English Language Learners

Jim Reynolds

16:00

counterargument: people argue at lunch counters, for example.

@mar, I'm not saying you had too many commas in that suggestion, but, well, that, is what I'm saying, after all.

MARamezani

NOOOOOOOOOO! You distracted me! I missed a review!

Anonymous

@JimReynolds Well, I was writing an explanation of emphatic polarity, and I was about to start with what polarity was and how it mattered, but people weren't interested so I sort of ended it early :-)

Damkerng T.

@snailboat Imitating the OP's English has one good advantage, if we include the future reader in the picture. If the future reader can't understand the question, they won't bother reading the answers.

Jim Reynolds

Future reader? Clairvoyant!

MARamezani

Damkerng 1 Snailor 0.

Jim Reynolds

16:02

@snailboat: What do you call a child fortune-teller who has escaped from prison?

Anonymous

There isn't any argument going on that I'm aware of

MARamezani

@JimReynolds Please go and read the manual...Oh I mean the chat log.

Damkerng T.

@MARamezani Hey, we're not in competition here.

Jim Reynolds

O.o

MARamezani

@DamkerngT. I didn't say you are. I'm just the reporter.

Hmm, what is this thing supposed to do? =)

Is it a 0.0 + :)

Or what?

Anonymous

16:03

@JimReynolds I don't know, what?

Jim Reynolds

A small medium at large!

MARamezani

@JimReynolds Watch exorcist.

Anonymous

Ha

Jim Reynolds

Exorcist!

o.0

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Somehow I don't get that!

MARamezani

16:04

@JimReynolds Makes sense, as much as you do.

Jim Reynolds

o.O

0.O

O.O

O.0

etc.

MARamezani

@DamkerngT. At large means loose

Damkerng T.

I can guess only small and at large.

MARamezani

@JimReynolds No fair. That's cheating.

Damkerng T.

@MARamezani Yes, exactly.

Jim Reynolds

16:05

That's why I addressed it to the real English-speaker. O.o

o.o

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. medium, n. sense 3 in Macmillan

Damkerng T.

@snailboat A-ha! Thanks!

Jim Reynolds

:-)

MARamezani

0

Q: transformations VS. change

a change in behavioral and social patterns a transformation in behavioral and social patterns Would anyone possibly show me whether or not there is any difference between those? or even the latter could be considered a correct usage of transformation as to terms of psychology? Any comment or...

vocabulary

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds See, it's not that difficult. :D

MARamezani

16:06

Judging the title....

@JimReynolds You really smile at weird times. o.0

Damkerng T.

@MARamezani Should I ask Optimus Prime to answer that question?

MARamezani

@DamkerngT. IDK.

@DamkerngT. I was thinking of diapers.

Damkerng T.

@MARamezani Yes, I'm DamKerng. :-)

Anonymous

I'm a nervous smiler. I smile all the time.

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. Okay, now I laughed :-)

Jim Reynolds

16:08

I smiled because Dam gave indication that he had checked the reference, thereby obtaining a cute little riddle from me. I gave the gift of huuuumor.

user116848

I am a bad smiler.

Jim Reynolds

Now he will tell it to his cat any number of times, with many meow-chuckles ensuing.

I am just as happy as a clam.

Anonymous

You just never learned how to smile, and now when you're called upon to do it you score 6s and 7s at best?

MARamezani

@arrowfar A bridge, smile, a bridge, smile... explodes

user116848

Heh

Jim Reynolds

16:09

Arrowfar, try harder! It's just keystroke, keystroke, and you can be all :D

Oops. That's a laugh.

MARamezani

@snailboat My mouth hurts. Can I stop now?

user116848

@JimReynolds I know :)

Jim Reynolds

@mar Does you face hurt?

Anonymous

@MARamezani Something tells me you're going to be repeating smiling class at summer school.

Jim Reynolds

I know it hurts your friends and family, but I mean yourself also?

MARamezani

16:10

@JimReynolds No my mouth does.

