People often say it is hard to convey emotions through text (phone text) and it is best to communicate serious matters face to face. Can I get some examples where a piece of text can have completely different connotations depending on how the reader reads it? And what can we do to ensure we get … Read more
This question emerged out of a discussion on Mastodon about Ivanka Trump being called a girl, where it was claimed that “girl’ is synonymous with ‘young woman’ in English”. Is this true? Is it sexism if adult women are called “girls”? Answer First, a necessary disclaimer: context and audience matter a lot in what is … Read more
Seeing some example sentences of each phrase on my dictionary, I felt “end up with” was used for a kind of negative result and “result in” was more general. Is that correct? Here are some of the examples I saw 🙂 The game result in a draw. A constant effort will result in success. After … Read more
I wonder what the connotation of ‘to impel’ is. And whether I use it properly in my application for a research job. (1) In my motivation letter I write: “After graduating summa cum laude, the fun and thrill of research impelled me to a PhD.” (2) In my research proposal I write: “This is bothering … Read more
I’m not a native speaker so this may be obvious to some of you. I’ve come across the figure of speech “to break the mould”, basically meaning to do your own thing and not adhere to traditions or rules, which may or may not be obsolete. Every time I came across that phrase it was … Read more
For example: “Cautious is just a _________ for being scared.” “Opportunistic is just a _________ for being inconsiderate.” “Not too bright is just a _________ for being dumb.” “Simple is just a _________ for being ignorant. The word is used often in politics to expose someone as being partial to a particular idea or identity. … Read more
I am writing a blog tentatively titled “Particle Filters: Groping in the Dark for Robots”. It struck me that groping has a strong sexual connotation too, so I researched if the idiom groping in the dark also has a negative connotation too. I asked an editor friend and she suggested changing the title because non-native … Read more
I came across the word hovel and I rather like the resonance of it. I’m aware it generally refers negatively to minimal, ramshackle dwellings, but I’m wondering whether or not the word is also politically/emotionally charged? I have no prior context, so just wanted to ask anyone familiar with how it’s used more broadly. Thanks … Read more
In the command form, “avoid” seems to have a weak connotation. For example, the sentence “Avoid Macaroni and Cheese” almost seems to have the clause “if you can” in it even though it doesn’t. So, is my observation correct that avoid is a weak command or at least has the connotation? If so, what are … Read more
In my writing I’m looking for an alternative way to say that something is a “mixed blessing”. The word “blessing” seems to carry a religious connotation. I’m seeking to convey to the reader that a specific thing that has happened has both positives and negatives for this character. “Getting invited to the party was a … Read more
