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.
6,842
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Can I use “turn out” in the following sentence?
I just want to ask if I can use “turn out” in the following sentence:
If the film is too realistic, then it turns out surrealistic.
Thank you all:)
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Word for actual run of a test as opposed to trial run of a test?
Let's say there is a test (or an exam). There will be a series of official trial/mock tests only for practice purpose, before taking the actual/real test that counts. In this case, what word should I ...
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speak to vs talk to
My question is about "English Grammar in Use" by Raymond Murphy Unit 36, Exercise 36.5.3.
In this context, which sounds more natural?
The instruction given in the book is to use wouldn't + a ...
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1
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What word should I use to describe the "ending/end" of a committee, work group etc?
When a body in an organisation is no longer useful it is... Abolished? Discontinued? Terminated? Ended? Closed down..?
And what's the corresponding noun? That is, what words could I use for the verb/...
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2
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Where to place "Thank You" in end of email?
I keep getting differing opinions on this. I usually close my emails as follows:
... <end of body>.
Thank You.
Sincerely,
<designation>
However, I was told by quite a few peers that ...
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2
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What do you call someone who does not drink alcoholic beverages at all?
Could anyone please let me know, what do we usually call an individual who never drinks alcohol?
It can be either for health issue, or health care or even some personal barriers like religious beliefs....
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How to use "liveliness" in a sentence [closed]
Read the first sentence and then write a sentence beginning There...
I like this town - it's lively.
My answer: There is liveliness in this town.
Book's answer: There is a lot to do in this town / ...
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2
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39
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Does flattering imply saying not true things?
When someone is flattering another one, does that mean this might imply saying nice things but not necessarily true? For instance, someone saw a lady and told her "nice dress!" even though ...
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2
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"to have been to" and "to have gone to". Which should I use?
In the situation where you want to mention your experience of going to London, you use "been" instead of "gone", don't you? As in
I have been to London three times.
and you don'...
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1
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Difference between "a day" vs "a night"
How much sleep do you need?
I answered
Six hours a day.
The answer in the English Grammar in Use is
Six (or other numbers of your choice) hours a night.
Does ~ a night and ~ a day mean the same? ...
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Smartphone use among visually impaired person: A report of two cases study or two case studies
A report of two cases study OR two case studies
in the above, which one will be correct or appropriate?
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Does "bare-assed" refer to being completely naked or just naked from the waist down?
According to my research, "bare-assed" is both adjective and adverbs. And some say it means "completely naked" others say "just naked from the waist down".
In some ...
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life/personal life
I want to say that it's important for people to make risky moves both in their professional lives and their personal lives. But I want to make it neater. Do I have to use "personal life"? ...
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and/but/because
I'm writing a short paragraph about a short-term downside of taking risks. I'm not sure which linking word to use. Should I use "and", "but" or "because"?
Take, for ...
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To 'express' values or 'espouse' values? [closed]
Humans develop their own value based on their experience.
Which is correct:
To express one's value
To espouse one's value
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2
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What's it to ______? (anyone/someone)
We know that the phrase: "what's it to someone?" is used to tell someone angrily that something does not concern them.
Example1:
What's it to them what I do on the weekends? That's my time ...
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1
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14
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Is or are, which one is correct while comparing two things? [closed]
Which one is correct?
Is okra and lady finger the same? or Are okra and lady finger the same?
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1
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I will send cards to my friends to(or for) wish them a happy New Year
I will send cards to my friends to wish them a Happy New Year.
I will send cards to my friends for wish them a Happy New Year.
May I replace the preposition“ to” with“ for”?
Does this make any ...
0
votes
1
answer
34
views
What do you call someone who introduces an important principle?
Let's say there is a person, for example a man named Abraham who introduced a principle which led to a significant development of something. Am i able to say that:
The advocate of this principle is ...
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0
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in the/their hundreds [duplicate]
Which word is correct in the following?
Tourists arrived in the/their hundreds.
People flocked in the/their thousands to see her.
The region attracts tourists in the/their multitudes.
The second ...
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1
answer
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Why do we use "was" not "were" here: There was a lot of wind and heavy rain?
Why do we use "was" not "were" here:
There was a lot of wind and heavy rain?
Is it because wind and rain are both uncountable so they are consider as singular nouns, or is it ...
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votes
2
answers
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What is the difference between "He made it through the crowd to me" and "He made his way through the crowd to me" in this context?
I am inside a crowd and he is outside the crowd.
What is the difference between "He made it through the crowd to me" and "He made his way through the crowd to me" in this context?
...
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1
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I’m good at remembering numbers. / I’m good at remembering figures
For example, I'm an accountant on a job interview. Which sentence is more appropriate there? Could you explain it? For me, "figures" sounds more professional.
I’m good at remembering ...
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during an interview vs. at an interview?
I am always baffled by the choices of prepositions. When I write something like
We should focus our learning on what questions are asked during an interview/at an interview
I wonder should I use &...
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4
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43
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Wasn't you Vs Weren't you? [closed]
I was wondering which one is grammatically correct and why?
I got corrected when I said the following "wasn't you singing this song the other day" from wasn't to weren't.
