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1500 questions
27
votes
4 answers
"An (obvious) problem" or "a (obvious) problem"?
Suppose I want to add a qualifier to a noun that isn't necessary for understanding, so I decide to put it in parentheses. If the adjective in parentheses would change whether I use "a" or "an" as an article, which one is correct?
For example, as in…
anderas
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27
votes
9 answers
"No more Hiroshima" or "No more Hiroshimas"
"No more Hiroshima" or "No more Hiroshimas".
Some say the former and some say the latter.
I'm wondering which is grammatically correct.
Makoto Kato
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27
votes
7 answers
“I’m too tired to drive”: Why does removing 'too' make this sentence ungrammatical?
This is grammatical:
I'm too tired to drive.
but this isn't:
I'm tired to drive.
Why? How can removing an adverb make a sentence ungrammatical?
In a sentence like “He slowly walked down the street”, you can remove the adverb and still get a…
Maulik V
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27
votes
5 answers
a most talented writer - why not "the most talented writer"?
Example:
Just because he does not say very much is no reason to sell him short. Actually, he's a profound thinker and a most talented writer. People tend to underestimate him and not give him the credit he deserves because they think he's shy.
How…
Michael Rybkin
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27
votes
5 answers
What is the expected response to "What's up?"
When somebody ask me What's up? I answer I am well, thank you.
Is that the expected answer, or should I answer something else?
What does a native speaker understand when I reply like that?
apaderno
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27
votes
10 answers
Why is "He knows to swim" incorrect?
I was reading a website where common English sentence errors are written -
INCORRECT - He doesn't know to swim.
CORRECT - He doesn't know how to swim.
I know He doesn't know how to swim is a correct sentence. But why is the other one wrong, is my…
Man_From_India
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27
votes
1 answer
Why is it "your" and not "yours" in "to see your on Amazon account activity"
I have read on the Amazon Pay page:
You can find all your off Amazon account activity here.
Click Amazon Orders below to see your on Amazon account activity.
Why does it say "your"? As far as I know it should be "yours". Is it OK in the American…
Gamal Thomas
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27
votes
4 answers
If a sentence ends with an abbreviation (e.g. "[...] he lived in the U.S."), does that mean "U.S" is a correct abbreviation?
I came across the sentence "He visited Chicago many times when he lived in the U.S.", and seemingly the last period is for the ending of the sentence. So is "U.S" a correct abbreviation? This is a sentence from an exam question and I am a bit too…
Taro
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27
votes
4 answers
what is the difference between "yet" and "still"?
what is the difference between "yet" and "still"?
When we can use "still"? and when we can use "yet"?
Are they synonyms or not?
"The plan could yet succeed." Can I use "still" in that sentence instead of "yet"?
"I still don't understand." Can I…
Ice Girl
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27
votes
12 answers
"Four is better" vs "Four are better". Which one is correct?
I want to write:
One cake is good, but 4 {is,are} better!
Which one ("are" or "is") should I use?
Looking at examples online it seems that both are acceptable.
So here are my questions:
Which one is grammatically correct (one? both?)
Which one is…
zeh
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27
votes
4 answers
What is the meaning of "Dog ate my car"?
I was watching a movie called The book of Henry. One day Henry's mother goes to work late. Her manager told her, "Late again!", and she replied, "Dog ate my car." So, I heard about Dog ate my homework, but I have never heard about that excuse.
Hozan Ali
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27
votes
10 answers
I get “the” train and “a” bus
Before I started renting the workshop at the open-air museum, I would crawl out of bed in the morning, get dressed and go straight into the garage, which I'd converted into a studio. Now I get the train and a bus, so I have to get up…
user117023
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27
votes
6 answers
What are the correct pronouns for referring to someone whom I have never met in person when the gender is apparent?
I want to mention someone whom I know of only by references on the Internet such as forums and blogs(clarification: I want to write about the person, not to write to the person). This person uses a username of a woman’s first name with a lady’s…
Michael Freidgeim
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27
votes
9 answers
Greeting with "Ho"
The other day, in a chat room, I was greeted with:
Hi!
I'm a nice person so I greeted back with:
Ho!
But then I got a reply:
No! I'm not a Ho!
I thought Ho is an interjection similar to Hey, Hello and Ahoy. But a Ho seems to indicate it is a…
Cyker
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27
votes
16 answers
What's the polite way to say "I need to urinate"?
What's the polite way in the UK to say "I need to urinate" (both for men and for women)? Or maybe there's no problem with that sentence?
N.b. I'm asking about situations in which I know where it's located but I need to inform the one/s that I'm…
Virtuous Legend
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