All Questions
125,475
questions
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What is the meaning of "tapping into the creation"
would you please tell me what does this mean " because you are tapping into the creation part of ourselves" ?
- 1
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0
answers
4
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Is my thinking correct here? (Tenses)
Context: I am explaining why the students are going to uni.
The students will go to university next year to receive professional training because this boosts their employability.
The students will ...
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0
answers
6
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Word for heavily foreign-influenced speech?
Is there a word for when someone uses words wrong, or uses outright nonexistent words, due to influence from foreign languages? Examples:
I thought she loved me, but she bedragged me. (<- bedra(ga)...
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0
answers
11
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Clause reduction for explaining a contradiction
while reading this blog, I ran into this sentence:
Yemen’s average age is set to increase with the proportion of over 60s
increasing by just over 2% and the middle group rising by 11%,
leaving the ...
- 129
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0
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17
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Is there any word "beded or bedded?
I have heard and seen some usages related to hospital beds. In some government sites and some other sites I have seen this to appear. Some people use this word while speaking. I have a doubt whether ...
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votes
1
answer
18
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A word for ignoring a subtopic?
For example if someone writes a paragraph but ignores the right grammar or the right punctuation. Is there a specific word for ignoring a subtopic in a bigger topic?
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
18
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"..., not less so." [closed]
Here is a sentence I found in the official guide to the TOEFL iBT test.
Well, I personally think that the Great Depression of the 1930s actually makes this more understandable, not less so.
I found ...
- 111
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0
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4
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Why do we use the simple unaspected present instead of the present tense with the continuous aspect? [migrated]
I am currently learning English as a non-native speaker.
I wonder why we use simple present instead of present continuous?
For example,
I need your help.
I am needing your help.
As I have learned, ...
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0
answers
3
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Verb use in relation to the place of speech [migrated]
I have some doubts about one of the verbs used in the following sentence, in which a woman is talking to a man.
I will come (to) visit you at your house.
Some context: the conversation takes place ...
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-1
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3
answers
45
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An abstract noun beginning with 'T' meaning originality/uniqueness?
I tried to recall a fabulous word my A-Level English teacher shared with me a few months ago, but can't remember it for the life of me!
It:
Was English (duh)
Began with the letter 'T'
Was a synonym ...
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0
answers
13
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A phrase to describe "A Genius who can't hide his talents even if he wants to" [closed]
I'm lookin for a title phrase for "A genius who can't hide his talents even if he wants to."
Titles such as Heavenly Genius or Peerless Genius doesn't really fit the context. Any help on ...
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votes
1
answer
46
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Does the spelling of suffixes change in some cases like prefixes?
I know that prefixes never change the spelling of the stem. However, their spelling changes in some cases. For example:
well+come = welcome (not wellcome)
all+ways = always (not allways)
in+regular =...
- 13
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0
answers
22
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Can I say "I delve into photography" to say I do photography more or less seriously? [migrated]
I have seen the term "delve" in the context of discussions "tonight we delve into the consequences of..." or in its archaic acceptation for "excavate" but I have not ...
0
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0
answers
17
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Is this sentence grammatically correct? I feel that the punctuation might be off. Thanks! [closed]
Regarding Management and Regulation of Risk, an elective class undertaken during my 3rd year, Bank Strategy and Management, deviated my interest from pursuing private equity, to instead wanting to ...
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-1
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0
answers
25
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Like waiters serve tables in a restaurant, who serve rooms in a hotel? [closed]
I want to know what the person who serves the needs of a guest in a hotel is called in English.
-2
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1
answer
19
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Meaning of "don't let her get to you"? [closed]
Could I ask if "don't let her get to you" means "don't let her get you down/unhappy"? In Australian context. Thank you.
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2
answers
31
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A word that describes members of a council who are not officers
I am trying to find a word for members of a council who are not officers.
Officers of a council are usually defined in the constitution of that council and may include the chair [president, chairman, ...
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votes
3
answers
65
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Can every noun be both countable and uncountable? [closed]
I think every noun can be uncountable. It's easy to prove with food:
Mother beaver teaches her daughter to cook a salad: Now, add some table to taste.
In this context the countable noun table became ...
- 482
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0
answers
9
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How would native speakers express “let‘s start to analysis the next problem“ [migrated]
Just like a math teacher teaches students. now the teacher is going to take students to solve another problem,
- 13
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0
answers
4
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An English dictionary that lists examples of the word used throughout history [migrated]
In my language, there's a dictionary that for each word not only defines it, but gives multiple examples of usage from actual newspapers, books, etc. The best thing about it, is that it usually ...
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1
answer
27
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What does "we were just popping off each other" mean?
In an interview, when Paul McCartney talked about his memory with Michael Jackson:
It was actually upstairs, here. In this office. Michael originally rang me, and said ‘do you want to make some hits?’...
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0
answers
17
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What do you mean by saying 'fail better'? [closed]
If you fail, no problem - next time you can fail better!
What is the meaning of 'fail better'?
A. do it better next time
B. succeed eventually
C. is there any other meaning?
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0
answers
11
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Does it make sense to say that a person is “being ironic”? [closed]
My gut tells me that irony properly refers to the idea expressed by the person, not to the person doing the expressing. But does referring to a person as ironic have a common enough usage to be ...
- 277
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12
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Should I refer to the students as "them" or the "students?" [closed]
I am writing a short summary for my CV, and I am wondering, should I refer to the students as "them" or the "students?"
Please tell me which summary sounds better - summary 1 or ...
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5
votes
3
answers
386
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Why "monatomic" and not "monoatomic"?
"Mono" means singular, and "atomic" stands for the atom. So combining them will give a single atom - "monatomic".
But why is this so? Why can't it be "monoatomic&...
