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1500 questions
16
votes
7 answers
Difference between “little”, “few”, “a little” and “a few”
What are the differences among “little”, “few”, “a little” and “a few”?
Are “little” and “few” synonyms?
Ice Girl
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16
votes
6 answers
Is there a single verb for what you do in the gym?
In my native language, we have a single verb for what you do in the gym – "gymma" – so I was thinking perhaps one could say "to gym" in English, but after having checked "gym" in a number of dictionaries, I'm convinced this is not possible in…
Lillatanten
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16
votes
4 answers
Is "par for the course" used only for negative situations?
The Cambridge Dictionary and the Free Dictionary mention that "par for the course" is to be used with negative events. Is it only used for negative events? If I did something good, for example, could I say it is "par for the course"?
m26a
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16
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4 answers
Are idioms not recommended in a formal situation?
This is what my English book[1] says (I've condensed the paragraphs so they're a bit shorter and straight to the point.):
Fixed expressions, also known as idioms, are often rather informal.
Never use them just to sound fluent or good at English. In…
user516076
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16
votes
3 answers
When the Gentle Giant song "Black Cat" refers to a cat as "she", does that mean the cat is female?
In Gentle Giant's song Black Cat it starts as follows:
There's a cat prowling through the streets at night
And she's black and her eyes are burning yellow
My question is: although said cat is referred as "she" and then the lyrics keeps it female,…
Gabriel Santos
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16
votes
6 answers
In the USA, do you say "my car runs on LPG gas" or just "my car runs on gas" if your car runs on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)?
I lived in Australia for a few years and I knew that they sold gas (LPG), diesel and petrol in stations.
I am not a car expert, but it seems that when you buy your car in Australia, you need to ask if the car runs on gas, diesel and petrol.
When it…
Tom
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16
votes
1 answer
Is the sentence "This whiteboard won't erase" grammatically correct?
I often see such phrases, and I am wondering whether they are strictly grammatically correct or not. It seems to me that the subject is "whiteboard" and the verb is "erase", which as far as I can tell is a transitive verb, hence requires a direct…
Yossi Lonke
16
votes
5 answers
Is PC used as an English expression for a computer in English speaking countries?
Japanese people call computers PC in Japanese-made katakana expression. English speakers usually use laptops for that. Is PC used to mean a computer in English-speaking countries?
tak
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16
votes
4 answers
What does "I never stopped to think of it" mean?
I saw what I thought was a double negative in this sentence from Norwegian Wood
I never stopped to think of it as something that would make a lasting impression.
The double negative in this sentence really confuses me. I interpret it as "I'm…
HFX
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16
votes
2 answers
What does "eating your hat" mean?
What does it mean to eat your hat? Does it mean to really eat the hat or does it mean you have disagreement to someone?
This expression appeared in the comments of Shawn Mooney's answer to Can we add “more” with an adjective to convert it into…
Aykhan Quliyev
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16
votes
2 answers
How to understand "cupping backsides is taken as seriously as cooking books"?
An excerpt from The Economist:
As such provisions have grown in popularity, two things have happened. First, the list of misdeeds covered has lengthened.
What initially applied solely to criminal financial conduct now extends to almost anything…
HypnoticBuggyWraithVirileBevy
- 1,995
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16
votes
13 answers
A verb for "proceed with difficulty"
I forgot the verb for proceeding with/despite difficulty, when talking about a process. It's '[something] ahead' (but you may feel free to offer something without 'ahead'). Like 'forge ahead' but with a different meaning. Like
Since the autocrat's…
Sergey Zolotarev
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16
votes
1 answer
What is the meaning of "Redonkulous"; is it an English Phrase?
I want to find out the meaning of an English word called redonkulous. Is it a phrase or something? I found this word in an animated movie called Bolt. I searched in "Google" and in "Google Translate" but didn't get any satisfactory answers. So, here…
Tulon
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16
votes
7 answers
Why is "help you save money" wrong if the subject was plural?
Could you please explain to me why I got this sentence wrong?
Living at home and enjoying your mother’s cooking help you save money.
My teacher said "help" should have been written with an "s".
Why do I need to write an "s" since I was referring…
حسن بن لادن
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16
votes
3 answers
What is the difference between "gerund" and "infinitive"?
What is the difference between "gerund" and "infinitive"?
I do not understand the differences.Can you explain them?
golnaz
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