Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2007

Example one:
I send a picture in the right group, but some person
says that "Otherwise good picture, but too big Copyright-text."
And question is: What is difference between "image" and "picture"?

Could you please help me with editing or rewriting (if you think I
should do so) this letter which is very important to my future. I
appreciate your help in advance.
---------------------------------

IBM awhile ago took a pass on PCs by selling out. IBM owns a lot of
the Chinese buyer, but IBM decided to pass on PCs.  What would be a
definition of 'pass' there with IBM?  How how do we use 'pass' in
other contexts?

Here is the sentence in question.
Lee's boyfriend has been trying to ___ her to get married. He even
ordered a diamond ring for her.
a) persuade      b) please      c) remind     d) threaten

Good afternoon to everyone
It's right to say: I wanted to write....
Thank you

What does it mean by 'fire rated wall' in the following sentence? Is
it same as 'fire wall'?
- Sleeves are the only acceptable means for penetrating fire rated
walls.

Topic: There are many different types of music in the world today. Why do we
need music? Is the traditional music of a country more important than the
international music that is heard everywhere nowadays?
You probably don't know English, but you are very likely to have heard the

A curious reference for me in today's paper:
"Trilby" first appeared in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, raising
circulation by 100,000, and later inspired a play, a Warner Brothers
film and the once renowned Trilby hat.  http://www.nytimes.com/

Can anyone explain the difference between "though" and "although"
Thanks in advance
Terry

When I wrote (or written?) in this alt.alt.alt.alt.alt (alt-5)
group, I think it's a little poor, but can someone look
this group and then answer there what messages irritates
other writers?

What meaning do you sense for "chucking" in the last para here?
---
It was a small factory of lighting-sets for helicopters, a branch of
the Electrical Equipment Corporation. They were met on the roof itself

In his "Zen & ... maintenance", Robert Pirsig writes of his hostess
announcing that "Some neighbors just came over with a mess of trout for
dinner. I'm so pleased".  Wondering why she should be pleased, I looked
up the word "mess" & found that in the US it can mean "a quantity of

During the many years I've been intermittently following
alt.usage.english, I've occasionally seen the word 'sheep'
used in ways that seemed to be more-or-less-veiled allusions
to abnormal sexual practices.  Whether or not my inference

From today's Oxford Times: Couple banned from owning animals after death.

On the following site...
http://www.marshlibrary.ie/library.html
... is the following passage:
"The Library was formally incorporated in 1707 by an Act of Parliament