New answers tagged word-usage
1
"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 ...
1
"Demand" means to ask for authoritatively or abruptly. "In demand" idiomatically means that something is frequently asked for. This idiom does not carry the full meaning of the word "demand".
For example, if you said someone "demanded an X-Box" it would mean that the person asked for one rudely, perhaps in the form of a command. However "X-Boxes are in ...
0
Yeah, it works, but it's clunky.
The intended meaning can be inferred, but it's poor writing.
Much better to say "Why did he spare me" or "Why did he let me live" etc.
1
Discovered and found have the same meaning (only a slight difference).
The difference is:
Discover means to find information, a place, or an object, especially for the first time.
Example: Columbus discovered America (he found America for the first time).
Find means to find something or someone not for the first time or to encounter or discover something ...
0
All three (scared / frightened / afraid) work fine, just be sure to match them in the sentence.
I am not frightened for myself, I am frightened that my grandparents will get infected and that they will die due to the virus.
I am not afraid for myself, I am afraid that my grandparents will get infected and that they will die due to the virus.
Also note ...
1
"Demand" means that there is an active desire. For example, the sentence "there is a demand for computer training" suggests that many people want training, they are signing up for classes, the classes are filling up with students, etc.
"Need" does not have quite the same meaning as "demand." The sentence "computer training is highly needed" is somewhat ...
2
An expert is someone who knows a lot about a certain topic. A specialist is someone who has dedicated themselves to studying a topic.
The words have slightly different connotations. For example, J.R.R. Tolkien was a specialist in Germanic philology, but he was an expert in many other fields of knowledge such as the Finnish and Welsh languages, ancient ...
0
Yes, you can use the three expressions you propose, and they are more natural than "because of myself", though that is not wrong.
Some corrections for your post, per your invitation:
"context" is the correct word in English.
"Is it correct grammatically and does it sound natural?"
"Feel free to correct any of my sentences,..."
"...that my grandparents ...
2
It depends on the context, but the likely answer is "No". As you know "calling an older adult "grandpa" is extremely rude". Well, perhaps not extremely, but is shows an inappropriate attitude. As you already know this, I wonder why you think it might be okay to be rude to an old man who lives next door and you enjoy being around.
If you are a young child ...
2
Context matters.
Leave can mean "walk out on" but you provide context in which it is clear that the man was not her husband or boyfriend, and she is not talking about a divorce or separation. So leave doesn't mean "walk out".
Leave can also mean "not choose"
I left all the red sweets because I don't like strawberry creme.
And (in a rather grim way) ...
2
I think uncle is a better choice than grandpa, because
he is only one generation away, not two, implying less age
it is more commonly used in such circumstances
This is backed up by Lexico
uncle
NOUN
1.1 informal An unrelated older male friend, especially of a child.
He is more like your friendly neighbourhood uncle with a passion for sports.
...
2
We say that something is in demand rather than demanded. "Trained computer technicians are in demand" means that there are plenty of job opportunities in that field. It's a slightly different usage of demand from the one meaning 'ask for something forcefully'.
We would say greatly needed rather than highly.
3
Not every disease is a plague, if that's what you were thinking.
From Merriam Webster:
Plague definition 2.a: an epidemic disease causing a high rate of mortality
So according to Merriam Webster, the disease has to be an epidemic and it has to cause a high rate of mortality
1
I will write an example sentences;
My english teacher gave me a homework yesterday. The homework given by
himself was very hard. I couldn't finish it on my own, but I was
alone at home. There was nobody to help me with my homework.
-1
No you can't use color. You must use rainbow colored background. Color is just a noun. You are using the word color as adjective in background. Also one more note: in British english it is written as 'colour'.
2
If it's touching the floor, the best verb is probably trail. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trail
"Don't let the cable trail on the floor."
0
First, "dangle" has the sense of being unsupported on the bottom. Your illustration doesn't make clear if the end is touching the floor, but your comment clarified it, so the cable is not dangling,
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, ...
2
It's a deliberately mixed metaphor, but the sentence you quote even explains what it means.
Something that "sucks" is bad or unpleasant. It is North American slang.
An onion is often used as a metaphor to describe something that is multi-layered.
Your quote "an onion of suck" is explained within the same sentence when it says "layer after layer of ...
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.
11
Yes, you can use plague as a “general” term.
It is also usable (as The plague) to refer to the particular disease as noted already.
Without the the, it means anything that (a) afflicts, (b) besets and (c) in general is a nuisance i.e. irritating, persistent, and / or widespread.
It's often found in compound terms, such as [place] was plagued with [pest] (...
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 ...
3
(For context, Sheldon is discussing the famous double-slit experiment in physics.)
Using "each" instead of "either" would change the meaning of the sentence.
Let's work with a simpler version of the sentence:
If either slit is observed, the photon will not go through both slits.
In context, "either" implies a choice between two options. During the ...
27
"Plague" can have several different meanings depending on context:
In its most technical form, "plague" is used to refer specifically to diseases caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (e.g. "bubonic plague", "pneumonic plague", etc). This has historically also been known by names such as "the black death", etc. In this sense, COVID-19 is definitely not ...
12
A plague is a general term for an outbreak of a virulent disease. Or even more generally, any outbreak of something unpleasant.
