StartFragment > Hi LiJ, I think I understand your question.  Both three hours long   and three-hour-long are correct. We use the former pattern at the end of a sentence / phrase. We use the latter to modify a noun. Similiarly, we say: 1. He is

StartFragment > Hi LiJ, Sorry for my belated reply. I think I understand your question.  Both three hours long   and three-hour-long are correct. We use the former pattern at the end of a sentence / phrase. We use the latter to modify a noun.

Hi, From http://www.wordspy.com: " put skin in the game idiom . To take an active interest in a company or undertaking by making a significant investment or financial commitment." Hoa Thai

Hi, Use 'out' when you mean 'from inside a building'. Otherwise, you can omit it. Hoa Thai

Hi, IMHO, go figure means: It’s difficult to find a good answer / reason for what has been said / stated. If you would like to give it a try, please do so - but most likely you won’t find anything satisfactory.

Hi N2G, I've heard cargo plane / ship, freight train , and freight / cargo truck . However, a cargo ship is also called a freighter. Others might have different opinions.

Hi, Could it be possible that people use 'in' to mean being contained / surrounded by guard-rail / hand-rail , and 'on' to relate to a surface ? Results of my google-search do not seem to support any distinctions between the two

Hi N2G, "It was just bananas" = "It was just nuts" = "It was just crazy" Bananas in the slang sense of "nuts" is first recorded 1935 (ref: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=banana )

Hi N2G, ' etc' is an abbreviation for et cetera , a latin expression that means "and the rest." Therefore, we do not need to add and before etc .

Hi, I think you can find your answer here: http://www.englishforums.com/English/OmittingPastParticiples/ckplg/post.htm