Questions tagged [phrases]

A phrase is a group of words that make a unit of syntax with a single grammatical function.

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How do you explain 'at the time'

Here I see this sentence: The revived nematodes were found in permafrost some 130 feet underground near the Kolyma river in eastern Russia. Researchers collected samples of the permafrost in the ...
Thomas Peng's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
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What is the meaning of "what goes to" in this context

Screenplay Husband and wife are talking about their ill son: A: He can hardly eat anything and here we are, wasting our time with this shit. B: Oh yeah? Like you have any idea what goes to feed him. ...
Ivan Milošević's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
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I know for myself or I know to myself

Which is best when describing what you already realize within yourself. To give context, I was self-reflecting during this time. I was going to say that: I know to/for myself that I was having some ...
Remi's user avatar
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Meaning of "all these words I don’t just say" And "Couldn't be much more from the heart"

I was listening to this beatiful song Nothing Else Matters by Metallica,I didn't get the bold part exactly? Here's the lyrics: So close, no matter how far Couldn't be much more from the heart Forever ...
Hadimsv's user avatar
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2 answers
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What does "for cause" mean?

https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/4218489-robert-menendez-broke-the-goldilocks-rule-of-corruption/ says The curious thing about Senate trials is that you have a jury composed of people you ...
Tim's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
660 views

Tone and meaning of phrases that start with "I thought I said"

I have heard this phrase often when people are irritated if not upset about what had happened despite them making it clearer that they don't wish for it. Eg: I thought I said NO. I thought I said no ...
Ammu's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Grammatical Unit İdentifying Problem

Fearing the old woman would be frightened by their being alone, and not hoping that the sight of him would disarm her suspicions, he took hold of the door and drew it towards him ...
Cihan Şükrü Zorlu's user avatar
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2 answers
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Here lies - so telling lies here?

Sorry for my low level question, I am not native... I am thinking of a phrase "here lies Joe" which does not mean something like "Joe is telling lies here". I wonder why is it so ...
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5 votes
7 answers
4k views

Meaning of "How you get any work done is beyond me"

In one episode of the Friends series, the group is talking about the benefits of being a man and a woman. Here's the script: Rachel: Come on! You guys can pee standing up. Chandler: We can? All right,...
Hadimsv's user avatar
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1 answer
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"Fade-ins" (digital marketing)

What is the meaning of "fade-ins" in the following sentence found in a data protection agreement? "We use Ad Server Cookies to measure fade-ins of advertisements and clicks."
Ivan Milošević's user avatar
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Is there a difference between ''when on'' and ''while on''?

Is it OK to say: When on holiday, I learnt how to swim. Is there a difference if we say: While on holiday, I learnt how to swim.
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2 votes
1 answer
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Take the efforts or Make the efforts?

Is there any difference in the meaning of "Take the efforts" and "Make the efforts"? For example: "It takes efforts to quit smoking" or "Helping refugees to start ...
Daniel's user avatar
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1 answer
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What is the meaning of the phrase _____ killed my dog? [closed]

Yesterday, I was listening to a podcast and the host said something like _______ killed my dog. What is the meaning of that phrase?
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1 vote
3 answers
68 views

Does "subject to review" mean there is a possibility of review or that it is guaranteed?

Paypal said, "All transfers are subject to review and could be delayed or stopped if we identify an issue." I'm a native English speaker, but I don't know if "subject to review" ...
Jamin Grey's user avatar
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1 answer
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Which does the phrase "consider doing something" imply, suggestion or suppression?

When someone says "Consider doing something", which is implied, suggestion or suppression? For example, "Consider eating more vegetables" sounds like a suggestion for me. But how ...
ynn's user avatar
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"But, also and interestingly" - Is this properly expressed in English?

But, also and interestingly, from an environmental science point of view: in addition, the study of planet atmospheres has not as yet found any evidence of gasses that are "out-of-chemical-...
NewPlanet's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Why are articles sometimes NOT used before common nouns?

Take a sentence like: 'Excellent lady that she was, Lady Gigabytes invited us over for dinner.' Or: 'Lady Gigabytes (excellent lady that she was) invited us over for dinner.' What both these sentences ...
Bushra Iqbal's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
61 views

What is the difference between “looking at oneself” and “watching oneself on”?

