Language Overflow

Færd

01:04

@TIPS Nice!

@DamkerngT. Infinite?

Or one.

Damkerng T.

@Færd Yes, one! :D

Færd

Yay!

Damkerng T.

Yay!

Damkerng T.

01:26

abc.net.au/news/2016-03-29/…

business2community.com/facebook/…

It's the internet, folks!

CowperKettle

02:50

@Araucaria (0:

> Tiger (sprouts)

When my relatife was graduating from a Uni in 2012, his professor said to the whole class before graduation: you'd better emigrate abroad while you still can.

By the way, Happy Independence Day, @JimReynolds, @snailplane!

Anonymous

03:22

@CowperKettle Thank you, although I'm not a terribly patriotic person. I'm not a fan of nationalism.

Anonymous

I'm back!

Anonymous

Hello various people who may or may not be here! :-)

CowperKettle

@snailplane Well, 4 July is hardly a celebration of nationalism, considering how many nations there are in the US

I suddenly got a reply to my 2 year old question

1

A: Can vs. Could in the reply "It can/could be in the car"

Can is not often used to express possibility. I think in British English it is rare or non-existent to do so, and in American English we don't usually use can with this meaning. Instead, could is used, or may/might. So to express It is possible that the bag is in the car. use It may...

what gives?

what gives

== English == === Etymology === First attested in 1940. in John O'Hara's 1940 novel Pal Joey. The term is considered by the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Second Edition (2013) and several other references to be a calque of German was gibt's? and/or a Yiddish equivalent. Brian Joseph considers this unlikely, however, and speculates that despite its extremely late attestation, it and the German was gibt's may "allow[] for a reconstruction of a Proto-West-Germanic existential use of 'give', which survives marginally into present usage." === Phrase === What gives? (colloquial) Wh...

I should have been learning Spanish.

^_^

It must have some good poetry.

CowperKettle

04:25

> The culture medium is introduced into a 500 mL flask using a sterile pipette, after which the cell suspension is transferred there from the 125 mL flask. The flask is labeled and placed into an incubator shaker. Cultivation of the seed material in the 500 mL flask is performed at a shaking speed of 150 rpm and a temperature of 36.5-37. 5°C.

I wonder if this "a temperature" is good.

It's not a single temperature but a range.

Should not it be "at temperatures of"?

Hm

> The tubers should be kept at a temperature of 6 to 8°C degrees

It must be okay

I've got to go now.. Morning, Jim!

BBL

V.V.

Morning, Jim.

Man_From_India

04:40

@snailplane Welcome back Snail :-)

Jim Reynolds

@CowperKettle Yes, it's ok. Underneath the text on our computer screens is probably this idea: *and a temperature of [some temperature between] X-YC.

@V.V. Hi! Long time, no see here.

@Cowp I think the underlying idea could also be: at a temperature of [a number that may vary between] X-YC.

I also tend to shrink back from *celebrating* "my" country. The US is very arguably *not* a place where people of diverse ethnicities live together in happiness and harmony. Wealth and income inequality is greater than at any time since the 1920s. And "non-Hispanic white children" are doing not-too badly:
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/07/walmart-heirs-waltons-wealth-income-inequality

Cardinal

07:27

Hi there

which one should I use?

- They were hunted almost to the point of extinction
- They were hunted almost to the extent of extinction
- They were hunted almost near to extinction
- They were hunted almost to the level of extinction

TIPS

None

CowperKettle

TIPS

I'd use a completely different construction.

CowperKettle

25th anniversary of Judgement Day

good noon!

TIPS

> They're in the brink of extinction due to excessive hunting.

CC @Cardinal

@CowperKettle \o

Anonymous

07:44

@Cardinal The first one sounds best :-)

TIPS

@snailplane Is the smile redundant, or do you always smile when you smile?

AWW GIF dump

Cardinal

08:15

@TIPS Do you have any suggestions

?

TIPS

@Cardinal Any suggestions about what?

Cardinal

How would you say?

I'd use a completely different construction.

TIPS

39 mins ago, by TIPS

> They're in the brink of extinction due to excessive hunting.

