Language Overflow

Catija

00:06

@Lawrence Thanks :D

Man_From_India

00:55

0

Q: Is "which there wasn't" putting it right?

Please note that I'm not a native speaker. Take this sentence: Even if there would have been sufficient eggs — which there wasn’t — he would need other stuff sooner or later. Is the wording "which there wasn't" grammatically correct and would a native speaker understand that, in fact, the...

It is also possible to understand "which" as referring back to the existential statement not to the noun "eggs" in particular, and thus the singular "wasn't" would be acceptable. — TRomano Sep 15 at 11:16

This comment causing problems :(

The part where it says it's referring back to the existential sentence.

Damkerng T.

01:16

> But there wasn't enough eggs for both Hank and me to have one every day. When there was only one egg I would scramble it and give Hank half.

> Gap Creek: The Story Of A Marriage By Robert Morgan

> (The National Bestseller - A New York Times Notable Book)

user62015

01:43

Hi! @DamkerngT.

Anonymous

02:03

@DamkerngT. Like ciao!

Anonymous

Or aloha.

CowperKettle

03:58

Good morning all

And happy Talk LIke a Pirate Day!

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

International Talk Like a Pirate Day (ITLAPD, September 19) is a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Baur (Ol' Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy), of Albany, Oregon, U.S., who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate. For example, an observer of this holiday would greet friends not with "Hello," but with "Ahoy, matey!" The holiday, and its observance, springs from a romanticized view of the Golden Age of Piracy. == History == According to Summers, the day is the only known holiday to come into being as a result of a sp...

V.V.

usingenglish.com/articles/….

CowperKettle

04:15

Good morning, @V.V.!

@snailplane - when you repeatedly fail to learn some words in Anki, do you do additional exercises with those words? I write them down in a copy-book and try to compose sentences with them, as a punishment for not managing to memorize them.

I just tried to find poetic quotations for "ointment", because I had trouble memorizing it

> Behold the politician.
Self-preservation is his ambition.
He thrives in the D. of C.,
Where he was sent by you and me.

Whether elected or appointed
He considers himself the Lord’s anointed,
And indeed the ointment lingers on him
So thick you can’t get your fingers on him.

He has developed a sixth sense
About living at the public expense,
Because in private competition
He would encounter malnutrition.

asmainegoes.com/content/politician-poetic-interlude

(0:

> When a politician talks the foolishest,
And obstructs everything the mulishest,
And bellows the loudest,
Why his constituents are the proudest.

Word of the day: mulishest

V.V.

04:39

@DamkerngT.and sawasdee kha.Privet, Kettle.

Cardinal

Good Morning folk

I bought the book ------------- Amazaon.
1. on
2. in
3. at
4. from

I would go with "from" and "on"

I ordered the book --------------- Amazon
with the same options

I would go with "on"

(That's a good question. Somebody asked that on lang-8.)

CowperKettle

04:55

Morning, Cardinal

@Cardinal probably "on"

I used to use the preposition "at", but gradually forced myself to use "on"

It took some time

CowperKettle

05:24

> Learn three-mile prayers, and half-mile graces,
With well-spread palms, and long, wry faces;
Grunt up a solemn, lengthened groan,
And damn all parties but your own;
I will warrant then, you are not a deceiver,
A steady, sturdy, staunch believer.

@Catija Beautiful!

Anonymous

@Cardinal From is okay. On is okay. On is the preposition we usually use with websites.

Anonymous

At is not okay because Amazon is not a physical bookstore.

Anonymous

But you can say "I work at Amazon" if you're talking about working at the company.

Anonymous

Changing bought to ordered doesn't change which prepositions you can use.

CowperKettle

06:02

> Harry Potter and the use of smoke screens by tank detachments (Moscow, 1946)

Cardinal

07:27

@snailplane Thank you!

@CowperKettle :-)

Matix

hello!can someone answer my question?

0

Q: What will be the correct preposition?

i) I need to find some kind of chemical that will keep___the weeds in the garden. ii) You need not worry that you'll be left on your own because I'll always stand__you. iii) The bank manager was easily taken__her glib talk and smart manner. iv) Criminal charges had been brought___him but the matt...

prepositions

Damkerng T.

