This tag is for questions about choosing the best word for a particular context or meaning.
11
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5answers
1k views
A word like “hundreds” but for multiples of 10 [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to use “tens of” and “hundreds of”?
Take this example:
Hundreds of pieces were used to create it.
What if the amount were something ...
11
votes
7answers
2k views
Why do signs read “wet floor”, not “slippery floor”?
Every other time I see a "wet floor" sign the following idea comes to my mind. That sign forces me through unnecessary mental effort to deduce that wet floors can be slippery.
I think it's like ...
11
votes
4answers
569 views
Is there a word for “part of a route”?
I'm building a software application where I calculate which way to take between two different places. I call the complete path for a Route (correct?). But what do I call each part of the route?
The ...
11
votes
3answers
962 views
In the context of family, what is the opposite of “immediate”?
In the context of family, the term "immediate" refers to member of the family connected by birth, adoption, marriage, civil partnership, or cohabitation.
Is t here a term that refers to the rest of ...
11
votes
5answers
7k views
“To be subject to” vs. “to be subjected to”
I read an article from Toronto Star today which stated:
TTC workers are subject to alcohol and drug testing.
A later paragraph of the same article repeated it, except it used subjected to ...
11
votes
7answers
1k views
Is it ever more appropriate to use “cognizant” over “aware”?
In every sentence I have ever read that uses the word "cognizant," the word could easily be replaced by "aware." On top of that, "aware" sounds much less pretentious and to-the-point.
Are there ...
11
votes
7answers
891 views
What is the plural form of “iPad 2”?
With the introduction of the iPad 2, I find myself hesitating when trying to refer to several of them. Is it iPads 2 or iPad 2's?
11
votes
6answers
347 views
Word for being biased “towards the other direction”?
Excuse the phrasing of the question, but I'm not sure how to put it.
Example:
Let's say we know for a fact that Smith is working as a police officer and that police officers have very small ...
11
votes
10answers
3k views
What single word describes the ability to think analytically?
I am trying to complete the following sentence:
This job requires both creativity and X
Where X is a single word describing the ability to think analytically. What would the best word be?
11
votes
5answers
12k views
What is the difference between “nothing but”, “anything but”, and “everything but”?
What is the difference between these phrases? When is it valid to use which? Should they be avoided as being ambiguous?
11
votes
6answers
3k views
“Speak to” vs. “Speak with”
What are the differences between these two phrasal verbs and what are the best situations to use each?
11
votes
3answers
12k views
“proficient <in/at/with>” What is the correct usage?
Which preposition is correct in the phrase "proficient in/at/with English"?
11
votes
9answers
1k views
Is it “Check and mate” or “Checkmate”?
I found the expression “Check and mate!” in the following sentence describing furious exchange of words between CNN host Piers Morgan and rightwing radio host and anti-gun-control propagandist Alex ...
11
votes
3answers
3k views
“Need of” vs. “need for”
Is "need of religion" grammatically incorrect as opposed to "need for religion"?
Or "need of salt" vs. "need for salt"?
11
votes
6answers
7k views
Difference between “commentor” and “commentator”
What is the difference between commentor and commentator? Is commentor or commenter a legitimate English word?
11
votes
5answers
3k views
Difference between “computation” and “calculation”
If the words computation and calculation are not perfect synonyms what is the difference between them? Which one describes more accurately what is done by a person computing or calculating something ...
11
votes
6answers
773 views
“Toward” or “towards” – what would a native speaker use?
In this question we learn that toward and towards are interchangeable, but that the former is somewhat more typical of U.S. English and the latter of British English, although there is some indication ...
11
votes
4answers
733 views
Can “real” be used as an adverb to describe an adjective?
Is this correct?
That is a real cool answer.
I learned that that was incorrect, since "real" is an adjective which can describe a noun, e.g. "real answer" but it is not an adverb which can ...
11
votes
2answers
680 views
Is 'couple' ever used in the sense of 'some'?
Is the usage of the word couple (as in, "I want to ask a couple of questions...") to mean 'some' or 'few' correct (as in, interpreting given example to mean "I want to ask a few questions")?
As a ...
11
votes
11answers
10k views
“Environmentally-friendly” vs. “Environment-friendly”
"Environmentally-friendly" sounds completely normal to me. So does "Environment-friendly". But I'm pretty sure I favour the former (despite the fact that I normally prefer the shorter of any two ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
Using “that” and “this” interchangeably
Learning and using English I'm always confused about what word to use for referring to things that have been described by me a few sentences earlier: "that" or "this".
Confusion comes from the fact ...
11
votes
3answers
3k views
Which is correct: “bored of”, “bored by”, “bored with”?
I have been asked by a young friend, "Which is correct: bored by, bored of, or bored with?" My instinct is to say that "bored of" and "bored by" are fine, but "bored with" sounds like she is being ...
11
votes
2answers
34k views
Co-Founder, Co-founder, or cofounder?
I've seen all three used and there doesn't seem to be a definitive one that I can find. I'm hedging towards Co-Founder as it's a title, but any clarity would be appreciated.
Edit
If it makes it any ...
11
votes
1answer
10k views
Which is correct: “feedback is welcome” or “feedback is welcomed”?
I am used to write feedback is welcome. Is that correct, or should I write feedback is welcomed? Why?
11
votes
2answers
2k views
Can “anyways” be used at the beginning of a sentence?