Cardinal

Is there any source from which I learn the correct usage of such phrases:

to the extent of, to the point of, to the level of, near to, to the scale of, ... ?fr

TIPS

Yeah. You.

The only way to get usage right is to use the phrases.

Cardinal

08:19

me ? :)

How can I use theme, I guess people here are more passionate about Persian ! :)

than English !

The only English-based communication of mine takes place here !

TIPS

@Cardinal There's this chat.

Well, you gotta try speaking/chatting/writing/listening in English as much as you can.

Cardinal

@TIPS I can understand subjunctive moods in English only in three cases:

1 - conditionals with if

2 - conditional with only, until, ..

3- present subjunctive ( should)

But, in Persian we use them extensively. What do you think ?

TIPS

And you can't understand subjunctive in other cases?

17

A: Why is it 'come' and not 'comes' in 'it is important that he come...'?

Short answer: Because subjunctive mood obligates the following: The present tense third person singular drops the -s or -es so that it looks and sounds like the present tense for everything else. — source. Longer answer: Well, many argue that the subjunctive mood is disappearing from Engl...

Cardinal

yep,

In fact, the main problem is when I want to translate from Persian to English

I think, they use completely different structures

TIPS

@Cardinal Duh, different languages

Give me the sentence form that confuses you, and I'll translate it into English.

Cardinal

08:30

hold on a second

I am searching for it

I had asked before

Internet is down today in the town !

I am working on it

@TIPS here it is:

1

Q: Can "can" be used to imply "become being able to"?

Consider: They are waiting for rain to stop so that they can return to their home. I want to imply that: "they are waiting for the rain to stop" make them able to return to their home. In other words, can "can" be used to imply "become being able to"? Is the highlighted sentence gram...

TIPS

What's the sentence, in Persian?

Cardinal

I want to know that can "can" be implied as بتوانند

برای اینکه بتوانند

TIPS

Of course it can.

Cardinal

So, thus can we say that can can be used in subjunctive mood ?

TIPS

@Cardinal No.

Anonymous

08:37

@TIPS I tend to type smileys if I'm smiling.

TIPS

can in English isn't "in subjunctive mood".

@snailplane So the latter, nervous smiler!

Cardinal

Its weird since subjunctives in our language translates to English which is not considered subjunctive, but convey the same connotation. :s

TIPS

That's language

Cardinal

بتواند= subjunctive in Persian = can = is not subjunctive in English
می تواند = simple present in Persian = can = is not subjunctive in English, too

Am I right?

TIPS

Yes.

Cardinal

08:41

wow

I am forgetting Engineering ! Languages are awesome :)

TIPS

In fact, modals (can, could, might etc.) are bare infinitives @Card.

English modal verbs

The modal verbs of English are a small class of auxiliary verbs used mostly to express modality (properties such as possibility, obligation, etc.). They can be distinguished from other verbs by their defectiveness (they do not have participle or infinitive forms) and by the fact that they do not take the ending -(e)s in the third-person singular. The principal English modal verbs are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will and would. Certain other verbs are sometimes, but not always, classed as modals; these include ought, had better, and (in certain uses) dare and need. Verbs which share...

Cardinal

Oh, I see

@TIPS Thank you

Man_From_India

@Cardinal R u too from Parsia?

Engineering? Civil? :-)

Cardinal

yeah

Hello dear

Nop

Electrical

:))

@Man_From_India

Man_From_India

Oh good :-)

Just realised haven't seen JR and MaulikV recently. Where is our mod?

Cardinal

08:53

Oh, what a name ! :)

animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/cardinal

Males can be aggressive when defending their territory, and they frequently attack other males who intrude. This tendency sometimes leads cardinals to fly into glass windows, when they charge an "intruding bird" that is really their own reflection.

Man_From_India

O I spotted JR just now :-) what a coincidence! He left a comment 15 min back.

@Cardinal r u "he" or "she"?

Cardinal

Does the game angry birds have something with them? They look pretty similar to them

@Man_From_India he

Man_From_India

@Cardinal hehe right

Cardinal

I was thinking to cardinal numbers when I chose the name, It is interesting :))

Man_From_India

It indeed is!

Cardinal

09:49

@CowperKettle = animals hibernate in the winter

CowperKettle

thanks!