08:28

@snailplane Ah, yes!

@CowperKettle Ahoy!

@user62015 Hi!

@V.V. Sawasdee khrap!

> Native speakers need to be aware of the possibility that they might produce these incorrect forms. If they do, their students will become confused.

LOL

Basically, that sentence says, "Don't teach your students to talk like you do". :P

Please teach them "another" English.

This is also possible (and sounds quite natural, I believe), but I'm not sure how to render it appropriately in standard English (not to mention Exam English):

> If he wouldn't have traveled again in future, he wouldn't buy this plane.

Damkerng T.

09:25

It took me a while before I found a real example (in a domain I speculated that some real examples should exist).

> But it is provided, that in the case of shooting or stabbing, if under the circumstances, had the party been killed, it would not have been murder at common law, the defendants shall be acquitted.

> A Practical Treatise on the Criminal Law: Comprising the Practice, Pleadings and Evidence which Occur in the Course of Criminal Prosecutions, Whether by Indictment Or Information: with a Copious Collection of Precedents of Indictments, Informations, Presentments, and Every Description of Practical Forms, Volume 2

Lawrence

@snailplane These are fine: "I posted this message at Language Overflow" and "I saw your message at Language Overflow". I think "I bought the book at Amazon" carries the notion of "at the Amazon website", with all the detail of filling in forms and clicking buttons. It seems ok to me, but feels different to "I bought the book on Amazon", which uses Amazon as just the marketplace.

Scratch that - "... at Amazon" doesn't necessarily carry those notions, but it still seems ok to me.

Damkerng T.

11:23

An interesting string in English: no more different than

CowperKettle

nods

Damkerng T.

When we have two things in consideration, can we have one thing "more different" than the other thing?

I think it's obviously a workaround for people who aren't comfortable with saying no different than.

CowperKettle

Sure we can

Damkerng T.

@CowperKettle Oh!

CowperKettle

A worm is more different from human than a chimp, in terms of DNA code

Damkerng T.

11:28

@CowperKettle But you have three things. :D

> You're no more different than me! I have ten fingers and so do you! I have two ears and so do you!

> Raindrops of Tears: The Collected Poems - Page 20

CowperKettle

Girls and Panzer -Катюша (rus)

►

Japan, the land of weird

Girls on tanks sing the Russian song Katuysha

In Russian

Girls und Panzer

Girls und Panzer (яп. ガールズ&パンツァー Га:рудзу андо Панца:, рус. «Девочки и танки») — аниме и манга 2012 года. Публикация манги началась 5 июня, а трансляция аниме-сериала в Японии — 9 октября. Режиссёром аниме выступил Цутому Мидзусима, а продюсером — Киёси Сугияма. Также в создании Girls und Panzer принял участие Такааки Судзуки, ранее выступавший военно-историческим консультантом сериалов Strike Witches и Upotte!!. == НазваниеПравить == Как на обложке манги, так и в опенинге сериала название указано и на японском языке (катаканой), и латиницей. Название на латинице состоит из английского слова Girls…

Damkerng T.

Are these girls in the anime supposed to be Russian or Japanese?

CowperKettle

They are Japanese (0:

Damkerng T.

Oh! LOL

> It depicts a competition between girls' high schools practicing tank warfare as a sport.

A strange choice of sport!

CowperKettle

> A scene in episode eight, which featured the song "Katyusha", was absent in the Crunchyroll simulcast and was replaced with an instrumental version of "Korobeiniki"

(0:

Damkerng T.

11:36

Ahh

I don't know the song. I guess there must've been some good reasons.

CowperKettle

The song is associated with WWII

Because the Soviet truck-based rocket launcher was called Katuysha

Katyusha rocket launcher

Katyusha multiple rocket launchers (Russian: Катю́ша; IPA: [kɐˈtʲuʂə]) are a type of rocket artillery first built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. Multiple rocket launchers such as these deliver explosives to a target area more quickly than conventional artillery, but with lower accuracy and requiring a longer time to reload. They are fragile compared to artillery guns, but are inexpensive, easy to produce, and usable on any chassis. Katyushas of World War II, the first self-propelled artillery mass-produced by the Soviet Union, were usually mounted on ordinary trucks. This mobility...

