Questions tagged [phrase-request]
This tag is for questions seeking a phrase that fits a meaning. If you are looking for a word, or don't care, see the "word-request" tag too.
194
questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
2
votes
2
answers
141
views
How to describe the widest measurement of an irregular shape fabric folded in half?
Sorry if I sound confusing. I can't describe it succinctly.
Let's say I have a piece of cloth in irregular shape. I've to provide the measurement of the fabric in half. To measure, I flatten the ...
- 321
2
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Is it correct to say "write bigger"?
if a student in class can't see clearly what is written on the board, should he ask the teacher "Could you write bigger please?" If not, what would be the proper question?
Thanks.
- 947
2
votes
1
answer
260
views
How to say that creating account take place on a registration form?
I write user guide on English (foreign language to me).
Web Application have form on separate page for new user registration. I need to build sentence to say about this, but can't find right words.
...
1
vote
1
answer
74
views
Can we have adjectives before objective personal pronouns, for example, "I have some photos of baby him"?
THis is a part of the script in the social network film
Erica Albright : Well, why don't you just concentrate on being the
best you you can be.
Mark Zuckerberg : Did you really just say that?
Erica ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
1
answer
94
views
Is it called "the filter/strainer/cover/seive of my bathroom drain"?
This is the drain in my bathroom
What is the piece of metal with many holes called?
Is it called "the filter/strainer/cover/sieve of my bathroom drain" in casual everyday English?
- 21.6k
1
vote
0
answers
27
views
Is it natural to say "Turn the bike so that you and it are side by side"?
Looking at the above picture, I am sure we can say "the woman is sitting on a chair and there is another chair opposite the woman"
Now:
...
You were sitting at a table.
Your child parked ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
1
answer
69
views
Can we say "The fire alarm is going off" to express the state of making sound?
We say “the fan is on” to express its current state.
and “the fan suddenly went on” to express an action.
Normally we use the simple past tense for an action because it happened.
if I say “the fan is ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
1
answer
43
views
Is 'puts it on speaker' the most natural way to expess when...?
Jeff's phone rings. It's Billy. He doesn't pick the phone up, just answers, and puts it on speaker.
Jeff: Hi, Billy.
Is 'puts it on speaker' the most natural way to express this? And is it enough ...
- 1,243
1
vote
0
answers
23
views
How to write "from among these [items], we discuss..." correctly?
I'm struggling with the correct way to express myself here. Suppose I have a list of items in one sentence. In the next sentence, I want to express that I select some of these to talk about in detail. ...
- 309
1
vote
0
answers
56
views
How to ask about the purpose behind a queue in public?
Recently I was wondering which queue to join in a public place. So how one should ask the last person about this?
- 111
1
vote
0
answers
751
views
What is a balcony on the top floor or the rooftop of a building called?
I know a room or an apartment on the top floor or on the rooftop can be called an attic or a penthouse depending on the room or the apartment. I wonder what a balcony on the rooftop or on the top ...
- 1,214
1
vote
0
answers
37
views
Can "point-down" be used as an adverb even we don't see it in dictionaries?
I heard a native speaker say "put the knife point-down into the basket" when teaching people to put knives into a basket of a dish washer the right way.
And he said "point-down" is ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
0
answers
131
views
Can we say inevitably important?
In the following sentence I would like to mention that "childhood is very important and its role is inevitable". Is it clear to reduce this clause to inevitably important?
The general view ...
- 1,916
1
vote
0
answers
32
views
Do we say "some tiny bits of yogurt or ice cream" "drops"?
Some food such as ice cream, yogurt, smoothies etc is in form "a semi-liquid". It is not water but not frozen. It is in the middle.
When eating yogurt, sometimes some tiny bits of yogurt, ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
0
answers
62
views
Figurative use of "buy" in a phrase such as "just to buy myself peace of mind"
I came across the phrase "just to buy myself peace of mind". I am wondering, are there other examples where "buy" is used similarly to communicate paying a figurative price in ...
- 1,477
1
vote
0
answers
31
views
Playful reply to a child saying "no"
In my language, when a child says "oh no!" to complain about something silly, we have a funny phrase to reply to it.
Is there any similar word game in English that happens in this context? ...
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
133
views
Is it correct to say "the chocolate is on/in his hair" and "wipe the chocolate off/out of his hair"?
A boy rubbed chocolate on/in his hair.
