9
votes
Accepted
"Those" seventy dollars or "that" seventy dollars?
Here is an example where you can imply subtle differences in meaning by the choice between plural or singulars
That seventy dollars you owe me is way overdue
means that I am thinking about that debt ...
- 26.3k
6
votes
What alternative word/phrase can I use in place of tryst?
Tryst is not 'too textbooky', it is definitely the wrong word. It means an arrangement to meet, usually between lovers.
You could say something like Google's first venture into hardware.
- 30k
6
votes
What does for mean in `if it were not for the protection`?
If it were not for is a standard idiom. The meaning is "if the protection we get from insect-eating animals did not exist".
- 30k
4
votes
Does "I walked all the way to school" refer to a continuous movement without stops on the way to school?
All the way here means that you covered the whole journey on foot. It says nothing about whether or not you made any stops on the way.
- 30k
3
votes
Accepted
"Land" on the pointer?
I'd have no problem with "lands on". We use the expression in various figurative ways, such as where responsibility sits (eg 'the job landed on me'). You may have heard this expression used ...
- 72.1k
3
votes
"Those" seventy dollars or "that" seventy dollars?
In this case, the seventy dollars is a single block of money, so we generally refer to it in the singular. "The seventy dollars you owe me is ..."
Arguably this violates normal rules of ...
- 56.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Take a toll on X versus take a toil on X
Toll is correct. I think toil must just be a typographical error. She might have got tired from excessive toil, but the assertion is that the silver took a toll.
3
votes
What is opposite of "inherit" verb from the point of view of parents?
You could say that a parent "passes on", "passes down", or simply "gives" a trait to his or her children. In a slightly more figurative sense you could say "bequeath&...
- 5,097
2
votes
Accepted
Why is "plummet", as an intransitive verb, followed by a noun?
They function adverbially. (Terminology will vary.) It is very common for nominal phrases to modify verbs this way (!), and neither the word "plummet" nor numbers need to be involved:
...
- 5,097
2
votes
The university bestowed an honorary degree on her (vs. to her)
The simple answer:
To is not used, because the word is bestowed upon/on. That's just how the word works.
The more complex answer (which is just a hypothesis):
Bestow comes from stow, which is a ...
- 206
2
votes
"Land" on the pointer?
'The pointer lands on the option' [A, B or C].
I'd suspect this is simply a convention because, as you say, the pointer isn't moving, the wheel is.
You could say 'the option lands under the pointer', ...
- 11.8k
2
votes
What verb is applicable for "prescription tablet/pills consumption"?
"Slacking on taking my thyroid pill" would be a less formal alternative.
"my thyroid's pill consumption" doesn't really sound right, because it sounds like the pills belong to your ...
- 34.4k
2
votes
"Get out of" vs "get out from"
Get out of is the correct expression, in this context. For e.g. we got out of the building as fast as we could, when we heard the fire-alarm.
Alternative word is leave/leaving--We left the classroom, ...
- 7,885
2
votes
maybe vs. may be
The only way to differentiate these two, if spoken fast, is to check the grammar of the sentence.
E.g.
Are you going somewhere? Maybe.
I may be going somewhere.
Here "I maybe going somewhere&...
- 3,412
2
votes
Is it correct to say "He is lying passing out on the floor"?
The thing that seems wrong to me about this is the verb 'passing'. To 'pass out' means to slip into unconsciousness. It can mean to faint. That happens in a moment. If he's already on the floor, it's ...
- 72.1k
1
vote
Is "like when" grammatical in the following?
She was furious at him, like when he broke her vase.
Leaving aside its verbal use, "like" belongs to both adjective and preposition categories.
When it occurs in a comparative construction, ...
- 12.9k
1
vote
The terms have been agreed. vs. The terms have been agreed to
My take on it would be that
The terms have been agreed [upon]
means that the parties have discussed the terms among themselves, and
The terms have been agreed to
suggests that one side has agreed ...
- 30k
1
vote
casual alternative for the word "emit" in the context of energy
Depending on your definition of "casual", then the word "ooze" might be a valid option. You can say someone "oozes negativity".
It's "casual" in that it doesn't ...
- 305
1
vote
Accepted
casual alternative for the word "emit" in the context of energy
"Giving off" or "giving out" are casual.
- 26
1
vote
casual alternative for the word "emit" in the context of energy
As a native speaker, I would use "giving out negative energy" or "releasing negative energy".
- 3,412
1
vote
Can the word 'emotion' be used to described a long-term feeling?
I wouldn't necessarily agree that 'emotion' is used to describe a short-term feeling - the words 'emotion' and 'feeling' are not as interchangeable as you might think. Emotion is a kind of feeling - ...
- 72.1k
1
vote
Accepted
meaning of get in got much less wear
Get means are subjected to. Bedroom rugs wear out more slowly than those in parts of the house where people walk about in the daytime. From your comments I assume the sentence must follow one which ...
- 30k
1
vote
"Those" seventy dollars or "that" seventy dollars?
You use the plural "these" or "those" if you're referring to 70 specific, individual dollar bills. For example:
I want these 70 dollars rather than those 70 dollars because they'...
- 1,545
1
vote
Can I say, "I wash my teeth"?
In Ireland, one will often hear people saying that they washed their teeth. So it seems to me that “I washed my teeth” is just fine, both grammatically and idiomatically.
- 11
1
vote
Accepted
"Out" in "branch out"
"Branch out" means "extend or expand one's activities or interests in a new direction." So it is not really the appropriate word to use here.
"The path branches" or &...
- 147k
1
vote
Meanings of 'topple'
It's not common, but perfectly legitimate to say
I toppled him over
Which has the same meaning as
I pushed him over or I tripped him up.
That is, "I caused him to fall over"
I've never ...
- 3,268
1
vote
maybe vs. may be
A native English speaker would often know the difference between "may be" and "maybe" based on the context. However it would hardly be something they consider in everyday ...
- 1,090
1
vote
Accepted
what verb/adjective would describe clickbait headline
"attention-grabbing headline" is the most common trope used in marketing and journalism.
The headline was attention grabbing. [notice, no hyphen when it is not adjectival]
Another is catchy:
...
- 35.1k
1
vote
Is it correct to say "I dodged my arm away from his punch"?
Oxford Languages defines dodge as avoid (someone or something) by a sudden quick movement.
You may have found some instances of dodge used to mean move a part of the body out of the way, but this is a ...
- 30k
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