> Because they were marked with the letter K (for Voronezh Komintern Factory),[3] Red Army troops adopted a nickname from Mikhail Isakovsky's popular wartime song, "Katyusha", about a girl longing for her absent beloved, who has gone away on military service.[4] Katyusha is the Russian equivalent of Katie, an endearing diminutive form of the name Katherine: Yekaterina →Katya →Katyusha.

> ... Hamas has launched 122-mm Grad-type Katyusha rockets from the Gaza Strip against several cities in Israel,[22] although they are not reported to have truck-mounted launchers. Although Katyusha originally referred to the mobile launcher, today the rockets are often referred to as Katyushas.

Damkerng T.

YouTube recommended this video to me! youtube.com/watch?list=RDTYwBNi1oD4E&v=E79yjnPXN0I

For some reason, his accent sounds a bit like a typical German accent in my idea! :D

CowperKettle

Horosho means "good"

OMG,

a jolly blogger, but I should go and translate

BBL

Damkerng T.

See you later!

Damkerng T.

12:24

-7

Q: TYPES OF RESEARCH PAPERS

Students present findings in various forms depending on the question’s requirements. The two most popular forms of academic writing are: ARGUMENTATIVE PAPER This paper persuades readers to accept a theory that is controversial or debatable. The writer offers a stance in the introduction -- de...

articles

Only a couple more votes are needed.

Anonymous

12:37

@Lawrence Interesting! I think those examples are not as good.

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. Thanks, spammer destroyed :-)

Damkerng T.

@snailplane Yay! :D

Anonymous

If someone told me they bought something at Amazon, I think it would sound like they used the wrong word to me. But it's not so bad, because I can imagine treating Amazon metaphorically as a store you go to physically rather than as a web site, so I think I can imagine someone saying it.

Anonymous

I think at just has a new metaphorical usage I'm not used to for websites.

Anonymous

So if I started hearing people say that, I could probably get used to it pretty easily.

Anonymous

12:49

26

Q: "This question has been asked at Stack Overflow" vs. "on Stack Overflow"

How should I phrase it: This question has been asked at Stack Overflow. Or, This question has been asked on Stack Overflow.

word-choice grammaticality prepositions

Anonymous

At doesn't sound awful to me in that example either, although it does sound wrong to me.

Anonymous

But again, it seems okay if I just think of it as expressing a different spatial metaphor.

Damkerng T.

For me, at (in this example) carries the sense of "not here".

Anonymous

Interesting! Because at SO implies SO is not the current location.

Damkerng T.

If I don't think of "not here", I think it's unlikely that I'll use at.

nods -- Like, if we're on SE, I might say [something at Reddit], for example. :D

Anonymous

12:54

I'd agree with this - "on" is used almost exclusively for internet/websites. On Facebook, on The Internet, on Instagram, on Twitter, on Google etc. We'd never say "I found this picture at Facebook" — Jon Story May 6 at 13:45

Anonymous

It seems there are other people on Team On!

Damkerng T.

I guess I'd use on 90% of the time. :D

Or more.

Anonymous

But I bet Lawrence would say "I found this picture at Facebook" sounds fine. Am I right, @Lawrence?

Anonymous

49

Q: (In, On or At) GitHub?

What's the difference between say: "The project will be on GitHub", "The project will be in GitHub" and "The project will be at GitHub"?

prepositions difference

Damkerng T.

Hmm... somehow in GitHub is possible for me! (I haven't read the question yet.)

Lawrence

12:57

@snailplane Aw, I was expecting the rest of the sentence to go in a whole 'nother direction. :P

Damkerng T.

(I suppose it's like a meta-repository to me.)

Lawrence

@snailplane Actually, I'd probably use "on" there. :)

@snailplane ... and I'd probably say I bought some app from the App Store, but I wouldn't mind hearing someone else say they bought it at the App Store.

@snailplane ... but it might sound awkward if they said they bought it on the App Store.

... Maybe it's the word "Store" that trips up that example by evoking the sense of a bricks-and-mortar shop.

