English Language Learners

happenask

1:18 AM

hi

Ice Boy

4:38 AM

hi

Anonymous

9:38 AM

Hmm, everyone missed Listenever's point

Damkerng T.

Not me. Too bad that she already accepted the answer.

I would say this confusion was caused by knowing more, not knowing less.

Anonymous

She always accepts answers when she sees them

Damkerng T.

It was just within an hour after she had posted the question!

Maybe I shouldn't have made the first contact. I couldn't find Tom today!

Anonymous

9:53 AM

Oh!

Anonymous

Don't worry. Snails will do as they please.

Damkerng T.

nods :-)

Anonymous

They can be rather unpredictable :-)

Anonymous

I had a dream about a pet squirrel

Damkerng T.

Oh, I don't have one either, but I many of them like my garden.

Oh, maybe not so much lately, after I cut down that palm tree.

Anonymous

9:55 AM

It's illegal to take a squirrel as a pet in the US

Damkerng T.

Oh! I didn't know that!

Anonymous

But we have a zillion living outside :-)

Damkerng T.

I had a palm tree which had lots of nuts and those squirrels seem to like this kind of nut!

Anonymous

Or at least in my state it's illegal

Anonymous

Though some people can take care of orphaned or sick squirrels and release them

Damkerng T.

9:57 AM

Is there any specific reason?

(I think I miss their sounds a bit, after cutting down the tree.)

Anonymous

I'm not sure exactly, but ...

Anonymous

scwc.org/Library/Animals_SquirrelsAreNotPets.pdf

Damkerng T.

All the reasons seem to be for the owner's sake.

Anonymous

Well

Anonymous

I'll type more later on a keyboard

Damkerng T.

10:06 AM

Ah, you are away from your computer!

I don't know if I was imagining this, but listening to live Asian Games, I heard those screams and shouts of young viewers in the stadiums in the background (which made those sounds sound very far away). Somehow I thought I could distinguish their nationalities a bit. Not very precisely, but I think I might be able to tell like, probably Thai, probably not Thai, probably Asian, probably Korean, and so on!

It's very curious to see how much information could be retained in such a low quality hearing.

Damkerng T.

10:50 AM

Wow! A new record for 200m breaststroke by a Kazakh at 2:07.67!

Damkerng T.

11:25 AM

1

Q: Hypernym of “move” and “copy”

Is there a verb to describe an action that can be either "move" and "copy", but in a single word/phrase?

How 'bout... copy-move, move-copy, move-and-copy, move-and-or-copy, or probably movanorcopy!

Ice Boy

11:44 AM

Is he taking about "copy-paste"?

Damkerng T.

I guess so. Don't know.

Ice Boy

12:15 PM

Your guess is as good, if not better than mine :-)

Damkerng T.

:-) Hello!

Ice Boy

Hi pal :D

Damkerng T.

12:26 PM

@IceBoy Now I have both Asian Games and NFL. Very difficult to choose. :-)

Ice Boy

That is a tough choice.

To enjoy the NFL you need to know the rules of the game.

Damkerng T.

I guess I know the rules well enough to enjoy the game. :)

Not very precisely, though.

Ice Boy

Askaway

Damkerng T.

Oh, I don't really have a question right now. But sometimes when they challenged I wasn't sure about the rules involved.

I'm sure I will have some questions during a game.

Ice Boy

Yes, it gets a bit complicated then and you have to listen very carefully to what the announcers are saying.

Damkerng T.

12:33 PM

Oh, they're showing the match Pittsburgh vs. Cardinals.

It's 3-3 now. (I don't know the result.)

Ice Boy

Sweet

Damkerng T.

I think it's not very often to see a team in blue (or cyan) shirts!

Oh, I mistook the team's name. It's Carolina.

Oh, one thing I always wonder about NFL. I know that the QB can't throw the ball to any of the players, but whom could he throw the ball to?

The Bell Curve by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray is an excellent overview of the extent to which reasoning skills are teachable (or not), and overlap (or not) between different kinds of reasoning. — Jasper 2 days ago

Oh, that comment and The Bell Curve is interesting. I might look into it later.

