Example: is there a difference – even a subtle one – between: the hinges of a door the hinges to a door I suspect there is a slight difference, yet I cannot quite pin down what that difference is. Also, how far does this near-interchangeability extend? For instance, would it make sense to speak of … Read more
Is it “superior of” or “superior to”? In a sentence: We conclude that our proposed model is superior to the base case. or We conclude that our proposed model is superior of the base case. Answer When comparing two items, you should use superior to. The phrase, superior of is used to describe a hierarchical … Read more
Translating a title of a paper from another language, I’m debating between Remote Access to a Computer System Remote Access of a Computer System This is a title, so it should stand on its own, without extra context. Which is correct? If both are valid English, what’s the difference in meaning? Answer Remote access of … Read more
Do you remember the lyrics to the song? Do you remember the lyrics of the song? I’m more familiar with the second sentence using the “of”. But what I don’t know is, how would you interpret both of these sentences in the grammatical sense? Do both of these sentences express a relation between lyrics and … Read more
What is the correct preposition to use after improvement? For example, The successful candidate is expected to contribute with an improvement of the current calibration. Answer As a native speaker of American English, the sentences that sound correct to me are as follows, and in the order in which I would expect them: The successful … Read more
What is the difference between saying solution to the problem and saying solution of the problem? Are they both equivalent, or is there some difference? Answer You almost always hear “solution to the problem” and sometimes “solution for the problem” — but almost never do you hear “of” in that context. solution |səˈloō sh ən| … Read more
I am writing some software documentation. There are data structures that are organized in trees and every element in the structure can be child or parent “to”/”of” every other element. I am not a native speaker and my instincts are pretty divided on the matter themselves, so I guess I have to turn to higher … Read more
