Tagged Questions
0
votes
0answers
15 views
For ever and forever
What is the difference between the meaning and usage of for ever and forever in British English? From what I could gather from my online research,
forever means continually(similar to its ...
3
votes
2answers
43 views
The adverb “away” for continuity or repetitiveness
I would like to ask about the adverbial particle "away" meaning continuity or repetitiveness (i.e. not a location, a distance, a change of position etc.).
When used with some atelic verbs, the ...
0
votes
2answers
78 views
“Sometimes also” or “also sometimes”?
I have a sentence where I think I could use either of these two constructions. They seem very similar in meaning, so I'm not sure which I should prefer. There might be some subtle point of grammar ...
1
vote
2answers
103 views
Is there any difference between “stoop down” and “stoop”?
According to Longman, they are the same, but I wonder if this is correct or if so, which one is more common.
For example:
Dave stooped down to tie his shoes.
Dave stooped to tie his shoes.
...
-1
votes
3answers
70 views
“Move slower” vs. “move less”
What is the proper word to fill the blank?
The more cars there are on a given road, the __ the traffic will move.
The answer is slower. But I wonder whether less is incorrect.
0
votes
2answers
144 views
What is the difference between “so much” and “quite so much”?
I was told that "so much" is more emphatic than "quite so much", but I am not sure. Could you explain the difference between the following pairs of sentences?
Don't put so much emphasis on that ...
1
vote
4answers
163 views
“First off” vs “first”
First off we need to write down a word; second we need...
First we need to write down a word; second we need...
What's the subtle difference between "first off" and "first"?
Moreover, ...
0
votes
3answers
140 views
“I went to bed hungry” vs. “I went to bed hungrily” [closed]
What is the exact difference between "I went to bed hungry" and "I went to bed hungrily"?
-2
votes
1answer
65 views
“In avoiding failure” vs. “For avoiding failure”?
1: In avoiding failure, we must be careful.
2: For avoiding failure, we must be careful.
What are the subtle differences between the two sentences?
0
votes
1answer
97 views
Exact meaning of “You are brand new”? [closed]
I run across a phrase of "You are brand new to GitHub" on the web.
What makes me confused is the word "brand"; is it a noun, an adjective or an adverb?
3
votes
1answer
132 views
Positioning “only” in “I have worked with X” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Correct position of “only”
Which of the following sentences are correct?
I have worked with only Mr. X.
I have worked only with Mr. X.
I have only worked with ...
3
votes
3answers
267 views
What does the title “Whose line is it anyway?” mean?
Whose line is it anyway? is a comedy show in which participants are given a theme and they are supposed to come up with an act according to the theme given to them.
According to Oxford Dictionary, ...
0
votes
3answers
201 views
Does “more or less” mean “almost”? [closed]
I checked out its meaning on the web and the common one I have found is "speaking imprecisely", but instinctively I thought it would be like "almost", for example:
The task assigned is more or ...
1
vote
3answers
926 views
'of yet' and 'as of yet'
Can ‘of yet’ be used with the same meaning of ‘as of yet’? For example:
Most importantly, he’s found footprints of dinosaurs that we haven’t found bones of yet.
Does this mean the same thing as ...
4
votes
5answers
592 views
“Hardly” vs. “barely”
I'm from Germany and in German both translate to the same word (kaum). I'd like to know the difference between these two words, hardly and barely.
0
votes
0answers
35 views
Meaning of “ still” in context [closed]
I have been trying to translate the following:
Some saw just the face, others just the body, still others heard the
speech run through a filter that made the words unintelligible but
left the ...
2
votes
2answers
143 views
Plastic or rubber stretched too much is (hardly/strongly) stretched?
If you want to describe a stretched plastic cable, would you say that it was hardly stretched or strongly stretched?
1
vote
1answer
99 views
meaning and usage of “in order the more” [closed]
I have just come across a phrase I have never seen before:
I do not so in order to undermine the status of xy but, on the contrary, in order the more securely to identify certain aspects.
A ...
-3
votes
2answers
192 views
Exact definition of “vehemently” [closed]
My work mates and I are arguing about this term since none of us can comprehend its exact definition. Can I use the expression "I have been struggling vehemently to get this email sent since last ...
4
votes
3answers
81 views
“Really” modification problems
I can read a French newspaper with the aid of a dictionary, but I cannot speak the language or understand it when spoken. So I do not really know French.
Some people say that really modifies know; ...
1
vote
4answers
184 views
Does adverb placement affect meaning?
He swam slowly to the island.
He slowly swam to the island.
Some experts say that there is a “slight difference” in meaning.
Would you please tell me that difference?
8
votes
3answers
343 views
Does the word “apparently” imply that I personally do or don't believe the statement following it?
When I say "Apparently, xyz", does that imply one of the following, and if so, which one?
From observation, I believe xyz to be true, but I leave open the possibility that I might be wrong.
I ...
3
votes
3answers
470 views
Usage of “already” and “yet”
I want to know the difference between already and yet in this example:
I was surprised that they had __ to decide what to do.
My answer on this question was already and my
teacher marked it as ...
3
votes
3answers
860 views
“I remember the day where” vs. “I remember the day when”
What is the difference between "I remember the day where..." and "I remember the day when..."?
I think both are used in both written and spoken English. Can we say that "when" makes more sense when ...
5
votes
1answer
132 views
Placement of “just” in “we just need minified and concatenated files” [closed]
I was talking to my client. I wanted to convey that "we need the minified type of files and the concatenated type of files; nothing other than that". I quickly wrote this:
we just need minified ...