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answer
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Is tip a derogatory word
I have noticed the word tip being used for waiters. Is the word tip applied to people of small income groups? Does it have any negative to it, or can one use this word for anyone and say like - I will ...
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answer
60
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Which preposition do I use with a URL?
Which of the following is correct:
You will find more information on [URL]
You will find more information at [URL]
I have tried googling, using various actual URLs, but I'm not getting any useful ...
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2
votes
2
answers
45
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Their luxurious lifestyle/lifestyles
I'm interested in celebrities' luxurious lifestyle/lifestyles.
Should lifestyle be plural because celebrities is plural? Or maybe it should be singular if those celebrities only have one lifestyle?
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Do we call this picture "a sample" or "a model"?
My daughter has to do a simple coloring task. She has to color the below picture and make it look exactly the above smaller picture.
Do we call the smaller picture "a sample" or "a ...
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Which is correct, "pass" or "pass by": If you ________ a supermarket, could you get me some milk?
Which is correct, pass or pass by? or both?
If you ________ a supermarket, could you get me some milk?
A. pass
B. pass by
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1
answer
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What's the difference between "we have grown to be" and "we have grown to become"?
When I google "we have grown to be" and "we have grown to become" respectively, I get a decent number of hits for both (22 pages and 24 pages respectively, set to UK pages only), ...
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1
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"I don't let you to do that" Vs. "I don't allow you to do that"
What's more natural for a mother to say to her kid - when he wants to do something inappropriate, out of the following 2 choices?
"I don't let you do that"
Or
"I don't allow you to do ...
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1
answer
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until vs before
What's the difference between until and before in this sentence?
He won't be home until/before noon.
I know the general difference between the two words, but in this particular sentence they seem to ...
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2
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Which verb that describes financial loss better in the given context?
I'm struggling to find a word (verb) that fits in this context:
Billy bought a book for 7 dollars and he sold it for 5 dollars. It ___ him since he should've sold the book more than 7 dollars to ...
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THROUGH the partly closed curtains Jake can be seen stepping out of his front door
(We're in a house across the street from Jake's house, looking out the window.)
Through the partly closed curtains, Jake can be seen stepping out of his front door.
Is 'through' idiomatic here even ...
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2
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Can I say, for example "Georgia and its famous children"
In my native language, Georgian, you can say for example "Georgia and its famous children/sons/daughters." The meaning of "children" here is people who were born and/or raised in ...
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I didn't played for a long time or I haven't play for a long time
Today I played archery with my friends that I seldom used to play before this, so the context with my friends was :
A: Last time I went there was like 7
years ago
B: Same, I also didn't play for a ...
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1
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28
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Embodied by vs. Embodied in
Give the correct passive form of - "My teacher embodies all the good qualities"
(a) All the good qualities are embodied by my teacher.
(b) All the good qualities are embodied in my teacher.
(...
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2
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What is an antonym of 'cynical'?
Choose the correct antonym for 'cynical'.
(a) Gullible
(b) Equivocal
(c) Pessimistic
(d) Liberal
I chose 'gullible' as the answer, but I was wrong according to the answer sheet. I don't think 'Liberal'...
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1
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"allocated" or "relocated" in this context? [closed]
For the slogan of a company we would are considering something with the following meaning:
"European technology allocated in Africa"
"European technology relocated in Africa"
It is ...
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1
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27
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around vs round
I will walk around the park
vs
I will walk round the park.
Everyone, what do you feel the difference as a native speaker?
around for me = go around the park to avoid it AND walk here and there ...
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Do you say "food wasn't good" or "food wasn't nice"?
Do you say "the food wasn't good" or "the food wasn't nice"?
Could you explain the difference between the two?
When I said "the food wasn't nice" during my online lesson, ...
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0
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Read in / read on
Which of the two prepositions is the correct one when you are reading a magazine?
I am writing in reference to the advertisement I read in / on the "London Globe" (magazine).
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2
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Difference between so and very
In the following situation, does "very" or "so" sound more natural?
You usually go to bed early. Last night you went to bed very late (for you) and as a result you are very tired ...
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6
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What are some words that mean "Something is off"?
Are there any singular words that mean that something feels off? Not about a person, but about something in general. E.g.
The abandoned building made me feel _____.
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Representation and view
The film offers a realistic representation/view of life in rural Spain.
Abstract representation/view of the components of a computer system.
What is the difference between these words ?
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difference between "as" and "how" - wrong example in the Cambridge Dictionary?
I learned in this thread "the way/as/how/like he did it. What's the difference?" that we can't use "how" as a conjunction to make a comparison. We have to use "as" ...
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"they offer different use cases" vs. "they serve different use cases"
I am writing an article explaining two similar algorithms. They are different in some aspects. I wanted to stress that they are used to solve different problems. I am not sure if the following ...
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Why are they so different, Dept of Transportation (US) and Dept for Transport (UK)? [closed]
These two are the government agencies of the same function. But out of the total three words that make up the phrase, there are two that are different, especially the preposition words "of" ...
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"Under a different light" or "in a different light"
I have always thought that the correct expression is "in a different light," as in:
I saw my mother in a different light. We all need to do that. You have to be displaced from what’s ...
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