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“Least,” “Less,” “More,” and “Most”

“Least,” “Less,” “More,” and “Most” The adjectives  least ,  less ,  more , and  most  present difficulties for writers when the words are paired with other adjectives: Should hyphens be employed? And what about when  little ,  much , and similar terms are involved? Generally, do not hyphenate such constructions. The following examples are all correct: “She bought the least expensive shampoo.” “I’ve never heard a less interesting story.” “That wasn’t the most regrettable part.” “We have a more likely explanation.” But use these words cautiously in such sentences. For example, “He made several more successful efforts” is ambiguous: Does it mean that the person added a few successful efforts to his record of previous successful ones, or that the person’s efforts were more successful than previous ones? Some writers choose to hyphenate “more successful” when appropriate in such a context, but such a strategy leads to inconsistency when the hy...
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40 IDIOMS WITH FIRST

40 Idioms with First Many expressions include the word  first , often referring to beginnings or initial experiences. Here is a list of idiomatic phrases featuring the word, and their meanings. 1.  First aid : medical care for minor injuries such as mild abrasions, cuts, bruises, and burns 2.  First among equals : the sentiment that a leader is merely the premier person among his or her colleagues 3.  First base : the first step or stage in a process or procedure, from baseball terminology 4.  First blood : referring to the rite of passage of a hunter making a first kill 5.  (At) first blush : referring to reconsideration of one’s initial thought 6.  First call : the right to priority in use of something 7.  First cause : the philosophical concept of the original self-created cause of which all other causes are by-products 8.  First chair : the lead musician among those playing a particular instrument in an orchestra (such as f...
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The word of the year 2018 - JUSTICE

The Word of the Year,  justice , was newsworthy in several contexts. The primary sense is that of administration or maintenance of fairness and lawfulness, and increasing concern about social justice has brought the concept, and the term that represents it, to the forefront in our society. But  justice  is a job title as well as a concept, referring to a judge on a national or state supreme court or similar body, and the controversy over confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as an associate justice of the US Supreme Court also led people to check the definition. (The senior member of a supreme court is often titled “chief justice,” while the others are designated “associate justices.”) Finally, on a more trivial note, the Justice League is a team of superheroes created for DC Comics and appearing in various media, including a film released late last year. The runners-up include  nationalism , which has figured prominently in the media as the concept gains traction thro...
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