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.
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Should I acronymize "Health, Safety, and Environment" as "HSE" or "SHE"?
Which abbreviation is most used for "Health, Safety and Environment"? I keep seeing different abbreviations, and a quick search on Google shows that they are all used widely. But does anyone actually ...
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Am I using "namesake" correctly?
I am writing an essay about (among other things) Gutenberg's printing press and Project Gutenberg. I want to say something along the lines of "Gutenberg's press was so popular that current things are ...
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Difference between "inflammable" and "flammable" [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why are not infamous and inflammable the opposite of famous and flammable like incomplete, inactivity, inappropriate and so on?
I'm very confused by the existence of these ...
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Thieves' words for their victims
What words might a thief (of any variety) use to describe the victims of his theft?
Con artists in film often use "mark", for example. Is there other jargon specific to the con branch* of crime? How ...
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What's the difference between "apparel" and "clothing"?
Those two words seems referring to one thing.
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Obama's use of "bemused"
I generally see the definition of "bemused" to be synonymous with "confused" or "puzzled", and that it is wrong to use it as a synonym of "amused". However I tend to see it used — as Obama did ...
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Can 'egalitarian' be used for gender bias also?
Egalitarian is typically used when discussing equality in political, social, economic and civil issues. Can it also be used to portray equality in gender issues? E.g. an egalitarian does not ...
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The usage of "a little bit"
I was wondering how this phrase sounds in English:
She is a little bit shy.
In my country the people say "a little bit" a lot, and sometimes they use it wrong. I have the impression that in US (or ...
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Is it correct to use the word "birthday" for the deceased, or is there a better alternative?
How does one refer to the birthdate of someone who is no more, we usually say
Today is my uncle's 80th birth anniversary (Common in Indian English, not sure if it's correct)
or
Today would have ...
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Usage and example of the word “litotes”
I've come across the word litotes, which means a rhetorical understatement. However, I’m having trouble understanding how to use it in colloquial English. Could someone please give an example?
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Is 'couple' ever used in the sense of 'some'?
Is the usage of the word couple (as in, "I want to ask a couple of questions...") to mean 'some' or 'few' correct (as in, interpreting given example to mean "I want to ask a few questions")?
As a ...
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What is a "Hobbesian trap"?
A recent Economist article (see The drug war hits Central America) uses something called a Hobbesian trap like this:
Central America has fallen into a
Hobbesian trap: the better-off make
...
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What does it mean to call something Leviathan in comparison to others?
Wordweb describes Leviathan as:
The largest or most massive thing of its kind
Monstrous sea creature symbolizing evil in the Old Testament
A recent Economist article (see The drug war hits ...
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"Dabble" in a positive sense
Can the word "dabble" be used in a positive sense?
As in,
A true "master of all trades", he has
dabbled in several fields &
contributed to numerous scientific
advances.
user1784
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Using "seldomly"
I'm not a native English speaker.
If at all possible I try to use spell checkers while writing anything on the web hence using one in Firefox as well. Whenever I try to write "seldomly" it highlights ...
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"Untick" vs. "uncheck": which is more common in Canadian English?
I'd be grateful if any Canadian speakers can tell me: in the context of an option in a computer dialog box/menu, which of the words "untick" vs "uncheck" is most commonly used (or are they used ...
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Can I say, "Your example was quite graphical"?
Can I say, "Your example was quite graphical"?
A person wrote an answer to me on StackOverflow and provided a very good example with pictures. Saying "your example was good" or "nice" or "clear" ...
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How do I choose between "while" and "whilst"? [duplicate]
When should whilst be used instead of while?
For example, should I use the first or the second sentence?
They don't do this whilst they do that.
They don't do this while they do that.
Which ...
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Is it incorrect to use "hard" when I mean "difficult"?
My late grandfather had several word-choice peeves for which he would gently interrupt a speaker, especially a grandchild, in order to correct. The one I remember most was his dislike for the use of "...
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Why is anyone in a porn movie considered a porn star?
Recently, the media made a big deal about Charlie Sheen dating a porn star. It seems that anyone who is in a porn movie is referred to as a porn star. The same is not true of anyone in a normal movie. ...
