Questions tagged [differences]
This tag is for questions about the differences in the meaning of two words. For us to be able to help you, please provide the sourced definitions that you are referring to, where the confusion arises, as well as an example sentence that shows the ambiguity.
159
questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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"Watch" vs. "Watch as"
He watched them run.
He watched as they ran.
What's the exact difference, in terms of the information/scene conveyed? He was watching the runners in both cases. Do they have different connotations? ...
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3
votes
0
answers
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"Connected by" vs "Connected with" vs "Connected to"
I want to know the difference and when to use which construction.
For instance:
The island and the city are connected with a bridge
or
The island and the city are connected by a bridge
?
...
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2
votes
0
answers
68
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What is the difference between fascistic and fascist
I've seen these words both used but not interchangeably. My guess is that fascistic refers to 'fascist in nature', e.g if a building is fascistic it is reflective of fascist ideology but not ...
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2
votes
1
answer
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Difference in meaning between "done freely" and "freely done¨?
As the title asks, is there any difference in meaning?
For instance, is there any difference in meaning between these two sentences?
The activity can be freely done in this room.
The activity can be ...
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2
votes
0
answers
60
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What is the difference between phrases "is used when" and "is used for when"?
I was recently reading some articles about type conditionals, and one of them had a following line:
The zero conditional is used for when the time being referred to is now or always and the situation ...
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2
votes
0
answers
471
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Architectural firm vs. architecture studio
I regularly translate Hungarian articles into English, and an expression that keeps coming up is architectural firm. Now, these companies in Hungarian are called studios, thus some of my colleagues ...
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2
votes
0
answers
438
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Can "for" and “due to” be used interchangeably?
Trying to understand the logic of the below sentence to make the same kind of sentences. It's pretty hard for me because I mostly use "for" something like "for me" etc.
This city ...
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2
votes
0
answers
456
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Opaque vs transparent to the observer?
When you want to describe that a change should be made in a manner that is not visible to the observer (in other words, the change should retain the current behavior of the system/process/application),...
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0
answers
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Why is “remove to” no longer used?
By Googling, the difference between remove and move can be found as follows:
As verbs the difference between remove and move
is that remove is to move something from one place to another, especially ...
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0
answers
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over the years/thoughout the years/for years
What are the cases in which each of those is used? Can you give more detailed examples and differences in meaning and usage than the ones I found below if there are any?
Here's what Google says:
...
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2
votes
0
answers
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Type of clause question ?
No matter what they say about him, it's false.
introductory phrase followed by comma and it's false.
So is the whole sentence acting as the main clause in these constructions ? It's false can't ...
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2
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0
answers
108
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What distinguishes the two meanings of the word "though" as a conjunction
The dictionary provides two meanings for the word "though" when used as a conjunction:
to introduce a sentence that makes what you just said surprising, as in
"He is a Marxist, though he has read ...
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2
votes
0
answers
59
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Earn rewards for participating vs Earn rewards by participating
Is it correct to say:
You can earn rewards for participating in the company's wellness program.
I'm inclined to change it to
You can earn rewards by participating in the company's wellness ...
2
votes
0
answers
105
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After verbs, how does 'from' compare with 'of'?
(TL;DR) 1. I've been plagued by the postverbal use of the preposition 'of'. After verbs, when describing attributes like origin or source, what are the differences between 'from' and 'of'?
The verbs ...
user50720
2
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0
answers
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What are the difference between knelt and kneeled?
kneeled (Dictionary.com):
to go down or rest on the knees or a knee.
knelt (Dictionary.com):
a simple past tense and past participle of kneel.
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2
votes
1
answer
808
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What is the difference between "even if" and "given that" in this context?
I am doing a CAE, Use of English, Part 1 (Multiple choice) exercise and I came across the following paragraph:
As nomadic peoples in Asia are known to have been playing the game
over two thousand ...
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2
votes
1
answer
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Does an inverted protasis mean just plain “if”, or does it mean “even if”?
