It was said as a way to comfort someone who had just broken up with her boyfriend, and someone said something like “go raise a dog”. I know it’s okay to say raise an animal; I just feel so weird about it. Don’t we normally say raise a child? I mean, in my opinion, isn’t … Read more
Why do we say the world is beautiful? Can’t we say the world is handsome? Answer Sure, you can say the world is handsome. It’s just that the word “beautiful” has worn a path in our language regarding the world. Handsome can also mean imposing, or of great size, as in “a handsome prize” or … Read more
Please compare He shrugged. and He shrugged his shoulders. Is there anything else that can be shrugged, besides shoulders? To me it sounds like duplication when used in this way. I’m aware of constructs like “He shrugged it off.” but that’s not what I’m interested in, and it also implies the use of shoulders, doesn’t … Read more
Basically, sardonic and sarcastic both stand for mocking gestures, but what is the difference in their contextual use? Are there any other words that represent a similar gesture? Answer @Manoochehr doesn’t quite catch the meaning of sardonic. It means “grimly mocking or cynical.” My Webster’s gives its origin as mid 17th cent.: from French sardonique, … Read more
I have often heard presenters talking about something centered around another thing, but it seems a bit illogical and hence improper to talk like this. Am I right about this? Answer Quoting the Wiktionary usage notes for center: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary observes that center around is objected to by some people on the grounds that … Read more
I am not sure which one is the correct one: A: I am hungry of knowledge. B: I hunger of knowledge. C: I am hungry for knowledge. D: I hunger for knowledge. But my feeling says that A and B are the correct ones. Answer The correct preposition is for. One is hungry for knowledge. … Read more
What’s the meaning of “slap me five”? Any difference between “slap me five” and “give me five”? There is a book called Slap Me Five. Answer The difference is only one of expression and context, not meaning. “Slap” me five is a funkier way of saying “give me five” or “give me some skin” or … Read more
This is an excerpt from the Longman Dictionary Of Contemporary English. freak out phrasal verb informal to become very anxious, upset, or afraid, or make someone very anxious, upset, or afraid People just freaked out when they heard the news. freak somebody out The whole idea freaked me out. I’m curious whether freak out has … Read more
Does one fill out a form or does one fill in a form? I’ve gotten different answers from the people I’ve asked. Google search results: fill in a form — 14,200,000 fill out a form — 7,000,000 Answer It appears that this is a British/American distinction. The Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) reports 92 … Read more
I read an article about collocation which includes an example: We can say highly sophisticated, and we can say extremely happy. highly happy and extremely sophisticated would be wrong. How can I learn to get collocations right? Are there any rules or has this to be learned word by word? Answer Because the basis of … Read more
