Questions tagged [phrase-choice]

Is it Either? Is it Or? Is it Neither? Use the Phrase-Choice tag to help you complete the perfect sentence, say what you really mean, and learn new words and phrases.

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Do you distinguish "My cover keeps coming off/undone/untucked"?

I have a bed cover but that cover has no buttons. The only way to secure the cover on the bed is to tuck it under the mattress. That is not effective. Whenever I lie on my bed and it I turn around a ...
Tom's user avatar
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0 votes
5 answers
48 views

Why don’t you vs Why won't you

[I put in some edits] Son, switch the lights off. The movie's about to start. [edit] Why don't you do it, dad? (or Why won't you do it dad?) [edit] Dad answers: Because I'm scared of darkness. And ...
ASDASD ASDASD's user avatar
5 votes
4 answers
2k views

Can I say "graphic design is my passion so you are"?

I want to say this in a shorter way: graphic design is my passion and you are my passion too Can I say either of these? graphic design is my passion, so you are. graphic design is my passion, just ...
sümeyyeTheGmc's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
46 views

How would you call such mental attachments related to food and cuisine?

How are the.following two cases called? Some people are very stuck to gourmet or tasty food, rather than plain food, and hooked to exquisite or sophisticated preparation or cooking styles,rather than ...
Tim's user avatar
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1 answer
56 views

Three dozen or three dozens

Three dozen of eggs are bought. Three dozens of eggs are bought. Which expression is correct and why?
Abid's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is it correct to say "we sell car-repair services to customers"?

This is my guess. It sounds better if we use "sell" for "tangible products" and "offer" for "services". For example, "we sell cars/ washing machines" ...
Tom's user avatar
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-2 votes
1 answer
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are diabetes and obesity diseases? [closed]

Normally, I feel an illness is called a disease if it is caused by infection, and an infection is caused by bacteria or a virus. But the dictionary says an illness affecting humans, animals or plants,...
Tom's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
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When talking about traveling by rail, are the following phrases correct?

When talking about traveling by rail, are the following phrase and sentence correct? travel by commuter rail The incident happened on commuter rail. I also wonder what's the difference between ...
Ken Adams's user avatar
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What is the difference between "he dodged behind the wall" and "he ducked behind the wall"?

What is the difference between "he dodged behind the wall" and "he ducked behind the wall"? This is what I understand but I am not sure. "he dodged behind the wall" ...
Tom's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
74 views

Good at doing something (countable and uncountable nouns)

I came across this question on a test: My friend is good at .... . a. making a cake. b. climbing a mountain c. making coffee d. writing reports The answer is c, according to the answer key. It doesn'...
Englishfreak's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
282 views

Are "the prisoner broke free from the cell/ the policeman" and "the prisoner broke away from the cell/ the policeman" the same?

Are "the prisoner broke free from the cell/ the policeman" and "the prisoner broke away from the cell/ the policeman" the same? According to my study, It seems like "He broke ...
Tom's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Giving time stamp in a report involving information in the past and projections for the future,

Below are my three ideas for the Intro for this test, which asks you to summarize the main features of a graph and make comparisons where relevant. I don't know which way of giving the examined period ...
Ken Adams's user avatar
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0 answers
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Is "two different ones" grammatically correct?

I've seen this phrase in several IT-related texts: You'd have to have them in the same repo instead of two different ones. As a result, you end up with a single commit instead of two different ones. ...
enkryptor's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
54 views

Better way to show data while contrasting two subjects

So I'm writing an IELTS essay and trying to show data for the mint green category in the chart. Which of the following sentences is the best? The proportion of people who didn’t provide a specific ...
Ken Adams's user avatar
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1 vote
3 answers
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Can I say «The car is riding on the floor fast”?

I try to comment on my son’s actions while he’s playing with his toys. He mostly play with his cars. How should I describe the moving of the toy on the surface in order to sound natural and ...
Kate's user avatar
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1 answer
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Offer vs offer oneself [closed]

Are both options correct or just one of them? Why? My classmates and I can offer / offer ourselves for acting. The situation is: a teacher is looking for some students willing to act in a play.
Simo Ita's user avatar
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Is it correct to say "tell me the location I need to go to to get the document"?

