English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

MετάEd

4:00 PM

Regret. Egret, Greer, greet, Terr, tree, ere, erg, err, gee, Ger, get, GTE, Rte, tee, Er, Ge, re. Regret.

Cerberus

They're fun.

RegDwighт

@Cerberus Robbie Williams seems to disagree. He wrote a whole song about No Rugrats.

No Rugrats, they don't work.
No Rugrats now, they only hurt.

MετάEd

Coca-cola. Cloaca, coccal, cacao, coala, cocco, cocoa, caca, calo, coal, coca, coco, cola, cool, loca, loco, aal, ala, col, coo, laa, lac, loo, oca, aa, al, la, lo, oo. Alcoa, cacao, cocoa, coal, cola, Colo, cool, loco, Ala, AOL, Cal, Col, coo, Lao, Ola, Ac, Al, Ca, Cl, Co, la, lo. Coca-cola.

Noah

rugrats. kids. children.

babies

Cerberus

@RegDwighт Huh?

Are we talking about the same Rugrats?

The babies?

(I have just user-moderated a message I didn't like from +2 (out of 3) to 0, and one I did like from +2 to +3. Yay!)

They hand out boost points if you're a good user-moderator.

MετάEd

4:04 PM

Cerberus. Becurse, beurres, curbers, recures, rescuer, securer, beurre, breers, breres, cereus, ceruse, cesure, cubers, curber, curers, curser, rebecs, recure, recurs, recuse, rescue, secure, beers, beres, breer, brees, brere, brers, burrs, burse, ceres, crees, cruse, cuber, cubes, curbs, curer, cures, currs, curse, ecrus, erubs, rebec, rebus, recur, reuse, rubes, ruers, scree, scrub, serer, serre, suber, sucre, surer,

Cerberus

So you can increase the power of your vote sixfold.

MετάEd

Wow. That's a name pregnant with meaning.

Cerberus

@MετάEd Umm thanks, I guess!

Noah

@MετάEd How many months?

MετάEd

beer, bees, bere, bree, brer, burr, burs, cees, cere, cree, crus, cube, cubs, cues, curb, cure, curr, curs, ecru, ecus, eres, errs, erub, rebs, recs, rees, rube, rubs, rucs, ruer, rues, ruse, scur, seer, sere, serr, suer, sure, urbs, ures, user, bee, bes, brr, bur, bus, cee, cru, cub, cue, cur, ecu, ere, err, ers, reb, rec, ree, res, rub, ruc, rue, sec, see, ser, sub, sue, sur, urb, ure, use, be, ee, er, es, re, ur, us.

Cerberus

4:05 PM

But I ain't no preggo.

Beer!

MετάEd

Rescuer, securer, Erebus, recurs, rescue, secure, beers, Bruce, burrs, Ceres, cubes, curbs, curer, cures, curse, rebus, recur, reuse, rubes, scrub, serer, Sucre, surer, beer, bees, burr, burs, Cebu, Cree, cube, cubs, cues, curb, cure, curs, ecru, errs, Erse, rube, rubs, rues, ruse, seer, Serb, sere, sure, user, bee, brr, bur, bus, cub, cue, cur, ere, err, rub, rue, Sec, see, sub, sue, use, be, Br, Cr, cs, Cu, Er, es, Eu, Rb, re, rs, Ru, Sb, Sc, Se, Sr, Ur, us.

Cerberus

Erebus!

See, that's where I am.

Noah

@Cerberus EarBus.

Cerberus

I'm not at an Ear Bus, thank you.

KitFox

@Noah You have two hats.

@MετάEd Some kind of earache.

Cerberus

4:07 PM

@KitFox Oooh I like this! Will you please address me in threefold henceforth?

Noah

@KitFox Where can I get them from?

MετάEd

NS? english.stackexchange.com/users/32591/planem

Noah

Or in this case how?

Cerberus

Would be super nice.

KitFox

@Noah They are on your user profile.

MετάEd

4:08 PM

@KitFox Ack.

I hate those.

Cerberus

@MετάEd I think not:

> He helped little his friends.

KitFox

Well, I'm prone to inner-ear infections as well.

MετάEd

@Cerberus poof (Cerberus disappears)

Cerberus

Although I guess this is possible in certain situations.

KitFox

So I tend to get vertigo easily.

Cerberus

4:09 PM

@MετάEd Scuse me, I ain't going nowhere.

MετάEd

@Cerberus The question is whether the OP is NS (the puppeteer)

Cerberus

@MετάEd Of course.

So I commented on one of the examples he brought up.

