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05:14
. . . yawn . . .
> BAD: "Yanking the door open, he slammed it shut." ? ? ? :D
Tiger go and heat up a leftover slice of pizza . . .
> BAD: "Flipping the light switch on, he flipped it off." ? ? ? :D
> BAD: "Opening the bottle, he served each of his guests a glass of wine." ? ? ? :D
> BAD: "Falling down, he stood up and dusted himself off." ? ? ? :D
06:08
. . . burp . . .
. . . scratch . . .
06:32
hi, anyone knows where to download bbc radio programs?
@F.E. I found this example in another grammar book, and this one is from Cambridge University Press.
> Putting on a serious face, she began to tell the story.
With this description:
> We use an -ing clause to talk about something that takes place at the same time or very close in time to the action in the main clause: [the example sentence]
@athos I think they have a page for podcasts which is freely downloadable.
@DamkerngT. but that are not for past episodes.
Not all programs. Some of their programs are downloadable for a month. I think some of them are always freely downloadable (or at least available for listening).
@athos I think most of their programs are available for listenable up to 7 days.
*listening
06:52
i remember once i ran into a website has radio programs years ago to download
I'm not sure about those sites.
i still have some episodes, e.g. The Count of Monte Cristo, (the 7 episodes version from bbc radio 7)
A lot of programs on this page: bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qykl/episodes/player, have been there for years too.
Oh, I think Radio 7 was gone.
(Or changed into something else.)
Ahh... I see, it's Radio 4 Extra now.
 
2 hours later…
09:22
Hooray! Two comments today. (Perhaps this is the best I can do for now. :-)
-2
Q: Oligarchy against forum-wide assessment

Brice C.Two out of four questions I asked previously on this site have been closed: one pertaining to the order of words in a particular context; the other about the meaning of the expression 'chorus line' — a piece of info not available in the dictionnaries I looked up in the first place. I am amazed, ...

I've seen this yesterday. I voted to close two our of the three of his on hold questions.
Maybe I should've said something, but J.R.'s already said pretty much what I think, and I don't want to encourage any more frustrations.
Actually, I think I would vote the same again. And I agree with the vote-to-close voters in the other question.
I hope the OP could sort it out soon.
@DamkerngT. That's basically okay (for fiction prose), for there can be thought to be an overlap in two different actions. As she is putting on a serious face, she is also beginning to tell her story -- this is something the reader can actually visualize.
@DamkerngT. That's half good and a half bad of a definition:
> We could sometimes use an -ing clause to talk about something that takes place at the same time or very close in time to the beginning or ending part of the action in the main clause: [the example sentence] <== (mark up is mine, F.E.)
That above (marked up) version would be a better definition.
09:37
Hmm...
How about, "at the same to the beginning part of the action in the main clause or at the same time or very close in time to the ending part of the action in the main clause"?
(cont.) What an -ing clause cannot be used for is an action which is separate from the main clause's action and where the main clause's action depends on the first action getting completed before the 2nd action can begin.
@DamkerngT. As long as the -ing clause action overlapped part of the main clause beginning or ending part, then often that will be acceptable (depending on what is happening). But if there is no overlap, then it's usually dubious at best (though I've seen published fiction prose doing exactly that, but usually examples are rare).
I was thinking of something like this:
> "...," she said, stomping out of the room.
@DamkerngT. Yes, because there is an overlap. She can begin stomping out of the room before she has finished speaking -- which is what often actually happens in real life.
And sometimes, she can actually say the whole thing during her stomping out process. :)
Tiger up because Tiger couldn't go to sleep. :(
I think Tigers usually hunt by night. :)
@F.E. Was there anything that interrupted your sleep?
(fingers crossed, not earthquake, not earthquake, ...)
No, just couldn't fall asleep . . . maybe too much coffee. (I'm not in CA.)
0
Q: Go Around By Lake

meatieFor these two sentences: The road goes around by the lake. The road goes around the lake. How are they different?