Is it correct to say tell me the location I need to go to to get the document or do I have to say tell me the location I need to go to get the document?
SmoothPoop69's user avatar
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The dentist fixed/has fixed my tooth

John chips his tooth while eating peanuts. He then goes to the dentist, and the dentist fills in the chip in his tooth. In about an hour, John, who's still having pain in his fixed tooth, bumps into ...
prof1589's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
150 views

Is it correct to say "I wish you always beautiful"?

We use the construction "to wish sb + N", for example, "I wish you a happy new year", "I wish you luck", "We wish you every success" and we don't say "to ...
Tom's user avatar
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17 votes
4 answers
7k views

Does "I slept in" imply I did it on purpose or by accident?

There are 2 situations: Situation 1: I have to get to work at 7:30 am so I often set my alarm clock for 7 am on a weekday. Now the alarm clock goes off and I wake up at 7 am but I feel very tired so I ...
Tom's user avatar
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2 answers
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How to say "Automation parts supplier" in a broader way?

I need a more general term that could refer to any type of product that is sold to factories. This could include raw materials, machinery, equipment, and parts. I came up with a few terms but I don't ...
Michael George's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
120 views

Does "Her hair was tied back in a neat bow." mean the ribbon in her hair is in a bow?

Does "Her hair was tied back in a neat bow." look like this picture when her hair is in a bow? or look like this picture when she used the ribbon to tie her hair and the ribbon is in a bow? ...
Tom's user avatar
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0 votes
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closely VS close

Anyway, the more I practice the play, the more closely I seem to follow her path in Venice. In this sentence, can I use the closer instead of the more closely?
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2 answers
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"some chapters of it" vs "some of its chapters"

which one should i use and where? for example: in order to shorten the book we have omitted some of its chapters or in order to shorten the book we have omited some chapters of it?
Mahmoud Imani's user avatar
-2 votes
2 answers
199 views

Which sentence is correct, "I like reading books." or "I like books reading."? [closed]

I read somewhere: Race(adjective) Horse(noun) Horse(adjective) Race(noun) They caught the guy wearing(present participle) the red jacket the other day. I like books reading(present participle) in ...
raj rajput's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
111 views

What is the difference between "he ran to the park" and "he went running to the park" and "he came running to the park"?

go Ving: can mean -to move in a particular way or -do an activity The dictionary says "go + Ving" and "come + Ving" means to move in a particular way while doing something else. ...
Tom's user avatar
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8 votes
6 answers
1k views

Word/phrase for straight-lined

I don't even know how to describe my question, but it's like going in straight line vs not going in straight line, like: what's the proper word/phrase to express the idea that I've __________ the ...
xpt's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
76 views

Do we say "in a state of..." or "in the state of..."?

I wrote this sentence: John is in the state of limerence after he meets Jane. My friend corrected me with: ... in a state of limerence .... I am confused; I use the article "the" because ...
Dzung Nguyen's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
70 views

Couldn't have cared less vs couldn't care less in context

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee starts with the following short paragraph: When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem's fears of ...
Victor B.'s user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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"not prepared by either .. or" vs. "prepared by neither...nor"

"This substance is not prepared by either the method 1, or the method 2, or the method 3". "This substance is prepared by neither the method 1, nor the method 2, nor the method 3". ...
Levan's user avatar
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5 votes
5 answers
2k views

In which situations do we say "Bob flirts with Mary"?

The Britanica Dictionary defines flirt as to behave in a way that shows a sexual attraction for someone but is not meant to be taken seriously. In which of the following situations can we say “Bob ...
Tom's user avatar
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12 votes
3 answers
4k views

Does the phrase "Tom has been seeing Mary for a while" always imply they have a romantic relationship?

According to the Oxford learner's dictionary, "see somebody" mean "to spend time with somebody". It does not say the 2 have a romantic relationship or not, so I reckon the 2 could ...
Tom's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
65 views

Do we say "I will tattle on you to the teacher"?