Cardinal

YW

StoneyB

12:31

@Cardinal and here are cardinals in their natural habitat:

CowperKettle

I shot this 10 minutes ago nearby my house, on a sidewalk.

> Love your cat. Feed it. And never let it go.

I'm not sure in my translation of "never let it go".

The original is closer to "never ditch it" or "never jilt it".

I don't know what is the typical expression in English for ditching your house feline.

@StoneyB Ah, the same red color!

StoneyB

"Never let it go" has some legs:[ stlyrics.com/lyrics/southpacific/someenchantedevening.htm]

The guys in my picture are the St Louis Cardinals.

CowperKettle

> Error 404
We're sorry but the page you are trying to reach is currently not available. Probably the page was removed or you made a mistake in your URL

@StoneyB Yes, I guessed as much! (0:

I have a friend who is a fan of St Petersburg Zenit Soccer Club

StoneyB

That's odd; try this

CowperKettle

His wooden izba's russian stove is colored white and blue, with Zenit signs.

His cat's name is Zenit.

StoneyB

12:44

Here's a whole buncha cardinals of a different sort:

CowperKettle

@StoneyB I recalled Izhiguro's novel "Never let me go" when trying to translate the sign.

StoneyB

That logo's a nice piece of design.

CowperKettle

Yes, his izba is full of that design inside, it's all white and blue. ^_^

Zenith

The zenith (UK /ˈzɛnɪθ/, US /ˈziːnɪθ/) is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the imaginary celestial sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction opposite to the apparent gravitational force at that location. The opposite direction, i.e. the direction in which gravity pulls, is toward the nadir. The zenith is the "highest" point on the celestial sphere (meaning it is the farthest up from the gravitational force). Zenith is sometimes used as a given name, most commonly for males. == Origin == The word "zenith" derives from an inaccurate reading of the Arabic expression...

Cardinal

@StoneyB It is great, but whether the religious guys' name derived from the bird or the bird's name. I know it is not a normal question, but I become a little curious.

My internet connection is very poor, ... :(

CowperKettle

13:02

Do you use WiFi?

I had no internet for several hours yesterday, but that was a very rare occurrence.

Hi, @V.V.!

StoneyB

The ecclesiastical cardinals are "Cardinal Bishops"--that is, the principal bishops of the Church. They traditionally wear red, so their name was given to the bird when it was discovered in the New World. The baseball team received the name when they appeared in uniforms with red trim and a lady remarked "What a lovely shade of cardinal"; a couple decades later the "Birds on the Bat" logo was created to reflect the name.

V.V.

Hi, everyone!

StoneyB

Yo, @V.V.!

Cardinal

@CowperKettle yes
@V.V. Hi
@StoneyB Thank you

StoneyB

PROSPERO: And by my prescience
I find my zenith doth depend upon
A most auspicious star, whose influence
If now I court not but omit, my fortunes
Will ever after droop.

V.V.

13:07

@StoneyB, nice to see you.

Cardinal

@StoneyB The paintings on walls are captivating, wow

V.V.

Where do cardinals live, besides LO and Rome?

Cardinal

You mean birds ?

V.V.

Yeah

StoneyB

@CowperKettle " this forseide cenyth is ymagened to ben the verrey point ouer the crowne of thyn heued / & also this senyth is the verrey pool of the orisonte in euery regioun." --Chaucer, "Treatise on the Astrolabe"

Cardinal

13:16

Their habitat is in North America, I think. I didn't think about the Europe

StoneyB

@V.V. Primarily at Busch Stadium:

Cardinal

:))) bingo

V.V.

Lol

CowperKettle

(0:

CowperKettle

13:52

I recalled the word: abandon

> Love your cat. Feed it. And never abandon it.

> Prior to the first administration of the drug, 2 patients withdrew from the study, which necessitated their replacement; a further 2 female patients were not included in the pharmacokinetic analysis in order to avoid the violation of pharmacokinetic study criteria.

Can you violate "criteria"? Or is it better to write "requirements"?

