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1500 questions
20
votes
8 answers
Which way: One and one ARE two? One and one IS two?
Which verb is grammatically correct when used to describe addition?
One and one are two.
One and one is two.
Ann
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20
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8 answers
"My boss was furious with me and I have been fired" vs. "My boss was furious with me and I was fired"
I have a question and I hope you can help me. I've been learning English for many years but I'm still struggling with the difference between simple past and present perfect.
For example this sentence here:
"By the time I got to the office, the…
Heda
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20
votes
4 answers
What is the difference between "behavior" and "behaviour"?
In the online version of Cambridge Dictionary, there are these definitions for the next two words:
Behaviour = the way that someone behaves
Behavior = a particular way of acting
What would be a difference between behavior and behaviour by some…
b2ok
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20
votes
2 answers
Articles: When do I use "a", "the", or "__"?
How do I know whether to use the definite (the) or indefinite (a, an) article, and when to omit it altogether?
Walrus
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20
votes
4 answers
How should I construct a question from a sentence containing "used to"?
What is the question form of "She used to come here."?
Is "Did she use to come here?" or "Used she to come here?" From my high school English classes, I remember I was taught it is "Used she to come here?" but now it seems a strange way to form a…
apaderno
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20
votes
5 answers
Why do the British use the word "flipping" for emphasis?
In the English (British) TV drama, Coronation Street, the word "flipping" is often used to stress a situation, so much so that it feels like a swear word to me to some degree:
I've got a flipping headache
That flipping moron
I think usually people…
xpt
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20
votes
9 answers
What's a preferred alternative to the phrase 'do the needful'?
In India, this is used zillions of times every day especially while referring someone some task or to do favor.
Mr. Singh, I'm sending my cousin who is interested in learning guitar. As you have better contacts with musicians, kindly do the…
Maulik V
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20
votes
2 answers
"It's them as should be sorry!" grammar
The sentence is from the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I can probably get the meaning of the sentence, but the grammar really confuses me, especially the usage of the word as. I could understand if the sentence was written as: It's…
dan
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20
votes
9 answers
What makes an Indian English accent hard to understand?
I have experience communicating with people from different nationalities and several have noted that Indian English accent is difficult to understand.
Are there any suggestions on how a person with an Indian English Accent can improve its…
meow
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20
votes
13 answers
Slang word for working overtime without being paid
I am looking for a slang word to describe the situation, where you are voluntarily working overtime at your job, but without getting paid.
E.g. if you stay late at your work because you would like to solve a specific problem; and you do that…
ssn
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20
votes
10 answers
What do you call someone who attends the same university as you?
Can I call that person a schoolmate? Or is that a wrong word because a school isn't a university? In that case, is it common to call that person a university mate?
alex
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20
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2 answers
Is it "words in a song," "words to a song," or "words of a song"?
In
"I know the words in/of/to that song,"
do all three prepositions work equally fine?
Which is the most common?
Eddie Kal
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20
votes
3 answers
What is the difference between "thanks" and "thank you"?
Is it about the person's age or the extent of my knowledge of the person?
Asma MENAI
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20
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11 answers
Is "bananas is" possible by any chance?
My brother is a highschooler. His mid-term English-language exam is early next month. His teacher gave him an assignment in preperation for the exam. One of the questions given is:
(Bears - bananas - broccoli) is sweet fruit.
I called the teacher…
Sara
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20
votes
3 answers
The origin of 'feed' in 'line feed'
A line feed means moving one line forward. It's definition references feed.
In summary,'feed' has three meanings
Give food to.
Supply with material or power.
Cause to pass gradually and steadily, typically through a confined space.
From which…
AbstProcDo
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