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1500 questions
76
votes
21 answers
Idiom criticizing a person who has unsolved problems but tries to give someone advice about them
Is there an idiom or expression that refers to a person who has some unsolved problems and tries to give some pieces of advice to, or guide, others for solving the same problems?
We Iranians have a proverb that literally means
“If a bald man were…
Soudabeh
- 9,217
76
votes
6 answers
Use of "I", "we" and the passive voice in a scientific thesis
Possible Duplicate:
Style Question: Use of “we” vs. “I” vs. passive voice in a dissertation
When the first person voice is used in scientific writing it is mostly used in the first person plural, as scientific papers almost always have more than…
oceanhug
- 861
76
votes
4 answers
Why is it "behead" and not "dehead"?
The be- prefix in behead doesn't seem to match similar words like become, besmirch, or befuddle. Of course, the same prefix could serve different roles depending on the word. What role is be- serving here, and are there any other English words that…
Zairja
- 6,901
76
votes
8 answers
Is it correct to use "their" instead of "his or her"?
Is this sentence grammatically correct?
Anyone who loves the English language should have a copy of this book in their bookcase.
or should it be:
Anyone who loves the English language should have a copy of this book in his or her bookcase.
Edward Tanguay
- 14,007
76
votes
5 answers
"Fill out a form" or "fill in a form"
Does one fill out a form or does one fill in a form? I've gotten different answers from the people I've asked.
Google search results:
fill in a form — 14,200,000
fill out a form — 7,000,000
aviraldg
- 1,622
76
votes
14 answers
"Based on" instead of "based off of"
I sometimes see cases where off is followed by of, and it sounds awkward to me. For example, I would prefer
This story is based on a true story.
to
This story is based off of a true
story.
What do native speakers think/prefer? Should I avoid…
Mehper C. Palavuzlar
- 35,654
75
votes
8 answers
What's the difference between "null" and "void" in legal language?
In the legal term "null and void," what is the difference between null and void? Why not just use one of the two terms? And can either term be used without the other?
templatetypedef
- 1,338
75
votes
6 answers
Which is correct, "neither is" or "neither are"?
Bob: "Can I set the font color? Can I customize the text?"
Frank: "Neither of these options is available. Sorry!"
Is "neither is" always correct or should one use "neither are" in some cases and what are the exact rules? I tried the googles and…
adambox
- 1,057
74
votes
5 answers
What's the negation of "I used to be"? Surely not "I didn't used to be"?
What is the negative form of "I used to be"? I often hear "I didn't used to be" but that sounds awfully wrong in my ears.
mafu
- 4,449
74
votes
3 answers
How should I abbreviate "versus"?
There are 4 types of abbreviations I know for "versus":
v
v.
vs
vs.
I generally use the last one in the list, but I want to stick to one and use only that one. Which one is more proper (or more prevalent), and why?
Extra question: Which one…
Mehper C. Palavuzlar
- 35,654
74
votes
8 answers
How can I order eggs "over hard" in the UK?
I've recently made a couple of trips to the London area, and I've had a terrible time trying to convince the hotel breakfast cooks that I want my eggs fried "over hard", meaning that both the white and the yolk are cooked until solid.
It may just be…
Kyralessa
- 871
74
votes
9 answers
Why do we refer to computers and other machines as being up or down?
Generally when a machine is working we refer to it as "up" and when it's not we say the machine is "down." What is the origin of this?
Billy Pilgrim
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74
votes
4 answers
What is this famous example of the absurdity of English spelling?
A long time ago I read about this funny example posited by some relatively well-known author who spelled a word (I forget the word) in the most difficult way possible, but in a way that was totally congruent with orthographic rules from other words…
Teusz
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74
votes
3 answers
What is the error called when two letters are mistakenly swapped?
Generally this may be called typo but when particularly two letters of a word are mistakenly swapped, what is this error called? Some examples:
teh > the
fromat > format
comptuer > computer
Mehper C. Palavuzlar
- 35,654
74
votes
4 answers
"Effect" vs. "Affect"
I've noticed that some people use effect and affect interchangeably. What are the differences between these two and when are the proper situations to use each of them?
Mysterion
- 7,328