MετάEd

@Cerberus The reference is to the joke about Descartes goes into a bar.

Mahnax

I feel like I missed something: where did the hats go?

Noah

Okay, I put on an umbrella. It is more like a bastard version of an airplane.

Cerberus

4:09 PM

Which I thought a native speaker might not ask about.

MετάEd

@Mahnax What hats? innocently

Cerberus

@MετάEd Ahhh right!

Haha.

MετάEd

@Cerberus Do we think NS is a native speaker? I think he had a Chinese connection.

Cerberus

@MετάEd By NS you mean OP?

Mahnax

MετάEd

4:11 PM

@KitFox Here sit down and have a nice hot toddy.

I mean Norty S.

Cerberus

Ohhh.

KitFox

@MετάEd You are such a nice person.

MετάEd

Yes I wondered if he was the OP.

Cerberus

Norty a native speaker? How is that possible?

Mahnax

I think my school is blocking the hats.

2

Cerberus

4:12 PM

@Mahnax Would that SE were attending such a school!

Oh, wait.

By NS you meant Norty all along?

MετάEd

@Cerberus Yes.

Cerberus

facespalm

MετάEd

Why, what would NS mean?

Cerberus

Abbreviations! Fie, evil beasts from hell!

MετάEd

@Cerberus I feel that way about pronouns. There, there.

Cerberus

4:13 PM

@MετάEd Ananas, but without the an-. I.e. Native speaker.

@MετάEd ! That's four pronouns!

Anonymous

why is it when you ask a question, some say there is not research / effort...?
I mean, what if a person wants to know difference between word a and b?

Cerberus

According to traditional convention.

MετάEd

@Cerberus Of course. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

KitFox

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie Then you have to demonstrate what you already know about a and b.

Cerberus

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie Well, there are always a million differences between two words, and the most important ones can often be learned from a dictionary.

So those questions are really no fun to answer.

RegDwighт

4:15 PM

Apr 16 '11 at 22:10, by RegDwight

That's a reference only @Vitaly will fully appreciate. There's a Russian children's verse that goes, "A and B sat on the chimney top. A fell down, B disappeared, who's left?"

MετάEd

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie The person in that case should do research in the dictionary. And the question should include the results of research, and explain why there is still a question.

KitFox

@RegDwighт I miss that guy.

Cerberus

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie So you need to be more specific about what context you want to know more about, or explain what you have already learned, so as to focus the scope of your question and its answers.

MετάEd

@RegDwighт The KGB obviously.

Otherwise why did B disappear.

RegDwighт

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

MετάEd

4:16 PM

Heard you the first time, first time, first time.

RegDwighт

You are stupider than Russian children. Hahahaha.

MετάEd

@RegDwighт It's a fair cop.

RegDwighт

Then I'll be the bad cop.

Anonymous

Oh, I see. So, it is simply convincing others that you have tried.

MετάEd

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie If you want to look at it that way. But really it is out of consideration for the people who will be trying to answer.

There is no need for them to redo the research, only to be told "yes, I thought of that already".

or "I tried that already"

RegDwighт

4:18 PM

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie it's preventing people from posting answers that are actually wrong. Which is in OP's own best interest.

MετάEd

So it is a matter of courtesy.

KitFox

Or "no, what I meant was for this context."

MετάEd

@KitFox yes.

RegDwighт

What if OP has a context in mind in which A and B are antonyms, while the answers only address a context in which they are synonyms? Bam, you've got yourself a problem.

Anonymous

@KitFox nice one. i get it

KitFox

4:19 PM

Ow, ow, ow, my head, this weird pseudo-jinxing. Argh.

MετάEd

OMG. It's great when somebody gets it.

RegDwighт

Ow, ow, ow, my head, this weird my new boots. Argh.

code4eight

I have a question about English to ask. But to answer this question, let me tell you a story. My wife and I took English lessons with an English teacher for almost one year. She knew that my wife and I are married. My wife likes to send her a message, for example, "I don't have lesson with you this week, I miss my English class." My wife also asked for her address to send some gift to her, my wife told her when she asked for the address that she would send her some gift.

Yesterday, this teacher send a message to my wife said that she does not want to be my wife's teacher anymore. Then, she…

KitFox

@RegDwighт Try putting them on your feet instead.

RegDwighт

@KitFox they won't come off!

MετάEd

4:20 PM

Mynewboots. Toywomen, enomoty, entombs, enwombs, etymons, moonset, myosote, newsboy, noysome, obentos, tomboys, towmons, toysome, twosome, bentos, besnow, bestow, betons, betony, bosomy, boston, botone, bowets, bowmen, bownes, embost, embows, entomb, enwomb, etymon, mentos, metoos, moneys, monosy, montes, obento, ostomy, snooty, stoney, tomboy, towmon, toymen, toyons, ...

