New answers tagged word-choice
0
I'd say sitting because he's currently having a meal which implies he wasn't recently "seated".
0
The number of times something is used could be summarised in the word "uses" (the plural of the noun 'use', as in single-use plastic).
For example:
You can use a tube of toothpaste about 50 times
You get about 50 uses from a tube of toothpaste
1
This means that the handle had indentations for the fingers to create a tighter grip. The handles of utility knives and hunting knives (like buck knives) often have finger grooves.
0
This is one of these problems that don't actually occur. You never stand next to a person eating food and describe what they are doing to them!
It is hard for me to think of a realistic context! Suppose, for some reason, you wanted to say what the child ate, with great detail.
She ate three orange segments.
But this is kind of weird.
She ate half ...
1
The term I've heard a lot recently is "personal protective equipment" (PPE) for masks, gloves, and other wearable items. Other terms might be "safety products" or "protective products."
"Plastic products" is a generic terms for things made of plastic. Plastic knives, forks, plates, etc. are called plastic tableware.
"Sanitary" products has a very ...
2
"I'm amazed by how you did this." - a good choice.
not as good.
not good.
Better yet: "I am amazed at how you did this."
The sequence "by how" isn't a construction. The "by" actually is attached to "amazed".
So, you can be "amazed by" many things, and one of them is "how you did this".
2
"Of" and "on" can both be used, but they have slightly different meanings and usage:
First, when asking people for ideas, it is common to say "Do you have an idea of (something)", but usually when using "on" it is more common to say "Do you have any ideas on (something)".
"an idea of (something)" means that the idea is an answer to the question "what is (...
4
I'm not sure there is an English word that is exactly equivalent to the Vietnamese word.
"Pounce" is closest. It means to jump at something in order to catch it. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that the hunt was successful. To be clear about what happened, you would have to provide more information, such as, "After stalking the mouse silently, the cat ...
2
Yes you can. Only thing is, don't use a "the".
The most common uses are:
We are way behind schedule!
We are right on schedule!
We are well ahead of schedule!
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The sentence is drawing a distinction between the physical act of "looking" versus the deeper, more intellectual and spiritual act of "seeing".
The author is asking people to not just observe the world thoughtlessly, but to think about and try to understand what you see and experience.
2
That is a permissible construction.
It's a little bit more formal than you'd expect in day-to-day life, so if someone said it the implication is that they find the unknown substance disgusting, but it's perfectly acceptable English. A more informal way of saying it would be something like "The pillow's stained with something", "Something's stained the ...
0
The two sentences are nearly identical, the only nuance is that #2 is a bit stronger. You imply that the whole resume fits. "the resume is fit for" means that it satisfies all your basic criteria.
As for the use of "fitting", the -ing end is used very sparingly in English as someone has to be actively doing something right now before it is used. So in 99% ...
0
It sounds reasonable to me, although it isn't a well-known phrase, and the wider context would need to show how topics can be "neighbouring".
"Neighbouring" is different from "related" in that it normally means things which are immediately next to each other, whereas things can be more 'distantly related'.
Are these topics "neighbouring" in that they are ...
0
Idea of something is more frequently used and it is more idiomatic.
But you can use a host of other collocations, such as:
...idea on
...idea as to
...idea about etc.
1
As you observed, the first form you listed is most common. It can be interpreted as having the "in which" from the second form implicit. Alternatively, you can simply treat "ways" as a plural noun: the ways (strategies or patterns of behavior for achieving some goal) that the speaker learned (for the purpose of coping) are the items listed after "include..."....
1
I would advise against using words like "loop" or "wrap" - it seems out of context with measurements of time. Time doesn't "loop" - it is continuous. Even when moving from the hour of midnight to one in the morning, this is a continuation of the measurement of time.
Similarly, don't use "increase" - because time doesn't "increase" unless you are speaking ...
1
This is only my analysis
1) If numbers in your timer turn around when a minute or an hour elapses ,
the verb "to flip" would mean this
According to Cambridge Dictionary :
If something flips, it turns over quickly
based on this definition :
If it is 23:37 , and you hit the hour button , the display flips to 24:00 .
If it is 23:37 , and you hit the ...
1
Smear and scrub are fine, but ink stains the skin. We would only use stick of a semi-solid substance like mud or porridge, or an object with a sticky surface.
