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.
7,316
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what is the difference between a plank and a board?
According to my study, a plank is a long narrow piece of wood and a board is a thin flat piece of wood.
Now if a piece of wood that is long and narrow and thin, is it a board?
and if a piece of wood ...
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What's the difference between before, until, and unless?
Here are two fill-in-the-blank questions in my grammar exercises.
A man is not old ______ regrets take the place of dreams.
Success always hides behind the next corner in the road, so you'll never ...
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Is "words in <suffix>" correct?
As I was writing an answer in another SE language forum, I used "words in -act" for words ending in -act like impact or contact.
Words in -act are always pronounced /akt/
I said this both ...
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Is it more fitting to say, "I left two comments on the page" or "I made two comments"?
Which is more appropriate "I left two comments on the page yesterday" or "I made two comments on the page yesterday"
Context: The page contains some changes to be reviewed by ...
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Which word is closer to (I'm asking for finding a word for someone "who doesn't know but acting like know"?)
Hello everyone.
At first, thanks for helping me🙏🏻
I'm looking for a word that describe someone:
With few or less information "about something or an issue in a conversation", comes from ...
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1
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35
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‘in’ vs ‘after’ vs ‘later’
which ending sounds the most natural and grammatically correct for the following sentence? and why?
even if you have the best teacher in the world, it’s not gonna matter if you give up…
…after just ...
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The difference between " considering formalities " with " standing on ceremony "
Which one is used in a situation in which someone is regarding politeness or is shy to join for eating food in someone else's house?
And
Which is more common and friendly?
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What do you call a subject open for doctoral studies?
Universities generally have a set of subjects open for doctoral studies. In my own language we call them "forskarutbildningsämnen", which translates as "doctoral education subjects"...
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3
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distinctive vs distinct
The distinctive long neck of a giraffe, for example, developed as individuals that happened to have longer necks had an advantage in feeding on the leaves of tall trees.
The distinct long neck of a ...
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Manager, boss, superior – which should I choose?
In my language, we have one single word for what is referred to in English as "boss", "manager", "superior", "senior staff"... and I have a very hard time ...
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2
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He had or He did
This is a question I saw in an English Grammar test.
Who had an apartment?
a. Tony did.
b. Tony had.
c. Tony was.
d. Tony has.
As far as I know when have means own we use do, does, and did to make ...
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Should I use 'Combo', 'Set' or 'Assortment'?
In the context of common hardware items, for instance:
2 screws
2 bolts
If these are sold in a single packaged product, should it be called a 'fastener combo', 'fastener set' or 'fastener assortment'...
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In IT, how should it be, "View Option List" or "See Option List"?
In the IT field, the interface of a computer program displays a button that shows the user a list of options when clicked. What should be the verb used in the button's text? "View Option List&...
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Which is correct, "a consequence of the fact" or "an explanation of the fact"?
I’m a bit struggling to do the questions below:
The swordfish can swim very fast up to 97 kilometers per hour (km/hr)-but it is significantly slower than the frigatebird, which can fly at speeds up ...
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Is "Given is .." right? [closed]
Source: https://www.dailymetalprice.com/aluminum.html
The price of aluminum is based on the cumulative result of the
previous trading session. Given is multitude of purposes and that many
global ...
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Can "copycats" and "plagiarists" be used interchangeably in business contexts?
Imagine that I am building an application in public and someone copies my work and starts making money from it. Can I refer to the guy who's copied my product a 'copycat' and a 'plagiarist' ...
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Is the use of the conjunction " While" at the beginning of this sentence correct? While hearing the bad news, l told everybody in the village
Is it correct to use the conjunction "While" at the beginning of the following sentence?
While hearing the bad news, l told everybody in the village.
I think "While" is not correct,...
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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 ...
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Using The "Across" preposition in "The Pharmacy is across the Market" sentence is appropriate?
I wanted to ask if "across" can be used in daily life like that, or using "opposite" is a more proper one instead of "across"
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Use of the word settle
Is is grammatically okay to use ‘settle’ for causative purpose ?
Is this sentence okay “ I settle whom I will at my home” ?
Adnan Borhan
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Do we say "your English is rusty" to a non-native English speaker who has lived in an English country for a long time?
We often say "your English is rusty" to a native English speaker who has not been speaking English for a long time because they have lived in a non-English country.
Say, Bob was born in ...
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3
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Can something be "SAFE" but "UNSECURE"?
Today I was spending my time, watching some "liminal spaces" on internet, and I saw something weird about the information of a room.
It mentions:
"Safe", "Unsecure"
I ...
