Questions tagged [phrase-choice]
Is it Either? Is it Or? Is it Neither? Use the Phrase-Choice tag to help you complete the perfect sentence, say what you really mean, and learn new words and phrases.
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you almost got us killed vs you almost killed us
I have the text in book Dogwood by Chris Fabry:
I whirled in the seat and grabbed his right arm in a death grip.
Carson overcompensated and jerked the wheel left, weaving into the next lane. A horn ...
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Until you cry to stop or until you cry to make me stop?
I want to share jokes with my friends to make them laugh hard till they cry and beg me to stop. Which sentence would be correct to tell them that?
I want to tell you jokes and make you laugh until ...
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Can "I filed my nail off" be explained like the structure "I wiped the table off"?
We can say:
I wiped the dirt off my face ("off" here is a preposition)
Instead of saying that, we can just say
I wiped my face off ("off" here is an adverb)
My question is that,
We ...
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There's been a situation where I "have not known" vs "didn't know" my lines
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, September 29, 2015)
Jimmy: That's funny. Has there ever been a situation where you
didn't know your lines before?
Viola: There's been a situation
where I have not ...
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Which one is the most natural: "keep your phone at/on hand," or "keep your phone with you"?
Which one is the most natural: keep your phone at hand, keep your phone on hand or keep your phone with you? For example:
I might call you tonight, so please keep your phone at hand.
I might call you ...
CommunityBot
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Can I use "with respect to" on a certificate of appreciation?
I'm translating a Persian gratitude certificate (like the ones in this Google image search) and there is a statement at the beginning giving respects to the person. It would be "with respects/regards ...
CommunityBot
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How to phrase this?
Person 1: I hope you can forgive me.
Person 2: _______________________? You're my best friend.
How could I not forgive you?
Why would I not want to forgive you?
Why should I not want to forgive you?
...
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The cooling system on my PC "gave in" VS "gave out" yesterday [closed]
I wrote this example.
The cooling system on my PC gave in/gave out yesterday. One of the
hoses burst and leaked the coolant onto my new graphics card.
Do both "give in" and "give out&...
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Are "free will" and "volition" interchangeable?
Example sentence:
I want to do this of my own free will/volition.
Do they mean the same? If so, is one word more formal than the other (e.g. used in everyday speech)?
CommunityBot
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Correct phrase: "registered under the scheme" or "registered in the scheme"
I want to write that "children can be registered (in/under) the scheme, provided certain eligibility criteria are satisfied". Which would be the correct preposition to use?
CommunityBot
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Can we say "the ladder is leaning against the wall" to express a dynamic action?
1- "lean" is intransitive.
Normally, "the ladder is leaning against the wall" expresses a state is static. It already in its final position, touching the wall at an angle.
But say, ...
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"To build," "to be built," or "to have built"?
In an English textbook, I found the following sentence.
The Swiss tunnel took 17 years to build.
A tunnel is supposed to be built, so I think the sentence could be re-written.
The Swiss tunnel took ...
CommunityBot
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Is it natural to say "he has 3 headaches a day" or "he has a headache 3 times a day"?
Say he started having a continuous pain in his head at 9 am and the pain has been in his head until now (10 am) and the pain might stop at 11 am. Now at 10 am, we say "he has a headache".
...
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Are "I would rather I stayed home than go out" the same as "I would rather stay home than go out"?
I came across this sentence in the Grade 10 Vietnamese English grammar.
"I would rather that it were not summer now."
My question is that that sentence does not have a main verb after "...
CommunityBot
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What is the natural way to refer to the amount of all outcomes that are planned for a day?
What would you call something that is a clearly defined, measurable result you intend to achieve by a specific date, expressed in concrete terms (numbers, facts, scales, or expert assessments - see ...
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