Tagged Questions
0
votes
1answer
28 views
Meaning of “How'd you know?”: “would”, “did”, or “do”?
Does the question "How'd you know" mean:
How do you know?
or
How did you know?
or
How would you?
0
votes
2answers
34 views
Which one of these words is more suitable for “having” or “accomplishing”?
I want to express the achievement of a goal such as "Buying a car", or "Learning a Skill".
Can I say:
"I obtained a new car."
or
"I obtained piano playing skill."
Is there a word better than ...
2
votes
4answers
190 views
“In a while” vs. “for a while”
I recently got a message that says
Haven't heard anything from you in a while.
I always thought that the right way to say this would be to use for insdead of in. Are both versions correct? ...
1
vote
2answers
55 views
Meaning of the word “findings”? [closed]
I need to find a word to define the products you see in the capture.
The best match I've found is findings.
Is this word the correct one? Is there a better word for these products?
0
votes
2answers
89 views
Is it wrong to use “The Albatross is now on the sky”?
Is it wrong to use "The Albatross is now on the sky"?
Is it like we should always say "The Albatross is now in the sky"?
I would like to get an explanation for this. Thanks.
-5
votes
0answers
64 views
What does “wanna” means? [closed]
I have some problems with the definition "wanna". What does "wanna" means? When I shoul use "wanna" and when I should use "want"
They want to get me?
or
They wanna to get me?
2
votes
2answers
59 views
“Starting with” vs. “starting from”
I would like to ask about the difference between the two phrases starting with and starting from.
Take the following two sentences for example:
Please give me all the names starting with A.
...
0
votes
2answers
83 views
Can we say “probable” where we have to say “possible”?
Can we say probable where we have to say possible?
What is the exact meaning of that? I have searched this, but I didn't get the perfect example of that.
1
vote
4answers
79 views
“Cyclicity” vs. “cyclicality”
I can't find the difference between these two words. I want to describe the property of something that is repeating at a fixed period (don't ask me to use periodicity, that would be for another ...
0
votes
2answers
109 views
A water circle of few radius is around the park
Look at the below image. Do you see the water in few feet radius around a land? How do you describe this? Let's assume that the land is a park and there is no fountain. Can I express it as "A water ...
1
vote
1answer
54 views
Origin and meaning of “Action item”
Where was the term "Action item" was first coined, and isn't just a fancy and euphemistic way to say "task"?
0
votes
3answers
81 views
What is more common “table booking” or “table reservation”?
What is more common and natural, "table booking" or "table reservation"?
Is there a big difference between these two?
5
votes
1answer
140 views
Is the phrase, “a bloody altercation” an accurate way to describe the Officer’s killing at the MIT campus?
I was caught up with the word, “the bloody altercation” in the following statement of New York Times (April 25) article titled “Officer’s killing spurred pursuit in Boston attack.”
...
-2
votes
1answer
62 views
The ironic correlation of the words “Ineffable” and “Circumlocution”
Both the word "Ineffable" and "Circumlocution" are contradictory by definition. For context;
first The very existence of the words shows defies its definition; so should one say "indescribable" as ...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
Objectivity vs. Objectivism vs. Objectiveness [closed]
What are some clear-cut distinctions between objectivity, objectivism, and objectiveness?
0
votes
2answers
83 views
Why does “for” sound more appropriate than “during” in “I couldn't do anything for the rest of the day”?
I couldn't do anything for/during the rest of the day.
I know that for sounds correct, perhaps because "the rest of the day" is a finite chunk of time like "one hour" or "one week".
However, I ...
1
vote
1answer
101 views
Experience ranks in engineering titles [closed]
I've seen terms such as "Associate Engineer", "Assistant Engineer", "Senior Enigneer" but I'm yet to find a ranked list of such terms.
In a word-for-word translation for similar ranks in Brazil, we ...
2
votes
1answer
109 views
Does a truism need to be true to be a truism?
I frequently hear people quoting widely-used idioms or proverbs as if they are fact, simply because they are used frequently by many people. For example, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
Can ...
1
vote
1answer
54 views
What is the difference, if any, between “divine providence” and “Providence” (with a capital p)?
ODO defines providence as:
providence: [mass noun] 1 the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual
power: they found their trust in divine providence to be a source of
comfort
...
1
vote
1answer
101 views
“Choices” vs. “options”
Are the two words synonyms? Is it grammatically correct to say "you have two choices, this or that?" Isn't that one choice? Should it not be "you have one choice, this or that" or "you have two ...
1
vote
2answers
159 views
Difference between “meaning of life” and “purpose of life”
I have seen and heard both, but I cannot tell the difference between "meaning of life" and "purpose of life".
Could anybody explain it to me? When to use which?
2
votes
1answer
114 views
What is the difference in meaning between 'nonchalant' and 'insouciant'?
OED defines them as:
nonchalant adjective (of a person or manner) feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm
insouciant adjective showing ...
2
votes
4answers
135 views
Difference between 'Redundant' and 'Superfluous'
(I made a search for this question on this forum but surprisingly did not find related questions. Which is odd because surely this question is asked often.)
First, the sentence I'm trying to use ...
1
vote
2answers
100 views
When to use whence instead of hence
I've come across instances where I felt using both was just fine. The dictionary definition doesn't provide much clarity either. Could someone please clarify the differences between the two?
