Tagged Questions
3
votes
1answer
80 views
Term for verb+adverb with distinct meaning
There are verbs that, when paired with certain adverbs, can have a distinctly different meaning. For example,
I looked up the word in the dictionary.
The phrase looked up functions as a verb ...
2
votes
10answers
266 views
“To dress less attractive/flashy” to not “make yourself stand out as being more important than someone else”
I'm looking for (phrasal) verbs that describe these two actions.
Imagine in a music concert, if yor're a guest singer that is invited by the main singer, you're usually going to want to dress less ...
1
vote
1answer
102 views
“Sent” vs “sent off” vs “sent out”
When do we use one over another?
I sent a letter.
I sent off a letter.
I sent out a letter.
Here I found a similar topic but I am still confused.
sent = sent to one or more people
...
0
votes
2answers
73 views
Is “Cutting Across the Afternoon of Life” grammatical? [closed]
I'm using this for a title of short story. The title has to reflect the last line of the story, which is as follows:
A long, dark shadow cuts across the countless cubicles.
I've thought of ...
-3
votes
1answer
116 views
Proper use of “drop” and “drop off” [closed]
Can I use drop to say I will leave something somewhere?
I will drop the books at your house.
I will drop off the books at your house?
1
vote
1answer
409 views
“Take the role” vs. “take over the role” vs. “take on the role”
Is there a significant difference between the three expressions, or can they be used interchangeably?
I'm trying to say that a colleague of mine succeeded to another after the latter had quit his ...
0
votes
2answers
72 views
“Roll” vs. “roll up” [closed]
Are these two verbs the same? According to Longman, they are the same.
Here are some made up sentences:
I rolled this (up) into a ball.
Let's roll (up) our sleeves.
(I made up these ...
3
votes
3answers
194 views
What is the difference between “carry out a crime” and “commit a crime”
Do these both have the same meaning?
John carried out a crime.
John committed a crime.
1
vote
5answers
105 views
Sum up the users? Or sum up the number of users?
Let's say that there is a list of users and I want to know how many users are in the list.
Would I 'sum up the users,' 'sum the users,' 'sum up the number of the users,' 'sum the number of users,' or ...
-3
votes
1answer
638 views
what is the difference between “hook up with” and “have sex with”? [closed]
I would like to know the subtle difference between hook up and have sex. I'm asking because hook up seems have a subtly different meaning than have sex: in the situations I've heard this word it seems ...
1
vote
3answers
531 views
What's the difference between “get up” and “stand up”?
I'm translating Bob Marley's song "Get up, stand up" and, consulting my dictionary, I can't understand the difference between these two verbs.
I have understood the overall meaning of this song, of ...
0
votes
1answer
118 views
What does “back-slap” mean? [closed]
What does back-slap mean in this sentence?
Back-slap someone in Korea and they will be offended.
2
votes
4answers
365 views
Another verb for “to skate by” or “to skirt by”
People sometimes use the phrases to skate by x and to skirt by x with the meaning: to do x with ease or to do x with minimal effort. Is there another verb that sounds like to skate or to skirt that is ...
1
vote
1answer
201 views
Is “trained up” grammatically correct?
When I hear expressions like "you need to get trained up", I think the up is, at best, superfluous and probably grammatically incorrect.
Is that the case, or does the up serve a purpose?
2
votes
2answers
174 views
“Talk with” vs “talk live with”
What is the difference between talk with people and talk live with people? I think all kinds of talk is live. If so, why we would say talk live with people?
2
votes
2answers
157 views
Should “in” be used with “aiding and abetting”?
Aiding and abetting, also sometimes aiding or abetting, is often found in legal definitions of accessorial liability for crimes, for example "aiding or abetting a felony."
Is it proper to use "in" ...
9
votes
3answers
609 views
What's the meaning of 'out' when it comes after a verb ?
What's the difference between a verb like read and read out or shout and shout out and so on? How does "out" change the meaning of verbs?
-2
votes
4answers
212 views
To retroactively create?
Is there a verb that means "retroactively create"?
For example:
John wanted to retroactively create a relationship with his estranged father.
I'm not looking for a word that means ...
2
votes
2answers
431 views
What's the meaning of “delivering up” here?
Context (Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address),
There is much controversy about the delivering up of fugitives from service or labor. The clause I now read is as plainly written in the Constitution ...
2
votes
1answer
267 views
Meaning of “press upon”
In Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address,
I now reiterate these sentiments, and in doing so I only press upon the public attention the most conclusive evidence of which the case is susceptible that ...
3
votes
3answers
3k views
“Cover off” meaning “cover”
I've noticed that some business people (generally management types) have started to use the expression "cover off" to mean "cover".
E.g.
Can you cover off agenda item 3 for me?
or
Not ...
1
vote
2answers
364 views
“Open” vs. “open up”
Which of the following two variants is correct with reference to some email attachments?
I am unable to open them.
I am unable to open up them.
3
votes
2answers
194 views
Meaning of “the body soon learns to stand down in the face of fat”
The following is from the transcript of a podcast.
Dieters can choose from an array of snacktackular options in which sugars and fats are replaced by artificial, low-calorie substitutes. That ...
1
vote
2answers
719 views
What's the difference between “call off” vs. “cancel”?
You have to get Chang to call off some of this homework.
5
votes
2answers
688 views
Etymology of “end up” and “wind up”
What is the etymology of the phrase "end up", and of the meaning of "wind up" that means essentially the same thing?
To clarify, I mean the specific meaning of "wind up" that means the same as "end ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
3
votes
4answers
2k views
Why use 'step down' instead of 'resign'? Is there any difference?
Ozzie announced his plans to step down from his role at Microsoft on October 18, 2010
6
votes
3answers
2k views
Why do we use 'up' as adverbs for verbs?
Why do we use up as adverbs for verbs? For example, 'wake up', 'throw up', etc.
5
votes
5answers
3k views
Is there any difference between “talk to someone” and “talk with someone”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Speak to” vs. “Speak with”
Well, the question is in the title. I always had the impression that "talk to someone" refers to situations when some ...
45
votes
6answers
41k views
“Login” or “log in”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“log in to” or “log into” or “login to”
Is there accepted terminology for the process of logging in?
As a verb, would you say "Go to ...