You can't say my new boots without toy women.

RegDwighт

Ouch, that's a sensitive subject code4 is feeding us.

MετάEd

Also without mentos.

KitFox

@code4eight Your teacher feels that your wife had been too personal.

RegDwighт

Who will go out on a limb?

Why, Kit of course.

KitFox

@RegDwighт Me of course.

Jinx!

RegDwighт

4:21 PM

JINX

code4eight

@KitFox what do you mean by "too personal"?

RegDwighт

METAJINX

KitFox

meta-jinx

metametajinx!

RegDwighт

METAMETAJINX

KitFox

metaultra jinx!

RegDwighт

4:21 PM

Two out of three. Good enough for me.

Anonymous

@code4eight it seems someone has been trying to play naughty too me

KitFox

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie Not necessarily.

code4eight

what does "to play naughty" mean?

KitFox

@code4eight What is your culture?

MετάEd

@KitFox HEY! Royalties!

Anonymous

4:22 PM

@KitFox Then regale us with with your wisdom, your highness.

RegDwighт

It is on this intriguing note that I have to leave you for a bus.

code4eight

It is very normal in our culture to give some gift to teachers.

KitFox

@code4eight I thought so. And your teacher, is she American?

code4eight

Yes, how did you know that?

RegDwighт

0

Q: "Nowadays" versus "now days"

Recently, I was auto-corrected by a word processor when I typed in "now days" to "nowadays." Why did it do this to me? "Nowadays" looks and sounds silly, incorrect, and made-up to me. Which version is appropriate? Which is most appropriate? Where did the word "nowadays" even come from?

Okay, this is just silly.

KitFox

4:24 PM

@code4eight It is not uncommon to give gifts to teachers here, but I would guess that your teacher felt that a request for her address invaded her privacy.

Especially if she didn't feel like she could refuse respectfully to give it.

Anonymous

@code4eight Is your wife a bi?

code4eight

@KitFox My wife told her that she would send her some gift before asking for her address. Is that still invaded her privacy?

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie NOOOOOO, SHE IS NOT.

KitFox

The teacher's response makes me think that your wife's contact with her was taken as being too friendly, and the teacher did not want to be social with her.

MετάEd

@Mahnax Usually it's the other way around. The hats are supposed to block the school.

KitFox

@code4eight Yes, even so. It was a nice gesture, but we would normally give gifts only to grade school teachers, and then they would be brought to school.

These were online classes?

code4eight

4:27 PM

@KitFox Does "too friendly" mean lesbian in this case?

KitFox

@code4eight No, no, not at all.

Mahnax

@MετάEd You're right, of course.

code4eight

Yes, they were online classes.

KitFox

The teacher probably wanted to be just a teacher, not a friend. It sounds like she took your wife's email to mean that your wife wanted to be social, but the teacher didn't want any social obligations.

Anonymous

that is why I asked if she is bisexual. I think the teacher has a point. @code4eight IS the teacher HOT?

KitFox

4:29 PM

Did your wife explain that it was traditional to give a teacher a gift in your culture?

code4eight

She is about 50 years old, a big woman. We can call her mom, LOL.

Yes, she did.

She told her that it is common in our country and she gave it due to the x'mas.

KitFox

Did the teacher say she didn't want to give her address out?

code4eight

No, she gave her right away.

Without any hesitation.

MετάEd

Elephant in the room.

What was the gift, nobody is asking.

KitFox

Oh, so she gave her address? Did she send you the email after she got the gift?

Anonymous

4:31 PM

Well, if she is a granny, then it must be that ice-land thing, where people get offended when you give them tip. Which makes me thing, I shouldn't need to save much to go there.

code4eight

No, she did not get the gift yet. It will arrive soon.

Matt Эллен

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie Iceland's an expensive place. That's why you don't need to tip.

code4eight

Yes, she gave her address.

Cerberus

> Because she is your wife, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to be your teacher.

This is very mysterious.

code4eight

@Cerberus That one makes me think about her thought.

Cerberus

4:33 PM

I don't know what to make of it.

Anonymous

@MattЭллен I would say, it is cheaper than Switzerland. Which is where I am

Anonymous

Well, the best thing to do would be go to that teacher and ask her what she really meant. That, way we can concentrate on the next doomsday

Cerberus

@code4eight I can imagine.

KitFox

Well, it is puzzling, but everything about that letter suggests that your wife wanted to be social and she did not.

