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 : Expression
Is it regional to use “all of a sudden” versus “all the sudden?” The former sounds more correct to me.
Could anybody tell me what these words above might mean or refer to? I’d be very, very grateful...
teletubbified, beefcakeosity, blubsome, hamburger junction, horseburger (do we really produce that kind of stuff??), jelly-bagging, rocktabulous, froogle, trammel-netter, woo-woo book, telangiectasia, truncus arteriosus. :-)))
IYO, is “sailed through” a prepositional verb or a phrasal verb in the sentence below?
She sailed through her exams.
It happened to me that I touched by accident the exhaust pipe of my motorbike when it was damn hot and got burnt.
Now, what would you say to questions like ‘What happened’? I always seem to carry over the pattern from Czech and look for a preposition such as ‘on’ or ‘by’ but it all sounds awful:
I got burnt ON/BY the exhaust pipe.
So I always end up resorting to either a long narrative or ‘It was the bike’...
Is it true for others that you lose all logic and sense after editing too much in one sitting? Hope I’m not alone!
I want to switch “from” to “by,” but then when I asked myself if you could really gain “by” something, I wasn’t too certain of my answer. Some reassurance or recommendations would be terrific! Thanks to all of you as always! ~s
“I gained expertise in effective communication as a project director in Ecuador and in Mexico, from negotiating in professional settings, meeting with my staff, and presenting to volunteers.”
What does this joke mean? “Utility knickers - one Yank, and they’re off.” I’ve heard it in the movie, Enigma by Michael Apted and have no idea what that refers to. There was nothing in the context that could help either. By the way, the story takes place during the World War II (if you haven’t seen the movie.)
“Suddenly he heard something that was not imagination.”
If I add “could hear” to this sentence instead of “heard”, how do you feel? Is it strange? I would like to ask your opinions and reasons.
Anyone got an idea about the way this expression originated?
eg, “I am so not going there.”
Others googled: I am so NOT looking forward to that! I am so not a man. I am SO not surprised. I am so not prepare[d] for this Exams. I am so totally dead. [sic]
There’s a discussion here
Is “I am so not prepared for this meeting” functionally equivalent to “I am unprepared for this meeting.”
Perhaps it’s a matter of informal (or slang) vs formal expression.
Why does it sound correct to say or hear “the only one I ever wanted”, but sound incorrect when saying “the one I ever wanted”? What is the secret of this little four letter word, “only”? There was a pop song out a few years back that used the latter phrase, and although it sounded so awful to my ears, I couldn’t really think of any reason that it was technically incorrect.
I am university student, and take a seminar in a third grade. In the class, we were given assignments, which is we check on how native speakers feel or think about the following questions. So I would like to ask your opinions. Could you answer the following questions?
1. “The plane must land in a few minute.” When you read this sentence, what kind of situation do you imagine? I’d like to know the meaning of “must” in this sentence. So what kind of meaning does the “must” include?
2. In the same way, how about “He can seem so sane.”?
3. What is the difference among Look, See and Watch?
4. “He could hear the phone ringing on the other end but no one answered.” In this sentence, do you think the phone rang straight? Does “can/could + feeling verb” mean an instant or a moment situation.
Thank you very much for your time, and I’m looking forward to your opinions.
