Questions tagged [word-usage]
This tag is for questions about correctly using a word. The word has to be provided within the question. The question should be limited to the usage of one word. For the usage of complete phrases there is the tag phrase-usage.
83 questions from the last 365 days
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Questions about the verbs brief and debrief
According to dictionaries, brief means: to inform someone before an event:
brief [verb]:
instruct or inform (someone) thoroughly, especially in preparation for a task.
[Oxford Dictionaries, courtesy ...
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0
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Is there anything wrong with this sentence? Especially with "debrief", "brief", and "two-street"? [closed]
If you're not a native English speaker, do not answer please.
At a press conference after a major summit, politicians and journalists find themselves in a two-way street where politicians brief ...
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10
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5
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What term describes a person who always remains ill?
What term describes a person who mostly/always remains ill due multiple factors, such as being surrounded by multiple diseases or due to an incurable chronic disease?
Can I simply call that person as ...
- 109
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0
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29
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Why do "economic" and "economical" coexist with distinct meanings, while "dramatical" has largely disappeared? [duplicate]
I am trying to understand the logic behind English adjectives ending in -ic versus -ical.
There seems to be a category of words where both forms exist and are accepted, but they have evolved to mean ...
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0
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Confusion in a statement [closed]
In my book there is a sentence:
I hadn't yet heard people speak openly of untouchability, but I had already seen felt experienced and been humiliated by what it is.
What is the difference between ...
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4
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2
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688
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What is the meaning of “mantle” in this sentence?
In a visual novel written in American English, I have found the following passage, as a character is describing the contents of his room, which is themed around car racing (emphasis is mine):
Damon: ...
- 49
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1
answer
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Is the second part of this sentence inconsistent with the "though" at the beginning? [closed]
Example sentence:
Though his team wants him to continue playing, football star Dan Hamilton is going to be 40 on his next birthday; he will retire.
Do you agree that this sentence is incorrect ...
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1
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1
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113
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What does the "that" function in this sentence?
Everyone. what do you think of the bold lettering "that"? Is it a conjunction that can be an alternative to "and"? Is there some examples?
Thanks in advance.
English was derived ...
- 135
0
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0
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24
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"All X" vs "the whole X" usage with respect to time expressions [migrated]
When it comes to expressions of time, when we say all day, all morning, all evening, all week, this means the same thing as the whole day, the whole morning, etc.
But my questions are:
Can we also ...
4
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4
answers
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Difference between "hunger" and "appetite"?
This question popped up in my mind when I read following text from a Textbook of Medical Physiology, Guyton and Hall:
The amount of food that a person ingests is determined principally by an ...
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2
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Is “because because” valid in a sentence?
A random sentence I just said sounded odd:
It is cause and effect because because of her doing X, he did Y
Sure, I could say this instead:
It is cause and effect because when she did X, he did Y
...
- 492
0
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3
answers
101
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Use of the conjunction “before”
When the word “before” is used as a conjunction, does it take a relative clause after it? For example, in the sentence “a phenomenon never witnessed before which could be driven by rising temperatures,...
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0
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16
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Serial or series in this sentence? [duplicate]
I had an argument with my friend recently on usage of serial and series words. He had a sentence: "I like watching serials" and I said it's better to use series there. We didn't reach ...
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3
answers
237
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Meaning of "If that doesn't cry"
In the comedy video at 3.41 the comedian says "If that doesn't cry I give up ... I don't know what does." Can someone kindly explain what the meaning of 'cry' in this situation, or the ...
- 89
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0
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61
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Is using "same" in the sense of aforementioned all right?
I remember reading somewhere that using the word "same" in the sense of foregoing or aforesaid is incorrect. Eg. "The details have already been shared in the circular and interested ...
- 101
2
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4
answers
992
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Correct usage of "resolution" associated with "high" and "low"
The Cambridge dictionary defines resolution as "The ability of a microscope, or a television or computer screen, to show things clearly and with a lot of detail".
This makes me ponder, let's ...
