For example, it's customary in my culture to mix up bottom and top parts of rice before serving it. This is because the top part tends to be drier, and doing this helps fluffing the rice.

Is it tossing? Mixing up?

What would you call this?

Is there any difference? If they're interchangeable, which one is more commonly used?

How would you describe a pregnant woman who's noticeably so far along?

I rarely mix them up now, but it still happens from time to time, especially when I'm saying a sentence while not thinking much. I still know who I'm talking about but I just happen to use the wrong pronoun. Just now I said "she" when I was supposed to say "he", but I still knew who I was talking about.

I'm not sure if it's because lack of practice because I've practised using pronouns a lot (obviously, pronouns are used in almost every sentence). So maybe it never goes away completely?

Does this still happen to you if your language doesn't have gendered pronouns?

I love how beautiful and expressive it is. When I read song lyrics, poems, novels, etc, I love discovering new turns of phrase and how creative people are in using the language. I myself have been trying to be more descriptive and expressive both in English and my native language. It's harder to do that in English than in my native language, so I'm working on that.

Now I've come to really appreciate it as a language. It's also a language that bridges and connects different peoples.

Do you feel the same?

Does using "somebody/ anybody/ nobody" over "someone/ anyone/ no one" depend on the context, formality, one's dialect, etc?

I've improved a lot since I increased my input and started practising, but it still feels foreign to me. It doesn't feel like I have a good grasp on it. I think it's a beautiful language, but it's not a language in which I can fully express myself. This always reminds me of the fact that I'm "borrowing" other people's language. I'm just using others', not my own.

And to native speakers, what does English feel like to you? Are you completely indifferent to it or do you feel an attachment to it? Do you feel like you "own" the language while non-native speakers are merely trying to imitate your speech? It's probably a bit weird to put it that way, but it's kind of true if you think about it. We do try to imitate your speech to the best of our abilities.

Personally, I feel an attachment to my native language. It's the only language in which I can truly be myself. I think I'd feel indifferent to it if I didn't know any foreign language to contrast it with.

• 4 years isn't that long. You'll graduate before you know it.

• Before he knew it, his son had already grown up.

• Winter will be here soon before you know it.

1. Tigers are fierce animals.

2. Tigers are a fierce animal.

3. The tiger is a fierce animal.

Can you reword this sentence the same way as the sentences above? Would it make sense?

• Bees are important to our ecosystem.

As far as I'm aware, the term "roommate" means anyone who shares a house or an apartment with you, and does not mean they share the same bedroom with you.

Are there any other terms used?

Even when we exclude scientific, literary, etc vocabulary, it still seems that everyday vocabulary which isn't just words, but also includes phrase and idioms is still so huge compared to grammar.

And at some point, you're kind of finished with grammar, but never vocabulary.

Some native speakers have said that "She lay in the sun and fell asleep" sounds outright wrong, unnatural or literary to them, even though it's correct according to standard English grammar rules.

Are there any more descriptive rules of "lie" and "lay" that I can learn instead, or do native speakers use them haphazardly? Is it common to use "lay" exclusively, or use "laid" or "lied" as the past tense form of "lie"?

Should I adhere to the standard usages or speak how native speakers do?

As a native English speaker, how do you use these two verbs?