English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Meysam Ѭſ道

7:28 AM

The last message was posted 9 hours ago.

KitFox

12:23 PM

@Jez Laconic. That's the word I was trying to remember all this time.

Vitaly

Does that dot after the cute look confrontational and strident to you, too?

Gotta be careful not to offend the believers.

Right, @Cerberus?

skullpatrol

12:53 PM

@Gigili Are you planning to delete your account again?

Hi @JasperLoy

user19161

@skullpatrol Hi!

user19161

@skullpatrol Seems so.

user19161

@Vitaly Hmm, why did they make the dot like that?

skullpatrol

@KitFox That is one of my favorite words.

user19161

@skullpatrol I have never used it.

skullpatrol

1:04 PM

@JasperLoy Me neither but I think about it a lot :D

user19161

@skullpatrol You think about a word?

skullpatrol

@JasperLoy Mostly about its meaning...

Robusto

7

A: Difference between “laconic” and “concise”?

Laconic comes from the ancient word for Sparta, Lakedaemon. The Spartans were noted for lack of verbosity, and what they did say often had a mordant humor to it, which has come to be called a laconic phrase: A laconic phrase is a very concise or terse statement, named after Laconia (a.k.a. La...

user19161

looks up laconic

skullpatrol

@JasperLoy Why are you so surprised that someone should be thinking of a word? When people say "What is the word I'm looking for?" aren't they thinking about a word? (in this case to match their intended meaning)...

user19161

1:11 PM

@skullpatrol Well, you said you think about it a lot. People don't usually think about a particular word a lot I think.

skullpatrol

@JasperLoy This particular word seems to stick in my head, maybe because I am usually surrounded by talkative people.

And I am not.

user19161

-1

Q: Alternatives of "this causes"

I need a different (and as formal as possible) way to say: this causes Y. Can you help me?

user19161

NARQ

skullpatrol

1:28 PM

How about "effects"?

Vitaly

wordsmart.com/ws_challenge

3

user19161

Now I am getting slightly upset over the comments on the above question.

user19161

@Vitaly I really want to play but I don't want to provide yet another password so I am forgetting it.

skullpatrol

1:44 PM

@JasperLoy The question has been closed?

user19161

@skullpatrol Yes. QED.

skullpatrol

How about "effects"?
As in "X effects Y."

user19161

@skullpatrol It really depends on context. They have slightly different meanings.

Robusto

@Vitaly WTF? I went through the whole thing and then they want my home phone, etc.? NFW.

skullpatrol

Hi @Jez

user19161

1:48 PM

@Robusto Be careful. They might ask for your credit card number next.

skullpatrol

@Robusto BTW What did you get suspended for and for how long?

Vitaly

@Robusto Don't fill it in. They told you your score on a [A-J]-[1-9] scale.

Robusto

What does it mean?

Jez

hi @skullpatrol

Vitaly

@Robusto J-9 is the maximum, A-1 is the minimum. The score you get depends on your answering speed and number of mistakes.

user19161

1:52 PM

@Jez So is laconic the word you want?

user19161

@Vitaly Well, that does not say very much.

Robusto

@Vitaly Ah. I got J-1. Missed a few I should have gotten.

They gave me clove — not the spice — twice, and I fail-boated it both times. None of the answers looked remotely like anything it might be. Also, I hated that little sound-effects smiley. Distracting.

Vitaly

My best score is J-7 so far.

Robusto

"He viewed the [something] from a small clove." Who's ever heard of that usage? I can't even find it in a dictionary.

@Vitaly How many times have you taken it?

I wonder if it is related to cleft.

user19161

Cave or cove might fit there.

Vitaly

1:58 PM

@Robusto Three. J-1 the first time, then H-something because of a few mistakes in a row on hard words, and J-7 the last time.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

I screwed quite a few up trying to be fast (oral instead of auditory for "acoustic", shit like that).

But the words actually get easier towards the end. Much like the questions in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

skullpatrol

I think the guy who made the web site wants to be.

Robusto

There were a couple words I just didn't know. Apagoge for one.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

There were also words for which I wouldn't be able to give a definition, but selecting a synonym was a piece of cake. Like, veer for swerve. I have no idea what either means. I mean, I can visualize it for myself, but don't ask me to explain.

Robusto

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 You don't know veer and swerve? Really? Those are pretty basic words.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

2:02 PM

I know the words. I understand them perfectly. I can't tell you what they mean.

user19161

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 If you can see it, you can do it.

user19161

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 Very deep.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

Not deep at all.

skullpatrol

shallow?

Robusto

Both mean to depart abruptly from a straight path, to change direction.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

2:04 PM

Ultimately that's how everyone learns every single word. By encountering it in context, and figuring out what it means.

user19161

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 That's why I thought whoosh=thwack.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

@Robusto well now that you say it I guess I should have tried harder.

But again, I don't need to.

If you know what meri kurisumasu means, why bother explaining?

Robusto

Yes. When you encountered swerve it was probably in a sentence like "He had to swerve suddenly to avoid the dog that ran out into the road." Assuming you knew all the other words in the sentence, you knew what swerve had to mean.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

Yeah.

I've also probably encountered "veer off" in every single gamefaqs walkthrough I have ever read.

Robusto

Yeah.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

2:06 PM

Even the one for Tetris.

Anyway. I guess what I'm trying to say is that that's why I found that other game so much harder. The one that extrapolates your vocabulary size.

I felt like I knew 99% of the words there, but the rules were, only check the ones you can provide a definition for.

user19161

testyourvocab.com

Robusto

So what do the Letter-Number combinations indicate? Is the letter for vocab, the number for speed?

user19161

They have provided a map without a legend.