Jim Reynolds

o.0

user116848

@snailboat Um... Me snail?

Jim Reynolds

Talking too much trash?

Anonymous

@arrowfar Yes, sorry, it was an attempt at humor :-)

MARamezani

@JimReynolds Yeah.

Jim Reynolds

16:10

Yaaaay!

user116848

@snailboat No it was good humor :-)

MARamezani

Oh, I had earned convention in chemistry.

Jim Reynolds

Applauds MAR

MARamezani

@JimReynolds With what?

You have hands?

Jim Reynolds

Tentacles

MARamezani

16:11

All I can see is your face.

o.O

Jim Reynolds

0.O

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Umm... That's vague. How many tentacles do you have?

Anonymous

@JimReynolds Snails generally have four of those.

MARamezani

@JimReynolds So you sound like a seal? o.0

Damkerng T.

By the way, it's rhetoric.

Anonymous

16:12

They don't know how to applaud, though.

Jim Reynolds

snails do have their limitations.

Anonymous

Yes! They're fast, but they're only so fast, y'know?

Damkerng T.

@snailboat Maybe they do in animations!

Jim Reynolds

@Dam Why does the ocean roar?

Damkerng T.

IDK, because it's bored?

Jim Reynolds

16:13

Haha.

You would too, if you had crabs on your bottom.

Damkerng T.

Oh, no! You're polluting the image of those cute crabs I've seen earlier today!

MARamezani

@JimReynolds Not laughing. Tongue

I'm weird. 0.0

I laugh at something not phuunny, but I don't laugh at something that's again, not phuunny. Weird. O.O

Anonymous

Hmm, should I replace gratefulness with gratitude in a meta post?

Damkerng T.

I always assume that the voiceless and voiced sounds are different as night and day to native speakers. (Basically, I'm from a language that has no such distinctions.) I guess that's probably not true.

user116848

I should go to charm school.

MARamezani

16:15

@snailboat Yes you should. Wait, where?

Anonymous

The former is not unattested, but the latter is over 60 times more common in COCA

Damkerng T.

@snailboat If it's in the latest meta post, I'd say there are lots of typos in there.

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. Which one is that?

Damkerng T.

The first ten hundred words one.

Anonymous

Oh, that's an old post, isn't it?

Jim Reynolds

16:17

snailboat, if you're feeling it, change it. It will improve it.

Damkerng T.

@snailboat The Part 2 one is new, I think.

Jim Reynolds

If someone doesn't like it, they can file a complaint with my office.

MARamezani

nerdtests.com/ft_loser.php

I think some people should take that test.

Anonymous

Oh, I thought you specified the first one specifically

MARamezani

0.o

o.0

Damkerng T.

16:18

@snailboat I'm sorry! I didn't check!

user116848

I'm not a nerd btw.

Anonymous

I couldn't find the one with all the typos

user116848

I mean I like them. But, not me.

MARamezani

@arrowfar Well my results were supernerd or whatever.

Damkerng T.

> meta.ell.stackexchange.com/questions/2428/…

at at the way we is one.

MARamezani

16:19

@DamkerngT. Why did you quote that?

Anonymous

Wow, I totally did not notice that, and I read it three times!

user116848

@MARamezani I am surprised. I took you for an athlete type.

user116848

:)

Anonymous

I'd probably've found it if I'd read it out loud

Damkerng T.

@MARamezani Because it's the meta post I was thinking about.

MARamezani

16:19

@arrowfar wai..wha? Couldn't I be a nerd athlete?

user116848

@MARamezani Yeah of course.

MARamezani

Of course. Only if I wan't a cyclohexane.

0.o

o.0

o.O

O.o

Jim Reynolds

Athlete? @MAR's main form of exercise is jumping to conclusions.

user116848

lol

Damkerng T.

You will have to sign up use this is another.

Jim Reynolds

16:22

Look at me, on the other hand. I still have the face of a 49-year-old.

Damkerng T.

