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
Past perfect with until
- devidjohan
- February 21, 2025, 11:06am
She **had waited** until the illustrator completed the drawings before publishing her book. The author, using **kids book writing services**, ensured the story was engaging and visually appealing. She **had not realized** its impact until parents and children praised its creativity and storytelling after its release.
Initialisms and Quotation Marks
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- February 20, 2025, 3:14am
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“I have two sons, Bill and Ben”: comma or colon?
- andrewsinn
- February 18, 2025, 10:35pm
I can see how this punctuation dilemma might cause some confusion. When it comes to short lists, like naming two sons, a comma seems more natural, especially since it doesn’t feel like a complete formal list. But for longer lists or when more clarity is needed, such as in legal or formal contexts, using a colon might make sense. It’s interesting to see different perspectives on this! By the way, if you're looking for a fun and exciting way to unwind, you might want to check out https://slotier.com/. With a great selection of games and rewarding bonuses, it's the perfect way to relax after a deep dive into punctuation!
“by the time”
- taleshka
- February 12, 2025, 12:54pm
If I look at this sentence: "By the time he arrived, the lesson had finished". I wonder if it would be enough just to say "the lesson finished", as the time expression of "by the time" seems to clearly indicate what happened first. Am I right or is it 100% necessary to use Past Perfect with the expression?
Treatment of abbreviations and superscript items in full capital case
- smithcarrie96
- February 12, 2025, 7:35am
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"badly miscalculated" — double negatives?
- Devis1
- February 10, 2025, 10:04pm
"badly miscalculated" — double negatives?
- Devis1
- February 10, 2025, 10:03pm
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“I have two sons, Bill and Ben”: comma or colon?
- alexseen
- February 5, 2025, 1:26pm
asd
Past perfect with until
She **had waited** until the illustrator completed the drawings before publishing her book. The author, using **kids book writing services**, https://bookspublishinghelp.com/kids-book-writing-services ensured the story was engaging and visually appealing. She **had not realized** its impact until parents and children praised its creativity and storytelling after its release.