[Vocabulary] revelation or release

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Ashiuhto

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Which of the option is acceptable, revelation or release?

At the thinking of the _____________ of radiation, everybody is panic-stricken. (revelation, release)
 

birdeen's call

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Which of the option is acceptable, revelation or release?

At the thinking of the _____________ of radiation, everybody is panic-stricken. (revelation, release)
"Revelation" doesn't make sense here. "Release" is OK.

"At the thinking" should be "at the thought" and I think it should be "a release", not "the release", but it might depend on context -- I'm not sure.
 

GUS22

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release.
It should be "at the thought of"

the or a release are acceptable. "The" obviously referring to a specific release and "a" referring to a non specific release. Although of course this is a grey area.
 

birdeen's call

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the or a release are acceptable. "The" obviously referring to a specific release and "a" referring to a non specific release. Although of course this is a grey area.
This does not however dispel my doubts. My problem with "the" here is that it's difficult for me to come up with a context in which it would be appropriate. I would be interested in learning your ideas on it.
 

SoothingDave

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Say a nuclear plant had to do a controlled release of radioactive steam in order to prevent a catastrophe. They could very well talk about the release of radioactivity.

(This is what happened at Three Mile Island in 1979.)
 

GUS22

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This does not however dispel my doubts. My problem with "the" here is that it's difficult for me to come up with a context in which it would be appropriate. I would be interested in learning your ideas on it.

The thought of the release of radiation from the Fukishima nuclear plant and the havoc it will wreak , sends shivers down my spine.

or :

I shiver at the thought of the recent release of radiation from Fukishima
 

birdeen's call

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Say a nuclear plant had to do a controlled release of radioactive steam in order to prevent a catastrophe. They could very well talk about the release of radioactivity.

(This is what happened at Three Mile Island in 1979.)
This is a good example I think, if I understand correctly that you mean a future release. I didn't think of that, thanks. I was thinking about an ongoing release and "at the thought" seemed redundant to me.
 

birdeen's call

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The thought of the release of radiation from the Fukishima nuclear plant and the havoc it will wreak , sends shivers down my spine.

or :

I shiver at the thought of the recent release of radiation from Fukishima
Yes, but this example is different. There is a difference between shivers down the spine and panic. Soothing Dave's example solves my problem though. Thank you both.
 

GUS22

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Yes, but this example is different. There is a difference between shivers down the spine and panic. Soothing Dave's example solves my problem though. Thank you both.

Incorrect : they work in exactly the same way :

The thought of the release of radiation from the Fukishima nuclear plant is causing everybody to panic.

or :

I panic at the thought of the recent release of radiation from Fukishima

Panic stricken doesnt really work in the original sentance .The point is that in general "the" refers to a specific release and "a" can be be a non specific release or one that has not yet occurred.
 

birdeen's call

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I panic at the thought of the recent release of radiation from Fukishima
I don't think it's a good sentence. Are you near Fukushima or are you not?
 

GUS22

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I don't think it's a good sentence. Are you near Fukushima or are you not?

Thats because you are Polish and dont know how to speak English properly and I do.
 

birdeen's call

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Thats [...] dont
Please remember that we are supposed to use proper punctuation and spelling here. Especially teachers should set a good example.

As for the rest of your post, I have nothing to say.
 

curates-egg

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Thats because you are Polish and dont know how to speak English properly and I do.
That is not a very polite thing to post. We have had ample evidence in this forum of BC's ability to produce English of a higher standard than some native speakers. We have also had ample evidence of her ability to use apostrophes correctly, and to be polite to other members.
 

GUS22

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Please remember that we are supposed to use proper punctuation and spelling here. Especially teachers should set a good example.

As for the rest of your post, I have nothing to say.

birdeens call - please accept my apology - that was indeed an unpleasant thing to say. To be honest I was angry about something at work and took it out on you. There is however nothing wrong with the sentance "I panic at the thought bla bla bla" - that doesn't excuse me behaving like a knob though.
 

birdeen's call

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birdeens call - please accept my apology - that was indeed an unpleasant thing to say. To be honest I was angry about something at work and took it out on you. There is however nothing wrong with the sentance "I panic at the thought bla bla bla" - that doesn't excuse me behaving like a knob though.
Apology accepted. :) I'm glad you have posted it. Thank you.
 
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