Ah, I don't really want to do any proofreading!

Jim Reynolds

But I will finish eating it by tomorrow.

MARamezani

@JimReynolds Ye wann a peice o' me?

Damkerng T.

@MARamezani How about two pieces?

MARamezani

@DamkerngT. Don't like couples.

Jim Reynolds

16:23

smacks MAR across the pudundum.

MARamezani

I'm single, mind you.

@JimReynolds Dream on.

Damkerng T.

@MARamezani Not that. I just wondered how you would taste like.

Jim Reynolds

o.O

Anonymous

Wait, what sort of chat have I wandered into?

Damkerng T.

(Vampire mode: on)

Anonymous

16:24

I used to be in ELL chat

Damkerng T.

:D

Jim Reynolds

MARkebobs!

MARamezani

@JimReynolds Delicious. But I'd evaporate, so no thank you.

Jim Reynolds

If you run out of snail food, @snail, I would pay to see @MAR consumed by snails.

Anonymous

My snails don't eat people.

MARamezani

16:25

@JimReynolds Kids these days

Anonymous

If you want MARamezani eaten by snails, I suggest finding cone snails

Jim Reynolds

Hmm. Finicky are they?

MARamezani

@JimReynolds You've been watching some sci-fi recently.

Anonymous

There are a lot of carnivorous snails, but most of them are rather small and not particularly capable of killing a human being

Anonymous

Cone snails, though, watch out

user116848

16:26

Btw I'm stopping myself from saying anything here :)

Jim Reynolds

Running to buy cone snails, mailing to "MAR, 3rd camel from the cactus, Iran."

MARamezani

@arrowfar Sane choice.

user116848

@MARamezani Yeah I learned it the hard way too.

Jim Reynolds

Say what you would have said, just specify that you're not saying it.

Anonymous

@JimReynolds You mean like, by saying cough before and after?

user116848

16:27

Haha

Jim Reynolds

:-)

MARamezani

@JimReynolds Wai' a minu'e. NOOO! I'm being eaten!

Jim Reynolds

I wonder when that started. I seem to remember one of my classmates making quite a performance of it in <<calculating year>>

MARamezani

GET OFF ME!

Damkerng T.

nom, nom

Jim Reynolds

16:28

:-)

Haha

MARamezani

I'm dead.

Jim Reynolds

Cone snails!

Must do some research. It sounds horrifying.

MARamezani

Now my ghost is gonna hunt you.

Anonymous

@MARamezani What are those apostrophes supposed to represent?

user116848

I found something controversial:

MARamezani

16:28

Along with haunting.

user116848

Jim Reynolds

Hahaha.

Anonymous

@JimReynolds The most important thing you need to know about Conus is not to approach them in real life! Everything else I'll let you read about in whatever order you like :-)

MARamezani

@snailboat I couldn't pronounce /t/ well. I was being eaten.

Jim Reynolds

O.o

MARamezani

16:30

Googling cone snails

Jim Reynolds

I just frequently say, "You know I would never tease you like that if we weren't really close."

But then the person will frequently remind me that it's our first meeting.

MARamezani

Aaah. It's those killer snails, with fast stings.

Jim Reynolds

I've just used frequently too frequently.

MARamezani

@JimReynolds Actually, you actually haven't actually used it too much actually.

Jim Reynolds

o.o

MARamezani

16:31

0.O

Jim Reynolds

I have so much respect for the way you are just willing to go ahead and not be funny.

MARamezani

@JimReynolds Phuunny, you dolt!

Jim Reynolds

lol

do|t

TM

user116848

@JimReynolds Very good statement/sentence

Damkerng T.

I used to love all my vertical bars!

Jim Reynolds

16:33

Now?

Anonymous

I used to insert basically as a filler word when I was younger

Damkerng T.

I'm not so sure anymore!

MARamezani

@DamkerngT. Your vertical bars? Oh, I get it. =)

Jim Reynolds

Been married to them too long?

