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.
6,828
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What is a good verb to be used with ‘possibilities’ in this context? [closed]
After showing all the restrictions, I will investigate the
possibilities that still … for activism.
The verbs coming to my mind are hold and maintain. But I don’t know if these are good choices, and ...
- 3,011
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1
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71
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What is the usage of "considerably" outside of comparative constructs?
I have noticed that all the examples for "considerably" in Lexico (which is based on the OED, I believe?) are comparatives:
considerably [adverb]:
By a notably large amount or to a notably ...
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2
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258
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When is "sex" sex, and when is it "gender"?
There is a correction in today's edition of The Guardian - as follows:
A report referred to an employment tribunal ruling about "sexual
harassment". Such cases relate to behaviour of a ...
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When does "actively mislead" entail an intent to deceive?
Background
Sometimes I see the term "actively mislead", but I am not confident when it is implied that something was done intentionally to deceive. A previous question here asked Does "...
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Bot, za and the like
The trend of using the last part of words, bot for robot or za for pizza for instance, appears to be from the late ‘60s as suggested by Etymonline:
The method of minting new slang by clipping ...
- 2,806
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If I'm ranting I'm the ranter. So is the subject of said rant the rantee? Or the person hearing it? What's the other called, then?
...and do they have a suffix of their own?
Cambridge says "-er" is "added to [...] verbs to form nouns that refer to people or things that [do/are performing] that particular activity&...
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What are the origins of "tech" as an abbreviation for "technology?
I'm trying to trace the origins and rise in popularity of the abbreviation "tech" from "technology." From what I can tell, the term began taking off in popular culture around the ...
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445
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Difference between "provocative" and "thought-provoking"
In some dictionaries, provocative has two meanings:
(1) Causing annoyance, anger, or another strong reaction, especially deliberately.
(2) Arousing sexual desire or interest
Some other dictionaries ...
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Is it common for native English speakers to confuse "18th century" with "the 1800s"?
As a non-native English speaker, I've only ever referred to "1700-talet", meaning "the 1700s" or "the 18th century".
In English, it's by far most common to say "18th ...
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"I wonder what to start work on" - does it sound fine? [closed]
For example, I'm looking for a task to work on, is it fine to say it?
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Should I use "portion" or "proportion"?
I have some balls, and some percentage q \in (0, 100%) of them are green (for example, q = 30% or 1/3). Should I say
"A portion q of the balls are green" or
"A proportion q of the balls ...
- 101
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Using the word comfort in a sentence?
Is it correct to use "I was in comfort" in a sentence? For example, I was in comfort until my mother woke me up.
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What is the grammar of "I'm home"? [duplicate]
Why do we often say "I'm home" rather than "I'm at home"? How is the former even grammatically correct? Should this be thought of as a use of a "phrasal verb", "to ...
- 257
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The use of the word "along"
Say I want someone to fold a rectangular sheet of paper so that I get a cylinder with the longer side as its height.
Roll the sheet of paper along its shorter side.
Is this correct? Or should it be ...
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Can we use "just like the old times" with present tense?
Can we use "just like the old times" with present tense?
For example:
She robs trains, just like the old times.
Is this correct and natural?
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2
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If I say my profession is x, does that imply I am employed right now?
I am not employed right now but I'd like to communicate that if I work, I'd work as x.
I don't want them to think I am currently working.
Is there a better phrase than
My profession is x
?
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How use the word "surge" properly? [closed]
Would it be correct to use the word 'surge' at the very end of a sentence?
For instance:
X has made Y surge.
Or would you rather say
X surged Y?
2
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395
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Confused in the usage of "where" in a non-interrogative sentence
I was writing an essay, but I came across a weird sentence:
Where peace prevails, justice prevails.
In the above sentence, I am confused if the usage of "where" at the beginning of the ...
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0
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Asking that something "does" or "do"? [duplicate]
Consider the following sentence:
We ask that the diagram commute.
My hunch was that it should be "commutes" and not "commute".
I know that for the sentences starting with "...
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When did “shrinkflation” first appear in writing?
With the recent trend of increasing inflation a new term has come to the fore: shrinkflation.
The noun shrinkflation is a blend or portmanteau word formed from the verb ‘shrink’ and the noun ‘...
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Why is "should" used instead of "would" all over The Fellowship of the Ring? [duplicate]
Over and over again, the author uses "should" where "would" would be right:
I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well ...
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When is it appropriate to use the word "flavor" to describe different types of food/drink?
Recently my partner and I were gifted a variety box of Sees candies (one of those assorted boxes that contains individual chocolates of different types with different fillings and shapes). My partner ...
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Is "the art and craft of ..." a common expression in English?
As a German I am wondering whether "the art and craft of" (e.g.) teaching, cooking, etc. as in the title of a book I recently came across ("The art and craft of problem solving") ...
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What is the word for extra, unneeded descriptive words describing something in a sentence? [duplicate]
What’s the term for extra, synonymous unneeded adjectives describing a noun or verb in a sentence?
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Is it correct to say that similar groups show high levels of "stereotypicity/stereotypicality"?