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2
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128
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What does "Sponsoring this portion of today's episode" imply?
A particular YouTube channel frequently does an ad bit at the beginning of an episode during which they talk about a product from a company that is sponsoring their channel.
At the end of the ad spot, ...
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5
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0
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167
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Usage of 'fortnight' outside of Britain?
My understanding is that fortnight is chiefly used in British English.
I'd be curious to know whether fortnight is also used in any other English-speaking countries besides the United Kingdom.
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3
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3
answers
596
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Usage of 'allow' vs. 'enable' in technical documentation for devices
I am translating some documents about a device. The device has a function (feature) that lets users make a special measurement. In this case, which is better to use: allow or enable (or another verb)?
...
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3
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2
answers
633
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Can "respectively" be used when one enumeration is only implicit?
As far as I know, the word "respectively" is used to mark the pair-wise correspondence of items in two lists. Consider the following case
There are four parameters a, b, c and d. We ...
- 214
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3
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149
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Why do we say "take the bait" and not "bite the bait?"
It is not an obvious question; In a fishing context, "bite the bait" is as accurate and clear as "take the bait," yet "take the bait" is a far more common construction.
...
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0
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What is being given and received in 'exchange [thing 1] for [thing 2]'? [duplicate]
I was reading an article on Investopedia about Stock Swap. I came across this line:
'An acquiring company's stock is exchanged for the stock of the acquired company.'
This line seems to be addressed ...
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3
answers
187
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Postpone and Prepone [duplicate]
In a language forum, we are debating the word “prepone”, a word popular in India meaning advance.
My position:
Pone is not a word to add a prefix or suffix to it. The word is postpone. Pre-...
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1
answer
133
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Position of adjective 'ajar' in relation to the noun it modifies
Adjectives in English generally come before a noun, eg:
pink door, blank stare, open window.
With 'ajar', however, it seems to only be used as a subject complement or within a relative clause placed ...
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16
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11
answers
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Does "unintentionally" imply agency?
I'm a native speaker of English and a professional proofreader/translator by trade. I've taken my own understanding of the usage rules for the adverbs "intentionally" and "...
15
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1
answer
3k
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What is a 'sawyer'?
Studying woodworking techniques such as various methods of sawing trunks into timber (NAE: lumber) I came across the following Merriam-Webster unexpected [almost certainly non-default; see other ...
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2
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287
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What do you call a woman that lays love traps for men?
"She's a type of woman that uses her attraction and beauty to take advantage of men without necessarily feeling anything for them or caring about feelings that the men might develop for her. She ...
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6
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7
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Is the word "suitor" as in wooer obsolete in British English?
A proofreader who is a native speaker of British English doesn't like me using the word "suitor" in the sense of someone who is courting a woman, because they claim the word is dated in this ...
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1
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116
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Is there a nuanced difference between “concerned with” and “concerned about”? [duplicate]
In formal and academic writing, I often encounter both phrases:
“The study is concerned with the effects of climate change.”
“The researchers are concerned about the rise in sea levels.”
At first ...
0
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0
answers
67
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Is there a difference between “despite the fact that” and “although”?
In academic writing, I often see both “despite the fact that” and “although” used to introduce contrast or concession. For example:
Despite the fact that the method is widely used, it remains ...
1
vote
1
answer
130
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Is there a difference between “technically correct” and “correct in practice”?
I've often heard people say something is "technically correct," followed by a disclaimer like “but nobody says that,” or “it sounds awkward.” This raises a deeper question:
Is there a ...
0
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0
answers
159
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What’s the difference between “pedantic,” “didactic,” and “semantic” when describing overly detailed speech?
In conversations and writing, I often come across the words pedantic, didactic, and semantic used to criticize someone’s overly precise or nitpicky way of explaining something.
But I’m not entirely ...
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4
answers
988
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What is the most natural way to express “retain vocabulary” in native English?
I’m writing learning materials for English language learners and often come across the phrase “retain vocabulary”, as in:
This technique helps you retain vocabulary better.