Cerberus

The fact that she gave her address indicates that she doesn't see your wife as a potential stalker.

Unless she gave the address long ago?

KitFox

4:34 PM

And she didn't want to break ties with your wife and not you. That doesn't surprise me though.

Cerberus

Yeah.

But she makes it sound very dramatic.

KitFox

I don't think so.

code4eight

Isn't it common in the U.S. to talk straight to a person?

Matt Эллен

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie ha. yeah, probably!

KitFox

@code4eight I've heard that.

And anyway, this is the whole bit, innit?

> I think she mistook my friendliness for something more than being a teacher.

Cerberus

4:35 PM

My best guess: she didn't appreciate all the non-teaching-related messages she got from your wife, it came too close to her private sphere and/or took up too much of her time/attention. Instead of calmly explaining to your wife that her messages were considered too much in her own culture, she chose the dramatic option.

Anonymous

Maybe the wife was sharing some secrets perhaps, things the old lady did not appreciated. That, is the only way it makes sense.

KitFox

That could mean any number of things, but in essence, her boundaries were violated.

code4eight

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie That is not the case. I am SURE.

KitFox

@Cerberus I don't consider that dramatic. She didn't make a scene. She just hit the "off" switch.

Cerberus

It is possible that your wife flirted with the teacher, but...that would be rather odd.

@KitFox More dramatic that simply explaining how she wanted it.

Unless she had already tried that.

code4eight

4:37 PM

No no, my wife is straight.

KitFox

@Cerberus She might also have thought it wasn't worth her time to try to change it.

Cerberus

Yes.

But it's still a bit dramatic.

KitFox

It could have been something as simple as "When we finish learning English, we'll come visit you in Kansas!" or something. Who knows?

code4eight

Yes, I want to understand why she did that.

Cerberus

It's very hard to say without knowing what your wife sent her and how often and such.

Anonymous

4:38 PM

Should could be strait in-front of you, and bend while you are not looks. The only solution though is to confront the lady. Tell her you must know her reason

KitFox

@The Seriously. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Cerberus

Yeah.

code4eight

My wife, actually we sent her a box of gift from our country.

Matt Эллен

hear hear

KitFox

There are lots of reasons why the teacher might have felt the way she did.

Cerberus

4:39 PM

Just forget about it and find another teacher.

You can't change the situation anyway.

Anonymous

what was the gift btw

KitFox

And nude pictures.

Cerberus

Hehe.

code4eight

Food, snacks, fruits, postcard.

KitFox

giggles

code4eight

4:40 PM

She does not get it yet though. :)

Cerberus

Fruits?

Fresh fruits?

code4eight

Dried fruit.

KitFox

@code4eight Well, I'm sorry that it didn't work out.

Cerberus

Ah OK.

Anonymous

If you are not willing to forget this and move on, as if nothing happens, but coming as far as here to know something out of probably nothing, I would call in Sherlock Holmes in this one, because there is a mystery here people!!!

Cerberus

4:41 PM

Good luck with that!

code4eight

Anyway, just forget it.

KitFox

You could always email the teacher and ask her if your wife was coming on to her. And then demand to see every email they ever exchanged.

If you wanted to seem completely nutters.

Cerberus

Uhh...

Yeah don't do that.

Move on.

code4eight

I saw all messages.

There is nothing at all.

Cerberus

Oh!

KitFox

4:42 PM

Well, because then she'd be like "Oh, hell, no. She just kept asking me to send her pictures of my grandchildren and shit."

Cerberus

Perhaps it was just the quantity.

code4eight

I just don't what our teacher misunderstood my wife, it is just that.

KitFox

Well, don't forget that the teacher might be a little crazy too. It could have nothing to do with your wife at all.

Cerberus

To be honest, I would want to keep work and private stuff strictly separate in certain situations. Or maybe always.

Anonymous

Maybe your wife did not chose her words wisely, and said "I love you" to say "I like you"...

Anonymous

4:44 PM

It could happen..

code4eight

@Cerberus there are both quantity and quality. Everything we sent to her are the finest things here.

Cerberus

With what frequency did your wife send her messages?

@code4eight I'm sure.

KitFox

Tweets? Are they FB friends?

Cerberus

As Kit says, the teacher may have been socially awkward and/or crazy.

Noah

That's strange. You can just go and tell them off.

Cerberus

4:45 PM

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie You really want that, don't you?

code4eight

She sent a message through an English website that she took class with her.

No twitter, no facebook.

Cerberus

Hmm.

Noah

One of them is a maniac, but I dont know which one.

