Questions tagged [colloquial-language]
for questions about colloquial language. Colloquial language, colloquial dialect, or informal language is a variety of language commonly employed in conversation or other communication in informal situations.
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Anne Green Gables: I've seen them worse
Maybe it is standard English, but "I've seen them worse." does not sound like it to me. There is something peculiar about it but I cannot seem to get a fix on why or how it is different.
Does it ...
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Simple present for speaking about the future the way natives do
I searched the whole internet but couldn't find anything else than the standard rules/guidelines as to how to use the simple present for future events. I understand that when something is scheduled, e....
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What does "ready to rock n' roll" mean?
The sentence is from Eric Thomas’ Secrets to Success Speech.
Guru said,
“If you wanna make money,
I’ll meet you tomorrow. 4 AM.”
So the young man got there 4 AM.
He all ready to rock ...
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Most common adjectives to describe the intensity of drunkenness [closed]
There are several degrees of intensity of drunkenness, ranging from a state of slight euphoria to total oblivion, which may be recognized by the way someone is speaking, moving and behaving.
In the ...
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A phrase understood as a request to step aside to not block out the view/panorama you are looking at
What may be the phrase, playful or polite, that when heard by the one it is addressed to, tells him/her that they are blocking out the sight you are looking at?
For example, in Russian, it is a ...
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Can I use "Me too" like subject?
Can I use "Me too" like subject in an answer?
If someone says,
I am Italian.
I could say "Me too!" in response, but could I say
Me too am Italian?
If not, why not?
It is confusing ...
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Is it correct to say "no need of thanks"?
Is it correct to say "no need of thanks" when someone says "thank you"?
I think you're welcome, no problem, any time and nothing at all are quite often.
And I think no need to say thanks is also ...
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Is it possible to say "Did you catch the meaning?"
Is it possible to say
Did you catch the meaning?
Did you catch what I'm trying to say?
In order to express/ask if somebody understand something.
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Is "you was" correct to say?
I've always learnt at school that we have to say: "You were + (add something)" either if the "you" is actually one person or more. But sometimes I heard or read "You was + (add something)" especially ...
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What does it mean "ain't no maybe"? [duplicate]
I.e. "There ain't no maybe".
The "ain't" can be converted into "is no". So the result is "There is no no maybe". How to understand this?
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What does "Nailed it" mean?
I came across a few combinations of 'nailed it' or 'nailed down' in various contexts. According to the blog-posts, it seems to be widespread on the internet.
However, I have never heard these ...
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But may be you might of heard tell 'bout the price on her head
Well, she ain't no John Wilkes Booth. But may be you might of heard tell 'bout the price on her head.
This is a quote from QT's movie the Hateful Eight. I am aware that this is not supposed to be a ...
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Improve translation: You are nobody and your name is no one
In Russian culture there is a saying:
Ты никто и звать тебя никак
Which means that the person is of no importance (in this society) and even his name doesn't mean anything (to this society members)...
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Is there any way to tell if a phrase is literal or figurative?
Nowadays, everybody are using pun/metaphor in their sentences, I use Google whether phrase is metaphor or pun.
For example: Break a leg is pun, but I think it is really as bones coming out of the leg,...
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meaning of "Dvd box set" in this sentence
I am watching the show, 'Diners, drive-Ins and Dives' and I wonder one expression.
The show host, Guy Fieri said like below in on bakery eating a Cinnamon Pecan Roll.
This is like "Cinnamon Rolls ...
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How do I ask about "remaining time"?
Let's say the cooking time for a dish is 50 minutes. I want to ask how much time remains between now and when the dish will be done.
What is the right way to ask that?
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It's not that good "of an idea"
I sometimes hear some people saying,
it's not that good "of an idea" or
it's not that big "of a deal".
Is there a difference between above statements and statements below?
It's not a good idea.
...
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What are Expressions in English Grammar? [closed]
Moreover what are Idiomatic Expressions and what are Colloquial Expressions?
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'which are in stark contrast to' or just 'in stark contrast to'?
Those clerics, who often have views on life which are in stark contrast to the Belgian lifestyle, have been provoking identity crises in many immigrant youths, making them vulnerable for ...
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I'd like to have a cup of coffee
Does it sound natural to say
I'd like to have a cup of coffee
at a café or is it too wordy?
It sounds like the more wordy the more polite.
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"What do we got here?"
Correct or colloquial and grammatically wrong? My dictionary says got got the same meaning as have in american english and I have often used it instead. Would I make people correct me if I were to use ...
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Skipping object in colloquial English
Can we skip objects in colloquial English, for example,
Have you read the book?
Yes, I've read (it) already.
By skipping "it", still is it ok?
Or
Can you drink your milk?
But I don't ...
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Difference between "Add me" and "Add me up"?
I want people to add me on the social app Snapchat. What should I write in the caption? Should I give my username on Facebook and say "Add me up"?
What's the difference between "Add me" and "Add me ...
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Is that any expression in English for "not too sweet tea"?
Is that any expression in English for not too sweet tea?
