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1500 questions
19
votes
7 answers
"the set of elements >whose each< pair is ... " - Is this acceptable?
I have written the phrase:
"The set of elements whose each pair is ...".
Is the 'whose each' acceptable?
Context:
I was trying to ask this question in Quora, and the phrase I would like to write is "I would like to know sets of at least 3…
Alex Grilo
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19
votes
4 answers
What does the author mean by "What did he there?"
I'm reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein written in 19th century. I'm not sure whether the sentence I just encountered (bold text below) is a misprint or an example of archaic English and I'm trying to figure it out.
Volume 1, Chapter 7:
A flash of…
7_R3X
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19
votes
3 answers
What does "Re:" in a business letter mean?
What does "Re:" in a business letter mean? When should we use it?
Ikki Ito
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19
votes
2 answers
Proper term for hiring fewer people than required
What is the word (if there even is one) to describe an employer hiring/employing fewer people than he/she should?
For example, a cafe wanted to save money and chose to only hire one waiter even though it needed at least three during busy times. The…
JUNCINATOR
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19
votes
5 answers
What is the meaning of "check out" in a programming context?
I am working with some version control software.
One of the things you can do with this software is to "check out a version" of a program's code. This is the exact phrasing:
"Check-out a branch (of the master code) into a local repository:
When…
Andrew F.
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19
votes
6 answers
How many items are actually "a few items"?
When we use a few, how many items are usually indicated? My intuition tells me it's something between 3 and 9, but what is the most common range for a few?
Danubian Sailor
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18
votes
5 answers
Would saying "if" in place of "whether" be a big mistake?
For example, in the expression "I don't know whether I'm coming or going", would saying if in place of whether be a big mistake? Would doing it in written English be an error too?
JCLL
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18
votes
7 answers
complete or completed
Consider a task (a computer science term), which can have three states:
not yet started (queued)
started (running)
finished running
What word would be more correct for third state: "complete" or "completed"?
UPD: this word will be used as a table…
Vadik
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18
votes
4 answers
Why is "of" dropped in 'as X (of) a something'?
Can anyone explain why the preposition "of" is deleted in the second sentence below? Please provide relevant examples to understand. If there is a certain rule, then what is the name of that rule?
Incorrect: Most people think that women have…
ARYF
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18
votes
5 answers
Is rendezvous pronounced like run-they-who?
I know that pronunciation in English is not very consistent, but I heard rendezvous being pronounced like run-they-who, which felt very strange. Is this really the right way to pronounce it, and how did it turn out like this?
user207
18
votes
4 answers
Is "The two men Savchenko, an Iraq war veteran, was convicted of helping to kill were . . . " grammatical?
In a blog, I read the following sentence:
The two men Savchenko, an Iraq war veteran, was convicted of helping to kill were Anton Voloshin and Igor Kornelyuk.
I can only understand that it says something about two men Anton Voloshin and Igor…
Rucheer M
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18
votes
7 answers
English native speaker vs. Native English speaker
Which of the following options is the correct or the acceptable?
"He is an English native speaker"
or
"He is a native English speaker".
Virtuous Legend
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18
votes
12 answers
A word for "getting colored"?
Is there a word or phrase for changing from being transparent (or colorless, or maybe white) to a solid color? "Getting colored" somehow doesn't feel right. Or maybe something with "tint"? I don't know.
The context in which I'm wondering would be…
Mahm00d
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18
votes
4 answers
Usage of "Pet" in "Pet Peeve"
Why would someone want a peeve as a pet?
Upon searching for pet peeve, one explanation for the usage of pet was
the complaint is adopted like a pet
This meaning I can understand in
pet project
where one takes it under one's wing and cares for…
Peter
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18
votes
5 answers
"I'm not afraid" vs "I don't afraid"
Sometimes I hear people say 'I don't afraid...'
For example: 'I don't afraid to be alone'
Or 'I don't afraid of the darkness'.
But is it right?
I've always thought that we can only say: 'I'm not afraid of something' of 'I'm not afraid to do…
Tatiana
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