encircle, give out and end

jiang · #1 14-Nov-2007, 03:07

Dear teachers,

I have three questions to ask:

No.1
The town is surrounded by mountains.
My question is: Can I use 'encircled' to replace 'surrounded'? To me if there is any difference between the two it is 'encircle' may mean 'to surround something in a regular circle' while 'surround might be in irregular shape'. Is that right?

No.2
The following is the definitions of 'give off' and 'give out':
give out: to produce light, heat, or a gas
give off: to produce heat, light, a smell, or a gas
The only difference is in 'give off' 'a smell ' is added.
My question is: If I refer to the other three except 'a smell' the two phrases are interchangeable. If I refer to 'a smell' I can only use 'give off'. Is that right?

No.3
When she finished drinking he left the bar.
My question is: Can I use 'ended' replace 'finished'?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Naamplao · #2 14-Nov-2007, 06:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiang

Dear teachers,

I have three questions to ask:

No.1
The town is surrounded by mountains.
My question is: Can I use 'encircled' to replace 'surrounded'? To me if there is any difference between the two it is 'encircle' may mean 'to surround something in a regular circle' while 'surround might be in irregular shape'. Is that right?

I could not express the difference better.

No.2
The following is the definitions of 'give off' and 'give out':
give out: to produce light, heat, or a gas or a sound (he gave out a yell when he discovered gold.)
give off: to produce heat, light, a smell, or a gas
The only difference is in 'give off' 'a smell ' is added.
My question is: If I refer to the other three except 'a smell' the two phrases are interchangeable. If I refer to 'a smell' I can only use 'give off'. Is that right?

hmmmm....let us see....

heat
#1 The radiator gave off enough heat to keep us warm through the night.
#2 The radiator gave out enough heat to keep us warm through the night.

Both seem correct but I would probably use #1

light
#3 The flashlight gave off a weak beam of light just before the batteries died.
#4 The flashlight gave out a weak beam of light just before the batteries died.

Both seem correct but I would probably use #3

smell
#5 The rotting body gave off the stench of death.
#6 The rotting body gave out the stench of death. (definitely wrong)

Gas
#7 The stagnant water gave off bubbles of marsh gas.
#8 The stagnant water gave out bubbles of marsh gas.(this doesn't sound right to me)

Sound
#9 He gave off a yell when he discovered gold. (this doesn't sound right to me)
#10 He gave out a yell when he discovered gold.

No.3
When she finished drinking he left the bar.
My question is: Can I use 'ended' replace 'finished'?

You could but it is not often said that way. However "stopped" is a common alternative.

When she stopped drinking he left the bar.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

...you are welcome.

jiang · #3 14-Nov-2007, 07:15

Dear Naamplao,

Thank you very much for your explanation. Now I understand them.

Jiang

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naamplao

...you are welcome.

jiang · #4 14-Nov-2007, 08:37

Dear Naamplao,

Gas
#7 The stagnant water gave off bubbles of marsh gas.
#8 The stagnant water gave out bubbles of marsh gas.(this doesn't sound right to me)
#8 doesn't sound right to you. Does it mean if it is a sound made by people then it is correct? To my definition of 'give out' you added a sound (he gave out a yell when he discovered gold.) Could you please explain what sound it should be?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naamplao

...you are welcome.

Naamplao · #5 14-Nov-2007, 13:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiang

Dear Naamplao,

Gas
#7 The stagnant water gave off bubbles of marsh gas.
#8 The stagnant water gave out bubbles of marsh gas.(this doesn't sound right to me)
#8 doesn't sound right to you. Does it mean if it is a sound made by people then it is correct? To my definition of 'give out' you added a sound (he gave out a yell when he discovered gold.) Could you please explain what sound it should be?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

This is confusing....your question is about "sound" but you quote "gas"

In my example I used "yell" which is a "shout"

When I think about it more, I think "give off" and "give out" works for sound

#1 He gave out a yell when he discovered gold.
#2 He gave off a yell when he discovered gold.

#3 The machine gave out a grinding noise that bothered me.
#4 The machine gave off a grinding noise that bothered me.

It is odd that I would prefer to use #1 and #4 but I cannot explain why. They just sound better to me.

jiang · #6 14-Nov-2007, 14:38

Dear Naamplao,

I am sorry I made a serious mistake. It should be 'gas'.

Gas
#7 The stagnant water gave off bubbles of marsh gas.
#8 The stagnant water gave out bubbles of marsh gas.(this doesn't sound right to me)

According to my dictionary and your reply:
give out: to produce light, heat, or a gas or a sound (he gave out a yell when he discovered gold.)
give off: to produce heat, light, a smell, or a gas

So both phrases can be used with 'gas'. In your examples: Could you please explain why #8 doesn't sound right?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naamplao

This is confusing....your question is about "sound" but you quote "gas"

In my example I used "yell" which is a "shout"

When I think about it more, I think "give off" and "give out" works for sound

#1 He gave out a yell when he discovered gold.
#2 He gave off a yell when he discovered gold.

#3 The machine gave out a grinding noise that bothered me.
#4 The machine gave off a grinding noise that bothered me.

It is odd that I would prefer to use #1 and #4 but I cannot explain why. They just sound better to me.

Naamplao · #7 14-Nov-2007, 17:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiang

Dear Naamplao,

I am sorry I made a serious mistake. It should be 'gas'.

Gas
#7 The stagnant water gave off bubbles of marsh gas.
#8 The stagnant water gave out bubbles of marsh gas.(this doesn't sound right to me)

According to my dictionary and your reply:
give out: to produce light, heat, or a gas or a sound (he gave out a yell when he discovered gold.)
give off: to produce heat, light, a smell, or a gas

So both phrases can be used with 'gas'. In your examples: Could you please explain why #8 doesn't sound right?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

hmmm....Sorry Jiang, there are many instances where a sentence doesn't "sound right" to a native English speaker's ear but we cannot explain why. This is one of those times.

amigos4 · #8 14-Nov-2007, 20:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naamplao

hmmm....Sorry Jiang, there are many instances where a sentence doesn't "sound right" to a native English speaker's ear but we cannot explain why. This is one of those times.

Jiang,

The solution to your question is easy... don't use the expressions 'give out' or 'give off'. There are better words you can use to describe what is happening. After all, why use two words to express a simple thought when one word will do the job?

For example, "The stagnant water emitted bubbles of marsh gas."
"He yelled when he discovered gold."
"The machine made a grinding noise that bothered me.

Cheers,
Amigos4

Naamplao · #9 15-Nov-2007, 03:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by amigos4

Jiang,

The solution to your question is easy... don't use the expressions 'give out' or 'give off'. There are better words you can use to describe what is happening. After all, why use two words to express a simple thought when one word will do the job?

For example, "The stagnant water emitted bubbles of marsh gas."
"He yelled when he discovered gold."
"The machine made a grinding noise that bothered me.

Cheers,
Amigos4

Thanks....but that is not the issue in this thread.