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It can't simply be that the word "quote" seems more formal than "saying" can it?
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What's the difference between _when_ and _while_? Could anyone advise?
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In the sciences there exists mathematical functions that are named after the British mathematician George Green. People refer to them in various ways such as: Green's function, Green's functions, Green function, Green functions. To me, _Green's functions_ , suggests that he (Green) tested and investigated each and ever...
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In computing, "Low Level" can be understood to refer to a more base level of detail, and "High Level" to a higher level of detail as well as usage of "packages" made out of the "low level" constructs to achieve a higher level of abstraction. I am looking for words alternative to High and Low as they have mentally misle...
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Wikipedia describes a knowledge worker as a worker whose _"main capital is knowledge"_. Examples include engineers, doctors, accountants, software writers etc. Is there an "established term" to refer to non-knowledge workers?
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Can anyone paraphrase the following statement by Samuel Johnson? > The insolence of wealth will creep out.
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This is a question I've been wondering about for some time, and I finally came across an example today that I can quote. Consider this sentence (from): > No longer is the main primary exchanges the only option for executing > orders. At my first reading the "is" seemed to clash with the plural of "exchanges", however i...
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Can I use a sentence like "I will it see it after afternoon"? I mean can I use "after" before the afternoon. Is it grammatically right?
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I'd like to know the correct way to read dollar amounts after the expression "priced at." If I want to read the sentence > "This app is priced at $3.99." would it typically be read as > "This app is priced at three dollars and ninety-nine cents?" I really want to use "dollars" and "cents" instead of saying something li...
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What does "Don’t shoot yourself in the foot" mean? > Unfortunately, most salary decisions are based on perceived performance, not > on actual performance. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.
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Recently a colleague of mine said to me that the "Guys who are switched on really annoy me?". Since I am not a native speaker, I do not know what he meant by "switched on". Can you fine folks shed some light on this? Thanks!
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Is there a single word to describe a person who is a lover of fantasy? Similarly, is there a single word to describe a person who is a lover of sci- fi?
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I was just reading a News paper. and found this sentence: > Our impatient host could not understand that our security personnel are > under so mush pressure in such tense red alert situations. They do their > duty and try to protect us so that we can go back home safely to our > families. And all **we do is to complain...
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I am going to translate an English song into Italian, and I have a problem about this phrase: > Take in the country air, you'll never win I'm looking for "country air" but I don't find anything about this phrase, not in Italian or English. What could be the correct meaning?
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While trying to locate the etymology of the _Tamil_ slang, _OB_ , I ran across the following claim: > This entirely Tamilian term, strangely enough, has its origins in the term > "off-beat" used in the British Army to refer to retired officers or > soldiers. I'd like to know if there's any truth to the claim that "off-...
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I have had a few international friends ask about "here" when used at the end of a sentence such as "I could use a little help here!" or "buy me some time here!". I would like to better explain this to them, but my best explanation is that adding "here" gives a feeling of desperation to a sentence. Even if that is a per...
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Does `I'm proud of something` imply `I'm taking credit for something`? I just observed that the former phrase only works with my own accomplishments or with related people, but not with unrelated people, e.g. `I'm proud of Tom's result` works only if I have some kind of relationship with Tom, like I'm his father or tea...
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As a dabbling polyglot, I've found myself learning the basics of several languages over the course of my lifetime. One of the first things that is taught in any language is personal introductions. I was struck recently by the fact that English is the only language I have learned that uses the construction > What is you...
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Usually sentences with "I wonder" are of the following form: > I wonder why **___ __ ___ ___**. But what about this? > Why is it that **___ __ ___ __ ___** I wonder. It seems relatively unnatural. Why is that? Is it grammatically correct?
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Which of the following sentences is correct? > 1. The numbers are experimentally determined. > 2. The numbers are determined experimentally. > Are both (not) correct and if only one of them is correct, what is the underlying rule?
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It's a classic phrase, but is there **a word** that encapsulates the sentiment of this idiom? **Edit:** Single word isn't a requirement, I'm just looking for a **concise** and **eloquent** alternative. I don't have a specific sentence in mind; I think it's a beautiful idiom and I'm simply looking for alternatives to it...
