Language Overflow

SinNombre SinApellido

01:09

Is anybody here?

Is this "Will there be an update in a days" correct?

Anonymous

01:24

No. A is singular, days is plural.

Anonymous

You can say a day (one day) or days (more than one day), but not *a days.

SinNombre SinApellido

So, the correct is "Will there be an update in days"

Thanks @snailplane

I think that you're my teacher xD, you always help me

I have to go

Anonymous

02:14

What exactly would you like to express?

Anonymous

I can suggest a sentence if I know what you want to say.

Nagendra

02:40

Hello! Please answer this." The book is well illustrated and attractively bound making all together/altogether an attractive volume". Which is right between all together and altogether?

CowperKettle

03:06

grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/altogether_all_together.htm

@Nagendra altogether is the right choice

@user2684291 I wanted to draw attention

V.V.

05:14

The Farlex Grammar Book. I think it's interesting.

Damkerng T.

08:13

thefreedictionary.com/The-Farlex-Grammar-Book.htm

thefreedictionary.com/Conditional-Verbs.htm

Ahh... those three conditionals plus the zero one.

Hmm... the book was published just last year.

The world never has grammar books in short supply! (^_^)

It's probably not bad, but I wouldn't use it.

Judging from a quick review (of mine), it's half traditional half modern.

It seems to aim at documenting the language (i.e., categorize features of the language, briefly for each of them) rather than teaching the language.

It has lots of quizzes, which could be a plus. I didn't try any of them, though.

Judging from the size of the book and the goals I think they had in mind, I don't think they can cover all of them in a satisfactory depth. (The book is over 500 pages, but it tries to cover both grammar and punctuation. FWIW, the PoS part looks thin to me, and that is 1/3 of the grammar part of the book.)

I think their book is intended to be published as an ebook rather than a paper book, judging from the preview of the paper book I can see at Amazon. (Personally, I don't like it, and I think they could use a good graphic designer who cares about typography.)

Conclusion: It's not a bad book, though it's not great either. Two strong features are the quizzes and you can use it as an index of grammar items. The downsides it's not designed to teach the language so it's not very useful for beginners, and because it don't dive into each topic deeply enough, it's probably not very useful to advanced learners either.

M.A.R.

08:43

@DamkerngT. Some teachers worship that book here

Damkerng T.

@M.A.R. Oh! You mean teachers on ELL or EL&U?

M.A.R.

No, Iran. Tabriz, at least

Damkerng T.

Oh, I see.

I think it does a good job at the layout (indexing the topics) thing.

And a decent enough job at the introductory level of each topic.

I'm pretty sure there are too many holes in it, though, if you want to, say, know English grammar through and through of it.

Probably perfect for the B1 level.

I haven't checked, but IMO, most books written in this style tend to give the learner a false impression that after finishing the book, they'll know all of it, and so they'll be in haste to say an unfamiliar sentence is "incorrect" when it's actually not.

M.A.R.

@DamkerngT. Very true

They also give the learner the impression that the rules are holy and unbendable.

Damkerng T.

nods

M.A.R.

08:53

13

Q: What does the newest IUPAC nomenclature have against unsaturation?

IUPAC nomenclature 2013 changed a couple of rules very commonly used in naming simple acyclic compounds. As a result, depending on which nomencalture we choose, the answer to this question varies greatly, as demonstrated in the comments. Educational textbooks, hence, would propose an outdated nam...

Yay

Damkerng T.

Oh! I thought it was a meta post!

M.A.R.

Haha well, that's my first main site post after like seven months, probably

Damkerng T.

:D

CowperKettle

10:13

If at the end of the translated document (where a sample was tested and some gas was used in the testing) there is a sheet attached called "Certificate for the gas" (that gas that the researchers used) can I call it "Gas certificate"? Or it is better to call it "Certificate for the gas"?

It's not the title. It's the mention in the main document. Meaning, "what is attached below is the certificate for the gas we used" (the certificate shows that the gas was of the requisite quality (extra pure))

1

in Английский для самых маленьких, 27 mins ago, by Алексей Шиманский

@D-side could you explain why the word "fury" is pronounced as [fjʊri] (фьюри) but "bury" as [ˈberi] (бэри) ?

Алексей Шиманский

@CowperKettle I'm already here :)

Damkerng T.

@CowperKettle A pilot certificate is possible, so I think a gas certificate is justified.

@АлексейШиманский The best explanation for almost everything in language, IMHO, is: it just is. :D

CowperKettle

10:30

@DamkerngT. Thank you, and sawasdee khrap!

Damkerng T.

Zdorovo and sawasdee khrap!

Алексей Шиманский

@DamkerngT. I knew someone would say that. :D

Damkerng T.

@АлексейШиманский Hehe!

Алексей Шиманский

@DamkerngT. it explains everything)

Damkerng T.

Indeed. Very true indeed! :D

V.V.

10:33

Reminds me of fuchsia. Privet.

Damkerng T.

Privet!

V.V.

Pronunciation, I mean

Damkerng T.

Ahh...

Yes, fuchsia is very tricky!

CowperKettle

Yes, but it is very nicely spelled out in Russian: фьюша

(0:

V.V.

