New answers tagged word-usage
0
I presume she meant something along the lines of:
I don't know how her notebook got in my bag.
Adding "got" makes it sound more natural to me.
0
As a programmer, I'd say you "use" Java, or you "code in" Java. You can say you're a Java programmer, if that's your primary language, but it'd be very nonstandard (though probably still understandable by programmers) to say that you Java.
1
No, "I Java" does not work in the same way.
'To google something' has become synonymous with 'to use a search engine to search for something', partly because of Google's dominance in the market and partly because there was no concise way to express that same idea unambiguously; it evolved out of convenience. When this happens, the trademark is said to have ...
2
If you're talking about Java (the language) I'd say:
"I write Java" or "I program in Java" rather than "I do Java". You could say: "I can do Java" but it does not necessarily mean you are doing so currently, it just means you have the ability to write Java.
1
In the first examples, "road" is being used to mean a physical structure, "way" means the "route that I took". For example, "My way to your home" could be on a road, or it could be through a field.
So these mean slightly different things. The first means "I found it while I was walking to your home", the second means "I found it on that thing that cars ...
2
I found it on the way
Typically I would expect this to end with "on the way home", "on the way to school", "on the way back", or something to that effect. This phrasing to me emphasizes more when or what they were doing when the object was found, as opposed to the object's location.
I found it on X road/street
For both of these, my inclination is to ...
1
The words are all have multiple senses, and the meaning in programming follows one of the existing senses of the words.
Head, meaning "the first or top part of something" is a standard meaning in English. We say the "the head of the queue" or talk about "Section headings" in a document.
Tail similarly has the meaning of "the end of something"
Stack means an ...
2
I think that it would also help to know that context is important.
I work at a restaurant - I am telling you where I work.
I work on a restaurant - This would make me think you were building or starting a restaurant.
We work on tasks.
We work at places.
If a person told me they worked at the railroad. I would assume that they worked at a railroad ...
1
With "working on", the noun (or noun phrase, etc.) that follows is the task, or subject of the work. You could say that you're "working on code" (programming) or "working on getting some reports ready", for example.
With "working at", the noun (or noun phrase, etc.) that follows is the location where the work is being done. The same rules that apply to be ...
0
Replying to a greeting of "Hi" with "Ho" could be construed as having called the person a "ho", which was commonly used as street slang as a shortened version of the word "whore". This is what may have been interpreted by replying "ho". This was a common term used in the 1980's and 1990's, often to describe or degrade females and denote that they were of low ...
3
"Hey there! Hi there! Ho there!" was used in an episode of Threes Company where Larry was a radio DJ. While in common speech this may be unheard of, but not entirely sure. May just be an outdated term or seldom used one.
2
I strongly recommend that NO English learner try to mimic the speech of what is perceived to be in style this week, or you will end up with some woman believing that you just called her a whore, which is definitely NOT cool.
English is hard enough without trying to grasp the social complexities of adolescent and minority fads in speech. You may not sound ...
1
This is using the last definition of "subject" listed by Merriam-Webster:
: to cause or force to undergo or endure (something unpleasant, inconvenient, or trying)
In this case the statement is saying that part of the nuclear medicine technologist's job is to cause patients to undergo radiation.
0
Subject here is a verb. (Bee misreads it as an adjective.) The sentence means “cause patients to be exposed to radiation”.
-4
Yes, you are correct. The last one sounds best.
6
I don't know of a context in which "Java" wouldn't be a proper noun or adjective, except perhaps as a (rare?) colloquialism for coffee. If you're worrying about correctness, you should certainly capitalize it.
It would sound pretty strange to people if you used it as a verb. I think part of this is that "Java" has other meanings besides the programing ...
20
What you're talking about is colloquially called the "verbification" of nouns that do not have any standard verb forms. This is fairly common English slang:
Abel: You say you cook? Like what?
Blain: Well, I salad, I soup, and sometimes I spaghetti.
With the understanding that it is a colloquial and informal usage, and therefore kind of humorous: ...
-3
Yes, it is correct. Another thing that could be used here is "denotes".
3
It means they are hanging out/having fun. Draftpicks - new players picked for the team. Busting - a verb describing hanging out, dancing, or drinking. Cribs - houses.
1
It's not entirely correct, but you can get away with a lot in song. As a lyric, it's fine. It implies that you need both people the same amount, as in, you are equally in love with both of them.