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Is there a difference between _jamb_ and _jam_? I recently wrote a letter describing someone who had jambed their hand on a stair bannister and the usage was questioned.
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In an English test I had recently, there was this multiple choice question: > There were lots of different activities for Jay to ... there. > > A - Make B - Do C - Play There was no extra information for the exercise, just the word to complete. I chose _do_ , but it turns out both _do_ and _play_ were accepted. Why is ...
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Not _mines_ , but **mine's** (mine is). As in, "You cooked a good turkey, but **mine's** better."
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One thing I noticed recently when looking through some reports is that thousands are often abbreviated, in a similar way to scientific measurements are abbreviated. E.g. $1,000,000 becomes $1m and £20,000 becomes £20K I was curious about the capitalisation choices though, and the fact that they appear to be the opposit...
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How can I know the exact meaning of the word _cousin_ in a sentence? How do English speakers distinguish between different kinds of cousins? (Arabic distinguishes both the sex of the cousin and the side of the family —Cindi/Google)
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Why do we call snail mail "snail mail"? So by default _mail_ will refer to email?
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> * Are you comfortable with him? ( _correct_ ) > * Are you comfortable with whom he is? ( _??_ ) > > * You're comfortable with whom he is. ( _??_ ) > > * Are you comfortable with who he is? ( _??_ ) > > * You're comfortable with whom? ( _correct_ ) > > Why does adding _he is_ change the usage of _who/whom_? I understa...
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> Whenever a new president comes, he is always more popular in the beginning > than at the end of his term. No matter how good he is and how successful he > has been, there will always be more negativity and criticism toward him from > the people of his country toward the end of his rule. It is almost a law. I > would ...
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Is there any difference in meaning between the expressions _draw a bath_ and _prepare a bath_?
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What do we call a person who always tries to judge their own actions in a positive way, or convince themselves that what they do is always right?
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Which of the two statements is correct? > He was an **English-born** businessman. > > He was an **England-born** businessman. The same confusion arises in _India-born_ and _Indian-born_ as well. Moreover, is a hyphen necessary in these examples?
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At school or at family events, we can sometimes get photos of the group we represent. Such photos are often placed in a paper/card cover on which are lines ready to write the names of the persons that are on the photo. Is there any single term to represent this object?
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I want to name an artwork I made but I am not a native English speaker. The title I have selected is _vision_ , meaning having insight. The point is I don't know whether I should name it _The Vision_ or _Vision_.
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To the question, > How did you get here? the response was, > I bike rode. Why is this incorrect?
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I came across the following phrase in a story (set in Australia): > So the fact that I'm forty-five and you're eleventy-seven means nothing to > me. If other people have a problem with that, then it's their problem, not > ours. The character is obviously talking about age difference, but is "eleventy- seven" translate ...
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I'm managing an online registration to some conferences. The conference coordinator has to add info about that in an online form, when submitting his conference to the registration website. Is there a better way to describe the date the registration closes? I prefer a short straight forward name. PS. Yeah, I know you h...
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I am looking for a stronger word than "discrimination", which somehow remains ambiguous because of its multiple meanings. I am especially interested in referring to discrimination in the sense of partiality and prejudice towards certain demographic categories. The word "discrimination" could be used in combination with...
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This is a passage from a book of the Bible: > 1 Timothy Chapter 2 > > 1 Exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, > intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; > > 2 for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and > peaceable life in all godliness and honesty...
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Both the words _tea_ and _trip_ start with different allophones of the same phoneme /t/. Would placing these words next to each other in a sentence not be considered alliteration, or is sharing the same phoneme the only criteria for alliteration?
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I was all set to release an album titled Peripeteia. I thought the word aesthetically sounded beautiful and the meaning, reversal of reality, "the moment the hero realizes all he believes is untrue" (in greek tragedy), etc. seemed very fitting to many of the songs and some of my recent personal experiences. Unfortunate...
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When I was a student - and that was more years ago than I care to count - I learned quite a few idiomatic/traditional comparisons. Howver, I've never heard anyone use them ever since. I suppose they are obsolete in 2014, are they ? e.g. As strong as a lion, as good as gold, as pretty as a picture, as cunning as a cartl...