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Is this usage of "reign" correct?
Lately I've noticed increasing usage of the phrase "free reign". Is this a legitimate usage of the word "reign", or is this a corruption of the phrase "free rein"?
I've been dismissing usages of "...
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Difference between "empathetic" and "empathic"
Apparently both words empathetic and empathic mean the same thing, yet I see one person refer to the specific type of writing as empathetic writing, while another empathic writing. Who's correct and ...
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Usage of 'much more'
Is saying much more grammatically correct?
For instance, some purists argue that this is wrong:
I'm much more comfortable with A than B
and that it should be:
I'm more comfortable with A than ...
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Proper use of "replete"
Is replete used appropriately in the following sentence?
His office was like a Hollywood museum, replete with an autographed photo of Marilyn Monroe.
Or should replete only be used with ...
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When to use "just"
The word just is one of those overused words that carries little meaning and appears to just clutter up a sentence (oops, did it again).
When is the use of just justified?
What are better, clearer ...
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"Spelling checker" or "spell checker"?
I've always thought a spelling checker is a tool that checks spelling. I know a growing number of people say spell checker, but I've always considered that slang. Recently I did a search for the ...
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How long does it take to mull something over?
I used the phrase "we'll mull it over" in an e-mail. My intent was to let the readers know that we (the team) needed to give it due consideration and come up with a considered response to their ...
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What is the correct spelling of "dependent"? Which preposition should follow it?
Dependant or dependent really confuses me when to use, especially with the combination of, on, from or to.
Mike was dependant to/from/on his mother.
The states are dependent to/from/on the federal ...
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Do Americans say "don't" as often as the British?
This is really a question for Americans.
When watching US TV or films, it's often my impression that—while using all the other contractions—Americans don't seem so keen on 'don't' and use ...
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When would you say "woods", and when would you say "forest"?
Is there any difference here at all?
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How common is "thrice"?
Our proofreader, a native speaker of American English, just won't let me use this word. Every single time I try to sneak it onto one of our sites, she replaces it with three times. Now, I do realize ...
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Whose usage determines correctness?
I will illustrate this question with an example, since I think it's much easier to see what I'm asking there, rather than from an abstract question.
I am a native English speaker. I was, for a while, ...
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Is "kinda" a word?
I've used "kinda" as a word basically meaning "kind of" just run together. I wouldn't use it formally, but I noticed that Microsoft Word's spellchecker says that it isn't a word. I searched some and ...
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Are the words "mandatory," "obligatory," and "compulsory" interchangeable?
As a non-native speaker, I wonder what the rules are for preferring one of "mandatory", "obligatory" or "compulsory" over the others.
The Corpus of Contemporary American ...
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Can "doubt" sometimes mean "question"?
I often see questions on Stack Exchange sites which I presume are written by non-native English speakers who use the word "doubt" in place of the word "question". Is this a case of misunderstanding ...
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In which context does "anticipated" mean "came or took place before"?
In the New Oxford American Dictionary I read that one of the meaning of anticipate is come or take place before (an event or process expected or scheduled for a later). In which context is anticipate (...
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What does “a couple” mean to you, and what does “a few” mean to you?
What is the proper way to use the terms “a couple” or “a few”?
How should one use these words to avoid confusion? How do people use these words in practice.
It was striking to hear that “a couple” ...
zuludelta9
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Is "prepone" being used outside India?
Prepone is a great word - it's the opposite of postpone. When you prepone a meeting, you change its scheduled time so that it occurs sooner than originally planned. Has this usage spread beyond India? ...
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Is it correct to use 'Forgot password' or 'Forgotten password'
Many websites use the phrase 'Forgot password?' when prompting users to renew their login passwords. Is this correct usage or should it be 'Forgotten password?'.
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"Before" vs. "in front of"
Especially in speeches I often hear a sentence like
I stand here before you...
However during my English classes in school (I'm German) we were told that before should only be used if you're ...
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"Effect" vs. "Affect"
I've noticed that some people use effect and affect interchangeably. What are the differences between these two and when are the proper situations to use each of them?
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