English Language Learners Stack Exchange
English Language Learners Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [semantics]

108 questions
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Is redundant logic ungrammatical?

For example: COVID-19 plagued New York City and its many theaters. I am wondering if "and its many theaters" makes sense, because it's included in "New York City". Is this allowed in English? Because to me it's already implied and thus it's…
Sayaman
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When I go to the cinema/to the sea/to my grandma's

I feel happy when I go to the cinema/to the sea/to my grandma's etc. What does exactly "go" mean? Does it mean a) the moment when I am leaving for b) the process of going to c) the time spent at the place of my destination d) all the above
user1425
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for less OR for the lesser

Some people were punished for less. Less sounds like a noun here. Now I wonder, can it be substituted with "the lesser", as "the lesser" is also a noun. "The lesser of two evils". If it can, what would be the difference? If it can't, what's the…
user1425
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nothing and not anything

Are these sentences semantically correct? I don't see anything through these binoculars. I see nothing through these binoculars. A teacher says the second one is wrong because you can't say "see nothing with something" when you use a tool…
Englishfreak
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Is there a difference in semantics between these verbs?

1 I'm always drinking like crazy when I see her. The meaning: I start drinking and after a while I see her. 2 I always drink like crazy when I see her. The meaning: At first I see her, then I start drinking. So far so good. But when I use the same…
user1425
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How weird it sounds to native ears the phrase " I rather use my phone to watch netflix"

I have heard some natives say "I rather" to express they use one thing more than the other rather than using "rather" to mean "preference". for me saying "I use my phone more to watch NETFLIX"sounds weird.
Quique
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“Brightness is bright” or “brightness is high”

Can “Brightness is bright” mean brightness is high? I googled it, but I got a little bit of information. In my native language, “brightness is bright” is often used. https://forum.fairphone.com/t/lowest-brightness-is-too-bright/53784
user141788
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1 answer

Representational state transfer

In computer science REST stands for Representational state transfer. I wonder what does it really means: 1. state transfer in a representational manner or 2. a transfer of a representational state. I'm Spanish native speaker.
Hender
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the whole is wide in one part?

Bicycles are parked where the sidewalk is wide. The sidewalk is wide here. If I want to say bicycles are parked on the wide part of the sidewalk or this part of the sidewalk is wide, are they correct?
user130355
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Why are "to feel" and "to be" only sometimes interchangeable?

I am angry and I feel angry seem to have the same meaning, as do many other I am [adjective] phrases, like I am sad, I am happy, I am ecstatic. But am and feel cannot always be swapped out: I am weird and I feel weird have different meanings. How…
minseong
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Can I describe this picture "a circle is cut in half"

There's no circle, but there are two semi-circles. It was a circle, but I cut it in half. Can I describe this picture "a circle is cut in half"?
user180525
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Rheme and theme in connection with a tense

This is an explanation by a native speaker. It includes the notions of RHEME and THEME The explanation "I live in France but I usually travel abroad", sounds odd because there's no context, so we don't know what the rheme (the new information) and…
user1425
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Why is it right to use the word "from" to say "there was no place free from them"

I would use the word "of" as the word "from" indicates origin so it sounds a bit weird. I read this in a periodical from JSTOR talking about immigration to the old border states.
Quique
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what does "Most of Brisbane's here" mean?

Transcript at this TEDxSydney talk video, at 4:10 You know, I'm from Brisbane, which is a great city to live in.(Applause and shouts from the audience) Yeah! All right! Most of Brisbane's here. That's good. (Laughter) I assume the transcript above…
joy2020
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“Pureness of the ocean”

“Pure” should modify words indicating color. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/pure Then, I wonder, for example, to express pureness of blue of the ocean, “pureness of the ocean” doesn’t work, and only “pureness of blue” works.
user139825
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