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1500 questions
14
votes
4 answers
"Let's get started" vs. "let's start"
OALD gives an idiom:
Get started
meaning: to begin doing something.
example: It's almost ten o'clock. Let's get started.
In this example, can I say "let's start" instead?
Both can mean we start doing something.
But I guess "let's start" may mean…
Kinzle B
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14
votes
5 answers
Tense agreement in the past irrealis conditionals
The following is taken from PEU1 123.5:
Could have + past participle can refer to present situations which were
possible but have not been realised.
He could have been Prime Minister now if he hadn't decided to leave politics.
We could have…
Kinzle B
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14
votes
3 answers
What is the exact meaning of being at work?
Does the sentence "I'm at work" simply and exactly mean "I am working now", or it has a slight difference in meaning? Whether "at" has anything to do with the work place, or it's simply refering to working itself?
Qàtrè
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14
votes
3 answers
What is the difference between "Wasn't it supposed to have started 30 minutes ago?" and "Wasn't it supposed to start 30 minutes ago?" in this case?
If I want to ask my teacher if the lesson should have started earlier, Could I use the sentences below?
1 Wasn´t it supposed to have started 30 minutes ago?
2 Wasn´t it supposed to start 30 minutes ago?
If both are wrong, then what is the…
coolguy
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14
votes
3 answers
Articles at the beginning of sentences in scientific writing
I'm writing my master thesis in English as a non-native speaker. I start a lot of sentences without an article and one of my lectors (a non-native speaker like myself) found this to be odd and marked every occurrence. My question to the native…
Fgop
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14
votes
6 answers
What's the word for a student who doesn't register but goes to a class anyway?
Suppose someone goes to a class without registering. Then what word should I use to describe this person or this kind of behavior?
trisct
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14
votes
3 answers
Is an "are" omitted in this sentence
I just read a sentence:
Three things in life that, once lost, hard to build up.
Can I rewrite it as:
Three things in life that are once lost hard to build up.
Is my sentence correct?
What are the functions of commas?
Kumar sadhu
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14
votes
7 answers
Phrasal verb for carbonated drinks exploding out of the can after being shaken?
What's the phrasal verb for carbonated drinks exploding out of the can after being shaken? "Exploded out" doesn't sound right, because it doesn't sound idiomatic. I also checked pop off, but it seems to be used for physical non-liquid things like…
Sayaman
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14
votes
6 answers
Can I say "I Java", or does it have to be "I do Java"?
Like google is a verb, is java a word? Can I say "I java"?
I am wondering if it works that way, or if I have to say, "I do java."
user97122
14
votes
2 answers
I received a gift from my sister who just got back from
If I don’t use a comma before the word who in this sentence below, then would it imply that I have more than one sister (supposing the speaker had only one sister)?
I received a gift from my sister who just got back from Japan.
If it does, do I…
Chija
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14
votes
2 answers
Is there an idiom that means "revealing a secret unintentionally"?
I am thinking there could be an idiom that states that you or someone revealed a secret unintentionally? Can you think of an idiom like that? I am looking for an idiom I can use to write a blog post about the recent incident where Secretary Pompeo…
aLex
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14
votes
5 answers
What do you call the main part of a joke?
If I start a joke with a question, then answer it as part of a joke. What is the answer of the joke called? Is there a specific term for it? I am pretty sure there is, but can't remember what it was. Also, what if the main part of the joke isn't an…
Sayaman
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14
votes
5 answers
Why can't we say "I have been having a dog"?
So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?
Hannah
14
votes
2 answers
"I'm a large." (Seinfeld)
The Label Maker:
JERRY: Why'd you get him a gift anyway?
ELAINE: Oh, he did some dental work for me and he didn't charge me so I thought I'd get him a Christmas present.
JERRY: Yeah, well, if you're getting him anything for his birthday, I'm a…
mosceo
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14
votes
3 answers
Why do we use the plural of movies in this phrase "We went to the movies last night."?
I found this sentence:
We went to the movies last night.
at the following URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/movies
Why do they use the plural "movies", why not use the singular "movie"?
b2ok
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