I miss our previous English teacher.

Hey, at least you're not using this book: books.google.com/…

He was a smart man, smart enough to realize that English is flexible.

That book I just linked is from 2007 and it's a mess of bad English.

@Catija LOL - Nah, that's FLAWLESS English.

The title of the book is ironic.

Sooooo, ironic... though, it's Indian English, so I guess it may be "flawless" by InE standards?

Anyway, I can give you an example of what makes me hate this year's teacher.

Imagine that he sees this sentence in a book or written by a native speaker:

> I had had lunch before going to the cemetery.

Then he'll come and tell us: My young men, If you see two hads and a before followed by a gerund, you'll have to use past perfect.

Regardless, that's a perfectly cromulent sentence.

@Catija Detest.

much better.

He's one of those guys that knows a lot of vocab and grammar, but can't speak fluently.

I think you're familiar with that problem of learners.

@M.A.Ramezani If it helps, you can try to think of the English at school as another dialect of English.

Sure. It happens a lot. You do pretty well, though. Remember that what you learn in school is a building block but what you learn actually interacting with native speakers is true English. Get through the classes and go find natives to talk to. ;)

@DamkerngT. Meh. I think of it as a bunch of effing sentences I have to memorize and effing stupid wrong-by-modern-standard-grammar grammar rules.

Sorry for my effing dirty language. I'm something between laughing and crying right now.

Hey @Man_From_India Is the book I linked a bit ago really serious about "flawless" English? Is that really how English is spoken in India?

Hmm... I think things like "the world's record" is debatable.

@Catija Nah. It ain't no building block. It's one of those bulldozers that'll crash through the building with sharp claws.

@DamkerngT. Would you do me a favor and COCAsize or ngramicize The world record and The world's record?

COCA is only for American English.

Our English for idiots book tries to teach us AmE.

@Catija i was away...let me find out first...

@Man_From_India Oh no...Where is out? You lost it?

got it :-)

Like catching a bird?

See. used to be correct. :D

MWAHHHAHAHAHHA!

Well, I think it's still correct.

I saved the image.

Anyway, I'm going to lunch but I do want to hear what @Man_From_India thinks of that "Flawless" book.

Me too!

I'm gonna shove it to his stupid face, after I explained to him what ngram is.

@Catija Don't you dare! That book is FLAWLESS!

@Catija I have never used this book, or heard anyone use it...but it looks like it's a over simplified book for learners who want to start quick conversation in English :-)

Or for FLAWLESS people.

@Man_From_India I just find much of it wrong... there was a section that claimed you can't use "to" when saying "[male] got married to [female]"... you had to say "[male] got married with [female]" which is just mind-boggling.

@Catija Yep. The name speaks. That means your English is flawed @Catija.

What? :O I thought to is the correct one :-)

@Man_From_India It is. That's what I'm saying. The book is a bit batty.

Go be flawed somewhere else. Let me continue hugging the FLAWLESS.

It says that "to" can only be used to talk about a female marrying a male.

HEHE!

BTW, some recent trends sound rather odd to me. For example, people seem to use last for latest more and more.

That's funnier!

@DamkerngT. Recent?

Another one I found He feels sick is incorrect, the correct one is he feels unwell...that is strange as well. Isn't it? I thought both are correct. Ans sick is more common.

The to vs. with somehow makes me think of have something with you vs. have something on you.

@M.A.Ramezani Yep. Like, the last James Bond movie.

HAHAHA... This FLAWLESS book seems highly Persian. I think Persian authors studied InE.

@DamkerngT. Ah I remember...but there with is in use at least in IndE

@Man_From_India Yes. Sick is more common.

Both are correct... it depends on if you're saying "the person knows you" or "you know the person".

Don't know why such books are running in the market...hope noone used it....or else...gone!!! :-( will end up being not only confused but learning wrong English...

...And they'll ask a question on ELL and get downvotes...

Let's see...

...And their life will be miserable and they'll either never marry or get divorced....

downvote is far better than learning something wrong, thinking that is the correct one...

...And they'll get lung cancer...

Can you tell what's wrong in Not only did the company bring legal actions but also counterclaims?

...And a meteor will hit their car...

@DamkerngT. It's flawed, I guess. Let's go and make ourselves FLAWLESS.

@DamkerngT. I can't tell :-( because I feel that is correct :-)

btw how did you guys find out this book?

@DamkerngT. I wonder what the so-called correct form is?

@Man_From_India Ask @Catija.

@Catija how is ur hippo doing? :-)

oh he might have gone for lunch...

