Language Overflow

Cardinal

14:00

@DEAD How could you edit something that you cannot understand it ?

@Araucaria Hi !

And good evening all

DEAD

@Araucaria I'll still spend time here if I don't get elected. It's more like what Colleen's doing. "If I'm wasting time, let it be more effectively wasted"

And well, life isn't supposed to be fun.

Cardinal

@Araucaria I was 95% sure about that

DEAD

Life means caring. No one is more alive than a caring mother @Arau. But she's the one that gets sick looking after her sick child.

@Cardinal It's not that we can't, it's that others can't.

Once you get in touch with enough bad English, you start to make sense out of things others can't @Card.

Cardinal

@DEAD I have seen some posts here on the ELL that I think none could understand what was the OP's intention without asking him in comment.

@DEAD I agree some how

DEAD

@Cardinal Well, obviously no one can make sense out of random keyboard mashing with a sauce of txtspk.

Cardinal

14:05

:D

DEAD

See

6

Q: How to salvage/improve questions: a guide by example

TL;DR: let's make a catalog of "How to salvage your question" examples. There are a handful of reasons that a lot of our questions on our main site, ELL, get closed on. Except for "duplicate of ...", most, if not all, of the questions that got closes on these reasons are salvageable, in my hum...

Anonymous

I did think about running, even though I haven't been active. I think it would be okay to run, even despite my inactivity, if I were willing to commit to actively moderating. Participating as a user and moderating are two different things, after all.

Anonymous

But I think my ideas about how the site should be moderated are too different from the existing moderators'.

Anonymous

So it wouldn't end well, even if hypothetically I got elected. :-)

Anonymous

Anyway, I'd probably lose.

DEAD

14:08

After Colleen nominated, I considered withdrawing, since Nathan and Colleen are the two candidates right now I want to see with a mod badge. But then I thought that ELL still wouldn't have an active chatter as a mod @Arau, so I'm on the fence on whether I should withdraw or not.

Anonymous

I see Dog Lover is running again.

DEAD

@snailplane But you has reps, and you're snailplane.

@snailplane He wants to stay in shape.

Anonymous

@DEAD Well, those things don't make me good at moderating :-)

Anonymous

I'm probably going to vote for Colleen.

DEAD

@snailplane They make you good at winning, and I'm pretty damn sure you're an awesome mod.

Anonymous

14:11

@DEAD On Japanese.SE, I think all three moderators are pretty much on the same page. :-)

DEAD

Yeah. The "moderators" tab in \users

Anonymous

We have a consensus about how to handle things like answers in comments, and so forth.

DEAD

Even on SO, mods are all still in the same page.

Anonymous

That would not be the case on ELL if I were elected :-)

Anonymous

I think that would be bad.

Araucaria

14:13

@snailplane No, you'd be a shoe in.

DEAD

@snailplane Well, I haven't seen mods on ELL do anything extraordinary after the first election, so the only possible disagreement would be in flag handling.

And that can't cause serious issues.

Cardinal

I don't know why I have a problem with conditional sentences which have a "affirmative unless clause":

You couldn't succeed unless you try hard. (I am OK)
Unless it rains, I will pick you up at 6 o'clock (I am not OK)

DEAD

I don't know why you have a problem.

Cardinal

If it does not rain, I will pick you up

@DEAD I think I cannot imagine that clause as fast as I can do in "if it does not"

DEAD

Sometimes stuff with "unless" gets hard to digest, especially with other conjunctions and adverbs, but there's nothing language can do to help.

Cardinal

14:19

Surprisingly, I am very proficient when it comes to using unless in negative sentences.

DEAD

I'm not surprised.

Cardinal

Maybe it is just a matter of exercising, Shrug

DEAD

Just use "unless" more.

Like when I wanted to use "petaloso" more.

Or @Cowp's . . . hmm, what was that . . . oh, desultory moggie.

Kinzle B

@Araucaria Hi, are you there?