1
vote
2
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66
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Count vs Number of
I am a software engineer and I struggle with the variable names, regarding this scope, what would be the best suited term for a counter.
For example if I want to count parts, would "Parts Counted&...
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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 ...
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'Relish on' or 'Relish upon'
Does this sentence sound correct?
Here's a bowl of dessert to relish upon.
Or it should be-
Here's a bowl of dessert to relish on.
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Don't need/won't need/won't be needing
At the moment I am in a hotel and a gentleman asked me if I am going to need housekeeping today.
My answer was: "No, thank you. I don't need housekeeping today".
Was that correct? Should I ...
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Is there any different between "Bring your kit/stuff/tools/equipment"? [closed]
Could you explain do we have any different between [Kit,stuff,tool,equipment].
• For example if I want to use them in this sentence, What will change about the meaning of sentence?
Bring your kit.
&...
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2
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The grammatical function of ''just so''
I didn't do it just so my land could be invaded.
How to understand the structure of this sentence?
I check the dictionary, it says 'just so' can be used as a adverb idiom, meaning 'in a particular way'...
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Does 'The reason I did it was so (that) I could avoid being caught' sound natural?
Does 'The reason I did it was so (that) I could avoid being caught' sound natural?
I think it is grammatically correct, at least. i just felt more or less confused, shouldn't i state my reason when i ...
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2
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What are commonly used words that mean "not working" or "not working as intended"?
Would appreciate assistance regarding words or phrases that mean not working or not working properly that I should look up and can use, especially in the contexts below:
The website shows an error ...
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2
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"To fill the pot to its top", would be properly describe what I mean to say?
I'm not sure how to call this part of the pot when talking about its filling.
I have a pot and I want to describe the fact that it was full of water with no more place for water.
Does saying "I ...
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Should I use 'denote' or 'be'? 'Let A denote/be a vertex cover…'
I struggled to understand where "denote" is better than "be".
For example:
Let A denote a vertex cover of the graph.
or
Let A be a vertex cover of the graph.
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Whereas vs while to link contrasting statements [duplicate]
Is there any effective difference between while and whereas when used to link contrasting statements, or are differences in usage only a matter of style rather than grammar? See the following ...
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What are the differences between awkward, embarrassed, and embarrassing？
What are the differences between awkward, embarrassed, and embarrassing？ Could native speakers please explain them for me and teach me how to use them？ Thank you very much！
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Why is it correct to say "...is situated in a suburb" instead of "...is built in a suburb"?
Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence.
The factory is ............ in a suburb of Manchester.
a) placed b) situated c) built d) surrounded
my answer: built
the right one:...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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How to say that a shirt is similar to a linen shirt? Does linen-like or linen-look work?
I want to say that someone wears shirts similar to linen shirts.
Would "He was always wearing a linen-like shirt/linen-look shirt" be correct? Which option is more common, if they are ...
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Should I use "since" or "from" in sentence "they receive their religious education right since/from when they were kids"? [duplicate]
"They receive their religious education right from when they were kids"
Should I use "since" instead of "from"? Should it be "when they are/were kids"?
How can ...
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Make or Do sushi?
I have seen both variants with "make / do sushi" (e.g. There’s a little Japanese place near my office, which does great sushi!). What is the difference or how should I choose make sushi or ...
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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 ...
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Difference between stifle and choke/suffocate
I understand that the word stifle can be used in cases such as
Those in the streets were stifled by the fumes
She stifled a giggle
I was wondering though if it could also be used as direct ...
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2
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What is the most precise English phrase or word to describe officials using their power to help businessman for seeking their own benefits?
In China, the power of officials belongs to the government, granted by the Chinese people, it is not allowed to exchange money by misusing officials' power and rights that illegally used to make ...
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Apply to/for with name of program
Does one say:
Application for [name] program
or
Application to [name] program
in American English ?
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When to capitalize Western? [closed]
Do I need to capitalize the word western when used to describe societies, such the phrase: "non-Western" societies?
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Is "policy maker" one word or two?
Is it correct to write "policy maker" in two words? It is unclear to me whether it should be written as: policy maker or policymaker or policy-maker.
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Using hold on and hold off
Context: Someone is messaging me on Whatsapp frequently and trying to get attention. I can think of the following reply to ask him to wait for some time:
Could you hold off for a few minutes
Please ...
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2
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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 ...
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4
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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&...
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Is it fuselage for a spaceship?
When you mention the body of planes, you call it the fuselage.
When the vehicle is a ship, you call it a hull.
What about the body of spaceships? Fuselage? Suppose the Enterprise NCC1701 ship, for ...
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