"Why ...?" vs. "Why is it that ... ?" - English Language & Usage Stack ...
I don't know why, but it seems to me that Bob would sound a bit strange if he said, "Why is it that you have to get going?" in that situation.
Reason for different pronunciations of "lieutenant"
Dec 6, 2014 · While Americans (and possibly others) pronounce this as "loo-tenant", folks from the UK pronounce it as "lef-tenant". Why?
Origin of fag (meaning a cigarette in British English)
Dec 1, 2015 · This appears to be speculative, and doesn't necessarily explain why this definition fell into common usage to indicate a cigarette. I'm looking for something more concrete indicating what caused it to be used in this context. What is the origin of this meaning of the word?
Why was "Spook" a slur used to refer to African Americans?
Jul 29, 2023 · I understand that the word spook is a racial slur that rose in usage during WWII; I also know Germans called black gunners Spookwaffe. What I don't understand is why. Spook seems to also mean 'ghos...
indefinite articles - Is it 'a usual' or 'an usual'? Why? - English ...
As Jimi Oke points out, it doesn't matter what letter the word starts with, but what sound it starts with. Since "usual" starts with a 'y' sound, it should take 'a' instead of 'an'. Also, If you say "today was an usual day", unless your pronunciation is extremely clear, you risk being misunderstood as "today was unusual day", which will only confuse your listeners.
How does "pussy" come to mean "coward"?
The word pussy is often used to mean "coward". This guy is a pussy. and I am wondering why. How are woman's genitals related to being a "coward"?
Why is 'c*nt' so much more derogatory in the US than the UK?
Why is 'c*nt' so much more derogatory in the US than the UK? Ask Question Asked 14 years, 7 months ago Modified 8 years, 11 months ago
writing - Why are numbers sometimes spelled out and then …
Why are numbers sometimes spelled out and then numerals specified as well? [closed] Ask Question Asked 14 years, 3 months ago Modified 12 years, 10 months ago
Does "pro-" always precede "pre-" in a sequence? If so, why?
In biological vocabulary, sometimes both pre- and pro- are used as prefixes to indicate something earlier in a sequence. For example, pro-B cells develop into pre-B cells, which eventually develop ...
Why is "pineapple" in English but "ananas" in all other languages?
Nov 7, 2013 · The question is: why did the English adapt the name pineapple from Spanish (which originally meant pinecone in English) while most European countries eventually adapted the name ananas, which came from the Tupi word nanas (also meaning pineapple).