Questions tagged [diction]
The diction tag has no usage guidance.
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Does anyone know the word for this situation? [duplicate]
The situation is when a writer's verbosity obscures meaning.
For example, legal books use center-embedding and unnecessary phrases which can be written simpler. This phenomenon only further confuses ...
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What is it called when two words are combined by overlapping each other?
Say I have the word "hotel" and "telephone." I then combine them together to make "hotelephone." Note that there is no truncation in this example. It is not a portmanteau....
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Does anyone know what "involution" means? [closed]
It's a word frequently used in China now. Quote from an article: "Originally used by anthropologists to describe self-perpetuating processes that keep agrarian societies from progressing, ...
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"An" in Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew
In Act 1, Scene 1, Katherine says to Bianca,
A pretty peat! It is best / Put finger in the eye, an she knew why".
I understand "Put finger in the eye" means she is fake crying for ...
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What does "goathawks" mean in this passage from All The Pretty Horses?
I'm currently on page 123 of All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, and came across this passage.
The mouths of the cans were lensed with tinted cellophane and they
cast upon the sheeting a ...
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What word means the state of not only obviously appearing to have quality Q, but also, actually having quality Q?
In English how can I most succinctly convey the state of some item P where it should not only obviously appear to have quality Q, but should also actually have quality Q?
Or (dropping the subjunctive ...
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Identifying Vague Language -- "individuals" vs "people"
I'm writing an essay, and in my intro I start with:
For many individuals, value measures wealth and external beauty; for others, value measures more abstract elements such as love, intent, or ...
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Outwardly beauty or outward beauty?
Which one is more grammatically correct?
In my opinion, "outwardly beauty" sounds better but I wanted to be sure it's grammatically correct.
If neither is correct, what is alternative? I ...
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What is the word for hijacking something that was already just hijacked?
Suppose that, just after the hijacking of an aircraft, a third party (related to neither the initial hijackers, nor the pilots, nor law enforcement) forcibly took control of the plane for themselves.
...
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Replacement words/phrases that make you sound "wiser"?
I don't know how else to phrase this, but my Literature teacher, when speaking, uses words that make him look wiser or more mature. Instead of saying everyday phrases, he replaces them with more ...
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Is there a specific expression to denote territories which were once occupied?
I have to write a long History essay about territories which were once occupied by one people, but no longer are. Is there a term for that, something like once-[insertpeoplehere]-occupied?
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Einstein as an adjective
I was writing my college essay and I needed to make my composition to make a bit interesting. Consequently, I should avoid cliché words and word redundancies.
I wanted to get a bit artistic on this ...
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What is the word for vocalists singing "out of time"?
I'm not sure if I should post this question here in English Language and Usage or in one of the music-specific forums...
The word for (sometimes deliberate) "sour" notes or semitones is "dissonance." ...
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Is there one word for "not challenged enough"?
I was typing an essay and wrote unchallenged to mean that the subject didn't feel challenged, but then I realized that unchallenged means "undisputed" and the definition that I thought isn't really ...
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Why is “Rectangled” not accepted usage? [closed]
Why is “Rectangled” not accepted usage (MS Word (and MS Outlook) always consider it a mistake)?
For example, here is the usage in a sentence:
Select the “CTF” entry (rectangled above), and then ...
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How should I understand these lines from As You Like It?
I am currently on my second reading of As You Like It. I am having a really hard time comprehending lines 22-25 in Act 1, scene 2. Here are those lines as they appear in the version I am reading (The ...
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Word/phrase to describe the kind of joy that you feel when someone you like or love shows you an act of kindness or love
In my country, we call it “kilig.” When a guy, for instance, unexpectedly smiles at a girl who happens to have feelings for him, chances are the girl will feel so jubilant she would scream inside and ...
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Is there a word for a person either disinterested or just doesn't partake in gossiping?
I swear there's a word that's essentially the opposite of a gossiper, but can't for the life of me remember what it is. I know there are words for the opposite {ie gossiper, busybody, etc...}, but ...
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If "Literally" now means "Figuratively," Which Word Can Be Used for the Previous Meaning?
I have been irked by the trend to use the word "literally" to mean "figuratively."
The most recent offense to attack my brain and ears was someone introducing a series of videos filmed around the ...
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Does "inserting" yourself in a situation have a negative connotation?
If I say I'm inserting myself into a project or a situation, does that have a negative connotation attached? If so, how can I reword it to avoid that?
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A word to describe a person that everything come to them late in life!
Many years ago I came across a word and when I looked it up it was described as:
A person everything comes to, late in life!
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Visitin' versus visiting [closed]
I often see in the literature characters' sentences with "in'" instead of "ing".
For example:
"I am visitin' my lady" said the young thug.
I have 3 questions:
What does that convey?
Is this ...
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Word meaning something terrible or terribly bad
I swear I've seen a word like this before, meaning something terrible or terribly bad, used in a sentence like "...resulted in such [plural form] as (bad thing 1) and (bad thing 2)"
I can't remember ...
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The correct answer is (C) but "to ensure" and "of ensuring" both sound right to me. Can someone please explain why the revision was implmented
In context, which of the following revisions must be
made to sentence 1 (reproduced below)?