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I've never said that. If you want to say that it is understandable English.
Choose "scrub" or "wipe" depending on whether you will scrub or wipe. Will you "rub hard"?
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No, "what" is a pronoun, not a noun, so you cannot modify it with additional adjectives like you could with a noun. If you need something more specific than "what" by itself, you will need to say something like "the only thing" instead (and you will also need to connect the subordinate clause with "which" or "that"):
The only thing that is worrying me is ...
1
I think perhaps I got an idea what it is you want to do, but not guaranteed.
For the three situations you describe, I make suggestions as follows.
the display loops/wraps to 00:37/ The display will show 00:37/ shows 00:37.
the display blocks/stays at 23:37/ The display remains at 23:37/ remains at 23:37.
the display becomes/rounds to 24:00/ The display ...
0
"Crumpled" implies that it was once in a correct shape, but then had force applied to it in a way that caused it to buckle or bend in multiple places. It is usually only applied to thin materials (like paper, or thin sheets of metal, etc).
"Deformed" just says that its shape is not the correct/intended shape for the item. It may have been the result of a ...
0
Yes, that actually sounds fine.
I will point out, however, that using "outside" in this way would more commonly be used to indicate "outward direction" (i.e. facing away from the center of some area, such as if the chairs were set up in a circle). If there is actually a door or window or something in the direction you want the chair to face, it would be a ...
2
"Uneven" describes a surface which is not flat, so it isn't quite the right word to describe a chair.
You might instead use:
unstable
wobbly
"Wobbly" is the most commonly used. For example, a recent episode of the US TV sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm featured a recurring anecdote about a "wobbly table":
"Nobody likes a wobbly table... I could not live ...
0
It is arguable that "gradually" is used correctly. But it is kind of subtle. Probably most readers would not be bothered by it.
"Gradually" indicates something changes slowly. You can gradually slow down a car. You can gradually increase the temperature in your oven. You can gradually increase the depth of water in a bathtub. Note that all of these examples ...
1
Using "push over" when the action is actually pulling would not be correct.
You can, however, say "pull over" to mean that you pulled something/someone and it fell over as a result. The definition you quoted is one meaning of "to pull over", but it is not the only meaning. For example, this makes perfect sense:
I pulled the chair over and it landed on ...
1
Question: Is it okay to say "don't step your slippers on the mat"? or maybe "don't step on the mat while wearing your slippers"?
Answer: No, it is not.
Don't step on the mat in your slippers.
Don't walk on the mat in your slippers.
Those are the ways it would be said.
For items of clothing including shoes, we say: in your shoes. If you are wearing them, ...
0
An answer for an English-language learner.
This is very simple:
to be occupied = to be busy
to be preoccupied = to be worried about something else.
Lenny is occupied watching the squirrel. = busy
Lenny is preoccupied about the squirrel because it looks too skinny. = worried
Lenny is preoccupied by other matters but he is watching the squirrel.
1
In OP's context, preoccupied is the better choice.
The pre- prefix implies already, which by further implication suggests there's something else that Lenny should be doing. Being "occupied" usually implies doing something meaningful / productive, whereas being "preoccupied" often means doing or paying attention to something relatively pointless (daydreaming,...
answered Mar 28 at 13:25
FumbleFingers Reinstate Monica
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1
No. You don't "step" your shoes, slippers or your feet.
It sounds like you want to say "don't step on the mat in your slippers".
1
We usually call an all-in-one female garment a dress. A skirt is either a separate lower garment or the part of a dress or coat that hangs below the waist.
2
Although without qualification, 'destiny' means 'fate' or 'final state', it is possible to use the word 'destiny' to discuss events that are now in the past, but which were in the future at some past time.
A sweeping historical narrative examines the personalities, events,
and political maneuvers that shaped Japan's destiny during the years
of World ...
0
Yes, you can use "flies off" with things like an arm. Note that this does imply it's moving away with some speed, probably upwards (or at least parallel to the ground), and will probably end up some distance away. (From my memory, lightsabers don't generally result in that kind of motion when cutting somebody's arm, so that may not be what you meant.)
...
0
I think this would be more accurately described as a "command" or "order" rather than a request. "Request" implies that you are asking somebody to do something instead of telling them to do it.
However, that doesn't mean your sentence is wrong. You could certainly say "The man just laughed at his request" to imply that the man chose to interpret the ...
