Questions tagged [writing]
This tag is for questions specifically related to written English. PROOFREADING essays, emails, abstracts, etc. is strictly OFF-TOPIC.
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Present perfect or past simple while telling a story
I'm writing my story in English and I still have a hard time with present perfect and past simple.
For instance in the sentences below I'm recounting something that happened in the past and ended in ...
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3
answers
108
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Can the capital 'Y' be rendered isomorphically? (i.e. as a bigger version as the lowercase one)
I sometimes find videos or educational websites that teach children to write the uppercase Y just like the lowercase one, but in a larger size; just like in this picture here:
Is this correct or is ...
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3
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105
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What is a word that means "pushed" that has a negative (specifically angry) connotation?
I am writing a book and currently have a scene where there are two people – one is sitting on the ground, and one is laying on a mattress next to them before pushing himself up to respond to the other'...
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6
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Is there a word for "a broad range of knowledge"?
I am attempting to contrast being an expert in something and having a broad range of knowledge but expertise nowhere. Is there a word to sum up that second element? The sentence I am trying to fit ...
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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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2
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1
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Singular and Plurals in Academic Research
In academic/scientific research, should I use the names of fruits in the singular or plural? For example:
There was a significant increase in the frequency of sweet potato consumption (+18.8%), eggs (...
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3
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98
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Using "socialize" as a word to mean "make something known" [closed]
Is "socialize" the right word to mean "make something common knowledge" in this context?
The context is for a resume -- the particular accomplishment is some key idea/method/...
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Is the sentence grammatically correct and natural? If not, how could I correct it? [closed]
Education is not all about illuminating the truth, imparting knowledge and answering questions, but requires encouraging students' curiosity and imagination, boosts creativity and critical thinking, ...
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"It's not...but rather is..." |Vs| "It's not...but rather it's..." |Vs| "It's not...but..."—Is there a rule or is it just about writing style?
Here's a random example I just came with to exemplify this. It's not perfect but gets the point across I guess:
1- It’s not a special mental condition or a rare disorder, but rather is the consequence ...
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How can we make passive out of perfect continuous tenses?
Can we make passive out of perfect continuous tenses as below?
English is being taught here since 2013
He is being beaten since morning
We are being taught this since February
It's just that "has ...
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3
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139
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How should we describe the largest group in a set when its share accounts for less than 50%?
General idea
What is the best way to describe a group that has the largest share of something but doesn't have more than 50%? I'm tempted to use the word "most", but I mentally associate it ...
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Are adverbs like "basically", "really", "definitely" wordy in essay writing? [closed]
I use Grammarly to help my writing. I notice that whenever I use adverbs like "basically", "really", "definitely", Grammarly will say these words are unnecessary, wordy ...
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74
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What's the correct way to write our names? [closed]
Most people who live in my locality write their names with initials at the
end. Usually these initials are abbreviations of long family names, like
Joseph Alex TP, where TP stands for ...
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How to describe this facial expression
How would you describe a facial expression where someone goes "Eeehh.. not exactly." in response to a question. I'm not honestly sure where further I can explain what I mean, my brain is ...
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How would one describe a sound of boredom?
Specifically, if a person gave a heavy short and gruff sigh, and said. "I'm booooorrrrreeeeed!" then made a sound that kinda had "uuuugggghhhhh" in it but as more of a sigh.
How ...
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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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3
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Current accepted meanings of '👍'?
What's the deal with the :thumbsup: '👍' emoji?
As an ideographic representation of a well-known (if not universal gesture). It (the emoji) presumably means in English speaking culture an approval or ...
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How many syllables do these rules say that ‘every’ has?
Edit note: As you’ll see from the linked-to post, I’m not expecting my code here to be anything like 100% accurate. I’m after a fast and dirty heuristic that will be correct most of the time.
I’m ...
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4
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How do you improve this stringy sentence? [closed]
This is an exercise from Longman Writing Series: 4. We have to correct this "stringy" sentence:
Last-born children, on the other hand, often have little
responsibility, and they may be ...
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What's the difference between "This being the case," and "That being the case,"? [closed]
Are they both correct? What's the difference between these two expressions?
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470
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What are ways to describe when someone gives a curious look or if their interest is piqued
I usually use something along the lines of blatantly saying "He gave a curious look/shot a curious glance."
However, does anyone know ways to describe someone gesturing with their face a ...
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2
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Now is the time. vs. The time is now
I need help with this:
Now is the time
vs
The time is now
For example - Now is the time to go to the store, or The time is now to go to the store.
Which is correct?
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What is a more formal synonym for "getting the job"?
Example sentence:
[X] has become a standard threshold in the industry that [Y] has to cross to "get the job".
I would also not mind to get some other suggestions, since the overall ...
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4
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Time series: hyphenated or not?
I am facing a consistency issue when proofreading a paper regarding the use of the term 'time series'. When used as a standalone noun, it seems to be written as 'time series', with the two words being ...
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Is there any foolproof way or method to ascertain that my sentence is perfectly grammatically correct?
If you advise to consult an editor, how would I know that the editor is perfect in grammar? AI (artificial intelligence) apps cannot be as accurate as a human.
I don't understand why this question is ...
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What does it mean for someone to say "I've read something with interest" [closed]
Is there any positive or negative connotation attached to this phrase?
Suppose I sent someone something by email, and the reply begins:
"I've read your email with interest."
Is that good ...
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98
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What is the meaning of "physical character of of the people"?
Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet published the book "Travels in China" in 1804. In Chapter VII. Government—Laws he said
It is sufficiently evident, that the heavy hand of power has
completely ...
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2
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What is the meaning of interpolation technique as in "using an interpolation technique to deduce facts"?
What is the meaning of interpolation technique as in using an interpolation technique to deduce facts (a book review)
Rice, Edward.
1990. Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton: A Biography. New York, ...
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318
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Looking for a word about writing lyrics for the purpose of fitting the music
There is a word that I'm desperately trying to remember. I think it is used in the context of songwriting but it could be more general.
It describes the act of writing words to fit music, or to rhyme, ...
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Can I end a quote/dialogue with a colon?
If a character is introducing something, say, a PowerPoint presentation, how should I punctuate their speech? Can I use a colon?
For example:
"We have proof. Just take a look at this:" He ...
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3
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What did Tolkien mean by this awkward sentence structure?
In the first chapter of The Hobbit, I just read this:
“Thank you!” said Bilbo with a gasp. It was not the correct thing to say, but they have begun to arrive had flustered him badly. He liked ...
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Why are only few letters in title of this poem in capital letters while others are not? [duplicate]
The poem is ‘Have you earned your tomorrow’ by Edgar Guest. In my textbook , only certain letters first word is in capital while others are not. My question is why is that ?
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Are there any synonyms for phrases such as 'in fact', 'in practice', and 'practically speaking'? [closed]
In the context of formal article writing, sometimes, I have to use the phrases such as 'In fact', 'in practice', or 'practically speaking', are there any synonyms for these phrases to improve my ...
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What does the grapheme 'm̃' (m with a diacritical tilde) mean in English? Was it in use?
In a historical English book published in 1875, the grapheme 'm̃' (m with a diacritical tilde) is used in the title.
Ye parish of Cam̃erwell :
a brief account of the parish of Camberwell : its ...
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What does this sentence mean from "The Box Tunnel"? [closed]
I am reading a novel "The Box Tunnel" by Charles Reade. In the first paragraph, there is a sentence that I can't understand:
The 10:15 train glided from Paddington May 7, 1847. In the left ...
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2
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Remove duplicate use of "and" with different strengths? [closed]
I wrote the following sentence in English:
Part of a development group responsible for releasing security solutions for Google’s Security product and investigating devices while understanding their ...
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What tense should I use in this paraphrasing sentence?
This is a question from an IELTS Essay.
Although more and more people read news on the Internet, newspapers will remain the most important
source of news for the majority of people.
We are required ...
2
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1
answer
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Are such sentence constructions acceptable?
The structure of the following sentence struck me as odd.
So large was his mouth that he could fit his entire fist inside—an antic that drew hysterical laughter at drinking bouts during the bloody ...
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Can you use the past perfect from a present reference point?
I often find myself using past perfect in a sort of stylized way that I can't justify logically. I am writing a short description of the Matrix, and what I want to say is:
In the film, a programmer ...
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2
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What does "voice" mean in the context of written language?
The two most common frames of reference seem to be (1) agency attribution at the level of sentence structure (active vs. passive voice) and (2) the use of stylistic elements to stamp the persona of ...
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Is the double "do" in the expression "If I do do it" more acceptable in spoken vs. written English? [closed]
I'm a native English speaker from the Midwestern United States. While writing a description to a colleague of some work that I recently did, I found myself typing a sentence to the effect of "I'...
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Is it correct to say, “justification for and reference to your answer”?
I want to shorten the words “justification for your answer and reference to your answer” by saying, “justification for and reference to your answer”. Is this shorter form correct? If not, how should I ...
2
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1
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Is there a version of “equine/equestrian”, or any other horse-related word, for a pegasus/pegasi?
I’m a fantasy writer, and have encountered an issue. In regard to pegasi, I am unsure whether or not the words from the question title apply to pegasi, or if there are pegasus versions of those words.
...
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I may go VS I would go [closed]
''I … not go there because it will be hot and crowded'' which one is correct 'may' or 'would', or both are correct but have different meanings?
I think ‘may’ is correct, but people told me that ‘would’...
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2
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143
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The Grim Reaper, death itself/herself/himself? [closed]
I want to write a sentence about the Grim Reaper (symbolism for death). I have this sentence -
The commander winced, almost if he thought Death herself came to collect him and Mary.
Somewhere I ...
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1
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131
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Is there a name for the literary device of having multiple speakers alternating in the same paragraph?
In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis has:
. . . Lucy could only say, "It would break your heart." "Why," said I, "was it so sad?" "Sad!! No," said ...
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3
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Name for a conversation where two people are talking about two things, without their knowledge [duplicate]
The show Arrested Development uses a writing technique I haven't seen very often, but I find very interesting. The idea is that two people will have a conversation where they are both talking from two ...
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What are parts of writing like "statement", "assertion", "argument", "hypothesis", etc collectively called?
Consider the following made up paragraph
Suppose I give you a word, any word. Would you be able to make sense of it? Is it even possible to make sense of a word without surrounding context? I do not ...
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Using present tense in past tense narration
Is it grammatically correct to use the present tense in fiction that's narrated in the past tense? Sometimes, as a writer, you add "general statements" into your narrative. Example:
But ...
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2
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Cooliving or coliving? Are they the same? Any difference? What this the correct way to write it? [closed]
Update
After reading the comments, I think not everybody knows this word. Let me find a definition for you.
According with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-living, it means: Generally coliving is a ...
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