Questions tagged [word-choice]
This tag is for questions about choosing the best word FROM A GIVEN SELECTION for a particular context or meaning. The selection to choose from must appear in the question. If you do not know the word already, use single-word-requests.
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Use of Phrasal Verb 'Yearn for'
I'd like to ask if the following sentence is grammatically correct:
It is a rare luxury yearned for by even those who have it all.
I am especially concerned with the usage of the phrasal verb "...
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"Changes to how" or "changes in how"?
I have the following sentence:
Since that experience, I have made changes to how I address all of my courses.
Should I use "to how" or "in how" for any grammatical reason(s), or is it simply a ...
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Why is it that modern English readily accepts forming the adjectival form of some family member's names (e.g. motherly) but not others (e.g. sonly?)
We have motherly and fatherly. There is the city of brotherly love, and the girlfriend whose love for you is sisterly, or worse yet daughterly. According to the Collins Dictionary's trend line, sonly ...
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What is the name for the wall behind the suspect in a mug shot?
It's the wall that a suspect stands in front of when a mug shot is taken. I don't know what to call it so it's hard for me to find information about the wall itself.
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Synonym for affordable and premium
I am trying to name a product that is both affordable and premium. I want to use only one word e.g XXXXXX product. I have been looking for an adjective that means both premium and affordable but I ...
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What is the difference between "to allege" and "to claim"?
What is the difference between to allege and to claim? Can I use them interchangeably? Or perhaps I can only allege something illegal?
For example, from CNET:
Over the past several months, the two ...
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"Sign in", "signin" or "sign-in"
Which is correct: sign in, signin or sign-in when used as a noun and also as a verb?
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"an example (how) to do something" or "an example about doing something"?
I will give you an example to write a CV.
or
I will give you an example how to write a CV.
or
I will give you an example about how to write a CV.
or
I will give you an example about writing a CV....
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Usage of Spur vs Spark
While writing a personal statement, I wrote the following sentence.
"While shouldering many responsibilities at [company_name], I was the organiser of a speaker series, which sparked many ...
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"On" school or "In" school? [closed]
I know it's correct to say "in school", but is it also ok to say "on school"?
My mother tongue is german and if I translate it 1:1 it's "on school" and not "in school".
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Professional way to state the purpose of a letter [closed]
I'm writing a letter to a professor. It is my intention to state the purpose of the letter in the prescript, such as:
This is about project FOO you assigned on date BAR.
But I think this would ...
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Is there a difference in meaning between "does not seem to" and "seems not to"?
Consider the following sentences:
Try not to be alarmed if a rule doesn’t seem to work for a specific sentence.
Try not to be alarmed if a rule seems not to work for a specific sentence.
...
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"Bash" vs. "party"
Our management team ask us to join a pizza/beer bash, which is essentially nothing but a pizza lunch held for all employees.
My concept of the word bash still remained somewhere near the name of the ...
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Is "already" okay (vs "yet") in a negative conditional clause as part of a positive thought?
original thread
On HiNative.com a Taiwanese person asked about the meaning of "cool", as in "cool friend" or "cool girl". I answered:
It means you admire something about them and would like to ...
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“Openness will be developed in [us/ourselves]” – which is correct?
I’m not sure which one is correct in this case:
Openness will be developed in ourselves to our own Higher Self.
Openness will be developed in us to our own Higher Self.
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In-house vs out-of-house
What word or expression would you use to describe an employee who is contracted by a company on a project-by-project basis but who cannot be considered a freelancer as he or she works exclusively for ...
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How to better express the idea of "written communication"?
As compared to "verbal communication" or "visual communication", I was wondering if there was a synonym for "written communication" that is semantically similar to the first two. What throws me off ...
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Word for the typical posture of a smartphone user
A sentence taken from a student's piece of homework.
I often happen to watch youngsters leaning simultaneously on their smartphones while they are in groups.
You can understand what he's saying ...
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A word describes the person who tends to stereotype people
Is there a word/adjective (single word) that describes the person who likes consiously or uncousiously to stereotype people? I was thinking that there might be a word such as stereotypist, but such a ...
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"Workfile" or "work file"?
Our team works on many projects. Each project has a main document (in Excel) that we use to manage all of the work for that project.
Surely, this is a work file, but is it also more specifically a ...
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What is a word or phrase to describe a new article that's using outdated sources?
I am reading an article that is new, but it's citing completely outdated sources of information. Granted, without knowledge in the field, it would be hard to detect these inaccuracies.
I want to say, ...
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What to call an item that's neither an accessory nor a piece of jewelry
First let us paint a picture together.
Think of an individual whom wears clothes (like the lot of us); this individual also has an item around the wrist, which is not an item that affixes to another ...
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Film script for/from the novel [closed]
I was wondering which preposition - for or from - should be used in this case:
I am conducting research on the film script from/for this novel. (meaning that the script is based on this novel)
...
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"The song is on Reservoir Dogs" vs. "is off Reservoir Dogs" vs. "features within Reservoir Dogs"
During a discussion today, the song Stuck in the Middle came on. One of the members of my team asked, "is this on Reservoir Dogs?" Another said, "this is off Reservoir Dogs". To which the team manager ...
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Words to Differentiate Meeting Format from Meeting Structure?
