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1500 questions
20
votes
5 answers
Can "zero" be used to describe uncountable nouns?
“There was zero courage in this verdict,” he said. ”I think this goes to the jury not wanting to make a difficult decision."
I learned that mass nouns cannot be enumerated.
Yes, I know that zero courage can be replaced with no courage, but, since…
user114
20
votes
5 answers
What is the difference in meaning between "A majority of" and "The majority of"?
Does a difference in meaning between "A majority of" and "The majority of" exist?
For instance, do the following sentences have the same meaning?
A majority of the students are expected to vote in the class election.
The majority of the students…
Robbo
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20
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1 answer
"Can you please" vs. "Could you please"
I heard using 'could' is for politeness. When I request something, should I say "Can you please" or "Could you please"? Does the latter sound over-polite and pretentious?
Remo
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20
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4 answers
"who, quite frankly, are not" vs. "who are, quite frankly, not"
Which is more natural?
We're getting a lot of new principals who, quite frankly, are not very skillful at handling student discipline.
We're getting a lot of new principals who are, quite frankly, not very skillful at handling student discipline.
Fajela Tajkiya
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20
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5 answers
Do Americans say “My car's tire has a slow puncture” in everyday English?
According to the Britannica Dictionary:
British people say: “I got/had a puncture”
Americans say: “I got/had a flat or a flat tire”
But what about "a slow puncture"?
According to the Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, British people say "The tyre had a…
Tom
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20
votes
3 answers
What does 'sus' mean in the sentence "People who joined Facebook after 2017 are sus."?
I saw a tweet:
People who joined Facebook after 2017 are sus.
What does this word "sus" mean in this sentence?
AGamePlayer
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20
votes
3 answers
What does "threw a women in film event" mean here?
Is there any mistake in the phrase?
At the Venice Film Festival, Red Sea threw a women in film event
that attracted stars like Demi Moore and Kate Hudson.
Source: "Saudi Arabia Chases $64 Billion Hollywood Dream" by Sarah Rappaport, Bloomberg, 7…
haile
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20
votes
8 answers
Is it OK to say "a cat is on the table"?
I've been confused with the "there is/are" expression.
I learnt at school that "A cat is on the table" is an awkward sentence and you should say "There is a cat on the table" instead. Is it really awkward to native speakers?
I've also come across…
kuwabara
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20
votes
6 answers
How can one wish someone a "good night" when they sleep during the day?
Bob worked all night: he'll sleep from 9 am to 6 pm. What expression can one employ to wish him a "good night" right before he goes to sleep?
Franck Dernoncourt
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20
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2 answers
in/at one fell swoop(=at one time) What's fell here?
in/at one fell swoop (=with a single action or movement, all at the same time)
What's fell here? I think 'swoop' is a noun and if it should be modified, then 'past participle' or adjective should do it.
Let's look at the below. 'fell' is past of…
BEBYGONES
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20
votes
7 answers
When should 'a' and 'an' be written in a list containing both?
Which of the following is correct?
Want to be a Graphic Designer, Photographer or an Artist? Let's Learn and Grow Together.
Want to be Graphic Designer, Photographer or Artist? Let's Learn and Grow Together.
Want to be a Graphic Designer, a…
user126212
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20
votes
4 answers
Why isn’t the third person singular used in “The Lord bless you”?
I saw the following statement within the Longman Dictionary:
The Lord bless you and keep you.
But I think it should be like below:
The Lord blesses you and keeps you.
Because The Lord is a single entity. Am I right? If not, why?
shapoor
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20
votes
8 answers
What does "the proverbial middle finger" mean?
I read the following line on a certain book:
We've given the proverbial middle finger to the society
I know that proverbial means something to do with a proverb. But, how the middle finger has anything to do with proverbs? Isn't it more suitable…
Rickless
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20
votes
1 answer
Why is "university" not capitalised here?
Why is "university" not capitalised in the second sentence below?
The Guardian: West Virginia University suspends fraternities
and sororities after student lands in intensive care unit.
The Guardian: Students sue Virginia university after…
Costa
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20
votes
5 answers
Can "marriage" be used as a verb?
In the movie Love, Actually there is this quote:
"Beautiful Aurelia, I've come here with a view of asking you to marriage me."
However, I've learned that 'marriage' can be used as a noun, not a verb.
Similarly, there are other quotes which are…
frhyme
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