Language Overflow

Jim Reynolds

01:46

@Cat Long time, no see. I was going to write you a note here.

Hi @Nih

Catija

@JimReynolds Hey!

Jim Reynolds

:-)

Baked any interesting muffins lately?

I think we were talking about our different perspectives on things like ... hold on ...

Catija

@JimReynolds No. I'm restricting my caloric intake... so I'm not really baking. :(

Jim Reynolds

Ah. More power to you.

It's really hard, I know. I might have told you that I quit smoking only about two years ago, and I'm 51 now.

I think controlling eating is even harder than stopping smoking.

Nihilist_Frost

Appendix:Proto-Indo-European/dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s

Noun: *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s f ‎(oblique stem *dn̥ǵʰuh₂-)

tongue

Jim Reynolds

01:50

Where is the PhD program question?

Catija

@Catija, what else would it be? A full-time PhD admission to a zoo? XD — Jim Reynolds 22 mins ago

:P

Jim Reynolds

I just wrote a response to your comment, and realized it was a combination of disagreeing with you and trying to be funny ..

yeah

I didn't mean to sound snotty.

Nihilist_Frost

0

Q: I am seeking an admission OR I am seeking for admission?

I am seeking a full time PhD admission. OR I am seeking for admission to the full time PhD. Both sentence seem to me correct. Am I right?

Jim Reynolds

I really do think it's clear, and I speculate that the OP has done their best.

Catija

I was mostly trying to imply that "program" would be helpful... but my husband works at a University and they hire PhDs all the time... as scientists, so that's the other thing I was going for.

Your answer is very good, regardless of the quality of the question.

Nihilist_Frost

01:52

I see two structures "I seek X" and "I seek for X to Y"

I think the "for" is unnecessary

Jim Reynolds

We don't use seek + for

Nihilist_Frost

@JimReynolds Indeed

Catija

"for" is definitely unnecessary, yes.

Nihilist_Frost

just "seek".

Jim Reynolds

It's wrong, generally.

Catija

01:53

Even in your answer, you say "Ph.D. program".

Nihilist_Frost

"I am seeking admission to the Ph.D. [something]"

Jim Reynolds

Yes, because I think we can reasonably conclude they want to apply to a PhD program.

There wouldn't be a "full-time PhD job" ... I mean .. Haha. Well, I know what you mean

I guess we just differ on whether we should make the assumption there.

Catija

And that's fine. I still think it's proofreading and I always struggle with responding to proofreading questions without "answering" them.

Nihilist_Frost

8 hours ago, by Nihilist_Frost

Chinese Giant Salamander.

Jim Reynolds

I think defining "proofreading" is a big challenge for us.

Nihilist_Frost

01:56

in response to Damkerng posting a pic of a huge salamander.

Catija

The new title is certainly better... if that's what he's actually looking for, but it seems like he's got two different versions of the same sentence and the "for" is not the only thing that's different between the two.

Jim Reynolds

I think the proofreading rule is more for ... "Here's my report. Any mistakes?"

Nihilist_Frost

@JimReynolds Essentially.

Jim Reynolds

Often, if an OP can state exactly why they aren't sure if X is correct or Y is correct, they'd know the answer!

Nihilist_Frost

Also, non-specific "is this sentence grammatically correct?" is proofreading

Catija

01:58

Yes and no. Big blocks of text are definitely proofreading... but he clearly is asking which of the two is "better"... and the answer is "neither".

Nihilist_Frost

@Catija That is not proofreading.

Jim Reynolds

What is an ELL to do if they write a sentence, but feel unsure if it's correct, but don't know why?

"I goed home" or "I went home"?

Catija

> Both sentence seem to me correct. Am I right?

The answer is "no"... he's not asking a good question.

Nihilist_Frost

@JimReynolds Silly suppletion

Jim Reynolds

suppletion!!!

What's a suppletion :D

Catija

02:01

Argh. This is what happens when I don't spend enough time here. I should either be here or not. I swear, in the past I have argued that this isn't proofreading... and here I am, saying it is...

