Questions tagged [usage]
For questions about how certain words, phrases or grammatical aspects are typically used.
1,261
questions
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1answer
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Is Were or Was the correct preposition for 3rd person singular “my heart”?
I understand that if I refer to my heart (my leg, my hair, etc.), it is third person singular and so I should use "WAS", but there's a song called "If my heart WERE a ball" that brought this question ...
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2answers
22 views
“The Act doesn't state the criteria for X; it has delegated [this] responsibility to …” ~ What does “this” mean here?
I wrote the following sentence:
The Employment Insurance (EI) Act doesn’t state the criteria for establishing, delineating, and reviewing EI regional boundaries; it has delegated this ...
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1answer
33 views
What is used more commonly? [duplicate]
Let's say that I want to say that I have just turned my pc off.
Which of these sentences is more commonly to be heard?
I have just turned my pc off.
I turned my pc off.
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2answers
28 views
which one sounds more natural.? [closed]
Random sentences with the word "book" .
Random sentences that have the word "book" .
are both sentences used ?
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1answer
22 views
At one end and at the other
Can we say :
At one end it's (something).....and at the other (something else) .
Does it mean the same as "on the one hand ....and on the other" ?
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3answers
787 views
The use of the word “problematic” in a sentence
There are a couple of words one can use to refer to someone with a hearing problem, such as "deaf", "hearing-impaired" or "hard of hearing".
I was wondering if we could use the word "problematic" to ...
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1answer
46 views
Rather! meaning 'yes'
Rather - exclamation (Chiefly British)
Meaning: certainly; yes:
"Do you want to come out for dinner with us this evening?" "Rather!"
Some dictionaries give the meaning of 'rather' as '...
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1answer
31 views
Rare usage of perfect tenses (“to have been” and “to have done”) by Daniel Defoe
Reading "The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe, I run into the following excerpt:
I say, after all this, any one would have thought that the native propensity to rambling which ...
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2answers
32 views
'be said to be' what does this mean?
Here goes example,
"The earliest recorded use of "queer" as a form of homophobic abuse is said to be a 1984 letter by John Sholto Douglas, the Marquess of Queensberry."
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1answer
10 views
Farm usage…present and present progressive
I have a question about present possessive for the word farm. Can you say, "Do you farm chickens?" Is that present possessive usage for farm?
I have heard, do you raise chickens?
I was told you ...
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1answer
35 views
When do you use “is accusing of” ? Is this correct?
I thought "accuse" is used as below
1) A accuse B of something
2) B is accused of something
then I read a newspaper saying "Condo owner is accusing of splitting~"
I googled if this is a correct ...
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1answer
21 views
Vent or Vent out
She needed someone to vent her pent up emotions.
She needed someone to vent out her pent up emotions.
What sounds better out of the two? Should"to" be included in the sentence? (Vent pent up ...
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1answer
11 views
Either remarking or remarked
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?
The country is witnessing troubled times and petitions in Supreme Court should not exacerbate the situation, CJI remarking while hearing request to ...
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0answers
20 views
“for you to look through it”
She gave you her phone to get it charged, not for you to look through it.
Does the sentence above sound fine?
Someone's phone had almost died. When she left to go the restroom, the person who had ...
0
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2answers
40 views
Is “move in” ALWAYS a phrasal verb?
I am trying to understand phrasal verb. I thought in this situation:
(My friend is doubting about two kind shoes: Asics and Geox ...)
Me: Those shoes look nice but... Why do you want the shoes?...
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0answers
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Past perfect continuous for continuing events in the past
I got from Cambridge Dictionary (in grammar section): Past perfect continuous tense.
Continuing events in the past
We use the past perfect continuous to talk about actions or events which ...
0
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1answer
16 views
Down, Away or Ahead
I bet there's a rest stop a couple of miles down.
I bet there's a rest stop a couple of miles away.
I bet there's a rest stop a couple of miles ahead.
What sounds natural "down", "away" or "...
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0answers
16 views
Gum up Vs Gunk up
Are these two phrasal verbs interchangeable?
Eggnog gunks the steamer up.
Eggnog gums the steamer up.
And if the filters are clogged due to dust particles in an AC etc:
The filters are ...
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2answers
34 views
Can “start” be used instead of “kicked in”
How long does it take for the generator to kick in after the main power supply shuts off?
Can "start" be used here instead of "kick in"? I mean maybe it won't sounds as natural, but is it likely to ...
4
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1answer
49 views
Whatever vs Whichever
My friend had written:
Send me whichever observations you have.
Shouldn't it have been:
Send me whatever observation you have.
P.S. Observations: Readings for different experiments.
Thank ...
0
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0answers
20 views
Question about “most” usage and meaning
I want to ask about a particular usage of the "most" word.
When I say (talking about YouTube videos for e.g.):
Videos with most views
does it convey the meaning that those videos have views more ...
0
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1answer
16 views
Follow through on it
"No, the admin wants me to have a tutor from within the school. I think it's stupid, but they want me to be involved more because they think it will give me the confidence to do better by having ...
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1answer
59 views
The difference between “use up” and “run out of something”
Consider these two sentences:
I have used up all my pencils.
I have run out of pencils.
Which one, if either, is better? What is the difference? In what context should I use each one?
