Questions tagged [word-usage]
This tag is for questions about correctly using a word. The word has to be provided within the question. The question should be limited to the usage of one word. For the usage of complete phrases there is the tag phrase-usage.
9,376
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Is "pushing at an open door" a common expression in English? [closed]
I'm not sure if the expression "pushing at an open door" is used and understood by a native English speaker.
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113
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about the usage of somebody and anyone
I have a question about something which is on my mind for a while.
I was watching an instagram story and the man was speaking English. I'm going to quote directly what he said. ( he spreads ...
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2
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"Rubric" as meaning "signature" or "personal mark" -- is this accepted usage?
I am reading a book about Spanish California, and the author uses the word "rubric" to mean, I think, "personal mark attesting to a document." I don't have access to the original manuscript documents, ...
3
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1
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Why do "X associate" and "associate X" have such different meanings?
This answer describes the American English term "stock associate", as meaning a relatively low paid store worker who fills shelves.
By contrast, high status work seems to have the job descriptor ...
2
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1
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Cellphone or cell phone? [duplicate]
I want to get this right, so I’ve decided to get the opinion of all you smart folks out there. I’ve seen the word written both ways, I personally write cellphone as one word, but I’ve seen it written ...
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2
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"On Average" vs "The Average" [closed]
I'm not sure if this might be a math question, but are the following phrases equivalent, or do they differ in nuance:
"Students are tall, on average"
"The/An average student is tall"
I found these ...
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2
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272
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Can "contemporary" be used for objects
I don't want to use the word competitors in a business context, can I use the word "contemporaries".
For example,
Our business stands out from its contemporaries.
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1
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458
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What is a word that can be used like "socialist," but for capitalism?
Those who support the ideology of socialism are called "socialists".
However, those who support the ideology of capitalism are not called "capitalists". Instead, those who own capital are called ...
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377
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'In' as a verb - meaning (lands inned)
According to OED:
1.1 trans. To give or put in (obs.); to take in, include, inclose; esp. to take in, inclose or reclaim (waste or unprofitable land). Now
dial.
A few examples from OED:
1592 ...
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1
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Past Perfect usage question
„Boxer Joe Foster had fought over 100 opponents when he retired in 1994.” Why someone used Past Perfect in this senence?
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3
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What is the usage of "of" in this sentence?
What is the usage of the 2nd "of" in this sentence?
the duration of the x-ray pulse can be of picosecond duration
Why is it not be this?
the duration of the x-ray pulse can be picosecond
Is ...
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650
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What does 'shrink' mean in this sentence: "I don't talk about me like a TV show character would to his shrink" [duplicate]
"I don't talk about me like a TV show character would to his shrink"
I've heard this alternate usage very rarely, so I couldn't understand what the person means when he/she says it.
I guess this is ...
10
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Discrepancy in using adjective or adverb with “taste”
One asks “how does x taste,” implying that they’d like an adverb describing the way it tastes. But one answers with an adjective, “it tastes good” instead of “it tastes well,” which would imply that x ...
0
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1
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"being" usage as relative clause
I'm dwelled on usage(s) of being in the following sentence.
Even with the model of memory being just physical memory, several
options are possible.
Can it be written alternatively as the ...
2
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2
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What does this sentence in a paragraph about the Notre Dame Fire mean?
A 2017 Time article discussing the crumbling, wearing out, and water damage of France's Notre Dame Cathedral prior to the 2019 fire writes (emphasis added to the part I would like clarification on):
...
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2
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Is "stabilize into" a valid collocation? [closed]
Here is the full sentence:
"Despite the fluidity of this trope, in the middle of the twentieth century, it briefly stabilized into a distinct shape".
Thanks for the help!
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1
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776
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single potato measurement unit
When I need one loaf of bread I can easily say so.
When I need only one [___] potato what would the equivalent word be?
Everything I considered sounds weird. Is there maybe just an old form, not ...
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0
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usage of the word "sweet memory"
Is it correct to use to describe an event in the recent past as "sweet memory" or should it be used only if the event has occured very long?
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1
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181
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How to use the word total properly? [closed]
Hey guys which one of the following sentence makes sense the most?
• The numbers were great and totalled 95%
• The numbers were great and totalled to 95%
• The numbers were great and totalled up to ...
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1
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687
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Is it still a horizon if it is where the buildings meet the sky?
The general definition for horizon is that it's the line where the sky appears to meet the earth's surface. But what if I'm on the outskirts of a city, and behind me it's the city, or maybe just a ...
2
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2
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279
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Re: 'Sorry, no results for "outwest" in the English dictionary.' So, it's not an acknowledged word then?
Re: "outwest"
Google search: About 496,000 results (the first 10 pages showing business names, except a street name and a hashtag).
Google search: "outwest meaning" --> "Did you mean: out west ...
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1
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What does "is its own" mean here?
In general I do not understand the usage of "is its own" in a sentence. A sentence containing "is its own" immediately becomes unclear to me. For example what does "is its own" mean in the following ...
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5
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Why is "Consequences inflicted." not a sentence?
I was helping a friend write a paper and came across a sentence which confused me.
The sentence was something along the lines of:
Horrifying consequences inflicted upon innocent people.
As soon as ...
1
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2
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69k
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What time or which time?
Strictly speaking, when referring to one or more of a definite set of values, the word 'which' should be employed. When referring to one or more of an unknown or infinate set of values, the word 'what'...