Jim Reynolds

Hmm... I hope you are here whenever you want to be.

Catija

8

A: Stop throwing "Proofreading" close reason at questions that are clearly limited to a single point of concern

The problem with this usage of "Proofreading" is that the close text pretty much tells people "go away, your question is bad and doesn't belong here". Proofreading questions are off-topic unless a specific source of concern in the text is clearly identified. See: Alternative websites for proo...

^ my own f-ing answer.

Jim Reynolds

I'm always consistent in life, and never make mistakes.

I feel sorry for you, if you do. :D

Catija

The thing that pissed me off is that after running for the election, losing... and then having the new mods do nothing. We'd talked about so much in meta and none of it got implemented, regardless... so I got disheartened and pulled away.

Nihilist_Frost

Suppletion

In linguistics and etymology, suppletion is traditionally understood as the use of one word as the inflected form of another word when the two words are not cognate. For those learning a language, suppletive forms will be seen as "irregular" or even "highly irregular". The term "suppletion" implies that a gap in the paradigm was filled by a form "supplied" by a different paradigm. Instances of suppletion are overwhelmingly restricted to the most commonly used lexical items in a language. == Irregularity and suppletion == An irregular paradigm is one in which the derived forms of a word cannot be...

Jim Reynolds

02:04

Ah .. so "goed"

You thought my approach to making a point was silly?

I am certainly silly, but is everything I do silly?

Consider an apple tree. Are you saying the only fruit they produce are apples?

Uh. Well. Disregard that.

Cat .. I was away for the whole election.

I don't know if there are established criteria for "good" candidates. But if you'd like to be a mod, are there regularly-scheduled elections?

@Nih We say, I'm looking for X. And it's so common. That's likely why we'd tend to think "seeking for X."

-1

Q: Is saying 'I do a job' grammatically correct?

My sister wanted to convey the idea that she works somewhere and she used this sentence which I found quite odd. I tried looking for similar sentences but only found sentences like, 'she does odd jobs' which sounds perfectly fine. But saying 'I do a job' sounds very wrong grammatically and otherw...

verb

I think J.R. was a little rough on this person. Why characterize the attempted explanation as "nonsense"?

Catija

@JimReynolds Not really. They only have elections when a mod steps down or when it's determined that an additional mod is needed.

Jim Reynolds

Well, poop.

Nihilist_Frost

@JimReynolds This doesn't look like a piece of nonsense at all. He's describing how he's struggling around with the construction.

Jim Reynolds

Where are you from, Nih? I don't remember if we really chatted before?

I ask because I guess from the OP's name, that he is Indian. Maybe. But I wondered how you knew it was a male name, or if you are just guessing.

Catija

Yeah. It's ok. We can't all be mods :P

Jim Reynolds

02:15

You can be MY mod, Cat

Catija

"Vishal" looks male to me... but I don't really know much about Indian names. :P

Jim Reynolds

That's a full-time job.

Nihilist_Frost

How many postpositive adjectives exist in English?

Jim Reynolds

That's a full-time PhD!

postpositive!!

Adjectives that come after their nouns?

A house red?

Nihilist_Frost

but you say "men asleep" and not "asleep men"?

Catija

02:17

@Nihilist_Frost "Sleeping men"

Jim Reynolds

There were two men asleep in the house.

It's standard, felicitous.

We sometimes shift an adjective to follow a noun or noun phrase for certain effects: imdb.com/title/tt0086336

But I don't know how to describe any rules or common patterns governing that further.

Nihilist_Frost

and people don't say "abroad [noun]"

Jim Reynolds

Yes.

Nihilist_Frost

or "aplenty resources"

Jim Reynolds

O.O

OMS snailboat is here.

Anonymous

02:21

Do you mean to ask how many fixed phrases contain postpositive adjectives?

Jim Reynolds

@snailboat I did see your note apiece ago saying you're still strength training. Go, go, go!

