Questions tagged [phrase-usage]
This tag is for questions about how to use a particular phrase. If your question is a request for a phrase to use, you should use the "phrase-request" tag.
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Let's go as a question?
Let's say my roommates and I are planning to go to place X, and they are waiting for me to get dressed.
After getting dressed, I might say something like this:
Dude I am ready, let's go.
What I ...
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votes
2
answers
952
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Using "worse" after the verb "grow"
As the problems of poverty grow worse, a class of rabble (Pobel) is thus created.
—Terry Pinkard
I was stumbled across the above piece and when I read the Terry Pinkard's bolded sentence,
I ...
user114
3
votes
2
answers
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What is the difference between 'it is' and 'there is' in this context?
Lets say I get in a bus and notice that the bus conductor today is a lady rather than a guy,
What should I say
There is a lady conductor today.
or
It is a lady conductor today.
I rely on my ...
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2
votes
1
answer
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" ... a place where they can go ... " vs. " ... a place where to go ... "
Language changes, as everything does. Doubly important, then, that these members have their club. “This is a full-time job for me, but I don’t mind,” Mr. Allen said. “I see these people get ...
user114
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3
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'Come to'/'Come in': what is the difference?
Consider these expressions:
Come to my room.
Come in my room.
When I came in the lobby/corridor in the evening, there were tons of people gathered around for X.
When I came to the ...
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votes
3
answers
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Asking for a person: "Could I speak 'to'/'with' Kristina?"
If one is asking for a person, what should s/he say—1 or 2?
Could I speak to Kristina?
Could I speak with Kristina?
user114
5
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2
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What is the difference between "them" and "them all"?
The OALD gives two examples using them all.
I cut them all a piece of birthday cake.
I cut a piece of birthday cake for them all.
Is there any difference between using them, and them all in ...
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"Kristina 'has passed'/'passed' her exam! She 'has got'/'got' 90%"
Kristina has passed her exam!
Kristina passed her exam!
Does English use the present perfect (1) or the past tense (2) to announce news?
Apart the way to express the vote—90%, 90, I don't know—which ...
user114
5
votes
3
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"[Do you know that] Kristina has found a job 'at last'/'finally'/'eventually'/'in the end'[?]"
Kristina has found a job at last.
Kristina has found a job finally.
Kristina has found a job eventually.
Kristina has found a job in the end.
Apart the word order, on which I have doubts - ...
user114
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3
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Kristina 'stopped'/'finished' drinking [a cup of] tea and then went to sleep
(1) Kristina stopped drinking tea ...
(2) Kristina finished drinking tea ...
(3) Kristina stopped drinking a cup of tea ...
(4) Kristina finished drinking a cup of tea ...
Are the ...
user114
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votes
4
answers
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"need + verb-ing" vs "need + [to be] + verb-ed"
1 That sofa needs cleaning again.
2 That sofa needs to be cleaned again.
Which of the above senteces sounds more natural? And, is "to be" always needed in structures like 2, as, for example,...
user114
3
votes
4
answers
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'Short' is/means [quite] the opposite/contrary of 'tall'
1 'Short' is [quite] the opposite of 'tall'.
2 'Short' is [quite] the contrary of 'tall'.
3 'Short' means [quite] the opposite of 'tall'.
4 'Short' means [quite] the contrary of 'tall'.
Which of the ...
user114
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votes
2
answers
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Does "Don't stick your foot/shoe in the wall" fit this context?
Let's say there is a guy who is standing next to a wall with his leg half bent backwards and pressed against the wall. I want to tell him to stop doing it as I am worried about the appearance of the ...
- 8,484
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What is the meaning of ‘through’ in ‘playing through the pain’?
I often read on sports websites that X player played through the pain and helped his win the game.
What exactly does through mean here?
The dictionary meaning of through closest to the context seems ...
- 8,484
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votes
1
answer
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What are the meaning of "There you got", "Here you are", "There you are" and "There you go"? [closed]
I would like to know where and when we use these phrases.
There you got
Here you are
There you are
There you go
Can anybody explain?
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9
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Is there a word for immediate future just like "just" for immediate past?
Let's say, Someone asks me
Are you having dinner right now?
But right now I have an important call to make, so I say
Not right now but I will have it in 4-5 minutes.
Even though I say 4-5 ...
- 8,484
21
votes
5
answers
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views
What does "How come" mean?
Is How come a phrase? What does it mean? Is it formal or informal? British or American?
Can I use it in anywhere?
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2
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What is the opposite of 'go down the road'?
Let's say I am in my car, and I have to give directions for a place located two-three miles behind the car. How should I describe it?
From what I know, if the something is located at some distance ...
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votes
2
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Is it ok to say "good morning" at anytime?
A friend of mine told me that you can say "good morning" to a person at any time, if you are seeing him/her for the first time on that day. Is this true?
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1
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How is “supposed to” different from “expected to”?
Macmillan dictionary defines to be supposed to do something as
to be expected or intended to happen in a particular way or to have a particular result
Consider this expression
You are not ...
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3
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Can I say "What are you doing today?" when I want to say "Hi!" to a person?
Can I say "What are you doing today?" when I want to say "Hi!" to a person?
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How is come around different from just coming?
For these two expressions
Some of my friends will come at 6 in the evening.
Some of my friends will come around at 6 in the evening.
I would like to know if these two expression differ in meaning? ...
- 8,484
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votes
1
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Are "will you be around" and "will you be present" the same?
Consider these expressions:
We are organizing a cultural event X on tuesday at place Y, will you guys be around?
I am thinking of coming to your place this weekend, will you be around?