DEAD

What was @Dam trying to use more? Scratches head

Cardinal

14:21

Unless I put more "unless" in the sentences, I won't learn how to use it correctly

Araucaria

@KinzleB Kind of ...

DEAD

@Cardinal *I put

Kinzle B

@Araucaria Could you do me a favor? :)

Cardinal

@DEAD Yes I changed the first one without editing :D

DEAD

The clause after unless doesn't undergo any special syntactic operations.

Araucaria

14:23

@KinzleB I'll try (if it doesn't take too long ...!)

DEAD

"too long" being five minutes

Kinzle B

@Araucaria Plz Help me with it. No hurry. ell.stackexchange.com/questions/100847/…

Araucaria

@KinzleB I'll have a proper look old bean, but it won't be till after I've finished the bit of writing that I'm working on (may be a few days). Looks like a question that @StoneyB might enjoy ...

Kinzle B

@Araucaria Take you time! I think you have a different perspective.

Damkerng T.

@DEAD Plain and simple stuff? :-)

DEAD

14:42

@DamkerngT. Oh. Philosophical

Kinzle B

Hi, @DamkerngT. Why is there only two vacancies for mod? What will happen to the current mods?

DEAD

@KinzleB Nothing. There will be an addition of two mods, two make up a team of five.

@KinzleB And the number of available positions is decided by Community Managers working at SE.

Kinzle B

@DEAD so it'll be permanent for the five?

DEAD

@KinzleB Yes. Mod status isn't revoked unless mods step down themselves.

Or if they do a very, very bad job as a mod, which is very rare.

DEAD

15:04

imgur.com/gallery/VxG2K1w

learner

15:41

@JimReynolds Hi, Reynolds. Thanks for the link. I am still a kitten in the hat phase!

Jim Reynolds

@learner :-)

DEAD

@learner Aren't we all?

Well, not all of us, since @JimR is invisible right now.

learner

@DEAD :)

Jim Reynolds

If I could see my eyes, then I could use them to see.

Catija

@DamkerngT. Do you think that the new meta question would work on Language Learning?

0

Q: Can I learn how to teach as a student of English course?

Sorry if this is off-topic, I couldn't figure out where else to ask. I've self-learned English and I'd say I'm quite proficient. I thought it might be a good idea to teach English as a freelancer. The problem is I don't know any English grammar rules. I learned English by remembering examples a...

discussion

It may not be "answerable".

DEAD

15:49

It's classic POB.

Catija

POB?

DEAD

Aw don't turn me down. :(

Primarily Opinion-Based

Catija

Oh. Sure. Sorry.

learner

16:03

Calling All Helpers!
My home-schooled, 4th grade daughter is all into English and writing. She writes fairly a lot and I want to help her become a writer. I believe she has what it takes. The problem is I live in a place where you cannot easily find people who speak English. She was a native speaker of North American English and speaks it fluently. I am looking for a forum/website for very young writers where she could learn and post her works to be critiqued, etc. Do you have any ideas to help her?

DEAD

Lang8 is a good proofreading website @learner.

learner

@DEAD Thanks DEAD. I'll check it out. I'm looking forward to more ideas.

DEAD

@learner Search on meta.ELL "alternative websites for proofreading".

Although that doesn't cover the "learn" part.

You can also check out Writers.SE @Learner, although I'm not sure how much help that'll be considering I've never visited that site.

If you want her writing to improve, one good trick is to expose her to lots of good writing @learner.

2

learner

@DEAD Current;y her brother and she are practicing using mentor texts. But they need to communicate with others, and let them do it while keeping an eye on them.

Damkerng T.

@Catija Maybe. I'm not sure. It depends a lot on their definition of "teach".

DEAD

16:19

Tell you what. She'd turn into a big writer if she's exposed to @Stoney three times a day for the next week or two.

learner

@DEAD Hahahahah

Damkerng T.

@learner She's already fluent, so the next step would be writing.

