# My General Questions \[consolidated thread for questions on English usage\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 3, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390 "2010-07-03T03:23:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/41 "2010-07-14T18:25:26Z")
It’s really not a fantastic sentence, though - a lot of these aren’t. In context how consumers are “paying” for the advertising might be clearer - I’m “paying” by having to watch it, I’m “paying” by paying more for paper towels because of marketing and packaging, etc. But as written, the comparison is between broadcast and cable TV - cable has ads too. When I was a little kid it didn’t, but it does now. It’s an ambiguous statement, in my opinion. (So is the one with the apples - it could be written much more precisely.) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/42 "2010-07-14T18:27:19Z")
> [@themajestic](#): > > did you also noticed the usage of\*\* ’ costly advertising '\*\* . Whats that ? is it the product that is advertised is costly OR the get up and set up of the advertisement is costly ? The advertising itself is costly. Individual commercials can cost millions of dollars to make. Even if they are cheaper, the purchase of the time to run the commercials can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for a 30-second spot on a hit network program. Since commercials are repeated endlessly, an advertising campaign often runs into the tens of millions. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/43 "2010-07-14T20:07:21Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > It’s really not a fantastic sentence, though - a lot of these aren’t. In context how consumers are “paying” for the advertising might be clearer - I’m “paying” by having to watch it, I’m “paying” by paying more for paper towels because of marketing and packaging, etc. But as written, the comparison is between broadcast and cable TV - cable has ads too. When I was a little kid it didn’t, but it does now. It’s an ambiguous statement, in my opinion. (So is the one with the apples - it could be written much more precisely.) Right…it’s clearly written by someone who’s defending the interests of the cable TV industry. So, it’s meant to be persuasive, and present a particular viewpoint in an favorable light, rather than be purely factual. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/44 "2010-07-15T04:32:49Z")
Thanks …that was a wonderful discussion. Could you please look at this English text … \*\*In Washington County, attendance at the movies is just large enough for the cinema operators to make modest profits. The size of the county’s population is stable and is not expected to increase much. Yet there are investors ready to double the number of movie screens in the county within five years, and they are predicting solid profi ts both for themselves and for the established cinema operators. Because Over the next ten years, people in their teenage years, the prime moviegoing age, will be a rapidly growing proportion of the county’s population. \*\* what is **movie screen**? I know screen = curtain . however , I guess here , movie screen = movie release. …is it ? I understand that children will grow up and be adult and so there is a surge in moviegoers in next 10 years. By the way , I don’t like the wording \*\*movie screen \*\*. What is the meaning of this ? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/45 "2010-07-15T04:53:06Z")
> [@themajestic](#): > > what is **movie screen**? I know screen = curtain . > > however , I guess here , movie screen = movie release. …is it ? No, actually, “movie screen” technically refers to the surface onto which a movie is projected in a movie theater. A curtain would refer to a movable covering which would be used to conceal the actual screen. Many years ago, movie theaters might have curtains which would be used to cover the screen in between showings (especially if the theater was also used for live performances), but modern theaters no longer have curtains. See this image: [![](https://drbristol.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/movie-screen.jpg) ](https://drbristol.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/movie-screen.jpg) The white area would be the movie screen. The red material hanging to the sides, if they were capable of being drawn across the screen to conceal it, would be curtains. Now, just to make things a bit more complicated… Nearly all modern U.S. movie theaters have multiple theaters within one building (this is sometimes referred to as a “multiplex”). Each individual “theater” within the building is usually referred to as a “screen”. So, you might refer to a “12-screen theater” – it’d be a single large building, with twelve individual “theaters” within it, each of which would have its own movie screen, seats, and projectors. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/46 "2010-07-15T06:40:43Z")
At core the paragraph is saying that, although the county’s population is not expected to increase, it is expected to change in age composition such that there will be a greater number of teenagers, that being the age group who see most movies. So cinemas are planning to increase their seating capacity to accommodate this, but it is left unstated whether this will be done by adding more cinemas (buildings) or more screens (rooms) within the existing buildings. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/47 "2010-07-15T11:44:26Z")
