English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Bradd Szonye

00:28

-1

I am looking at this sentence using "since": NY Times Barnes & Noble has been placing much smaller orders of Simon & Schuster books since the stalemate has stretched on, damaging sales for authors. Is the part after "since" not good? Shouldn't "since" be followed by a point in time or...

BST warning.

tchrist

01:10

Yup.

@aediaλ Really? I’d heard they’d begun to do that in the UK, but hereabouts they still all seem sewn.

kalina

night

Zachiel

Hello, good people of EL&U (Not-good people: hello to you too)

2

tchrist

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Zachiel

01:25

This guy I know from a mmorpg has been using google translator to translate a sentence and it's miracolously readable but... we have some doubts on construction. "Name is back... and more fierce than ever". It's my understending you need to repeat the subject on the subordinate sentence so it should be "and he's more fierce" or we should remove that and, are we right?

tchrist

hm

Fido is back, fiercer than ever.

No and.

No more.

No repeated subject.

No problem.

Zachiel

What about if one wanted to separate the two sentences, for underlining how being fiercer is something extra? "Fido is back... moreover, he's fiercer than ever"? (A wild guess, and a laughable attempt, I know.)

@tchrist Nice song, by the way.

Zachiel

01:45

Ah, got to go. Thank you anyway.

KitFox

02:20

@GlenTheUdderboat this is pretty close to how I felt when I learned topology.

Robusto

03:02

Wow, this is weird.

I would suggest that we are more than that mulberry outlet online. I would hope that we embrace all of English michael kors purses, from the lowest and most vulgar to the loftiest and most refined -and, yes, everything in between. I suspect that's probably the essence of the answer you yourself supplied, but I wanted to make it clear that I don't believe "middlebrow" should mean either anti-intellectual or crusadingly mundane.

Seems like someone just lifted that paragraph entire out of my post and placed it as the lead paragraph in some drivel that doesn't even make sense—with interspersed advertising words to make it senseless as well.

"Topic: hgrsiq mulberry outlet online gdpkds" indeed.

Heh, I copied the wrong one in reference to my own post. Mine didn't have the mulberry outlets in it.

9

A: Is English Language & Usage highbrow?

This may be a semantic distinction, but I balk at the word middlebrow. That suggests we cut off the bottom and the top. Not that you need a dictionary citation, but let me air my fears a bit here: middlebrow |ˈmidlˈbrou| informal chiefly derogatory adjective (of art or literature or a sys...

Jasper Loy

04:16

@KitFox I didn't know you learned topology.

Anonymous

Does anybody know the Jewish equivalent of a 'church member'?

Maybe they are just congregants.

I'm not sure if they are called 'parishioners'. Alas, I think 'parishioners' carries a Christian connotation.

Jasper Loy

04:37

How about worshippers?

Anonymous

No. It's definitely 'congregants'.

I just asked on the chatroom of the mi yodeya.

tchrist

@Zachiel That’s fine.

Anonymous

05:48

Sodomy is known to mean anal copulation, oral copulation, and vaginal copulation, and sometimes, in some academic or professional publications, exclusively anal copulation. Is this sort of thing consensual or non-consensual?

EnglishMaster

06:40

ifitweremyhome.com/compare/AU/US

lol

ifitweremyhome.com/compare/US/KR

lol

EnglishMaster

08:00

Guys I have a question.

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Why do American soldiers in this video make a Crunchwrap Supreme with their flag?

Jasper Loy

09:49

Susan is now a 10k user!

RegDwigнt

10:34

Susan just spelled "Wiktionary" as "wictionary".)))

That caught me off-guard.

Susan

Reg, may I ask a question?

RegDwigнt

Yeah go ahead.

And congrats on 10k.

Susan

the yellow review "alert" - is it supposed to go off when I've reviewed flagged posts?

yeah, well.

just so happened to come into chat at just the right moment, huh?

RegDwigнt

You mean that one?

Susan

yes

RegDwigнt

10:44

That one tells you that there are 8 flags to review. Not that you have reviewed 8 flags.

You don't have to review them at all, for that matter.

But it can be fun.

I think there could be a Meta post on that, let me see...

Susan

yes, I get that. But after I've reviewed them, as in the case of the regular review queue, should it not disappear from my view?

RegDwigнt

I actually am not sure what happens with the flags for 10k users.

Susan

ok, thanks.

RegDwigнt

I don't remember what happened when I was a 10k user, plus they have made several changes since then.

But it stands to reason that it should disappear, yes.

Perhaps more flags came in in the mean time?

Susan

well, I'll learn, I guess

RegDwigнt

10:48

78

A: What are the moderation tools available to high-reputation users?

First off, see: the Access to Moderator Tools privilege description. It's mostly just lists. I just recently became a member of the +10k club. Allow me to enumerate all of the views available. Each view is found in one of five categories: links, stats, close, delete and flags. There is also a t...

Still looking for the post on flags proper.