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0answers
22 views
Left it for when
I read this sentence online:
I left it for when I'll be a more advanced speaker.
It was written by someone who was trying to read a novel, but couldn't understand it, stopped reading it until he ...
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1answer
21 views
why do we use “of” here, this structure can be repeat after other verbs, but “to be”?
In some sentence, we see that the "of" is used, do you think the use of it is need? for example:
1- It is of the utmost/highest importance,
2- those built were of interest,
3- cooperation ...
0
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1answer
15 views
You only seem to notice me
The entire class was talking. But the teacher started yelling at just one girl for talking during class. She seemed to yell at only her each day, as if she was holding some kind of grudge against her. ...
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1answer
20 views
I'll buy (or I'll get, I'd like)
Does "buy" sound a bit unnatural in the following sentences:
I'll buy all the cupcakes on the top shelf.
I'll buy that chocolate one.
And
I'll buy that red one. (Backpack)
Is it ...
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0answers
22 views
Phrasal verb - stamp something out (words' position)
I have read this, and I read "and stamping out an epidemic that has killed more than 1,000 people and infected more than 40,000."
So, from Cambridge Dictionary I get:
stamp something out
— ...
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0answers
19 views
Phrasal verb - stamp something out (definition)
I have read this, and I read "and stamping out an epidemic that has killed more than 1,000 people and infected more than 40,000."
So, from Cambridge Dictionary I get:
stamp something out
— ...
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0answers
26 views
Run it under water, hold it under water, run water over it
The following sentences are about rinsing something under running water, be it a whisk (or any untensil for that matter) or a scald, wound/cut.
Just run it under water.
Just hold it under ...
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0answers
19 views
Walk through VS Cut through
Can I cut through here?
Can I walk through here?
And:
He cuts through my yard everyday.
He walks through my yard everyday.
Are "walk through" and "cut through" equally likely in this ...
2
votes
1answer
35 views
Come this way-----> Come from here
A few students are going to the buses they'll be riding home. So a girl takes the long route to get to the bus. So one of the children wants to say "Why aren't you coming this way?"
Does this sound ...
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0answers
28 views
X minutes left before
Do these sound fine instead of "It's five minutes to/before ten":
There are five minutes left before ten.
We/I have ten minutes before ten.
And if someone asks:
How many minutes are left ...
0
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0answers
14 views
Buy something vs Buy into something
Are these interchangeable? Or is there some nuance of meaning? Does "buy something" sound more passive than "buy into something"? I know that the second phrase has originated from "buying into a ...
1
vote
1answer
28 views
Knock someone down to; Talk someone down to
I talked the shopkeeper down to X. (price)
I knocked the shopkeeper down to X. (price)
What sounds better "talk down" or "knock down"?
Can't you knock the price down to X?
Can't you drop ...
0
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2answers
17 views
I'd Vs I'll, what's preferred?
Are these interchangeable:
I'll love to chat.
I'd love to chat.
And
I'll love to do it.
I'd love to do it.
Is "I'd" preferred over "I'll"? If yes, then why is that? Is there a ...
0
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0answers
25 views
either inifinitive or gerund
All government officials above the rank of undersecretary have been issued circulars by their respective ministries to ask them to attend yoga classes in the run up to the event.
I think to ask and ...
0
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2answers
26 views
4 students are less
4 students were still not on the bus, when our school was about to leave the school (when school let out). I know that one way of expressing this is:
4 students aren't here yet.
But after counting ...
0
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1answer
15 views
Comes first or before something
I'm talking to someone about our roll numbers. My roll number is 23 and her roll number is 30.
So what's the best way to describe it:
My roll number comes first.
My roll number comes before ...
1
vote
1answer
30 views
Understand…from?
I don't this that this sounds natural, but I'm not quite sure.. (Maybe this sentence sounds fine to me because I'm directly translating it from my native language...... Though when I think about it ...
0
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0answers
40 views
My shoes got swapped with someone
I had taken off my shoes(we're supposed to take them off before we enter the music room). When I came back and put them back on, I realized they weren't mine. (There had been a lot of shoes there, now ...
0
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1answer
37 views
Is the sentence “wherever and whenever you want” correct?
Is the sentence "wherever and whenever you want" correct?
I have just come across this sentence. I think if it is correct it can be very useful in compositions.
0
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1answer
62 views
Put on a TV show
If someone's watching a show and someone changes the channel, I know that it's natural to use "Change it back!" or "I was watching that!" but can this be used too:
Put it on!
And when generally ...
0
votes
1answer
21 views
Comb vs Braid (or any specific hairstyle.)
We usually have to braid our hair to school.
What sounds a better out of the two options below:
Do you comb your hair on your own? (Like anything, can be a braid, a ponytail etc, nothing too fancy)...
0
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0answers
27 views
What am I supposed to say?
What am I supposed to say when 6hours felt like 1 hour to me. Is it true if i say “it doesn’t felt so long”? I’m confused about felt or feel?
0
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1answer
32 views
Using “before” as an adverb in the beginning of a sentence
Can I use the word "before" as an adverb in the beginning of a sentence? And if I can't, what word or a group of words should I use then?
For example,
Before, they used to serve a cherry pie at ...
0
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1answer
46 views
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
15 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
36 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
79 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
...