2
"Pulled down" implies some force was applied, and usually means that there was some resistance. For example, you pull down a roller blind.
"Took down" is far more gentle.
"Grabbed" is an alternative which implies hurriedly taking, but does not imply any resistance.
0
Is it ok to say “to tie your finger with a rubber band”, “to wrap a rubber band around your finger”?
Although the definition doesn't say so, tie usually implies using something with two ends which are tied in a knot or bow. Wrap (or just put) would be more appropriate for a closed band.
2
I don't agree with the person who made the remark, but perhaps among younger people than I it is taken this way. In any case, with the idea that simplest is best, perhaps "upset" is a good substitute.
One more thing: we generally give the benefit of the doubt rather than providing it.
1
I read the conversation linked in the question. This is part of the comment that you are responding to:
hopefully its a culture gap thing but you should reconsider that usage
if youre talking to people in North America
Since the writer's profile is not filled out, it is not possible to know their place of residency with certainty. However, I know my ...
2
Very interesting question! Finding the right expression in this case seems a little difficult because you want to be "always respectful" and yet "harsh".
The meaning of "triggered" in this context is rooted in the modern political usage of the word. And that is why I shall quote the Urban Dictionary (so one can compare it with the alternatives below):
(...
1
The short answer is that your sentence sounds totally normal and idiomatic to the average contemporary speaker (at least Br.Eng). For the long answer, you could delve into previous posts on might vs may here or on ELU stackexchange.
1
You could say "Though I am in a wheelchair, I won't let it stop me...", but the way you expressed it is good too.
"Though I am..." means that I am in a wheelchair now.
"I might be in a wheelchair someday..." could be expressing a future possibility, but as you phrased it, it will be taken as meaning that I am in the wheelchair now.
0
You seem to be describing a situation where the increment is always 15 minutes, and the normal behavior is to increment the countdown time by that amount.
If that is the case, then what you call case 3 is the same as any other case in the allowed range- the countdown time increments correctly to 24:00.
In case 1 you could say loop or wrap, or wrap ...
1
Most of those options are actually reasonably natural, but you might choose one or another if you wanted to emphasize certain aspects more.
The only one that sounds a little strange is #4 ("the body of Mike"). It just sounds a bit unnecessarily wordy (most people would just say "Mike's body" instead)
As for which to use when, it's mostly a stylistic thing:...
1
The context of the statement is Marx's belief that capitalism "would become decreasingly competitive" due to the growth of companies to large size.
The author thinks that Marx missed the fact that small companies could flourish among large ones because they could take advantage of new opportunities at much less expense than large ones. An example chosen is ...
1
The second set using "like" isn't good use of English. A sentence such as
I was like "tell me" and he was like "yeah great".
might be natural in some dialects but won't pass your exams or gain respect in adult articulate company.
Perhaps instead of trying to repeat a conversation, you can try to summarise it:
When I asked John about the gig he said ...
0
"Harshly" is alright, but "Please don't type harshly on the keyboard" sounds a little unnatural. "Harshly" is an adverb referring to the manner of typing, so it should go at the end of the sentence. You could say "Please don't type on the keyboard so harshly" or "Please don't type so harshly" and that would sound more natural.
Another word you could use is ...
0
"Very little" can only be used with non-count nouns, like "very little help" or "very little involvement" or "very little milk in my coffee".
"Orders" is a countable noun. (Usually if a noun is plural, it will be countable, because plural means that there is more than one.)
With countable nouns, you can use the words "few" and "fewer", as in these ...
1
In short, 2) is your answer.
It's so much difficult for me to express myself.
The pattern is It's + adjective + for someone + to do something
You would find this pattern used almost everywhere.
for example
It is difficult for English learners to know whether to use a gerund or an infinitive after a verb.
source: VOA
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In sentence 1, 'It' is a pronoun, and you need to say ‘Expressing myself is difficult to me.’ instead of ‘It's difficult to me to express myself.’ Sentence 2 is grammatically wrong.
Sentence 2 is correct because 'it' here is a subject and means 'to express myself'. So you can say 'For me to express myself is difficult' instead of the original one.
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Yes, it's natural. The first sentence sets a background in the past for what follows. The word "then" moves us up to a more recent time frame. The second sentence would be less natural in context without "then".
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