So far to no avail.

But that right here is a nice overview with some links.

Susan

don't bother, really.

it was just a question.

RegDwigнt

Nah, I'm now interested myself.

Susan

but while I've got you, is there a consensus that I'm not wanted here?

RegDwigнt

So by the way, what number are you seeing right now?

I just handled a flag, so mine went down from 8 to 7.

Susan

3

RegDwigнt

10:50

Hm.

Right. You only see boilerplate flags.

@Susan is that the vibe you're getting?

So far I think there were but a couple people wondering just how prescriptivist you were. :)

Actually, on one occasion that included myself!

And now I don't even remember what the occasion was.

Susan

um... I don't know how to answer that

RegDwigнt

Well yeah it's a sliding scale.

Susan

i come here to ask a question and see that I'm being laughed at.

by you.

RegDwigнt

Oh you mean my remark about wictionary.

Susan

so it's a reasonable q, no?

yes.

RegDwigнt

10:53

That wasn't meant to be a laugh.

Perhaps it didn't come out right.

Susan

?

RegDwigнt

As I said, it was an unusual typo that caught me off-guard.

If you stick around you'll see that it's perfectly normal for people here to point out unusual typos.

Which is never meant as an insult.

More like a collection.

Susan

ok, thanks

RegDwigнt

I mean, of course the idea is that the poster also fixes it.

Susan

I'll read more about flagged posts

RegDwigнt

10:56

Otherwise it is a bit unfair and could indeed be misinterpreted as a point-and-laugh type of thing.

Susan

and I'll fix the answer

RegDwigнt

So the idea is not to say "look at X, he said Y", but to also fix it.

Susan

ahh. .)))

ok

thanks again.

RegDwigнt

Yeah I actually fixed it before mentioning it here.

No probs.

Just drop by more often and you'll get a more accurate impression of how things work here.

Right now it's very atypical anyway, as most of America is still asleep.

The room will be on fire in a couple hours.

RegDwigнt

11:08

@Robusto we have an impostor.

0

Q: CSS broken on days I was online

Please check the image, on my profile the CSS in the datepicker is gone - I'm using the latest version of Chrome.

bug status-norepro

RegDwigнt

12:24

1

Q: Schrodinger's Cat. Why was it necessary?

Could someone please explain to me the idea that Schrodinger was trying to illustrate by the cat in his box? I understand that he was trying to introduce the notion of the cat being both alive and dead at the same time. But why was it necessary to introduce this thought experiment and what did it...

quantum-mechanics schroedinger-equation thought-experiment

Matt Эллен

necessary? no no no. Schrodinger hated cats, so he routinely ran the experiment to satify his bloodlust.

RegDwigнt

No experiment is necessary.

Matt Эллен

Sure it is, otherwise no evolution

uday sagar

Hello

RegDwigнt

@MattЭллен how do you mean.

Hello Uday.

Matt Эллен

12:27

oh, then I suppose you're right, in an existensial manner

the universe isn't necessary

RegDwigнt

That, too. But I also mean that we have long stopped evolving.

uday sagar

Just want to know whether this sentence sounds good

"I am especially impressed by his capability of mastering a technology in less amount of time"

RegDwigнt

Our technology is evolving, but that, yes, that is not necessary at all.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwigнt things have not stopped evolving. things evolve all the time.

language evolves

RegDwigнt

Yeah but not as a result of experiments.

Matt Эллен

12:28

@RegDwigнt evolution is an experiment run by the universe

uday sagar

does "less amount of time" suits in the sentence?

RegDwigнt

Either "less X", or "smaller amount of X". But not both.

uday sagar

or in lesst time?

Matt Эллен

@RegDwigнt when someone uses a word for the first time, they are experiemnting with it

bbl, eating.

RegDwigнt

Yes, in less time or in shorter time.

uday sagar

12:29

so you say less time

RegDwigнt

@MattЭллен not necessarily! One-off errors are way more common than conscious experiments with a goal and an agenda.

uday sagar

any other way of writing above sentence?

RegDwigнt

@MattЭллен An experiment would be, let me say FAsgQ on purpose and see what ensues.

More often than not that is not what happens when people use a word or a spelling for the first time.

@udaysagar why is it comparative in the first place?

It should not be comparative.

uday sagar

whom are you talking about @RegDwigнt ?

RegDwigнt

There is nothing you are comparing it to.

He is not mastering technology in shorter time. He is mastering it quickly.

uday sagar

12:33

yea, this sounds good

from the past 1 year or for the past 1 year ?

I have been his Manager for the past 1 year

RegDwigнt

> I have been his manager for one year now.

As to your original choice, "from" makes no sense, "past" should be "last", and "1" is superfluous.

