Language Overflow

Anonymous

00:36

@CowperKettle I don't think Grammarly is very good. Treat with suspicion.

Anonymous

If you use it as a tool to suggest something might be wrong, but always use your own head to decide if it's actually wrong, then I think you'll be okay with it.

Anonymous

But it definitely doesn't give reliable advice.

Kinzle B

00:48

Hi, @snailplane Are you still around?

CowperKettle

03:29

@snailplane Of course that's the way any translator would use it. (0:

> China installed 20 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity in the first half of 2016, three times as much as during the same period a year ago, state news agency Xinhua reported late on Thursday citing the country's largest solar industry lobby.

Wow. That's equal to 20 nucular reactors in output.

Good morning, fellow overflowers.

Damkerng T.

Good morning!

China is the new energy source, perhaps. :D

CowperKettle

(0:

The more solar power, the better, IMHO

Damkerng T.

03:46

In the first unanswered question on the main page:

More context is needed in 1). It could mean you will be surprised or someone or something will give you an electric shock. In 2), faded could be slang, so you need to listen to the whole song to understand the intended meaning better. (But note that lyric interpretation is usually considered off-topic on ELL.) — Damkerng T. 21 secs ago

(It makes sense why it hasn't been answered yet.)

Damkerng T.

04:16

As a native speaker of American English I can say the use of which here is fine. — Alan Carmack 7 mins ago

Yay! Another myth is busted! -- IIRC, it was S&W or maybe Fowler who came up with that rule.

> Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.
--Mark Twain (supposedly)

(Those two paragraphs up there aren't of the same thread!)

Damkerng T.

05:24

Word of the Day: reminiscence

2

(I know it's not a difficult one, but I like the word. :-)

Damkerng T.

06:41

1

Q: Words to say about someone being almost the same age as you are

Seeking the alternatives to saying about someone that he is almost the same age as I am, I came across the words agemate and batchmate. In the Russian language, there are several one-word terms to tell about a person born around the year you were born: ровестник -- approximately of the same ag...

Russian has a lot of interesting words!

CowperKettle

06:53

Indeed!

> I first encountered the word Agemate a few moments ago in your post, and I've been reading and writing English for over 65 years; this may answer your question about use! Batchmate is primarily used in South Asian English, and seems not be in wide use even there.

Morning, Avi!

"Batchmate" sounds outright technical and clinical

As if used to describe clones from a same strain

Avicenna

@CowperKettle Morning :-)

@DamkerngT. Now, you are beginning to have feelings for words.

Remember this?

Jun 25 at 18:16, by Damkerng T.

What I care the most is only meaning.

Damkerng T.

07:13

@Avicenna Hi! -- It was the right word at that moment, so! :-)

@CowperKettle I'll admit that I laughed (sorry!) reading that word!

The word makes me think of tissue culture. :D

0

Q: What is the meaning of big in this sentence?

Source This was big for bankers, up until the year 2008 when the global financial crisis hit. What is the meaning of big in this sentence?

meaning meaning-in-context

I was TKOed by the question!

Avicenna

@DamkerngT. Hi! I know. But I mean this moment, so! ;-)

@DamkerngT. I couldn't access the source. I guess it means important.

Damkerng T.

I wouldn't've thought anyone (who can write some English) would need an explanation for big!

Avicenna

I know!

Just checking my understanding.

Damkerng T.

Oh, I don't think you have any problem with it. :D

Avicenna

Thank you! :D

I wonder where @TIPS is? He has not been around for a while!

Damkerng T.

07:30

Preparing himself for an exam?

Avicenna

Maybe!

We were backbiting him on ELU.

Did you read it?

Damkerng T.

?

I haven't checked ELU out for weeks.

Avicenna

in Conversational English, Jul 17 at 20:33, by GreatBigBore

Yes, a very good writer. Good grammar, coherent structure, good points elaborated very well. His response was a little bit harsh and sarcastic; most regular SE users would agree that this was appropriate, given the level of whining from the OP.

Damkerng T.

07:46

> Can you translate that we need a new translator?
--Veep, Season 5

Now I want to know what in Chinese she translated the sentence before that to.

A-ha! I couldn't remember the whole line. It was, Can you translate "we need to get a new translator"?, according to some websites.

(The sentence before that in the translation was My family is here as a cover story. After the translator translated it, she hastily added, No, but I didn't. I didn't do that. I'm not I didn't make that face. Then, Shall we carry on this way?, and then Can you translate "we need to get a new translator"?)

Avicenna

@DamkerngT. BTW, did walking dead finish?

Damkerng T.

I think so. I haven't watched the last few episodes (season 6) yet. (They're still on my PVR.)

BTW, you may recognize my PVR as DVR.

Avicenna

@DamkerngT. You mean you recorded them, right?

Damkerng T.

Yes. It's a feature of my set-top box so that I can watch two programs at the same time or watch a program later.