LOL

Dam, the "fu" sounds as if you say "phew"

Damkerng T.

10:45

Yes!

It rhymes perfectly with future!

key_asdfg

Hi, I'm an ESL student and am new to chat rooms here but I have a question about this reddit post. What's the joke here? Is it something dirty? reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/5rpqie/…

Damkerng T.

Probably.

FWIW, I think the joke may work with only some demo.

(demographics, I mean)

key_asdfg

But it seems popular. I found the post on the today's top page of reddit. Does this kind of thing happen a lot? Even native speakers don't get popular internet jokes?

reddit.com here the post ranked 20th.

user2684291

@key_asdfg It's not dirty.

key_asdfg

What does the "box" mean?

user2684291

10:59

It's just a box, presumably a cardboard one.

key_asdfg

Are homeless people supposed to sit on a cardboard box?

user2684291

Or in it.

key_asdfg

I didn't associate homeless people with cardboard boxes...So the joke here was the guy was actually talking to the cardboard box?

user2684291

No.

The girl's home is her box.

That's where she'd put her stuff, or something like that.

key_asdfg

And the guy was trying to take her in the box or only the box without her?

user2684291

11:02

So the double entendre is accomplished through the following two meanings: 1. "take the girl home", and 2. "take the girl's home".

Damkerng T.

@user2684291 It could be. Try searching for grab her by the box.

user2684291

@DamkerngT. No...

@key_asdfg Only the box.

Damkerng T.

Hmm... no what? We're not talking about polite, standard English anyway.

key_asdfg

Ahh I got it now! Thanks, user!

user2684291

@DamkerngT. No. Your interpretation isn't probable.

Damkerng T.

11:06

Well, I guess we have to agree to disagree.

user2684291

No, haha. Reread the joke, please.

There's no "grabbing by the box" or something like that.

key_asdfg

Ah, I have another question....Is using a double hyphen as a dash to insert things common? e.g. I didn't go to school today --I didn't have any class today-- so I went to a grocery store blah blah...

user2684291

It doesn't matter if it's common, don't do it.

key_asdfg

Is it a common mistake on the internet?

user2684291

It's used where people want to use an em- or en-dash.

thepunctuationguide.com/em-dash.html

thepunctuationguide.com/en-dash.html

Damkerng T.

11:12

@user2684291 It's more about style than grammar, I'd say.

user2684291

@key_asdfg They simply enclose a parenthesis.

Damkerng T.

A lot of programs will convert this -- automatically anyway.

user2684291

@DamkerngT. Yeah, a poor style.

Damkerng T.

Hmm... you seem to be judgmental today.

A poor style in what kind of writing?

key_asdfg

And what's the correct way to insert things? One hyphen on each end?

Damkerng T.

11:14

I don't think we can confidently say that it's a poor style without considering the context.

A poor style in academic writing, maybe.

@key_asdfg What kind of writing are you talking about?

key_asdfg

@DamkerngT. comments on this site, for instance.

Damkerng T.

If you're going to publish your academic paper, then the two links @user2684291 gave are probably fine. (I haven't checked them, though.)

user2684291

There's simply no need to use a double hyphen when we have the technology of em- and en-dashes.

Damkerng T.

Ah, comments on the web. Then do whatever you like. :D

user2684291

It's like using ' two times instead of a single ".

Damkerng T.

11:17

In some contexts, using the entire set of punctuation marks could be considered rude.

For example, if I'm chatting with someone who never used the period, it could be rude if she asked me something and I replied, Yes., with the period.

key_asdfg

I see. How do you get those em- and en-dashes?

user2684291

You'll have to discover that on your own.

Damkerng T.

Okay, I'm heading off. BBL. Have a nice chat, everyone!

key_asdfg

I found a way to get those. Thanks, you guys!

user2684291

@DamkerngT. Have a nice day, Damkerng.

key_asdfg

11:22

Bye Damkerng!

user2684291

I didn't mean to stir up anything when I said it's a poor style. I guess I was being a bit subjective there, but honestly, it's 2k17, M&N dashes are a thing.

(I almost said 2016 there, lol.)

key_asdfg

Are m and n dashes a famous concept? I've never heard of it till now.

user2684291

@key_asdfg Note the usage of the dashes. Some style guides recommend the use of the en-dash only, for everything.

@key_asdfg It's an old concept; I don't know about "famous".

key_asdfg

11:38

I got it, thanks! I'm heading off now. Later, guys!

CowperKettle

12:19

From BBC

Weather in Yekaterinburg

user2684291

"Danish authorities demand women-only swimming sessions used by Muslim immigrants are scrapped so 'people learn it is natural to swim together'" Shouldn't it read "be scrapped", not "are scrapped"?

CowperKettle

@user2684291 We could use be here (subjunctive) but it's not strictly necessary in modern English

In some cases the use of the subjunctive makes it clearer, so it might be better to use be

user2684291

@CowperKettle "I demand you are gone." sounds good to you?

CowperKettle

@user2684291 no

but are chimes better with sessions

plural to plural

user2684291

@CowperKettle What does that have to do with anything?

