Help with English

Fraggle Rocker said:
"Attrition," in general, means that the quantity of some commodity is slowly shrinking. "Student attrition," therefore, means that the number of students is smaller than it used to be.
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Would "student number attrition" be a better turn of phrase or am I being pedantic?

I seem to remember our teachers used to threaten physical activity towards us on occasion.That might have led to "rubbing us out" ,as the Greek root of the word might imply:)

http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question4143.html
 
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geordief said:
Would "student number attrition" be a better turn of phrase or am I being pedantic?
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No, you are not being pedantic, you are promoting clear English!

geordief said:
I seem to remember our teachers used to threaten physical activity towards us on occasion.That might have led to "rubbing us out" ,as the Greek root of the word might imply:)
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Can you give me the Greek verb from which the Latin "atterere" is derived? :wink:
 
geordief said:
It seems ,according to some Chantraine bloke that the two words "terere" (pp tritum )and "tribein" may be related after all.
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Chantraine is a heavyweight, so his opinion matters, so it's a possible although rather tenuous connection. If you had actually mentioned τρίβω I would not have asked, but it did not occur to me. :tongue:

At least the exercise has helped me learn a new word: a tribade is a woman who "practises unnatural vice with other women" (OED) Wow!
 
DrKrettin said:
Chantraine is a heavyweight, so his opinion matters, so it's a possible although rather tenuous connection. If you had actually mentioned τρίβω I would not have asked, but it did not occur to me. :tongue:

At least the exercise has helped me learn a new word: a tribade is a woman who "practises unnatural vice with other women" (OED) Wow!
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They should really stick to the natural vices.
Fraggle Rocker said:
No. That would confuse people. The concept of attrition includes a reduction in size, volume, count, or some other reasonably straightforward measure.
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I did not realize that "student attrition" is a set expression . I had never come across it before.

https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/enhancement/definitions/student-attrition
 
Yes, it is the method of learning by repetition and memory rather than necessarily requiring understanding.
 
Yes, but usually applied to basic things where understanding is not really an issue, such as multiplication tables and conjugation of verbs .
 
A fee is a payment made for a service, so if there is just one payment to one place then it is "fee", otherwise "fees". But in everyday speaking they are used almost interchangeably and everyone will know what is meant.
 
The French verb communiquer means "to communicate." Communiqué is the past participle, so it refers to something that has already been communicated.
 
outpatient = a patient who receives medical treatment without being admitted to a hospital.

If you are admitted to hospital, is it called inpatient?
 
Chiropractors focus on the intimate relationship between the nervous system and spine, and hold true the following beliefs:

  • Biomechanical and structural derangement of the spine can affect the nervous system
  • For many conditions, chiropractic treatment can restore the structural integrity of the spine, reduce pressure on the sensitive neurological tissue, and consequently improve the health of the individual.

Is this word the combination of Chiro + practor ?
Doing surgery on your spinal cord is chiropractor?
 
Chiropractic is a word invented around 1900 for this alternative (=crap) treatment, from the Greek cheir = hand and prattein= to do. Doing stuff with your hands.
 
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