Questions tagged [present-day-english]
This tag is for questions about English as it is used in our own day and times. This differs from the more general Modern English by being more restricted.
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What are common words in which written ‹i› is pronounced as the phoneme /ai/?
I am a Brazilian teacher of the English language for Brazilian high school students. In this sense, the draft of this table has helped me a lot. So, my question about examples was only because I would ...
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"a shirt in (a) (size) small"
To me, these versions sound natural and idiomatic:
I'd like this/a shirt in a small.
I'd like this/a shirt in a size small.
I'd like this/a shirt in a size 7.
Do you have this dress in a 9?
She wears ...
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What is the usage for constructs like "men at work", "children at play", etc
One sometimes sees road warning signs cautioning of "men [sic] at work" or "children at play". The meaning is clear, it's the same as "men working" or "children ...
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“Out of the mouths of babes”: Is this idiom strictly used to refer to children?
According to Cambridge Dictionary, “out of the mouths of babes” is an idiom used when a child says something that is surprisingly wise. So, it is used to compliment the child for saying something that’...
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why are people revealing secrets spilling the tea instead of the beans lately? [duplicate]
Has "spilling the beans" become stodgy and needs a voguish replacement? I am seeing "spilling the tea" everywhere.
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What is a word for battery "longevity"?
I do NOT mean battery "life" which is how long a battery holds charge. Battery life is usually like 12-24 hours. The word I'm seeking refers to the time you can use the battery daily until ...
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Use of the word "tongue" to refer to a specific language
One of the meanings of the word "tongue" is "language". The word is still in use in certain expressions ("mother tongue" being one of them), and I know that in the past, ...
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Is the phrase "as drunk as a marine" still used today?
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XXIII, published 1892)
Passage 364
“Excuse me one moment, Captain Dobbs. I wish to speak with my mate,” said the captain, whose ...
- 361
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Usage of "take your gin and guns to Putney"
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XXII, published 1892)
Passage 350
“I beg your pardon,” he said once. “I am a gentleman, Mr. Carthew here is a gentleman, and we ...
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Common usage of "be tried for one's life"
(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XXII, published 1892); Passage 348:
The public house and tea garden called the Currency Lass represented a moderate fortune ...
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Can 'precedent' mean any preceding event? [closed]
I'm familiar with the legal meaning of precedent: an event A which sets an example for future similar events A', A*, etc.
However, precede means 'to come before' (e.g. event A preceded event B, a ...
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From where comes the connotation of descent in "downtown"? [duplicate]
In English, when speaking about going to the center of the town, it's a matter of going to the "downtown" so, my question is about the origins of the connotation of some "descent" (...
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Question about pronunciation in British accent (Modern RP) [duplicate]
In the British accent (Modern RP), the word "often" is pronounced as "ɒf.tən" with the "t" sound. What about words like "soften", "fasten", and "...
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The verb beware in a subjunctive clause
I know that nowadays in English the verb "beware" can be used only in imperative clauses and in bare infinitival constructions to warn or to guide. I've understood that nowadays "beware&...
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"I wondered if you were free this evening." - Does it sound like a normal polite question? [closed]
Below are sentences taken from the Oxford English Grammar Course (Oxford University Press 2015). The title of the section is "Requests, questions and suggestions".
I wonder if you need any ...
