I started watching Regular Show with English audio and subtitles to get used to the language. The characters often use "moron" instead of "idiot"; what is the difference between these two words?

Is it "whole chicken" or "a whole chicken"?

I'm going to roast (whole or a whole?) chicken.

Is cut up whole chicken uncountable?

They're out of whole (chicken or chickens?). We can only get thighs and breasts.

Note: An uncountable or a mass noun never takes an indefinite article and is never pluralised.

I'm looking for a good vocabulary app.

I've used Anki for about six months. It does the job, but I find the design dated and the app clunky to use. I also don't trust the quality of most shared decks: they often seem like collections of unverified content that I'd have to check and fix myself.

I've also tried a few of the newer, more hyped apps, but the content was mostly just AI slop wrapped in a nicer interface, with a bunch of poorly implemented features.

Here's what I'd like:

• Something lightweight that I can open whenever I have a few spare minutes or while commuting. It should work offline and sync later.
• Premade or community decks with reliable content.
• The ability to add a word and get a useful flashcard automatically, with good default definitions and examples.
• If a definition or example contains another unfamiliar word, I'd like to tap it, look it up, and optionally add it to my collection without switching apps.
• Support for phrasal verbs and word combinations, not just individual words.
• Audio so I can hear how words are pronounced.

A few nice-to-haves:

• Easy editing of definitions, examples, and other card content. Editing in an external text editor would be fine too.
• An inbox where I can quickly save unfamiliar words while reading and sort them out later.
• Useful information about words, such as frequency rankings and labels like “slang” or “formal.”

Does anything cover most of this? What do you use, and where does it fall short?

When watching Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, I noticed that what is probably the movie's most famous quote wasn't said the way I expected it to be. When Darth Vader tells Luke the truth about his father, he says "No, *I* am your father", stressing the "I" in that sentence. This confuses me somewhat, as in my native language, emphasis would instead be placed on "am" due to the context of Luke's previous statement "He told me you killed him." So in my language, it would be "No, I *am* your father", emphasising the fact that Vader did not kill him, but that he was him. So in English, it is obviously different and the rule of stressing verbs that contradict a previous statement apparently does not exist...?

Therefore, my question is twofold: Is there a rule in English that explains why Darth Vader stresses "I" instead of "am" in this scene, and is there a definitive list of rules on which words to stress/emphasise in a sentence when speaking?

Do you say you're running some errands if you're just doing some grocery shopping or does it have to be multiple tasks?

Is it used in everyday language or is it something more formal?

Is there a difference between the fixed expressions "I'll be right there" and "I'll be right over"? Does "I'll be right over" imply the destination being someone's house?

Thanks in advance!

First of all, i've been learning English for about 11month from almost scratch. It sounds weird i'm a korean, korean usually take the English class at least over 10years. But for me, I didn't take a enlgish class when I was student, because i was playing taekwondo. Anyway I had a lot of confidence to be fluent speaking enlgish when I first started to learn enlgish. But here is now i don't think my enlgish improve anymore.

Every time I try to speak and think how to say something in enlgish. Even listening as well as reading so on. But yesterday I had to talk with foreign vendor about machine problem at workplace. But I struggled to explain all the things happend. So I don't have any confidence to keep learning English.

Is it normal ...? From what I have heard from YouTube, anyone can speak like fluently within 6month.. but why don't apply to me.

Anyway thanks for reading til end.

For some reason, I could only find "throw out" meaning to injure (a part of your body) in Britannica, but not in Longman or OALD. Does this mean "throw out" in this sense is only used in North American English?

Example without periods:

"My friend likes swords, shield, bows, etc"

I learned that when you want to create a question ending on an abbrevation like "When should i use the abbrevation etc.?", You should put the question mark after the period sign.

However, what if i want to end a sentence with ...?

Should i write "My friend likes swords, shield, bows, etc...."? Or should i just end the sentence with 3 periods?

Choosing which "you" to use is more complicated than choosing which "I" to use in my language. I just don't like that it makes me gauge a stranger's age and think of people's status.

Fortunately, you can still avoid using pronouns or someone's title as they're not required grammatically. I went to the bank yesterday, and the whole conversations happened without me using any "you" or them using any "I" or "you".

I like that English doesn't have different forms of "I" and "you" showing the relationship between you and your interlocutor. You're always "I" and everyone else you talk to is always "you", whether they're your own child, an elderly stranger, your older sibling, your employer, your worst enemy, your best friend, etc.

1. Should we move the meeting to next week or keep it for today?

2. Should we move the meeting to next week or keep it as (it) is?

3. Should we move the meeting to next week or keep it the way it is?

Is it correct to say that "distinct" means "unique" and "distinctive" means "distinguishable"?