Questions tagged [word-usage]
This tag is for questions which a dictionary cannot answer about the meaning or correctness of a word in a sentence. Give as much context as possible.
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using ignorant as a positive word
"ignorant" simply means "unaware"
Like when I say he is ignorant of the facts, it means that he is not aware of the facts. But in general, the word ignorant has taken up "...
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what is the difference between "ship", "deliver" and "send", e.g. "we will ship/deliver/send the item to your house"?
According to my study, it seems "to ship" means to take an item to a carrier who will "deliver" it to your house.
If a shop said "we will ship the item to you/ your house&...
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The right word for ___
I'm looking for the right word for the sides of a water body like a pond, tank, and river and NOT sea, where usually the creepers and aquatic plants, reeds and others grow thick.
I want a generic ...
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Do we always use "worsen" with something which is already bad?
The simple definition of worsen is to become or make something worse. However, in all the examples that I have seen, I noticed that the things being worsened had already been bad in the first place. ...
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He is ill/well/highly reputed of
He is ill reputed of.
Do we need 'of' here? That is, "He is ill reputed." sounds or reads natural or naturally.
If 'of' is okay here, where does this 'of' come from?
https://en.dict.naver....
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" ...syntactically, being rather a matter of pragmatics, dependent... " - Can we delete 'being rather' in the parenthetical?
In the non-parenthetical construction the matrix verb and its subject
may also be backgrounded, but this is not signalled syntactically,
being rather a matter of pragmatics, dependent on context and ...
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Can "plucking up" be used together?
Question: Someone saw him plucking a mango. (Change the voice)
What can be the correct answer from the two options below?
A) He was seen plucking up a mango by someone.
Or
B) He was seen by someone ...
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Is this called a math problem or a math question or a math exercise?
This text from a first-grade textbook
"Tom had 20 eggs and his friends gave him 30 eggs. How many eggs did
Tom have?"
Is that text called a math problem or a math question or a math ...
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Is that idiomatic to say "I smell the old-school summer smell every time I go there"
The following sentence came to my mind once:
I smell the old-school summer smell every time I go there.
However, I'm not sure that it's idiomatic or not since the word "smell" is repeated ...
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Is the word "done" needed?
I found this line from Killers Of The Flower Moon (2023):
Ramsey: Whoo-hoo. Partner. Look what I done found in the possum hole.
Is the word "done" needed?
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Is it correct to say "that is a backward seven" or "that seven is backward""?
"upside down" is an adverb but also an adjective. So is "backward".
And the dictionary says
upside down adjective [not usually before noun]
The painting looks like it's upside ...
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Can we refer to "an electrical socket" as "a plug"?
The grammar book has an exercise to change positive sentences to negative:
Ref. Adventures with Grammar and Composition, Beena Sugatham. Oxford Printing Press.
Rewrite these sentences using so -- ...
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Do we use "rapport" for only transactional relationships (teacher/student; seller/buyer; doctor/patient...)?
I see this pattern in several dictionaries
build/ establish rapport between:
-teacher/student
-seller/buyer
-doctor/patient...
-coworker
Do we use "rapport" between friends? For example,
I ...
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How to reply to "hope you all had a great time celebrating"
It was my grandma's birthday and my aunt texted us saying "hope you all had a great time celebrating" how to reply to that
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Does "I rushed to do homework" mean I quickly went to my homework and did it at any rate (maybe be fast or slow) or I did the homework quickly?
The dictionary says
rush to do something: to do something very quickly and without delay
I rushed to pack my suitcase before she came back.
He rushed to help his comrade.
Does "I rushed to do ...
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