Questions tagged [usage]
For questions about how certain words, phrases or grammatical aspects are typically used.
1,216
questions
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1answer
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Cool air comes in through the window
It's pretty cold outside, and someone has opened the window. (Car, or maybe a room).
Close the window, it's pretty cold outside.
I know that this is one way to describe it. But is there a way to ...
1
vote
1answer
14 views
In the running vs in training
First, I want to confirm the grammatical correctness of the following two sentences:
I'm in the running for the position.
I'm in training for the position.
In other words, if using the ...
0
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1answer
28 views
Earlier or Before
I had to wake up at 6:00am but my mom woke me up at 5:45am instead (and intentionally). So what sounds better:
She woke me 15 minutes earlier.
She woke me up 15 minutes before. (six)
What ...
0
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1answer
29 views
“had to stop” and “was” vs “must have stopped” and “were”
The sentence in question was on a grammar activity:
During a tour of the factory, health and safety inspectors declared
that the company had to stop / must have stopped production until a
...
0
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1answer
14 views
To be or to make someone
In the following sentence
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has approached World Cup winners Madan Lal and Gautam Gambhir, the former India cricketers, to be a part of the Cricket ...
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0answers
14 views
Cut ot vs Stop with
Will you please cut out all your formality?
Will you please stop with all your formality?
Do these sentences sound fine?
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0answers
21 views
Use of money three times as much as
You make three times as much money as I'm making!
You make money that is three times as much as I'm making!
You make three money (((that is))) times as much as I'm making!
Are all ...
1
vote
1answer
20 views
See or stand to see you cry
Someone loves a person a lot (like a mother), and it breaks that person's heart when the person (s)he loves cries. Thus that person says:
I can't see you crying.
I can't stand to see you ...
1
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1answer
22 views
used a call or made a call
What is the meaning of used a call in the following sentence
The President of the European Council used a call with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani to call for a de-escalation of tensions after ...
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2answers
28 views
The usage of “to corral”
Is it grammatically correct and idiomatic to use the verb corral as the following example
I corralled all my notes/findings in the book.
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1answer
29 views
Which one is right? “The assassination by the US of Iran's most powerful general” or The assassination of Iran's most powerful general by the US"
While I was reading the news today on bbc.com, I came across the following sentence.
The assassination by the US of Iran's most powerful general caused tensions between the two countries
The way it ...
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1answer
33 views
What is the difference between “at the top of” and “on the top of”
What is the difference between "at the top of" and "on the top of"?
It is so hard to know that which one should select
I always thought that ??? was the correct form
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0answers
33 views
Is the other car there?
We have two cars. My brother had taken one and wasn't back yet. My dad wanted to go out. So he asked (because my mom wasn't home too):
Is the other car there?
Does this sound fine?
P.S. And does "...
0
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2answers
50 views
Right vs privilege? [closed]
Apparently both are similar.
How we can differentiate between right and privilege?
Please kindly explain with examples
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1answer
23 views
Use of “to” with “want” and “can”
I'm not an expert at grammar, but I'm a native English speaker. I'm trying to help a Spanish speaker learn English. She confuses when to use "to" with "want" or "can". For example, she will say, "I ...
0
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1answer
29 views
Use of as much as
Thief stole as much money as all money I had
When I turn this sentence into passive voice Would it be correct to say;
Money half as much as all money I had was stolen by thief.
Does “Money half ...
1
vote
2answers
29 views
“had better” in the past
I wonder if a suggestion being given with hindsight can be expressed via "had better" used this way:
You'd better have/haven't followed his advice?
The other ways to put it which I'm thinking of ...
1
vote
1answer
22 views
Some word meaning difference and word choice
Is there any difference between go over there, come over there, come there, come here, go there, go here, go over and come over.
If it’s appropriate I ask customer “please come to the line at the ...
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0answers
30 views
Mistakes which are made by native English speakers
Which difficulties do native English speakers face when they learn their mother tongue at school or just in life(especially I'm curious to know about high school when people are already supposed to ...
0
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1answer
27 views
When to use awoke/awakened/awoken?
I am confused by what seems to me to be the more frequent use of the word awoken. During my reading, I have usually come across "He awoke" or "He was awakened". Now I am reading "He was awoken" and "...
0
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0answers
59 views
Using ALL tenses in this text
I wrote an imaginary text in which I used all tenses (12 tenses) to familiarize with them. The tenses are:
PAST: Past simple, Past perfect simple, Past continuous, Past perfect continuous.
...
0
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1answer
20 views
Using implied as an adjective
According to the dictionary the word implied is an adjective.
It is is also the past tense of imply.
I have been trying to find some examples of where implied is used as an everyday adjective and ...
0
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0answers
26 views
Idiom “Do the best”
Does the second sentence mean the same as the first one?
They are doing all possible to further the passage of the Senate.
They are doing the best to facilitate the passage of the Senate.
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0answers
31 views
Difference between “What” and “As”
Is there any difference between "what" and "as"?
The first sentence from Taylor Swift's song "Call It What You Want".
Call it what you want
Call it as you want
Do as she said
Do ...
0
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2answers
46 views
humanity which? human race which?
I encountered 'humanity which ~' or 'human race which ~' a few times.
humanity and human race both refer to humans, but why do you use which? And how about 'humanity who' or 'human race who'?
...
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3answers
57 views
What does the sentence “Her welcome was as warm as Tom's three years earlier had been frosty” mean?