DEAD

That's actually insulting to @Stoney. He transforms people into writers much faster than that.

Damkerng T.

There are different kinds of writing, and just being a native speaker of a language doesn't automatically make one a (good) writer.

I'm not a professional writer, so I don't know if I can say much. But I believe finding someone who is or who teaches creative writing (if that's what she's after) would be a good idea.

Technical writing, legalese, journalese, web writing, copy-writing, and novel writing are all different.

Like different kinds of sports, being good or even great in one doesn't guarantee that you'll be good or even just okay in another.

But I believe that if she really wants it, she'll pull it through!

:D

Jim Reynolds

17:16

Does someone happen to be yearning to help me use Ngram?

I want to compare "conk out" frequecy US to UK

@learner Does she have access to lots of books that she enjoys reading?

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds I doubt if we'll find many of it in the Google Ngram corpus.

Jim Reynolds

@learner If she writes a lot, she is a writer.

Damkerng T.

(Also, their US-UK labeling is not always 100% reliable.)

learner

@JimReynolds Honestly, not much for a wannabe writer. I try not to use the computer for reading. Otherwise, the Internet is full and so is my computer!

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds But I write a lot, too. I still don't feel like I'm a writer.

(Just somebody who writes. And mainly only technical stuff at that. :-)

@learner Oh, another important idea. Bring her to book fairs whenever you can!

learner

17:25

@JimReynolds I did not encourage her in practical ways in the past, but I am trying now. She practices imitating sentences every day, at least once a day that is my idea. As for her, she writes some simple stories. I know is not enough, that is why I began to look around for help.

Jim Reynolds

@learner From my fair amount of research, screens can be healthy reading media. It's important to use glasses that filter high energy visible light ("blue light").

From a health standpoint, no one should be sitting or lying down for more than a couple of hours a day. Standing desks can help prevent that.

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Between reading straight from computer screens and ebook readers, maybe E-Ink (paperwhite) is reader-friendlier.

learner

@JimReynolds Wow that's scary!

Jim Reynolds

@DamkerngT. Yes. But the options are complex.

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Options? Like what? -- confused

Jim Reynolds

17:34

E-reader options. I think the major models are often hybrids. They all have lights.

Some point light down on the screen (good), some point them at our retinas from under the screen.

Specs change often.

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Oh, I think it'll come down to only a few (or maybe just two!) when it comes to serious ebook stores. And maybe just one if we want a paperwhite screen.

Jim Reynolds

Show me one online?

Damkerng T.

This is where you should pay me for advertising your products, you know, Amazon!

@JimReynolds trustedreviews.com/news/kobo-aura-one-vs-kindle-paperwhite

Jim Reynolds

Both models have front-lit or back-lit displays, a vital distinction.

Blue light retinal cell damage is an emerging concern. Manufacturers may be reacting quickly. Seperating marketing verbiage from relevent and trustworthy data may not be simple.

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds I use an older model of Kindle (among other readers). Personally, built-in lights are not very important, but maybe because I'm fine with daylight and ambient light.

Jim Reynolds

17:45

I dug pretty deeply on this about a year ago. As I recall, there are some kinds of safe-looking options.

Damkerng T.

In other words, it has no light!

Jim Reynolds

Yes. Well of course. But try to find a new one without light.

Damkerng T.

I thought the Paperwhite model will work exactly the same as older models when the user doesn't turn its light on.

Jim Reynolds

Then, there is too much reflecting off from most artificial lights and sunlight.

Damkerng T.

Oh!

Jim Reynolds

17:48

But ... I'm not disagreeing with you, except to maintain that it can be complex for most people.

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Probably not too complex for most young people. :D

They are digital natives, you know? :P

Jim Reynolds

I don't think many young people are knowledgeable about HEVL.

Damkerng T.

I don't know which one between phone radiation and HEVL is more harmful!

Jim Reynolds

Good point

Cardinal

@DamkerngT. You must reset the feel parameter(s)

Damkerng T.