@Man_From_India Scratching head Huh?

I am not suffering from itchy scalp :D

:P

I do.

Only when there's a talk about itching.

Hint: it lacks parallelism.

Put some strong chemical...it will be good for ur scalp as well as for your grey matters :P

Para what?

I thought it was ortho- isomerism.

The book was cited as a reference on that hundred makes a century question.

Ahh so u mean there should be a did after also?

@Man_From_India Yes, not just did, but it should be the whole clause.

Turns into @snailor mode

@DamkerngT. yes...:-)

Well, it highly depends on the syntactic scope of the clause.

Turns back into MAR mode

I think the "Flawless" book was trying to do that kind of thing.

Hullo @Pazzo?

Are you FLAWLESS enough?

^ This is the topic here today.

I am absolutely completely perfectly flawless in everything I do, say or think. ;) (Of course this is a joke.)

@pazzo Even if it wasn't a joke, I understand it as a joke.

Meet MAR @Pazzo! The guy that never gets tired of chatting tasteless jokes around.

Hello @M.A.Ramezani Where are you from? I'm from the USA.

Iran.

Hi

Hi @pazzo

Hullo!

How are things in Iran today? @M.A.Ramezani

Hi @Man_From_India

Boring, as usual.

This heat wave here is making me Red Indian :P :D

Except, it's the exam season.

@Man_From_India Chilly.

@M.A.Ramezani I think u r used to such heat wave :D

@Man_From_India hah! Hope you spend some time in the shade, then.

In the shade of the FLAWLESS.

yes most of the time actually....I hardly leave office during day....I go early and leave late...not for work pressure, but for the fear of heat :D

@M.A.Ramezani So you are a student, then? Where do you study?

At home or school. :}

@Man_From_India Yes, in Texas we generally run from one air-conditioned place to another from May to September.

I'm 16, so it's a 10th.

@pazzo It reminds me of one Discovery channel program. The program was showing how air condition devices came into being and how it changed the population of some parts of US. It showed that in Mexico, and some other places (I can't remember) it was so hot that people actually avoided to set up home there. So it was mostly deserted. With air cooler and air conditioner came into market, those places started to gain population :-)

@MAR I see. I think now I remember your user name from ELL. I think you make some pretty good comments. At least I think it is you:)

I always make good comments!

Or maybe good comments make me.

Argh!

Both your avatars are cyanish!

@Man_From_India Actually. You actually speak of the place where I live (Texas), which the Spanish Conquistadors never had success in settling--too hot and too far from Mexico City.

You guys are making me read your names.

@pazzo Ahh I see...:-)

Oh it's time to say good night ...good night @pazzo and @M.A.Ramezani...see you later...

Ah, OK, @Man stay cool

Why don't I get pinged?

@M.A.Ramezani You're a do|t.

Oh it works now.

I think you can only @1 person in a comment

@pazzo and @M.A.Ramezani

But you'll still get pinged in chat.

I dunno how it works

@pazzo I was pinged.

OK

Are you on a "quest of mastering [your] English"?

Maybe. But currently I'm on the quest of finding sth to eat for dinner.

Do you have an opinion on the "wipe people off the face of the earth" question? @M.A.Ramezani

Let's do it!

Do what?

Wipe people off.

It's like cleaning microbes.

Seriously though, I'm pretty sure Nima means well.

The reason he asked so many apocalyptic questions is his asking so many questions.

It is just that some English speakers find the question "repulsive."

I'd pass.

If questions about vulgar language are fine, why should this be any different?

I think politics could be part of the answer...

...and things that world leaders say, even if they are misquoted.

Hehe...Our little guy - Adolf - would have a lot to say now.

Or perhaps Ahmadinejad...

although it appears he was misquoted

Hehe...I'm feeling bad for him.

People literally burnt down his reputation here.

I'd rather not know about there.

His name means nothing to most people here

Hi @Delfino

Hullo @Delfino!

Did you find any food? @M.A.Ramezani

Yep.

But more importantly, I found ice cream.

@Hello @M.A.Ramezani and @pazzo.

I wonder who @Hello is. :}

I caem back in many times. 3 or 4 hours

BTW @Pazzo our friend here wants to advance in his English.

Ciao, @Delfino. This is the first time I have seen you.

@M.A.Ramezani Did you have to scream "I scream for ice cream"?

@pazzo Yes!

Read the frightening manual

Hullo @snail!

Read the frisky manual

That hardly makes sense.

But it's my choice; deal with it!

Read the freakish manual