New answers tagged prepositions
1
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Does 'upon' really mean 'on'?
Saying, “Upon means on” does not mean that upon can serve as a substitute wherever one encounters on. In fact, what it does mean is closer to the inverse: On can serve as a substitute wherever one ...
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0
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Is it "evaluated as" or "evaluated to be"?
Speaking purely to the English language and not within the context of code, "evaluated as" seems most proper in my opinion but I can't say there's an exactly "correct" answer here. ...
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-1
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"behavior for somebody" or "behavior of"?
for can express the notion "proper to".
Crying is a way of communicating for infants.
of can have the same meaning.
But that similarity of meaning does not indicate that the words can be ...
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-2
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"behavior for somebody" or "behavior of"?
The "syntactic affordances" of of and for are different, and imho Lying is typical behavior of narcissists is idiomatically invalid. You need an indefinite article...
Lying is a typical ...
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-1
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"behavior for somebody" or "behavior of"?
behavior of narcissists= the behavior they have or exhibit
typical behavior for narcissists=concerning or with respect to narcissists
Merriam Webster:
7
: with respect to : CONCERNING
a stickler for ...
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2
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Meaning of 'for' in 'read poems for grammatical correctness'
In one possible reading, “for” means “in order to find or get,” similar to reading a passage for its meaning, reading for comprehension, asking for information, working for money or shopping for milk.
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1
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Meaning of 'for' in 'read poems for grammatical correctness'
I mean what they wanted to express with that sentence was clearly "I don't mind if poems are not grammatically correct".
But likely they already had the 2nd sentence lingering in their head &...
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3
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Meaning of 'for' in 'read poems for grammatical correctness'
I personally interpret the sentences in a similar way to "look in something for". The phrase "look in something for" is most often use as meaning opening a container and attempting ...
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9
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Meaning of 'for' in 'read poems for grammatical correctness'
for introduces an end-purpose, goal, or aim: "I go shopping for food." "I hike in the woods for some peace and quiet".
But it's not at all clear what the first phrase introduced ...
- 121k
9
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Meaning of 'for' in 'read poems for grammatical correctness'
The first sentence is using "for grammatical correctness" loosely. It should be understood to mean something like "for the purpose of investigating the notion of grammatical ...
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0
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Accepted
"More than" or "above"
They both are correct. You also could say,
The hormone level exceeds 10 ng/dl.
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3
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Accepted
"All outta angst" : derived from angst or free from angst?
All outta [something] is an "eye dialect" spelling for "all out of" [something]. That is, there is none of it remaining. The stock or supply has been completely depleted.
If you go ...
- 121k
1
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"With X equals 3" vs. "With X equal to 3"
To my ear, [with] X equals 3 sounds more like the result of evaluating an equation, rather than setting a variable as a "parameter". That implication is less noticeable in [with] X equal to ...
- 68.6k
2
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"All outta angst" : derived from angst or free from angst?
One thing's for sure
I'm all outta angst
Society don't bother me
And there's something wrong with that
The actual lyrics include the full phrase "I'm all outta angst", which clearly shows ...
- 9,467
0
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'Compared with' or 'Compared to'
'Compared to' can usually be substituted by 'compared against,' 'matched against,' or likened to' where the comparison is against a reference.
'Compared with' is more appropriate where the comparison ...
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1
vote
Accepted
"They're going about it (in) the wrong way"
There is no difference in meaning. Any difference is that including 'in' is maybe slightly more formal. When speaking informally, people often omit words that are not necessary, and the 'in' is one of ...
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2
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What does "up" mean in "Up the Terriers"?
This is an idiomatic british-english expression of support for a sports team. It has a meaning something like "I hope the Terriers will rise up and be successful"
I don't see much benefit ...
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1
vote
Accepted
"Where" : is there a meal where you eat the same thing every day? What?
"A meal" in the cited context would normally be one of breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea (a type of meal that you might have every day). For example, Do you always eat porridge for breakfast?
...
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2
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Confused with articles - 2
You use a definite article when you and your listener can answer the question "Which?"
Millions of people are attracted to the ski slopes.
Which ski slopes?
The ski slopes of the Alps.
...
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0
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can i start a sentence after a preposition?
[1] [In the closet] is where I keep the dog food.
[2] [With hard work] comes success.
[3] [On top of the mountain] was an abandoned mining town.
There is no such rule. All three are fine. Note that:
...
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1
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can i start a sentence after a preposition?
I just want to make sure that I can start a sentence after a preposition.
Normally English grammar says you can not start a sentence with a preposition…
There is no such rule.
You may be ...
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1
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can i start a sentence after a preposition?
Good question! There are a couple of reasons that a sentence can start with a prepositional phrase immediately followed by a verb.
In the closet is where I keep the dog food.
In this sentence, "...
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4
votes
Accepted
Does 'with' belong to 'grow' or to 'search'?
The preposition with can introduce the reason for or cause of something.
Her hair went white overnight with the extreme shock that news had given her.
We soon became exhausted with the steep uphill ...
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