If I speak about a neutral sex person, what can I say to exprime a possession ?  Example: The student will use his or her pen to write.  Is it better to write every time his or her or is there a correct sentence about it ?
124301
I just found myself in situation that I am telling about someone who added to me in Skype: because of the nickname I think that it is a girl and used all the time the word «she». But as she didn't say anything yet with exception the "hey :)", I can't even be sure it is a human (it is could be just a bot). So I am afraid that talking about her by using «she» could lead to misunderstanding. Shall I use the word «it»? Or is it wrong? Is there another way?  E.g. in Russian a sex have any noun, so I can say «she» and mean «the person» because the «person» have feminine gender. Either I can say «he», and mean «the one», because it is male gender. So, this way I don't confuse my interlocutor about my knowledge about a person's sex.
20204
When writing letter to an academic professor (not necessarily from student to professor), what is the appropriate way to address his/her title?  I have seen in letters using  Dear Prof. X even when the addressee is not a full professor  Dear Dr. X though, knowing that the addressee is a full professor  Dear Mr/Mrs X though, knowing that s/he has an academic title
1540
Whose is used for people (e.g. "Whose that girl?"), but is it acceptable to use whose for objects too? Is there another word I should use for objects?  To make the question clearer, when I ask "Whose that car?" I am expecting an answer similar to "It's X's car." where X refers to a person. I could say "a man whose opinion I respect." and whose opinion would refer to the opinion of a person. Could I say "the desk whose drawer was broken by my brother"? Should I replace whose with another word?
27750
The other day, I was at the bookstore and I noticed there was a woman surrounded by a large crowd. It was hard to tell what was going on. So, at first, I figured it was an employee handing out free stuff. But when I got a little closer, it looked like she was signing autographs. Since it was a bookstore,   I (knew/noticed/found/found out/figured/figured out/realized) that it could be a famous writer signing books.  I don't want to ask a lot but, could you choose the right word?  And could you let me know which one is right/not right and why and why not?
18900
very often we see the description like this:  Many people realize that they didn't do any wrongdoings, so they cannot understand why they have to be punished. or ...., so they cannot understand why do they have to be punished.   or we ask "why do you fight?" can we omit the "do",  say "why you fight?"  Thanks!!
106883
It's inconvenient that English doesn't have a gender-neutral pronoun, especially when a person's gender is unknown. It seems inappropriate to call the person as "he" or "she" at such situations.  I suggest adopting the "shi/hir" pronoun, which is commonly used in furry fandom.  e.g. "Shi refused to confess." "Hir real purpose is unknown." "I am searching for hir." "All the base are hirs." "Shi loves hirself."
112343
Consider the following:        Not only you should be able to speak but also able to write.   You should be able to not only speak but also write.   You should not only be able to speak but also be able to write.      Which is right to use? If there's an even better one, please suggest.
72142
Question:     A man like you should not do this, _______?   Which question tag should I use in the blank space?   should he? should you?   Which would be grammatically correct? I think 1 is true.
20093
Consider the following sentences:     I had my identity stolen by Mr. Ripley.   and     I had my identity stolen by a Mr. Ripley.   and     I had my identity stolen by a certain Mr. Ripley.   In what sense do these 3 sentences differ from one another?  How do a and certain modify the middle and last sentences?
68961
I've recently read a  from a local paper that included the following:     The pair was drinking prior to the shooting.   To me, this appears wrong and I would say that the proper way to make the statement would be:     The pair were drinking prior to the shooting.   Is the original article correct?
54058
What expression could I use when giving non-detailed answers/explanations about how something works? Let's say I want to explain how a printer works without getting into too much detail, Would it be OK to say:   "At a very superficial level, a printer ...." "At a very high level, a printer ..."   I feel like there are more appropriate expressions to begin such type of sentence. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
97126
I'm looking for a way of saying “having amorous affairs”. Ideally it should indicate a married man fooling around with younger women, and the expression should be informal, humorous, in low register but yet not rude.
39083
I have often read people using sentences like...     Assume you are given a ball.   in place of      Assume that you are given a ball.   While both sound correct while speaking, the first sentence does not sound quite right while writing. Is it correct to use the first sentence in writing?
101397
I would like to treat a user as a non-gender noun and refer to it with the gender-neutral pronoun, it. E.g.,     The user defines two variables, x and y. It then multiplies each variable by a prime number.    However, on  I found this:      The word "it", however, has an extremely impersonal connotation, even offensive, in common usage and is rarely used in English to refer to an unspecified human being or person of unknown gender. This is because the word "it" connotes that the person being specified is inferior to a person or is an object.   Is to appropriate to refer to a person of unknown sex as it?  Should I rephrase my sentence as follows:     The user defines two variables, x and y. The user then multiplies each variable by a prime number.
123343
I have some doubts about the usages of That and Who. Sometimes I read sentences such as. "You are someone I love" "You are someone WHO I love" Or "People were asked to describe the qualities they look for in a friend" "People were asked to describe the qualities THAT they look for in a friend"  Why in some of these sentences WHO or THAT are omitted and others are not. Could somebody help me with this? I'll appreciate it! Thanks a million.
68297
What article should be used in the following sentence?     He was English by [a/the/] blood.   I feel there should be a zero article here, but I was taught that the zero article is impossible in English.
71464
Which of the following is correct?  What he is looking for are books written by Jane Austin. What he is looking for is books written by Jane Austin.  Is it are to agree with the object books or is to agree with the subject he?