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1500 questions
33
votes
5 answers
Punctuation for the phrase "including but not limited to"
When using the phrase "including but not limited to", how should it be punctuated?
When used in the following (no punctuation):
There are many activities including but not limited to running jumping and swimming
My first try:
There are many…
Cory Gross
- 433
33
votes
4 answers
How does the phrase "used to" work, grammatically?
It is common to hear people say "used to" to indicate that they did something in the past but no longer do; for example, "I used to play basketball." How would "used to," used in that context, fit into a sentence diagram? What part of speech is…
Pops
- 5,975
33
votes
6 answers
To hear something makes it audible, to see is visible, so what are touch and smell?
As the title states, if sound is audible, light is visible, what is a smell? And what is an object when you touch it?
bizzehdee
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33
votes
3 answers
"How does it look?"
Formally, in my English education, I have learned to ask for the outward appearance of something using the expression:
"What does it look like?"
Since my mother tongue is German and we say "Wie sieht es aus?", I frequently catch myself…
alexlo
- 992
33
votes
6 answers
How should the abbreviation for "identifier" be capitalized?
I'm a programmer and I often see the abbreviation ID (capitalized) in technical documents and code. Is this correct, or should it be id?
Jeremyx
- 431
32
votes
16 answers
What is the word for a path that is made naturally by the action of people walking?
I remember one day, when I was supposed to be at school, hanging out at a friends house and watching an episode of Call My Bluff and there was a word that meant something like:
A path that is made (e.g. across a field) by people consistently…
kmp
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32
votes
4 answers
Proper Timezone Acronym Usage - PT vs PDT or PST
What is the difference between PT (Pacific Time), PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), and PST (Pacific Standard Time)? Also, is the time format "2:00pm PT" unambiguous?
Sandro
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32
votes
5 answers
What does 'sucker for' mean?
I recently came across a couple usages of 'sucker for' which indicates that it means 'crazy about', 'enthusiastic for', or 'interested in'. For example, 'I am a sucker for sports.', seems to say, 'I am a sports enthusiast.'.
My questions are:
What…
Nishant
- 569
32
votes
6 answers
How many syllables are in the word 'hour'?
Does the word 'hour' have 1 or 2 syllables?
Matthew Vines
- 535
32
votes
12 answers
Difference between "slacks", "pants", and "trousers"?
I wonder what differences are between usage of slacks, pants, and trousers? Their meanings seem the same by looking up Google’s Internet dictionary and Wikipedia.
Tim
- 9,993
32
votes
10 answers
If someone is electrocuted, do they have to die or can they just be injured?
Is it correct to say I electrocuted my friend if he was only injured by electricity?
Davis G
- 337
32
votes
5 answers
What's the difference between "mistrust" and "distrust"?
Are mistrust and distrust synonyms?
And if so, how have two such similar words coexist for so long? Google N-grams suggests the two words have coexisted since the 1700's.
Urbycoz
- 15,698
32
votes
5 answers
Punctuation around abbreviations
I always stumble when using abbreviations in a sentence, as they inherently contain a period in them. How do I use a comma or a semicolon after an abbreviation? How about a period?
E.g. (This is an example of my quandary)
Vaibhav Garg
- 4,052
32
votes
5 answers
"Eventually" vs. "finally"
What is the difference between finally and eventually?
He eventually escaped and made his way back to England.
He finally escaped and made his way back to England.
Massoud Pakdaman
- 361
32
votes
18 answers
Opposite of 'Midas touch'?
I'm wondering what word or phrase could be used for the counter examples of 'Midas touch' effect.
The Midas touch, or the gift of profiting from whatever one undertakes, is named for a legendary king of Phrygia. Midas was granted the power to…
9dan
- 661