For centuries smallpox was one of the world's most-dreaded plagues, killing as many as 30 percent of its victims.
A plague of flies descended on a Russian village after farmers used chickens droppings as fertiliser.
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
While I might opine that "uncrowded" is indeed the opposite of "crowded," much like "unintelligent" is the opposite of "intelligent," you explain your position well and I do understand your question.
The thesaurus gives these antonyms: deserted, empty, imprecise, loose, uncongested, unfilled, and, yes, uncrowded.
Looking at the synonyms for deserted, I ...
1
This is very much a matter of style and intention. If I were describing Times Square in its current state, I would say it is desolate.
answered Mar 27 at 8:23
P. E. Dant Reinstate Monica
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2
I agree with Jeff Morrow's comment. I am 61 years old and have been speaking, listening to, and reading English all my life, and I don't recall ever seeing this wording. I'm an American so perhaps it is local to some other English-speaking country. If I read a sentence like your example I might be able to figure out what it means from context, but otherwise ...
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 Cambridge Dictionary offers these definition for pop out and spill:
pop out: to move quickly and suddenly, especially from a closed space
spill: to (cause to) flow, move, fall, or spread over the edge or outside the limits of something
Note the highlighted words in these definitions. We generally use pop out when something happens quickly, and ...
1
Pop suggests an active movement, jumping or being thrown out. Spill is better for clothes falling out of a suitcase - or you could use fell or tumbled.
I think most native speakers would say something like The suitcase came open and...
0
‘By itself’ and ‘on its own’ can have slightly different meanings, as in the post you linked, but in this context they have exactly the same meaning. By itself does sound more natural, because the sentence with ‘on its own’ would sound more natural as ‘a noun clause cannot make a sentence on its own’; I think the verb to be doesn’t really... sound natural ...
1
More often than not means more than 50% of the time (it is the case more often than it isn't the case). Usually could be almost always. So, no, they don't mean exactly the same.
0
I would say that “on the dot” is about the hearer being punctual. Similarly, one might say, “The ferry arrives at 10:23am, on the dot.”, to mean that it is reliable and punctual.
(As others have said, “12 o’clock sharp” would mean precisely 12:00.)
0
I think the problem here is that the question should be, “Whereabouts did you lose it?”. That is… the question is/should be looking for a vague answer. (That is why the word “about” appears in the word.) “Whereabouts did you find it?” is a bad example.
1
The starting point is that “like” serves the same purpose is “ummm” — people say it while they are thinking. In that sense, it is just a change in language. However I, too, find it very annoying, as follows. [Also distressing, as I see my native language being actively destroyed.]
One issue is that people (i.e. native English speakers) are getting ...
0
Preventing ... territorial is a participial clause modifying treaty. It is introduced by the participle preventing.
I ignore the question of territorial which you make clear that you understand is wrong. But what's probably confusing the other answerers is that you didn't say that the problem was identifying the error.
0
As “Words Like Jared” explains, “territorial” is wrong; that is the answer to the question. However, “preventing” is also wrong. The correct word is “prohibiting” (and delete “from”). If the whites comply with [obey] the treaty, then they will not travel as described… but neither the treaty itself, nor the writing in it, actually prevents them from doing ...
1
If you are writing something for the kids, I would suggest, “Ways of doing the exercise”.
If you are writing about it, for co-workers, then… it gets complicated.
“{Something} alternatives” is fine, but “Execution” is not quite the right word. It is okay; only people like me would think twice about it. If you want exactly the right word, however… .
• ...
1
We are organising a trip in the car. Someone asks, “What about the dog?” I reply, “I counted the dog with the children.” That means that I put the dog in the same category [group] as the children.
Suppose that we are counting our stock, and someone asks me why I got 56 for a type of part, when they can see that there are about 25. I say, “I counted ...
0
In Australia…
I would understand “I am pretty sure” by the tone of voice used.
“I am pretty sure”, spoken in a held-back sort of way, would mean that I am now wondering if I was wrong, and I am inviting comment. Alternatively, it might be a polite way of suggesting that someone else is wrong — e.g. “I am pretty sure that… if we keep going down this ...
1
No, the dictionary is not entirely wrong, but like any short description if arguably doesn't give the full story.
Antedate is a rather technical, and infrequently used word. It is used in the context of historical events or discoveries. We cannot say (for example) exactly when the wheel was invented, but there is no doubt a generally accepted date. As and ...
0
You could say that "mean the same" and "mean the same thing" are equivalent. Not so for "are the same" and "are the same thing".
You can have two distinct entities that are the same in many respects, and that would justify saying that they are the same. The still aren't "the same thing."
0
I think that this question have got no easy answer, in my opinion it's to broad and should be closed.
But let me explain the reasons using more words that a comment can contain.
All quotes has been take from the Oxford Dictionary:
idiomatic
Using, containing, or denoting expressions that are natural
to a native speaker
natural
In accordance ...
0
Mulct means "fine or tax or punish" (both as a noun and a verb), though it is sometimes used to mean "swindle", this is an extended sense, from the notion of an unfair fine or tax.
It is also rare and formal, enough so that I needed a dictionary to understand the word.
Insofar as there is a "usual" use with such a rare word, "The Judge mulcted Joe of £...
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