This tag is for questions about choosing the best word for a particular context or meaning.
13
votes
4answers
746 views
Two children from/with/by my ex-husband
Are all of the following sentences OK?
I have two children with my ex-husband.
I have two children from my ex-husband.
I have two children by my ex-husband.
Do they mean the same ...
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?
13
votes
7answers
1k views
Are there commonly used words to denote different gradations of friendship in English?
In English there is only one word for grade of friendship: friends. All of you agree that friends are different: with some of them you just drank beer few times, other you know for many years and you ...
13
votes
5answers
912 views
“Woman is the 'n-word' of the world”?
The other day I was watching a video, in which one white teacher was being accused of using the word "nigger" in reference to one of his students who was black. The newscasters, before showing the ...
13
votes
5answers
910 views
The place where the railroad crosses the road
What do you call those places where a railroad crosses an automobile road?:
Of course, I've heard what they are called in English, but I suspect that they are referred to differently depending on ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the difference between an apocalypse and a cataclysm?
What is the difference between an apocalypse and a cataclysm? I've been told that an apocalypse is an act of God, but we seem to use it as a generic term for any grand disaster. What is the ...
13
votes
10answers
6k views
Is it offensive to call a redhead a “ginger”?
So I just re-watched this great comedy by Tim Minchin, and here are the questions:
How bad/offensive is the g-word
really (other than being an anagram of the n-word)?
What are alternatives? Is ...
13
votes
7answers
391 views
What is the appropriate word for “following trail” or similar in English?
In this scenario, suppose someone gives me a down vote, for whatever reason. After that someone else comes and sees the down vote and thinks this should be down voted. Another down vote. Another ...
13
votes
3answers
2k views
“open mike” vs. “open mic”
I run comedy shows, and at these comedy shows there is always an "open mike" section.
Frequently I get people saying to me, shouldn't it be "open mic", because "mic" should be the shortened version ...
13
votes
4answers
10k views
Difference between “I have got” and “I have gotten”
I see these two expressions are used almost identically in different contexts. Is there a difference between I have got and I have gotten?
13
votes
9answers
1k views
Word for someone who is extremely up-to-date with the latest facts (news or research)
I seek a word for one who is up-to-date, enlightened, and extremely well informed about the latest developments or research in a particular field.
An example is a person who complains about a recent ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
Are “so” and “so that” interchangeable?
A book suggests that we should not interchange "so" and "so that". "So" means "therefore", and "so that" means "in order that". However, it seems to me that in many cases they don't actually have a ...
13
votes
3answers
1k views
“A bit” vs. “a little bit” vs. “a little”
Is there a difference between a bit, a little bit and a little in the following context?
He is a little bit angry.
He is a little angry.
He is a bit angry.
Or do these sentences mean the ...
13
votes
4answers
856 views
Is “incorrect facts” an oxymoron?
I've seen this so many times and it drives me crazy. The latest was the actor Paul Giamatti setting some story straight in the press about him: "It's unfortunately an incorrect fact about me and it's ...
13
votes
2answers
2k views
Is it incorrect to use “hard” when I mean “difficult”?
My late grandfather had several word-choice peeves for which he would gently interrupt a speaker, especially a grandchild, in order to correct. The one I remember most was his dislike for the use of ...
13
votes
3answers
10k views
Which is correct: “This is her” or “This is she”?
Upon answering the telephone, the person calling asks if Joan is available. If Joan is the person who answered the phone, should she say "This is her" or "This is she"?
13
votes
3answers
2k views
“Todo list” or “to-do list”
I always thought it was a todo list, and quite a few places online refer to it as todo, but various spell checkers are telling me it should be to-do.
The only meaning I could find was ...
13
votes
7answers
1k views
What is the name of the first decade in a century?
80s the "Eighties"
90s the "Nineties"
00s the ???
For that matter, what is the second decade called? The "tens" just doesn't sound right.
13
votes
6answers
4k views
What is the difference between illegal and unlawful?
I often hear an unlawful act, so what is an illegal act?
13
votes
2answers
548 views
Is “so” more feminine than “very”?
Many Japanese textbooks of English mention the "feminine 'so'": the use of "so" for "very" is more typical of a feminine speaker. I don't think this is true in the US (I learned English living in ...
13
votes
3answers
2k views
What is the best salutation to use in cover letter when I don't have contact information?
I prepare to write a cover letter to several banks. The application is online and I need to submit it to each employer.
So how could I write in the salutation of the cover letter. I don't have the ...
12
votes
10answers
23k views
Is “errored” correct usage?
If "errored" is not a valid word, then how should I say:
The program errored at line 44
I guess I could say:
The program threw an error at line 44
But why is "errored" wrong? Is there a ...
12
votes
3answers
319 views
Extend or go beyond a promise
Can one fulfill “beyond” a promise? Is it possible to say “extending the fulfillment of a promise”?
I am trying to express that I hope I fulfilled a promise and then some. This is for the ...
12
votes
6answers
2k views
Is there an informal way to describe a woman that can not have a baby?
"Infertile"; "fruitless"? How would you describe such a woman in an informal talk to your friend?
12
votes
7answers
6k views
What would you call a person from India?
My guess would be "Indian", but that sounds like a guy with a feather on his head who hunts buffalo.
Is there a better name?
12
votes
8answers
5k views
What's the difference between “bucket” and “pail”?