- 497
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votes
1
answer
35
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Does the usage of "ho" or "hoe" for "whore" predate the 20th century?
In Medieval Pleasures: What Was Sex Really Like In The Middle Ages?, Leeds Trinity professor Dr. Kate Lister shows how the records of medieval British street names reveal secrets regarding illicit ...
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0
answers
7
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When the pronoun "I" occurs outside of quotes, is it always a narrator's voice? [migrated]
When the pronoun "I" occurs outside of quotes, is it always a narrator's voice? If there are exceptions, I would be grateful for examples.
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2
answers
42
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Why "am" is used in the sentence "It is useless to me who ___ ill"? [duplicate]
(First let me clearly mention that I am from a non–English-speaking
country, so I may be wrong with my question.)
My brother encountered a question on his English test:
It is useless to me who ___ ...
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votes
3
answers
53
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Alternative to "always good to hear from you" [closed]
English has a lot of conversation-closers (valedictions?), each with slightly different denotations and connotations.
Which conversation-closer would you use to express to a friend that you will ...
- 244
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2
answers
48
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I know that "What do you here?" is a valid sentence, but I can't quite parse it to explain to others
I've always been bothered by how people say the translation of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is terrible and full of errors, and the number one thing they point to for the error part of the ...
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0
answers
13
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Is 'to be imperative' followed by be or the conjugated form of verb be?
Which version of this sentence is correct?
It's imperative that measures be taken as soon as possible.
It's imperative that measures are taken as soon as possible.
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0
answers
29
views
How would you describe the sound that flesh does when falling on the floor [closed]
I am writing a battle scene. An arm is cut off and I'm trying to describe the sound it makes as it hits the floor.
I'm imagining the flesh is heavy, full of blood, probably squishy. I can imagine the ...
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0
answers
20
views
Single word substitution for a given phrase [closed]
What to call a person who has talents but couldn't express it to others?
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0
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21
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I'm looking for a term like "Queen Bee" to describe a gamer who's achieved a high score [closed]
I'm working on a puzzling website, and am hunting for a the perfect title to give players who've achieved a high score. (We can't say "perfect" score because some games are time-based so ...
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0
votes
1
answer
38
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What do you call something that is "new" to someone? (Ex: a newly learned word) [closed]
For example a neologism is a "new word" but I'm trying to describe a word that, decidedly, is not new; but one that I have just learned the meaning/usage of, and had never even heard until ...
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1
answer
73
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Why is the sentence "Wall-to-wall carpets in every room is their dream" acceptable?
I saw this sentence in the CoGEL(Quirk et al).
15.16 Verbless clause:
Wall-to-wall carpets in every room is their dream.
Question: Why is this awkward sentence acceptable? It's obvious that it ...
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1
vote
1
answer
34
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Who, whom, free relative clause, to be
Should we have who or whom here?
He's talking about people who run fast. I run fast. I'm who(m) he's
talking about.
I understand that "who(m) he's talking about" is a free relative clause ...
- 362
0
votes
0
answers
26
views
To use or not to use "series" in a book series title?
I've done research on this and I can't come up with anything conclusive.
If you were to write a back cover blurb or synopsis for a website and the book is in a series, when you include the series name,...
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0
answers
20
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Add a letter, add 2 syllables [closed]
What English word, when a single extra letter is added to the end, makes a new English word that has 2 more syllables than the original?
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0
votes
1
answer
38
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What does "cutting in" mean?
Flies, bees, beetles, wasps, and other insects are segmented creatures——head, thorax, and abdomen. where these parts join, there appears to the imaginative eye a "cutting in" of the body.
...
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3
votes
1
answer
87
views
Is "before" also an adjective? [duplicate]
I searched "define before" in Google and found out "before" is not listed as an adjective in most dictionaries.
Google's built-in dictionary, which is one of the Oxford ...
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0
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7
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Conversion of tense in interrogative sentence from direct to indirect speech [migrated]
"Can you see a woman seated at a table?" he asked.
A) He asked her if she could see a woman seated at a table.
Since the reported speech is in past tense, the tense of the indirect speech ...
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0
votes
1
answer
73
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Is "a normal woman" correct?
Normally, we say "an ordinary woman", but I read an article about Kate Middleton recently, the Duchess of Cambridge, it says she isn't a normal woman. From the article, I can tell that the ...
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votes
5
answers
94
views
Is starting your sentence with “Which is why...” grammatically correct?
Is starting your sentence with “Which is why...” grammatically correct?
…our brain is still busy processing all the information coming from the phones. Which is why it is impossible to actually rest ...
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1
answer
27
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Which is correct? Suggest me the best out of it [closed]
I wish no human will ever get trapped like this.
I wish no human ever get trapped like this.
I wish no human ever gets trapped like this.
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0
answers
27
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Need help finding the appropriate english term for these financial related [closed]
I'm working for a company (belong to corporation) that provide services to customers through contracts.
I'm looking for words that fit into these descriptions:
Words describe the "customers"...
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0
votes
1
answer
34
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Backshifting in reported speech - thought/knew/promised
This is another question on backshifting.
I looked at other such questions at ELU & ELL, it appears that the general consensus is something like 'if the reported situation still hasn't changed, it'...
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3
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0
answers
503
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Is it correct to say "Don't put your expectation so high"? [migrated]
While searching on the Internet, I found that another way to say it is "Don't set your expectations so high", but I didn't find anything related to "Don't put your expectation so high&...
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2
answers
24
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Proper punctuation in a sentence with a semicolon
Should this comma be included or omitted?
The resources are rich; the lectures, helpful.
Alternately, is it better to replace the comma with the word "are"? (I think it sounds better ...
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1
answer
37
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Who or Whom, which usage is grammatically correct? [closed]
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
who should I tell or whom should I tell?
In my head, both sound correct.
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