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1500 questions
33
votes
8 answers
Does the question mark mean this is a question?
Imagine the following written conversation, as recently occurred via SMS between me and a friend (edited for brevity):
A: What are you going to do today?
B: I don't know. Go shopping?
What is the meaning of the question mark in the reply? Is…
Flimzy
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32
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2 answers
Follow me, and your urologist will be buying himself a new yacht
The following1 is a retort from the dean of a hospital to her highly insubordinate lead-diagnostician.
In a little place called "follow me, and your urologist will be buying himself a new yacht."
The above diagnostician wants to know where the…
Amani Kilumanga
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32
votes
12 answers
Word for someone who says yes, then no, then yes
Facing a situation that needs a decision, a person says yes then in a minute later changes it to no, but he/she does it several times and does not have a real decision eventually.
What is the single word for it? If I translate directly from my…
student
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32
votes
6 answers
Is "Whom" a deprecated word?
I'm learning English through online courses.
I'm enrolled at the Write101x, managed by University of Queensland, Australia.
In this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a7UQe82tnY about 2:47 minutes, the lady says the following:
Many writers…
Fabio Luz
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32
votes
5 answers
You prefer to "eat soup" or "drink soup"?
Background: We have a local food that's something between "broth" and "noodles". Unfortunately, English language experts in Iran don't bother to introduce a suitable word that deals with the problem. But that isn't the problem. To know how I'll be…
M.A.R.
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32
votes
1 answer
What's the difference between words "number", "count", "amount" and "quantity"?
I just can't understand when i should use one of these words and when another. They are too similar, but looks like they are not absolutely the same. So what is the difference between them?
ozahorulia
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32
votes
2 answers
The Ö letter in "Coördinator"
I was watching some Pink Panther episodes on YouTube, and I noticed something weird.
The word COORDINATOR is written COÖRDINATOR with an Ö.
I searched for it in dictionaries and etymology references but found nothing.
Where did it come from? And are…
Hamdiken
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32
votes
1 answer
Why is the W silent in "sword" but not in "swore"?
The word "sword" is pronounced /sɔːd/ (AmE: /sɔrd/) while "swore" is pronounced /swɔː/ (AmE: /swɔr/). The W in "sword" is silent because of the following round vowel; the lips get round for W as well as the following round vowel so we round only…
user119042
32
votes
1 answer
Uses of the definite article (the) in generic noun phrases
I was reading a paragraph about lions and I came up with a question about the definite article (the).
Let me tell you first what I know about it.
1->We use the before a singular noun (when we are sure about the noun.
And the listener and the…
user62015
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32
votes
7 answers
Do native speakers use "ultima" and "proxima" frequently in spoken English?
I have noticed that the words ultima and proxima are rarely used.
How do native speakers use these?
Kumar sadhu
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32
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9 answers
2 for 5 (bucks) vs 5 (bucks) for 2
I heard a Burger King promotion on a radio, saying:
Beautiful! 2 for 5! // It means 2 hamburgers, 5 bucks
To me, '2 for 5' sounds like you pay 2 hamburgers to buy 5 bucks, which is illogical.
I would think '5 for 2' makes more sense, meaning you…
dan
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32
votes
5 answers
Is there a word for the "unutterable" feeling when listening to a beautiful song?
When I listen to a beautiful piece of music, for instance Quizas by Andrea Bocelli, I am feeling something is under my skin, moving. I don't know if there exists a word to express such an ineffable feeling.
Lerner Zhang
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32
votes
2 answers
Why is "for a tortuous three days" singular even though days is plural?
I was surprised to find out that you should write:
I waited for a torturous three days.
Instead of:
I waited for torturous three days.
Why is this? "Days" is plural ...
alex
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31
votes
11 answers
Keeping my mouth shut, referring to avoiding weight gain
Today, in an informal context I was asked what was the best strategy to keep a good weight according to my experience. I said that keeping my mouth shut was quite a good strategy.
Can I use the word shut in this context, or close would have been a…
pablo
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31
votes
7 answers
How is double negation interpreted in English?
In my native language, double negations "cancel out". I have been trying to learn English using movies and such things, but double negation confuses me. I see instances when double negation cancels out, and some when they do not.
For example, "I…
user207