Questions tagged [phrase-usage]

This tag is for questions about how to use a particular phrase. If your question is a request for a phrase to use, you should use the "phrase-request" tag.

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Spend some words

Today is one of my friend's birthday and a lot of my friends (including me) wished her in a messaging app. She just replied us in a single word "Thanks" (just like that). I want to tell her, "...
Raj 33's user avatar
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What is armchair science?

I sometimes read the adjective armchair used together with some scientific discipline. For example, armchair physics, armchair biology, armchair chemistry. From the usage I've seen I get at least ...
Martin's user avatar
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2 answers
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"Spoilt child", but "he's spoiled"

According to this dictionary, Americans use "spoiled" past tense and past participle, whereas British people use either "spoilt" or "spoiled." So, my question is: Can I say "a spoiled child" when I'...
Codewife_101's user avatar
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1 answer
50 views

Have I rephrased this sentence correctly? [closed]

The original: When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written. My version: When the journalist again failed to ...
Delta's user avatar
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1 answer
34k views

"As time goes by" vs. "As time has gone by"

I wonder what the difference between the two phrases given in the title is. For example: As time goes by, people have learned that the earth is not the center of the universe. As time has gone ...
iBug's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
2k views

Can 'call on' mean pay a short visit to someone?

According to the definition 2 in this dictionary: phrasal verb. If you call on someone or call upon someone, you pay them a short visit. Sofia was intending to call on Miss Kitts. [VERB ...
dan's user avatar
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2 answers
179 views

“Starting from one point” is a correct usage?

If I am traveling from one location to another then is it appropriate to say I am starting from the airport and will reach home in 15 min. Is “starting from somewhere” a correct usage? When I am ...
user avatar
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1 answer
1k views

Is "stood time" correct?

I know there is an idiomatic expression in English for something to "stand the test of time" (by the way, would it be possible for something to "stand to the test" or stand other types of test?). But ...
flen's user avatar
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2 answers
465 views

What does 'killer house' mean?

I heard it on a TV show. The girls moved in a new house. A man comes to the house and says: "Killer house, guys." There was a murder happened in this house, but that seems not to be what the man ...
dan's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
6k views

For long vs for a long time

Is the use of "for long" to mean "for a long time " restricted to only negative sentences and questions ? Example He couldn't tolerate it for long. Did he tolerate it for long ? Can I say he ...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
646 views

Get in the habit

I read a sentence: “Experience taught me how invaluable it is to reflect on and write down my decision-making criteria whenever I made a decision, so I got in the habit of doing that. ” I barely ...
Wizard's user avatar
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1 answer
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'Though 'company with 'So '

I read a sentence from “Principles.” Dalio, Ray. All successful people operate by principles that help them be successful, though what they choose to be successful at varies enormously, so their ...
Wizard's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
173 views

What is the difference between these two phrases?

You did not try hard enough. You have not been trying hard enough. Are they correct both? Which one would you use in your everyday life situation?
Tinkman's user avatar
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1 answer
243 views

"so..... as" OR "as...... as"

This test is not as difficult as that one. This test is not so difficult as that one. He wasn't so quick a learner as his brother. He wasn't as quick a learner as his brother. Are all these sentences ...
starun008's user avatar
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1 answer
8k views

raise attention?

Is the following use of "raise attention from" natural? How does it differ from "raise the attention of"? The client's unfortunate experience, which has raised attention from our IT experts, points ...
Apollyon's user avatar
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3 answers
36k views

Can I use the phrase "It just so happened that..."?

Recently I learnt a phrase "it just so happens that....". I would like to know if I could use "it just so happened that..." to refer to a past situation? For example, It just so happened that I met ...
Dennis's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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'make it a point to' or 'make a point to'?

According to this previous post, make a point to: act purposely or intentionally to be certain to do something However, I can't find any explanations for make a point to in dictionaries. ...
dan's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
170 views

Regarding for someone to V phrase

Hello I've got a question regarding for someone to (verb) I'm always curious about "for someone to" phrase. Here's my examples: This is first time to see her not tieing up her hair. O This is ...
Tim's user avatar
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1 answer
36 views

Afraid of getting denied or

Afraid of getting denied. Scared to be denied. Which one is grammatically correct please tell me.
fusion's user avatar
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0 answers
3k views

Are these the same "check this one off your list" & "check this one off on your list"?

According to oxford dictionary check somebody/something off (North American English) (British English tick somebody/something off) to put a mark (✓) beside a name or an item on a list to show ...
Tom's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
547 views

Difference between board of directors, management, and administration

I cannot tell for sure which one to use with different organizations and enterprises. For example, with a sporting club: Manchester United's management/administration/board of directors.
Sara's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
157 views

What is the acceptable phrase? [closed]

What is the acceptable phrase? No have enough seats Don't have enough seats
Taher Wala's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
600 views

How to formally give response message if my shop is closed

I'm trying to compose a response message for my Facebook page in case the page visitors send messages while my shop is closed (non business hours) Sorry our shop is closed at this hour, but our ...
Artisan's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
788 views

Are phrases 'in another word' and 'not another word' correct?

I have two questions here: Can 'in another word' mean 'in other words'? I see the example in the dictionary on my cellphone: In another word, Jesus got the abandon that we deserved. Is 'not ...
dan's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
804 views

Temperature in 40s or in the 40s?

In the temperature forecast, 40s means 40 ~ 49 degrees. However, I have seen both in 40s and in the 40s. Which one is correct, or both? And any reason if there is?
dan's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
203 views

"for someone to" verb phrases

I'm always curisous about the phrase "for someone to" verb which is quite common in English. However, I noticed sometimes it is not proper. 1. She is surprised for me to know her mom. - ...
Tim's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
261 views

What does "drinking all of you" mean in this sentence?

