There is a proper way even to say harsh

Question

Please edit/correct the given text:There is a proper way even to say harsh ____ using the right words. And a good public dealer is the one who has this ability.

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Sorry, Jackson, I'm not sure I know what you mean here.

There is a proper way to make strong opinions known?

Jackson6612 · Answer

Hi Barbara,

Is it any clearer now? If it is, then please edit it.
Using right words even the harsh talk can be transformed into a plain, less-harsh one.

Happy Easter.

Jackson6612 · Answer

Help, please.

BarbaraPA · Answer

The right words can help express strongly held ideas or even unpopular sentiments in a manner that is is acceptable.

Jackson6612 · Answer

Grammar GeekThe right words can help express strongly held ideas or even unpopular (=not liked by most people) sentiments in a manner that is is acceptable.

Thank you for the help.

I would have written can help to express. Is my way also correct?

Is strongly held a dictionary phrase or did you just make it? To me, strongly held implies as if something is glued to something else.

BarbaraPA · Answer

I don't use the "to" with "help to" but I'm sure it's fine.

Why don't you Google "strongly held opinion?" and see what you find?

Jackson6612 · Answer

Thank you, Barbara.

Googling strongly held opinion doesn't produce any good results. I have tried to understand it on my own. I'd say strongly held opinion is the one which is very dear/close to you and which you will not change easily. You will be very defensive about it. Do I make any sense?

Shouldn't it be strongly-held if it is meant to be an adjective?

BarbaraPA · Answer

Jackson, that's very strange.

I got 15,300 hits for "strongly held opinion" and 17,500 for "strongly held opinions."

For fun, I tried "strongly held beliefs" and got 36,300 hits and with the singular "belief" there were 22,300 hits.

However, your assessment is pretty close: something that you firmly believe. It would probably be hard to change that person's mind on this topic. However, there is no associate of being defensive about it.

The more commonly used style guides say you don't hyphenate compound modifiers when the first word is an -ly adverb. It's a weird rule. You'd say "fast-moving cars" because "fast" isn't an -ly adverb, but you don't say "strongly-held" because "strongly" is. However, the fact that you asked shows you are really understanding this!

Jackson6612 · Answer

Grammar GeekJackson, that's very strange.

I got 15,300 hits for "strongly held opinion" and 17,500 for "strongly held opinions."

For fun, I tried "strongly held beliefs" and got 36,300 hits and with the singular "belief" there were 22,300 hits.

However, your assessment is pretty close: something that you firmly believe. It would probably be hard to change that person's mind on this topic. However, there is no associate of being defensive about it.

The more commonly used style guides say you don't hyphenate compound modifiers when the first word is an -ly adverb. It's a weird rule. You'd say "fast-moving cars" because "fast" isn't an -ly adverb, but you don't say "strongly-held" because "strongly" is. However, the fact that you asked shows you are really understanding this!

I didn't say that there were no hits. I meant that the none of the resulted enteries, as far as first 50 enteries are concerned, explained the meaning of strongly held opinion. You can get hits for almost everything on Google, especially in the range of few thousands, e.g. I got 1,370 enteries for ''http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=opera&rls=en&as_q=&as_epq=bush+is+terrorist&as_oq=&as_eq=&num=10&lr=&as_filetype=&ft=i&as_sitesearch=&as_qdr=all&as_rights=&as_occt=any&cr=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&safe=off'' and 10,700 for ''http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&client=opera&rls=en&as_qdr=all&q=%22bush+is+a+terrorist%22&btnG=Search''.

I would have written ''something that you firmly believe in''. Would that have been correct?

The given below are the definitions of associate:

¹associate
transitive verb
1: to join as a partner, friend, or companion2obsolete : to keep company with : attend3: to join or connect together : combine4: to bring together or into relationship in any of various intangible ways (as in memory or imagination)intransitive verb1: to come or be together as partners, friends, or companions2: to combine or join with other parts : unite

²associate
1 : closely connected (as in function or office) with another 2 : closely related especially in the mind 3 : having secondary or subordinate status <associate membership in a society>

³associate
1: one associated with another: as a: partner, colleague b: companion, comrade 2 a: an entry-level member (as of a learned society, professional organization, or profession) b: employee, worker3often capitalized : a degree conferred especially by a junior college <associate in arts>

[M-W's Col. Dic.]

Which one of the given definitions does best describe associate in the sense used by you above?

BarbaraPA · Answer

I"m sorry, I made a typing mistake. I meant to write "there is no association."

There is a proper way even to say harsh

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