Ice Boy

His primary targets are the players who specialize in catching passes, and they are called "receivers"

Anonymous

When I was little, I knew what cyan meant because of computers, but the people around me tended not to

Anonymous

One teacher I had in grade school suggested that it was a red color (presumably thinking of cayenne)

Damkerng T.

12:47 PM

@IceBoy I remember I heard in a game that there are only 5 possible receivers, though the didn't make it very clear who these 5 receivers are.

@snailboat Hah!

Anonymous

To this day I have the feeling that cyan is a non-basic color word in some sense

Damkerng T.

@snailboat What would be a common word for cyan? I mean, when you see cyan.

Light blue?

Anonymous

Sky blue, powder blue

Anonymous

Light blue

Damkerng T.

To be clear, they wore this color that day:

Anonymous

12:49 PM

The Bell Curve is an extremely controversial book

Anonymous

Sure, light blue

Anonymous

Or even just blue

Damkerng T.

nods -- I see. Thanks!

Anonymous

What team is wearing blue?

Damkerng T.

Carolina Panthers!

Anonymous

12:52 PM

Carolina blue

Carolina blue (occasionally referred to as Tar Heel blue) is the shade of blue used as one of the official school colors of the University of North Carolina. The name is derived from the popular usage of "Carolina" to refer to the university. For clarity in branding and marketing, UNC Creative has defined the color as Pantone 542 and declared that the closest RGB representation is #56A0D3. Use of the light blue color at UNC dates from 1795 when the Dialectic (blue) and Philanthropic (white) Societies of the university chose representative colors. Society members would wear a blue or white ribbon...

Damkerng T.

Oh, they have their own blue!

#56A0D3

Very specific!

Ice Boy

football positions are classified according to the number on the jersey

Anonymous

Blue or light blue would work

Ice Boy

1-9 Quarterbacks and Kickers
10-19 Quarterbacks, Receivers, Tight Ends, and Kickers
20-49 Running Backs and Defensive Backs
50-59 Centers and Linebackers
60-79 Defensive Linemen and Offensive Linemen
80-89 Receivers and Tight Ends (or 40-49 if those ranges are taken)
90-99 Defensive Linemen and Linebackers

Damkerng T.

I think most of the times, the QB would throw the ball to a receiver or a tight end. I can recall he would throw it to a halfback or a fullback.

However, I can't remember when, I think I saw a QB throwing the ball to a center or a linebacker!

Ice Boy

12:56 PM

as long as you are an "eligible receiver" you can catch the ball

Damkerng T.

What makes one an eligible one?

Ice Boy

Eligible receiver

In American football and Canadian football, not all players on offense are entitled to receive a forward pass. Only an eligible pass receiver may legally catch a forward pass, and only an eligible receiver may advance beyond the neutral zone if a forward pass crosses the neutral zone. If the pass is received by a non-eligible receiver, the penalty for the foul "illegal touching" is assessed (the play is treated as an incomplete pass, unless the ball is downed behind the line of scrimmage — in either case a down is lost). If an ineligible receiver is beyond the neutral zone when a forward pa...

Damkerng T.

@snailboat From what I read on Wikipedia, I think it's very easy for the book to be controversial.

@IceBoy A-ha! Thanks!

Ice Boy

np

Damkerng T.

> The offensive team must have at least seven players lined up on the line of scrimmage. Of the players on the line of scrimmage, only the two players on the ends of the line of scrimmage are eligible receivers.

A-ha! So that's how to make one eligible.

Either not being on the line of scrimmage or being at either end of the line.

Ice Boy

1:02 PM

yes

Damkerng T.

So, a team could do some weird tricks like having an unexpected player off the line, or sending someone else to one end of the line.

Basically, everyone is possible to be eligible, depending on how they form the line each down.

Ice Boy

yep

it gets tricky

but the defense keeps them honest by rushing the QB and not giving him time

Damkerng T.

Poor QB!

Always on a rush.

Ice Boy

running for his life!

Damkerng T.

