Discussion Forum
This is a forum to discuss the gray areas of the English language for which you would not find answers easily in dictionaries or other reference books.
Do You Have a Question?
Latest Posts : Usage
Andrew Cuomo, in his popular COVID press conferences, often uses the words “dose” and “dosage” interchangeably (at least so it seems). Here is an example:
“We have the operational capacity to do over 100,000 doses a day — we just need the dosages.”
Here is another:
“To date, New York has administered 2.5 million dosages, with about 10% of New Yorkers receiving their first dose. Ninety-two percent of dosages allocated to the state to date have been used.”
I thought “dosage” refers to the amount in a dose, like x milligrams. A single dosage can have multiple milligrams, so, when you pluralize “dosage,” what exactly are you referring to, if not the number of doses?
I recently ran across the working word in a document that was: “re-substantial.”
Even if it were only listed as "resubstantial," my question is this: Is this even a real word? If it is, what on earth does it actually mean?
Your help is greatly needed.
Is it grammatically ok to use the adjective “respective” with a singular noun ?
Many dictionaries such as Longman define the term “respective” as follows.
used before a plural noun to refer to the different things that belong to each separate person or thing mentioned.
But, I often see “respective” used with a singular noun as follows (cited from an Internet site).
Each of the Division’s three regional offices - in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco - handles criminal matters arising in its respective area and serves as the Division’s liaison with U.S. attorneys, state attorneys general, and other regional law enforcement agencies.
I wonder if the above usage is now common, though it is gramatically incorrect.
In our office we are advocates for our client and in representing what we do with a client we have times that we advocate for our clients. I am under the impression that you can advocate for your client to do something with them and several of my co workers disagree stating that you can only advocate for them to receive something with another provider or resource. Who is corrent? examples:
Can you correctly say:
“the care support provider provided advocacy in encouraging the client to participate in therapy” or the “Care manager advocated with the client to participate in therapy weekly.”
Can we advocate for a client to do something that they are recommended to do. Using advocated in the place of “encouraged”
office question responses appreciated.
In some recent fiction books written by American authors, I have seen the word “acclimated” as in “...she took a day to become acclimated to her new area.”
Shouldn’t this word be “acclimatised” or is this a case of American’s using one word and New Zealanders using another, both for the same purpose?
I’m reviewing a New Zealand scientific report which uses the word ‘equivalency’. This sounds to me like an Americanisation of the word ‘equivalence’, both being nouns but with the redundancy of an additional syllable in ‘equivalency’.
As we use British English (despite word processing software trying to force American English upon us) I’m inclined to use ‘equivalence’. What do you think?
It grates every time I hear a local radio traffic reporter say “there is an accident just prior to the Erindale Rd turn-off.”
I believe I’m right in thinking the word ‘prior’ is more correctly used in a time context, meaning earlier than or sooner than.
Thoughts?
In American Grammar specifically, there is a somewhat new trend of referring to a singular collective as a plural noun. For example, “The band are playing at the Hall tonight.” To which I want to reply “It are?” While the British and Canadians have never understood the concept of singular collectives such as large companies or the aforementioned musical groups known by a name such as Aerosmith or Saint Motel, but why is this becoming popular in America where singular collectives have been referred to, until recently, as a singular entity? It’s on the radio, it’s on TV commercials and even in print. Are singular collectives now plural?
Hi everyone, I’ve got an interesting question from my student:
Trump’s “ask the gays” statement:
- what exactly is wrong with it grammatically?
Thanks!
I would like to know if it is correct to use the adjective “key” predicatively. I was taught that this word is like the adjective “main,” which can only be used in the attributive position. I’ve seen sentences like “This is key to the success of the plan,” but I remember typing something similar and the word processor marked it immediately as wrong. I think both “key” and “main” are special, (irregular, if you want) adjectives (in fact, they have no comparative forms) and feel they should be treated accordingly. I’ve never seen something like “This book is main in our course.” We will normally say “This is the main book in our course.” Thank you for your help!
Latest Comments
Treatment of abbreviations and superscript items in full capital case
- kimmorgan
- April 16, 2024, 8:37am
good job
I would argue that "and yet" implies a degree of disdain or contempt.
You hold to xyz yet the scientific consensus is abc. (Stating a fact about one opinion vs the scientific consensus).
You hold to xyz and yet the scientific consensus is abc. (You moron vs the scientific consensus).
The phrase "try and" is commonly used in informal speech, and while it is technically grammatically correct, some style guides prefer "try to" for formal writing. Both "try and" and "try to" convey the idea of attempting to do something, but there is a subtle difference in emphasis.
