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55
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3 answers
Simple Past vs. Present Perfect: "was" vs. "has been"
Possible Duplicate:
“Did it close” vs “Has it closed”?
As a English non-native speaker it is difficult for me to understand when I must use present perfect or past simple because in my official language there isn't the present perfect tense.
I…
utxeee
- 2,415
55
votes
3 answers
"The other way around" or "the other way round"
I see both phrases the other way around and the other way round very often. Which is correct? Please provide usage examples.
ZZcat
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55
votes
10 answers
Is there a standard ordering for the question mark and the exclamation mark used together?
We've all wanted to express certain questions, rhetorical or not, with annoyance, excitement, surprise, frustration and so on. What better way than with both a question mark (?) and an exclamation mark (!), right?
I've seen two ways of punctuating…
BoltClock
- 1,111
55
votes
12 answers
What do you call a disk drive that is not solid state?
I tried searching for things like opposite of solid-state, but most of what I've found suggest things like liquid-state. I'm pretty sure a drive that is not solid-state contains no liquid to speak of.
Is there a one word antonym for the use of…
kojiro
- 2,103
55
votes
4 answers
Correct usage of "persons" (vs. "people")
I had a little fight about persons vs. people.
Could you advise if both of the following are correct, if possible with reference to a dictionary?
A table for two people please.
A table for two persons please.
Besides that, how would you ask for…
Blama
- 661
55
votes
7 answers
What did "google" mean in the 1900s?
I know that Google got its name from the word googol (10100), and that Google/google referring the search engine/using the search engine are recent additions to the dictionary. Their definitions are easily found for such meaning (example).
However,…
yoozer8
- 8,752
55
votes
3 answers
How did "biscuit" come to have a distinct meaning in North American English?
The Oxford Living Dictionary makes a clear distinction between the usage of biscuit in Britain and North America:
British: A small baked unleavened cake, typically crisp, flat, and sweet.
‘a chocolate biscuit’
North American: A small, soft round…
DukeZhou
- 1,163
55
votes
6 answers
How to pronounce the ^ symbol?
How should the "^" symbol be pronounced? I searched on the internet but couldn't find an answer.
Malwinder Singh
- 677
55
votes
3 answers
Why is "idea" sometimes pronounced as "idear"?
I know that idea is pronounced as /aɪˈdiə/, but I've meet several people in real life who put an 'r' at the end of the word. How come?
Spoike
- 653
55
votes
8 answers
"To science the sh*t out of something"
In The Martian movie, Matt Damon (Watney), when left stranded on Mars with very limited resources to survive, says:
Mark Watney: In the face of overwhelming odds, I'm left with only one option, I'm gonna have to science the shit out of…
NVZ
- 22,590
55
votes
6 answers
How did phobia ever come to mean hatred?
I understand the word 'phobia' to mean an irrational fear of something, tracing its roots to the Greek word ῾φοβια᾽ associated with flight, dread, or terror.
How then did this word ever come to embody 'dislike' or 'hatred', as in the word…
John Samps
- 779
55
votes
20 answers
Alternative expression for "xyz Nazi"
I'm not a native English speaker, but I do understand and personally appreciate the use of the term "xyz Nazi" to say that someone is a bit dogmatic about their point of view, without necessarily offending them. A related question here on SE is:
Is…
Lukas Eder
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55
votes
7 answers
"In time" versus "on time"
Which one is correct:
Submit your work in time.
Submit your work on time.
aliya
- 1,541
55
votes
2 answers
"Have you got a chance to" vs "Did you get a chance to"
What is the difference between following two statements?
Have you got a chance to look into this?
Did you get a chance to look into this?
Girish
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55
votes
5 answers
Is "there're" (similar to "there's") a correct contraction?
Q: "Do you have any juice?"
A: "Yes, there's some in the fridge."
Sounds perfectly fine to me, but:
Q: "Do you have any towels?"
A: "Yes, there's some in the closet."
Does not.
I asked for towels - plural - so wouldn't "Yes, there're some in…
Michael Moussa
- 1,043