Literary notes about uses (AI summary)
The term "uses" in literature demonstrates remarkable versatility, functioning in a variety of roles depending on context. In some instances it acts as an active verb that conveys the deliberate employment of language or technique to create vivid imagery or clarify meaning, as when Mackail describes a dramatic portrayal of character and motive [1] or when Shakespeare characterizes purposeful actions in his plays [2, 3]. In academic and technical texts, "uses" often refers to different applications or functions—whether it’s the gradual evolution of a concept in sociological discourse [4], or the specification of arguments and examples in grammatical or technological contexts [5, 6, 7]. Meanwhile, in narrative works the term can also imply the process of consumption or depletion, as seen in its portrayal of time and resources in George Eliot’s prose [8] or its depiction of a character’s imprudent behavior in Ibsen’s drama [9]. Across these diverse examples, "uses" consistently underscores how language not only serves as a tool for expression but also maps out the dynamic interplay between thought, culture, and technique.
- He uses them as a vivid and dramatic method of portraying character and motive.’—Mackail.
— from Helps to Latin Translation at Sight by Edmund Luce - He uses his folly like a stalking-horse, and under the presentation of that he shoots his wit: Enter HYMEN, ROSALIND, and CELIA.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - My uses cry to me, I must serve my turn Out of mine own; his days and times are past, And my reliances on his fracted dates Have smit my credit.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - In all these different uses we may observe the gradual unfolding of the concept which seems to have been implicit in the word as it was first used.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park - The subjunctive in these concessive and conditional uses is really the same as that in exhortations ( § 278 ).
— from An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises by Frank Edgar Farley and George Lyman Kittredge - EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) uses X.400 as a transport mechanism for coordination of electronic part ordering, stock control and payment.
— from The Online World by Odd De Presno - Here is an example: BITNET uses a different addressing method (USER@SYSTEM).
— from The Online World by Odd De Presno - This unsettled state of affairs uses up the time, and when one has notions in science, every moment is an opportunity.
— from Middlemarch by George Eliot - It's a sweet little spendthrift, but she uses up a deal of money.
— from A Doll's House : a play by Henrik Ibsen
