English Language Learners Stack Exchange
English Language Learners Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
29
votes
7 answers

Is there a verb for listening stealthily?

I am wondering if there's a verb that means "listening stealthily" or "listening to someone or a group of people without having him/them know". I am highly confident that there's a verb, but I can't seem to remember what it was. Just so that we're…
blackbird
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2 answers

“The,” “a” or no article: “See you in _____ court.”

Why is an article not used before the noun in sentences such as the one below? See you in (the, a) court.
Boyep
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3 answers

What does "go blue" mean here?

I was watching Emmys when I heard the phrase "go blue" from Darren Criss who won the award for the lead actor in a limited series. He said: Congratulations to all of you. Thank you to the television academy. Go blue. You can find his speech here…
helen
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5 answers

Verb for "just opening a bit" a window or door

Is there a single verb that conveys the idea of "just opening X a bit", "slightly opening" or "opening a gap"? Examples He ____ the window just so that a light breeze could come in. The door was not totally closed. Someone had ____ it. Remark The…
guest_user
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4 answers

Can you reply "you too" to wishes such as "Good luck"?

Suppose someone is saying to you: I wish you Merry Christmas! or Good luck! Is it meaningful to reply "You too"? Or should you respond "Same to you"?
Bogdan Lataianu
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29
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9 answers

How to deal with unknown genders in English?

When I start a sentence with words like "someone" or "somebody", I don't know how to choose the right pronoun at the end of the sentence. Examples: If anybody asks you about the money, tell (Him - Her - It - Them) that it is in my bank…
Michael George
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29
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6 answers

What's the meaning of "be broker than the Ten Commandments"?

The meaning of "the Ten Commandments" is clear (see Wikipedia for example). Also, Oxford Dictionaries show "broke" means "Having completely run out of money". But I don't understand the meaning of the phrase. So, could you please tell me what is the…
Peace
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4 answers

Was it impolite for me to say "That's alright" when someone ran into me? Are there any better expessions?

I was travelling on a crowded bus. Someone suddenly ran into me and touched me when the bus stopped suddenly. The man said sorry to me. I did not get angry because I could see there was an auto accident not far from the bus, and then I said…
kitty
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1 answer

I can't imagine John is driving a car

Are the following sentences correct? and what is the difference in meaning? I can't imagine John drives a car. I can't imagine John driving a car. I can't imagine John is driving a car. I think the middle one is correct, but I don't understand…
Shannak
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2 answers

Dates and times: "on", "in", "at"?

I’m often confused when I speak about times and dates. What is the rule for using on, in, and at in the following sentences? I will do it ___ Tuesday. We married ___ March. He returned ___ the same day. Every day ___ the same time, I walk the dog.
Be Brave Be Like Ukraine
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6 answers

Call yourself God

Is there a word for calling or considering yourself a deity? There was a king of Shinar called Nimrod, who called himself a deity according to certain Islamic scholars and made people worship himself. Nimrod was in the age of prophet…
Arman
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29
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4 answers

Is "rain is falling" entirely wrong?

I thought it was a custom in English to write "it is raining" instead of "rain is falling". Still I don't know why the second construction is wrong. Yet I found a song called Rain is Falling, so I'm confused. Is this construction entirely wrong?
Mistu4u
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9 answers

What does "at 19.45 hours" mean?

I was reading a book and this sentence seemed a little odd to me: At approximately 19.45 hours the two men rose, stretched and yawned. They picked up their gear and stood at the door, ... What does the first part mean? If it's the exact time,…
Mahm00d
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4 answers

How to get rid of mistakes in spoken English?

I started to learn English about 15 years ago. I cannot say that I was learning it all the time but I use it almost every day (reading, listening, sometimes speaking). My English level is not high, but I still have a solid grammar base. It happens…
MasterPJ
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4 answers

"Rollbacked" or "rolled back" the edit? And what about "double-click"?

The noun (and verb) rollback on Stack Exchange means to undo or reverse an edit. I'm not sure if there is a difference between the two, but that's how I understand it. Recently, I posted the past participle rollbacked, in a comment, and after a…
Mari-Lou A
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