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HiI have some doubts about these expressions. Can you help me out? 1) Context: "A girl has her hair cut. I want her to know the she looks really different. Can I tell her: "YOU'RE TOTALLY ANOTHER!", or is it better: "YOU DON'T EVEN RESEMBLE YOURSELF ANYMORE"? Are these sentences correct?2) Can I overdose ON (drugs)? (Ex.: "The man on tv overdosed ON heroin").3) Context: somebody is counting some beans, then he gets distracted, and he says: "How many beans WHERE WE AT?" Is this correct?4) Can you say that a scientific theory is "not sufficiently BACKED BY FACTS"? Meaning: there are not enough material/factual elements in its foundations. 5) Context: somebody does something inexplicable. You tell him: "WHAT THE HELL OF a meaning should this DEED have"? Is the positioning/use of "hell" correct? Is the use of "deed" right in this context?6) "THE RUMOR HAS SPREAD OUT, that the senator has actually 2 wives." Is this correct, or shall I say "rumors" or "a rumour" instead? Is the addition of "OUT" correct/necessary?7) "I can't stand the idea THAT THERE SHOULD BE people like that around!" Meaning: I can't stand the idea... that there are people etc. etc. Is "should" acceptable?8) Can you use "CRASH LAND" as verb? Ex.: "that plane crash-landed on the Himalaya". 9) Can you call "A FLEETING PASTTIME" a passtime that ends too soon (as does happiness, as the saying goes)? Or "glancing" would be better?10 "WE HUMAN are a strange kind". How do you express apposition in english? Should it be "We AS human" or any other way?Thank you for your patience and efforts. Antonio

Visnja · Accepted Answer

Hello, Antonio.

1. "You look totally different." is better. And the second one is OK, but it's a little bit strong expression, because often it can be taken as a harsh remark.

2. I have never heard that expression, but I heard "A man died of heroin overdose."

3. For this one, I'm not completely sure, but sometimes when people got distracted in conversation they ask:"Where were we?" Maybe this could be applied to your situation.

4. "A scientific theory is not sufficiently backed UP by facts."

5. People would say:"Why the **** did you do that?" or "What the **** did you do?" And talking about your use of "deed", I can't think of familiar expression, I have one close to that:"What is the meaning of this?" which is used when a person wants explanations from the other person for his/her (mis)deeds.

6. There is another phrase for rumor:"Rumor has it that senator has two wives." But, rumor can be spread, "out" is not necessary, you can just say:"The rumor has spread that senator actually has two wives." And talking about articles, I would use "the" here, because you think of one particular rumor.

7. It is acceptable, but in most cases I think people would just say:"... that there ARE people like that around."

8. Yes, you can use "crash-land" that way, because it's a verb denoting that a plane landed under emergency conditions.

9. I'm not sure about this one. Probably someone else will be able to explain this to you.

10. It's more like this:"We humanS are a strange kind." "Human" is a countable noun.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

1) Context: "A girl has her hair cut. I want her to know the she looks really different. Can I tell her: "YOU'RE TOTALLY ANOTHER!", or is it better: "YOU DON'T EVEN RESEMBLE YOURSELF ANYMORE"? Are these sentences correct?

Well, do you want to insult her or tell her that she looks fabulous?
You look like a new woman! (Great!)
Your makeover is really fantastic!

2) Can I overdose ON (drugs)? (Ex.: "The man on tv overdosed ON heroin").
Yes.

3) Context: somebody is counting some beans, then he gets distracted, and he says: "How many beans WHERE WE AT?" Is this correct?
No. How many beans had we counted before we were distracted?
Where were we when we were distracted?

4) Can you say that a scientific theory is "not sufficiently BACKED UP BY FACTS"? Meaning: there are not enough material/factual elements in its foundations.

5) Context: somebody does something inexplicable. You tell him: "WHAT THE **** OF a meaning should this DEED have"? Is the positioning/use of "****" correct? Is the use of "deed" right in this context?
No.
First, "what the ****" is a very impolite and aggressive expression.
Deed - an old word that is used in the expression "a good deed" You can say:
What in the world were you thinking when you did that?

6) "THE RUMOR HAS SPREAD ~~OUT~~, that the senator has actually 2 wives." Is this correct, or shall I say "rumors" or "a rumour" instead? Is the addition of "OUT" correct/necessary?
Also "Rumors have spread that..."

7) "I can't stand the idea THAT THERE SHOULD BE people like that around!" Meaning: I can't stand the idea... that there are people etc. etc. Is "should" acceptable?
It's awkward.
I can't fathom/imagine the idea that people like that should exist.

I can't stand - means I dislike something intensely. It is usually used for physical things like food and certain people.
I can't stand green eggs and ham.

8) Can you use "CRASH LAND" as verb? Ex.: "that plane crash-landed in the Himalayas".
Yes.

9) Can you call "A FLEETING PASTIME" a pastime that ends too soon (as does happiness, as the saying goes)? Or "glancing" would be better? No, glancing is not appropriate.

Happiness is fleeting.

10 "WE HUMAN are a strange kind". How do you express apposition in english? Should it be "We AS human" or any other way?
We humans ...
We human beings ...

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