what to choose here..

Re: what to choose here..


1. Genuine. You don't want to repeat the word "truth," and the word "veridical" is, for want of a better term, esoteric.

5. Giddiness. Similar to #1, "vertigo" is a more specialized term. Always go with the "easier" word when possible (though, understandably, if English is your second language, you wouldn't know the difference, unfortunately). (Note: no matter which word you used, you would need to include "had": "I waited until the giddiness/vertigo had gone.")

6. "Couch" is what we say in America.

2, 3, & 4, in my opinion, depend entirely on context.

1. I agree with Nietzsche that "veridical" is undesirable, and that "truth" and "truthful" shouldn't appear in the same sentence. But "truthful" would be perfectly OK if you altered the sentence - e.g. "The prophecy proved to be truthful", or "In fact the prophecy was truthful".

2 and 3. I agree absolutely with Nietzsche; context is all.

4. Use "husband". "Spouse" should only be used where you need the meaning "husband and/or wife", as in "Managers are encouraged to bring their spouses to the office party". When you are talking about a specific person whose sex you know, use "wife" or "husband".

5. It depends on context. Vertigo is a specific kind of dizziness, usually caused by looking down from a great height or by certain medical conditions, such as disease of the inner ear. If you are speaking of someone in either of these situations, use "vertigo"; otherwise "giddiness" or "dizziness" are better.

6. "Couch" is hardly ever used in British English. In Britain working-class and lower middle-class people say "settee"; upper-middle and upper-class people say "sofa". This is one of the best-known class indicators in British English. (The exception is specialists in antique furniture, who use "settee" to describe the sort of sofa that looks like two chairs side by side - i.e. that has arms like those of a chair.)

Thanks everybody. I found in a series scripts this word settee, and wanted to know more.