Newest Questions
113,369 questions
174
votes
11
answers
106k
views
How should I refer to a friend who is a girl but not a girlfriend?
When I'm talking about my friend, who is a girl, but not a girlfriend, what word or phrase should I use? If the gender was unimportant, it would not be a problem. But if I want to note that the friend ...
- 5,820
97
votes
11
answers
360k
views
What is the difference between “nope” and “no”?
What is the difference caused by using “nope” instead of ”no”?
Is it used because “nope” sounds better and not straight like “no”? In some situations, it feels like nope is better to use than no even ...
- 1,081
28
votes
4
answers
105k
views
Which pronunciation of 'either' is preferred?
I pronounce 'ei' in 'either' like in German (so, like 'I' in English: /aɪ/). This is natural for me.
But I've heard people pronouncing it as 'eee' (/iː/), so which version is correct? Or maybe both ...
- 2,204
22
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How can I remember the difference between "lay" and "laid"? [closed]
I often confuse lay and laid. For instance, in selecting the appropriate word in these contexts:
She lay/laid a hand on his arm.
He lay/laid across the bench lazily.
We lay/laid down our ...
- 1,044
16
votes
6
answers
5k
views
How can I remember the difference between "loose" and "lose"?
Although both words can be found in dictionaries, I'm constantly forgetting which one is which.
Are there any mnemonic rules that would help me remembering them?
- 8,135
14
votes
3
answers
687
views
Is there a general rule for Verb + Preposition/Particle idioms, such as "come across"?
Composite verbs are giving me a lot of trouble. In German the syntax is simple; if the composite verb has the moving part, it goes to the end. But in English I've found many forms and I'm not sure ...
- 2,204
14
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Between two options, which does "former" refer to and which does "latter"?
For example:
James was talking to Karl, the former being much smarter than the latter.
Is James the former or the latter? What is the rule?
- 2,537
29
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Dates and times: "on", "in", "at"?
I’m often confused when I speak about times and dates. What is the rule for using on, in, and at in the following sentences?
I will do it ___ Tuesday.
We married ___ March.
He returned ___ the same ...
- 8,135
16
votes
5
answers
8k
views
Is there a general rule how to create feminine words?
Is there a general rule how to create feminine words?
For example feminine from waiter is waitress, from actor – actress, etc.
So, generally the ending -ess means the feminine form. But I’ve never ...
- 5,820
23
votes
4
answers
10k
views
Large, huge or big communities?
When I talk about many people, like community, what should I use?
A large community
A huge community
A big community
In my native language (German), we use just one word for that: groß. What is the ...
- 341
26
votes
5
answers
19k
views
How would a native speaker understand "Time flies like an arrow"?
“Time flies like an arrow” is often cited to illustrate problems with computer aided language processing. It is also an example of how ambiguous English can be.
But is it really so ambiguous? How ...
- 5,820
134
votes
14
answers
116k
views
Is there any difference between “which” and “that”?
What is the difference between the words which and that?
For example:
I have a car which is blue.
I have a car that is blue.
Are there any rules specifying usage of which and that?
- 3,121
112
votes
8
answers
152k
views
Is there any difference between being ill and sick?
I can say I'm ill or I'm sick. But what is the difference between the usage of these terms?
I've heard that one can use sick for longer-term and ill for shorter-term, but is that really correct? How ...
- 5,820
35
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How can I negate or confirm a question tersely using negation?
From a logical point of view, the answer no negates the negation, and yes confirms it.
But how would a native speaker react when s/he asked "Don't you love me any more?" and answered yes or ...
- 5,820