O.o

That kid!

Damkerng T.

lol

Anonymous

16:34

When I was a teenager, I had a little class on identifying and eliminating filler words

Anonymous

Basically was the biggest offender for me

Jim Reynolds

Does that mean that you organized a class yourself?

Anonymous

No, no

Anonymous

At debate camp

Jim Reynolds

Oh. I wouldn't have been surprised.

Anonymous

16:35

At that age, I'd never organized a class, just study groups

Jim Reynolds

So you were a sociologist!

Damkerng T.

Me: Debate => people talk so fast like 250 mph.

user116848

You were a debater @snailboat?

Anonymous

I have many hats

Jim Reynolds

I say she was not!

MARamezani

16:36

@DamkerngT. Like now?

Damkerng T.

Maybe!

Jim Reynolds

Point: She is very argumentative now.

Damkerng T.

Ah, another pronunciation question! ell.stackexchange.com/q/54253/3281

MARamezani

@JimReynolds OK. Pointing

Jim Reynolds

How could that be possible if she had used up all her argumentation as a teenager?

MARamezani

16:37

@DamkerngT. Yeah, what's with them recently? They weren't around when I was a newbie newbie here.

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. People don't seem to like pronunciation questions

Damkerng T.

But we have Jim now!

Anonymous

I upvoted it

Jim Reynolds

I'll say it, and snailboat can write about flaps, velaric rotics, and elongated, er, something elses.

Damkerng T.

Wow, I can hardly hear him in the clip!

MARamezani

16:39

@JimReynolds Tmesis

Jim Reynolds

Watch your language.

Son.

MARamezani

OK.

Grandpa.

Anonymous

@JimReynolds Velar rhotics

MARamezani

Why did you post this here? — MARamezani 10 secs ago

Anonymous

Most likely by accident.

Anonymous

16:41

You can post comments with a neutral tone instead:

2

MARamezani

@snailboat We had a guy post something in chemistry's meta.

Anonymous

> I'm afraid this is the meta site, not the main site. The meta site is for questions about ELL. The main site is where you post questions about English.

Damkerng T.

Hmm... weird. It looks like this is the only question of the OP, but the OP has 66 rep points.

user116848

Well, it deserved a star because I'm pro niceness these days.

MARamezani

They were directed to meta's close reason, and thought they'd needed to post their off-topic question there.

Damkerng T.

16:43

(I checked to see if the OP is a new user.)

user116848

Can I say: "Burn!"

MARamezani

Maybe that's the case here too.

That's why I asked @snailboat.

user116848

How come no one likes it when I say to be nice? :(

MARamezani

@DamkerngT. Maybe they're new to close reasons.

@arrowfar I love it!

Anonymous

The idea of a meta site is very poorly explained to new users

MARamezani

16:44

Just, not that much.

Anonymous

So it's not surprising people post in the wrong spot now and then.

user116848

@MARamezani Thanks!

MARamezani

@snailboat Indeed.

Jim Reynolds

@arr Do you want to be nice and say "burn" at the same time?

Or first one, then the other?

user116848

@JimReynolds Heh!

MARamezani

16:45

sentence c must be c. I haven't given him the deposit slip yet. — AR AM 1 min ago

user116848

Good point!

MARamezani

What? I don't get them.

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. It's their only meta question.

Damkerng T.

They're trying to answer.

Anonymous

@DamkerngT. On the main site, they have seven questions: ell.stackexchange.com/users/14187/ar-am

Damkerng T.

16:46

@snailboat Oh, I see. I'm still on the meta site!

Thanks!

Oh, and they asked it on the meta site!

Jim Reynolds

Isn't being on meta without knowing it itself meta?

O.o

Damkerng T.

Were you trying to hurt a robot's feeling?

sobbing

0

Q: attend VS. enter

Would anyone please show me whether there is any difference between the two? to enter a school/college/university to attend a school/college/university

vocabulary verb

This one is familiar...

Well, I'm too lazy to check anything now.

