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.
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questions
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Is it correct to say “push the pedals forward in full circle” when you teach a child to pedal?
I'm teaching my daughter to do pedaling, but she just pushes the pedals halfway not turns them clockwise although she can turn them anticlockwise.
Is it correct to say?:
-"push the pedals all the ...
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0answers
23 views
Rhetoric difference: a more muscular NSF vs. a more powerful NSF
The word "muscular" in the phrase "a more muscular NSF" appears to mean "powerful." The question of this thread is: Rhetorically, what is the difference between "a ...
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1answer
30 views
Is it correct to say “there is no contact between the cities” to mean you can't get travel between the cities?
Could you tell me if it is correct to say there is no contact between the cities to mean you can't get travel between the cities? For example:
At the moment there is no contact between the cities: ...
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1answer
42 views
'He IS an alumnus' or 'He WAS an alumnus'?
Should 'alumni' be used with past tense? Or is the past-tense built in with the word so people with a degree are always currently alumni of somewhere?
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1answer
23 views
Can a sound or phoneme be an affix?
I was thinking that a sound or phoneme might go on, after, or before a word like the sound 'oh' going after the word 'that' or 'game' which might make the words 'thatoh' or 'gameoh'
So I thought or ...
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1answer
21 views
The verb after suggest
I wrote:
I suggest you point to what A should return and match[ing?] it with the output of B in README
My complete suggestion is:
I suggest you that you point to what A should return and say the ...
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1answer
31 views
Does the word “gather” make sense in this context?
I’d like to know if it’s idiomatically correct to say the following:
The clouds gather into a storm.
Does the word “gather” make sense in this context?
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23 views
Use of “one big of a [noun]” [closed]
Asked to comment on the use of the phrase “one big of a question,” I responded that it sounded totally off to me. I’ve always used a noun in the place of “big” here: one hell of a night, one humdinger ...
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1answer
27 views
Which is the correct sentence and use of the of the word spend/spent
$13,000 - average domestic spent by Kuwaiti families per month.
$13,000 - average domestic spend by Kuwaiti families per month.
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2answers
133 views
Confound - to make worse?
An American Heritage Dictionary definition I found in The Free Dictionary says about 'to confound':
3. To make (something bad) worse: Do not confound the problem by losing your temper.
Some native ...
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35 views
usage of “so” in this sentence
The entire motivation for networking was so people could sit at their
dumb terminals and, instead of accessing only their local mainframes,
access totally different mainframes.
My understanding:
The ...
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1answer
17 views
Use “improve” or “get better” with a problem
(1) Her diabetes has got better.
(2) Her cancer has improved.
(3) She improved her diabetes by having a light diet.
(4) The doctor improved her cancer, so now she can leave the hospital.
Are these ...
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1answer
42 views
The meaning of “Constipating”
The Henna tree has two special qualities: decomposing due to its warm watery essence, and constipating due to the cold earthly essence it contains.
Healing with The Medicine of The Prophets
I don't ...
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1answer
26 views
I wonder if there are some typos in this sentence: Ashely had pushed her past her patience pique
While reading a book I encountered the sentence I don't understand. Please give me some advice.
Situation: During a class, a student, Ashley Bonny is caught being lackadaisical when she should pay ...
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0answers
12 views
Does the phrase “clouds gather into a storm” make sense?
Can the word gather be used to describe the formation of things such as storms, hurricanes, etc? For example, “the winds gather into a tornado.”
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Can we say “he came past me” or “he came by me”?
We often say "he drove/walked/went by me or past me" to mean "he drove/walked/went beyond me without stopping".
But there are a lot of exceptions in English.
Can we say "he ...
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1answer
35 views
Move to the sea shore/a seashore/the seaside/the beach/the coast/the sea
If I'm talking about moving to a city by the sea, which of the following is the correct choice ?
I want to move to the
sea shore
a seashore
the seaside
the beach
the coast
the sea
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1answer
27 views
inscribed in or inscribed on [duplicate]
the title is inscribed in the spine or the title is inscribed on the spine?
What is right and where is the difference? And is it right to say: Words were inscribed on the sign?
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21 views
I had enough of this or I had had enough of this? [closed]
I´m writing a story that takes place in the past.
What is correct or are both correct? I can´t use have because of the story
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0answers
21 views
Should I use 'kinds' or 'types' here, and in which position?
We can see four kinds of sentences.
We can see sentences of four kinds.
We use different types of sentences.
We use sentences of different types.
Here, do 1&2 and 3&4 have same meaning or ...
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1answer
28 views
The table is not parallel to the wall. Is it correct to say “The table is angled towards the wall. Push it straight back.” in everyday conversation?
The table in my living room is not parallel to the wall as shown in the above picture.
Is it correct to say "The table is angled towards the wall. Push it straight back." in everyday ...
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1answer
23 views
Can we say “wish to do something” for things that can only be achieved by good luck or magic?
Say, Alibaba was trapped in a cave and it was impossible for him to get out of the cave.
Is it correct for Alibaba to say these at that moment?:
-"I wish to get out of here"
or
-"I wish ...
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1answer
18 views
What is the difference between “this medication works on me”, “this medication works for me” and “this medication works against me”?
What is the difference between "this medication works on me", "this medication works for me" and "this medication works against me"?
The dictionary says "to work&...
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0answers
21 views
How different about “trailing zero” and “trailing zeros”
How different about “trailing zero” and “trailing zeros” and I’m wondering about “leading zero” and “leading zero” If I put -s trailing word what is mean?
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highlight the payoff
Does "payoff" here mean "the return"? Or "the result"?
From Vaccine Nationalism to Vaccine Equity — Finding a Path Forward
The global effort to develop safe and ...
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1answer
17 views
Do we say “late for bed and late for rise” or “late to bed and late to rise”?
