English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

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Mazura

00:00

i use lowercase I for italics 'cause they always look like / to me otherwise.

tchrist

I should probably cut down on coffee. Or java. Or both.

@Mazura ?

Mazura

Cry havoc let loose the focuses of war!

tchrist

getCapAdditionalSecurityInformation > get_cap_additional_security_information setIgnoringElementContentWhitespace > set_ignoring_element_content_whitespace InvalidAlgorithmParameterException > invalid_algorithm_parameter_exception UnknownServiceInstanceFactoryClass > unknown_service_instance_factory_class getLightBarrierBackwardInterrupted > get_light_barrier_backward_interrupted isIgnoringElementContentWhitespace > is_ignoring_element_content_whitespace

Mazura

@tchrist Just some random stuff I'm throwing out there.

tchrist

Gotcha.

Mazura

00:03

This font sucks. That's an L? pfft

tchrist

00:26

Don't it just?

1 hour later…

Mitch

01:35

@Mazura JB

Mazura

Oh. heheh

Two of the kids on that SWR religious symbol, need a timeout as well.

1 hour later…

Mazura

02:43

"What you're supposed to use [are/is] finish nails." are or is? Why?

Cerberus

02:59

@Mazura Is, although I wouldn't call are wrong.

Mazura

Well that doesn't help ;p

I agree.

Cerberus

You have a subject and a subject complement, with a copula in between (is/are).

The verb should agree with the subject.

But how do you know which is the subject?

Mazura

@Cerberus And the problem is I don't know what that means.

Cerberus

When there's no real way to know, the first noun group is normally considered the subject.

Oh.

Well, it's hard to explain.

It's all about grammar.

What you're supposed to use is the subject.

It determines whether you should use is or are.

By default, a what clause is singular.

So use is.

Mazura

I thought it be from the 'count-ability' of finish nails.

are finish nails. is finish nails. It all depends on what comes before? Is doesn't sound right.

Cerberus

03:05

I'm afraid I can't really explain it any better.

Mazura

I still don't really understand why but I can see how the thing you are supposed to use IS finish nails sounds right and are would be wrong.

I know it's because a what clause is singular (now), I just can't pretend to grasp that like I should.

My understanding of English is colloquial. Is there a SW for that?

Unlearned? ;p

Cerberus

Enthusiastic.

MετάEd

03:46

Howdy, y'all.

1 hour later…

Mazura

04:49

Hello there.

MετάEd

05:43

Like two ships that pass in the night ...

Mazura

06:36

@MετάEd - What is Trump saying about nuclear? "...having nuclear..." is what? "having nuclear but" doesn't make any sense.

MετάEd

@Mazura According to comments, it is clear in context. I believe he was talking about the 2015 Iran deal on their nuclear program.

Mazura

There's no way I read all of that page, but yea, that +30 comment said so. Is it a complete sentence?

Also, that comment means it's grammatically correct, or is it some sort of pun?

Where is the part of the sentence he finishes talking about nuclear?

MετάEd

@Mazura It is not just one sentence.

Mazura

Or the is. Where is the is.

MετάEd

You're asking where the is is.

Mazura

06:48

It's a broken clause or something. Having nuclear [is] {what}.

MετάEd

@Mazura He doesn't finish that sentence. He restarts that thought later in the example.

Mazura

then it's incorrect, no?

MετάEd

It is not grammatically incorrect to interrupt yourself and start again.

It is a normal characteristic of spoken language.

Mazura

Then no one has ever said anything wrongly.

<smashes fist> Next time, Language... next time!

Rathony

07:16

@Mazura Hello

6 hours later…

Ooker

13:22

Hi @Rathony, I'm Ooker from this question: english.stackexchange.com/questions/311260/…

I see the mentioned question gets approved

also if it's belonged to ELL, then why didn't it get migrated to there?

Rathony

@Ooker Hello. Nice to see you here!!!

How are you?

@Ooker You must be busy. When you have time, ping me.

Mitch

14:13

I'd refer to them, as a whole, as It. Of course, I'd be attacked then, because of objectification, that i most certainly'd undertake. Considering English, or any language, carries a certain amount of "genderness", see German and the prepositions - there's no winning with the mindless, first-world, third wave feminazis, and their rabid court of SJWs, LGBT shields, made up problems, nipples. It's like talking to a wall that has "my soggy knees" written on it, and if you scratch it, there's only misandry below. — Sakatox 1 hour ago

He should have led with "my soggy knees". That would have made his point right away.

I'm so sorry. I had no idea what that was when I looked for it. I'm really sorry. Like lifting the kitchen floor linoleum and seeing a swarm of cockroaches.

2 hours later…

Cerberus

16:37

So @Mitch, do you really feel the word actress is sexist?

2 hours later…

Mitch

19:03

@Cerberus In regular speech, I find 'actor' the very tiniest bit jarring for a woman, but 'actress' a tiny bit too gendered (like I vaguely feel that some people think it is sexist so maybe I should avoid it but I'm not sure). I'm entirely for singular they when unknown ('he' is never gender free for me, I frankly don't understand why people bother with making up weird new words, and it's been used forever, and isn't jarring at all for me).

IͶΔ

Actressor

Mitch

@Cerberus But if you're referring to the quoted comment, the smallest language question there is being answered using what I find to be abominable sociology, if it can be elevated enough to call it that.

@IͶΔ Compressor

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