Newest Questions
133,003 questions
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Use of semicolon followed by conjunction -- Standard English?
I recognize my query nearly duplicates this question from 9 years back, but since usage evolves apace and because the below hurts my ear while my supervisor insists the sentence sounds as sweet as ...
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0
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86
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Looking for a word like "fey" in the sense of otherworldly that can be used as a noun, without referencing specific mythological creatures
The title is the short version. More details below.
I'm writing a fantasy story, and I've got characters with culture clash. One is trying to describe a non-human centric view of power progressions, ...
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0
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78
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Is there a term like “onomatopoeia” but for movement?
There is a train signaling thingy called a “wig wag.”
“Wig wag” does not represent the sound the device makes, so I wouldn’t consider it an onomatopoeia. However, the name is clearly inspired by the ...
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6
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797
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What's the point of "I shan’t try to hit two balls" joke? [migrated]
I am reading Ethel Lina White’s novel Fear Stalks the Village, written in 1930s, and came across this passage:
In spite of her short sight, the novelist was the best tennis player
in the ...
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0
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17
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Need help with “who/whom” question [migrated]
_______ is the lady Jim was talking to?
a.) Who
b.) Whom
Hi all, may I know what is the answer to the above question? From my understanding of grammar rules, Jim is the subject and the lady is the ...
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5
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1k
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Proper antonym of "body shaming"
"Body shaming" is being used since 1990s to refer to: the act of criticizing or humiliating someone based on their body shape, size, or physical appearance, which can be directed at another ...
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2
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1
answer
71
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Is "don't" an auxiliary verb?
I remembered my teacher told me that "don't" is an auxiliary verbs. But today I jave just learnt that only "do" in "don't" is an auxiliary verb and "don't" is ...
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49
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Epistemic "can": answer to epistemic "may" within a subordinate question [closed]
The auxiliary verbs may and might are also sources of potential
ambiguity, because thy express both epistemic and deontic
modality. Thus, in questions, forms such as May he come? are often avoided, ...
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0
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36
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Past Simple vs Past Progressive [migrated]
I am sorry for asking such a simple grammar question, which caused some confusion among teachers at my school.
Is it natural for a native speaker to use the "past progressive" in the ...
- 1,474
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3
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466
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How do you parse the clause inside this sentence?
I recently read an article titled “The myth of the eight-hour sleep” by BBC Learning English, which itself is an adaptation of another BBC article of the same title. And I am perplexed by the clause (...
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96
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Why are most English learning resources are written in or focused on British English? [closed]
For example, have a look at popular or big modern grammar books:
(Advanced) English Grammar in Use - British
Practical English Usage - British
Cambridge Grammar of English: A Comprehensive Guide - ...
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0
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140
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Is there a specific term that describes a person's inability to determine another person's age?
I have never been able to determine a person's age. Aside from knowing they're a child, adult, or a mature adult (grey hair, wrinkles), I cannot determine an actual age. A 19-year old can look 40 to ...
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2
answers
1k
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Etymology of “snooty"
I have not found a satisfactory origin for the word snooty (proud, disdainful of others) in Modern English. I wonder if there is any evidence that could be considered for an origin in the Old English ...
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91
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How to say I’m a homebody, not a social butterfly [closed]
What’s a way I can say I’m not into public places with large crowds and I don't socialize with a lot of people?
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39
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'Adjective + of noun' vs 'adjective + to-infinitive'
Easy/difficult... of accomplishment / to accomplish
Cannot find much info about this change of trend in current English. It seems to apply only to certain noun-verb pairs (compare easy... *of failure /...
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1
answer
84
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What is the name for sayings that have come to mean the opposite of what they were originally?
There are a few colloquial sayings that have come to mean the opposite of their original intent perhaps due to being used out of context. For example:
"Pull yourself up by the bootstraps":
...
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2
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a tree five feet around — Do you think "around" is an adverb or an adjective here?
There isn't a general consensus among dictionaries whether "around" is an adverb or an adjective when it's used for showing a measurement of something in circumference.