17:52

@Cardinal Hehe!

Jim Reynolds

I think it's more solidly established that HEVL damages photoreceptors and disrupts sleep architecture.

Cardinal

What is the HEVL?

Damkerng T.

Possibly. Or maybe the mobile industry has more money.

Jim Reynolds

Findings on health impacts of cell phones is mixed, I think.

Cardinal

High Emission of Volatile Light

:D

@DamkerngT. I like Mobile industry :D

Damkerng T.

17:55

@Cardinal Ah, a person from the industry is spotted!

Jim Reynolds

@Car

DEAD

@Cardinal Hell with a rounded vowel

Jim Reynolds

lmgtfy.com

:D

Damkerng T.

I think the kind of stuff I write most often is probably code! :-)

(Wow, actually, the sentence works before and after the edit!)

Cardinal

:D So I guessed roughly true. It has something to do with the light

Jim Reynolds

17:58

@learner If she reads a lot, chances are very high she'll write well.

Cardinal

@JimReynolds Yes, since the field is new

Damkerng T.

@Cardinal No, no. It's Highly Evil, Voracious Light! :P

Jim Reynolds

From a psychological standpoint, the best thing that can happen is that you love what she produces.

Cardinal

Cancer cases should be monitored over 40 years

@DamkerngT. :D

Jim Reynolds

Avoid focusing on what's "correct" or "good".

Damkerng T.

18:00

@Cardinal Where are the nanobots that can cure all health problems the scientists promised us decades ago?!

Cardinal

@DamkerngT. Hmm, I don't know :D

Jim Reynolds

Cleaning out my intestinal microbiome? Burp!

Damkerng T.

:D

Cardinal

The only thing that I can say to you is "mobile networks" are going to increase the number of users drastically

Jim Reynolds

Fundamentally, writing isn't "taught". It's fed with reading and nurtured with appreciation and admiration.

Cardinal

18:04

This technology is called Massive MIMO and is a hot topic in the academic body, GHP#

Jim Reynolds

P=?

Cardinal

People

Jim Reynolds

God is busy with English learners and teachers.

DEAD

@Cardinal MMIMO? Too many M's.

@JimReynolds Not teachers. NOT TEACHERS

Jim Reynolds

You think I don't need help?

Cardinal

18:06

MIMO == Multiple Input Multiple Output, In communications you can consider inputs and outputs as Antennas

Jim Reynolds

GHM

DEAD

GHPTCWJ

Jim Reynolds

Who have to chat with Jim

That chat with

DEAD

You're smarter than your profile pic.

Jim Reynolds

:)

DEAD

18:07

Mumbles other evil things

Cardinal

@JimReynolds God is dead, W.F.Niche :D

Jim Reynolds

N is dead, God.

GHPWNSN

Damkerng T.

Oh, my! Grammar rules can confuse more than help learners!

Cardinal

I should've used capital letters (?)

Damkerng T.

> You can put a number in front of a count noun. (You can make a count noun plural.) You can put both a/an and the in front of a count noun. You must put an article in front of a singular count noun. You use a plural count noun with no article if you mean all or any of that thing. You usually use a/an with a count noun the first time you say or write that noun. You use the with count nouns: the second and subsequent times you use the noun in a piece of speech or writing when the listener knows what you are referring to (maybe because there is only one of that thing) You use an (not a) when …

Jim Reynolds

18:09

God help people whi need to spell . . . Neitche?

Neitzchicken?

Cardinal

@JimReynolds :D

Damkerng T.

"You can put both a/an and the in front of a count noun." -- I'm reading a the book should be okay, according to the rule.

Jim Reynolds

He's in surgery.

Needs an article?

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds The problem is they don't know if they need one or two or none!

DEAD

@JimReynolds New relative pronoun. I like it.

It looks mysterious.

Jim Reynolds

18:12

Then they are correct!

It's a gender-neutral form of who, dummy!