Oh, some of them seem to be a good runner (and usually running for both his team and his life!)

Ice Boy

1:07 PM

but he gets paid the most

Damkerng T.

Indeed!

9-3 now. Pittsburgh leads.

Ice Boy

Pittsburgh has won the most super bowls

Damkerng T.

Looks like the team will have another shot this year.

Ice Boy

it's still early, a lot of good games are coming up

Damkerng T.

Weird. The second half begins. And they have on screen a caption says, "Act Two". :-)

Ice Boy

1:11 PM

it is a lot like a dramatic play :-)

Damkerng T.

A fumble!

Ice Boy

:-O

Damkerng T.

Carolina's QB just got an honor. :)

Ice Boy

he recovered?

Damkerng T.

Ah, he was okay, not staying down on the ground.

Oh, if you meant the ball, it belongs to Steelers now.

Ice Boy

1:19 PM

icic

afk

Damkerng T.

See you around!

Ice Boy

back! did I miss anything?

Damkerng T.

A TD!

16-3

Ice Boy

:D

user116848

howdy! skull and Damk :-)

Damkerng T.

1:28 PM

Hi!

user116848

@DamkerngT. Damk are you watching Asian Games or Football?

Damkerng T.

I watched swimming in Asian Games earlier. Now I'm watching NFL.

user116848

I didn't know you watched NFL :)

Damkerng T.

PIT 16 - CAR 3, 3rd quarter 8:45 minutes left.

user116848

:-)

user116848

1:30 PM

On TV?

Damkerng T.

@Arrowfar I used to watch it a lot. Now I watch it sometimes. :)

Yes.

user116848

Good thing weather is pleasant here nowadays!

user116848

In October it will be a bit hot again

Damkerng T.

Wow, what a run!

Almost 90 yards!

Ice Boy

1:58 PM

where was the defense?

Damkerng T.

Behind the runner! :-)

By the way, it's 30-13 now.

Another fumble around 5 yards before the end-zone, turned into a touchdown instantly.

Damkerng T.

2:14 PM

Will you please to respond in your answer, and not as a comment? — LePressentiment 46 mins ago

An odd comment.

It also seems to be the poster's stock phrase.

Anonymous

0

Q: Is it right to use were only with he she it?

I am trying to learn some basic's of English , I want to know when we always use Was , Were , we always use were with he,she,it and was with you or whatever , Am I assuming it right ? For example : He was to come here today She was doing her home work You were to go to USA In above examples w...

grammar grammaticality tense past-tense

Anonymous

> In above examples we use were with He , She , It , so I am assuming that we always use Were only with He she it.

Damkerng T.

A big mixing up!

Damkerng T.

2:32 PM

4

Q: What exactly is the word "there" in an existential construction? And related questions

Consider the example below: "There was a cat under the table." There have been numerous questions asked that have involved the topic of existential constructions and the word "there" that is used in them. I would like to see some grammatical rationales that will explain what that word "ther...

pronouns complement subject objects existentials

Oh, I just saw this!

For the record, in Thai, we have a similar construction, which existential "There is/are" basically means "Has/Have".

> "There was a cat under the table."
(Thai lit.) "Had a cat under the table."

Anonymous

The way possession is expressed varies quite a bit from language to language.

Anonymous

Oh!

Anonymous

You're saying it the other way around.

Damkerng T.

Basically, it's some unknown entity that had a cat there. :)

Anonymous

No downvote there from me. But if you could expand usefully on your answer I'll definitely give you an up-vote! — Araucaria 33 mins ago

Anonymous

2:35 PM

But the answer is wrong, doesn't contain any of the information the OP asked for or any references . . .

Anonymous

Expanding on it wouldn't help, though replacing it might.

Damkerng T.

I would say "It is raining" and "?There is raining" are different.

Anonymous

True

Anonymous

I would say that, too.

Anonymous

"?There is raining" is difficult to contextualize

Anonymous

2:38 PM

I'd like to say it's grammatical but questionable (so I agree with your question mark)

Damkerng T.

Maybe, "It's not raining here, but there is raining" is okay.

