Looking for English usage website

(Email Removed) (Ted Shoemaker) wrote on 01 Jan 2004:
[nq:1]Hello, I'm looking for an English usage website: the sort that will tell me the difference between, for example, backward and backwards. Any recommendations?[/nq]
You found it.
Have you tried the dictionary, by the way? I think it will answer your question better than we can. If you don't understand what the dictionary says, t

[nq:2]Hello, I'm looking for an English usage website: the sort that will tell me the difference between, for example, backward and backwards. Any recommendations?[/nq]
[nq:1]You found it.[/nq]
No. The Usenet newsgroups alt.english.usage and alt.usage.english are no more Web sites than they are computer bulletin boards.
[nq:1]Have you tried the dictionary, by the way? I think it will a

"Raymond S. Wise" (Email Removed) wrote on 01 Jan 2004:
[nq:1]No. The Usenet newsgroups alt.english.usage and alt.usage.english are no more Web sites than they are computer bulletin boards.[/nq]
You're right, Raymond. I'm just so used used to people who post here using whatever word they want to express whatever it doesn't mean that I respond automatically now. If you access Google groups

On 31 Dec 2003 17:10:57 GMT, CyberCypher
[nq:2]Hello, I'm looking for an English usage website: the sort that will tell me the difference between, for example, backward and backwards. Any recommendations?[/nq]
[nq:1]You found it. Have you tried the dictionary, by the way? I think it will answer your question better than we can. If you don't understand what the dictionary says, then come ba

[nq:1]I'm looking for an English usage website: the sort that will tell me the difference between, for example, backward and backwards.[/nq]
You might start with the AUE page at
.
It has links to many FAQs and related sites, and a search facility.

Odysseus

John O'Flaherty (Email Removed) wrote on 01 Jan 2004:
[nq:1]I looked at the dictionary for those two, and it said 'backwards' is only used as an adverb- the adjective ... example, I would say ' he has it backwards', and that feels like an adjective use to me, not adverb.[/nq]
MW3NID says that, but the OED says that "backwards" is also an adjective, albeit obsolete and rare. I think this is

[nq:1]Whilst (BrE equivalent of "While" and equally acceptable alternative, unless, of course, one is not a native speaker of BrE, in which case it is a bit pretentious) [/nq]
Actually, I perceive it not as pretentious, but in current use, at any rate as a rather low-status alternative, and almost always edit to "while". I may be wrong, though.
Mike.

mike lyle (Email Removed) (Mike Lyle) wrote on 01 Jan 2004:
[nq:2]Whilst (BrE equivalent of "While" and equally acceptable alternative, unless, ... BrE, in which case it is a bit pretentious) [/nq]
[nq:1]Actually, I perceive it not as pretentious, but in current use, at any rate as a rather low-status alternative, and almost always edit to "while". I may be wrong, though.[/nq]
But you

[nq:2]I looked at the dictionary for those two, and it ... that feels like an adjective use to me, not adverb.[/nq]
[nq:1]MW3NID says that, but the OED says that "backwards" is also an adjective, albeit obsolete and rare. I think this ... sounds too much like an adjective to me to use it here, but "forward" sounds like both adjective and adverb.[/nq]
From COD5
-ward(s)
.... -ward &

On 1 Jan 2004 12:38:12 GMT, CyberCypher
[nq:2] Actually, I perceive it not as pretentious, but ... almost always edit to "while". I may be wrong, though.[/nq]
[nq:1]But you are a native speaker of BrE and I a native speaker of AmE, so I'd expect us to ... a few posters here, in AEU, and maybe in sci.lang (I don't know much about that NG) regularly use "whilst".[/nq]
Mike is right in th