55 Answered Questions for the topic american english
08/04/19
Is it colloquially acceptable to use ETA in place of "estimated time to completion"?
Literally, ETA means "estimated time to arrival". It is often used when traveling, like you want to know your ETA to your destination, or the ETA for the package delivery.However, often I find...
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07/31/19
Conjunction Reduction British English vs American English?
I am finding there is a difference in what is acceptable between American and British English. I posted this question on Facebook:"Grammar friends, I need your help! Is omitting the pronoun the...
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07/31/19
What does "bite" and "quarter-backing" mean in this context?
It's from the first few lines of the foreword to Karl Llewellyn's "The Bramble Bush":> These lectures grew out of an attempt in 1929 and 1930 to introduce> the students at Columbia Law School...
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07/29/19
In back of'' vs. back of" vs. the spatial sense of "behind" in AmE?
What's the difference to these expressions, as in "The little girl was hiding in back of the tree" vs. "The little girl was hiding back of the tree" vs. "The little girl was hiding behind the...
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06/27/19
Usage of too while comparing two places?
While in a conversation about a place `xyz` which is facing water scarcity, if another place `abc` is also having water scarcity, which sentence would be correct:-
I know `xyz` has water scarcity,...
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06/26/19
what does "withhold no sacrifice" mean?
Reading Churchill's speech, I don't think I understand the following
"withhold no sacrifice, grudge no toil, seek no sordid gain", what does this statement mean?
06/25/19
What does "Come on, let's wrangle up the cattle" mean?
Andy said this to Woody in Toy Story 1. Is this idiom?
06/24/19
Take my word for it or take my word for this?
Me and a friend got into an argument.
He says that you can say "Take my word for this".
I say that the proper use is "Take my word for it".
Could someone elaborate on each of those and tell us who...
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06/24/19
Should I vs. "Shall I" vs. "Do I" in AE?
In colloquial prose, is there some difference to saying "Should I/we", Shall I/we", "Do I/we" to ask someone's advice?E.g.> Should I call the police?Sounds like I'm asking someone (or myself) if...
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06/24/19
Who is this for? vs "Who does this belong to?"?
Yesterday I asked an Australian friend "Who is this for?" in reference to a wallet on his desk. He laughed and thought my sentence didn't make sense in the context of the situation. Instead, he...
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06/23/19
Slang word for transferring money from one card to another?
Ok, so there is an Online Money Transfer Service. It allows for quick money transfer from one card to another. The advertisement of this service describes how it is convenient for parents to...
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06/20/19
What does "I have no shame when it comes to ignorance" mean?
Does it mean one chooses to be ignorant regardless of shame, or submit to shame while admitting ignorance?
**Interviewer:** Tell me about your first felony arrest?
**Candidate**: I have no shame...
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06/19/19
Why do americans put "my" in front of everything?
I watch a lot of youtube, but I've also noticed this in movies.
North americans tend to put the word "my" in front of stuff they tell you about e.g. "So I've got **my** grill fired up, I've got...
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06/17/19
Is this grammatical?
> Could you tell us what's your favorite Google Chrome extensions? , The ones that you are using regularly and the ones that are cool no matter how much you use it or how popular it is.
06/17/19
Which are the most common Latin words/phrases used in spoken English?
Please, specify American/British Engilsh!
I think these below are very common but I have no idea if they are commonly used in spoken English.
ad hoc
per se
a priori
de facto
ergo
et...
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06/17/19
Is there a term for the linguistic phenomenon where a word in a sentence describes the sentence itself instead of just the elements in the sentence?
I'm thinking specifically of they way words like "frankly" are sometimes used in modern English.
Take the sentence: "His speech was uninhibited, unprepared, and *frankly* insulting to half of his...
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06/17/19
Is there a term for the linguistic phenomenon where a word in a sentence describes the sentence itself instead of just the elements in the sentence?
I'm thinking specifically of they way words like "frankly" are sometimes used in modern English.
Take the sentence: "His speech was uninhibited, unprepared, and *frankly* insulting to half of his...
more
06/05/19
Has the English language changed since 1854?
I've started reading a book named Walden, published in 1854. I am not a native English speaker, I am Persian, and I want to read this book for two reasons:to improve my English and because I think...
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06/02/19
Can we say "There should be any problem for Adam to eat that apple"?
> There should be any problem for Adam to eat that apple.
Is this a proper sentence?
The use of *any* here seems to be an issue. For example it seems fine in sentences like:
- I couldn't...
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05/30/19
Determiners in English sentence vs. plurals, singulars and zero determiners. Is it ok to say?
Do I need any determiners in the sentence below in general statement?
- Strong winds destroy homes.
Is it ok to say in English in specific situation?
- The strong wind destroyed the homes in...
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05/29/19
difference between "be free" and "get free"?
What is the difference between the two? And if I want to meet a friend what would I say "I'll be free soon " or "I'll get free soon "
05/03/19
Has the English language changed since 1854?
I've started reading a book named Walden, published in 1854. I am not a native English speaker, I am Persian, and I want to read this book for two reasons:to improve my English and because I think...
more
04/24/19
AmE/Writing: AN _hors d'oeuvres_ tray, or A _hors d'oeuvres_ tray?
The general rule I was given as a youngster was that if the initial sound of the noun is that of a vowel, the correct indefinite article is “an”, while if it started with a...
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03/31/19
American vs. British English: meaning of "One hundred and fifty"?
I've noticed that Americans do not say "and" when speaking numbers: for example, 150 would be pronounced "one hundred fifty".
I and most other British-English speakers would pronounce it "one...
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03/31/19
I realized now how far important this information was?
Is this sentence grammatically OK?
> I realized now how far important this information was.
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