Discussion Forum
This is a forum to discuss the gray areas of the English language for which you would not find answers easily in dictionaries or other reference books.
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Latest Posts : Misc
I thought you could put /s/ on a copy of a signed letter to indicate the original had been signed. Right or wrong?
Can anyone tell me why the second ‘a’ in Canada and Canadian is pronounced differently?
I’m English/British and I and from England/Britain.
Surely it should either be Can-a-da & Can-a-dian or Can-ay-da & Can-ay-dian...
My guess is it has something to do with the French influence, but I would love to know for sure.
Here in the UK our language has been heavily influenced over the years, including by the French and it has always interested where these things start or change.
I was in empty space in an elevator one day when it occurred to me that it’s actually “pains-taking”, the taking of pains to do something thoroughly. I’d never thought about it before.
But it’s too hard to pronounce “painz-taking”, because the “z” sound must be voiced; whereas the unvoiced “s” combines easily with the “t” to make “-staking”, so that’s what we say. That’s my theory, but BrE might be different. Is it?
Why does the Western media have so many different spellings for some Arabic terms?
eg:
1. hezbollah hesbollah hizbullah hizbollah hisbollah
2. ayatollah ayatullah
I’m having a custom item made to indicate when our home was established. The year will be the year my husband and I were married and started our family. My issue is I’m not sure how our name should appear. Here is the text.
The (LAST NAME)
Est. 2008
Our last name is Myers. Please help! I’m not sure if it should be possessive (ownership of the home/family) or plural (for the people).
At the clinic I was directed to the “subwait area” and left to ponder my fate. I did wonder whether this should be sub-wait and how fully portable “sub” has become as a preposition and/or prefix, when attached to a Germanic-rooted word. What other words are there where “sub” is used as an English word, apart from phrases like “sub judice” and “sub” as a short form of “substitute” eg in sport “he was subbed off”?
Can you please comment on a trend that I have noticed recently. More and more people seem to be pronouncing words that contain the letters “str” as if they were written “shtr”. Strong sounds like shtrong, strange sounds like shtrange, and so on. I have noticed even my favorite NPR journalists mispronouncing these words. I first noticed this pronunciation in one of Michelle Obama’s early speeches. I’d appreciate any insight that you might have.
I have always believed, probably in common with most Scots, that the pronunciation of “gill” varies depending on whether one is referring to the organ of respiration in fishes and other water-breathing animals ( /ɡɪl/ ), or a measure of liquid (/dʒɪl/ ), or even one of the many other variations of the word. I was therefore somewhat surprised recently when watching an episode of QI to hear the erstwhile Stephen Fry and his guests use /ɡɪl/ for both the fishy organ and the liquid measure..
Does anyone know if there are rules governing the pronunciation of “a”? It’s either “AYE” or “UH”, depending on the word following. My preference is dictated by how it sounds and how it flows off the tongue, but I have never been able to establish if actual rules exist.
Americans and Australians tend to use “AYE” all the time and sometime it just sounds ridiculous, like...”Aye man driving aye car stopped at aye traffic light”
What diacritic would I use over the word YANA to accent the first a as an “ah” (short o) sound. It is pronounced Yahna. Thanks!
Latest Comments
Is a definite article (the) necessary for "most"?
- Guo
- April 23, 2024, 9:25am
Both sentences are grammatically correct, but they convey slightly different nuances.
The first sentence, "What fascinates me the most about the textile industry is that it drives the economy of many third world countries," uses "the most," which emphasizes a specific aspect or element that is of greatest interest to the speaker. In this case, it suggests that among all the fascinating aspects of the textile industry, the economy-driving aspect is the most captivating to the speaker.
The second sentence, "What fascinates me most about the textile industry is that it drives the economy of many third world countries," omits "the" before "most." This version suggests a more general fascination with the textile industry overall, without specifically highlighting one particular aspect as the most fascinating.
Both versions are acceptable depending on the intended emphasis or tone of your writing. If you want to emphasize a specific aspect as the most fascinating, use "the most." If you want to convey a more general fascination without specific emphasis, use "most" without "the."
“I have two sons, Bill and Ben”: comma or colon?
- Guo
- April 23, 2024, 9:23am
In this case, using a comma is appropriate. A colon typically introduces a list or emphasizes a point, but in your sentence, the phrase "Bill and Ben" is simply providing additional information about your sons. Therefore, a comma is more suitable for this context.
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Past perfect with until
- Guo
- April 23, 2024, 9:20am
The correct sentence is: "She didn’t realize that she was addicted to nicotine until she had smoked ten cigarettes a day."
This is because the past perfect tense ("had smoked") is used to indicate an action that occurred before another past action or point in time ("realized"). In this case, smoking ten cigarettes a day happened before she realized she was addicted to nicotine. For more info read comments on https://kingessays.com/. Academic institutions promote research and scholarly inquiry across various fields, encouraging faculty and students to contribute to the advancement of knowledge through original research, publications, and creative works.
Treatment of abbreviations and superscript items in full capital case
- Guo
- April 23, 2024, 9:18am
Abbreviations and superscript items should be treated consistently in full capital case, maintaining their original formatting for clarity and accuracy.
Yes, both the superscripted letter and the abbreviation should be treated consistently in full capital case. So, for example, it would be: JANE McDONALD / WILLIAM DOE, JR.
“my” vs. “mine” in multiple owner possessive
- sujeetrepp443
- April 22, 2024, 10:36am
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“You have two choices”
- William oyadomari
- April 19, 2024, 2:19pm
Hi what kind of English pain webpage is this?
“You have two choices”
- William oyadomari
- April 19, 2024, 2:19pm
Hi what is this English pain webpage about.
"badly miscalculated" — double negatives?
- user116298
- April 18, 2024, 1:37pm
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Past perfect with until
- user116298
- April 18, 2024, 1:37pm
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“Let his/him come in.”
In this context, "Let him come in" is the correct option. The use of "him" as the object pronoun is appropriate when referring to a person being allowed to enter. "Let his come in" would not be grammatically correct in standard English usage. Therefore, "him" is the most suitable choice for the completion of the sentence.