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1500 questions
38
votes
14 answers
What can be used as formal euphemism of "hack"?
I'm writing a technical document, and I need to convey the fact that we had to find a non-optimal, non-orthodox solution that was adopted as the best available alternative (a hack) to solve an otherwise problematic issue.
Please note that I refer to…
clabacchio
- 839
38
votes
21 answers
What is the word for an action that is "considered to be frowned upon"?
I'm looking for an adjective to describe a behavior or action that is considered to be a faux pas, or is frowned upon.
Picking your nose is [word].
Wearing socks with sandals is [word].
Breaking wind in an elevator is [word].
Voting this question…
zzzzBov
- 1,795
38
votes
12 answers
What does “a couple” mean to you, and what does “a few” mean to you?
What is the proper way to use the terms “a couple” or “a few”?
How should one use these words to avoid confusion? How do people use these words in practice.
It was striking to hear that “a couple” meant two (2) to someone. My reaction was, “how/why…
zuludelta9
38
votes
7 answers
"Biweekly", "bimonthly", "biannual", and "bicentennial": dual usage and rationale
What do lengths of time with the "bi" prefix mean"? I have understood bicentennial as once every two hundred years, but biannual as meaning twice a year. Do biweekly and bimonthly mean twice a week or month, or once every two weeks or months?
If…
Peter Olson
- 6,111
38
votes
7 answers
Using "And" at the beginning of a sentence
Since I first learned English, I have been holding this understanding that "and", as a conj. but unlike "but", can only connect two clauses, not two sentences ended with periods.
But recently, I have seen so many prints, either in entertainment or…
Tim
- 9,993
38
votes
5 answers
'the USA' vs. 'the US'
I am writing an essay where I need to make a reference to the United States of America. Often I hear this shortened to the US, but sometimes people also say the USA. Are there any difference between the use of the two? Is one more formal or correct…
Thomas
- 1,052
38
votes
5 answers
Is Valley Girl speak "like", entering the language?
So like, I had this teacher? And he's like, "You're late?" And I'm like,
"There's like other people late too?"
I've always cringed at the word "like" strewn about in a spoken sentence. Well now I've seen it in print, right in the middle of an…
Chris Noe
- 1,962
38
votes
1 answer
"Logged-in", "log-ined", "login-ed", "logined", "log-in-ed", "logged in"?
Possible Duplicate:
“log in to” or “log into” or “login to”
This following question, where and how to append "-ed", is not addressed in thу "possible duplicate" in any way.
Which of the following expressions (are they expression, phrase or…
38
votes
0 answers
Difference between "zeros" and "zeroes"
Are there any differences between “zeros” and “zeroes”? Is any of them more correct, more often used, more modern? Are there differences e.g. between British English and American English in the usage of the two forms?
svick
- 1,327
37
votes
10 answers
How are 'marry', 'merry', and 'Mary' pronounced differently?
The way I pronounce these words is the same. Similarly for other words like these: I pronounce ferry and fairy the same, carrot and caret. Yet, dictionaries show different pronunciations for these words:
For example, Merriam-Webster gives:
\ˈma-rē\…
nohat
- 68,560
37
votes
5 answers
Difference between "How are you?" and "How are you doing?"
I've heard a lot of times that there is a major difference between saying:
How are you?
and
How are you doing?
Is that true? I've heard one was like an extension of “Hello” and does not mean anything, so you should not answer it with “Fine,…
Chris
- 505
37
votes
4 answers
Why do newspaper headlines use strange syntax rules?
Newspaper/news article headlines usually have different syntax rules, for example
No copula. North Korea trip 'successful'
Past events written in present. Qantas cancels flight out of frozen Heathrow
Predictions written with infinitive. Britain's…
Louis Rhys
- 3,458
37
votes
3 answers
"Awesome" vs. "Awful"
How did the English language come to this?
The play was awful.
Is the complete opposite of
The play was awesome.
But if you break it down to awe followed by ful or some, it doesn't make sense at all.
Can someone shed a light on this? Is…
BeemerGuy
- 1,349
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37
votes
4 answers
What's the literal meaning of "Real Estate"?
Today I realized that the word "Real" in "Real Estate" might be about "royalty" instead of "reality".
English is a foreign language to me, so I don't really know the literal meaning and origin of the term "Real Estate".
Might "Real" be an…
37
votes
6 answers
Which is correct: "the below information" or "the information below"?
I frequently see statements that refer to something later in the text that use a phrase such as "the below information". Is it more correct instead to say "the information below" (or "the following information")?
Dennis Williamson
- 3,221