For example, is it acceptable to say “Anyways, I love Stack Exchange" or should "anyway" always be used?
11
votes
4answers
21k views
Use of 'as per' vs 'per'
I've read and have heard of both 'as per' and 'per' being used conversationally, both with the same connotation of either 'according to' or 'on authority of'
Examples:
"Tell Ron to start molding new ...
11
votes
1answer
426 views
Does underneath imply a greater level of depth than beneath or below?
I was trying to find the origin for the word "beneath" to see when it should be used instead of "below" and I found that it originated from be - neothan and was directed to see the definition of ...
11
votes
2answers
5k views
What is the difference between 'Muslim" and 'Islamic'?
I have seen 'Muslim' and 'Islamic' both used as adjectives to describe things relating to Islam. Is there a nuanced difference between the two words?
I know that 'Muslim' can also be used as a noun, ...
11
votes
2answers
3k views
Should I refer to “Section 2.3” or “Subsection 2.3”?
When writing a document that is divided into numbered sections and subsections, sometimes I would like to refer a certain subsection that has been numbered 2.3, for example. Here the 2 represents the ...
11
votes
3answers
1k views
“Before” vs. “in front of”
Especially in speeches I often hear a sentence like
I stand here before you...
However during my English classes in school (I'm German) we were told that before should only be used if you're ...
11
votes
2answers
861 views
Preventative vs. preventive
In this answer about the non-word disabilitated, the word preventative is compared (unfavourably, if my reading of the implication is correct) to preventive.
However, I have always used preventative, ...
10
votes
11answers
2k views
What is a feminine version of “dude”?
OK . . . another one similar to "What is a feminine version of 'guys'?"
"Dude" is masculine; what is the feminine version?
The usage I'm thinking of is that "dude" nowadays is used primarily as a ...
10
votes
7answers
10k views
What is a respectful way to refer to a person who has died?
What is a respectful way to refer to a person who has died? Is it OK to call that person "rest in peace"?
The rest in peace guy was a very generous man.
10
votes
13answers
4k views
How to describe someone who speaks a language “as if it is his mother tongue” in a CV?
Let's say English is not my mother tongue, but I claim in my CV that my English level is "as if" it was my mother tongue?
Is natively the word for that?
As in:
Languages:
Hebrew: ...
10
votes
4answers
737 views
What does a door do on its hinge?
In general sense of the language we would say that a door "opens" or "closes". But I am looking for a one-word answer(preferably) that would indicate its motion around the hinge. Does it swivel, ...
10
votes
7answers
275 views
Word to mean “iterations that are different”
I'm trying to find a word to complete the following phrase:
The experiment went through several [blank]s prior to the final design.
I'm simply trying to say that the experiments went through ...
10
votes
3answers
7k views
Is it 'what it looks like' or 'how it looks like'?
I live in a country where English is not the native language.
Oftentimes I hear my coworkers say they want to know or determine "how it looks like". This is grammatically closer to our native ...
10
votes
9answers
22k views
“Agree” vs. “concur”
What is the difference between agree and concur? Which is the more common to use? For instance, someone said something to me and I want to say that he is right. Should I say I agree with you or I ...
10
votes
3answers
3k views
Is there a difference between “leading edge” and “bleeding edge”?
It seems to me that "leading edge" is the more established phrase, while "bleeding edge" is basically the same thing but the user has adapted the phrase for extra (rather meaningless) emphasis.
Or is ...
10
votes
3answers
997 views
“Quick question” vs. “short question”
Which one would you prefer: "quick question" or "short question" for a question that you know is simple and will only take a moment to answer? Or maybe "simple question"? The problem I have with ...
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 ...
10
votes
6answers
687 views
“Fluids” versus “liquids”?
What is the difference between fluid and liquid?
I'm thinking of this in the context of drink plenty of fluids.
10
votes
4answers
548 views
How to refer to sexuality in a fictional universe of one sex?
Notch, the creator of the game Minecraft, has said in a blog post that there is only one sex in the game, and any animal can breed with any other animal of the same species.
He uses the word ...
10
votes
3answers
520 views
Should this abbreviated question use “lose” or “lost?”
The main site Meta is currently displaying a banner that reads
Lose some reputation points? A system-wide recalc of scores happened.
This raised the question Fix the grammar please? ...
10
votes
4answers
6k views
What's the difference between the words “plate” and “dish”?
I'm confused about the words dish and plate. Could someone please explain the difference?
10
votes
6answers
15k views
Has “segway” become an acceptable substitute for “segue”?
For a long time, I used the word segway in relative contentment, as a useful word to mean "to transition to." As in:
We're getting off-topic. Let's segway to the next discussion point, shall we?
...
10
votes
8answers
1k views
What's a good word for a person that's being followed?
Wondering what the correct word to use for a person who is being followed. All I can think of is a followee, which doesn't seem correct. It's being used in a twitter like system of followers and ...
10
votes
5answers
2k views
10
votes
6answers
1k views
“peak” vs “summit”
According to the dictionary:
peak — the pointed top of a mountain; a mountain with a pointed top
summit — the highest point of something, especially the top of a mountain
In the picture of the ...
10
votes
6answers
669 views
Can “crepuscular” and/or “twilight” apply to morning half-light as well as in the evening
I know that's "sorta" two questions in one, but I'm stuck in an argument with a guy who says both words can apply to morning half-light. I disagree and think both only apply in the evening.
I think ...
