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1500 questions
17
votes
4 answers
Does "I slept in" imply I did it on purpose or by accident?
There are 2 situations:
Situation 1: I have to get to work at 7:30 am so I often set my alarm clock for 7 am on a weekday. Now the alarm clock goes off and I wake up at 7 am but I feel very tired so I turn off the alarm clock and tell myself "I'll…
Tom
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17
votes
9 answers
What adverb could I use before "apologizing" to mean "a lot"?
What word could I use for someone who is apologizing a lot, for example in I was ____ apologizing to them?
I thought of vigorously apologizing, but it still feels like I’m forgetting a more fitting word.
Axuwu Jump
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17
votes
1 answer
Can which be used with plural antecedents?
If I use which as a demonstrative adjective, can the noun be plural?
Example:
Which players won the best player awards last night? (When there are more than one who won the award)
If the above example is not correct, what would be a better…
user2932433
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17
votes
7 answers
Can we say "swimsuit" for any kind of swimwear (either gender)?
When searching for "swimsuit", I often see just 1 type that looks like this
But my daughter has a pair of pants and a top designed for swimming like this
Do we say "My daughter is wearing a swimsuit"?
Also, when a man goes swimming, he might just…
Tom
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17
votes
7 answers
Can I say "I play a little piano" to mean I am not an advanced player?
Can I say "I play a little " to mean I am not an advanced player?
How would a native speaker say they can play a musical instrument but only easy pieces of music?
I searched for an adverb that means "in a beginner way," but google mostly showed…
R. Javid
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17
votes
4 answers
Is any difference between "speak English" and "speak in English"?
Is any difference between "speak English" and "speak in English"?
April
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17
votes
4 answers
How to interpret 'a friend in need is a friend indeed'?
In both the Free Dictionary and the Collins Dictionary, 'in need' means 'lacking something'. So, the proverb 'a friend in need is a friend indeed' should mean 'a friend lacking something is a true friend' literally.
How come the proverb means…
Michael
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17
votes
5 answers
"said" as an adjective
In our electron pump, when you turn the crank, one side gets a surplus of electrons, or a negative charge, and on the other side the atoms are missing said electrons, resulting in a positive charge.
The part in a bold font is confusing to me. I…
Michael Rybkin
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17
votes
7 answers
Differences between "the USA", "the US" and "the States"
Are the any differences in formality or context between "the USA", "the US" and "the States"?
I've tried NGram and it seems that "the US" is by far the most common expression and "the States" is the least common (would you sound like you are from…
jinawee
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17
votes
4 answers
What does the phrase "in plan" mean in this Wikipedia page? (is this a typo?)
In architecture, a quadrangle (or colloquially, a quad) is a space or a courtyard, usually rectangular (square or oblong) in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building (or several smaller buildings).
The…
Static Bounce
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17
votes
3 answers
What is the word that expresses both 'Clock' and 'Watch'?
What is the word that describes all the devices that express time?
username_allowed
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17
votes
2 answers
Regarding a metaphor "Old Nick is not just lurking in the small print,"
Reading this article, there is a saying,
Andrew Stuttaford
Sat, May 1, 2021, 11:29 PM
The devil is in the details, and while, when it comes to the Biden tax plan, Old Nick is not just lurking in the small print, one particular technical-sounding…
Kentaro
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17
votes
3 answers
Is there a missing definite article before caliph in 'the group's leader, XYZ, as (the) caliph'?
I read news on the BBC (on its website) this morning. When I was reading the news I noticed the definite article the was missing in a sentence. As per my opinion, the reporter missed the article the. But I also thought that the reporter also had…
user62015
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17
votes
1 answer
Why "a user" instead of "an user"?
I am getting confused while using an article an.
Because an is used while referring to vowels (a,e,i,o,u).
But today I read an article where for user they used a user.
My question is, why was an not used?
Could someone explain this with an example?
Stephen
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17
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2 answers
Why are there three pronunciations for the plural "-s"?
I know all the pronunciation rules for the plural -s endings. After a voiced sound, it is z, after an unvoiced one it is s, after s, sh, ch it is iz. In phonetic notation, respectively, /z/, /s/, /ɪz/.
Some examples to illustrate what I said…
user126531