What is the difference between bucket and pail?
Is there a distinction between the shape of a bucket and the shape of a pail?
Are buckets and pails made of different materials?
Is there a difference ...
12
votes
6answers
11k views
What does “going forward” mean?
In more and more podcasts and presentations I hear sentences such as this one:
That is our strategy going forward.
What meaning does going forward add to the sentence? That is, how is it ...
12
votes
4answers
506 views
What are the possible meanings of positive “any more”?
Ordinary any more [usually with negative or in questions]
to any further extent; any longer:
she refused to listen any more
Positive any more is the use of the adverb any more in an ...
12
votes
6answers
5k views
Which is the correct spelling: “fairy” or “faerie”?
Fairy vs. faerie — which is the correct spelling?
12
votes
6answers
6k views
“Like something more” or “like something better”
When people like something more than something else, it's common for me to hear them say they like it better than something else. Is this proper English? I've always thought the word more fits better, ...
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.", ...
12
votes
6answers
12k views
“on the train” or “in the train”?
Which of these is correct: "I am on the train" or "I am in the train"?
12
votes
7answers
1k views
If I help “evacuate” a building, what am I doing to the people?
I remember reading somewhere that to evacuate a person is a medical procedure, and not something to be done during an earthquake. (I thought it was in Fowler, but I just looked and couldn't see it). ...
12
votes
6answers
1k views
“Bob and us” or “Bob and we” or “Bob and ourselves”?
In the singular, it is quite clear that one uses "I" when referring to a third party and oneself, as in:
Bob and I are going to build an aircraft.
However, in the plural, it is a lot less clear. ...
12
votes
5answers
21k views
“Insecure” or “unsecure” when dealing with security?
Which is the appropriate word to be used in the sentence:
The system we were testing was determined to be insecure/unsecure.
The usage is in the context of security, specifically a lack ...
12
votes
5answers
2k views
Is it “close-minded” or “closed-minded”?
This good answer ended up with a lot of comments about whether the phrase is "close-minded" or "closed-minded." Since this debate seems to have reasonable arguments on both sides, I thought a new ...
12
votes
7answers
6k views
Are there any differences between “I believe” vs “I think” vs “I reckon”?
These are the three most common ways to say "I think." (At least, I believe so. I mean, I think so. Um...)
Are there any subtle differences between them?
Are there situations where one of the three ...
12
votes
3answers
11k views
“Can hardly wait” versus “can't hardly wait”
This has been bothering me for a while and I'm finally at a forum where I feel like I might get an answer. I have heard people say "I can hardly wait for summer to get here" and I've also heard "I ...
12
votes
6answers
1k views
Difference between “run into”, “come upon” and “come across”
These phrasal verbs have a similar meaning (please correct me if not):
run into
come across
come upon
Are there any nuances to choose between them? For example, I might be wrong but I mostly see ...
12
votes
5answers
608 views
“Play it as it lays” or “play it as it lies”
The title of Joan Didion's book Play It as It Lays has thrown me off since I first heard it. Shouldn't it be Play It as It Lies?
I have read through a related post on the subject of lay vs. lie and ...
12
votes
3answers
271 views
“Upvote” vs. “up vote” vs. “up-vote”
Should I use "upvote", "up vote", or "up-vote" on SE sites? What about "downvote"? They're not words in the sense that they're in the dictionary, but they are commonly used in this community. Also, ...
12
votes
2answers
566 views
Why can humour be dry but not wet?
Humour that is presented in a matter of fact way, as it weren't even an attempt to be funny, can be described as dry. And any sort of writing or information can be dry if it's overly factual in ...
12
votes
5answers
519 views
How to express something given to a customer for “free in a non-immoral, non-sexual, non-promoting context”?
I'm not sure what English word(s) to use for the German noun "Naturalrabatt" in the case of giving a retail customer a product for free in a non-immoral, non-sexual, non-promoting context.
...
12
votes
2answers
5k views
Why is “guinea pig” used as the colloquial term for test subjects?
Why do we refer to people as guinea pigs when discussing the subjects of an informal experiment? Surely mice, rabbits and rats are much more common experimental subjects. Indeed, it's rare that you'll ...
12
votes
3answers
2k views
When must one use “should” and when should one use “must”?
I tend to use should when it's a suggestion I don't have a strong opinion on, i.e. it could be done in many other ways than the one I'm suggesting and it can still happen.
You should stop by that ...
12
votes
4answers
2k views
Difference between “spicy” and “hot”
I make a distinction between "hot" and "spicy" food ("hot" not referring to temperature). I consider "hot" food the kind that "burns" and "spicy" food that has lots of flavor, but that may or may not ...
12
votes
4answers
7k views
What is the difference between 'make decision' and 'take decision'?
What is the difference between make decision and take decision? When to use the one and when the other?
12
votes
4answers
6k views
Is “either” only used with two options?
Does “either . . . or” apply to only two options?
For example, can I say, “It can provide either 100, 150, or 400 amps of power”? Or should it just be “It can provide 100, 150, or 400 amps of ...
12
votes
1answer
1k views
12
votes
1answer
2k views
Are the words “mandatory,” “obligatory,” and “compulsory” interchangeable?
As a non-native speaker, I wonder what the rules are for preferring one of "mandatory", "obligatory" or "compulsory" over the others.
The Corpus of Contemporary American English yields examples such ...
