| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| English | 8/27/2008 | Ylanne Sorrows |
Q: May I know which is correct? "Are you who is going to come?" or "Are you who are going to come?" ...
A: Neither "Are you who is going to come" or "Are you who are going to come" is correct. Both of them ...
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| English grammar | 8/25/2008 | Ylanne Sorrows |
Q: I have often heard people repeat the word "do" in a sentence. e.g. I do do that. Is this correct ...
A: Yes, in certain sentences, the phrasing "do do" is grammatically correct. There are only four ...
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| Vocabulary | 8/23/2008 | Ylanne Sorrows |
Q: We are a group of English teachers trying to use computer technology in teaching English as a ...
A: Greetings Nagham, Lubna, and Khulud; If you wish to use computer technology to teach English, a ...
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| learning a second language | 8/23/2008 | Ylanne Sorrows |
Q: does the first language have any effects in learning any new language?
A: Assalam aleikum Abdul Hameed, Yes, a first language absolutely has effects on learning a new ...
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| writing an essay | 8/23/2008 | Ylanne Sorrows |
Q: -How do we write an essay ?
A: Sometimes when writing an essay, it is easiest to make an outline first. An outline lists your main ...
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| English as a second language | 8/23/2008 | Ylanne Sorrows |
Q: I would like to ask you aquestion what are the common errors for foriegn students?
A: Some common errors for foreign students are spelling errors, word order (not putting words in a ...
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| Long O or Short O | 8/22/2008 | Ylanne Sorrows |
Q: In the term River Somer: If the O in Somer is short would it be pronounced Summer? If the O is ...
A: No, I do not find your question silly. :) If the O in Somer is short, is is pronounced ALMOST like ...
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| Verb tense and time | 8/21/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Applied linguists maintain that there are only two verb tenses in English. What are the two tenses? ...
A: Applied linguists maintain a lot of things, most of which are probably true, but all they have to do ...
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| TEACHING | 8/21/2008 | Ylanne Sorrows |
Q: What is the suitable age for learning English as a second language and what are the first steps ?
A: One can learn English as a second language at any age, but if you were to choose an optimal age to ...
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| grammer-tenses | 8/21/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: ANDREW Would you please tell us how to differentiate between the (past perfect continuous ) and ...
A: There are really two things to consider in this question, so I hope you do not mind if I divide it ...
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| query | 8/20/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Would you agree with the somewhat ‘loose’ use of FEEL BADLY as a variant of FEEL BAD or would you ...
A: Very well put. 'Bad' is of course an adjective, so to 'feel bad' describes the 'thing' you are ...
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| Verb Phrases | 8/19/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Forms of verb phrases involve the following concepts. Explain and give examples of the following. ...
A: Are you writing a book? I'm afraid there is only space here to give a rough outline, but it should ...
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| query | 8/19/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Would you agree that the ambivalent expression HAVE THE TIME can only mean "know the correct time of ...
A: I agree as to interrogative use. You will find that a lot of English is concerned with the correct ...
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| english speaking | 8/17/2008 | Ylanne Sorrows |
Q: How can I improve my english language while I am living with people who don not use it?
A: That must be very difficult to try and improve English when those around you do not speak it. Some ...
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| idioms | 8/17/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Would you say that RIDE HIGH ON THE HOG at: ...
A: What are you doing to my reputation for omnipotence? (ha ha). You keep finding expressions I've ...
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| Language | 8/17/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: - Can you help me to answer this question (How can I speak English fluently and correctly and how ...
A: There is only one real piece of advice for this, the old English expression: "Practice makes ...
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| gerund | 8/15/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: I am not sure about the sentence below. Is it OK to say "The woman talking yesterday is busy now" I ...
A: Sorry to keep you waiting. Your sentence: "The woman talking yesterday is busy now" is fine, though ...
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| idioms about sickness | 8/14/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Can you list some idioms about illness such as "he has a bug". Thank you.
A: I'm afraid I'm out of my office at the moment, so away from my big collection of dictionaries. You ...
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| When, While, and As | 8/12/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: I wonder what's the difference among when, while and as, if any. I think they are exchangeable ...
A: I think you have your concept correct with these words, so I'll just try to firm up your practical ...
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| on the base | 8/12/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: I am writing an essay and I got stuck with the title. I am not sure that the title that I wrote is ...
A: Your title makes sense, but you haven't really given me enough to go on. Ideally, a title should ...
