English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Kit

00:01

-2

Q: Looking for a grammatically correct sentence consisting of all English letters with minimum repetition

In English, is there a grammatically correct sentence consisting of all letters and punctuations of English alphabet but with minimum repetition? Note: The case is sensitive. :-)

complex-sentences

Really?

Why on earth would someone want this sentence, except to have a question to post on our site?

aedia

00:15

@Kit Maybe for typeface testing? Or for us to do their homework.

Kit

If it's for typeface testing, why do they care if it's grammatically correct?

aedia

00:43

Perhaps they are unable to escape the dolor of lorem ipsum and need help to construct real sentences again.

user19161

I suspect the OP is writing some typesetting text and wants a neat sentence like this. I know xport from the TeX site. She usually asks very good questions there.

user19161

And @aedia have you done your laundry?

Cerberus

01:00

@aedia Indeed it does! But what doesn't?

@Kit Oh I hate those kinds of questions, just like most single-word requests...

@aedia Another thing to hate! Every single time, after years of exposure, it still makes my brain hurt, because I start parsing the pseudo-Latin, fail, and am frustrated for being fooled yet again.

aedia

@JasperLoy I have almost done all my chores, but now I must go clean the kitchen again. Somehow the dishes multiply when I am not looking.

@Cerberus Speaking of bad Latin, I tried to answer this O question but do tell me if I'm entirely wrong. My knowledge of the vocative case is, after all, based pretty much just on a children's book, so I wouldn't be surprised...

Cerberus

01:19

@aedia I'd say o is an interjection in Latin that expresses emotion; it often, but by no means always, accompanies a noun in the vocative. In is pretty close to English o/oh, thought not completely the same.

aedia

TTFN. Must go feed dear friend Dishwasher.

Cerberus

Give him a pat on the front from me!

aedia

@Cerberus In English though it's not wrong to consider "O, Cerberus" the vocative?

@Cerberus I will ;)

Cerberus

@aedia I'd say o is an interjection in English too; it often accompanies a vocative as well; but strictly speaking, it is only the noun that is in the (unmarked) vocative case, not the interjection.

In Latin, o was used with vocative (most frequent), nominative, accusative, or genitive, or just by itself.

MrHen

02:28

-1

Q: Synonyms for the word "bloat" in the Obsd -style?

If you have never used obsd, please do not answer this question. For short, it means to keep things as simple as possible -- even a bit dump simple ("dump" her is a positive term with programmer context). Now anything that is not expressed with clarity or a bit like scientific/mathematical rigor ...

synonyms programming

Can we get this closed?

1

Q: Is "Most of it's in English" normal English?

The phrase "Most of it's in English" is grammatically correct (it's short for "Most of it is in English"), but it doesn't feel right. Is there a reason it doesn't feel right?

word-choice grammar apostrophe

Also... this.

simchona

06:16

how do users get suspended?

waiwai933

@simchona By a moderator through our special mod tools

simchona

@waiwai933 interesting. I think one user is kind of on the road there

(I could be very, very wrong, of course)

waiwai933

I am watching a user very, very closely right now, but I'm not allowed to say who. But there is a high chance that we're thinking of the same person.

simchona

I won't prod. I have a feeling it would be the same person, though...considering I haunt EL&U

Thanks for the bounty, by the way

Jez

09:25

Does anyone have an example of an answer which contains IPA pronunciation formatted correctly?

z7sg

09:41

2

Q: IPA pronunciation of 'Bazinga'

You might be familiar with the tv-series the Big Bang Theory. Sheldon, one of the main characters, often says "bazinga". How would I write this in IPA? This is what I have, does that make sense? /bəˈzɪŋɡɑː/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skQGve3XksU

pronunciation ipa

Jez

aha thanks

does this look right?

0

A: How did Shakespeare pronounce "hautboys"?

Depending on whether you're pronouncing it the US English or British English way, it looks like this word may be pronounced any of the following ways: /hoʊt'bɔɪ/ (ie. with the leading 'h' sound and pronouncing the 't') /hoʊ'bɔɪ/ (ie. with the leading 'h' sound) /oʊ'bɔɪ/ (ie. without the leading ...

z7sg

I don't like the blockquotes. That certainly displays. Whether the answer is right or not I haven't a clue.

