Questions tagged [word-choice]
This tag is for questions which a dictionary cannot answer about the several possibilities available for a particular meaning, and which one of them would be the most appropriate.
4,721
questions
1
vote
1answer
17 views
Describing several lines in graph
So I have a graph that depicts 3 lines. Each line represents a different level of consumption c. I am having trouble choosing the correct word to indicate the difference between the lines. My first ...
0
votes
0answers
36 views
Is there a verb to say “I'm not interested anymore?”
In my native language, we have a verb to say "I'm not interested anymore". What is the closest verb or phrasal verb in English?
0
votes
0answers
19 views
What is the correct order from extreme individualism to full collectivism?
In a social spectrum from extreme individualism to full collectivism, an agent may be very selfish, so its attitude is "competitive". Then,
(i) it may join some parties about the benefits of whose ...
0
votes
2answers
21 views
Difference between furious/infuriated/enraged?
I called him something, so he started walking toward me, furious/infuriated/enraged.
Is there any difference between them? Can I use them all here? Which one of them would you use here to mean very ...
20
votes
4answers
4k views
What do you call this when cats hunch their backs and their fur stands on end?
I know there is such a word but I cannot recall it. This word can be used figuratively when saying that someone gets surprised, angry or react badly to something.
0
votes
0answers
24 views
starts wondering/starts to wonder
Ted still sits alone in the couch watching TV. He starts wondering where his wife is.
Ted still sits alone in the couch watching TV. He starts to wonder where his wife is.
I assume they are ...
-1
votes
2answers
31 views
Is there a definition for an actively working person?
I would like to ask for a direct or indirect definition that would define the person who is actively working in a company.
For example in Linkedin I've seen the definition as present yet it does not ...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
The use of different forms of the verb ''understand'' in sentences
I would like others to explain this to me. Which sentence is correct?
In his anxiety to make himself understanding, he spoke too loudly and too slowly
In his anxiety to make himself ...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
What Is The Best Word Choice: Is, Are, Were, or Have Been
The volume of letters that the United States Post Office processes ____ staggering.
A. Is
B. Are
C. Were
D. Have been
I think it would be A.
2
votes
1answer
19 views
A verb for a raise in a feeling
The studies conducted 10 years ago shows that the feeling of belonging
to the group is very weak among the members. We have no evidence that the
feeling _____ in the meanwhile.
I want to say that ...
0
votes
1answer
30 views
Type 3 conditional vs mixed conditional
I have to comment on the following situation using an if clause (i.e. write a conditional sentence regarding the given situation) :
They never agree to anything I suggest. That's how they lost ...
0
votes
0answers
20 views
Is “quantity” a proper word to use for “the number of things” in technical topics?
I am looking for a technical term for the number of things.
In my native Danish lanauge, we have one single word:
Antal
which directly means the number of.
In English, the word amount wouldn't ...
3
votes
3answers
184 views
What does “Cheer up” mean?
Some people say that you can't use that phrase when the listener is in real bad situations, such as having their arm broken, car accidents or something like those, because the phrase could feel like "...
1
vote
1answer
21 views
The output of an adapter
I'm trying to name a function in a software package. Let's start with some backgrounds. The package provides supplemental functions to multiple upstream packages that train random forests. To avoid ...
0
votes
1answer
25 views
How to chose between “get” and “have got”?
In a class context, would a student, asking about the homework and if any homework is due for today, ask:
Did we get any homework for today?
or
Have we got any homework for today?
Or can both ...
0
votes
1answer
55 views
“What to call it” vs. “how to call it”
I went through the questions, but I didn't find an answer to this kind of sentence. Would you tell me what would be the correct sentence A or B? I had 2 beta readers and 2 answers. Thank you.
A) It ...
1
vote
2answers
68 views
“Listen for” to mean “left with a feeling”
The other day I was given an answer:
In your sentence I would use give, give does mean a present, a gift
I was going to give you another book
Here is a warning: I am listening for ...
1
vote
1answer
34 views
Is it correct to say “The teacher failed me”?
I've heard this expression on TV several times, but is this correct grammatically? Doesn't it mean that the teacher did not help me in the time of need rather than the teacher gave me an F?
How to ...
0
votes
1answer
25 views
well under way/fully under way
The party was well under way when we arrived.
The party was fully under way when we arrived.
What is the difference between "well under way" and "fully under way"?
-2
votes
0answers
28 views
To embezzle, to pocket or to misappropriate
If an employee takes some amount of raw material from the labour place in a way can be called stealing, and the raw material was the property of the employer, which of the following is more natural to ...
2
votes
1answer
24 views
A person who supports some idea but hid it in public
I was looking for a word which is perfect for a person who supports some idea but hid that idea in public for some reason.
For example
I believe in gender equality but if someone or any group talks ...
0
votes
2answers
32 views
“Close/shut one's eyes to sth” VS “Turn a blind eye to sth”
I was wondering what is the difference between these two phrases. For me, they both mean very similar and I cannot differentiate between them.
For more clarification, let me provide you with an ...
1
vote
1answer
36 views
The category of medicines that “make you unconscious” or just “prevent pain”
I was wondering what do you call the medicines that are used to:
make you sleep through the surgical operation.
make you numb (without making you sleep,) during an operation.
I know "...
0
votes
0answers
8 views
Should “at” or “to” be used in the following sentence?
Should "at" or "to" be used in the following sentence?
You can send me an email with any inquiries to: email@website.com.
or
You can send me an email with any inquiries at: email@website.com.
...
0
votes
2answers
19 views
Using an article after “which we call”
I am hesitant in using an article after the sentence which we call.
Example:
We discovered a new attack model which we call "man-in-the-middle"
attack
Or
We discovered a new attack model ...
