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1500 questions
91
votes
6 answers
Why is "zero" followed by a plural noun?
I could have:
Two books
One book
Zero books
Why is zero followed by a plural form?
I don't expect English to always make sense, but everything has a reason, even if the reason is stupid.
The definitions of "singular" and "plural" per…
Gary
- 1,071
91
votes
3 answers
Is it "falsy" or "falsey"?
I have seen both spellings of this word, falsy and falsey.
It can mean "something that is equivalent to false" in computer science, such as "The only two falsy values in the Ruby Language are false and nil".
What is the correct usage of this word?
nonopolarity
- 3,023
90
votes
3 answers
Should there be a space before a percent sign?
Should there be a space before a percent sign or not?
Should you write 20% or 20 %?
I'm not sure if there is any consensus about this or not. Is one way more common than the other?
Johan
- 1,385
90
votes
10 answers
Is "denigrate" a racist word?
A few years ago I was told not to use that word because, in addition to its negative meaning, it comes from Latin denigratus, past participle of denigrare, which means to blacken. Therefore, "to denigrate someone" would be "to blacken that person".…
Centaurus
- 50,047
90
votes
2 answers
Two crows being an attempted murder
What is the point of this joke?
— "What do you call two crows on a branch?"
— "Attempted murder."
I've googled it to check if it was a word play but the closest one I've hit was "marauder". Someone care to explain?
Konrad Viltersten
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89
votes
25 answers
How to read “E = (mc)²” so as not to mistake for “E = mc²”
According to one of the questions already asked on EL&U, “E = mc²” is read as
E equals M C squared.
How do we read “E = (mc)²” so that it is not mistaken for “E = mc²”?
B Faley
- 4,233
89
votes
21 answers
English equivalent of the Persian proverb "When there's fire, wet and dry burn together"
There's a well-known proverb in Persian, which, translated literally, goes like this:
Where there's fire, wet and dry burn together.
The original being ".وقتی آتش موجود باشد) تر و خشک با هم می سوزند)"
In a large forest fire, both dry wood that can…
M.A.R.
- 1,007
89
votes
9 answers
"There is/are more than one". What's the difference?
While adding to an Answer to this question, I needed to use the above phrase, and I suddenly realised I was unsure whether to write "is" or "are".
There is more than one way to skin a cat.
If there are more than one species of cat, we will flay…
FumbleFingers
- 140,184
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- 517
89
votes
8 answers
Is there any online tool to read (pronounce) IPA and APA written words?
I am looking for a tool to read a word written as phonetic transcription (IPA or APA).
I need it to provide users with a tool to verify if they've chosen the correct IPA transcription (users will need to provide a word and its transcription, users…
LA_
- 991
89
votes
10 answers
What is the difference between 20$ and $20?
I am seeing both 20$ and $20 usages. (20 is nonessential to this question.)
What is the difference between them?
88
votes
6 answers
"It worths it", "it worth it" or "it is worth it"?
Which one is correct and why?
I think "worth it" is an adjective phrase. So what is "worth" then?
Example:
You should try spending money on her. It worths it.
You should try spending money on her. It worth it.
You should try spending money on her.…
user4951
- 2,085
88
votes
12 answers
How do you greet multiple recipients in an e-mail?
How do you greet multiple recipients in an e-mail?
Assuming they're both male, I just use "Sirs", but it seems a bit informal.
Jonn
- 2,414
88
votes
7 answers
Are there rules about using "that" to join two clauses?
He will understand that I was not joking.
He will understand I was not joking.
Which of the sentences is correct? Are there any specific rules about the use of "that" in the sentences I reported as example?
apaderno
- 59,185
87
votes
4 answers
What's wrong with "I'll open you the door"?
When I call the buzzer outside my girlfriend's flat, she sometimes says *"I'll open you the door". I correct this to "I'll open the door for you".
I've never heard a native speaker say it the first way, which is why I think it's wrong. But I can't…
Iain Samuel McLean Elder
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87
votes
12 answers
"Synced" or "synched"
Which is correct: synced or synched? Is one of these American and the other British spelling or are they interchangeable?
I have only ever seen sync used in the computing industry.