I am not sure if we say "the chocolate is on/in his hair"
If "the chocolate is on his hair", then we "wipe the chocolate off his hair&...
- 21.6k
1
vote
0
answers
389
views
What is the handle of a gift bag called in everyday conversations?
What is the handle of a gift bag called in everyday conversations?
For example,
"The strap/strip/string of the gift bag"
- 21.6k
1
vote
0
answers
22
views
can "take" be used in the continuous tenses?
Kid A and B are fighting over the toy. Both hands of A and B are on the toys.
Is it correct for the kid A to say "Mom, he is taking my toy"
But that situation is rare, normally, it will ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
0
answers
39
views
brink of error vs brink of mistake
How to fill the gap "Musician should teeter on the brink of ___ while playing."
error
mistake
failure
Is any of these alternatives more "idiomatic" for the expression?
The ...
1
vote
2
answers
46
views
How to phrase this?
Person 1: I hope you can forgive me.
Person 2: _______________________? You're my best friend.
How could I not forgive you?
Why would I not want to forgive you?
Why should I not want to forgive you?
...
- 141
1
vote
0
answers
23
views
"what the business needs" vs "what is needed by the business"
Which of the following phrases sounds natural, idiomatic?
The business owner and the business analyst are having a conversation about what the business needs.
The business owner and the business ...
- 369
1
vote
0
answers
36
views
How do we express we take the net off the ring of a basketball net?
A simple basketball net for children includes a ring and a net. You have to put the net "on" the ring (I am not sure "on" is the correct preposition here) by sliding the rope of ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
0
answers
39
views
Otherwise, do it
If a jump statement is a part of a guard, don’t follow it with Else If or Else.
Otherwise, do it.
I don't understand whether the use of "Otherwise, do it" is correct or not. It's perfectly ...
- 693
1
vote
0
answers
62
views
Threshold for starting/quitting/etc. is high / There is high bar for starting/etc
Firstly, I guess the phrases in the title are wrong, but it is difficult for me to formulate the question because I am trying to find a way to express something like in the title but I do not know how ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
4k
views
“What is its name” vs “What is the name of it”
Let’s say a friend of mine is listening to a song, and I heard the song while he is listening to it; and I wonder what the song is called. Can I use these sentences interchangeably to ask him the name ...
- 1,214
1
vote
0
answers
58
views
What is the general everyday term to express the interface between the door and the door frame?
Look at the picture
Children often accidentally put their hands or fingers in the interface between the door and the door frame, which is dangerous because they might get crushed by chance.
What is ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
0
answers
2k
views
What's the proper phrase for "退一万步说(back-stepping ten thousand steps)" in English
The phrase "退一万步说(back-stepping ten thousand steps, or taking ten thousand steps back)" is normally used for stressing that the gap between the two sides are so wide, or the topics in discussion is so ...
- 2,268
1
vote
0
answers
281
views
How to express "you are holding your bike and then walk, which makes the bike go with you", do you say "I am carrying / taking / walking my bike"?
Say, you are not riding on your bike. Instead, you are holding it with your hands. You, then, walk, which makes the bike go with you.
do you say "I am carrying / taking / walking my bike"?
If we ...
- 21.6k
1
vote
1
answer
265
views
How do I use ‘weight’ in a phrase so that it means ‘increase the portion of something’?
I wanted to suggest the team to increase the portion of something. e.g increase it from 10% to 70%.
and I want to find a phrase that has "weight" in it.
I have searched for weight in, weight on, put ...
- 11
1
vote
3
answers
87
views
How to express my sold items are diverse?
In Czech, I would say there is a varied offer, would that be correct? What about diverse, various, miscellaneous, multifarious?
Also, I didn't find any synonyms to offer in the business sense. Are ...
- 1,589
1
vote
1
answer
117
views
Short universal single expression for saying a kind of congratulations
My friend tells me that their physics teacher is such a good man, he's always so thoughtful of them to learn the lesson and answers all their questions patiently and as simply as possible, while our ...
- 295
1
vote
1
answer
181
views
Brain is equally important as brawn in sports
Any idioms/expressions/phrases which conveys the same idea in the title? Example: In badminton, it's not just how fast or hard you hit the shuttle but you also need to play with smartness to defeat ...
- 643
0
votes
0
answers
5
views
Collocations used when talking about doing a job as in a paid position of regular employment
If I moved to a foreign country to work there, what were some collocations I should use?
