Questions tagged [american-english]
This tag is for questions specifically related to the English language as spoken and written in the USA. If you are interested in a difference between American English and British English, please use transatlantic-differences.
1,696
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How do you pronounce "to me" and "to you" quickly at the end of a sentence?
I usually hear people pronounce "to me" as "tomi" and "to you" as "toyo". Am I hearing it correctly? If not, what's the correct pronunciation?
Here's some ...
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How do I Americanize "Fat lot of good X will do you"?
I learned British English, but I work exclusively with Americans. I'll often say "Fat lot of good X did for us", and I get confused looks from others. For example, the other day, I said &...
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How to understand this construction?
I read a headline in The New York Times that went like this:
Times Past:
We’re diving into The Times’s archives with the help of a professional.
my thought revolve around "Times Past". what ...
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What is the role of "at" in this case?
I came across this on NYTimes:
"New Orleans Saints (5-9) at Cleveland Browns (6-8), 1 p.m., CBS"
source:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/sports/football/nfl-week-16-picks.html
I don't get ...
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Is "depending" an adverb in this context?
is this text:
"does the meaning of a song change depending on who wrote it?"
is "depending" an adverb modifying "change" in this case?
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Is there a difference between "has" and "is"?
In a English or American perspective of the difference because I sometimes have trouble making the difference is means a thing and has is owned but I sometimes have trouble making the difference
For ...
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Can I use 'was' twice in a sentence?
For example:
"I was salivating on the food he was cooking."
Thank you in advance.
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Why the use of "mystery" instead of "mysterious" in this case?
In this text:
New Yorkers are contending with a bewildering and miserable mix of symptoms as Covid, flu, R.S.V. and various mystery illnesses circulate.
Why "mystery illnesses" instead of &...
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Any implication of using "that" instead of "The" in this headline?
In this HeadLine:
"lace, that most coveted textile"
the way i would have tought if writing this would be:
"lace, the most coveted textile"
using "That" feels to me the ...
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How to understand the phrase "of the trend" in this context?
The Headline is:
if there is a ‘male Malaise’ with work, could one answer be at sea?
Maritime transportation firms are desperate for new mariners, a labor shortage that’s emblematic of the trend for ...
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How I tell a person to give me a missed call
Is the sentence correct? Give me a reminder call when you are ready ?.
Context: I scheduled a meeting with someone at 1 pm. But the person is not responding on chat at 1 pm. So I don't want to keep ...
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what is the definition of this phrase? [closed]
A library in Hayward, California is called Weeke branch library
I found out weeke is old spelling of week. by definition of branch I know, I can't see any sense in "weeke branch"
what does &...
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Does losing means loser in this context?
In a NYTimes Headline I came across this:
"The Big Liar and His Losing Little Liars"
why not use "loser" instead of "losing" I mean isn't it the sense little liars that ...
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are theses phrases similar in sense?
learning English I keep trying to translate what I think in my native language to english all the time.
When I wake up most of times my voice is hoarse, and I use to test my voice before I send some ...
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Why does the rising pitch start from "in a rush" instead of "rush"?
YouTube: in a rush
Please watch the video first.
The image is the pitch contour from PRAAT. It shows that the rising pitch starts from "in a rush" instead of "rush". Is it because ...
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What does "brought up from the city" mean in this context?
This is a part of a script for the movie "Annie Hall" with Woody Allen and Diane Keaton:
ALVY
M'm, wait, I got a great idea.
(He gets up and goes over to the
closet, taking out a light bulb....
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Usage of the word fresh in a context
I have come across a sentence:
weigh yourself first thing in the morning after getting fresh
among non-native English speakers. And seen some other sentences using the word "fresh" in a ...
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What is the name for following grammar structure:
does somebody know the name of these English grammar sentences?
"…how are hot passion and cool judgment to be forced together in a single soul?"
This sentence structure is similar to say: &...
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What's the meaning of "it gets down to the midfifties"
Can anyone help me understand what "the midfifties" means in this sentence? I found it in this american novel. To me, it could that the temperature goes down to about 55°F at night, because ...
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Is "Grumps" a nickname? [closed]
I found this name in a contemporary American novel. The main character is looking at old objects that belonged to a friend, and among the many things she finds is a gift tag that says 'To Minnie from ...
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What is the definition of "Cue" in this context?
the context is:
"In Kherson, national songs were banned, speaking Ukrainian could lead to arrest and students were told they were Russian. Cue the resistance."
I don't have enoght knowledge ...
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An election for election official? or Am i interpreting it the wrong way?
In this HeadLine by NYtimes:
"Every election denier who sought to become the top election official in a critical battleground state lost at the polls."
seems like there is an election to ...
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What's the meaning of "degrees" in this sentence?
I found this use of the word «degree» in a sentence of a contemporary American novel. A woman looks discouraged at her old and shabby kitchen. I understand everything except how to interpret the word «...
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What is a 'Liaison' in a baseball context?
Can anyone help me understand what the word 'Liaison' means in this context? I found it in a contemporary American novel. The author is describing the youth baseball league in her neighbourhood. After ...
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But what a [something]!
Is “but what a…” a correct way to emphasize on something, that was great? This phrase is sort of taken out from my native language and I wonder if it works the same in US/UK english.