Matix

0

Q: What is the correct preposition?

i) The bank manager was easily taken__her glib talk and smart manner. iv) Criminal charges had been brought___him but the matter was closed on his death. v) Her efficiency was that she could bring __ even her dissenters to her point of view. vii) Comments like that of course don't go__very well w...

prepositions

Anonymous

Well, I suppose it depends. On my phone, for example, the App Store is an app and not a web page, so on doesn't seem to work…

Matix

Can someone answer this?

Lawrence

13:03

Oo, my message dropped two slots as I edited it.

Anonymous

I think that might be why people don't usually say on.

Lawrence

@snailplane I thought you were championing on - or were you referring specifically to the App Store?

Anonymous

@Matix Please ask one question at a time, and try to add some details. Which prepositions do you think you might use? What exactly are you confused about?

Anonymous

@Lawrence Yes, it doesn't seem very good with app store.

Matix

I seriously have no idea what to use.

Initially there were 9 sentences.I have reduced it to 4.

Anonymous

13:06

V seems odd to me.

Damkerng T.

It's a good idea if you cite your source as well. Or if you made these sentences up yourself, it'd be the best to say so.

Matix

i did not make.it was there in a question paper.

Anonymous

It looks like you're asking us to do your homework as it is.

Lawrence

@snailplane What if you accessed the App Store via a web page rather than an app? I'm trying to work out where the awkwardness lies. At the moment, the top contender for me is the word "store" - people don't buy things on stores.

Matix

it is not my homework.but can you still help?

Anonymous

13:08

@Lawrence That might be the problem.

Lawrence

@Matix Try editing your question with your own attempts, and note what they sound like they mean to you. (Work on one sentence at a time.)

CowperKettle

@Matix You should add your own thoughts about the issue

Matix

the first sentence should it be taken to/taken aback /something else?

CowperKettle

Word of the day: biantennary oligosaccharides

Good evening, @Catija!

Anonymous

I suppose the problem is that it's testing your vocabulary. You either know strings like go over (well), taken by, brought (charges) against, bring (someone) over (to your point of view), keep (someone or something) out (of somewhere), or you don't.

Damkerng T.

13:15

@snailplane Or you have to go back to a phrasal verb dictionary. :-)

CowperKettle

Can't we just omit the preposition?

> Her efficiency was that she could bring even her dissenters to her point of view

Anonymous

So in each case, if the answer isn't obvious, you probably have to learn the multi-word vocabulary item they want and move on, so you can get it next time.

Anonymous

@CowperKettle Sure, but the test makers might not give that as an option :-)

CowperKettle

@snailplane I see. It might not go over very well with them

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. Good idea! :-) I have Oxford Phrasal Verbs, although I think the Longman dictionary might be a better source. Let me try out looking them up…

Matix

13:17

ok.What do you think could be the answers?

Damkerng T.

@snailplane I went out to find mine, but I couldn't find it. Turned out I've used it to support my mouse pad!

(It's an older edition of this one: amazon.com/Collins-COBUILD-Dictionary-Phrasal-Dictionaries/dp/…)

Anonymous

Yes, Longman seems like a better source for @Matix's question. Oxford Phrasal Verbs doesn't have go over!

Damkerng T.

@Matix @snailboat has given you lots of big clues.

Matix

@snailplane should the first one be i) The bank manager was easily taken to/aback her glib talk and smart manner.?

Damkerng T.

(I haven't checked, so I'm not sure if all answers were in that message.)

@Matix One reason that to or aback doesn't make sense is that the sentence is in the passive voice.

CowperKettle

13:23

> They contain an insignificant amount of sialic acids, because, in contrast with other glycoproteins, sialylation (addition of sialic acid residues) is untypical for immunoglobulins. (do I need to set off the in contast phrase by commas? )

Maybe "aback" is not a preposition?

Anonymous

I think atypical blocks untypical.

Damkerng T.

@CowperKettle Ah, I think you're right!

CowperKettle

@snailplane excuse me?

Anonymous

I would remove the comma before because, because English speakers dislike having too many commas too close together.

CowperKettle

@snailplane Thank you!

It's the Russian tradition to have a thick broth of commas

Anonymous

13:26

Unless untypical is medical jargon I'm unfamiliar with, I expect the word to be atypical. Not typical is also okay, or possibly non-typical (?).