Anonymous

Because outside of fixed phrases, adjectives can still productively function postpositively, just under fairly limited circumstances.

Nihilist_Frost

@snailboat not fixed phrases, but adjectives that usually go after nouns.

like "aplenty".

Jim Reynolds

fraught?

Anonymous

Well, fixed patterns if you're against the word phrase, then.

Jim Reynolds

02:23

oh. that's always a verb . .

but ... why did I say it?

It doesn't make sense just to ask which adjectives usually or always come after nouns?

Anonymous

@JimReynolds Because you were thinking of postmodifiers in noun phrase structure! :-)

Anonymous

You're thinking more about function, less about category.

Jim Reynolds

Yes.

Nihilist_Frost

French usually uses adjectives postpositively, with a couple exceptions

The BAGS category

Anonymous

Adjectives have four basic functions: attributive, predicative, postpositive, and predeterminer.

Jim Reynolds

02:27

Like eyes BAGGY ?

O.O

Nihilist_Frost

beauty, age, goodness, size

Jim Reynolds

Eyes a'blue.

Anonymous

the visible star; the star was visible; every star visible for the first three. But predeterminer function is very limited.

Jim Reynolds

What is that? Noun A-somethin' ?

Anonymous

So visible a star is grammatical at least, I suppose :-)

Anonymous

02:29

That's grammatical, but it's a marked word order.

Anonymous

We had two sets of three dogs in the room; the large three dogs were sleeping happily in a pile, while the small three dogs yipped endlessly.

Anonymous

It's kind of hard to contrive a situation where you'd use that word order, isn't it? But it differs semantically from the unmarked order.

Anonymous

Out of context it just sounds unnatural.

Jim Reynolds

Oh!!!

I thought you were characterizing something else!

Anonymous

Hopefully my messages aren't confusing given that what I was replying to is now deleted :-)

Jim Reynolds

02:33

You can undelete it.

Nihilist_Frost

beau, joli, vieux, jeune, nouveau, bon, mauvais, faux, grand, petit, haut, gros.

Anonymous

No, I can't.

Anonymous

There are limits to my omnipotence ;-(

Jim Reynolds

Oh. :'(

Can you vote to reopen this? ell.stackexchange.com/questions/76939/…

I'd compensate you.

Nihilist_Frost

And several French adjectives can be placed both postpositively and prepositively with a change in meaning

Jim Reynolds

02:34

Your choice: I'll wax your floors, or wax your legs.

Nihilist_Frost

@JimReynolds ONE MORE VOTE

Jim Reynolds

It's reborn !!!!!!

I'm all explanation markey today, to borrow snailboat's recent ...

recent . . . thing.

O.O

@Catija What are you eating??? Be honest!

Catija

@JimReynolds What do you mean? I just try to avoid really high-calorie things like desserts.

Jim Reynolds

I am just jabbering gibberish.

I think we live in a world postpositive.

StoneyB

02:51

One "rule" for postposition is that adjectival phrases in which some element follows the head have to be postposed.

(Hi everybody)

Nihilist_Frost

http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/78181/confused-are-there-any-differences-between-i-have-to-go-i-had-to-go-ive

This is fun.

StoneyB

... or at least cannot precede the noun they modify. Some of them are only used predicatively.

@Nihilist_Frost Looks like you and I were writing simultaneously along exactly the same lines.

Nihilist_Frost

@StoneyB Yours looks more technical.

StoneyB

A polite way to say less intelligible and more boring. :)

Nihilist_Frost

;()

Jim Reynolds

03:01

They are complementary answers, I think.

StoneyB

'sOK. I'm a pro, I got thick skin.

Jim Reynolds

I love I have got to get to go.!

Nihilist_Frost

I starred the question

Jim Reynolds

How's my terminal punctuation there?

