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Tenacious Learner Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Synonym for 'wasted'. Unit 6

Hi Teachers,

Is it a good synonym 'used inappropriately' in this context? Is it better 'consume'?

Baxter wasted very little time on social formalities.

Thanks in advance
  

Top answer

Hi, Neither sounds good to me. Used to no purpose or for inadequate results. Your example as written seems like a complicated way to introduce the verb 'waste'.

— Clive

  • Hi, Neither sounds good to me.
  • Used to no purpose or for inadequate results.
  • Your example as written seems like a complicated way to introduce the verb 'waste'.
  • My approach to defining words to students is to focus first on simple, concrete examples.
  • Perhaps you also do this somewhere else in your text?
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6 Answers
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Hi,

Neither sounds good to me.

Used to no purpose or for inadequate results.

Your example as written seems like a complicated way to introduce the verb 'waste'.

My approach to defining
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Thinking SpainBaxter wasted very little time on social formalities.
'wasted' is like 'spent' but with the implication that Baxter felt that time spent on social formalities was wasted time. He was totally uninterested in social formalities. Maybe he felt that such things were unimportant or not worth his effort.

I have no idea how you are going to e
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Hi Clive,

Thank you for the reply and the synonym.

I can't change the sentence at all. Unfortunately it is on a CD.

Best,

TS
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Hi JIm,

CalifJimI have no idea how you are going to encapsulate all that into one synonym.
Maybe what I should do is just to write the dictionary definition, 'If you waste time on something, you use too much of it doing something that is not important or necessary, and then 3 more that are absolutely unappropriate.

Could you or Clive suggest t
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Thinking SpainMaybe what I should do is just to write the dictionary definition, 'If you waste time on something, you use too much of it doing something that is not important or necessary", and then 3 more that are absolutely inappropriate.
Sounds good. And you'd like three
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Hi Jim,

Thank you for your reply, Emotion: smile the corrections as always,
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