I am writing a scientific paper describing a group of cells that are consistently patterned together through different developmental stages. Phrased another way, the components of the groups are the ...
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419
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What does Jesse Stuart mean by "weaker devour the stronger"? [closed]
When I was reading the short story Love by Jesse Stuart, I came across this sentence,
the weaker devour stronger even among human beings.
Can the weak really devour the strong? I think it would make ...
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156
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Is it necessary to write "by" before a percent increase? [duplicate]
In the sentence, "Immigration increased by 28%", would the "by" be correct or could the sentence read, "Immigration increased 28%"?
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3
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What's the proper usage of the word "legion" in terms of a large, indefinite number?
The usage of the word "legion" sometimes sounds awkward to me.
E.g.,
His fans are legion.
To make it make sense, I replaced the word with "numerous", but it's still a "false ...
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The usage of the words “Decagon” and “vertex” [closed]
I am writing a blog in which I present a 10-element model of “motivation”. That is to say, I have identified ten components which affect the motivation in people. The audience of this blog is ...
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2
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Can you "finish" something because you don't plan to do it?
Q: "Have you finished washing the car?"
A: "I don't plan to wash the car, so yes, I am finished washing the car."
Is this appropriate usage of the word "finish", or is it ...
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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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563
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Crenellated or Castellated
I read an article today. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60767454 It used the word "crenellated". I thought I knew the word "castellated", but I'm getting more confused.
...
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Can the word "abstract" mean "to apply payment"?
I use a proprietary piece of software at work for entering AR payments and the user interface calls this process of applying payments to invoices "abstracting."
This term is commonly used in ...
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"Round" versus "around" in contexts where "around" seems right?
In Tolkien's book The Hobbit, he constantly writes "round" when it seems to me as if it should be "around". Not just in one or a few places, but all the time. There is no way that ...
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Does "multiple" have a special meaning within the context of industry?
I just came across this unusual usage of the word "multiple" in two separate articles about Daimler's name change and it got me wondering if it has some industry-specific meaning.
Example 1 (...
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A word for creepiness without reason? [duplicate]
What would be one word for a deep-rooted, unsettling fear at a creepy place without any particular reason, just an unfounded, instinctive and unnatural feeling that something is not right, something ...
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What is the difference between fixation and preservation?
I'm currently doing some translations and I found one phrase that is being specially difficult:
"After being fixed with formalin, the specimens were preserved in ethyl alcohol."
Even after ...
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Does "later" ever unambiguously refer to an unspecified time in the future?
I'm wondering about whether the meaning of "later" always can mean "later today" or if it may sometimes clearly have the meaning of an unspecified time in the future, such as a ...
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"We" vs "One of us" vs "Someone" [closed]
Is there a difference between
We
One of us
Someone
... will be here throughout the day to provide service
Is one of them grammatically incorrect, or would they change the meaning?
Thank you
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Which is more appropriate to the context; from or after. The context is Medical English [closed]
Sentence A: She is recovering from a surgery
Sentence B: She is recovering after a surgery
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Where to insert a caveat?
I am stumped. I have a sentence I wish to write but am uncertain where I can insert the caveat. The sentence is either:
I believe, at their core, all writers are daydreamers.
or
I believe all ...
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What is the word to describe speaking in the negative perspective? [closed]
Instead of saying "It is sunny", someone says "It is not cloudy" or "It is the opposite of cloudy".
Is there a word to describe the last 2 sentences to mean speaking in ...
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1
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Is it understandable to say "I'm listening to the 70's"?
Is it grammatically correct and understandable to say the following, where the word "music" is omitted.?
I'm listening to the 70's"
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Can 'disposition' in the sense defined below relate to inanimate objects?
A disposition is defined as "a natural tendency to do something, or to have or develop something" [Cambridge Dictionary].
For example;
A book has the ability to be opened.
Is this ...
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Check vs. Verify (technical/engineering documents) [duplicate]
I'm translating a maintenance task report into Spanish and they use "check + verify" interchangeably in the source document.
They're talking about
Checking the tightening torque
Checking ...
1
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1
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58
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"biggest failure" versus "greatest failure" [closed]
Which one is the correct way to say it?
"War is and always remains one of the biggest human failures."
or
"War is and always remains one of the greatest human failures."
Or are ...
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kick as in "to go from one place to another as circumstance or whim dictates"
I've just come across a meaning of the verb "to kick" I didn't know before.
To provide the context, I'd like to give a Youtube link, but I'm not quite sure about this site's link policies. I ...
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When and where to use 'sanguine' in the most appropriate way? [closed]
I received an email from a client that he was 'sanguine' with the offer made. I understand he felt positive about the prospects of the offer as mentioned in various English language dictionaries. ...
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What is the purpose of a debrief meeting before an event?
I recently received an invite for a debrief meeting for an event in the future, to inform us about the proceedings of the event. I was a bit confused since I am acquainted with such debriefs being ...
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" flip-up/down the switch " or "turn up/down the switch"
" flip-up/down the switch " or "turn up/down the switch", I'm wondering which one sounds more natural or both of them are good. Help me pls.
