Questions tagged [difference]

This tag is for questions about the difference in meaning between certain words, phrases, or sentences.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
-1 votes
1 answer
31 views

What is the difference between “delivery time” and " time delivery"? [closed]

I have a question that What is the difference between “delivery time” and " time delivery"? Thank you!
0 votes
1 answer
14 views

What does the verb 'describe' mean?

In this following context, what does the verb 'describe' mean? What is different between the verbs 'describe' and 'apply'? Is the 'which' an object of 'describes'? I think the 'it' is dummy subject ...
  • 193
-2 votes
0 answers
37 views

John doesn't <believe> <have confidence in> <have trust in> <trust> Mary [closed]

my own examples: (1) John doesn't believe Mary. (2) John doesn't have confidence in Mary. (3) John doesn't have trust in Mary. (4) John doesn't trust Mary. Do they mean the same? If not, could you ...
  • 1,104
1 vote
0 answers
40 views

How can I use reporting verbs

My sentence from a grammar site is "At least 6 people are believed to have been killed in a shooting rampage". Will there be any difference if I turn it into: There are believed to have ...
  • 11
0 votes
3 answers
82 views

What is the difference between toxic and poisonous?

Is there a difference between the two? Can we use one as a synonym to the other?
  • 129
0 votes
1 answer
43 views

A ball has <hollowness> <a cavity>

Since a ball (for playing football) is hollow, can I say about its hollowness or cavity?: (1) A ball has hollowness. — (as far as I understand, "hollowness" is uncountable, i.e. without &...
  • 1,104
1 vote
1 answer
58 views

what’s the difference between dumb and stupid?

Could somebody explain to me the difference between “dumb” and “stupid” ? As French person, there isn’t many differences !
12 votes
4 answers
3k views

What’s the difference between errands and shopping?

I’m French. Could somebody explain to me the difference between the terms 'errands' and 'shopping'?
0 votes
1 answer
16 views

When do we use "speaking of which", "by the way" and "anyway"?

Context: Mike and Mary talked about politics and war then they talked about Bob's wedding, then talked about gifts, then talked about mom, then ed the conversation Mary: I hate war Mike: ....talk ...
  • 18k
0 votes
2 answers
23 views

What's the difference between "exposed to" and "subjected to"?

What's the difference between the two expressions "exposed to" and "subjected to" in the context of a risk? Example: Because of this they will continue to be defenselessly exposed/...
  • 115
8 votes
2 answers
746 views

He has a sense of grandeur about <him> <himself>

oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com: (1) He has a sense of grandeur about him. — I can't understand why (1) is correct. my variant: (2) He has a sense of grandeur about himself. — It seems to me (2) is the ...
  • 1,104
7 votes
6 answers
1k views

What is the difference between text alignment, text justification, and quadding?

I'm a German software developer who needs to add a parameter to a function that lets users choose if the created text "sticks" to the left, to the right, or is (horizontally) centered. For ...
0 votes
1 answer
26 views

"will" vs. "would"

Intentionally long-winded sentence for the sake of grammar reviewing If you wish for me to talk about every figure of rhetoric there is in the same breath, I would have to tell you I couldn't hold it ...
-1 votes
0 answers
34 views

Dictionaries pronounce the word "triceratops" (traɪˈsɛrəˌtɒps). But why is it (traɪˈKɛrəˌtɒps) on the BBC?

This is from the BBC. Topsy's adventures see:00:18-00:20 I know that the word "triceratops" is pronounced " (traɪˈsɛrəˌtɒps) with an "S" in the middle, but why does it ...
  • 3,607
-2 votes
0 answers
17 views

What's the difference between to figure and to calculate

What's the difference between to figure and to calculate. And what's the difference between to price and to value? I'd like also to get usage examples of these words :)
1 vote
1 answer
40 views

What's the difference between shady, dodgy, sketchy, fishy, shifty and suspicious?

What's the difference between shady, dodgy, sketchy, fishy, shifty, and suspicious? To me as a non-native English speaker it's quite hard to know the subtle difference between these words.
  • 115
-1 votes
1 answer
27 views

"I haven't done something in a long time before now" vs. "I hadn't done something in a long time before now"?

