Questions tagged [word-usage]
This tag is for questions which a dictionary cannot answer about the meaning or correctness of a word in a sentence. Give as much context as possible.
11,094
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Is this called a nest?
A nest normally looks like this
(Photo by Cheri Kaufman)
This nest made of straws normally by birds.
What if a human made a hole in a tree like this for birds to live in
Is this also a nest?
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“bled rags“ or "rugs"?
I'm trying to find pictures by googling bled rugs or bled rags. Can't find anything, not even in the common results.
It seems to me, it's supposed to be perfectly common usage, but the world doesn't ...
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Can "designation" be used generally about official names?
I've checked all the dictionaries I can think of, but I'm still uncertain as to whether the word "designation" is used generally about all kinds of established, official names? Or, put ...
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Is there any obligation to invariably use commonplace collocations in English?
For example, these four words are synonymous: become, get, go, turn. But
you would probably say go crazy and become famous, not become crazy
and turn famous.
However, is saying become crazy or turn ...
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In this context "Possibly" is modifying what?
It's a possibly dangerous situation.
I think "possibly" modifies the adjective "dangerous" or "dangerous situation",
doesit(possibly)indicate manner?
I found a definition ...
- 1,758
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'Dimension' meaning size or length
I'm quite sure it is correct to say "The dimensions of this box are 10 cm x 15 cm x 20 cm." But I think a sentence like "The dimension of this box in the given direction is 20 cm" ...
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Is it called a rope?
When I hear "rope" I picture it as something like this
Do we call this a rope or a string?
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2
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1
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Another vs the other when there are two in total
I have two uncles, one in Chicago and another in Dallas. ( From a workbook)
Stewart summed up the general feeling of the American public today, saying that CNBC and the financial news media could ...
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Is it correct to say "I wish you always beautiful"?
We use the construction "to wish sb + N", for example, "I wish you a happy new year", "I wish you luck", "We wish you every success"
and we don't say "to ...
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1
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Does "I keep/raise hens in my backyard" imply the hens are my pets / the hens are my meat?
Someone says:
"I keep hens in my backyard" suggests that you have hens as pets or for personal enjoyment. It implies that you are responsible for their care and well-being.
"I raise ...
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Does "I slept in" imply I did it on purpose or by accident?
There are 2 situations:
Situation 1: I have to get to work at 7:30 am so I often set my alarm clock for 7 am on a weekday. Now the alarm clock goes off and I wake up at 7 am but I feel very tired so I ...
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How do i get better at knowing complex english words?
I would like to extend my literature, what do you guys think is the best way to do that? I currently read books and also like to create flashcards. What do you guys think is the best strategy next to ...
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What is the difference between "suspicious" and "suspect"? [duplicate]
What is the difference between "suspicious" and "suspect"? Which option is correct, "The witness's claim was suspect." or "The witness's claim was suspicious."?
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correct usage with transitional words
a) She made many poor choices, for example, drinking too much alcohol.
Is this sentence grammatically accurate?
It makes sense but as a rule of thumb if the transitional word 'for example' is removed,...
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Is 'bold' used correctly here? "This aspect of this issue seems bolder than the rest."
I've been having a little bit of a debate with one of my friends about the correct use of a word. I hope the native English speakers can help me put an end to this :)
I know the word "bold" ...
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Is "it is looking good" slang?
I heard American people often say this.
Say, a person is drawing a picture. When he is halfway to finishing it, he says "it's looking good".
I was taught at school that many linking verbs (...
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What is the difference between "the spacecraft is in the sky" and "the spacecraft is in space"?
It's hard to understand meanings of words by just reading their definitions in dictionary
In the Oxford dictionary
space: the area outside the earth’s atmosphere where all the other
planets and stars ...
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3
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Correct usage of 'nostalgia'
How do I use the word nostalgia correctly?
For example, say I saw an old doll of mine and it reminded me of when I was a kid; what would be the correct expression to describe that?
I got nostalgia ...
Yusuf Bouzekri
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1
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Old and outmoded politicians
Give me adjectives for politicians who are old, not belonging to the radically transformed world of our times, and therefore not fit to rule in this transformed world
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how to interpret the word "all"
If I say "How to make 'all' cakes?", does it mean I'm asking for an instruction for making all cakes together or an instruction that is applied to every cake?
I want to figure out whether ...
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Does "Her hair was tied back in a neat bow." mean the ribbon in her hair is in a bow?
Does "Her hair was tied back in a neat bow." look like this picture when her hair is in a bow?
or look like this picture when she used the ribbon to tie her hair and the ribbon is in a bow?
...
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0
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The usage of where as a relative pronoun
Furthermore, the act of voting necessarily ignores how strongly each individual feels about the matter being voted on or the consequences that a final decision may impose. And even under the best of ...
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Is "whom" used correctly in this extract? :
“Friends whom I have met later have told me that I was not one of those whom the shock of admission greatly depressed”.
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I'm kind of confused here... In ...
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"Where" : is there a meal where you eat the same thing every day? What?
I came across this question where "where" is used as the pronoun of place in time.
I don't understand the function
Is there a meal where you eat the same thing every day? what?
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implications of a no soliciting sign / soliciting
Look Steve, there's a no soliciting sign so we can't go to that house to try to sell our goods.
From what I know a no soliciting sign means that the owner doesn't want to deal with people who raise ...
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2
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Do “not buttoned” and “unbuttoned” mean the same?
