Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Proofreading Services Retired

We’ve officially closed our proofreading services. You can probably guess why. With AI tools like ChatGPT now doing the job for free (and instantly), the demand for human proofreaders has all but vanished. If you still prefer a human touch, you're part of a rare—and shrinking—breed. We're now back to our roots: a forum for nitpicking the finer points of the English language. Thanks for your past support. We appreciate it.

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Latest Posts

What does this mean? Where did it come from?

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There is a movie out called “Two Weeks Notice”. Shouldn’t this be “Two Week Notice”?

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Some people say “emotionality” is not a word. It is in Webster. What is the difference between emotion and emotionality? What is my emotion? And, what is my emotionality?

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“That’s such bull-shit.” Here you have no article; not “a bull-shit”.

“He gave me shit.” Here, too, you have no article.

“I don’t give a shit.” Now, why do you have an article here?

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When fine artists say their work is “multi-disciplinary”, what would a discipline mean in this context?

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“a lack of” vs. “lack of” What is the difference?

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When you refer to something that is labeled with letters, like letter A, button B, formula C, or exhibit D, you don’t put articles, but that seems odd. Why wouldn’t you say “a button B” or “a formula C”?

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What are the rules for FEW vs. A FEW?

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Am I 38 years old, or 38 year old, and why.

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“I have a full control” Or “I have full control”

Which is correct? In what situations you say “controls”?

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