
"Why ...?" vs. "Why is it that ... ?" - English Language & Usage Stack ...
Why not: I don't know why, but it seems to me Bob would sound a bit strange if he said, "Why is it that you have to get going?" Eliminating 'that' before 'Bob' would seem to be more in context with the criticism of the way Bob sounds. This beside the point that "Why do …
"Why it is" vs "Why is it" - English Language & Usage Stack …
2013年11月7日 · The question: "Why is [etc.]" is a question form in English: Why is the sky blue? Why is it that children require so much attention? Why is it [or some thing] like that? When that form is put into what is called indirect speech, it becomes: Please tell me why the sky is blue. Please tell me why children require so much attention.
Origin of "Why, hello there" [duplicate] - English Language
a1616 Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona ɪɪɪ (1623) ɪ. i. 33 If hap'ly won, perhaps a haplesse gaine, If lost, why then a grieuous labour won. 1647 A. Cowley Request in Mistress iii, If her chill heart I cannot move, Why, I'le enjoy the very Love. 1719 Swift Quiet Life in Wks. (1735) II. 351 Why Dick, thy Wife has dev'lish whims.
Why are the United States often referred to as America?
2010年11月16日 · Why would it be strange to shorten this? It is common to shorten the official name of a country — most people don't even know the official names for the various countries. For example, the official name of Mexico is "los Estados Unidos Mexicanos", which means "the Mexican United States"; nobody is surprised that it is referred to as "Mexico".
When did it become fashionable to drop t's in certain words?
2019年5月23日 · Sometime in the 1500s. "How to Pronounce 'Often'" There’s a \t\ in often, but how often do you hear it? As you might guess, the \t\ was pronounced in the past, when the word began as a variant of oft (also spelled ofte in Middle English), which was the …
Is it true that "tuppence" refers to a woman's vagina in British ...
Why would magic users be prone to reproductive disorders (or intersex conditions, in rare cases)? In the renormalization of the QED, why do we need superficial degree of divergence? Is there a precedent, in France, for barring a politician from running for office due to …
word choice - When should we use "and" and/or "and/or"?
There is no official English: English is what its speakers make of it. That said, and/or is terrible English. It should be avoided, and people who use it should be made fun of.
Origin of fag (meaning a cigarette in British English)
2015年12月1日 · According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it comes from "fag", meaning a loose piece of cloth:. fag (n.1) Look up fag at Dictionary.com British slang for "cigarette" (originally, especially, the butt of a smoked cigarette), 1888, probably from fag "loose piece, last remnant of cloth" (late 14c., as in fag-end "extreme end, loose piece," 1610s), which perhaps …
Reason for different pronunciations of "lieutenant"
2014年12月6日 · As to why present day usage is as it is: People can be contrary. It's possible the US adopted "Loo" because and only because the Brits said "Lef" -- or vice-versa. But it seems the answer is not known by the best scholars Oxford can produce.
Where did the phrase "batsh*t crazy" come from?
2011年8月18日 · The word crazy is a later addition. Scanning Google Books I find a handful of references starting from the mid-60s where batshit is clearly just a variation on bullshit (nonsense, rubbish) - which meaning still turns up even in 2001, but it's relatively uncommon now.