A crude example:
I need you both the same
Why do we have to play the game
Why make me have to choose
Knowing one of us will lose
Two loves is not too ...
2
The word "typical" is derived from "type" (of course), and the dictionaries I checked mention "type" somewhere in their definitions of "typical".
Your proposed meaning of "ordinary" is fine, but it should be understood as "ordinary considering what category the thing is in (what its type is)."
So, when the doctor says a chest X-ray is "typical for a ...
27
"Ho" isn't used in ordinary conversational English, except as a dialect variant of "whore", and in specific situations, such as Santa's "Ho, ho, ho!" (which I've always interpreted as just being a deeper-voiced version of "Hahaha"). Responding to "Hi!" with "Ho!" isn't a normal thing to do. Just say "Hi", "Hey", "Hello" or whatever other greeting you prefer.
...
18
"Ho" is archaic. It has fallen out of standard use, but is found in older literature and references. It is still used by those who strive to keep old words alive. (Pirate and medieval recreation performers, notably.)
According to Merriam-Webster, it is an interjection which is from Middle English.
The 'Modern English' equivalent would be "hey".
...
4
"Ho" as a word is a corruption from the French "haut" meaning "up". Related phrases include "Tally-ho!" ("taille haut!", or "Swords up!") or "What ho" ("What's up?") - although both are considered simultaneously archaic and posh affectations - and the nautical "Land ho" (for when land is sighted coming up over the horizon, as an alternative to "Land ahoy" - ...
1
The first is correct.
"A series" implies there are multiple questions, making it plural. (Hence the addition of the 's').
2
This question is more of an opinion, since you are writing a song and, as we know, that does not require immaculate grammar!
With a bit of context, the listener will understand your meaning, I believe.
You are meaning it to imply the word "amount".
I need you both the same [amount]
I don't think there is a better way of saying this whilst still ending ...
1
Both are grammatically correct, however, if we look at the following definitions there is one which fits better than the other:
Appreciate to recognize how good someone or something is and to value him, her, or it
Value the importance or worth of something for someone
Appreciate your youth/parents.
Value would imply that they have worth, whereas ...
-1
The phase "Subject to" is a pretty common idiom which has two meanings:
Likely to experience
One thing needs to happen before another. ("This is subject to that", implies that can't happen before this)
Source
In your case, it just means that the patience will experience radiation.
2
Sentiment - a thought, opinion, or idea based on a feeling about a situation, or a way of thinking about something
Feeling - emotions, especially those influenced by other people
emotion - a strong feeling such as love or anger, or strong feelings in general
I.e. Feeling and Emotion are almost entirely synonymous, emotion just tends to imply a stronger ...
2
These words are close to being interchangeable. However, there's another definition of common that you need to be aware of. From Merriam-Webster:
5a: Falling below ordinary standards: second-rate
5b: lacking refinement: coarse.
When you say that somebody's behavior was quite common (example 2), native English speakers are likely to assume that this is ...
1
Common generally refers to thinks which are frequent or occur a lot, whereas ordinary refers to things being plain or of no particular note.
In your examples:
Example one:
- Common -language most frequently used
- Ordinary - language without using any fancy words or confusing constructions
Example two:
- Common - Doesn't really work here, unless you'...
3
No, they don't. "Have a bad/good choice" is grammatical, but does not mean what you seem to want.
"You have a good choice" would mean that you have a choice between two or more good alternatives. For instance, if you are in an excellent restaurant and there are several dishes you would like to try.
"You have a bad choice" would mean just the opposite. E.g. ...
3
I am not sure I know an adjective that could easily be substituted directly into the sentences you give. However here is how I would phrase such a sentence:
Since "usual" is an adjective, while "always" is an adverb you would have to add an additional verb for always to modify:
The flower seller was where he always was
I will put the keys where they ...
31
Ho is pretty much unused in normal speech as a greeting. The two uses you listed are pretty much the only uses I have ever heard. Both are also somewhat archaic and traditional phrases.
"ho, ho, ho" is exclusively what is used to describe Santa Claus's laughter.
"[Land] Ho! Ahoy mateys" is exclusively what cartoon pirates say.
(ahoy is also a word that ...