Criteria here is a calque of Russian "критерии" (kriteriyi)

> Prior to the first administration of the drug, 2 patients withdrew from the study, which necessitated their replacement; a further 2 female patients were not included in the pharmacokinetic analysis in order to ensure the compliance with the pharmacokinetic study criteria.

> Prior to the first administration of the drug, 2 patients withdrew from the study, which necessitated finding substitutes; in order to avoid a violation of the pharmacokinetic study criteria, a further 2 female patients were not included in the pharmacokinetic analysis.

"avoid a violation" seems better.

Cardinal

I think criteria is plural

CowperKettle

14:08

It sure is.

Cardinal

pharmacokinetic study is a set of studies ?

CowperKettle

I just used "the" because in that context there must be some specific set of criteria.

@Cardinal I know not. I think it's a single study.

StoneyB

I'd say you can "meet" criteria, or "fail to meet" or "fall short of" them; but what is "followed" or "violated" is the protocols, which are "rules", not the criteria, which are merely measures.

But of course Great Mother Russian may employ "критерии" as she sees fit.

CowperKettle

(0:

Cardinal

:)

CowperKettle

14:10

"in order to avoid falling short of study criteria"

Yes, in Russian it is idiomatic to "violate criteria"

> in order to meet the pharmacokinetic study criteria, a further 2 female patients were not included in the pharmacokinetic analysis.

Cardinal

I think criteria has different a connotation than ass.umption or consideration, premises, ... it means a measure or rule.

you use criteria to distinguish one thing from the others

Being loyal to the study assumptions, a further 2 female patients were not included in the pharmacokinetic analysis.

CowperKettle

I wonder why we omit "of" in "The study aims to show that the administration of 2.5 mg/day Somecooldrug improves the endpoints..."

> Collect the vials (syringes) with the finished product from the rotating accumulation table in accordance with the above table, separating the units collected from the beginning, middle and end portions of the batch.

I have two tables here, with different senses. (0:

But I guess the user will understand.

The original Russian was a hard nut to crack.

> разделив определяемое количество на отбор в начале, середине и конце розлива.

Literally, "having subdivided the necessary quantity into [sampling] from the beginning, the middle and the end of the filling".

This "having" means that by the end of collecting you shall have three groups of vials. It's kind of in the future.

StoneyB

14:27

That "rotating accumulation table" is pretty opaque to me.

CowperKettle

14:46

It was a mystery to me too.

Cardinal

@CowperKettle the second highlighted sentence should change to "of"

You used for in both

StoneyB

Ah. Do I understand that the entire "batch" (which I presume is a production batch) is not used, but only samples from it?

CowperKettle

Thanks!

@StoneyB Yes, the pharmaceutical inspector collects some vials for testing, indicating whether the vial belongs roughly to the "beginning", "middle" or "end" portion of the batch.

The batch is a big vat with the medicine which is filled into the vials.

StoneyB

And do I understand that "the above table" is a graphic, not the same thing as the "rotating accumulation table"? If so, you might want to use different terms, so the reader is not confused, as I was.

CowperKettle

@StoneyB Yes, the above table is "tablitza" in Russian, which is a paper graph thing.

The words are different in Russian but the same in English.

I don't know of any synonym to "table" in the graphic sense.

Cardinal

14:54

Chart ? does the table has a number ?

CowperKettle

Maybe the way to go is to say "as indicated in the table mentioned above"

@Cardinal I've got no idea what it looks like. (0:

Cardinal

I say this, since in writings, tables and figure are usually named with numbers

CowperKettle

In Russian, the text says "according to the table provided above"

Cardinal

for example Table.1 Fig.1, ...

CowperKettle

There are (is?) no numbers in my text.

Cardinal

14:57

Doesn't the figure or table have any caption? It is weird

CowperKettle

> The high efficacy of the new drug is coupled with a lack of adverse effects that are typical for high-dose parenteral interferon administration.

Now I'm unsure about the lack of article before "adverse effects".

StoneyB

Perhaps "Select the needed number of vials of finished product from the rotating accumulator in accordance with the above table, partitioning the samples into three groups drawn respectively from the beginning, middle and end portions of the batch."

CowperKettle

Maybe "the" would be okay there.

@StoneyB Nice, thank you!

