Could these terms be replaced?
Good day.
I) "When I was a kindergartener, I choked on a squid sushi. I couldn't bite 'through' it..."
In this sentence, what does "bite through" mean? Does it also differ from "bite into" something?
II) "Adam is so different 'from' his brother".
If I've used 'different to' instead, would it still be expressed as the same? Is it more commonly used in writing or, speaking though?
III) In the last statement,
"Speaker is asking the listener to please wait for a short period of time while the speaker attends to something else, after 'WHICH' the speaker intends to return to the initial situation".
Why was 'which' used in place of 'it'? Grammatically saying, is any term preferable over the other?
IV) It's a spare question, but is "underling" considered an offensive, insulting word? May I casually use it as a "subordinate" synonym yet?
I thank you all, and I apologize for putting so many questions in a row as well.
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 2
2
1) "bite into" and "bite through" have different meanings.
- bite through = bite in such a way that the teeth come out on the other side of the thing. (through = all the way).
- bit into = the teeth are sunk into something, i.e. you start biting. (into = make entry from outside).
2) "different from" seems to be the standard expression in North America, but "different to" is commonly heard in the UK. So both are correct, but I would prefer "from".
3) "which" is the best way to connect the two clauses in your example.
"..., after it the speaker ... " is not a good construct because it splices two independent sentences with a comma. If you don't want to use "after which", you should use period to make them two sentences, and change "after it" to "After that" to make it more natural.
If you say "..., after which ...", the relative pronoun "which" naturally connects the two parts, which is exactly what "relative" pronouns are used for: relating two clauses.
Another example:
A: I'll do my homework first. B: After which I'll help with yours. => I'll do my homework first, after which I'll help with yours.
4) I think "underling" does convey a disparaging sense of implying the person is unimportant. The Collins Dictionary lists it as "[disapproval]", meaning it's a disapproving term.
1
Hola Estômago,
I) 'Bite through' means to chew completely. When a person is choking (in the case of food), it is because the person could not reduce the size of the food enough to travel to the stomach.
"Bite into" is very similar, but it does not necessarily mean swallowed and sent to the stomach. "Bite into" is to eat a piece of the food for the first time. "When bread is left in the freezer, then placed on the table, it is difficult to 'bite into' the bread if it has only been on the table for 30 minutes."
II) 'Different to' is not correct, so do not use it.'Different from' is used in everyday speech, though it is informal. But to improve this sentence I would use "Adam is so different THAN his brother." Than is a comparison between two unequal things (in this case the two brothers).
III) "Which" by itself isn't really correct. The phrase here is "afterwards". But you could use also "after which time". It means "quickly following".
"It" is a pronoun used to modify a noun. However, this is only for a non living noun. So it cannot be used to modify "[The] speaker" but rather he/she.
IV) Be careful with the idea of offensive or insulting. Not every word is considered offensive by the majority of people. Yes, you should most likely use subordinate or "associate" in this case. To be fair, you don't hear the term "underling" used much in business or everyday life.
Hope that helps. Thanks.
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