Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[sabrinawaiz]

Dear teachers,

I wonder if anyone could elaborate a bit on the usage of the phrasal verb "Zero in on"? I know the meaning of this phrasal verb as to direct or focus someone's attention on.

Can I use this phrasal verb in past tense, Zeroed in on?

How about using the same in continuous tense, Zeroing in on?

Can I use Zeroes in on as well? Could you please check the following sentence for any grammatical mistakes?

[pugachevV]

All of those are correct and are used in everyday English.
I think the expression comes from shooting, where you adjust the sights of a rifle up or down to compensate for distance (elevation) and from side to side to compensate for the effects of wind (windage).

[sabrinawaiz]

Thank you, pugachevV

My word processor is showing spelling errors when I type "Zeroes in on" (Recommendations include "Zeros in on")

I suspect the differences in spelling used in American and British English as the reason for these error notifications. Do you have any idea why spelling in American English differs from British English? Is there any specific reason or just that the "Americans started out writing words differently"?

Thank you once again,

Sabrina

[pugachevV]

I think the Americans started off trying to rationalise (rationalize US), English spelling, or perhaps just to make it easier. Or, perhaps they just wanted to assert their independence from the mother country.
There are many different spellings, but they are rarely of the kind that make much difference. If you want to find out what the differences are, you can just change the language setting on your computer and the spell checker will highlight everything.
Mine doesn't highlight zeroes, though.
I could not say if the Americans would consider British English spelling a mistake in an exam taken in the USA, but I would think not.