"Try and" suggests an intention to make an effort towards a goal, with less certainty about the outcome. It implies that the action may or may not be successful.
"I'm going to try to stop him" emphasizes the intention to make an effort towards stopping him, with a slightly stronger sense of determination. It implies a clearer intention to achieve the goal, although success is not guaranteed.
In everyday conversation and informal writing, both "try and" and "try to" are acceptable, and the choice between them often comes down to personal preference or the specific context of the sentence. However, in more formal writing or when precision is important, "try to" may be preferred for clarity and emphasis.
Is “painstaking” pronounced the same in Britain as here, as “pain-staking”?
- user116289
- April 8, 2024, 6:13am
Thanks for a wonderful share. Here is the great example related to you blog.
Eddie Murphy Jacket
my same school
- user116187
- April 6, 2024, 11:07am
Bună ziua, aș dori să vă recomand un site interesant https://topcasedepariuri.com/, datorită căruia am reușit să găsesc cea mai bună casă de pariuri, site-ul lor se remarcă prin instrumentele sale interactive de comparare care permit utilizatorilor să compare direct casele de pariuri. Această caracteristică simplifică procesul de luare a deciziilor, evidențiind diferențele cheie în ceea ce privește opțiunile de pariere, metodele de plată și asistența pentru clienți. Consider că aceste instrumente sunt extrem de utile atunci când evaluez alegerea mea de case de pariuri. Le-aș recomanda cu siguranță.
sap classes in pune
Best SAP Fico Course in Pune
sap training institute Pune
sap course in pune
sap Course in pune
Best SAP SD Course in Pune
sap training institute in Pune
sap class in pune
sap courses in Pune with placement
Best SAP MM Course in Pune
sap training institute Mumbai
sap class in Mumbai
sap institute in Pune
Best SAP MM Course in Pune
sap course in pune
Best SAP MM Course in Pune
sap HANA course in Mumbai
Best SAP MM Course in Pune
sap course in Mumbai
Best SAP SD Course in Pune
sap fico Courses in Thane
sap mm Courses in Thane
sap hana courses in Thane
sap basis course in Thane
sap sd course in Thane
sap QM course in Thane
sap HCM course in Thane
sap ABAP course in Thane
sap PP course in Thane
sap course fees in Thane
sap classes in pune
Best SAP Fico Course in Pune
sap training institute Pune
sap course in pune
sap Course in pune
Best SAP SD Course in Pune
sap training institute in Pune
sap class in pune
sap courses in Pune with placement
Best SAP MM Course in Pune
sap training institute Mumbai
sap class in Mumbai
sap institute in Pune
Best SAP MM Course in Pune
sap course in pune
Best SAP MM Course in Pune
sap HANA course in Mumbai
Best SAP MM Course in Pune
sap course in Mumbai
Best SAP SD Course in Pune
sap fico Courses in Thane
sap mm Courses in Thane
sap hana courses in Thane
sap basis course in Thane
sap sd course in Thane
sap QM course in Thane
sap HCM course in Thane
sap ABAP course in Thane
sap PP course in Thane
sap course fees in Thane
Might could
- emzy
- March 27, 2024, 4:18pm
"Might could" is part of my regional dialect.
As a response to "are you going to do it" I would respond "might could" or "I might could." The beginning of the originally listed response, "I'm not sure," isn't necessary because "might could" implies uncertainty about the speakers involvement.
I like another comment on here where "might could" is expanded to "it might be the case that I could." This is how I've understood and used the phrase.
gifting vs. giving a gift
- mgformechanic
- March 26, 2024, 4:48pm
- Fewer rather than less for numbered objects:
less sand, but fewer grains of sand
- Confusing out of the box with outside the box
- Similar to; different from
Why am I seeing different to?
Can a singular noun represent a plural non-collective noun?
When considering whether a singular noun can adequately represent a plural non-collective noun, it's essential to delve into the nuances of language and context. While it may seem straightforward, language often operates in shades of ambiguity and flexibility. In certain instances, a singular noun can indeed encapsulate the essence of a plural non-collective noun, depending on the context and the speaker's intention. For example, "the committee" may refer to a group of individuals collectively making decisions, even though "committee" itself is singular. However, this representation isn't always seamless and can sometimes lead to misunderstandings. Exploring these intricacies enriches our understanding of language usage and communication dynamics. For more insights on linguistic topics, you can check out https://writepaper.com/write-my-discussion-post, where various perspectives and analyses are shared.