And do not capitalize manager. English does not capitalize random words in the middle of a sentence.

uday sagar

So you say "I have been his manager for the last one year" seems valid

RegDwigнt

No, for the last year. Not for the last one year.

uday sagar

he has been managing even now

RegDwigнt

Also, see above how I would reword it from scratch to make it sound natural.

uday sagar

12:39

not in the past

RegDwigнt

@udaysagar I am not sure what you mean by that.

But at any rate, "I have been his manager for one year now" includes both the last year and the present time.

uday sagar

aha, okay

RegDwigнt

If you're no longer his manager, you'd use "was" and not "have been".

"Have been" always implies a connection to the present.

79

A: How do the tenses in English correspond temporally to one another?

EDIT: Added past continuous, trimmed image so it would be slightly larger, and gave it a transparent background. EDIT: Added middle line, made some adjustments per @Kosmonaut.

There's a nice visualization.

Jasper Loy

Many of the questions I answered are on hold, lol. That shows how cheap I am.

uday sagar

that thread is really good @RegDwigнt

thanks

RegDwigнt

12:45

You're welcome.

uday sagar

@JasperLoy questions again please

RegDwigнt

@JasperLoy As long as they are not deleted in the next three months, you get to keep your cheap reps!

You should throw a party then.

Jasper Loy

@udaysagar Too lazy to find now, lol.

uday sagar

that's okay.

Jasper Loy

It seems that edits within five minutes are recorded now.

@RegDwigнt Only to lose it all when I delete account.

uday sagar

12:50

edits? sorry i didn't get you

Jasper Loy

In the past, edits within five minutes on the main site are not reflected in the post history.

RegDwigнt

@JasperLoy where?

@JasperLoy they always were if they were by someone else than the OP.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwigнt which is what children do all the time.

uday sagar

aha, ok

Jasper Loy

@RegDwigнt Ah, that could be it. Someone else edited and then the OP edited again, all within 5 min.

RegDwigнt

12:53

@MattЭллен you're like Cerberus. You extend the meaning of a word to the point where it means everything plus the known universe plus this chat room which contains the known universe twice.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwigнt I learn from the best!

RegDwigнt

I, on the other hand, submit that children don't run experiments at all because they are too dumb.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwigнt then your definition of children is different to the legal defintion?

I suppose it differs from country to country and case to case

RegDwigнt

An experiment is a conscious thing. Saying "pasketti" because you can't frigging speak correctly is not an experiment.

Matt Эллен

but if we accept that anyone younger than 18 is a child?

RegDwigнt

12:55

Ugh.

Matt Эллен

or younger than ....

RegDwigнt

Not here.

Child is younger than 14 here, I believe.

Jasper Loy

If I have to choose between learning French and learning German, which should I choose @RegDwigнt

RegDwigнt

@JasperLoy German is easier because it is Germanic just as English.

uday sagar

are you a native american @JasperLoy ?

RegDwigнt

12:56

French has all the stupid Latin grammar that should have died out with Latin but didn't.

Jasper Loy

@udaysagar No, I am not. I live in the wheel of Samsara.

uday sagar

ohh, do you know of samsara, that's sanskrit!

then you are much close to german too!

Matt Эллен

13 year old improves solar cell

RegDwigнt

@MattЭллен anyway. I think I can move to say that anyone younger than 18 is dumb. Also, anyone older than that.

I can learn from the best, too!

Matt Эллен

@RegDwigнt but if we're all equally dumb, who is the best?

RegDwigнt

12:57

@MattЭллен yeah and then he died and so did his cell and the entire Earth and the cosmos. That wasn't too smart of him now, was it?

Jasper Loy

I am going to take a nap. I wonder who I will see in my dreams.

Matt Эллен

In the land of the dumb the two lipped man is king

RegDwigнt

This chat is a nice contrast to the Diary of Anne Frank I am trying to read.

Matt Эллен

lol

highly contrasting

RegDwigнt

Though the "yeah and then he died" part seems to be a popular plot line everywhere.

uday sagar

12:59

what time it is there at your place @JasperLoy

Jasper Loy

@udaysagar It is 9 pm.

TRiG

@AnaMardoll @DoKnowButchie did you see this? > “@jonathanhliu: We love our baby alot. http://t.co/8bHoYTOrHM”

Tweeted by ShelleyDelayne on November 5, 2013 at 2:39 PM in reply to AnaMardoll

uday sagar

k, here it's 6:30 pm

TRiG

RegDwigнt

Excellent.

Again, a nice contrast to what I was looking at a minute ago.

Jasper Loy

13:02

It's silly to wear hats, lol.

Matt Эллен

silly? nonononono hats r srsbsns

Jasper Loy

Ouvert et haut !

TRiG

@JasperLoy Hats are awesome. Silly hats are awesomer!

RegDwigнt

13:37

@Zachiel you forgot to greet the worst people. I feel left out.

skullpatrol

....and us who are

!!youtube bad to the bone george thorogood

KitSox

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skullpatrol

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RegDwigнt

Now that's way over the ZZ top.

skullpatrol

yipyipyip

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…