Questions tagged [expression-choice]
Choosing the best phrase FROM A GIVEN SELECTION for a particular context or meaning.
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better expression for telling about your uncertain schedule
I am responding to an email where another person is asking about when I will be available next week?.
Now, I am not yet sure about my next week schedule. It depends on couple of important must-have ...
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What would you say vs. How would you say [duplicate]
I want to ask a question what someone would say in or about a certain situation.
Here's a question.
"How would you say when you had a great time?"
And I'm expecting the answer,
"It was fun."
...
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expression or phrase using bridge noun and take verb
I would like to use 'be the bridge that takes someone' or 'be the bridge takes someone'.
i.e: Company A wants to be the bridge that takes you to success.
However, I am not sure if the expression ...
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The grammatical explanation of "After 10 minutes of me nagging her"
Can you please explain to me the reason of using "me" instead of "I" for the following sentence:
"after 10 minutes of me nagging her".
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Repair, renovation, overhaul
Which expression or word should I use to describe "light" surfaces repair in room or house such as walls painting, plastering etc. As I understand overhaul means complex repair of house, but I need a ...
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Complemented with or complemented by
I read the sentence
The food was complemented with an array of musical bands.
My question has two parts:
Can food be complemented with music?
The difference between complemented by and ...
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Is the sentence *I had my skills improved considerably* correct?
Could you please explain to me if the following sentence is correct?
Does it sound good?
Your training was very useful for me. I had my skills improved considerably.
Or I must use something like:
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how to express an idea based on belief?
Many people around the globe elevate the value of travelling abroad between several countries upon a belief that such activities could expand their horizons.
My question particularly is about how to ...
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radicality vs. radicalness
I have a question with regards to the use of radicality or radicalness. I am not quite sure which one to use or what the differences are.
I use these terms in reference to political parties and ...
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As of / Starting in / Since / From (certain date) [closed]
I would like to know which of these phrases best fits in the following context:
As of / Starting in / Since / From 2015, the category "children and youth books" has replaced the previous category of "...
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What do you say when you want to ask cashier if something cost money? [closed]
Let's say you're at a store and cashier is ringing you up. The cashier asks you if you need a bag. And you want to ask if you have to pay for it. In this situation, normally what do you say?
These ...
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get, have etc a grasp of something vs a grip on something
Is there a difference between having/getting etc a grasp of something and a grip on something, when you mean knowledge/understanding?
Merriam Webster defines grip , in this sense, as "mental grasp", ...
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"Seems like a plan" vs "sounds like a plan" [closed]
"Seems like a plan" vs. "sounds like a plan"
Which one is more frequently used and/or correct? Does it depend on whether it is spoken or written?
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Should she have said that I stole the drink?
I'm Japanese and I live in US now.
I can speak English a little.
Today I went to a cafe and I mistook taking someone's drink.
(I already purchased, and it was same matcha).
A staff realized that and ...
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The opposite feeling of oily when it comes to scalp
I came across this question when I want to describe the feeling after using a shampoo.
The scalp usually feels oily or ????? after using a shampoo
When we feel oily it seems the shampoo is mainly ...
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Past tense of "make up for" ambiguity
I am in a literary conundrum, I need to use the "make up for" idiom in past tense, however "make" translates to "made", which forms the "made up" idiom, which is fundamentally different from the "make ...
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I am/have or I graduated?
A girl uploads a picture on Instagram and writes-
Yay, I am Graduated.
This sounds quite a bit odd to me.
But amongst the following, which one is more natural?
Yay, I graduated today.
Yay, ...
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Does OP mean “original poster” or “original post”?
In an online forum, OP means "original poster," but can it also mean "original post?"
For example, instead of saying
To answer the OP's original question...
could one instead say
To answer ...
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Is it a sombre note, or a sober note? [closed]
Should I talk about a "sombre note", or a "sober note"?
Google NGrams gives a roughly equal frequency for sombre, somber, or sober notes. Onelook doesn't give definitions for either a sombre note or ...
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I want to get a suitable proverb to explain / express a situation better
My customer is asking me to make a presentation/road map for completing a target at the same time he is refusing (perhaps by ignorance or misunderstanding) to allow me to discuss one of the key ...
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Specific verb or phrase for holding or transporting something in this particular way
Is there a specific verb or phrase for holding or carrying something in this particular way:
Is it just "to hold or carry [something] under one's arm" (as translated literally from my mother ...
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How to better reword this sentence? (cover letter writing question) [closed]
I am confident my skills would benefit your company by allowing me to make original contributions to the research on Artificial Intelligence.
In fact, it is two sentences combined. I want to express:
...
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Are there subtle differences between "Again, ..." and "Once again, ..."?
For example, is this:
Once again, I went to Shibuya and began a leisurely afternoon of people watching.
different from this?
Again, I went to Shibuya and began a leisurely afternoon of people ...
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Is there any difference between "straighten out" and "sort out"? [closed]
Is there any difference between straighten out and sort out?
I already know what they mean, so I'm interested in nuances.
I'm going to give a couple of examples, let me know if any sounds unnatural, ...
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How else can I express the concept of 'to not play it safe'
I'm using this expression in an essay at the moment, but I feel that it is coming across syntactically awkward. To put it into context: "...a reflection of my need to not play it too safe elsewhere." ...
