4
votes
'What's it?' vs. 'What is it?' in terms of usage
In the example you've subsequently added to the question, which is basically something like this:
Sherlock Holmes: Aha! That's it!
Dr. Watson: What's "it"?
the question asked by Dr. ...
- 137k
4
votes
Does the phrase "a further few" sound natural to you? E.g.: "A further few volunteers were needed."
It's grammatically correct. 'Further' is a determiner modifying 'few' which is a quantifier. It doesn't sound unnatural, just very formal - as has been pointed out in a comment, the more natural, ...
- 111k
3
votes
Accepted
Do we have an idiom saying a person talks too loudly or often screams?
"loudmouth" Someone who talks too much or loudly especially in an offensive way.
"Blabbermouth" Someone to talks to much, especially telling other peoples secrets.
"Booming&...
- 231k
3
votes
Accepted
Is it correct to say "You buttoned your shirt unevenly"?
Since this is a common and informal situation, especially within a family, there’s no need for detailed descriptions.
Simple sentences like the ones below are natural and easily understood by a child:
...
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3
votes
I got down to it. | Does it mean "to hit the bottom" or "to start to do something"?
I think you may have misunderstood "I got down to it". This isn't the same as "to get down" - in the sense of being depressed.
I note in the video she really emphasises the word &...
- 3,959
3
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I got down to it. | Does it mean "to hit the bottom" or "to start to do something"?
(1) to start to do (something)
is closer to the intended
meaning. I prefer this OLD version:
to give serious attention to something
get down to
After all those things had happened to her,
Sharon ...
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3
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The Correctness of This Phrase
Another way to reword is it
Hoping you will be delighted by the quotes as much as I was.
The point in all these rewrites is that the two clauses should have parallel structure. In your version the ...
- 4,545
2
votes
The Correctness of This Phrase
That doesn't really work grammatically, though it is the kind of thing someone could say if they don't really pay attention to how they structured the sentence.
Stuart F's suggestion is grammatically ...
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2
votes
'What's it?' vs. 'What is it?' in terms of usage
First, there is no difference in meaning between the two. In terms of usage, "What is it?" can stand alone, but "What's it?" cannot. Otherwise, the only difference is that "...
- 10k
2
votes
'What's it?' vs. 'What is it?' in terms of usage
Person 1: It would be different, if you took the situation seriously. Really.
Person 2: What's it? When you say, it would be different?
Person 3: It was an fortuitous even, you know. It really was.
...
- 49k
2
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Do we have an idiom saying a person talks too loudly or often screams?
A “big-mouth” is someone who talks about subjects he should leave alone.
Someone who talks literally too loudly (nói to) is a “loud-mouth”.
- 7,147
2
votes
Accepted
I got down to it. | Does it mean "to hit the bottom" or "to start to do something"?
I believe the meaning here is not "to take up a task in earnest" but "to 'hit bottom' while having an existential crisis". The language is colloquial, pop-psychology. She says, ...
- 137k
1
vote
Accepted
"Come home to"—Usage
The phrase "came home to" can be used in two ways:
Literally
Here "came come to" means "when I arrived home I found..."
I came home to an unhappy state of affairs. The ...
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1
vote
'What's it?' vs. 'What is it?' in terms of usage
"What's it" is much rarer than the uncontracted "what is it." Even compared to "what's this" or "what's that," "what's it" is much less likely. Here's ...
- 18.4k
1
vote
Accepted
Is the verb "adhere" transitive?
Perhaps it's used as a transitive verb in some Google books, but it's really only ever used as an intransitive verb. You would not say that you "adhered the post-it note to the chart." You ...
- 10k
1
vote
Is it correct to say "I have paronychia in my finger" or "I have paronychia on my finger"?
The word "paronychia" is too rare to have any real idiomatic colocation with particular prepositions.
To the extent that the word would follow the pattern of more common words like "...
- 231k
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