I saw this phrase "Why Late to Bed and Late to Rise Can Make You Successful" from an online article
Here are my studies
First, normally, we say "I am late for school/work..."
...
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1answer
11 views
Ideally BHT could provide a lifesaving treatment
Is the use of "could" in the phrase "Ideally BHT could provide a lifesaving treatment" emphasize a possibility? Can it be rewritten as "Ideally BHT can provide a lifesaving ...
0
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1answer
12 views
“tension” and “tense mood”? [closed]
Owen glared at Tim, who glared back. The tension/tense mood between the two of them had everyone fixated.
Are both "tension" and "tense mood" OK here?
Without the context that ...
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1answer
25 views
Doubt in a particular extract from the newspaper “The Hindu” [closed]
I could not understand the analogy behind this particular paragraph taken from the Indian newspaper called "The Hindu".
The paragraph is given as follows:
The Forest Department officer also ...
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2answers
22 views
Is this the correct way to use the word 'persuade' and 'predefined'?
"You can use the word 'that's at the end of the sentence only if its persuaded by predefined context"
Is it right how I used the word 'persuade' and 'predefined' in this sentence. If no ...
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1answer
41 views
Is 'natural beauties' a common phrase to describe places of outstanding beauty?
When I look the word 'beauty' up in monolingual dictionaries I see it's mostly used as 'uncountable.' The only example I could find was in Collins Dictionary.
The beauties of something are its ...
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2answers
48 views
usage of the verb “enable”
Which one of the following sentences does use "enable" grammatically correct?
Studying different subjects enables students to broaden their horizons.
Studying different subjects enables to ...
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0answers
31 views
Help me understand the lyrics of this song [closed]
I use music to learn English. I want to learn the lyrics of this song but I can't seem to understand what the singer says. I can't find the lyrics online maybe it's an unreleased demo, if you can help ...
0
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1answer
23 views
Homeroom name in number
Suppose there are 60 students in the 3rd grade in a primary school. They are divided into three homerooms, normally called Grade 3A, Grade 3B and Grade 3C.
Now here is a case. In a country that does ...
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1answer
44 views
all Arabs, Iraqis Afghans are Hajj
The speaker appears to have used "Hajj" as a collective term for all Muslims (while normally Hajj is officially defined as the pilgrimage by a Muslin to Mecca). Am I on the right track?
...
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0answers
21 views
Is The Term Everyday or Every Day? [duplicate]
I was reading some information and was informed that the terms everyday and every day can be used interchangeably. I am not able to receive a definitive answer using different sources. I am submitting ...
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1answer
29 views
Is it correct to say “you have to wind the watch all the way to the end”?
My friend has just bought a mechanical watch, he needs to wind it many rounds until he hears a click or can't wind any more.
Is it correct to say?
"you have to wind the watch all the way to the ...
2
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1answer
29 views
Beforehand? Am I wrong to say “I lived in the US beforehand”?
Is it wrong to say “I lived in the US beforehand”?
In dictionary, Beforehand means “in advance” as in “rooms must be booked beforehand.” But I was wondering if It is awkward to say “I lived in the US ...
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1answer
47 views
What does the word “snadgy” mean?
I'm reading a novel by John Galsworthy written at the beginning of the twentieth century and I've come across this sentence:
The Board meeting had been long and "snadgy"--a final settling ...
2
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0answers
38 views
What does the expression “go the pace” mean?
I'm reading a novel written at the beginning of the XX century and I've come across this sentence:
Half paralysed, over head and ears in debt, having gone the pace all his life--or so they said!--till ...
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1answer
28 views
Is using “, right?” at the end of a question aggressive or could be read as such?
Is using ", right?" at the end of a sentence aggressive or could be read as such?
For example:
What you say is that the project should be finished tomorrow**, right**?
Could this "...
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0answers
10 views
How to interpret the phrase “does not in any way presuppose”?
I am currently attempting to decipher a historical document relating to the dissolution of Austria-Hungary. Within this document (which can be found here), it is stated
"This does not in any way ...
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1answer
36 views
Should I use “at” or “in”? “… carried out at/in the university”
The research is not being carried out at the university
or
The research is not being carried out in the university.
I don't understand the difference between them. Could someone please help me with ...
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1answer
32 views
What does ‘though’ mean in “You sould probably go back to your home though man”?
What does "though" mean in the following sentence?
You should probably go back to your home though man.
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1answer
18 views
How do we express “to put the tube or roll of paper into the beg vertically”?
When you put a roll of paper or a tube of something into a bag, it is a good idea to put it in vertically as the above picture because the tube may be too long that won't fit in the bag if you put it ...
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1answer
21 views
How would I correct the sentence formation error and explain why it’s wrong? [closed]
How would I correct this sentence 2 different ways? And also explain the error?
“While you using the NYC subway for the first time, it is important to know what “uptown” and “downtown” mean.”
Would it ...
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1answer
50 views
What does “arguable” mean here? [closed]
"This made the television advertising of mass consumer products relatively straightforward ― not to say easy ― whereas today it is necessary for advertisers to build up coverage of their target ...
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1answer
35 views
Is it correct to say “don't drink old water, drink new one”?
This is an article "Old water contains bacteria, but it's generally yours", which could be written by native speakers
Can we say "old water" to refer to water left overnight in an ...
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1answer
7 views
relieved when she did sth
I wonder whether "relieved when she.." can be written as "relieved as she..." without affecting the meaning. It seems not but I can't tell why.
==================
A 54-year-old ...
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3answers
32 views
What is the natural word to express it is so noisy that you feel your ears are about to explode?
Your children are making so much noise to a level that you feel your ears are about to explode.
It seems English has an adjective "ear splitting" which means "very loud".
But I am ...