When the first part of a conditional’s if-clause is inverted and the if consequently dropped, is the missing if just a plain old “simple if”, or is it more of an “even if”? For example, in this ...
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vote
0
answers
45
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Difference between "they thought that the general would lead them to victory" and "they thought that the general would have led them to victory"?
They thought that the general would lead them to victory.
vs.
They thought that the general would have led them to victory.
Is there a difference between the two sentences above? Is one ...
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1
vote
0
answers
48
views
Is there a difference between "care about" one vs "care for" one?
One person says:"You don't care about me!"
Another replies: "I care deeply for you."
Instead of replying "I care deeply about you," the replier says "I care deeply ...
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1
vote
0
answers
62
views
Difference between “my feet” and “my two feet”
I'm trying to translate the following Prophetic tradition from Arabic to English:
ألا كل شيء من أمر الجاهلية موضوع تحت قَدَمَيَّ، وربا الجاهلية موضوع كله، وأول ربا أضع ربا العباس بن عبد المطلب.
A ...
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vote
0
answers
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Are the expressions "to put it mildly" and "to say the least" always interchangeable?
As we know, the expressions "to put it mildly" and "to say the least" are used to avoid describing something in the strongest way possible. But I wonder if there is a subtle ...
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vote
0
answers
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What's the difference between astonishing and astounding?
They both seem very similar to me, too similar to make a distinction.
astonishing
Something that is astonishing is very surprising
Collins Dictionary
very surprising
Macmillan Dictionary
very ...
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1
vote
0
answers
113
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"Taiwan" as an adjective versus "Taiwanese"
I hope this question is not too simplistic for the "linguists ..." forum, but I couldn’t seem to find an answer elsewhere.
I am helping a non-native speaker proofread his Ph.D. dissertation ...
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1
vote
0
answers
53
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Correct usage between two word conceive and pregnant
I am confused about the 2 terms used to say that a lady is bearing a life/child in her womb, they are as follows:-
To conceive a child.
Getting pregnant.
Are they used differently with time like if ...
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1
vote
0
answers
38
views
Difference between 'lattice' and ''diagram'
I would like to know the difference between 'lattice' and 'diagram' in mathematics context.
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1
vote
0
answers
52
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Word-choice when modifying preceding nouns, among past participle, "which", and "as"
Please see the following phrases.
(i) "the language used in"
(ii) "the language which is used in"
(iii) "the language as used in"
(iv) "the language as it is used in"
I understand that a past ...
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1
vote
0
answers
97
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health experts foresee/predict the novel coronavirus spreading in the U.S
One of the top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans on Tuesday that health experts foresee the novel coronavirus that has killed thousands spreading in the ...
- 1,420
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vote
0
answers
69
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What is the difference between _chagrin_ and _dismay_?
When would both be appropriate and when would only one be appropriate? How much do they overlap?
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vote
0
answers
286
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Difference and usage of "contains exclusively" vs "exclusively contains"
Since the late 1800s, the phrase "contains exclusively" has been consistently used more often than "exclusively contains". Ngram viewer: "contains exclusively" vs "exclusively contains".
What is the ...
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1
vote
0
answers
69
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Book or App to learn subtle differences between synomyms
I've been working on my English vocabulary for about 16 months now. I feel like I'm at a point at which I sometimes know different ways to express something I have in mind, but I struggle to choose ...
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1
vote
0
answers
157
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Why is the adjective "below" rare compared to adjective "above"?
Above and below can be used as both an adverb and an adjective to indicate an earlier or a later part of a piece of writing respectively. However, adjective below is rare compared to adjective above (...
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1
vote
4
answers
483
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Is there any difference between "spider-man" and "human spider"?
I am trying to write a review of a text.
I am trying to understand the context of two phrases: "spider-man" and "human spider".
Do they mean different things?
Although these two words were used ...
user339348
1
vote
0
answers
620
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'I disagree that either of these options is correct'
I thought that I mastered the usage of "either" (and neither)...only to be unsure about the following sentence (which I heard, not that it was me who said it):
I disagree that either of these ...