CowperKettle

@Matix If you used taken aback you would have to add by

Damkerng T.

Hmm... take PREP spans over 12 pages in my dictionary! (26 entries in total)

CowperKettle

@snailplane ah, thank you!

Damkerng T.

(It includes taken aback, though.)

Matix

@CowperKettle then aback can't be used

CowperKettle

13:27

atypical vs. untypical

@Matix yes, and neither can in, sadly

> A grunt was all reply he got; he shaved the bushman's chin,
Then made the water boiling hot and dipped the razor in.
He raised his hand, his brow grew black, he paused awhile to gloat,
Then slashed the red-hot razor-back across his victim's throat;
Upon the newly shaven skin it made a livid mark --
No doubt it fairly took him in -- the man from Ironbark.

Anonymous

Wow! I had no idea untypical was in use.

Anonymous

Is it jargon of some kind?

Anonymous

In everyday speech I expect atypical.

Matix

can i get longman phrasal verbs dictionary for free online?

somewhere?

Anonymous

Aback is intransitive, so it's ungrammatical in your example, @Matix. It also has a negative meaning, do it doesn't seem to fit the sentence.

Anonymous

13:29

Oops, I typed do but I meant so.

Anonymous

Sorry, I'm typing this from my phone :-)

Matix

i understand

Anonymous

ldoceonline.com/dictionary/go_1

Matix

thanks

Anonymous

This is a very long entry! You can find phrasal verbs down near the bottom.

Matix

13:33

What about taken to?

Damkerng T.

BTW, don't forget to, by, with. Most dictionary wouldn't list a verb plus these prepositions as phrasal verbs, but they could be the right choice.

Anonymous

ldoceonline.com/dictionary/take_1

Anonymous

As I said earlier I think taken by fits best.

Anonymous

> be taken with/by something - to be attracted by a particular idea, plan, or person: I'm quite taken by the idea of Christmas in Berlin.

Anonymous

This has a more positive meaning than taken aback.

Anonymous

13:36

So it seems more appropriate in context.

Damkerng T.

@snailplane Oh, LDOCE lists taken with/by!

Anonymous

Yes, I think it might not be a true passive as there is no active equivalent and with is possible in place of by.

Matix

ok.vii) Comments like that of course don't go__very well with over-sensitive people-for this sentence you think the answer should be over?

Anonymous

Yes.

Matix

ok thanks.

Anonymous

13:48

2

Q: Level of questions expected on ELL: is migration violating 'A friendly reminder: ELL is not EL&U's trash can' principle?

Since we have a 'should be asked on ELL rather than ELU' (or words to that effect) close-vote reason, it would be reasonable to have some knowledge on what the people at ELL deem suitable questions. I rarely visit the sister site (and on a couple of occasions, felt that questions there should hav...

discussion

Anonymous

Word of the day: bunfight

Lawrence

@CowperKettle Really?

Anonymous

Mmm, comma soup.

Anonymous

Oh, that reminds me! @CowperKettle Do you eat or drink soup in Russian?

Lawrence

@snailplane Do you have access to the website from a browser on your phone? It's awkward to manipulate from a small touch-screen, but it might not be as limiting as the version you're using now.

Anonymous

13:56

I can switch chat interfaces if I need more functionality, but I usually don't since this is easier on my eyes.

Anonymous

I just switched for a moment to see what message you responded to :-)

CowperKettle

14:07

@snailplane We eat soup. Come visit and I'll make you some borscht. (0:

Cardinal

"easier on my eyes" Perfect!

Good evening.

CowperKettle

> The presence or absence of carbohydrate residues to the left of the bracket determines the differences in the antibody's glycosylation profile. (I'm unhappy with this sentence, but maybe it's okay)

Evening, Cardinal!

Cardinal

> Borscht is one of those soups that has dozens of variations. This version of the classic Russian beet soup uses lots of vegetables and a touch of bacon for extra flavor. You can leave the bacon out and use vegetable broth if you prefer a vegetarian soup. Grating the beets into the soup releases maximum beet flavor. Though this recipe calls for the borscht to be served hot, it is also delicious when served cold.