> [@themajestic](#): > > Could you please look at this English text … > > **Yet there are investors ready to double the number of movie screens in the county within five years…** > > what is **movie screen**? I know screen = curtain . Everything **kenobi 65** and **Askance** said is correct, but I’d like to add a bit: The use of the phrase “movie screen” gives the reader the most information in the least amount of words. If the paragraph had said “double the number of movie **theatres** ,” there’s some uncertainty, since “theatre” (or “theater”) has more than one meaning: does the author mean doubling the number of _buildings_ where movies are shown, or doubling the number of _rooms_ where movies are shown? If the paragraph had said “double the number of **seats available** in movie theatres,” there’s again some uncertainty, since that could be accomplished by adding more buildings, adding more rooms, or enlarging existing rooms. Because the paragraph says “double the number of movie **screens** ,” the reader knows that it’s the number of _rooms_ where movies are shown that is doubling. As **kenobi 65** says, “screens” technically means the surface onto which a movie is projected. But because no one builds “screens” without _also_ building seats and walls, “screens” has has become a short way of saying “individual rooms showing movies” when discussing movie theatres in general.\*\* Moreover: 1) Because the paragraph later says “solid profits both for [investors] and for the established cinema operators,” the reader can infer that the new screens will be installed in new buildings (owned by the “investors”) rather than added to existing buildings (owned by “established cinema operators”). 2) Although the paragraph does not say so explicitly, the reader can guess that doubling the number of screens also means doubling the number of seats, since average movie theatres (the romms movies are shown in) are roughly similar sizes. If the new “screens” were installed in very large or very small rooms, that would be unusual, and the author woulf probably have said so. \*\*Note that “screen” is usually used in a specific context, and is not really a _synonym_ for an individual room showing movies. One could say, “that movie theatre has 12 screens,” but one would _not_ say, “after I buy popcorn, I’ll walk into the screen.” ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/48 "2010-07-15T11:58:36Z")
true . I agree . Thanks …learnt concepts . That was very much helpful. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/49 "2010-07-15T14:54:11Z")
Please look at this English text … **A conservation group in the United States is trying to change the long-standing image of bats as frightening creatures. The group contends that bats are feared and [COLOR=“Red”]persecuted solely because they are shy animals that are active only at night.[/COLOR]** I don’t like the wording \*\*persecuted \*\* here . wordweb says \* Verb: persecute 'pur-si,kyoot Cause to suffer “Jews were persecuted in the former Soviet Union”; - oppress - But it seems does not fit here properly. because f_eared and persecuted_ are quite opposite in nature. In other words , my point is if somethging is feared then how come one can cause to suffer to that i.e \*persecute \*. So, it seems to me usage of the wording _feared and persecuted_ is faulty . Please comment at this part . ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/50 "2010-07-15T15:59:35Z")
I agree that “persecuted” may not be the best choice of words for that usage. Generally (but not always), the term “persecute” is used to describe actions taken against people, not animals. The sense that I think the user was trying to get across was that, not only are people unjustifiably afraid of bats, but that they may also choose to harm bats due to their ignorance and fear of them. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/51 "2010-07-15T16:03:46Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I agree that “persecuted” may not be the best choice of words for that usage. > > The sense that I think the user was trying to get across was that, not only are people unjustifiably afraid of bats, but that they may also choose to harm bats due to their ignorance and fear of them. Yes. A lot of people fear bats and will kill them for no good reason, except unreasonable fear. “Persecute” is definitely a strong word for the relationship between (some) people and bats, but it does communicate unjustified harassment of an innocent victim, which is the thing the “conservation group” is trying to change. As far as the combination “fear and persecute” when you have a fear of something you are sometimes aggressive towards it - to drive it away, or keep it from getting near you. The two are not opposites. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/52 "2010-07-15T16:05:56Z")