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Result of an operation that can fail [closed]
Imagine you have some operation like inserting data into a database. This operation can succeed or fail. What do you call the result of such operation?
My candidates:
Fallible operation result (...
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Why is "Armed with these facts" the best answer to this SAT transition question?
I have a question about this transitions question
(it is from the SAT).
The passage starts from here:
In spite of all compost’s potential uses, however, most of this so-called waste is wasted. ...
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How to say Blacks and Whites were treated equally in death
I am trying to express the idea of equality between blacks and whites.
What I want to say is:
black people were not able to live on the same block or study at the same school with white men when ...
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What is the effect called when you stare at something long enough you are blind to the issue in front of you?
I had a colleague today who had been staring at his database code too long.
"This database call works over here, but the same code doesn't work over here. I don't know what is going wrong."
At a ...
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"Step in the right direction"
What would be a more concise word/phrase to replace "a step in the right direction"?
Tolerance is a step in the right direction.
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Are "in accordance with" and "according to" interchangeable?
I always use the two expressions interchangeably; well indeed I'm mostly prone to use "in accordance with" in an academic context instead of "according to."
Is that correct? What ...
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Is it "When my time begins" or "When it's my time" etc.? [closed]
Can anyone please help me with the following sentence?
Right now things may not be happening as per my wish but, when my time starts / begins, I will... (blah, blah)
I need help with alternatives ...
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at/on/in a more general level?
Which one is correct?
at/in/on a more general level
having discussed some implications of my theory for some particular debates, now I want to talk about one more general broadly important ...
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Is saying "it has someone as its writer" correct?
If someone writes a book for example, can you say "it has Michael as its writer"?
Or is it necessary to say "its writer is Michael"?
There are possible connotations for each form? (like for example ...
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Verb - agreement dilemma - 'first-two days'
I am having some trouble coming up with a natural-sounding expression whilst still ensuring conformity to the rule of Subject-verb agreement. At the centre of my concern is the phrase "first-two days" ...
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What are these "THREE OPTION" phrases specifically called
Even though I came up with some pretty good categorizations, I'd still like to get the proper terminology!
What I came up with:
a) Conceptual Beliefs / Actions
b) Philosophical Choices / Options
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Does "even more" make sense as an alternative to furthermore?
I'm helping an English-learner to practice for an English exam that includes an oral part. At one point she used "even more" in place of something like "furthermore". It sounded odd to me so I told ...
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Is "natural step" a real expression?
In my mother tongue, we sometimes express that the next "Natural step" can be to do something. However, this feels directly translated and not very accurate when expressed in English. Also, a Quick ...
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"In X, I found not only" vs "In X, I not only found."
What's the more correct/idiomatic version? And why?
Example sentence:
In him, I found not only/had not only found a drinking parter, but
also someone with whom I could talk about anything.
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Correct use of the present participle of verb "to pacifiy"?
I wonder if this expression can be correctly formulated and completed
using the present participle pacifying of the verb to pacifiy
as an adjective at least, instead of pacifist.
He/she is a ...
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"Everything will be fine" vs "everything is going to be fine" [closed]
Example sentences:
Everything will be fine as long as we are together.
Everything is going to be fine as long as we are together.
Are both expressions the same? Or they have subtle ...
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check vs checked for bucket list or todo list [closed]
I want to express that something is done on my todo list or bucket list, in short written form.
Which is the more appropriate way, "XXX, checked." or "XXX, check."?
I understand that in oral form, "...
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Difference between "doing art" and "making art"
What is the difference between the usage of "doing art" and "making art"?
As far as I understand, the former represents involvement in any art related activity or process but the later denotes the ...
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Can my teachers be trainers or would I be taught by my shoes? [closed]
I am working in an educational organisation and we often co-operate with other institutions from other European countries, e.g. in EU-wide projects.
Very often we have to write applications for ...
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'Using a keyboard is better' v 'It's better to use a keyboard': and why IT with the infinitive?
I'm trying to make sense of the rule behind "to use" vs "using" in these specific cases
Using a keyboard is better.
To use a keyboard is better.
It's better to use a keyboard.
It's better ...
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Historical and contemporary usage of "don't" for the third singular person
The following extract from M-W Learner's Dictionary comments on the usage of "don't":
Don't is occasionally used in American English speech and in historical writing as a contraction of does ...
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How to formally say that I am a handyman (in resume)? [closed]
I wanted to add a word that says I am very good and comfortable with handling tools and equipment and can perform many works that require handcrafting, building, assembling, constructing, etc. I know ...
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If you want to end the conversation politely, how do you say it? [closed]
If you want to end the conversation politely, especially when you are aware others are busy, what do you say? Something like:
I will leave you alone?
Is there any better way to say that?
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What are the differences between "taking advantage" and "leverage"?
What are the differences between "to take advantage" and "leverage"?
I have thought about that and got 2 points:
as a verb, "leverage" is only acceptable in American English, this post has explained ...
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Use of "no less than" and no "fewer than" [duplicate]
1) In fact, NO LESS THAN 20 percent of people are injured severely due to car accidents.
2) However, because people whose cars had collided and were severely wounded were occupying the intensive ...