I cannot understand the sentence above. What does it mean?
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1answer
48 views
Can an “idea” be “coined”?
I read a sentence in The Hindu which was:
BRICS has proved its naysayers wrong since the idea of grouping the world’s “five emerging economies” was coined by a consultant two decades ago (BRICS was ...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
“promise to love her for better or for worse”; why FOR?
Promise to love her for better or for worse
That's from the vows of a wedding and I kinda know what that means, but I was wondering why did they use 'for' here.
Could you find and show me the same ...
0
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1answer
37 views
Should “on the other hand” be always in contrast to the stated or implied “on the one hand”?
Just as a reference, let's cite the M-W's definition of the words:
"used to introduce statements that describe two different or opposite ideas, people, etc."
For some reason, I feel like it is also ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
Asking if somebody had a good day
On arriving from school does it make any sense asking the kid You had a good day?
How does that sound to you?
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2answers
459 views
Is this a good reply to “Take care” [closed]
Does the reply "Take care, you too." to "Take care." makes sense?
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1answer
30 views
By now and by this time
Are by now and by this time interchangeable.
He hasn't called me by now.
He hasn't called me by this time.
He has called me by now.
Is the third sentence correct?
0
votes
1answer
33 views
Can we put the soup / water (or other liquids) on the table?
Can we put the soup / water (and other liquids) on the table while they are in vessels that hold them?
For example, if my friend brings me a plate with soup, or water bottle, could I tell him "put ...
0
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0answers
17 views
Was not been offered
Is the use of was not been offered grammatically correct in the following sentence?
While Friday prayers were not allowed in the historic Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area for 13th week, Khoj-e-Digar — ...
1
vote
2answers
68 views
Why was 'the tangible' used instead of 'tangibles'?
Does the tangible have the same meaning as tangibles? Why was the tangible used instead of tangibles? Is it related to 'the + adjective = plural noun'? If so, the verb is doesn't make sense.
...
0
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1answer
35 views
Either has or had
In the following sentence I think had is wrongly used and has should be used instead
The researchers, including those from the Salk Institute in the U.S., said that while an average protein ...
3
votes
2answers
49 views
Can “quickly” be used in “I get tired quickly”?
On the English language quiz I wrote the sentence "I get tired quickly." And then I was corrected and said that "quickly" doesn't suit here. Instead of it I am to use the word "easily". Can I really ...
0
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2answers
118 views
Known As, Better known as, Best known as
Consider:
John Wilkes Booth is known as the man who killed President Lincoln.
Durian is known as the king of fruits.`
She is known as an actress.
I want to be known as the guy I really am.
...
0
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1answer
15 views
It is time we should accept [closed]
Is the following sentence wrong?
It is time we should accept all our people as equals and as partners in the task of building a strong and united nation.
My teacher says it is wrong but I am not ...
0
votes
1answer
25 views
Willing to take them along with
I think the following sentence is not correctly framed (The highlighted part)
Jannayak Janta Party leader Dushyant Chautala on Friday said his party was ready to support any political party in the ...
1
vote
2answers
28 views
Use of “former” with “before” superfluous?
In the following sentence I think the use of the word former is superfluous.
Mr. Malik was the former Governor of Bihar before he was shifted to Jammu and Kashmir. He was also given the additional ...
0
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1answer
25 views
Can I omit “the” in those sentences?
Sometimes I'm not sure whether I should use "the" in a sentence.
Descriptive noun + name
In math:
Option 1: Point A is equidistant from lines l and l'.
Option 2: The point A is equidistant from ...
0
votes
2answers
40 views
Meaning of outing against
What is the meaning of outing against in the following sentence
Off-spinner Ashwin joins Tamil Nadu to take on Gujarat at Just Cricket ground, and opening batsman Mayank joins his Karnataka mates in ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
Interchangeable and difference
Are these interchangeable? What is the difference in use?
I will do it to the same extent as you do.
I will do it as much as you do.
I will do it to an equal degree as you.
I will do ...
0
votes
1answer
142 views
“In what sense”: “in what way” or “what does it mean”?
I have asked an Isreali guy "You said the video was compelling. In what sense?" He said, "emotionally and in that it points out the problems with these laws."
Here I suppose the "in what sense" was ...
1
vote
1answer
22 views
Which one is closer to the idiomatic usage of the verb 'have': 'have got' or 'get'?
Let's suppose we have a situation that someone is holding a gun on his hand, and people are yelling that he's holding a gun. Since I'm a non-native English speaker, I'd say something like this in this ...
2
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2answers
40 views
Tribal dominated districts
Is it correct to use tribal dominated districts
In the following sentence I don’t understand the grammar behind tribal dominated districts
The second phase of the programme — launched by Tribal ...
0
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1answer
31 views
Can 'was' be omitted in this sentence?
I believe it can't, because the omission of was makes valued and stigmatized paralleled.
The thing they were good at at school wasn't valued, or was
actually stigmatized.
0
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1answer
26 views
To my address or at my address
Which one of the following two choices would be suitable in the blank given below
Please make it a point to send your letter___________ .
On my address
To my address
At my address
I think to my ...
0
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1answer
22 views
Would usage in this sentence
This day would constitute the greatest challange our production would ever face.
Why is WOULD used in this sentence?
Source: https://youtu.be/ivfspJOAtBI at 12:54.
