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1500 questions
39
votes
4 answers
Why is wine made 'from' grapes, but tables are made 'of' wood?
(1) Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grapes or other fruits. (Wikipedia)
(2) Tables were made of marble or wood and metal (typically bronze or silver alloys), sometimes with richly ornate legs. (Wikipedia)
Why is 'from' used in…
user2903
39
votes
10 answers
Does "unbuild" in "Unbuild your Legos before putting them back into the box" sound natural?
How could I change this sentence in order for it to sound more natural and easier to be understood by a toddler?
I've been using 'unassailable' or 'take them apart' but both sound strange.
MsRose
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38
votes
5 answers
Is "says you" grammatically correct?
So I heard it from a character in a movie, and looked it up.
If it's correct, why add '-s' to say when the subject is "you"?
Qian
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38
votes
5 answers
How to understand "throwing science at the wall here to see what sticks"?
It's said by Cave Johnson -- an character in Portal2. Full voice line is:
"Just a heads up: We're gonna have a superconductor turned up full
blast and pointed at you for the duration of this next test. I'll be
honest, we're throwing science at…
Sayakiss
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38
votes
5 answers
Is "thru" for "through" acceptable? "Tho" for "though"?
I've been told that in American English, sometimes words ending in -ough are written -u: for example thru instead of through.
Is this correct English, or is it simply a common error?
If it is correct, what are the rules for this spelling?
gerrit
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38
votes
9 answers
Your English is better than my <>
I am a native Czech speaker and English is my secondary language. I communicate with foreigners including both English and non-English natives. Sometimes, before we meet in person, I let them know I am far from a native and I ask for a bit of…
Nikolas Charalambidis
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38
votes
5 answers
Why is "science" in "Bachelor of Science" singular, whereas "arts" in "Bachelor of Arts" is plural?
In the following degrees — "Bachelor of Science" and "Master of Science" — "science" is an uncountable or singular noun.
In contrast, in "Bachelor of Arts" and Master of Arts, "arts" is countable and plural. Wikipedia says the Master of Arts "degree…
AIQ
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38
votes
6 answers
Is it "I" or "me" in "Keep Tom and I/me updated"?
In this case what is correct?
Keep Tom and I updated.
or
Keep Tom and me updated.
I understand that me is an object pronoun. And therefore I feel the second option is correct.
Especially, because I would say "Keep him updated" and also…
Dzyann
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38
votes
4 answers
Why would you say "it changed me" instead of "it changed myself" here?
I was correcting a sentence written by a Japanese friend, and I corrected one of his sentences to:
"Learning foreign languages changed me".
He asked me why he could not use "myself" instead. I am kind of at a loss of how to explain this to him.…
Kazemi
38
votes
2 answers
What's the meaning of phrases that include "ship", "shipping", when there is a conversation about the heroes of TV series?
I saw such phrase "Fans have been shipping these two for years, and it’s easy to see why. They’re attractive, single, and they’ve got a lot in common..." in this article. What does "shipping" mean in this context?
Aliaksei
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38
votes
5 answers
What does "have a pop-up feel" mean?
Support for the Rohingya cause across the region has a pop-up feel.
Source: Nouzie
I looked up pop-up in Merriam Webster:
1: pop fly
2: a component or device that pops up
3: a pop-up book
4: a pop-up window on a computer screen
I guess pop-up…
Noor
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38
votes
3 answers
What does "two-by-four" mean in this context?
Here is the text:
My parents’ divorce was final. The house had been sold and the day had come to move. Thirty years of the family’s life was now crammed into the garage. The two-by-fours that ran the length of the walls were the only uniformity…
NanningYouth
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38
votes
10 answers
When you tell a joke and nobody laughs
I'm looking for an expression or a verb describing the feeling you get or the situation when you tell a joke and nobody laughs.
Oh man, last night I cracked a joke and no-one even smiled at it. I [the expression/verb]
I think it will be OK if I…
Yuri
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38
votes
14 answers
Is there an English equivalent for the Italian saying "It's another pair of sleeves"?
In a meeting an Italian told a puzzled English audience: "It's another pair of sleeves".
It's an Italian way of saying: "it's another thing", or "this new argument is something different or off topic". The phrase could be used to remark that the new…
maborg
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37
votes
3 answers
Differences between "mandatory" and "compulsory"
What is the difference between mandatory and compulsory? Are they synonyms? Can they be used interchangeably especially with regard to something you must do?
Writing the essay is a mandatory task.
Writing the essay is a compulsory task.
haunted85
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