Anonymous

I don't think so

Anonymous

There is raining sounds like an existential clause

Anonymous

Existential there doesn't contrast with here

Anonymous

Locative there contrasts with here

Anonymous

2:40 PM

That's why we can say things like "There's nothing there"

Damkerng T.

I tried to twist it into a locative one.

Anonymous

And it's not redundant

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. To make it parallel, you'd want "*Here isn't raining, but there is raining"

Anonymous

Which seems iffy enough to me that I starred it

Damkerng T.

Which is even weirder! -- Exactly!

Anonymous

2:41 PM

Existential there has a number of interesting properties

Anonymous

Its vowel is typically reduced to schwa

Anonymous

So in "There's nothing there", the first there and second there aren't homophonous

Damkerng T.

Oh, I hadn't really noticed that, but I think I agree.

Anonymous

It's a function word and function words are easily reduced

Anonymous

It's been grammaticalized.

Anonymous

2:42 PM

Well.

Anonymous

Of course the old there is still around

Anonymous

Just as we have to and to

Anonymous

And grammaticalization is usually described as more of a gradual process than a binary property

Damkerng T.

I think it could be a serious subject for linguists.

user116848

F.E. doesn't come here these days.

user116848

2:45 PM

Any ideas?

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. Yeah, it is.

Anonymous

Why do dictionaries not list the word as an adjective? Because the past participle of ANY verb can be used adjectivally. Diced onion. Newly washed car. A blackened reputation. — Tim Romano 2 hours ago

Anonymous

That's sort of true.

Anonymous

Though again it conflates category with function

user116848

Hey, I want to ask you guys that people in chat sometimes don't like less rep users?

user116848

2:47 PM

And ^ sentence structure okay?

Anonymous

That sounds like a statement rather than a question

Anonymous

@Arrowfar This is ungrammatical

Damkerng T.

+1

that -> if might help

user116848

@snailboat So, how would you say it?

Anonymous

Users with less rep(utation) or lower rep(utation) users would be okay. Replacing that with if would make the subordinate clause interrogative

Anonymous

2:48 PM

Whether would also be okay, although if fits the register here better

Anonymous

Also, since the matrix clause isn't a question it would normally not be written with a question mark (though informally people might do so anyway)

user116848

"Hey, I want to ask you guys if people in chat sometimes don't like less reputation users?"<--- Is this correct?

Anonymous

@Arrowfar No, less reputation doesn't make a very good modifier for users

user116848

Oh, I didn't read your whole sentence above correctly, my bad.

Damkerng T.

Maybe low-rep (if you really want it that way)

Anonymous

2:51 PM

@DamkerngT. That works, too

user116848

@snailboat And in the declarative form was my question not fine?

Anonymous

@Arrowfar I don't understand what you're asking there

user116848

I know I have to use 'interrogative' here. Just asking, whether it looked bad?

Anonymous

The matrix clause was declarative and the subordinate clause was declarative. Neither contained an interrogative phrase. There was no question, declarative or otherwise, to be found

user116848

So without '?' there was no way to tell it was a question?

Anonymous

2:54 PM

Even with '?', it was not apparent that it was a question

Anonymous

You could use a declarative question in informal style, though, in a similar fashion:

Anonymous

Wait, no, I can't think of how to phrase it.

Anonymous

I was thinking of an embedded main clause interrogative, which is okay in informal style, though usually doesn't get written down: "Hey, I wanted to ask you guys, do people in chat sometimes dislike low rep users?"

Anonymous

When you do it that way, the first phrase seems more like an introduction than a matrix clause

Damkerng T.

The word IHB is killing me. They use it a lot in Asian Games!

What is it? What is it?!

Anonymous

2:59 PM

I don't know. What is it? :-)

Damkerng T.

My wild guess is, maybe a place.

Anonymous

> Incheon Asian Games Host Broadcasting Management

Damkerng T.

They usually say "IHB next hour", "IHB 2:00pm"

Oh! Thanks a lot!

Anonymous

I used Google!

Damkerng T.

