English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

user227867

12:26 AM

How are the accounts in your network profile arranged if they have the same rep? It seems to be done by the order you created them...

user227867

For uniformity, I propose that all sites revert to the beta look. It's much cooler that way.

user227867

3:09 AM

@Tonepoet A tuition centre asked me for interview next Mon, good news I guess.

Tonepoet

@JasperLoy That sounds like it might be good for your pocketbook at least.

user227867

@Tonepoet That means maybe I will have money to buy you a Christmas present, LOL

user227867

I will just ship it to the nearest dustbin.

Tonepoet

@JasperLoy No thank you. Anyway Jasper, I must go.

Bye-bye.

user227867

4:32 AM

Yay, I have 1500 points now. 500 more to reach 2000.

Tonepoet

4:44 AM

@JasperLoy Dang, you gain rep. much faster than I do, even when I'm trying. XP

Tonepoet

5:25 AM

10

A: "a while" vs "awhile"

Awhile is an adverb: Bear with me awhile. A while is the use of the noun "while": We've been here for a while. So in your example you can use either: I've been wondering this awhile. Or: I been wondering for a while.

Is it just me, or does anybody else think it would be more usual to say "I've been wondering [about this] for a while"?

tchrist

sure

> The adverb awhile, meaning 'for a short time,' should be written as one word (we paused awhile). The noun phrase, meaning ‘a period of time,’ especially when preceded by a preposition, should be written as two words (Margaret rested for a while; we'll be there in a while). See also worthwhile

tchrist

5:46 AM

You know, I think we should simply forbid grammatically correct from appearing anywhere. :/

user227867

8:54 AM

@tchrist That is the title of my favourite book on punctuation and style matters.

user17915

11:34 AM

hi

is anyone here?

Færd

12:02 PM

@Cerberus Maybe futon.

@user17915 Hi!

user17915

@Færd hi

The General Medical Services (GMS) scheme in Ireland
is a tax funded, means tested, public health insurance
scheme.
What does means tested mean?
Is it this?

investopedia.com/terms/m/means-test.asp

Færd

Could be. Dunno.

Andrew Leach

12:27 PM

@user17915 "Means tested" denotes a test of means -- means here is a plural noun referring to "financial resources", and usually includes income and savings.

The outcome of the test is that, if you have sufficient means, you don't get public health insurance and have to pay for it (or contribute towards the cost) yourself.

[And I'm rather pleased with myself that I didn't use the verb means in those two lines!]

Færd

It denotes some prudence and consideration.

terdon

@AndrewLeach That was impressive, but kind of mean.

What an interesting word, now that I think of it. You have mean (bad), mean (cheap), mean (indicate), mean (as opposed to median), means. Probably more.

user17915

@terdon mean (cheap) ?

could you provide an example?

Færd

stingy

user17915

cheap as in miserly then?

Færd

12:39 PM

Yes.

user17915

not the opposite of expensive

Færd

No. :)

It's British usage as some dictionaries say.

terdon

Yep

As in Mean Mr Mustard

Shafizadeh

12:57 PM

Which one is correct?
- He has the same personality with you
- He has the same personality than you

I want to say: "his personality and yours are identical in my opinion"

tchrist

You and he have the same personality.
He has the same personality as you have.

Shafizadeh

Ah I see, thx

user17915

He has the same personality as you

Shafizadeh

@user17915 yeah, as @tchrist said, "as" is exactly what I was looking for

Mitch

@terdon Oh. I thought he was just a jerk. But he's cheap too?

Færd

1:09 PM

When I'm using an operating system or platform, am I on it? And everything I do, is it done on it too? Or can it be in too?

> I wrote this with Open Office in/on Ubuntu.

> I use this external hard drive in/on Windows only.

Mitch

@Færd Definitely not 'in'

yes. use 'on'

Færd

Thanks.

user17915

I use this external hard drive in Windows only. sounds weird

Færd

Would be funny being in a platform.

user17915

I'm not sure about the first one but the second is definitely on

Shafizadeh

1:11 PM

One question @user17915, Are you a new moderator? I never seen you here so far :-)

Færd

Thanks.

Mitch

@Færd I'm curious...at what point in language teaching of English do the get to all the messed up prepositions? 1st year? 2nd year?

@Færd Unless it's a virtual reality platform

You'd be -in- the holodek.

maybe also on.

Færd

@Mitch I don't know. Is it measured in years?

I think that's something learners struggle with continually for a long time. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to learn it all at some stage/grade and get past it as if it's done.

Shafizadeh

In a short video clip, there is a hug scene which I'm trying to refer to it. So is this sentence correct? "the ending hug scene was delightful"

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

1:30 PM

@Shafizadeh Sounds okay to me.

Shafizadeh

thx

Mitch

1:45 PM

@Færd I was trying to be loose. There are certainly very explicit common orders of learning languages (common easy things first then rarer more difficult things later), but different people can have different experiences. I've never taught English so I just don't know what is common. At what stage of your learning did you start to pick up the nuances of prepositions?

I feel like in the past 2 weeks the review queue has been increasing steadily. All in close votes. What's up with that?

Robusto

You just can't win. I used the word "affect" (noun) in a post, and I thought someone might think I meant "effect" so I included a link to the dictionary definition of "affect" (a noun meaning emotional response). So overnight someone named Dog Lover edits my post to change it to effect and even edits the link to point to that word ... Sometimes I am just speechless.

6

A: How to say "short, sweet, to the point" in one word?

While I like succinct, if you're looking for a word with a little more affect you could try pithy: pithy adj brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning; terse; forcible: a pithy observation Note the "full of vigor" aspect. Where succinct merely sug...

Sigh.

terdon

@Mitch I think he's primarily stingy, yes. Not mean as in jerk. I mean, look at the lyrics:

> Mean Mister Mustard sleeps in the park
Shaves in the dark trying to save paper
Sleeps in a hole in the road
Saving up to buy some clothes
Keeps a ten-bob note up his nose
Such a mean old man
Such a mean old man

Read more: Beatles - Mean Mr Mustard Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Mitch

@Robusto to be devil's advocate, 'effect' can work in that spot too.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

> His sister Pam works in a shop
She never stops, she's a go-getter
Takes him out to look at the queen
Only place that he's ever been
Always shouts out something obscene
Such a dirty old man
Dirty old man

@terdon I think they're going for both meanings

terdon

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 True.

Mitch

1:59 PM

@terdon OK, now that you point directly at it, that makes sense, but I still think he's a jerk.

Also, 'mean' doesn't mean 'cheap' in AmE at all, so I'm predisposed to not think of cheap.

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 He's a cheap jerk

Also, they rhyme queen and been. That's crazy talk.

terdon

@Mitch So was I before spending some time in the UK

Robusto

2:32 PM

@Mitch So because some other word might work in the place of the original, you are suggesting that someone ought to edit the original?

Mitch

@Robusto No.

I'm suggesting that when you go an a bike ride, you should take a bus to the top of the mountain, and coast all the way back down. That way you won't ruin the bike ride by getting all tired.

Also, there should be a snack bar at the top.

Færd

2:50 PM

@Mitch I don't know; pretty early I guess, when I started using dictionaries, and yet I still suck at it.

I didn't follow one of those methodical paths.

tchrist

3:25 PM

Today I've learned that the abbreviation for paperless is e.

Færd

3:36 PM

Is dense a good adjective for a substance of high density (eg lead)?

tchrist