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8 answers
What is the sports hall in schools called in English?
What is the sports hall in schools called in English?
I've translated from my language and the translation is "sport venue", but the according to the picture on Wikipedia I suspect that it is not what I'm looking for.
I'm looking for the name of the…
Virtuous Legend
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28
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4 answers
The female equivalent of "don't break my balls"
We all know that someone who can never be quiet, who criticizes, moans and nags until your patience wears thin and snaps.
Some men will intimidate the nagger by saying:
Stop breaking my balls!
I think this is a universal expression, it certainly…
Mari-Lou A
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28
votes
4 answers
Is "Raining Cats and dogs" still used nowadays?
Is it old-fashioned to say "It's raining cats and dogs"?
If yes, what is the substitution idiom for expressing heavy rain?
Maryam
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27
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6 answers
What is the difference between "you are being" and "you are"?
Having a debate on whether "You are being a jerk" and "You are a jerk" have the same meaning in context. Are you calling someone a jerk if you state they are "being" a jerk or is the context that they are portraying qualities of a jerk?
krazkinkc
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27
votes
4 answers
Is "hello" followed by "!" or "."?
Is "hello" followed by an exclamation mark or a full-stop? How about "Have a nice day"?
I normally type "Hello!" However, I got corrected to be "Hello."
Which punctuation mark should I use?
ํYingwor
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27
votes
3 answers
"(Noun) the sh*t out of this" — What nouns work?
In the recent feature film The Martian, Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, has to figure out a way to grow food on Mars when it's never been done before in order to survive until he can possibly be rescued, he says
In the face of overwhelming odds…
Peter
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27
votes
3 answers
Meaning of "8 going on 48"
I don't understand what this expression means:
Little adults are the children that parents describe as
'eight going on forty-eight'.
colona
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27
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4 answers
"Hi there!" -- What does this 'there' mean?
There's this particular interjection-like usage of there that I think belongs to the spoken register and maybe doesn't refer to anything; as in:
Hi there!
You alright there?
Why is it used, and what meaning (if any) does it serve to convey?
Færd
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27
votes
9 answers
"He is 80 years young"
I've seen statements like "He is 80 years young" in many places. Also, I know that it means the same as
He is 80 years old.
Now, why do people use 'young' instead of 'old' if it means the same? Or am I entirely misinformed and the statement is…
Varun Nair
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27
votes
4 answers
Toward vs. Towards
Are the words "toward" and "towards" synonymous? If not, when should I use one over the other? "Towards" usually sounds silly to my ear, but is that just me?
Flimzy
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27
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5 answers
a joyous and restful three days -- a three days?
Example:
After a joyous and restful three days, I left this beautiful city.
Although it still kind of sounds weird to my ears, I know that when a noun, even though in the plural, is used to mean a certain amount or quantity of something,…
Michael Rybkin
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27
votes
9 answers
"No more Hiroshima" or "No more Hiroshimas"
"No more Hiroshima" or "No more Hiroshimas".
Some say the former and some say the latter.
I'm wondering which is grammatically correct.
Makoto Kato
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27
votes
7 answers
“I’m too tired to drive”: Why does removing 'too' make this sentence ungrammatical?
This is grammatical:
I'm too tired to drive.
but this isn't:
I'm tired to drive.
Why? How can removing an adverb make a sentence ungrammatical?
In a sentence like “He slowly walked down the street”, you can remove the adverb and still get a…
Maulik V
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27
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a most talented writer - why not "the most talented writer"?
Example:
Just because he does not say very much is no reason to sell him short. Actually, he's a profound thinker and a most talented writer. People tend to underestimate him and not give him the credit he deserves because they think he's shy.
How…
Michael Rybkin
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27
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5 answers
What is the expected response to "What's up?"
When somebody ask me What's up? I answer I am well, thank you.
Is that the expected answer, or should I answer something else?
What does a native speaker understand when I reply like that?
apaderno
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