Apparently, you're better at googling than me. :)

Anonymous

3:01 PM

I searched for "IHB" "Asian Games"

Anonymous

Only, you know, without the capitalization

Anonymous

@FumbleFingers In my opinion, your comment is good as an answer too. I'd upvote it if you posted it as an answer. — Damkerng T. Jun 24 at 5:02

Anonymous

+1ed :-)

Anonymous

The question just got bumped.

Damkerng T.

LOL -- That was a long time ago!

Anonymous

3:03 PM

Community bumps (upvoted?) questions with no upvoted answers.

Anonymous

I'm watching Frozen again :-)

Anonymous

We can never use , He were , she were , it were , right ? — Wish_2_fly 36 secs ago

Anonymous

Oh! Sadly, that doesn't follow either.

Damkerng T.

@snailboat Ah, I saw a bit of it last night. I was switching channels around, didn't know which channels they moved Asian Games to.

@snailboat That's exactly why I didn't post an answer to that question.

I kinda knew something like this was gonna happen soon!

Anonymous

I posted a comment. Do you think my simplification was helpful or unhelpful?

Anonymous

3:07 PM

@Wish_2_fly Sadly, that isn't true either. But in basic usage, was is correct and were is not. — snailboat 1 min ago

Damkerng T.

I know it should be, but it would depend on the level of the OP.

Which I can't really tell.

Anonymous

They seem to be a beginner, though it's hard to tell because output skills can lag considerably behind input skills

Damkerng T.

What the OP wrote in the question sent different signals. In general, it seems like a beginner's question, but "or whatever" makes me unsure.

nods

Anonymous

yes this is what i am saying that we can use was with he she it , but not were with he/she/it , This also what showing in answer — Wish_2_fly 1 min ago

Anonymous

Do you think someone will write about the special irrealis were form (traditionally called the "past subjunctive")?

Damkerng T.

3:10 PM

I would say that will add more confusions for the OP!

Based on the last comment, I think the question is fine as is.

Anonymous

I'm not sure how I would describe it to a beginner without confusing them.

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. Okay, I'll leave it be :-)

Anonymous

LP is now filling up Meta.ELL . . .

Damkerng T.

Ah, I didn't look, but I remember I saw a few of his posts.

I followed a link in one of his questions to philosophy stack. It seems like a better place for him there. They welcome him warmly enough; seeing that, I'm happy for him.

Anonymous

Oh, interesting!

Anonymous

3:17 PM

I wouldn't've expected those questions to be welcomed on Philosophy.SE

Damkerng T.

See if I can find that link in my history.

Anonymous

philosophy.stackexchange.com/users/8572/…

Damkerng T.

You're so quick!

> meta.philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/1735/…

Anonymous

I'm not sure this counts as welcoming, unfortunately

Damkerng T.

Oh, maybe I thought that because I saw only this one: philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/15736/…

Anonymous

3:19 PM

Serial downvoting reversed twice? Hmm.

Anonymous

philosophy.stackexchange.com/users/8572/…

Anonymous

Looks like the Mark Shepherd series of questions wasn't welcomed there, after all

Anonymous

They're almost all closed.

Damkerng T.

Oh, no.

Anonymous

This question appears to be off-topic because the questions are not about philosophy. They're just reading comprehension questions... — virmaior Sep 9 at 12:46

Anonymous

3:19 PM

That's at +6.

Anonymous

I did warn LP that I didn't believe they'd be welcomed

Damkerng T.

I see. I think LeP doesn't really have a problem with English. Another strange case. I don't know how to help.

I wonder if it will make any difference if LeP does those tests in his (or her) L1.

In any case, I will try to avoid not to post comments to LeP's questions. They seem to be explicit about wanting answers not comments.

I can't really blame them about that, I suppose. I don't know how many comments could've already hurt their feelings.

Anonymous

I don't think most users are trying to hurt their feelings

Anonymous

But people are downvoting and closing as off-topic

Anonymous

When that happens en masse, I suppose it must be hard not to take it personally

Damkerng T.