Jez

trouble is that without blockquotes, it's tough to get the markdown to break the line. i guess i can use the br tag

z7sg

break the line? 2 spaces + new line

Jez

didn't know that.

won't remember it either :-)

Robusto's feeling anal today.

there are 2 @z7sg s

they're multiplying

Robusto

10:21

@Jez — You don't offer any evidence for your assertions in the hautboys questions, and yet you call your conclusion "obvious"; that's why I called you on it.

Jez

I said 'obviously more likely'

that doesn't equate to obvious per se

z7sg

there is only one @z7sg perhaps you have confused me with another unicorn

Jez

I see 2 of you

10676 and 19437

linked to SO and EL&U

user19161

11:20

@Jez I only see one z7sg. Maybe I'm really blur.

z7sg

i can star my own messages and double-star ones i have already starred so yeah something is odd

user19161

@z7sg I think only the second is odd.

z7sg

you can't star your own messages!

user19161

@z7sg But starring your own questions is quite common on the main sites!

z7sg

@Jasper But you can't do it here! Try it and see!

user19161

11:33

@z7sg Oh yes I see: there is no star for me to click on. This is mysterious. And I think Jez was referring to another unicorn, though that one does not look like a unicorn, more like a horse.

user19161

Hello @kit, I just gave you a +1 for dark of the moon!

Kit

@Jasper Thanks.

Oh hang on. I have to reboot. BRB.

RegDwight

0

Q: Good way to write if..else statements

Is there any way the below statement can be made better ? if the authentication succeeds, the user is taken to front page, else he is taken to the error page. Are the commas placed correctly? Is the above sentence grammatically accurate?

grammar sentence

Is there a reason I am not seeing a single close-vote on this?

"Review and improve this sentence."

z7sg

crumbs! once again the community is asleep at the wheel

user19161

@RegDwight It may be seen otherwise as good way to write if ... else, or where the commas should be placed. But in its current form the question is not clear. I'll close it as not a real question.

RegDwight

11:47

Right. "Too broad" is certainly an option.

Kit

12:04

@RegDwight I had a bad night, and was getting coffee before I checked the boards.

user19161

12:29

@kit I see that you have changed back into a fox after rebooting!

Kit

Oh yeah. I forgot the unicorn makes me crazy.

bracho monacho

Hooray! (That unicorn, with its vacuous stare, was starting to scare me.)

Nice avatar, @JasperLoy

user19161

@brachomonacho Yes I saw your domo too!

bracho monacho

Which one?

user19161

Oh I see that you have changed it into another domo!

bracho monacho

12:32

(Frozen Domo or the current lobster-riding one?)

user19161

Well, I saw both.

user19161

12:42

I didn't change into a unicorn because it doesn't represent me, but I love all those whom it represents.

bracho monacho

Are there more unicorns apart from z7sg?

user19161

Aedia too. But just to add, a unicorn may not mean anything either.

Grace Note

Well, unicorns were kind of a thing at one point.

bracho monacho

Before the mention of unicornify.appspot.com ?

Grace Note

Well, nigh all the unicorn gravatars come from that. Which was kinda the first height of the thing.

user19161

12:47

Ya that site left me a little confused.

MrHen

13:04

@RegDwight: You around?

Hey all :)

Kit

Hi @MrHen.

user19161

Hey what's up? Wanna close a question?

MrHen

@Kit Hello

@JasperLoy I always want to close questions... ;)

Grace Note

@MrHen A noble pursuit!

MrHen

Yeah... people seem reluctant to hop on board, however.

Someone always feels the need to defend crappy questions. :P

Grace Note

13:08

I flag every now and then

MrHen

(And sometimes I am wrong, too.)

@GraceNote Speaking of which, I've been pretty happy with my fancy new 10k tools :)

Grace Note

@MrHen Awesome

Mr. Disappointment

Howdy, folks.

user19161

@MrDisappointment Hey dude.

Grace Note

@MrDisappointment G'mornin!

Mr. Disappointment

13:18

How's things going?

Grace Note

Exhausted. Having an extended absence from work on the days you were planning to wrap everything up and leave really is kinda ill timed.

