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1500 questions
31
votes
10 answers
Why does "graphic" mean violent or gory?
My German friend asked me why "graphic" means "violent or gory", as in "graphic content" or "graphic language".
(Related, but not the same question: What‘s does “graphic language” mean? )
Graphic-graphical is clearly one of these ic-ical pairs…
equin0x80
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31
votes
6 answers
scissors cut/cuts paper, which is correct?
First I'd apologize for I can't describe it clearly.
I've heard that "scissors cut paper" is correct, but I found Sheldon said "scissors cuts paper" in The Big Bang Theory.
Which is correct, or both of them?
mariotaku
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31
votes
7 answers
Which is the correct question ("Who has" vs "Who have")?
The situation is that:
We've already read three English novels.
Which is the correct question for that situation?
Who has already read three English novels?
Who have already read three English novels?
Or could both be correct?
Please also…
bella
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31
votes
5 answers
Why is it "If I were you" and not "If I was you"?
From my research online the correct way is to say "If I were you" and not "If I was you" because this is the "subjunctive mood".
However they don't say the underlying reason for it. They just say use "If I were you" when it is subjunctive.
What if I…
Dzyann
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31
votes
7 answers
How to answer a negative question?
Take the question:
Did you not go to the store?
If I did not go to the store, should I then say yes? Or no?
If I did go to the the store, would my answer then have to be yes or no?
For me I would think that if I did you go to the store, then the…
user106826
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31
votes
5 answers
Why is “deal 6 damage” a legit phrase?
I mean, if damage is countable, it should be
Deal 6 damages.
If it’s not countable, then this sentence should be wrong.
Such as saying something like
I drank 5 water.
So... am I missing something here?
Hao Wu
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31
votes
7 answers
Do native speakers use "ultima" and "proxima" frequently in spoken English?
I have noticed that the words ultima and proxima are rarely used.
How do native speakers use these?
Kumar sadhu
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31
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5 answers
What does "Scary-lookin' fing, inee" mean?
... Harry had never met a vampire, but he had seen pictures of them in his Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, and Black, with his waxy white skin, looked just like one.
'Scary-lookin' fing, inee?' said Stan, who had been watching Harry…
dan
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31
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9 answers
Why is "won't" used instead of "doesn't" sometimes?
I've started noticing people using constructions like "something won't do something" as a present tense instead of "something doesn't do something".
For example, here is a piece from Eminem's song
but he keeps on forgettin'
What he wrote down, the…
Валерий Туманов
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31
votes
14 answers
What do you call an action that is less serious than a "crime" (that is not illegal, just against rules)?
Example sentence:
Dying your hair pink is a __ in secondary school.
I thought of words like "offense" and "misdeed," but they don't ring quite right.
alex
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31
votes
4 answers
What do you call the things inside a fruit?
I am having trouble finding the right word. What do you call the hard, uneatable parts inside a fruit? For example, an avocado has one big dark one. Grapes have small ones. Watermelons have a lot of black ones.
I looked it up in the dictionary and…
KansaiRobot
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31
votes
4 answers
What is the word for the metal things on boots where the laces go?
What are the metal parts of a boot where the laces are meant to go called? There are the circle parts and the hook parts. Do these have a different name each, or do they have the same name?
user18894
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31
votes
7 answers
How do I respond to my Professor's email, wherein he has mistaken my gender?
I am a Chinese student. I was emailing a professor for graduate study opportunity. He replied with the title: Dear Mr. Li Actually, I am a female. Would it be a little strange if I told him in my reply? and how do I put this, should I say "I am a…
Wei
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31
votes
1 answer
Are there any solid reasons for the "-st", "-nd", "-rd", and "-th" suffixes for numbers?
Is there any reason why we say 1st, 2nd, 3rd and the rest (4, 5,.. 10,..) are all -th except the one ending in 1, 2, 3? Why does it change specifically for 1, 2, 3?
Ruban Savvy
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31
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4 answers
Who decides whether something is standard English or not?
During a chat with a native English-speaking friend, he used the phrase "get on with it". I asked him about it, and he said it is a slang phrase. I looked it up online, and this phrase shows up on Urban Dictionary, so it seems my friend is correct…
user448