3:26 PM

I understand that, but reading their feedback to those comments, I think I can feel what they felt a bit.

nods

Anonymous

0

Q: The meaning of "stretch of symbol"

The Lawyer in this interpretation would represent capitalist society–not a stretch of a symbol by any means. I am a little bit confused by the second part of the sentence (not a stretch of a symbol by any means). What is a stretch of symbol? Does the author want to say that the only possible wa...

meaning

Anonymous

I don't think this deserves to be downvoted

Anonymous

I upvoted

user116848

Yes, I wanted to answer that ^ question, but on google there is no entry of "stretch of symbol"

Anonymous

"Stretch of symbol" isn't a set phrase

user116848

3:29 PM

Also I don't know what 'stretch' is that lol

Anonymous

So there wouldn't be a definition for it anywhere

user116848

@snailboat Yes, it didn't seem like one.

Damkerng T.

I think a stretch of anything is possible.

Anonymous

But you've likely heard the phrase "stretch of the imagination"

user116848

Yep

Anonymous

3:30 PM

Or "That's stretching it a bit"

user116848

Like a spectrum of imagination?

user116848

Like a 'good imagination'?

Anonymous

> 22. fig. a. To enlarge or amplify beyond proper or natural limits; to extend unduly the scope or application of (a law, rule, etc.) or the meaning of (a word).

Anonymous

> [...] d. (b) In colloq. phr. to stretch it (or things): to go too far, to go beyond the limits of credibility; to exaggerate

Damkerng T.

Let's say a student is asked to imagine something and explain what they imagine. Hearing their imagination, the teacher want they to imagine a bit further, the teacher might say, "stretch it a bit more".

Anonymous

3:33 PM

That's from the OED

Anonymous

I picked out portions of sense 22 for stretch, v.

Damkerng T.

Yay! A bronze medal for Thailand!

user116848

@snailboat Do you have OED? In electronic form or book?

Damkerng T.

It's China again, on the gold!

Anonymous

Electronic form

Anonymous

3:37 PM

These days, almost everyone uses it in electronic format.

Anonymous

The physical version isn't even produced anymore

Damkerng T.

@snailboat Eh? That's new to me.

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/7970391/…

user116848

@snailboat Is it free on the internet? I don't mean oxforddictionaries.com

Anonymous

@Arrowfar No

user116848

3:38 PM

I see. Great!

Anonymous

In the US and UK, many libraries have subscriptions so you can access it online for free from home with a library card number

Anonymous

Library cards these days get you access to all sorts of electronic resources without even having to go to the library :-)

Anonymous

I can access academic papers from home using my library cards

Damkerng T.

R.I.P. the printed editions.

Anonymous

Honestly, I hate using giant multi-volume dictionaries. I mean, it's a fun experience

Anonymous

3:39 PM

But practically speaking, it stinks.

Anonymous

Electronic versions are so much easier to use!

Damkerng T.

Searchability is nice!

Anonymous

Well, it's not just searchability.

Anonymous

It's also shelf space!

Anonymous

And having to squint.

Anonymous

3:40 PM

And the electronic edition is more up-to-date, too.

Damkerng T.

@snailboat I'm rather sure a bullet can't pass through the whole set of it!

Anonymous

I really like my electronic dictionary :-) It doesn't have the OED, but it has a bunch of paper dictionaries including ones I had and ones I didn't―I pretty much always use the electronic version!

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. Oh, well, it's multiple feet wide!

Anonymous

It's almost 22,000 pages.

Anonymous

It's the opposite of wieldy.

Damkerng T.

3:42 PM

Kinda shieldy. :)

Anonymous

Hah

user116848

But here they say oxforddictionaries.com is better than nothing.

Anonymous

@Arrowfar People are pretty hard on the ODE/NOAD. I'm not sure why. It's one of the better resources available online

Anonymous

OxfordDictionaries hosts the ODE (Oxford Dictionary of English) and its American version the NOAD (New Oxford American Dictionary)

Anonymous

They are essentially two versions of the same dictionary

Anonymous

3:44 PM

The ODE is the original. It is a dictionary of Modern English

Anonymous

The OED is an entirely different dictionary, a dictionary of historical English

Anonymous

The OED is not always the best resource

Anonymous

It is the best resource for specific purposes

Anonymous

But the ODE is a very large dictionary with very detailed descriptions of Modern English

Anonymous

And, if you have the full version, with about a zillion example sentences

Damkerng T.

