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Mr. Tom Posted 4 years ago
Vocabulary

Use of 'decay' as a transitive verb

Hi

I read an article (addressing children) a couple days ago where the writer used decay as a transitive verb. Could you please tell me how the following sentence sounds to your native ears?

Too much chocolate may decay your teeth.

or this?

Too much chocolate may rot your teeth.

Thanks,

Tom

PS: Is the use of 'where' OK in my original question? Or should I use 'in which'?

  

Top answer

Mr. Tom Too much chocolate may decay your teeth. Too much sugar will cause cavities / tooth decay.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Mr.
  • Tom Too much chocolate may decay your teeth.
  • Too much sugar will cause cavities / tooth decay.
  • Sugary soft drinks and chocolate candies have a lot of sugar.
  • (For kids) Too much sugar in the diet causes dental caries.
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3 Answers
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Mr. TomToo much chocolate may decay your teeth.

Too much sugar will cause cavities / tooth decay. Sugary soft drinks and chocolate candies have a lot of sugar. (For kids)
Too much sugar in the diet causes dental caries. (For adults)

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Mr. Toma couple days ago

This would be a couple of days ago, in British English.

Mr. Tomdecay

This is a bit formal for children.

Mr. Tomrot

This was the word that dentists and parents used not so long ago in the UK.

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transitive — decay : to destroy by decomposition

— Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Mr. Tomhow the following sentence sounds to your native ears?

I don't care for 'rot'. Transitive 'decay', pace MW, doesn't appeal to me either. Something like 'cause to decay' or 'causes decay' would be better.

Mr. TomIs the use of
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