Most active questions

7 votes
9 answers
2k views

What is the adjective for a person that doesn't have any vices or sin

I always forget this word even though I use it often and when I do try to recall it, for some reason I always think of the word "bipartisan". I would describe it somebody's lifestyle, an ...
Albert Ross's user avatar
8 votes
4 answers
2k views

Should it be "is" or "are"? "This tool has far greater powers than is/are apparent"

I must tell you that this tool has far greater powers than is now apparent. OR I must tell you that this tool has far greater powers than are now apparent.
Boballoo's user avatar
  • 123
5 votes
3 answers
2k views

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.
JZ Tay's user avatar
  • 51
2 votes
2 answers
450 views

Europe-bound vs. European-bound

First sentence of this article: https://apnews.com/article/libya-europe-migrants-shipwreck-7bb9e036d9c9997f524db134aba8b00f Libya’s coast guard intercepted dozens of Europe-bound migrants on a boat ...
ronald christenkkson's user avatar
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 ...
selectivitism's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
108 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 ...
David Price's user avatar
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" ?
Yan King Yin's user avatar
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 /...
Ansem D.'s user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
112 views

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’...
Sam Gomez's user avatar
1 vote
5 answers
90 views

'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?
GJC's user avatar
  • 3,508
2 votes
2 answers
51 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 ...
Legend Legend's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
77 views

Which is correct for “___ has arrived early”: “Nobody,” “None,” or both?

I have a question about subject-verb agreement with indefinite pronouns. Which of the following would be the most grammatically accurate choice? _____ has arrived early. a) Nobody b) None c) Both a &...
Youssef Gaser El-kady's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
63 views

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. ...
Not British's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
71 views

'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:/...
GJC's user avatar
  • 3,508
-1 votes
1 answer
76 views

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
GJC's user avatar
  • 3,508

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