1

Q: Usage of the word epiphany

Can the word 'epiphany' be used for 'deep and profound understanding of something'? I found that epiphany was the instant of realization which I don't think gives the essence of profound and deep. Can someone suggest a better word/term instead of it? The context in which I want use is as follows...

word-usage meaning-in-context word-request

Contrary to my usual ultra-liberalness, I think this off-topic.

Nihilist_Frost

@JimReynolds Yeah, dictionary + brains should help.

StoneyB

03:09

@Nihilist_Frost Actually, I think it's venial. If you've got in your mind that the important thing about "epiphany" is that it's a "deep and profound realization" and overlook the moment piece it's legitimate, coz realization or understanding can be used for either the moment or the consequent state.

Jim Reynolds

looking up venial.

Nihilist_Frost

Currently:

203 upvotes
6 downvotes
2 delete votes
1 undelete vote
107 close votes
7 reopen votes.

Ever since I gained my close vote privlege I use it avidly ever since.

Anonymous

@JimReynolds Your true subultraliberality shows at last!

Nihilist_Frost

Some days all I do on ELL SE is close votes!

Jim Reynolds

Let's not give Nihilist a nuclear weapon

StoneyB

03:15

4,840 up

118 down, 246 delete, 10 undelete, 938 close, 140 reopen. Remarkably similar proportions, except for the deletes.

Nihilist_Frost

0

Q: Learning English via building PERSONAL dictionary

I am looking for ages for the android and/or OS X (ok, let it be iOS too) program which will allow me to create a dictionary containing ONLY words I inserted there. I don't need ANY preloaded dictionary, but instead I need only an empty shell for creating such a personalised one which also will ...

vocabulary dictionaries computer

should close ASAP

StoneyB

What does OP want to do that can't be done with a text editor? Or a spreadsheet?

Nihilist_Frost

@StoneyB or his brains?

obviously zombies haven't eaten them yet.

StoneyB

A text app you can download. Brains are a bit iffier.

Nihilist_Frost

@StoneyB that was inclusive or

2

Q: Does this native pronounce wrongly the word "gorgeous"?

Ok, check this video at 0:17 (Source). The native English man said "you look gorgeous" In the dictionary gorgeous: /ˈɡɔːrdʒəs/ (Source) But in that above video, it seems the man said /ˈɡɔːrɡəs/. So, Does he pronounce wrongly the word "gorgeous" or is there any other way to pronounce it?

pronunciation

I found it obvious that the mispronunciation was deliberate.

but unfortunately a lot of non-natives don't due to them not having a good grasp.

StoneyB

03:29

I wonder how international camp is.

Nihilist_Frost

@StoneyB Uh oh.

http://ell.stackexchange.com/a/78184/25052

Jim Reynolds

I hear "gorgeous" often. People tend to address me that way.

Haha. The comment on Stoney's answer? My eyes glaze over.

How about ... "I've simply got to get to get that"?

(I need to have the opportunity to acquire that.)

Nihilist_Frost

@JimReynolds repetition is annoying because it takes extra work to parse

Jim Reynolds

You can say that again.

I can't decide who to give my upvote to for that question.

Let's resolve it with "rock, paper, scissors." Which one do you choose, Nihilist?

Nihilist_Frost

You can give upvotes to both answers if you feel like it.

Jim Reynolds

03:40

Hello @stacko

Oh! O.O I think I never realized that!

StoneyB

Or you could decide that the question is too broad and vote to close it.

Damkerng T.

@Nihilist_Frost I feel like you think

tchrist

@JimReynolds Is your picture intentionally camp? ;)

StoneyB

@tchrist The question before the house now is whether it's internationally camp.

Jim Reynolds

Hehe

Damkerng T.

03:42

"Hey, Hicks. Man, you look just like I feel." -- I'll admit that it took me a little longer to understand than usual that line.

Nihilist_Frost

@StoneyB When only a few characters differentiate two long words, there will be confusion

Jim Reynolds

Honey, I'm never intentionally nothing.

StoneyB

In these parts they don't have to be all that long.

