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1500 questions
20
votes
2 answers
Big garden is incorrect?
I answered wrong the following question:
There is a nice house with a big/large garden.
I chose big. Is it incorrect indeed?
Gyonder
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20
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5 answers
Can "zero" be used to describe uncountable nouns?
“There was zero courage in this verdict,” he said. ”I think this goes to the jury not wanting to make a difficult decision."
I learned that mass nouns cannot be enumerated.
Yes, I know that zero courage can be replaced with no courage, but, since…
user114
20
votes
3 answers
What do I call the ′ in mathematical formulae?
As in x′ = x + t
"Ex (?) equals ex plus tee".
In Russian it is called "штрих" (shtrikch).
Vi.
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20
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3 answers
Why "having something UP one's sleeve," not "having something IN one's sleeve"?
I learned a new idiom: "having something up one's sleeve," which means to have secret plans or ideas.
This idiom is from the practice of magicians hiding tricks or gimmicks IN the sleeve, right? Then, why don't we say "having something in one's…
rei727
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20
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3 answers
Why can I write "Please open window" without an article?
"Please open window" is a sign I saw on a London bus. What rule let the author omit an article? It was written right on the window, so I'm wondering why they didn't write "Please open the window".
musialmi
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20
votes
5 answers
How do you read "10/10"?
How do you read "10/10", as in "10/10, no notes"? it is a score! The "no notes" comes from the acting community, I think: you've done so well, that the director has no notes to give you to improve the scene.
Ten ten? Ten slash ten? Ten over ten?…
Cocobop
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20
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3 answers
Does this joke format (of three people doing something in a pattern) exist in English, and if so, who is it about?
In Norwegian, we have a standard template of children's jokes called "Svensken, dansken og nordmannen" ("The Swede, the Dane and the Norwegian"). The template is as follows:
A setup of the situation including three people
The three people have a go…
Arthur
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20
votes
6 answers
Would you ever say "eat pig" instead of "eat pork"?
I was always under the impression that when referring to the meat from, e.g., pigs or cows one would always use pork or beef respectively. In conversations I have observed people saying things like "I don't eat pig". I don't know if they were native…
musiKk
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20
votes
1 answer
Why is it "need" in "it need not be thus" instead of "needs"?
But it need not be thus
This sentence boggles me. I expected to see "it needs not" or "it does not need to". What am I missing?
akond
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20
votes
4 answers
"who, quite frankly, are not" vs. "who are, quite frankly, not"
Which is more natural?
We're getting a lot of new principals who, quite frankly, are not very skillful at handling student discipline.
We're getting a lot of new principals who are, quite frankly, not very skillful at handling student discipline.
Fajela Tajkiya
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20
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5 answers
Do Americans say “My car's tire has a slow puncture” in everyday English?
According to the Britannica Dictionary:
British people say: “I got/had a puncture”
Americans say: “I got/had a flat or a flat tire”
But what about "a slow puncture"?
According to the Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, British people say "The tyre had a…
Tom
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20
votes
3 answers
What does "threw a women in film event" mean here?
Is there any mistake in the phrase?
At the Venice Film Festival, Red Sea threw a women in film event
that attracted stars like Demi Moore and Kate Hudson.
Source: "Saudi Arabia Chases $64 Billion Hollywood Dream" by Sarah Rappaport, Bloomberg, 7…
haile
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20
votes
8 answers
Is it OK to say "a cat is on the table"?
I've been confused with the "there is/are" expression.
I learnt at school that "A cat is on the table" is an awkward sentence and you should say "There is a cat on the table" instead. Is it really awkward to native speakers?
I've also come across…
kuwabara
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20
votes
6 answers
How can one wish someone a "good night" when they sleep during the day?
Bob worked all night: he'll sleep from 9 am to 6 pm. What expression can one employ to wish him a "good night" right before he goes to sleep?
Franck Dernoncourt
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20
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2 answers
in/at one fell swoop(=at one time) What's fell here?
in/at one fell swoop (=with a single action or movement, all at the same time)
What's fell here? I think 'swoop' is a noun and if it should be modified, then 'past participle' or adjective should do it.
Let's look at the below. 'fell' is past of…
gomadeng
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