Damkerng T.

12:40

@user2684291 Try searching for covert mandative.

user2684291

@DamkerngT. Thank you. I'll do that.

Damkerng T.

My pleasure!

Damkerng T.

13:01

5

A: A comparison between "Creep", "Crawl" and "slither"

You are correct. Something has to have legs to be able to crawl. The baby crawled across the floor Slithering occurs where the entire body of the animal is used for locomotion in a waving back and forth motion The snake slithered across the ground. Slithering since it's...

How could this answer have gotten 5 upvotes?!

The answer begins with "You are correct".

And the OP thought "A snake and a snail can only slither."

Maybe it's like coke vs. pop.

user2684291

The OED says reptiles slither. There are other definitions of slithering, but they seem more general.

Damkerng T.

nods

Using slither with a snail doesn't sound right to me anyway.

0

Q: An idiom or phrase that means "make the enemy remember this defeat"

Can someone translate this phrase from Urdu to English "Hum Dushman ko maza chaka dain gy" ہم دشمن کو مزہ چکھا دیں گے The literal English of this phrase is "We Will let the enemy enjoy the taste of his defeat", but there should be a proverb of it in English which I am unable to find....

phrase-request expressions idiom-request indian-english

This question makes me wonder if the OP's interpretation of the proverb in their own language is correct.

Because it sounds almost like something I can imagine used in an of old Indian texts.

And it doesn't give me the idea of "remember".

It could be implied in context, yes, but the phrase itself doesn't suggest so.

CowperKettle

16:08

I've been told that when a company requests a study or an analysis of its samples to be performed by another company, it's not a request but always a requisition

Is that true?

This was told by a person with a couple of decades of translation experience and some solid scientific credentials

ColleenV

16:24

@user2684291 Slithering requires reptilian skin I think

Snails don't slither in my opinion

user2684291

I know, that's what I'm saying, and that's what the OED says.

ColleenV

The only time I use slither is if I want to imply something is snake-like, for example "The guy from marketing just slithered in here and tried to take credit for our work"

And I agree with you

user2684291

By "general" I wasn't referring to animals, but other general motions described as "slithering".

CowperKettle

> Heating the sample at a rate of 10K/min in the 40-450 °C range under argon flow (100 mL/min).

Is under okay, or is in better?

user2684291

@ColleenV Exactly your example. It compares that person to a snake, with the connotations we attach to snakes.

ColleenV

16:28

Also you don't have to have legs to crawl necessarily - just in one sense of the word

"The truck crawled along the dirt track." - it went very slowly

user2684291

Yes, and I included those definitions in my answer. (I just copied-and-pasted them from the OED.)

ColleenV

@user2684291 Oh sorry - I haven't read all of the answers yet

I'm slacking off while I'm waiting for my data recording to finish. (shhh, don't tell my boss!)

user2684291

However, I think we shouldn't confuse the enquirer with these, more general and abstract definitions. At least not as long as their grasp on the essential meanings of the words remains tentative.

ColleenV

@user2684291 I don't think A-Friend's grasp of it is all that tentative. I think it's an interesting question though

I always err on the side of too much information, which is not always good

@CowperKettle I'm not sure which is better - "range" so close to "under" or "in" makes the sentence a little hard to parse on first read.

Heating the sample under argon flow at a rate of 10K/min in the 40-450 C range - does that say the same thing?

CowperKettle

Yes..

(0:

user2684291

16:41

@ColleenV Well, I'm not so sure, and I can gauge their command of English only by what they have said: "As far as I know, the creatures that have legs crawl and the animals that are legless can either slither or creep." – whence they seem to've fallen under several misapprehensions.

It's definitely an interesting question because most learner's dictionaries don't expound much on such details.

ColleenV

16:53

@user2684291 Yeah which is why I think it's good to mention some of the other meanings. It's hard for me to judge as a native speaker exactly what the difficulty is, but I worry that by not mentioning other common ways the word can be used, it makes it more confusing when a learner comes across those usages because they don't even know they could exist.

Man_From_India

Lovely post -

0

Q: Would and used to

I would eat well when I was a child. I used to eat well when I was a child. Is there any difference in the meaning between these two sentences.

meaning-in-context

And neither answer is appropriate, and exactly addresses OP's question.

Your first sentence is not natural, if at all correct. — Man_From_India 2 mins ago

user2684291

@ColleenV I've intuited on my own what "crawl", etc. mean when I first saw such usage.

I think figurative uses of those verbs are common.

ColleenV

@user2684291 I just have a personal problem that makes it impossible for me not to think of all the different variations :) I don't like the words "every", "never", and "always" much either.

user2684291

@ColleenV I'm catching your driftwood.

CowperKettle

17:30

@ColleenV Thank you, I used your sentence. Just need to sleep. Was translating all day.

ColleenV

@CowperKettle Sleep tight! Don't let the bed bugs bite, etc. etc. :)

CowperKettle

18:41

(0:

Damkerng T.

18:54

I knew it! I knew I had seen Pikachu somewhere before!

V.V.

Oh, so big!

Cardinal

21:24

@CowperKettle Oh dear!

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