Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[kerstin]

1. Yes, we're having a Labor Day Sale! Yes, it's very cool, and yes, you'll get a great deal if you* act on* it.
Does it suggest *immediately* in *act on*?

2. The Melahy tribe of northern Sinai is the poorest in the region, its members herding other people's cattel, ...its *very* name used as a slur among local Bedouins.
Why is *very* used in that case?

3. Can *slur* be used as *beating around the bush*?

4.It also underscores a challenge facing many Arab countryies where local customs and heritage are being abandoned by young people who adopt the *dress*, customs and behavior of conservative Islam.

Does it mean *dress code* in the sentence?
Thanks to you all

[bud]

1. Yes, I'd say that "to act on [something]" usually implies immediancy.

2. I have no explanation for you. All I can say is that when we use "very" that way, it does give the following noun a great deal of emphasis.

3. No. A slur is an insult to a member of a group that is devalued by the general society. "Beating around the bush" is attempting to say something (not necessarily an insult) in several ways, but never directly saying it in any of those attempts. You have probably given the listener some clues, but he/she does not know exactly what you're trying to say.

4. Yes, you have the right idea. (But I'd call it the "customary clothes" rather than the "dress code.")