Nihilist_Frost

@StoneyB word-medially is enough to cause trouble

and whether silent E's should be there too

they're vs their vs there

tchrist

@JimReynolds Sweet.

StoneyB

03:45

Hmm ... is the confusing element between too and to word-medial or word-final?

tchrist

> I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

Nihilist_Frost

@StoneyB finally?

"to" has an irregular pronunciation-to-spelling correspondance.

"too" has a regular one.

oo = /u/ word-finally.

Jim Reynolds

The doctor consults his reference books, muttering, "Hmmm...." "Looks bad, feels good." "Looks bad, feels good." "Why Leland! It says here, you're a vagina!"

StoneyB

@JimReynolds I haven't heard that one since my friend John Smith died.

Nihilist_Frost

homophony is a different factor.

tchrist

03:49

Phony homos?

StoneyB

Phony international homos.

tchrist

Catches flies.

StoneyB

With Jim's honey. Sweet.

Nihilist_Frost

English with the plural and possessive suffixes being homophones

Jim Reynolds

lol

tchrist

03:51

@snailboat alone

StoneyB

It's getting really how-you-say-in-English thick round here. I think I need to go to bed, so I can have a productive tomorrow translating BizSpeak into English.

Nihilist_Frost

who pronounces "because" to rhyme with "cuz"?

StoneyB

Nobody. But we pronounce 'cause as "cuz".

You know it's so so cuz I tell you so.

tchrist

What's cuz?

StoneyB

Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies; good night, good night.

Anonymous

03:55

Postpositive-only adjectives!

Anonymous

Live bait. The bait is alive!

tchrist

@Nihilist_Frost Everyone.

@snailboat All the a- words.

StoneyB

@snailboat Predicative, not post-positive, surely. The a-words are preposition phrases.

Anonymous

Yes. Right! Brain.

Anonymous

Predicative-only adjectives!

Anonymous

03:56

Though alive is happy both in predicative and postpositive functions, do not that, either.

Anonymous

Every man alive

tchrist

I feel an adverb coming on.

Anonymous

I don't know about this preposition phrase business.

Anonymous

Do not that = so not that. Pretend I typed so.

tchrist

awash

afraid

Anonymous

03:59

So maybe I should have said: adjectives that don't function attributively

tchrist

I think that a- was something else.

apiece

atwitter

Anonymous

Oh, I missed a bunch of the discussion!

tchrist

adrift

aghast

Jim Reynolds

ajar

tchrist

But not aloof.

Anonymous

04:05

Rest well, StoneyB!

tchrist

I don't much like it in front but you can.

Anonymous

I still haven't managed to shake my exclamation point habit.

Jim Reynolds

A jam? I'd adore ajar.

tchrist

akimbo

Anonymous

I like that word.

Nihilist_Frost

04:07

@tchrist I was shocked that this word was of Germanic origin.

tchrist

aquiver

Hm.

vv??

aright

Anonymous

a visible star; the star was visible; every star visible; so visible a star ← The last one doesn't seem like the best example of predeterminer function to me. It seems okay at least, but I wonder if anyone has a better example handy of an adjective in all four functions.

Nihilist_Frost

@tchrist etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=akimbo

tchrist

amazed

Jim Reynolds

04:30

I just texted my boyfriend: I'm getting cabbage buns.

Sounds like I should do lunges.

@Nih Nice answer here: ell.stackexchange.com/questions/78188/…

But wait until I add animated graphics to mine

Jim Reynolds

06:28

Hi @Usernew

Usernew

Hi @JimReynolds

@DamkerngT. In Thai, does the number "9" same as "progress"? or anything along the lines?

Jim Reynolds

06:44

Yes

thaischoollife.com/09-09-09-lucky-9-in-thailand

I am an honorary Thai. :p

Usernew

hmm :D

Jim Reynolds

9 is lucky because Thai people have only 9 fingers and 9 toes.

Usernew

that's a funny looking shark. I wonder why it is called "Cookiecutter" @_@

hmmm.... that's too weird to even accept as a fact :D

Jim Reynolds

!