So I'm interested to ...
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24
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Doubts in 'On the face of it' ~ Susan Hill [closed]
I have some doubts in particularly the language used in this play.
If you can answer any one of it please do.
I am numbering it for your convenience
'Crab Apple is a magic fruit. I often say. But it'...
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28
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In APA style, is “i.e.” always needed to express “that is” in a parenthetical material, or can it be omitted sometimes?
It can be unclear when “i.e.” needs to be used in parenthetical material in an APA style paper and when it can be left out. For example, does the parenthetical material in the examples below require “...
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1
answer
46
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Do you place quotations marks around a term after the word “call” in APA style?
The 7th edition of the APA Style manual says to use quotation marks “to refer to a letter, word, phrase, or sentence as a linguistic example or as itself” (p. 157). Here are examples from APA: https://...
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7
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1k
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Suitable word for any public figure with comparatively few haters/criticizers
I'm curious to find a suitable word for any public figure or celebrity who has very few haters or criticizers compared to other such public figures or celebrities.
Let's talk about Ronaldo and Messi [...
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27
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Confusion in a statement [closed]
In my book there is a sentence:
I hadn't yet heard people speak openly of untouchability, but I had already seen felt experienced and been humiliated by what it is.
What is the difference between ...
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1
answer
59
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Declarative question vs midsentence auxiliary ellipsis
'Declarative questions' are often used when the speaker thinks he/she
knows or has understood something, but wants to make sure or express
surprise (not normally possible after a question word: Where'...
- 4,135
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votes
1
answer
77
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What would be an appropriate antonym for "aletheia" ( αλήθεια)? [closed]
As witnessed by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aletheia, the
word aletheia (αλήθεια) has come to be used for truth in some modern philosophical contexts. What would be an appropriate antonym based upon ...
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1
answer
57
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looking for distinctions between “preternatural” and “unnatural” [closed]
I have read the discussion and debate on the distinction between “preternatural” and “supernatural,” and it's enough to make the head spin. I hope this will be simpler. (I should note that although I'...
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79
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"they have been married for 10 years" OR "they have been marrying for 10 years"? [migrated]
If two people are husband and wife and they continue to be married in the present and they hope in the future, can I use present perfect continuous, marrying?
If not, how/why is this different from (...
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24
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Idiomatical or not specify [closed]
We wish to make it clear that the university has no connection with them apart from them being working in their official capacity.
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1
answer
57
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The grammar and semantics of "eat our way to ours" in a specific context
I encountered an unusual grammatical construction while watching a scene from Scooby-Doo! first frights (video link for context).
The character Shaggy says:
"With Scoob and my sweet dance moves ...
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2
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170
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Why is "[sic]" used in this article? [closed]
While reading an recent news article, I came across this:
He was a true & loyal [sic] partner, ...
Why is "[sic]" included? Everything seems proper.
They're quoting from a press ...
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0
answers
97
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When to use the expression "far be it from me" without using "to"
I have come across an interesting expression "far be it from me" for the first time and I am having difficulty on how and where to use it. In the following excerpt taken from a novel, the ...
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70
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Is this sentence correct? "I should have bought a car by the end of this year." [closed]
Is this sentence grammatical:
I should have bought a car by the end of this year.
I suspect that this sentence is not correct or grammatical, since, as I understand it, modals + have + past ...
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1
answer
591
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What is the origin of "lame duck" as a political term and, before that, as a financial term?
An article by Mark Leibovich titled "Donald Trump Is a Lamer Duck Than Ever" posted today in The Atlantic, includes the following note on the origin of the term:
Senator Lazarus Powell of ...
- 174k
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0
answers
49
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When did peeople start referring to identity groups as “the _____ community”? [closed]
I have noticed that when referring to identity groups, people often use the construction “the xyz community” instead of “xyz people”. For example, instead of saying “Gay people predominantly believe ...
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0
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37
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I have a character that can talk to walls and I need help with capitalization [duplicate]
I am writing a story where the main character can talk to walls. In this story, all walls have one large consciousness, and this being has no name, so it is simply called the Walls. My problem is ...