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vote
0
answers
44
views
Using a verb like 'to finish' with different nouns
Here is an example:
I finished lunch.
I finished shower.
Why is 2 incorrect?
What is the difference between these two nouns that makes the grammar different?
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1
vote
0
answers
187
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Is 'a ... lot' derogatory?
From this question, here is a quote from The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist by Conan Doyle, published in 1903:
The landlord further informed me that there are usually week-end visitors—‘a warm ...
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0
answers
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Constructions "be but one" vs "but + pronoun"
I've seen these constructions several times and I've found the following definitions (correct or confirm the definitions):
but + noun/pronoun = except
She gave the presents to everyone but me =
She ...
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vote
0
answers
2k
views
I've had vs I've been having (+ I've been vs I've)
What's the difference in meaning between the following 2 sentences:
I've had a lot of problems this year
I've been having a lot of problems this year.
Second example:
I've been waiting for an hour
...
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1
vote
0
answers
70
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A comparison in two sets of quantifiers and adjectives
I learn almost every word on my own, in my productive if a bit peculiar way. I inevitably get perplexed by the ambiguity and the interchangeabilty between the words that I discover with more details.
...
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1
vote
0
answers
236
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What is the difference between a nonessential and essential clause?
According to this, adding a specific noun to a sentence can make a clause nonessential.
Example -
Freddie hopes to return to the city where he met a woman with haunting green eyes.
vs.
Freddie ...
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1
vote
0
answers
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singular adjective versus plural possessive
Dynamics which are typical of (or can be found in) news websites or the life which is typical of schools may thoeretically be described by either possessive constructs such as schools' life or news ...
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vote
0
answers
1k
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exhibition v.s. inhibition
In my experience...
Inhibition is commonly used in different ways, say to render
difficult, or to hide, to restrict or hinder, etc.
Exhibition can be something like making and art show, presentations,...
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vote
0
answers
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What is the difference between span and period in this context?
span the period of time that sometimes exists or happens
period a length of time
That said, I still don't see the difference. I have the following exercise in my schoolbook:
The course would have ...
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1
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0
answers
571
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What is the difference between scourge and bane?
I've picked up this word 'scourge' from Jerome K. Jerome's book "Three men in the boat" and when I actually used it with a native-speaker (Australian) she wouldn't understand it asking me ...
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vote
0
answers
614
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What is the difference between "the ban on" and "the ban of"?
What is the difference between on and of here:
the ban on door-to-door sales
the ban of door-to-door sales?
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1
vote
0
answers
656
views
Being vs Getting in passive voice sentences
Are being and getting interchangeable in passive voice sentences?
Here we can see that the people have pretty much concluded they are, indeed.
However, my schoolbook suggests only being as the ...
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1
vote
0
answers
57
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Is it more grammatically correct to use five-point star or five-pointed star?
Possibly this is a contextual situation - I've seen it both ways, and if there are any rules regarding this I'd like to know them.
1
vote
0
answers
251
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What is difference between 'Before' and 'Until' when they appears in the beginning of sentence?
Is there any difference between 'until' and 'before'? Eg:
Before we have xxx, we can only do yyy...
Until we have xxx, we can only do yyy...
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1
vote
0
answers
5k
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What's the difference between 'in the year' and 'of the year'?
the coldest month of the year
the coldest month in the year
To my ears 'the coldest month of the year' sounds more natural than 'the coldest month in the year'. Is there a difference in meaning and/...
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1
vote
0
answers
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Tables have turned or Tables are turned?
I often get confused while using this idiom. Can anyone give the use case for each of them? Or is that only one phrase is correct among them and the other one is wrong?
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vote
0
answers
105
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simple present tense
Noob question: I've been following a youtube channel called "Jerry rig everything" for a while now. I'm little confused as to why it's not "Jerry rigs everything" since jerry is his name and I think ...
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