Questions tagged [british-english]
for questions specifically related to the English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom.
1,034 questions
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Appositive -with closing statements
https://www.grammar.com/the_correct_way_to_use_commas_with_names_and_titles
If when writing an obituary and one wrote as a closing comment in a written obituary not in direct voice:
She will always ...
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stylistic usage replacing conjunctions with commas
She was bright and beautiful, not offended by her detractors. (and)
She was attractive, some say beautiful.
Would the dropping of conjunction (and)** be stylistic choice**, and 2 despite requiring a ...
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"If I had not liked history, I would not have chosen this field of study" is this sentence true in terms of grammar?
Is it true to say:
If I had not liked history, I would not have chosen this field of study.
I mean is there any problem if we use this formula: Had not ... + would not have ...
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Is this idiom more common among native speakers?
Someone has just posted this construction on Facebook, asking for translation into Arabic.
I'm in the driving seat, but I don't have a set of wheels.
I know the meaning of the construction and I can ...
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Listing comma usages/distinctions
I have a question concerning the listing comma.
https://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/punctuation/comma/listing#:~:text=Use%20a%20listing%20comma%20in,a%20listing%20comma%20anywhere%20else.&text=...
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Would British speakers accept "I'm reading a degree" in formal contexts, without specifying what degree it is?
I'm reading a master's degree
That sounds very unusual to me.
Is there a way to (very) formally specify that I'm doing a master's degree, without having to say the name of the subject? E.g., I'm ...
user29750
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Distinctions and usage of "that"
I've found Is it grammatically acceptable to start a sentence with "That that..."? but it isn't quite what I'm looking for.
To get paid for what you love, that is the meaning of success.
...
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Do native speakers still use the word “seldom” nowadays on daily conversation?
Do native speakers (American & British speakers) still use the word “seldom” nowadays on daily conversations/writing?
I usually see the word “seldom” on my grammar book or school textbook, but ...
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Please explain "I thought not"
As per title, is there any difference between 'I thought not' and 'I didn't think so'? Thanks.
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Why is choon the phonetic rendering of tune?
I read on https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/choon that the etymology of the word choon is:
Phonetic rendering of tune.
Why is choon the phonetic rendering of tune? Isn't "choo" typically ...
- 6,193
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"Knocking it out of the park" sports metaphor American English vs British English?
I came across the phrase Knocking it out of the park in US when an American colleague used it(I am sure I would have heard it on TV before, but never really noticed); I think it is a sports metaphor (...
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"I would have never thought that I would find a book that will have / would have such a huge influence on me"?
I have basically two questions with the sentence above.
After searching in google, I'm not sure which is the correct one, because I saw people using both:
"I never would have", or
"I ...
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2
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"What a wonderful day we've woken up to!" Does this sentence make any sense/natural in English?
I would like to say in the morning that we are going to have a really good day( because we are going on a trip), but I don't know if it is correct in English in this context or if it sounds natural, ...
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What is the first vowel of "pardon" used as interjection?
I know that "pardon", when used as a normal word in a sentence, is pronounced /pɑːdn̩/, with a long vowel. But it seems to me that when used as an interjection to signal that you did not ...
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"Thanks a lot!" Sarcasm much?
In a WhatsApp message, a private student told me she had passed her C1 exam. In the weeks leading to the exam, I had expressed concern about her writing, and she was especially worried about the ...
- 28.9k
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British or American English
Is the phrase “stative verb” used also in American English or only in British English?
I’ve only known it as “state of being verbs” in American English.
Thank you.
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a fortnight ago = a fortnight ago today?
This is a question about British English.
(1) I met her a fortnight ago.
(2) I met her a fortnight ago today.
Do these two sentences have the same meaning?
In Japanese, I met her a fortnight ago ...
- 1,951
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Can someone explain the difference of "note" vs "take note"? Thanks
Can someone explain the difference of "note" vs "take note"? Both have the meaning of "paying special attention". Is the "special attention" the same with both ...
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What does this phrase from Milton mean?
Could anyone please help me understand this quote of Milton from the self-help book "Pushing to the front, Chapter LXII: A College Education at Home" by Orison Swett Marden:
"Books,&...
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When can we omit the article in front of a countable word in singular?
In the sentence below, there is no "the" in front of former President. I am wondering what is the grammar rule for that?
Under Smith and his successor, Douglas, Canada sought closer trade ...
Julia
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what does this phrase mean "placed on her end"?
I found this expression on this reading passage:
The RMS Titanic left Southampton for New York on April 10, 1912. On board were some of the richest and most famous people of the time who had paid ...
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Can a spiv be a female? If not, what is the female equivalent of it?
From https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spiv:
noun
ˈspiv
1 British : a man who lives by his wits without regular employment
2 British : SLACKER sense 1
spivvy ˈspi-vē adjective British
...
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A walking cane here at my side
I have a question about the song Englishman in New York. Why "is" missed in the phrase "a walking cane here at my side"?
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Forgetting the pronunciation of certain words (expat)
As an English expat, I've noticed that especially over the last few years (I've been abroad for 8 years and counting) I've started to forget the exact pronunciation of certain words. It's annoying and ...
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508
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Do people in Sydney or even Australia say napkin, tissue, or serviette?
When I first moved to Australia (Sydney to be precise), I used napkin as a force of habit. However, I ended up switching to tissues. However, online, I read that serviette is a French-sounding synonym ...
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Is there a British English equivalent of a "straight-A student"?
