A dear friend of mine is from Vietnam. In one of our conversations, I asked her whether I can call her "ABC", but she replied that is my domestic name.   Maybe what she meant by domestic name is the name that her family calls her by. I am wondering whether she is correct in her English when she used the words "my domestic name".
122634
In Dutch (and other languages) people have have different types of first names. First, there is the Christian name or given name, which is the official name of a person and is used for official documents etc. Then there is the first name that is used on a regular basis. The literal translation of the Dutch word for that is 'calling name' (roepnaam). Finally there is the nickname that close friends and family use.   My sister's name is a typical example. Her given name ('birth name' in Dutch) is 'Elisa Hermina', the name used by everybody, however, is 'Lisette' and the name used by family and close friends is 'Jet'. They could of course also be the same.   For an English paper I am writing, I need to distingish between the names. Which words could I best use for each of the names?  I know 'calling name' is also used in english and also seems to have a similar meaning. Does it indeed have exactly the same meaning a the dutch roepnaam?
63115
I'm not a native speaker, but somehow I assumed my English level to be decent enough for me to offer my help with an English text written by a Japanese colleague. I've fixed the most glaring errors, the few that I could find anyway, and at this point I'm pretty satisfied, but there is still this one sentence that lingers.  So, please tell me exactly how weird does this following sentence sound in your beautiful native ears:     My motivations, the things that always encourage me, are not only that   I love my own hometown, but also that I want my children to love their   own hometown too.   What I'm mostly concerned about is the use of "my own hometown." and "their own hometown". At first it sounded strange to me. But after some research it now sounds completely normal to my ears. (As in, I have no clue at all anymore.)   Isn't the "own" there to add emphasis on whose hometown it is? So "my own hometown" makes it completely redundant? But maybe the usage is still okay? After reading it my mind suggests that "my hometown" and "their hometown" may be separate places, but I don't think this is what the author intended. Do you intercept that meaning as well, or is it negligible?
34140
I once posted an article on the web in which I referred collectively to people from China, Japan, and the Koreas as "Oriental". I got an email from someone who informed me that this is an offensive term and that I should call such people by the specific country of origin -- "Chinese" or whatever -- or collectively as "Asians". She claimed that "Oriental" refers to an object, like "an Oriental vase", and is insulting when applied to a person.  I consider "Asian" inappropriate as it would include Siberians, Afghans, Pakistanis, etc. And of course "Chinese" is unacceptable if you want to include Japanese, Koreans, and related cultures.  So my question is: Do people from this part of the world really find the word "Oriental" offensive? If so, what term do they prefer for themselves? I'd be particularly interested in hearing from someone who actually is of Japanese, Chinese, etc., background, rather than an American or European saying what he thinks someone else thinks.  (Frankly I thought the argument about "Oriental" applying to an object was a little curious. I call myself an "American". I don't find it at all offensive that the same word used to describe me as a human being is also used to describe objects, like "American cars", "American food", etc. Both people and objects can be from the same physical place, so I don't see any problem with using the same adjective to describe both. But maybe there are different connotations to the word "Oriental". )
10257
Is it correct to use Mr/Mrs with a first name?
83976
On Person of Interest, most people on Team Machine refer to it as "she". To me, that's sort of clear for Root, not so clear for Finch and even less clear for others. Why do they do that?  P.S. I don't recall perfectly, but Samaritan is mostly called "it" and not "he". But should it be a "he" in contrast to the Machine?
