What’s the difference between ‘In a way of her own’ or ‘in her own way’? I’m going to make an example for clarity. Brenda is always very funny, although in a way of her own/in her own way. What I want to mean is that Brenda is funny in a peculiar way, so some people … Read more
I just cannot decide whether to use "for" or "in" in the following examples. We want two engineers (for / in) the project. We want two violin players (for / in) the show. Musicians are wanted (for / in) the New Year’s Celebration. Answer We can want a person "for" an activity, so "for" is … Read more
A native speaker is telling about the floods, how it happens, how people behave during floods, etc. and she says: They’ve got water coming up to their knees. I know this structure is commonly used when you want to say "you own something", but I find it interesting to see it used for description of … Read more
A drowning man will catch a straw. (also correct?) A drowning man will catch at a straw. (a commonly used and fixed expression: maxim) ‘catch a straw’ is also idiomatic? You know the verb ‘catch’ is both transitive and intransitive. question is: catch a straw is also acceptable? Answer Despite what other people have told … Read more
In Lord of the Rings The Two Towers king Theoden says the following line: Saruman’s arm would have grown long indeed if he hopes to reach us here. As a non native speaker I would have said it like this: Saruman’s arm would have to grow long indeed if he hopes to reach us here. … Read more
This is from the BBC web site: https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60717902 3,000 visas granted as of Saturday. Today is Monday. And this sentence is said today. So, I got confused what they exactly meant by saying "……as of Saturday." Does it mean; 1- From the beginning of the process until Saturday, 3000 visas have been issued. (I dont … Read more
In CNN, it used "switch out the lights." According to what I know, it should be "switch off the lights." I checked the subtitles to confirm I understood it correctly, and I’m right. It says "switch out the lights". Is it correct to use it? Answer "Switch out the lights" is just an alternative way … Read more
Hazing is any activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers them. I understand that ‘that humiliates…’ refers to the preceding ‘any activity’, but how am I supposed to understand ‘expected of…’ in between? Is there any omission between ‘activity’ and ‘expected’? Answer Yes, "…that is…" is … Read more
I wanted to know that the connotation of this phrase:“be a glutton for sth” is positive or negative? Can I use it in statements, which are related to my interest,like:”I’m a glutton for painting.” Answer If you are a glutton, you eat to excess. It is strictly negative. Figuratively, being a glutton means you consume … Read more
He is smarter than the pair of us. The sentence is from a British parent who is talking about their son and means he is smarter than both of his parents. I focused on "the pair of us" in the sentence, and wondered if it could be a synonym of "both of us". I have … Read more