DEAD

@DamkerngT. Well, this is how crappy learner material can get

Jim Reynolds

@DamkerngT. Funny. I thought you said my grammar rules can't help ...

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Haha!

Jim Reynolds

Then I thought that text was yours!

Then I was, That's not him. He knows better.

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Maybe I should've written, Oh, Holiness help learners!

DEAD

18:15

HHL?

Jim Reynolds

:-)

DEAD

I can't pronounce that without depleting all air trapped inside me

Damkerng T.

Haha!

Jim Reynolds

New and improved. Now sung by Thais.

Cardinal

@DamkerngT. :D

Jim Reynolds

18:16

That's what I thought earlier when Cowp asked Sung by Thais? or similar

@DEAD punctures @DEAD to relieve pressure imbalance

Cardinal

Oh, look at this:

-1

Q: how English Grammar can be improved?

How can i improve my english upto level? I do a lot of mistakes in grammar my friend says to me but i do not how to improve... I am using wren and martin high school english grammar now

grammar

Jim Reynolds

By your stopping writing?

Damkerng T.

LOL

Jim Reynolds

@Dam stop encouraging me!

Where's my censor?

DEAD

@Cardinal No hope for English grammar. You just shot yourself in the foot.

Cardinal

18:19

@JimReynolds Hmmm, .. Is "stopping" a predicate adjective, there ?

DEAD

@JimReynolds Here. chemistry.stackexchange.com/users/7448/dead

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds If I encourage you more, will it discourage you? :P

DEAD

You can imagine how I NOT laugh at your jokes and then stop

Jim Reynolds

kicks @DEAD in the gun

O.O

@DamkerngT. No

@DEAD Why point me there?

Writing DEAD so much is morbid

@DEAD Is youth a con in evaluating a potential mod? I don't think so

DEAD

Now you feel even more morbid considering how much more morbid my statement could've been

@JimReynolds Well, you don't think so.

That's because, as much as I hate to say it, you're a good man.

Jim Reynolds

18:25

You need sleep, I think

You're demented

I think different cultures tend to think very differently on this issue

DEAD

Dunno

Should I edit it out, then?

Jim Reynolds

Maybe think about it

DEAD

What if people in some culture, perhaps Taiwanese, are offended by chemicals' existence

Jim Reynolds

Then they can vote for nonchemical entities

Cardinal

Did you try "scruffy" and "lot" separately? — Cardinal 29 secs ago

Jim Reynolds

18:29

To a "typical" American or "Westerner", it may feel that you are saying you don't think you can perform the responsibilities

To other people, your modesty may suggest self-awareness and open-mindedness

To oversimplify, of course

If you think you can be helpful, and you want to help, focus on that

DEAD

@JimReynolds Modesty? Me? Heh

Jim Reynolds

You could also say that you'd be counting on advice and feedback from people

A very important dimension interculturally

Modesty vs "showing our capabilities" directly

DEAD

Well, maybe I did show off a little with my flag and review count

Cardinal

I agree with Jim

Jim Reynolds

Not if its helpful data for people to evaluate your qualifications

But we always need to ask in whose eyes?

pours alcohol in DEAD's eyes, ignites.

I hope with my experience and interest, I can help...

Language like that might represent a middle road

People also admire those who want to learn and develop themselves

Especially young people, perhaps

DEAD

18:39

@JimReynolds Well, I want to change the site. I don't wanna learn.

Jim Reynolds

Moderating can give you skills you can use in many ways

Motivating change requires lots of skills

Skills you can use in your career, in your life.

Cardinal

nods

Jim Reynolds

In getting a date

You need all the help you can get in that department, I sense

DEAD

Dates are sweet.

I always eat dates before exercise.

Jim Reynolds

Doh!

@Car Better talk to him

He's going to try to mate with a textbook or lab equipment, if left on his own

Cardinal

18:45

@JimReynolds Oh, I think I am not the right person, too :D

I am saying that since I have married with my books and papers !

Jim Reynolds

LOL. Well, as long as you're happy together.

