Questions tagged [phrase-choice]
Is it Either? Is it Or? Is it Neither? Use the Phrase-Choice tag to help you complete the perfect sentence, say what you really mean, and learn new words and phrases.
1,079 questions
64
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9
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Two thousand seventeen VS twenty seventeen: What is the rule for year pronunciation?
When I started learning English in junior school I was told that I had to pronounce the year 1997 nineteen ninety-seven and the year 2007 two thousand seven.
I've always followed the rule and ...
42
votes
6
answers
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What's the opposite of the phrase "pay under the table"?
Could you tell me what is the opposite of the phrase pay under the table? For example:
The company pays their employees under the table.
Would it be natural to say pay over the table?
33
votes
6
answers
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"One of THOSE days" vs "one of THESE days"
I don't know exactly when we'll go but we really must visit them one
of these / one of those days.
When should we use "one of these days" and "one of those days"?
26
votes
5
answers
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When is "seems to be" used instead of "seems"?
The baby seems happy/comfortable.
The baby seems to be happy/comfortable.
Are these both correct? If both are correct, what are the differences between them?
24
votes
4
answers
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Next month, I _______ John for 20 years
Q) Next month, I _______ John for 20 years
(A) know
(B) will have known
(C) am knowing
(D) will have been knowing
Question bank says (D) is correct. Surely, (B) is the correct one, right?
Edit:
I ...
23
votes
6
answers
6k
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Do you say "my car is high on fuel" as a counterpart of "my car is low on fuel"?
People say "to be low on fuel" to mean not having enough fuel.
Can I say "my car is high on fuel" as a counterpart of "my car is low on fuel"?
Some say the opposite of &...
23
votes
9
answers
231k
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"Could you please help me" vs "Could you help me please"
When asking for something politely which sentence is a better/proper choice?
Could you please help me?
or
Could you help me please?
19
votes
3
answers
14k
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Can I say "Oh boy" to a girl?
I've known that "Oh boy" is similar to "Oh my goodness", but can I use it when speaking to a girl?
Also, what are the popular alternatives?
19
votes
5
answers
7k
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Can I say: “The train departs at 16 past every hour“?
In German, we can say "jede Stunde um 16 nach". I just overheard someone teaching there was no such possibility in English. Yet I found "hourly at 45 minutes past" in one answer here. Is the following ...
18
votes
14
answers
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Does "You little liar" mean "You tell small and not so serious lies" or just "You tell lies in general"?
When do we say "You little liar" and "You big liar"?
Do the words "little" and "big" mean what they mean?
"You little liar" mean "You tell small ...
17
votes
4
answers
8k
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Does "I slept in" imply I did it on purpose or by accident?
There are 2 situations:
Situation 1: I have to get to work at 7:30 am so I often set my alarm clock for 7 am on a weekday. Now the alarm clock goes off and I wake up at 7 am but I feel very tired so I ...
16
votes
6
answers
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In the USA, do you say "my car runs on LPG gas" or just "my car runs on gas" if your car runs on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)?
I lived in Australia for a few years and I knew that they sold gas (LPG), diesel and petrol in stations.
I am not a car expert, but it seems that when you buy your car in Australia, you need to ask if ...
16
votes
5
answers
217k
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"What is the weather today?" or "How is the weather today?"
If I want to ask about the weather today whether is cold or hot, worm or cloudy or foggy, rainy or snowy etc. What should I choose of these two (or may be there's another way)?
"What's the weather ...
14
votes
9
answers
4k
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Do you have an expression saying "when you are very hungry, bread is also delicious for you" or similar one?
In Vietnam we often say "when you are very hungry, rice is also delicious to you".
When you are full, food doesn't taste good to you.
But when you are hungry, even the most boring food ...
14
votes
2
answers
3k
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Can "it's down to him to fix the machine" and "it's up to him to fix the machine"?
This is from a dictionary
be down to somebody
if an action or decision is down to you, it is your responsibility
It’s down to me to make sure that everyone is happy.
And to be up to somebody has 2 ...