Adjective-Filter! What's a good adjective to describe someone who is not wearing a suit coat? [more inside]
posted by niles on Nov 3, 2009 - 9 answers

Where can I publish some old literary crit essays that are burning a hole in my pocket? [more inside]
posted by duncecap on Nov 1, 2009 - 6 answers

GrammarFilter: A friend and I have been discussing this construction: "would have had to go" vs. "would have had to have gone." It seems they are both correct and are almost always interchangeable, so it would seem the former, simpler version is preferable. Thoughts, explanations, examples otherwise? Are they both correct? [more inside]
posted by Badasscommy on Oct 26, 2009 - 10 answers

What are the best online or print resources in English language about lifestyle and individuality of soshoku-danshi (grass-eating/herbivore men)? Not looking for news articles, thanks!
posted by parmanparman on Oct 26, 2009 - 5 answers

Tell me everything you know about this sentence construction: "Are you finished your lunch?" [more inside]
posted by peep on Oct 22, 2009 - 91 answers

What does English sound like if you don't speak it? [more inside]
posted by grapefruitmoon on Oct 20, 2009 - 47 answers

[EnglishFilter]: "Butcher knife" or "Butcher's knife?" [more inside]
posted by AAAAAThatsFiveAs on Oct 19, 2009 - 16 answers

Looking for good books/resources about the 17th century Anglo-Dutch maritime wars. For a project I'm doing, I'd like to get more historical detail about what the Dutch call the English Wars and what the English call the Dutch wars. While I am interested in the specific facts, I'm more interested in getting a sense of time and place, both for those who were at sea and for those at home in the two countries. Do you know any fascinating books (non-fiction or historical fiction) that reference these events?
posted by judith on Oct 18, 2009 - 10 answers

You are a paid writer/screenwriter/columnist/blogger. What can you tell me about how to best break into this profession? [more inside]
posted by the NATURAL on Oct 12, 2009 - 13 answers

Where can I find some movies or tv shows that are spoken in Spanish with English subtitles? [more inside]
posted by inatizzy on Oct 9, 2009 - 16 answers

Grammarians: Is it OK to take liberties with the word "win" when publicizing a contest or draw? [more inside]
posted by wackybrit on Oct 5, 2009 - 15 answers

I need someone to record this dialogue in a british accent. Where/How? [more inside]
posted by Memo on Oct 4, 2009 - 11 answers

Please hope me with this seemingly-basic English grammar/spelling question! Which is correct: "long-sleeve t-shirt" or "long-sleeved t-shirt"? Is there supposed to be a hyphen between "long" and "sleeve(d)? [more inside]
posted by radioamy on Oct 2, 2009 - 38 answers

I am looking for any publicly-available staff-and-dependents records for the British Consulate in Los Angeles, specifically for the period 1965 to 1966. I have some info. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 29, 2009 - 1 answer

Is there a good adverbial form of the word 'smellable'? [more inside]
posted by voronoi on Sep 29, 2009 - 25 answers

I'm dealing with English/Chinese bilingual documents in OpenOffice, 100+ page ones, and I need to get all the Chinese characters out and into another document. I'm either looking at 2-3 hours of deleting, cutting, and pasting, or maybe there's a shortcut? [more inside]
posted by saysthis on Sep 27, 2009 - 2 answers

硬背. Please translate this into English for me. [more inside]
posted by killdevil on Sep 22, 2009 - 4 answers

Where can I get a full English breakfast in San Francisco? [more inside]
posted by eschatfische on Sep 18, 2009 - 9 answers

I am giving a English class to a group of Argentinian 8-12 year olds in a few hours, I'm looking for fun games I can play with them. [more inside]
posted by jontyjago on Sep 11, 2009 - 6 answers

In need of Finglish (Farsi) translation. Original text inside. [more inside]
posted by pantheON on Sep 8, 2009 - 4 answers

I've fallen in love with a certain older British character actor and want to write his biography...where do I begin? [more inside]
posted by frosty_hut on Sep 4, 2009 - 5 answers

"I Haven't Had So Much Fun Since the Pigs Ate My Brother." Aside from this post, what year and where was the first time you heard this phrase? [more inside]
posted by eccnineten on Aug 23, 2009 - 11 answers

Is it a widespread behavior for multilingual speakers of english to get a more anglicized accent when talking to a native speaker? [more inside]
posted by Non Prosequitur on Aug 22, 2009 - 19 answers

Help explain why my writing partner constantly uses a word in a way I find weird and incorrect. A question that anyone can answer. [more inside]
posted by Doctor Suarez on Aug 18, 2009 - 54 answers

So which sentence is proper English grammar: "If you eat like Bob and me, you will be healthy." or "If you eat like Bob and I, you will be healthy."
posted by 256 on Aug 14, 2009 - 73 answers