Scary teeth

Usernew

looks kinda funny :D

but @dam has 10 fingers. Not sure about toes

Jim Reynolds

06:51

He is a robot, though

They added an extra finger to him so they can tease him about it.

Usernew

yes. But given the fact that Thai people have 9 fingers and 9 toes, why would they add an extra finger?

u got me

Jim Reynolds

:-D

And here is @Ϻ.Λ.Ʀ.

He's Iranian. Truly a strange people.

Usernew

Indians are even strange :D

Jim Reynolds

They only eat the feathers from chickens, and thriw the rest of the bird away.

Ϻ.Λ.Ʀ.

@JimReynolds ಠ_ಠ

Jim Reynolds

06:55

Haha. Are you Indian?

Usernew

yes :(

Jim Reynolds

Oops! i forgot that MAR can read

I withdraw my comment

Ϻ.Λ.Ʀ.

@JimReynolds You're in trouble.

Jim Reynolds

gulps

Usernew

I forgot the idiom

or probably don't know :(

Jim Reynolds

06:58

Which idiom?

Usernew

Spoken words

something like that

Jim Reynolds

Ha. Tell us more what it means or when do people say ut

If you want

Usernew

It was something like spoken words once spoken are never taken back

something like that

Jim Reynolds

Yes. I get it

Usernew

o/ @JimReynolds @Ϻ.Λ.Ʀ.

Jim Reynolds

07:33

Interesting fact: In Thailand, it is illegal to sneeze.

Damkerng T.

08:49

@Usernew It's as Jim said.

But it's not illegal to sneeze!

@JimReynolds I actually have twelve toenails. O_o

:P

In Thai, 9 (เก้า) is a homonym of "step (of walking)" (ก้าว), which is part of ก้าวหน้า (progress; walk forward). Both are pronounced "kao".

Ϻ.Λ.Ʀ.

09:17

@DamkerngT. What are they made of?

Damkerng T.

Hmm... Standard materials, I think.

> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessory_nail_of_the_fifth_toe

Usernew

13:33

:)

Nihilist_Frost

15:20

How about this one? — Student 2 hours ago

this is fun.

3

Q: Tag question of negative form

Positive statements that contain adverbs never, rarely, hardly are treated as negative statements She can rarely come this week, can she? He never visits you again, does he? How about this one? She looks unhappy, does she? Is that right?

adverbs tag-questions

Damkerng T.

15:32

I think the bottom line is we can use either positive or negative tags in tag questions. The problem is to know when we should use which.

englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-questions-tag-special.htm looks pretty good.

Nihilist_Frost

@DamkerngT. I updated my answer with the info there.

Damkerng T.

I followed the link in your answer. :D

V.V.

Hi, can I ask a guestion here?

Damkerng T.

Of course! (But the answer is not guaranteed. :-)

(For quick questions, especially proofreading stuff, ELL's Cabin is probably a better place.)

V.V.

15:48

The mascots vary. At one time it was a midget photograph. But she married a stockbroker, and the photograph gave place to a bullet extracted from the shoulder of a man who got it at Spion Kop. There's a question. "a midget photo"-is it a small photo or a photo of a small girl? What is confusing i?- "she "How is "she"connected with the photo.Or they are not connected at all.?Thanks

Damkerng T.

@V.V. More context would be nice.

With what I can see right now, I think the "photograph" refers to typical wedding photos, where the bride and the groom would stand together.

And it sounds like she has married several times and her husbands are her mascots, perhaps.

It was just a wild guess. More context is needed, I think.

Oh! It was entirely something else! (See, that's why the context is really important.)

> He has brought the thing to a positive craze. He believes in omens. He has mascots and other futile aids to run-getting. He cannot begin to think of making a score, he says, unless he has his Zingari cap, his Rugby house-scarf, the bat with which he made fifty-seven for the county against the Australians, and some wretched mascot in his trouser-pocket. The mascots vary. At one time it was a midget photograph. But she married a stockbroker, and the photograph gave place to a bullet extracted from the shoulder of a man who got it at Spion Kop.