My editor is Russian though and she will nip "rotating accumulator" in the bud, because the original says "table". But okay, not a big deal. (0:

StoneyB

"accumulator plate", then, or "paten"

CowperKettle

> The remainder of the adverse effects (AE) deemed associated with the therapy under study by the researchers were not mentioned as expected for DRUG in the patient information leaflet included with the registered medication.

This was hard to translate.

Russian language's love for commas and for specific constructions makes such sentences much more comprehensible.

In English, it is probably better to cut them in pieces.

> The remainder of the adverse effects (AE) deemed associated with the therapy under study by the researchers were absent from the list of expected AEs for DRUG in the patient information leaflet included with the registered medication. However, these AEs have been described in the literature dedicated to the analysis of DRUG effects in humans.

Cardinal

15:09

does " included with the registered medication" modify leaflet ?

CowperKettle

yes

one can say "leaflet that comes with the registered medication"

In short, the study authors discovered that some of the observed adverse effects were somehow not mentioned in the leaflet.

StoneyB

1) It's not clear there whether the failure to mention those AE was or was not expected; and I have to wonder whether "expected" is strong enough. Was a venial oversight or a violation of regulations? 2) Who deemed those AE to be associated with the therapy? Does by the researchers modify study or deemed?

3) Was this "deeming" part of the outcome of the study or was it previously known?

CowperKettle

@StoneyB Researchers modify deemed

1. Researchers conducted a study of a known drug.

2. They found some side effects

3. They discovered that some of those effects are not mentioned in the drug's package insert

4. They discovered that these effects are mentioned in PubMed (or "on PubMed"?)

The guys who wrote the package insert failed to mention the full gamut of the drug's side effects, either through a lack of thorough googling, or driven by some other motivation.

But the sentence is crafted in a way that evades accusing anyone.

Man_From_India

0

A: being+ past participle

"Being" is a gerund here, which is used wherever you could use a noun, so yes, it's a noun phrase. You can replace "being demonstrated or proved" with "demonstration or proof" without significant shift in the meaning, IMHO.

That being demonstrated or proved after the preposition without is a Gerund-Participle form of verb - a Verb Phrase. Right? But the answer here says something different.

Cardinal

@Man_From_India I forgot to accept that answer ! thank you for that ! :-)

Man_From_India

15:18

being demonstarted or proved - a Verb phrase, right?

Cardinal

At that time I was very noob in English :))

Now, I know "without being demonstrated" is an adverbial participle

Man_From_India

I think it's never a NP, let's ask @StoneyB and @CowperKettle

TIPS

Sheesh, these faces talk too much.

CowperKettle

> The remaining adverse effects (AEs), which, according to the researchers, are associated with the therapy under study, are not listed as expected for DRUG in the patient information leaflet that comes with the registered medication. However, descriptions of these AEs have been found in the literature that analyzes the effects of DRUG in humans.

Cardinal

he left the home without locking the door
here, without locking the door is an adverbial participle clause modifying his action

CowperKettle

15:22

@TIPS Good evening!

Cardinal

@TIPS hi there

TIPS

@CowperKettle \o

@Cardinal Hi here

CowperKettle

@TIPS Happy End of Ramadan!

Man_From_India

@Cardinal adjunct. I guess. And it's realised by a PP - without locking the door

TIPS

@CowperKettle \o/

StoneyB

15:23

"Other adverse affects (AEs) which the researchers found to be associated with the therapy under study did not appear on the list of expected AEs in the patient information leaflet ..." In the US this "leaflet" would probably be called a "sheet", or would be referred to as the "CMI" (Consumer Medication Information).

TIPS

@Cardinal Clause? No

CowperKettle

@StoneyB That's great, thank you!

I like "did not appear on"

@StoneyB Would "other" mean exactly "the remainder of"? Or could it mean "some other"?

On translation sites, I find English speakers providing good advice - but only when the original is minutely described to them. They often fail to grasp this or that quirk of the Russian text. (0:

StoneyB

@Cardinal without locking the door is a preposition phrase; locking the door is a gerund clause which is the PP's oblique

Cardinal

:)))))))

@TIPS prepositional phrase ?

The internet is really degenerated

TIPS

@Cardinal Yes, phrase.