Avicenna

But, here is a good advice, delete them all :-)

Damkerng T.

07:59

LOL

Why so?

Avicenna

Because of all harsh scenes I saw in it.

Damkerng T.

Ohhhh

Avicenna

BTW, They speak fast and sometimes it was really dufficault for me to understand what they say. Is it the same for you.

Damkerng T.

Sometimes, but not very often.

Avicenna

But for me, very often.

Damkerng T.

08:03

Sometimes it happens to almost a whole program, so I think maybe the recording quality and the quality of my TV (hehe!) are part of the problem. :D

I can work around that by turning the volume up, but it could disturb others.

Avicenna

No, for me it was about their accent, especially when Carl was speaking.

Damkerng T.

I had that kind of problem, too, but it's rather rare. I remember that there was a series about drug addicts in England, and they spoke in dialects I'm not familiar with (like, at all!). But that kind of program is quite rare.

I guess it'd be like an "in-da-hood" version of British accents.

Avicenna

You knwo he was mainly mumbling than speaking, as far as I remember.

Damkerng T.

I think they want to portray real people.

Avicenna

@DamkerngT. nods.

Damkerng T.

08:08

Real people wouldn't enunciate their speech, most of the time, I think.

Avicenna

Whatching it, I was thinking "Can I understand Americans if I have face to face conversation?"

Damkerng T.

@Avicenna It'll become easier, sooner or later, trust me.

IMO, face-to-face is easier.

Avicenna

@DamkerngT. I really hope so! :-)

Damkerng T.

For one thing, we can read their lips. Another thing is we can ask back.

"Do you mean ...?" was one of my favorite questions. Especially when I wasn't sure if the other said can or can't. :-)

Avicenna

@DamkerngT. I would drive them crazy then, with asking them repeat their words! :D

Damkerng T.

08:12

Oh, the trick is don't repeat their words, but rephrase them in a way that would force them to say yes or no according to the terms you understand. ;-)

Avicenna

@DamkerngT. Good strategy!

Damkerng T.

It worked pretty well. :D

Avicenna

I will keep it in mind, and save it for a rainy day :D

Damkerng T.

Sure! :D

Avicenna

08:50

macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/…

I like this website's quizzes!

ucha

...major effect as well as waves is of rivers.

Does such an "of" usage exist in english?

Anonymous

09:49

@ucha We would need the complete sentence to comment on the example.

Cardinal

Although he knew about many things, he was a callow tyro when it came to **relating to girls** .

Is it, "*relating to girls*", a kind of leaving out or "relating to the girls" is gerund phrase acting as the noun for the preposition "to", i.e. "came to" is a verb as a whole?

@snailplane Hello snaily

Damkerng T.

This relating to girls is noun-like.

What it really is is another matter. I'm not the best person to judge that. :D

Damkerng T.

10:05

I don't think so. It followed up those patients, i.e., it followed them up. It did that for six months after their "discharge home". I'm not sure what would be the best way to explain this syntactically, though. — Damkerng T. 44 secs ago

Maybe this home is a preposition (again!).

Hi, @KinzleB!

@ucha What snailboat said. I think it should be okay (though I haven't seen the entire sentence).

Kinzle B

@DamkerngT. Hi, evening!

Damkerng T.

If you're in the business of solar cells, congrats!

(according to the news CowperKettle posted some hours ago)

Kinzle B

The energy industry has collapsed considerably since oil price has been plummeting. @DamkerngT.

Damkerng T.

Ahh

Kinzle B

Solar energy doesn't sound a good idea to me.

Damkerng T.

10:11

Hah! I think green is good. :D

Kinzle B

The cost benefit would be much lower than the traditional energy sources.

Damkerng T.

nods -- Maybe it'll be much better in the next decades.

If its price follows the same pattern of computers, it could be much cheaper in a decade or two.

Kinzle B

The government could think differently. The unemployment would cause social instability. @DamkerngT.

Damkerng T.

nods -- I think the change won't be abrupt, but it will change little by little.

Kinzle B

China is suffering from economic downturn. The South China Sea has become a major concern.

Damkerng T.

10:20

I guess we can't say 2016 is a good year. :(

Kinzle B

I'm not sure if a war will be triggered. :(

Cardinal

Kinzle B

I don't know what the media in your country is stating on the issue. Which side are you on? US or China? @DamkerngT.

Cardinal

@KinzleB war between what countries ?

Damkerng T.

@KinzleB I try to be like the Swiss as much as I can. :D

Kinzle B

10:27

Possibly the World War Three

Cardinal

The important thing is China supports North Korea and that shows how much hey respect for democracy and individual liberries. We have roughly same problem in Iran.

People hate N.K's attitude but government do not criticize its uncivilized practices

Kinzle B

@Cardinal China is not what your media depicts. We dislike N.K. as well.