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"IT projects gone awry because they were conceived on too massive a scale, and good money thrown after bad, are financial nuisances far from unique to the Beeb." ['Beeb' = BBC] I've been trying to unpick this sentence and it seems to present some interesting questions regarding reduced relative clauses. I believe that ...
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Is this a grammatically correct/formal way to ask the question of this type? Here is an example > Hey, did you check if the payment went through? What's the better way to rephrase it?
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Are "barking up the wrong bush" or "sailing on the wings of imagination" close?
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This is a hard one to look up. Where (and when!) did the expression "who da man" start? My guess is it started either in written form after the popularization of the internet (because that would jibe with it being intentionally misspelled) or in imitation of some popular icon (who?). Do you have any idea how one would ...
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> Our deputy manager is the virtual head of the business. In this sentence the manager is the **real** person who in charge. > There will be a virtual presenter and virtual guests who will help create > the atmosphere of a beauty contest. Here the presenter and guests are all **fake**. This `virtual` really confuses me...
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Disclamer: English isn't my first language. I learned during my English courses (a few years ago), that there is, as in French (which is my first language), a comparative and superlative version for each adjective. And for the adjective _good_ it goes like this: > good, better, best The thing is, when I listen to diffe...
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I probably have seen this happen at various times in movies set in eras where people were very obsequious to royalty. The action I am trying to find the word for is a motion of the hand in a kind of circular motion or spiral (generally towards and away from oneself) while bowing towards someone, often while slowly movi...
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Is there some time or place where the clubs card suit is called " **flowers** " in English? This is their usual name in such languages as Italian (" _fiori_ "), but has it ever been the case in English? I have found a mention of a " _Jack of Flowers_ ", but I suspect it to be spurious.
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I am not sure about using the past tenses here: > Yesterday I saw my friend who had just finished the university and wanted to > go out. Is that correct? I am not sure about the past perfect but using past simple would (IMO) imply that the actions happened one by one.
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I often hear German native speakers (I am one myself) ask those questions, and it seems to me that they are pretty much translated word by word into English. * Is this chair free? * There is a free room in the house. What is the proper way of asking, say, whether a chair on a table is taken or not? For me it seems like...
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President Obama made the following statement regarding his decision not to show dead body of Osama bin Laden to the public: > "I think that Americans and people around the world are glad that he is > gone. But we don’t need to spike the football. And I think that given the > graphic nature of these photos, it would cre...
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I've noticed a tendency for more and more two-word phrases with even slightly idiomatic usage being written more and more as single word compounds. Today when I came across "everytime" written as a compound I looked to see how modern it was on Google Ngram Viewer and was surprised to see it much more common than I expe...
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Two questions with the same words can have somewhat different meanings. For example, I could ask 1. > Do you want to go to the zoo or the museum? with my intonation/pitch rising after _zoo_ , or 2. > Do you want to go to the zoo or the museum? with a higher intonation on _zoo_ going down to a lower pitch by _museum_. S...
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I have seen the following type of phrase in various academic articles and books. > * Another important decomposition used in the sequel is the ... > * In the sequel, we identify the position ... > * the vector v (introduced in the sequel) must be considered... > At first, this use of "in the sequel" seemed strange, and...
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When a concept is found to be invalid, someone might say "so much for" it, which roughly means "I'm throwing this idea away." Does anyone know where the expression comes from?
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In my dialect of English (American West Coast), the word only exclusively means exclusively. I've worked with folks from Southern India for a while (and used to live abroad in Dubai), and it seems to me that that in some Indian English dialects, the word "only" can be used for emphasis - it does not necessarily indicat...
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Need help on right usage of "keenly aware of", what are the similar expressions? Can I say: strongly aware of ? thanks
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In this answer about the non-word _disabilitated_, the word _preventative_ is compared (unfavourably, if my reading of the implication is correct) to _preventive_. However, I have always used _preventative_ , and can only recall hearing it in its longer form. Merriam-Webster online lists _preventative_ (defining it as ...
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Can I write the following? > One of the seagulls spotted a fish and dove after it, but came up **empty- > handed** If not, what other word I can use to replace **empty-handed**?
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In British English I think these two words have different shades of meaning, but I couldn't articulate them. In American English I see inquire used where I would use "enquire". Are there shades of meaning in British English? Do they exist in American English?
