Language Overflow

QuokMoon

06:08

Good morning

CowperKettle

\o

@snailplane Interesting! Yes, I recall the song "You drive me crazy".

Jude

/o

CowperKettle

06:29

Namaste

word of the day: leptokurtic

Anonymous

07:20

@CowperKettle Szia!

Anonymous

@Nagendra They were wrong.

Anonymous

He says he has to have had three failed relationships would be okay, though.

CowperKettle

08:44

@snailplane Zdorovo, Ulitka! (0:

Jude

Christmas is coming!!!

Anonymous

Do you all celebrate Christmas? :-)

Jude

09:04

I do

is it a custom that we should reply It's ok when someone says "Sorry"?

Anonymous

That's one possible response, sure.

Anonymous

It's okay. Don't worry about it.

Jude

But if I mind it?

Anonymous

If you don't want to accept the apology, you mean?

Damkerng T.

A strong version might be, "I reject it."

Jude

09:11

@snailplane yes. But I don't want to reply in a aggressive manner

Anonymous

There isn't really any customary way to reject an apology.

Jude

ohh

ok

Anonymous

Not many flags this week.

Damkerng T.

Yay! :D

It's somewhat counter-intuitive, I suppose. I expect flagging to be on the rise during the Bash.

Anonymous

So I guess I can look at more cute food :-)

Damkerng T.

09:18

LOL

CowperKettle

09:59

Baywatch Russian style

> "Quantum leap"

Sawasdee khrap!

Deo

Hi all

"If I hadn't played it online, I wouldn't have bought a physical copy." - is it propper english?

Jude

I wouldn't have bought a physical copy unless I played it online

I'm not sure thought. Just trying to help you

Deo

10:16

@Jude Thanks anyway! It's not of any real importence, just wanted to check myself. I need to work on my grammar a lot (

Jude

you will get more nicer way from someone else

Damkerng T.

11:28

@CowperKettle Sawasdee khrap!

@Deo Sure!

Arrowfar

@CowperKettle Lol. Nice!

@DamkerngT. Hello

Damkerng T.

Hi!

user2684291

12:19

@Deo Sounds good. It's proper English, but we don't know the context to determine whether it's what you're trying to say.

@Jude This sentence conveys a different meaning.

CowperKettle

12:36

@V.V. - your translation attempt was great! Too bad you deleted it.

Your translations are always so impeccable, so you must be aiming for an impeccable flow now.

V.V.

12:56

@CowperKettle relax, I just realized it wasn't my account.

Arrowfar

Hello @V.V. how is it going?

V.V.

Hi, fine thanks. You?

Arrowfar

Yeah I am good, thanks.

Just lurking :)

@snailplane Look what I found :) A riddle: You and a super intelligent snail both get 1 million dollars, and you both become immortal, however you die if the snail touches you. It always knows where you are and slowly crawls toward you. What's your plan?

CowperKettle

@V.V. that was no reason to hide it. My account is your account.

As they say in the Caucasus (0:

Deo

@user2684291 I meant to say: I played the game online and it was the cause I bought physical copy of this board game. It all has happened in the past.

Arrowfar

13:06

Hello @Deo

Deo

Hi

CowperKettle

14:01

0

Q: Meaning of "he kicked up his heels" in the song "Ship in the Sky" by Woody Guthrie

From a song by Woody Guthrie: Well, a curly-headed girl with a bright shining smile Heard the roar of a plane as it sailed through the sky To her playmates she said, with a bright twinkling eye My Daddy flies that ship in the sky My Daddy flies that ship in the sky My Daddy flie...

I'm afraid this will be downvoted, but it was interesting to discover this phrase.

Phrase of the Day: kick up your heels

Damkerng T.

14:17

1

Q: conditional sentence containing both past and present tense. if clause(past)_main (present)

I was in the class and I asked student to do some class activity but one of the students already did that exercise at home so he didn't have anything to do in the class I wanted to tell him something like he wasn't supposed to do that exercise at home How could I say this to him in conditional...

grammar conditional-constructions

After reading the whole thread of comments, I think this kind of stuff might be more effective to be taught in the learner's first language.