3
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9
answers
1k
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A verb for "stopping someone from making progress"
I am practising doing precis & composition. Came across a sentence that needs to be shortened into fewer words:
The people who are your rivals will mostly try to stop you from progressing.
I ...
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3
answers
1k
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Is "the" needed here: "the almost 50 species of bumble bees ..."?
My son is reading a Disneynature' document titled Wings of Life narrated by Meryl Streep. He came across the following paragraph that goes as under:
The almost 50 species of bumble bees in the United ...
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vote
1
answer
81
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What part of speech are the last words of "all at once", "gone at last", "good at first", etc?
All three words (once, last, first) can be defined as adverbs, adjectives, or nouns with similar definitions for each part of speech for the respective words.
I'm trying to figure out if those words ...
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1
answer
53
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Is "Marrieds" a correct plural noun [closed]
Is "marrieds" correct or should I use "married people"?
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0
answers
156
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Shakespeare, Sonnet 104 [migrated]
To me, fair friend, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I ey’d,
Such seems your beauty still. Three winters cold
Have from the forests shook three summers’ pride,
Three beauteous ...
- 291
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1
answer
4k
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What is this obfuscation method called?
Is there a short phrase meaning "mapping text through near-homoglyphs that are intentionally less similar looking, specifically when used to write controversial things (swear words, the k!n&, ...
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0
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9
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Could you please help me with modal verbs Be to (if there is another way to say it?) [migrated]
Could you please help me - I can not understand this stucture.
Maybe I can change this academic English? Maybe I can use street English in this case? (And how?)
The train is to leave in 16 minutes.
...
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0
answers
29
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Colon needed after "they are"? [duplicate]
Is a colon needed after “they are” to introduce a list of questions? How about in this example?
After a long period of contemplation, four questions emerged to frame his thinking on the subject. They ...
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0
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12
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Had carried or had been carrying [duplicate]
It is not clear to me why I can't use "had been carrying" and "carried in this sentence."
It is a standalone sentence and there is no context.
"She took a bottle from the bag ...
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0
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29
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Had carried, carried, had been carrying [migrated]
This exercise is from Advanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings. The correct option is "was carrying" but why can't I use "had been carrying" "had carried" and "...
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votes
1
answer
143
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French words: productive pronunciation in present-day English ('faux')
Consider a case like faux:
/ˌfoʊ/ in faux marble or faux pas
/ˌfoʊz/ in faux ami(s).
Therefore, is it productively /foʊz/ before a vowel (French pronunciation rule) in today's English too? Say, in
...
- 4,135
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0
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21
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Will there be a comma after the word, "called" in the following case? [duplicate]
I was posting a puzzle on my instagram page and I am supposed to write where I got the puzzle from.
I wrote it like this:
The puzzle above was taken from a facebook page called, "Fun Logic and ...
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2
answers
184
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Does something need to be delayed by a significant amount of time to be considered "postponed"?
Our Science teacher called about tomorrow's mock science quiz - it's not cancelled. It's scheduled from 3:00 p.m.
to 5:00 p.m. instead of 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The mock science quiz planned for the ...
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1
answer
53
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Origin of “Never try, never know”
I’m interested to know the original source of the quote, “Never try, never know.” Internet searching attributes the quote to John Barrow, but does not identify who John Barrow is, when he lived, or ...
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votes
2
answers
677
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What is the meaning of “mantle” in this sentence?
In a visual novel written in American English, I have found the following passage, as a character is describing the contents of his room, which is themed around car racing (emphasis is mine):
Damon: ...
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1
answer
88
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Loss of /tə/ between nonrhotic and nasal: 'certainly' /ˈsɜ:n.li/
Certainly /ˈsɜːn.li/
https://youtu.be/gV4e9ownkAY?si=cpb0NvcE9YUw2Nza
Bear in mind this is a further step from the common trisyllabic [ˈsɜː.ʔn̩.li] or even [ˈsɜː.t̚n̩.li].
Is this a specific ...
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