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1500 questions
83
votes
2 answers
Why is Sean pronounced Shawn?
I've always had this question about the pronunciation of Sean.
Is Sean a word from another language? Is it actually not pronounced Shawn and instead it's some sound between Shawn and Seen? Also, why isn't it pronounced as Sawn instead of Shawn, when…
cuSK
- 1,299
82
votes
8 answers
Difference between nevertheless and nonetheless
I am never quite sure whether to use nevertheless or nonetheless; they seem almost synonymous to me, but I think I might be missing a subtle distinction. Is there a difference, and if so, how do I determine which is right in different…
Fraser Orr
- 16,783
81
votes
4 answers
How to read exponential expressions, e.g., "2^16"?
How do you say the mathematical function in English:
x^y (or xy)
For example, how do you say
2^16 (or 216)
I know ^ means 'power' or 'exponentiate', but that is the name of the operation, not how you pronounce its use.
If y = 2, it is 'x…
daisy
- 2,241
81
votes
14 answers
Is "You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!" still considered a compliment in English?
I grew up hearing the phrase, "You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!" used as a compliment, a genuine expression of admiration, fairly self-effacing at the same time.
I have to admit that, while I knew from context that it was meant as praise, I…
anongoodnurse
- 55,278
81
votes
6 answers
Should I write "PhD" or "Ph.D."?
Question pretty self-explanatory. Should the abbreviation of the Latin term philosophiae doctor be written as PhD (no periods) or Ph.D. (with periods)?
benregn
- 2,065
81
votes
1 answer
Which is correct: "feedback is welcome" or "feedback is welcomed"?
I am used to writing feedback is welcome. Is that correct, or should I write feedback is welcomed? Why?
apaderno
- 59,185
81
votes
3 answers
Usage of "p." versus "pp." versus "pg." to denote page numbers and page ranges
At the risk of saying something foolish, I won't attempt to answer the question myself. I understand that all three synchronically more or less equivalent and substitutable, but it would be quite nice to know the traditional usage notes on the…
Steven
- 991
80
votes
7 answers
Where does the period go when using parentheses?
Where should the period go when using parentheses? For example:
In sentence one, I use this example (which has a parenthesis at the end.)
Should the period be inside, or outside of the parentheses? What about if the entire sentence is a…
Chris Smith
- 903
80
votes
2 answers
"Queueing" or "Queuing"
Which spelling is better, queueing or queuing? Both words seem to mean the same, but there are two different spellings. My context is:
Queueing Latency
versus
Queuing Latency
If both spellings are applicable, when do I use which one of them?
Till
- 919
80
votes
3 answers
What’s the rule for adding “-er” vs. “-or” when forming an agent noun from a verb?
What’s the rule to decide whether you add -er or whether you add -or when creating an agent noun from a verb?
Sometimes it’s -er:
read > reader
hate > hater
hit > hitter
But other times it’s -or:
meditate > meditator
collect > collector
Claudiu
- 10,911
80
votes
2 answers
Which is correct: "rack my brain" or "wrack my brain"?
Which is the correct usage: "rack my brain" or "wrack my brain"? Google turned up pages with conflicting recommendations.
One argument is that to "rack a brain" comes from the torture device known as a rack.
Another from the now obsolete Yahoo…
Adam Wuerl
- 1,283
- 3
- 11
- 13
80
votes
23 answers
How to degender "separate the men from the boys"?
How can one degender the phrase "separate the men from the boys"?
Examples of how this phrase has traditionally been used:
Math teacher: "The ability to do proofs of this type is what separates the men from the boys in this class."
What has…
aparente001
- 21,530
80
votes
8 answers
Is there a reason the British omit the article when they "go to hospital"?
Why do British speakers omit the article in constructions like "go to hospital" or "go on holiday"? Pretty much all American speakers would rephrase those as "go to the hospital" and "go on a holiday", I think. Is there any good reason, or forgotten…
Uticensis
- 21,799
80
votes
13 answers
Do you really answer "How do you do?" with "How do you do?"
We're told in our English classes (learning English as a foreign language) that the only possible answer to
How do you do?
is to repeat the question:
How do you do?
(While it's perfectly OK to answer other similar questions
How are you? /…
valya
- 1,339
79
votes
8 answers
What is the difference between 'make decision' and 'take decision'?
What is the difference between make decision and take decision? When to use the one and when the other?
darius
- 1,261
- 3
- 13
- 13