14
votes
3answers
437 views
How do you tell if synonyms of “almost” default to meaning “less than”?
Having just had a chat with Em1, I noticed that some words or phrases that mean almost will mean less than when used alone, and other synonyms will mean greater than.
For example, nearly and close to ...
0
votes
2answers
587 views
“Would rather [infinitive1] than [infinitive2]” vs. “would rather that [subjunctive]”"
I am aware of sentences like
Beth would rather study at the library than go to parties.
There is another type of using rather that:
She would rather that the plane leave early in the ...
3
votes
2answers
352 views
Is this correct: “Of [something] I have but none”?
This might be a pretty weird question, given that I'm using awkward grammar. Take into account that I'm trying to play with the language.
The question is, would the following be correct?
Of milk ...
14
votes
5answers
2k views
“Eventually” vs. “finally”
What is the difference between finally and eventually?
He eventually escaped and made his way back to England.
He finally escaped and made his way back to England.
1
vote
3answers
392 views
Use of “ever” instead of “more and more” [closed]
I wonder if I can use "ever" in place of "more and more".
For example, do the following two sentences have the same meaning?
Software is getting more and more complex.
Software is getting ...
3
votes
2answers
541 views
“Appointed as” or just “appointed”?
Is it more correct to say
a) John was appointed as manager of ACME.
or
b) John was appointed manager of ACME.
Or are they interchangeable?
3
votes
3answers
713 views
“Always” vs. “forever”
What is the difference between always and forever? Are they synonyms used in different contexts or can they be used interchangeably?
4
votes
3answers
504 views
What does “before” mean here?
Kim frequently exhibited her vast knowledge of baseball before complete strangers.
Before is usually used to depict a time line, so this use is confusing for me.
5
votes
4answers
602 views
Difference between “presently” and “shortly”
What is the difference between presently and shortly? They seem to have rather similar meanings.
6
votes
1answer
888 views
Usage of “more than” before a verb
In the Longman dictionary, there is an example for Compensate as follows:
Her intelligence more than compensates for her lack of experience.
I am wondering what the grammatical point of using ...
0
votes
4answers
437 views
Using “actually” to talk about the present
The word "actually" is widely used more or less in the same context as "in fact":
You're a doctor, right?
Yes ... well, actually / in fact I haven't graduated yet.
But, is "actually" also ...
2
votes
2answers
12k views
What does “duly” mean in the phrase “duly noted”?
The phrase "duly noted" is very common, but I have never used the word "duly" outside of this context.
What is the meaning of the word "duly", and what does it add to the word "noted"?
I would ...
3
votes
1answer
152 views
Is the predicative proper in this example?
I object to praises that are too abundant and too often.
Does the meaning of abundant fit here?
Often is an adverb, so can it be used as a predicative which is
usually adjective or noun?
2
votes
3answers
381 views
Meaning of “triple up”
I understand the meaning of "triple", but what does "triple up" mean? What is the meaning of "up"?
Our campuses are increasing class sizes. Services may be diminished. Even in residence halls, ...
3
votes
1answer
477 views
Usage of “cowardly” and “coward”
I recently discovered that cowardly, which looks like an adverb, is actually also an adjective. So far so good. Then what is the difference between cowardly and coward, and is there any preferential ...
5
votes
5answers
2k views
Use of “completely rubbish”
I notice that it is rubbish means it is bad, but can we say it is completely rubbish meaning it is completely bad in everyday English? Do native speakers of English say that, other than the obviously ...
5
votes
2answers
3k views
Difference between “recently” and “lately”
I have posted a topic using this sentence:
I have picked some fictions to read lately.
RegDwight edited this sentence to:
I have recently picked up several works of fiction and begun to read ...
3
votes
2answers
437 views
Does this ‘twice’ mean two times, or double in quantity?
She caught sight of Mr. Diggory’s feet, and slowly, tremulously, raised her eyes to stare up into his face; then, more slowly still, she looked up into the sky. Harry could see the floating skull ...
1
vote
1answer
308 views
How “Barely better-than-even-odd” success is better as compared with 50:50 success?
According to Washington Post’s Breaking News Alert (May 8), President Obama faced sharply divided counsel and, in his mind, barely better-than-even odds of success when he ordered the daring May 1 ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
What is meant by saying “X, not to say Y”?
When someone says "X, not to say Y", do they mean "X, but not Y" or do they mean "X, and even Y"?
Normally I would assume it's the first, but I've seen a few examples where it seems ambiguous. Or ...
2
votes
2answers
6k views
Common usage of “namely”
I got an email today:
Medical will be sending some people over to give a talk, namely Joe Foo and Bob Bar.
I know the dictionary says namely means:
adverb /ˈnāmlē/
That is to say; to be ...
4
votes
2answers
384 views
Why use 'way' in this sentence?
This question is way too vague
Why not just: "This question is too vague"? What's the meaning of 'way' in this sentence?
2
votes
5answers
827 views
Meaning of 'constantly' in 'everything is fluid, is constantly changing…'
Heraclitus: everything is and is not, for everything is fluid, is constantly changing, constantly coming into being and passing away.
If 'constantly' means 'no stop in every little seconds' then ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
“Most every” and “almost every”
What is the difference between "most every" and "almost every"? Do they differ in amount?
25
votes
2answers
4k views
What is the difference between “maybe” and “may be”?
What is the difference in meaning and usage between maybe and may be? Are they synonymous?
