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1 vote
1 answer
197 views

'Painted' or 'painting' after 'want' + NP

Which is correct? Is it, "Do you want your house painting" or "Do you want your house painted"? Examples of both can be found on the internet. Is there a difference between them? ...
1 vote
1 answer
17 views

Should vs must: respectively meaning expectation vs strong certainty

What is the difference between these two sentences: He should be at home now. (expectation) He must be at home now. (strong certainty) I don't really understand the difference between expectation ...
0 votes
1 answer
54 views

Ambiguity of Infinitive

I read the following sentence in a TOEIC book: Receive a customized learning plan to set goals and overcome the challenges that cause many players to get discouraged. Which one is the correct ...
1 vote
1 answer
58 views

"or until" and "and until"

This warranty lasts until four years after purchase of the car or the odometer records 100 000 miles, whichever comes first. The administrator of this organization shall serve for two years and until ...
1 vote
2 answers
109 views

Difference between "human male" and "male human"

Could you please help me settle an argument? It's regarding the semantic difference between "human male" and "male human". Despite the different ordering of adjective and noun, I ...
2 votes
2 answers
59 views

What does "deadly" mean in "deadly whisper"?

"Have you any idea how worried I have been?" Said Mrs Weasley in a deadly whisper. I looked up the dictionary for the word deadly but it has a dozen meanings and I can't seem to fit the ...
0 votes
2 answers
89 views

Can "however" void what has been said beforehand? [closed]

Google’s English dictionary, powered by Oxford Languages, says that "however" introduces a statement that contrasts with or seems to contradict something that has been said previously. Then ...
0 votes
4 answers
106 views

How to say A is sitting to the left left of C, if the position is "A B C", without mentioning B?

Something like "A is to the second left of C" ?
0 votes
1 answer
130 views

What sound would an English speaker produce when the reduced vowel in ‘want𝑒d’ or ‘𝑒xist’ is under secondary stress (e.g. long note in a song)?

Technically it’s a reduced /ɪ/ phoneme, but when it falls under secondary stress it changes its phonetic value (exist /ᵻɡˈzɪst/ > existential /ˌɛɡzˈstɛnʃl/; necessary /ˈnɛsᵻsəri/ > necessity /...
1 vote
4 answers
7k views

the 90s "were" or "was" the best decade

"the 90s were the best decade ever" or "the 90s was the best decade ever" "the 90s" and "decade" are both referring to the same singular period of 10 years, so "was" seems to make more sense. "90s ...
7 votes
4 answers
2k views

Is there a name for the place where a street name changes on the other side of an intersection?

I think this is a common enough scenario in the US. Imagine an intersection of a North/South road and an East/West road. On the East side of the N/S road the E/W road is named something like 13th St. ...
1 vote
1 answer
105 views

Do I need commas when doing a sort of funnel in a sentence [closed]

I am trying to point out the location of specific sentences in an article I am referring to. My text is as follows: Notable examples of this include Section 1 paragraph 1 sentences 2 & 3: ".....
1 vote
1 answer
693 views

Simple vs Continuous in the Past Tense and in the Future Tense

Even though I understand the difference between the simple and the continuous aspect of the English tense system, I sometimes struggle to understand what each of these two aspects expresses in some ...
0 votes
1 answer
81 views

Verb forms of mode

The word "mode" is in many dictionaries described as a noun (with two etymologies/meanings). In radiation therapy however you can use it as a particle verb (pun not intended): "mode up ...
3 votes
2 answers
7k views

Origin of the babytalk phrase goo goo ga ga?

Strange question: I don't know if onomatopoeia are said to have a proper etymology as such, but I was wondering if anyone knows the approximate first usage of the babytalk phrase goo goo ga ga?

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