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  1. "Why ...?" vs. "Why is it that ... ?" - English Language & Usage Stack ...

    Why is it that everybody wants to help me whenever I need someone's help? Why does everybody want to help me whenever I need someone's help? Can you please explain to me …

  2. Where does the use of "why" as an interjection come from?

    Mar 18, 2011 · "why" can be compared to an old Latin form qui, an ablative form, meaning how. Today "why" is used as a question word to ask the reason or purpose of something.

  3. Why is 'c*nt' so much more derogatory in the US than the UK?

    5 That's a very good question. It certainly is offensive here in the US, and I'm not sure why it's considered so much worse than other "Anglo-Saxon" words. I've used all of the other ones on …

  4. orthography - Why are names that begin with "Mc" first in order …

    Why is it that in lists of people’s names, surnames beginning with Mc are listed before surnames beginning with Ma? For example, if a book had a bibliography listing its references, we would …

  5. 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 …

  6. etymology - Why "shrink" (of a psychiatrist)? - English Language ...

    I know it originates from "head shrinking", but it doesn't help me a lot to understand the etymology. Why are psychiatrists called that? Is it like "my head is swollen [from anguish, …

  7. Why do North Americans pronounce "caramel" as "carmel"?

    Feb 8, 2017 · But in my experience, North Americans (Canadians too) don't pronounce the middle "a". They pronounce it exactly like the girl's name Carmel. From my experience, all Americans …

  8. 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 …

  9. 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 …

  10. Why does "No" mean "Number?" - English Language & Usage …

    Aug 13, 2018 · Why does English use "No." as an abbreviation for "Number"? It's a preserved scribal abbreviation like the ampersand & (formed by eliding the letters of et to mean and). The …