0
Combining answers from the comments section :
Yes powder laundry detergent can be considered "spilled"
In general "spill" should be used:
a. For substances that move fluidly (liquids, gasses, powder, pebbles) if they move outside of a container, general moving under the influence of gravity (i.e. toward the floor\ground /etc.)
b. It can also be ...
2
In a car, the way I typically say these things would be:
Can you point the air away from me?
or
Can you point the air at/toward me?
"air flow" is too technical of a word to describe this, and makes it sound like you are talking about aerodynamics. Using "the air" or "the AC" is more appropriate.
Because then you are not talking about the flow ...
0
'Unlocking sound' can be understood as a sound that caused unlocking. Also: 'as well' as what?
He could say:
But I could clearly hear the sound of unlocking (the phone).
0
I would probably say "It made the unlocking sound."
If he hadn't presented any evidence before saying this, the "as well" seems kind of strange.
In addition using active voice, and specifying that the sound came from the phone by using "it" both improve the sentence in context.
Your sentence definitely seems too formal for talking about cell phones ...
3
While batsmen may hit/score/take two runs or make two runs, they DON'T run two runs. It's not idiomatic.
Instead, as you suggest, ran two is fine when the context is already established. You will often hear expressions such as:
they take an easy two....
they scurry home for two...
they snatch two (runs)....
and so on.
1
For many purposes, "smear": and "smudge" have pretty much the same meaning. When it is done intentionally with makeup, I would use "smudge". When is is done intentionally by a a painter using oil pain, I would use "smear". When refering to a situation like that in the image, I would use "run" rather than either "smear" or "smudge:
Your tears have caused ...
0
"Acceptably" or "I'm doing acceptably" would be correct.
Personally, I usually go for answering with an adjective (e.g. "good" or "acceptable") rather than an adverb (e.g. "well" or "acceptably") even thought it's not correct, since it's what most people expect and you don't want to sound too uptight. That might be an American thing though.
9
"Nonetheless" [one word] is a valid adverb. It means the same as "nevertheless", or "in spite of what has just been said".
As an adverb it can be used to modify an entire clause or sentence, and, yes, it sounds fine to put "nonetheless" at the end of a sentence. Merriam-Webster gives two examples of the use of "nonetheless" at the end of a sentence:
"The ...
1
As something being used in a figurative sense, I would say that none of those words are particularly idiomatic in the particular sentence construction in the question.
They might be used in some other figurative constructions:
This is the start of your life down an academic path.
She didn't take the easy road.
That choice was a one-way route to ...
1
Both Don't be discouraged and Don't be disappointed are perfectly natural things to say, and in many contexts they'll effectively mean the same thing - speaker is advising someone to look on the bright side (to find good things in a bad situation).
As OP has discovered, the dictionary definitions are somewhat different, but they're obviously closely related....
1
Ngram doesn't like these because neither is particularly idiomatic. The common expression is
Don't lose/give up hope.
This remains the same even with specific subjects, or general observations
Don't lose hope that your mother will recover from her illness.
Don't lose hope in the future.
In general, we don't say "your hope", possibly because it'...
1
The first and third mean pretty much the same thing, but the latter is stronger than the former:
As usual, she was wearing jeans.
This means she wore jeans more often than anything else.
As always, she was wearing jeans.
This is more emphatic, and suggests she never wore anything except jeans. (In reality, we often say things like this even when ...
3
The answer to this could depend upon which version of the English language is being used. For instance, there is American English and there is British English. I've often found that while much of our language usage is similar, there are many idioms that differ greatly in how they are used. Sometimes dialects vary--drastically at times--depending upon where a ...
1
To me turn a bike suggests picking up a stationary bike, and putting it down facing the other way.
The word I would use for causing a moving bike to change direction is steer, not turn.
0
If the bike is going west, and you want it to go east instead, you could ask:
Do you know how to make a U-turn on a bike?
A U-turn is a 180 degree change in the direction of a vehicle's motion. Unless the vehicle can "turn on a dime", the path of the vehicle's motion is shaped like a capital letter "U".
If it is clear from the context that you are ...
1
While the phrase
As of 2019, Chrome usage is 50%
is perhaps not strictly incorrect, as it can be interpreted as a compound noun, in my opinion here a possessive form is significantly clearer and better:
As of 2019, Chrome's usage is 50%
Better yet is to recast the sentence, as:
As of 2019, the usage of Chrome is 50%
As of 2019, the usage of ...
Top 50 recent answers are included