Can you please tell me if I need to use the present perfect or the past past perfect in the sentence below? I haven't eaten any sweets in a long time before now. I hadn't eaten any sweets in a long ...
0 votes
2 answers
32 views

Is there any difference in meaning between "pass something" and "pass by something"?

Can you please tell me if there as any difference between pass something and pass by something in the sense of going past it? For example: On your way to the grocery store, you are going to pass a ...
0 votes
0 answers
14 views

Are opposite and opposite to interchangeable? [duplicate]

a. Their house is opposite to ours. b. Their house is opposite ours. Are they both correct?
  • 1
0 votes
0 answers
40 views

"in the way which" vs. "in the way in which"

Can I always interchange "in the way which" + "in the way in which", like in the quotations beneath? If not, when to use which? What happens if I swap them in the quotations ...
user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
51 views

How are regardless and regardlessly different?

Both regardless and regardlessly are adverbs, and Google said the latter is the adverb form of the former, but the former is an adverb. How are they different?
  • 2,625
0 votes
2 answers
54 views

What's the difference between verbs forward and redirect?

According to dictionary.cambridge.org/forward, the verb forward means to send a letter, etc., especially from someone's old address to their new address, or to send a letter, email, etc. that you ...
  • 225
0 votes
1 answer
14 views

Is it "get you help" or "give you help"?

I have a question about the sentence from here. I should've got you the help you needed years ago Since "got" is the past participle of get, the sentence can be simply rewritten to "...
  • 21
0 votes
1 answer
26 views

"I have an emergency" vs. "I'm having an emergency"

Can you please tell me if both sentences below are perfectly natural and have the same meaning? I can't visit you today as I have an emergency. I can't visit you today as I'm having an emergency. I'...
0 votes
1 answer
21 views

'As of' or 'from'

I've been reading some answers about when to use 'as of' and 'from', but I still have doubts about when to use each one. e.g.: You can check-in from 3pm OR You can check in as of 3pm For me (My ...
1 vote
1 answer
25 views

difference: "hear of" vs. "hear about"

I'm considering the difference between "hear of" and "hear about." Is it possible to hear of a name without hearing about it?
  • 5,325
0 votes
0 answers
22 views

"doing that look-away thing" vs "looking away"

I found a sentence (in bold) from a children's book called Wonder by R. J. Palacio. If I found a magic lamp and I could have one wish, I would wish that I had a normal face that no one ever noticed ...
0 votes
2 answers
48 views

Defining and non-defining clauses and their differences [duplicate]

My son who lives in America is a doctor. My son, who lives in America, is a doctor. I know that the first sentence has a defining relative clause and the second sentence has a non defining relative ...
1 vote
1 answer
47 views

As a whole vs. On the whole

Which phrase is okay in the following? I don't find example sentences in the dictionary clear enough to distinguish them. As a whole/On the whole, conditions in rural areas are getting better.
  • 5,325
0 votes
2 answers
53 views

"can include" vs. "may include" [duplicate]

A can include B A may include B In the above sentences, "can" and "may" are being used to indicate a possibility ("can" is not indicating a capability, which I know is ...
  • 209
0 votes
1 answer
27 views

"By how" or "By the way" in this case?

By how (or 'the way') he reacted to the question, it was clear he was hiding something. Both 'how' and 'the way' have the same meaning in this context. Like when we say: I like the way (or 'how') ...
  • 1,603
0 votes
2 answers
63 views

What's the difference between 'reckon without' and 'not reckon with'?

