct? "Be" or "is"?
Retail stores for the sale of goods are allowed in this zone provided that there BE no outside display, storage, or sale of ...
0
votes
1
answer
55
views
Why does "cut hair from the top only a little bit" sound strange? [closed]
"Please cut only a little bit of hair from the top." (OK)
"Please cut hair from the top only a little bit." (sounds weird)
- 11
-1
votes
1
answer
34
views
Is this sentence is a conditional? "Marta on if she would ever make a tinder account" [closed]
Is it correct to use this struct? (If + noun + would)
I was looking for any examples of this structure, and every time I received an answer that this is a conditional.
I have also asked chatgpt, and ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
26
views
'Clinch' used not for embrace but the romantic relationship itself?
Is 'clinch' used not for embrace but the romantic relationship itself? I think I've heard it used, though I may be imagining it/misunderstanding.
Is it idiomatic enough to be something other than a ...
- 1
1
vote
0
answers
49
views
Which is the correct use of these prepositions?
Trying to discern correct use of prepositions. Here's the sentence as I have it:
This was proof that he could stay steadfast under conditions in which other men could not!
Should it be: "......
- 11
4
votes
1
answer
69
views
Who coined "times tables" and when?
I've always thought "times tables" to refer to multiplication tables was a British thing, but Wikipedia suggests it might be common in the US, too.
Is anything known about when the term was ...
- 533
-1
votes
0
answers
31
views
Verb Tenses Diagram [closed]
I've made a diagram that summarizes the main verb tenses and their forms. Could you guys evaluate it, giving me a feedback on any errors or suggestions? I intend to print it in a poster for an English ...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
36
views
Are my answers really wrong in the two following exercises? [closed]
The sentence itself is weird to me, either way, I would like to understand why my answer is wrong and also if the answer provided by the teacher makes sense because I had to myself that "had to ...
0
votes
2
answers
45
views
What do you call one that believes God will always grant him/her his wishes? Instead trusting that God will ultimately decide according to His will [closed]
I am a chaplain working in palliative services. I have to document my visits and I am always searching for the right vocabulary that can accurately describe each patient's particular beliefs and ...
0
votes
2
answers
123
views
What is it called when you "buy" something for free?
For example, imagine some food company decides to make their fruits permanently free.
Online, you can "order" them (for free), but in person, what do you do? What would be the professional ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
84
views
Use of the verb ‘output’ [closed]
I need some advice on the use of output as a verb.
To put it in context, I am working on a desktop app that uses some of the functionality of MS Word. In the app, there is an element called a binding ...
-1
votes
0
answers
40
views
How is the following sentence parsed? [closed]
How is the following sentence parsed?
Love you pretty!
Is it
inversion of "pretty you", or
vocative as in "love you, pretty"? (Should there be a comma?)
- 9,951
0
votes
2
answers
63
views
Should I use who or whom here? [closed]
My friend was eaten by a giant snail who is afraid of the dark.
Should I use “who” or “whom” here?
EDIT:
If I wanted to specify that my friend was afraid of the dark, then would I use “who”? If I ...
- 111
-3
votes
0
answers
19
views
List of things followed by "dots", "etc.", and "and"? [closed]
Alt1: I need more apples, oranges, bananas, grapes...than you have given me.
Alt2: bananas...and grapes than
Alt3: grapes, etc., than
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
20
views
Copies of or a copy of? [closed]
Would you say, "I sent him copies of the motion and the letter," or would you say, "I sent him a copy of the motion and the letter"?
- 1
1
vote
3
answers
88
views
A term for mixture used for palatography
When doing palatography, one needs something to paint the tongue with. It is usually a mixture of olive/sunflower oil and powdered charcoal. The question is, what can this substance be called? Is it a ...
- 185
0
votes
1
answer
38
views
How do you diagram a sentence where there is another clause in a preposition [closed]
The sentence I'm having a hard time with is from the worst textbook ever. The sentence:
George Washington had the difficult task of persuading men to serve in the Continental Army because of ...
