English Language Learners

@DamkerngT. will you mind if I ask you something language related at this time? :)

Of course not. :-)

Q: When "as" and "though" are used to introduce concession clauses

thanks :) could you please have a look at this question?

0

When "as" is used to introduce a concession clause, the clause has be inverse. For example, "Young as he is, he is knowledgeable". I am wondering whether I can replace "though" with "as" in these situations. Do the following sentences sound natural? 1a: Talented as he is, he is not yet rea...

2:46 PM

Wow! Lots of choices!

yes :)

i learned that adjective/adverb + as/though + clause is possible

What does the word stress test mean?

@DamkerngT.

I think the patterns are possible, but the meanings aren't the same.

@Hanaa Try to get it through lots of work, see if it fails.

ahuh

@Hanaa where is this snowed-over campus?

Good evening everyone!

2:48 PM

Both 3a/3b and 4a/4b is wrong in my opinion

Good evening!

Good evening @CopperKettle

Good evening@CopperKettle

It was in our campus @CopperKettle

Hmm... I think 3a/3b could be okay.

and I believe try as he might is a set expression, that's why it's correct

2:49 PM

@Hanaa In Africa? Algeria?

hhhh

Also 4a/4b.

@Hanaa Looks more like Norway!

Nooo @CopperKettle. It is in Algeria

@Hanaa There is snow in Algeria?

2:50 PM

Yes

That's interesting. I thought there's never snow there (0:

@DamkerngT. I see...i thought it wrong then :(

Maybe it came from Russia :D

Any idea about this one

ell.stackexchange.com/questions/47329/…

@Hanaa Maybe (0:

2:56 PM

@Man_From_India

yes @Hanaa

@Man_From_India I'm not absolutely sure that it's okay. At least I'm sure that it's not how people normally say, though.

For me the sentences are not well structured

(Sorry, my PC just crashed.)

Unless they are used in poetry or novels

2:57 PM

no problem @DamkerngT. take your time...

No problem@DamkerngT.

@CopperKettle can you also please give your opinion, if your are not busy with something?

Thanks, guys, for your understanding! :-)

@Man_From_India I'm tired..

sorry @CopperKettle. no problem :)

2:59 PM

(0:

Thanking guys only. :D

:)

@Man_From_India I agree with Mark and you.

Apparently, not all native speakers will handle edge cases the same way, and some could even get it wrong.

(I've noticed the same thing in my first language, too.)

@DamkerngT. when Mark answered, the context was not available. Now that the context is available, obviously what Mark said in his answer is not what that sentence intended.

in that sentence once means only, but I suspect that this is old use

Sure. Still I don't think Mark will say it's ungrammatical.

3:03 PM

Obviously not :)

Hmm... Once it's done, it's done.

Isn't that similar to the OP'S sentence?

(The edited version flows better, imo.)

i agree

To bend it a little further, When it's once done, it's done.

yes

that introduction of once puts a stress, in my opinion

nods

I seem to have to stress it as much as done no matter how I read it.

Maybe a little weaker than done.

3:09 PM

ok

Do you know something about parameters in a research sample?

no idea...can you please tell a little bit more?

emmm

It is about the kind of the sample a researcher chooses

no idea :( sorry

Parameter is basically a math term.

3:17 PM

No prb@Man_From_India

We do experiments by varying our parameters and keep everything else the same.

Yes, it is related to stats

Yes.

:D

3:24 PM

:D

(0:

:-)

(0:

hhhhh

6:47 PM

Hi evryone

Hi pal :-)

7:56 PM

Hello

@infinitesimal, u r here too

Yep @Hanaa

The total silence here and there

This room used to be active

But today is not

When there are other users yes.

Like DamkerngT. and snailboat

yes

I feel my English is improving

after i joined these chatrooms

The other room is active now.

8:07 PM

Yes

8:37 PM

Why@infinitesimal?

Why what? @Hanaa

Why don't you like it when someone says infinite number?

No answer!

@infinitesimal

Because infinity is not a number @Hanaa

infinite number means an illimited quantity

@Hanaa That's awesome!

8:48 PM

Welcome @DamkerngT.

I'm sure that it's not originated this way, but I usually think of infinitesimal as "infinitely small". :-)

Infinitesimal means divided into infinite number

Hmm... but it's not a verb, isn't it?

i think it is an adjective

nods -- I think its sense is more about the result of such division, rather than the act of the division itself.

8:54 PM

One is divided into infinite numbers

So, instead of talking about having an infinite number of divided pieces, we are talking about a piece that is infinitely (extremely) small.

yes

How about your computer?

Not very good. -- sobbing

Have you finished testing it?

I think I can conclude that it's my memory bus that is unreliable, not the memory banks.

8:57 PM

yes

But what is the sollution?

In other words, my computer will randomly crash every once in a while, unless I replace the mainboard (motherboard).

And it's very hard to find an old motherboard!

yes

Buy a new cmputer

I already have other computers.