My 18-year-old private student, Italian, is taking the Cambridge Advance English exam in July. I am marking their essay which has the following phrase:
… by observing the dedication of these high-ace ...
- 28.9k
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What is a building with two floors called?
In American English, the first floor is the floor that is on the same level with ground, which is called ground floor in British English. And British first floor is American second floor.
Given this, ...
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Is “loo roll” a common term for a roll of bath tissue?
Bearing in mind that loo is a common term for the restroom in the U.K., I’ve been listening to Michael McIntyre’s comedy and heard him use the term “loo-roll”, which based on the context seems to be ...
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How would you translate "le rendez-vous du tout Paris" in English?
This is a "famous" French expression and to be honest, I thought Anglophone speakers used it too, I was almost sure I'd heard it before. Some research online and no results. Do you know if ...
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correct usage of "that"
Is this sentence using "that" correctly? Is it correct?
It's a story about the brotherhood of people, that we are all children of the same land.
Can a conjunction be dropped in these types ...
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What would you call the ground floor if you were in a country where it is the first floor?
I live in a country where we call the floor of a building at the ground level the 1st floor, the next one - the 2nd floor and so on. We have the same numeration in our lifts and these numbers are ...
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Could I use "that" if I merely have one bike?
On https://www.grammarly.com/blog/which-vs-that/, it says
In a restrictive clause, use that.
In a nonrestrictive clause, use which.
It shows two examples.
My bike that has a broken seat is in the ...
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Can I completely omit "of" when speaking quickly?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_der_x5Zxmc
At 3:37 of this video the man says, as far as I'm concerned, "For portions of that first half we sort of dominated them".
I've slowed the audio ...
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Does British English affirm a negative question with yes?
Suppose I was asked this negative question:
You are not a student, are you?
and I'm not a student.
Years ago I read in a book that in American English the answer would be
No, I'm not a student
But ...
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I slipped/have slipped on... I think I broke/have broken my
The following is from a movie called "Home Abduction" (here's a link to that moment on YouTube):
Woman #2 goes upstairs. Woman #1 is waiting for her downstairs. Woman #1 hears woman #2 ...
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Is Doug pronounced dug or door-g?
I remember many years ago when I was in Durham, UK, people pronounce the name Doug as door-g. However, I look up the dictionary and Oxford dict online and many other sources, they clearly say that ...
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Why English IPA is so different across its definitions?
I'm trying to create a website to help my partner learn phonetics. She is taking a class as part of her English degree.
The issue is that I do not understand how phonetic translation works and ...
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Am I expected to add more or further thoughts following indeed?
Is it proper to reply “Indeed!” to agree with someone on some opinion?
Am I expected to add more or further thoughts following indeed? (I remember seeing such advice somewhere, and can't find it. But ...
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What should a room in a hospital where nurses dress wounds of patients be called?
Bing's dictionary (which in turn is based on some Oxford dictionary) says that verb dress has this sense:
clean, treat, or apply a dressing to (a wound): "she washed the wound
and dressed it ...
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What's this linguistic, phonetic or phonologic phenomenon called?
I was enjoying the relaxing vibes that the hotel provided.
When Americans say the above sentence, do they sometimes say "vibes that" as "vibesat"?
Does it also happen in other ...
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What are you? or Who are you?- questions about jobs [duplicate]
Some years ago students in Russia were taught to use only "What are you?"-question when asking about jobs or professions. But some days ago I came across both questions - "What is this?&...
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I found out that a new restaurant has opened
On the way home from work, Sarah noticed a new restaurant a couple of blocks from her house. When she came home, she said to her husband:
1. I found out that a new restaurant has opened in our ...
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Placement of a relative pronoun
Please consider the following sentence:
Ada Lovelace is the first computer programmer in the world who wrote the code for analytical engine.
Is the placement of the relative pronoun "who" ...
lamia boudaoud
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Are both verb forms acceptable? "There is/are marks all over it."
a) There are marks all over it.
b) There is marks all over it.
“Is” vs. “Are”—Correct Usage
Can is be switched with are here or it is ungrammatical to do so?
I may be inclined to say in speech: there ...
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Following the present perfect (I've cooked) with the simple past (I didn't make)
John gets up later than his wife does because his work day starts later than his wife's. His wife always cooks him breakfast before leaving for work. This time she's cooked him some mashed potato and ...
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Articles before the nouns in specific cases
Pls kindly explain why we use "a" article in the sentences like "He has a personal fortune of 1 billion", "a temperature of around 19 degrees"etc
Vladimir Prokopovich
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What is the difference between American and British English on "garden" and "yard"?
(Source: https://www.eyre-design.co.uk/garden-design/back-gardens/)
After I have done my research, this is what I understand.
Have a look at the picture above.
British will say "front/back yard&...
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Differences in Usage: 'Cellphone' vs. 'Mobile Phone' in English
I've often come across two terms that seem to refer to the same device but are used differently: "cellphone" and "mobile phone." I'm curious about the differences in the usage of ...
- 655
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Is "tartar" more common than "scale" in dentistry?
According to my study, some British people say "a buildup of scale on my teeth" and both British and American people say "a buildup of tartar on my teeth".
The British also say &...
- 25.2k
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Pleonasm and formal logic [closed]
Would such statements as 'That is quite true' or 'That is very true' be taken as non-pleonastic, acceptable ways of saying by educated people in the UK? (In formal logic, true or false are boolean ...
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