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Buy normally or as usual? [closed]
What is the correct and succinct continuation of the phrase:
Find an online store and buy [...]
normally or as usual?
I would use normally. However, as usual also seems correct.
The intended ...
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1
answer
44
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What does 'Day trading' means? [closed]
Does it means buying cheap/sales stuff?
...
From quora forums:
What things are just not worth the effort?
I have repeatedly tried all three of these:
Day trading. It’s like sitting in a burning ...
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0
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2k
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Which preposition to use after "careless?"
Is there a difference in meaning or usage between careless with/about/of?
I found dictionary examples of all three, but I failed to grasp the difference (if there is any):
He was careless of ...
1
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2
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70
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Use of the word 'naturally'
Dear fellow overflowers,
I was wondering I could use the word naturally in the sense of 'it goes without saying' or 'as would have been expected'.
An example sentence would be:
"The pasta I made ...
2
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2
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1k
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Re-pair or repair a pair of things
Is there a way to distinguish between repairing something in the sense of fixing it vs. "re-pairing" something in the sense of regrouping things together.
For example a wireless keyboard and its usb ...
3
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2
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708
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Why do we use "in" in the phrase "in front of"?
I just realized I can't quite make out why we use the word "in." The meaning of front is generally a surface, a side - not a space you can be "in," so how did that happen? Is it an artifact of an ...
3
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1
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The use of the word "equity" to mean "average?
The map below is of CO₂ emissions (from Our World in Data). It labels countries as being either "Below global equity" or "Above global equity".
Here the word "equity" seems to have been used to mean "...
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1
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Correct use of "hereby" on a formal letter [closed]
Can I use hereby in this sentece below?
As requested, I hereby state that I do not have life insurance.
Thanks in advance!
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3
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Is the word "Yuppie" negative/ironic? [closed]
"You are like a Yuppie". Is this an insult or is it neutral.
I have always thought that the word itself is neutral
but Oxford dictionaries categorize it as derogatory.
2
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2
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Is the phrase "it is people like you" correct?
My friend and I had an argument whether the usage of the phrase, "It is people like you that..." was correct. I insisted that since the subject was people, a plural, the corresponding verb could not ...
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3
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Futile wandering that makes you tired and embarassed
What is the right word for going from place to place with a purpose, but turns out futile? I don't think wandering or loitering would suit the weariness results from this purposeless transport.
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3
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Euphemism antonym
I sent a club member an e-mail inquiring about a meeting that I was not informed about. She reported it to others as "she shot me a note"!
Isn't that the opposite of a euphemism?
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1
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76
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When there is an "on" after touch?
Is it correct that I say"I touch on the book" or just "I touch the book" Sometimes I come across "touch on" in some abstract meaning, what is the difference?
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1
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Commas Surrounding "And"
While writing a paper for English, I stumbled across a weird sentence:
Scout’s father, Atticus, is hired to defend Tom in the trial, and, although it is a lost cause because of the racism of the ...
1
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1
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412
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Is it natural to use “whose” to refer to a thing?
When I looked it up in the Oxford Dictionary, I learned that “whose” is not usually used to refer to a thing and “of which” is usually used instead. But later I came across an example sentence from a ...
1
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0
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87
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'Czech'/'Swiss' to refer to the country?
An increasing number of my friends in India and the United Kingdom use 'Czech' to refer to the Czech Republic (and a smaller number do the same with saying 'Swiss' for Switzerland). When politely ...
0
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1
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use of "personal" when referring to a collective body
in a document can it be stated that "The Board of Directors Board of Directors wishes to honor -------- and to express its sincere personal appreciation and gratitude for his excellent service, ...
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1
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My question is about compounds adjectives
I have been reading archaeological literature in english and some descriptions are constructed with several complex compound adjectives. My question is when you have for example “soft hammer flakes” ...
0
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1
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216
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Should I use in or within in the following sentence?
In the following sentence, which preposition should I use and why?
“I was included within the Employer’s Agent team.”
OR
”I was included in the Employer’s Agent team.”
I would greatly appreciate ...
2
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1
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Word-usage: “two pair” or “two pairs”? Proper phrasing: If one has “two pairs of eyes on everything” wouldn’t that mean they have four eyes?
I was considering downloading the Grammarly app and was reading the reviews. I cut and pasted the following review just to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes:
“When I discovered Grammarly it seemed ...
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2
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When did 'wyrm' lose its meaning as dragon?
I'm interested in finding out (roughly) when the Old English word 'wyrm' began to lose its meaning as 'A serpent, snake, dragon' due to the competing 'draca' and the later borrowing 'dragon'. I've ...
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what's incorrect in this sentence? [closed]
There are two ways of making a gas condense: cooling it or putting it under pressure.
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should we use banned instead of banning? what's incorrect in this sentence? [closed]
In 1971, US government not only put warnings on cigarette packs, but also banning TV advertising of cigarettes.
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2
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Correct usage of "was passed"
Recently I came across a phrase that sounds wrong to me as a native speaker (New Zealand English), but I can't find a rule that explains whether this is correct or not.
"The submitted build was ...
2
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1
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144
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Voting "wrongly."
The title of this video is "Interview Douglas Murray (EN)" (beginning about 1:40). In it, the interviewer says: "European citizens too often vote wrongly."
At first glance, the word "wrongly" ...
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1
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364
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To+ ing how to use it properly?
This to+ ing drives me mad.
Is this sentence correct or not? Why? If not how I should rewrite it?
This method derives from the traditional.approach to teaching Classical languages such as Latin and ...