Please tell me which word to use in sentences?

Question

Could you please tell me which word to use or how to rewrite them so they sound best please?

1 I didn't sleep enough to have sleep/yellow around my eyes.
2 It's pratical knowing where everything is./to know where everything is.
3 Bags that/which are left unattended will be blown up.
4 "Off" means that even if there were/was a signal, I wouldn't be able to pick it up.

Thank you

Mr Wordy · Accepted Answer

1 I didn't sleep enough to have sleep/yellow around my eyes. -- "sleep/yellow around my eyes" is not a familiar expression to me. Is this something that you think happens when you have lots of sleep or when you don't have enough sleep? The way you've worded it, it means the former. Is that what you intended?

2 It's practical knowing where everything is./to know where everything is. -- This doesn't seem very natural. Again I am not completely sure I understand what you mean, but you may mean "It's useful to know where everything is".

3 Bags that/which are left unattended will be blown up. -- OK.

4 "Off" means that even if there were/was a signal, I wouldn't be able to pick it up. -- Grammatically correct, but more context would be helpful. I can't exactly visualise what you're describing.

Alc24 · Answer

Thank you for the help

What I was trying to say for the first one, is the substance you find in the corners of the eyes when you wake up having slept a lot.

So i'm trying to say

I haven't slept enough to have sleep in the corners of my eyes. I only napped for an hour so I can't have sleep (the substance)

For the 2nd I used PRACTICAL to mean USEFUL as in french that's how you would say it.

Maybe CONVENIENT works too?

Is the bold part something you can say? Is it grammatical to use TO MEAN that way?

Thank you

Mr Wordy · Answer

alc24What I was trying to say for the first one, is the substance you find in the corners of the eyes when you wake up having slept a lot.

Right, I see. The only everyday term that I'm familiar with is "sleepy dust" (sometimes one word), but this seems bit childish. At http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheum , Wikipedia also offers: "rheum" (not in conversational use), "gound" (never heard the word; flagged as dubious), "eye boogers" (sounds like childish AmE), "sand" (never heard this use), or "sleep" (never heard this use).

Although I am not familiar with "sleep" used in this sense, it is listed in dictionaries, so your original idea of "having sleep around one's eyes" may be OK after all. I have heard expressions like "rubbing the sleep from one's eyes", but I've assumed these were figurative and have never associated it with that actual substance.

Could anyone else comment on this?

alc24For the 2nd I used PRACTICAL to mean USEFUL as in french that's how you would say it.

Maybe CONVENIENT works too?

Yes, "convenient" would work. The word "French" should be capitalised, by the way.

alc24Is the bold part something you can say? Is it grammatical to use TO MEAN that way?

Yes, it's fine.

Please tell me which word to use in sentences?

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