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
I have a friend insistent on saying the phrase “You gotta be joking me” when I think he should be saying “You have to be kidding me”.
Does anyone know anyone else who says this and can you tell me how wrong it is?
There’s a slang expression in English which I don’t know how to spell correctly. The phrase would be used (phoentically) like this:
“I’m gonna sic the cops on you for doing that!”
meaning “I am going to report to the police what you did, and you will presumably be punished for doing it.”
Now I’ve seen internet kids using this phrase left and right, and I have seen it consistently spelled
“SICK” --> “I’m gonna sick the cops on you!”
It’s slang, so I’ve looked, but I can’t find the answer in a dictionary anywhere. But it’s driving me nutty, because I always thought it was spelled “sic” and not “sick.”
Is there a proper answer to this question, and if so, does anyone have it?
Thanks!
A group of us were discussing the use of “me” and “I”. Which of these sentences is correct? “My mother bought some sweets for me and my sister.” or “My mother bought some sweets for my sister and I.” thanks for your help in advance.
Could any cooking expert explain to me what the phrase: “goulash communism” might mean?
Is there any nice and succinct word for the audio-video set that comprises of a tv, video and/or dvd and which people often have at their homes?
As a father of a newborn, do I say:
1. We had a baby. 2. I had a baby. 3. My wife had a baby.
Which one is it?
I have never understood why people say stuff like “Can my car be repossessed _without my being warned_?”. In my ears it should be “without me being warned”. Heck I would even prefer “without I being warned”. The only explanation I can come up, given that “my” is possessive, is that “being” is a noun which refers to you as a mortal being. But that doesn’t make much sense in the sentence since “being” is used as the verb. For it to work it would have to be “without my being getting warned”, or “without my being being warned”.
Am I right that this is just badly evolved english (although seemingly legitimate today) or am I missing something here ?
Is the expression “Sunday best” (=one’s best clothes) still used currently?
I’ve heard the word “immediately” used in British English in a way that sounds quite strange to my American ears. I wonder whether anyone has any insight about why it’s used differently.
I believe it is considered grammatically correct in the UK to say something like “I left immediately I got the address”. In America you might say “I left as soon as I got the address” or “I left immediately AFTER I got the address” but in any event, a preposition would be required. Why not in England? And what do the Australians have to say about this?
Anyone have an explanation on this expression? The proper english indicates it should read “Worst-case scenario”. However the vocal sound is “Worse-case scenario”. Is there a proper way?
