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1500 questions
16
votes
3 answers
Do I have to use “do” in any “wh-” question?
What did you say?
What you said?
What did you wear?
What you wore?
Where did you go?
Where you go?
I know that sometimes in English, people do not use “do” in “wh-” questions. I have heard somewhere that people do not use “do” when the…
user5036
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16
votes
10 answers
"All languages are interesting." "Every language is interesting." Do they mean exactly the same thing?
All languages are interesting.
Every language is interesting.
Don't they mean the same thing?
Vic
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16
votes
9 answers
Is "Tweety" suitable as a person's name?
My name is Chia Yin. I am a Taiwanese. We usually have two names in this generation: one Chinese, one English. I don't know why.
For my English class, my teacher asked me my English name, I don't really have one, but I have a nickname, "Tweety",…
Tweety ko
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16
votes
7 answers
Can I say "I play a little piano" to mean I am not an advanced player?
Can I say "I play a little " to mean I am not an advanced player?
How would a native speaker say they can play a musical instrument but only easy pieces of music?
I searched for an adverb that means "in a beginner way," but google mostly showed…
R. Javid
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16
votes
3 answers
Are patients and patience homophones?
I thought "ts" should sound differently. I believe rights and rice are not homophones; if so, why should patients and patience be homophones? Because the sound t is canceled after n?
These two words, Patients vs. Patience, are no different. The…
joy2020
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16
votes
4 answers
Is any difference between "speak English" and "speak in English"?
Is any difference between "speak English" and "speak in English"?
April
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16
votes
7 answers
Difference between “little”, “few”, “a little” and “a few”
What are the differences among “little”, “few”, “a little” and “a few”?
Are “little” and “few” synonyms?
Ice Girl
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16
votes
6 answers
Is there a single verb for what you do in the gym?
In my native language, we have a single verb for what you do in the gym – "gymma" – so I was thinking perhaps one could say "to gym" in English, but after having checked "gym" in a number of dictionaries, I'm convinced this is not possible in…
Lillatanten
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16
votes
4 answers
Is "par for the course" used only for negative situations?
The Cambridge Dictionary and the Free Dictionary mention that "par for the course" is to be used with negative events. Is it only used for negative events? If I did something good, for example, could I say it is "par for the course"?
sidney
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16
votes
4 answers
Are idioms not recommended in a formal situation?
This is what my English book[1] says (I've condensed the paragraphs so they're a bit shorter and straight to the point.):
Fixed expressions, also known as idioms, are often rather informal.
Never use them just to sound fluent or good at English. In…
user516076
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16
votes
4 answers
What does the phrase "in plan" mean in this Wikipedia page? (is this a typo?)
In architecture, a quadrangle (or colloquially, a quad) is a space or a courtyard, usually rectangular (square or oblong) in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building (or several smaller buildings).
The…
Static Bounce
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16
votes
11 answers
Is there an idiom that says not to change a perfectly good thing?
Is there an idiom/word/proverb that says not to change a perfectly good thing or something that works?
JChips
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16
votes
1 answer
Is the sentence "This whiteboard won't erase" grammatically correct?
I often see such phrases, and I am wondering whether they are strictly grammatically correct or not. It seems to me that the subject is "whiteboard" and the verb is "erase", which as far as I can tell is a transitive verb, hence requires a direct…
Yossi Lonke
16
votes
2 answers
Why do dictionaries write /p/ instead of /pʰ/ for 'pie' in the ipa?
Prompted by this question: The pronunciations of letter "P" in "explain, explore, explode" and in "expensive, expand"
My question is that if English has two kinds of Ps (p and pʰ in JamesK answer) then why do dictionaries write just /p/ and not…
Lasshatry
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16
votes
5 answers
Is PC used as an English expression for a computer in English speaking countries?
Japanese people call computers PC in Japanese-made katakana expression. English speakers usually use laptops for that. Is PC used to mean a computer in English-speaking countries?
tak
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