Is the use of ...
- 8,484
2
votes
2
answers
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May I say "Do we have any meeting >at this time<?"
For this sentence:
Do we have any meeting at this time?
Is using at this time correct here, or should I use some other expression in its place? E.g.:
Do we have any meeting right now?
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votes
3
answers
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Difference between "came to" and "came up to"
For these expression which of these two came to/came up to should I use
In the morning he came / came up to me and said that.......
I forgot my phone in the cafetaria in the afternoon. I realized ...
- 8,484
2
votes
1
answer
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Difference between "go down to" and "get down to" (some location)
Consider these two expressions:
I have to go down to the ATM.
I have to get down to the ATM.
Is there any difference between them?
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1
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Can I say 'get off that/the chair'?
I am supposed to ask someone to remove himself from a particular place like a couch or a chair,Can I say get off that chair or get off the couch?
Is it correct? If not can anyone please some related ...
- 8,484
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1
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"Go over the flyover/overpass"
I have to tell someone to take a flyover, rather than the road that is besides it to avoid the traffic.
Should I say "Go over the flyover"? This can also mean go to the other side of the flyover.
...
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votes
4
answers
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How to write this sentences in a work proposal?
I am writing a formal work proposal, and I have a question about how to list the items in the index of my proposal. Because English is not my first language (Spanish is), I'd like some help making ...
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What is the right construct for this expression?
Is there anything from whose perspective, this thing can be good.
I would like to know if this expression sounds right to natives? I think grammatically it is right, but it seems a little unnatural.
...
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votes
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"As following" vs "as follows"
Which of the following sentences is more appropriate?
The reasons for these decisions are as following:
The reasons for these decisions are as follows:
This operator is defined as following:
This ...
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3
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What does "live local" mean?
I found it in a list of pet peeves of somebody in the internet through searching that what pet peeves mean. Now, I know what pet peeve is but there is another problem with "Live local!" which I want ...
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What do you call that talk which someone gives to you to point out mistakes?
What do you call the kind of advice given by someone, such as a sympathetic manager or your friend, who wishes to point out your mistakes and advise you about how to improve in the future?
I am ...
- 8,484
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What is the difference between "are you in town?" and "are you there in town?"
I tend to say:
Were you there at that party?
rather than saying:
Were you at the party?
I want to know if there is any difference between the two expressions, and if the first expression is ...
- 8,484
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votes
3
answers
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views
Why "buy a little happy" instead of "buy a little happiness"?
I came across the following sentence:
Buy yourself a little happy.
I don't understand why the adjective form happy is used instead of happiness.
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1
answer
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views
What does "two-way justice" mean?
What does "two-way justice" mean? Can I use it to describe a relationship between two people (without considering the role of gender) in which there is a complete equality in behaviors and reactions?
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votes
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answers
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Who decides whether something is standard English or not?
During a chat with a native English-speaking friend, he used the phrase "get on with it". I asked him about it, and he said it is a slang phrase. I looked it up online, and this phrase shows up on ...
user448
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answers
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What word can I use for saying 'Beyond Human'
Consider this expression
What Brad Pitt did in the movie Money Ball was beyond human, he turned down an offer of
12.3 million to stay loyal to his team.
What similar words can I use here for "...
- 8,484
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votes
10
answers
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What defines a native English Speaker?
I think this particular phrase creates a lot of concern in English learners. From general conversation to posts here, we see native speaker a common usage when talking about a person who speaks ...
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When can you use "I'm afraid that ..."?
When can you use "I'm afraid that ..."? Can you use "I'm afraid that X" interchangeably with "I suspect that X"?
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Can I say that "his experiments are doubtful"?
I would like to express the fact that I don't have confidence in what a scientist has told me concerning an experiment he has led. Can I say that "his experiments are doubtful"?
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Is "rain is falling" entirely wrong?
I thought it was a custom in English to write "it is raining" instead of "rain is falling". Still I don't know why the second construction is wrong. Yet I found a song called Rain is Falling, so I'm ...
- 6,351
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Is "chink in the armor" an appropriate saying?
I've been told that the chink is an offensive word when used to refer to Asian people. On the other hand I saw the "chink in the armor" phrase in respected sources. So is it safe to say it?
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How to use "compared to"
Is the following sentence correct?
This text has altered significantly compared to original version.
user288
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votes
2
answers
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"What's up with him?" vs. "What's with him?"
I'd like to know if there is any difference between these two phrases when they are used for expressing the feeling that you think something is wrong with somebody.
He's acting very weird. What's ...
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3
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Grammatically right way to answer the phone
When you pick up the phone and someone asks for you, should you say "It is I" like you were an actor from a Shakespearean play or "It is me" like you had dropped middle school?
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Is the phrase "suit yourself" offensive?
I was using the phrase "suit yourself" quite often since the equivalent in my native language it is a legitimate way to express "do whatever you consider the best."
However, when I used this phrase ...
- 1,475
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votes
7
answers
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Usage "in spite of" and "despite of"
What are the difference between these two prepositions: "despite of" and "in spite of"?
And what is the general usage of this two: choose in different situation, followed by etc.
user20
3
votes
2
answers
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Meaning of "Hostages to Providence"
I read this quote recently from businessman Conrad Black, in a newspaper interview published in the Financial Times. How should it be interpreted?
“I was a bit insouciant. While my conduct ...
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"I have no clue" vs. "I haven't a clue" vs. "I am clueless"
Is there a difference between the phrase
I have no clue...
and
I haven't a clue...
as well as
I am clueless...
For instance if someone said:
What is wrong with this?
Which of these ...
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