Cardinal

I think, the problem is in our hands, rather west countries @KinzleB

Our government is an allay with Russia and China

The media sucks

The internet as well as china, even worse

We must learn to respect others and bear others' existence

In 2016, such discourses are ridiculous and, I think, any country taking part in it, would experience irreparable damages.

Kinzle B

Yep, stop criticizing each other and respect each other.

Cardinal

10:42

correction: an allay is wrong, an ally is correct ***

CowperKettle

10:56

Afternoon!

> Chris King, from Doncaster, lost both his hands, apart from the thumbs, in an accident involving a metal pressing machine at work three years ago.
The 57-year-old received two new hands from a donor and says he already has some movement in them.

Wow

> Scientists have discovered that a molecule in pomegranates, transformed by microbes in the gut, enables muscle cells to protect themselves against one of the major causes of aging.

sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160711120533.htm

Man_From_India

@DamkerngT. I can't understand the meaning of after their discharge home.

Does it mean discharge from somewhere to home?

CowperKettle

Yes, from the clinic

Damkerng T.

@Man_From_India It's as CowperKettle said.

Man_From_India

Hmmm thanks.

CowperKettle

> In the rodent studies, like with C. elegans, a significant reduction in the number of mitochondria was observed, indicating that a robust cellular recycling process was taking place. Older mice, around two years of age, showed 42% better endurance while running than equally old mice in the control group.

Lucky Iranians! You have pomegranates by the peck

Hm.. I should add "by the peck" to Wiktionary

Man_From_India

11:29

The word-home - is really interesting.

CowperKettle

11:44

Is it the usual practice to use the word "Limits" in table heads if the column lists the acceptable ranges of parameters for the product?

Cardinal

12:13

@CowperKettle What does this have with Iranians? By the way, I love pomegranates

CowperKettle

@Cardinal There are not too much pomegranates in Russia, so you Iranians are lucky

Cardinal

Aha he he

CowperKettle

or "not too many", probably

Cardinal

good evening

CowperKettle

Evening!

Man_From_India

12:21

@Cardinal this sentence is correct.

> He was sojourning in Panama when he heard of the riches being found in that far off land.

I don't know what furtive to-infinitive is.

Cardinal

Thanks, but what is difference ?

@Man_From_India That is concocted by me

Consider this:

Man_From_India

No difference in meaning, but their grammatical constructions are different.

Cardinal

Police are to search all the houses in this street

This refers to future

Man_From_India

Wait

This two are not the same as the one you quoted in your question.

> police is to search...

Cardinal

Which pairs?

Man_From_India

12:24

This is the example of be + to construction.

> this refers to future.

This use of to is called grammatisized use of preposition, doesn't mean much.

Cardinal

nods

Man_From_India

Or you can call it a phrasal verb. The particle is the preposition to.

You can find a lot of reference in Google about be + to. Yes they refer to the action not yet done, going to happen, but when? This is to be decided from the context.

Cardinal

I think furtive to+infinitive is used to describe imminent events

The very close future

Hi @StoneyB, good local time

StoneyB

@Cardinal Hi -- nicely put!

Cardinal

"nicely put", does it mean something has been put nicely? What does it mean?

StoneyB

12:37

I think the infinitive here is employed in the sense of prospective obligation or opportunity, as in I have a job to do (a job which I am expected to perform) or We have a whole new world to conquer (a world which is available for conquest). The wealth is there for some enterprising Conquistador to find and take.

Cardinal

nods

StoneyB

@Cardinal To put something nicely or badly or cogently or awkwardly is to express it in that way. I meant that "good local time* was an apt way of expressing your good wishes without referring to a time of day you couldn't be sure of.

Cardinal

@StoneyB Oh, I see. ^_^

@StoneyB "obligation or opportunity" in passive voice, Hmm, I think I am confused

We have a whole new world to be conquered
We have a whole new world to conquer

I can see the opportunity in the above examples, however in the case of my question I am confused. I don't know how to construe that situation

"he heard of the riches to be found in that far off land"

StoneyB

You're waffling back and forth here between different subjects of the verb find.

Consider the I have a job to do construction, where the infinitival to do is an adjunct (modifier) on job. If the subject of do is not expressed, we backtrack to the subject of the clause to find it: I must do the job. If you want to express a different subject you must make that explicit AND you must introduce the infinitival with the subordinator for: I have a job for you to do. ... BUT:

When the infinitival to do is cast in the passive, to be done, what's the subject? It's not the Agent of do, but the Patient of do. In that case we take the subject to be the entity modified, the job.

And what about the Agent of passive do? --it may be left unspecified (a job to be done) or it may be specified using a preposition phrase with by. If it's unspecified, it may be anybody--in this case we don't go back to the main clause to find who has to do the job.

So riches to be found means riches which may be found by anybody.

Cardinal

13:03

I see

Thanks you

Krishn Shweta

17:04

Hi

CowperKettle

17:25

Word of the day: clinically correlate

> Bored Radiologist Clinically Correlates Everything Himself

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