7481
Is this the proper way to use two possessive nouns in a row?     I am going over to Lauren's parents' house this evening.   or     The store's manager's niece was quite attractive.   What about three?*     The United States Army's general's wife's dog is on the lamb, somebody stop it.   *Three seems both unrealistic, and in the specific example I used you could make a case for adding a fourth United State's Army's but I think that seems even more unrealistic.  Additionally, I would never write this in any sort of setting other than the purpose of knowing what the rules are.  Thanks in advance, I apologize in advance if this is duplicate
49419
To mean "He is a friend of mine who I love" or "He is a friend of mine that I love", can I say "He is a friend of mine I love"? When I omit "who" or "that" in that sentence, it sounds wrong to me. I think I am not used to that structure. What do you think?  Note: I know (that) relative pronouns can be dropped like in "He is someone (that/who) I love", but in the sentence I gave, I think it is wrong to omit it because "a friend" was already modified by "of mine".  Context: I am talking about a friend, and I am saying I love him.
92611
Could you write your name? Would you write your name?   When you are asked to do this, are there any situation in which you hear weird if either is used (but the other sounds pretty natural .)
55374
I am from China. I come from China.  What is the nuance between them? likewise:  Where are you from? Where do you come from?  Are there any nuance between them?
115869
Example:     When my mother came back from the island, she came back as a newborn Christian. [...]   was shocked, especially since none of them belonged to that religion.   (In this case, they refer to the mother's parents/brothers/sisters, and also the husband's parents/brothers/sisters. Not the husband because he was dead. And not the speaker because he was still a baby. So there's no immediate family.)  What would a native English speaker use in cases like this? Her family, my family, our family, or my relatives?
43629
My Polish grandmothers last name was Dziubenofska, but I know that's not how it is spelt! I'm looking for the proper spelling.   Can you help find it for me?  She came over to Ellis Island and they changed it on her to dziuk. This is only a prefix to the full name.
17057
In the United States, we say that someone lives on a street, whereas I've noticed that British people say in. For instance:     Bubba lives on Washington Street.   Colin lives in Cavendish Avenue.   I believe we both would use at when a number is given. For instance:     Bubba lives at 16 Washington Street.   Colin lives at 7 Cavendish Avenue.   I don't think it matters if it's a road, avenue, street, circle, or lane — as far as I know, in America, we always live on a street. Does it vary in British English, or is it always in? If it varies, what are the rules?
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.
63773
I am going to do an overseas internship in Canada next month. Since I have never worked with foreigners before, so now I wonder what I should call my boss or colleagues.   My supervisor is a Chinese, I don't know her English name, she is much older than me and I do know she is married.  Her family name is Liu (not her husband's). So may I call her Ms. Liu, or Mrs. Liu, I am not sure which one is correct. How about other foreigner supervisor? Should I call them MR. XX, MS. XX, or just call them first name directly. Can I ask them directly "Can I have your name or What should I call you"  For the colleagues which are older than me, I think I just need to call them first name?  Thanks.
108720
Listen to all your fans   Name all the states   vs      Listen to all of  your fans   Name all of  the states   What part of language is of  in these examples? Is it necessary or optional, correct or incorrect?
98626
Specifically, is it appropriate for a non-British person to call a British person a "Brit"? Whenever I see it from an American source it always feels too familiar or too informal, or both. But I can't tell if that's something real or just my own peculiar hang-up.  How formal is the word "Brit," and how do people from Great Britain feel about others using the word? What about "Brit" as an adjective (e.g., )?
111562
I'm curious if the order implies anything here. I'm pretty sure "Mom and Dad" is standard in English. The issue was hard for me to google, so I'm asking it here:  Is using "Dad" before "Mom" incorrect, or is it just not often seen/bad practice? I see both, but "Mom and Dad" is far more prevalent.  Edit: What puzzles me is that usually masculine comes before feminine. The given umich article on word order is quite instructive, and I have yet to read all of it. In Chinese and I think Spanish, the father comes first usually.  Now that I think of it, I think German features  "Mutter &amp; Vater" more often. Probably carried over into English.  Edit 2: Some  reveals that "Mom and Dad" is far more prevalent during 2005-2013.  It can make a difference though, as in an example I found: "I became my girls’ Dad and Mom when one was four years, the other three months old." This is quite clearly in the voice of the father, as shown .