Greetings,

"As you go further up this street, it becomes better, I mean, in terms of luxury/luxuriness."

Would you think "in terms of luxury" is an idiomatic combination?

Do we have such a word as 'luxuriness"?

Thanks

 

I think the word is luxuriousness.

In terms of is becoming distressingly idiomatic (used frequently by natives). I know I'm not the only one to find it tiresome and otiose.

Why not say simply that the houses become more luxurious?

 

Thanks a lot, Thomas and suzi.

Yes, it's better. But sometimes you're in a middle of a sentence and you just need to have some other options in hand and 'in terms of ...' as you said, comes in handy.

 

But I said nothing of the kind.

 

The first sentence chooses to say "better", then the second qualfies that statement as "better in terms of luxury." That's very normal.

I think "in terms of luxury" is fine. "In terms of luxuriousness" is also correct, but many people don't use that word. They use "luxury" and "fancy".

While "more luxiourious" is a clearer phrase, I think most people walking down a street are more likely to say "the houses get better" or "the houses get nicer".

 

Thanks a lot, dojibear and Thomas.

Why? I thought you said you're not happy with the increasing use of 'in terms of', right? I understand this but sometimes you're midway through a sentence and you can't change the words you've just said. In this situation, 'in terms of' can help you. Is my conclusion wrong?

 

The conclusion is all yours. Thomas said nothing about "being midway through a sentence" etc.
He said it is being increasingly used, but he doesn't like it. He would not use a phrase like "comes in handy" for something he doesn't like.

 

Thanks for your reply, suzi.

My English is not good and I think that caused a misunderstanding here. I know he said he doesn't like it. What I'm saying is that as a non-native speaker (with a limited vocabulary) when I'm in a middle of sentence, a less-than-ideal construction still can help me convey my meaning. That's all I was trying to say.

I'm really sorry if my English falls short of your expectations.

Many thanks

 

Mr. Tompion is saying it has become much overused.

 

I understand it as I explained in my later posts. That 'as you said' in my post caused this huge misunderstanding

 

Sorry, I was skimming through, which is a fault of mine.

I don't think most of us have expectations here as to the quality of your English. Participants should follow the rules and work as hard as they can and to the best of their current abilities. I haven't been participating for very long but in less than a year I've seen members grow from below proficient to proficient because they keep trying.

 

Your English does not, at all, fall short. I am always impressed by what you DO understand.

I am merely seeking to help and clarify, there is no criticism implied in my comments.

 

Thanks a lot, RedwoodGrove and suzi. I'm really grateful to you for your help.