A chat bot says "Your dress is not done up" suggests that the dress has not been fastened or closed properly, and "your dress is undone" simply means that the dress is not fastened ...
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1
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What does the word "another" refer to in the sentence “He could not forget or pardon a lapse in another"?
I am quoting from The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Second Stain, by Arthur Conan Doyle:
“Mr. Holmes, I will tell you everything,” cried the lady. “Oh, Mr. Holmes, I would cut off my right hand ...
aissam
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2
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Why can I say "very" but not "so" in response to "How kind is she?"
If someone asks me "How kind is she?", I can respond with a single word such as "very," "extremely," or "unimaginably". This makes sense, because they fit into ...
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Are "I tied my shoelace" and "I laced my shoe" different?
According to my study, it seems "I laced my shoe" mean I threaded my shoelace through holes and then tied it up. While "I tied my shoelace" mean the lace was already in the holes ...
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do we call the 2 strips of a masquerade mask "laces"?
When we talk a bout mask, it could be "a medical face mask"
And "a medical face mask" has 2 ear loops, for example, "put the ear loops around your ears"
or it could be &...
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1
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Words like "gender-specific" formed with "specific"
'Gender-specific' has dictionary definition. It means connected with women only or with men only. I think I have also seen other words like this, formed with 'specific'. Now the question is how far ...
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She sees her boyfriend vs She is seeing her boyfriend
I have been wondering about the meaning of "to see" in relation to visiting someone and/or having an affair. Could you confirm (or not) that I understand the difference correctly? I have ...
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Difference between using in and up north
Difference between using in and up:
I live in London, but my relatives live up north, in Manchester
This sentence can also be written as:
I live in London, but my relatives live in north, in ...
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1 to 10 vs 1 through 10 - How to include the end values
How do I refer to an interval of numbers, such as book chapters for a reading list, while including both end values of the interval?
Take a sentence like:
For next time, read chapters 2 to 6.
or, ...
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"Besides" and "Beside that". Do they have the same meaning in this kind of sentence?
I don't mind spending Friday and Saturday nights waiting tables at a snack bar after having spent the whole week working in a factory. I like the customers and they seem to like me and I really have ...
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How prevalent is the usage of the word prudent among native english speakers [closed]
I'm not certain if this is the appropriate place to inquire, but I have a question about the English language: I recently learned the word "prudent" and its meaning. However, I'm curious ...
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"Like this" or "this way". Any of them make sense in this sentence?
In a hypothetical situation in which someone is asking his or her father to never come home drunk again, any of the following sentences would make sense:
Please, daddy, promise you'll never come home ...
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Is "so" omissible in "so their makers claim"?
"The Painting Fool" is one of a growing number of computer programs which, so their makers claim, possess creative talents"
Is "so" omissable in this context? If not, what ...
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is "a handful of" use as adjective in the context?
'this is one of a handful of songs'
dictionary defines 'handful' as a noun,but some blog define 'a handful of' as a quantity adjective, it is hard to understand..can someone explain to me? thanks!
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Is it correct to say "get to sleep" in this situation?
Now it is 10 pm and you put your daughter on the bed and tuck her in and you want her to fall asleep quickly.
Now your daughter sit up and talk and play with toys on the bed.
I see this in Oxford ...
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Can we say "the pot is leaking" or "the pot leaks" when the pot is empty?
In the dictionary
leak: 1 [intransitive, transitive] if a container, pipe, roof etc
leaks, or if it leaks gas, liquid etc, there is a small hole or crack
in it that lets gas or liquid flow through
...
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What is the difference between "for the rest of your life" and "for the rest of your existence"?
I am asking this question on behalf of a Japanese acquaintance.
In my opinion, "for the rest of your life" is a very common phrase, but "for the rest of your existence" is not ...
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I __________ you to see a doctor. "would take" or "am taking"?
You're having a fever! Put on your coat. I __________ you to see a doctor.
A. would take
B. am taking
C. have taken
D. took
The test is strange to me. Obviously, either C or D isn't the choice. The ...
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Can we say "he picked his ear" to mean "to remove earwax from his ear canal" the same way we say "pick his nose/teeth"?
We often say "he picked his teeth" meaning he removed food in his teeth, and "he picked his nose" meaning he removed boogers in his nose.
Is it common to say "he picked his ...
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Can I write about a noun for which I have used "the" later in the text?
If I am writing this for the first time in an article -
The associations between factor A and factor B were found to be normal.
Now, I had not discussed any thing about the type of associations that ...
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The meaning of "table worthy"
Does "table worthy" mean something that is good enough to be put on the table? Thank you!
Bread That's As Tableworthy As Your Turkey
This Thanksgiving, turn your side into your centerpiece ...
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masses of wounded or the wounded
The warning came as hospitals in Gaza struggled to treat masses of wounded with dwindling resources, and health officials in the Hamas-ruled territory said the death toll was soaring as Israeli jets ...
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Why is this kind of sentence still officially accepted?
I have just come across this textbook on English Language and Art. There appears the sentence
Byline tells you who is the author of an article.
As I remember, we all accept that the correct sentence ...
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multiple titles for the same person?
If I want to talk about one person with multiple titles, for instance:
"Jimin Park is an assistant professor and a singer."
"Jimin Park is an assistant professor and singer."
Do I ...
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How express you tie 2 strings in such a way that it has a loop?
Look at the picture above, when you tie 2 strings together, you create a complete knot like the last third picture. This kind of knot is very hard for you to untie them.
When I tie 2 strings together,...
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