Hopefully a native English speaker will answer that one. :)
09:54
I think it should be go around by the lake.
Both are okay, and have slightly different connotations.
Oh, the OP didn't drop the the in his question.
@F.E. nods -- I agree.
That's why I'm hoping an native English speaker would answer it. I'm surprised none have so far.
It would take me too long to try to answer that post, and any follow up questions on it. . . .
Tiger lazy.
That's quite understandable. You could blame it on caffeine. :)
Except Tiger lazy with or without caffeine.
09:57
Hah!
I think part of the problem is that I'm watching a lot of the US Open Tennis tournament, and it is chewing into my hours a lot.
Ahh... I take it that tennis is your favorite sport.
At one time it was.
Now I just watch the women play.
I don't know how to play tennis. I always send the ball flying over the fence. :)
@F.E. Women in tennis are cool.
The way the professional men play, it's something that I just can't relate to. I can still relate to the way the women play.
@DamkerngT. And recently, there's been a lot more of them (women) that are attractive and in the top 50.
10:01
nods -- I think Sharapova is still at the top, perhaps?
Yes, she is.
Hah!
I haven't been crazy much over her myself, but some of my friends do. :)
Anyway, I admire the fighting spirit in her.
Yes, but she's only one speed. Always hitting for winners. I prefer a fully mature type of player, one who has to think and outmaneuver her opponent too.
Hmm... That reminds me of another player who has already been retired since several years ago, I think. Can't recall her name.
But I think she was very calculating. I remember that it was before the Williams sisters' era.
Hingis?
AKA the "Swiss Miss"?
10:07
Oh, yes. That's her!
She is also currently coaching a very young (and attractive) Swiss player that just scored another (big) upset in the tournament.
Hingis is also playing women doubles, and is still in it.
Oh, she is still playing?
Just doubles, and only at a few tournaments.
She and her partner just won their last match.
She's not that old.
10:10
I'm not sure, it seems like it was a very long long time ago for me.
She was very young when she first got her major successes -- so it just seemed that she is "old".
What I can remember is I was very active in badminton (amateur) back then. And I could see through her games. Lots and lots of smart moves.
Oh, I might have to take that back -- she was born on September 30, 1980, so she is about to be 34?
34 is not very old, I remember Agassi had played until around that age, not very sure.
And Hingis had "retired" for a few years or so . . .
and maybe done that "retire" thing once or twice . . .
10:15
Isn't she the one who got injured with a knife?
I can't remember the details, but I remember that suddenly she was disappeared from top tournaments.
That was Seles. (Happened in Germany?) In a match against Graf.
Ahh... My memory isn't very reliable. :)
Yes, her tennis results were poor after that.
That was very sad.
Unfortunately, Seles was at the top of her game when that happened.
The attacker basically only got his hands slapped by the legal system.
10:18
So he is free now?
Something like a few years for forced mental treatment, or something like that.
I think Graft said that her own father, who was in prison for taxes or something, had a worse sentence than that attacker.
I remember there was something about the taxes, too.
Having worked with German folks a bit, I know that Germany tax system can give you a surprise. Sometimes a big one.
nods :)
 
7 hours later…
Anonymous
17:02
@F.E. I think both are okay but have slightly different denotations :-)
clank, clank, clank, ...
Oh, that question. Has anyone answered the OP?
-1!
Why is that?
Anonymous
Oh, what question?
Anonymous
meatie's?
Anonymous
Is it downvoted? I don't know why.
Anonymous
17:05
I haven't voted today.
I just upvoted it a moment ago (to neutralize the score).
By the way, hello!
Anonymous
Hello!
Anonymous
How's the clanking?
It was rather, well, clanking. :-)
And my PC is still sluggish, as always.
I hope yours is not snailish. :-)
Anonymous
My computer is quite new and rather fast.
17:07
Yay!
Anonymous
My new keyboard doesn't make typos on my behalf, either. ;-)
Anonymous
So that's something.
Ahh... I think I will miss your missing s's, then. :-)
Anonymous
17:08
Don't worry. I can still make my own typos. :-)
Anonymous
The difference is, I can't blame them on the keyboard anymore!
Within the last few days, I just realize how bad batch file programming can be.
Batch files can do a lot more than I ever thought, but it gave me a very weird feeling.
I've just noticed that nima_persian just turned all his rep points into bounty.
wow 400 rep bounty
Yup. One 400 points and the other is 200 points.
I wish i wasn't too lazy to answer those.. :P
17:16
There is still time. :-)
> This question has an open bounty worth +400 reputation from nima_persian ending in 5 days.
Yeah
The current answer is pretty good
What happened to the user Lanzhong Zheng? (I think that's what the username was)
I think he changed his username last week or the week before that.
I remember I saw something about a satellite and some legal issues, and then he changed his username.
Have a nice day! See you around!
Yeah I saw that too, I think the comments are gone now
You too :)
Anonymous
17:26
Oh! Batch files. I remember those from the 90s.
I still have a small set of programs that appears to be orchestrated by a handful of batch files. And it gave me a lot of headaches lately. :-)
Anonymous
17:49
That's too bad. You'd think there'd be no need for that sort of technology anymore
Anonymous
I mean, it's fine if it works and you have no problems. But if it's giving you headaches, . . .
What we think of as quoting hells could easily become a heaven when being compared to quoting in batch files. (I seemed to run into a problem with spaces in file and path names.)
Anonymous
18:05
No fun!
Indeed!
user116848
18:30
hi
user116848
Aaaand bye :)
user116848
See ya guys
Anonymous
18:51
@DamkerngT. Look at all these people for whom Korean is a 7th language! ;-) japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/18536/…
Anonymous
It's funny. I don't usually think of languages as having orders. I think of 1st and 2nd languages as those learned natively and non-natively
Anonymous
So I'd normally conceptualize Japanese as a second language for me.
Anonymous
I have to stop and actually try to count if I want to figure out where it appears in the ordinal list. But actually making a list like that is pretty difficult
Anonymous
Where do you draw the line?
Anonymous
Should I include languages I spent a year learning then quit?
Anonymous
18:54
I don't know.
Anonymous
19:36
@Arrowfar Farewell!
Anonymous
Hello!
23:44
. . . huff . . .

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