"I'm going to England to take/work/undertake/carry out/perform/do a job."
I'm not sure which verbs ...
- 17
0
votes
1
answer
57
views
What do nasty kids call their mother/father?
I'm wondering what kids use to call their parents when they are quarrelling with them.
I assume the common rude way to call women is bitch. But is it something kids use even when they are very nasty? ...
- 308
0
votes
0
answers
33
views
Can we say "he picked his ear" to mean "to remove earwax from his ear canal" the same way we say "pick his nose/teeth"?
We often say "he picked his teeth" meaning he removed food in his teeth, and "he picked his nose" meaning he removed boogers in his nose.
Is it common to say "he picked his ...
- 21.6k
0
votes
0
answers
35
views
is it correct to say "hold the toy fan blade-away"?
The person in the picture above "is holding the knife pointy-end down" and I think "pointy-end down" is an adverb.
The person in the picture above "is holding the knife ...
- 21.6k
0
votes
1
answer
28
views
What is the verb expressing that a child just wants their mom to be exclusively for them?
Now, a woman has a 5-year-old daughter and now she has just had a newborn baby. The daughter starts to get jealous of the baby because she just wants her mom to take care of her only not the baby.
...
- 21.6k
0
votes
0
answers
29
views
Is it natural to say "Go wish your grandparents happiness and good health"?
At traditional Vietnamese or Chinese lunar new year, children are expected to say to adults something like "I hope you are healthy/lucky and happy" or "I wish you health, luckiness and ...
- 21.6k
0
votes
0
answers
27
views
Is it correct to say "the child was so into the game that he forgot to do things"?
I remembered I asked this question before but I couldn't find it.
A child is playing a game and he liked it so much that he forgot to go for a pee and he peed his pants.
I remembered "Kate ...
- 21.6k
0
votes
0
answers
20
views
When you meet an overseas colleague whom you've been contacting only via email
Let's say this is the first time you meet a certain colleague of the overseas branch in person, but you have been already communicating with them only via email several times for the past two years. ...
- 245
0
votes
0
answers
29
views
Is "in part" a counterpart of "in full" as in "They refunded my money in full/in part"?
I often hear people say "The shop refunded my money in full".
How to say that "a shop refunded my money partially"?
Can we say "The shop refunded my money in part"?
But ...
- 21.6k
0
votes
0
answers
28
views
They're mine as long as I come by latest Friday
I only reserved the tickets, but they're mine as long as I come by latest Friday.
Hi. How do I express in a natural way that my deadline to pick up the tickets is Friday? 'Cause I'm pretty sure "...
- 1,243
0
votes
0
answers
22
views
Is it correct to say "soup doesn't go well with fried eggs"?
We know that "someone gets along well or gets on well with someone" they have a good relationship.
How do we express the similar idea when talking about food?
For example, people don't eat ...
- 21.6k
0
votes
0
answers
2k
views
What is a more formal way to say, "all hands on deck"?
I want to convey that there is a lot to do, and that everyone's help (who is willing) is needed. I do not think that "all hands on deck" is very formal?
0
votes
0
answers
54
views
What are some polite responses to someone introducing themselves over the phone?
If a person comes up to you physically and then introduces themselves, your generic reply is going to be "Nice to meet you". It's not going to work in remote communications because you don't ...
- 3,340
0
votes
0
answers
33
views
What is the word for the dirty substance on the skin of a person who hasn't been showered for days?
If we don't shower for several day, we have some dirty things on our skin.
And when we rub the skin, we can roll this thing into a tiny ball which is dirty and as small as a grain of rice.
Is that ...
- 21.6k
0
votes
0
answers
51
views
Idiomatic alternative to the "putting yourself in one's shoe"?
Consider the expression,
If the government puts itself in the shoes of the public, it will notice that its policies are damaging to society.
The construction "in one's shoe" sounds very ...
- 8,484
0
votes
0
answers
32
views
"where exactly did I write that made you think I meant...?"
I wrote a report/proposal and my co-worker reviewed it and commented on it. He thought I meant one thing but in fact I didn't. So I wanted to ask him to point out exactly where he got that impression ...
- 950
0
votes
0
answers
28
views
What words can I use in place of "background" in my sentence
I have held multiple jobs in multiple fields in my life, such as teaching, tech jobs, philanthropy etc.
I have a sentence construction, which goes like this
I am grateful to have known people of ...
- 8,484