Example sentences (a) He’s so obsessed with himself. He keeps looking at himself in the mirror. (b) He’s so obsessed with himself. He keeps watching himself on the mirror. As a native speaker of ...
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1 answer
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Confirm on vs confirm

Which phrase is grammatically correct? “Just wanted to confirm that” Vs “Just wanted to confirm on that” I’ve searched up both of them on google and they both seemed to be used so I’m guessing they’re ...
Maimai123's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
1k views

Is 'by the bye' an acceptable variant of 'by the by'?

This blog says, This phrase can be written in two ways: by the by and by the bye. Both spellings mean the same thing; by the by is the more common variant. Yet this blog says, Bye and bye, bye the ...
Michael's user avatar
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Is using possesive s okay with conceptual things?

This is my original sentence "The visual aspects of DDS narrative ..." My professor says "The visual aspects of DDS's narrative ..." Which one is better? trying to avoid using ...
zEn feeLo's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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How to express that X was given every 2 days, and Y every other 2 days?

If, for example, X is given coffee on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and so forth, and tea on days 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and so forth, how can I express this as simple as possible (without mentioning even or uneven ...
Wandering_geek's user avatar
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0 answers
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What does the phrase "waiting for the proper gear" mean here?

Could anyone please tell me the meaning of the phrase "waiting for the proper gear" in the following sentence: Hidden beneath her casual demeanor lies a formidable fighter, waiting for the ...
curious's user avatar
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-1 votes
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"What is the final will of Victor Porton?" - usage of the word "will"

"What is the final will of Victor Porton?", asked one of visitors of my (Victor Porton's) site from my AI chatbot. Should (supposed that the question was asked by a native speaker) the word &...
porton's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
150 views

Roll the dice vs. Take a chance

Both roll the dice and take a chance mean test your luck. Is there any difference between those expressions? As far as I am aware, both phrases suppose an action to be taken; I can't imagine any ...
HexenSage's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
78 views

How does "living in this country" modify both "men" and "women" in this sentence?

The wisdom of men and the beauty of women living in this country are both remarkable. Can "living in this country" modify "men" in this sentence? I believe "living in this ...
shepherd's user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
73 views

Are "they gave him a round of applause" and "they gave him a round of claps" the same?

ChatGPT says While "round of applause" is a common phrase in English, "round of claps" is not typically used in the same context. "Applause" refers to the sound of ...
Tom's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
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You took cold juice out of a fridge. Is it more common to say "wait until it's less cold" or "wait until it's warmer" or "wait until it warms up"?

You took a bottle of orange juice out of a fridge and put it on a table but you didn't want to drink it right then because it's still very cold. You wanted to leave it there for awhile. Is it more ...
Tom's user avatar
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what did you do with him

This guy was hitting on me at a bar last night. What did you do with him? I told him to leave me alone. Tom was my friend. What did you do with him? I played tennis with him, and sometimes went ...
azz's user avatar
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Prepositional phrase

There are two sentences : We found it in our kitchen. The storm came quickly out of the south. "in our kitchen" and " out of the south" are prepositional phrases,right? I was ...
Jess3032's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
44 views

Can we a have a noun before a gerund phrase?

I have this sentence: People smoking cigarettes is unhealthy. What kind of word group is "people smoking cigarettes"? I understand that "smoking cigarettes" can be a gerund ...
JeSuisJen's user avatar
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1 answer
27 views

Can you paraphrase "How long do we give it" in the excerpt below?