Taking great notes is one of the best ways to ensure
a high grade on a test or exam.
(...
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When did 'chirurgy' become 'surgery?'
I've been reading some old encyclopedias (-ae?), and found 'chirurgy'. When did its usage become supplanted by the modern 'surgery'?
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How would one describe "wood" with a gradient, yet somewhat striped color?
I am currently attempting to describe a painting of wood for an assignment, but I quickly ran into an issue, as I'm required to use different diction. To be more quick to the point, how would I ...
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One word describing making an uncharacteristically stupid mistake? [duplicate]
I am looking for one word to describe making a mistake that ordinarily should have been well within your ability to perform properly.
For example, if someone is considered especially gifted in ...
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Usage of I believe in a B2B environment [closed]
I am a quality analyst for an enterprise account that deals with clients directly meaning we are advised to use formal language at all times when speaking to customers. I would like to confirm if it ...
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"Till" or "Until" that is the question [duplicate]
Which is preferred usage:
The performance features Twain giving an overview of his life up till 1896, ...
-or:
The performance features Twain giving an overview of his life up until 1896, ...
I ...
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Lease versus Let
During a discussion regarding the translation of a particular verb in a foreign language, I encountered a situation similar to how the words borrow and lend are the same in many languages. This ...
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Changing tone during a sentence and having "and/or" in a list [closed]
I am unsure about the following sentence:
"Reasons a guest may be turned away include, but are not limited to, being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, exceeding the weight limit, unable to ...
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What is a better equivalent of this sentence?
The sentence goes so:
I sit in my room, in a house that belongs to me alone.
The goal of the sentence is to say that the speaker is in a house that belongs to him only and to no one else. The ...
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Word for a contemptuous person?
Is there a good word for someone who shows contempt for others? Especially when it's a pattern, and anyone who threatens that person's self esteem is held in contempt?
The first thought that comes to ...
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What do we call someone who eats earthworms?
Odd question, but I wonder if there is a word for someone who eats earthworms. I tried hard to find if there is such a word, and I found none. Thank you.
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How do I improve the diction? [closed]
The sentence is as follows:
"Knowing these truths and yet not knowing how to make my voice heard was torturous."
What I am trying to convey is that I knew about certain things (i.e truths) but didn'...
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Made me abreast?
Background: I had spoken to Person A on the phone, and he caught me up with the happenings of Person B.
Is it correct to tell Person B that "he [Person A] made me abreast of what was going on with ...
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What is something called that has a deadline?
As the title says, just one word that describes something with the attribute of having a deadline. For example "Please don’t feel rushed to RSVP as I have no ******". Is there a word that works in ...
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Is there a word for people who have shared the same locality?
A "contemporary" is someone who has lived at the same time (more-or-less, anyway) as another person. e.g., Bret Harte (1836-1902) can be said to have been a contemporary of Mark Twain (1835-1910).
...
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What words would complete this thought on religion? [closed]
...by the color of his skin or the _____ of his _____.
What words would go in the blanks to mean his religion, while still using of his in the phrase to maintain the flow?
God of his faith or ...
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Describing an advantage gained via a common background
I recently used the word 'nepotism' to describe an advantage attained due to sharing a common background. The person I said this to thought that that was too liberal an extension of the word. I agree, ...
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Author's Diction
I thought that these sentences would be considered informal, but my friend argued that they are semi‑formal. Can anybody help us decide?
I live in western South Dakota [. . . .] For several ...
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Direction-most or Farthest / Furthest for cardinal points on a map?
I am creating an app which will allow the user to designate the bounds of the map. I will let them set the points most north, south, east, and west (latitude and longitude).
I am wondering about the ...
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Word for someone who is "pretentious", but without negative connotation?
Pretentious is defined as "attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed." What if someone does impress others because they actually do have ...
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Notice vs. pay attention
I want to ask you, the English native speakers, regarding to a post in my blog which was
commented by a visitor:
Before applying for a job, please notice the following requirements:
write down ...
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Is "analeptical" correct? Form of "analepses"
My teacher was editing my essay and change analepses (plural of analepsis) to analeptical. I'm trying to use the definition of a flashback.
Here is the context:
Original sentence:
Analepses in ...
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Writing a research paper, and can't figure out the best way to say sentence [closed]
Can I say
Receiving an insufficient amount of sleep is an obstacle that may alter the performance of an individual.
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Is there a difference between the words "zig", "zag", and "zigzag"?
In the book "The Green Mile" by Stephen King, a mouse is described to zig and then zag. What's the difference between the words "zigzag", "zig" and "zag"?
The mouse barley avoid Percy's last two ...
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What word or phrase describes the quality of an assertion to be inbetween a fact and an opinion?
I'm looking for a word or phrase that describes a statement that is neither a scientific fact nor an opinion. Google defines opinion as "a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily ...
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What is the top of a pearl pendant called?
For example the top of the pendant in the link below:
top of a pearl pendant
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Earliness: the quality of being early
Which words help convey the concept of being early?
Prompt is not exactly what I want, as it means "on time" in the context I am considering. If spring (the season) was a spirit and arrived two ...
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