Mr. Disappointment

I see the fervency of our little spot of the internet seems to have cooled some.

@GraceNote You're leaving your job? I take it you have a new one lined up?

Grace Note

@MrDisappointment Had one lined up for a while.

Mr. Disappointment

Then all the best!

Jez

anyone here work from home?

Mr. Disappointment

13:22

I suppose that would have been the best reply I could have given whether you have another job, or not.

@Jez At times.

Jez

i used to in my last job, but not this one. it's extremely patchy as to who allows it. need to come across to potential employers as a decent employee, but also find out how flexible a working hours policy they have.

Mr. Disappointment

Patchy? Just ask.

Grace Note

@MrDisappointment I s'pose, but then it'd be awfully foolish of me to leave a cushy and comfortable job for nothing at all.

Jez

@MrDisappointment yeah but just asking can give the wrong impression

like "do i get to skive off sometimes"

you almost need it to be a 'by-the-way'...

RegDwight

@MrHen Huh wha?

Mr. Disappointment

13:27

@GraceNote Very true. Though, some people aren't in such a cushy position.

Jez

so pretend you dont really care but if they have an inflexible hours policy, rule them out :-)

Grace Note

@MrDisappointment Which is why it'd be quite foolish of me to do so, in this economy.

Mr. Disappointment

@Jez Well, maybe, if you look at it like that; I never looked at it as skipping work, I actually work.

Jez

@MrDisappointment me too, but i'm looking at it from the employers' inevitable POV

Grace Note

@Jez That seems awfully selective of the job application process.

Mr. Disappointment

13:28

@GraceNote Sorry, I didn't express that property: I meant some people are really forced out of there jobs, which is unfair. You're lucky you have 2!

Jez

@GraceNote huh?

Mr. Disappointment

Anyway got to run.

Grace Note

@Jez Flexible work hours are a rare flower, so making that a requirement just seems like it can be hazardous. Not bad, just risky.

Jez

"That seems awfully selective of the job application process."

what a strange way to express it

makes it sound like the process is being selective

Grace Note

Your job application process is the process you use to determine which jobs you apply to. If you're discounting certain jobs, you're being selective. If you're discounting a lot of jobs, it's very selective.

I did use a qualifier with a negative intonation, so sorry about that.

Jez

13:31

hmm.

is it overly selective though? i can afford to wait until a flexible employer comes along...

Grace Note

For example, my job selection process is selective in that I prefer a place that is close to my home. Which is why my new job is a much shorter commute than my current one.

Jez

37.5 hours a week is wearing me down. yeah, i know some Americans do more, but i think your lack of employee rights sucks.

Grace Note

@Jez Not a lot of people can afford to wait. It's good that you have the ability to wait, that's a good thing.

Jez

well im working right now

Grace Note

@Jez 40 hours a week was an easy transition for me since that's roughly how long school is anyway.

Jez

13:33

in that sense i can afford to wait. of course getting to interviews is near-impossible when you're at a job

40, huh. 9 to 6?

Grace Note

@Jez 8-5.

Jez

that seems like very long hours to me

even '9 to 5' is starting to be considered a bit old fashioned and inflexible here

MrHen

@RegDwight Oh, hey. You still here? :P

I had something to talk about but now it will have to wait a bit.

Grace Note

@Jez Eh, different strokes. I don't find it very liberating, but I don't find it entirely restrictive either. Honestly, it's the commute that makes things worse for me.

MrHen

Hey, is there a way I can set up a private room with someone (say @RegDwight)?

I am not too familiar with this chat software

Jez

13:38

@GraceNote Sucks all the more in the US where you're aware that the rich assholes horde so much and you're working your ass off for SFA

(presumably)

Grace Note

@Jez SFA?

Jez

sweet fuck all

Grace Note

@MrHen You can click their gravatar and choose "Start a room with this user". It's not 100% private, though. If you need a truly private room, bother a blue.

MrHen

@GraceNote Mmk. Thanks. If I, say, invite Reg to a room could he make it private?

Grace Note

(In this case, you can just prod Dwig, but you'd need a real good excuse to have a super-private room)

Kit

13:40

@MrHen I've started a room with Reg before, but he was the one who had to make it private.