Robusto

And by the way, speed of response has been shown to mean very little in that kind of test.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

I'd rather select the correct synonym in the very last second than misclick and then hate myself.

Much like in real life, actually.

When you're writing stuff, you're taking your time.

Robusto

2:10 PM

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 Absolutely.

user19161

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 You omitted own sweet.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

0

Q: What is the plural of "chewing gum"?

What's the plural of "chewing gum"? Hearing "do you have any chewing gums?" sounds wrong; I would say "do you have any chewing gum?", but looking it up, there seems to be a bit of confusion on Google. Some results indicate that "chewing gums" is the plural form of "chewing gum", while others sa...

grammatical-number

Come on.

Robusto

Even when you're speaking, you choose your words carefully, depending on the audience.

user19161

For example, in this chat room, words are often not chosen carefully.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

@Robusto You talk like a fag and you're shits all retarded.

user19161

2:13 PM

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 I am trying to understand this sentence.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

hrm... not convinced your closing of this is fair... as the question is certainly not too basic. Googling for me seems to find no ready answer -- if you can find one on the interest I'd be grateful if you'd post it. — Brad 1 hour ago

I am trying to understand this comment.

Robusto

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 You talk like a flag.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

That's in reply to my posting links to not one but two dictionaries.

skullpatrol

If you spend too much time measuring your words you run the danger of sounding overly laconic.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

My words are always over 9000. No need to measure.

Vitaly

2:14 PM

Why is that starred?..

user19161

I only know 7 words. Only 7.

user19161

@Vitaly It is an interesting site for others.

skullpatrol

BTW what is the shortest sentence in English?

No googling!!!

user19161

It is the empty sentence.

user19161

The empty sentence has no words.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

2:15 PM

12

Q: Shortest complete sentence in English

What is the shortest complete sentence in English?

sentence

There. No Googling.

skullpatrol

:(

user19161

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 I think this question should be nuked!

user19161

Also the one asking for the longest word.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

2 days ago, by Jasper Loy

@RegDwightѬſ道 bangbangbanginterrointerrointerrobangbangbang

This is probably the longest word in the English language, seeing how it's the first word I didn't bother reading to the end end fell asleep in the middle of.

user19161

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 I think that is shorter than pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

2:21 PM

Well that one I can read.

skullpatrol

How about the longest English sentence?

user19161

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 and

user19161

@skullpatrol Does not exist.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

@skullpatrol the longest English sentence is Ulysses.

It also contains the longest palindrome.

user19161

He likes the number one. He likes the numbers one and two. He likes the numbers one, two and three. One can go on infinitely, so there is no longest sentence. QED.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

2:24 PM

Obviously you have never read Ulysses.

user19161

I am sorry I did not use mathematical induction explicitly. That is left as an exercise for the reader.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

0

Q: Form words in brackets

Use the world given in brackets to form a word that fits in space. Today (visit) to the Parthenon are still filled with (admire) for its beauty. The first (impress) you get is one of balance and harmony. Although the details of its (construct) have been lost, we know it planned by Pericles and fa...

grammar homework

Hahaha.

user19161

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 Could not close it before you did.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

You are being asked to replace the word in brackets (which is a verb) with its noun equivalent: visitor, admiration, impression, construction. — Shoe 34 secs ago

Groan.

This is giving him a fish.

skullpatrol

"With explanation, please!"

user19161

2:28 PM

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 I will have salmon for the fish.

user19161

-1

Q: Bussines and private sentences!

Put A for expressions used in business letters and B for personal ones. 1. I Hope all is going well. 2. I will be obliged if you could... 3. Why don't we... 4. My best regards to John. 5. I would be grateful to you for... 6. Dear Uncle Pete, 7. With reference to ... 8. Further to ...

grammar homework

user19161

OMG!

Vitaly

J-3 now. I give up, my speed is nowhere near enough to get J-9. I was lucky to get J-7.

user19161

@Vitaly You may have a cookie!

Vitaly

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 So what's your score?

user19161

2:34 PM

I just got electrocuted by my mouse!

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

@Vitaly I only tried once, and it was F5. No idea what that means.

user19161

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 F5 could mean "save".

Vitaly

@RegDwightΒВBẞ8 A B C D E F-it-means-you-are-here G H I J. You are welcome.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

Yeah, but what does that mean?

"Volume F" is meaningless to me. My volume goes to 11.

-1

Q: Bussines and private sentences!

Put A for expressions used in business letters and B for personal ones. 1. I Hope all is going well. 2. I will be obliged if you could... 3. Why don't we... 4. My best regards to John. 5. I would be grateful to you for... 6. Dear Uncle Pete, 7. With reference to ... 8. Further to ...

grammar homework

Oh crap.

See what you get for giving a man a fish?

Do not give him any more fishae's.

user19161

We must teach him how to fish.

Robusto

2:47 PM

My second try. I missed boon. Hahaha.

The programming could be better. For one thing, they should use a map of the questions that have been asked, marking each as having been answered when it is.

Anyway, too boring to try it a third time.

...

Vocabulary as a twitch game.

RegDwight ΒВBẞ8

The Twitch who stole kurisumasu?

-1

A: Do people in Miami really talk like they do in the television series "Dexter"?

I'm Pedro by the way....and.born in Miami FL. I now reside in mobile al...and yes we talk with a slang...just like people in mobile have their slang...there is a slang differ everywhere u go in this shitty world we live in. Later...

Should I scratch my head or bang it?

-1

A: "Everything is everything"

this expression"everything is everything" came to my attention when my son brought it up. He heard this theory of how the universe started etc. and decided he wanted to make God disappear, he'd choose not to believe in Intellegent Design but in some weird new idea from atheist scientists who want...