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18
votes
4 answers
Why is "ugly" in quotations?
I read an article, which said something like this:
They had 11 puppies and sold 4 puppies and seven were left. Then they wrote an article in the newspaper “FREE TO GOOD HOME-one very ugly and six other pretty puppies”. By the end of the next day,…
Blessie
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18
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How do I translate 'подъезд' into English?
How do I translate 'подъезд' into English? What are these? There are walls between separate pod'yezds inside so once you've walked into a certain pod'yezd you get access only to a specific section of the building, a specific set of…
Sergey Zolotarev
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18
votes
6 answers
Russia 'Fired Rockets INTO Ukraine' - BBC
A headline from a BBC News app on my mobile reads:
Russia 'fired rockets into Ukraine'
I could not find this on the BBC website, but it shows on my cellphone.
Why into? You fire at someone/something. Maybe into refers to somewhere inside…
Maulik V
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18
votes
3 answers
Can I say "Oh boy" to a girl?
I've known that "Oh boy" is similar to "Oh my goodness", but can I use it when speaking to a girl?
Also, what are the popular alternatives?
Wenfang Du
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18
votes
10 answers
Would Americans say: "He sat down 9 feet from me." or "He sat down 3 yards from me."?
Would Americans say:
He sat down 9 feet from me.
or
He sat down 3 yards from me.
?
user140203
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18
votes
14 answers
Does "You little liar" mean "You tell small and not so serious lies" or just "You tell lies in general"?
When do we say "You little liar" and "You big liar"?
Do the words "little" and "big" mean what they mean?
"You little liar" mean "You tell small and not so serious lies"
and
"You big liar" mean "You tell big and serious lies"
Or "little liar" and…
Tom
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18
votes
3 answers
What do you call a table that is unstable?
Let's say there is a table or a chair for that matter, which has one of its legs broken a bit at bottom, because of that it is unstable and every time you lean on it wobbles due to lack of balance.
Describing it as unstable or unsteady seems very…
Max
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18
votes
3 answers
Should I say "what does it means" or "what does it mean"?
Sometimes, especially on this forum, I am wondering wether I should say "what does it mean" or "what does it means" ?
And should I say "it means that..." or "it mean that..." ?
Pop Flamingo
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18
votes
2 answers
Why in shops do they put “B sold here” instead of “B sells here”?
I know “B sold here” is the right form. But I don't know why it's the right form instead of “B sells here”?
AH.
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18
votes
4 answers
How do you address a policeman on duty?
How do you address a policeman while he is on duty (e.g., when you are asked to stop at a checkpoint)? The word "policeman" itself seems quite unusual to me, and some sources suggest "officer". Is that correct?
Is there any difference in use if the…
Marco Leogrande
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18
votes
4 answers
Why do they use small van in van Gogh?
There seems to be two ways of spelling for ‘van Gogh’: with small v or big V. It may have some reason I do not know having small van in the middle of Vincent van Gogh, but why do they still spell small van in the first part of his shortened name Van…
Listenever
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18
votes
7 answers
If I found two $5 bills on the ground, would it be acceptable to say "$10 are on the ground"?
If I found two $5 bills on the ground, would it be acceptable to say "$10 are on the ground"?
Is "Two $5 bills are on the ground" the ONLY acceptable sentence?
Joshua
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18
votes
4 answers
Using THE before some countries
I have been taught that it's grammatically proper to use the before countries like "Sudan and Yemen" but I was never given a reason (if there exists any, of course) when I asked why, except for "it is one of those ambiguous parts of English language…
M.N
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18
votes
6 answers
You can't spell 'Slaughter' without 'Laughter'
...and yet they are pronounced very differently.
/ˈslɔtər/ vs /ˈlɑːftə(r)/
For those who don't read 'pronunciation':
Slaw-ter vs Laff-ter
Similarly: Homographs (words spelled identically but pronounced differently) run into the same issue for an…
Alexander
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18
votes
2 answers
Is the sentence "pay some in cash" understandable?
I was in a store yesterday and I decided to get rid of all my coins,
so when I was at the checkout counter, I told the clerk that:
Can I pay some in cash and the rest by card?
The clerk said that he doesn't understand me, and I thought maybe the…
Huan
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