Example:
“It was ...
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how to better understand "dueling" in this context?
In this text:
Their escalating tensions took center stage on Sunday, with dueling campaign rallies in Florida just two days before voting concludes
from this NYT article
I'm having trouble ...
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421
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Proper usage of the word Wifey
Could one use the word "wifey" instead of "wife"? I found many conflicting definitions online, Macmillan dictionary says it can be referred to as on'e wife in a humorous way or ...
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How to understand "round up" in this context? [closed]
In this HeadLine from NYTimes:
"Bob Dylan’s new book rounds up and riffs on 66 classic songs, Dwight Garner writes."
how is "round up" being applied there if it is only one book? ...
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"There is some" or "There are some"- which is correct?
I was at school and my teacher said
There's some in there.
Was that phrase correct? Is it "there is some in there" or "there are some in there"?
Bob
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Merging several sentences
Situation:
Total 10 samples were parsed.
Error occured while parsing 3 samples.
What i want to tell:
The number of samples which I could not parse.
My try:
Samples Error occured while parsing them? = ...
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get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick
There is a BE idiom:
get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick.
Which means: "to not understand a situation correctly."
I was wondering if it sounds natural to Americans as well.
If no, ...
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Thank you note to sb vs. Thank you note for sb [American English]
I am in the middle of interviewing for a new job. I wanted to thank the hiring manager for the interview, but I don't have their email.
I decided to write to the recruiter and asked politely to pass ...
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which one is more appropriate? indicate: ... or indicate
I'm writing to describe a cartoon, and there's a caption that means "on the road" below the cartoon.
should I write
1: The caption indicates: "On the road".
or
2: The caption ...
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What would be the definition of "pivot by" in this context?
In this NYTimes Headline:
"Tightening polls, fears about crime and apathy in their base are driving a wave of Democratic hand-wringing and a pivot by Gov. Kathy Hochul."
what did author ...
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Using the word pair for get on well together
Situation: There is a person with whom I work as a freelancer and we both get on well together. How could I express this? Is saying "we make good pair" correct? Or "pair" is used ...
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how can I give directions to the woman's restroom and man restrooms?
I work in a casino and sometimes guests ask me for directions. I usually say "it's outside the casino, on the lobby. go straight and it's on your left (for woman's) but I realize that they get ...
user163681
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1.a."I have not painted a room to date" 1.b."I have not painted a room till now" [closed]
1.a."I have not painted a room to date"
1.b."I have not painted a room till now"
2.a "To date I have not painted a room"
2.b "Till now I have not painted a room"...
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Could "run late" and "run out of something" be transitive verbs
I know "run late" and "run out of something" are usually intransitive verbs.
But could "run late" and "run out of something" be "transitive verbs"?
...
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what is "evening series" referring to in this context? [closed]
The Headline I came across is:
"Yankees keep season alive by evening series With Guardians"
what is the "evening series" refering to?
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Is it logically correct to refer your husband as bro [closed]
Is it logically correct if a wife addresses his husband as "bro"? I have seen some people doing that in non-native English speakers. It's rare though. Although technically if one looks at ...
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Can I use fight in place of fighting?
In the context below:
"Months of American diplomacy have failed to stop the fighting in northern Ethiopia.
Now, the civil war is plunging into its most alarming phase yet."
is "fight in ...
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I know "divorced" could be an "adjective" but can I say "they got divorced" as in "They became divorced"
I know "divorced" could be an "adjective" but can I say "they got divorced" as in "They became divorced".
Secondly i believe here in this sentence "got ...
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Passive voice without "to be"? Or use past participle after a noun to describe it?
Sometimes I see some sentences look like passive voice, but don't have a verb "to be". For example:
"The goals set in the initial phase of a project can heavily influence your work.&...
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Using with and in
I am not conversant with Java
I am not conversant in Java
Which of the above two is correct?
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Pronunciation "either" [closed]
It is ai·thuh for the British and ee·thr for Americans.
I am watching House of the Dragon and I encountered ai·thuh instead of ee·thr being used. It is an American television series, right? The ...
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I AM WOKEN UP. Could i use "woken" here as an adjective/state instead of passive voice
I have not used "I am woken up" here as in passive voice but I have used "woken" as an adjective here and more or less the sentence is reffering to the state as in i woke up/i have ...
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1.Kindly see who is there" "She told me to see who was there/who there was" Should i put "was" before or after "there"?
1.Kindly see who is there"
"She told me to see who was there/who there was"
2.I just openend the door to check who was there or who there was".
Should I put "was" before ...
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696
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What's the meaning of "Fur-ever" in English?
What's the real meaning of "Fur-ever" here?
It's equal to "forever" or "fur" + "ever" => "Furever" which looks a little weird. I've looked the word ...
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One word for tongue intermingling outside
Is there a word to describe when a couple sticks out their tongue and both the tongues touch outside in a kind of playful or sexual way?
The closest I know is french kiss, but it's not for what I am ...
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To say "Lost paradise" or "paradise lost"? [closed]
I don't have any specific context to work with but a thought came to mind as an English learner I stated to imagine if there would be any difference in both:
1 "lost paradise"
2 "...
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