u/ksusha_lav

Hello everyone,

First of all I want to thank you for answering my question about shish kebab a few days ago, you've been so helpful! I appreciate you, guys!

A quick follow-up question about skewers. Is it common to use the word 'skewers' for chunks of meat stacked on a skewer and cooked over fire/charcoal (aka shish kebab or shashlik)? Neither the Cambridge Dictionary nor Merriam-Webster Dictionary have this definition of 'skewers'.

Thank you so much! Have a wonderful day!

Hello everyone,

If you wanted to compare the cost of bread, or houses, or taxi rides, how would you say that?

Below are some examples that I'm not completely sure how to phrase correctly and naturally:

1. a loaf of bread in one city costs $/£2, and in another city it costs $/£4. Would you say 'twice as much', 'twice as cheap', 'twice more expensive'? Or are there better options?

2. And the same with $/£2 in one city, and $/£6 in another city. How would you say that? 'three times cheaper', 'three times more expensive'?

3. And with $/£2 in one city, and $/£20 in another city. How would you say that? 'ten times cheaper', 'ten times more expensive'?

Thank you so much!

Hello everyone,

Where I'm from, shashlik is chunks of meat (usually pork, but can be lamb, chicken, turkey, pretty much any meat) put together on a metal skewer. It's served without the skewer, just the chunks of meat. It is cooked slowly over moderate coals. The meat is usually marinated in vinegar/lemon juice/mineral water + onions + salt and black pepper. And it's cooked without vegetables between the meat.

I've never had shish kebab, so I'm wondering if shish kebab is an accurate name for this, because few native English speakers are familiar with shashlik.

Thank you very much! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Hello everyone,

Are these correct?

1. Let's say I have a brother, and he is older than me. So I would say 'I have an older brother', right? That's easy.

2. Let's say I have two older brothers, James (30 years old) and Mike (35 years old). Would I refer to both of them as my older brothers? As in, for example, 'I called Mike, my older brother'. Or is Mike my oldest brother, and not older brother?

3. Let's say I have three children. I wouldn't use the word 'older' to refer to the first two, right? Only 'my oldest son', referring to my first born, right?

I hope this makes sense. For some reason this has always been confusing to me. In my native language there's just one word for 'older' and 'oldest'.

Thank you very much!

Hello everyone,

I know that 'index finger' is the word that is usually used. And also 'pointer finger' is used with kids in the US.

I'm wondering about the word 'forefinger'. How common is it?

And also, the oxford dictionary gives one more option - first finger. Is it ever used?

Thank you very much!

Hello everyone,

I know it's always 'I live on the 5th floor' and not 'I live on the 5th storey'. And I know that it's 'a two-storey building' and not 'a two-floor building'.

But I'm wondering about the other ways to say it, the ones that I mentioned in the title. Which one is more common or better? Or are they all used and are they pretty much interchangeable?

Oh, and I also know that 'storey' is used in British English and 'story' in American English.

Thank you very much!

Hello everyone,

I'm not a native English speaker, but I'm learning English.

I'm wondering how you describe rain or talk about it. I'm looking for the proper and polite ways, something you'd say in front of kids.

I know 'it's pissing (it) down' is common, but it's offensive, isn't it?

And there's also 'it's spitting', 'it's lashing (it) down', 'it's pouring (down)', 'it's tipping (it) down', 'it's chucking (it) down', 'torrential downpour', 'drizzle', 'mizzle', 'it's raining cats and dogs' (this one is probably not used much these days, is it?), 'light rain', 'heavy rain'. Are these all common?

Is there anything else you'd add? Adjectives, nouns, verbs, set phrases that are commonly used these days. And if there's something that is only used in Scotland, or Wales, or Northern Ireland, or England, I'd love to learn about those too.

Thank you so much!