While this makes sense to ...
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1
answer
114
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business partners vs. colleagues
I read the following in “Official TOEIC Practice Materials 4 1000 RC”.
To: Customer Service <[email protected]>
From: Dmytro Petrov <[email protected]>
Date: November 5
...
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1
answer
106
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Interpreting answers to questions with “in particular”
In academic/scientific texts where they use “in particular” in a yes/no question and then answer it, do they answer only the second part?
For example:
Did the students find the lecture helpful? In ...
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1
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127
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Are “translator” and “interpreter” interchangeable when referring to oral interpretation?
Are “translator” and “interpreter” interchangeable when referring to oral interpretation? Is “interpreter” more suitable and idiomatic? Is “translator” wrong or just less used? Would people think I ...
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2
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530
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Why do New Englanders (specifically, Connecticut people) say the word "bring" and almost never use "take"?
Why do New Englanders (specifically, Connecticut people) say the word bring and never use the word take? I've lived in Connecticut for a long time.
I grew up in the Midwest and Deep South and people ...
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1
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153
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Which is correct for “___ has arrived early”: “Nobody,” “None,” or both?
I have a question about subject-verb agreement with indefinite pronouns. Which of the following would be the most grammatically accurate choice?
_____ has arrived early.
a) Nobody
b) None
c) Both a &...
0
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1
answer
118
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Where did the usage of "cast" as in "to cast a flag [on a post]" come from?
The usage of "cast" as in "casting a flag [on a post, to be reviewed by moderation]" seems much less common than "to flag [a post, etc.]", but it is used extensively on ...
Frog♦
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0
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is "AN" always used before words with beginning with the letter A [duplicate]
What are the rules and exceptions
when using "AN"?
Is "AN" always used before words beginning with the letter A?
1
vote
1
answer
75
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"object engages person" vs. "person engages object"?
Standard dictionary definitions for 'engage', such as those on Wordreference or Collins, often focus on the object engaging the person's attention or interest:
to occupy the attention or efforts of (...
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3
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What does “lettuce talk” mean?
In a comment to the news that a British politician is going to launch a “free speech” social media platform, a user criticised the initiative as “lettuce talk”.
I checked the slang meanings of ...
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2
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146
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Chthonic - can I use it to refer to fantasy adventures held underground?
I'm looking for a suitable word to use to refer to fantasy adventures underground. For instance, a group of adventurers delve into an underground cave system to find a lost treasure, discovering ...
1
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1
answer
3k
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What does the word "yippy" mean here?
The US president (9 April 2025):
Well, I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy, you know, they were getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid, ...
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38
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9
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5k
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Is "escort" primarily associated with paid companionship in modern English?
I'm evaluating the word "escort" as a potential name for a tech tool (an app that assists device connectivity, similar to Apple's Sidecar). In Chinese, the term "护航" (hùháng, "...
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6
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1
answer
314
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Has the distinction between counselling and giving advice become blurred in common speech, or did it never exist?
The Cambridge English Dictionary defines counsel as:
to give advice, especially on social or personal problems: Example: "The
police have provided experts to counsel local people affected by the
...
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2
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100
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Difference between and usage of "legacy of" and "legacy as"
I'd like to know the proper use of the word "legacy" and the better of the two sentences below. Also, the inclusion or removal of the possessive "its" in the first sentence. And ...
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2
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130
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Do I capitalise a fantasy monster species if the name is a pre-existing word? [closed]
I understand that most species names are not capitalised, but if my creature species in named "the lost". Will it be capitalised to denote the difference between the word and the species?
...
3
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1
answer
147
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Can "even" be used before an article?
I had a bit of an argument with my teacher on this. In the sentence "However, she gains a deeper understanding of things, which in turn gives the reader ___ a deeper understanding of the ...
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0
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Don't utter utter nonsense! [duplicate]
In the sentence, "Why would you utter utter nonsense?" what is the duplicative use of the words 'utter' with two meanings referred to as?
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