Source:epicurious.com

> Ingerdients:
2 quarts beef, chicken, or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 celery stalks, trimmed, thinly sliced
2 parsnips, peeled, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
1 leek, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
1/2 head savoy cabbage, shredded
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 beets, peeled, grated
1/4 cup dill, minced
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or as needed

:D

Is "1/2 cup" correct? shouldn't it be "1/2 a cup"?

CowperKettle

14:27

@snailplane That reminds me! The woman bicyclist whose birthday we were celebrating complained to me how her son was bying cucumbers for his snails in the winter. And in the winter, they cost an arm and a leg here.

But I think a single cucumber will last long with snails. They must be frugal eaters.

@Cardinal Borscht is a great soup served hot. You add some cold sour cream there, and it's delicious

My father started adding olives there, and now I cannot imagine borscht without olives.

Russian peasants would have been amazed at olives in borscht, of course

Cardinal

@CowperKettle Nice, I can imagine how delicious it is

CowperKettle

nods

Cardinal

In Iran people use boiled beets during cold weather times

CowperKettle

Beet is a great vegetable, it has B vitamins

Cardinal

I see, when I was a kid, I didn't like it!

After I was finally forced to try it, I found it very delicious.

CowperKettle

14:33

You add some green peas to chopped cooked beet, then add some pickled cucumbers (in small cubes), then some walnut.

Then some olive oil, then some carrot put through a grater

And you have a great salad

Cardinal

yami yami ^_^

CowperKettle

and some greenery, of course, chopped

and it's very healthy

(0:

Anonymous

@CowperKettle A snail can eat an entire slice of cucumber in one day :-)

Man_From_India

15:00

By book has finally arrived :-) OMEG

Anonymous

@Man_From_India Hooray! :-)

Anonymous

Good choice.

Man_From_India

It took a long time :( this time!

At a glance it looks like a overview.

Cardinal

15:16

@Man_From_India What is the book Man?

Man_From_India

Oxford Modern English Grammar

Cardinal

Man_From_India

:-)

Once I was having a discussion with BillJ regarding complement vs adjunct.

Cardinal

Which English does it concern? :-) - I mean BrE or AmE.

Man_From_India

> I found Berhman in his room helpless with pain and fever.

Cardinal

15:22

I think I can remember something

Man_From_India

I analyzed in his room as an adjunct, not a complement. But BillJ insisted that it's a third complement.

I didn't had much evidence to prove that it's not a complement. But I think I can give some reason behind my claim that it's an adjunct, and not a complement.

Cardinal

Hmm, I think "in his room" modifies the verb

Do we have anything similar to "verb complement"?

( I do not know about these terms and jargon)

Man_From_India

1. What I did in his room was found Berhman helpless with pain and fever.

In pseudo-cleft sentence, when VP is focused it's the adjunct that can be placed after do this way.

Not the argument or complement.

Am I right? @snailplane

Cardinal

I thought "what I did in his room is ..." is called a cleft sentence.

Hmm, I have a lot of things to read.

Man_From_India

Don't worry. I am also not very sure about these things. I'm learning here too :-)

@Cardinal It says it includes both BrE and AmE.

Cardinal

15:31

@Man_From_India That's great.

CowperKettle

16:28

> Glutamine deamidation takes place 100 times slower than asparagine deamidation, and is rarely detected in recombinant proteins (Jenkins, 2007). (is this 100 times slower okay, or is it unnatural?)

@snailplane Well, then it depends how many slices are in a cucumber! (0:

Lawrence

@snailplane Thank you. :)

@Cardinal Technically, it should be "half a cup", but there are some conventions that are accepted for uniformity or simplicity. This is especially so when data is presented in tabular form.

CowperKettle

> Another interesting effect is that people take other people into consideration and behave more honestly in the presence of another's direct gaze. This is true even when the eyes appear just in a printed poster, for example.

sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160919084617.htm

Deamidation creates a deamidated amino acid residue, not deamidized. That's odd.

CowperKettle

16:55

18

Q: Why is Thailand considered an Axis power in WWII?

