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1500 questions
13
votes
3 answers

Confused about / with?

I've encountered this question today, what I actually said was I'm confused with these two questions. Then I thought, "Should I say confused with?" Dictionary says about should follow confused. Can anyone tell me whether both of them are right?
Sampson Gao
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13
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4 answers

Put your hands "in" or "into" your pockets?

Which of the following sentences is correct, and why? "Put your hands in your pockets." "Put your hands into your pockets."
Kai Hartmann
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13
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3 answers

What does "Honeykins" mean?

I've heard someone, a native speaker, called his girl friend by "honeykins". Does it the same as "honey" or "darling"? Does it have special meaning other than those expressions?
Ola
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13
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4 answers

Is "a bit more erected" an appropriate way of describing the following posture?

I want to explain why the bunny on the right-hand side of the following picture appears to be bigger than the one on the left. Maybe it is really because of the difference in the heights of the two, but let's assume it is just because of their…
fill
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13
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5 answers

I was forbidden to make such requests

I was forbidden to make such requests. I feel that this is not English. But how can I express that somebody said that I am not authorized for this action?
Leos Literak
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13
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7 answers

Have a nice travel?

I am looking for some kind way of replying to an email when the other person is saying that he will be traveling and asks for more time to complete something. It appears that "Have a nice day" could have some negative connotations…
user150839
13
votes
4 answers

To walk while holding/steering a bicycle

I couldn't figure out how to express this in English. In Swedish it is called "Att leda en cykel", but directly translating it to English ("to lead a bicycle") seems to mean something different. Google Translate gave me "passing a bike", which also…
Hjulle
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13
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4 answers

Meaning of "Chucking an ice cube into the path of a forest fire"?

"Please don't get angry," I throw out as a preemptive sally, even though it feels a bit like chucking an ice cube into the path of a forest fire. What does it mean here?
Ardis Ell
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13
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2 answers

Undiscovered meaning of the verb "to fold to"

I have found the following passage on a neighbour site of the SE network (https://workplace.stackexchange.com/a/56997/22315): Your boss might try to haggle. Never fold to that. As I might suggest, the verb "to fold to" in the context means: do…
Denis Kulagin
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13
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6 answers

How to answer a negative question in English?

Q: "Don't you know?" If I really don't know, how should I respond to this question? Yes or No? There's a similar question on EL&U, but the answer isn't clear how it works: A confusion about answer yes and no to some complicated question Also…
sarvesh kumar
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13
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1 answer

I did a gig in a fertility clinic. I got a standing ovulation

Can you explain what this joke means please? “I did a gig in a fertility clinic. I got a standing ovulation.” Tim Vine: Timtiminee Timtiminee Tim Tim to You (Pleasance Courtyard, One)
kyle
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13
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2 answers

“The group of fifty people {is / are} going to arrive Thursday” - which is preferred?

Isn't the following sentence grammatically correct? The group of fifty people are going to arrive Thursday. What's wrong with it? Someone said it should be The group of fifty people is going to arrive Thursday. Why? People is plural so why is…
Nathan Wilcox
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13
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4 answers

"Is it proved that ...?" vs. "Has it been proven that ...?"

Searching The New York Times, I found 22,100 results for "is it proved" and, therefore, I argue that that phrase is likely correct English. But on History Stack Exchange a user edited the following sentence, written by me, "Is it proved that the…
user114
13
votes
3 answers

Uses of "have you had" and "did you have"

When to use have you had and did you have in sentence? e.g. 1) To ask some if he had his lunch or not? Have you had your lunch? Or Did you have your lunch? 2) To ask some if he faced this situation in past or not? Have you had this situation when…
user4084
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13
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3 answers

Can I rephrase the sentence "Can you explain this word to me?" into "Can you explain me this word."

Can you explain this word to me? Can I rephrase it as Can you explain me this word?
user48070
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