Questions tagged [word-choice]
This tag is for questions about choosing the best word FROM A GIVEN SELECTION for a particular context or meaning. The selection to choose from must appear in the question. If you do not know the word already, use single-word-requests.
545
questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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Is Erich Fromm's claim that the extended use of "have" corresponds to the rise of the market economy and Protestantism accurate?
In the book To Have or to Be Erich Fromm claims using "have" in English increased due to the rise of the market economy and Protestantism. Where one is alone in the market, with their ...
user488608
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votes
1
answer
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Is there a word equivalent to "sighting" but for hearing?
I'm trying to write a sentence like
Nobody goes near the caves because of monster noises.
"Nobody goes near the caves because of monster sightings" doesn't work because people have not ...
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5
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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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votes
1
answer
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What is the difference between span and period in the context of time?
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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votes
1
answer
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to emanate from vs to stem from
Are the words to emanate from and to stem from synonym in the following sense? Do you think I can swap with each other without changing the meaning of the following sentences ?
1 (Of a feeling, ...
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votes
1
answer
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at / on/ in (the) (Math) exam
I think it is common to say
I did well on the exam in AmE.
I did well in the exam in BrE.
Which prepositions are suitable for the following situations when we mention the exam we took? ...
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3
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Are 'avail + oneself + to-phrase' or ' 'avail + to + NP'' ever acceptable?
My instructor put this in his course materials:
Although this is an online class where you can avail yourself to your textbook etc.
Is there any circumstance in which "avail to [object]" would be ...
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3
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2
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What is correct to say: "I don't like it when ..." OR "I don't like when ..."?
Very simple question. Which is correct to say:
I don't like it when ...
I don't like when ...
Is there a difference?
For example:
I don't like it when people can't understand me.
...
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2
votes
1
answer
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Word or term for the containment and shelving properties of an object? (might be science question)
Backstory
A roommate left their car key on the microwave. I typed her an email about leaving her key on the microwave. Google spell check suggested that "on the" should be "in the" ...
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Is there any difference in meaning/usage/etc between the words 'explorative' and 'exploratory'?
The question:
I am curious about the relation between the words 'explorative' and 'exploratory'. Are those exact synonyms, or is there a difference in their meaning, their usage, their geographic ...
- 121
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Word for an all seeing society/government type
I'm looking for a word to mean a society or government type where everything is visible or known to everyone, similar to omniscient. For example, if everyone (including government) can see everything ...
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0
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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
112
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What do you call a fire panel with tools?
In Russia we have these "fire panels":
So, they have tools like a bucket and a spade, so you can dig up some sand with the spade in the summer and extinguish the fire with it. Or in winter you can ...
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0
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When to use "-er" vs "-or" as a suffix in verbs - a comprehensive example (a developer's perspective)!
It's been many times when it comes to decide whether to use "-or" or "-er" as an agent noun suffix to a verb. My native (mother language) is Greek, and I'll try to provide you a way to think before ...
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at our side / on our side / from our side
I'm developing a web form wich communicates with an external service and they are validating the data that I send to them from the web form. But, I would like to manage the validation by my self.
I'm ...
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0
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Using 'caveats' in context of problems
I am using the world caveats as follows:
However, there are three major caveats in using these data sets.
The meaning - there are 3 major drawbacks/flaws that a researcher might encounter if he or ...
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0
answers
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Semantic implications of "The President and we are disbanding the Forum"
In a widely publicized statement, a group of CEO's on President Trump's "Strategic and Policy Forum" wrote that because of contention surrounding recent statements by the president:
As such, the ...
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2
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0
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632
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Militaristic vs militant
I have a friend with whom every conversation turns into a power struggle. His tone of voice is very sharp and snappy. Should I describe this person's personality as militaristic or militant?
...
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2
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0
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In the context of silicon wafer manufacturing, what is the relative frequency of the three major plurals of "die"?
A die is a unit of circuitry and substrate that occurs on a wafer and is cut out from its (often identical) neighbors.
I often hear this pluralized as: dies, dice, or die. I believe all may be ...
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In this sentence, should I say faces/figures/persons/personages or some other word?
During a retrospect of how the EU has accommodated to financial adversities since 2008, a commentator says that "in terms of _______, nothing has changed", implying that those in charge, at least when ...
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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
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0
answers
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Is there more monosyllabic lexis in the English Language than polysyllabic lexis?
In terms of words in the actual dictionary are there more monosyllabic words or more polysyllabic words?
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1
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Is "sharp" a correct synomym for "acute" in the phrase "an acute angle"?
In my native language, Dutch, we only have one word for an angle of less than 90 degrees: "scherp". Therefore, we usually translate this as "sharp", as in "a sharp angle"....
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collocation with BUS STOP
Is it possible to say "I have to take 5 stops by/on bus to get to my school"? meaning: my school is 5 stops away from my home, I get there by bus.
2
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1
answer
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Endebted v. indebted: is there a difference in meaning?
I was recently told by a senior academic that I ought to replace the word indebted with endebted in an essay during which I suggest one text alludes to another.
I have searched the web (no help) and ...
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1
answer
139
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Looking for a term, similar to "epigraph," meaning a quotation given in order to explain another text
For an English Lit. essay I am writing on TS Eliot and Joyce, I wish to use a Biblical quotation I find useful in illuminating certain themes common to their work (1 Corinthians 13 if anyone is ...