I'm still developing my English so it's great if you answer my question in a very short and direct way; the shorter it is, the better. I don't get the meaning of "HOW LONG DO WE GIVE IT" in ...
nat 123's user avatar
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sprang up VS be springing up

I found two example sentences recently about “spring up” in Collins and Oxford dictionaries. New theatres and arts centres sprang up all over the country. New houses were springing up all over the ...
chris lee's user avatar
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1 answer
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killer of kings

The death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides), which has been the ‘killer of kings’ for centuries, could be losing its edge. Scientists have found a possible antidote for the deadly mushroom’s toxin. ...
NewPlanet's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
260 views

Difference between "the likelihood of starting in a graduate job" vs "the likelihood of starting a graduate job"

A whole sentence is Waiting until after graduation to apply for work reduces the likelihood of starting in a graduate job. I am confused by its meaning I thought a sentence without [in] is more ...
Stats Cruncher's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
29 views

Using the Didn't take something

Situation: A person (male) says something to a (female) aged 50+ both. The female ignores it. I could see from her face that she didn't take what he said in a good way. Can I say this: "She didn'...
nicku's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
137 views

The meaning of "phone cover" in chat

I read a post online: There was a bit of a run down historically with a nod to medieval shit carters but the focus was on prisons and meat processing. A lot of these places are in the middle of ...
NewPlanet's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
51 views

How to explain "until after " correctly?

Example sentences: He is not available until after 12 pm. He is available until after 12 pm. What is the different meaning of the two sentences? So, when exactly is he available? I tried to find ...
user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
77 views

What does "out by" mean in the following context?

This context comes from the tv show "Mindhunter" It's an exchange between the detectives Bill Tench and Holden Ford and a local welder by the name of Alvin that works near a dump at which a ...
Static Bounce's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
136 views

Using the phrase break a leg

Which of the following is a correct usage of the phrase break a leg: Break a leg in the presentation or Break a leg for the presentation If I think of Break a leg = Good luck it seems that 2nd one is ...
nicku's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
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Is this sentence from the BBC web site correct: "Internet supply is cutting in and out."?

This is from the BBC. Drinking water from the Nile "....So we have no running water and the electricity and internet supply is cutting in and out."... The expressions "Internet supply ...
yunus's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
22 views

Why not change the first "to" to "of" in "assign ... to ... to ..."?

I see this sentence in a book: Each statement assigns the value to the right of the equal sign to the variable on the left. x = 1 I know what the assign ... to ... means, but there are two to in the ...
Y. zeng's user avatar
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-1 votes
1 answer
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Is "it is" a phrase or a clause?

Is "it is" considered a phrase or a clause? What is the reason?
Rifpan Afriansyah's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
73 views

Why isn't it natural to say "throughout today" or "throughout yesterday"?

Question According to this post, the following uses of throughout are grammatical, but sound strange to native speakers(or maybe even wrong according to a comment on the post): throughout today ...
catwith's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
96 views

Why do we say 'reason enough' in some circumstances?

Collins Dictionary includes these examples in the entry of reason enough Surely that's reason enough to watch the show. The Sun (2016) Physical laws are reason enough for the Universe to have come ...
Ghost's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
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Do a pure transitive verb and "interleaved" (for want of the correct name) transitive verb each need their own objects?

Alice betrayed Bob. Alice let Bob down. Alice betrayed and let Bob down, on a strict parsing, implies perhaps that she betrayed Bob down and let him down, even though betraying one down is not a real ...
Seeking answers's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
18 views

"Despite the fact that x" <-- phrase, a clause, or phrase + a clause?

I know that “despite” is a preposition. However, I am confused about its role in the following sentence (and similar sentences that use “despite the fact that”): SENTENCE: Despite the fact that I was ...
abeee's user avatar
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-2 votes
1 answer
56 views

When does "kill" mean "to put to death" and when "to destroy"?

In most dictionaries, it is said that only in phrases like "kill [something]" (ex: kill an idea) may the word "kill" mean "to destroy". When followed by "somebody&...
user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
40 views

Why do people say 'confidence trickster' rather than 'confident trickster'?

Using an adjective before a noun to modify it is quite legitimate, so it makes sense to say 'confident trickster'. What about the 'confidence trickster'? I can't see people's reason to use 'confidence'...
Michael's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
32 views

What does the phrase "negotiating with your baby's bedtimes and night-time wake-ups" mean here? [closed]

Please help me figure out the meaning of the phrase "negotiating with your baby's bedtimes and night-time wake-ups" here: Keep this sleep-tracker handy if you are negotiating with your baby'...
curious's user avatar
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