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| What's the difference between "whatever" and "whatsoever"? | 8/10/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Could you please teach me what's the difference between "whatever" and "whatsoever"? (in meaning and ...
A: They are mostly exchangeable, and you are correct that 'whatsoever' is stronger, but it is also ...
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| query | 8/9/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Will you agree that PLAY IT LOW DOWN and PLAY IT LOW share only one meaning in common and may be ...
A: More Americanisms here, I'm afraid, so feel free to check anything I say. Firstly, we had better ...
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| Informal Verbs | 8/8/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: What is the definition of an 'informal verb'? The reason I ask is this: Some people say they 'itch' ...
A: 'Formal' and 'informal' is the same as saying 'proper' and 'everyday' language. The way you would ...
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| query | 8/8/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Will you confirm that PERSON OF FEW WORDS and SHORT-SPOKEN PERSON share only one meaning in common ...
A: I'm familiar enough with ".. of few words" but I'm afraid I had to look up the other, which appears ...
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| out of question | 7/24/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Whereas OUT OF QUESTION is used to mean: 1. doubtless; unquestionably: He is out of question the ...
A: You're really testing my knowledge of Americanisms here, as I haven't heard this construction used ...
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| Grammar Question | 7/23/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: In the following sentence, "It is known who invented the telephone." Is "who invented the ...
A: For the benefit of any others consulting this answer, an 'appositive' is simply a piece of ...
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| Grammar Question | 7/23/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: In the following sentence, "It is known who invented the telephone." Is "who invented the ...
A: I think your confusion here comes from the fact that 'known' is not an adjective in this sentence, ...
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| pretty good | 7/17/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: I was asked a question today: " How did your exams go?" My reply was : Pretty well. Please tell me ...
A: You may hear us (ie, native speakers) saying 'pretty good' in such a sentence, but actually we'd be ...
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| query | 7/17/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: I found it somewhat challenging to draw distinctions between the meanings of NOTHING BUT, NOTHING IF ...
A: You're right in your assumption that these phrases aren't interchangeable. They're all fixed as to ...
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| lexicology | 7/16/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: I would appreciate if you could help me with one word, Bushist, as it may be found in the following ...
A: What is confusing about the capital letter, is simply that it is derived from a proper noun: the ...
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| Go out or go away | 7/16/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: I have had a problem when I was speaking to a person. A asked him a question and he said that he ...
A: 'Go out' is a very common phrase and, yes, if you simply say it on it's own: "I'm going out" or "I'm ...
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| English countable/uncountable nouns | 7/15/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Is the word vegetable a countable or uncountable noun or both?
A: It is countable, as you can have 'a vegetable' or a range of vegetables. In compound nouns, ...
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| head figure | 7/15/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Is HEAD FIGURE a common enough expression (apparently meaning "a person who guides, directs, or ...
A: For a start, from the searched examples, this looks like an 'americanism' - a colloquial expression ...
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| "Myopic..." | 7/15/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Sir....while discussing some out of way physical chracteristics used to desribe people figuratively, ...
A: 'Myopic' certainly isn't slang, it's a scientific term - 'Myopia' is the scientific word for ...
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| english grammar | 7/13/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: What is a Syllable and how do we count them in words?
A: A syllable is a unit of a word that has a vowel in it. That is to say, it is either a very short ...
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| would arrive soon / would be arriving soon/ was going to arrive soon/was going to be arriving soon. | 7/12/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: What is the difference in meaning if we use Would arrive/Would be arriving/Was going to arrive/Was ...
A: Firstly, note that there is a difference between 'will/would' and 'going to'. This has to do with ...
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| Questions about"Global Warming" | 7/11/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: What is the meaning of "global warming"? What are the causes of the global warming? How can we stop ...
A: I hope these questions are for general interest, and not homework. Certainly, though, it is a matter ...
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| science | 7/11/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: What is the meaning of "global warming"?
A: Not really an EFL question, but I'll have a go. Over the past few decades, we have come to realise ...
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| different questions | 7/10/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: WHat is The meaning of BLoG-Spam ? When Could we use 'Any'? What are the rules of using "'s"? Thank ...
A: I don't know what 'blog-spam' is, unless it is sending spam e-mails onto somebody's blog. A 'blog' ...
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| "since" usages | 7/10/2008 | Andrew Russell |
Q: Russell, May I say, first of all, that your thorough and clear answers have helped me a lot. Thank ...
A: I just try my best. On your first question, this is something that come up a lot in English ...
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