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1
answer
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Gerund vs noun-- which to use in title
This issue of gerunds vs noun always puzzled me and in this particular case made me wonder. I actually am translating my thesis title into English and am not sure as to use gerund or noun. So which ...
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2
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Avoid repeating a verb in a sentence: "includes [category] including…"
I'm not a native English speaker, so forgive me in advance if the question sounds very simple.
In one of the sentences of my application letter I want to say:
My professional experience includes a ...
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2
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Is there a clear preferred usage between *lifespan* and *life span*
I haven't been able to find any clear guidance on this. To me, life span looks wrong, but I have no evidence to support my intuition.
A tentative look (webster vs oxford) suggests that perhaps BrE ...
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2
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Question about "between" vs. "among" - generic group or distinct members?
I have read Grammar Girl's excellent post on the difference between "between" and "among", but I've run into a scenario that has confused me. I used the sentence "Compare heights between these people....
user115195
1
vote
0
answers
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'Some people' and 'Others' and their relation in context of being majority/minority/equal
When there is a question that is about viewpoints of people for instance, and the answer comes in format like:
Some people ...
Others ...
This generally gives me feeling that the first is minority ...
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1
vote
0
answers
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Looking for the right term for a second generation member of a club or organization
I'm tasked with introducing a speaker who is the daughter of an early member of an organization. Do I say she is a legacy member? Or is there a better term?
Searching here, the thesaurus, dictionary ...
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1
vote
1
answer
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Lead vs Conduct
I would like to express some secondary professional activity in not so strong / embellishing style.
Think, some knowledge/experience sharing inside the company, more informal rather than formal.
If I ...
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0
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Analogue of "simpler" for "more complex"
The word "simpler" means "more simple", as in "This new product is simpler than the old product".
But I cannot think of a similar word for "more complex": ...
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0
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"Best-crafted" or "most well-crafted"?
This is their best-crafted song.
That is the most well-crafted passage in the book.
Simple question here. Is any more correct, or incorrect perhaps? Which seeems to be used more?
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0
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Would not 'armistice' be a better word to use than 'pause' in present discussions of 'ceasefire'?
In the current situation, there are calls for a 'ceasefire' and calls for a 'pause'.
Humanitarian pauses and ceasefires – what are the differences?
Chatham House org
But there exists a better word ...
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1
vote
0
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Most correct translation of this Bulgarian phrase - "политическа поръчка"?
Both usually translate to "order" in English, but "поръчка" means order as in "to receive an order from a customer" while "заповед" means order as in "to ...
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0
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Does seating sit or stand?
A new Wikipedia page (Theatre of Nero, July 2023) includes
The first structure . . can thus be identified with the cavea of the theatre, where the tiers of seats for the audience stood . . .
...
Donald Phillipson
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0
answers
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"one/two/three-car households" vs "single/dual/triple-car households" (attributive forms)
Which way is more natural when it comes to numbers of things that people have or own? For example, the numbers of cars owned by households:
The rate of single/dual/triple-car households is increasing....
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0
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Alternate meaning of “sleep with” – sharing the same barracks/bunkhouse?
I am watching the 1943 western The Ox-Bow Incident which is set in Nevada territory in 1885. Early in the film, the bartender is discussing some touchy issue and he says,
They don't like to talk ...
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0
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"Practical writing" or is there a name for this type of essay?
I find that the English exam for Chinese College Entrance Exam always likes to ask the examinee to write a specific type of essay, around 100-150 words, mostly in the form of letter, but sometime ...
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"Who is" or "who was" the last person to do something?
I'm currently watching the US open at one of the commentators said "Andy Roddick was the last American male to win a grand slam". Is this correct, or should it be "he is the last ...
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0
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What is the opposite of "Member"?
The relation between a user and a group is:
The user is a member of the group.
What is the converse relation?
The group is a ___ of the user.
What word suits here? Does team or union work?
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0
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"Starting from version" vs "Starting with version" vs "Beginning with version"
When you write about software it is quite common to read that a certain version has introduced a new feature. Usually the new feature also will be available in later releases. I found three different ...
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0
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Looking for a term to describe this juxtaposition
Our city is planning to re-purpose a Confederate Civil War Memorial by adding the names of Union soldiers & former the slaves who were freed in that era and fought for the Union. Would the joining ...
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0
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Is there a term for the following type of conduct: someone only responds to one part of your message instead of the whole message?
For those who know german: Die Person geht nur auf einen Teil der Nachricht ein
Here's an example to further elaborate:
A (about something B said): She doesn't even sound rude. Maybe if it's said in a ...
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1
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0
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A term for the property of being able to be accessed by many people?
How do I say that a given object has the property that it can be accessed by many people? I am trying to use that property in a sentence as follows:
Y is unreliable since it inherits the *property ...
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0
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Should you capitalize fantasy creatures?
I am currently writing a novel with a mix of sci-fi and fantasy setting.
So my question is that, I have one creature that is a cosmic beast with a species name "crossiax." Should I ...
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vote
0
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Is "distance" an "amount" or a "quantity"?
Distance can be measured so it would make sense for it to be a quantity. But this is where I arrive at an issue.
I think it's better if you say
a small amount of distance
than
a small quantity of ...
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0
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970
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Single word when you know destination but not path
Is there a single word which describes knowing the destination but not the path?
Knowing the objective but not the method?
Knowing the 'what' or 'where' but not the 'how'?
In a sense this would be the ...
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