There are no strict rules but tendency to use "skilled at doing something" and "skilled in something (in a field)".Hi,
What's the difference between "skilled in" and "skilled at"?
And which usage is more natural/common?
Many thanks
Newbie
There are no strict rules but tendency to use "skilled at doing something" and "skilled in something (in a field)".
He is skilled in diplomacy.
He is an experienced diplomat skilled at revealing little.
He is an experienced diplomat skilled at revealing little.
Say 'What does "revealing little" mean?'=> Excuse me but I don't understand this sentence very clearly. What does it mean "revealing little"?
Many thanks
Newbie
Say 'What does "revealing little" mean?'
dNow I just want to ask this: Is the use of
"what does X mean" :tick:
"what does it mean X"?:cross:
Or What do you mean X?What do you mean by X? is OK
In every dictionary you will find it optional and your sentences don't change it in any way...
2006Thanks a lot, 2006. Actually I've heard people say "what does it mean X" for many times, and so I myself also use it very often (no teacher objects to it so far). Perhaps your teachers are not native speakers (who speak standard English).
Now I just want to ask this: Is the use of "what does X mean" more formal than "what does it mean X"? It is not a matter of formality; it is a matter using of correct English. There no reason to use "it" and "X" in your question! "What does X mean?" is correct.
Many thanks once again.
Newbie.
"What does it mean by X?" is OK, I think.:-D
I'm not a native speaker of English, so please forgive me if I'm wrong.
Yes, if you're talking about Newbie's question *what does it mean revealing little? It's ungrammatical if we forget to separatethe added information revealing little from the clause. Note, however,"What does it mean by.....?" is not OK because....
"by...." is redundant. "it" and "...." are the same thing, therefore, there's no need to add "by...."
Am I correct?