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I can't find a definition, synonym or an alternative way, to say _"shorthand label"_ in the following text: > _The Unit describes social exclusion as **a shorthand label** for what can > happen when individuals or areas suffer from a combination of linked > problems._
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I'm working with someone who uses _noncompatible_ often in correspondence. The confusion may be due to English being a second language for them. I think they should be using _incompatible_ instead. Is that correct? > It is better to not show those user profiles to **noncompatible** > individuals. Does the answer change...
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There are already some posts talking about inquiry, enquiry, and survey. However, a real sharp definition and distinction between survey and inquiry words is still missing and I'd like to be sure about their differences and best uses.
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Another word- choice dilemma! Which word or phrase is best to be used in a resume describing _ready for team work_ ; I am familiar whit the phrase _teamwork ready_ , but it actually sounds a bit too impersonal to me. Could there be something more appropriate? Along that line, I would want to say that I'm a _supportive_...
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My kid studying in KG has a moral story of fox and crow (which you may already know). Just in case you don't know the story, here it is in short: A crow finds a piece of bread and just before it starts eating it, a fox sees and plans to take it from the crow. Then it says, "oh crow you look beautiful and your voice is ...
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Is it correct English when someone says that they _live vicariously through_ something? If I were to say “I _live through_ the TV”, would I not be living _vicariously_? So therefore the word _vicariously_ is redundant and the statement is a tautology?
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I’m currently searching for the title of my research thesis and I can’t find a good phrase. I did a “Systematic Analysis of fruit growth” in a generic way and additionally applied the analysis to apples. Regarding the content I thought of the following title: * “Systematic Analysis of the fruit growth at the example of...
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We were discussing humbugs in the office the other day (principally arguing over whether the ones with brown stripes were real humbugs), so I looked up the etymology and found plenty of information about the origin of the word _humbug_ to mean deception or dishonesty (see Wikipedia). One might argue that in this contex...
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It's my understanding that “Is it any wonder . . . ?” is a rhetorical question used to state the obvious, usually with a degree of sarcasm, equivalent to “It's no wonder that . . .” or “Small wonder that. . . .” For example: > Is it any wonder that Chris is late to the party? means roughly: > Nobody should be surprised...
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Compare pronunciations: * "I want to **use** the bathroom" (yoos) * "I made **use** of the bathroom." (yus) My poor attempt at creating a phonetically descriptive syntax is supposed to convey that, with the verb construction, "use" is pronounced with a long _u_ whose sound continues during the speaking of the _s_. The ...
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I want a phrase to convey when something should be done more than enough to matter. Is it correct to use the phrase 'more than more'? Is it common in English literature?
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I seek to embiggen my lexicon. Does anyone know of an obscure/archaic/unusual English word-of-the-day (with authoritative (preferably OED) definition) RSS feed? * I've found the OED WotD feed, but a fleet survey shows it contains generally everyday language. * The Phrontistery is interesting, but it appears to be dead,...
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Is there any word (most likely a loanword) to describe sex discrimination issues for holding work-related functions in saunas? > It's a sticky, steamy business. Two or more do it naked in a small, dimly > lit room. Heartbeats quicken, pulses pound, sweat pours. The climax is a > moist, suffusing glow. It has nothing wh...
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When you're having lunch and you see someone he can say "enjoy your meal", "bon appétit" or "enjoy". I can answer him by saying "thank you", for instance. But for example in Spanish we usually say a sentence which means something like "you can join me/us, if you want" (inviting him). Is there any typical sentence in En...
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I would like to know what a particular form of publication is called, when a work is a collaborative effort of many writers and possibly more than one editor, published in weekly or monthly parts and intended to be bound into volumes by the subscribers (or perhaps reprinted bound by the publisher at a later date). Does...
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What general rules govern the usage of _by_ versus _through_? For example, which is correct in each of these cases: > My house is heated by/through gas. > I'll send it to you by/through mail. > I'll pay you by/through check. > I learned that by/through a lot of practice. > Success only happens by/through hard work. > T...
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> Sophia was awakened by the rattling sound of the alarm clock. Rubbing her > eyes, she sat up, and after fumbling for a while, she finally managed to > turn the alarm off. She lay on her back again, wondering why David had to > set the alarm on Sunday. But when she looked to **the side** to ask him, she > realized he ...