Cardinal

15:27

@StoneyB I should do several "retry" to send a text successfully

Man_From_India

@Cardinal You did the best not accepting that answer :-)

Cardinal

I wanted to say that:

He left the home **not** locking the door
or
He left the home without locking the door

or

CowperKettle

@Cardinal With phone lines, one idiomatic phrase is "you're breaking up" (the line peforms so poorly that your voice breaks up)

Cardinal

not locking the door, he left the home

CowperKettle

@Cardinal Leaving the door open, the left.

Cardinal

15:31

@CowperKettle thanks

CowperKettle

Or "leaving the door ajar"

TIPS

@Cardinal Both are grammatical, but grammaticality isn't the only thing deciding whether a native speaker of English would say it or not.

CowperKettle

> She was jarred and very sore
When they showed her to the door.
(I might hit off the door that was a jar!)

StoneyB

@CowperKettle It depends on context. Have all the effects been listed, or has a comprehensive list at least been mentioned, before this sentence? If so, then "the remainder' has a recoverable meaning; if not, then the missing effects do not "remain".

Cardinal

@TIPS yes, I was talking to @Man_From_India. I wanted to say or correct something but internet connection is really poor

CowperKettle

15:35

@StoneyB I see. Thank you!

Cardinal

It is interesting how a adverbial participle can be changed to a prepositional phrase having the same meaning:

He reached the city by taking a bus
Taking a bus, he reached the city

StoneyB

@CowperKettle But if your editor insists that you put "remain" in, I would say The remaining AEs rather than The remainder of the AEs. It demands less parsing, and it's less pompous.

CowperKettle

@StoneyB Thank you!

Man_From_India

@Cardinal I think that is adjunct, and it's realised by a Prepositional Phrase. Take some other example - The world is where we all live in. The subject of the sentence is realised by a Noun phrase - The world.

StoneyB

15:50

@Man_From_India Where we all live, without in. Where is a pro-PP and has the preposition "built in".

Man_From_India

@StoneyB nods

Cardinal

@CowperKettle I think you can use "on the turntable machine", What do you think @StoneyB ?

Man_From_India

Looks like a CD/DVD container :-)

StoneyB

@Cardinal I was looking for something which avoided using "table", since that word is used again in the same sentence in a different sense.

Cardinal

@StoneyB nods

Man_From_India

15:57

@StoneyB Is being demonstrated or proved after the preposition is a verb phrase? I know it's Gerund-Participle of verb.

> Declared as true without being demonstrated or proved, ...

StoneyB

Verb phrase is an iffy term; in linguistics it usually means a phrase comprising a verb, its modifiers, and its "internal" complements--that is, all its arguments except its subject.

But some linguists use the term to designate only the phrase comprising a lexical verb with preceding auxiliaries.

Man_From_India

Ah yes I remember it. So it varies from grammrian to grammarian.

Ah yes I remember it now. So it varies from grammrian to grammarian.

CowperKettle

16:54

0

Q: past simple or present perfect for a past action with effect on present

Sorry for the late reply, I was away for the weekend, I saw you had already placed another order so I owe you the extra 7€ you've spent for the shipping, let me know if you want a refund Could have I written spent instead of have spent, spent because the spending of money was in the past eve...

past-tense

I think that "spent" is even better than "have spent"

Cardinal

I have problem with this part:

"I saw you had already placed another order so ..."

TIPS

17:28

@Cardinal What problem?

Cardinal

17:44

Nothing serious, before so is in past tense after so is in present, I got confused when I was reading it for the first time

It has been solved :)

I would say I see you already placed another ...

@TIPS

TIPS

Yes?

Cardinal

Nothing Just a notification, I have to retry several times to send a message.

Sina

19:23

@TIPS Happy fitr eve :-))))

Sina

19:57

@Færd @Cardinal Happy Fitr Eve:)))

Færd

@Sina Thanks. To you too.

Cardinal

20:28

Thank you pal

Cardinal

20:45

I was looking up "stagger" in my offline dictionary, the third meaning is given as:

to arrange for events that would normally happen at the same time to start or happen at different times

My question is that shouldn't it be a semicolon between time and to ?

i.e., ... happen at the same time; to start or happen at different times

Damkerng T.