I read a Wikipedia article about military history of Thailand and it left me a taste of anti-Thai bias. It is known that Thailand in 1940 (after the fall of Paris and establishment of Vichy government) assaulted nearby French colonial possessions in an attempt to restore own sovereignty. This ...

20th-century world-war-two thailand

Man_From_India

@snailplane what a pity :( the terminology is again a problem. Quirk et al adopted more traditional terminology. Like relative pronoun, OMEG also says who, whom etc are relative pronoun. CGEL doesn't approve of them to be a pronoun.

Cardinal

@Lawrence nods

Man_From_India

OMEG uses conjunction, as does Quirk et al. But there is no conjunction for CGEL.

So conflicting.

CowperKettle

17:35

> When you come out from the village dancing party in the night and turn your head up to look at the stars, blood stops dripping from your nose.

Cardinal

blood? perhaps, idiom

CowperKettle

@Cardinal In Russia, village dancing parties are known as a place where you can get your nose broken easily

Cardinal

@CowperKettle Ah- I see :-)

CowperKettle

@Cardinal Maybe in Iran, village young men are more civilized

Cardinal

@CowperKettle Hmm, I have a different view! I Iran young men cannot go dancing parties!

CowperKettle

17:43

@Cardinal Even if the music is of the permitted kind?

Are there no salsa\tango\etc clubs?

No dancing at all?

I bet there are some underground clubs then

Cardinal

@CowperKettle Hmm, not exactly. I mean there is no such a public ceremonies.

@CowperKettle Ah, underground-things are rampant from vodka to weed!

CowperKettle

Yay!

Cardinal

However, people are too obsessed (average level and lower average level) with the daily life difficulties to participate in such a luxurious ceremonies!

CowperKettle

> A methionine residue in an amino acid sequence can be oxidized to yield the more polar methionine sulfoxide, which disrupts the spatial structure of the protein and leads to its aggregation (or is it "a"?)

I dunno.. turning on a stereo system and dancing is not that luxurious. (0:

Cardinal

The traditional aspect of the society does not bear such events. They are deviation from the principles. They are taboos; sad but true!

CowperKettle

17:49

Ah, I see

Cardinal

It's very complicated, the society is highly divided.
The traditionalists,
The Vandals,
The educated people,
Mutually exclusive.

CowperKettle

The Vandals? Meaning the criminals?

"Pilates of the Caribbean"

Cardinal

Not exactly, but mainly of those underground-people, thieves, underground-thing-agents, sharlenes, .... . they haunted on outskirts of the city usually.

I call them vandals!

CowperKettle

nods

Cardinal

I often become discouraged! I am not very optimistic about the future of these people and the country!

CowperKettle

17:58

There are thieves/muggers here, but in Siberia there were more. Maybe I'm not visiting the right places.

Because the Urals is a highly criminal region.

Maybe they are mostly in the small towns and villages here

user62015

@CowperKettle @Cardinal Hi! I need your help on a question?

Cardinal

@user62015 sure

CowperKettle

Good evening, @user62015! sure

user62015

Thanks

He served me ——— a notice .
(A) for (B) to (C) with (D) on

What option would you choose?

CowperKettle

with

Cardinal

18:01

@CowperKettle Ural is near to Ukrain?

CowperKettle

@Cardinal No, quite far

user62015

@CowperKettle Are you sure? As I can see answer says option b

to

Cardinal

I see.

CowperKettle

@Cardinal About 2000 kilometers

Farther than Moscow, which is only 1800 km

Cardinal

@CowperKettle :-) o_O

CowperKettle

18:03

But there are a lot of Ukrainians around.

@user62015 That's odd. Maybe I'm wrong

user62015

Okay.

@CowperKettle I think you are right as I was thinking the same and I am sure answer is wrong this time. Thanks.

CowperKettle

@user62015 Yes, I think "with" is the right answer

user62015

@CowperKettle Yes, thanks

Cardinal

@CowperKettle Does it mean he sent me something to notice me?

Færd

I am so
a) tired b) exhausted c) sleepy d) beat

CowperKettle

18:07

@Cardinal "He served me with a notice" means "He gave me a sheet of paper on which there was a text for my attention"

Færd

Answer: all the above.

Cardinal

@CowperKettle nods

Færd

@CowperKettle It would be a weird way to say that, wouldn't it?