I don't quite understand the grammar for drinking all of you that they could. And the meaning of the whole sentence is not quite clear to me either. They treated you as if they were never going ...
dan's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
330 views

Can I start a sentence with "To be mentioned"? [closed]

Can I start a sentence with to be mentioned? To be mentioned, Figure 2 has no color because (some clause here).
Yan Yang's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
430 views

When to use "'s" and when to use "that of"?

When to prefer the former and when the latter? Example sentence (with context): When Mary heard about oocyte cryopreservation, which consists of freezing your eggs to be used when you need them, ...
alex's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
112k views

Is there difference between "by then" and "until then"?

Is there difference between "by then" and "until then" in the following sentence? "I'll call you around 9 o'clock. By then (or "until then"), sweet dreams!"
Virtuous Legend's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
525 views

What does the phrase "by the time token" mean?

I saw the sentence "by the time token" in a physics textbook. The original sentence is: By the time token, if E < V(and V is constant), then Y is exponential. In Cambridge Dictionary, "token" ...
Dennis's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
218 views

The meaning of "stand down" in this sentence

I saw this in the Oxford Online Dictionary: This shattering statistic crashed into Downing Street, where brows were being mopped and arrangements stood down. This is a usage of the phrase "stand ...
Eddie Kal's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
841 views

what does someone mean when they say " something passed beyond the limits?"

I have seen a poem translater of a language but I couldn't get what he translated; for example: the Indifference passed beyond the limits--Nurturer, how long will I narrate the state of the heart,...
Ziya bano's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
44 views

Why does 'of' use in this sentence

Why does second of -which is at immediate before comma- use in the sentence below? What does it specify? (which subject, object or etc.) In Spain, as in the rest of world that I know of, the VAT ...
efkan's user avatar
  • 143
1 vote
1 answer
30 views

Not one letter he sent her

Not one letter he sent her, let alone to give her a phone call. Is this grammatically correct? What about idiomatically? P.S.: The reason why I would prefer using it, regardless of how unidiomatic ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
61 views

The organizational data vs the organization data

I am a bit confusing with 2 noun words are combined together because I've seen many phrases such as web data, car data, human resource, child care ... etc. Here, instead of the organizational data, ...
Ronald's user avatar
  • 482
0 votes
1 answer
202 views

"Men of the night" or "the men of the night"?

What's the most grammatical/idiomatic option? Example sentence: It seemed to Mary that (the) men of the night were better at mating than match-making. (Here Mary is referring to men who ...
alex's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
59 views

"He had been raised a brave man... whom only a native woman made a good wife."

"Her only son had been raised a brave and respected gentleman in their community, whom only a native woman could make a good wife." Please, could anyone tell me if this sentence is properly ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
291 views

Which phrase does not match the others about ratios?

Which ratio does not belong w/the other three? 2 parts to 5 parts 2 out of every 5 2 for each 5 2 for every 5
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
531 views

"for that matter" - not only for generalization purposes?

There have been already two questions asked about "for that matter": “for that matter” The exact meaning of “for that matter” I read them carefully and the following dictionary entries: "for ...
Min-Soo Pipefeet's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
25 views

Is it grammatical/idiomatic to say "[number] [objects] of [person]?

In other words, is it grammatical/idiomatic to say: 200 Lies of Luke (as opposed to: Luke's 200 Lies)? 500 Eggs of Erica the Chicken (as opposed to: The 500 Eggs of Erica the Chicken)? Just like ...
alex's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
37k views

Ways to say "My phone ran out of power"

What are some other ways to say "My phone ran out of power", meaning my battery got depleted. What is the level of formality of each one?
Ra.'s user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
83 views

Is it allowed to write "put someone into words"?

"put into words" is commonly used in English, as in I cannot put into words how much I love him. I can't put my feelings into words. But is it allowed to place a "person" as an object in this ...
dbwlsld's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
28k views

What is a formal synonym phrase for "What the hell are you talking about"?

What I want to write is formal, or polite version of what the hell are you talking about? A reason why I can't use this is beacuse a person who's saying this is a middle-aged man, and he's not ...
dbwlsld's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
118 views

How to say this properly in English

In our area, we have a common saying that, "Failure may make you feel bad, but humiliation is what make you work hard" (Sorry for my bad English translation) Does English have any proper saying for ...
Raj 33's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
22k views

Correct usage of "which in turn"?

I want to convey that affective strategy influences prior knowledge and also influences how much effort is exerted to acquire prior knowledge. Prior knowledge and effort exerted, in turn, affect the ...
NoName's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Do people commonly say "go down" to mean "go to sleep"?

I saw this in a movie (Joe Swanberg's Happy Christmas). "How long has he been sleeping for?" "He went down right at 1:00" I have never heard the phrase used like this, and can't find this ...
Eddie Kal's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
7k views

"This said" or "That said" [duplicate]

I usually use that said or that being said etc. Today, for the first time in my life probably I read an email with This said. Is This said correct? If so then why we don't commonly use it instead of ...
Lynob's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
48 views

More often than not, can we use it in different contexts, changing the fixed expression a bit?

He was injured in more places than not. I have heard a lot of people use "more often than not", which upon looking up, I realized was a fixed expression. So, I was wondering it could used in ways ...
Soumya Ghosh's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
647 views

Can the phrase "one's ass off" be collocated with most of verbs?

I know the phrase "laugh my ass off", meaning "laugh at it a lot". I checked with two American friends. One said "ass off" could apply to other verbs, but he didn't give me any examples indeed. Well,...
dan's user avatar
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