I really like this one.

ahuh

Maybe it's time to migrate. -- sobbing

9:00 PM

migrate?

Move my stuff from one computer to another.

Yes

brb in minutes

yes

Welcome back!

Thank you

I wonder if I can get a new board under $80.

9:08 PM

I really have no idea

Don't worry. It's my problem. :-)

I think you'd better migrate :)

lol

9:21 PM

I knew that you like gardening @DamkerngT.

Oh, yes. I like green things. :-)

so you like my avatar. :D

Hehe. Yup!

What trees do you have?

That's the problem. I don't know many of their names in English.

I have a few lime trees.

9:23 PM

Do you mean limon?

They are related to each other. Lime fruits are always green, though.

Yes

I also have lots of ixora. (Just googled for it.)

Some palm trees.

of dates?

Hmm... I don't think they are dates.

But perhaps they are related (again!)

Mine looks sort of like this:

9:27 PM

Yes they are beatiful

Do you have vines?

Nope.

yes

My favorite fruite is the grapes

Ahh... that's nice!

Oh, I have papaya!

Is that the ixora?

I'm not sure. It's a bit too small for me.

9:30 PM

Papaya does not exist in my country

My ixoras are mostly small bushes.

@Hanaa nods

ahuh

Basically, I have some rather tall tress, some of man's height tree, some of small bushes, and a few patches of grass. :-)

yes

Ixora is an evergreen plant

Oh, yes. Indeed!

My garden is almost always green.

9:33 PM

We have a small garden too

Nice!

contains vines

figs trees

and roses

Do you plant vines for any specific purpose?

roses trees

Ah, I have a few roses, too. Not sure about their species.

9:34 PM

We plant them to eat grapes by the end of summer

they are delicious

Nice!

and healthy

Good for the kidneys

nods

I think you like sour fruits :8

Oh, why's that?

9:37 PM

Papaya and lime are sour

Because I mentioned papaya?

Yup

Lime is a bit sour but not very sour.

Papaya is not sour at all, imo. :-)

ahuh

I also have some chilies. That's definitely not sour. :-)

9:40 PM

Is it a kind of pepper?

Oh, and I really like pandan leaves in my garden.

They look rather like Biriyanikaitha in this Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandanus_amaryllifolius.

Nice!

Thanks!

They're edible, and good for health. They also smell really nice!

Yes

@Hanaa Oh, sorry that I missed that. It's not exactly pepper to me, but I think we can call it pepper, too.

9:45 PM

Yes

They look like that on the ground. :-)

Something small, but really hot and spicy!

yes they are

Do you like spicy food?

Yes

I like pickled pepper in winter

I adore it

Oh, pickled pepper!

I've never tried that.

9:49 PM

Yes with kuskus

looking that up...

Oh, that's interesting! I'm not sure what kuskus is!

When I saw its photo, I thought it looked like fried rice, but when I zoomed in, I think it's not rice!

It is a traditional food here

looks like rice

Ahh

but it is a kind of pastry

They are mainly carbohydrate, too, I guess.

Hello @CopperKettle!

9:53 PM

yes, couscous raises your blood sugar like a rocket

(0:

Hi, @DamkerngT.! (0:

@CopperKettle Oh!

Yes it is mainly carbohydrate

that's why I like buckwheat better (0:

Hi@CopperKettle

Ah, I've heard a bit about buckwheat.

9:54 PM

Good evening, @Hanaa!

(That it's useful for people who want to control their weight.)

Buckweat is the staple food in Russia

There is couscous with buckwheat

nods

there's also millet, a good grain

9:56 PM

Hmm... millet reminds me of musli.

Millet

Millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Millets are important crops in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa (especially in India, Nigeria, and Niger), with 97% of millet production in developing countries. The crop is favored due to its productivity and short growing season under dry, high temperature conditions. The most widely grown millet is pearl millet, which is an important crop in India and parts of Africa...

Millet porridge is a traditional food in Russian, German and Chinese сuisines. In Russia, it is eaten sweet (with milk and sugar added at the end of the cooking process) or savoury with meat or vegetable stews.

wonderful

That sounds really good!

But it must be hard to get in other countries

I've never seen it here!

9:58 PM

I have never seen it in Algeria

It's virtually impossible to get buckwheat in India

there's also very little dairy products in India

Oh, is it forbidden or something?

for some unfathomed reason.

Hmm... the mystery continues. :-)

@DamkerngT. No, not forbidden, but they have no kefir, no hard cheese

In Russia, there are dozens if not hundreds of milk product brands

10:00 PM

nods

Yes

My sister's friend asked her to bring cheese from Moscow to Dehli, cause there's no cheese there

No cheese!

I didn't know that there is no hard cheese in India.

I should go to my bed now

Good night

10:03 PM

Good night, @Hanaa!

Good night! See you soon!

see you!