When I look up verbs in the dictionary, I sometimes see them marked as "disapproving". My question is that: Do we say "I" or "We" with disapproving verbs? For example, in ...
Tom's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
45 views

Is it ambiguous to say "the fly flew from the left to the right of his face"? [closed]

When we say "the fly flew from the left to the right of his face", does that mean?: 1- the fly at first was flying in a space near 1 side of his face and then it flew to another space that ...
Tom's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
67 views

What is the difference between a cue and a lead?

Say, yesterday, I got an idea in my mind that I had to go shopping this afternoon. And now is 3 pm and I almost forgot about going shopping but when I saw my wallet on the table, it triggered my mind ...
Tom's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do we say "she is sitting on the shore of the pond" or "the bank of the pond"?

This is what I learn from dictionaries We use "bank" for "river/stream" or "canal" and "shore" for "ocean/sea" or "lake". But, it seems like ...
Tom's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
214 views

When do we say "I change the bed" and "I change the bedding"? [closed]

According to my study, "change the bedding" seems bigger than "change the bed". So, I asked Chatgpt Chatgpt says When you say "I change the bed every week," you are ...
Tom's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
1k views

at present or in the present?

In the following, which phrase is okay? If both are okay, what's the difference? Somehow I suspect "at present" suggests the situation is not how things generally are. For example, "He ...
Apollyon's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
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When do we say "I cycle to work", "I bike to work" and "I ride a bike to work"?

These are my study: It seems like the verb "cycle" refers to "go by bicycle" is often used in British English more. And the verb "bike" can be used for both "bicycle&...
Tom's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
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Plurals of two concepts expressed by two word whose second word is the same (i.e. Thermal and Ductile damage)

This is my first query. I have a doubt for the following sentence: Thermal and ductile damage depend Microsoft office is always highlighting it as a mistake as it consider it a singular. This is a ...
Andrea Piccolo's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
66 views

Does "I went to school at 7 am" mean I started going to school at 7 am or I arrived school at 7 am?

I feel like "I went to school at 7 am" means I started waking out of my house at 7 am and then was on my way to school. Maybe, I would arrive at school in 15 minutes at 7:15 am. However, ...
Tom's user avatar
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-2 votes
1 answer
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Are phrases "an intelligent man" and "a smart person" different? Which ones is better to use for a personal characteristic?

There are two different phrases: intelligent man smart person Which one should I use for a personal characteristic?
Rodrigo's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Is "I typed out the text" the same as "typed up the text"?

According to Cambridge Dictionary, "type out" and "type up" are the same type something out/up phrasal verb with type verb [ I or T ] to make a typed copy of a piece of text that ...
Tom's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
167 views

Any difference between "bring something to life" and "bring life to something"

There are quite similar examples of "bring something to life" and "bring life to something" Is there any difference among them? Example 1 from Collins dictionary This technique ...
Stats Cruncher's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
55 views

Do "When does your school/work start and finish?" refer to to a long school/work process or just everyday school/work?

According to my research -"School" refers to a physical school or the time spent there -"Work" refers to a physical working place or the time spent there When do people say "...
Tom's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
57 views

Do British children say "I am in the first year"?

I noticed the American use "grade" and British use "year" to refer levels on a school. Normally, American will say "Sam is in first grade" and British will say "Sam ...
Tom's user avatar
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0 votes
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Is it correct to say "ice creams were considered to be a special meal" or "ice creams were considered to have been a special meal"

Which one is grammatically correct, were considered to be or were considered to have been? Ice creams were considered to be a special meal.
Chilambe 's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
674 views

‘I’d appreciate it if you do that’ vs I’d appreciate it if you could do that’

I want to politely ask someone to finalize something. Are both of the following correct? If so, what is the difference between their meaning. I also want to know if 1 (and perhaps 2 as well) is polite....
Sasan's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
216 views

A proper name for that part of preparing to spit when I "suck" saliva/water/mouthwash from the gaps between my teeth

I am looking for a proper name for one of the stages of preparing to spit. I mean the action of "sucking" saliva/water/mouthwash from the gaps between my teeth. I guess I mean it as opposed ...
pateksan's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
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Is it correct to say "Bob was at home watching TV. Mike was at the shopping center. After playing there for 30 minutes, Mike went/came to Bob"?

The previous sentence often sets the central location and we use "go" if the movement is away from the central location and "come" the movement is towards the central location. Say,...
Tom's user avatar
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