MrHen

Heh, double jinx :)

Kit

@MrHen giggle He's done it before, when I wanted to talk to him about a user.

Grace Note

@MrHen Would a sarsparilla be fine? That's all I got on me.

MrHen

@GraceNote I've never had sarsaparilla, actually.

What is it?

Grace Note

@MrHen It's delicious. It's kinda like root beer, if you've ever had it, but much richer and flavorful.

Derived from the eponymous plant

MrHen

13:42

@GraceNote Heh, I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

Kit

@GraceNote That is entirely subjective.

I think it rather tastes like old vomit.

And I like root beer.

MrHen

@Kit Perhaps your old vomit just tastes like the root beer you were drinking?

Kit

@MrHen Hmm. That's a good point.

Grace Note

@Kit Of course it is subjective. That's what taste is all about.

JSBangs

hey, everybody

are we still here?

why is @Reg an owl again?

Martha

13:44

I don't know why people like root beer. Nasty stuff.

MrHen

@JSBangs Hey! Welcome back!

The drama is more or less over, for better or for worse.

Kit

@JSB!

Martha

So how was your time off, @JSBangs?

JSBangs

relaxing. my parents were in town. we hung out and drank limoncello. and i was surprisingly productive at work

Grace Note

@Martha I prefer it a whole lot better than all that caffeine pond scum everyone drinks

Jez

13:46

time off? work?

how are they compatible?

Grace Note

Also, hey @Martha and @JSBangs

Martha

@Jez, his time off was from EL&U.

JSBangs

@Jez i was taking time off from ELU, not from my job

@Martha jinx

Martha

Slow jinx.

Jez

hmm

Martha

13:49

JSBangs

@Martha is there liquor in that?

Grace Note

I'd say that looks delicious, except I'm skeptical about whole rasberries in something I'd try to drink.

Martha

@JSBangs Not by default, no, but I'm sure you could add, say, vodka without ill effect.

@GraceNote You eat the raspberries afterwards.

JSBangs

@Martha vodka it is, then!

Grace Note

I see

Martha

13:52

I'm sleepy. Can I go back to bed now?

Kit

@Martha That looks delicious.

Grace Note

Sleep is always a good thing.

RegDwight

Jul 15 at 19:58, by RegDwight

"I changed my gravatar to a viscacha and all I got was all hell breaking loose and NO STUPID T-SHIRT!"

Grace Note

@RegDwight Other Gaming users are getting their T-Shirts, by the way.

Kit

Hey, anybody ever had carbohydrate withdrawal?

RegDwight

13:54

@GraceNote Well, how should I put it... I changed my gravatar to a viscacha and back, and still no T-shirt.

@GraceNote Oh and, whole raspberries belong in everything.

Grace Note

@Kit What would be the symptoms of that?

JSBangs

@Kit no. are you trying one of those silly low-carb diets?

Grace Note

@RegDwight Sounds like something worth picketing.

'lo, @aedia

Kit

@JSBangs No, just upping my fruit and vegetable intake, but at the expense of french fries and pizza.

aedia

Hola!

RegDwight

13:57

Semana!

Grace Note

@Kit French fries and pizza don't sound like a particularly losing loss.

Kit

I seem to be in a really ugly mood, and I wonder if that's what is causing it.

JSBangs

@aedia morning

@Kit "Kit is being rude and offensive to everyone. Action Plan: Kit will stop being rude and offensive to everyone."

Kit

@aedia Hi!

Grace Note

@Kit Excepting the loss of specific foods, have you been eating well?

JSBangs

13:58

(sorry, i'm reading some chat backlog, so i'm making jokes in response to things that were said like a week ago)

Kit

@JSBangs You remembered! I'm so flattered!

@GraceNote Yes. Relatively speaking.

JSBangs

@Kit well, i just read that message like ten minutes ago

Kit

@GraceNote What are you, from Mars? Pizza and french fries are delicious!

Grace Note

Hm. I know people who have gone on low or no carb diets and they haven't really turned any more irritable, unless they were hungry.

aedia

@Kit Maybe not enough fats? Been eating some nuts or avocados or anything?

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…