Newest word choice Questions | Wyzant Ask An Expert

08/06/19

Filling' up a school setting without making a bunch of new characters?

In a school setting, what is a way to allude that a school is full of students, without making new characters or overusing pre-existing ones?A school is the main setting of a book. The main and... more

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Word Choice Grammar

08/03/19

..can stop the equipment work/working/from working?

I've just returned from an English exam and there was a sentence that made me wonder (I'm not exactly sure about the wording). The sentence ran like this :> Overheating can stop the equipment... more

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Word Choice Gre Synonyms Word Usage

07/29/19

Differences between "bitter," "acrimonious" and "astringent." Why isn't it appropriate to describe an argument as "astringent"?

>After having ___ arguments virtually every other day,the couple agreed that it was best for them to separate.>A) bitter>B) saturnine>C) astringent>D) effulgent>E)... more

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Word Choice Gre Meaning In Context

07/29/19

What does "…not immune to such charges" mean?

This is a GRE text completion sentence>To claim that the prevailing account of an important incident, whether it happened last century or last week, is corrupted by disinformation is to enter... more

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Word Choice Gre Adjectives

07/29/19

Can someone help with these two GRE verbal questions?

Requirement: fill the blank with **two** words choosen from this list, each word should give the sentence the same meaning. >1. Modern agricultural practices have been extremely successful in... more

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Word Choice Vocabulary Writing Science Fiction

07/16/19

How to expand my vocabulary?

I wanted to write something for a long time. But what I think is, in writing the choice of words plays a very significant role. From where I can learn this thing? I think I don't have enough... more

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Word Choice Writing

07/15/19

How do expert writers avoid using "I" when they have to refer to themselves in their article?

How do competent authors, in a refined and perhaps (slightly) formal way, refer to themselves without saying *I*? I've seen the term "this writer" somewhere. How is it with a native? Are there... more

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Word Choice Language Writing Translation

07/13/19

Historical Fiction: using you and thou?

Generally speaking, English once used 'you' as the second person plural (equivalent to 'vous' and 'vós') and 'thou' as the second person singular (equivalent to 'tu'). When talking to a... more

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Word Choice Esl/esol Mnemonic Confusable

07/11/19

How can I remember the difference between "lay" and "laid"?

I often confuse *lay* and *laid*. For instance, in selecting the appropriate word in these contexts:> She lay/laid a hand on his arm. He lay/laid across the bench lazily. We lay/laid down... more

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Word Choice Literature Word Usage

07/07/19

Usage of 'comprise' in a linguistic manner?

> The small man did not hesitate. "I'm stealing.", he declared in a soft, simple voice, that did not **comprise** even the faintest tremble. Is this a good, nice-sounding way of describing a... more

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Word Choice English Definite Articles Syntactic Analysis

07/01/19

How to prevent a sentence beginning with the word "The"?

I am writing a technical thesis and find myself using the word *the* an awful lot.Here are some examples (I spare the technical gibberish):> The main purpose of the presented applications is to... more

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Word Choice Esl/esol Speech Verbs

06/26/19

Using 'show' with 'treatment'?

Is it proper to say 'show special treatment' for example in "He showed him special treatment."? I know it sounds more natural to say, "He took a special interest in him because of his... more

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Word Choice Grammar Writing Essay

06/25/19

Why does using this "-ing" verb construction make my writing weaker?

I had to write a scholarship essay, wherein I wrote this sentence:> Over the ensuing years I read as much as I could, *trying* to increase my knowledge and understanding of my own language.I... more

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Word Choice Language Writing Technique

06/25/19

Will using real-world cultural vocabulary in a fantasy setting disengage readers?

__If I have certain minor rituals/garments/culture tidbits in a fantasy setting that mirror those of Earth, and I describe them using the real-world vocabulary, will that disengage readers from the... more

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Word Choice Grammar Adjectives Attributive Nouns

06/24/19

Why do we say “Japan earthquake” and not “Japanese earthquake”?

Isn’t earthquake a noun and the preceding word an adjective? Isn’t “Japanese” the adjectival form of “Japan”?

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Word Choice Grammar Homophones Orthography

06/24/19

What is the best way to explain how to choose between "its" and "it's"?

Probably one of the most frequent grammar mistakes in the English language is: > The dog sat on it's mat. Since spelling checkers don't catch it, and it is even logical, since you would... more

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Word Choice Grammar Determiners

06/21/19

Alternative to vs "Alternative for"?

I'm wondering whether there is a difference between these two expressions. I never know which one to use. Google seems to return the same amount of results for both, so I suppose there might be a... more

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Word Choice Grammar Homophones Orthography

06/20/19

What is the best way to explain how to choose between "its" and "it's"?

Probably one of the most frequent grammar mistakes in the English language is:> The dog sat on it's mat.Since spelling checkers don't catch it, and it is even logical, since you would correctly... more

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Word Choice Grammar

06/20/19

Can “due to” and “because of ” be used interchangeably?

Is it fine to use *due to* in place of *because of* ? How about the other way around? Are any of these sentences ungrammatical?* He was lost because of the storm.* He was lost due to the storm.* He... more

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Word Choice Grammar

06/20/19

Is “either” only used with two options?

Does “either . . . or” apply to only two options? For example, can I say, “It can provide *either* 100, 150, or 400 amps of power”? Or should it just be “It can provide 100, 150, or 400 amps of... more

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Word Choice Grammar Pronouns Clauses

06/20/19

I like it that vs. "I like that"?

I want to express the following: You are blaming me for your lack of concern and I like that (in a sarcastic way). Which one of the following sentences would be correct? > * I like it that your... more

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Word Choice Esl/esol Speech Differences

06/18/19

What is the difference between "hurry" and "rush"?

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English in a [THESAURUS section for "hurry"](http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/hurry) defines/compares "hurry" and "rush" as follows: **hurry:** to go... more

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Word Choice Writing Esl/esol Speech

06/18/19

On the usage of the expression “What differentiate(s)”?

**Question one:** Which of the following sentences are grammatically correct? 1) What differentiate apples from oranges are their colors and sizes. 2) What differentiates apples from oranges is... more

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Word Choice Writing

06/18/19

If I'm writing in US English, am I not allowed to use the metric system?

For example, can I say this if my book is written in US English (in non-dialog):> The car was going at least 140 kilometers per hour!Or should I convert them to miles or what have you?It's for a... more

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Word Choice Grammar Japanese Formal Nouns

06/18/19

What is the こと in sentences such as あなたのことが好きだ?

*There were a lot of great answers here. I gave the checkmark to ento's answer because I felt it most completely explained all aspects of this use of こと. But many of the other answers are... more

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