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1500 questions
41
votes
9 answers
"co-worker" vs. "colleague"
What is the difference between "co-worker" and "colleague"?
In my company there is an employee whose name is Bob. But Bob and I, we don't know each other. In this case, is Bob my "co-worker" or "colleague" or both?
In my team at work, there is…
Jason Heo
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41
votes
10 answers
"He borrowed me some money."; right or wrong?
Can we use borrow as I have in the above sentence in a sense like;
He borrowed (from someone for) me some money.
I wonder if there was a better way of expressing the idea that I am meant to.
Clarification: borrow there is not mistakenly used…
Zeeshan Ali
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41
votes
3 answers
What is the difference between IMO and IMHO and IHOP?
I was reading a public forum, and I saw the following abbreviations:
IMO
IMHO
IHOP
As far as I see, these are interchangeable somehow, but I don't understand the correct usage of them.
Just assuming the
IMO
Probably stands for "In my…
Bálint Pap
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41
votes
8 answers
How to say something like "my company" without sounding like I own the company?
How do I say something like "my company," "my plane," "my bus", etc. without making it sound like I own the company/plane/bus/etc?
"Our company" makes it seem like both me and the person/people I'm talking to own the company together.
clickbait
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41
votes
11 answers
"Didn't use to get" or "Didn't used to get"?
I just made a minor grammar correction on Travel SE, and another user said the grammar correction was unnecessary.
The original text was
Another factor--sometimes life happens and you can't fly. In the old days you could simply sell your ticket to…
Fiksdal
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40
votes
3 answers
Why is a 'ph' or 'gh' used instead of an 'f' in commonly used English words like Elephant and Enough?
It's pretty silly. But then, this question has been left unanswered since preschool. English clearly defines an alphabet 'F'. So why is a 'Ph' used ? or a 'Gh' in words like 'Enough' or 'Tough' ? It is pretty basic and elementary.
Varun Nair
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40
votes
8 answers
What does "resp." mean in these sentences?
The abbreviation resp. has been used a number of times in the following paragraph:
For each of these problems (resp., tools), we start by presenting the
natural concern underlying it (resp., its intuitive objective), then
define the problem…
Masroor
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40
votes
5 answers
Is Let us = Let's?
Many times I heard these words interchangeably. I want to know if "Let's" and "Let us" are used for the same meaning.
I think (for me):
"Let us" is word used for requesting. Like Let us do something means requesting to allow us do…
Pandya
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40
votes
5 answers
Working in / for / at?
Which is the correct way to tell where I'm working?
I'm working in XYZ company.
I'm working for XYZ company.
I'm working at XYZ company.
Or is there any difference in the meaning?
Nalaka526
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40
votes
8 answers
How do native speakers say 'the light bulb has stopped working'
Lets say, I want to tell my roommate that one of the lightbulbs has stopped working, I usually say
The light bulb is gone or broken down.
I did some search related to these expression and it seems that they are not very common and will sound odd…
Max
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40
votes
5 answers
What is the difference between "do you like" and "would you like"?
Do you like candy?
Would you like some candy?
Do you like walking?
Would you like to go for a walk?
What is the difference? And are they the same or not? Do they any use in different situations?
Ice Girl
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40
votes
16 answers
How can I get rid of my Indian accent and sound more neutral/native
I have recently moved to Canada and I feel I often end up having to repeat myself because of my typical accent. I am attaching a link to a very short audio and would love to know what can I do to fix my accent. I understand pronunciation differences…
systemdebt
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40
votes
6 answers
Can fluent English speakers distinguish between “steel”, “still”, and “steal”?
Can fluent English speakers understand this sentence the first time they hear it?
What? They still steal steel?
Can they hear a difference between the pronunciation of the words still, steal, and steel?
Han Jae Sook
40
votes
5 answers
Who is frowning in the sentence "Daisy looked at Tom frowning"?
I read this sentence from The Great Gatsby:
“Plenty of gas,” said Tom boisterously. He looked at the gauge. “And if it runs out I can stop at a drug-store. You can buy anything at a drug-store nowadays.”
A pause followed this apparently pointless…
Qian
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40
votes
6 answers
What is the brown cardboard covering coffee cups called in English?
I recently got into an awkward situation when I wasn't able to ask for a 'warmth protector thingy' in Starbucks, and wasn't accurately able to describe it, so could someone tell me what you would call the brown paper thing covering the plastic cup…
Tyler
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