How to translate the scientific/statistical English words "accuracy" and "precision" into scientific/statistical Russian? [more inside]
posted by ZenMasterThis on Aug 14, 2009 - 4 answers

"If I say that I love you, and you know it's true" - identify this early 60s English pop song [more inside]
posted by martinrebas on Aug 12, 2009 - 3 answers

In There Will Be Blood, Daniel Plainview delivers the line: "I have a competition in me." Could this be described as grammatically correct, strictly speaking? Or is it idiomatic, but not strictly correct? Is Plainview saying, essentially, "I have a [sense of] competition in me," a sentence that, were it to be spelled out as such, would lose its rhetorical punch? Could it be argued as a case of poetic metonymy or something of the kind? [more inside]
posted by Busoni on Aug 8, 2009 - 27 answers

language-philes -- Isnt English weird for not having conjugated verbs? Even its closest relatives - german and the romance languages - have conjugated verbs. Please to explain? [more inside]
posted by jak68 on Aug 5, 2009 - 38 answers

I'm looking for French-language versions of well-known English-language pop songs. Any genre or era. (Bonus points for French versions of the New Wave songs from my youth...) My wife and I are learning French together, and I think this would be a fun way to add some color to that process.
posted by jdroth on Aug 3, 2009 - 32 answers

Help a skinny guy shape up! more after the jump! [more inside]
posted by freddymetz on Jul 31, 2009 - 24 answers

Help me be a better writer in English (as a second language) [more inside]
posted by papalotl on Jul 30, 2009 - 16 answers

In about a month I'm going to be teaching English to a bunch of 4th grade South Korean kids. Awesome. However, I've never taught anything, let alone a language. I'm looking for books, courses, tips, tricks, suggestions and anything else that might give me a little confidence. [more inside]
posted by GilloD on Jul 30, 2009 - 20 answers

Calling all editors, proofreaders, and style mavens! I need help with (not) italicizing court cases in a non-legal document. [more inside]
posted by JoanArkham on Jul 29, 2009 - 16 answers

What music would best be played to accompany a Pimm's Cup? [more inside]
posted by dammitjim on Jul 29, 2009 - 23 answers

I want to ask several questions in a row in a research proposal. What is the grammatically correct way of doing this? [more inside]
posted by hiteleven on Jul 23, 2009 - 15 answers

What word(s) do non-US English speakers use to count out loud? [more inside]
posted by l33tpolicywonk on Jul 21, 2009 - 55 answers

In Return of the King, Aragorn says: "I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me." What precisely does he mean by this? My confusion is with the phrase "take the heart of me." Is this a standard idiom?
posted by Busoni on Jul 15, 2009 - 15 answers

Genuinely dumb question to waste on the brain trust here but: when nouns end in x, do you indicate possession with just a quotation mark or do you need to include the s? [more inside]
posted by christhelongtimelurker on Jul 13, 2009 - 23 answers

I'm curious about teaching English overseas and if anyone has done this and is willing to share their experiences with me. [more inside]
posted by Unred on Jul 12, 2009 - 11 answers

When did "Maths" change to "Math" in American English? Or is it the other way around? [more inside]
posted by fishmasta on Jul 11, 2009 - 39 answers

Anybody familiar with a series of trilingual Vietnamese folk storybooks that were written in Vietnamese, English & French? I'm searching.. [more inside]
posted by handabear on Jul 9, 2009 - 0 answers

I am a community college English instructor, and I am working on structuring my Comp I class around the theme of work. Can anyone recommend some thoughtful articles, websites, books (easily excerpted), etc. about work or the workplace? Most of my students have limited reading comprehension skills, so I can’t use anything that is too specialized or advanced. I’m looking for articles on the level of Time or Newsweek. Thanks!
posted by alspeigh on Jul 3, 2009 - 23 answers

the Acronym "F.Y.I " Who came up with it and how old is it? [more inside]
posted by Charlie Lesoine on Jun 23, 2009 - 8 answers

What texts were examined in the 1977 Joint Matriculation Board (JMB) English A-Level exam taken by students in the United Kingdom?
posted by kyten on Jun 22, 2009 - 1 answer

Wrapped up in British English filter, with [more inside]
posted by raztaj on Jun 16, 2009 - 24 answers

I'd like to study about Comparative Literature, but as I've looked around at CompLit university departments it appears that there isn't really anything like an introductory course or textbook. [more inside]
posted by elfgirl on Jun 11, 2009 - 5 answers

I've decided I want to teach high school english. Problem: I have a BS in Business Admin. How do I do this? [more inside]
posted by firei on Jun 11, 2009 - 7 answers

Help me make a career move. Do I want to be a high school or college teacher? [more inside]
posted by mikelly on Jun 10, 2009 - 18 answers

In order to pass an English competitive examination in France, I need reference (but not too long) books on two history subjects. [more inside]
posted by nicolin on Jun 4, 2009 - 2 answers