Cerberus

How often?

code4eight

We know her on the website and just Skype.

Anonymous

4:46 PM

@Cerberus No. Just making life easier, trying to make a joke. Have a sense of humour

Noah

@Cerberus Are we counseling today?

code4eight

She send a message 2 - 3 times a week on average. She took class with her 3 times a week.

KitFox

Did she ask many personal questions?

Cerberus

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie The two are not mutually exclusive...

Anonymous

If I was in your situation, I would either force the old lady to tell me or I would just forget about the whole thing. I just escape a yearly awaited doomsday prophecy.

Cerberus

4:48 PM

@Noah Yup.

Noah

Is there any way to add pressure to a normal electrical water boiler?

Cerberus

@code4eight That's not a lot.

Johan Larsson

"It’s been an amazing year for Stack Exchange, both as a network of experts and enthusiasts and as an organization. We launched twenty new sites, rolled out tons of user-requested features"
tons is frequently used, does it have an other meaning than metric ton?

KitFox

@JohanLarsson It just means a lot.

Cerberus

@Noah Put it in a pressure room. Otherwise, no.

Johan Larsson

4:49 PM

@Noah a plastic one? Sounds dangerous

code4eight

Only once, my wife asked her about her drug usage. My wife is a pharmacist.

Cerberus

Hmm.

David Wallace

@code4eight Was she specific about what sort of drugs? Could she have been misunderstood?

Johan Larsson

@KitFox ty fox

Cerberus

That may be too private, but then the teacher can just decline to answer or evade the question. Shouldn't be hard.

KitFox

4:49 PM

But she might not want to have to evade questions.

Noah

@JohanLarsson No, not a plastic one. I think it's metal.

David Wallace

Maybe the teacher is just nuts.

code4eight

Her health is not good so my wife asked about drug that she uses.

Noah

@DavidWallace Hello, Mr. Wallace.

Cerberus

@DavidWallace Hmmm...

David Wallace

4:50 PM

Hi, @Noah, nice to see you.

Noah

@DavidWallace Maybe she's nut-rats.

KitFox

@code4eight Did she mention she was a pharmacist?

code4eight

The teacher rejected to answer the question and that is the only time.

Cerberus

From what you tell us, I can't find any gross faux pas in your wife's behaviour.

code4eight

Yes, the teacher liked to ask my wife about her health problem and it led to the question about her drug usage.

Cerberus

4:51 PM

Ahhh.

David Wallace

I don't think you or your wife have done anything wrong. Ultimately, if she doesn't want to teach you, you can't force her to. Forget about it and move on.

Johan Larsson

@Noah If you manage to seal it the pressure will rise when you reach boiling point. You should have a valve limiting the pressure. Think it is better to buy equipment that is designed to operate at elevated pressure

Noah

@Cerberus What do you mean? I can't. It's attached to a water inlet in the bathroom.

Anonymous

@Cerberus tu peux parler en Francaise? Moi aussi

Cerberus

@Noah Then I'm afraid it's not possible.

KitFox

4:51 PM

@code4eight Oh, well, that could be it. Americans don't discuss health issues readily with strangers.

Cerberus

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie Bien sûr!

KitFox

If she didn't volunteer the information herself, she might have felt intruded upon.

David Wallace

@KitFox But if the teacher was the one who liked to discuss her health, how can it be the wife's fault?

KitFox

@DavidWallace Oh, I misread that.

Huh.

Cerberus

Mais mon Français, c'est pas bien. Le Français a prêté l'expression "faux pas" à l'Anglais il y a longtemps.

David Wallace

4:54 PM

@Cerberus and we're not giving it back.

code4eight

OK, thank you all you guys.

Cerberus

@DavidWallace Jamais!

code4eight

It is what it is.

Cerberus

Yeah.

I can understand why you were a bit shocked, but it doesn't seem as though your wife did anything wrong, so the teacher is probably just wacky.

Anonymous

Oui Je savais ca, il ya pluisers comme meme. Moi Je parle un peu Francaise, mais je suis en trrain d'apprendre le Francaise, depuis 8 mois. Tu sais, ce pour ca, je suis venu ici, mais Je n'ai pas des "Reputations" pour etere capable de fair "chat" come celui ici

Cerberus

4:55 PM

Forget and move on.

Noah

@Cerberus All I want is to increase the water pressure in the faucets.

David Wallace

@Noah Can the cylinder be placed somewhere higher?

Noah

Now the water pressure to the faucets seems to be very low.

Cerberus

@TheCOMPLETEPHPNewbie Tu est venu à la chambre à chat de Français.stackexchange.com?

Noah