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Mr. Tom Posted 10 years ago
Vocabulary

Use of remain and stay

Hi

Are these sentences natural? Any suggestions are welcome.

(Mother to her son)

John, why do you remain up the whole night without any useful purpose?
John, why do you stay up the whole night without any reason?

Thanks,

Tom
  

Top answer

Mr. Tom Are these sentences natural? Not quite.

— Mister Micawber

  • Mr.
  • Tom Are these sentences natural?
  • Not quite.
  • John, why do you stay up all night for no reason?
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3 Answers
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Mr. TomAre these sentences natural?
Not quite.

John, why do you stay up all night for no reason?
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Thanks, MM.

One more question. Is "remain" used this way among native speakers at all? How do you find these sentences?

She remained up the whole night doing her homework.
The baby remained asleep throughout the journey.
The boy remained sick for three whole weeks.
We should remain in low profile for sometime.

Thanks
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Mr. Tom How do you find these sentences?
I find 'remain' a slightly stiff substitute for 'stay', a choice better used in more formal circumstances.

The last sentence does not ring true.

We should keep a low profile for some time.
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