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1500 questions
33
votes
6 answers

Is using "he" for a gender-neutral third-person correct?

I know there are different opinions on this issue. My question: Is using "he" for a general, gender-neutral third person still in common use for formal writing? By common use I mean, can I expect my paper not to be penalised because I use "he" as…
Iti
  • 417
33
votes
14 answers

How to positively describe something, such as a war memorial, which doesn't invoke positive feelings?

If I wanted to express that something such as a holocaust memorial was good to visit I would want to avoid saying something such as "it was great" or "I enjoyed visiting it". Is there a word that can positively describe something like a memorial…
cjhines
  • 433
33
votes
6 answers

What is the antonym of DRM-free?

The term DRM-free, with DRM standing for digital rights management, is commonly used online to refer to content which can be downloaded and transferred by the user. Content which is not DRM-free cannot be downloaded and is only accessible on the…
user116295
33
votes
4 answers

Possessive of a word that is already possessive

If the cricket ground Lord's is a possessive, what if you want to describe something belonging to Lord's? Would you say: I was very impressed by Lord's's customer services. It doesn't look right, so what is the correct way of writing it?
NimChimpsky
  • 535
33
votes
14 answers

What is the "fundamental" difference between ‘search’ and ‘seek’?

So why do human beings spend so much time playing? One reason is that we have time for leisure; animals have very little time to play as most of their life is spent sleeping and (2)________ food. Source: Cambridge English, FIRST 1 (2014): Test…
Mari-Lou A
  • 91,183
33
votes
9 answers

Is "best" still a superlative in "best friend", as in can you have more than one "best friend"?

I was speaking to a 15-year-old native English speaker (in Australia), who referred to someone as her "best friend". Later, she revealed that this wasn't her only best friend. She had four best friends. She couldn't understand why that was…
Oddthinking
  • 3,253
33
votes
2 answers

Why is the word 'number' abbreviated to 'No.' in UK English and '#' in American English?

Why the disparity? And why use 'No.'? Is it from the French? And the hash or pound sign seems a weird choice too, is there a history or any reason involved?
immutabl
  • 3,119
33
votes
3 answers

Which is correct: coming down the "pike" or "pipe"?

Is the expression coming down the pike or coming down the pipe? I’ve always used pike, but I’ve heard a few people use pipe recently. I can see how both could make sense, but which is correct?
Justin Gallagher
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33
votes
2 answers

Should you use a comma/period after "Thanks"/"Regards" in email signatures?

Normal practice is to end emails with a Thanks or Regards. My question is should there be a comma or a period or nothing after Thanks/Regards? Thanks, John Doe Or Thanks. John Doe Or Thanks John Doe I have seen all three…
Nikhil Kashyap
  • 584
33
votes
9 answers

"A cup of hot coffee" or "A hot cup of coffee"

I once had an argument with someone about this. Is the meaning of "A cup of hot coffee" the same as "A hot cup of coffee"? Surprisingly I've often heard people utter either of the two, but not being a native speaker I cannot tell for sure if they…
Kagiso
  • 433
33
votes
5 answers

Origins of "turn over in his grave"?; "turn over in her grave"? etc., etc

The best result of my google-search for the origins of the idiomatic phrase, “turn over in the grave” was this, from wikipedia: One of the earliest uses is found in William Thackeray's 1849 work The History of Pendennis, where Mrs. Wapshot, upset…
user98990
33
votes
4 answers

Is there any noun in English which changes the first letter in the plural?

Plenty of nouns change the second letter to become plural (man->men, goose->geese) but does anything change its first letter. I've hunted high and low over the internet, and spent ages browsing the questions at Oxford dictionaries but I can't find…
Chris H
  • 21,709
33
votes
5 answers

Did English ever have a "you" plural?

Apart from the dialect form used in the Southern US, "y'all," has English ever had a plural "you"? If not, how does English get around using this form?
gbutters
  • 6,516
33
votes
5 answers

"Best Before" says "11 MA 23"; is it May or March?

I bought a bottle of juice today, and the "Best Before" date it's "11 MA 23". I always see "MA" as for March, but the store staff said that was May. What is your opinion?
Ye Liu
  • 441
33
votes
4 answers

Complete the job, as directed. There is a comma. why?

The following sentences both say that you have been directed to do a job: Complete the job, as directed. vs Complete the job as directed. But which of the two sentences above will assert that you are to do the work, and make sure you do it the…
adityasrivastav
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