Tagged Questions
-1
votes
1answer
65 views
Is “encrusted with dust” correct? [closed]
A big black vehicle rumbles through the streets of the slum. Its battered exterior is encrusted with dust.
"Encrusted" means that water or oil has been combined with dust (or something) and then ...
-2
votes
1answer
63 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 ...
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
...
0
votes
1answer
65 views
“Our editors compete to get your job”
I run a web service where customers submit an image with a description what needs to be edited, and editors compete with prices to get that editing job.
I want to put the following sentence in an ...
0
votes
2answers
67 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 ...
1
vote
0answers
92 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 )?
0
votes
0answers
161 views
Poetics of the Word Beautiful and its Implications [closed]
Background:
Let us say that a couple is looking at the sunset. The man turns to his wife and says, "Beautiful." That is, although he could be referring to his wife, he is referring to the sunset.
...
1
vote
2answers
197 views
“I love you for who you are” vs. “I love you as you are” vs. “I love you for what you are” [closed]
I love you for who you are.
I came across the line from a BBC Radio’s drama, and wondered what’s the difference from saying “I love you as you are,” or “I love you for what you are.” Would you ...
1
vote
3answers
104 views
“justify” vs. “align” in the context of alignment
A function offers an option. The value of the option decides if elements in a column are aligned right, aligned left or centered. Is it OK to call this option justify or is only align correct?
0
votes
2answers
131 views
“chance” as a verb in context [closed]
In the following text, is "chance" a verb or a noun?
Very few did better than chance in spotting which was which.
Could I replace it with "guess"?
2
votes
2answers
96 views
US English — “primary grains being produced” vs. “major cereals being produced”
I am correcting a Spanish-to-English translation that states,
The primary grains being produced in the world are maize, wheat, rice, barley, sorghum and oats.
I would prefer to use cereals ...
1
vote
4answers
125 views
Is “amend XX” a commonly understood English term to express “add something to XX” or “modify XX”?
In our company, we've recently had a discussion about the usage of the verb amend in the context of a screen in our software user interface, where a button reads amend set (meaning add something to ...
3
votes
4answers
210 views
How should the word “brutal” be used in marketing?
I noticed that some companies use the word brutal for marketing their products.
Examples:
brutal performance – a data storage software markets itself with this, they mean that their software is ...
2
votes
1answer
108 views
“Reducing degeneracies of/from/in FKK transmitter”
As stated in the title, I'm trying to get correct preposition — of/from/in. The sentence corresponds to the title of my work that addresses degeneracies that occur in FKK transmitter. However, this ...
8
votes
4answers
4k views
Is this an example of extrapolation?
I saw a joke on facebook today where professor cat states:
There are two types of people in this world: Those who can extrapolate
from incomplete data
My brother thinks that this really isn't ...
0
votes
3answers
220 views
Using “in which year” in middle of sentence
Can I use in which year in the middle of a sentence?
The industry has being growing at a record-breaking scale, excepting
only 2008, in which year, financial crisis stroke most sectors of
the ...
4
votes
3answers
122 views
the “meat” of one’s hand
Is it common to use the phrase “meat” of one’s hand in the meaning of trace of one’s hand or finger print?
There was an interesting essay on eraser written by Marry Norris, titled “Erasehead” in ...
1
vote
1answer
100 views
When to use “ordain” over “order”?
In the book Dune Messiah, I read:
"The Emperor has said I must die if I set foot on Dune," she said, making a last desperate effort. "You spoke of this yourself. You are condemning me if you take ...
0
votes
1answer
917 views
How to answer grammatically ambiguous tricky questions [closed]
Here are some examples :
1) The mangoes (will ripe/ripe/will ripen) over time said John.
2) The least considered in the latest Terrorist attacks (are/were/was) the innocent victims.
My choice for ...
0
votes
1answer
144 views
Looking for a word or words meaning to change something so it's more widely used and more efficient to use [closed]
I'm writing a proposal regarding website development work and would like a meaningful name for the proposal. I currently have a system for developing websites that isn't the most efficient and costs a ...
1
vote
2answers
80 views
Can “take” be a synonym of “attempt”, “approach” or “undertaking”?
Is it meaningful to say "we are preparing the last take at this battle" or "the third take finally brought them a victory" "I will try one more take at this"?
2
votes
3answers
429 views
tailored to someone needs VS tailor-made
I wrote a text about our company's services and added that we also can offer products tailored to the needs of our clients. One of my colleagues insisted that the expression was wrong and I should say ...
3
votes
4answers
197 views
What does “raising the debt ceiling is not groovy” mean? Is the word “groovy" obsolete among the youth of America”?
In Japan, the word groovy has been used to mean "fashionable and trendy" as an imported English word, which I think, doesn’t go far from the definition, "fashionable, attractive and interesting" in ...
2
votes
4answers
229 views
“Group” vs. “community” usage
Question 1
When we have a certain number of people that share the same interest, do we refer to them as:
interest group or
community [sharing same interest]?
What would be preferred and more ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
Is there a difference between “select” and “selected”?
When flying, I often read phrases like the following:
Special Meals only available on select flights […]
Then again, wouldn't it also make sense to say
Special Meals only available on ...
3
votes
6answers
364 views
“Too” as a sentence modifier
I was recently having a discussion with a friend on the "sure-thing principle" (not relevant but Google if you wish to know what that is). We were discussing it in the context of a scenario and the ...