The guy believes in luck, and he carries with him his mascots (things that he believes will make him lucky, that will give him good swings -- he's a baseball player).

He's used several mascots.

One was a midget (small) photograph.

The he changed to a bullet (extracted from the shoulder of a man who got it at Spion Kop).

I'm not sure who "she" was. (I didn't really read the story.)

V.V.

16:42

@DamkerngT.,thanks, Sorry, whenever I disappear, it's my bad mibile internet. So, midget is simply small, because there's another meaning "a dwarf. Or a little girl."

Damkerng T.

Judging from its context, I think "small" fits the story better.

Although, it could mean a small person as you said, I think it's less likely, so unless the story says otherwise in other paragraphs, I'd assume that this midget simply means "small".

I still don't know who "she" was, though.

V.V.

And if it was a girl's photo,should there be midget's('s) photo or it's possible without 's?

Damkerng T.

The 's is not necessary, unless it's a specific someone.

Hmm...

I reopened the story again, and tried to search for she. That she is the first she in the story!

Maybe you're right. The midget may be that she!

V.V.

She-was the girl on the photo, but was it simply meant without mentioning or if it's not necessary I am inclined to think "midget is a dwarf. No,don't read, there's no other mentioning of her.

Damkerng T.

@V.V. I didn't think that midget meant a small lady because it'd be pejorative.

It could be a small photo of a lady.

But he also used Golliwog! So, it's not that clear. :D

PBS NewsHour full episode Jan. 6, 2016

►

In the clip above, "issued a ruling last night". Is there a /t/ in "last"? :-)

V.V.

17:03

I am translating the story, first it was "a small photo", then I thought why" she", a photo can't be "she", and the writer can't use a pronoun without mentioning a character, right? Then I wasn't sure because there's no 's, like in mother's photo. So I decided to ask a question. But I don't know what tag is appropriate here. That's why I asked.

Damkerng T.

@V.V. "the writer can't use a pronoun without mentioning a character, right?" -- not necessarily so. It happens quite often in creative writing.

It'd be strange in news, academic writing, reports, etc., though.

@V.V. You can try asking about it on ELL. meaning-in-context would be fine.

Nihilist_Frost

who heard Eine kleine Nachtmusik?

V.V.

Then, if I say it was a small photograph, I can't simply translate "but she married... Suppose, I say, but the girl in the picture married...

Damkerng T.

@V.V. I'm not sure how your first language works, but translating this she as a pronoun for "she" in my first language would work.

The midget part is trickier.

@Nihilist_Frost I think I haven't! But it sounds very German. :D

Ϻ.Λ.Ʀ.

Yawns

We got anything new today?

V.V.

17:15

"she"after a photograph woud mean "a photograph married a stockbroker " but that's not the problem.

Nihilist_Frost

W.A.Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Complete) Slovak Chamber Orchestra

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Nihilist_Frost

17:41

0

Q: The Difference between "əʊ" and "ə"

about coat So, "-əʊ" (The Diphthong) sounds like "-oʊ" in American English, yet "-ə" sounds very far from "ɔː" or "ɒ" "-əʊ" has nothing to do with schwa?

phonetics

Ϻ.Λ.Ʀ.

@Nihilist_Frost Huh?

Nihilist_Frost

@Ϻ.Λ.Ʀ. Exactly. I cannot understand his logic.

o, ɔ and ɒ are all rounded back vowels.

ə is more mid and more fronter.

StoneyB

18:15

@Nihilist_Frost OP is confused because he is doesn't understand the difference between the abstract phoneme and its concrete dialectal realizations. He takes the "equivalence" between BrE /əʊ/ and AmE /ɔʊ/ to mean that they are pronounced the same.

V.V.

@DamkerngT. Thanks, I am 100%sure that "midget "is a small lady, as you say.

Damkerng T.

@V.V. You're welcome!