And in India they dump trainloads of nuke-grade spices and condiments into food

People coming from Russia get stomach problems due to this

@CopperKettle Spices are good, but probably too much of them isn't very good for people who are unfamiliar with them.

They use "acrid" spices too much (I don't know the term; the kind of spices that burns your mouth)

10:07 PM

I'm not very familiar with Indian food.

But food in India is cheap, that's one good thing (0:

Apart from their nuts and sweet desserts.

@DamkerngT. Me neither (0:

My sister brought sweets, but I did not try them. Indian tea is good though!

Ah, tea from there is good indeed.

I was in Uzbekistan once, they make great pilav in big kettles

The Wikipedia photo is from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan

10:17 PM

I've seen a documentary about Uzbekistan. Looks like a nice place.

@DamkerngT. It is a nice place. Nature is great. We were there before the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Oh, it was once part of the Soviet Union. I forgot that!

@DamkerngT. Yes. I remember that in the "european" part reforms were in full swing, and people openly criticized communism. In Uzbekistan, it was like in a time machine. Lenin everywhere, people afraid to speak.

And many people seemed very poor to me.

The atmosphere there (which I've seen) somehow looks quite peaceful.

@CopperKettle It's kinda related, I think. I don't know why, but most peaceful people seem to be not very rich.

Well, it seemed laid-back to me then, in about 1990.

10:23 PM

Ahh

@DamkerngT. I don't know. THere were bloody civil wars in some southern ex-USSR republics. And in some of them there are harsh authoritarian regimes now.

Uzbekistan's president is the guy who ruled it in the Soviet times, for instance

Oh!

Is he a tough person?

Yes, he cracks down the opposition

Ahh

Andijan massacre

The Andijan massacre occurred when Uzbek Interior Ministry (MVD) and National Security Service (SNB) troops fired into a crowd of protesters in Andijan in Uzbekistan on 13 May 2005. Estimates of those killed on 13 May range from 187, the official count of the government, to several hundred. A defector from the SNB alleged that 1,500 were killed. The bodies of many of those who died were allegedly hidden in mass graves following the massacre. The Uzbek government at first said the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan organized the unrest and the protesters were members of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Critics argue...

It seems like only the Baltic states became fully democratic, of the 15 republics of the USSR that split apart

Turkmenistan is the worst case.

There was even a golden statue to the Leader, a rotating statue.

10:29 PM

I haven't heard Turkmenistan before!

(Though the word Turk is not unfamiliar around here.)

It's the most horrible remnant of the USSR (0:

nods

"Turkmenistan remains one of the world’s most repressive countries. The country is virtually closed to independent scrutiny, media and religious freedoms are subject to draconian restrictions, and human rights defenders and other activists face the constant threat of government reprisal."

The leader there, TurkmenBashi, was a real whip cracker.

He issued orders bordering on idiocy, like to close the majority of the small hospitals

Oh!

Yes, he made all people to go to the big cities to big hospitals if they needed a doctor

School-kids were made to swear a solemn oath to him each day

10:33 PM

Where were people expected to go instead, then? -- Aww... big cities must be very far.

@DamkerngT. Many just died, I guess. Or some doctors were doing illegal business.

@CopperKettle That sounds a bit familiar. It's something happened elsewhere before. :-)

@CopperKettle nods -- It's always the people who have to bear the hardship.

@DamkerngT. Really? In USSR, we did not swear an oath to the leaders each day. I guess even in the fascist Germany there was no such idiocy (0:

Oh, look who's here!

Hello @StoneyB!

Good evening, @StoneyB!

10:36 PM

Good evening all!

Wow, Turkmenistan adopted 10-year school education in 2007, following the death of the Great Leader, who had slashed it to the maximum of 9 years. The first 2 internet-cafe venues were opened in 2007. O_o

Cause-and-effect ?!

(Amazing what that one more year of school lets you accomplish.)

Well, I guess one year is not a big deal, but anyway..

I think it is a big deal (even if the first result is only internet cafes). The more educated people are, the less likely they are to put up with imbecilities.

He also demolished some theatres and forbate ballet dancing, since it was "non-Turkmen thing"

@StoneyB I've been just reading some web-pages on the history of Turkmenistan, the worst case among the former USSR republics

In a report dated 2014, the author (a very famous blogger and designer in Russia) writes that he had been trying to get into Turkmenistan for 9 years.

tema.livejournal.com/1692216.html

Haha. The Great Leader forbade.. whistling.

10:48 PM

I think Central Asia may be the most remote part of the world today, and not just geographically.

@StoneyB Yes. When the Czar's army invaded the area in 19 century, they had an impression that it was still living in the Middle Ages

The Brits on the other side of the Great Game had much the same impression.

Yes, they almost came together, but Afghanistan turned out to be a hard nut to crack

Still is!

(0:

10:55 PM

It seems the Afghans just don't like to be governed, by Brits or Russians or Americans or their own people. Perhaps they're natural anarchists.