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1500 questions
15
votes
5 answers
Does "I've temporarily suspended" mean that I did it?
I use "I've temporarily suspended activity on SOru" in my profile description. And I've thought that it means that "I'm not active on site anymore".
But one guy said that I'm wrong, and told me that it means that "someone banned the…
Suvitruf - Andrei Apanasik
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15
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5 answers
Would it be "went to sleep at one yesterday" or ”...today"?
My brother was saying that is grammatically correct to say he went to sleep at one today because it was after 12 o' clock, but I say it should be he went to sleep at one o'clock yesterday. Which one of us is correct?
Starfire
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15
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8 answers
Flammable or Inflammable
I am reading The Elements of Style and get stuck at the word flammable. There is the statement about the word:
An oddity, chiefly useful in saving lives. The common word meaning "combustible" is inflammable. But some people are thrown off by the…
gaoxinge
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The meaning of "I’m very cheap"?
Woman: I didn't know you were coming back.
Man: I wasn't, but I had made an appointment at the hair salon before I left, and they don't do refunds for cancellations. I'm very cheap.
What does "I’m very cheap" mean in this conversation？
scarlett
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15
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4 answers
Usage of into vs in vs inside
When should 'into', 'in' and 'inside' be used? What are the differences between the three?
For example, what are the differences between the following statements? Are any of them incorrect?
The frog jumped into the well.
The frog jumped in the…
Praveen Kumar
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15
votes
8 answers
A word or a phrase for "riding a bicycle on only one wheel"
What do we call it when someone rides a bicycle or a motorcycle and suddenly stands on only one wheel (usually on the back wheel) for a short period?
helen
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15
votes
1 answer
On the market or In the market?
I have read both but not sure which means what?
There are many such products available on the market.
There are many such products available in the market.
Note: I'm pretty clear about using on while describing the product availability on the…
Maulik V
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15
votes
3 answers
Differences in meaning when the verb tense changes (headlines)
What is the difference between the examples below?
Generally, in a newspaper, news is based on past tense (things which have already happened).
Then why are headlines written in ways that says: He Kills (shouldn't it be: He Killed)?
For…
user4084
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15
votes
2 answers
If "Olympics" is singular, why does it use "were"?
Source
But the Olympics were really only a staging post in a much more
fundamental reshaping of the Chinese capital.
On blog.esllibrary.com, I found "Olympics" is a singular:
Decision time:
We at ESL Library decided to go with “the Olympics” +…
Zhang
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15
votes
3 answers
Are "mist" and "missed" really pronounced exactly the same in English?
Refer the section called "Pronunciation Features" in this page. In that section, you can find this sentence "Interestingly, mist and missed are pronounced exactly the same in English". Really? I don't pronounce both of them the same way.
Mist - I…
T2E
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15
votes
6 answers
Can "do somebody" mean "imitate somebody" in spoken English?
I heard this exchange from Friends (an American TV show):
... ...
A: They do you.
B: Do me?
... ...
(Unfortunately, I don't know the episode number.)
The context is that A is B's assistant and she is trying to give B (a boss) some feedback about…
dan
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15
votes
1 answer
When does 'lack' need an article?
[a] She has been suffering from a lack of sleep lately. [b] Her
problem is lack of sleep. ([a],[b] both are from Webster’s Advanced Learner’s
dictionary)
[c] It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes
unhappy marriages.…
Listenever
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15
votes
2 answers
"Is" vs "has been" in English
What is the difference in meaning in these two sentences?
He is appointed as Manager.
and
He has been appointed as Manager.
Similarly, what is the difference between these two sentences?
Amount has been paid to you as basic salary.
and…
user4084
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15
votes
7 answers
What's the meaning of "You get that much because that’s how much you get"?
I cannot understand the meaning of the phrase:
You get that much because that’s how much you get
It means: you receive that much because you receive that much?!
Like: Why A? Because A.
The full text is here:
The bishop and I were still meeting…
Peace
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15
votes
7 answers
The meaning of "right" in "right by my desk"
Let's say you were asked where is the book that you borrowed from someone. Then you say:
''It is right by my desk''
What does the right mean in the answer? Does it mean that it is on the desk or in the desk?
P.S: I have already looked into the…
John Arvin
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