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1500 questions
14
votes
4 answers
Is "what the hell" considered offensive?
Is "what the hell" used as just an expression, or is it considered offensive? In what situations is it "okay" to use it? If it is offensive, is there a more "polite" alternative which expresses the same feeling?
user207
14
votes
2 answers
"is being" vs "has been"
What is the difference between following sentence constructions?
It has been developed
vs.
It is being developed
It has been held
vs.
It is being held
is being: what is the grammar used here and when is it used?
nish1013
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14
votes
7 answers
Does 'breakfast' in "Let's have breakfast" denote an activity or a collection of edible items?
Let's have breakfast.
In this sentence, how would a native speaker comprehend the meaning of "breakfast"? Will he think of it as an activity, or as a collection of food items?
The question is inspired by this comment by GoDucks:
I am confused…
CowperKettle
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14
votes
1 answer
stairwell or staircase
What is the word for the building where the stairs are located stairwell or staircase or stairway?
Is that in the image stairwell or staircase or stairway?
TheBook
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14
votes
5 answers
"I was reading posts there" vs. "I was reading the posts there"
This is my post from History Stack Exchange. I was reading posts there and one specific issue interested me. That's why I wrote that post.
Should I use the when referring to posts on History SE in general?
This is my post from History Stack…
CowperKettle
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14
votes
4 answers
When I say, "they will get married", will it be fully understood as "they will become a couple"?
I have read the web page about Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin on this URL, (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin)
According to that web page, Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin are close friends since…
kitty
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14
votes
4 answers
Can we say "Yes, I would" if someone asks "Would you mind buying me a drink?"
Here is in the textbook.
If someone says Would you mind buying me a drink? to you, then you should answer:
— Not at all (Yes, I can buy you a drink)
— I’m sorry I can’t (No, I can't buy you a drink)
Can I say Yes, I would which means Yes, I would…
Tom
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14
votes
6 answers
How to answer a negative question in English?
Q: "Don't you know?"
If I really don't know, how should I respond to this question? Yes or No?
There's a similar question on EL&U, but the answer isn't clear how it works:
A confusion about answer yes and no to some complicated question
Also…
sarvesh kumar
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14
votes
6 answers
What is meant by "grammar"?
Some people equate grammar with any rules governing the language. Some people believe grammar is language itself minus whatever is being discussed in the shade of "meaning" and "comprehension". Some people think "grammar" is anything that prohibits…
M.A.R.
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14
votes
2 answers
What is a third of a circle or a third of a plane called?
There is a word for a quarter of a circle or a plane: "quadrant".
What is the corresponding word for a third of a circle? "tridrant" or "terdrant" or something different?
Ariser
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14
votes
3 answers
When can I remove the word "that" in a sentence?
I have this bad writing habit, I use the word 'that' so many times. I know it is grammatically valid, but using 'that' too often is not good. But I don't know in which sentences I can remove the word 'that'.
I'm more concerned with spoken english,…
T2E
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14
votes
4 answers
Should individual letters be preceded with "an"?
I was reading a comic book and I noticed that the author used "an A" and "an N" in a particular phrase (screenshot below). While I understand the usage of "An A" here (A being a vowel and what not) and "N" having a pronunciation which has a sound…
hjpotter92
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14
votes
6 answers
Why is "many a man" singular while "many men" plural?
Recently I came to know that there is a construction "many a man" which is equivalent to "many men". But I also noticed that the former construction is considered as singular, e.g.
Many a man has lost his life at sea.
But for the later…
user31782
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14
votes
2 answers
“The group of fifty people {is / are} going to arrive Thursday” - which is preferred?
Isn't the following sentence grammatically correct?
The group of fifty people are going to arrive Thursday.
What's wrong with it? Someone said it should be
The group of fifty people is going to arrive Thursday.
Why? People is plural so why is…
Nathan Wilcox
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14
votes
4 answers
Why can't we say "**What job** are you?" instead of "What is your job?" to ask one's job?
We can add something to "what" to specify what we are asking, for example "What color is the flower?".
But I am wondering why we can't say "What job are you?" instead of "What is your job?" to ask one's job.
By the way, can I say "What is the…
August
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