3:46 PM

0

Q: What is the connection between these two clauses?

What does the bold-part mean?, in connection to the first part before hyphen? Chomsky expresses support for the boycott of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories – a strategy enhanced by an EU policy shift last year that was welcomed by pro-Palestinian activists.

meaning-in-context

Anonymous

"Better than nothing" is an example of what is sometimes called "damning with faint praise"

Damkerng T.

They joined the site, asked a question, and deleted their account in 3 minutes!

Anonymous

I think the ODE is better than "better than nothing"

Anonymous

It's quite good, although I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as their sole dictionary, given how many dictionaries are freely available these days

Damkerng T.

@snailboat +1. Way better than that.

Anonymous

3:48 PM

@DamkerngT. Wow!

Damkerng T.

Maybe it's not good for people who already know over 60,000 words. :)

Anonymous

That doesn't really follow

Damkerng T.

I mean, that could explain why some people said that it's just "better than nothing".

Anonymous

Those people are silly.

user116848

@DamkerngT. Damk you have it? Or you use the free ones online?

Damkerng T.

3:50 PM

Umm... I usually use the other online dictionary. :)

Anonymous

I have the Oxford Dictionary of English on my electronic dictionary

Anonymous

It has 355,000 words

Anonymous

It is a very large dictionary.

Anonymous

It probably has better coverage than the OED for Modern English.

Damkerng T.

I consider myself a learner of English, so I choose to use the best one for learners in my opinion. But that's just me.

@snailboat Counting words in English is also very tricky.

Anonymous

3:51 PM

I'd normally recommend a number of dictionaries to learners. I like Macmillan.

user116848

@snailboat Is this one better or this. Which would you recommend me?

Anonymous

Oh, I have the OALD, too!

Damkerng T.

@Arrowfar I didn't look. Did it work for you?

user116848

@DamkerngT. Yes it is.

Damkerng T.

Then it's good. :)

user116848

3:53 PM

You mean the links?

user116848

I mean which free dictionary do you guys recommend.

Damkerng T.

Umm... I mean, did it help you understand the usage?

Anonymous

I usually check multiple dictionaries and quote whichever one I feel does the best job in a particular instance.

Damkerng T.

My first choice for learners would be Macmillan, though it doesn't cover rare words and usage.

user116848

@DamkerngT. No, I didn't mean the usage lol I meant which dictionary among them to use :D

user116848

3:55 PM

I had it already opened with the 'stretch' entry. So it caused the confusion :_)

Damkerng T.

@Arrowfar I'd say you should try many (or all) of them, and see which one you like the most.

Anonymous

In the ODE, sense 4.2 is the relevant one. In the OALD, it's sense 11.

Anonymous

In this case, I like the ODE's definition a little more.

Anonymous

But the nice thing about living in 2014 with internet access is that you have so many dictionaries to choose from, and it takes you only seconds to check multiple dictionaries.

Damkerng T.

Also, I usually don't take dictionaries as finals. There are lots of things that aren't explained in dictionaries. Particularly, figurative uses.

user116848

3:57 PM

My personal favorite is dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/honest?q=honest

user116848

Among free online dictionaries

user116848

It has pronunciations too. And good sound in pronunciations etc.

Damkerng T.

That one is good too. Number 4 on my list.

Anonymous

When I want to see a bunch of senses at a glance, I like Collins

Anonymous

It tends to have a number of very short definitions

Anonymous

3:58 PM

collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/stretch

user116848

@DamkerngT. What's #1 for you? Macmillian?

Damkerng T.

Of course. :)

Anonymous

My #1 might be the OED, but it depends on what I'm doing

Anonymous

The OED is the best first stop for etymology and historical usage

Damkerng T.

I guess if I were a native speaker of English, I might go with the OED too.

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