So they can get a good approximation first, and we can go deeper in English when the learner is ready.

If a learner doesn't know how to choose between could and would, it's probably not very effective to discuss it in English.

Man_From_India

This question is really good

1

Q: Do I need "of" or not?

"There are 2 words one of which I don't know the meaning." "There are 2 words one of which I don't know the meaning of." Which one is correct and why? If one of them is at all correct.

grammar

I am in the group who think of is necessary.

Damkerng T.

15:19

I think we should avoid such a sentence.

> a) There are two words one of which I don't know the meaning.

> b) There are two words one of which I don't know the meaning of.

> c) There are two words one of which I don't know the meaning for.

> d) There are two words one of which I don't know its meaning.

Or, probably even worse, but should be grammatical:

> e) There are two words, one of whose I don't know the meaning.

(See, I can make some grammatically questionable sentences, too!)

CowperKettle

> Then a button-nosed kid, as he kicked up his heels
He said, My Daddy works in the iron and the steel
My Dad builds the planes and they fly through the sky
And that's what keeps your daddy up there so high

> Курносый мальчишка вмешался, сияя:
- А мой папа двигатели собирает!
Послушай, как громко пропеллер гудит!
А значит, и мой папа тоже летит!

^_^

Damkerng T.

I was guessing that the kids may be lying down on their stomachs.

CowperKettle

I was also unsure about that phrase.

Damkerng T.

Oh, StoneyB's already answered that! Nice!

CowperKettle

Yes, and I translated that as "shining"

The boy's face was "shining" from joy

> And a button-nosed kid interfered, shining:
- And my dad, he assembles the engines.
Just listen, how loudly that propeller sings,
- This means that my dad also flies those wings

My translation, roughly

It was a great experience, trying to translate that.

Damkerng T.

15:26

Nice way to put it! :-)

CowperKettle

I'll try some more

Hanaa

16:26

Hi everyone!

@DamkerngT. I wonder what rule does this sentence take? They will be happy when they hear the news.

Nagendra

16:55

Hello! Can I say
Walk carefully lest you fall. Somebody said you have to use "should" after "you". Is it mandatory to use "should" there?

Damkerng T.

@Hanaa I'm not sure about what rule you had in mind. It's a typical sentnece.

@Nagendra If should is really required, then we can't say lest we forget, right?

FWIW, lest is not common in the Present Day Spoken English like it used to be a long time ago.

CowperKettle

A nice and concise description of an English teacher's trade.

Nagendra

@DamkerngT. Right. I've seen many sentences where should is not used. But to make sure of it, I asked here. Thanks!

Damkerng T.

@Nagendra No problem. :-)

@CowperKettle Indeed!

Poor little children!

1

A: so that~ negative clause?

Both sentences you gave in your question make sense although the use of it sounds strange when I would expect a he or she, even when referring to pets. So that sentences are used a lot to describe actions and reactions in the form of so that I can/can't/will/won't... When using so that you are ...

scratching his head...

> It keeps annoying me so that I can't focus on my report.

is okay. Really?

I guess I can say things like, I'm hungry so that I can eat a horse, too.

Strange English.

Or perhaps, I'm full so that I can't eat a horse.

:P

Or, The car was moving right at us so that I was terrified.

Which is another weird sentence.

engfan

17:23

Hello !!

Damkerng T.

Hello!

engfan

what does In all generosity mean

Damkerng T.

This is a bit hard to explain.

How can I explain in and all without using in and all?

V.V.

"ready to give everything " hi, Dam.

Damkerng T.

@V.V. Nice!

V.V.

17:28

Do you agree?

engfan

@DamkerngT.: hmmm I think I should provide some context

Damkerng T.

@V.V. It could depend on context, but the basic meaning is not very far off.

V.V.

I sometimes explain using the antonym, "not like Scrooge "(Dickens )

Damkerng T.

:D

Christmas is near!

engfan

@DamkerngT.: "In all generosity I say : let young men have a chance"

Damkerng T.