4
votes
3answers
7k views
What is the difference between “brain” and “mind”?
Could someone please explain the contextual difference of this two words? If I for instance say:
I am using my brain to decide in what direction to move.
or
I am using my mind to decide in ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
“And to you” or “you too”?
I really like to chat with English folks, so I have wished them Merry Christmas. To my surprise I have noticed the following pattern — the British answered "and to you", but Americans "you too". The ...
1
vote
2answers
2k views
To avail of an opportunity
If I were to be able to do something (say I'm a slave and am able to become free). What would it mean to "avail myself of the opportunity"?
What would this mean? Would this mean to take advantage of ...
8
votes
3answers
566 views
Why is “that” used here?
Why doesn't the author just simply say "trusting your gut"?
He lit up when talking about movies and people that have influenced him, particularly Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard,” which he said ...
4
votes
4answers
271 views
What does “Japan-lite problems” mean?
It’s pity to learn our own country is viewed as a bad example for other countries not to follow. I found the word “Japan-lite problems” in the article of Time magazine (August 25 issue) titled “Six ...
3
votes
2answers
336 views
Closest in meaning confusion
I am preparing for an exam and came across the following problems. Since my english is limited in knowledge i am posting it here.
The sentence: This nitrogen dioxide(NO2) plays a role in the ...
2
votes
3answers
964 views
Proverb: “have fate without destiny”
I was looking for an English equivalent of the Chinese proverb (有缘无分) which describes couples who meet but who do not for whatever reason stay together.
My friend (native speaker, no Chinese ...
1
vote
2answers
271 views
Does a comparative always need to compare with something?
As I understand it, comparatives compare with something. So something that is colder is more cold than another thing. However, can't a word like colder be used as an adjective without being compared ...
1
vote
2answers
86 views
Is “the exchange (between Perry and Romney) was not the clear winner” a common English expression?
I noticed the line “the exchange was not the clear winner” in the following sentence of the article titled “The Take: Perry’s challenging road ahead” appearing in Washington Post Sept. 24 issue:
“On ...
8
votes
1answer
2k views
Is “of” instead of “have” correct?
I have noticed a lot of people use of instead of have, for example: "that must of been really annoying". Is this correct?
0
votes
2answers
232 views
Use “Plumb it down” instead of “Track it down”
Can we use these two sentences in place of another:
I've tracked the problem down and found something blocking our way.
I've plumbed the problem down and found something blocking our way.
I am ...
5
votes
5answers
414 views
Is the word “all” implied by this question?
I saw a post on Programmers.StackExchange in which someone asks the question:
Why do programmers [or anyone] give the "dead fish" hand shake in an interview?
The responses to that question say ...
1
vote
3answers
333 views
Use of “massively” in this specific sentence
Instead of using massively in the following sentence, what else can I use?
I am massively running out of time now!
I have tried "terribly", "horribly", "incredibly", "unbelievably", and ...
10
votes
5answers
2k views
“Known unknown” vs. “unknown known”
I was recently reading a review of Donald Rumsfeld's autobiography. The reviewer cited one of his famous phrases; he quoted it as "unknown known." Now my memory was that the phrase Rumsfeld used was ...
3
votes
1answer
309 views
Why typography? Why not fontography?
Typography is the art of selecting and using appropriate fonts in web, books, magazines, newspapers, etc., and is one of the most fundamental graphical design skills. However, almost everywhere you ...
6
votes
5answers
16k views
Usage of 'Dear All'
Is it correct to use "Dear All" at the beginning of the e-mail, when you are writing to more than one person?
It seems so informal to me. Is there any better way?
12
votes
5answers
1k views
Difference between “commit suicide” and “suicide”
One of the examples in my English composition book (for learning to write my language's sentences in English) was "Why he committed suicide under such a good circumstance is an unsolved question.", ...
13
votes
6answers
1k views
What is implied in calling someone “Citizen”?
In many dystopian stories, people call each other citizen. In other contexts too, I'm thinking Citizen Kane for example. Why? What is implied here?
51
votes
10answers
3k views
What's the difference between the adjectives “strategic” and “tactical”?
I recently read this sentence:
It was a strategic move rather than a tactical one.
I have trouble interpreting it. Can someone help?
4
votes
2answers
647 views
Damage vs. Damages
The word damage is non-count and its plural turns into a different definition (court-awarded money). Am I incorrect in thinking that damages can also be used to indicate various types/kinds of damage? ...
2
votes
3answers
248 views
Should I use “vue de l'esprit” in English?
I'm a French-native-speaker.
I'm not sure in which cases the French expression vue de l'esprit should be used, or if it should not be used. Is there any general case or rule?
For example, I have a ...
6
votes
3answers
291 views
What are the differences between “mimic” and “copy”?
I found this thread on wordreference.com in which it is claimed that "mimic" has frivolous connotations and "copy" has derogatory connotations. Specifically I am wondering how this distinction may ...
2
votes
4answers
251 views
Is there any difference in meaning between these sentences?
A: Positive and negative numbers cannot satisfy the condition.
B: Positive or negative numbers cannot satisfy the condition.
C: Non-zero numbers cannot satisfy the condition.
1
vote
10answers
209 views
“High Accident Intersection”
I was challenged recently to solve this problem. An accident takes place on an intersection on a high road. However, if I was to write about this as taken place in a "high accident intersection" it ...
