Search results for 'tag:Nouns tag:Expressions' matching tags 'Nouns' and 'Expressions'

Re: the character or condition of being final, settled, irrevocable, or complete

Avangi — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:31:09 GMT

Jackson6612
1: What does distinguishing characteristic usage mean? What parts of speech are those three words?

2: You said: [That is, one thing which has "finality" may have always had it, and always will have it. Finality would be a character, or characteristic, of that thing.]

What about the another thing? Wouldn't finality be a character or characteristic of that another thing even if it involves some condition?

1. I should have copied the reference from MW Unabridged, but I was too tired or lazy to go back. It's not a usage I'm comfortable with.

distinguishing is an adjective, and characteristic and usage are nouns. I used the expression "distinguishing characteristic" as a modifier to describe the usage - what kind of usage - just as a "label." Personally, I would have used "characteristic" rather than "character."

2. Sure. I'd say that "condition" here is a subset of "character." I guess I previously implied I thought they were mutually exclusive. (I should have stayed out of it, being unfamiliar with the usage.)

- A.

Edit. I may hedge a bit on 2. Notice how "he" uses "condition" in the "b" part of your definition in the OP. I think he means to exclude "character." I'm really not sharp enough right now to think this through. Sorry.

Re: As you know ''use'' (noun) and ''use'' (verb) have different pronunciations

yizhivika — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:55:42 GMT

As you know, use (noun) and use (verb) have different pronunciations [or are pronounced differently]. ~~Most of the time~~ Often when I encounter use in ~~some~~ expressions, I cannot [or do not] know for sure if [or whether] it's a noun or a verb.

As you know ''use'' (noun) and ''use'' (verb) have different pronunciations

Jackson6612 — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:51:49 GMT

Please correct the following text:
As you know use (noun) and use (verb) have different pronunciations. Most of the time when I encounter use in some expressions I cannot know for sure if it's a noun or verb.

Re: to make use of a situation or circumstance especially in order to gain an advantage

Jackson6612 — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:50:48 GMT

A Cornish Pasty
"To make use of" means "to use".

You can't use a situation, but you can do something as a result of it. That something can be described as "making use of the situation".

Hi CP,

As you know use (noun) and use (verb) have different pronunciations. Most of the time when I encounter use in some expressions I cannot know for sure if it's a noun or verb.

Re: superative and article

Avangi — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:55:21 GMT

Yes, you need the definite article before a superlative, whether the noun it modifies is singular or plural. the most beautiful girl/girls

Top gun; top dog are fixed expressions when used without an article. Ultimate climber/climbers may be a fixed expression, but I haven't heard it. If so, and the plural uses no article, I believe the singular would use the indefinite article. They are ultimate climbers. He is an ultimate climber (possible fixed expression.) They are the ultimate climbers. He is the ultimate climber. (superlative)

- A.

Re: expressions with hand

nona the brit — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:19:28 GMT

The courier tried t deliver it to you last week.

'Post' - you can't use this noun to describe the person making a delivery.

hand to - this means physically pass something to someone. Using it in this sentence makes it sound as though the courier stood in front of the person trying to give them the item, but they refused to physically take hold of it.

Re: massed slavery

Avangi — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:40:08 GMT

I've heard the expression "massed chorus" where at some kind of choral festival all the choruses attending were combined into one huge chorus. It would be synonymous with "combined chorus."

"mass" is a noun, an adjective, and a verb. In "mass slavery," we're using it as an adjective.

"Mass" as a verb means to combine things into a mass. Hence the past participle "massed chorus."

"Massed slavery" I just don't get. I think it's an error.

More context might help. Who are the men who have this choice? Unplumbed freedom could mean they've never experienced freedom, or it could mean they've experienced it but have never really plumbed its depths. Are we talking about all mankind, or the citizens of a particular country, or contemporary western civilization, or the slaves "belonging" to wealthy members of a particular country?

Re: Structure of sentence

lisadove — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:21:33 GMT

16: is known as (passive structure; active form: We know Boston as the Hub...)

17. storing, erasing and retrieving (These are parallel and should be in the same form.)

18. Professor Andom Iyassou ("Professor" is a title. If Andom Iyassou is one person, "professor" must be singular.)

19. one mile high (height is a noun; high is an adjective)

20. a symbol (tree is singular and a is singular, so symbol should be singular)

21. as efficient as (the conventional structure for a comparison. "so efficient as" could be used as follows: The software is not so efficient as to make the previous version obsolete.)

22. I suspect you made a mistake in copying this item. I would guess (C) "for a great deal of their content on the majority of their pages."

23. very much alike. (alike is not a noun; only nouns can be preceded by the.)

24. in seconds (we use in with expressions of time: in a few days, in a million years, in about an hour.)

25. Boggs hit a grand slam (making is used in the first part because it's the object of the preposition after, so it must be in noun [gerund?] form. The main clause is "Wade Boggs hit [past tense] a grand slam for the Red Sox.")

I don't have time to do more; perhaps someone else will finish...

Re: Camp as knickers

CalifJim — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:29:37 GMT

From www.m-w.com

³camp Function:noun Etymology:origin unknownDate:circa 1909

1: exaggerated effeminate mannerisms exhibited especially by homosexuals2 a: something so outrageously artificial, affected, inappropriate, or out-of-date as to be considered amusing b: a style or mode of personal or creative expression that is absurdly exaggerated and often fuses elements of high and popular culture <a movie that celebrates camp>

Most likely not the first meaning above. Hence,

camp as knickers: amusingly excessive in style

Re: Argument at work regarding the contents of an email

Avangi — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:00:03 GMT

Welcome to the English Forums, Doctor. Thanks for joining us.

You may change from "smarting" to "red-faced," because as far as I can tell it's correct. I'm not sure which part of the statement you object to.

I think the technical term is "plan drawing," but "planning drawings" is grammatically correct. Likewise, "a cross section" is a very common drafting term which shows the view you would see if you were to slice the object (staircase) into two pieces and remove the piece closest to you. (I believe a plan drawing shows the layout of of the various components with respect to each other.)

I realize your question was about the grammar, but I wanted to address the possibility that you weren't accustomed to these two expressions, or compound nouns, or whatever they are. In that case, the words by themselves might seem to make up a strange sentence.

Best wishes, - A.