4
votes
4answers
233 views
Quintessential vs essential?
While quintessential means 'representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class' [OED], it defines essential as 'absolutely necessary; extremely important'. I have noticed frequent ...
-2
votes
2answers
82 views
Troublesome vs Annoying
What is the difference between "troublesome" and "annoying", especially when used to describe a person?
2
votes
2answers
212 views
“Split in half” vs. “split in two” — which one is correct?
Does the "in" imply multiplication, in which case split in half is correct, or is it division? It sounds like the latter to me, but I've heard it used both ways.
0
votes
1answer
86 views
What's the difference between “active” and “busy”?
What's the difference in meaning between saying "I'm an active person." and "I'm a busy person."?
0
votes
1answer
170 views
What is difference between “ok” and “alright”?
Difference between "ok" and "alright".
Is the two words have exact same meaning. If so, What will be difference or difference is only reflects according usage in different circumstances.
0
votes
1answer
94 views
Is there a difference between “opt” and “choose”?
Could you give examples where one is better suited than the other one? Or are they completely synonymous?
(I'm not a native speaker.)
Update: I'm writing a piece software documentation and I wonder ...
1
vote
3answers
122 views
Usage of “provided” and “providing”
I'm not sure if I used the word "provided" in a right way in the following example:
In general, this algorithm solves Fibonacci problem with higher scores rather than the original algorithm, ...
0
votes
4answers
235 views
what's the difference between “apparent”, “evident” and “obvious”?
I believe they are all the same, but is there any case in which not all of them are correct?
Here are the examples, from an English textbook:
1. It is (quite) __ that he took the wrong path.
...
0
votes
4answers
109 views
How would you describe an operator which has no fixity? [closed]
Traditionally mathematical operators are either prefix, postfix or infix. All the three forms of notation are equivalent and can be converted from one to another.
Formal systems such as programming ...
4
votes
2answers
362 views
“Register” vs. “registry”
What's the difference in meaning between “register” and “registry”? Can both be used interchangeably when talking about an official (public) list of items, records?
-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.
4
votes
1answer
235 views
“Flammable” versus “Combustible”
In Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition (2003), the first definition of combustible is "capable of combustion," the first definition of combustion is "an act or instance of ...
4
votes
5answers
219 views
Looking for the opposite of “drill down”
I am a programmer working on a chart component that allows to drill down on selection of a node. Drilling down will show the details of that node (like its children etc.). But I am struggling to find ...
0
votes
1answer
177 views
Do “I guess” and “I would say” have the same meaning?
I often read sentences where the idea is "I would say" but it starts with "I guess". For example:
I would say he is not coming.
I guess he is not coming.
Do both have the same meaning?
-1
votes
2answers
111 views
“Be accepted to” vs. “be accepted onto”
Do these variations mean anything different, or is one more correct?
I have been accepted onto a course at the University of Stack Exchange
I have been accepted to the Masters programme
Are ...
-1
votes
2answers
92 views
Meaning of “Meeting agenda”
I have a doubt about what a meeting agenda is. I don’t know if it is possible to use meeting agenda
when you have to register all the topics (conclusions, ideas, members, date, etc.) of the ...
-1
votes
1answer
47 views
What is the difference between “Distribution Worker” and “Distributing Worker”?
I cannot differentiate when I should use a noun like "distribution" as an adjective to another noun, or when should I use an "-ing" participle as an adjective. Could you please clarify the differences ...
2
votes
4answers
185 views
“Except for” vs. “except on”
I want to say that I have time to do the homework only on Sunday and on no other day.
So can you help me choose which of the following sentences are considered idiomatic and common for native ...
-2
votes
1answer
40 views
to look into to find vs to look up? [closed]
Considering the two following sentences :
List directories to look into to find ml files.
List directories to look up ml files.
The number 1 is the original one, the number 2 is the ...
-1
votes
2answers
278 views
The Present Perfect vs The Past Tense in English [closed]
Would you agree that the present perfect is used more than the past tense by native speakers to emphasize the situation at hand? Some languages, like Arabic and Japanese, use the simple past much ...
-2
votes
1answer
102 views
What is the difference between “combine A with B” and “combine A and B”? [closed]
I wonder the difference between combine A with B and combine A and B so that I can use the phrase correctly.
Thanks a lot!
2
votes
2answers
141 views
Can 'domestic animal' mean 'livestock'?
Is it correct to use 'domestic animal' instead of 'livestock' (cattle)?
-1
votes
1answer
119 views
How do you stop using “you” in every question? [closed]
I post questions on stackexchange sites and I'd like them to sound more professional.
However, they usually start like this:
How do you....
How can I make my questions sound more professional?
...
1
vote
0answers
88 views
What would be the best answer for ( happy birth day wish you all the best )? [closed]
What would be the best answer for ( happy birth day to you , wish you all the best )?
-1
votes
2answers
165 views
Difference between “anyone” and “everyone”? [duplicate]
What's the difference between anyone and everyone?
Everyone should keep quiet in the classroom.
Anyone should keep quiet in the classroom.
0
votes
3answers
97 views
a hard close look [closed]
Are "close" and "hard" the same below?
He took a close look at the cat.
He took a hard look at the cat.
Or are they subtly different? For this particular usage, web dictionaries appear ...