17:33

@engfan A lame paraphrase could be With maximum generosity, I say: ...

V.V.

Does he know what "generosity " is?

Damkerng T.

Hopefully, but I thought so.

generosity

Noun: generosity ‎(countable and uncountable, plural generosities)

(uncountable) The trait of being willing to donate money and/or time.
1963: Erik H. Erikson, Childhood and Society
We have mentioned generosity as an outstanding virtue required in Sioux life.
(uncountable) Acting generously.
(uncountable) The trait of being abundant, more than adequate.

(4 more not shown…)

V.V.

What to explain then?

Damkerng T.

I thought all might've tripped him up.

I don't know. Now I'm not sure. I usually think difficult words are actually easy, because they have a narrower range of meanings, unlike simple words.

user2684291

@Deo Right. Your version is correct in that context.

Stack Exchange

18:07

1

Q: Do I need to add "the" into this sentence?

The bases for growth in the real estate industry include sustainable economic growth, rapid urbanization due to expanded investment on the transportation and infrastructure system, high demand for property due to growth in per capita income, and increase in foreign investment. Assuming there...

articles lists

0

Q: Community user locks post, preventing user from making clarifying edits

The question What is the correct form in this case? was (quite correctly, imho) closed recently. I posted a comment asking the OP to edit in further details, with a view to having the closure reviewed. But user Community has locked the post, so the OP can't revise his question. Is this a bug? I...

discussion bug

Damkerng T.

18:29

4

A: Complicated sentences in past perfect regarding hypothetical situations with reflection on the past?

Grammar is like water, in that speakers will take the path of least resistance. Things begin to become ungrammatical, or at the very least unidiomatic, when the water starts flowing upstream, as it does in your examples. I suspect most native speakers would use must there, to avoid would have ha...

(Browsing through my tabs) -- "Grammar is like water," I kinda like it!

Hanaa

19:15

@DamkerngT. So I google about Typical sentences!

Damkerng T.

Oh, I didn't mean Typical. I meant typical, as in unextraordinary.

CowperKettle

19:32

> A Frontline Town on a Christmas Eve
> A Frontline Town on Christmas Eve

Which is better?

When exactly do people celebrate Christmas?

On Dec 25 or Dec 24?

Our mutable tongue is like the sea,
Curled wave and shattering thunder-fit;
Dangle in strings of sand shall he
Who smoothes the ripples out of it.

Damkerng T.

@CowperKettle Dangle in all participles shall we! :-)

Hanaa

20:06

@DamkerngT.Sorry I asked and left.

Damkerng T.

@Hanaa Don't worry. It's quite common in chat. I do the same myself, too. :-)

Hanaa

I meant in When clauses, which tense should we use.

When they hear the news, they will be happy

Damkerng T.

The basic pattern is "If X happens, Y will Z."

When when is used like this, it's of pretty much the same pattern.

Hanaa

°_°

Where is the tense in the pattern?

Damkerng T.

But above all these rules, it depends on what you want to say.

@Hanaa "If X happens, Y will Z."

Hanaa

20:10

Ah ok

So present futur

Damkerng T.

If that's the meaning you want to convey.

Hanaa

Yes that was the meaning.

Damkerng T.

Okay, good, then! :-)

Hanaa

I wanted to tell a friend that there are people who put a piece of tissue on their eyes when they sleep to avoid light

But I'm not sure about the phrase "piece of tissue".

It sounds odd to me and I don't know a better alternative.

@DamkerngT.

Damkerng T.

You could simply say tissue paper.

"Who covers their eyes with tissue paper"

Or just "They cover their eyes with ..."

Or perhaps, "You know, some people sleep with tissue paper on/covering their eyes."

There are so many ways to phrase it!

Hanaa

20:24

Wow I didn't think about tissue paper at all

Thanks ^_^

Damkerng T.

No problem (^_^)

Anonymous

21:12

@Arrowfar Thanks :-) A friend sent me that link a couple days ago too.

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. I want that hat! :-)

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