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Is there a specific word for the protagonist when the singer sings from the protagonist's point of view? For example, in the song "Two Is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls: > I remember what you wore on the first day > You came into my life and I thought > "Hey, you know, this could be something"
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I am a resident of India. I have never been able to understand the language used in the legal documents here. Below is an example from an agreement to sell an apartment. > Herein after referred to as "THE FLAT PURCHASER/S" {Which expression shall > unless it be repugnant to the context or meaning thereof shall mean and...
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I don't know if it is about English or what, but I don't understand why some people relates a teacher to an owl, or putting an owl as a simile to a teacher. Is there an origin of this, and is it special in the English language or if I'm wrong about the relationship?
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In the novel Dracula I came upon the following sentence: > "But the old Chapel, that _took the cike_ that did. " Presumably that is an equivalent phrase to "took the biscuit". But a google search for "cike" just showed up this unlikely definition.
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> The class will be over in 10 minutes. > > The class will be over after 10 minutes. I know the first is correct but why?
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I would like to say that I'm pausing / postponing work on something. I wasn't sure which of the following is the right way to say it: 1. I'm holding off on it for the time being 2. I'm holding off of it for the time being 3. I'm holding it off for the time being 4. I'm holding off working on it for the time being 5. No...
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"You are due an apology" If I say that to someone then it means that I owe them an apology and not the other way around. I recently debated this with someone and they could not make sense of it and did not agree with me. If I was owed an apology then I would say "I am due an apology"
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I am looking for a word to describe a person who has high achievements in a particular field. High achievements can be subjective so this word should have personal meanings. For example, I really like an artist, although he may not be the best artist in the world, I just personally like his work so much that he has the...
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Marlin is a type of swordfish, that's fine. But what does the marlin mate mean? Does the word "mate" have a similar meaning as in the "first mate" or something? Is a marlin mate someone who harpoons the fish? As you might have guessed, I don't know the first thing about fishing terms. It's from an interview with Heming...
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"Send tell" aka PST and similarly Mt is commonly used in video games and online chat programs. To me, it sounds like something out of the renaissance. What is the origin of the phrase?
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I just want to ask if when would be the exact time to use have a good day? Because someone told me that the appropriate time would be in morning. Is that correct?
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In the United States, a person under examination on the witness stand may "plead the fifth" to avoid self-incrimination. In other words, a person asserts his or her Fifth Amendment right. Citizens of many English-speaking countries have the right to remain silent and laws to protect against self-incrimination (testifyi...
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In a video a native speaker of English said: > I gotta show you something... it is important. I need to show you it. I am not a native speaker and this last sentence sounds extremely weird to me. I asked two English native speakers (both British), one of whom said it is okay and the other that it is wrong. Is this gram...
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> Now, although I regard with a hushed and solemn fear, the mysteries, between > which and this state of existence is interposed the barrier of the great > trial and change that fall on all the things that live; and although I have > not the audacity to pretend that I know anything of them; I can no more > reconcile th...
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I’ve seen the expression being used quite a lot in non-English speaking countries by recruiters themselves and I find it a bit odd. Have they chosen the wrong way to be cool?
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When we want to report a sentence we change both simple past and present perfect verb into past perfect. What if the sentence we want to report has past perfect element itself. For example How do we report this sentence: I had been a teacher before I went to the USA.
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Usually, if I am writing that a person said something, I would precede the quoted text with a comma, like this: > Then he said, "I don't know why it happened." However, in this sentence, an editor told me the comma after "he" wasn't necessary: > The author writes, and I'm quoting his words exactly, that he, “couldn't >...
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This is not a duplicate of questions such as“Login” or “log in”? or “log in to” or “log into” or “login to”. The reason is that this question deals specifically with converting from American English to Canadian English and the underlying differences between those two dialects, whereas those other questions do not speci...
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Is there a word that means "a span of six months"? That is, I want to connote a stretch of time that lasts half a year, not an event that happens every six months.
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I'm trying to say "Do something if there are 0 or 1 messages" but am not sure exactly how to phrase that. Do I use the singular, plural, or none of the above?
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What does it mean to _bust on somebody_? For example, > I bust on my girlfriend.