DEAD

@JimReynolds What have you married?

Jim Reynolds

Good question.

DEAD

You've married good questions?

That's even worse than marrying beakers.

Jim Reynolds

Technically no one.

Practically ... hmmm.

DEAD

18:52

@JimReynolds Aw, you're too hot to be single

Jim Reynolds

I can only say nice, gooshy things.

A prince.

14 years makes a marriage, in principle, I think.

Can you imagine 14 years with me? The bliss?

DEAD

@JimReynolds Yes. Hell breaks loose

Jim Reynolds

Beastly creature!

@DamkerngT. Both can mean either, though it's ambiguous as written.

Cardinal

@JimReynolds wish you the best

DEAD

. . . questions

I just edited my nomination.

I also could've written it like TCh has in ELU's mod election.

Cardinal

19:02

Last week when I was watching CNN, The presenter found something funny about Trump's speeches.
He had collected a common phrase that he frequently used in his speeches. What do you think about the phrase?

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Agreed, but I think it's not very clear to learners.

DEAD

@Cardinal Common phrase: "2nd amendment people"

Cardinal

Nop

DEAD

Jim Reynolds

@Cardinal :-)

@DEAD Where izzit, again?

DEAD

19:08

@JimReynolds On the internet

Jim Reynolds

@Cardinal Some people

Cardinal

@JimReynolds Very close

DEAD

Sum people

Dome people

Cardinal

A lot of people

DEAD

All people

Cardinal

19:10

A lot of people have said that ...

I heard A lot of people ...

Jim Reynolds

Some people are saying. Yeah, something like that

Hillary eats babies. Many people are saying that.

DEAD

Trump is scarier. Hence, Trump eats rabies.

Jim Reynolds

Donald Trump frequently cites things that he says he's hearing or that "everybody is saying."Source: CNN

DEAD

@JimReynolds And a man with psychic issues is about to become a president with the help of the voices in his head.

Jim Reynolds

There is an armed Muslim hiding in every American home. Well, that's what I'm hearing.

Cardinal

19:16

:D

Jim Reynolds

I read: The US has 800 military bases in other countries around the world. O.O

And we don't feel "secure"? WTF

What if they were universities?

Cardinal

check this test:

brightside.me/wonder-curiosities/…

I do that like #1

StoneyB

@learner Hi! Since my name has been invoked, I'll put in 2¢ worth. ... 1) The way to become a writer is to read voraciously and imitate the writers you admire. 2) Second-party criticism is a trap; she needs to develop the habit of self-criticism, so she builds her own standards to the point where they are higher and more demanding than anybody else can bring to her work. ...

3

Tell her to go back and read the stuff she wrote three months ago or six months ago (it needs to sit for a while so she reads it with fresh eyes) and ask herself "How can I make this better?" "How would [Rowling, Kipling, whoever her favorite writer is] have said this?" "What did I leave out that [favorite writer] would have put in?" "What did I put in that doesn't really add to what's happening?" "Does this piece here really say what I meant?" ...

2

My mantra: "For every vision, there is an equal and opposite re-vision."

Jim Reynolds

19:31

periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/desterro/article/viewFile/8721/…

4

Damkerng T.

19:48

Hmm... I think I just heard It'll be huge a waste of time on TV (rather than a huge waste of time).

@JimReynolds Nice!

Yay! I got +1 (not +10) rep point!

Jim Reynolds

20:09

@DamkerngT. If this was said, why do you suppose?

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds I'd note (actually I already made a mental note) that some speakers may actually say this in real speech.

But I'd verify first if he really said it.

Jim Reynolds

@DamkerngT. Only as a dysfluency, I think. Why are you grateful to be spared the 9 points? Round number issue?

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Some people just returned my downvote. :D

(By deleting their post or maybe their post was just deleted by the system or the community.)

learner

20:59

@StoneyB Thank you very much StonyB. I never thought of looking back at old stuff to rewrite.

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