Here, we normally say it is as sweet as guava, which means the taste of tea is just half sweet, because the amount of sugar is reduced.
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What is the English word(s) for "eating salt and sour fruit"
What is the English word(s) for a true experience when someone has been through a learning process during her/his life.
In my native language, it's commonly said: She/he has been "eating salt and ...
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Because me and my family or because I and my family
What is correct?
Because me and my family all lived our whole life in America and we just make visits.
or
Because I and my family all lived our whole life in America and we just make visits.
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Can "version" be used as a verb?
In a software development environment, things have versions, or historic snapshots of how they evolve over time. Can I say "You need to version this or that" so as to refer that something needs ...
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How could I address students in a higher grade than me?
I know the word upperclassman but it means a junior or senior student in an American high school, college, or university. If I was a freshman I cannot call a sophomore an upperclassman. What the word ...
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Which version is correct and normally used, "between you and me" or "between you and I"?
I was listening to the song Superman by Eminem. I've listened it before many times but from the time I've started learning English grammar I am getting confused while reading or listening English. ...
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A cry boy / A crying boy
You are a cry boy now.
You are a crying boy now.
What does the each sentence mean? When would you choose each form to mean what?
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American's 'I've got' and British 'I've got'
So when I think I heard an American said “I got (something)”, actually he/she said “’ve” after the “I” and it’s present perfect? And this is the time where present perfect should be used? And then it'...
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What does "the up-and-comers" signify?
How to use the phrase "the up-and-comers" properly? Is there any classification of age of people belong to "the up-and-comers"?
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"She would of been a good woman"
"She would of been a good woman," The Misfit said, "if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life."
Source: A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
...
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"Has me and the wife in fits every time."
Found this in a YouTube video and people were commenting on his, apparently terrible, English skills.
What's wrong with the sentence “Has me and the wife in fits every time?”
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Is that real vs Really
Is that real.
Really.
When you hear a unbelievable thing, can I say both of them?
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Meaning of "you'd of thought"
I am reading The great Gatsby and there is one part that says:
I had a woman up here last week to look at my feet, and when she gave
me the bill you'd of thought she had my appendicitis out.
I ...
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Did I ever! -- what does this emphatic statement exactly mean when you say it?
Example:
— Did you see how Bill came in to work this morning?
— Did I ever! Boy, was he hot under the collar!
— What brought that on?
— He said that he was extremely angry because he got ...
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If + simple tense, would + bare infinitive (First conditional with would?)
In a reply to the comment below in this topic: difference between won't and wouldn't
If you ask me nicely, I will/would come with you. why here both will
and would are correct?
The answer was:
...
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Are the listed words colloquial to use in writing
Are the listed words colloquial to use while writing?
I second this opinion.
I reckon, it would benefit both
Due to the non stop rain
Should we avoid using these in writing?
Can someone clarify? ...
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"You first" "You second" "You third"
Suppose I'm telling a bunch of people to do something. I'm about to tell a person :"You first", can I say to the others :"You second", "you third" ... ? And is there another way to say that ?
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Best answer for "feel free to ..." [closed]
When people say "feel free to contact me", I don't know how to answer.
How do you reply this?
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Usage of "wanna", "hafta"
In "THE MORPHOLEXICAL NATURE OF ENGLISH to-CONTRACTION", Pullum quotes four examples of usage of "wants to"/"wansta":
(5)
a. Teddy is the man Mike wants to send.
b. Teddy is the man Mike wants ...
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I heard this very often, "...aren't I"
I hear this sentence very often, for example:
"I am right, aren't I!"
I wonder if that is the colloquial way or it is a correct English.
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Can "me" be a subject?
Me and my friend, Tim, are gonna predict the winners of the next dancing with the stars!
I found this sentence from a book.
I wonder why we don’t use “I and my friend” since I think it must be the ...
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Does 'Thanks to offered' sound ok?
Is it ok to say Thanks to offered in this context:
Thanks to offered functionality and versatility. . . .
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“Bloomin'” instead of “blooming”
What is the point of writing
-in'
instead of
-ing
?
The character count is the same, so where is the profit?
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Difference between "outside" and "on the outside"
Is there any difference between the following sentences?
I have coffee on the outside. It is referring to some coffee shop.
I have coffee outside.
Can anyone explain to me which of these ...
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Should "I don't know / I have no idea" be used carefully? [closed]
Sometimes I have seen native English speakers' uneasiness when they heard "I don't know / I have no idea." They seem to use the phrases carefully, avoiding to say it as much as they can. If they have ...
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"Toned" and "Endless" Pins
In Dictionary.com listed at number 14 is this definition of pin: Informal a human leg.
"Legs that go on forever: Kylie showed off her enviable pins in the dress, which she teamed with black heels"
...
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Using "lay-by" as verb for buying goods
lay by, 1 : to lay aside : discard, 2 : to store for future use : save, 3 : to cultivate (as corn) for the last time (Merriam Webster)
Considering that Merriam Webster's definition of "lay-by" as a ...
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