Newest Questions
132,521 questions
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Shouldn't it be head over hills instead heels like your heads in the cloud over hills the term came from the 14th century before heels were heels? [duplicate]
Heels weren't called heels in the 14th century so how did this come to be? Hills would make more since to me, like your head's in the clouds over hills ...
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3
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Should it be ���was” or “were”? “The results were not as conclusive as was/were expected”
The results were not as conclusive as were expected.
or
The results were not as conclusive as was expected.
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1
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Leading zeros and punctuation in American date format [closed]
Americans write the month first because I know. Today is a beautiful date—05/05/2025. Would that be the proper way? In my language, I’d write 5.5.2025, and that’s how some style guides recommend (e.g. ...
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Should I use leading zeros and a colon in American English?
I know it’s a matter of style, but I’d like to know the common one.
In the 12-hour system, I know it’s not recommended to use leading zeros, but I’m not sure about the punctuation. 4:00, 4.00, just 4? ...
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Plural and uncountable nouns without articles [migrated]
I am confused about a section describing the usage of uncountable and plural nouns without articles.
Can they both can be about all of the things and things in general?
Or can they take only one ...
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How could I say that I’ve addressed their questions directly in their comments [closed]
I need to write an email and I want to say that some of their questions were answered or addressed directly in the comment they made in the doc
-1
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1
answer
48
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How can I identify the purpose of emphasized quotations (using scare-quotes)? [closed]
I’ve come across a question about the use of quotation marks—specifically emphasized quotes—in my research. For example:
"Success is not 'final', failure is not 'fatal'."
In this case, the ...
2
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1
answer
112
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Is it rude to tell someone not to call me ‘sir’? [closed]
I'm a 35-year-old Hispanic living in South Texas, and I don't like the term sir because it makes me feel old. Would it be rude of me to tell an older Mexican-American woman the following?
Please don’...
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1
answer
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What is the origin of the phrase "useful idiot" in a political context?
I am looking for the origin of the phrase useful idiot in a political context, where a person in a position of power is manipulated as a puppet who is able to set in motion changes desired by the ...
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1
answer
76
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Anaphoric 'it' after disjunctive noun phrases
What specifically does the word “it” refer to in this citation below, and why?
Identity with something or someone, not to it.
Garner, B. A. (2016). Garner’s Modern English Usage. OUP
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'With': ambitransitive verbs
(Intransitive) My nose was running with snot
(Transive) My nose was running snot (into my mouth)
Is there a specific meaning of with here?
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0
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2
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'And': used to connect two verbs where the second is 'dependent' on the first (in the way catenations work)
AND (now dialectal or somewhat colloquial) Used to connect two verbs where the second is dependent on the first: ‘to’. Used especially after come, go and try.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/and
https:/...
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1
answer
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'That' (pronoun): in, on, by, or with which
That (pronoun): 'in, on, by, or with which'
Each summer that the concerts take place.
https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=that
Is that replaceable by nonrestrictive when?
Can that be just ...
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'Might': past permission
MIGHT (aux.v., past tense of may)
(Archaic) Used to express permission in the past:
The courtier was informed that he might enter the king's chambers.
https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=...
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0
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What differences are between lexical hyphens and syntactic hyphens?
It is written in CaGEL that
8.2.2 Hard and long hyphens
Among the hard hyphens we can distinguish (though not always sharply) between those
that are lexical and those that are syntactic. The lexical ...
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