Jim Reynolds

No, robot. Being meta is cool.

MARamezani

Meta.ELL is reserved for discussions on the policies of the site. Please consider asking your English-related problems on the main site. Also, when asking this on the main site, you might want to add some attempt you've made in answering this, so that we'll be able to address your issue specifically. — MARamezani 22 secs ago

I think that should solve things.

Anonymous

@MARamezani Nice comment!

Jim Reynolds

16:51

you might want to add some attempt you've made in answering this,

unclear

MARamezani

@snailboat I never like or mean to be unhelpful.

Jim Reynolds

What does it mean to add an attempt?

You, hey you! Please add an attempt.

MARamezani

@JimReynolds Thinking of a better sentence.

Jim Reynolds

:-)

Good, because I can't.

Anonymous

Hmm, well, it made sense to me, but it could possibly be rephrased

Jim Reynolds

16:52

O.O

MARamezani

@snailboat It makes me feel uneasy.

Anonymous

It might be because I'm used to people on Stack Exchange talking about this sort of thing

MARamezani

And when I feel uneasy, the world comes to an end.

Damkerng T.

Maybe an attempt is somewhat like a bend.

Anonymous

People talk about showing your attempts to solve the problem when you post a question

MARamezani

16:53

@snailboat Mwa too. Chemistry is full of homework reason closures.

user116848

Sorry, was typing.

Jim Reynolds

@Dam !

Damkerng T.

:P

Jim Reynolds

hahaha

Anonymous

I'm so used to Stack Exchange, I don't know if I'd find the phrasing odd if I weren't!

user116848

16:54

@MARamezani Same here.

MARamezani

Rephrased:

Meta.ELL is reserved for discussions on the policies of the site. Please consider asking your English-related problems on the main site. Also, when asking this on the main site, you might want to add some of the effort you've made in answering this, so that we'll be able to address your issue specifically. — MARamezani 3 mins ago

That'll do.

Jim Reynolds

add some information explaining anything you've done yourself to find an answer to your question.

Anonymous

It's okay, though I'd personally change add to show

Jim Reynolds

They would not be adding effort.

Anonymous

And maybe in answering to to answer

MARamezani

16:55

@JimReynolds Get real! I wanna punch you now!

Jim Reynolds

:-)

Anonymous

Hmm

Jim Reynolds

And now whose being nice? I bought a present for @dam

encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/…

Anonymous

Putting sentences under a microscope can be tricky :-)

Jim Reynolds

Hmm.

MARamezani

16:56

> This is a homework question. We have a policy which states that ‎you should show your thoughts and\or efforts into solving the problem. It'll make us certain that ‎we aren't doing your homework for you. Otherwise, this question may get closed.‎

Anonymous

@JimReynolds Alert! Homophone error! who's

user116848

I'm accidently pressing enter today. I should write elsewhere first.

user116848

(removed)

MARamezani

Oh, thought would do too.

Anonymous

@MARamezani That needs to be a forward slash

Damkerng T.

16:57

@JimReynolds Smart Straw! Is that my last straw?!

MARamezani

@arrowfar I'm accidentally entering lots of i's and e's.

@snailboat What?

Anonymous

I didn't actually read the sentence. My slash sense detected a backslash and I homed in on it.

Jim Reynolds

You don't know what WD-40 is

?

Anonymous

and/or, not and\or

Damkerng T.

A forward slash /
A backward slash (or backslash) \

MARamezani

16:58

@snailboat Aha. Guess that's what happens when you do lots of LaTex.

Jim Reynolds

Please explain your own thinking about the problem, and demonstrate what effort you have put into solving it.

Damkerng T.

@JimReynolds Not this brand.

Anonymous

Forward slash is a retronym, by the way.

Anonymous

Originally it was just slash, but now people sometimes say forward slash to disambiguate it from the newer backslash

MARamezani

@snailboat Really? Good to know!

Jim Reynolds

16:59

Which is oblique?

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