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1500 questions
15
votes
2 answers
How do you use the term "running late"?
In a textbook a person said to a waiter:
Could you bring the check with coffee? We're running late.
I'm not sure about its implication. Does this sentence mean that I don't have much time?
Also, if I say to someone on the phone "I'm running…
tennis girl
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in order for I to do something -- "for I"? why not "for me"?
Example:
In order to make use of the database, we need a way to perform what are called CRUD tasks. That is to say we need a way to create new data items, read and find existing data items, update data items with new information, and delete…
Michael Rybkin
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15
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1 answer
Why do we say something is The same (using the article), but we say something is different (no article)?
We say "the same", but "different" (no article)? A student asked me this question, and I wasn't sure how to answer him. Thanks for your help!
Charlotte
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15
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'On the computer' vs 'At the computer'
Are they all grammatically correct and do they all have the same meaning ?
She was on the computer writing an email a minute or two ago.
She was at the computer writing an email a minute or two ago.
She was writing an email on the computer a…
Mrt
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15
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5 answers
'Manhunt for three gunmen' vs 'womanhunt for three gunwomen'
Some time ago, Paris police launched a manhunt for three gunmen.
But, what if there are three women who carry guns, shoot and escape, is it still appropriate to say "manhunt for three gunmen"? Will it have to be "womanhunt for three gunwomen"?
mangoyogurt
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15
votes
5 answers
Difference between "good at" and "good in"
Can anybody help me by explaining the difference between the
usage of "good at" and "good in"?
rafi ur rashid
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15
votes
5 answers
Difference between "fat chance" and "slim chance"?
Is there a difference between "fat chance" and "slim chance," and if so, what is it?
Taken literally, they seem to be opposites, but do they mean the same thing?
xiaodai
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6 answers
What's the meaning of "there you go"?
I'm not a native English speaker and always get confused with this expression. For instance:
Me: What's the current state of [some subject] discussion?
Bob: There is none. It was brought up in the past and was rejected.
Me: Last time I checked,…
marcio
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15
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1 answer
Is it correct? "You may call me in your convenient any time."
I am confusing whether I could use "convenient" and "any" at the same time.
Also, I'd like to know the different nuance between may and can, in this sentence:
You may call me in your convenient any time.
John Jaewoong Jung
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15
votes
4 answers
"She is at the dentist's now"
Why must we add an 's? Why "she is at the dentist's now" instead of
"at the dentist"?
dr_yand
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15
votes
2 answers
When to say 'dog', and when to say 'hound'?
When refrerring to Canis lupus familiaris, what word is better to use, dog or hound? Wikipedia translates it as dog, but I've heard also the word hound in many contexts, and that version is a lot easier for me to remember because it resembles the…
FolksLord
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15
votes
11 answers
Why is the verb form "am been" always grammatically incorrect?
As I understand it, "I am been" is a sentence similar to "I am mistaken". How can one of the sentences in the two sentences of similar structure be incorrect? Doesn't "I am been" mean that someone is being me or perhaps someone was me? Is it…
user31782
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15
votes
6 answers
'Haha' over 'lol' -Do natives consider 'hahaha' as an offensive gesture?
Most of the times, I don't lol. Yes, there's no loudness in my laugh at all. And, 'lol' is probably used by everyone on the Internet/mobile even though when they laugh little. 'lol' is also used when the matter is not of some joke [However, I…
Maulik V
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15
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4 answers
What should a language learner know about political correctness?
There are many impolite expressions. In the European country I come from, using the (translation) of the word gypsy is considered rude, yet as far as I know Americans say the word openly. On the other hand, while the (translations of) words blind…
user7610
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2 answers
"Be yet to do" vs "have yet to do"
This theory has yet to be proven.
This theory is yet to be proven.
This is yet to be done.
This has yet to be done.
I have yet to spend summer in the mountains.
I am yet to spend summer in the mountains.
Are they all correct? How are "have yet to…
user1677
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