9
votes
3answers
4k views
Word for 'most late'
Latest in English means most recent. Then, how do we say something is 'most late'?
For example, all the candidates for a job receive their interview schedules. I don't exactly know the entire ...
1
vote
1answer
39 views
Is it okay to use “to present” to mean “to make a gift” in informal setting?
I'd like to say:
I was going to present you another book.
Meaning, "to make a gift." But from what I can see, "to present" and "to gift" are used in this sense in rather formal contexts. I could ...
0
votes
1answer
30 views
Is “I loved it very much that I had to buy it” wrong?
This sentence was on my English test today and the answer states that the sentence below is grammatically wrong but I feel like there is nothing wrong about it.
I loved it very much that I had to ...
1
vote
1answer
12 views
Is the “are” in this sentence ungrammatical?
Is the “are” in this sentence ungrammatical?
How do you feel about some people are calling you "Toma-chan" in
Japan?
-1
votes
0answers
30 views
Stand or standing in “why are you getting irritated for my standing here?” [duplicate]
Is it correct to write
why are you getting irritated for my standing here?
I am in confused if i need to use stand or standing
1
vote
1answer
36 views
Is “a lot” a kind of pleonasm with “has been raining”?
It has been raining a lot since you have been here.
Is it OK to add a lot to this sentence because been raining almost constantly? Is it not a pleonasm: the use of more words than are necessary to ...
1
vote
1answer
27 views
…hoped that you would/could have been
X: "It's a big thing, so I was there with her."
Y: "How did it go?"
X: "Fine, though I think she had hoped that you would/could have been there too."
Is the third piece of dialogue natural in the ...
7
votes
8answers
580 views
An idiomatic word for “very little” in this context?
The country has produced less than 1 percent of the global output. The
country's share of the global output is (very) _____ .
Small, little, tiny, few, low are in my mind. But I don't know what is ...
1
vote
1answer
54 views
Difference between “to enter through”, “to enter from”, “to enter by”
Are all of the sentences below correct and usual? Do they mean the same?
He entered the bedroom through the window.
He entered the bedroom from the window.
He entered the bedroom by the window.
0
votes
2answers
39 views
Why did he use “looking” word in this situation?
I was watching Sky news live and the journalist said:
"And now, it's time for looking the weather".
I would have said:
"And now, it's time for look the weather".
Using look in infinitive form.
...
2
votes
2answers
30 views
How can I express “exclaim or say something not out loud, but in my heart, silently”
For example, upon my first arrival in a new city, I was shocked by the backwardness of this place, so I thought to myself, what a shitty place, why do I even come here. But of course, I wouldn't say ...
0
votes
2answers
45 views
Is there a word for wanting something more after losing it?
Is there a word that somewhat resembles wanting something more after losing [possession of] it?
By something it can be for example:
a person (family relative, close friend, relation partner) that is ...
1
vote
1answer
23 views
Can we say “I have culture shock here” to exactly mean “I experience culture shock here”?
Are these two sentences interchangeable?
"I have culture shock here."
"I experience culture shock here."
I know that "have" can be used to mean "experience" before some words including "shock"; but ...
0
votes
1answer
13 views
On using “to what extent there exist”
Is the phrase
to what extent there exist
a correct phrase? For example:
To what extent there exist disadvantaged families in this area?
I searched on it in google but did not find it used. ...
1
vote
1answer
27 views
Why say “…workers who had this, or who that…” instead of “…workers who had this, and those who had that…”?
I wrote the following sentence:
Regionally differentiating weekly EI benefits affects workers who had shorter work periods, and those who had inconsistent weekly earnings prior to their layoff (...
0
votes
1answer
29 views
The period of time before an event
Consider the following scenario:
My friend just took an exam and I want to ask him how long before the exam did he start his preparation. How will I say this?
How long before the exam did you ...
0
votes
2answers
59 views
Why is the head master not The Head Master?
Head Master is the Head of an Institute.We usually write The Principal in upper case.
Why is the word head master written in a lower case.
1
vote
1answer
31 views
What's the diffence between [be verb] VS. [be to verb]?
1-a. All you need to do is say sorry first.
1-b. All you need to do is to say sorry first.
2-a. Their top priority is save life.
2-b. Their top priority is to save life.
Sometimes I see sentences ...
0
votes
0answers
16 views
On using “understand more”
Is this sentence correct?
This is the problem we want to understand more.
0
votes
1answer
15 views
Using the word “worthwhile” alone
If I want to describe something in a sentence like:
We believe that doing X is worthwhile.
In particular I mean can I use worthwhile without following it with a noun like endeavor or something ...
1
vote
1answer
54 views
“Ascent“ or ”descent" in the context of ancestry?
Ascent:
3 : a going back in time or upward in order of genealogical succession
Descent:
1 : a : derivation from an ancestor
Which should I use to refer to someone who has a, let's say ...
0
votes
1answer
31 views
Difference between an adviser and supervisor
As far as I know, an adviser is the one who offers an advice.
A supervisor is the one who makes sure things are done correctly.
In a media channel a person who checks things at the final stage to ...
1
vote
0answers
22 views
Is it “at” or “in” or “on” stack exchange? [duplicate]
Could someone tell me which is correct? is there an alternative?
Thank you.
You are at Stack exchange site.
You are in Stack exchange site.
You are on Stack exchange site.
I checked ...
1
vote
3answers
58 views
I have some reservations about reservations
The Indian constitution provided reservations to some weaker sections in the society.
Once I used the sentence on Linked In and an English scholar said that the use of reservations in the ...
1
vote
2answers
30 views
Available to VS Available for?
Question is simple and straightforward. Which one to use when and why?
The data is available for the public. (Why or why not correct)
OR
The data is available to the public. (Why or why not ...