What's the difference between "reckon without" and "not reckon with"? Are they interchangeable? Example: He had not reckoned with the fact that the second charge of canister could ...
1 vote
2 answers
37 views

look down at vs. look down on

Are look down on and look down at synonymous? They are when referring to dictionaries, but I'd like to know the subtle difference between them. The ancient Greeks used to describe two very different ...
-1 votes
2 answers
52 views

Is there any difference between 'At this point' and 'To this point'? [closed]

Example: "At/to this point, I just want to be happy." Are they interchangeable? Thank you in advance.
0 votes
1 answer
32 views

Replacing adjectives with nouns in sentences

In the examples of the two sentences below, after reformulating them to replace the adjectives with their corresponding nouns, do they still have the same meaning? Do these phrases sound too weird or ...
  • 1,029
0 votes
1 answer
15 views

necessary or extremely useful to manage / for managing

Are the following both okay? Is there any difference? A life skill is one that is necessary or extremely useful to manage well in daily life. A life skill is one that is necessary or extremely ...
  • 5,325
0 votes
2 answers
61 views

Difference between premiere and debut?

On vocabulary.com it reads that debut and premiere are not interchangeable: A fun fact: debut and premiere are often thought to be interchangeable, but they’re not. A debut, as you now know, is a ...
  • 2,951
0 votes
1 answer
33 views

What is the difference between "before the law" and "under the law"?

Both usages are listed on Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, but is there any difference? Under existing law, journalists cannot refuse to provide information to a jury. The constitution guarantees ...
  • 956
0 votes
0 answers
34 views

'What' vs 'What is it that'

A friend of mine made a question from this statement: The guest asks for the key to his room first. What is it that the guest asks for first? We can normally say: What does the guest ask for first? ...
4 votes
4 answers
129 views

"Reimbursement for travel expenses" or "compensation for travel expenses"?

If I want to refer to a sum of money that someone can get to make up for travel expenses, do I refer to it as "reimbursement for travel expenses" or as "compensation for travel expenses&...
  • 165
1 vote
2 answers
29 views

Fit in with or to

There is a question but I still cannot understand it. Here it is: Your personality type not only predicts how well your skills will match the demands of the work tasks in a particular job, it also ...
-1 votes
2 answers
38 views

Past Perfect vs Present Perfect [closed]

everyone! I was reading a book and there was like "After we have done our home tasks we went to the cinema" I wonder why it's present perfect , bit not past perfect ? Thank you beforehand!
  • 47
0 votes
3 answers
24 views

Difference between 'resulting in' and 'which results in' in a sentense?

I came across a part in an English book explaining that these two sentences below are interchangeable, but is it true? 1)The unexpected popularity of the new toy has taken everyone by surprise, ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
28 views

(Did / have done / had done) ~ ago

It's a simple question, and I'm curious which one is the natural way of speaking these. Emailed you I emailed you about that a month ago. I have emailed you about that a month ago. I had emailed you ...
1 vote
1 answer
21 views

"this way" or "that way"

Is "this way" used correctly in the following? Or should "That way" be used instead? What's the difference? If you don't know how to ask John for help, just buy him a beer. This ...
  • 5,325
1 vote
1 answer
41 views

"After the tea <got colder> <cooled down>, we begin drinking it."

my own example: Water boils in the kettle. We take a tea bag, put it into a cup, then pour the water into the cup. The water in our cup is about 100 degrees Celsius. We wait a little bit. The ...
  • 1,104
0 votes
1 answer
47 views

Can I say, 'Do it thus' instead of 'Do it like this'?

Are "thus" and "like this" always interchangeable? Thank you in advance.
0 votes
1 answer
27 views

What's the difference between 'taxing' and 'tiring'?

What are the nuances to 'taxing' and 'tiring'? Say, is there any difference between these two sentences? It is kind of taxing to wield this demon lord slaying holy sword. It is kind of tiring to ...
  • 3,294
1 vote
0 answers
21 views

"remain a problem / an issue" vs "stay a problem / an issue" [closed]

(1) to remain a problem / an issue – I know it’s a correct phrase (2) to stay a problem / an issue – I don't know if it’s correct So, is (2) correct? If not, then why not? If it is, then what is the ...
  • 1,104
1 vote
2 answers
79 views

Why can't you call a 'No Parking' sign self-evident? Why can't a fact be self-explanatory?

This [No Parking] sign is self-explanatory. The sign itself explains why it was put there - to prohibit parking in that location. We wouldn't call the sign self-evident because the sign isn't a truth, ...
  • 113

1
2 3 4 5
73