Questions tagged [phrasing]
This tag should be used for questions dealing with the phrasing in your writing, such as questions dealing with techniques to come up with a certain way of phrasing or common resources that can help with finding the correct phrasing. Please note that "What should I write?" requests are off-topic here. You might also want to check out our sister site EnglishLanguage&Usage.SE and their phrase-requests tag.
33 questions
0 votes
0 answers
60 views
Synonym for "personal care" (as in personal care products)
I'm a qualitative researcher, writing questions that will be posted online for participants to answer. In one question I'm asking them to describe what they would like to see in the personal care ...
- 1
4 votes
3 answers
3k views
Why Do People Write Prose with Poor Rhythm?
First, I do not practice writing often, nor for a long time when I do. So that might be a reason I am struggling with rhythm lately. Second, I do not intend this post to be an example of good rhythm. ...
user25421
3 votes
1 answer
386 views
How to modify the title "All paths lead to hubs: the case of water isotopologues" such that it will be one statement only?
We are in the process of publishing a paper in Communications Chemistry, for which we devised the following title: All paths lead to hubs: the case of water isotopologues However, the editor asked ...
- 133
3 votes
5 answers
962 views
Trouble describing people standing around three of four sides of a rectangle?
As the title says, I am having trouble describing a group standing around 3/4ths of a rectangle. This is what I have written The students stood along the sides and far side of the stage, creating a ...
- 133
1 vote
4 answers
251 views
is "next evolution" redundant?
Does saying "next evolution" sound redundant? Isn't evolution already something that comes next? I'm editing an article and the author talks about the "next evolution" of a theory,...
- 13
6 votes
2 answers
744 views
For people of color, are there unique ways to describe emotional state through skin tone, besides 'going pale,' 'turning red,' 'looking green,' etc?
Are there some words or phrases to describe a person of color, specifically darker colors, when their skin tone changes with emotion? Like for a white person, they'd turn pale when scared or turn red ...
0 votes
2 answers
381 views
Is "Truth be told" a valid expression to be used in a written essay?
Can we use the expressions "Truth be told" or "To tell the truth" to describe something factual in our opinion in written arguments? Example: Truth be told, I think no one is ...
- 1,233
3 votes
2 answers
105 views
Good time to get your dream out of the drawer?
I'm trying to properly phrase a main sentence on a banner. Imagine that you had a dream to do something but it had to be put aside (let's say into a drawer) to wait for a better times. Now, I want to ...
- 133
-2 votes
1 answer
120 views
Singular or plural verb after a list of single activities? [closed]
In the following sentence, which one is correct? "requires" or "require"? Reading all recent papers, relating them together, and finally drawing a conclusion from them require(s) ...
- 101
10 votes
5 answers
5k views
Should I use the term vis-à-vis? How should I decide when to use/avoid a term?
I wrote a vision statement for a project using the term vis-à-vis (All X investments should be justified vis-à-vis quantified gain). A colleague suggested I shouldn't use vis-à-vis, and prefer simpler ...
- 203
6 votes
4 answers
3k views
How should you describe turning pages quickly? [closed]
I want to describe this action. How should I describe this action?
- 255
1 vote
5 answers
668 views
How can I show a character looking around without just saying "I looked around"?
I'm looking for another way to say, “I looked around, until my eyes landed on a man.” I’m sick of the sentence “I looked around”, but it’s important that she does since she wakes up in an unfamiliar ...
- 189
2 votes
2 answers
82 views
Using alternative phrases to "meanwhile" or "elsewhen" to describe a non-linear flow of time as two consecutive events
I am currently writing a "time-travel" themed story that is more of a first-person perspective of all involved characters, and I want it to include the before and after reactions to the &...
- 195
1 vote
1 answer
159 views
A phrase similar to murmurs of laughter [closed]
I am writing an essay and one thing I am talking about is that I hear small laughs among the crowd while I nervously give a speech. I used the phrase "murmurs of laughter" but a peer said ...
- 111
2 votes
3 answers
266 views
Is it really necessary for a novelist to follow phrase structure rules radically?
I have read many novels and found that the writers do not follow basic phrase structure rules while constructing a sentence. For example, they may write a sentence with only one word like "Fear" And ...