I'm writing proposals for our new committee's weekly meetings. I want to write one proposal regarding everything related to how frequently we meet, where we meet, what time we meet, with whom we meet, ...
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What's a word that means does not belong, and doesn't matter at the same time?
The word can be used to mean that something doesn't belong (i.e in this category) or something that has nothing to do with something, but also doesn't matter.
I know there is a word for this in my ...
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Is there a word for the extreme opposite of "irony"
My understanding of irony comes from the movie "Reality Bites":
It's when the actual meaning is the complete opposite from the literal meaning
Frequently people use the term incorrectly, applying ...
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He was incognito? She was incognita?
1) Should the adjective/adverb incognito be used only for males? M-W says:
Definition of incognita
: [...] —used only of a woman
But M-W's definition of incognito simply says
with one's ...
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How do you relate "paranoia" to something?
To cut a short story shorter, I'm not entirely sure how to use the word "paranoia" in relation to a specific subject. That is, if one is paranoid about the government, would they have a paranoia "over"...
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Is it ever correct to use "relate to with"?
The following is a sentence I used -
Read these stories. See how many you can relate to with your own childhood
Somehow this relate to with was there in my subconscious mind, but now I feel it is ...
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Looking for a word to describe someone who has high achievements in a particular field
I am looking for a word to describe a person who has high achievements in a particular field. High achievements can be subjective so this word should have personal meanings. For example, I really like ...
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Which is correct: "Below the targets" or "Behind the target"? [closed]
I am writing a letter to one of our customers and would like to inform him that he is still behind the targets and has got 3 weeks.
My employer has introduced this offer according to which they will ...
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In this sentence, should I say faces/figures/persons/personages or some other word?
During a retrospect of how the EU has accommodated to financial adversities since 2008, a commentator says that "in terms of _______, nothing has changed", implying that those in charge, at least when ...
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judging the intended meaning of the two sentences below
James is Max's supposedly Irish ancestor.
james is Max's supposed Irish ancestor.
What can we interpret from these? Which is the correct one?
I understand that "supposedly" modifies the ...
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"The larger of A and B" or "the larger of A or B"
I was wondering which one is more correct between "the larger of A and B" and "the larger of A or B".
I use the former, but I saw in IRS instruction for Form 1040:
In most cases, your federal ...
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Schoolmaster vs Principal or Teacher
As I understand it, the word schoolmaster can either mean a man who teaches in school or one that disciplines or directs.
The word schoolmaster can be a synonym of teacher and principal.
But which ...
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Analysis of Cost Efficiency - Economics of?
I'm in search for a title that says: You can expect to read about how economic efficient different things are when compared against each other.
As I need a noun, grabbing the word economical and ...
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"It also has motivated me..." Is this correct? [closed]
I was hoping somebody with native English could help me find a better way to say this, or if this is fine as it is let me know. Specially the "HAS motivated me", I'm not 100% sure if it's correct or ...
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How to call something/a creature looking like a human, but which isn't?
How to call something/a creature looking like a human, but which isn't?
With "looking like" I mean its shape/appearance is very similar to a human, but without clearly being a human.
Do I just say: "...
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The correct term for when a corporation takes over or expands into a new industry?
For example, if we wanted to express how Google is expanding rapidly into all areas of the internet and material world, how could we say it? The emphasis here in on their expansion into multiple ...
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"The only thought on one's mind" vs. "in one's mind"
I heard the following lines in a song:
that I could be the only thought in her mind
as she was in mine.
I was wondering if it shouldn't be on instead, in both cases. Is the in variant ...
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Items must not be all zero or Items can't be all zero [closed]
I have a form, it looks like
And I want the users know the items of the form can't not be all zero.
Should I say Items must not be all zero or Items can't be all zero
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How do I say "nice playing with you"? [closed]
Is it right to say "It was nice playing with you in the same team" or "It was nice playing together in the same team"?
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Preposition: Within vs In
Is there a distinction between "within" and "in" as in, "upon finding a violation within the preceding four years" versus "upon finding a violation in the preceding four years"?
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"Round up to the nearest tertile value" wording question?
If I wanted to tell someone to round up to the nearest 1/4 value (e.g. 4.78 would become to 5.0), I would say:
Round up to the nearest quarter value.
Now, if I want to express rounding up to the ...
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Coining the word "oblivience" as an obliviousness induced rather than ignorance induced state of obedience
I notice thesauruses do not list the word oblivience, yet I am one of those people who give a little extra meaning to "free speech", as in "it doesn't hurt pioneering as long as the intent is clear".
...
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Gender Usage of Confidant vs Confidante
After reading an article in which it was stated that Che Guevara became a confidante of Fidel Castro, I am now very confused about the proper usage of the words confidante and confidant.
Every ...
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A good word for a group of synonyms?
Is there a specific word that denotes a group of synonyms? I thought semantic field worked, but then I read that this just pertains to discernible words in a text/discourse that can be semantically ...
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How to use "that is"?
My question involves the usage of "that is." I would like to use this construction in such a way that it will provide further qualification to the previous passage or sentence.
An example might be ...
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"Ask for directions", "Ask directions" and "Ask the way"
It seems that the phrase "ask for directions" is more frequently used than the other two. Is it OK to say "ask directions"? And does it sound strange if I say "ask the way"? I'm an ESL learner, and ...
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