terminology - What is the symbol connecting the letters "c" and "t ...
Jul 7, 2022 · To sum up, the general name for a combined two-letter character is ligature; the particular category of such combined letters that the ct -ligature falls into is quaint ligatures, and the connecting …
punctuation - Can a word be contracted twice (e.g. "I'ven't ...
Dec 21, 2019 · I've seen a contraction of two words. I can't see why it wouldn't've been possible to have been contracted twice. Is it possible and how should it be punctuated? Update: Ok, to sum up the …
What does it mean to be "t-boned" by something?
Sep 18, 2024 · The literal meaning of "t-bone" in this context is referring to a type of traffic accident where one vehicle drives into another from the side - generally meaning that vehicle does not see it …
slang - Where does "can't be arsed" come from? - English Language ...
Can't be arsed dates from at the very least 1968, where it appeared in Hunter Davies' authorised biography of The Beatles, in a Paul McCartney quote: "If they can't be arsed awaiting for me, I can't …
pronunciation - What rules of English allow the first t in “patient” to ...
What rules of the English language allow the first t in patient to make an sh sound? Why is it /ˈpeɪʃənt/ and not /ˈpeɪtənt/? Are there any other words where t behaves in this way?
etymology - What is the origin of the phrase "This is why we can't have ...
Nov 7, 2017 · The phrase "This is why we can't have nice things" shows up in TV, films, and memes. I asked Google where it came from and got some specific examples that are too recent, like Jane …
Origins of the phrase “You don't need a weatherman to know which …
I can't say with complete certainty, but a Google Books search from 1700 to 1964, which was the year before the song was released, reveals only one occurrence of the phrase, which itself seems to be a …
When did it become fashionable to drop t's in certain words?
May 23, 2019 · I don’t think it’s a fashion thing at all. In my opinion it’s about how children hear the sounds and imitate them while learning to speak.
grammaticality - "Haven't you?" or "don't you?" - English Language ...
Oct 31, 2011 · None are correct, take out the apostrophes and then ask do they make sense? don’t you should be do you not and haven't you should be have you not. Not do not you and have not you as …
't' pronounced as 'ch' - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
In some words, the pronunciation of t is actually closer to ch, as in fortune. Is this is a recognized phenomenon in English pronunciation? Does it have a name? What other prominent examples can...