That would be odd.

One quick-and-dirty way to think of semicolons is to think of them as big commas.

Cardinal

@DamkerngT. Would you tell me more about it ? using semicolon is odd?

Damkerng T.

If even a comma isn't called for, a semicolon will be wrong.

Cardinal

the problem is

Damkerng T.

A semicolon is like half-comma, half-period.

Cardinal

20:50

I think without any punctuation the sentence is nonesense

Damkerng T.

Hah!

Why would you think that?

Cardinal

... the same time to start or happen at different times

Damkerng T.

BTW, it's not a sentence per se.

to arrange for events that would normally happen at the same time to start or happen at different times is a phrase.

events that would normally happen at the same time to start or happen at different times is a noun phrase

Things happen at the same time to start or happen at different times -- Now we've got a sentence.

But things that happen at the same time to start or happen at different times is a noun phrase.

Cardinal

I meant when you use normally about two mutually exclusive things, it sounds odd

Damkerng T.

> 1. These two events may happen at the same time to start or happen at different times.

Cardinal

20:53

happening in the same time and happening in different times are completely opposite

Damkerng T.

> 2. These two events may happen at the same time to start, or happen at different times.

Both 1 and 2 are fine, but we wouldn't use a semicolon in the place of comma here.

@Cardinal It's not odd at all, really.

Cardinal

Yes, I see

Damkerng T.

Actually, I think most editors (people, not programs) would prefer 1 to 2 (the one with a comma).

Cardinal

I didn't recognize the to+infinitive after time

Damkerng T.

Inserting a comma there breaks the train of thought.

Cardinal

20:57

I haven't seen that very often

Damkerng T.

I see.

Cardinal

@DamkerngT. Thx

Damkerng T.

You're welcome!

4

Q: "Typical of" or "typical for"?

Background Reading this post, I realized that I had a tendency to use "typical for" rather than "typical of". After a quick research, reading through several sources on the web, I found that the more I read, the more I got confused. I felt like there is no established rules to state which one i...

word-usage

> I felt like there is no established rules to state which one is more appropriate, in which occasion.

That was me a couple years ago (before joining ELL).

The sentence is somewhat problematic, but I think I wasn't aware of it back then. (I'll leave the post like that, though.)

The comma is out of place.

The preposition is wrong, the use of pronoun which is awkward, the tense is a little awkward.

The verb agreement is incorrect, too.

Actually, the part to state is also awkward.

@stangdon - interesting! In Russian, we never use the verb in this sentence. "It my coat". It is called "zero copula" (нулевая связка): the copular "is" is implied but not pronounced. — CowperKettle 9 hours ago

Note to self: Even though in Thai, we'd say 'That it coat me' for 'That's my coat', no Thai learners would say 'That it coat me'. This might be something about language learning.

Cardinal

21:21

Can we use the phrase gain favor with sb in a formal context ?

He did almost anything to gain favor with the boss, for example

Is it a good Idea to ask it on ELL?

Araucaria

@Cardinal "The boss" isn't very formal. What kind of context were you thinking of?

Cardinal

An essay in an English exam, TOEFL

Araucaria

That would be ok then, but you would want something like 'his boss' or 'his manager' though.

Cardinal

I am just very tired now, here the time is almost 2:00 AM

Thank you for correcting me, I just wanted write a sentence

Araucaria

@Cardinal Know the feeling! Have got to do some work though before I go to bed. I didn't mean to correct you, but I thought it might be useful for you :) Good luck with the TOEFL!

@DamkerngT. Ciao old bean!

Cardinal

21:28

I like being corrected, I appreciate it

Damkerng T.

@Araucaria Ciao! o/

Cardinal

@Araucaria I am a fan of azzuri! I like Bufon, I watched the whole game

I just thought you are Italian, I don't know why. Perhaps I should go to the bed! Thank you

Damkerng T.

Puzzle of the Day 20160706 (What did the kid say?): drive.google.com/file/d/0B8KKQ0fwLEZ9cFRNZ1A2ZzBOd1k/…

@Araucaria The puzzle above may be interesting for you! ;-)

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