Yes, they’re saying that because people are afraid of bats, they cause them harm unnecessarily. Going back to the “movie screen” question, you’ll often see the usage that “This film opened on 6,346 screens this weekend.” That means, quite literally, that the film was shown in that many little rooms in movie theaters. It doesn’t mean that there are that many prints, because the same print will spool through several screens in the same theater, and it doesn’t mean that it’s showing in that many theaters, because theaters can have many screens in them. Some theaters will show popular movies on multiple screens (say at 1:00, 1:20, 1:40, and 2:00). ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/53 "2010-07-15T16:07:02Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The sense that I think the user was trying to get across was that, not only are people unjustifiably afraid of bats, but that they may also choose to harm bats due to their ignorance and fear of them. you mean, fear drives the people to persecute bats ? people are scared of bats and so whenever they come across bats they try to persecute , chase or even kill the bats…some sort of like this ? oops …I’m slow 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/54 "2010-07-15T16:10:04Z")
> [@themajestic](#): > > you mean, fear drives the people to persecute bats ? > > people are scared of bats and so whenever they come across bats they try to persecute , chase or even kill the bats…some sort of like this ? Yes, exactly. “Persecute” would be a more general word to describe many types of behavior – such as chasing away and killing – that result from the fear. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/55 "2010-07-16T02:53:50Z")
Please look at this English text … **Many people blame hunters alone for the decline in Greenrock National Forest’s deer population over the past ten years. Yet clearly, black bears have also played an important role in this decline. In the past ten years, the forest’s protected black bear population has risen sharply, and examination of black bears found dead in the forest during the deer hunting season showed that a number of them had recently fed on deer.** \>\>Yet clearly Can we write Yet at the beginning this way ? Yet is used for making contrast. The usage is not appealing here that much. \>\>\>examination of black bears found dead in the forest during the deer hunting season is it correctly written ? more specifically here \*examination of black bears found dead \* If I understand correctly , then it says the may be the Forest Department visited the forest and examined how many black bears are dead during the deer hunting season but to their surprise they found that those dead black bears already consumed few deers. I have little hesitation with this usage in fact \*examination of black bears found dead in the forest … \* looks awkward. Is it correct and widely used ? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/56 "2010-07-16T03:03:27Z")
“Yet” is correct here (although, other words, like “although” or “however”, might make the meaning clearer to you). What it’s doing is showing a counter-argument…most people think that hunters alone are responsible for the decline in the deer population, but, in fact, black bears also play an important role. The important fact about the dead bears is not how many dead bears they found, but that many of the dead bears had recently eaten deer. Therefore, it seems that deer make up a significant part of the bears’ diet. And, therefore, bears are a significant factor in the decline in the deer population. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/57 "2010-07-16T03:09:41Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > “Yet” is correct here (although, other words, like “although” or “however”, might make the meaning clearer to you). Exactly. I’d love “although” or “however” here. Somehow , I did not like usage ‘Yet’ here. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/58 "2010-07-16T03:21:51Z")
> [@themajestic](#): > > Exactly. I’d love “although” or “however” here. Somehow , I did not like usage ‘Yet’ here. Understood, since “yet” has other meanings, but it’s a fairly common usage, at least in American English. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/59 "2010-07-16T03:48:25Z")
Please look at this English text **The annual rate of inflation since the pension increase has been below 5 percent, and the increased pension has been duly received by all eligible Runagians** I’m not comfortable with the wording “ **duly** ” here . …what does this mean here in this context ? I have seen the usage “duly signed by the applicant OR duly signed by the customer” …blah blah. what does this “duly” refer here ? when do we use this word ? I understand as the inflation is low , pension increase will bring relief to the pension holder/senior citizen …but why do we use “duly” here ? when this word is used ? Could you please explain the use of the word “duly”. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/60 "2010-07-16T03:54:35Z")
> [@themajestic](#): > > Could you please explain the use of the word “duly”. “Duly” here means “properly”, or perhaps “punctually”. It’s reinforcing the idea that the people receiving the pensions received the increases to their pensions when they were supposed to have. In American English, “duly” isn’t used very often; its usage tends to sound rather formal to most listeners / readers. It may be most commonly used in the phrase “duly noted”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390.md?page=4)