Cardinal

@Færd Oh, a cup of tea can solve any problem!

Færd

I quit drinking tea.

Almost.

Cardinal

18:10

Needless to say that it is beneficial for your kidneys!

@Færd Ah- I see.

1. As soon as you have received this email, please reply to me.
2. As soon as you receive this email, please reply to me.

A question on Lang-8

Færd

2

Cardinal

@Færd I think 2 is wrong and 1 is less wrong. I don't know why!

Færd

Why wrong?

CowperKettle

I think both are passable

Færd

Yes, but tense-simplification in subordinate clauses is advised, sometimes.

Otherwise it may sound wordy.

CowperKettle

18:13

> Increased production of IL-17 and TNF-α is observed in a number of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, proriasis, psoriatic arthritis and Crohn's disease etc. (Isn't this etc excessive? There's already the word "including", so it's buttered butter)

Færd

What annoys me more about it is the and before the last item.

CowperKettle

It is the standard way of ending a list, isn't it?

Cardinal

@CowperKettle I didn't notice that comment. Hmm, for many it does, they have much serious concerns, such as food and the future of their progeny and earning money.

Færd

@CowperKettle I think "A, B, C, etc" or "A, B, and C". Maybe I'm wrong.

CowperKettle

@Færd Nice! I'll look into in when I'm less sleepy

Færd

18:17

:)

CowperKettle

The FBI spent trainloads of money to hack Apple phones, BBC just said. A guy with a $100 kit made in his home managed to hack a phone in 40 hours.

user62015

@CowperKettle Hi Could you please tell me in this question ((A) She / (B) can play / (C) violin very well. / (D) no error) which section has the error?

CowperKettle

@user62015 Either "no error" or (C) because it should be "the violin"

I'm not sure. Maybe one can say "play violin" without the article

user62015

The violin

Could you tell me why?

CowperKettle

discussion on wordreference

user62015

18:32

Thanks.

CowperKettle

You're welcome!

Færd

ODO (which is not ODO anymore) has done some damage to its appearance. There are several errors in the site's functioning.

Such a pity. Oxford Dictionary is an excellent dictionary.

user62015

@CowperKettle @Færd @Cardinal I am sorry but I have one more question?

Færd

You can shoot your questions here freely. I don't mind it, but maybe others don't feel very good about being pinged and summoned to answer immediately.

user62015

I agree.

Question: (A) He /(B) does not know /(C)the English alphabets. /(D) no error

Færd

18:41

alphabet (singular)

user62015

Always?

Færd

No. It's a countable noun. But English has only one alphabet.

user62015

Which one?

Færd

The whole set of the letters used in English writing is called its alphabet: A, a, B, b, C, c, ... .

Alphabet

An alphabet is a standard set of letters (basic written symbols or graphemes) that is used to write one or more languages based on the general principle that the letters represent phonemes (basic significant sounds) of the spoken language. This is in contrast to other types of writing systems, such as syllabaries (in which each character represents a syllable) and logographies (in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic unit). The Proto-Canaanite script, later known as the Phoenician alphabet, is the first fully phonemic script. Thus the Phoenician alphabet is considered to...

user62015

ok

Thanks.

Færd

18:49

I'm not sure though if they consider uppercase and lowercase letters as distinct members of that set. Probably not very imortant.

Damkerng T.

19:37

This is the first time I've ever run into that message!

V.V.

learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en

YOU

I have proof of your lie
I have prove of your lie

Which is correct line?

Damkerng T.

19:56

@YOU I have [proof/prove] of your lie. -- What kind of word do you need there? A verb or a noun?

Cardinal

20:26

I can prove that you are a liar.
I can prove that you lied.

@DamkerngT. I have (the/a ?) poof of your lie, that sounds awkward to me, I dunno why.

Damkerng T.

20:46

@Cardinal Maybe its literal translation doesn't work well in your language.

Anonymous

22:34

@Færd We usually say we have 26 letters rather than 52.

Anonymous

@Færd Just treat et cetera as though you'd said and so on.

Anonymous

I don't think people always do that, but I think they usually do.

Anonymous

Of course, some people say and etc. too :-)

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